Tag Archives: All Time Toys

#3093: Shin Ultraman

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

SHIN ULTRAMAN

FIGZERO S (THREEZERO)

Holy crap, is this two Ultraman reviews, in under a month?  Can that be right?  I mean, yeah, it can.  It’s my site.  I do what I want.  And some times what I want is two Ultraman reviews in a month.  That’s just how I roll.  Today, I’m shifting focus ever so slightly, and delving into Shin Ultraman, a reboot of the Ultraman franchise which is, after a few delays, supposed to be released at the end of this week.  The film follows up Shin Godzilla, a similarly handled reboot of that particular franchise, both of them headed by Hideki Anno (creator of Evangelion, amongst other things) and Shinji Higuchi.  They will be followed by Shin Kamen Rider, and are all supposed to be taking place in a shared universe.  Shin Ultraman has gotten a modest merchandising push in the last year, as they’ve lead up to its actual release.  That includes some coverage from comparative new-comers on the Ultraman front, Threezero, who are expanding on their anime-inspired Ultras and giving us two different versions of the titular Shin Ultraman.  I’m looking at the smaller version today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Shin Ultraman is the inaugural release in Threezero’s FigZero S line, which is a line of 6 inch figures, playing into the same market as the likes of Figuarts and MAFEX.  Notably, all three of the lines tackled this particular take on Ultraman, which I guess gives a good mark for comparison.  Not that I’d be crazy enough to buy the same design in similar figure styles three times over.  Right?  Right.  I’m not gonna do that.  I swear.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 40 points of articulation.  The movement on this guy is pretty solid.  I got to mess with the Figuarts release, and the movement, especially at the neck, was my real complaint.  This guy still has some restrictions, but he’s generally a little more posable.  He’s at the very least capable of the flying pose, and that’s a pretty key set-up, I feel.  The rest of the joints all offer a decent range as well; I quite like how the butterfly shoulders work.  I’m not too crazy about the knees, which, at least on mine, seem a little stuck on the lower potion, resulting in a range that’s just okay.  Shin Ultraman is based on his design from the film.  It’s a pretty straight forward update on the classic Hayata Ultraman design.  The fin no longer runs all the way down the back, and he’s no longer got the color timer, but otherwise he sticks pretty close.  I like the design, unsurprisingly, since I also really like the original design.  The sculpt does a good job of capturing the design, at least from what we’ve seen of it thus far.  The joints work into things alright, and he has a pretty slick feel overall, which certainly feels right for the character.  I also dig the skinnier, more alien design, which feels like an intriguing departure from prior looks for the character.  His paint work is fairly decently handled.  The silver is very shiny, which I really like.  The red seems a touch on the dark side, even when compared to shots from the movie, but it works well enough.  The application is a little bit spotty on some of the change overs, but it’s minor for the most part, and not terribly distracting given the scale.  Ultraman is packed with four sets of hands, in fists, flat, open gesture, and relaxed.  No effects pieces, though thus far none of the Shin Ultraman items have those, so it could be a license thing.  The extra hands do at least offer a nice variety of looks when posing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I love me some Ultraman, and I’m also growing to love me some Threezero.  I like the 12 inch figures I’ve gotten from them so far, and when this guy was shown off, I was definitely down.  It’s been a little bit of a wait to get him, but I’m glad I waited it.  He’s different from the Ultra-Act stuff I’ve gotten previously, but I can dig the changes, and I’m intrigued to see what else Threezero tries at this scale.  Until then, I’ve got this really cool Ultraman.  And who can knock that?

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3092: Iron Wrecker 08 – Heavy Airborne Mecha (Rain Forest Operations Type)

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

IRON WRECKER 08 — HEAVY AIRBORNE MECHA (RAIN FOREST OPERATIONS TYPE)

DARK SOURCE (JOYTOY)

