Tag Archives: All Time Toys

#3860: Van Helsing

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

VAN HELSING

HORROR OF DRACULA (NECA)

In horror films, it can be awfully difficult for the hero of the piece to cement themselves as an iconic fixture in the same way that the monsters and villains can. It’s remarkable, though, that for as much as Dracula’s popularity has remained, Van Helsing, the hunter responsible for the evil count’s defeat, has managed to stick around pretty well himself. It helps that Van Helsing has gotten his own share of very talented actors in the role. In particular, the Hammer Horror films had Peter Cushing (an actor very frequently associated with villainous roles, despite his own kind and gentle nature) play the part five times, cementing him as one of the character’s most defining actors. His action figure coverage for the part has been relatively sparse, but improving more recently.  There was a Mego release in 2021, and new NECA’s officially in on the Hammer game, following up their Christopher Lee Dracula from last year with a Cushing Van Helsing!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Van Helsing is an Ultimate release from NECA, the second in their Hammer Horror Horror of Dracula set, following the Christopher Lee Dracula figure released last November.  He started hitting about a month or so ago, so, you know, quite a while after the Lee Dracula had completely dried up at retail.  I’m sure that won’t affect his sell-through at all, right?  Like the Count, he’s based on his look from Hammer’s first Dracula film, which makes a lot of sense, it being the most distinctive and all.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is pretty standard for NECA at this point.  It has its ups and its downs.  There’s certainly some spots where he’s very restricted, but he can generally get into all the poses you might need him to.  Van Helsing’s sculpt is all-new, and handled by NECA sculptors Kyle Windrix and Trevor Grove.  It feels pretty in-line with modern NECA horror offerings.  In his default configuration out of the box, he’s got his overcoat, scarf, and hat.  The hat is attached to the head, and that particular head probably has the weakest of the Cushing likenesses here.  There’s a more standard head, sans hat, which has a more neutral expression, and is generally pretty well-kempt, and it’s probably the best of the Cushing likenesses. Lastly, there’s a more disheveled sculpt, with a more intense expression, clearly patterned on his look during the final battle.  While I don’t think the likeness itself is quite as strong as the neutral one, it’s the sculpt that I feel best captures the character, and by far my favorite.  The overcoat-ed look is more on the restricting side in terms of movement, but is of course a signature look, so it’s the one that I see getting the most play.  That said, this figure comes with a whole extra torso you can swap out, which has him in a vest and tie with his sleeves rolled up.  It’s not a signature a look, but it’s got some better movement.  The figure’s paint work is all pretty good.  It’s a little thick on the skintones, but generally everything looks pretty clean, and he’s reasonably life-like.  In addition to the three heads and two torsos I discussed above, Van Helsing is packed with five pairs of hands (tight grip, loose grip, and relaxed for gloved, and tight grip and relaxed for ungloved), a hammer, a single stake, a bundle of stakes, a crucifix, and the two candlestick holders he uses to make his makeshift crucifix in the finale.  It’s all cool and good, but genuinely the candlestick holders are the only thing that truly matter to me, since they’re such a signature thing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I discussed a little in my review of the Mego Van Helsing, since Jess’s passing in 2021, I’ve read up a lot on Peter Cushing and his life, especially in regards to his relationship with his wife and his reaction to her passing.  In many ways, I find quite a kindred spirit in him, and I like the idea of focusing more on his heroic roles than just the villainous ones.  His Van Helsing has always stuck with me, so I was glad to see another version of it in figure form.  This one’s a pretty solid one, for sure.  In general, he’s really your standard NECA faire these days, but I think he works well with their style, and, most importantly, he can do that one cool pose I really wanted.

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.

