Category Archives: Reviews

#0221: Baron Zemo – Soldier of A.I.M.

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

BARON ZEMO – SOLDIERS OF A.I.M.

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

ZemoII

If you’d told me a few years ago that two of my favorite lines of toys (Star Wars: The Black Series and Marvel Legends Infinite Series) would be coming from Hasbro, I’d have laughed in your face. I’ve never hated Hasbro or anything, and I’ve been pretty happy with their work on Marvel Universe, but they’ve never been known for anything downright outstanding. In the past year, they’ve really stepped it up in terms of sculpts, articulation, accessories, and general quality of figures. Sure, they’ve had a few missteps (re-packing Han in the third series of SWB instead of an extra Stormtrooper; making Black Widow, the Hydra Agent, and the A.I.M. Soldier one per case), but they do seem to be learning, and they actually are trying to make up for some of their failures. That’s down right admirable, especially after years of dealing with Mattel…

Today, I’ll be reviewing Baron Zemo from their recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. Unlike yesterday’s Cap, he’s based on a comic design, and if you’d like to know more about him, head over to the Backstories section!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Baron Zemo, or “Soldiers of A.I.M.” as he’s officially named, is part of the first series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series and is also in the first revision case featuring series two. He is a swap figure with the A.I.M. Soldier, hence the name. The figure is a little over 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation. He’s based on Zemo’s more recent appearances. It’s honestly not far off from his classic design, sans the fur-lined boots and shoulders. The figure is built on Hasbro’s medium male buck, with flared boots and gloves. He also gets a new head and add-ons for his shoulder holsters and his belt/loincloth. The head is a perfect representation of Zemo’s look in the comics, and the body and add-ons look great too. I quite like the “Z”s embroidered on his holsters. They’re a nice touch. Like STRIKE Suit Captain America, the figure’s sculpt is let down a bit by some rocky paint apps. The forearms have been molded in yellow and painted purple, and not only did they miss some of the spots closer to the gloves, the paint also seems to be a bit too thin, allowing the yellow plastic to bleed through. The edge of the mask also has some pretty fuzzy lines, the whites of the eyes aren’t quite in line with the sculpt, and his crown piece isn’t totally painted. None of these are major issues, but they are annoying, and they detract from an otherwise great figure. Zemo includes a pistol, a sword, and the right arm of the Mandroid. I’ll be taking a look at the Mandroid after everyone else is reviewed, which leaves the gun and sword. The sword sadly suffers from similar bleed through issues to the forearms, but it fits well in his hand, and can also be slipped through the loop on his belt. The pistol is a nice piece, which has some great painted details. Sadly, he’ll be forced to always hold it, because both of his holsters have permanently sculpted guns. Drat it!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Zemo was part of the set of Series two figures I received from Big Bad Toystore. I wasn’t sure I was going to get him at first, as I wanted the A.I.M. Soldier a bit more. However, he was in the set, and I figured why not? I’m glad that was my attitude on the figure. Paint issues aside, he’s a great figure, and a very welcome addition to anyone’s Captain America shelf.

#0220: Captain America – S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA – STRIKE SUIT

