Category Archives: Reviews

#4043: Snowtrooper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

SNOWTROOPER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

Dear readers, we’ve finally arrived, after a seven week stretch, at the end of the Power of the Force coin reviews!  As noted last week, the last few of these are the ones that don’t really have as much in the way of new to offer.  While the seven figure set was heavier weighted on the heroes side, there were two “villains.”  I already looked at Emperor Palpatine, but there was a trooper in the mix, specifically of the Snowtrooper variety.  Why “snow?”  I got no idea, but why question it now.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Snowtrooper is the seventh and final figure in the Toys “R” Us-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” line-up from the Star Wars: Power of the Force II line, released in 1998.  This was the line’s third and final Snowtrooper, following the single and the deluxe.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The Snowtrooper’s sculpt is a straight re-use of the single release mold.  It’s kind of restricted in its movement, but generally a reasonable sculpt.  It’s accurate to the design, if perhaps a bit soft on the detailing.  So, what’s the thing that makes this worthwhile?  The paint, of course!  The original release’s paint was fine, but ultimately inaccurate to the source material.  The deluxe release had a more accurate layout, so this one matches that.  It’s the sort of thing that you aren’t likely to notice on its own, but side by side it’s a notable change-up.  Like the single release, the Snowtrooper is packed with a medium blaster rifle.  He also includes the required Millennium Minted Coin, which rather amusingly refers to him as “Hoth Stormtrooper” so as to keep its accuracy to the vintage release, despite the box calling him “Snowtrooper.”

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Count this figure as yet another on the pile of “didn’t really think I’d need it” when I started collecting the line, since it’s pretty similar to the others.  I got him because I didn’t have him, but wasn’t expecting much.  So, I gotta say, he’s actually a pleasant surprise.  The new paint’s not drastic, but it’s a change, and it’s ultimately a better figure for it.  Of the three Snowtroopers in the line, this one’s probably my favorite.  And that’s a wrap on the figures with the coins.  This set was one I didn’t think much of when I went in, and I was honestly kind of expecting them to be kind of lame.  While they’re totally a fairly hollow cash-grab, I found it to be a surprisingly nifty set of figures.  The coins are actually cool, and all of the figures do feel at least like a minor step-up from the single releases.

#4042: Ultra Magnus

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS: MISSING LINK (TAKARA)

It’s been not only a hot minute since I’ve looked at any Transformers, but an even hotter minute since I looked at one of my two most frequent Transformers guys, my personal favorite Autobot, Ultra Magnus.  But, where the last two Magni I looked at here were non-transforming, this one is actually a proper transforming one.  My lone TF review of 2025 was from Takara’s then relatively new Missing Link line, which recreates the original toys with modern articulation and engineering.  The line’s made it up to 10 separate releases, with Magnus, the most elaborate thus far, taking that spot.  Let’s see how he turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magnus is figure C-10 in Takara’s Transformers: Missing Link line.  While most of the figures to this point have been released in pairs, Magnus is on his own.  For now, at least; there’s a Delta Magnus using the same molds but with the original Powered Covoy colors that’s next on the docket.  In his fully armored up robot mode, the figure stands about 8 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 practical points of articulation.  His height is almost identical to the vintage Magnus, with this one sitting just a skosh taller than the original, but only in a manner that’s actually noticeable when you have them right next to each other. In terms of styling of the sculpt, Magnus is quite clearly patterned on aping the original molds as much as possible, but offering some technical improvements.  He’s a little more crisp on the details, and the elements that were decals on his original figure and all of its recreations are now actual sculpted elements.  His head, classically a single piece, is now multiple pieces glued together, which helps the different parts stand out a bit more from each other, which is quite nice.  But the biggest change, of course, is movement.  The original super robot form of Magnus was limited to movement only in his arms, due to how the inner robot sat within the main body of the armor.  This figure keeps everything the original had, of course, as well as adding outward movement on the shoulders, and posable fingers on the hands.  The inner bot’s re-use of the Missing Link Optimus parts means he gets neck movement as well, even in super robot mode.  Before this figure was fully unveiled, there was a lot of discussion about if they’d sacrifice lower body movement for the sake of keeping him as close to the original construction as possible, but then we say shots with his hips and knees bent, which was a somewhat pleasant surprise.  I was curious to see how exactly that would work.  It’s…a bit finicky, but honestly, I expected that.  The original Magnus more or less just had his inner bot just sort of set in the armor, with only two small connections at the front to actually hold him in place.  This one adds a pair of clamping clips around the waist, as well as two pegs on articulated arms that plug into the backs of the legs, allowing them to move when the legs are posed…sort of.  It works okay, but not great, and you’ll need to be careful with how you pose, as well as needing to sort of shift some parts into more proper orientations when you’re done.  You don’t get any incredible motion on the hips or knees, but you get enough to give him some better variety of posing.  He also adds some ankle rockers to the mix, which are fantastic for helping with his stability.  One other bit of new ingenuity on this release is the inclusion of a removable Matrix of Leadership, which has its own special housing in the torso of the core robot.  The super robot actually gets a hinge on the torso, however, meaning he can access the Matrix while armored up, which is very cool, and very unexpected.  Like his original figure, he gets his rifle, shoulder rocket launchers, and four rockets.  The rifle’s basic, but looks the part and fits well in his hand.  His rocket launchers, which originally had to sit at different heights due to how the pegs on the shoulders worked, now have moving pegs, so you can have them sit more properly.  The rockets mimic the sizing of the originals, rather than the longer rockets used by the reproductions, but are now non-firing as a safety precaution.