#3858: Banshee

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

BANSHEE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Last week, I took a detour from my ’90s Marvel reviews for something that was still *kind of* a ’90s Marvel review.  This week, all I can truly promise is the Marvel.  In fact, it’s kind of meant to *replace* a more ’90s-centric piece already in my collection.  That doesn’t seem right, does it?  Well, look, there are layers, okay?  Today we’re talking about Banshee, a surprisingly early addition to the X-Men mythos, first appearing in 1967 during Roy Thomas and Werner Roth’s run on the original team.  He was a reluctant antagonist, and would eventually join the team proper when the “All-New, All-Different” line-up debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1.  Since he and Sunfire were both “returning characters,” they didn’t get to be on the fancy Gil Kane-drawn cover to the issue with the rest of the team, which means they more frequently get left out of figure coverage related to the issue.  Fittingly, Hasbro started their “modern” recreation of the team in Legends form back in 2017 with Sunfire, and are finally closing it out (more or less) eight years later with Banshee.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Banshee is part of the Classic Comic Collection series of Marvel Legends, which just started hitting in the last month or so.  It’s certainly an interesting line-up of characters, and by that I mean they seem to have just sort of drawn names out of a hat.  Banshee is one of two X-Men in the line-up, the other being Dakken, whom I don’t know that he’s ever met.  This is Banshee’s third time in Legends form, all three having been under Hasbro.  He’s based on his classic green and yellow garb, which is the same as his first Legends figure, from Hasbro’s first series of Legends after they got the license in 2007 (which, incidentally, like this figure, was in a hodgepodge assortment that happened to include an Ultimate Iron Man figure).  That one was *not* good, so this one’s been a long-time coming.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  As we’ve all been kind of expecting since we got Strike Team Banshee back in 2023, this figure makes liberal use of parts from that one, sharing both heads, the modified upper torso, and the attachments for the glider wings with the earlier figure.  I still love both heads (sculpted by Paul Harding), and the calm one in particular feels more at home on this costume, what with the clearly ’70s muttonchops and all.  It’s still a little odd that he doesn’t have consistent hair between the two heads, but it is what it is.  On the flip side, I’m still not super into the very obvious pegs that attach the glider wings to him.  Sure, they’re secure, but they’re awful to look at.  This guy swaps out the Jim Lee-specific costume elements for the standard Vulcan pieces, making for a slightly cleaner sculpt.  In terms of color work, he changes things up, obviously, to match the new palette.  I’m always partial to the green and yellow, so I do generally like it.  That said, the tops of the boots and gloves being painted rather than molded is a bit jarring.  Otherwise, though, it all looks decent.  Banshee is packed with five different hands: a pair of fists, an open right hand, and two gripping hands.  These hands are unique, as near as I can tell, in that they have stitching on them to indicate gloves.  It’s a small detail, but I actually really like it.  Banshee is also packed with a small replica of Giant-Size X-Men #1, as is the gimmick of this assortment for…reasons?  I don’t know.  It’s nifty enough, even if it’s not *quite* scaled right.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back in 2006, I was *thrilled* by the announcement of Banshee being in Hasbro’s first series of Marvel Legends.  In 2007, I was *not thrilled* by Hasbro’s actual Banshee figure.  I just never much cared for it.  I’ve been waiting for a better one since.  As we made our way through the updated GSXM line-up, I kept hoping the next one would be him, making it especially comedic when we got the Strike Force version first (especially since *exactly* the same thing happened in Minimates).  I made do with that one, but this was the one I was really waiting for.  He’s simple, and it’s not like he’s really doing anything new, but it’s very, very nice to have the GSXM line-up finished, and also, since Banshee was around for a bit, also have all of the subsequent line-up changes before he left the team in ’79.  That’s my favorite era of the book, and it’s really my X-Men, so this is really awesome.

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.