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITY SERIES

CapStrikeSuit1

It’s still early into the summer movie season, but I think it’s going to be hard to topple Captain America: The Winter Soldier from its spot at the top of my list. The movie really resonated with me, and unsurprisingly, I wanted all my favorite characters from it in action figure form. I already picked up and reviewed three of the smaller scale figures, and the Minimates are still a little ways out, but the ones I was really interested in getting were Hasbro’s 6-inch scale versions, released as part of their latest incarnation of Marvel Legends. I finally managed to get a set, and today I’ll be starting my reviews off with the main man himself, Captain America! Foes who oppose the shield, you’d best prepare to yield!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cap was released as part of the second series of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinity Series. Man, is that a long name! He’s presented here in his S.T.R.I.K.E Team suit from The Winter Soldier. That suit is in turn based on Cap’s Commander Rodgers from the time he was Director of SHIELD for a while in the comics. The figure stands a bit over 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation. The figure features an all new sculpt, and it’s a really good one at that. The body has excellent proportions, and the uniform has a great variety of textures, just the real thing. The main head sculpt (the helmeted one) is a very nice piece of work. The face isn’t spot on to Chris Evans, but it’s a decent attempt, and the helmet looks pretty much spot-on to the one featured in the movie. The figure also sports an add-on belt piece, which aids in giving the figure a bit more dimension. The paint work doesn’t quite live up to the sculpt. There are a few noticeable spots of bleed over, though there doesn’t seem to be any outright slop. There are still some nice touches, such as the American flag and “ROGERS” name tag on his left shoulder, and the SHIELD logo on his right shoulder. These could have easily been overlooked, but their inclusion really adds to the figure. Cap is quite well accessorized, with an extra unmasked head, saluting and pointing hands, his mighty shield, and the right leg to this line’s Build-A-Figure, the Mandroid. The extra head is nice, though it looks even less like Evans than the main sculpt. The extra hands add a bit of extra character, and I especially love the pointing finger. It’s got a lot of possible uses. I’ll be covering the Mandroid after the rest of the reviews are done, which just leaves the shield. It’s a well sculpted piece, but it does seem a bit large for Cap. Not too much, but still noticeable. Also, they’ve gone with the all blue look, which I suppose goes with the costume, but given that it’s only in one scene of the movie, it would have been nice to get a regularly colored version.

CapStrikeSuit2 CapStrikeSuit3 CapStrikeSuit4

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I received Cap and the rest of Series 2 from Big Bad Toystore just the other day. I’ve had the set pre-ordered for a while in order to insure I got all three of the movie related figures. Cap is a really good figure, and one of the best Captain America figures that Hasbro has produced. I’d love to see this level of detail applied to a more classic Cap design. Still, I loved this design in the movie, and I’m glad to have a top-notch figure of it in my collection.

#0219: Roadblock, Beach Head & Kamakura

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ROADBLOCK, BEACH HEAD, & KAMAKURA

GI JOE RETALIATION

NinjaDojo3pack(Retalliation)

Two G.I. Joe reviews in a row?  What are the odds?  Well, G.I. Joe’s are about 5% of my collection, so take of that what you will.  This time around, the figures are from the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the second like-action movie based on the Real American Hero incarnation of the franchise.  Retaliation wasn’t by any means a good movie, but it did have its enjoyable moments.  Also, being a toy movie, there were toys.  In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a sucker for toys!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Roadblock, Beach Head, and Kamakura were released in the Ninja Dojo three-pack.  The set was part of the first set of offerings released to tie-in with the movie.  Thanks to Paramount’s decision to move the film’s release back, the set ended up on shelves almost a year before the film’s release.

ROADBLOCK

RoadBlock(Retalliation)

Roadblock is the only figure in the set actually based on a character from the movie.  However, he doesn’t appear to be based on any of the character’s looks in the movie.  The figure stands just over 4 inches tall and features 16 points of articulation.  Hasbro seems to have decided to rid some of their figures of a few points of articulation, and Roadblock is one of them.  He’s got single jointed knees and no ankle articulation, which greatly limits the figure.  The figure’s sculpt is shared with the regular line’s release of Roadblock, with a new right hand.  The sculpt looks okay overall, and does bare a passing resemblance to Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, who played Roadblock in the film.  The paint is my biggest issue with the figure.  Everything is cleanly applied, but there’s one glaring problem:  he’s waaaay too pale.  Roadblock is very definitely supposed to be black, and this guy definitely isn’t.  It’s very distracting.  In addition to the coloring issue, they’ve also turned his goatee into more of a subtle stubble (that’s kind of a neat term.  Subtle stubble.  I should make that a thing.)  The figure comes packed with a rifle, a mini-gun, ammo, and an ammo box. (The nun-chucks are actually Kamakura’s, but I put them in Roadblock’s picture.  Oops!)

