Category Archives: Reviews

#4076: Cannonball

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

CANNONBALL

X-FORCE (TOY BIZ)

“Sam Guthrie lived an uneventful life in a small Kentucky town, until a mining accident triggered his latent mutant powers! He found that he could propel himself through the air at fantastic speeds, and, while doing so, his “blast field” rendered him impervious to harm. Sam realized that he had to use his powers to help bring about a better world, a task he strives to accomplish in the company of X-Force as Cannonball!”

Though the original cast of New Mutants are really none of them slouches in terms of long-term viability, perhaps the breakaway hit of the bunch is Sam Guthrie, Cannonball, who stuck with the team through its whole run as the New Mutants, and then stuck around for a good amount of time when the rebranded as “X-Force” and even got moved up to the main X-Men team for a while in the ‘90s.  But, before his main team stint, he remained a major focal point of X-Force, which delved into not only his hero’s journey, but also had a whole sub-plot where he was supposedly one of the Externals, which just kind of got dropped because it was vague and confusing?  Anyway, his only figure during Toy Biz’s run came from the early X-Force days, and I’m looking at that today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cannonball was released in the second series of Toy Biz’s X-Force line.  There were two color variants on the Series 2 release, as well as a third variation released as part of KB Toys’ exclusive X-Men reissue line in 1998, and I’ll discuss the specifics on those in the paint section.  He’s based on his initial X-Force look, which was still current when the figure hit shelves.  It’s certainly one of Sam’s most distinctive and signature designs, so that’s a plus.  The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  Size-wise, he feels more in line with the first series, rather than the scaled up second series, but in terms of quality of sculpt, he’s definitely more like the rest of Series 2.  There’s a lot of detailing, and especially a lot of character going into his face.  It does kind of make him look a lot older than he should be, but that’s not all that out of place for Sam’s usual depictions, so it kind of works.  Sam’s original release aimed to capture the sort of lavender/lilac hue of his costume in the comics, but ended up a lot more pink than intended.  There was a running change during the X-Force run to a much darker purple shade, which is closer to, like, his colors on the covers I suppose.  The paint masking on the two is the same, and while I think the contrast is a little better on the second one, the general coloring on the first one ultimately feels a bit more true to the character for me.  Clearly that was a prevailing feeling, since his 1998 re-release brought the pink back, this time with a vengeance.  The general application was a bit more punched up for this release as well, with a better layout of colors on the face, as well as a few extra smaller details, and making the accenting silver.  The one weird quirk of this release, however, is that the back of his head, rather than being the proper brown of his aviator cap, is just flesh tone, which is…odd.  All three figures included a silver launching pad, which is a sort of gimmicky way of showing off his powers, but is also fun in the goofiest and best sort of way.  Also, you can put it on his back, if you want?  Why?  I don’t know, but it’s an option.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My main knowledge of Cannonball growing up was from his time in the X-Men in the ‘90s.  As such, I’m rather partial to that look for him, which doesn’t much look like this look.  I did end up getting one of these, some time in the mid ‘00s, from an older couple selling off their son’s collection at the Farpoint dealer’s room.  That was the original pink one, and I was always fine with that, but I’ve managed to pull the other two over the years as well, which feels all nice and complete.  I still like the original the best, and would certainly not say no to his X-Men look, but they’re all kind of nifty in their own way.

