Tag Archives: Flash Gordon

#3811: Ming the Merciless

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

MING THE MERCILESS

POWER STARS (BOSS FIGHT)

Not-Flash!  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!  …Get it?  Well, I though it was funny.  And that’s the thing that matters most of all around these parts.  Last week I kept up my Super Powers-adjacent reviews with a look at my first Power Stars figure, Flash Gordon.  Today, I’m looking at his regular opponent, Ming the Merciless!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ming the Merciless is part of the first series of Power Stars, pairing off with the Flash from the same set.  Like Flash, he’s sporting a more classically-inspired Ming look, leaning more into his more humanoid stylings.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  Ming’s sculpt is totally new.  It shares the aesthetics we saw on Flash, but there don’t appear to be any actual overlap of pieces, which is pretty neat.  There’s a fair bit more going on with this one, so there’s more space to fill in.  It certainly makes the most of it.  I particularly like the depth of detailing on the head sculpt.  The collar uses a multi-piece assembly, which is kind of free floating.  I’ll admit, I don’t *love* it, but it’s not horrible.  It’s just a bit loose.  He’s got a cloth cape, and, in contrast to the overly large clips we’ve seen on the McFarlane figures, this one seems a bit too small.  It does the job, though, so I’ll hardly complain.  His paint work is pretty similar to Flash’s in quality, but again has a bit more to it.  There’s a little bit of slop, but it’s generally pretty good.  Ming is packed with a sword and blaster.  The blaster is shared with Flash, but the sword is unique.  Like Flash, you can store them both on his belt.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I snagged Ming at the same time as Flash.  I’m more a heroes guy than a villains one, so I can’t say Ming was really jumping out at me, but at the same time, it’s hard to pass up on the pairing.  He’s neat.  Not quite as cleanly designed as Flash, but that’s ultimately more about the character than it is about the figure.  Over-designed is just a Ming-thing.  Heh, “Ming-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.

#3806: Flash Gordon

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

FLASH GORDON

POWER STARS (BOSS FIGHT STUDIOS)

Well, I got a nice little kick of additional Longbox Heroes the last two weeks to help keep me on that Super Powers-inspired high, but now I’m out of those again, so it’s time to turn to the next best thing: another Super Powers-inspired line!  In fact, this one came first!  Boss Fight, whose HACKS lines I’ve previously reviewed a bit, decided to give the style a try, launching things with an assortment of characters from King Features, which means I get to kick things off with Flash (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Savior of the Universe!) Gordon!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Flash Gordon is part of the four figure launch assortment for Power Stars, which hit in the fall of 2022.  There are a lot of Flash looks to choose from, but they’ve gone with a more classic comic version of the character, which fits pretty much perfectly with the style.  The figure stands a little over 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  There are two tweaks to the articulation to deviate from Super Powers here.  Firstly, there’s the knees, which use the same general assembly as the Longbox Heroes (which is not entirely coincidental; LBH‘s designed Jason “Toy Otter” Geyer noted how impressed he was with the knee joint when still working out the knee assembly on LBH), and secondly, there’s the neck joint, which, instead of being a straight cut joint, is actually a ball-joint.  They both keep the same general look as the vintage articulation, while providing slightly better motion.  Flash’s sculpt is unique to him, and it’s a solid offering.  There’s I think a little more of Boss Fight’s in-house style bleeding through here, so they’re not quite a pitch perfect Kenner style, but also I think it still works very well, and he very much feels like Flash.  His color work is all pretty bright, clean, and bold, which exactly what you’d hope for in such a line.  I have no issues with any sort of slop or bleed over on mine.  Flash get’s an extra head without his headgear, as well as a sword and a gun, which can be placed in the designated spots on his belt.  Storage for weapons isn’t much of a Super Powers thing, but that’s another one of those innovations I don’t mind so much here.  My only real issue with the figure is that the size of the handles being so different between the sword and gun means that you kind of have to pick a hand for each and stick with it, otherwise the gun will fall out of any hand the sword has been in.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember when these were announced, and I was quite excited, and…then I just totally forgot to get around to ordering them.  Admittedly, I had a lot going on in my life, so I’m giving myself a pass.  Flash was the one I wanted the most, because he’s Flash Gordon and he’s just got such a classic design.  I particularly appreciate them just going straight to the classic Flash and not making me get a weird cartoon version I don’t really want as much first…sorry, I’m trying not to be too bitter with NECA.  Anyway, I was able to snag a few of these guys at the same time as the Super Powers and Longbox Heroes from the last few weeks, when they got traded in at All Time.  Unfortunately, Flash here was missing the main head, but it happened to come through on its own a week or so later.  He’s truly a fun little figure, and I’m glad I finally got 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.

