Tag Archives: All Time Toys

#3772: Cammy

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

CAMMY

ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II (JADA)

Last week, I really shook things up a bit with a video game related review, and this week, I’m taking the shake up and making it more of a status quo, so it no longer shakes things up? Look, what I’m getting at here is I’m doing another video game related review. This time around, I’m jumping over to Street Fighter, which actually does have a respectable little presence here. Keeping things in the Jada realm, just like last week, because their modus operandi appears to be “being awesome”, which is really good for them, honestly. A few months back, I looked at their Dhalsim, but now I get to review my personal favorite character from the game, Cammy!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cammy is part of Round 3 of Jada’s Ultra Street Fighter II line, alongside Guile and Dee-Jay. All three hit together at the same time at the very end of last year. All three from a set hitting at the same time is actually a first for the line, which has thus far been staggering pairs and singles. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation. The articulation here is a little more straightforward than the Cammy Figuart I looked at a few years ago, but it results in some generally cleaner posing and range, especially on the legs. I was also quite happy that her neck joint allowed for upward movement, so she’s not perpetually looking down the way that figure was. Additionally, the assembly of the articulation is such that she winds up looking a fair bit less segmented when posed, which is always a plus. And, she’s surprisingly stable on her feet; the pose in the photo up top took some careful balancing, but required no other support. Cammy is sporting an all-new sculpt, specifically based on her SF2 design, which is my personal favorite. It’s an earlier Cammy, so the proportions are a bit more balanced, and not *quite* as thigh-heavy as later looks. In general, the sculpt is quite clean and a good match for the game design. She gets two different heads, one calmer and one more intense. Both expressions work well in the body and with the included parts, and the braids on both heads are articulated. Personally, I’d have loved a third head with a smiling expression, but two’s the standard, and the two they went with are solid. Cammy’s paint work is basic but clean, as you’d hope. I’m not super crazy about the marbelized plastic on the torso, and worry about its longevity. There’s also a little bit of mismatch between the molded and painted flesh tones. She is, otherwise, quite good. Cammy is packed with two sets of hands and a kick effect piece. I was surprised by the lack of stand, but as noted above, she balances okay on her own.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Due to the Toy Biz X-Men vs Street Fighter line, I had something of an early investment into Cammy.  I remember really wanting the SOTA one back in the day, but was never able to snag one at anything approaching a reasonable price.  Since she’s become my go-to character for the game over the years, I’ve always wanted a good figure.  The Figuart was an okay figure, but she was always a bit of a placeholder, especially with her being from V not II.  For a fraction of the price of the Figuart, this one is absolutely fantastic, and for me blows that one out of the water.  I’ve got my minor quibbles, but they’re very minor, and they don’t really hold her back.  Jada’s really onto something here.

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.

#3770: Green Lantern’s Light

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

HAL JORDAN, GUY GARDNER, JOHN STEWART, SINESTRO, & TOMAR RE

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

Last week, I did my first dive back in to DC Universe Classics since early last year, because that’s the space I’m deciding to occupy right about now.  I kicked things off by looking at the very first Green Lantern from the line, so I guess I’ll keep that particular theme running.  Green Lantern was at something of a high point for the property while DCUC was running, with the main comic being consistently at the top of DC’s list, plus multiple events building out of it, and, of course, the movie on the horizon.  In 201, there was quite a bit of lead-up to the film tie-ins, which included not just a whole GL-sub-line, but also a fair bit in the main line as well, such as today’s big ol’ boxed set!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Officially titled “Green Lantern’s Light,” this 5-pack was a Walmart-exclusive DC Universe Classics offering, which hit retail in 2010.  It was the second of three such 5-packs offered up by Walmart during the line’s run.  In contrast to the prior year’s set, all of the figures included here were unique in someway, and would remain so going forward (though that doesn’t mean the set didn’t have a lot of re-hash).  In addition to the five figures, the set also included 5 power batteries, this time in a more sensible color than the first release.