#4075: Colonel Ward

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

COLONEL WARD

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

So, it’s apparently been over a year since I reviewed a standard, not seasonal Black Series figure.  Which is…like, I guess I did sort of move on from the line, huh?  Well, there it is.  After a seven year gap, there’s another Star Wars movie in theaters, with The Mandalorian and Grogu, the conclusion to the show, that’s now on the big screen.  How is it?  Well, it’s a conclusion to the show on the big screen, that’s for sure.  Okay, that sounds like I’m being sort of pithy, but I actually did quite like it.  It’s got some cool set pieces, some cool creatures, and, most importantly, it’s also got Sigourney Weaver, who is also cool.  And certainly cool enough to get an action figure, so let’s check that out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Colonel Ward is he fourth figure in the Mandalorian and Grogu tie-in line-up of Star Wars: The Black Series, shipping as one of the product launch figures for the movie.  Ward is based on her pilot’s gear look from the end of the movie, which has a bit less screen time than her fatigues look from most of the run, but is also a bit more exciting as a figure, so it’s a solid choice.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Thus far, the X-Wing pilots have been pretty consistently using the original Pilot Luke mold from 2013, which is perfectly fine looking, but had a slightly less intuitive articulation than more recent figures, making a little clunky by modern standards.  Ward introduces a new body, which looks rather similar functionally, while working a bit more smoothly.  It remains effectively gender neutral, so I suppose it could be used for an updated Luke as well, should they choose to go that way.  She gets what is bound to remain a unique head sculpt.  It’s a pretty decent match for an older Weaver, with a lot of her signature intensity visible in the facial expression.  The hair isn’t quite as voluminous as Weaver’s in the movie, in order to make it work a bit better with the helmet, but it’s ultimately a good middle ground.  Ward’s color work is heavily reliant on molded colors, with minimal paint, mostly on the face.  While the application that’s there is good, there’s definitely some notable missing spots.  The hair is rather flat, and it’s disappointing that the belt is just an unpainted flat grey.  Like, none of it’s bad from a technical stand point, but it does feel a little underwhelming.  Ward is packed with a removable helmet, which is our third take on the classic Rebel pilot helmet.  This one omits the chin strap, in favor of just the microphone.  It also adds a removable visor to the mix, to make it look like it’s been retracted, which we don’t usually see here.  While the paint on the main figure is just sort of meh, the helmet gets a lot of really neat detailing, which adds a lot of pop to the figure. 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m obviously always happy to see Sigourney Weaver show up in, pretty much anything, so I was excited to see her added to the Mandalorian and Grogu cast.  I didn’t really think too much about the toy side of things, and I ended up missing this figure a few times.  We went to see the movie while we were visiting South Carolina as part of a memorial for Jess, and on the way back, we passed the Walmart that I stopped at very many times while living down there with Jess a decade ago, where I got a good number of my Black Series figures from the time, usually on Jess’s urging.  I felt the need to check and see if they might have this figure, and sure enough they did, which was honestly pretty cool.  She’s not a perfect figure, but she’s fun, and I think she’s got a neat novelty to her.  Is it crazy that I’m kind of hoping they decide to do Michael Biehn’s character from The Mandalorian now so that I can have the two Aliens people as Star Wars people?  Is that too much of a reach?

#4074: Emperor & Time Travelers

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

EMPEROR & TIME TRAVELERS

MICRONAUTS REACTION+ FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Well, it was a six month break between reviews last time, but this time around, you only have to wait two weeks for more Micronauts.  Did you want more Micronauts?  I hope so, because I have more Micronauts.  So, there’s gonna be more.  That’s just how it is.  Anyway, let’s just jump right into these guys, and see how they turned out!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Emperor, Time Traveler (Blue), and Time Traveler (Yellow) make up the third series of Super 7’s Micronauts ReAction+ Figures line.  While prior assortments only had two figures, this one is three, as we’ve doubled up on the Time Traveler.  The next assortment is back to two, so I can’t say I quite understand the change, but I shan’t complain.

EMPEROR

“Despite his imposing appearance, Emperor rules over the heroic Micronauts in their battle against Baron Karza and his Acroyear.  His true nature and goals for the Microverse after defeating Karza are known only to himself.  Many speculate whether his aims are for good or evil.”

While the figures in the line up to this point have all been the early bulk of the original line, real flagship figures, this one marks a change up, based instead on the 1980/1981 Magno Emperor, a rather rare piece from the original run, post-Mego, with a much wider release in Italy than in the US.  Palisades also included him in their ill-fated line, but that one may well be rarer than the original.  His bio up there suggests he’s not a villain, something not really pulled from any source I’m aware of, and also seemingly at odds with the back of the package, which gives him the same red background as Karza, rather than the blue used by all the others.  Also, I guess “Emperor” is his name, rather than a title, given the lack of a “the” in front of it?  Guy named Emperor becoming a ruler feels a bit on the nose, but maybe it’s a common name in the Microverse, like Jeff.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  Much like his original release, this figure is the same as Karza and Force Commander from the neck down.  It remains a good sculpt, and I can’t really raise any complaints.  He does get a new head sculpt, which seems like a pretty good rendition of his original look, scaled well to the existing body mold.  He also gets a vinyl cape, which isn’t quite as impressive as the sculpted piece from his original, but still does the job pretty well, especially for the scale.  His color work features vac metallization on the torso and pelvis, which adds a pretty cool bit of pop, and separates him a bit more from Karza’s design.  He’s packed with the same backpack as Karza and Force Commander, as well as a sword.  The sword is neat, but I do miss the distinctive hand guard from the vintage figure.