BEACH HEAD

BeachHead(Retalliation) (2)

Beach Head is G.I. Joe’s resident drill sergeant.  He’s been absent from the films so far, but Hasbro gave the character a movie style revamp for this set.  The figure stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and features 22 points of articulation.  Beach Head is made from all reused parts.  His head is reused from the Pursuit of Cobra version of the character, and his body is from one of that line’s versions of Snake Eyes.  Both figures are top notch, so the pieces being reused are good choices.  The level of detail in the textures of the sculpts is downright amazing.  Beach Head also makes use of add-ons for his web gear and knee pads, which add some great depth to the figure.  The paint work on the figure is nice and clean, with no bleed over or slop.  He’s been given a rather muted color scheme, which is in keeping with the style of the film.  Beach Head includes a rifle, two different submachine guns, two knives, and a pistol with a removable silencer.  These are all re-use from other figures, but they’re great pieces, so it’s sensible.

KAMAKURA

Kamukura(Retalliation)alt

Kamakura is one of G.I. Joe’s numerous ninja members.  Interestingly enough, he wasn’t added during the line’s Ninja Force incarnation, but instead first showed up in the Devil’s Due run on the G.I. Joe comic in the early 2000s.  He’s only had a small handful of figures, and none of them were really all that good.  The figure is about 3 ¾ inches tall and features 22 points of articulation.  Like Beach Head, this figure is 100% parts re-use.  His head comes from the Resolute version of Storm Shadow, his hands and feet come from another POC version of Snake Eyes, and the rest of him comes from the 30th Anniversary Storm Shadow.  These are all well sculpted pieces, although I do feel one of the other Storm Shadows may have more accurately represented Kamakura’s usual balaclava.  Regardless, they’re good pieces, and they work well for the character.  The paint work is all nice and clean, but I do feel like it’s a little basic compared to some of the other figures in the line.  Kamakura is accessorized with a removable hood, three different swords, a set of sheaths, a machete, a submachine gun with a silencer, a claw thing (which the internet informs me is called a “Tekagi”) and a set of nun-chucks.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I pretty much only bought this set for Kamakura.  I enjoy the character, and, like I said, he hasn’t really had any good figures.  This one’s not perfect, but he’s certainly an improvement.  While Roadblock will forever be relegated to the bin of shame, Beach Head is actually a pretty decent figure in his own right.  All in all, it’s not a bad set, depending on what you’re looking for.

#0218: Captain Ace

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

CAPTAIN ACE

GI JOE 25TH ANNIVERSARY

Ace

“He’ll fight for freedom, wherever there’s trouble, G.I. Joe is there!” or here rather. Yep, it’s another G.I. Joe review. Yet again, I’m pulling a figure from the A Real American Hero incarnation of the franchise. This time around, is one of G.I. Joe’s trusty pilots, Ace. Or, as he’s been named due to trademark issues, Captain Ace. Hey, he lucked out compared to some of the others, believe me.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ace is one of the figure’s from Hasbro’s G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary line. He comes from one of the line’s two-packs, where he was packaged with a figure of Cobra pilot, Wild Weasel. I picked up Ace on his own, so no Weasel review, I’m afraid. Ace stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and has 22 points of articulation. He’s based on Ace’s original design from his ’83 figure, and, according to yojoe.com anyway, features an all new sculpt. I know several pieces of this sculpt were also used on the 25th Anniversary version of fellow pilot Wild Bill, but I guess Ace came first. Ace’s sculpt is very nice, with lots of great detail work in the folds of the jumpsuit. His head sculpt also has the appropriate “hotshot pilot” vibe. Ace also features a harness add-on, which helps to further emulate the look of the original figure. It’s a nice piece, and it sits pretty well. Ace’s paint is a bit on the messy side. There’s a few spots of bleed over and his face paint is just odd, giving him a bit of a wide-eyed stare. It’s a bit of a letdown, given how nice the sculpt is. Ace includes a helmet and a display stand with his name and the G.I. Joe logo.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Ace a while after his release, from a local toystore. I got him loose, hence the lack of pack-mate Wild Weasel. I’ve always liked Ace, though this is actually the first figure of him I ever got. He’s a cool figure, but I do wish the paintwork were a bit better.

