Tag Archives: All Time Toys

#3845: Commando Droid

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

COMMANDO DROID

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

One of the things Clone Wars did was flesh out the ranks of the two opposing armies a bit more than what we saw in the movies.  Obviously, we got a lot of focus on the individual clones, but the Droids also got some new models not seen elsewhere.  A good number of them were more specialized, but one of the earliest additions to the more standard line-up was the Commando Droid, a more robust take on the standard Battle Droid.  As we finally start to get some more of the droid army in Black Series, we’ve finally made our way to some of those Clone Wars-original designs, meaning we finally get an update to the Commando Droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Commando Droid is figure 18 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ 4th Phase.  The Clone Wars line is really one of the slowest growing of the sub-lines; the Commando Droid is only 1 higher than Pre Vizsla, a figure released at the end of 2023.  It also makes the Commando Droid thus far the only Clone Wars-branded figure in the new standard packaging (though there’s already a Savage Opress in the deluxe equivalent).  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The articulation on this guy hits pretty much all of the notes it needs to, and doesn’t leave really any of his sculpted joints as false ones, which is always nice to see.  I was impressed by how the neck and shoulders worked; the ball joints coupled with the hinges make for an impressive range.  The only part I’m not too keen on is the knees, which don’t go quite as deep as I’d like; they pretty much stop at 90 degrees, which is bare minimum, but not great for lunging and stuff.  Thankfully, the hips and ankles have enough movement to offset.  The sculpt is an all-new one, and it’s a very strong one.  The Commando Droids only exist in the Clone Wars style, but this figure manages to capture the spirit of that design, while also making them feel at home with the rest of the more realistically-styled figures.  The detailing is all very sharp, and the articulation works into the sculpt well.  He’s also quite sturdy, which is an improvement to some of the other droid sculpts.  His paint work is more involved than you might expect.  There’s the base color work, of course, which is good and clean, but he’s also got a fair bit of weathering, which makes him seem a little more battle-hardened, which feels right for such a droid.  The Commando Droid is packed with a standard droid blaster and a vibro-blade.  The blaster fits very nicely in his hands, and the blade can be mounted on his back, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m a big fan of the Commando Droid, and have almost every version from the Clone Wars line.  That’s one of my very favorite molds from that era, so this one was one I was really looking forward to, but ever so slightly worried might not live up to my expectations, especially after being rather letdown by the Magnaguard.  But, I couldn’t bring myself to pass him up, so I snagged him when he hit.  He’s truly a fantastic figure, and a worthy successor to the old Clone Wars mold.  I’m very glad I didn’t skip this one.

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.

#3844: VF-1S Veritech – Roy Fokker

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

VF-1S VERITECH — ROY FOKKER

ROBO DOU (THREE ZERO)

Before today, you could count the Robotech reviews here on the site on one hand.  But now, you can’t!  …you know, because there were five, and this brings it up to six.  Do you get it?  Do you get the joke?  Well, I do, and that’s the most important thing.  As I’ve brought up in, I think, all of my Robotech reviews, I’m rather a late convert to the show, only actually watching it within the last decade.  So, there’s a fair bit of catching up to do, but also I try not to go to crazy and space it out a bit.  Given it’s been three years since my last review, I guess I’m doing alright with that spacing out, huh?  Three Zero has started doing some Robotech stuff in their Robo Dou line, and I do like Three Zero’s work, so I’m checking one of those out today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The VF-1S Veritech — Roy Fokker is part of Three Zero’s Robo Dou line, which handles mechas and robots from a number of different anime properties.  This one follows up on the release of Rick’s Veritech from….2023, I think?  There was a bit of a gap.  Roy’s Veritech just started hitting in the last month or so.  The figure ships in Battloid mode, which is the main look that everyone actually likes.  Well, it’s the main look that *I* actually like, and for the purposes of this site, I’m everyone.  In said mode, the figure is about 8 3/4 inches tall and has 29 workable points of articulation.  It compares well to other Three Zero mech stuff I’ve messed with in terms of articulation and build.  You can get good poses out of him without too much trouble.  The hips can be a little bit finicky, especially the first time you use them.  On my figure, I wound up hitting the folded up wings, and it popped some parts of the torso out of place, which was a bit tricky to get back in order.  But, once I did, everything stayed pretty securely together.  Like the other Three Zero mechs I’ve looked at, this figure is a mix of plastic and die-cast construction.  He’s got quite a bit of heft to him, while also still maintaining a sharp level of detailing.  The color work here is quite impressively handled.  All the base work is very clean, and he’s also got panel lining to really help sell the sharpness of the sculpt.  There’s also a ton of smaller printed details, which show a tremendous attention to detail.  The Veritech is packed with four pairs of hands (weapon holding, flat, open gesture, and fists), a GU11 rifle, and a display stand.  It also includes four sets of missiles, an antenna, and an alternate mount for the base, all meant to work with the figure’s alternate modes.