TIME TRAVELERS

“The Time Travelers can move forward and backward in time.  They see possible futures, and when they detect a threat to the Microverse, they take steps counter that threat.  In their Temple of Time, they sift through clues and formulate strategies.”

The Time Traveler is kind of the signature figure of the original run, so it’s admittedly a little bit surprising that it’s taken until wave 3 to get him, but at the same time, given *everyone* has him, usually in multiples, I suppose it’s okay to hold out a bit.  Super 7 did at least come out swinging, though, with two color variants at once.  He’s also the first of the proper 3 3/4 inch figures from the original run to be transferred over here.  His construction is more like the o-ring Joes that followed the vintage line, than the original.  He lacks the interchangeable hands and feet and associated articulation, but does gain the bicep swivels that have become standard for the style.  He’s also a little bulkier than the original, making him feel generally sturdier, and his head sculpt sports a sharper selection of details.  Like the original release, the Time Traveler has a removable torso plate, with two options available, updates of the “windows” and “log cabin” looks.  They’re not compatible with the originals, but work on the same basic design philosophy.  In terms of coloring, he’s operating on the original translucent and chrome set-up, with both blue and yellow offered here.  I’m partial to the blue, but I dig them both in their own way.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After kind of sleeping on the first two rounds of these, this was the assortment that really got me motivated to jump in right away.  I’ve always wanted an Emperor in some form and I’m a sucker for the Time Traveler.  So, I snagged them from Entertainment Earth as soon as they dropped.  I really like them.  Honestly, I’ve been liking the line ore and more as its moved along, and each further release makes me like the prior ones even more.  While I’ll admit the next wave doesn’t quite excite me as much, I’m still very much excited by the prospect of more.  With a figure like Emperor, I have hope we might see King Atlas or the Green Baron to keep the mold going, and the Time Traveler makes me want to see how a Space Glider might turn out.  All in all, I do really love this set.

#4073: Robin

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

ROBIN

DC PREMIER (MATTEL)

At last, nature is healing.  Or, something like that.  See, back at the end of 2019, Mattel, who had held the DC license for 17 years at that point, lost said license.  It was a choice on their own part, rather than DC’s, as they felt they needed to regroup.  Given the state of things, that was honestly pretty fair.  But also, I’m not gonna say Mattel giving up the DC license broke the world, but….can I convey a vague gesture around me in the text here?  Anyway, Mattel’s had pretty decent run of years here (helped by coincidentally scaling back their operations *just* before the pandemic that broke every major manufacturer’s supply chains for over a year), and with the DC license up for renewal again last year, they were able to successfully get it back.  We’re just now starting to get the very first of their new product, a basic 6-inch line of heavy hitters.  As there’s neither a Superman nor a Nightwing at the start, I’ve gone for the next best option: Robin!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Robin is part of the first “Core” wave of Mattel’s DC Premier line, alongside a Batman, a Joker, and a Flash.  In stark contrast to most recent Robin figures, this one is Dick Grayson, specifically based on Dan Mora’s update to his classic design from the recent World’s Finest book.  It’s a fun design that keeps a lot of the signatures of Dick’s original look, while also working in some of Tim Drake’s design.  Essentially, it’s Dick’s original look, but now he gets to wear pants.  Good for him?  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation.  The pricing on this line puts it more or less in the same range as the recent Masters of the Universe movie line, which was honestly not a bad line, but Robin’s even better, with a really, really good articulation set-up.  There are some slight drawbacks; he lacks any mid-torso movement, and I would love more than just a swivel at the ankles.  But, the good greatly outweighs the bad here.  Robin’s sculpt is all-new, and appears to be shared with the deluxe version with the bike, but is otherwise unique.  It’s clearly inspired by Mora’s art, with a little bit of house styling in place as well.  The head sculpt is definitely the strongest piece; the separate hair is nice and sharp, and the expression feels right for Dick.  Robin’s cape is cloth, and it’s nothing terribly impressive, but neither is it bad looking.  Given Mattel’s earlier attempts at capes, it’s honestly refreshingly simple.  Robin’s coloring relies pretty heavily on molded plastic, but there’s still some paint mixed in.  He’s bright and colorful, as he should be, and the application is all very clean and sharp.  Robin gets quite an impressive array of extras, with two staffs, two pairs of different varieties of throwing weapons, two pairs of handcuffs, a knife, and a weapons rack to store them all on.  Additionally, Robin’s belt has three spots on the back where you can store some of the accessories, actually on the figure.  While I’d maybe like a more proper staff or some batarangs, I do like the variety offered, and the storage for everything is super cool.  You can also link up multiple racks if you have them, for a larger arsenal set-up.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was hardly a Mattel fanboy during the latter part of their original run with the DC license, but I liked where they were headed right before giving up the license before, and I’ve been impressed by what I’ve picked up of their post-DC stuff.  While McFarlane certainly has grown on me, I was eager to see where Mattel could take things.  I was looking for a good intro figure, and when the first wave started showing up in stock, I liked the look of the Robin pictures enough to order one.  I’m really impressed.  He’s an incredibly good step forward, and shows Mattel really has changed their approach here.  I don’t know if I’m looking to go all-in here, but I’ll certainly pick up the occasional figure as they hit.