HAL JORDAN

“While training in a flight simulator, test pilot Hal Jordan was suddenly transported to the crash site of an alien spacecraft. The injured pilot passed on to Jordan his green ring and uniform. The ring allowed him to make real anything that he could imagine, from flying unaided through space to lifting mountains. With it, Jordan, chosen by the ring itself because of his fearlessness, must fight evil as a member of the Green Lantern Corps.”

After kicking off the GL-theme in 2007 and getting a two-pack release in 2008, there were notably no Hal Jordans to be had in 2009.  It’s okay, because 2010 made up for it by putting out three of them.  Like his standard Series 3 release, this one stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 points of articulation.  He’s the same exact mold as that one, which was pretty much expected.  It’s a solid starting point, since it’s a pretty nice sculpt in the first place.  In order to mark a little more change, this guy was specifically based on Hal’s post-Crisis appearances, when they gave him the graying temples to signify his status as one of the last hold-outs from the Silver Age.  It actually works pretty well, and differentiates the figure more than you might think.  In addition to the hair change, this Hal gets the same iridescent green for the uniform as the rest of the set, which works a touch better than the flat green used previously.  I also find the paint to be generally cleaner and sharper than on the earlier figure.

GUY GARDNER

“When Abin Sur crash-landed on Earth, his power ring detected two equally suitable replacements: Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. Jordan got the ring because he was closer to the crash. Later, Guy received a second chance to join the Green Lantern Corps, but he often clashed with Jordan. Still, the Guardians sensed great potential in him. After proving himself, Guy Gardner was promoted to ‘honor lantern,’ one of the highest ranks in the Corps.”

Hey look, it’s Nathan Fillion!  That’s a joke I could have done above, as well, I suppose.  It’s funny that he’s played two different Earth Lanterns, though.  With Man of Tomorrow hitting this year, Guy is set to get some focus, which is good for him, I suppose.  Personally, I never resonated much with guy, and he was always my least favorite Earth Lantern (at least until Baz showed up, but there’s a lot of layers to that one).  I’ve grown to appreciate him more in recent years, though.  Guy represented he heaviest allotment of new tooling in this set, given his more unique design.  He got a new head, forearms, and lower legs, as well as a new overlay piece for his vest.  Generally, it’s an okay set-up.  Certainly different.  The head’s notably very cartoonish, and I was never a huge fan of that.  He’s seems especially out of place with the other Lanterns, even just in this set.  Something just a little more refined might have worked a bit better. The rest of the new parts work out alright, though, and I do like the vest piece. The paint is also a little bit sloppier on this one, especially on his vest.  The white detailing seems to have given them difficulty in particular.

JOHN STEWART

“When Green Lantern Hal Jordan was incapacitated en route to a JLA adventure, Hal’s power ring selected John Stewart to be Hal’s ‘alternate’ peacekeeper of Space Sector 2814. Honest and utterly without fear, John was eventually awarded his own power ring and full-time status as a Green Lantern in his own right. He continues battling evil as a Green Lantern, his dedication earning him full membership in the JLA.”

John Stewart had been added to DCUC the previous year, with a pretty fantastic figure at that.  This one takes that one and sort of tweaks it and it sort of works but it sort of doesn’t.  Since he’s re-using parts from the last John, that places him on a different base body than the other four figures in this set.  He’s still got the same basic articulation set-up, and he’s only fractionally taller, but the upper torso in particular is a bit more bulky.  In general, the initial John sculpt is a very good one, on par with the initial Hal Jordan.  The issue it runs into here is that it’s clearly a modern John Stewart…and his costume isn’t.  The paint attempts to place him in one of his earlier suits, earlier in the Mosaic run…more or less.  It’s a bit of an amalgam of sorts.  It’s not a bad one, mind you, but the hair on the sculpt doesn’t really match, nor do the raised edges on what were originally wrist bands on the first figure, now supposedly gloves.  Overall, it’s not terrible, but he’s certainly off.  The application of the paint is at the very least pretty clean; not quite as sharp as Hal, but a little better than Guy.

