Category Archives: Reviews

#3780: Superman

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

SUPERMAN

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

It’s time for more of the review subject gift that keeps on giving, DC Universe Classics.  I’m taking a break from this month’s general theme with DCUC of Hal Jordans and Green Lanterns, because why not.  Also, because it’s Superman, and I realized all this time in I hadn’t reviewed the basic DCUC Superman, which seems like something of an oversight.  So, let’s fix that particular oversight and get him done now!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

There was a strange path of release to this particular figure, and I’m gonna break that down here.  Since DC Universe Classics spun out of the somewhat similarly designed DC Super Heroes line, Mattel didn’t immediately put out a new classic Superman.  The first Supes was in Series 2, and it was Superman Blue, with a Superman Red variant.  Eradicator got released in the exceptionally hard to get Walmart-exclusive Series 5, and had some more classic Supes vibes, but his classic Supes head had red eyes.  Series 6 was set to have regeneration suit Superman as the standard and classic suit with the long hair as the variant, but those got swapped before release, so we had something slightly approximating a classic Superman.  Then we got a two pack release with the standard costume and the short haired head from Eradicator, but the eyes were still red, so still not classic.  Classic costume with classic hair and classic eyes would finally get its release in the first Walmart Exclusive five-pack in 2009.  That same figure later got a single “World’s Greatest Super Heroes” release and two-pack releases with a repack of the DCSH Parasite and a recolored MOTUC He-Man, all in 2010.  So, finally a standard Superman, and four ways to get him.  I bought mine loose, so I couldn’t tell you which particular release it was, but they’re all effectively the same.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 points of articulation.  He used a variation of the standard-most male body, with the Eradicator head, and the Superman specific cape, belt, and calves.  Generally, they’re pretty good parts.  The head’s maybe a touch long, and the cape sits a little odd on the shoulders, but that’s really all I’ve got on those fronts.  He certainly reads well as a classic Superman.  The color work is okay.  The paint gets a little sloppy, especially on the yellow/red change-overs.  The logo is a little thin, I feel, and the blue always struck me as the slightest bit too dark.  I believe the WGSH release gave this guy one of the blue oval stands, but otherwise, he was never given any extras that I know of.  Mine’s got nothing, but it’s Superman, so I guess your options are a bit more limited.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I wanted this figure, but I didn’t really want a multipack to get him, and I managed to never see the single release at retail.  I ended up finally getting a loose one off eBay, back in 2011 I believe.  I was trying to fill out my JLA roster, and being as close as I was the the Satellite era roster, I really needed this guy.  Ultimately, he’s not a crazy good, defining piece for the character or the line, but it was a solid version of an essential character, filling out the roster of a pretty solid line.

#3779: Lieutenant Commander Data

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

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DATA

STAR TREK: UNIVERSE (PLAYMATES)

I’m apparently keeping this Star Trek thing running.  And also this Data thing running.  So here we are.  But for today’s review, I’m jumping a ways ahead…while also back.  Back in 2022, Playmates picked up the Trek license for the third time, and this time around tried to do the thing everyone said they wanted, which was more figures in the same scale as their original line, but with some modern advances in sculpt and articulation.  It was a valiant effort, but…well, like so many Trek lines, it didn’t really have legs.  We got a small handful of figures from a few different themes, and Data was amongst the Next Gen figures.  So, two three years after the fact, here’s that figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lieutenant Commander Data was one of the eight figures that launched Playmates’ Star Trek: Universe line.  All of the figures were on the same Universe card outside of the US, but domestically, the “retro” figures were put on retro inspired.  Data and the other two Next Gen figures were released in packaging replicating their original Playmates releases.  Like Data’s original Playmates figure, he’s based on his post-Season 3 version of the standard uniform, which is really the “classic” Data look.  The figure stands just under 5 inches tall and he has 21 points of articulation.  He’s a little taller than the vintage Playmates Trek, and the articulation is completely different.  There’s a lot of universal joints in play, and he also gets wrist and ankle movement, which wasn’t present on earlier figures.  He does lose out on waist movement, which feels a little bit like a step back.  That said, he can at least sit down, which is an improvement across the board.  The sculpt is an interesting approach, because it feels like it’s aiming to sort of capture the retro stylings, but it’s not quite a match for how they used to do things.  Most notably, the hands are really small.  Like “look like they should be on a 3 3/4 inch figure” small.  Not sure why they’re so small.  The head is okay; it’s not unlike Brent Spiner, but I can’t really say it looks more like him than the vintage one did.  Data’s paint work is generally not too bad.  It’s very basic, and the collar is notably pretty sloppy, but it generally gets the job done.  Data is packed with a phaser, tricorder, diagnostic testing unit, and display stand.  They’re modeled on the accessories from the original release, so the phaser has the permanently attached beam, and they all have hand holds attached.  In this day and age, not having the beam be removable feels like a real missed opportunity.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve had no shortage of opportunities to get most of the vintage Playmates Trek run, so I wasn’t in dire need of any of the new ones when they hit, but I admired Playmates giving it a try.  One of the Datas fell off the card at work, so I snagged that one, since it was a Data and all.  And then I pretty much forgot I owned it for a year and some change, which isn’t the sort of thing you should do.  I finally unearthed him, and here we are.  I think I might have been part of the problem?  Or, maybe Playmates was?  He’s a weird figure for sure, but I feel like if the line had gone further, there could have been some cool stuff.  Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3778: Falcon

