Category Archives: Reviews

#0481: Captain Sisko & Jem’Hadar

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

CAPTAIN SISKO & JEM’HADAR

STAR TREK MINIMATES

This is the Star Trek Legacy Minimates review I’ve been dreading. A lot of people really, really like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and some even think it’s the best Trek ever. I, on the other hand, find the series to be utterly unwatchable. I’ve never been able to make it through a single episode of the show. So, the fact that I have a Minimate of the show’s lead, Sisko, is kinda not exciting. Bear with me, as I really don’t know much about these guys.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These two were released in the specialty assortment of Star Trek Legacy Minimates Series One. As DS9 had no movies, these two are based on their appearances within the TV show.

CAPTAIN SISKO

So, amazingly enough, this is the third of the four Siskos released in Minimate form. That’s more Siskos than Picards. That just doesn’t seem right. Anyway, Sisko is based on his appearance from the middle of the show, after he shaved his head, but before the changeover to the First Contact-style uniforms. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall and sports 14 points of articulation. Structurally, he’s pretty much identical to yesterday’s Picard. Given the fact that they’re both bald guys in similar uniforms, this is pretty sensible re-use. The paintwork on Sisko is clean and the details are sharp. However, they aren’t particularly thrilling or anything. Sisko includes a phaser, a rifle, and a clear display stand, which happens to be the same accessory compliment as Picard.

JEM’HADAR

According to my girlfriend, the Jem’Hadar are a species on the show. They’re like an engineered species of soldiers or something. Not just a guy named Jem, so there! The Jem’Hadar is based on his appearance in the show, I guess. It’s very grey and textury, so that’s not too bad. The figure is roughly 2 ½ inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation. The figure is built on the standard Minimate body, with a unique head sculpt and add-ons for his holster, torso cover, and belt. As far as I can tell, the pieces are all new to this figure, and they’re all very well sculpted. From a paint perspective, the figure is rather drab, but it’s done well technically. The Jem’Hadar includes a handgun, a rifle, and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

These two are the last piece of the whole series set of these I got for $8 during Luke’s Toy Store’s Black Friday sale. While I fully intended to buy the other two, nothing about this set really had me excited. In hand, I really don’t feel any different. I guess they’re fun for fans of the show, but that’s not me.

#0480: Captain Picard & Borg Queen

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

CAPTAIN PICARD & BORG QUEEN

STAR TREK MINIMATES

Marvel Minimates are far and away the most successful of all the Minimate lines, but many other licenses have stepped up to try and take that spot behind it. One such line was Star Trek Minimates, which DST has given a fair stab, without tremendous luck. Pretty much, once the original line moved past the Classic Trek figures, it sort of started to taper off. This meant that the characters from the other series, such as The Next Generation, weren’t fortunate enough to get figures. When the line re-launched under the Legacy banner, it was kicked off with the Captain from each of the series. Sadly, the sales weren’t there, leaving the crews still widely unreleased. So, let’s take a look at the only Next Generation cast member released, Captain Jean Luc Picard and his pack-mate the Borg Queen.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Picard and the Borg Queen were released as part of the specialty half of the first series of Star Trek Legacy Minimates. The two come from Star Trek: First Contact, widely viewed as the best of the Next Gen movies, and my personal favorite of the Trek movies. Like Wrath of Khan, it’s one of the distinctive movies in the franchise, definitely fitting into the Legacy aspect of the series.

CAPTAIN PICARD

Picard is the second of the three Minimate versions of the character. This one’s based on his appearance in his improved movie uniform, which first debuted in First Contact. Not only does he spend the majority of First Contact wearing it, he also wears it in the two films that followed, making it an important look for the character. The figure is roughly 2 ½ inches in height and he has 14 points of articulation. Picard is built on the standard Minimate body, with additional pieces for is collar and belt. Both of these pieces are re-uses from previous Trek ‘mates, and they’re pretty well done. The belt is really only practical if you’re storing his phaser, but it can easily be removed when the phaser is elsewhere. Everything else on Picard is handled with paint, and it’s done pretty well. The base paint is pretty clean and the colors are all well-chosen and well-applied. The detail work is clean and sharp. The piping on the shoulders is definitely a nice touch. I’m not sure about the likeness; it’s definitely got some of Patrick Stewart’s traits, but it seems to be more caricature-ized than other ‘mates. Picard is accessorized with a simple small phaser, a rifle, and a clear display stand.