SINESTRO

“Sinestro was chosen to patrol space sector 1417 as its Green Lantern, but instead he ruled Korugar with an emerald fist. While he trained fledgling GL Hal Jordan, the Korugarians freed themselves and exposed Sinestro’s abuse of power. The Guardians of the Universe stripped Sinestro of his mantle and power ring, subsequently banishing him to the anti-matter universe of Qward.”

Ooooooooh, every party has a pooper, that’s why we invited Thaal!  In short, this figure is not good and by far the worst in the set.  In long?  Well, the original Series 3 Sinestro wound up too short during production.  Something about his skinny stature just got sort of lost, and they made him just  a little guy.  People weren’t thrilled.  This one, which was originally shown on a skinnier body, overcorrects the problem by moving Sinestro over to the medium base body, which is just too big for him.  He’s still using the original head, though, which was sized for a much smaller body, and therefore looks way too small.  And to top it all off, he doesn’t get his mask, which is somewhat understandable, but also still rather annoying.  I just don’t care for this one.

TOMAR RE

“An ordinary scientist from an obscure planet named Xudar, Tomar-Re never dreamed he would be chosen to serve in the Green Lantern Corps, much less that his name would one day stand for courage and integrity, assigned to protect Space Sector 2813, Tomar-Re distinguished himself so thoroughly in the line of duty that the Guardians of the Universe promoted him to their elite honor guard.”

Ha-ha!  I’ve already reviewed this one, way back in #0422!  All by his lonesome.  Really, I’m just putting him here from the turnarounds, since I wasn’t doing those yet in 2014.  Also, to reassert that even with the other four around, this one’s still my favorite, so there.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I never saw this set at retail.  Not a huge shock, since I wasn’t doing much hunting, and I almost never went to Walmart at the time.  I recall being sort of “meh” on most of the set, so I ultimately settled for Tomar on his own, because he was the main one I wanted anyway.  But, the other four landed in front of me just before the end of last year, and I felt compelled to finish the set.  I’m glad I did.  Sure, Sinestro sucks, but I knew that up front.  Guy and John aren’t perfect, but they’re both still decent.  I really do like this version of Hal, though.  In general, I think it’s a set that’s better as a whole than as individual figures.

#3769: Vina as an Orion Animal Woman

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

VINA as an ORION ANIMAL WOMAN

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

In the last five years, I’ve reviewed a total of three Star Trek figures, which is, you know, not a lot of them.  Less than a yearly entry.  This is largely because I’m not really an avid Trekkie.  I am, however, unable to really avoid Trek.  It’s like a sort of a background noise of my life.  I do enjoy aspects of the franchise, with The Original Series being my personal favorite.  Pike’s always been my favorite Captain, and I quite like “The Cage” and its re-cut airing “The Menagerie.”  Playmates did a small set of figures based on the “The Cage” for its 30th anniversary, which included Pike, as well as the franchise’s first instance of the green-skinned space babe, Vina.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Vina as an Orion Animal Woman was released under Playmates’ Classic Star Trek banner, as part of their larger “mixed” line in 1996.  She accompanied the other three “Cage” anniversary figures.  As the name implies, this figure is specifically based on Vina’s depiction as an Orion Animal Woman during one of the Talosian visions Pike experiences.  It’s not her standard look at all, but it’s by far the most distinctive one, and the one that everyone remembers.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Vina is notably not particularly posable.  She just gets the 5 points, and of those, only the shoulder joints are actually really usable.  She also really can’t stand.  Like, at all.  No position on those legs is gonna make it happen.  At least there’s a stand.  The sculpt was unique, and it’s an okay offering.  It’s pretty decent for the era.  The head’s got an okay likeness, and the proportions aren’t too crazy or off.  The paint work is generally on the basic side.  It’s inoffensive, but it gets the job done.  She’s packed with a display stand, a fountain, and a torch.  The fountain and torch are just solid color casts, in my figure’s case, blue.  She can’t actually hold anything, so they just sort of sit off to the side.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got the Pike figure from this set as a kid, and he was a favorite.  Spock and the Talosian I got later down the line.  This one was the last hold-out, and I was actively searching for her for a fair bit.  Thankfully, I was able to snag a loose one that got traded in with a sizable Trek collection during the summer last year.  She’s fine.  Not very playable, even for this line, but she at least looks pretty decent, and goes well with the rest of the set.