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

FALCON

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“A former lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, Joaquin Torres has picked up Sam’s old wings to take on the role of Falcon.”

It’s all well and good when you move a sidekick up to the main role, but in the world of copyrights and trademarks and the like, you don’t wanna leave that sidekick title open for too long.  When Sam Wilson moved into the role of Captain America in the comics, that left the “Falcon” title wide open, leading to the introduction of Joaquin Torres, the second Falcon.  With Sam also moving up to Captain in the MCU, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced Torres as a side character, who’s getting upgraded to Sam’s primary support for Brave New World.  Not so bad!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Falcon is the second deluxe tie-in Marvel Legends figure for Brave New World, who hit alongside the others at the beginning of the month.  This is Joaquin’s very first time in figure form of any sort, which is actually pretty nifty.  Movie figures don’t tend to do that as much these days.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and the core figure has 30 points of articulation.  He’s another all-new sculpt, based on his all-new film design.  Comics Joaquin is a metahuman, so his costume plays into that.  Since his MCU counterpart’s just an average guy using Sam’s old tech, he’s got a design more inspired by the sorts of designs we’ve seen with Sam previously.  That said, they keep a lot of the general design elements, and there are some call-backs to the comic Joaquin design.  It’s certainly a bit MCU-ified, but I’m not one to pull those particular designs apart as much.  The sculpt does a nice job of conveying this new look, and it’s just generally a pretty nice looking offering.  The proportions work very well, there’s good texturing work, and the likeness on both heads (with full face-mask and the mask pulled back) is a pretty strong match for actor Danny Ramirez.  Living up to his name, he’s also got a wing pack.  This one’s more similar to the Build-A-Wings from the first Sam Cap, with the three points of motion on each wing.  He’s got handles on the front of each, which is an interesting idea, but they’re really soft plastic, and he doesn’t have any proper gripping hands, so he doesn’t really hold them.  Falcon’s color scheme is decidedly different from Sam’s usual; in a callback to Sam’s original costume, it’s predominantly green.  It makes for a good contrast, and the paint work here conveys it well.  His application is pretty clean, as we’ve come to expect.  He’s benefit from some accenting, but he’s standard Legends fare.  Falcon is packed with two sets of hands (in fists and open gesture), a collapsed wing pack, and his own Redwing drone.  Like Sam, there’s no stand or anything for Redwing, so he just sort of has to sit there.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I enjoyed Joaquin during Sam’s time as Cap, and I liked what we got to see of him in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, so I’m pretty excited to see more of him in the upcoming movie.  I’m also always game for a figure of a character that hasn’t gotten one before.  His design isn’t quite as unique as the comics one, but it’s also not a bad one, and I think it makes for a pretty good toy.  This guy’s just as nice as the Cap figure, and they make for quite a nice pair.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3777: Guile

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

GUILE

ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II (JADA)