#3728: Prince Barin

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

PRINCE BARIN

HERO H.A.C.K.S. FLASH GORDON (BOSS FIGHT STUDIOS)

Hey, it’s more Flash!  Aaaahaaaaaah!  …You know, Gordon?  That guy?  Right, well more of that stuff, because why not?  I’m still focusing on the movie, but this time around, let’s talk about the supporting cast, because oh, boy, does the supporting cast just slap in that movie.  One of my personal favorite parts is Timothy Dalton’s Prince Barin, a character that has thus far not been covered by NECA (despite the SDCC Flash being explicitly from a scene that focuses on Barin and all), so we’re going back to the Boss Fight well!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Prince Barin was released alongside the standard Flash in the second wave of Boss Fight’s Hero HACKS Flash Gordon from 2022.  Barin was Boss Fight’s only movie character that wasn’t Flash, which is good for him, I suppose.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  His articulation is largely the same as Flash’s, but his shoulders are a bit restricted by the sculpt and design.  Otherwise, he’s pretty solid on the mobility front.  Barin’s seen here in his “dressed down” attire, which is his more Robin Hood-esque look, and the main look he sports in the movie, and also what he wears during most of his time hanging with Flash.  His sculpt is really sharply detailed.  The outfit is particularly sharply detailed, and I particularly like that the gloves cuffs are separate pieces, so that you can swap in bare hands from other figures, in order to do his gloveless look like in the Hawkmen scenes.  The head sculpt is also really strong, with a solid likeness of Dalton.  The only drawback is that the hair seems maybe a touch short, but that’s minor.  Barin’s color work is generally a little more saturated than it is in the movie, which is in keeping with how they handled Flash as well, and makes him a little more compatible with the comic-based figures from wave 1.  The actual paint application’s minor, but very clean, especially on the face.  Barin is packed with two sets of hands (gripping and open gesture), his sword, a sheath, a whip, a crossbow, and a red display stand.  The stand’s the only overlap with Flash, which is honestly kind of surprising, but not a problem at all.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The lack of a NECA Barin has definitely been a bummer for me.  When I’m bummed, I buy action figures.  But there was no NECA Barin, which was what caused the being bummed in the first place, so I couldn’t buy that.  So, I had to “settle” for the Boss Fight figure when one came across my desk.  Honestly, I bought Flash because this guy was there.  He’s honestly a fantastic piece, and the real star of the Boss Fight Flash Gordon pieces.  And I have another tiny Timothy Dalton for 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 and their eBay storefront.

#3723: Flash Gordon – King of the Impossible

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

FLASH GORDON — KING OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

HERO H.A.C.K.S. (BOSS FIGHT)