As with every properly vintage-inspired Magnus, the this figure has a core robot.   He’s about 6 inches tall and he has 28 practical points of articulation.  As noted above, he’s using a lot of tooling from this line’s standard Optimus, with some tweaks to the legs to better match the vintage figure.   Like the armored Magnus, the elements that were previously handled via decals are now sculpted onto the figure, giving him a more polished and finished look overall.  Right out of the box, he’s got the housing for the Matrix installed in his torso cavity, but you can pop that out of place if you’re looking for a more true to the vintage stylings look.  Like his original figure and the Optimus he’s patterned on, the core robot Magnus turns  into a Freightliner.  It’s not too far removed from the original in terms of how in works, though there’s some adjustments, like his hands folding into the center, rather than having to be removed.  The armor once again transforms into Magnus’s car carrier mode, with a transformation scheme that’s pretty much identical to the original, apart again from the lack of need to remove his hands (though the larger hands *are* removable if you so choose).

This figure includes recreations for all of the parts included with the domestic release of Magnus, but doesn’t just stop there.  The original Diaclone release of Powered Convoy actually included two additional items, which this released recreates and updates.  Powered Convoy actually had an additional transforming robot included, the Powered Buggy, a smaller single-seat vehicle that also transformed into a robot.  It’s been recreated here as “Deerstalker” a version of the buggy colored to match Magnus’s updated color scheme.  His robot mode’s a bit more rudimentary, and he’s kind of hard to keep standing, but it’s neat nevertheless.  Also included in a small figure of Spike Witwicky; since Diaclone was a line based around piloted mechs, not sentient robots, they had “Dianoauts,” small pilot figures with a striking resemblance to Microman (which makes sense, given Diaclone is effectively a spin-off of Microman), and Spike has been re-imagined here in that style.  He’s just over an inch tall and has moving arms and legs, as well as some (rather weak) magnets in his feet  Spike fits in Deerstalker’s buggy mode, Magnus’s truck cab with the Matrix mount removed, and even the small vehicle made from assembling Magnus’s helmet and chest plate.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When this line launched, I was very hopeful we might see a proper Magnus, but not immediately certain.  Sure, a re-color for the core bot felt like a lock, but the whole armored up bit?  It seemed tricky, but, like I said, I was hopeful.  As soon as we heard he was coming, I was a lock for getting one, and that only became more true with each subsequent reveal about him.  It’s been a bit of a wait, and he’s got a pretty hefty price tag, but boy is he cool.  I love the vintage figure, and I love keeping those aesthetics, but with a bit more playability.  There’s some compromises here to make him do everything they want him to, but nothing that breaks the figure at all.  And now I’m out of this line until the inevitable Soundwave.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased this figure for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#4041: The Ventriloquist with Scarface

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

THE VENTRILOQUIST with SCARFACE

BATMAN (HASBRO)

“When paired with the puppet known as SCARFACE, mild-mannered ARNOLD WESKER becomes THE VENTRILOQUIST—one of Batman’s greatest criminal foes.  Wesker channels his dark side through his crime lord style dummy.  When the two are together, Scarface’s evil influence over his partner in crime is absolute.”

