Category Archives: Reviews

#3600: Tron ReAction Figures

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

TRON & FLYNN w/ LIGHTCYCLES

TRON REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0079: I saw the original Tron for the first time about a week before the release of Tron Legacy, exclusively to know what was going on prior to watching the sequel.

I *love* Tron Legacy.  It’s a defining movie for me.  Just, like, the whole thing.  I love the music, the design, the choreography, the characters…I love it all.  It’s super great.  You know what’s not super great about Legacy?  It’s tie-in products.  Sure, there were a few slightly nifty products when the movie came out, but there was a *lot* more trash.  And I just really want some figures that are semi-decent.  Until then, I will forever be stuck making due with stuff from the first movie.  I love Legacy.  Did I mention that?  The first movie?  It’s…fine.  Like, I get the ground-breaking nature and all.  But…ehhh?  Still, I’m not gonna say no to everything Tron related, if that’s all I’m gonna get.  So, here’s some Tron stuff.

THE FIGURE THEMSELVES

Tron and Flynn with their respective Lightcycles were released as part of Super 7’s Tron ReAction line.  The line as a whole was a Disney Parks exclusive, but Tron and Flynn were both also offered up for order on ShopDisney.

First up, it’s the title character, Tron!  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s just got the standard ReAction articulation, which is exactly what you expect.  He’s based on the original Tron look, hockey pads and all.  The sculpt is a pretty basic one, but that’s really what you need for this style of figure.  The face has a respectable likeness of Bruce Boxleitner, especially given the style and sizing.  Obviously, it’s not to the same level as either of the two DST figures, but it works well enough.  I like the slight detailing for his costume elements; it’s simple, but very effective.  Tron’s color work is really solid.  He’s molded in glow-in-the-dark plastic, with plenty of line-work for all of those classic “tron-lines”.  It works really well.  Tron is packed with his identity disk, which can be stored on the figure’s back.

And, perhaps not the title character, but certainly a central one, it’s Kevin Flynn!  …Yeah?  He’s like Tron, but, you know, not.  Flynn was actually the only character to get multiple figures, since there was a single card and the one with the lightcycle.  The single was his “disguised” colors, where this one is the standard.  Like Tron, he stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt is very similar to Tron’s, but they only actually share the right arm; everything else is minorly tweaked in some way.  Even the head’s got a Bridges likeness; it’s very similar to the Tron head, but I think that’s more the style and similar traits between the two actors.  His color work is very similar to Tron’s as well.  He’s also molded in the glowing plastic, and he’s got his own unique “tron-line” detailing, to help distinguish him.  He’s packed with the same identity disk as Tron, which can likewise be mounted on his back.

Both figures are packaged with a Lightcycle, designed to work with the included figure.  The cycles are each about 6 1/2 inches long, and they have moving wheels and an opening hatch.  Both cycles (and the one included with the Ram figure I don’t have) use the same sculpt.  The sculpt is very basic, but it matches what we see on screen pretty well, and it does what it needs to.  The figures fit inside, though with the 5POA set-up, they do admittedly look pretty goofy, just folded in half in there.  The coloring is where the change-up occurs.  Tron gets orange and Flynn gets yellow.  Both are accented by some black paint, as well as a little bit of the same blue glowing plastic used by the figures.  The glowing doesn’t work as well on the cycles, but it’s still nifty.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I haven’t been to a Disney park since 2007, and I missed these on Shop Disney.  So, how did I get them?  Well, a bit of luck, really.  They just so happened to come through All Time, and I just so happened to be there at the time, allowing me to just so happen to get them for a reasonable price.  They’re basic, but I do really like them.  It’s the simplicity that really sells them.

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.

#3599: Nightcrawler

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

NIGHTCRAWLER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0078: Nightcrawler’s creation predates the All New, All Different X-Men, and in fact predates his creator Dave Cockrum’s time at Marvel; he was originally intended to be part of Legion of Super Heroes spin-off book from Cockrum’s time at DC.  When Dave left DC, he took Nightcrawler with him.

