Tag Archives: Hasbro

#0414: Ms. Marvel, Captain America, & Radioactive Man

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MS. MARVEL, CAPTAIN AMERICA, & RADIOACTIVE MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Okay, last day of Marvel Legends reviews this round. But, we’re going out with a bang. Not one, not two, but THREE (count ‘em THREE!) figures this time. Target is doing something of a push for more business in their action figure department, so they’ve just started carrying exclusive sets from Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Infinite Series and Star Wars: the Black Series lines, as well as Playmates’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. I just got the Marvel set, so let’s see how that turned out.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Ms. Marvel, Captain America, and Radioactive Man are part of the exclusive Marvel Legends Infinite Series three-pack currently for sale at Target. Radioactive Man was previously slated for a regular release in the Marvel Legends line before the move to the Infinite Series branding, but he ended up getting cancelled. It’s nice to see him find a place here.

MS. MARVEL

“When her human DNA fused with that of the mighty Kree warrior Mar-Vell, Carol Danvers became the superhuman Ms. Marvel.” This is the star attraction of the set for a lot of people. It’s understandable, given that the character hasn’t seen a figure in this scale since way back in the Toybiz days. That’s a pretty dated figure, and near impossible to find, at that, so a new figure is a great move. The figure is about 6 inches tall and she features 29 points of articulation. She’s depicted here in her second costume, designed by the late Dave Cockrum. It’s generally the design she’s most associated with, and it’s probably one of the better ones. Ms. Marvel’s sculpt is head-to-toe identical to that of the Moonstone figure from the Thunderbolts boxed set. Generally, a complete re-use for a separate character doesn’t work out for the best, but Ms. Marvel and Moonstone have generally been rather similar in looks, so a little bit of paint is enough to make it work. It’s a pretty solid sculpt, with good proportions and movement. In addition to the Moonstone pieces, Ms. Marvel’s also been given a sash add-on, which actually does a nice job hiding the flatness of the lower torso. That was the only real issue with the original sculpt, so it makes the figure even better. The paintwork is, obviously, key on this figure, and for once Hasbro really made it work. Everything is really clean, and all the details are nice and sharp. The gold on the logo in particular looks really nice. About the only issue with the paint is the decision to have the exposed skin go up quite so high on the hips. If the costume came down a bit further, the articulation would be pretty well hidden, but as it is they look a bit unsightly. Ms. Marvel included no accessories, but apart from maybe an energy blast or something, there’s not much that would make sense.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

“Science made Steve Rogers a super-soldier with extraordinary speed, agility, strength, and durability, but it’s his heart that makes him Captain America.” Cap here is kind of the requisite heavy hitter of the set. It’s highly unlikely he’ll have much pull for the set’s intended audience, but he’s kind of unavoidable. The figure is about 6 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation. He’s something of an amalgam of Cap’s various looks over the years. The strongest influence seems to be from the Ultimate universe version of the character, but the color palate is more classically inspired, and the painted on head wings are from the most recent incarnations of the costume. The end result is actually not bad. Like the design, the figure’s pieces are also something of an amalgam of previous figures. Most of the figure is re-used from the most recent Ultimate Cap (Which it should be noted took a lot of its parts from the ML Face-Off version of Punisher). The only pieces not from that figure are the right thigh, which is from the X-Men Marvel Legends Infinite Series Magneto, and the shoulder strap, which is from the ML Commander Rogers figure. The body is a little dated in comparison to some of the more recent stuff, but it’s not terrible. The add-on shoulder strap and belt pieces do a lot to mask some of the flaws, allowing it to serve as a decent mid-way point between the body like we saw on Carnage and the one used for Radioactive Man. I’m still not 100% sold on the head, but it could be worse. It’s just a bit too mean looking. The figure’s paint is pretty solid. Everything is pretty clean. I dig the boldness of the blue. The stars on the shoulders present a bit of an issue with posing, as moving the shoulders causes them to be a bit misaligned. Cap includes his mighty shield and an extra unmasked head. The shield is the same one we’ve seen a few times. It’s a good piece, plus it can be placed on his back, which is cool. The head is a re-use from Commander Rogers. It has a lot of the same issues as the regular head, but at least it matches.

