Category Archives: Reviews

#0301: Marvel’s Death’s Head

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

MARVEL’S DEATH’S HEAD

AVENGERS INFINITE

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Would you believe me if I told you that I had definitive proof that Transformers and Doctor Who share the same universe with just about every Marvel Comics super hero? Because they do, thanks to a set of appearances by one character: Death’s Head. As you clearly see in the title, he’s Marvel’s Death’s Head (which has two possessives. If I want to talk about the clasp on his cape, I’m talking about Marvel’s Death’s Head’s cape’s clasp. Think about that for a while…). Death’s Head was created for a Transformers comic while Marvel held the license. Not wanting to potentially lose a unique character to Hasbro, they quickly created a short strip featuring the character that was published in several of the comics in their UK line. Marvel also happened to be publishing a Doctor Who comic at the time, which also saw an appearance from Death’s Head before he finally made his way to the main Marvel universe. Now, 27 years after his original appearance, he’s finally gotten his very own action figure made by…. Hasbro. How about that?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

DeathsHeadWilsonDeath’s Head was part of the second series of Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite, the line which serves as a replacement for Marvel Universe. He was long rumored to be an upcoming figure in the MU line, so following that line’s cancellation, the figure’s fate was uncertain. Fortunately, he found a home in AI, so everybody still has a chance to have a toy of their favorite tri-dimensional bounty hunter. He stands just over 4 inches in height and features 27 points of articulation. Death’s Head makes use of the MU Colossus body as a starting point, reusing the arms, upper and lower torso, and legs from the boot up. Given that both characters are larger in stature and both feature a similar banded metal patter, the choice of re-use is inspired. In addition to these pieces, the figure also has brand new pieces for his head, hands, shins, and feet, as well as add-ons for the cape/shoulder-pads and the belt/loincloth/waist armor. The new pieces are really great sculpts. The head sculpt looks to have been lifted directly from the character’s comic appearances, and the armor pieces have some really wonderful denting and weathering. My only complaint is how loose the cape add-on is, as it causes it to sit incorrectly if you aren’t careful. The paintwork on Death’s Head is nice and clean for the most part. There’s a bit of bleed over here and there, but nothing too distracting. The metallic blues in particular make the figure really pop. Death’s Head is armed with an axe, a mace, and a shield, all of which are new pieces that look pretty great and fit the figure’s hands well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Deathlok and Valkyrie, Death’s Head was picked up from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix. Like Valkyrie, Death’s Head is a figure that I’ve wanted since the initial rumors of his release started cropping up. I’m not entirely sure why I’m so interested in the figure. I’ve read maybe two or three of Death’s Head’s comic appearances. I guess something about the character’s design just resonates with me. Unsurprisingly for a character designed for a toyline-tie-in, Death’s Head translates really well to the action figure format and makes for a pretty neat toy.

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#0300: The Hulk

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

HULK

AVENGERS (HOT TOYS)

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I still have two more Avengers Infinite reviews to do, but I’ll be taking a break from them today. Why, you ask? Because, surprisingly enough, I’ve made it through 300 of these reviews.  I can honestly say I haven’t stuck with any of my projects for this long. I think the most surprising thing here is that you guys are still reading my reviews. Maybe I don’t suck after all! In honor of another milestone review, I’ll be doing another “Deluxe Review.”

This is another figure from Hot Toys, a company renowned for their high-end action figures. Their bread and butter in recent years has been super hero movies, and one of their most successful licenses was 2012’s The Avengers. I’ll be looking at the biggest (in more way than one) release of the line, the Incredible Hulk!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hulk is part of HT’s Movie Masterpiece Series, which is their primary line. Hulk is number 186, which places him right after the previously reviewed Iron Man Mark VII in the numerical sequence. Hulk is just about 18 inches tall in height, and he features 18 points of articulation. 20 if you count the individually moving eyes. He’s based on Hulk’s design in The Avengers, obviously, but more specifically Hulk’s look during the final battle, which can be determined by the darker color of the pants.