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.

#3768: Quicksilver

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

QUICKSILVER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Along with his twin sister, the Scarlet Witch, the ‘speedster’ Quicksilver joined the Avengers after leaving Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants”

Oh man, more Marvel Legends?  Whaaaaaaaaaaat?  Who could have foreseen such a shocking twist of events?  Okay, so it’s not really a shock.  Well, maybe a minor surprise?  I did run out of new Legends for a moment there at the end of last year.  There are always more on the horizon, but specifically at this moment, I’m back-tracking the slightest bit to grab more of a filler piece.  So, let’s look at Quicksilver, who is of a greener variety than his usual state of being.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Quicksilver is a stand-alone Marvel Legends release.  He was a retro carded figure, released exclusively through Walmart at the tail end of last year.  This is our second comic Quicksilver Legend in the modern era of Legends, following up on the blue version from the three pack back in 2019.  He’s seen this time around in his original green costume, which last got the Legends treatment as a variant to Hasbro’s original Quicksilver from back in 2007.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  The construction on this figure is very similar to the last Quicksilver, but with a generally updated flair.  He’s got the upgraded version of the 2099 body, with the pinless elbows and knees, as well as a new head.  At least, I think it’s a new head.  The hair is certainly new, and has regained Pietro’s signature wispy bits at the front.  It also feels a bit less bulbous in comparison to the rest of the body, which is what leads me to think it’s a whole new head.  I certainly like it a lot more than the previous set-up.  The color work on Quicksilver is generally pretty bright and clean.  It’s not a straight palette swap from the blue; the white’s more of an outright white, and they’ve given him the lower collar that was more common to his earlier appearances.  If you want to get finicky, his boots and gloves were more often than not a lighter green with this costume, not white, but that’s really more of a by the artist thing.  Quicksilver gets two pairs of hands, one in fists, the other in open gesture.  The open gesture instead of flat’s an odd choice, and not one I love, but it’s not the end of he world.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure honestly flew under the radar for me until it was already out and people were getting them in-hand.  That was certainly a weird experience, but that’s how it is when you’ve got a lot going on, which is certainly where I am these days.  After hearing about him, I didn’t really go looking, because I’m even less up for the hunt than I used to be.  Thankfully, one landed in front of me without much fuss or trouble, and now I have him.  He’s not a perfect figure, but he’s certainly a much better figure than the blue one, so that works for me.  I wouldn’t mind an updated blue version, though, and I’ll never say no to the Perez costume, either.

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.

#3767: Elec Man

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

ELEC MAN

MEGA MAN (JADA)