Let’s talk about said alternate modes!  As with all transforming Veritechs, you get the main Battloid mode, the Guardian mode, and the Fighter mode.  To get from Battloid to Fighter (robot to jet), you stop in the middle for Guardian, which is…well, it’s kind of silly, and it’s not really so much a mode as it is just stopping midway.  Of course, given how nerve-racking the actual transformation process is, a break at the halfway point isn’t so bad an idea.  Even following the instructions, I was left to throw my hands up a slightly improvise a few times, and I had at least one point where I very seriously considered running this review without photos of the alternate modes.  Thankfully, the rest of the transformation to full Fighter mode isn’t quite as bad, nor is the reverse transformation back to Battloid (apart from the one pin that fell out during the transformation back.  It’s okay, it’s not entirely structural…).  The Fighter mode is actually pretty nice, and I do really like the little teeny, tiny Roy figure in the cockpit.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Since getting into Robotech, I’ve been looking for solid figure coverage of Roy’s Veritech, since Roy’s my favorite pilot, and his Veritech is particularly cool.  I looked at the rather elaborate transforming one that All Time loaned me back in 2018, and I really liked that one, but its price point was a bit scary, so I backed off.  I’ve messed with a few of the smaller ones since, and they’re cool, but always a bit too spindly for me.  I’ve been impressed with Three Zero’s other work, so once I saw they were doing them, I was onboard for this guy here.  He’s fun, in a sort of don’t really want to mess with him all the time, but he’s still really cool to look at way.  I’m glad I got to experience the transforming, and now he can remain purely in Battloid mode for the rest of the time I own him.

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.

#3843: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

For the first time since the middle of February, I don’t have a Super Powers figure set for review today.  I know, I’m sad too.  Alas.  Back in January, I had a pretty solid run of DC Universe Classics reviews, with a pretty good focus in particular on the many Hal Jordan Green Lantern variants Mattel did during the line’s run.  I had one that was *not* featured in January, for rather a good reason: I didn’t own in.  But, well, as the photo above this intro may have clued you in, that’s changed in the months since then.  It was inevitable, I feel.  Anyway, here’s another Hal Jordan Green Lantern.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern was added to Mattel’s DC Universe Classics line in 2010, as part of a larger Toys R Us-exclusive line of repaints.  He was the second of four figures offered quarterly throughout the year, following Batman, and preceding Flash and Nightwing.  This figure was also functionally re-released the following year as part of a DC Universe vs Masters of the Universe Classics two-pack with Zodac, with only the included accessory changing.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 points of articulation.  He uses the same assembly as all the other GL Hals from the line, so medium body, standard Hal head sculpt, and the right hand with the ring on it.  It’s a sculpt I continue to like, but I will say that, as nice as the head is, it’s maybe not quite on the mark for a more modern Hal, which is what this one’s aiming for.  Still, it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  That said, there’s some issues with some of the green plastics from around this time getting brittle, and that happened with mine, resulting in a small chunk of his neck breaking off.  The joint still works and it’s not super visible, but it’s annoying.  Hal’s paint work is the main change-up.  He’s using a similar approach to the one from the 2-pack, with a glossy, metallic finish for his suit.  However, instead of a Super Friends inspiration, Hal’s using his post-Rebirth costume.  So, he loses the “trunks” element of the costume, as well as the other figure’s visible pupils.  I still really like the overall look of the color scheme, but I’d be lying if I said the classic design didn’t still land a bit better for me.  But, at least this one gives other people who didn’t like the last one’s “creepy eyes” a version of the head without them.  Hal’s single-packed release included a power battery, while the two-pack release got a recolor of John Stewart’s gun construct.  Because we certainly wouldn’t want Hal to have the fist construct.  That would be wrong.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember this figure being released, but, as much as I love Hal, I was getting a bit worn thin on him in 2010.  So, I didn’t track this one down when it was new.  But, as I’ve gotten more of the others I missed, I felt the need to go back and get him.  Thankfully, in my line of work, these sorts of things tend to just land in front of me, which is exactly what happened with this guy.  He’s cool.  Kind of a lot of the same stuff as others, and it’s a bummer mine’s got a slight break, but that’s the cost of DC Universe Classics.