BORG QUEEN

This figure marks the first Borg Queen Minimate, though it’s the second Borg in the line. As the primary antagonist of First Contact, she’s a good fit, especially packed with Picard. Her figure is 2 ½ inches tall with 14 points of articulation. She uses the basic body as a starting point, with a unique torso piece and an add-on for her head. In the movie, the Borg Queen’s head and shoulders are organic, while the rest of her is mechanical. This is demonstrated in her first scene when her head is lowered onto her body. The is figure has a special two piece torso, allowing the look to be replicated. It’s a neat, unique idea and it works pretty well, if maybe not as smoothly as they intended. The sculpted head add-on has been done to replicate the Queen’s “head-wiring” (for lack of a better term). As a full mask piece, it’s a little on the bulky side, but it’s not bad. Underneath of the mask is a standard head, painted silver, with some detailing to replicate the Queen’s skinless head from the end of the movie. It’s a pretty cool touch, though it might be nice if it were just a tad more detailed. The rest of the paint is pretty decent. Everything is clean, with no slop or bleed over, and the line work is nice and sharp. The face represents a good likeness of the character, and the body has some pretty nice texturing. The Borg Queen comes with a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like yesterday’s Kirk and Khan, I got this set for a really good price during Luke’s Toy Store’s Black Friday sale. I had also fully intended to get this set at the time of release. Ultimately, I don’t feel quite as bad about missing out on this one. It’s not a bad set at all, but it’s sort of middle of the road, and a good example of why Star Trek is a hard property to sell without a consistent media presence.

#0479: Admiral Kirk & Khan

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

ADMIRAL KIRK & KHAN

STAR TREK MINIMATES

Hey, how about some Minimates? It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed any, and I’m starting to miss them!  One of the most overlooked Minimate licenses is Star Trek, to which the whole concept of Minimates owe quite a bit. Star Trek was one of the earliest Minimate licenses, way back when the figures were still on the 3 inch bodies. The 3 inch figures never really took off, but the Trek figures brought in a few dedicated fans. When Marvel came in and moved the figures to a smaller scale, Trek was brought back again, lasting through five series. DST has made a few attempts to keep the line going, with the various Enterprise releases (you can read my review of the Pike Enterprise here). They also tried to bring the line back out right under the Legacy heading, but that only got two series (and one of them was a TRU exclusive). The quality is certainly there, but it seems Trek doesn’t have the pull it once did. Today I’ll be looking at Admiral Kirk and Khan.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES
Kirk and Khan were released in the specialty series of Star Trek Legacy Minimates. The two of them are based on their appearances in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is widely considered the best film of the franchise. They are definitely a fitting choice for the Legacy heading.