At the beginning of this year, I took my first stab at a new corner of the toy market, for me at least.  That corner was Joytoy, a company that specializes in all sorts of cool sci-fi mecha stuff.  I’m a fan of cool sci-fi mecha stuff, so it’s an area that certainly appeals to me.  I’d only looked at the one mecha so far, and that felt a little bit lacking, so I’ve decided to loop back around and give them a little bit more coverage.  This time around, I’m looking into their ever growing Iron Wrecker set of mechas, specifically taking a look at Iron Wrecker 08.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Iron Wrecker 08 is part of Joytoy’s Dark Source toyline, the same line that produced the previously reviewed Steel Bone figure. Each of the Iron Wreckers gets a descriptive title for their intended function.  In 08’s case, that’s “Heavy Airborne Mecha,” with a sub-class of being intented for Rain Forest operations, specifically.  Thus far, 08 is the only Heavy Airborne Mecha in the line-up, but as he’s also the newest addition to the Iron Wrecker line-up, I suppose it’s always possible there are more Heavy Airborne derivations that could show down the line.  The mech stands about 8 1/2 inches tall (roughly the same height as the Steel Bone) and, as with Steel Bone, the exact articulation count is a little tricky to nail down, due to how many of the joints are somewhat reliant on each other for proper motion on each joint.  The mobility on this particular build is honestly just a little better than Steel Bone’s, especially on the limbs.  I think it’s partially due to the exact design nature of the mech, which is a little more rounded and allows more fluid motion.  I did find that, on my copy at least, the waist joint was just a touch loose.  If it’s seated right, it’s not an issue, but right out of the box he was a little floppy.  As with the Steel Bone, there’s some assembly required on this one right out of the box, though not nearly as much this time around.  Mostly, it’s just putting a few pieces on the back, and then assembling the smaller arm.  The design of this mech is a much more bubbly looking design than the boxier and more rigid design of the Steel Bone, but still has quite a bit of a utilitarian sense about it.  It shares a good number of its design elements with the Iron Wrecker 07, which was released alongside this one.  Clearly, they’re supposed to be operating from the same starting point, but with deviations for the exact needs for the deployment.  Since this one is undoubtedly meant to be trekking around jungles and such, it’s got a lot of tactical gear mounted onto it.  There’s a couple of armaments mounted on the shoulders, as well as missiles, or artillery of some sort stored on the arms.  He’s also got an extra smaller arm at the front, presumably in case something needs to be grabbed while the two main arms are pre-occupied with the weapon.  A notable departure on this design, compared to others, is a pretty distinct “head.”  It’s a very basic thing, with what I assume to be a camera and an antenna, but it changes the eye line of the design just a little bit, and makes him a little more unique.  Since he’s meant for rain forest deployment, this mech’s color scheme is appropriately dialed in on the greens, with just a bit of yellow thrown in there for good measure.  Personally, I think it really works, but I’m also rather partial to green, so there’s that.  There are lots of really great little small details, like written warnings and small insignias, which really add to the overall design, and make it really feel like a properly manufactured piece. Compared to the Steel Bone, 08 lacks some of the extra swappable pieces, so it’s not as inherently modular.  It’s not that it lacks the amount of pieces, of course; they’re all just used in the intended build directly, rather than swapping out.  The 08 still has a few extras, though, most notably, a hefty minigun, complete with removable drum.  There’s also got a removable pack for the back, as well as a shoulder mounted gun, which includes an ammo belt.  While Steel Bone’s main weapon was assembled from base modular parts, the guns here are specifically designed that way, though they still work with the modular set-up.

Like the other Mechs in the line-up, 08 includes its own pilot for its built-in cockpit.  He stands 2 3/4 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation.  Compared to Steel Bone’s pilot, this guy is definitely a little more futuristic and sci-fi-y.  By extension, he’s not quite as generic, but it really works well with the 08’s own design.  Unlike the prior pilot, this one doesn’t get the same style of removable helmet; since the helmet sits tighter, this one’s an alternate head.  In addition to the alternate head, he also three sets of hands, two different sidearms, and a removable neckerchief.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I quite liked Steel Bone, so I’ve been scoping out other Joytoy items as they’ve arrived at All Time, just trying to find that right follow up piece for me.  There have been a few that were cool, but didn’t quite grab me.  When we got in this guy and 07, I was mighty tempted by both of them, but this guy’s color scheme and armament set-up really spoke to me, as did his overall design aesthetic.  It was enough to finally get me on board with another one of these.  I’m glad I took the plunge on this one.  As much as I liked Steel Bone, I think I like this guy more.  It takes a solid starting point, and just builds an even more advanced design on it, and it’s a ton of fun.

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.