Since Batman: The Animated Series needed to fill out a syndication order’s worth of episodes, and its producers didn’t want to get too repetitive with the same few rogues, they had to delve into some of the lesser known villains.  In addition to revamping older villains (most famously Mr. Freeze), they also brought in a smaller number of newer foes.  One of the most recent choices at the time was The Ventriloquist, chosen because the producers felt he fit well with the pseudo period piece vibe of BTAS.  It aided the character’s recognition, and helped him become a rather memorable second tier rogue, appearing in multiple shows since BTAS wrapped up.  While not the most prevalent sort of character in terms of toys, he was one of the small handful of new characters introduced during Hasbro’s run with the license.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Ventriloquist with Scarface was released as part of the “Puppets of Crime” boxed set, released under Hasbro’s generic Batman line in 2002.  Arnold was noteworthy for being the only new figure in the set, which was otherwise re-packs.  The figure is just under 5 inches tall and has 4 points of articulation.  His articulation is really, really restricted, to the point that he’s effectively just kind of a statue.  There’s no movement in the legs, instead just a waist swivel, and while he’s got shoulder swivels, the posing of the arms means they get very little play.  You can sort of move his head back and forth, so that’s cool.  Also, without any leg movement, it can be a little tricky to find that sweet spot for keeping him standing.  His sculpt is based on his BTAS design, which is his more conventionally approachable look.  Generally speaking, it’s a good take on the look.  The head in particular is pretty on the mark, capturing Arnold’s reserved expression well.  The body sculpt’s got the crazy pre-posing going on which is odd.  I mean, the arms are sensible enough, since they’re meant for holding the Scarface puppet.  The legs, though, are weird in their wide stance and inward-pointing feet.  Maybe it’s supposed to be a balance thing, but it doesn’t quite work out.  In the show, he just stood with his legs together.  That, with maybe a display stand, would have gone a long way.  Also an odd is the coloring, which for some reason gives him a tan suit.  Why tan?  It’s not like it’s a particularly exciting color to shift to.  Maybe the tan plastic was cheaper.    The Ventriloquist was packed with Scarface, the most sensible possible accessory for him.  It’s a pretty good piece, nicely scaled to the main figure, and matching the show model.  Even the coloring’s not as wonky on him.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I somehow managed to miss all of the Ventriloquist and Scarface episodes of Batman when they aired, so I didn’t have much of an attachment to the character.  After the fact, I did find particular enjoyment in his lone TNBA appearance.  This figure (and the rest of the set he came from) actually was a Christmas gift to my brother in 2002, not me.  But, as a three-year-old, he had minimal interest in a guy in a suit, so this guy found his way into my collection.  He’s not the most play-worthy figure, but he’s still pretty cool, and surprisingly on the mark for a figure of this era for Hasbro.

#4040: Green Goblin

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

GREEN GOBLIN

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TOY BIZ)

“Green Goblin is one of Spider-Man’s oldest and deadliest enemies. With his jet-powered Goblin Glider, mayhem-making pumpkin bombs and his terrifying cackling laugh, Green Goblin spreads doom, destruction and panic wherever he lies. When it comes to making Spider-Man’s life miserable, nobody does it better than Green Goblin. What makes him so terrifying and so hard to capture is the fact that there’s no rhyme or reason to Green Goblin’s crime sprees. No one, not even Spider-Man, can predict what he’ll do next!”

Last week, I discussed the rotating “nemesis” duties of Doc Ock and Green Goblin.  With Norman Osborn dead for almost 20 years by that point (and still a couple of years off from a resurrection as well), and Harry mostly retired from the role, Goblin was rather out of the spotlight when Toy Biz launched their Marvel lines in the ‘90s, hence Doc Ock serving as Spidey’s main antagonist in the debut assortment.  Even in death/retirement, you can’t totally ignore Green Goblin, though, so he made his way into the next assortment, with a figure I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Goblin was released in Series 2 of Toy Biz’s Marvel Super Heroes line, which hit in 1991.  This was Goblin’s fourth time in proper figure form (following his 8-inch Mego, as well as the Comic Action and Pocket Heroes figures at the smaller scale), and the first of a handful he’d get during Toy Biz’s run.  He’s in his classic attire, because at this point, there wasn’t much variation at all for the character, even across three different people occupying the mantle.  As such, it could really be Norman, Harry, or even, if you’re feeling especially obscure, Bart Hamilton.  Because somebody needs to show poor Bart some love.  The figure stands just shy of 5 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation.  On the movement front, it’s worth noting that his right shoulder’s a bit restricted by his action feature, which allows him to throw his pumpkin bomb.  You can still get it to hold poses with some doing, but it’s a little more work.  Goblin’s sculpt was totally new to him, and would remain unique to this figure….which is probably for the best.  It’s a wonky sculpt, for sure.  It’s playing more into the cartoony and exaggerated side of the character, and it ultimately trades all of the potential menace for looking weird.  He just ultimately looks goofy.   I do like the texturing on the scales for his arms and legs (though personally I do find them to end up looking a bit busy when compared to the figure from the Animated Series tie-in), but his proportions are super weird, with a very narrow (and high) waist, very wide hips, and arms that are different lengths.  His right hand is contorted into some sort of odd flipper thing, meant to hold the pumpkin bomb, but it doesn’t quite work out very practically.  There are two variations on this sculpt, in a similar fashion to Thor, with or without a lever to launch the arm action.  Mine is the one without, which looks a bit nicer.  His color work is perfectly fine.  Nothing particularly crazy, but he does all the things he’s supposed to, and the application is mostly alright, apart from some slight slop around some of the edges.  Goblin is packed with his glider and a pumpkin bomb.  They’re both nice enough pieces, but he can’t very easy hold the bomb, and there’s not really a way to balance him on the glider without it falling over.  But, for just playing around, it’s not bad.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The only Green Goblin in my collection in the ‘90s was the Famous Covers one, which is honestly one of that line’s stand-out pieces.  I eventually got a 5-inch Goblin early in the ‘00s, courtesy of a sale at a comic store, but that was the Animated Series one.  That one’s honestly pretty fantastic, and I had no real need to track down this one until I got more into properly completing the run.  This one’s rather new to me, as I got him late last year in a larger batch of early-run Toy Biz figures.  He’s not great, but also, I think he’s got more quirks to him than last week’s Doc Ock, so I ultimately enjoy him a bit more.  The Animated one is still the definitive take, but this one’s an interesting stepping stone to better things.