#0217: Emil Blonski & Abomination

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EMIL BLONSKI & ABOMINATION

MARVEL MINIMATES

Abom&Blonski

Minimates, Minimates, what more can I say about Minimates? Not a whole lot honestly. They’re awesome, to be sure. Also, my favorite toyline, hands down. However, when you’ve done 58 reviews featuring them, you run out of things to say. I’ll think of something new at some point, I’m sure. Anyway, here’s another review from the truly massive Marvel Minimates line. It’s Emil Blonski and his later form the Abomination, from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Blonski and the Abomination were released in series 22 of the Marvel Minimates line. The series was based around TIH film.

EMIL BLONSKI

Blonski is based on the character’s “Hulkbuster” gear from the movie. The figure is built on the standard Minimate body, which translates to 14 points of articulation and a height of about 2 ½ inches. He has sculpted add-ons for his hair, torso/webgear, and watch. All of these pieces are new to Blonski, and they all look right for the character. The torso piece is a bit too bulky perhaps, but otherwise they look pretty good. Blonski’s paint is mostly just variations of black, which is a bit on the drab side. His face is a modest attempt at Tim Roth’s likeness, but he’s one of those people whose likeness is very dependent upon the nose. As it stands, he could equally pass for Edward Norton too, and they aren’t the most similar looking people. Blonksi includes a pair of night vision googles and a sub -machine gun.

ABOMINATION

Abomination represents Blonski’s look from the end of the movie, after he’s injected himself with several rounds of supersoldier serum and gamma radiation. The figure is built on the base body, just like Blonski. He has the same articulation, but features special feat and a torso extender, which give him some additional height. In addition to the extender and the feet, Abomination also features clawed hands and a bulked up torso cover. The torso piece is new to the Abomination, but the hands are re-used from Series two’s Venom. The pieces work alright, but his arms and legs are very skinny in comparison to his torso, which makes him look slightly off. The paint work is a bit more interesting than Blonski, though he still suffers from being a bit drab. At least he has some nice detail work to give him some of Abomination’s proper skin texturing. Abomination also included a set of basic Minimate feet molded in the proper green color.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was never super excited for these figures like I usually am with Minimates releases. I enjoyed the movie they were based on, but the designs are a bit bland. However, I participated in a contest to guess the line-ups for series 25 and 26(which ultimately became 28, but that’s a whole other thing…), and I ended up getting both line-ups almost spot on, which meant I won this series, as well as the preceding one based on Iron Man, and the boxed set based on Avengers #1. Getting things for free certainly does help to make them more enjoyable. They still aren’t amongst my favorite, but they aren’t terrible.

#0216: Batman – Power Armor

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BATMAN – POWER ARMOR

BATMAN BEYOND

In the 90s, the DC Animated Universe was in its prime. Kenner held the license for the toys, and they were doing some pretty great stuff too. Batman: The Animated Series got a great line, with the majority of the characters seeing release. Sure, it wasn’t all winners, but it was a decent line.  Superman: The Animated Series came along, and while Kenner didn’t quite have the nice selection that B:TAS had gotten, most of the key characters had been released in their basic looks. And then, there was Batman Beyond. Oh, boy was there Batman Beyond. The show was great, but the toyline released along with it was… strange to say the least. For starters, they never actually released a proper normal Batman, and the supporting cast and villains were pretty much non-existent. They weren’t bad toys per say, but they didn’t do the cartoon justice. Case in point, today I’ll be looking at the line’s release of BB’s alter ego, Terry McGuinness, wearing that red and gray power armor he was so known to wear…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Okay, officially, this wasn’t a Terry McGuinness figure. He was actually labeled “Power Armor Batman” on the box. Let’s be real here: people didn’t buy this figure because it was “Power Armor Batman,” they wanted the Terry McGuinness head. Anyway, the figure was released in one of the later assortments of the first series of Kenner’s Batman Beyond line. The figure stands a little over 5 inches tall and features 5 points of articulation. Kenner were big fans of the 5 and 5 set-up. From a purely technical standpoint, the sculpted work on the figure is pretty top notch. The circuits in his underlying suit look great, and the head is the spitting image of Terry’s appearance on the show. Stylistically, the figure’s body sculpt is completely wrong for the designs of the show, but it was in keeping with the rest of the line, so at least Kenner was consistent. The paint work is passable, with no real slop or bleed over (though mine has suffered some minor wear). For some reason, they’ve gone with a bright red and gray color scheme. Terry’s Batsuit on the show had red circuitry, so I suppose that’s what they were going for, but the light gray armor is just plain weird. The figure was accessorized with several snap-on armor pieces, a removable helmet, and a robotic bird. It’s red, green and yellow, so maybe they were going for a Robin thing? Yep, according to the package, it’s a strike R.O.B.I.N. Okay then.*