Hey, it’s more FLASH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!  SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!  …Do you see what I’m getting at here?  It’s, uh, it’s Flash.  You know, Gordon?  He’s the savior of some stuff, and some things as well.  Perhaps even the whole universe.  When last I discussed Flash Gordon, it was NECA’s first round of movie figures.  Now I’m looking at more movie figures, but not more NECA ones.  Admittedly, that would require NECA to make more, which they haven’t, so I guess I have to outsource things.  Boss Fight Studios picked up the whole King Features license a few years back, and amongst their stable of offerings was a couple of Flash Gordon movie figures, one of which I’m taking a look at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Flash Gordon — King of the Impossible is part of the second assortment of Hero HACKS Flash Gordon, which was the one, and sadly only, movie assortment for the line, and was released in 2022.  It was Flash and Barin, released following the “preview” release of the Lunchbox with Football Flash.  The figure stands just under 4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  He’s got the standard HACKS articulation set-up, specifically the slightly more improved range of motion like we saw with the Zorro figure.  His sculpt was largely new, and a pretty solid one at that.  His build is slightly more idealized set-up, but the costume details are nice and sharply defined, and a good match for the movie.  The folds and hang of the outfit are especially nicely rendered.  The head is one of the ones included with the Lunchbox release, and it’s a respectable likeness.  It’s certainly on par with NECA’s work, and it’s at a much smaller scale.  The paint work on the figure is generally alright.  It’s on the basic side, but clean and crisp.  The head’s detailing is a bit low contrast, with the hair being a bright yellow, fairly similar to the skin-tone, so it gets a little lost.  His accessories cover the basics, with two sets of hands (gripping and fists), two different styles of rifle, his sword, and a red Hero HACKS base.  I don’t believe I’ve gotten fists on a Boss Fight figure before, so those are cool.  I also really like that not only can he easily hold the sword with both hands, he can also hold the rifle without the trigger breaking off.  Those are certainly both plusses over the NECA release.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I recall the announcement of the license from Boss Fight for these guys, and fully intended to jump in on the line, but by the time the figures actually materialized, my mind was on other things, and I wound up missing them.  This one wound up getting traded into All Time, which gave me a shot at actually getting one.  He’s quite a nice little figure, and he’s at least as good as, if not a little better than, the NECA figure.  It’s a bummer the line was so short-lived, because Boss Fight certainly put together a solid figure.

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

#3608: Flash Gordon Movie Figures

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

FLASH GORDON — FINAL BATTLE, MING THE MERCILESS — MILITARY SUIT, & PRINCE VULTAN

FLASH GORDON (NECA)

Fun FIQ Fact #0087: Despite my love of Flash Gordon, Queen, and most of the actors involved, I didn’t see the 1980 Flash Gordon in its entirety until 2016.

I’ve been a Flash Gordon fan since I was very young, thanks to my Dad’s copies of the movie series on LaserDisc.  Yes, we were that family.  When I was a kid, the only option for Flash Gordon toys was Playmates’ rather small line of figures from the ’90s cartoon, but boy how things have changed.  There’s, like, options, and stuff.  NECA’s first stab at the license was via Defenders of the Earth, followed by a more comic-based set of figures, now followed by a set of figures based on the 1980 movie.  Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, and Prince Vultan make up Series 1 of NECA’s Flash Gordon line, which hit back in January of this year.  All three are based on their appearances in the movie, and, unlike prior King Features offerings from NECA, they’re all at NECA’s “Ultimate” price-point.

FLASH GORDON — FINAL BATTLE

You can’t very well do Flash Gordon figures without the title character, now can you?  Flash has a number of designs over the course of the film, most revolving around the same general design set-up.  This figure specifically is based on his “Final Battle” attire, which is his most distinctive look in the movie, and the one used for most of the marketing stuff.  It’s a natural choice, and one that NECA already referenced previously with their movie-inspired repaint of the Defenders figure.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Flash’s articulation is the standard Ultimate fare from NECA, so it’s fairly posable, but definitely has its limitations.  Still, you can get some decent poster style poses for him, which is really all you need, and he’s certainly the most posable of the three in this set.  The sculpt is all-new, and it’s honestly pretty good.  There’s some really nice texture work on the outfit, and the layering of everything works very well.  He gets three different head sculpts, all slight variations on Sam Jones’ dull surprise expressions.  There’s actually more variation than you might think at first glance, but I definitely think the slightly mouth agape one looks the best of the three.  None of them is a perfect match for Jones’ likeness, but they’re certainly not bad by NECA standards.  Flash’s paint work’s pretty decent; there’s a little bit of bleed over on the shirt, but it’s otherwise pretty clean, and it all manages to look the part pretty well.  Flash is packed with five hands (fists, gripping, and a right trigger finger), a sword, a rifle, and…whatever the small gold handled thing is.  The rifle’s trigger broke putting it into his hand the first time, and the stock is likely to break any moment as well, so that’s not great.  The sword’s at least nicer, but it takes some definite doing to get him holding it two handed.