Though certainly a popular X-Man, it feels like we never get enough Nightcrawler figures.  He’s always just a little sparser than you might expect.  Since the introduction of Marvel Legends, he’s gotten two, now three figures.  That’s not a lot.  They’re always pretty good, though, and after the last one, it felt like there wasn’t much room for improvement.  Well, about that…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightcrawler is part of the second X-Men ’97-tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  He was notable for being the only figure in the line-up *not* featured in the first three episodes of the show.  He finally made his return last week, and boy was that an episode of…like…things.  Just…okay?  Now he’s in the opening credits, and it’s a whole thing.  Look, new figure.  That’s the point.  The figure stands just shy of 6 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  Sculpturally, this figure uses a handful of parts from the prior Nightcrawler, namely the torso, pelvis, and tail.  Those were solid parts, and are hard to beat for a standard Nightcrawler set-up, so it’s worth a re-use.  He replaces the Pizza Spidey arms and legs with new, albeit similarly built ones.  Now, they have no visible pins, and the glove and boot details are etched in, rather than just simply painted.  He also gets new hands and feet, which are *slightly* different from the prior versions, but not drastically so.  It’s all topped off with two new heads based on Nightcrawler’s updated show design.  One is calm and slightly friendly, while the other is gritting his teeth.  Both have the same swooshy hair, which is a lot of fun.  I very much dig them.  His color work is a lot of molded colors, but there’s some paint work in there too.  Some of the base work, especially on the gloves and boots, is a touch uneven, but the detailing on both heads is incredibly sharp.  Nightcrawler is packed with two sets of hands, one set open, the other set in fists.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I wasn’t gonna buy this one.  Honest.  I saw him with the rest of the set and I was all set to say “I don’t need that.”  I’ve got my Wendigo Series one, and he’s fantastic, and just can’t be topped.  He’s the Nightcrawler I always wanted, and I have no need to replace him.  And I won’t be.  Because I’ve just decided I’m gonna *also* have this one.  Look, if I can do it with Cyclops, I can also do it with Nightcrawler.  And you can’t stop me.  I mean, I guess you could, if you really tried.  But why?  Why would you do that?  Anyway, I saw this one in person, and I resisted for a bit, but only for a bit.  He’s not drastically different from the last one, but he’s different enough that I see him as an alternative, not a replacement.

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.

#3598: Ultraman Geed Primitive

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

ULTRAMAN GEED PRIMITIVE

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

Fun FiQ Fact #0077:  Ultraman Geed is one of the few Ultramen whose name is also a valid word in Scrabble!

You can’t keep me away from the Ultras for too long! …unless you’re my pending review pile following today’s review, I guess.  You know, ’cause there’s no more Ultramen in it.  Not yet anyway.  Well, I guess I’ll just have to really make this one count?  I don’t know, let’s give it a try.  While my primary exposure to Ultraman remains the dubbed version of the original series, I do still dabble in some of the newer entries.  I watched a fair bit of Mebius, as well as stray episodes of a few others, which did include the first few episodes of today’s focus Geed, which is noteworthy for being the only Ultra series I’ve watched while it was still coming out.  That’s pretty cool, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman Geed Primitive was released as part of Bandai’s SH Figuarts line in February of 2018, just two months after the first run of the show wrapped up. The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 43 points of articulation. As his name implies, Geed is seen here in his “Primitive” form, which is his standardized look for the bulk of the. It’s purposefully designed to merge the classic Ultraman and Belial designs together, making it slightly more unique amongst the standard Ultras. The sculpt does a good job of recreating the look. It’s very sharply defined and clean, as well as being very accurate to the show. I was also really impressed by how the articulation was worked into the sculpt, as it’s pretty natural looking, while still maintaining a range of motion that’s better than many of the other Ultras. Geed’s color scheme sticks with the typical red and silver, with an extra dash of black thrown in. The application of the paint is all pretty clean; there’s some minor bleed over in some spots, but it’s generally solid. Geed is packed with four pairs of hands (fists, open gesture, relaxed, and flat), an hand with the Wrecking Burst effect attached, and a swappable color timer.

,

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Since Ginga broke on me, I went back to the Ultra well that was the massive collection still being processed at All Time.  I knew I wanted Orb, so I was initially just planning to grab him, but Geed here was also hanging around, and I felt myself called to him as well. He was just an along for the ride figure, but I find myself really liking this one a lot. He’s simple, but works very well.

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.