#3857: Snowtrooper

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

SNOWTROOPER with E-WEB HEAVY REPEATER BLASTER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

After wrapping up the first round of “Deluxe” figures, which were admittedly on the goofier, gimmicky toy side of things, Kenner’s later deluxe offerings on Power of the Force were instead more in line with the usual Star Wars toy approach of being more actually film accurate.  So, rather than heavy hitters with made up big accessories, we got characters who actually needed the larger scale set-up.  We got three figures, all kind of themed around the Hoth scenes from Empire.  I’ve already looked at the Probe Droid and the Rebel Trooper, so here’s the last of the the three with the Imperial Snowtrooper!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Snowtrooper with E-Web Heavy Repeater Blaster was added to Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force line in 1997.  He was released the same year as the smaller single-card release Snowtrooper, but this one got a different accessory compliment.  The figure stands a little under 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The standard Snowtrooper was one of the more restricted figures in the line, and this version only scales that up further.  He’s got more of a squat to him, and he’s really only meant for interacting with his accessory.  The sculpt is at least internally consistent, so he fits right in with the standard release, making him a solid choice in regards to army building and the like.  His paint work is also pretty similar in its set-up, though I think the weathering’s a little bit heavier on this release versus the single.  That was true of the Rebel Trooper as well, so there’s some consistency there.  As with most of the deluxe figures, its the accessory set-up that *really* makes a difference.  As the name of the figure points out, this guy’s main set-up is the E-Web, a recurring Imperial armament, which is pretty cool.  It’s a sizable piece, and scales well with the figure, and it works well with the figure’s pre-posing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Honestly, I remember seeing this figure a lot growing up, but I never had one.  My cousin Patrick did, I know.  He was generally more of a Snowtrooper fan than I was, so it tracks.  This one is more of a “completing the set” purchase than anything.  It’s cool enough and very accurate, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most “meh” of the Deluxe figures in the line.

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.

#3856: Vasquez

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

VASQUEZ

ALIENS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

The best things come in threes.  That’s true, right?  Okay, well, not always.  Take the Alien franchise, for example.  There’s just those two movies, right?  Yeah, only the two.  So, I guess maybe the thing I said before is perhaps less than true.  What am I getting here?  Well, I needed a set-up for today’s review, which, for the third Wednesday in a row, is an Aliens review, hailing from Super 7’s ReAction branding.  Today, I’m looking Vasquez, the smart mouthed smart gunner!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Vasquez is the last of the human figures in the first and only series of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction Figures line.  The figure stands just under 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Vasquez has an evolving look over the course of the movie.  This figure goes with the her second most dressed-down look (the first most being right after she wakes up from cryo-sleep), from the meal-time and prep scenes on the Sulaco.  It means she doesn’t really match with the other character’s looks (barring Bishop, I guess), but it’s also sort of that dialed into the character while also more tooling and price friendly look that feels true to how a vintage figure would have been handled.  In fact, it’s the same look that Kenner *did* use when they put her in their ’90s line, so there’s some precedent.  It’s a nice sculpt, with sharp detailing, and a rather unique look compared to the others, especially the other two marines.  Her paint work is basic, but a good match for Hicks and Hudson, as well as a good basics approach to how she looks in the movie.  Vasquez is packed with her smartgun (which she *does* use without the harness while in the locker room on the Sulaco), which her hands are specially posed to more properly hold.  It’s probably the best weapons mold from the set, honestly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Obviously, when the remaining three figures came into All Time and I was already set on getting Newt and Hudson, there was certainly no way that I could pass on Vasquez, right?  Right.  You gotta have Vasquez.  She’s maybe not as outwardly cool a figure at first glance, especially with the more dressed down look, but I think she’s another solid offering, and she feels like she gets the vibe of the line down pretty well.  In general, this was a rather fun little set of figures, of which I am absolutely the target audience.  Of course, I still waited on them, which probably doesn’t help with the whole “one-and-done” bit.  It would have been cool to get more of the Marines, for sure, but the line-up for this set is so heavy hitter focussed, it’s hard to really see Super 7 genuinely planning a follow-up.

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.