Okay, things have gotten too comfortable and predictable around here, so I’m throwing caution to the wind and going nuts, and…well, I mean I’m still reviewing action figures, so I guess it’s not that much of a change-up.  But it’s a Mega Man review, you guys.  Or a Megaman review.  They’re both confusingly accurate.  Whatever the case, I’ve only done one of those before, so I guess I’m gonna do another one.  So, let’s break out one the original six Robot Masters, Elec Man!  He’s electric.  Boogie-woogie-woogie.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Elec Man is part of the second series of Jada’s Mega Man line.  He’s one of the two Robot Masters included (the other being Cut Man), bringing our total count up to four out of six.  Elec Man’s based on his look from the first game, albeit a more “evergreen” take on the design, as was the case with Mega Man.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Both his scaling and articulation are very similar to the standard Mega Man I looked at last year, and that’s a good thing in both cases, because that was a really nice figure.  He’s quite easy to pose and generally pretty stable on his feet.  Elec Man’s sculpt appears to be totally unique, and like Mega Man’s, it’s very clean and slick.  Some of the detail seems a little bit sharper, and there’s just generally more going on with his design, so it gives him a better starting point, I suppose.  Elec Man’s paint work is a little more basic than Mega Man’s was, not getting the same degree of accent work.  He gets the base colors, and the application’s overall not too bad, but there’s a little bit of slop on the logo.  Of course, given the price point, it’s still really not bad.  I also appreciate that the wrist pegs aren’t painted this time, so there’s less flaky paint.  Elec Man is packed with two different heads (one with a slight smirk, the other appearing to be mid cackle), two pairs of hands (fists and a pointing/thumbs-up combo), and an electricity effect piece.  It’s a nice little spread of extras, and while it’s a little lighter than what Mega Man got, he’s also a slightly more complex figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t really have much specific attachment to this character, per se, so I didn’t have any sort of undying need to own this figure.  That said, I’m patiently waiting for Guts Man and Proto Man, the main figures I really want from this line, and my Mega Man sure looked lonely on the shelf.  Elec Man was one of the vinyl figures I had back in the day, and was also one of the only ones that didn’t fall apart, so I do at least have a familiarity with him.  He’s got a strong design, and seeing him in person, I caved.  I don’t need him, but he’s still very fun, and this is a great line of figures that I’m very carefully trying to avoid going all-in for.

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.

#3766: Wolverine

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

WOLVERINE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“A broken and shame-fueled Logan reluctantly joins Deadpool’s side to fight for their survival — and a shot at redemption”

I discussed Deadpool & Wolverine very briefly when I reviewed the Legacy release Colossus, but didn’t really get into the whole film proper.  In general, my experience with the Deadpool movies was one that improved as they went along, going from not personally caring for the first film to being thoroughly entertained by the third.  In particular, the return of Hugh Jackman to the role of Wolverine after his departure in Logan was something I really enjoyed, especially since it was accompanied by him finally getting to wear the “yellow spandex” we were teased with 24 years prior.  And now, it’s time for the toys.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Wolverine is part of the three figure Deadpool & Wolverine tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  He’s one of the two Wolverines included, this one being the more “standard” of the two, since he’s wearing his actual hero suit from the movie.  Or…well, it’s sort of an idealized version of it, since we don’t ever see the mask and the full suit on screen at the same time.  Look, it’s close enough.  The figure stands a little over 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The articulation’s interesting.  He gets a more unique style of shoulder articulation, which is sort of like a butterfly joint, but in all directions, being something more akin to the types of joints we see on McFarlane figures.  It’s a tighter connection, though, so it doesn’t feel like it’ll fall apart the same way.  It was a little tricky to get it posing at first, especially with the shoulder pads, but the range definitely improved after messing with it a bit.  He’s got a ball-jointed neck, with all the range that affords, but then a rather limited crunch and waist swivel on the torso, which feels…reductive?  Out dated?  It’s an all-new sculpt, so it was a choice for sure.  The sculpt is itself generally nice, but not without its drawbacks.  We get the full version of the suit, sleeves and all.  It’s a pretty good recreation of the film’s Astonishing-inspired suit, with its smaller details worked out pretty well, and plenty of texturing, so he looks as much like a basketball as he should.  He feels either too narrow at the shoulders or too wide at the hips; his proportions feel a little off either way.  Otherwise, things are pretty solid.  I do really love that masked head.  In terms of color work, he’s certainly garish, but in the way that he’s supposed to be, what with the clown suit and all.  Application is clean, perhaps a touch too clean, but clean.  Everything more or less goes where it should.  He would definitely benefit from at least a little accenting, but that’s not where Legends are these days.  He’s packed with two pairs of hands (fists with claws, and a clawless fist/gripping combo) and an unmasked head.  The gripping hand’s weird, since he doesn’t have any accessories to hold, but it gives you the option, I suppose.  The unmasked head’s as good a Jackman likeness as we’ve seen previously, so good on them for that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was pretty excited for Deadpool & Wolverine.  It was really great to finally get to see Jackman in a proper Wolverine costume, and, if I’m honest, I was excited to see him get a better send off than Logan, a film that really didn’t work for me.  *ducks to avoid getting hit*  The yellow suit’s inclusion was certainly an interesting experiment, and it really worked in some ways, and not so much in others.  The figure sort of meets that assessment itself.  In both cases, I’m happy they gave it a go, and I enjoy the end result.  And, with this Wolverine and the previous Colossus, I can create my fantasy world where those two actually interacted the way they unfortunately didn’t in the movie.  And perhaps I’ll further that fantasy by hoping I might some day see more movie X-Men of a similar style.