#4039: Bespin Han Solo

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

BESPIN HAN SOLO

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

As I make my way through the home stretch of the Power of the Force coin reviews, I’ve officially passed the figures that really offer anything actually new, so, you know, that’ll be a ton of fun, right?  Right.  Since one of the aims of the subset of the line was new variants of the franchise’s heavy hitters, it’s no shock that all three of the central trio were present.  I’ve already looked at two of the three, so today, let’s round out the trio with Han Solo!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bespin Han Solo is one of the seven Toys “R” Us-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” set from Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force II line, released in 1998.  While Luke and Leia were both sporting their Endor gear from Return of the Jedi, Han breaks up the theme by being based on his main look from Empire, which is a twofer, being from a different movie, and also being his main look, not a specific variant.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  Structurally, he’s pretty much identical to the main line release of Bespin Han.  Honestly, that’s not awful.  Apart from the fact that the head sculpt doesn’t really look like Han, it’s past the crazy bulky proportions of the earliest sculpts in the line, and generally looks the part.  The only issue with this particular release is that he can’t stand particularly well, so he needs a stand to keep him upright.  Color wise, he’s again pretty much the same as the single release.  Apart from the jacket being the wrong color (a forced error mandated by Lucasfilm’s licensing in the ‘90s), the paint work is pretty well handled, and fairly cleanly applied.  Paint is also the one distinguishing point for Han’s blaster accessory; though totally black in all other releases, this one gets a bit of silver paint at the front, which is a fun change-up.  He also includes the requisite Millennium Minted Coin, as well as a display stand, which is especially helpful, given his troubles with standing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like the Chewbacca figure from a few weeks ago, this figure wasn’t really on my list until very late in my Power of the Force collecting, given just how similar he is to both the standard and Cinema Scene releases.  Ultimately, there’s not a ton going on with him that’s not going on elsewhere, but the added paint app on the blaster is honestly a pretty cool thing, even if it’s kind of small.  I do appreciate there being *something* different to justify another purchase if you’re the sort of crazy person buying them all.

#4038: Lucas Wolenczak

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

LUCAS WOLENCZAK

SEAQUEST DSV (PLAYMATES)

“Name: Lucas Wolenczak

Rank: Non-UEO Personnel

Assignment: Cheif Computer Analyst, seaQuest DSV 4600

UEO Military ID# CIV07-2000-ZZ2

Security Access: AIC/Unlimited access to ship’s computer systems.

Date of Birth: February 28, 2002

Character Profile: Genius level IQ matched with typical teenage emotions. High-energy. Impulsive. Curious. Fun-loving. Has father/son relationship with Captain Bridger. Close, mutual bond with ship’s dolphin, Darwin.

Personal History: Need for acceptance and approval caused behavior problems in school. Led to singular focus on mastering computers. Difficulties due to parents’ divorce, frequent changing of schools because father’s business, and boredom created by superior intelligence. At father’s request, assignment aboard seaQuest “arranged” by Admiral William Noyce to provide sense of discipline. Developed Vo-Corder Communicator used by Darwin and hologram program for main computer.

Mission Specialty: Responsible for programming and troubleshooting all ship’s computer systems – including weapons CPU’s, navigation, engines, and central computer. Utilizes innovative and unorthodox solutions outside UEO computer procedures.”

This Monday, the 13th of April, would have been the 50th birthday of Jonathan Brandis, known for amongst other things, his role as prodigy Lucas Wolenczak on SeaQuest DSV.  I didn’t actually know this when I put this review on the schedule a couple of months ago, but it’s fitting, and perhaps give this intro a bit more focus than it might have otherwise had.  Brandis was one of only three actors to remain with the show for its entire run, and also became a breakout star for the series, as well as something of a teen idol during the show’s run.  Though unquestionably a central piece of SeaQuest, and a huge part of what success it had, after the show’s run, Brandis struggled to find steady work, resulting in major bouts of depression (which, in more recent years, was also believed to be worsened by an undiagnosed bipolar disorder), and, ultimately Brandis’s death by suicide in the fall of 2003, at the age of 27.  It’s an undeniably sad piece of history for a show that tried to be so very optimistic for the future.  I know this is just a silly little toy review site (okay, that’s kind of a lie; it’s helped me through more than a few dark times), but it’s important to note what a toll the realities of the world can take on some of us, and how all we can really do is try to take care of ourselves to the best of our abilities.  And perhaps, try to look out for those around us who may be struggling.  In the words of Michelle McNamara, Patton Oswalt’s late wife: “It’s chaos; be kind.”