#3597: Goblin Queen

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

GOBLIN QUEEN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0076: Though she’s existed since 1983, Madelyn Pryor has had, to date, only two action figures, more than 20 years apart from each other.

I find Madelyn Pryor a generally tedious character.  The concept’s not awful, I guess.  I can certainly understand Claremont’s initial desire to give Scott Summers his planned “happily ever after” even with the adjustments to the end of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” resulting in Jean’s demise.  But, it does put Madelyn in an unfortunate spot of being nothing more than a placeholder, which isn’t ideal.  The whole dissolution of her marriage to Scott is sloppy at best, and “Inferno” is making the best of a bad situation.  So, X-Men ’97‘s take on the entire thing is, honestly, a refreshing reinvention of the set-up, which I actually quite enjoyed.  And it got her a second figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Goblin Queen is the third figure in Series 2 of Hasbro’s X-Men ’97-tie-in sub-line of Marvel Legends.  I suppose you could get technical and say she’s *actually* the second of two Madelyns in the set, depending on how you treat the second head with the Jean Grey figure.  But, you know, let’s not focus on that for now.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Her articulation scheme is generally what we’ve come to expect for this line at this point, at least in terms of set-up.  In terms of range, Madelyn is rather restricted.  It comes with the territory, at least as far as the design is concerned.  She’s good for standing around, provided you can get her balanced, which is admittedly a little tricky, but not impossible.  Madelyn’s sculpt is largely new; the arms appear to be the standard double-jointed female arms, but everything else looks new.  It’s a solid piece of work, though on mine the upper part of her chest doesn’t slot quite right into the rest of it, so there’s an odd shelf and the edge of her skin…which is odd.  Beyond that, though, I do generally like the sculpt.  The head in particular manages to stay consistent with Jean’s sculpt, while still having its own flair of character.  Madelyn’s color work is decent enough, if not 100% accurate to the show.  I don’t know if there was a change to the design during production, but in the final product, the leggings on her thighs are much closer to regular skin tone than what we see here.  It throws the vibe of the look off a touch, but it’s ultimately not the end of the world, I guess.  The rest of the paint is pretty nice, and I do quite like the slight variations in the colors on her outfit.  Madelyn is packed with two sets of hands (fists and open gesture), a pair of energy effects, and, most importantly, baby Nathan Summers.  Nathan is using the body of the baby Hulk/baby Nightcrawler, but gets a new head, and even gets the special x-printing on the blanket, which is extra fun.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I may find Madelyn’s storyline’s questionable at times, but I don’t hate the character or anything, and I’m not opposed to a figure.  This was certainly high on my list when these figures were shown off.  I do like her, though I can’t say she quite shines for me the same way as Cyclops and Jean.  It could certainly be worse, though, and I especially like the baby Nathan.

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.

#3596: Batgirl

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

BATGIRL

DC: THE NEW 52 (DC COLLECTIBLES)

Fun FiQ Fact #0075:  Barbra Gordon, the second Batgirl, was introduced into the comics in 1967 as a prelude to the character’s introduction in the third season of the live action Batman.

Barbara Gordon’s victimization at the hands of the Joker in Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” is a pretty messy story for a lot of different reasons.  Ultimately, DC’s decision not to quickly reverse Barbara’s paralyzation, and in fact embrace it and make her a stronger character *because* of it worked in her favor, with her Oracle role becoming quite a defining turn for her.  That said, it was still definitely a bummer the way they ended her time as Batgirl.  So, honestly, one of the New 52’s biggest selling points for me was its reversal of Barbara paralysis, allowing her to return to the role.  And return she did!  She’s even maintained it through several reboots, which is cool, and now she’s a major supporting player in Nightwing, which continues to be a favorite book of mine.  But we’re not talking about that right now.  No, we’re jumping back to the New 52 days right now.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Batgirl was released in DC Collectibles’ DC: The New 52 line in September of 2014, with a second run in February of the following year.  She was released alongside Supergirl both times, and Nightwing the second time.  The figure stands about 6 3/4 inches tall and she has 19 points of articulation.  She’s down the two thigh swivels that Nightwing got, but swaps them for shin swivels at the top of the boots.  Beyond that, the articulation scheme remains more or less the same.  It’s not a fantastic range of motion or anything, but it’s alright for some more basic posing.  Again, it’s biggest hold-up is the lack of mid-torso joint.  Still, it’s not awful.  She has a totally unique sculpt, based on her New 52-era design.  Her re-work is one of the ones that was a lot more “just add ridges to the classic look” oriented.  Honestly, it’s one of the more passable looks.  I think the ridges on the yellow sections are a little much, but it generally still works okay.  The sculpt translates it well, and generally makes some of the parts I like less work a little better.  My figure has a slightly warped right ear, which was caused by how she was packaged, but beyond that, the sculpt holds up.  I quite like the head sculpt in particular; while the Nightwing sculpt didn’t quite feel like Dick Grayson to me, this one definitely feels like Barbra Gordon.  The color work on Batgirl is decently handled.  She’s technically using a slightly later color scheme for the design, since her earliest appearances had a purple lining to the cape.  That said, I like this scheme a little more.  I do wish the paint used an actual black for the bulk of the costume, rather than the very dark grey, but it’s at least a clean application.  Batgirl is packed with a grapple gun, which there is no way for her to hold without snapping the thumb off her hand.  Gotta love that DCC quality.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