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Odd variants aside, I was very excited for the Batman Beyond line at the time of its release. I actually recall seeing this figure at the store several months before I actually got one. I saw the figure on a trip to the store with my parents, who told me I’d have to get it some other time. Little did they know that it would end up being one of the harder to find figures in the line. So, months went by, and I just assumed I’d missed my chance at the figure. Then, on another routine trip to the store, I wandered to the toy aisle, where I found this figure, as well as Blight. My parents were more than happy to get them for me this time around. As strange as this line was, I still have a major soft spot for those two figures in particular. Plus, they actually are pretty good toys!

*While doing some research on this figure, I discovered that Kenner did a repaint of this figure in more appropriate colors for their Deluxe line. He was dubbed “Strikecycle Batman,” if you’re curious. 

#0215: Agent Coulson, Frost Giant, & Jane Foster

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

AGENT COULSON, FROST GIANT, & JANE FOSTER

MARVEL MINIMATES

Coulson&FrostGiantJaneFoster&FrostGiant

I have to be honest, I’m totally running out of ways to start the Minimates reviews. I mean, how many ways can I say “this is my favorite line, there’s a lot of them, yes I’m reviewing them again,” without it getting boring. Not too many I suppose. Sorry if these intros get a bit repetitive. Anyway, I’m looking at another set of Marvel Minimates. This time around, it’s everyone’s favorite SHIELD Agent, Phil Coulson, Thor’s astrophysicist girlfriend, Jane Foster, and a generic Frost Giant. Yay!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These figures were released as part of series 39 of the Marvel Minimates line. The wave was based on 2011’s Thor film. Coulson was the regular release, with Jane Foster as the one per case variant, with each packed with the Frost Giant.

AGENT COULSON

Coulson played a key role in the first Thor, so his inclusion here makes sense. This figure depicts him back before we know him as Phil. His first name was Agent! The figure is built on the standard Minimate body, so he has 14 points of articulation and stands about 2 ½ inches tall. He features sculpted hair and jacket add-ons. Both of these pieces are re-use, but they work, so no complaints there. The paint work is pretty basic, with detailing only on his face, torso and pelvis. All of it is applied nice and cleanly, although the jacket is molded in a slightly different color than the rest of his body, which is quite distracting. Coulson included a handgun, and a megaphone, both of which he can easily hold. I think the megaphone in particular is quite cool.

FROST GIANT

The Frost Giants provided some neat generic foes for Thor to face off against in his first screen adventure, and the Minimates provided them for about the same purpose. Sadly, they aren’t really all that giant, being built on the standard Minimate body, with no real extensions. The Frost Giant seems to be an amalgamation of several of the Frost Giants we see over the course of the movie, which works pretty well. The figure features four sculpted add-ons: Helmet, two wrist guards, and a bulked up torso piece with a built in shoulder pad and belt/loincloth thing. All of these are new to the figure, and they look pretty nice. The Frost Giant features some pretty cool painted detail work, with lots of scarring and a really nasty, angry face. They’ve also added a white frosting to all of his armor, giving him the proper icy look. It’s a great touch. The Frost Giant included no accessories, which is a shame, but I suppose he does have a decent selection of sculpted parts to make up for it.