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.

#3840: Janine Melnitz

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

JANINE MELNITZ

GHOSTBUSTERS (DIAMOND SELECT TOYS)

I don’t talk about Ghostbusters *a ton* here on the site. I love the first movie, and there’s certainly plenty of toy coverage, but it tends to be a little spotty. I really liked Plasma Series and when that ended, I sort of moved on, I guess. The Ghostbusters themselves have always been quite toyetic, but their supporting players are more of a mix. Annie Potts’ Janine Melnitz, present in both original movies and much of the spin-off media, tends to get overlooked, being a receptionist who dresses like a receptionist, and is therefore not super thrilling. She did, however, get a figure from Diamond’s run, so let’s look at that!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Janine was released in Series 3 of Diamond’s Ghostbusters line. She’s based on her first movie look, which is a little more reserved and “real world” than her look from II, making it the less likely of the two for toys, typically. The figure is about 6 3/4 inches tall and she has 26 points of articulation.  The Diamond figures were 7-inch scale, so they don’t really go with the Mattel or Hasbro offerings, but they do go with other DST offerings, I guess.  Or, maybe Janine is just, like, really tall.  The articulation on this figure is rather on the restricted side.  Obviously, areas such as the legs make a degree of sense, since she’s got the skirt and all.  What’s more surprising is the elbows, which don’t even get to a full 90 degree bend, seemingly for no reason at all.  It makes it difficult to do much with her beyond just standing her there.  Her sculpt proper is decent.  It’s definitely right in line with the rest of the line’s quality, and DST’s 7-inch figures in general.  The likeness on the head is decent, if perhaps somewhat marred by the very thick glasses; they wind up looking quite silly.  The body sculpt has generally okay proportions, but the limbs seem maybe a touch on the long side.  Generally, though, it’s not bad.  You can take her sweater vest off, for a slight change-up of look, if you’re so inclined.  The paint work on Janine is the usual DST affair, so it’s rather thick, and totally covers the figure, with no molded colors.  It hides a lot of the sculpted details, which is a bit unfortunate.  The application is at least pretty cleanly handled, though.  Janine is packed with two sets of hands (in open gesture and…slightly different open gesture), a Chinese food container, a phone, and part of the rooftop diorama.  The hands having no sort of grip or anything makes the rest of the accessories a little bit pointless, but I guess she at least gets *something*.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t pay much attention to this line when it was hitting.  I was too burned by the Mattel stuff, and I didn’t really come back around until Plasma Series hit, and I definitely liked the styling of that one more.  Of course, there was no Janine in that line, which was a bit of a bummer.  Also, I spent a span of about three months listening to Annie Potts’ voice in the Toy Story movies every single morning, and that sort of highlighted the lack of proper Annie Potts representation in my collection, which I just didn’t feel should stand.  So, when this figure was traded in at work, I felt compelled to buy it.  She’s hardly anything amazing, but she’s also not terrible, and she’s certainly good for just standing there, which is what Janine does tend to do best.