#4072: Grizzly

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

GRIZZLY

X-FORCE (TOY BIZ)

“The rampaging strongman of Cable’s mercenary outfit the Six-Pack, the massive Grizzly balances unequal physical force with a liberal dose of sardonic humor. But don’t take him too lightly, lest he turns his prodigious mutant strength and massive battle-hammers to the attack. Now reunited with his former Six-Pack Comrades after serving with the SHIELD unit Weapon Prime, Grizzly battles those menaces that pose a threat to a safe and prosperous future for mutant and human alike.”

What, new mutant character from the ‘90s who was part of a paramilitary squad and has a “sardonic humor?”  That’s so very unique and original.  Is he also the best there is at what he does?  Well, “unequal physical force” suggests yes, I guess.  The name, though?  Not very original, since Grizzly is the fourth character to sport that name in the Marvel universe, and is, perhaps, the one with the least rational for using it.  But, he’s the only one who got a figure from Toy Biz, because it was the ’90, and we were all about the X-characters.  Anyway, here’s the figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Grizzly was released in the second series of Toy Biz’s X-Force line, alongside fellow Six Pack member Kane.  He was the fourth member of the team, though he’s the fifth and final member I’m reviewing.  Yes, there were six members, but it’s Toy Biz, so they couldn’t finish a line-up; that would be out of character for them.  In their defense, the comics also pretty much forgot Hammer existed as well, so the main five are the ones you’d remember anyway.  The figure is about 5 1/2 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  He lacked any sort of neck movement, and the shoulders were restricted by the action feature, but he does at least get knee joints.  His sculpt was unique to him, and would remain so for Toy Biz’s whole run.  It’s perfectly fine.  Generally, it looks the part.  I think an argument can be made for him being a bit under-scaled, especially given the slight scale up on the Cable and Kane from this same assortment, but given he was a Liefeld character, his scale was rather all over the place in the books.  Otherwise, the detailing matches up pretty well with his depictions in the comics, and there’s a decent assortment of textures.  Grizzly’s color work matches pretty well to the comics.  It’s odd, for sure.  Like, why is he red?  No idea.  He just is.  And he wears a lot of blue and green, which doesn’t really match.  But, also, there it is.  He’s packed with a pair of “Power Hammers” which he can hold in his hands, and swing up and down using his action feature.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The entirety of my knowledge of Grizzly comes from this figure’s existence.  And, admittedly, that’s not a lot.  I’ve never had much attachment to any of the Six Pack stuff, so I can’t say I really sought it out.  I got Grizzly because I was buying a couple of other Toy Biz figures online and wanted to combine shipping, and he was one I didn’t own.  I can’t say he does much to bring me into being interested, but also, like other X-Force figures, I can’t say he’s a bad figure, either.  And, if you really want that Six Pack line-up, this is the only Grizzly, so, you know, you gotta.