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.

#3762: Space Suit – Light Blue Version

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

SPACE SUIT — LIGHT BLUE VERSION

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY MAFEX (MEDICOM TOY)

Welcome back, everybody!  I hope you guys enjoyed…my holiday break?  Well, I did, so there’s that.  We’re officially post-Christmas, so that means I get to kick off the year with some Christmas-gift-related reviews.  I kicked things off last year with a MAFEX review, and I’m duplicating that effort this year.  Not exactly by design, but here we are nonetheless.  It is, however, quite a different direction in terms of branding.  Rather than DC Comics, we are instead turning to 2001…not the year, mind you, but the movie.  I can understand your confusion.  Kubrick films are generally a rarity in merchandising, especially action figures, but we’ve had a few goes at 2001.  Medicom released a small selection of the film’s distinctive space suits in a variety of colors under the MAFEX banner, and I’m looking at one of those today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Light Blue Space Suit is figure 090 in Medicom’s MAFEX line-up.  It is numerically the last of the four colored suits to be released, hitting in 2019.  The blue suit is a unique oddity amongst the four, as it is the only suit not to be used at all within the film’s run.  The orange and yellow get used by Bowman and Poole respectively, and the helmet and gloves from the green suit are used by Bowman following his space walk.  The blue suit simply hangs next to Bowman and Poole’s suits.  Waiting.  Watching.  Plotting.  Reading lips.  No, wait, that’s HAL.  My mistake.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  As these are 1/12 scale figures, the suit is about an inch shorter than the Super 7 Bowman.  Its mold is shared with the other three suits, which is sensible.  The sculpt is crisp and clean, and the figure is easy to pose, and doesn’t feel too fragile.  The helmet is affixed with no movement of its own, which initially surprised me, but is true to the design, so it makes sense.  The color work is pretty solid for the most part.  The blue is a good match for what’s seen on screen, and the smaller detail work on the instruments and patches is quite impressive.  The visor is completely blacked out, as was the case for all of these.  It hides the face, or in the case of this figure the lack of a face, allowing all four to share the same mold more easily, and simplifying the construction somewhat.  The figure is packed with three sets of hands and a display stand.  While the suit just sits there and really just needs the relaxed hands, the additional ones are fun for theoretical posing, and the display stand assists with that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With a lot of the Kubrick stuff, there winds up being something of a back and forth on licensing, and I seem to recall that being the case with these guys, I think?  I don’t know, but I do know that they all wound up going under the radar for me when they hit, so I didn’t snag any of them.  I honestly wasn’t super picky on color, but I did sort of pull for the blue, thanks to its aforementioned uniqueness.  So, it was rather lucky for me that this was the one that ended up coming through work, and even more lucky for me that it wound up being my Christmas gift from the company.  It’s a very nice piece.  Certainly a different breed of figure from the Super 7 stuff, but I still like both offerings for what they are.  Ultimately, this one is quite fun.  Now I just need to resist the urge to own all of the different colors.