After breaking on the Nightwing figure I reviewed last week, I felt a need for a corresponding Batgirl.  I was in luck, because this one came into All Time fairly shortly thereafter, allowing for me to stick to my usual Nightwing/Batgirl pairing.  She’s actually a little better than the Nightwing figure, I think.  Not the best Batgirl ever or anything, but certainly still very cool.

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.

#3595: ShadowHawk

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

SHADOWHAWK

SPAWN (MCFARLANE TOYS)

Fun FiQ Fact #0074: Today’s review increases my Spawn line reviews by 50%!

Hey, remember back in 2017, when I reviewed a ShadowHawk figure?  Well, this review is gonna be very similar because, um, the figures are also very similar?  Because, if there’s one thing McFarlane has always enjoyed, it’s very easy variants.  And early on, he made up a lot of very easy variants, exclusively for the purpose of having very easy variants.  Here’s one of those.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ShadowHawk was released in Series 4 of McFarlane’s Spawn line.  I’ve already reviewed the standard black and silver edition, but this is the bronze variant.  He was bronze, instead of black, for, um, reasons?  It doesn’t correspond to a specific comics thing as far as I know, much like the weird gold DC variants more recently don’t correspond to anything specific either.  Like the other figure, he stands about 6 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  Sculpturally, he’s identical to the standard version, which is a fun enough toy, even if it’s not *super* accurate to Jim Valentino’s design for the character.  It’s still got the whole “can’t remove the weapons” bit going on, which is odd to say the least, but it is what it is.  The change-up here is the paint work.  It’s about the same quality as the standard, but with bronze in place of the black, and a slightly duller version of the silver, which is molded, rather than painted like on the standard.  It’s nowhere near as striking as the main scheme; he kind of looks like a dirty penny.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I bought the standard ShadowHawk figure on a whim seven years ago, and I honestly really dug him.  I wasn’t going to go hunting for this one, but All Time got a huge ’90s Spawn collection, and there he was, and I caved (and, in fact, there were two of him, so Max and I both caved separately for the same figure).  He’s different.  Not better different.  But, different different.  Also, seven years later, I realize I haven’t yet read any ShadowHawk despite saying  should at the end of the *last* review.  I should get on that.

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.

#3594: Jean Grey

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

JEAN GREY

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0073:  This figure’s technically two figures in one!