ADMIRAL KIRK

This is the 8th Minimate version of Kirk, and the second Minimate of him from Wrath of Khan. The last one was based on his main uniformed look from the film. This one is based on his away team look, which he actually spends a good chunk of the film wearing (he even wears it during the pivotal “Khaaaaaaaaan!” scene). The figure is roughly 2 ½ inches tall and features the standard 14 points of articulation. He’s built on the typical Minimate body, with add-on pieces for his coat, hair, and wrist monitor. All three of these pieces are new to this figure and they’re of varying success. The coat and wrist piece are both nicely sculpted and accurate to the material. Had the line not fizzled out, I could have seen DST re-using these parts for away team versions of Sovak and Dr. McCoy. The hair is well sculpted, but I’m not sure it’s a good fit for Shatner’s hair from the movie. It seems just a bit too Elvis. It’s a little better than the last attempt, but it’s still off. The figure’s base paint is decent; nothing amazing, but solid work with the colors and such. There’s a little bit of bleed over here and there, but nothing too bad. The detail work is where the figure shines. The face is a pretty great older Shatner, and they’ve even got the piping going down the sides of the legs. Under the coat, there’s a fully detailed vest, just like the one Kirk wears frequently throughout the movies, which is a nice touch. Kirk is packed with a phaser, a communicator, a spare set of white arms to display the vested look, a clear display stand, and a spare head yelling “Khaaaaaaaaaan!” which is by far my favorite piece from this set.

KHAN

Ah, yes, the guy with all that Wrath. Someone with that much wrath should probably have that looked at by someone. We wouldn’t want it to …task him. This figure marked Khan’s 3rd venture into the world of Minimates. The last two (as well as the one that followed this one) were based on Khan’s appearance in his TOS episode “Space Seed.” This one is very definitely based on his movie appearance, specifically the look he sports for most of the movie. It’s the character’s definitive look by far, so it was definitely a good choice. The figure is about 2 ½ inches in height and has 14 points of articulation. He’s built from the standard Minimate body, with additional pieces for the hair, jacket, and watch. All three of these are new to Khan, and unlike Kirk they all are good fits for the character. The watch is the same one that was recently used on the Alien set’s Ripley and Kane, and it’s a straightforward piece. The hair and vest are both very nicely sculpted, and they’re pitch-perfect to the look of the character in the film. Khan’s paint is pretty well done. The base colors are decently applied, with no real slop or bleed over. The detail work is really great, with line work that not only provides some nice texture to his clothing, but also replicates Ricardo Montebon’s likeness perfectly, right down to those uncanny valley pectoral muscles. Khan’s sole accessory is a clear display stand, but what more does he need?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kirk and Khan were another purchase from Luke’s Toy Store, my go to for Minimates purchases. I picked them up during last year’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. I had fully intended to pick this set up when they were first released, but I kinda… forgot. But, Luke’s had the whole first series for $8, which, at $1 a ‘mate, was just enough incentive to buy. Truth be told, I really like these two, and I’m a little ashamed that I didn’t get them before now. I guess I’m the reason we can’t have nice things…

Kirk&Khan4

#0478: Dancing Groot

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

DANCING GROOT

FUNKO POP!

Like just about everyone else on the planet, I loved last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy immensely. I picked up quite a few of the figures and enjoyed all of those as well. Of all the characters in the movie, Groot was definitely my favorite. In particular, I loved the mid-credits scene, where a potted Groot dances to Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” But what good is a favorite scene to a toy collector if he can’t replicate it in plastic form? Obviously, the spoilers involved with Baby Groot meant that he wasn’t present in any of the first releases of toys. However, Funko was quick to offer a Dancing Groot, as part of their Funko Pop! Marvel line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dancing Groot is figure #65 in the Pop! Marvel line, and he was released along with Howard the Duck as a pseudo second wave of GotG Pops. The figure is roughly 3 ½ inches in height. Due to contractual issues regarding Hasbro having the master Marvel toy license, Groot is not actually a figure, but a bobble head. This means the usual one point of articulation at the neck has been replaced by a spring for bobbling. You can still sort of turn the head a little if you’re so inclined, but it probably wouldn’t be good for the figure in the long run.  Like most Pop! figures, Groot features a sculpt that is unique to him. At first glance I thought the figure might have made use of pieces from the last Groot Pop!, but that’s not the case. As is the case with all Pop! figures, Groot has been made to fit the aesthetic of the rest of the line, though the changes are less drastic on him compared to others. The figure has the standard squared-off head, though the size of it isn’t quite as exaggerated this time around. Groot also features a mouth, a feature that is often removed from Pop! figures, but is essential to this figure properly capturing Baby Groot’s happy disposition. The details of the sculpt are a little on the soft side, but not out of the ordinary for the line; the figure clearly has a proper barky texture, which is what’s important. The pot is effective in being what it is, and it’s appropriately geometric. Groot’s paintwork is probably the best I’ve seen on a Pop! He’s not plagued by any bleed over or fuzzy lines, which are common to the line. What’s more, a considerable amount of effort has been placed into giving the figure a nice wooden look. There’s a very nice bit of dark brown accent work, which helps to bring out the sculpt’s texture. Dancing Groot includes no accessories, though this is no surprise for the line.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Dancing Groot is yet another Amazon purchase. I’ve had him pre-ordered pretty much since he first went up for sale. While it’s not a straightforward Baby Groot, it’s a fun little figure, and easily one of the most sensible uses of a bobble head of a Marvel character. This guy was just made for sitting on a car dashboard.