#3761: Purge Stormtrooper – Holiday Edition

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

PURGE STORMTROOPER — HOLIDAY EDITION

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Happy Chrithmas. Its Chrisman. Merry Crisis. Merry Chrysler.  Do you get it?  Like the Vine thing?  Ah, what a timely reference, right?  I’m hip and with it and I know how to get home with the downies.  No, wait, that’s that right.  Ah, it’s Christmas, so I’m just gonna give into the hokey not coolness.  Let’s be all festive and cheerful.  Anyway, here’s another Star Wars guy, named after the fact that he purges members of a religious sect.  Yay for festive cheer?  Anyway, here’s the Purge Trooper, I guess.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Holiday Edition Purge Stormtrooper is figure 5 out of 6 from the 2023 Holiday line-up for Black Series.  He, like the Jawa I looked at last year, was a Fan Channel release.  He was *supposed* to be out before the holiday….but he *just* missed it.  Oh well.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  I haven’t personally messed with the Purge Stormtrooper mold yet, since I didn’t snag any of the earlier runs.  It’s largely just the old style Clone mold again, so it does what it does, but the head’s new, he’s got a pauldron, and the belt’s been tweaked.  He’s also got a cloth kama piece.  In general, he’s got the same pluses and minuses as the Clone I looked at yesterday, so he looks good, but posing can be a bit iffy.  The decos for last year’s run were generally a bit less “just vomit some holiday colors on the figure” so the Purge Trooper is a little more focused in his design, directly referencing the classic Nutcracker design.  Honestly, it works quite well with this particular mold.  I’m not sure it hits quite as well as the Santa Jawa, but it’s solid.  I especially like how they made the jaw work within the helmet design’s mouth piece.  The Purge Trooper gets a blaster rifle in a deco that matches him, as well as a re-decoed Mouse Droid.  It’s a weird deco on the droid, but I think it’s supposed to be a nut?  It doesn’t quite read right.  Also, doing a Nutcracker-themed trooper deco, packing him with a Mouse Droid, and not going for some sort of, oh, I don’t know, mouse themed deco seems like a missed opportunity.  Like, it’s right there, guys.  A mouse is literally the antagonist of the story, guys.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got this guy brand new last year, right after the holiday.  Admittedly, it felt a tad silly, but there it was.  I kept him sealed all year, waiting to open him up when it came time to decorate.  While I can’t say the Purge Trooper design and concept is one I really love, I do like the angle they took for this particular release, at least for the main figure.  I do wish they’d picked a better deco for the droid, but at the same time, I’m just kinda glad to get the mold.

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.

#3760: Clone Trooper – Holiday Edition

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

CLONE TROOPER — HOLIDAY EDITION

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Twas the night—er, day before Christmas, and all through the house, Ethan was realizing he hadn’t actually had a review go live on Christmas Eve in two years.  I didn’t used to do the themed review until the actual day, but last year I had two new Star Wars holiday-themed figures, so I did both days…well, sort of.  Anyway, there aren’t new holiday Black Series figures this year, but I’ve wound up with some old ones to fall back on, so let’s do that!  Here’s another Clone Trooper, because these guys are just everywhere.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Holiday Edition Clone Trooper was part of the debut run of Holiday Star Wars: The Black Series figures in 2020.  He was exclusive to GameStop and was figure 5 in the set of 5.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  This guy is using the older style Clone base body, with the Phase II-style helmet.  These figures were released after the introduction of the newer style of Clone, but presumably the exclusive offerings had to be turned around at a quicker pace, hence the older molds.  The Walgreens Clone Lieutenant did the same thing, and he was from right around the same point.  The mold certainly has its limitations, but at the same time, it was solid for its time, and still looks pretty decent.  As with all of these figures, the deco is what’s really selling him.  It’s appropriately tacky, with sort of an ugly Christmas sweater set-up on the torso armor.  Apart from the fact that he’s a Clone Trooper who inexplicably has TIE Fighters and a Death Star on his sweater, it’s a nifty idea, and honestly pretty solidly executed.  Beyond that, he’s just got a lot of red and green, as well as the striped stockings look that’s been recurrent with this sub-line. The stripes are a bit inconsistent, but everything else is quite sharp.  The first year of holiday figures didn’t do any guns (amusing, since they were all some variation of trooper), but went instead with melee weaponry.  This guy gets the Knight of Ren’s sickle thing painted up like a candy cane.  I don’t know that it quite lands the way it was intended to, but it’s not terrible.  He’s also packed with a porg, who’s got a little tiny scarf painted on, and I just love that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In 2020, I was very definitely not going out and hunting exclusives, so I didn’t get any of these the first year.  This was the one from that batch I wanted the most, but I just never came across it.  Earlier this year, however, a set of them were traded in at All Time and I was able to snag a few of them, this guy included.  They continue to be exceptionally hokey, but I sure do love me some hokey decorations.