Aside from a pair of tattered pants, the Hulk relies mostly on sculpting for his look. This is different from a lot of HT’s figures, but makes sense with the Hulk’s design. Hulk has a fairly unique body type, which means he got an all new sculpt to reflect that. The design is undoubtedly based on the 3D model designed for the movie, but it was sculpted by hand, so there’s a few areas that are a little off. Let’s start with what is on model. The head sculpt is virtually indistinguishable from the Hulk in the movie. You can definitely see some of Mark Ruffalo’s likeness shining through. It’s truly a magnificent head sculpt. The arms and legs are pretty similarly accurate. They have superb detailing, that makes this figure look possibly more lifelike than the CGI version in the film. The knee joints are a bit distraction, but they aren’t too had to hide with some careful positioning of the edges of the pants. This big issue is the torso. It’s just too… defined. One of the nice things about Hulk in The Avengers was that he looked like a real person. He had a certain degree of, for lack of a better word, flab. This figure doesn’t have that, and it diminishes the overall look ever so slightly. It doesn’t ruin the figure by any means, but it is a bit disappointing.

Paint work is one of HT’s strongest suits, and this figure is no exception. Every surface has amazing detail. There are beads of sweat on his face for Pete’s sake! That’s a serious commitment to detail. The teeth look like real teeth, minor yellowing and all. His skin is a bit uneven, his veins are a slightly different color from the rest of his skin. Everything looks absolutely spot on.

Perhaps the figures one downfall is accessories. Given the immense size, it’s forgivable, but it’s a bit of a bummer compared to other HT releases. As it stands, Hulk’s only accessories are a pair of alternate hands with poseable fingers. They aren’t a bad addition, but it would have been nice to at least get a stand with his name on it, just so he could fit in with the rest of the Avengers. Oh well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As is the case with most of the HT figures I own, Hulk was obtained via a pre-order on Sideshow Toys’ website. Like Iron Man and Captain America before him, Hulk was a figure I wasn’t quite sure I was going to get. But as pictures started to come in of the prototype, I got more and more impressed. I eventually folded, but not before the figure had sold out through Sideshow. Fortunately, they have a very helpful Wait List tool, which allowed me to get on the list in case someone else cancelled. Sure enough, someone did and I was able to get the jade giant for my collection. He’s the most I’ve ever paid for a single figure, but I don’t doubt for a minute that he was worth it. He’s definitely a stand out piece, and he makes The Avengers display work.

#0299: Marvel’s Valkyrie

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

MARVEL’S VALKYRIE

AVENGERS INFINITE

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While Deathlok has just been granted a new lease on life by Agents of SHIELD, Valkyrie (or should I say “Marvel’s Valkyrie”) has not quite lucked out just yet. There’s certainly hope, I mean who though the Guardians of the Galaxy would be the next hit? So, here’s to Valkyrie getting her due! In the mean time, she was fortunate enough to get a figure in the most recent series of Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite. Perhaps her prospects are moving up!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ValkyreWilsonValkyrie was released in Series Three of Avengers Infinite. She was originally meant to be released in a three-pack with the Executioner and a Thor variant, which would have been one of the final releases in the Marvel Universe line. When the set fell through, Hasbro moved Valkyrie over to the new line. The figure stands about 4 inches tall and sports 29 points of articulation. She’s based on the most recent Valkyrie design, which she wore towards the tail end of the first volume of Secret Avengers. It’s not too different from her classic design. She just traded in the cape for some pants, which seems like a fair move on her part. For most of her sculpt, Valkyrie makes use of the larger female buck from the Marvel Universe line, which first saw use on She-Hulk. It’s a pretty good body, with fairly normal proportions and some pretty great articulation, so its use here is acceptable. Valkyrie gets a newly sculpted head and hands. The hands are fairly basic gripping hands. Nothing really new there. The head is the star piece here, and it’s a pretty great sculpt. It captures Valkyrie pretty well, and doesn’t look too spaced out, a definite step up from quite a few female face sculpts. Valkyrie is molded in appropriate colors where possible, with some painted details for the silver areas, as well as detail work on the face and hair. For the most part, the paint is applied cleanly, although there are a few instances of fuzzy lines and slop. Nothing too distracting, though. Valkyrie includes a sword accessory, which is quite well sculpted and fits in Valkyrie’s hands pretty well. The plastic used is a bit on the soft side, but it’s workable.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Valkyrie was picked up from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, along with yesterday’s Deathlok and a couple others a few weeks ago. Valkyrie is a figure I had wanted since she was initially announced in the MU three-pack, so I was pretty eager to get her. Valkyrie is a character that’s only seen a few figures, which makes it even more important for her figures to be decent. Fortunately, this one is a pretty great interpretation of the character and an all-around great toy!