Anyway, that’s my serious moment here on the site, now I guess I’ll go back to being a silly little toy review site, and take a look at this Lucas Wolenczak figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lucas Wolenczak was release in the only series of Playmates’ SeaQuest DSV tie-in line in 1993.  Lucas was one of the most obvious choices for the line, as effectively the show’s secondary lead in the first season (and effectively it’s primary lead by the end).  Lucas was also noteworthy for being the only member of the main cast *not* to be sporting the standard black jumpsuit, making a nice stand-out visually.  The figure stands just over 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  His movement is the standard for the line, so it’s quite good, and superior to what they were doing with Trek at the time.  His sculpt was all-new, and would remain totally unique to him.  The head sculpt is a strong recreation of Brandis’s likeness, especially in the face.  The hair is perhaps a bit more tame than it was in the show, but that’s consistent with the other figures in the line, and really just goes along with the transition to action figure.  Below the neck, Lucas is wearing an outfit that I don’t believe he ever actually wore on the show.  He’s got a wetsuit with shorts, some water shoes, and a denim jacket thrown over it.  In the first season, Lucas usually just wore civilian attire, always very ‘90s, which might not have been very exciting, I suppose.  As it stands, this is a look that, even if it’s not one from the show, feels like it’s something Lucas might wear, so I ca dig it.  Lucas’s paint work keeps him removed from the others, with a bit of actual color, specifically some rather lovely green.  I particularly like the jacket, and how it’s got an actual denim sort of pattern to it, as well as a pretty cool “UEO” insignia on the back.  Lucas is packed with a PAL (Personal Audio Link), SeaPoc computer, mammal vo-corder, EVA Skindiving mask, Spear gun, and a display stand.  The tech is all sensible enough, but the spear gun does seem a tad out of place.  Also included is a small rubber hammerhead shark, for those that enjoy small rubber hammerhead sharks.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Crocker was the one I got during the actual run, and Bridger I got shortly after, and Darwin was sort of luck of the draw.  Lucas?  Lucas is a figure I actively searched for.  I didn’t get him new, but my dad did, and I was pretty well obsessed with that figure.  Unfortunately, I got to the age where I could properly enjoy the show in mid-2003…which was not a great time for finding a Lucas figure.  I was 11 at the time, and my Nana died the same year, and I recall that Brandis’s death was hard on me as well.  I didn’t know him (though my dad did, having run a con with him as a guest in 1994, and would share stories about working with him), but it still felt like losing someone important, in the context of being an 11-year-old who’d also just lost a grandparent.  It took me about a year or so to find a Lucas figure that wasn’t very expensive, but I did, albeit loose and without his accessories (those I got later).  As with the rest of the line, he’s rather a nice figure.  One has to wonder if the line had taken off, if there might have been many more Lucas figures.  That might have been cool.  But this one’s quite nice.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

#4037: Catwoman

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

CATWOMAN

BATMAN (HASBRO

“SELINA KYLE is a daring and strong-minded woman with a passion for cats.  As Catwoman, her headstrong ways often tempt her into reckless criminal behavior, but her morals have brought her into close cooperation with BATMAN more than once.  Knowing that her cat-like grace makes her the ideal burglar, Catwoman can’t turn down The Penguin’s challenge to purloin the prized Crest of Gotham City.  Catwoman’s weapons, a powerful whip and claw gauntlets, also serve as escape tools—but can they help her escape the Penguin’s insidious trap?”