For the third week in a row, if you can believe it, I’m taking a look at a video game-based figure.  Following up on last week’s Street Fighter review, I’m doing another.  This time around, I’m taking a look at the aggressively all-American Guile!  You know, the very American character played in the live action film by the very French Belgian Jean-Claude Van Damme?  Classic.  Guile is one of the second game’s breakaway characters, down to his stage’s theme even being the one used for the main game theme as well.  Also, he’s got weird hair, which has only gotten weirder as time has gone on.  And also, here’s the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Guile is part of the third round of Jada’s Ultra Street Fighter II line, alongside last week’s Cammy and Dee-Jay.  The figure stands just over 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  The articulation scheme here is much like Cammy’s, but with the addition of butterfly shoulders, which are a really good addition. He’s got some great range, and he holds poses well.  Guile’s sculpt is all-new, and based on his design from II.  It’s quite nice, clean, and distinctive.  There’s a nice mix of textures, which could have been easily been overlooked.  I especially like the lining of the shirt.  In addition to all that, you definitely get all of the necessary elements for recognizing Guile.  He’s even got that crazy weird hair.  It’s very much crazy and weird, in exactly the way Guile’s hair should be.  Like the others in the line, Guile has two heads, one calmer, and the other more intense.  Both are really solid, and match well to his usual look.  Guile’s paint work is cleanly handled, and matches well to the game sprites.  I quite like how the camo pattern on the pants turned out.  Guile is packed with two pairs of hands (in fists and an open/gripping combo), a comb, dogtags, an effect replicating his “Sonic Boom” attack, and a display stand.  The comb in particular is a fun little accessory that is exactly the sort of goofy thing I’m here for.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve never played Guile much within the games themselves, but I’ve enjoyed his appearances in other media, especially in the animated film, so I was excited by the prospect of a figure, especially at a more affordable price than a Figuart.  He’s got one of those really classic designs, and it translates really well into toy form.  The end result is another really nicely sculpted, really playable figure for this line.  Jada is continuing to knock it out of the park with their action figure offerings, and I really can’t wait to see what else they put out.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3776: Captain America – Brave New World

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA — BRAVE NEW WORLD

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“After carrying the mantle of Captain America for a few years, Sam Wilson must use his intelligence and make new allies to stop a force unlike any he’s seen before.”

Every so often, it’s good to highlight some people that like to punch Nazis.  Because Nazis need some punching.  And who better to lead the charge in Nazi punching than Captain America?  There’s a new Captain America movie coming out next month, and I sure do love Captain America movies (well, most of them; I don’t wanna talk about the 1990 one), so I’m excited.  This one is Sam Wilson’s first time headlining a film in the title role, which I do love as well.  And, there’s new toys.  I especially love that.  Here’s one of those!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain America is one of the three Deluxe-sized Marvel Legends releases tying into the release of Brave New World.  It’s not a bad approach, and certainly works a bit better than the Build-A-Wing approach of the prior Sam Cap.  This way, he’s a nice one-and-done offering.  At his core, the figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation. He’s got what appears to be an all-new sculpt, based on his new design for the film.  His new costume isn’t ultimately too drastic a departure from the last one when you get down to the sculpted details; a lot of the elements are the same, just recolored in such a way to more closely mimic some of the Steve Cap costume elements.  He does go a little more casual, loosing the “mask” elements that connected to his goggles, and rolling up the sleeves (a change that Carol Danvers also did in her most recent movie; I guess the Captains are all just rolling up their sleeves now).  I feel like he maybe seems a little bit too skinny for Sam, but it might just be me.  It’s got some respectable proportion balancing, though, and the likeness on the head is a very good match for Anthony Mackie.  As with the last figure, he’s also got his wings, which add an additional 8 points of articulation to the figure.  They’re a total rebuild from the last ones, adding an extra segment with an extra joint, as well as being sharper and cleaner.  I honestly thought the old ones were pretty good, but these ones just improve on them and are super awesome.  Sam gets a fair bit of painted detailing, and it all works pretty well.  It’s generally pretty clean on the application front, and the new color scheme is at the very least an obvious departure from the last one.  Sam is packed with two pairs of hands (fists and open), an extra helmeted head, an alternate folded up backpack, Redwing, and his shield.  The helmeted head is nifty, but really hard to get on the body, so I don’t see myself using it much.  Redwing appears to be the same one from the Build-A-Figure release, but has no stand or anything to mount on, so I don’t really know what to do with him.  The shield is the John Walker Cap version of the mold, so it can be mounted on either of the two backpacks, which is certainly an improvement.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