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#0298: Deathlok

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

DEATHLOK

AVENGERS INFINITE

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Ah, Deathlok. There’s a character I’m sure no one was expecting to see turn up as a recurring character on a prime-time show on ABC. I know some people were a bit disappointed by how he turned out in the show, but I enjoyed J August Richards’s performance as the character. As an added plus, it’s brought the character some more notoriety, which has translated to an action figure. And, umm, well, I like action figures…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

DeathlockWilsonDeathlok is part of the third series of Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite line, which serves as the replacement for Hasbro’s previous Marvel Universe line. He stands about 4 inches tall and features 26 points of articulation. He’s based on the classic Deathlok look, which was sported by the first two Deathloks. It’s built using one of the larger male bucks as a base, with a metal right arm and metal legs. It’s possible these pieces were used elsewhere, but I don’t know off-hand. The head is definitely new, and it’s a pretty great representation of everyone’s favorite half killing machine/half pacifist government controlled warrior. It’s perhaps a bit on the smooth side, but I’m willing to be slightly more forgiving at this scale. Deathlok also features sculpted add-ons for his belt (with holster) and his back pack, both of which do a pretty good job interpreting the design. The back pack is easily removable, but the belt and holster would take some creative thinking to remove. Deathlok is mostly molded in the appropriate colors. The torso and left arm are red plastic, the legs and right arm are silver, and the head is a brownish-orange. The rest is paint, and it all looks pretty good. All of the line work is sharp and clean, and there’s no real occurrence of bleed over or slop. Deathlok includes two guns: one smaller, one larger. As far as I can tell, both are new pieces. They both fit nicely in Deathlok’s hands, and the smaller gun can also be placed in his belt holster.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Deathlok from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, along with a few other figures from the Avengers Infinite line. I had planned on getting a few of the figures in the series when they were initially announced, but they had actually slipped my mind. So, I was actually caught a bit by surprise. Deathlok is a character I might have passed over in previous years (I only have the Marvel Legends version because he included a piece of Galactus), but the character’s recent turn on Agents of SHIELD has sparked my interest enough to pick up this guy. He’s a pretty decent figure, and one I’m sure fans of the character will be happy with.

#0297: Groot, Rocket Raccoon & Nova Corps Officer

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

GROOT, ROCKET RACCOON & NOVA CORPS OFFICER

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

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Guardians of the Galaxy was a truly awesome movie. I haven’t had a chance to mention that here, so there it is. If you haven’t seen Guardians do yourself a favor and do so as soon as possible. It’s one of those rare films that truly has something for everyone. Captain America may still be my favorite movie of the year, but Guardians is the most fun.

Hasbro’s offering the film’s cast in a few different scales. I’ve already taken a look at the 6 inch scale figures, which offer the most detailed takes on the characters. Sadly, that line is just the main Guardians. If you want to get a larger selection, you need to turn to the 2 ½ inch line. I made my first venture into the line with Groot, Rocket, and a Nova Corps Officer. Let’s see how they turned out!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

This trio was released as part of the first, and so far only, series of 2 ½ inch figures. Most of the sets are two packs, but this one is a three-pack due to Rocket’s smaller stature.