Well, X-Men ’97 continues to deliver on the awesomeness front, so I’m going to keep jumping into that particular well.  I already looked at Cyclops earlier this week, and what better follow-up to him is there than Jean Grey!  Jean’s gotten her fair share of ’90s inspired figures, and here’s one more!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Jean Grey is part of the second X-Men ’97 tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  She’s the first ’90s Jean at regular retail since the Rocket Raccoon Series figure, which was quite a while ago.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  The last ’90s Jean re-used the 3-Pack Jean molds, just done up in animated colors.  This one, however, is an entirely new sculpt, based on her updated model for X-Men ’97.  It’s a really nice sculpt.  I wasn’t much of a fan of the prior one, but I made do with it because I felt I had to…but, like, now I don’t?  Because, again, this one is so nice.  All of the costume elements are actually sculpted this time around, which makes them a lot cleaner and pop-ier.  There are two different head sculpts, one with the hair up in a ponytail, and one with it down.  The ponytail head is undoubtedly my favorite, but I may be slightly biased on that front.  Both sculpts are really strong, and again so much nicer than the ones from the prior figure.  Jean’s color work isn’t bad.  It’s a lot of molded color work, of course, but there’s a little bit of paint as well.  The faces are nice and clean.  Her belt is a real mess on my copy, which is a bummer, but it’s also not the end of the world, since it’s just a belt.  Jean gets the two different head sculpts, as well as two sets of hands.  It still feels a little light, but she does at least get the extra head.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve gotten two versions of ’90s Jean for my Legends X-Men already, and I didn’t dislike them, but I didn’t love them either.  I was bummed by the less animation-specific elements of the VHS figure, so getting another chance is really awesome.  Cyclops may be my favorite figure in this series, but I think Jean is the most needed one.  I really love this figure, and I think she’s a fantastic Jean Grey.

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.

#3593: Ultraman Orb Spacium Zeperion

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

ULTRAMAN ORB SPACIUM ZEPERION

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

Fun FiQ Fact #0072: Ultraman Orb is the 14th form-changing Ultraman in the franchise.

I’m gonna level with you guys: I’ve gotten back to Ultraman reviews, and I can’t kick the habit all that easily.  So, there’s gonna be more Ultraman reviews.  Not a ton, because, well, I have slightly more limited means of getting new Ultramen right at this moment, but still, there’s more Ultramen, and that’s always a great thing.  Alright, let’s look at an Ultraman Orb variant!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman Orb Spacium Zeperion was a December 2017 release for Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 40 points of articulation.  Thankfully, this time around, I didn’t have any instant breakage like I did with Ginga, so all of his articulation works the way it’s supposed to.  The articulation scheme isn’t bad, but it’s a little awkward around the hips.  I’m always amused by how often the hip joint construction changes for Figuarts.  Ultraman Orb makes use of a good number of different looks over the course of his series, each based on a fusion of two prior Ultras, with elements from Orb’s “Origin” look worked in.  Spacium Zeperion is a merging of Hayata and Tiga, and is one of Orb’s primary looks for the show, taking the place of his standard look while he works to regain his original powers.  The sculpt translates it well into figure form.  It’s very clean, and I dig how the complexities all work together.  Orb’s color work is fun; there’s a lot of color going on, and it leans more on black and purple, two more uncommon colors in the world of Ultra.  Orb is packed with 5 pairs of hands (in fists, open gesture, two styles of flat, and relaxed), two color timers, his Sparion Beam, and his Sparion Light Ring.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Following Ginga breaking on me, I was a little bummed, and felt like I was missing out on some of the Ultra-inspired joy in my life.  Thankfully, Ginga wasn’t the only Figuarts Ultra in the massive collection that is currently still being processed, and Orb in particular had really spoken to me.  He’s a lot of fun.  Definitely a different style of Ultra than Ginga, but I love having options.

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.

#3592: Cyclops

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

CYCLOPS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0071: Since taking over the Marvel license, Hasbro has released Cyclops as a Marvel Legend 13 times.

I have spent the last few weeks in a X-Men bliss, thanks to X-Men ’97.  X-Men: The Animated Series was an unquestionable influence on me as a kid, and I was thrilled by the announcement of the continuation.  The end result (or the four episodes we’ve seen of it thus far) has been nothing short of phenomenal, and one of my very favorite things about the show has been its fantastic focus on the X-Men’s field leader, Cyclops, who has gotten to be sufficiently awesome.  Perfect time for some action figure love, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops headlines the second X-Men ’97 tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends, which hit retail just shortly before the launch of the show.  Like the first series, these ones are on the retro-style card.  It’s the same retro-style card, in fact, with the line-up of characters on the top of the card even just being the first series line-up again, which is a little humorous.  But now’s not the time for humor; now’s the time for ’90s Cyclops!  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  Cyclops’s sculpt is almost entirely a re-use from the VHS Cyclops, which is at its core built on the Vulcan base body.  It’s a very strong offering, so its re-use makes a lot of sense here. This Cyclops gets not one, but two new heads. There’s a standard head, and one built to interact with the included optic blast effect. They’re both based more directly on Scott’s updated show design. I’m admittedly not as big a fan of the standard head here as I was either of the last two Jim Lee-inspired sculpts; something about the exact shaping seems a touch off. I think it’s more a direct