These figures snuck up on me.  Admittedly, so did the movie.  I have no real excuse for the second one, because it’s been delayed and all.  It’s on me, you guys.  I haven’t been as up on things.  I didn’t *need* this one, of course, but it’s a new Cap, and I always have a hard time saying no to those.  Ultimately, this one’s pretty darn solid.  Not perfect, but the wings alone make him worth it.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3775: Hal Jordan vs Thaal Sinestro

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

HAL JORDAN VS THAAL SINESTRO

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

Hey, hey, hey, it’s another DC Universe Classics review!  I’m enjoying the weekly rhythm on these, so I’m keeping it going for a bit.  I’m also keeping the Hal Jordan theme going, because why not?  Last week, I brought up how there were no Hals in 2009, but there were three of him in 2010.  Well, he’s another one of the 2010 ones, facing down his arch enemy, Thaal Sinestro, in exclusive two-pack form!  Who doesn’t love that?  Well, a few people, for, admittedly, valid reasons.  But let’s not dwell on that here.  Onto the review!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Hal Jordan and Thaal Sinestro were released as a Toys “R” Us-exclusive DC Universe Classics two-pack, which hit towards the later part of 2010.  It was one of six two-packs released in 2010, and one of the two released at TRU.  The pack contains the two figures, accessories for each of them, and a split color yellow and green power battery for them to fight over.

HAL JORDAN

This was Hal’s fifth entry into DCUC, and it was sort of an amalgam of some ideas that had come before.  Structurally, he’s the same as the last two Hals I looked at.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and has 23 points of articulation.  He’s using the medium base body and the standard Hal head sculpt.  They were good the first few times, and they were still good.  In fact, on my figure at least, he’s got even better plastic quality than the prior two.  The main change-up here is the paint work, which is pretty drastic this time.  This one is a glossy, metallic finish, which I actually really like.  It’s very sleek, and an intriguing contrast to the flatter colors.  He also takes some inspiration directly from his Super Friends appearance, with a slightly adjusted logo (something that not even the officially Super Friends based figure got right), and visible pupils.  The eyes got him labeled as “creepy eyes Hal” by a lot of the fanbase, but I’ve never been quite as bugged by them myself.  While prior Hals were without any constructs, this one gave him a few options: a gun attachment (from John Stewart), buzzsaw (from Gold), and a mace (from Iron).  It’s crazy that they went into the John Stewart molds for a construct and didn’t give him the giant fist that always felt tailor made for Hal.  It’s even crazier that they *never* gave that attachment to Hal in the whole of the line.  But, at least he got something.

THAAL SINESTRO

What, didn’t you know Sinestro was his last name?  Yeah, he’s actually Thaal.  I *totally* knew that before this pack came out and didn’t totally discover it when the set was announced.  I’m a proper GL fan.  I couldn’t miss a detail like that, right?  Right.  Last week, I discussed the height issues of the original DCUC Sinestro.  The 5-Pack didn’t really come up with a good solution, but this pack aimed for something a little better.  Generally, it succeeds, but there’s certainly some Frankensteining involved.  He starts with the skinnier base body of Deadman, and adds on the forearms, head, collar, and belt of the Series 3 release.  Honestly, it’s not terrible.  His forearms are perhaps a little short, and the neck joint is rather tight, but otherwise, it goes together alright, and is certainly a better end product than his original diminutive showing or the 5-pack version.  Sinestro’s paint work is basic and clean, and generally a good match for the stuff that came before.  Sinestro gets his own assortment of constructs in yellow, including Gold’s pickaxe, Iron’s wrench, and Hawkman’s mace.  The mace is handheld, which is weird, but it’s just one of the three, at least.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember this set’s release, and I remember the frustration around it at the time.  It was kind of pricey for an ultimately unneeded repaint of Hal and the Sinestro we should have gotten in the first place.  I, being a college freshman, with not a ton of money, didn’t go out to get one right away.  I did, however, find a loose pair not too long after the fact, while trying to build back up my GL collection.  Honestly, this set’s not a bad one.  It gets a bad rap, but Sinestro’s the best one Mattel offered, and I do like the Hal a lot more than I’d initially expected.  There were certainly worse offerings from the line.