GROOT

GrootRocket&NovaWilson1He is Groot. Oh boy is he. Groot is the tallest of the set, at almost 3 inches in height. He also sports 5 points of articulation, which is basic, though not surprising at this scale. There are actually two Groots in this line, with the difference being paint. I think this one’s the less “default” one, for reasons I’ll get to shortly. The sculpt of the figure is pretty good. It’s certainly not as detailed as the larger Marvel Legends Groot, but it does an admirable job with the scale. Groot’s design, being a bit more alien probably lends itself a bit more to the smaller scale. The paint work on Groot is my only real issue with the figure. For the most part, there isn’t much paint. He’s molded in the appropriate brown, with some paint for his eyes. My issue is the thing that makes him a less than standard Groot. For some reason, they’ve thrown some green paint on his right arm, the upper right section of his torso, and the right half of his face. I think it’s meant to represent when he gets a bit more plant-like at certain pints of the movie, but it ends up just looking like lots of green paint.

ROCKET RACCOON

GrootRocket&NovaWilson2Rocket’s kind of an accessory to Groot, I think. He’s the shortest figure (though not quite as short as he should be) at a little over 2 inches and he features no articulation.  Like Groot, there are actually two versions of Rocket in the line. However, the two Rocket figures provide two unique sculpts. This Rocket is the “relaxed” Rocket sculpt. He’s in a neutral standing position, and he features no weapon. He does have an open hand, so I guess he could hold one if you so desired. His sculpt is pretty good for a solid chunk of plastic. He’s got a fair bit of character too him, and he looks overall accurate to the source material. The paint work on Rocket is more intricate than that of Groot. They’ve also avoided taking any strange liberties with the paint, so that’s good, I suppose.

NOVA CORPS OFFICER

GrootRocket&NovaWilson3The army builder of the set is the Nova Corps Officer here. He’s also the first of the figures I’ve looked at so far to be unique to the smaller scale line, and hence, the reason I picked up the set. He’s average height at roughly 2 ½ inches and he features 5 points f articulation. His waist is a separate piece from his torso, but there’s no movement there. NCO (his full name’s hard to type) features an all new sculpt, which is actually quite detailed for the scale. The small area of face that’s visible seems a bit blank, but aside from that, he’s got some amazing sculpted work. NCO is molded in a basic blue, with paint for all the other colors. The torso has some nice work, and the arms aren’t too bad. Sadly, the head has some pretty obvious bleed over around the exposed area of skin, which is a bit distracting. Still, given the scale, it’s forgivable. One thing that is less forgivable is the total lack of any sort of paint on the legs. He clearly has sculpted parts meant to be painted a different color, but they’ve just been left the basic blue.

I should point out that this set included a giant missile launcher (hey, it’s Hasbro’s trademark. They can’t leave it out.) and an accessory-tree of random parts. I’m pretty sure these are all meant to go with NCO, but I can’t tell for sure. Heck, I can’t even totally identify what some of them are…

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While walking through Toys R Us on my birthday, I came across a rather large Guardians display, and the 2 ½ inch figures were among them. I did NOT buy this set there, because TRU is charging a full $4 more per set than everyone else. Instead, I went to the Target across the street. They only had this one set, but it was actually the one I wanted the most anyway. I like Rocket and Groot, and I definitely wanted a Nova guy, who is so far only available in this line (the minimate is out sometime next month). This set was definitely a trial set for the line, and I must say I’m impressed. For $6 you get three pretty nifty figures in a fun little scale. If you’re willing to splurge a bit, you can even get a few of the vehicles, which seem to be the line’s main purpose.

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#0296: Lava Strike Force

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with ,

LAVA STRIKE FORCE

WEAPONEERS OF MONKAA

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I love Weaponeers of Monkaa. There, I got that out of the way. I’ve said that in pretty much every review I’ve done of the line so far, I’ll continue to say it in all future reviews. Hopefully, it’ll remain true. There’s only so many ways to say it, so I figured I’d just cut to the chase this time. Spy Monkey Creations, aka the people responsible for this line that I love, just put out their fifth assortment of figures. Being that I love the line, I picked up all of the figures, aside from the re-release of the Magma Gohlem. I’ve looked at the two star attractions of this assortment, Fyreball and Ehmber, now I’ll look at the one who allegedly started the theme that led to their creation, Lava Strike Force.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