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.

#3756: Radioactive Man

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

RADIOACTIVE MAN

THE SIMPSONS (JAKKS PACIFIC)

I do not talk about The Simpsons much here on the site.  A large part of that is due to only having a passing familiarity with most of the franchise until I watched the whole run during the pandemic, so I haven’t picked up many of the associated toys.  I do have a few figures here and there, and amongst the reviews I’ve done here on the site, there’s certainly been a focus on Radioactive Man, star of Bart’s favorite comic in-universe.  What can I say?  I like super heroes.  The last figure I looked at came from Super 7’s abruptly ended Ultimates line, this one comes from the next company at bat with the license, JAKKS Pacific, who kicked things off earlier this year with figures at multiple scales and price points, including a deluxe offering for Radioactive Man!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Radioactive Man is one of the three Deluxe figures kicking off that portion of JAKKS’ The Simpsons line, alongside variants of Mr. Burns and Homer.  The figure stands just over 5 inches tall and he has 21 points of articulation.  In terms of scaling, they’re not too terribly far off from Playmates’ stuff, but they’re a little different stylistically, so they don’t quite vibe.  The articulation lands somewhere between Playmates and Super 7.  He’s got a better spread then the very barebones Playmates figures, of course, but not the same range as the Super 7 figures.  There are some very definitely limitations when posing this guy, with the elbows and knees not getting past 90 degree bends, and the neck essentially being a cut joint.  That said, he’s not prone to popping apart the way the Super 7 one was, so there’s some give and take.  Unlike the Playmates Radioactive Man, who was based on the “film” version, this one’s clearly the comics guy, but he’s an earlier run look than the Super 7 figure, which definitely stuck to more recent appearances.  I dig the decision to take a different approach here, and I think this one stands out well.  The sculpt translates the design nicely to three dimensions, and they manage to work in the articulation without it being too cumbersome.  It’s pretty clean, which is what you want out of an animation-based figure for sure.  The color work here is mostly done through molded plastics, with minimal paint.  The colors are mostly okay, but there’s some change-ups from piece-to-piece on the exact shade of red, which I don’t love.  Also, there’s a production code printed on the inside of his cape in black, which is super obvious and rather annoying.  The figure’s got a light-up feature, as part of the deluxe set-up; you press his belt buckle, and his emblem pulses.  It’s nifty, but not essential, but it also doesn’t really mess-up his look when it’s off, so I don’t mind it.  He’s packed with a larger display base, which looks like a comic cover, and also features and optional flight stand.  His posablility limits what you can do with it a bit, but it’s still a fun extra.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I honestly didn’t expect JAKKS to tackle this guy quite so quickly in their run, because he’s usually a later down the road sort of character.  Having *just* gotten the Super 7 figure (okay, like 8 months ago, but still), I didn’t know if I needed to get this one.  That said, once I saw him in person, I liked him enough to justify dropping retail to get one.  He’s got a different approach compared to prior variants, but it’s one what works, and that results in a solid toy.  I haven’t picked up any other figures, but this one makes me feel like the line’s off to a pretty good start.

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.