#3854: Cyclops

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

CYCLOPS

X-MEN ’97 (MONDO)

Are you guys ready for a super crazy radical shift in how reviews go around here? …Well, I hope not, because that’s not really happening. I mean, sure, in contrast to the last several weeks of ’90s Toy Biz reviews, I’m instead doing something totally different. Okay, not totally different. It’s still Marvel. And while it’s not actually *from* the ’90s, it’s certainly ’90s inspired. Mondo, who I haven’t actually discussed here, is a company that didn’t *start* with toys, but they’ve moved into them, and they’re offerings have a lot of ’90s coverage, which undoubtedly has some overlap with my interests. They started doing 1/6 scale figures based on X-Men: The Animated Series a few years ago, and are slowly working their way through not just the main cast, but also a number of supporting players. And last year, in the midst of all that awesome X-Men ’97 hype, they did a Cyclops, which I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops is figure 1 in the X-Men ’97 line from Mondo. It’s an interesting choice, since they haven’t yet finished up the main run of their Animated line and, well, he’s also very clearly an original series Cyclops. Sure, the box uses the ’97 logo, and the main image is the ’97, but all of the storyboard images are from the original show, and he’s clearly based on the original design sheet. He’s clearly a figure intended for the first line refitted for a quick tie-in with the newer show. Not that I’m complaining either way.  There were two releases of the figure: the standard, and a deluxe version that was a timed exclusive available directly through Mondo’s store.  The core figure remains the same for both versions. The figure stands just over 12 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  Unlike a lot of 1/6 figures, the Mondo animated figures are fully sculpted, with an articulation scheme not unlike a Marvel Legend.  The range of motion is okay in some spots, but rather restricted in some others.  The hips and shoulders in particular are rather stiff, but you can work with them if you’re patient.  The sculpt, handled by Alex Brewer, is a unique offering, and it’s a pretty solid match for the animation design.  It’s clean, and the head in particular really looks the part.  I especially like how sharply defined the hair and its flippy ’90s goodness.  The only thing I’m not crazy about is how the shoulder harness hovers.  It’s a frequent issue with this design, and it’s one of the quirks of maintaining an okay range of motion on the torso.  Cyclops’ paint work (laid out by Tomasz Rozejowski) goes for the cel-shading angle.  It’s always a tricky prospect, but I think they actually did a respectable job of making it work, even in three dimensions.  As it stands, it gives the sculpt an impressive extra bit of pop.  The standard release of Cyclops includes an alternate head with a screaming expression, two alternate visors (one for optic blasts, and the other with a flare effect attached), two different optic blast attachments, 9 different hands (in fists, open gesture, pointing, two fingers extended, and a right gripping hand), and a cup of coffee.  It’s a solid, basic assortment of parts.  The deluxe version also added an extra optic blast, a head without the head gear, a pair of sunglasses, an alternate Sentinel-style head, and a jacket and extra arms and hands for his bomber jacket look.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back when this figure was shown off, I totally wanted…specifically the deluxe version.  He had all the extras I wanted, and I was all game to jump on and get him when he dropped.  And then…well, a stomach bug tore its way through my household, and I totally missed the drop dealing with that, so I didn’t get the exclusive.  I was bummed, and thought about getting the standard, but I lost my initiative, and it just didn’t happen.  That is, until this guy got traded into All Time, giving me the opportunity to see him in person.  Even without the extras, he felt worth it.  I’d still love to get the deluxe one, if I could, but for now, this guy’s still pretty awesome.

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.

#3853: Boba Fett – Deluxe

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

BOBA FETT with WING-BLAST ROCKET PACK and OVERHEAD CANNON

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

“As a result of Luke Skywalker’s daring rescue of Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett was thrust into the Great Pit of Carkoon and presumed to be a victim of the dreaded Sarlacc. Sometimes later, the notorious bounty hunter was spotted on Nar Shaddaa with a menacing-looking weapons pack. Several rumors have been spread concerning his recent escape and present situation, the most prevalent one being that the Hutts have contracted him to capture Han Solo and Princess Leia alive for the death of Jabba.