MING THE MERCILESS — MILITARY SUIT

Flash is nothing without a worthy antagonist, so you gotta have a Ming, right?  Right.  Ming is seen here in his military garb.  It’s a slightly more tactical look, and matches up with Flash’s look, but it’s definitely his *second* most distinctive look from the film, the first being his more ornate robed look.  This one does alright, though, so I guess here it is.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall, and, like Flash, has 28 points of articulation.  His articulation is the same general set-up as Flash, but it’s more restricted to be sure.  Of course, Ming’s a far less mobile character, so it works out okay.  His sculpt’s another strong one.  The uniform is sharp and well-defined, and there’s plenty of fun ornate details going on with it.  Ming also gets three different heads.  His main one is wearing his helmet, while the other two are sans-head gear.  All three get different expressions, and they all get an impeccable likeness of Max Von Sydow.  I honestly don’t have a favorite of these ones.  His color work is alright, dealing with more metallics and such.  There’s still a little bleed-over, especially on the gold.  Ming is packed with three pairs of hands (gripping, fists, and open gesture), and his sword.  For some reason, the left fist is missing Ming’s ring, but otherwise, it’s a nice little set-up.

PRINCE VULTAN

Vultan’s the one odd-ball here, but he’s Brian Blessed, and he’s also by far the most glaring omission from Bif Bang Pow’s run with the license in the early ’00s.  And, you know, he’s Brian Blessed.  How can you not.  Unlike the other two, Vultan really only has the one look to choose from, so that’s the one here.  The figure is a little over 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  He gets an extra mid-torso joint, as well as swivels on the wings.  His build makes him a little more restricted, but he’s a little better than Ming.  His sculpt is another all-new one, and it’s….well, it’s easily the best of the three, to be sure.  There’s so much more layering, and the build is just a great match.  Plus, he’s got four heads instead of three, with a hair piece and a helmet to swap between them.  Blessed is known for his expressive nature, and these four heads cover all manner of expressions.  Well, okay, they’re mostly forms of shouting.  It is Brian Blessed after all.  All of them have a strong likeness of Blessed; it’s certainly very clear who it’s meant to be.  His paint work is decent enough.  He’s fully painted, unlike the other two; the painted skin-tone does soften some of the facial details, but not terribly so.  Vultan is packed with two pairs of hands, his club, communicator, and that clear rock/crystal thing.  They, of course, all pale in comparison to the extra heads, but it’s cool he’s got more than just those to go on.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I missed most of Bif Bang Pow’s Flash Gordon line, so I’ve kind of been looking for a good intro point.  NECA gave me that with these three.  I wasn’t sure when they showed off Flash and Ming, but once Vultan was shown off, I was 100% on board.  Flash is solid.  Not perfect, and the breakage on the rifle is annoying, but solid.  Ming, for me, was along for the ride.  I’d have preferred the robed version, and this one feels a little bare bones, but he’s again a serviceable figure.  Vultan?  Vultan’s perfection.  I love Vultan.  It’s been a few months, and we’ve heard nothing more about this line, so I don’t know if NECA’s planning anymore, but I’d certainly be a fan of getting more characters from the movie.  At least a few more of the main cast, perhaps?

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.

#2802: Ming The Merciless

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

MING THE MERCILESS

DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH (NECA)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“Evil ruler of the planet Mongo.  Ming the Merciless has been battling the unconquerable Flash Gordon for years, in their constant clash of good against evil.  Desperate to seize and dominate the Earth, Ming’s greed for conquest has become his obsession.”