JANE FOSTER

Jane Foster is a very pivotal character in the film, being a large part of Thor’s character development and all. That being the case, I was a bit surprised that Diamond chose to release her as the one per case variant instead of Coulson, who was comparatively more minor. Coulson’s probably the more popular character now, but at the time it was a bit…odd. Oh well. Jane had a few looks in the movie, but I believe this one’s meant to be based on her look when Thor first appears at the beginning. Jane is built on the standard Minimate body, and features hair and lower jacket add-ons. I know the waist piece is a re-use, but I do believe this was the first use of this particular hair. They’re both perfectly fine pieces, if not the most exciting. The paint work on Jane is passable, though there are a few fuzzy lines, especially around her boots. Her feet also fall off a lot. Jane included no accessories, which was a bit of a let-down.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up the whole set of Series 39 from my local comicbook store (Cosmic Comix, for those of you in the Catonsville area!). I recall really being excited for them at the time. I have to say, they don’t really hold up that well, which is kind of a first for Minimates. Coulson and Jane aren’t the most exciting figures, and most notably, they seem to be made of lower quality plastic than the typical Minimate release. I actually do kind of like the Frost Giant, and these are the only available versions of Coulson and Jane, but I can’t help but feel a bit “meh” about these figures.

#0214: Spider-Girl – Skyline Siren

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

SPIDER-GIRL – SKYLINE SIREN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Spider-Girl

Sometimes you buy a figure because it’s a character you love, or like, or at least decently interested in. Other times you buy a figure because it’s in a set with others you want or because it includes that final Build-A-Figure piece you’ve been looking for. On rare occasions, you buy a figure because it’s just that darn cool. Today’s figure is in the last category.

Don’t get me wrong, It’s not that I’m completely unaware of the most recent person to call herself Spider-Girl. In fact, I’ve even read a few of her comicbook appearances. She’s a perfectly entertaining character. Normally, I’d write a Backstory for a figure like this, but given my own lack of knowledge about the character, you might just be better googling her. Anyway, let’s take a look at why I bought the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spider-Girl was released as part of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends Infinite Series. She is labeled “Skyline Sirens” on the package, and appeared in the second wave of the series, as a replacement for the initial Black Cat figure. The figure stands a little under 6 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation. The body sculpt looks to be a 6-inch scaled version of the basic female body used for the Marvel Universe versions of Wasp and Scarlet Witch, but I’m not certain. I’m also not sure whether it’s been used on any previous figures. Regardless, it’s easily one of the best female body sculpts I’ve seen. The proportions aren’t 100% realistic, but they still look pretty good, and it doesn’t seem to have the short-armed problem present on the MU body. The figure is topped off with an awesome headsculpt, which is truly a beautiful piece of work. Female headsculpts tend to either look too man-ish or totally void of personality, but neither is an issue here. The paintwork is not quite as outstanding as the sculpt. She has some fuzzy lines in a few spots on her logo, and there are a few spots where the paint missed covering up some of the dark red plastic her head was molded in. It’s nothing too terrible, but I do wish it were a little cleaner. Spider-Girl’s only accessory is the torso of the Ultimate Green Goblin, this series’ Build-A-Figure. I’ve got no interest in completing this one, so I guess I’ll just have a spare torso laying around. Yay.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In an increasingly rare circumstance, I actually found Spider-Girl at my local Target, and marked down to $17.99 at that! The figure ended up being a spur of the moment purchase, which is something I don’t tend to do anymore. However, this figure exceeded my expectations, and presented me with an outstandingly fun figure. Generally, a good female figure is still only as good as an average male figure in terms of quality, but Spider-Girl is one of the most fun action figures I’ve gotten in quite some time!

*Want a Spider-Girl figure of your own?  She’s currently in-stock with our sponsors over at All Time Toys!  Click here to check her out!