#3091: Luke Skywalker and Tauntaun

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

LUKE SKYWALKER AND TAUNTAUN

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

My last Power of the Force review before my great big gap in Power of the Force reviews was a creature set.  It was, specifically, the line’s largest creature set.  So, there’s quite literally no topping that.  I guess I’ll just go to the opposite side of the spectrum, and tackle one of the line’s smallest creature sets…which was also kinda borderline one of the line’s smallest vehicle sets, I guess, depending on how you look at it.  Can a living being be a vehicle?  And, what’s the over/under on how long the Tauntauns actually live, and where that places them on this whole vehicle scale?  Eh, I think I’m going to deep on this, you guys.  Let’s just get to the actual review.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Luke Skywalker and Tauntaun were released in 1997 as part of the Power of the Force line’s creature-based sub-set, alongside Han and Jabba, the Sandtrooper and Dewback, and the Jawa and Ronto.  It was the smallest of the 1997 sets, though that didn’t mean it was any cheaper.  It was the only Empire-based creature set from the first year, and one of three overall in the sub-set (with this set effectively being split up and re-paired for the other two Empire sets the following year).

The Tauntaun was obviously the selling point of this set, having not been released in figure form since Kenner’s original Empire line.  While the vintage releases both more or less just averaged the appearances of Luke and Han’s Tauntauns, this one decidedly adapts Luke’s, so as to properly pair off with him in the set.  The figure stands about 4 1/2  inches tall and has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpt on this one was unique at the time, though most of it would later see re-use for the Han and Tauntaun pack the next year.  The sculpt is a pretty solid one. It presents a slightly more active Tauntaun than its vintage counterpart, which seems more appropriate for how we see them in the movie, where they’re frequently in motion.  The details match up pretty well with the movie prop, though it is in some ways sporting some slightly more idealized proportions than the real thing.  The detail work isn’t bad, with some passable texturing on the fur, as well as plenty of extra work going into the harness and survival kit on the main body.  The paint work on this release is mostly pretty good.  There’s a lot of attempts at proper accenting which *mostly* work.  The shading on the fur and the white flecks for snow both work out.  The odd yellow on the arms and legs, not so much.  I’m not entirely sure what the aim was on those, but it missed.  The Tauntaun’s only real accessory is its harness/lead, which clips into the mouth, and allows for Luke to more properly hold on.

It makes very little sense to release Luke’s Tauntaun and not a Luke to go with it, I suppose.  There’s of course the single Hoth Luke release, but he notably lacks in the “being able to actually sit on the Tauntaun” department.  This one aims to fix that.  He stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and has 8 points of articulation.  The extra articulation comes in the form of actual knee joints.  Pretty crazy to see those, especially on a figure of this era, but they did happen from time to time.  Check out his actual sitting action!  From the waist up, he’s effectively the same as his single-release counterpart, with one minor tweak to the left arm, so as to slightly reposition his hand.  Other than that, he’s the same, which is good from a consistency standpoint.  The paint work likewise is pretty close.  It’s solid work, with clean application, and all the major colors it needs.  Luke is packed with his blaster pistol.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I had the single Hoth Luke as a kid, and never got a ton of use out of creatures, so I never had this one.  I remember it, especially the way it lingered for a bit, but it just never really called to me.  As I’m working on a full set, I’m picking up a lot of items that I passed on over the years.  In some cases, it’s not so thrilling, but sometimes it leads to me discovering some items I really like.  This one’s part of that latter category, and I’m glad I finally got around to picking one 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.

#3089: Ultra Magnus

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

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON (HASBRO)

“Ultra Magnus is legendary among Autobots and Decepticons alike. The mere sight of his armored form charging into battle is more than enough to inspire his troops to victory, and his strength as a warrior is more than enough to break any Decepticon army.”