As I touched on in yesterday’s into, Defenders of the Earth leaned pretty heavily on the Flash Gordon franchise for much of its plot and mythos.  To that end, the show’s primary antagonist was Flash’s own nemesis, Ming the Merciless.  Much like Flash was a quite prototypical hero, Ming is very much the prototypical arch-villain, inspiring many popular villains that would follow.  Like his nemesis, Ming has had his fair share of figures over the years, but who’s going to complain about getting one more?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ming the Merciless is figure 03 in the first series of NECA’s Defenders of the Earth line.  He too is based on his animated design from the show of the same name.  Even more than Flash, Ming’s design has been subject to much adjustment over the years, and that was true for the show as well.  Beginning initially with some very definite Yellow Peril overtones, by the time of Defenders, they were trying to move him away from such things.  It marked an early transition to a more alien design for the character, with making his skin a very distinctive green hue.  It also, much like with Flash’s design, attempted to take elements from many prior designs and role them all into one.  The end result is something that’s still very much Ming in terms of look, and definitely gets the idea across.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  He’s got the same articulation scheme as the other two figures, by virtue of again using the same base body.  Ming winds up with the most sculptural deviations from the main body, with a new head, a slightly tweaked upper torso to add the epaulets, new forearms, a new collar piece, and a skirt piece for the waist.  It’s all topped off with a cloth cape, complete with a wire in the lining for posing.  Technically, for full accuracy to the show, the arms should feature looser sleeves, but that might have been too many new parts to cost out.  The parts that are there are quite impressively handled; there’s a lot of character in the face, and the depth of detail on the costume parts is really well-rendered.  Ming’s paint work is more involved than the other two, but it works well.  The accenting on his face and hands is fairly lifelike, and while he’s still got the chipping issue on the ankle joints, at least the molded color is a little darker, so it’s not quite as noticeable.  Ming is packed with two alternate left hands (one open gesture, one trigger finger grip), a sword, a staff, a laser gun (modified from the other two), and two laser effects pieces.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Obviously, if I’m gonna get Flash Gordon, I can’t very well not get Ming, right?  That would be silly.  Ultimately, I wasn’t quite as sure about Ming going in, but I do have to say, he turned out very nicely.  The QC issues are less so on this release, and he’s got a very dynamic appearance.  While he doesn’t quite dethrone Flash as my favorite, he’s still a mighty fine offering.

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.

#2801: Flash Gordon

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

FLASH GORDON

DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH (NECA)

NOTE: This review was written before June 6th.

“Out of the sky, his rockets ignite.  Jets into battle faster than light.  Flash Gordon is the legendary swashbuckler of space travel.  This intergalactic adventurer is known throughout the galaxy as the one man to battle the evil Ming — and come out the hero!  Flash alone understands the twisted mind of this wicked tyrant — and leads the Defenders’ war against him to save Earth from extinction.”

Preceding The Phantom by two years, Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon was introduced as a competitor to Buck Rogers, but wound up becoming an institution all his own, arguably becoming even bigger than Buck Rogers himself (in fact, when they produced the first Buck Rogers film serial in 1939, they even cast Buster Crabbe, who had famously played Flash three years earlier, in the lead role).  In fact, Gordon’s prominence extended even to Defenders of the Earth, where elements from his series and franchise formed much of the back bone of the cartoon’s plot, making him very much the central figure.  He’s been no stranger to figures over the years, but that doesn’t make getting one more any less cool.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Flash Gordon is figure 02 in the first series of NECA’s Defenders of the Earth line (making him quite literally the central figure in the first set).  Like the Phantom, he’s based on his appearance in the cartoon, but again through that slightly different lens of the NECA release.  While Phantom’s design remained more or less consistent, Flash’s was a much more fluid appearance.  His show design tried to go for something that summed up those elements into one piece, while also streamlining a bit for the purposes of easier animating.  The end result’s a fairly decent, somewhat regal, but still functional design, that feels very true to the character.  The figure stands just over 7 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is the same as Phantom’s, by virtue of them using the same core body.  As with Phantom, it’s a good enough fit for Flash, matching alright with his usual depictions.  He adds a few more new parts to the mix, with a new head and shoulders, as well as an add-on for his collar, and a waist cap with a slightly adjusted belt.  The head’s definitely my favorite part of the figure; despite being based on the cartoon character, NECA has opted to also inject quite a bit of actor Buster Crabbe’s likeness into the face, which makes it look even more like that classic Flash Gordon to me.  In general, Flash’s sculpt offers just a bit more in the way of detailing than the Phantom, and it really works.  Flash’s paint work is about on par with the Phantom for the most part, though perhaps a little better.  He’s still got the issue with the paint flaking on the joints on the wrists and ankles, but at least both of his boots match in finish.  I do quite like the slightly metallic finish on the jumpsuit, and the red and gold mesh well together.  There’s a touch of bleed over between the colors, and my figure’s got a small scratch on his forehead, but overall it looks okay.  Flash is packed with a slightly larger array of accessories than the Phantom, with five hands (pair of fists, pair of gripping, and a left trigger hand), a laser gun (same as the one included with Phantom), a sword, and two different effects pieces.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In contrast to the Phantom, I’ve been a fan of Flash Gordon since a rather early age, courtesy of having my dad’s copies of the film serials to watch (on Laser Disc, if you can believe it).  I’ve had a number of toys over the years, but I’m always down for another cool one.  Of all the figures shown off for this set, Flash was certainly the one I was most looking forward to, and I have to say, he’s also my favorite figure in-hand as well.  He’s still got some slight QC issues, but they don’t seem quite so bad on him, compared to Phantom.  He’s a very fun figure, and I’m certainly glad to have gotten one for 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 and their eBay storefront.