comparison thing though, because it’s certainly not a *bad* sculpt. The alternate head, however, is just amazing and I love everything about it. That grimace with the teeth is just perfect. Cyclops’s color work is basic, and mostly molded tones. He’s using the same basic color palette as the VHS release, just without the cel-shading. Cyclops gets the two heads, an optic blast effect, and five hands (in fists, open gesture, and the usual two fingers extended left hand).

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Have I mentioned I like Cyclops? How about my love of X-Men ’97? Both. Cool. I got this one the day after the show premiered, which was really just peak timing. Yeah, I’ve already got the VHS one. And the love triangle one. And the Warlock Series one. And the X-Men: Classics one. But, my need for Jim Lee Cyclopses is unyielding. And this one’s really, really fun. Boy, do I love this figure.

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.

#3591: Nightwing

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

NIGHTWING

DC: THE NEW 52 (DC COLLECTIBLES)

Fun FiQ Fact #0070: Though he had an early lead on the Fun FiQ Facts, Nightwing’s been stuck on two since January.  Now he’s up to three!

When the New 52 launched, everybody got a new costume design.  For his part, Nightwing, who has classically been very blue-skewed for coloring, was swapped to red accenting, calling more to mind his days as Robin, especially his Batman & Robin design from 1997.  His initial costume was one of the more short-lived ones, but his initial redesign still stuck to the red…for better or for worse.  I’m not big on the red for Nightwing myself, and I never really have been, but that doesn’t stop me from being on board for a good enough Nightwing figure.  So, here we are.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing was released as part of DC Collectibles’ The New 52 line.  He was initially slated to arrive in September of 2014, alongside Supergirl and Batgirl, but he was delayed until February of 2015 (and Supergirl and Batgirl got second runs to accompany him).  The figure stands about 6 3/4 inches tall and he has 19 points of articulation.  The articulation showcases DCC’s odd back and forth approach to movement on these figures.  When The New 52 line launched, they were using a very basic set-up for articulation, but they attempted to improve it pretty quickly.  That said, there’s an odd path of advancement for different lines.  So, while the Greg Capullo artist version of Nightwing was released first, he has a much better articulation scheme when compared to this one.  Ultimately, the biggest downfall is how restricted the torso is, since there’s no waist or mid-torso movement.  But, for a DC Direct/Collectibles figure, he’s not terrible overall.  The figure got a brand new sculpt.  He’s based on the character’s second New 52 era design, which wasn’t *drastically* different from the first.  That said, it feels more New 52-y than the first, since got more of the tech lines and ridges that were signature to the whole redesign.  Honestly, I don’t hate it for the most part.  I don’t like the red “belt” because I just think it breaks things up too much, but the extra smaller lines and ridges aren’t as offensive on a figure that’s predominantly darker colors.  The sculpts for the New 52 line weren’t designed to be as artist-specific as other lines, so Nightwing’s a bit more “house style” here.  He’s pretty skinny for Nightwing, though I don’t actually mind the build.  I like the head sculpt overall, but it does honestly give me more of a Tim Drake vibe than a Dick Grayson one.  I’m not entirely sure why.  The color work on this figure is accurate to the source, so I can’t knock it in that regard.  I still don’t really vibe on the red, but I’ve made my piece with it.  The application’s a little sloppier on my figure, especially on the belt piece.  Nightwing is packed with his eskrima sticks, which are very tiny for this release, and go more for the nightstick design.  They can also be stored in the holsters on his thighs.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I remember this figure’s release, but at the time I had just gotten the Capullo version, and I was still very much not a New 52 guy.  One red Nightwing was enough for me.  But was it really?  It turns out not so much.  This figure actually rattled around the back room at All Time for a good while before I finally snagged him, which I did mostly on the basis that he was cheap and he was a Nightwing I didn’t have.  He’s okay.  Nothing amazing, but certainly far from terrible.  He’d be better if he was blue, though.

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.