RADIOACTIVE MAN

“A nuclear physicist with his eye on taking over the world, Dr. Chen Lu transformed himself into the walking atomic meltdown known as Radioactive Man.” Not to be confused with the Simpsons character of the same name. Radioactive Man is probably one of the primary reasons for this set’s existence, since I imagine Hasbro didn’t want the sculpt going to waste. The figure is about 6 ½ inches tall and he features 32 points of articulation. He’s based on Radioactive Man’s classic appearance, which is one of my favorites, as goofy as it is. Radioactive Man’s a big guy, and as such he’s built on Hasbro’s new bulky body, which I believe was first used for Hyperion. It’s a pretty good body, especially for larger characters, although the neck might be just a tad too far back. Still, it’s well-proportioned and poses well. Not much else you can ask for. Radioactive Man’s also got a brand new head and an add-on piece for his, uh, skirt. The head is pretty decent, though Hasbro’s male heads are starting to look a bit repetitive. Too many similar features, I guess. The skirt piece is nice, though it can end up being a bit restricting in some poses. Radioactive Man’s paint is pretty decent, if a bit sparse. For the most part he’s molded in translucent green, which is definitely cool. The skirt and boots are molded in s darker, solid green, and the torso’s painted to match. The logo on the chest is clean, which is good. I would have liked it to be more of a yellow, but it looks fine. The only other details are his eyes, which are just simple white. Unfortunately, the left eye on mine is out of place, but it’s not too noticeable. Radioactive Man includes no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Unsurprising for a set that is exclusive to the store, I picked these three up from Target. My brother and I had gone to pick up Lego Batman 3 (which is awesome by the way), and I happened to find this set as well. As luck would have it, I had exactly the right amount of cash on hand to get both. Sure, I don’t really need another Captain America, but this one’s inoffensive and the other two more than make the purchase worth it. Plus, Radioactive Man. How can you say no to Radioactive Man? You just can’t!

#0413: Black Cat – Skyline Sirens

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BLACK CAT – SKYLINE SIRENS

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

So, more Marvel Legends. Alright! Hasbro’s been putting a lot of effort into getting the line running successfully again. Over the summer, they did several series of figures that sorta tied in with this year’s Marvel movies. One of those lines was done to cash in on Amazing Spider-Man 2, and I’ll be looking at Black Cat (essentially Spider-Man’s version of Catwoman) from that series. Like Carnage, she was a figure that eluded me for a while, but I was finally able to track one down.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Cat is part of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends Infinite Series, officially released under the name “Skyline Sirens.” She was replaced in later shipments by the other Skyline Sirens figure, Spider-Girl, which led to some scarcity for a while. Fortunately, it seems Hasbro has started shipping out Black Cat again. Black Cat is a little over 6 inches tall and she sports 29 points of articulation. I’m not incredibly well versed in the looks of Black Cat over the years, but this figure seems to be based on the “classic” design of the character. It’s a look not seen on her previous figures, but it’s what I think of when I think of the character. Anyway, the figure makes use of Hasbro’s new larger female base body, originally used on Moonstone in the Thunderbolts boxed set. It’s not a bad body, though it’s not quite as well-proportioned as the slightly more modest body used for Spider-Girl. The biggest issue is that the lower torso, which looks fine from the front, but is oddly flat from the side. They’ve also elected to give her high-heeled shoes, which are annoying, especially when trying to get her to stand. You really have to question the practicality of a cat burglar wearing high heels. The Cat has a unique head, upper torso, lower arms, hands, and lower legs. They’re all pretty solid sculpts, especially the head. Hasbro’s recent trend of female figures that actually have attractive head sculpts is a very refreshing change for Marvel Legends. Like so many other Hasbro figures, the paint is where things get iffy. However, to their credit, this figure’s problems aren’t with sloppy lines or bleed over. Everything is actually pretty clean. The real issue is the blue was that’s been done on the white areas. It’s just too heavy, especially on her hair, which ends up looking like some wacky dye job. Black Cat includes a whip (which is honestly more Catwoman’s speed, but whatever) as well as the requisite Ultimate Green Goblin piece (the torso, if anyone’s curious).