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.

#3837: Hoth Chewbacca

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

HOTH CHEWBACCA

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE (HASBRO)

“Chewbacca, like all members of the Wookiee species, was indigenous to the jungle planet of Kashyyyk. Honorable, intelligent, and friendly, though fierce and dangerous when angered, Wookiees were a proud species who once made contributions to the Galactic Republic. Wookiee senators represented Kashyyyk in the Galactic Senate. Their respectable position changed, however, when the Imperials seized power and began enslaving the extraordinarily strong Wookiees as laborers. In Chewbacca’s case, he escaped slavery and death with the help of a young officer by the name of Han Solo, who destroyed his military career to save the innocent Wookiee. A life debt was established, and Chewbacca joined Han in his adventures through the galaxy. Later on, the duo played significant roles in the Rebel victory over the Empire, and the Wookiee species was restored to its position of honor in the galaxy.”

One of the sets of Power of the Force figures I’m slowly working my way through is the Flashback figures, the sort of odd promotional set for the pending Episode I figures that were yet to be.  They did, if nothing else, give a decent opportunity to re-release some heavy hitters, though some of the flashback connections were…a bit of a stretch.  Obviously, not everyone had a direct equivalent in Episode I, but for Chewbacca here, the equivalent was…a Wookie Senator? Do you guys remember the Wookie Senator?  Because I don’t.  He didn’t even get his *own* figure.  Well, here’s Chewy.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hoth Chewbacca was released in the 1998 assortment of “Flashback Photo” Power of the Force figures.  He was the third version of Chewy in the main line, and completed the set-up of one per movie, being specifically based on Empire, the only one not covered up to that point.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation…sort of.  As with all the Chewbaccas in the line, he’s got a neck joint, but it doesn’t really do much.  Otherwise, it’s pretty normal stuff for the line.  His sculpt is similar to the other two Chewbaccas from the same year, which was notably a departure from the earlier, far more buff version of the character.  It’s not spot-on, but it’s a more accurate build at least.  His paint work is what makes him officially a “Hoth” figure; he’s got a bunch of white detailing painted over top of everything else, so he looks like he’s been out in the snow.  It works okay.  It’s at least different, right?  Sure, let’s go with that.  Chewy is packed with his bowcaster, which is the same piece used with the others in the line.  He also gets the flashback photo, which shows the earlier mentioned Wookie Senator.  Wooooo.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hoth Chewbacca has the distinction of being the last Flashback Photo figure I needed for my collection (though he’s not the last one I need to review; I’ll get on that, I swear!), which is honestly kind of silly, because he’s hardly a rare figure.  I just happened to not get him for a while, and then when I had all the others, he wasn’t immediately in front of me.  But, then he was, so I guess that was nice.  He’s okay.  Very specific, but honestly, that’s not such a bad thing.

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.

#3836: Ultra Dad

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

ULTRA DAD — ULTRAMAN: RISING

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

I feel like every time I review an Ultraman, I remark that I don’t review Ultraman stuff enough.  And, seeing as it’s been seven months since my last review, I suppose it still holds true.  When last I spoke of Ultramen, I talked a bit about Ultraman: Rising, Netflix’s animated Ultraman movie from last summer.  This builds a bit on that.  The central theme of the movie is parenthood, with the main character’s respective relationships with his adoptive “daughter” Emi and his own father playing parallel with each other.  One of the film’s neat surprise twists is the reveal that Ken’s father, the previous holder of the Ultra mantle, can still harness the abilities, granting him a modified version of the classic design, affectionately dubbed “Ultra Dad.”