A weapons master, Boba Fett has a veritable arsenal hidden throughout his Mandalorian armor. His new pack is reported to possess powerful turbo thrusters that provide prolonged atmospheric flight up to 500km per hour. Shielded battlewings open to reveal missile racks loaded with concussion rockets, while heavy-rotating blasters, similar to those mounted on Jabba’s sail barge, respond to optically-activated signals in the helmet. Certainly the deadliest feature of this device/vehicle is the bolstered proton torpedo launcher. It is estimated that this pack was designed and built by Boba Fett himself: besides that fact that not one of its kind has ever been seen before, the type and variety of its weaponry – few other than Fett would dare carry a proton torpedo on his back – suggest that this battle machine be a signature model of the galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter.”

You know, I gotta say, I do love it when Kenner would get real wordy with the bios on the back of their figures.  These days, Star Wars figures are lucky to get maybe two sentences to themselves, but here’s this wacky variant Boba Fett that’s out here getting an entire post-RotJ storyline.  There’s two whole paragraphs!  That’s dope!  Also, it makes my intro easier, because look how many *words* there are.  Anyway, a while back, I looked at three of the four debut “Deluxe” figures from Power of the Force, which marked a rare instance of Kenner pushing their usual “toyetic” approach on Star Wars, but I never rounded out the set.  So, let’s do that now!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon (which, yes, is his official name) was part of the first year of Deluxe figures from Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force line in 1996.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  Like the other three figures from the first year, Boba is effectively a tweaked version of the Series 1 Boba, but now with a big accessory you can strap onto him.  The core figure is sort of a merging of the standard and Shadows Boba molds, but also with a more neutral stance, which also makes him just the slightest bit taller.  Beyond that, it’s more or less the same figure, with more or less the same design elements.  It’s not terrible, but it’s also a little removed from accurate.  His color work follows the Series 1 set-up, putting him in specifically his Return of the Jedi colors, which, given the way the bio goes, makes a degree of sense.  It was also the look being most pushed by the multi-media side at the time, so that also makes him the most evergreen look, I suppose.  His main change-up is the inclusion of the “Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon,” which replaces his usual, more modest jet-pack.  It’s really big, and it makes him rather unstable, but I guess it’s…like, fun?  Is that allowed?  Are Star Wars figures allowed to be fun?  Eh, I’ll allow it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I was a kid, I wasn’t much of a Fett guy myself, but my cousin Rusty was.  With that in mind, I bought him one of these for his birthday the year they came out, but, unfortunately, someone else had done the same.  He told me I should open it, and it was his birthday, so I did.  And since I’d opened it and it couldn’t be returned for another gift, I ended up keeping it.  Well, just the core figure.  I never had the backpack.  And, honestly, I didn’t have the core figure for long either, as I lost him somewhere along the way.  The one here in the review is the result of quite a hunt.  See, I found the figure and the backpack with ease, but the launcher and the missile seem to be the one thing that goes missing every time. At one point, I even got my hands on a sealed one, and that one was somehow missing the missile and launcher *in the package.*  As you can see, though, I did eventually find a complete one.  He’s goofy and silly, but he’s neat.

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.

#3852: Hudson

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

HUDSON

ALIENS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

I brought up last week that I had missed out on Alien Day, what with it being on a Saturday and all this year.   The thing is, I didn’t just have the one displaced figure.  No, there’s more.  And, sure, I could hold off on reviewing them, pick it up with the next Alien Day not on a weekend, but I’m not patient like that.  So, anyway, here’s more Aliens stuff!  This time around, we’re back to the Colonial Marines, specifically the guy with a keen knowledge of whether the game is over or not, Private William Hudson!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hudson is part of the only series of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction Figures line.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Despite the relative similarities of Hicks and Hudson’s designs the two figures actually don’t share any parts, which is quite a surprise.  In an effort to further differentiate the two, Hudson gets a couple of design changes from his movie look, most notably ditching the shin guard armor, instead getting more basic lace up boots and a different pair of knee pads.  It seems to more closely mimic the different armor set-up of the smart gunners.  I don’t know *why* that’s the way they went, but it works okay with the style.  His head sculpt notably does a pretty respectable job of capturing the general Bill Paxton likeness, which is honestly pretty cool.  Hudson’s paint work is very similar to Hicks, with the expected changes for the design change-ups, as well as the updated customizations on his armor, which is pretty cool.  Hudson is packed with his helmet (which is a slightly different mold than Hicks, allowing it so sit a little tighter), as well as a pulse rifle.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My main focus in the set was getting the four surviving members of the crew, but I’ll admit, I have a hard time passing up a Hudson figure.  I sure do have a soft spot for the guy, so when the opportunity to round out my set landed in front of me, it’s not like I took much convincing.  Hudson’s similar to Hicks in style, but different in execution, making for a surprisingly effective 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.