LavaStrikeWilsonThe Lava Strike Force was released as part of the fifth assortment of Weaponeers of Monkaa, which is also titled Lava Strike Force. According to Spy Monkey, this figure was supposed to be a limited release figure, done to be released with a batch of extra Magma Gohlems they found. However, they decided to bump it up to a full release day by adding Fyreball and Ehmber, and in honor of the originating figure, the whole set has been branded “Lava Strike Force.” Like every other figure in the line, Lava Strike Force is made from the same basic set of pieces. Their totally modular, so you can configure him just about any way you’d like, which adds an extra level of fun to the figures. In the default set-up, Lava Strike Force is 4 inches tall and features 17 points of articulation. The pieces maintain the same sleek look, and they’re very well designed and sculpted. The default head is the Gohlem head, though I don’t think Lava Strike Force is meant to be one of the Gohlems. It’s a nice, basic robot-looking head, so it’s got a fair bit of versatility. Lava Strike Force is molded in all black, with orange detail lines outlining many of the sculpted elements, plus some white details on the heads. Lava Strike Force includes an assortment of weapons painted to match, including two hilts, two straight blades, two bent blades, two serrated blades, two blasters and two sickles, as well as all of the possible heads, to allow for the alternate looks.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Just like Ehmber and Fyreball, I picked up Lava Strike Force as soon as Spy Monkey put the figure up for sale. Apparently I was one of the lucky ones, as I understand that this particular figure sold out rather quickly. It’s a figure that’s up to par with the rest of the Weaponeers, though I don’t know that I would have gone searching for it had I missed out. It’s not much different from the previously released Flaw figure, plus you can essentially build it out of parts from Fyreball and Ehmber. That being said, it’s still a WoM figure, so it’s still super cool!

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#0295: Ehmber

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with ,

EHMBER

WEAPONEERS OF MONKAA

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Weaponeers of Monkaa is one of those rare finds in the modern age. It’s a toyline created solely to be fun. It’s strange to think that’s a rarity, being that they’re TOYS, but everything’s become so marketed nowadays. That makes something like Weaponeers so refreshing to me. Spy Monkey Creations, who make the line, just put out a new assortment of figures, under the heading “Lava Strike Force.” Last time, I looked at Fyreball and today I’m looking at Ehmber.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

EhmberWilsonEhmber is part of the fifth assortment of Weapneers of Monkaa, released just last month. Like Fyreball, Ehmber appears to be an all new character to the series. Also like Fyreball, Ehmber shares some design elements with a previous figure. This time it’s Palidar, Brutok’s more heroic equivalent. As is standard for the line, Ehmber is built from the usual assortment of pieces. In his default layout, Ehmber is about 4 inches tall and features 17 points of articulation. The sculpt is exactly the same as every other figure in the line. That’s not a bad thing, mind you. The pieces are the same modular pieces we’ve seen before, and they’re an impressive set of sculpts. They easily can lock into dozens of possible configurations, and allow for nice, sleek looking figures. Ehmber’s default head is the Palidar head. I’ll be honest, it’s probably my least favorite of the bunch, but it’s certainly not a bad one. Ehmber’s paint is fairly similar to Fyreball’s. Mostly, it’s just reversed, although Fyreball did have a few extra details Ehmber seems to be lacking. It doesn’t hurt the figure at all, though. Ehmber is armed with two hilts, two straight blades, two bent blades, two serrated blades, two blasters and two sickles, all molded in translucent orange, plus three extra heads to allow for alternate looks.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got Ehmber form Spy Monkey’s store the first day this set was put up for sale, as I have with most of the Weaponeers releases. Like I said in my Fyreball review, I’m not quite as much of a fan of the black and orange color scheme as I was f a few of the earlier color schemes, but this is still a solid set. Ehmber certainly doesn’t disappoint!