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Dad is a 2025 online-exclusive S.H. Figuarts release, designed to follow-up on the main Ultraman release for the film from last year.  The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches and he has 38 points of articulation.  Ultra Dad’s articulation scheme is pretty much what you’d expect from a Figuarts release at this point.  The range of motion is all pretty solid, especially given his smaller stature.  Speaking of smaller stature, this guy’s an inch and a half shorter than the main Ultraman, which is a bit surprising when you see it, but also accurate to the depictions of the characters in the movie.  He’s got a new sculpt, and it’s a solid, clean recreation of Hayao’s Ultra Dad design from the movie.  Like Ken, it’s very stylized, and in a way that lines up very well with the Ken figure from last year.  Ultra Dad’s color work is likewise a good match for the prior figure.  The silver is a little on the flat side compared to the film’s very reflective take, but it ultimately works okay.  I do really like the extra shiny finish on the red sections.  The only slight downside is that the ankles, wrists, and knees are more of a flat grey, which doesn’t quite match.  Ultra Dad is packed with three different eye plates, 13 different hands (L and R fists, L and R relaxed, L and R open gesture, L and R open-er gesture, L and R powered up, L and R flat, and a left flat that’s different than the pair?), two different color timers, and an extra effect piece hand meant to go with the prior Ken figure.  Generally, it’s decent spread, covering most of the bases.  The one issue I did run into with this one is that his outer faceplate doesn’t sit as securely as it did on the Ken figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Given how much I enjoyed Rising, I’ve been really on board for all of the figure coverage too.  When this look showed up in the movie, I immediately wanted a figure of it.  I was very happy to see it get announced so quickly after the fact.  He’s certainly a fun figure.  He’s not as much his own standalone piece as he is an accent piece for the main Ultraman release, but that’s what I wanted him to be, so that works out well for me.

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.

#3835: Kirby

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

KIRBY

EASTMAN & LAIRD’S TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (NECA)

It’s a rare occasion that I get to review a figure of a creator of all the cool things I love and frequently buy in action figure form.  Thus far, I’ve reviewed three of them, those being George Lucas, James Cameron, and Stan Lee.  Stan in particular is one of the major architects of the Marvel universe, but he was aided in that by a couple of prominent artists, chief amongst them Jack “The King” Kirby.  Jack’s legal troubles with Marvel mean he hasn’t been graced with a Marvel Legend the way Stan has.  While the Marvel venue doesn’t have anything, Jack had a huge influence on the larger comics creator community, and that’s lead to a lot of references and homages.  During some of Jack’s legal battles, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird offered up support in the form of “Kirby and the Warp Crystal,” a Donatello-led TMNT special where Don teams up with comic artist “Kirby,” who bears the likeness of Jack.  NECA took advantage of this story to add Kirby to their line of comic-based TMNT figures, so we have a sort of Jack Kirby figure!  Yay!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kirby is part of NECA’s Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line of Mirage Comics-based figures.  He was first offered up at Target as part of one of their Haulathon events last year, I think?  I don’t know, they all blend together and I feel like there’s like 15 of them every year.  Anyway, the figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  In terms of scaling, he’s obviously meant to go with the 7-inch TMNT line from NECA, but given his smaller stature, he winds up about the same size, so you could fudge him in with your Marvel Legends if you were so inclined.  It makes him a little taller than Stan, but I feel like Jack honestly might have gotten a kick out of that.  Kirby’s sculpt shares a lot of its parts with the Mirage Baxter Stockman figure, but gets a new head, as well as new forearms with rolled up sleeves (because how else is he gonna properly beat the snot out of some no good Nazi punks?).  The head sculpt is a slightly stylized and cartoony take on Jack Kirby’s likeness, though certainly more of a proper likeness than the original comics appearance (and it’s even an officially backed license, courtesy of the Rosalind Kirby Trust), and certainly captures the spirit Kirby, albeit in a more wider line appropriate styling.  The paint work on Kirby is meant to emulate comic book line-work, so there’s a bit of outlining and crosshatching, which honestly works better in-person than I expected it too.  Beyond that, the colors are pretty bright, clean, and eye-catching.  Kirby was packed with five hands (in fists, standard gripping, and a right hand for holding a pencil), a pencil with the Warp Crystal attached, his sketchbook, the gauntlet he designed for Donnie, and a figurine of one of his creations.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been wanting a Jack Kirby figure since I got the Legends Stan Lee back in 2020.  Obviously, the Marvel angle was a long-shot, so this was kind of a nice surprise.  He was not the easiest figure to get when he dropped, at least in my area.  I’ve been on the lookout for one for a bit, but then one kind of snuck up on me, and a used one came in at work, which made the whole thing a lot easier, I suppose.  He’s fun.  Not the same style as Stan by any stretch, and I certainly still wouldn’t say no to a proper Legends figure, but this one’s still really, really 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.