#3851: Deadman

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

DEADMAN

OTHER WORLDS (DC DIRECT)

The early days of DC Direct provided focus on some up to then overlooked characters, all held together by some pretty nifty themes.  There was a particular focus on the supernatural side of things in those early years, which featured the first chance at action figure coverage for Boston Brand, better known as Deadman!  So, let’s look at that very first Deadman figure today, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Deadman is the second figure in DC Direct’s Other Worlds series, released in June 2001.  Where Hal Jordan as the Spectre was a very recent addition in the comics at the time, Deadman was actually the oldest of the three characters featured in the line-up.  The figure stands just under 7 inches tall and he has 15 points of articulation.  Deadman is notably on the larger side for the character, given DCD’s relative scaling at the time.  He, coupled with the Martian Manhunter released right around the same time, shows the beginnings of the size creep that would plague DCD to the very end.  The plus side is, I guess, that he fits in well with later figures?  His sculpt is rather on the stylized side of things, with a fair bit of pre-posing.  He does get a decent amount of posability, though, especially for the era of figure from DCD.  Of course, said joints are quite prone to breakage, as is very much true to this era of DCD.  On my figure, his right shoulder’s actually split, so there’s that.  The paint work on Deadman’s basic, but generally works.  Like Spectre, he’s glow-in-the-dark, but *unlike* Hal, he’s painted with glow-in-the-dark paint.  It’s a little closer to actual white when not glowing, and it holds a glow better, which is nice.  It is, however, more prone to scratching and scuffing, which can be a bit frustrating.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Deadman’s the only one of these I didn’t get at release, largely because my Dad got that one, and we only got the one set.  The one seen here, I got later, actually courtesy of All Time Toys, almost a decade before my sponsorship, when they were still at their very first location.  He’s actually a pretty good start for the character, and I’d hasten to say that I don’t really think the classic Deadman design’s been done better justice than this one.

#3849: Kabe & Muftak

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

KABE & MUFTAK

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE (KENNER)

The ’90s run of Power of the Force has a pretty impressive depth to it, making it the first really notable example of getting a bunch of figures based on all the blin-and-you’ll-miss-them aliens that appear in the original trilogy.  Obviously, it was just sort of the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Hasbro would do as the line expanded, but there are still a number of characters who got their first figures under PotF and haven’t yet gotten a follow-up.  Today’s entry, which focuses on two patrons of the Mos Eisley cantina, is kind of in line with that.  So, let’s look at Kabe and Muftak.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Kabe and Muftak were an online-exclusive Star Wars: Power of the Force release, made available on Hasbro’s direct shop in 1998.