When she first appeared as “The Cat” in Batman #1, Selina Kyle was unquestionably a villain, and would remain so for a good many decades after that, though she always maintained a flirtatious relationship with Batman, in the comics and other media.  By the ‘90s, the comics had started presenting Catwoman as more of an anti-hero, so in Batman: The Animated Series, Selina never serves as a proper antagonist to the heroes, more often then not an ally, at worst an unwitting pawn in a larger villain’s game.  It’s become kind of the defining take on the character, and honestly, good for her.  Selina’s no stranger to the toy game, but ultimately only got one proper figure during the Animated run, which I’m looking at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Catwoman was, like last week’s Robin, released in the 2001 “Revenge of the Penguin” boxed set, under Hasbro’s wider Batman banner.  She’s effectively just a re-release of Kenner’s original Animated tie-in figure from 1992, and she would see an additional (and truly identical) release from Hasbro in 2003’s “Girls of Gotham City” boxed set.  The figure stands 4 1/4 inches tall and has 5 points of articulation…or close to it.  She’s got a spring-loaded feature in her right shoulder, which brings it back down when you raise it, meant for use in conjunction with her included whip.  While visually unobtrusive, it means the shoulder doesn’t actually hold any poses, which is a bit of a bummer.  Beyond that, she’s got v-hips, which are never my favorite, and result in the figure being rather hard to pose.  The sculpt is the one originated by Kenner in 1992, and it’s…fine.  It’s not bad, but it’s a little more pre-posed than other figures from the same line, a little hard to get standing, and also she’s got a very stubby neck.  Stubby is honestly just a pretty good descriptor for her in general, and it’s not quite in keeping with her more slender frame from the show.  That said, all of the figures in the early run were a little stubby, so she’s not in the worst of company.  Catwoman’s paint work is a decent match for how she looked on the show, and unlike the Robin from the same set, she doesn’t get saddled with any really out there shades or color replacements.  The only notable thing here is that she’s a bit wall-eyed, which can look rather silly.  Her eyes are a darker shade of green than the original figure, one of two notable changes on this release.  Like her original release, Catwoman includes her whip, a pair off claw gauntlets, and a small figurine of her cat Isis.  Isis is black for this release, in contrast to the grey of the original.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The original animated Catwoman was totally gone from shelves when I started collecting, so my default version of her for many years was the Legends of Batman version, until I got this set for Christmas in 2001.  Robin was my main focus, but I remember being quite pleased to get a proper Catwoman figure as well.  She’s far from perfect, but she’s also far from bad, and I think there’s more to like than to dislike, whichever version of her you might get.

#4036: Dr. Octopus

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

DR. OCTOPUS

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TOY BIZ)

“Mankind beware! Dr. Octopus is an evil scientist who will stop at nothing in order to become the ultimate crime lord! With his suction-cupped tentacles, Dr. Octopus can climb almost any smooth surface. And with his two-grasping tentacles, he can lock onto any object with a merciless, unbreakable grip of steal!”

Throughout Spider-Man’s history, Dr. Octopus and Green Goblin have spent quite a bit of time circling each other as Spidey’s primary nemesis.  In the ‘70s, when Mego offered up the first proper figures of Spider-Man and his associated rogues, it was Goblin who got the nod, but by the ‘80s Secret Wars line, Goblin was dead, so Ock made his figure debut.  Since Goblin was still dead in 1990, when Toy Biz took over the license, it was Ock who once more got the nod as Spidey’s first antagonist in Marvel Super Heroes.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dr. Octopus was released as part of the first series of Toy Biz’s Marvel Super Heroes line in 1990.  This was Doc Ock’s second figure, and first under Toy Biz’s tenure.  He’s sporting Ock’s classic costume from the ‘70s into the ‘80s, which disappeared from the comics the same year this figure was released.  It was the only time Toy Biz released this look during their 5-inch run.  The figure stands just under 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation, as well as four bendy arms for the tentacles.  Ock’s sculpt was all-new, and unique to him.  It’s in the same general style as the other early line figures, taking a bit from Toy Biz’s DC Super Heroes line and its Super Powers influence.  It’s…not one of the strong sculpts from the early run.  His body shape is just sort of odd; Ock is usually depicted as a little on the heftier side, but here he’s just weirdly shaped, not like an actual person.  His arms are very long, his shoulders are very narrow, and his hips are very wide.  Also, he appears to have boobs?  The head is rather large, and it’s ugly, but not really in the way that Doc Ock is usually ugly.  He just looks really malformed.  The tentacles are at least a bit better.  It’s hard to screw up the basic banded metal look, and they didn’t, so good for them.  The front two have pincers for gripping, and the back two have suction cups.  They can’t hold him aloft, but they can aid in keeping him standing, which is honestly pretty nice.  Ock’s paint work is basic, and not anything crazy.  The hair is red, which seems wrong, and coverage is spotty in a few places, but it generally gets the job done.  Ock doesn’t get any accessories, but with the tentacles, he feels like a pretty equivalent value to the other figures in the line.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As a kid, I found myself between releases of Doc Ock, having missed this one and the initial cartoon release.  I never really had any particular attachment to the character, at least until Spider-Man 2 came along, so the figure from that line would have been my first Doc Ock.  I got this one about five or six years ago, when he got traded into work with a bundle of other Marvel Super Heroes figures.  He’s not great, if I’m honest.  A lot of these earlier Toy Biz figures have a certain charm, but Ock’s not one of them.  The tentacles are cool, but the figure attached to them is *rough.*