#0477: Ultraman Mebius

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

ULTRAMAN MEBIUS

ULTRA-ACT

You know, it’s been a while since I did an Ultraman review. The thing about Ultraman reviews is that they kind of have to be Ultra-Act figures, and Ultra-Act figures are a) a little pricier than other figures and b) released at a rather slow rate. But, as luck would have it, a new Ultraman was just released last month! This time around, it’s Ultraman Mebius, the tenth main Ultraman, and star of (wait for it) Ultraman Mebius. Since he was the tenth Ultra, Mebius’s show had a lot of references to the previous Ultras, and had more than a few guest appearances by the previous stars. His show was a love letter to the previous series, and the character himself was perfectly in the vein of his predecessors. This helped Mebius really pick up a fan base, and his show is definitely my favorite after the original. He was one of the earlier releases in the Ultra-Act line, but time has passed and the line has progressed, making his first figure a little out of place. So, now he’s been given a new release. Yay!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mebius was released in late 2014/early 2015 as the newest addition to the Ultra-Act line. The figure is about 6 inches tall and he features 40 points of articulation. As I mentioned in the intro, this is the second Mebius in the line, and this one serves to update the last one to the line’s current standards, mostly sculpt-wise. The figure is based on Mebius’s standard look from the series and it features an all-new sculpt. The sculpt is quite well done. Everything is nice and sharply detailed, and the various pieces of his “costume” look accurate to the character’s appearance in the show. One thing of note would be the figure’s proportions, which don’t quite seem accurate to the show. It’s not unusual to see Bandai give the ultras slightly more heroic proportions for the figures, but Mebius seems to have been hit by this more so than others. He’s one of the tallest Ultra-Acts so far, which is somewhat counter to Mebius being depicted being smaller than the older Ultras with whom he was interacting. He’s also incredibly broad-shouldered, which is not really true to any of the live action Ultras. Ultimately, these changes look nice on the figure, but they do make him stand out just a bit in comparison to previous figures. Mebius’s paint apps are pretty much in line with the rest of the line’s figures, which is to say they’re quite good. The colors are nice and bold and very accurate to the show, and all of the work is clean and sharp, with no bleed over or slop. The figure also has the proper switches in sheen from the armored parts to the red, non-armored parts, which is a subtle touch, but a very important one. After the last few accessory-packed Ultra-Act figures, Mebius seems a little light on the extras, though he still has way more than any of his domestic counterparts. He includes his Mebium Shot (attached to a hand), a chest plate with a red color timer, a chest plate with shallower edges (for posing), an alternate Mebium Brace with the Mebium Slash engaged, and two extra pairs of hands: flat-handed and gesturing. All of the pieces swap out relatively easily, though I’d be careful while putting on the Mebium Shot; it’s rather sharp on the edges!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As has been the case with the last few Ultra-Act figures I’ve procured, Mebius was gotten via Amazon. I’d actually been waiting anxiously for the Mebius re-do since it was announced and I placed a pre-order through Amazon as soon as possible. I’m thrilled to finally have the figure in hand. I’m a little uncertain about the move towards “larger than life proportions” on the new Ultra-Acts, but that’s more to do with consistency. Mebius is a fantastic figure and, slight problems with consistency aside, he looks really great with the other ultras!