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I found Black Cat at the same K-Mart where I picked up Carnage and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Minimates. Ha ha! I successfully vanquished my arch-nemesis The Scalper! Take that vile villain! …*ahem* Anyway, I’m glad to finally have the figure. While she doesn’t wow me quite as much as Spider-Girl did, but she’s still a really strong figure. Let’s hope Hasbro can continue with their upward trend.

#0412: Carnage – Spawn of Symbiotes

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CARNAGE – SPAWN OF SYMBIOTES

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

There have been quite a few Minimates reviews as of late on this site, as well as a surprising number of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reviews. So, now for something slightly different. The next couple of days are going to be Marvel Legends related. Fun fun fun.

Today, I’ll be looking at Carnage, a figure that eluded me for a while and led me to go off on one of my angry rants. Fortunately, today’s review is rather free from ranting. ….Yay!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Carnage was released as part of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends Infinite Series. His official name within the context of the series is “Spawn of Symbiotes,” a name he shared with Toxin, who replaced Carnage in later shipments of the series. It seems Hasbro has flipped back again, resulting in a plentiful supply of Carnage once more. Carnage is about 6 ¼ inches tall and he features 32 points of articulation. This figure depicts Carnage as he’s best known: bright red and covered in tendrils. The figure makes use of the current standard mid-sized body Hasbro’s been using, which first cropped up on their Bucky Cap figure from a few years ago. There are a few minor issues with it (I’m still a bit weirded out by the veins right at the start of the shoulders), but overall it’s a pretty great base body, and it’s a definite improvement on the ones we’ve seen in years past. The figure’s lower arms and legs have been tweaked to allow for the attachment of Carnage’s trademark tendrils. The transition from limb to tendril could be a bit smoother, but it’s not so jarring as to ruin the figure. As far as new pieces, Carnage gets an all new head and hands, as well as another tendril attachment which plugs into his back. The head is a fantastic piece, and it really captures Carnage well. The hands are just basic spikey, clawed hands, but they do that well. The tendril piece is alright, but it seems to have been slightly malformed by the package, so it’s always hanging in his face. Carnage’s paint is a lot cleaner than a lot of recent Hasbro figures, but I feel it’s also not quite as interesting. It’s not bad, but it seems just a touch too simple. Previous Carnage figures benefited from the symbiote’s texture being sculpted, which is less of an option in this day and age. Still, the black details could be a little more interesting. Carnage, or rather, Spawn of Symbiote is packed with the head and, uh… back flames (?) of the series Build-A-Figure Ultimate Green Goblin.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After much searching and a run in with my sworn nemesis, The Scalper!, I finally was able to track down Carnage at a K-Mart in a town I was visiting while my mom and brother were doing a run (Incidentally, it’s the same K-Mart where I got my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Minimates). I’ve only ever been a moderate fan of Carnage, but for whatever reason, this figure just really appeals to me. He’s a solid design, and a pretty solid execution. I just wish he’d been a little easier to find.

#0376: Superior Spider-Man

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SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINTE SERIES