#4071: Clone Captain Rex

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

CLONE CAPTAIN REX

STAR WARS: EPIC WORLD OF ACTION (HASBRO)

“Rex served the Republic on the front lines during the Clone Wars, taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano.”

It would seem that after finishing up Power of the Force, my comfort zone for Star Wars reviews is just Captain Rexes.  I didn’t plan it like that, but it sure did end up that way, huh?  My personal favorite parts of the Disney era figure tie-ins were the more basic toyline elements, which were unfortunately dropped after Solo.  Hasbro’s toyed with some other takes on the more all-ages approach to the toys, and the latest is Epic Force, the Star Wars equivalent to the Epic Heroes branding they did for Marvel.  The line started as more of a 5POA thing, but has slightly evolved.  It’s been a rather eclectic selection of characters, and today I’m looking at one of the line’s takes on Captain Rex.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Clone Captain Rex is a 2025 release for Hasbro’s Star Wars: Epic World of Action line, the re-branding of “Epic Force.”  Rex is specifically part of the “Power the Force” (note the lack of “of” there, because it’s important) branding of the line.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 15 points of articulation.  While the earlier Epic offerings for Star Wars went back to the 5POA roots, “Power the Force” upgraded most of the figures to the same articulation scheme as the Epic Heroes, and Rex reflects that.  It’s a solid set-up, and while he might benefit from wrist joints, he otherwise covers the bases.  Scaling wise, the line maintains its 4-inch scaling, different from the classic 3 3/4-inch set-up for Star Wars, so he’s a little on the large side, but with the gradual shifting of the main line over time, he’s not actually that out of place.  Design-wise, the figure is based on his realistic Phase I armor, as seen in Ahsoka, which makes a degree of sense, it being his most recent appearance and all.  The sculpt is a solid one, with a decent level of detailing, matching up pretty well with the on-screen look.  It’s clean, well defined, and has a nice solid feel to it.  It also looks sufficiently different from prior figures, giving him a good reason to exist.  I do wish he had trigger fingers on the hands, though.   His paint work is decent, but notably basic and clean for a Rex figure.  I guess, it being a Phase I Rex, he should be a little cleaner, but it does seem a bit more scaled back than even that would explain.  Still, it’s far from bad, and the most important details are all still present.  Rex is packed with a pair of blaster pistols, as he’s prone to do.  In an effort to get into the “Power the Force” gimmick, which largely translates to clear plastic, they’re molded in translucent blue.  Also, one of the two of them has a permanently attached blast effect, which is cool and theory, but becomes a problem when it comes to the sculpted holsters on the figure.  Though both are functional, only one can be used, since the blast effect won’t fit, so, he can’t use it.  It’s an odd choice, for sure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t do a bunch of big box retail shopping these days, so I miss out on a lot of more basic toy releases.  I knew this guy existed, but never put the effort into finding one.  But, it’s a Rex, so if it lands in front of me, I’m gonna want it.  A few weeks ago, I was killing some time walking my daughter around the mall while my wife and son saw a movie, and she wanted to walk through the (apparently no longer a temporary pop-up) Toys “R” Us, and this guy happened to be one of the two Epic figures they had.  Yay, new Rex for me!  He’s neat.  Nothing special or ground breaking, but neat.  I think if they’d included an extra not blasting blaster, he’d be pretty much all you’d need, but even so, he’s a fun little basic figure.

#4070: The Regulator

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

THE REGULATOR

SEAQUEST DSV (PLAYMATES)

“Name: Dr. Leslie Ferina, aka “The Regulator”

Rank: Renegade Black Market Trader

Last Recorded Location: “Down World,” beneath the sea, south of Madagascar

UEO Case File #: Q8983-S/21-74373

Character Profile: Once thought of as true genius. Illegal trader of marine equipment and weapons. Long suspected a thief. Frightening, ruthless and violent. Paranoid loner. Contemptuous of society’s laws and rules.