#4035: C-3PO

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

C-3PO

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

Last week’s Star Wars review was difficult for me to get into, but it was Palpatine, and I don’t much care for him.  Maybe today’s will be easier, because it’s C-3PO, and I certainly find him preferable to Palpatine.  My last 3PO review was almost a year ago, and there was a five year gap before that, so I guess he’s a bit infrequent here.  He’s got one of the lowest review counts of all of the main OT characters, but I think that’s less about me not liking him, and more about him having less variety of looks, especially as he advances in the narrative.  Kenner kept tinkering with different ideas for variants of him during their tenure with the license, and his penultimate release came from their obsession with coins, which has now become *my* obsession with coins.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

C-3PO was added to Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force II line in 1998, as one of the seven figures making up the TRU-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” set.  He’s more all-purpose than most, aside from Chewbacca, who is similarly not tied to a specific film in the Trilogy.  The figure is just under 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  This 3PO represents a sort of “best-of” approach to the available molds for the character.  While the original figure wasn’t *bad*, especially compared to other early line figures, he also wasn’t super accurate in terms of proportions.  This one aims to be more accurate, and uses the upper half of the removable limbs 3PO (with the arms modified to stay in place) and the lower half of the one from the “Purchase of the Droids” set. The end result is the most accurate the line got, sculpturally, to how he looks in the bulk of the movies, which is actually pretty cool.  Beyond that, his color work breaks from those two figures to go back to the approach of the earliest 3POs, which is vac-metalizing for that proper chrome finish.   They even went the extra mile and made his lower right leg silver, something missed on previous chromed figures.  Sure, the foot’s *also* silver, when it should be gold, but it’s a cool idea, right?  Well, it was at the time.  Unfortunately, it’s not an idea that time has been kind to, and almost 30 years later, the gold coloring is all sorts of flaking, and really just not long for this world. There’s otherwise some pretty great paint work on the not chrome parts, with proper coloring on all the wires and the under sides of his hands.  C-3PO is packed with a display stand and the requisite coin, showing him and R2 on Tatooine.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

3PO was probably the figure in this set I was most looking forward to, because of the aforementioned “best of” approach.  I was quite excited to open him up when my set came in…and more than a little disappointed when he started flaking the second I took him out.  It’s a shame, because he looks very cool, but I don’t dare touch him, for fear that he gets worse.  As it stands, the removable limbs figure is still kind of the definitive take from this line, and this guy’s just a spare.

#4034: The Avengers

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , ,

CAPTAIN AMERICA, IRON MAN, THOR, & HULK

WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER HEROES (MEGO)

In 2018, Mego, the company that put licensed action figures on the map back in the ‘70s, returned from an almost four decade hiatus, to a rather different toy landscape, in terms of licensing.  Though they pioneered super hero toys in the ‘70s, the licensing for both DC and Marvel has been more locked up since they left the market.  Slowly, but surely, in their eight years back on the market, Mego has picked up some of their old licenses, first DC, and, with a lot of special work arounds, Marvel. Back in November, I finally got a chance to look at the first two Marvel sets, a little while after their initial drops.  Now, I get to look at the latest set while it’s more or less still new!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk make up the third Marvel set in the revived World’s Greatest Super Heroes line.  As with the prior two sets, these are exclusive to Disney, going up for order through their online store, as well as showing up in the parks and auxiliary locations (like Disney Springs) at the end of last month.  All four figures are packed in their own reproduction box, alongside a coin modeled after the ones available through Marvel’s in-house ads in the ‘70s.  This one’s a bit more anachronistic, though, showing the four characters included in the set with “THE AVENGERS” written along the side, which is a branding that didn’t *actually* include Hulk until shortly before the movie in the late ‘00s.  Like the FF set, all four figures included here are reproductions of original run figures, with no new characters like the Electro from the Spidey set.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

First up in this set, the figure I’ve kind of already reviewed…a little…sort of.  Cap was one of the figures re-done during Diamond’s short-lived attempt at reviving the Mego style for Marvel.  That set included a replica of the original figure and his box, alongside the updated parts, while this one is more direct.  The box is a little closer this time, notably with a window that better fits to the included figure than Diamond’s, but it’s still been slightly adjusted to add the three other figures from this set.  It’s amusing to see them change the sides, given that Spidey had a more authentic recreation, showing Cap on the sides, rather than the other figures he was included with.  Perhaps they wanted to be more properly on-brand this time?  Ultimately, it’s just a box, so I won’t sweat it too much.  The figure stands 8 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  As with the prior sets, Cap moves over to the updated bandless construction body, which has become the new standard.  It’s generally more posable (aside from the bend on the knees), and generally more sturdy (again, aside from the knees).  Cap gets a replica of his original head sculpt, which is a better recreation than the DST version, which was a little squished and narrow.  This one remains more accurate to the original, which, as goofy as it may be, remains perhaps my favorite of the Mego sculpts.  Cap gets a replica of his original outfit, with his jumpsuit and plastic boots.  The boots are closer to the material of the originals, and the jumpsuit’s star is closer to the original, than we saw on the DST release, being a decal, rather than the sort of haphazardly affixed piece of pleather.  The original star fell off a lot, so hopefully this one stays in place a bit better.  Cap is packed with his shield, which is a recast of the original, right down to the creased decal.  Once again, it’s a bit better than the DST release, with a slightly cleaner and smoother application of the decal, closer to his vintage counterpart.