#0476: Madman

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

MADMAN

LEGENDARY COMIC BOOK HEROES

The story of Toybiz is an interesting one. They first made their mark on the industry with their DC Superheroes line, which is generally remembered for a) being a rip-off of Kenner’s DC Super Powers and b) not being very good. When the DC license went back to Kenner, Toybiz picked up the license for Marvel, which ended up becoming their defining property. In 1996, Marvel filed for bankruptcy, and the now successful Toybiz bought them out. Toybiz was re-formed as an in-house toy company for Marvel. Marvel eventually decided it was more cost effective to license the property out. Toybiz was rebranded “Marvel Toys,” but they were left without a primary license. They had a lot of success with their Marvel Legends line, and they still owned all of the molds, so they decided to do a Marvel Legends-style line with characters from the numerous non-Marvel/DC comics that have emerged over the years. One such character was Mike Allred’s Madman, a personal favorite of mine. I’ll be looking at his figure today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Madman was released in the first series of Legendary Comic Book Heroes. He was something of an odd-ball in an assortment mostly focused on 90s anti-heroes, but he was a cool addition nonetheless. The figure is roughly 6 inches tall and he features 36 points of articulation. He’s based on Madman’s look a little ways into the series, after Allred had refined him a bit. It’s his signature look, so it was a good choice. I’d heard over the years that this figure used the Marvel Legends Face Off Daredevil as a starting point, but a quick look at that figure was enough to convince me otherwise. Truth be told, it looks like Madman got an all new sculpt out of the deal. It’s an impressive merging of styles. He’s been made to fit the ML style that LCBH used, but he still features a lot of traits that are undeniably Allred influenced. The end result is some that is cleaner and has aged a bit better than most of this figure’s contemporaries. The figure still has a few of the odd proportions that plagued the Toybiz Legends, namely the protruding shoulders, gangly legs, and flat feet, but overall, he ends up looking pretty good. Madman’s paint is pretty well handled. For the most part, everything is clean, and there isn’t any real issue with slop or bleed over. The blue used to accent the white parts of the costume is a little on the heavy side, but it could certainly be worse. Madman included a piece to Pitt, the B-A-F from this series. Mine was purchased loose, so I never had said pieces.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I missed the boat on LCBH. I remember seeing them in stores, and I even remember looking at Madman a few times. However, I didn’t purchase a single one while they were at retail. A large part of that was that I hadn’t read most of the series represented, Madman included. For Christmas a few years ago, I received the first three volumes of Madman and I absolutely loved them. The following summer, I was visiting Yesterday’s Fun (a favorite store of mine), and I came across this figure loose. All in all, he’s a fantastic figure. He’s not hindered by the same issues that hold back a lot of the Toybiz Marvel Legends. It’s a shame that Marvel Toys was unable to make this line a success and get a few more properties added in.

#0475: Pohatu

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

POHATU: MASTER OF STONE

BIONICLE

They say good things always come in threes. I think. Somebody says that, I’m pretty sure. Wait, maybe that’s bad things. Huh. Never mind then.