#3774: Professor Data

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

PROFESSOR DATA

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (PLAYMATES)

Oh wow, more Star Trek?  So soon?  Could that possibly be right?  It seems it is.  And, when it comes to Star Trek figures specifically in my collection, a very surprisingly high percentage of it is Data, something I’ve touched on in the past.  Data’s incarnation of the franchise, Next Generation, was kind of drowned in finales and wrap-ups, but the first wrap-up, within the show proper, was “All Good Things.”  It gave us a glimpse into a possible future, and brought with it the potential for new variants of the main characters, which is something toy companies love.  And me personally?  I gotta have that Data!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Professor Data was released in Playmates Star Trek line in 1997.  He was after the line had switched over to one more all-encompassing set-up, though his set did include a handful of other “All Good Things” figures.  Since two of Data’s three looks in the finale were just general designs from earlier in the show, they went with his extra future-y, dressed down, professor garb.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation.  He’s got all the traditional articulation for the line, for better or for worse.  His jacket further restricts the waist and hips, but it’s honestly not much of a loss.  Professor Data uses the standard Data head (since Data doesn’t actually age the way the others do, he’s supposed to just look the same).  He’s got a new body sculpt, which has some kind of off proportions, not uncommon for the line.  He does seem particularly wide and squat, and his arms seem a touch long.  In general, he also feels a little boxy.  He’s also a bit devoid of texturing, which is a shame.  That said, he fits right in with everything that Playmates was doing at the same time.  His color work is decent enough.  The hair line’s a little sloppy on my figure, but that’s the only notable issue.  I actually really like the pattern on the jacket.  Professor Data is packed with a display stand, as well as a tray, teapot, teacup, and decanter, all in a dark blue.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This guy holds the record for the longest I’ve searched for a Star Trek figure.  Admittedly, it was really just him and the Gorn that were really on the list, and I managed to get Gorn a while back.  I’ve been looking for this guy since some time in the early ’00s, and I just never managed to find him.  I don’t know why, because it’s not like he’s crazy rare or anything, but I just never seemed to land in front of me or be in the collections I was looking through.  Thankfully, a large Trek collection came through All Time last year, and I finally had the chance to snag one.  He’s goofy, and a bit silly, and perhaps not the greatest Data, but I’m quite happy to finally have him.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3773: Orko & Gwildor

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

ORKO & GWILDOR

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: MASTERVERSE (MATTEL)

Looking back on my reviews, I haven’t just done a straight Masters of the Universe review in a fair bit.  I looked at some of the TMNT crossover figures, but I stuck to the Turtles characters, so, you know, it’s not really there.  It’s been since all the way back in March.  It was at least a Mekaneck, so that’s a good leave-off.  As always, I do tend to gravitate to a specific selection of characters in any given style.  One such character is Orko.  I’ve *technically* already got him in the Masterverse set-up, but the first one was more of an accessory than a figure himself.  But now there’s a new one, and he’s even bringing a Gwildor along for the fun!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Orko and Gwildor were released last year in the Masterverse line-up as an Amazon exclusive, though that information didn’t seem particularly well advertised….which might have contributed to the deep discounting of the set.  The pair are both based on their appearances together in Revolution.

ORKO

Hey, it’s Orko the Unnamed Power-Up!  His lack of subtitle here certainly frustrated his actor Griffin Newman, if his Dad-At-Arms interview is anything to go by (also, I really do recommend that interview if you’ve got the time; it’s quite entertaining and Newman is incredibly insightful about his character).  Maybe he’s Orko the Great?  I like that.  Seems solid.  We already got the weakened Orko from Revelation, which was okay, but not great.  This one’s more put together, in terms of both design and final product.  The figure’s about 3 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  He’s decently posable for an Orko, and I certainly appreciate that he’s at least got elbow movement, something the last one was lacking.  The neck joint is a lot tighter this time as well, so no bobble-head Orko.  The sculpt’s a nice offering.  It’s clean and show accurate, with a good flow to the robes.  The paint work’s a little iffier on this guy.  Some of it’s pretty clean, but his notably got a lot of slop on the gold trim, especially on the hat, where it’s quite uneven.  He does get a nice selection of accessories.  He’s got a pretty sizable stand, with a larger magic effect that surrounds him, as well as a long flowing train for the robe, and two smaller magic effects to go over the hands.  It makes for a nice display, but I do sort of wish there was a smaller option on the stand.  I suppose you could always steal it from the prior one.