Alright, well it looks like the horror stuff is taking a break for a little while. So, why not return to what I know best: Super Heroes! And if we’re going with Super Heroes, why not go with Marvel, cuz they’re kind of on top right now! And if you’re going with Marvel, why not one of their top characters of all-time, Spider-Man!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Superior Spider-Man was released as part of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends Infinite Series. For next year, Hasbro should really look into shortening the ML names a bit. They’re a bit long-winded. Anyway, Superior Spider-Man is one of the mainstay figures from this series, which means that unlike the previously reviewed Spider-Girl and Boomerang, he’s not a replacement, nor was he replaced by another figure. The figure is about 6 inches tall and he sports 32 points of articulation. As the name denotes, he’s based on the “Superior” version of Spider-Man, which was he looked like when Dr. Octopus took over his mind. Specifically, he’s based on the second Superior costume, which itself was based on Alex Ross’s proposed design for the first Spider-Man movie. As far as I can tell, Spidey’s a new sculpt. I feel like I’ve seen the body before, but I can’t quite place it. At the very least, the head and hands are new. The body sculpt is pretty good. It’s nicely proportioned and well-articulated, which is always a good combination. The head and hands are obviously a bit more character-specific, and they are both handled very nicely. The head is simple, but right on the mark, which can be tricky with some Spider-Man figures. The basic hands are just in a loose gripping pose, which isn’t too bad, I suppose. The figure’s paint isn’t really up to the sculpt. It’s not a huge surprise on a Hasbro offering, but it’s still a shame. The figure has a fair bit of slop and fuzzy lines, and even a few spots of uneven paint. The worst of it is his web pattern, which is not as straight as it should be. Still, viewed as a whole, the paint doesn’t look terrible, so it could be worse. Spidey included a spare set of hands in the trademark Spidey pose, as well as the right leg of Ultimate Green Goblin, the Build-A-Figure for this series. I don’t really want this particular BAF, but somehow I keep ending up with pieces of him…

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This particular Spider-Man was a gift from my Super Awesome Girlfriend, who just keeps up living to the name. While visiting her for the weekend, I had seen the figure and decided not to get it due to not having the money. She came up to visit me three weeks later with this figure in tow. She’s really too supportive of my insane hobby! The figure isn’t without issues, but it’s really a fun figure, and it’s one of the better Spider-Men to see release in recent years!

#0367: Zauriel

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ZAURIEL

JLA (HASBRO)

In the 80s, DC Super Powers came onto the scene and made its mark as the definitive DC toyline. Most DC collectors tend to agree that the spot was usurped by DC Universe Classics just a few short years ago. In the time between those lines, there were a few attempts to recapture the magic of Super Powers. The first was Batman: Total Justice, a line that featured a few Justice League members and villains, while also trying to cash in on Batman’s popularity. Sadly, it only lasted two series before ending. A few years later, another attempt was made, this time under the title JLA. It made use of many of the Total Justice sculpts and added a variety of new characters. The character Hawkman was originally present in Total Justice, but at the time of JLA, several botched reboots let to him being deemed “off-limits.” This led to the creation off Zauriel, who filled Hawkman’s position as dude with wings, both in the comics and in the toyline.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Zauriel was released in the 3rd series of JLA. At the time, the line was exclusive to KB Toys. Zauriel is 5 inches in height and he features 7 points of articulation (courtesy of the wings). Zauriel is shown in his armored look, which was the look he was sporting in the JLA comics at the time. While many of the figures in JLA made use of old parts, Zauriel is mostly a new sculpt. The only pieces re-used are the wings, originally used on the Total Justice Hawkman. The sculpt is okay, but not spectacular. Total Justice figures were infamously pre-posed, and this was passed on to JLA. Zauriel stays true to this trend. His legs are rather oddly posed, and the proportions are a bit strange looking. Aesthetically, the sculpt isn’t bad. The armor is pretty well detailed, and the wings look tremendous. The paint on Zauriel is pretty decent. Everything is cleanly applied; there’s no real issues with slop or bleed over. Zauriel included a fiery sword and a JLA logo display stand in white.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Zauriel is a more recent addition to my collection. For whatever reason, I never bought this figure while it was still at retail. I remember seeing it a few times, but I never bought him. I guess I just was unfamiliar with the character. I can’t say I’m super familiar with the character even now, but my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, had one marked down to $2.99 the other day. For that price, I figured it was worth it to get one of the few JLA figures I was still missing. Zauriel isn’t really a standout figure or anything, but he’s a decent enough figure.

#0350: Darth Vader

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DARTH VADER

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

Okay, so right off the bat, I’m sure my loyal readers are a little confused by today’s Figure in Question. I’m at another 50 mark with no High End review? Well, for the first 300 reviews, getting through another 50 was noteworthy. Past 300, it’s far too frequent. So, from here on out I’ll be saving those reviews for the every hundred. Okay, on to the actual review stuff.