You know what I haven’t really reviewed a lot of lately?  Transformers.  As a whole, I’ve kinda slowed down on collecting them, so there’s a lot less of an influx of them waiting to get reviewed all the time, but I’ve still got a host of older ones I can fall back on.  I good chunk of those older figures are Ultra Magnus.  I know, you’re all very shocked by this crazy development that absolutely no one could have seen coming.  I’ve covered a good chunk of Ultra Magni here on the site, which has also allowed me to explore the various different eras of the toyline.  For today’s purposes, let’s discuss video games.  In 2010, a prequel game of sorts to the main Transformers storyline, titled War For Cybertron, was released, alongside a number of other tie-ins, including a handful of figures within Hasbro’s Transformers: Generations line.  In 2012, the game received a sequel in the form of Fall of Cybertron, which likewise got its own tie-ins, this time with the Generations line actually getting a proper re-titling, and the whole line focusing on adapting designs from the game.  Our boy Ultra Magnus found his way into this particular toyline, like a champ, and I’m taking a look at that particular figure today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magnus was released in the third Deluxe Class assortment of the Fall of Cybertron line, which hit in 2013.  In his robot mode, the figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall, and he has 19 workable points of articulation.  As a Deluxe Class release, this Ultra Magnus is notably quite small for a Magnus, especially in reference to the rest of the line which spawned him.  He’s just a little guy.  While the line was ostensibly based on the game designs, Magnus is actually not based on a game design at all.  Or, really anything really.  The question of scaling, as well as the nature of this design both stem from the fact that he’s largely a repaint of the FoC Optimus.  As such, he doesn’t get Magnus’s fully armored look, or the corresponding scale-up that would go along with it.  There does exist a third party figure which does a slightly closer job of replicating the game’s Magnus design (though even that’s based on concept art more than the actual game).  For the purposes of this release, Hasbro’s aim is clearly to make the most of what they have, so he gets an all-new, more Magnus-worthy head.  It’s a pretty nice sculpt, keeping the classic Magnus elements, but also melding things with the aesthetic of the game designs.  Additionally, the instructions also have you leave the smokestacks up in robot mode, simulating Magnus’s usual shoulder pylons.  Gotta have those shoulders for a true Magnus.  He also gets the new deco, of course.  It’s quite heavy on blue, which really helps to differentiate him from Optimus, and I really do dig the decision to go with that really stark white.  All of it results in a figure that may be small, but still looks very much like a Magnus.  Magnus was packed with the same blaster included with Optimus, as well as a big honkin’ sword.  Sword’s aren’t classically a Magnus thing, but it’s still a nifty piece.  It’s made up of three distinct parts, with the part that makes up the tip actually being the sword used by Optimus briefly within the game proper.

Ultra Magnus’s alt-mode is the same one that Prime had.  It’s a Cybertronian “truck,” which is decidedly less boxy than most Prime alt-modes, and by extension less boxy than most Magnus alt-modes as well.  It’s a different sort of design, but not a terrible one, as far as made-up sci-fi truck modes go.  The transformation sequence takes a little bit of doing, but it’s not too crazy either.  Given that it’s not really a Magnus design, it’s not the sort of thing I see myself getting much use out of personally, but it’s still nifty.  In vehicle mode, the blaster and sword can both be mounted to the figure, so as to not lose them or anything.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I discovered this figure fairly early into my dive into the depths of older Magnus figures back in 2019, and was definitely interested.  As with most older Transformers, though, I don’t really have an undying need to actively search for them.  They just sort of come to me.  This one in a more literal sense than most.  He came into All Time as part of a trade, but it was one that Max had handled, so I knew nothing about him.  So, when they came in, Max just walked up to my desk and sat this guy in front of me, because, you know, Magnus and all.  It was a fairly pleasant little surprise.  As I said above, he’s small for a Magnus, and not really based on anything specific.  That said, I do really like him.  He feels kind of unique, and he’s honestly just a very fun little figure.

#3088: Nightwing

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

NIGHTWING

DC DELUXE COLLECTOR FIGURES (DC DIRECT)

Back in the early 2000s, everybody was starting to really try out the 1/6 scale game.  Hot Toys hadn’t quite overtaken the market, so there was still this sort of fledging “anyone could take this over” kind of vibe.  So, a lot of companies tried just that.  Among them was DC Direct, who decided that the best way to stand above the competition was to literally have their figures be taller than the competition, so they scaled everyone up by about an inch, with the argument that they were still 1/6 scale, the heroes were just supposed to be that much bigger than the average person.  Despite some odd notions right out of the gate, the line was a modest success, running from 2005 up through 2010.  Not a terrible run, all things considered.  They got a pretty decent swath of characters out there, which included a pretty solid focus on the Bat-Family.  Dick Grayson was present in both his Robin and Nightwing identities, the latter of which I’m going to be taking a look at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing was the 14th release in DCD’s Deluxe Collector Figure line, hitting retail in the fall of 2007, during the line’s third year.  All of the figures were designed as standalone releases, but he hit right in the midst of a streak of Bat-related characters.  In a line that had certainly had a more classic focus, he was a decidedly more modern figure, sporting the character’s then-current design.  The figure stands about 13 1/4 inches tall (due to DCD’s insistence on that extra large scaling) and he has 30 points of articulation.