#3832: Bantha & Tusken Raider

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

BANTHA & TUSKEN RAIDER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

I’ve had a surprisingly low count of Tusken Raider-related reviews here.  Just the two of them, it looks like.  Huh.  Well, I guess I never had a crazy attachment to them before they’re much more positive focus in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett, which actually gave them a culture beyond “crazy nomad beast men only there to antagonize the good guys.”  The Tusken Raiders were honestly kind of sparse early on in the toy coverage.  There was one during the vintage run, and then a single release during Power of the Force, which was finally joined by a second, deluxe release with a creature.  So, let’s look at that second one today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The Bantha and the Tusken Raider were released in 1998 as part of the larger “creature” sub-set of Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force.  ’98 broke the mold a bit and did slightly larger creatures at a higher price-point, giving us both the Bantha and the previously reviewed Rancor.  This one’s not *quite* as large as the Rancor, but he does some other things to justify the higher price.

This was, I believe, the first Bantha figure, which is pretty nifty.  It’s quite sizable (and generally seems to be pretty well scaled to the line), but notably not crazy poseable.  You can move the neck, but that’s about it.  Otherwise, he’s just a big, solid chonk.  Not a big solid chonk of plastic, mind you, because they went the extra mile and give this guy an actual fur main.  It’s…well, there’s certainly a lot of it.  And it’s just begging to get all gross.  Which, I suppose, would probably be accurate to the real thing, I guess.  It’s certainly a unique look for the piece, and undoubtedly sells the Bantha look.  Under all the hair, there’s a largely rudimentary sculpt, but there are also enough visible details to keep him fairly interesting to look at.  He includes a plastic harness piece, which clips over top of it all, and sort of holds the hair in place a bit, as well as giving the included Tusken Raider figure a place to sit.

Said included Tusken Raider was the second for the line.  He’s pretty different from the single release.  Obviously, based on the same general look, but the approach has changed.  The figure’s still about 3 3/4 inches tall, but now there are 10 points of articulation.  This one adds both knee joints and thigh swivels, so as to aid in more properly sitting on the bantha.  Likewise, the lower portion of the robes are now cloth, so that sitting is actually possible.  The sculpt is also just a bit sharper, and better defined than the original, generally making for a better overall figure.  He includes the usual Gadaffi Stick, which he holds pretty nicely in his left hand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The creature sets largely passed me by as a kid.  This one’s been on my list for a bit, but the later run creatures aren’t as plentiful.  Thankfully, I was patient, and one landed in front of me at work.  It was boxed, but not sealed, so pricing was in my favor, and also it wasn’t gross, so that was in my favor too.  The Bantha certainly makes an impression on the shelf, and the included Raider is pretty solid too, so it’s kind of an all around win.

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.