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#0294: Fyreball

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with ,

FYREBALL

WEAPONEERS OF MONKAA

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There’s a rare few toylines of which consider myself a “completist.” NECA’s Aliens line springs to mind, but that one’s mostly due to the subject matter being one of my favorite movies of all time. Eventually, I’d like to have a complete collection of Kenner’s DC Super Powers, but that’s probably a ways off. Once again, that’s the subject matter and a bit of nostalgia on my part. Weaponeers of Monkaa is another line that has pulled me in, but it’s done it solely by being a really cool set of toys, plain and simple. Spy Monkey Creations, who make the line, just released their fifth assortment of figures to their online site last month. There were three new figures and a re-release of the Magma Gohlem from the first series. I picked up the three new releases. I’ll be taking a look at the first of those, Fyreball, today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

FyreballWilsonFyreball was part of the fifth assortment of Weapneers of Monkaa, entitled “Lava Strike Force.” Fyreball seems to be meant to be a new character to the line, though he does seem to share a fair bit of design elements with previous character Brutok. Fyreball is part of the Lava Strike Force affiliation, which is new to the line, introduced with this series. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of the line, every figure is made from the same basic assortment of pieces, in slightly varied configurations. The pieces are also completely modular, so you can further customize them however you’d like. In his default set-up, Fyreball is about 4 inches in height and features 17 points of articulation. If you’ve read a previous review of a WoM figure on this site, you’ve read my take on the body. The pieces are all sculpted really well, and work in a myriad of different configurations. When built into the basic set up, it offers a nice, sleek figure design. Fyreball’s default head is the Brutok head, which might just be my favorite of the five possible heads. The paint on the Weaponeers gets better with every release, and Fyreball is no exception. He’s built from a combination of translucent orange and black pieces, with some black and orange detailing on each piece to bridge the differences. Everything looks cleanly applied, with no bleed over or slop to speak of. Fyreball is fairly well accessorized, with two hilts, two straight blades, two bent blades, two serrated blades, two blasters and two sickles, plus three extra heads to allow for alternate looks.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Fyreball from Spy Monkey’s store on the first day it was available, as I have with the last few Weapneers releases. Personally, I’m not as much of a fan of the black and orange color scheme as I was of the green from the last set, but Fyreball is still a really solid addition to the line.

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#0293: Wonder Woman

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

WONDER WOMAN

JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR (DC COLLECTIBLES)

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Justice League: War is far from one of the greatest pieces of animation DC has produced. That being said, it’s also far from the worst (I’m looking at you Flashpoint Paradox…), and I felt it even managed to improve upon the source material a fair bit. The animation proved to be nice a smooth and the design work wasn’t too bad. If they can manage to get some slightly better stories, then perhaps they might get back to where they used to be in animation. Wouldn’t that be nice?

I felt that one of the better aspects of the movie was its handling of Wonder Woman. She’s a character that DC seems to have a lot of trouble getting. War provided a strong and likeable version of the character, which shows that maybe they might have a chance of getting the character the recognition she deserves some day. When I decided to pick up a few of the figures from DC Collectibles’ tie-in toyline for the movie, I knew I wanted Green Lantern right off the bat, but the film’s take on WW convinced me I should get her too. Let’s find out if that was a good move!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

WonderWomanWarWilsonWonder Woman is part of the first series of Justice League: War by DC Collectibles. She’s based on the character’s design from the movie of the same name. The design draws some interpretation from Wonder Woman’s current costume in the comics, but they’ve taken more liberties on her than they did on Green Lantern. The costume features higher sitting boots, pseudo-sleeves, and actual covering on the collar area. The figure stands about 6 ½ inches tall and features 13 points of articulation. They’ve removed the bicep swivels that were present on GL, which limits the movement, but does look better from an aesthetic standpoint. Wonder Woman’s sculpt is completely unique to her. This is most likely due to her being the only female in the line. Still, I’d be curious to see if DCC would re-use the body for any later females, given her Amazonian stature. The sculpt is pretty good, and does a fair job of translating the movie’s design into three dimensions. The figure is about two-thirds legs, which seems a bit more stylized than she was in the movie. She almost looks as if her legs and the rest of her go to two different figures. Still, she’s better than a lot of female figures, and a lot of it can be written off as keeping with the movie’s style. WonderWomanWar2The paint on Wonder Woman is pretty good. Her paint job is a bit more intricate than GL, so there’s a bit more room for error. She suffers from some fuzzy lines on the edges of her boots and sleeves, but they aren’t too noticeable, and they’re certainly better than Hal. Her eyes have been given a red-ish hue, which almost makes it look like she’s been crying. Not sure what they were going for there, but it doesn’t seem to have worked. Also, her skin tone seems to be a bit light compared to what she had in the movie, which is a shame, because it added some nice diversity to the group. I suspect this was done so that they could use the same skin-tone plastic on all of the figures. Wonder Woman includes her lasso of truth, which is glued to her waist, and a sword, which seems oddly short.