The point I’m getting at is that today marks the third, and final (for the time being, anyway), of the new Bionicle reviews. I’ve looked at Lewa, Master of Jungle, and Onua, Master of Earth. Now I’ll be looking at the Master of Stone (which is 100% completely a different thing from Earth!), Pohatu. For those of you not familiar with Bionicle, he’s the brown dude.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Pohatu was released in the first set of the 2015 Bionicle releases. Like Lewa, he’s one of the “normal” releases, meaning he’s a basic model. Pohatu is about 7 ¾ inches tall (making him the shortest of the Toa), features 13 points of articulation, and is assembled from 66 pieces. Of all the new Toa, Pohatu features probably the most radical departure from his original look. The key difference is that both the original and Nuva versions of Pohatu were assembled with the torso upside down, to allow for his kicking feature. This gave both of them a rather distinctive pear shape, which is completely absent from the new Pohatu. While it’s sad to see the kicking feature go, I can’t say I miss the prominent gut that the original Pohatu sported. Moving past torso orientation, the design has some pretty cool new touches. The asymmetrical arms are definitely a highlight, as they add a lot of character to the figure. The movement of the shin guards up to the knees is also a great touch, as it calls back to Pohatu’s more leg oriented attacks. Pohatu’s mask is actually a pretty straight update of the original, just streamlined a bit to match the character’s new aesthetics. Like the previous two figures, Pohatu isn’t too reliant on paint; for the most part, his pieces are molded in the desired colors. His color scheme has been changed to make the brown more orangey and include quite a bit of silver. He’s also got a fair amount of transparent green, which always a plus! There is some paint detailing on the chest plate, and that’s pretty cool as well. Like Onua, the original Pohatu didn’t have any weapons. For this figure, they’ve given him a pair of boomerangs. They have a hinge joint in the middle, so they can be straightened or folded up if so desired, and they can also be attached to the bottom of his feet to serve as hover blades of a sort. Pohatu also includes a side weapon (and I think he’s the only one who gets one), which is a dual bladed fork looking thing. In addition, he also includes a spare mask in gold and a skull spider guy, which is notable for its extra leg at the top of its head.  Pohatu features an action feature that is similar to the other two, allowing his arms to be swung back and forth.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Pohatu was another purchase from Target, a result of Tim and me “trolling for Bionicles.” I actually got him at the second Target we went to, not because he wasn’t at the first, but because my resistance to the figure broke during the drive between the two. I’m weak. I’m glad I decided to pick up Pohatu because he really offers a great update on the original design. Lewa is still my favorite overall figure, but I think Pohatu’s my favorite of the new designs. He really turned out nicely.

#0474: Onua

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

ONUA: MASTER OF EARTH

BIONICLE

Okay, time for more Bionicle stuff! It’s like potato chips; you can’t have just one! This time around, it’s the Toa (now “Master”) of Earth, Onua. With the original Toa, Lego grouped them into two groups of three that were meant to stick together. Onua was grouped with Tahu and Pohatu, but I had him for quite a while before getting the other two. For my figures, he always stuck with Lewa, Kopaka, and Gali. I always felt Onua had one of the more unique designs, and that’s only been more apparent with the new figures. Let’s see how he turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Onua is part of the first assortment of the 2015 Bionicle line. He’s one of the three larger “deluxe” releases. Onua is about 8 inches tall (he’s a little shorter than Lewa), has 14 points of articulation, and is built from 109 pieces. While he’s a little shorter than Lewa , he’s like three times as wide, which is quite impressive. In the original line, Onua was the same size as the others, though a lot of the other material indicated he was the big bruiser of the group. So, the increased size of the figure for the new line is definitely a cool touch. While Lewa offered an amalgam of his original and Nuva looks, Onua seems to be sticking pretty strictly to his original design. The mask in particular is a pretty straight update of the original, brought up to the more modern standards of building. The body is the biggest (heh!) deviation point, as it’s more organically built, and it doesn’t use the same chest plate and such as the other figures. Onua actually features no paint. His pieces are all molded in the appropriate colors and the detailing on his chest piece is a sticker, as opposed to the paintwork on Lewa. The color choices are probably my only issue with the figure. The original figure was done in a simple gray and black. This figure has added gold and purple to the mix, and while the additional colors do make the figure stand out a little more, they are a bit too present on the arms and legs. The original Onua didn’t have a weapon, just big clawed hands meant for digging. This Onua has been given a giant hammer as his weapon of choice. But it’s more than just a hammer! It can be disassembled and the two pieces that make up the bulk of the head can be placed in Onua’s hands, replicating the big claw hands from the original. Onua also includes a gold version of his mask and a skull-spider thingy, this time molded in a really great pale green. Like Lewa, Onua features a gear feature which swings his arms up and down, which is cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Onua was picked up from Target at the same time as Lewa. Onua was probably my second favorite of the originals, so getting the new one was pretty important to me. While I don’t quite like Onua’s update as much as Lewa, it’s not bad. All in all, Onua’s a fun update on the original figure, and he looks really great with the rest of the set.