Personal History: Showed exceptional scientific aptitude as a child. Received college scholarship at age 14. Ph.D in Marine Geophysics, 1992. Credited with the development of the “Hemosponge” artificial gill system, 1996. Stripped of credentials in 1999 after surgically adapting a miniature Hemosponge on a land based mammal. Listed as suicide and disappeared from public view, 2005. Now operated on black market from secluded underwater location, accompanied only by his companion Verne — the orangutan he once tried to surgically alter to breath underwater.

Mission Specialty: Obsessed with the search for the beginning of land-based evolution. Once kidnapped Darwin, who he believed could speak regular English, to aid in “research” of his spherical evolution theory.”

My very first SeaQuest DSV here on the site wasn’t of any of the members of the show’s regular cast, but was instead Dr. Rubin Zeller, a single episode antagonist, admittedly from one of the show’s best regarded episodes.  In this sense, I suppose it’s fitting that my last SeaQuest DSV review would be of the line’s *other* non-series regular figure, also a single episode antagonist, the eponymous character from “The Regulator.”  Though not as universally praised as “Games” and certainly leaning more into the show’s tendency for camp, “The Regulator” is a pretty solid building up of the world and the backstories of the characters, with Leslie “The Regulator” Ferina serving as an interesting character, whom it’s ultimately disappoint the show never got back to.  Well, at least he got an action figure. 

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Regulator is the final figure in Playmates Toys’ SeaQuest DSV tie-in toyline.  He’s one of the two antagonists included, but at least, unlike Zeller, the characters he interacts with the most were all actually included in the line.  Leslie has a number of looks over the course of the episode, but the figure goes for his introductory design, which is honestly his best and most memorable, so it makes a lot of sense.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 13 points of articulation.  He’s missing the waist swivel that the others had, and his neck joint is restricted by the hair, but otherwise, it works like the others.  His sculpt is…fine.  It’s honestly the weakest of the batch.  The body isn’t too bad, but feels a little softer than the others.  There’s at least some pretty sharp detailing on the boots and gloves.  The head’s just really not on the mark.  Despite the likenesses generally being quite strong, there’s pretty much no John Bedford Lloyd in this one.  His face is too wide, his hair too straight, and his expression just odd, and unlike the character.  The glasses are part of the attire, but don’t really translate well, and further hamper the likeness.  Regulator’s paint work is rather on the basic side.  It covers the general set-up, but there’s certainly some overlooked details, especially the hat, and the shirt’s pattern is greatly simplified.  Leslie is packed with his orangutan Verne, a voltage drive, PAL, harpoon gun, and display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Regulator is the not only the last SeaQuest  figure I’m reviewing, he’s also the last one I added to my collection.  I mostly just focused on the crew originally, but once I got Zeller, I figured I might as well just round them out.  I don’t remember exactly when I got Leslie, but I recall finding him at Gidget’s Gadgets during one of my family vacations.  Going by his placement in my database, it looks like December of 2017.  He was sealed at the time, and I only just opened him before doing this review.   He’s not as impressive as the rest of the line.  The choice of design is sensible, but the implementation is wonky.  And, as with Zeller, his presence in place of another member of the crew is rather unfortunate.  But, that’s what it is, and that’s a wrap on the line, which is quite a neat little set of quirky little figures.

#4069: Ambush Attack Batman

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

AMBUSH ATTACK BATMAN

BATMAN & ROBIN (KENNER)

“The cold front moving through the streets of Gotham City lately is the diabolical plan of Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane plotting to put the Dynamic Duo on ice! Batman and Robin respond immediately by using the Batcomputer deep within the Batcave to develop Covert Strike Cape technology: specially designed assault capes that reveal secret arsenals of cutting edge weaponry to battle against the evil forces threatening Gotham City! Discover the new, secret technology that gives Batman, Robin, and Batgirl the power to bring fiendish foes to justice!”