IRON MAN

Certainly one of the more impressive of the original Marvel run, the vintage Mego Iron Man is largely remembered for being one of the very few toy examples of Tony’s short-lived “nosed” armor, supposedly brought into existence when Stan Lee joked about how tightly artists were molding the armor to Tony’s face, and said they might as well show his nose.  It’s so short-lived and overlooked that for years more casual fans assumed the Mego figure’s nose was a mistake, or perhaps even evidence that he was originally meant to be a Dr. Doom to go with the FF.  Iron Man is based on the same updated body as Cap, now sporting the aforementioned schnoz-bearing head sculpt from the original.  Obscurity of the look aside, it’s not a bad sculpt at all, and it’s certainly clean and distinctive.  His outfit’s more involved than Cap’s, and more accurate to the source material.  There’s more stitching and piping, so it looks a fair bit like his comics armor.  He gets plastic boots, gloves, a belt, and his little uni-beam “button.”  The belt’s a softer material, and doesn’t quite fit the waist on the newer body style, but overall looks alight, as do the other plastic parts.  If there’s one downside to this figure, it’s the paint; something about the eyes on this updated release makes them look far more dead and lifeless than the original.  

THOR

Thor’s original figure was nothing if not involved.  He got a lot of new pieces, showing the genuine improvements that Mego brought to the Marvel line as in continued.  This figure makes use of all of them, bringing his unique head, complete with its rooted hair, to the updated body.  I do find the rooting on this release to be somewhat funny, since it leaves quite a noticeable bald spot on the top, but that also means his helmet sits a little more securely, so it’s an okay trade-off.  The actual head’s not a bad one; not sure it screams Thor to me personally, but it’s got some character.  His outfit has a lot of different parts, with a multi-piece jumpsuit with attached cape and vinyl “circles” on the front, a pair of cloth wrist bands, a pair of rubber boots, and a chromed plastic helmet.  It all assembles into a nice rendition of Thor’s classic look, with a lot of vibrant colors, and almost no exempted details.  Also included was Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir, which is using the solid head construction of the vintage releases.  It’s got small indents on the handle to allow him to better hold it one-handed, and is generally just pretty cool looking.

HULK

The most distinctive of the four included here in terms of core construction is Hulk, just like his vintage counterpart.  He’s using the updated bulked up body, introduced with The Thing in the last set, making him a 1/4-inch shorter than the other three, just like in the vintage run.  Like his original, he has his own, not rocky hands, as well as his unique head sculpt.  The body is more visible here, of course, and while it’s got more joints than the original did, they don’t break up the flow too badly, so it’s not too terrible to look at.  The head’s a good take on the ‘70s era Hulk, and is very well recreated here.  Just as in the vintage days, the only part of his outfit is his pair of tattered purple pants.  They’re not bad, but they’re obviously a different material than the original ones, which were purple all the way through, while these ones show some underlying white where the tears are.  Of course, there’s always been some back and forth about that in comics illustrations, even going back to the early days, so I don’t feel the white really makes him seem less accurate.  Other than that, Hulk’s a pretty basic figure, especially compared to the others in the set.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After the nearly instant sell-outs of the prior sets, I was surprised by how long this one stayed available, and even had time to waffle on whether to buy it.  Well, not really whether to buy it all, but rather whether to buy it online, or wait a week for my first visit to Disney in two decades.  I decided to buy it online, partially because I didn’t want to miss it, and partially because I didn’t want to contend with brining a box this size back in my luggage.  I did end up seeing it in every spot that had the Marvel set-up, but ultimately I really was glad not to have to fly it back.  This set’s the one that I feel I have the most vintage knowledge on going in.  My dad had a Cap in his original collection, and it was always my favorite of the bunch, so much so that it was unofficially mine pretty much until I got the Diamond replica in 2015.  My dad didn’t have the others, and the Iron Man and Thor Megos in our joint collection when I was growing up were both definitively mine, so it’s cool to see them get updated.  Hulk, I don’t have much to do with, but I can’t say he’s a *bad* figure.  This set is certainly fun, and certainly splashy.  That said, I’ll admit to being the slightest bit bummed that it’s four retreads again, rather than mixing in at least one new figure.  With only Falcon remaining from the original Marvel Megos, I’m skeptical about getting another set.  I’d really like to, especially because I’d like to see Falcon get his update.  I’d also love to see some new characters to fill out the ranks some more.  I guess we’ll just have to see.