GWILDOR

After being sort of a shoddy replacement for Orko in the live action movie, Revolution does a pretty neat and compelling turn at weaving Gwildor into the main lore, and in fact giving him some fun interplay with Orko, making his replacement somewhat of a meta joke.  The figure stands about 4 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation.  Gwildor’s a more conventional figure for the line, just a bit shorter than usual.  The articulation works more or less the same.  Some of them are a little more limited on range, but honestly, he’s not bad considering.  The only real issue for me is the elbows.  The sculpt’s pretty decent.  There’s more going on with it than Orko, with a lot more texturing and layering.  It makes for a contrast.  The sculpt is definitely more of an animated twinge, as expected given the source, but also he should work okay with the movie He-Man too.  His color work is rather on the bright side, again matching the animation.  In general, the application is cleaner than Orko’s, which is a plus.  Gwildor is packed with the Cosmic Key, which is solid, but also does feel maybe a touch light.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was all prepped to buy this set, but then they were an exclusive, and it wasn’t initially clear where, and then I didn’t wind up tracking them down after the fact.  It ended up working in my favor, because I was able to catch them on a particularly good discount.  And yes, that makes me part of the problem, and I am sorry about that.  I would not that it came in an exceptionally jacked up box, but the figures inside were fine, and given the price, I can’t really complain much.  Orko was my main reason in getting this set, but I also didn’t mind having a Gwildor, since I’m one of those people that actually kind of likes the live action movie.  Both of them are pretty solid, and I’m glad I finally managed to snag them.

#3772: Cammy

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

CAMMY

ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II (JADA)

Last week, I really shook things up a bit with a video game related review, and this week, I’m taking the shake up and making it more of a status quo, so it no longer shakes things up? Look, what I’m getting at here is I’m doing another video game related review. This time around, I’m jumping over to Street Fighter, which actually does have a respectable little presence here. Keeping things in the Jada realm, just like last week, because their modus operandi appears to be “being awesome”, which is really good for them, honestly. A few months back, I looked at their Dhalsim, but now I get to review my personal favorite character from the game, Cammy!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cammy is part of Round 3 of Jada’s Ultra Street Fighter II line, alongside Guile and Dee-Jay. All three hit together at the same time at the very end of last year. All three from a set hitting at the same time is actually a first for the line, which has thus far been staggering pairs and singles. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation. The articulation here is a little more straightforward than the Cammy Figuart I looked at a few years ago, but it results in some generally cleaner posing and range, especially on the legs. I was also quite happy that her neck joint allowed for upward movement, so she’s not perpetually looking down the way that figure was. Additionally, the assembly of the articulation is such that she winds up looking a fair bit less segmented when posed, which is always a plus. And, she’s surprisingly stable on her feet; the pose in the photo up top took some careful balancing, but required no other support. Cammy is sporting an all-new sculpt, specifically based on her SF2 design, which is my personal favorite. It’s an earlier Cammy, so the proportions are a bit more balanced, and not *quite* as thigh-heavy as later looks. In general, the sculpt is quite clean and a good match for the game design. She gets two different heads, one calmer and one more intense. Both expressions work well in the body and with the included parts, and the braids on both heads are articulated. Personally, I’d have loved a third head with a smiling expression, but two’s the standard, and the two they went with are solid. Cammy’s paint work is basic but clean, as you’d hope. I’m not super crazy about the marbelized plastic on the torso, and worry about its longevity. There’s also a little bit of mismatch between the molded and painted flesh tones. She is, otherwise, quite good. Cammy is packed with two sets of hands and a kick effect piece. I was surprised by the lack of stand, but as noted above, she balances okay on her own.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Due to the Toy Biz X-Men vs Street Fighter line, I had something of an early investment into Cammy.  I remember really wanting the SOTA one back in the day, but was never able to snag one at anything approaching a reasonable price.  Since she’s become my go-to character for the game over the years, I’ve always wanted a good figure.  The Figuart was an okay figure, but she was always a bit of a placeholder, especially with her being from V not II.  For a fraction of the price of the Figuart, this one is absolutely fantastic, and for me blows that one out of the water.  I’ve got my minor quibbles, but they’re very minor, and they don’t really hold her back.  Jada’s really onto something here.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3771: Green Lantern, Starman, & Hourman

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

GREEN LANTERN, STARMAN, & HOURMAN

SUPER POWERS (McFARLANE TOYS)

Hey!  It’s Super Powers!  Hooray!  I love Super Powers!  …I’m kinda running out of things to say about it, though.  I mean, I expected a little over 30 of these reviews at the outset, and then, there were, like, more.  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  It’s a good problem to have.  While the vintage line did have an impressive coverage of the JLA, it featured only a single member of the JSA, Dr. Fate.  And he was very lonely indeed.  But, it’s okay, because 40 years later, he’s finally getting some team mates!  And it’s not just one: it’s a whole three-pack!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Green Lantern, Starman, and Hourman were released as part of McFarlane’s Super Powers continuation in a three-pack.  This marks the second “standard” three-pack, following up on the Peacemaker set from earlier.  There doesn’t really seam to have been a specific theme to the three chosen beyond “let’s do JSA.”