The figure’s head sculpt was the most notable new piece included here, as was pretty standard for the line.  The head sculpts for this line up to this point were, to be blunt, kind of ugly.  I mean, not terrible, but they were none of them particularly attractive people.  Nightwing marked a very earnest effort on DCD’s part to fix that issue.  Ultimately, the sculpt winds up looking a heck of a lot like Brad Pitt, with maybe a touch of Tom Cruise thrown in for good measure.  That certainly errs away from kind of ugly, and results in a not so terrible look for Dick Grayson.  The base sculpt is unmasked, with a mask piece that can clip into place, which sits surprisingly well on the face.  They did the same on Green Lantern, and I’ve always liked how well those turned out.  There are actually two masks included, one black and one blue, to cover the two looks he was shifting between so frequently at the time.  I personally really like the blue, but both work well.  In terms of paint work, it’s not as incredibly lifelike as Hot Toys, or anything, but it was about on par with most Sideshow offerings of the time.  It’s a little thickly applied, but other than that, it doesn’t look too bad.

Nightwing’s outfit is, predictably, mixed-media in its nature.  It’s made up of a bodysuit, glove cuffs, and boots.  Not a lot of pieces to this one, though that’s proper for the design.  The bodysuit is actually really nicely tailored, for as simple as it is, and the blue for his symbol really stands out well.  The boots (which are actual boots that slip over the feet) and glove cuffs are pleather pieces, with a plastic sculpted bit at the end, for the whatever they are things that he sometimes has on his costume.  They seem a tad bulky for his usual look, but ultimately work out alright.

The figure was built on what was the only available male base body at the time of his release.  It’s probably a touch bulky for Dick’s usual proportions, but it’s not truly atrocious, and he was certainly better served by this base body than most of the female figures were by the only female base body the line ever had.  It’s generally rather stiff in its movement, and notably can put its arms all the way down by the sides, but it does look pretty damn heroic, so I’ll give them that.

Nightwing got an alright selection of accessories, with two sets of hands (fists and bendy for posing to grip or gesture), his eskrima sticks, three batarangs, and a display stand.  The bendy hands are better than most of this type, but still not ideal for actually holding his weapons; actual gripping hands would have been better.  The display stand is notably really big and bulky and, due to how it’s designed, also kind of a risk for damaging the costume if you aren’t careful, which is kind of a shame.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I had a handful of figures from this line when they were new, and while they were never figures I felt were amazingly high-end, I’ve always had a soft spot for them.  Nightwing was one I always wanted, but it wasn’t until after his release, as he changed quite a bit between prototype and release, and by then I had missed a lot of opportunities to get him.  Thankfully, I got another shot at him when a whole batch of the Bat-themed characters got traded into All Time a few weeks ago.  He’s a figure from a line that’s been abandoned, and with good reason.  DCD made a lot of weird choices with these figures, and they suffered for it.  However, taken in a vacuum, I do really, really like this figure.  He’s honestly a lot of fun, and just feels really true to the character.

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.

#3087: Gabriel “Barbecue” Kelly

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

GABRIEL “BARBECUE” KELLY

G.I. JOE: CLASSIFIED SERIES (HASBRO)