Since the beginning of Star Wars: The Black Series, there’s been one key player obviously missing: Darth Vader. His absence from the line was a bit shocking to see, given he’s one of the signature characters of the series and he’s generally been Hasbro’s bread and butter. The prevailing rumor was that Hasbro was holding off on Vader until they had gotten a few series in, so they could get him right. Well, here we are, five series in, and we’ve finally gotten a Vader figure. So, did they get him right? The results are…mixed.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Darth Vader was released in the fifth series of Star Wars: The Black Series. Just like Luke, Vader’s number shows that Hasbro has reset the numbering on the figures. He’s figure #02, a number previously held by the X-Wing Pilot Luke from the first series. If I’m correct in my thinking, this is meant to be Vader from Return of the Jedi, though it’s possible he’s an amalgamation of the Empire and Jedi looks. That’s what Sideshow did with their Vader, so there’s precedent. Regardless, the differences are minor, so only a die-hard fan will really notice. The figure is about 6 ½ inches in height and features 26 points of articulation. The figure features a mix of sculpted pieces and cloth goods to convey his design. Let’s look at the sculpt first. Overall, the sculpted work on this figure is pretty good. The proportions of the body look right for the character, and there’s some very nice stitched ribbing on his arms, legs and torso. There have been some complaints about the pose of the left hand, but I think it looks really great, and it adds a bit more uniqueness to Vader. The figure has been given a two-piece, removable helmet, like in the movie. The underlying head sculpt is a pretty good approximation of Sebastian Shaw. The eyebrows aren’t painted, so it’s technically Special Edition-ed , but they’re sculpted, so you could paint them if you so desire. The helmet is really the sculpt’s downfall. It’s not bad, per say, but it’s just off enough to fall short of what Vader should look like. To their credit, the helmet pieces snap together really well, and the assembled helmet has no trouble staying on the head. If you don’t want to take the helmet off, you never have to. However, the shape of the assembled helmet is just off enough to throw the whole figure off-kilter. The real issue is that the helmet is just too short and squat for Vader’s helmet in the movie. It’s minor, but when you’re dealing with a design this distinctive you can’t afford to be even the slightest bit off. It’s kinda like messing up Mickey Mouse’s ears, or Superman’s shorts (okay, bad example). If the helmet is the downfall of the sculpt, the cloth goods are the downfall of the figure as a whole. Cloth goods on smaller scale figures are something of a polarizing issue. I don’t mind them when they’re done right, but that’s not here. The major issue here is that the pieces have just been cut WAY too big. The skirt hangs too far in front of his legs, going past the sculpted slot by a good ¼ inch on either side. It also is far too long, leading to it dragging at his feet. The cape isn’t quite as bad. It’s still too long, and it sits too low on his shoulders, but it does have a nice chain clasp, and it looks okay with some good futzing. The paint on Vader is nothing too exciting. It’s clean. Some people dislike the red eyes, but they aren’t that noticeable in person. Vader’s sole accessory is his red lightsaber. It’s well sculpted, and it fits nicely in his right hand, but the blade in mine has trouble staying attached.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Vader was acquired from the same Walgreens where I got Luke, which I was taken to while visiting my Super Awesome Girlfriend (love you!). Vader is a confusing figure. Honestly, he’s not that bad. Were this quality applied to any other character from the franchise, it’d be fine. But this is Vader. This is the guy you have to get right! If he’s not right, it throws the whole collection off. I understand that Hasbro wanted to bring their A-game to this figure, which is why he was pushed to a later series. But, the issue that seems to be cropping up here is that the quality of the line is falling, rather than rising, with each subsequent series. Vader and Luke aren’t bad figures at all, and I don’t regret getting them. I’m incredibly happy have both of them. Still, they could have been better, and that’s a shame.

Well, I said I wasn’t doing a Deluxe review, but I’ve actually written a regular review that’s about the same length. How about that?