GREEN LANTERN — ALAN SCOTT

If you’re jumping into the JSA, it’s hard to not go for Alan Scott.  He’s pretty obvious, and alongside Jay Garrick, he’s one of the central and most consistently depicted members of the team.  He’s also my favorite, so you’ll definitely hear no complaints from me.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation.  He’s got an all-new sculpt, and it’s on par with a lot of the more recent offerings, which is to say it’s quite good.  It captures the vibe of the line, while also getting down Alan as a character.  Perhaps the only slight oddity is the lack of a collar on the shirt, but with the cape it’s not too distracting.  Compared to the rather horrid 7-inch figure, though, this is a breath of fresh air.  They even gave him the proper ring shape!  He’s got a cloth cape, which is a little more complex, having the collar and also being two-toned.  I definitely dig it, and it’s avoiding some of the issues of the other capes from the line.  The paint work here is slightly on the messy side, but not terribly so.  The color work is at least pretty nice, and they’ve again got the proper lantern shape for his logo, which I do like to see.  He gets no accessories, even though the hand posing seems like he’s begging for a power battery.  I’d guess that was probably a budget thing.

STARMAN

It’s Starman!  There’s actually been a lot of Starmen at DC.  This is the orginal, Ted Knight.  But not *that* Ted Knight.  Even though that one narrated for Super Friends.  Do you think the real Ted Knight knew about the fake Ted Knight?  Makes you think, right?  The figure stands almost 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  Okay, so, you see the height? Yeah, that ain’t right.  Here’s why: he’s on the old Superman mold.  Not the nice, new, improved one we just got before the end of the year.  No, the McFarlane Series 1 version, which is too tall and too bulky, and has its feet too close together.  I totally get re-using Superman for a Starman; they’re costumes are quite similar.  But why not use the new one?  It’s right there.  Now Ted’s really tall, and looks out of place with the other JSA-ers.  He gets a new head, which I also don’t love, because it feels like an earlier run head, as well as a new belt piece and an updated right arm with a new gripping hand.  He gets a cloth cape, which is okay.  I do particularly like the printed star on the back.  The paint on this guy is fine.  Decent, and it gets the job done, but it’s not much to write home about.  Starman gets the only accessory in this set, which is his Cosmic Rod, which fits nicely in his right hand.

HOURMAN

It’s drug use, but as a super power.  You know, for kids!  Like Starman, there have been a few Hourmen, but this is Rex Tyler, the original.  He’s built on a smaller base body, shared with Vigilante.  Rex has been up and down in terms of sizing and scaling, so the shorter at least adds some variety of scaling to the set.  He’s got a new head sculpt, which is…fine.  I can’t say I love it, but it’s alright.  Passable.  I’ll discuss it more in the paint section.  He’s also got a new belt and necklace, both of which work pretty well.  It’s topped off with a cape, which has a pretty impressive printed pattern on it and its own collar as well.  The paint work, especially on the head, is iffy.  The mask is missing the black section, which I always feel throws off the general look.  The DCUC figure did it the same way, and it bugged me there too.  The eye holes also feel like they’re painted up far too high, and the nose coverage feels like it goes too low.  And the eyebrows are just…I don’t know.  Don’t love them, that’s for sure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Obviously, there was no way I was missing this one.  I’ve been waiting a long time for more JSA-ers in the line, and I honestly never really expected to see them.  So, I jumped right on the pre-orders for this one.  Of the the three, Alan is by far the stand out, and by far my favorite.  The whole set’s worth it just for him.  Which is good, because the other two…well, they’re less than stellar.  That was a bit of a letdown.  I mean, they’re not awful.  Still better than the earlier figures from the line, but maybe not quite as good as the more recent stuff.  But, I’m not gonna knock more JSA Super Powers.