A new G.I. Joe review?  In this economy?  Are you sure it’s legal?  I wouldn’t want to be accused of taking part in a rumble.  Or, you know, in this case, a Barbecue.  Right?  It’s funny, right?  Cuz he’s…you know…Barbecue?  And that’s a thing that you can take part in?  Much like the “rumble” to which the original quote referred? Am I getting too referential in my humor?  Yeah, probably.  Okay, fine, no more comedy for the whole rest of the review.  Just completely dry.  You know, like a Barbecue.  …I’ll see myself out.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Gabriel “Barbecue” Kelly is figure 32 in the G.I. Joe: Classified Series line-up, and is the latest of the line’s Target-exclusive Cobra Island subset.  He gets to use his whole name, as, like Breaker and Beachhead, it’s not really possible for Hasbro to trademark a word as commonplace as “Barbecue.”  He started hitting retail around the same time as the Breaker and RAM Cycle pack, if not just a touch later.  There’s no full assortment set-up with him, so he’s presumably a solid case figure, much like Major Bludd was.  The figure stands 6 3/4 inches tall and he has 37 points of articulation…sort of.  The ab crunch is notably pretty restricted on this guy, so he doesn’t really have much use of that joint.  Beyond that, it’s pretty standard movement for the line, which is pretty solid.  Barbecue is built using Destro as a starting point, which serves to make him a little bigger and bulkier than most of his team mates, barring Roadblock.  It makes a fair bit of sense for a guy who’s covered head to toe in protective gear.  As with some of the other more recent figures, Barbecue is a rather close recreation of his original v1 figure.  There are obviously some updates, just to modernize him ever so slightly, and also fill in the visual space just a little bit more at the larger scale.  He gets a little more armoring on the shoulders and wrists, as well as a little more tactical gear around the middle.  The helmet is a particularly cool piece; it very faithful to the original design, while sharpening things up just a little bit, and also adding some smaller details, again to help with fill in that extra visual space.  Barbecue’s paint work is generally pretty basic; it matches up with his established color scheme quite well, and the application is all pretty sharp.  I wouldn’t mind seeing maybe a few other smaller details worked in, but he checks all of the basics off, which is still pretty solid.  Barbecue is packed with his classic backpack, hose attachment, and spray gun, as well as a smaller axe based on the one included with the original figure, and an all-new larger axe piece.  The smaller axe and spray gun are able to be holstered on the legs, and the larger axe has a spot on the backpack.  The ones on the legs work well, but the backpack one isn’t quite as practical.  That said, it’s nice to see them still try to give everything proper storage.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve effectively given up on the hunt when it comes to the Target-exclusives for this line, and I had no major need to have Barbecue in any sort of a rush, so I made no concerted effort to get one at retail.  I’d honestly almost forgotten he’d even been released, but then an almost complete run of Classified Series figures got traded in at work, so I had a much easier time of snagging one.  And who am I to argue with that?  So, boom, now I’ve got a Barbecue.  He’s pretty great.  He’s fairly by the numbers, but that’s not a bad thing, and he’s a pretty great update to the original.  All in all, not a bad offering at all, though again one that feels a little odd as an exclusive.

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.

#3084: Mechagodzilla

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

MECHAGODZILLA

S.H. MONSTERARTS (BANDAI)

Just over a year ago, Godzilla Vs Kong premiered on HBO Max for streaming…and was also in theatres, I guess, but I was still avoiding them, so, you know, I wasn’t tracking such things.  I really enjoyed the movie, though, since it delivered on pretty much everything I had hoped for in a movie called “Godzilla Vs Kong.”  It had Godzilla, it had Kong, they were versus-ing, and, more importantly, it also had Mechagodzilla, Godzilla’s robot doppelganger, and my second favorite thing about the Godzilla franchise.  I picked up Playmates’ movie-inspired version of the character last year, and was pretty happy with that one, but you can always use just a little bit more Mechagodzilla, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mechagodzilla was released as part of Bandai’s S.H. Monsterarts line, hitting retail domestically at the end of February of this year.  He’s the third figure in the Godzilla Vs Kong subset, joining the Kong and Godzilla figures released last year to more closely tie-in with the movie.  The figure stands about 7 1/4 inches tall and he has, like, so much articulation.  Just many articulations, you guys.  The tail is almost entirely segmented into individual joints, and the pistons on the hips are designed to work.  He’s got an articulated jaw, he’s got butterfly shoulders.  About the only things missing are finger and toe movement, but at this size, that’s far from an issue.  They’d probably be at risk of breakage anyway.  As it stands, the current articulation scheme gives this guy a pretty solid range of motion.  The elbows are notably a little restricted, but beyond that, it’s impressive, especially that tail.  Mechagodzilla sports an all-new sculpt, based on his appearance in the movie.  Obviously, at this price-point, the sculpt is a lot more involved than the Playmates equivalent.  Everything is much sharper, and I do mean that literally; you gotta be careful with that tail.  Everything is very crisp, and convincingly mechanical, and there’s a ton of really great detail work on the inner mechanics of everything.  He’s also got a little bit of diecast metal worked into the legs and feet, which not only gives him a little extra heft, but also makes him very stable on his feet.  Mechagodzilla’s paint work isn’t too terribly involved, at least in terms of coloring, but it’s at least consistent.  The silver is all painted, which looks quite nice, and the handful of red accents do a good job of breaking things up just a little bit.  Mechagodzilla is light on the extras, but not completely without.  He gets two different sets of hands, one set open, the other closed, in order to add some extra variety to his posing.  It might have been nice to get a blast effect for his atomic breath, or possibly even some damaged parts, but ultimately, it’s nice that we got anything at all.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I like Mechagodzilla a fair bit, but the nature of his release meant that I wasn’t expecting to have an easy time getting ahold of this one through my usual means.  I was also pretty content with the Playmates figure, which is surprisingly good for its price-point.  That said, when one of these rolled through All Time, and I was able to snag him for a pretty solid deal.  Coupled with a general slow down in what I’ve been picking up, he just felt like the right thing at the right time.  This figure’s really solid, but in like a subtle way.  There’s a lot going on with him, but he’s not overly showy.  He’s just a really cool figure, and I’m glad I picked him 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.