Remember when I looked at a Batman & Robin figure last week?  Cool, well I guess I’m gonna do that again!  While from the 1989 film on, the live-action Batman movies have had selling merchandise as at least part of their purpose, Batman & Robin took it to new levels, with director Joel Schumacher reportedly reminding actors between takes that they were shooting a “toy commercial.”  And, for all its faults, it did sell some toys.  For as many toyetic concepts existed in the film itself, the toyline expanded them even further, and…well there were certainly some reaches.  Batman and Robin got paraded around with all manner of frivolous outfits and gimmicks, and today we’re looking at one of those, Ambush Attack Batman!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ambush Attack Batman was released in the second year of Kenner’s Batman & Robin tie-in line.  The theme for that second round was “Covert Strike Cape” so all of the figures had some sort of cape-related feature.  I’ll get to that.  The figure stands just shy of 5 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The  core figure is pretty typical of the Kenner lines at this point.  He’s got the most basic of movement, and the slightest bit of a pre-pose to him, as if he’s sort of mid-step.  The sculpt is new, which was honestly notable in the second year, where there was a decent amount of parts re-using from the Batman Forever line.  It’s…fine?  There’s the standard Clooney Batman head, which looks the part well enough, and the body has a sort of armored look that’s fine enough.  It’s a bit out of step with the more classical armor approaches of the movie’s aesthetic, being a lot more tech heavy and segmented, but perhaps I’m reading a bit too much into the designs here?  It’s a goofy Batman variant, and it does what it needs to.  There’s a spot on his lower back where the cape clips into place, which keeps it nice and secure.  The cape is huge and very wide.  It’s designed to swing forward at his waist, allowing for use of the capture claws mounted on the bottom portion.  It makes him a little hard to stand, but that’s not really surprising, because there’s not much call for properly balancing something like this.  The color scheme on this figure is rather unique, placing Batman in a predominantly green and yellow set-up.  There’s a part of me that’s genuinely curious, given the “Ambush Attack” descriptor and the green and yellow coloring, if there was an Ambush Bug fan at Kenner who was sneaking in a reference with this release.  I have nothing to go on for that, mind you, but I think it would be neat.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t have much from the second year of this line, because I’d largely moved on to better things.  I was back to more of a Marvel push, and whatever DC I wanted would have most certainly been related to the animated side.  This guy and one other second year Batman were gifts, most likely for my birthday, from a family friend, who was most certainly operating on “he likes super heroes, so I’ll just buy him a couple of Batman figures.”  They would have most certainly been on some kind of sale by that point.  I can’t say I ever thought much of him.  I recall it even took me a bit to actually open him, a rarity at the time, and the most use he got during play time would have been as a stand-in for some sort of Green Lantern Batman.  He’s fine, but honestly a bit unfocused and unclear on what his gimmick is really supposed to be.  But, he survived a good number of collection purges, so I must not have hated him.  

#4068: Kane – 2nd Edition

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

KANE — 2ND EDITION

X-FORCE (TOY BIZ)

“A product of the same Weapon X program that created Wolverine, Garrison Kane’s arms were replaced with a pair of multi-purpose bionic weapons. Now, alongside his mentor Cable, he battles those menaces that would jeopardize the prosperity of the future as a member of the mercenary unit called Six Pack!”