#0213: Quicksilver

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

QUICKSILVER

MARVEL LEGENDS

Quicksilver

ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends was seen by many fans as the definitive Marvel toyline (not by me, but that’s a whole other thing). So, many were dismayed to find out that at the end of 2006, the Marvel license would be moving to Hasbro. Hasbro quickly assured that they intended to continue production of Marvel Legends, in the same scale and style. People were definitely worried. Those first few waves were certainly rough, with a very mixed selection of figures. But, eventually, Hasbro started to get it, and has recently turned Marvel Legends into one of the greatest toylines on the market. Today, I’ll be looking at one of their earliest releases, Quicksilver. If you’d like more info on the character, check out his entry in the Backstories section. On to the figure…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Quicksilver was released as part of the second series of Marvel Legends under Hasbro. He is supposedly one of the prototypes already completed by ToyBiz before the property transferred over. He’s based on Quicksilver’s second costume, which seems to be the one most people associate with the character, given it prevalence in his action figure releases. There was also a variant of this figure in his original green costume, but I never got that one. The figure stands a little over 6 inches tall and features 40 points of articulation. He’s built on a body that originated on ToyBiz’s version of Bullseye from an earlier wave, with hands and feet that were previously used on the line’s version of Havok. Quicksilver gets a brand new head, which looks great. It’s really perfect for the character, and they even managed to make his hair not look silly, which is quite a feat, let me tell you. The paint is rather bland, I must say. He features minimal detailing. It’s cleanly applied and all, but it doesn’t do much to make the figure’s sculpt pop. I feel this sculpt could look downright amazing with a good paint job. Quicksilver included a piece of the series’ Build-A-Figure, the Blob.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Quicksilver was a gift from my always supportive Mom! I had wanted to finish up my Blob figure, and she very kindly went out and bought me the remaining figures I needed. I have to say, most of them weren’t very good (but I still appreciated them. A gift’s a gift, and they were an incredibly thoughtful one.), but Quicksilver was definitely an exception. Bland paint apps aside, he’s a really great figure. How is it that Quicksilver keeps getting good figures but most of Scarlet Witch’s figures end up looking like pond scum? That ain’t right…

#0212: Minimate Multiverse Blank

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

MINIMATE MULTIVERSE BLANK

PROMO MINIMATES

Multiverse

Anyone who’s read a decent sampling of my reviews should be pretty familiar with Diamond Select Toys’ Minimates, a line of which I am a huge fan. They are generally known for their wide variety of licenses, but they don’t just do those. Diamond appears at numerous conventions around the country, and at some of the larger ones, they like to hand out free items to get more people into the line. These Minimates feature little to no detailing, leading to them to be referred to as “Blanks.” Recently, Diamond produced a blank featuring the logo of the Minimate Multiverse, the Minimates forum. I’m sure no one’s surprised to learn that I’m a member of said form.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Minimate Multiverse blank was an exclusive blank handed out at this year’s C2E2. The figure is built on the basic Minimate body, which means it features 14 points of articulation and stands about 2 ½ inches tall. The figure features no sculpted add-ons, being a “Blank” and all. I find these types of Minimates really showcase the base body very well, though. It’s not often that the focus is solely on the body and not a particular character, so it’s cool to just get to focus on that. The figure is molded in translucent blue, which is super awesome looking, and features painted detailing on its torso. The detailing is a globe, like the Multiverse logo, and it’s very cleanly applied and looks really great. The detailing is even present on both sides of the torso, allowing you to display either side of the globe frontwards. Really cool!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was not able to attend C2E2, what with it being in Chicago and me being in Maryland. However, DST’s Marketing Supervisor Zach Oat was kind enough to send a bunch of blanks home with Shanester, one of the site’s Admins. Shane’s been doing a great job coming up with some fun contests to get the blanks out to various members. I got mine by being one of the first three people to come up with 7 words using the letters in Mr. Oat’s name. I’m really happy to have gotten the blank, and it’s really neat to have been part of a community that has gotten such recognition.

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