#2262: Prince Barin

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

PRINCE BARIN

FLASH GORDON (BIF BANG POW!)

“Flash! Aaaaaaah!  He’s“–wait, sorry, he’s actually not the subject of today’s review.  Sorry for the slight mislead there.  For what it’s worth, I’m still reviewing *something* from 1980’s Flash Gordon movie, it’s just not the film’s title character.  Instead, it’s his friend and ally against the evil Ming the Merciless (as well as Robin Hood pastiche), Barin, Prince of Arboria, portrayed in the 1980 film by Timothy Dalton.  Dalton’s Errol Flynn-inspired take on the character is amongst the best parts of the movie, which is really saying something, given that this is a movie that has Brian Blessed shouting the line “GORDON’S ALIVE!?!” in all its memetic glory.  As one of the film’s central characters, Barin was well treated by Bif Bang Pow! when they picked up the license for the movie in 2008.  I’ll be looking at one of those figures today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Prince Barin was released in Series 2 of Bif Bang Pow!’s 7-inch Flash Gordon line from 2008.  This is the standard release, but there was also a battle-damaged exclusive that depicted him from his duel with Flash in the throne room of the hawk people.  Both of the larger Barin figures depicted him in his more battle-ready attire, which is what he spends most of the movie wearing, and is also his more Robin Hood-esque design.  The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 15 points of articulation.  He’s not amazing articulated by current standards, but he was pretty good for a non-Hasbro/Mattel product at the time of his release.  Barin’s pretty easily posed, and the only truly noticeable omission is some sort of wrist articulation.  As it stands, he has trouble doing too much with his hands.  Barin’s sculpt is a pretty impressive affair.  Bif Bang Pow did a solid job of sticking to the source material, and the level of detail on all of these figures was pretty impressive.  Barin’s costume is very nicely recreated, and there’s plenty of sculpted texturing, especially in the quilted pattern of the shirt and the folds of the pants.  The likeness of Dalton isn’t quite as good as some of the line’s other likenesses, but it’s certainly not a bad attempt, and it’s more instantly recognizable as Dalton than Rassilion was.  I think it’s just the eyes that throw it off; they’re not quite right for Dalton’s steely stare.  The paintwork on Barin is fairly basic work.  It gets them main colors down pretty well, but doesn’t really add much depth beyond that.  Like the articulation, this was pretty decent for this style of figure at the time of his release.  Barin was packed with a laser rifle, based on the one he’s carrying late in the film.  It’s kind of a goofy design, and a little tricky for him to carry due to the limitations of his articulation.  Still, something’s certainly better than nothing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Oddly, I got this figure several years before seeing all but a few snippets of Flash Gordon.  I was of course familiar with prior incarnations of the franchise and of Barin himself, and I’ve always been a fan of Timothy Dalton, so I certainly liked the idea of him as Barin, especially from the few snippets I’d seen.  However, I bought this figure without the connection to the movie proper, and wouldn’t get around to seeing the movie for another eight years or so after getting this figure.  Whatever the case, I’ve always thought he was a pretty solid offering, and he’s a cool Timothy Dalton toy, if that’s what you’re after.  Curiously, it seems this line has all but vanished from the after market, which is always an interesting occurrence.