#0349: Luke Skywalker

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LUKE SKYWALKER

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

I’d be lying if I said my interest in Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series hadn’t waned a bit. Following the first and second series, I was incredibly excited for the line and eager to see what more the line would offer. However, with the long waiting periods between each series, as well as some cuts in the accessories included with each figure, plus a lack of interest in any of the figures in the fourth series on my part, I’ve become more… moderate in my interest. Still, the more recent Speeder Bike did reinvigorate my interest a bit. In an odd turn of events, Walgreens has begun carrying their own action figure exclusives, and in addition to one exclusive figure, they are also getting the newest series of The Black Series before other stores. Today, I’ll be looking at the most recent figure of Luke Skywalker.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke was released in the fifth series of Star Wars: The Black Series. It looks as though Hasbro has reset the numbering on the figures, as Luke is listed as #03, which was previously the number given to the Sandtrooper from series one. He’s based on Luke’s Jedi master look from Return of the Jedi, specifically from the second half of the film, after he’s lost the vest. It’s an important look for Luke, so we were bound to get him sooner or later. The figure is a little shy of 6 inches in height and he features 27 points of articulation. I’m glad to see they’ve gone back to the usual mix of one forward/back and one left/right joint for his wrists, rather than the two forward back we saw on Bespin Luke. The figure is has no boot cuts, which is a bit limiting, but not terrible. The figure’s sculpt is all-new, and it’s not bad. At first glance, it seems he’s too skinny, but a quick look at some pictures of Hamill from the film show it’s accurate. There’s a lot of great detail work in his uniform, with lots of folds and wrinkles for texture, which is great. The likeness on this figure is better than that of Bespin Luke, but I can’t help but feel the actually quality of the sculpt isn’t quite as good. It feels like the details aren’t as sharp on this one. But, it’s hard to tell because of: The Paint! Yeah, the paint on this figure is definitely a step down from previous releases. The colors are a lot flatter, the hair doesn’t quite stay in the sculpted lines, and then there are the pupils. Apparently, this figure is meant to depict Luke shortly after a trip to the eye doctor, because those pupils are seriously dilated. With some slight improvements to the paint, the sculpt would probably be shown off much better. Luke includes his green lightsaber from Jedi and an alternate front to his torso with the flap folded down. The lightsaber is nice, but the package has left it slightly warped. The alternate flap is a nice touch, and it allows for some variance in the display options.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, as you probably figured out from the intro, I got this Luke figure from Walgreens. There are actually no Walgreens nearby, so I figured I’d just wait till the proper release. However, I was visiting my Super Awesome Girlfriend for the weekend, and I noticed a Walgreens not far from her campus. Living up to her name, she insisted we go there. So, I found Luke and Vader there, which was definitely cool. The figure isn’t flawless, and I’m beginning to grow weary of the endless Luke variants, but he’s not bad overall. It’s an important look for the character, and it’s a decent enough figure. If Hasbro could work on improving the paint work and perhaps start giving the figures a few more accessories, he’d be even better!

#0347: Snake Eyes & Agent Scarlett

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SNAKE EYES & AGENT SCARLETT

GI JOE VS COBRA

In 1965, Hasbro invented the action figure with the very first GI Joe. The figure offered a take on the traditional doll idea, but meant for boys. He was 12 inches tall, had a cloth outfit, and was a pretty straight forward military man, offered in a variation for each of the four branches of the US military. After the end of the Vietnam War, soldiers and war were seen in a more negative light, so Hasbro had to change things up. This led to the Adventure Team era, which prevailed for most of the 70s. At the end of the decade, they faced another issue. Thanks to Kenner’s smaller scale Star Wars line, the industry was moving to smaller, less accessorized figures. Hasbro had to move quickly to reinvigorate GI Joe for a new audience, leading to the creation of GI Joe: A Real American Hero, which reworked the scale and made the line a collection of unique characters. It also provided the Joes with their first real foe, Cobra. It has remained the definitive take on the GI Joe concept pretty much since its inception. While the line never went away, after the 80s the line dwindled, until it was once again re-worked in 2002. That’s when I came on board. The line operated mostly on new sculpts, but there were a few re-releases mixed in. Today, I’ll be looking at one such release, with Joe mainstays Snake Eyes and Scarlett.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

This pair was released as an exclusive two-pack through Toyfare magazine. They were meant to tie-in with the then current GI Joe VS Cobra.