It’s truly amazing to watch a lot of the X-Force cast’s bios evolve as they reappear in the Toy Biz line and have clearly had major developments to their backstories in the comics.  Garrison Kane’s first figure was produced while he was still one of the book’s many mystery characters, but by figure 2 we knew a little more about him, and so his bio actually, you know, talks more about who he is and less about what this figure’s action feature represents.  They even mention Six Pack!  Everybody loves Six Pack!  Alright, let’s take a look at the second Kane figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kane (2nd Edition) was released in the second series of Toy Biz’s X-Force line.  It’s crazy to think that, of all the characters in the first round to immediately get a second go, it was Kane who showed right back up.  Shatterstar, Deadpool, and Warpath all got second figures too, but they had to wait, whereas Kane was just right back at the head of the line.  I guess it was more a case of getting while the getting was good, because he didn’t get any additional follow-ups.  While the first Kane figure was the subject of a downright obscene number of variants, they had it better under control for his second figure, so he just has one standardized release.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 8 points of articulation.  Elbow joints had still not become standardized yet, so he lacks them, but he does get a swivel on his right wrist, even if it’s really just tied into his action feature.  He gets two of them, both tied into his hands.  His right hand, which is permanently in propeller mode, has a spinning mode, while his left has a “super punch,” which really just means it means the hand moves back and forth *a little.*  Beyond the action features and articulation, Kane’s sculpt showcases the rather quick evolution of the line’s sculpts.  His first figure was quite rudimentary, but by this assortment, they were a lot more involved, with far sharper detailing and generally bulkier promotions.  It makes for a decent match for Kane’s non-Liefeld appearances, and is generally a rather nice little sculpt.  The permanent propeller hand is really goofy, of course, so he’d probably benefit from an alternate hand or something, but it was what it was.  He had a removable vest piece, which was later re-used for the Fantastic Four Mr. Fantastic, which adds some more variety to his look.  Kane’s paint work is generally basic, and marks a slight departure from his original colors, but he still maintains enough consistency that he generally looks like the same guy.  Kane is packed with a small gun, which he can hold him his left hand, and only his left hand, because his right hand is a propeller.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kane was added to my collection at the same time as last week’s Cable II figure, when they were traded in at work still sealed and were still quite cheap.  I remember the first Kane, but have very little memory of the second one’s existence when I was a kid.  I think I just lumped him in with the original.  It’s not like I had any real frame of reference on the character.  I didn’t know much of what to expect on this figure, but I actually quite enjoy the final product.  Even with his permanent propeller hand.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased this figure for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#4067: DJ R-3X

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

DJ R-3X

DROID DEPOT (DISNEY)

“All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Rex, a former pilot of a Starspeeder 3000 for Star Tours, was recently reprogrammed to be a DJ in Oga’s Cantina. Join DJ R-3X on their adventures throughout the galaxy. May the Force be with you… and your droids!”

The beats are about to get riggity-Rexed!  I’m sorry, was that bad?  Well, I’m standing by it.  While I haven’t discussed the Disney Parks attraction Star Tours much here on the site, I did talk a little bit about it, way back in 2020, when I discussed its original star, pilot droid RX-24, the original “Captain Rex.”  Rex was of course removed from the ride in its 2011 reworking, which made R2-D2 and C-3PO the main focuses of the ride.  Rex was sidelined for the better part of a decade, but finally resurfaced as part of Galaxy’s Edge, now as “DJ R-3X.”  He’s gotten a couple of figures, the latest of which is part of Disney’s in-house parks merch, which I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

DJ R-3X was a November 2025 offering from Disney’s Droid Depot line, the Parks and website exclusive line which replaced the Droid Factory build-a-droids.  This is Rex’s second figure since he became a DJ, the first being his 2020 Black Series figure (though I guess that was technically released twice.)  The figure stands just over 3 inches tall and he has 18 points of articulation.  He’s actually not much smaller than the Black Series figure, and thus doesn’t really look *drastically* different.  His movement is mostly the same as well, though he’s actually got some extra utility thanks to the headphones and visor’s articulation, which was missing from the Black Series release. I do miss the spinning sections of the torso, and I’ve found that the joints on the arms are a bit looser than I’d like, but overall, he’s got a respectable set-up.  The sculpt is a good match for the prop from the parks, and the detailing is all pretty sharp.  His color work is actually a bit of an improvement over the Hasbro version, which was fine, but certainly more on the basic side of things.  This one, on the other hand, is quite remarkably weathered, which is certainly fitting of the very lived-in aesthetic of Star Wars as a whole, but specifically the Galaxy’s Edge  area.  Like the last Rex, this guy is without accessories, but he’s involved enough on his own that it doesn’t feel so light.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m not much of a Disney parks guy, and in fact hadn’t been to Disney World since going on a trip with my parents back in 2007, meaning the last time I was there, Disney hadn’t yet acquired Star Wars, and therefore didn’t have anything apart from Star Tours for the license.  I hadn’t gotten to see any of the Galaxy’s Edge stuff, including Rex’s revamped placement.  My son Matty turned 10 this year, so for his spring break, we all flew down to Disney, and we got to spend some time in Galaxy’s Edge, which was super fun.  While there, I found this guy, and I absolutely couldn’t pass him up, because, well, it’s Rex.  He’s got some quirks for sure, but I like him for different reasons than the Black Series.  They’re both good for different reasons, though, so I’m glad to have them both.