#1062: Flash Gordon – Flight Suit

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

FLASH GORDON – FLIGHT SUIT

FLASH GORDON (PLAYMATES)

flashspace1

When your name is the same name as the toyline that you’re a part of, it’s pretty much a given that you’ll get at least one more figure than everybody else.  Especially in the ‘90s.  This was the case with Alex “Flash” Gordon of…Flash Gordon.  Yep, in a series of eight total figures, he still managed to get two of them.  He was a whole quarter of the figures released!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

flashspace2Flash is the final figure from the basic assortment of the Playmates’ Flash Gordon line.  He’s the only duplicated character in the set (though, plans were drawn up for a corresponding Dale figure).  Where the last Flash was based on the character’s rather decade-specific main design from the show, this one’s based on his Flight Suit look, which was a bit more, shall we say timeless?  The figure is a little over 5 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  Amazingly enough, this figure’s sculpt is 100% unique, sharing no parts with the prior Flash.  Even the head, which looks more or less the same, has a slightly different expression.  I actually prefer this head to the other, just because he looks a little less slack-jawed.  The rest of the body is, obviously, new.  It’s noticeably less pre-posed than the regular Flash, which is both a blessing and a curse.  While the more standard pose is a bit more versatile, when coupled with the articulation, it makes him a bit stiffer looking.  It’s not horrible, but if he could have at least gotten the articulation we saw on Ming, I think he could have been far superior.  The actual design is pretty fun, and it translates well two action figure form.  It’s still a little less detailed than I’d like, but it’s not bad, and at the very least he fits in with the rest of the line.  The paintwork on Flash is pretty good.  As with the Playmates Trek figures, the face stands out from the rest by featuring a surprising amount of detail, especially on the eyes.  The body’s far more basic, but the colors are at the very least pretty exciting.  There’s some bleed over here and there, but nothing truly atrocious.  He’s still really shiny, but doesn’t look quite as glazed as some of the others in the series.  Flash included a helmet, a TriBlaster, a communicator, and an AirSled (in a slightly darker red than the normal Flash’s).

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This was my third figure from this line.  I got him from Ageless Heroes’ legendary going-out-of-bustiness sale, around the same time as Ming.  I think it was shortly after I got Ming, truth be told, and I know for a fact it was on a school night, as a reward for finishing up my homework early or something like that (I also got a Black Widow figure at the same time.  Score!).  I got a second of this figure in the set of eight that I picked up last summer.  Ultimately, despite some tiny flaws, I think this is the better of the two Flash’s released in this line.  The design is just better overall, and the final execution just barely nudges past the regular version.  All-in-all, the ‘90s Flash Gordon line is kind of an oddity.  It’s based on a cartoon that almost no one remembers, and the figures are at best a mediocre attempt at translating some of the designs.  The thing the line has going for it is that it’s probably the cheapest way to put together a Flash Gordon set-up.  Ultimately, I’m happy to have them all, but I’ll always wish they were just a bit better.

#1061: Kobalt the Mercenary

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

KOBALT THE MERCENARY

FLASH GORDON (PLAYMATES)

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Flash Gordon is, in many ways, the quintessential space opera.  The characters contained therein pretty much all fit the standard archetypes for such a story. As such, when introducing new characters to the franchise, if you don’t want them to stick out like sore thumbs, they kind of need to fit an archetype too.  Today’s focus, Kobalt, is no exception to that line of thought.  He’s very much the standard villainous gun for hire, sent to chase down the heroes, much in same vein as the likes of Boba Fett and Jubal Early.  So, let’s see how his figure turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

kobalt2Kobalt is yet another of the basic Flash Gordon figures from Playmates.  Also worth noting: he’s the last of the three  villains the line produced.  Yeah, for some strange reason, they didn’t go for the obvious 50/50 split.  The figure stands about 5 1/4 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  He’s one of the few figures in the line not to get the stupid v-hips, which is always a good thing.  Kobalt’s sculpt is decent enough, though nothing particularly amazing.  He’s about on par with Flash and Dale.  The proportions are fine, and he looks like his cartoon counterpart.  That said, the details are all on the more basic side, which makes him look a little less impressive than the likes of Ming and General Lynch.  As it stands he’s accurate to the show, but feels lacking as a figure.  Kobalt’s paintwork is fairly decent, and certainly on par with the rest of the series.  His colors match up with those from the show, and the overall application is pretty clean.  He’s still exceptionally shiny, but at this point, at least he’s consistent.  Kobalt was packed with a Transrupter (whatever that is), an Imperial TranScanner, and an AirSled in a dark red color.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kobalt is yet another figure from the lot of 8 I picked up at a convention last summer.  Like Lynch, he’s not really a character that jumped out at me.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t really remember this guy until I picked up the set of figures.  This figure’s alright, but not anything particularly impressive.   He’s fairly run of the mill for the line.

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