#0473: Lewa

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

LEWA: MASTER OF THE JUNGLE

BIONICLE

I like Legos. This shouldn’t really be surprising, as I could hardly be a self-respecting toy fan if I didn’t like Legos, one of the most popular toys of all time. Legos are a lot of fun, whether it’s a specific set, designed to be one thing, or just a pile of standard bricks, ready to be anything.

Of course, I’m still primarily an Action Figure kinda guy, so they tend to be my focus. Back in 2000, Lego blurred the line between building toy and action figure for the first time with the introduction of Bionicle. I was a huge fan of Bionicle, especially the line’s first six “Toa.” I didn’t stick with the line super long, but I loved those first few figures immensely. The line went on a bit of a hiatus a few years ago, but 2015 marks the grand return of the line, bringing back those first six figure in new, updated forms. Let’s start things off with Lewa, Master of the Jungle (formerly Toa of Air), my personal favorite Toa.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lewa was released as part of the first assortment of the new Bionicle line, released in January of 2015. The original Toa were all the same basic size and price point, but Lego is mixing things up this time, offering the characters in regular and deluxe releases. Lewa is one of the three “regular” releases. In his fully assembled form, Lewa stands roughly 8 inches tall, has 13 points of articulation, and is built from 85 pieces. Lewa’s design has been altered quite a bit for the new line. In general, he’s been made a bit more proportionate, looking more like an actual person. His color scheme has also been tweaked to add yellow and silver to his design, which takes the place of some of the lighter green on the original. Perhaps the biggest change is Lewa’s mask, which is much less boxy and square than the original. It seems to be an amalgam of the original design with his Nuva design. The end result is something not unlike Marvel Comics’ Ultron, which is certainly not a bad thing in my opinion. A straight “sculpt” review would be a bit difficult on a figure of this nature, however, I will say that this figure lives up to the Lego standard of exceptionally designed, implemented, and tooled parts. All of the pieces snap together like they should, and they stay together, allowing Lewa to serve as a proper action figure. For the most part, each of Lewa’s pieces is molded in the appropriate color, which means no paint. However, he does have a little bit of detailing on his chest plate, which is cleanly applied and adds a nice bit of variety to the final figure. During the transition to Nuva, Lewa went from a single axe to a pair of swords. Both are pretty equally associated with the character, so I’m sure it was tricky to pick which one would serve as the weapon for the re-design. Lego took an approach of “why not both?” and gave Lewa TWO axes, the handles of which also serve as swords. The axe heads can also serve as a set of glider wings, somewhat replicating the alt-mode of Lewa Nuva. In addition to the axes, Lewa also includes an extra mask, molded in gold, and a skull-spider thingy to fight. The mask can be swapped by using the “mask launch” feature, and either the gold mask or the skull-spider thingy can be placed on his face. The original Bionicle figures each had a gear driven action feature, and they’ve brought those back with these guys. When the gear on Lewa’s back is twisted, he swings his axes back and forth. It’s way cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This is all Tim’s fault. He texted me a few weeks ago telling me he was “trolling Targets for Nerf guns and Bionicles” and asked if I wanted to join. How can you say no to that? Anyway, we ended up finding all the Bionicle we were looking for. I got Lewa, as well as Pohatu and Onua, and Tim got Kopaka and Gali (No one got Tahu, because he’s just… the worst…). Lewa is my very favorite Toa, and I’m thrilled to see him back in the line. This figure takes the best elements of the original Lewa and Lewa Nuva and melds them with some pretty great updates, resulting in a really fun figure.