#3830: Blue Time Force Ranger

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

BLUE TIME FORCE RANGER

POWER RANGERS: LIGHTNING COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Way back in 2020, I discussed my last true hurrah with Power Rangers, Power Rangers: Time Force.  It’s a show that resonated pretty well with me, and ranks as probably my fourth favorite iteration of the series (after Space, Zeo, and Mighty Morphin, in that order).  I brought it up during its introduction into Lightning Collection, which, as it turned out, was also most of its presence in Lightning Collection, since they did Red, and then had a rather large gap.  The only other team member, added not too long before Hasbro wrapped up the line, was Blue.  I guess I’m okay with that.  Here he is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Time Force Ranger was added to Power Rangers: Lightning Collection in 2023, as part of a deluxe offering that included both the figure and his time cycle.  Today’s review is just of the figure, since I do not have the time cycle.  I apologize to all the time cycle enthusiasts on that one.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  His assembly and articulation set up is very similar to Time Force Red, with the only major change-up being the removal of the visible pins on his elbows and knees.  Two figures in the line-up, and they don’t even have internal consistency.  Oh, Lightning Collection.  Otherwise, it’s all very similar.  Honestly, the Time Force Red sculpt was quite a nice offering, and lacked some of the weirdness of the MMPR-based bodies, so it’s actually a pretty solid starting point.  It’s pretty sleek and clean, and looks the part well.  His paint work is the main differentiating thing, of course, with the major palate swap for the coloring, as well as the tweaked shaping on the visor.  It all looks quite sharp, and the application’s generally well handled.  He’s packed with the same Chrono Blaster and Sabers as Red, as well as his own unmasked head, and hands in fists and gripping.  And that’s all without the Bike parts!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Early in Lightning Collection, when Time Force Red hit, I was genuinely planning to get the whole line-up.  As we progressed, that plan shrank down to maybe just this guy and the Quantum Ranger.  Well, it became clear Quantum Ranger wasn’t getting made, and then this guy got bundled with the cycle, which I didn’t really need.  But, Max ended up wanting the cycle, but not the figure, setting us up for one of our classic Ethan-and-Max-split-a-set-they-both-don’t-need-to-be-splitting-but-they’re-doing-it-anyway situations.  Ah, the good ol’ EAMSASTBDNTBSBTDIA set-up.  Ultimately, he’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a late-run Lightning Collection figure, which is to say very solid and by the numbers.

#3827: Wicket & Logray

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

WICKET & LOGRAY

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE (KENNER)

Here we are, back at the Star Wars!  I’m doing this thing where I jump back and forth between Power of the Force and not-Power of the Force, and last month was a not-Power of the Force month, so we’re back on the Power of the Force!  I sure did say “Power of the Force” a lot there, didn’t I?  One of the neat things about Power of the Force was its aim at a sense of value.  The vintage line would sell you everyone at the same price point, regardless of relative sizing, but for the follow-up, Kenner was a bit more experimental.  For notably small guys, like the Jawas, the Ugnaughts, or, in fact today’s focus, the Ewoks, they were nice enough to give you two figures for the price of one!  How kind!  Let’s look at Wicket and Logray!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Wicket and Logray were added to Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force line in 1998, in the midst of the Freeze Frame era.  Wicket was actually technically a re-release, having appeared in the Princess Leia Collection the prior year, but Logray was totally new.  Wicket stands about 2 1/2 inches tall and has 5 points of articulation.  Logray stands almost 1/2 an inch taller, but keeps the same movement.  Both figures are far from super posable.  The necks are quite restricted, especially on Wicket, with his hood and all, while the hip joints are ultimately not super useful for much more than some fine tuning to keep them standing.  They are at least pretty stable on their feet, so there’s at least that.  The sculpts are also pretty nice overall.  I like the head gear being actually separate parts, and the fur detailing is solid for the era and style.  Of the two, I think Wicket’s the slightly stronger sculpt, but they’re both decent renditions of the look from the movie.  Paint work’s not too bad on either figure.  They both get a bit of variation on the fur.  It again works a bit better on Wicket; Logray looks a bit like he’s wearing striped pajamas.  Hey, at least it’s unique.  Both figures get their own accessory, Wicket getting his spear, and Logray his staff.  There’s also the Freeze Frame slide, for those that are interested in such things.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Would you believe me if I said I don’t actually recall getting these?  I know I got them from All Time, some time after I well and truly committed to this whole buying the entire run thing, but I think I may have gotten them in a batch with some other figures?  I’m pretty sure I got them sealed and then opened them during one of my bouts of needing to open things to feel better.  They’re not bad.  Honestly, it’s hard to mess up an Ewok, so good on them for not doing 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.