SNAKE EYES

This is the 15th version of the ever silent ninja/commando/everything but the kitchen sink, Snake Eyes! Snake Eyes is 3 ¾ inches in height and he features 14 points of articulation. He’s meant to be a slightly more high quality recreation of the very first Snake Eyes figure, so he unsurprisingly used a lot of the same pieces. He’s mostly built out of the version 1.5, after Hasbro added the now standard swivels to his biceps, but instead of the original, he’s been given that of the second version of Roadblock. Not sure why that is, but I assume Hasbro had a good reason. Anyway, it’s a pretty great sculpt, even if it does show its age just a little. Obviously, it’s a tad more simplistic than most modern day sculpts, but that’s not too bad. He still has his fair share of detail, and he looks pretty great! The paint is a key point on this figure, as the original Snake Eyes didn’t actually have any. For this one, they’ve added some additional details to the various pouches and straps on the body to give him a little more variety. There is also a shade of very dark gray applied to the visor on his head, which was so subtle I almost didn’t notice it at first. Overall, the paint is pretty good, but there are a few areas where he has some bleed over. Snake Eyes included a submachine gun, a sword, some explosives, and a back pack, which a pretty impressive accessories compliment!

AGENT SCARLETT

This is the 6th version of Scarlett, or Agent Scarlett as she’s called here. She’s 3 ¾ inches in height and she has 14 points of articulation. Like Snake Eyes, she’s meant as a recreation of the original Scarlett figure from way back in the very first series of GI Joe: A Real American Hero. The figure is a complete re-use of swivel-armed version of the original figure, which is reasonable. Admittedly, the Scarlett sculpt is not as nice as Snake Eyes. Her arms sit a little bit far out at the shoulders, and the face is rather on the mannish side. It’s not terrible, but it’s not the greatest. The paint on Scarlett is a bit more intensive than that on Snake Eyes. All in all, it’s pretty good. There’s no real slop or bleed over, so that’s good. They’ve also made her a bit more colorful than her original incarnation, which is probably for the best. Scarlett comes armed with a crossbow and two swords, as well as a backpack.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

GI Joe was mostly in a lull when I came into the world of action figure collecting. As such, my first real introduction to the property was GI Joe VS Cobra. Once I had gotten the newer figures, I began looking into the older figures, particularly those of Snake Eyes. Thanks to an article run in Toyfare magazine, I learned of the second version of the character, which I really wanted. It didn’t prove easy to find, so I had to go without it until recently.

In the meantime, I purchased this set from Toyfare to hold me over. I remember being extremely excited when I first saw the order form in the issue in which they were offered! My always supportive Mom was feeling particularly awesome, so she ordered the set for me. Since then, it’s easily remained one of my favorite pieces of my GI Joe collection. It’s a great set and I really love it!

#0336: Marvel’s Wonder Man

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MARVEL’S WONDER MAN

AVENGERS INFINITE

WonderManAI1

Is a rather commonly known fact that death in comics is far from a permanent thing. Characters die and come back at the drop of a hat. In some cases, the same character will do this several times. The usual go to example of such a character is Jean Grey, but in reality Jean’s only actually died and come back once. A great example is Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man (or Marvel’s Wonder Man, as the packaging would lead you to believe), a character who has died and returned no less than three times, which is actually impressive for a character who is relatively minor. When Kurt Busiek brough Simon back to life from his second death, he was given an extra set of “Ionic Powers” which manifested as a cool new energy look, just ripe for the toy form! This look was recently brought into toy form for the second time in Hasbro’s Avengers Infinite line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