#0472: Android No. 17

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

ANDROID NO. 17

S.H. FIGUARTS

I must admit, I never got super into Dragon Ball Z. That being said, as a child of the 90s, there’s some things you just have a familiarity with without even trying. Everyone I knew watched the show, and I watched it when I caught it, so I had at least a basic idea of it. I enjoyed what I saw, though. One of the few eras of the show that I actually caught most of what the Cell Saga, which prominently features Androids 16, 17, and 18, who would go on to become some of my favorite characters. When Bandai’s SH Figuarts line first began doing DBZ characters, I passed; the higher price was a bit much for something of which I was only a moderate fan. However, the announcement of the Androids, coupled with my getting into this style of line with SH’s Power Rangers and Bandai’s Ultra-Act line, I finally gave in and picked up my first DBZ figure, Android Number 17.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Android 17 was released as part of the Dragon Ball Z subset of the SH Figuarts line. He was a late 2014 release. The figure is roughly 5 ½ inches tall and he features 36 points of articulation. 17’s look in the show was mostly consistent, but there were a few minor changes here and there. The figure is definitely based on his appearance in his earliest episodes on the show, before any of the minor changes set in. 17 features a brand-new sculpt, specific to the character. It’s a very nice translation of the animated design and it even adds some fine detail work that isn’t present in the show. The default face is mostly devoid of expression, which is perfect for the character. The clothing features some great work on the folds and wrinkles, which give the figure some great dimension. In general, all of the sculpting is very cleanly done. In my review of the SH Power Rangers, I noted that the articulation impeded the sculpt in a few areas. 17’s sculpt and articulation are very carefully handled, so as to maximize movement without ruining the aesthetics of the sculpt. Perhaps the best example of this is the figure’s feet, which feature shoelaces that could have rendered the ankle articulation useless. However, the laces are done as a separate piece from the foot and ankle, allowing for full movement. 17 features some pretty good paintwork. All of the colors are nice and bold and very accurate to the show’s colors. The basic paintwork stays within the lines, with no bleed over or slop. There is also some very nice accent work, most noticeable on the handkerchief, which makes use of some lighter and darker oranges for some great depth. SH figures are generally well accessorized, but 17 goes beyond the average release. He has two extra faces, a spare belt, an empty holster, a handgun, an extra hairpiece, an extra handkerchief, a pair of crossed arms, and 11 different hands (in addition to the fists he comes wearing.)* The faces are a grinning face and a teeth baring face, respectively. The grinning face isn’t much different from the regular face, but the subtle difference is true to the character. The teeth baring face is quite different, and makes for some great action poses. The spare belt allows for a look without the “utility belt.” The handgun and empty holster can be swapped out for the holstered gun that the figure comes wearing, which isn’t how such things are usually handled, but it’s the same end result. The extra hair and handkerchief are both sculpted to be windblown or in movement, allowing for more action poses. The crossed arms (which are my favorite accessory) allow the figure to replicate one of 17’s signature poses, which he can’t do with the regular arms. The hands include: a trigger finger (R), claw grip (R and L), flat handed (R and L), relaxed (R and L), wide spread (R and L), and loose grip (R and L). They can be a bit difficult to swap, but they offer a nice variety of poses.

 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really didn’t intend to get into this line. Even when I saw the Androids announced, I decided not to get into the line. But then, I was at MAGfest with my brother, and one of the dealers had several SH Figuarts figures, 17 among them. A quick check online revealed that 17 was actually a pretty good price, so I caved and bought him. 17 was definitely worth the purchase. He’s very well done, he comes with lots of cool extra pieces, and he’s just a lot of fun. Of course, now I have to get the other two Androids…

*The stand in the running pose picture is not included with the figure; it’s actually from the NECA Dog Alien.