Kabe here is the smaller of the two included figures, putting her somewhere in the area of Jawa sizing in terms of scale. She’s technically the more fortunate of the two figures, having gotten a second figure after this one (though that one was really just a minor repaint of this one).  The figure stands 2 1/2 inches tall and she has 4 points of articulation.  Since she’s got that long robe over the legs, she get no movement there, with movement ending at the waist.  It does at least make her a rather stable figure.  Her sculpt is fine.  It’s a little rough, for sure.  A lot of the Power of the Force figures are somewhat dated looking, but still look finalized, but Kabe is…well, she feels a little bit unfinished.  I think it may be partly to do with the available reference material, or rather the lack of it, since she’s not exactly a highly visible character.  But, it’s at leas rather unique, so I guess there’s that.  The vest is a separate piece, so you can remove it for a bit more customizability, and perhaps give it to another smaller creature?  I do rather like her paint work, which adds quite a bit of accenting, and really helps to offset the more unfinished nature of the sculpt.  Kabe is packed with a sci-fi knife thingy.

Muftak is the one-and-done of the set (though the sculpt was re-used in the Saga Collection line for Foul Moudama, from Clone Wars), so there’s more riding on this one?  Also he’s a lot larger.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  He’s very tall, but not very posable.  But, he’s also a bit pre-posed.  So there’s that.  I do like that one elbow swivel he’s got.  He’s sporting an at the time unique sculpt.  It’s actually quite a nice sculpt.  The fur detailing is solid, showing a better flow than most of the Chewbaccas from the line, and his generally unique look is sold rather well.  He’s also just nice and solid-feeling, and stands really well on his own.  Just a lot of wins there.  The paint’s not bad.  There’s same accenting and shading on the fur, which is perhaps a touch heavy in some spots, but overall works quite well.  Muftak is packed with a larger blaster pistol, which he can rather awkwardly hold in his left hand, if you’re so inclined.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m firmly in the group of people that would probably have no clue these characters even existed were it not for the figures.  And, also the decision to go completist on this line.  The web exclusives can be a bit spotty on ease of access, mostly because so many people ignored them for so long.  They’re not expensive, but they’re rarer to show up.  I snagged these two, loose, from a sizable Star Wars collection traded into All Time a couple of years ago.  Kabe’s nothing much to write home about, but Muftak’s honestly pretty 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.

#3848: Newt

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

NEWT

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

Even though Aliens may be my favorite movie, I find myself running out of things to get from the movie in terms of merchandise because, well, how much can you buy, right?  So, I missed last year’s Alien Day.  This year, though I totally had stuff to review! …Too bad it fell on a Saturday, and I’m not doing Saturday reviews anymore.  Guess that stuff’s getting reviewed on a not Alien Day day.  Which, it just so happens, is today!  I’m picking up on a thread I started back in 2022, when I started looking at Super 7’s Aliens ReAction figures.  Thus far, I’ve looked at Hicks, Bishop, and Ripley.  Now, I’m looking at the last piece of the film’s survivor part, Rebecca “Newt” Jorden!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Newt is part of the one and only series of Super 7’s Aliens: ReAction line.  The figure stands 3 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  In terms of looks in the movie, Newt’s got the two: pre-disheveled and post disheveled.  This one’s aim seems to be the second, but it winds up splitting the difference a bit.  It’s partially a stylistic thing, I think, since the retro figure look is usually a bit cleaned up.  She’s got the torn knees on the pants legs, but also still has both straps connected on the overalls, which she doesn’t in the movie.  Her hair also more nicely parted than the later film look.  But, generally speaking, it does a good job of dialing into her defining look, so you can tell who she’s meant to be, even without the context of the other characters.  Her color work is more basic and pitched to a more saturated level then seen in the movie, which means she matches up well with the other figures in the set.  Newt is packed with the most sensible accessory possible for her: the head of her doll, Cassie.  It’s got a little tuft of hair sticking out, so she can hold it in her hand, which she does pretty securely.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This set is one of those ones that I wanted to finish, but also I have put virtually no actual effort into finishing.  That hasn’t changed, for what it’s worth.  The first two landed in front of me, and the Ripley a couple of months later.  It’s been a longer stretch of time, but a full loose set got traded into All Time a couple of months ago, meaning I had the chance to snag the ones I didn’t already have.  Newt was at the top of the list for me, so I was definitely glad she was in there.  Now I’ve got my little pseudo family all complete, and that’s honestly pretty 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.