WonderManAI3Wonder Man was released as part of the fourth series of Avengers Infinite. He is the only actual Avenger in the line-up, so I guess he’s just there to maintain the name. The figure is about 4 inches in height and features 22 points of articulation. As mentioned in the intro, he’s based on the Ionic version of the character, which is what he looks like when he’s directly channeling his Ionic powers. Essentially, what this boils down to is that he’s a basic Wonder Man molded in a translucent blue/purple plastic. The figure is, head-to-toe, a complete re-use of the previous Wonder Man, released in the Marvel Universe line. Since I haven’t reviewed that figure yet, I may as well talk about the sculpt here. He makes use of the basic “larger male” buck that Hasbro used on the Wrecking Crew and the like, with the addition of a new head, plus wrist band and belt add-ons to make the figure more Wonder Man-specific. The body is one of the better base bodies that the MU line had to offer, and it’s a pretty good fit for Wonder Man. The head is a pretty great piece, and it captures Wonder Man’s personality pretty well. Technically, the belt and wrist bands aren’t accurate to the look, as they aren’t visible in his Ionic form, and they are even absent on all of the prototype shots, but here they are on the final figure. It’s hard to be mad at them for including extra pieces, but it does seem odd that they’d make use of unnecessary pieces. The figure features minimal paint, with details only for his eyes and logo. The eyes are clean, but the logo shows some pretty bad slop, especially on the shoulders. Wonder Man includes no accessories, but I can’t really think of anything he would need. Maybe a stand? Or a pointless missile launcher!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Kurt Busiek’s run on Avengers began just as I was starting to read comics on my own. I knew most of the characters already, but I didn’t know Wonder Man until Busiek brought him back. He quickly became one of my favorite Avengers, and in the last 20 years, I’ve managed to acquire every single figure of him. Okay, so there are only eight of them, but it’s still a thing. The MU version was my favorite version of the character for a while, so I certainly don’t mind having another figure built from the same pieces. Plus, he’s got that whole translucent plastic going for him, which is always cool! All in all, he’s a pretty cool figure, and he’s helped by the fact that he’s really the only new figure in series four.

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#0335: Pit Droids

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

PIT DROIDS

STAR WARS 30th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

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So, umm… run down on the Star Wars stuff I mentioned before. Prequels bad. Originals good. Toys for both. There, up to speed?

Amazingly enough, I actually don’t hate The Phantom Menace as much as the other two. It’s still not great, but I can find things to enjoy about it. The lack of a certain Hayden Christiansen really helps. Anyway, the wonders of CGI meant that we got to see some pretty decent designs that wouldn’t have otherwise been brought to life. One such design was that of the Pit Droids, the little droids that worked in Watto’s shop and on the Pod Race track (incidentally, two of my least favorite places/sequences in the movie, but not at the fault of the Pit Droids). Today, I’ll be looking at a pair of those droids.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

PitDriodsWilsonThe Pit Droids were released in the Fan’s Choice assortment of the 2007 series of the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Collection. The figures are about 2 ½ inches in height and the each feature 5 points of articulation. Both Pit Droids in the set make use of the same sculpt, so I’ll just be examining it once. They are a total re-use of the Bonus Pit Droids that were released in place of the comm-tech cards included with Phantom Menace figures in countries that weren’t carrying the comm-tech reader. The figures never saw a domestic release, so it was nice for Hasbro to get them out to those that missed out. It’s a pretty decent sculpt, and seems to accurately translate the Droid design to the toy form. They seem to be a little on the large side based on the scale in the movie, but it isn’t too far off. The Pit Droids were available in three different color schemes. I got the orange/white scheme, which is the one I preferred and coincidentally the one I found. The paintwork is pretty decent. It’s cleanly applied and there aren’t any noticeable instances of bleed over or slop. Like the different color schemes, there were also different accessories offered with the figures. This particular set included a silver power converter, as well as metal coin with a Phantom Menace related design on it, denoting these figures as Fan’s Choice.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I like the Pit Droids, but given their absence from The Phantom Menace toyline, by the time they were actually released I was mostly out of collecting prequel figures. My ability to resist figures severely lowers when the figures are on sale, so when my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, marked all of their Star Wars figures down to $3.99, I was kinda roped in. It’s a nice little set, and if you like the Pit Droids, you’ll like these.

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