 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Wonder Woman and GL from Amazon a few weeks ago. My review probably seems a little down on the figure, but in actuality I quite like her, perhaps even more than Green Lantern. I’m a huge Green Lantern fan, so that’s saying something. Justice League: War presented perhaps one of my favorite Wonder Woman designs, so getting a figure of it is a plus. This figure has a few issues, but as a whole, I think it turned out pretty well. If you’re a Wonder Woman fan, I’d certainly recommend it. Heck, I’m only a moderate Wonder Woman fan and I think it’s pretty darn cool!

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#0292: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR (DC COLLECTIBLES)

GreenLanternWar

Every so often, I have to go back to the basics. In my case, the basics tend to be either DC or Marvel figures. Bonus points if they’re animation related!

As a kid, most of my DC action figures were based on the cartoons of the time, Batman: The Animated Series being chief among them. DC Collectibles (formerly DC Direct) has recently announced that they plan to do a rather extensive line of figures based on B:TAS, which excites me greatly. I’ve been away from DCD/DCC collecting for a while, so I thought I’d see what to expect from the new line by taking a look at a few figures from their line done to tie in with the recent Justice League: War animated feature. Being me, I started with Green Lantern. Just go with it!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

GreenLanternWarWilsonGreen Lantern was released in the first series of DC Collectible’s Justice League: War line. He’s based on the character’s design in the film of the same name, which is in turn inspired by the character’s current look in the comics. The most distinctive piece of the GL figure is the streamlined nature of the design. The figure is about 6 ½ inches tall and features 13 points of articulation. The articulation is fine overall, but he could really use some ankle and wrist articulation, the lack of which is becoming a disturbing trend in the action figure industry. Still, the lack of these points isn’t quite as detrimental here as it was on, say, Mattel’s recent General Zod. He’s certainly less stiff looking. A lot of this has to do with the sculpt, which, while it isn’t perfect, does have a decent fluidity to it. The sculpt, aside from a new head, is shared with series-mate Flash. It’s a pretty good starting point. The physique looks to be accurate to the design from the movie, and is basic enough to work for a few different characters. The head is a pretty great likeness to GL’s design in the movie, and has a nice amount of character. The figure mostly relies on paint to depict his costume details. It’s mostly straight forward work, and it’s decent but not perfect. He’s got quite a few fuzzy lines, especially on the edge of his neck. The painted on ring is also a bit sloppy, almost like it hasn’t been completely painted. Piece by piece, GL is sloppy, but he actually looks pretty darn good as a whole. The figure includes no accessories, which seems like a missed opportunity.

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure is something of an experimental purchase for me. I had a slight interest in it when it was announced, mostly due to the whole Green Lantern thing. Once the first series was released, I just kind of forgot about it and moved on. A few weeks ago, I was house sitting for a friend. He had told me I was welcome to watch any of the movies on his shelf, and I noticed he had a pretty much complete set of the DC Animated Movies. I’d fallen a bit behind on them, so I decided to catch up. JL: War wasn’t my favorite movie ever, but it was entertaining enough for me to decide to go ahead and pick up a few of the figures. I’m glad I did. Even if GL isn’t perfect, he’s a nice enough figure that I’m happy to add him to my collection.