#3083: Bishop

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

BISHOP

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

Wow, I took such a gap between Aliens reviews, didn’t I?  Who knows how long it could be before I review another one?  Well, I mean, I knows.  I knows very well.  The answer is “no time at all,” by the way, because I’m totally doing another Aliens review today.  Is it an ill-advised move to group them together, knowing that it’s probably not super likely that I’ll have anything else Aliens-related to review next April 26th?  Probably.  But, I’ll risk it, especially if it means I get to get all meta with this intro.  I do like my meta intros.  Anyway, I looked at Hicks yesterday.  Today, I’m gonna look at Bishop.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bishop is another figure from Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, the second of the six “human” figures, though I suppose “human” isn’t quite right for him.  He prefers the term “artificial person” himself.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Bishop is another all-new sculpt, which isn’t a terrible shock.  It’s a pretty cool sculpt, which captures his general look pretty well.  He’s not the most thrilling character when it comes to design, of course, but that’s just Bishop.  They make the best they can with what they have.  Honestly, they make more than the best, because this figure’s pretty clever.  See, while on the surface he’s just a basic Bishop, he gets a fun action feature.  You can split him apart at the middle, recreating his post-Queen attack damage.  There’s even a peg shaped like his gross android entrails.  It works surprisingly well, and the split’s not as glaringly obvious as you might think.  Sure, it’s clearly there, but it doesn’t jump right out at you.  Honestly, if it sat just a little bit better at the back, it’d be pretty much perfect.  Bishop’s paint work is fairly basic, but it fits the style well, and it captures all the main elements needed.  The application is pretty clean, with no real slop or bleed over, which is nice.  Bishop has no accessories, but the gimmick is the real extra.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hicks was my main want from this set, but Bishop here happened to be the other of the two ReAction figures that got traded into All Time, and I was hardly going to just leave this one on his own.  I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  Hicks was just kinda basic, but Bishop’s actually a quite clever figure.  He could have been very bland and boring, but he’s really fun instead.

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.

#3082: Hicks

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

HICKS

ALIENS: REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Happy Alien Day every one!  I’ve missed it the last two years, by virtue of not having anything to review, but I actually made a concerted effort to not miss it this time around.  I like, purposely saved an item and everything.  Crazy, right?  So, today, I’m turning my sights on a line I haven’t looked at in quite a while, ReAction.  The brand actually has quite a history with the Alien franchise, since it was Super 7’s desire to release the cancelled Kenner Alien figures from 1979 that launched the whole project, and got them the attention of Funko, who blew the whole thing up to epic proportions and then proceeded to run it into the ground.  Super 7 wound up splitting the brand back off from Funko, and has done a lot to refocus it, which included bringing things back to that first license, and actually doing some follow-up figures based on the second movie.  That’s a big deal for me, over here, with the second one being my favorite movie and all.  So, you know what, let’s take a look at Hicks, because that’s what I’m about, son.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hicks (who is, notably, just “Hicks” on the package; not Corporal, not Dwayne, just Hicks) was released in Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, as one of the six humans included in the line-up, hitting retail in mid-2020.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation, in true replication of the intended style.   Hicks’ sculpt was all-new, and, quite surprisingly, entirely unique.  I had expected him to at least share some parts with Hudson, but the core figures are entirely different, which is actually pretty cool.  The sculpt is really good, albeit in the way that it’s supposed to be, which is, admittedly, kind of dated looking.  He’s definitely a sort of stripped down and simplified, almost Saturday morning cartoon version of the character, and it works pretty well.  Like, all of the major details of his outfit are there, just much more basic.  I like that they’ve also more accurately followed the progression of Kenner’s style than the Funko stuff did, so these figures, which would have hailed from the mid-80s had Kenner actually produced them, look more like the later end Star Wars stuff, or even the Raiders figures.  Hicks is actually a little more bulked up and sturdy in his build, which feels more appropriate.  Hicks’ paint work takes the general color palette of the character in the movie, and brightens it up a bit, as it would have been back then, as well as again simplifying things a bit.  It works pretty convincingly, and still sells the main look pretty convincingly.  Hicks is packed with a removable helmet (which is the same as the one included with Hudson), and his shotgun for close encounters.  While it’s a shame he doesn’t also get his pulse rifle, this does at least mean he’s got a unique weapon, since Hudson got the rifle packed with him.  I was also quite impressed by how well the helmet fit, while still sticking to the style.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Though I’m a huge Aliens fan, I’ll admit that I had a hard time justifying these figures when they were announced, due to them being hit by Super 7’s price creep on the ReAction line as a whole.  I want to get more of them, but at $18 a piece, it’s a bit tricky, especially when there’s a whole assortment.  Hicks was the one I *really* wanted to track down, but I just never got around to it.  Then, he kind of tracked me down, I guess.  A Lego minifigure collection that came into All Time had exactly two ReAction figures bundled in with it, and, as luck would have it, Hicks was one of them.  He’s a very specific style of figure, but it’s one that I really like.  He goes really well with the Ripley I got from the Power Loader set, and I’m definitely cool with having another Hicks in my collection.

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.

#3080: Kilowog

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

KILOWOG

GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH (DC DIRECT)

“The alien Kilowog was recruited into the Green Lantern Corps as a protector of the planet Bolovax Vik, and was killed by his former friend and ally Hal Jordan. Recently ressurected, Kilowog will play a key role in the re-formation of the Green Lantern Corps. The Kilowog action figure features multiple points of articulation and includes a display base.”

Despite the fact that the Green Lantern Corps is made up of a very, very, very large percentage of non-human members, it’s tricky for any of the non-human members to really hold the focus for too long.  I guess it’s inherently easier for humans to relate to humans.  Over the years, a few of the alien Lanterns have caught on a bit more than others, and, perhaps the most successful of the bunch is Kilowog, a character prominent not only in the comics, but also in most other media involving the Lanterns.  That also means his fair share of toy coverage, starting way back during the Rebirth tie-in days, back in 2005.  I’ll be taking a look at that particular figure today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kilowog was released in the first series of DC Direct’s Green Lantern: Rebirth line.  This figure was Kilowog’s very first foray into the world of action figures, shortly followed by his JLU figure later that same year.  As with all of the figures in the set, he was designed to specifically tie-in with the “Rebirth” comic event, and as such he was sporting his updated design from the comics.  This brought him closer in-line with his animated appearances in the Justice League cartoon, which had served to revitalize the character for a larger audience.  So, it was certainly a sensible direction to take the character.  The figure stands 7 3/4 inches tall and he has 15 points of articulation.  His range of motion isn’t particularly amazing, but for a DC Direct offering, especially of the era, he’s not bad.  They were experimenting with a little extra articulation on this line in particular, so he’s got wrist and ankle joints, which were hardly standard at the time.  Kilowog sported an all-new sculpt, and it was one that would remain unique to this figure.  It’s a pretty darn good one, truth be told.  It’s a nice, hefty figure, befitting his larger stature nicely.  The face has a really solid level of detail, especially on the texturing.  It really adds a lot to the overall appearance, and helps the sculpt hold up even 17 years after the fact.  Kilowog’s paint work is pretty solid.  The metallic green and pearlescent white for the outfit really lend it that proper alien feel, and the skin tone, with its slight accenting, works very nicely.  Kilowog is packed with his power battery, which is a really sizable, as well as a Lantern symbol display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kilowog is a figure I wanted from this series, even before it was released.  He was at the top of the list.  And then the series hit, and, much like last week’s Barda, he wound up being very hard to get ahold of.  I always hoped I might find one, but a reasonably priced one never presented itself to me.  When DC Universe Classics came along, I shifted my focus over to that one, but this one was always the one that got away.  Remember how I got that Barda figure?  Well, as it turns out, that collection had two of my personal DCD grails, because this guy was there, too.  I was actually pretty enthused, and, as with Barda, I was able to get him for a really good deal.  He’s a solid figure, and one that holds up really nicely, even all these years later.

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.