Tag Archives: Hasbro

#0223: Red Skull – Agents of Hydra

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

RED SKULL – AGENTS OF HYDRA

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

RedSkull

Nazis. I hate these guys.

Today, It’s another figure from Hasbro’s most recent round of Marvel Legends. This one once again draws from the comics side of things, presenting us with another take on Captain America’s #1 foe, the Red Skull. Let’s get to the review!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Red Skull, or “Agents of Hydra” as he is officially called, was released in the first series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. Like Zemo, he was released again in the second series. He is shares the “Agents of Hydra” title with an actual Hydra Agent. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and features 31 points of articulation. He seems to be based on the Skull’s appearance from the Mid-90s, during Mark Waid’s run in the Heroes Return era. He’s based on Hasbro’s Trench-coat buck. This is my first run in with the body, and I have to say I’m not impressed, especially when it’s compared to the other body’s used in this series. From a sculpt stand point, it’s not the worst. It has some decent textures, and it looks okay just standing there. However, the articulation is awkward at best, especially the legs and shoulders, which seem impossible to get into a natural position. The trench coat is an add-on piece, and they’ve also stuck a shoulder holster under it. I think the figure actually looks a bit better without the holster piece on. One thing I do really like is his head, which is a really great sculpt, with lots of character. The paint work is actually pretty clean on this figure, though that might be due to his more simplistic paint scheme. The Skull includes a red pistol, some strange laser gun thing, a Cosmic Cube, and the left arm of the Mandroid. The pistol can fit snuggly in either of the Skull’s holsters, with the laser thing can fit in neither, leaving him with an empty one. The Cube is really cool, even if it is just a clear blue plastic cube. It’s the little things, you know?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Red Skull was amongst the Series Two set I received from Big Bad Toystore. Like Zemo, I had initially planned on getting his swap figure, the Hydra Agent, instead of him. But, he was in the set, so here he is. My opinion hasn’t drastically changed for the Skull like it did with Zemo, but he’s an alright figure. I don’t regret owning him. If you get him into an okay standing pose, he looks fairly intimidating, and he is the best available version of Cap’s arch enemy.

#0222: Black Widow

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

BLACK WIDOW

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

BlackWidow2(Long)

Toy companies have long insisted that female action figures don’t sell as well as male action figures. So, their response to fan demand is usually one of two things: they shortpack the figure, making it impossible to find, or they put no effort into the figure, making it a monstrosity nobody wants. Or they do both (case in point: Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch. Eughhh…). These actions lead to female figures not selling as well, which leads to companies saying they don’t sell well, which leads to shortpacking and poor figures. Which leads to, you guessed it, bad sales. It’s one of those self-fulfilling prophecy things.

Anyway, this mentality lead to Black Widow being the only team member absent from Hasbro’s 6-inch scale Avengers line, meant to tie-in with the 2012 movie. It was really annoying, but Hasbro said they’d make it up to us. When the Captain America: The Winter Soldier figures were announced, they informed us that Widow would be including two heads, so she could be displayed from either movie. How could it go wrong? Well, Hasbro decided to pack Widow one per-case. For a ratio, there are eight figures in a case, and three of them are Captain America. To make matters worse, Widow included the most essential piece to the line’s Mandroid Build-A-Figure. Fortunately, Hasbro seems to be learning, and has announced that they will be sending out revision cases with Cap, Widow, and Winter Soldier all evenly packed. Maybe their starting to get it…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Widow was released in the second series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. The figure stands a little under 6 inches tall and has 24 points of articulation. She’s actually a bit too tall, which is the reverse of the problem that most female figures suffer from. It doesn’t ruin the figure, but she’s almost as tall as Cap, and there’s a difference of almost a foot between Scarlet Johansen and Chris Evans in real life. The figure appears to have a brand new sculpt, and it’s a very nice sculpt at that. I’m not sure if I like the body sculpt quite as much as Hasbro’s Spider-Girl sculpt, but it’s a very close second. Like that figure, she has very nice, mostly realistic proportions. Her stance is perhaps a bit too wide, but other than that, everything looks pretty good. The basic TWS head is a great sculpt, and it looks pretty much spot on to what Ms. Johansen looked like in the movie. The long hair is a little bit restricting to the neck articulation, but that’s understandable given the style. It certainly isn’t as bad as it could have been. In the paint department, Black Widow lucks out compared to the previous two figures I’ve looked at. There’s still a bit of bleed over in a few spots, but she seems to have less of the fuzzy lines and slop of the other two. She includes an extra Avengers-styled head, an extra set of trigger finger hands, and the Mandroid torso. The head is a nice touch, given Widow’s absence from the 6-inch Avengers line and the closeness of the costumes. It looks like the same face with new hair, and it looks pretty good, though the hair might be sitting a smidge too high on her forehead.Widow also includes two pistols…sculpted into their holsters. Remember how I said she had trigger fingers? Yeah, she has nothing to hold in them. It’s seriously disappointing and mars an otherwise great figure.

BlackWidow3(Long)  BlackWidow1(Short) BlackWidow(Short)

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Widow was part of my set of Series Two figures from Big Bad Toystore. She is the primary reason I bought the set, as I wasn’t going to fork over almost $60 for just her. She definitely lives up to the hype she’s gotten. It’s a great representation of Widow. She’s a great action figure in general. This is the second Hasbro female I’ve given that assessment is the last week. They’re definitely on to something here! However, the figure is hurt by the lack of firearms. I ended up finding a suitable handgun in my spare parts bin, but not everyone has a spare parts bin.

CapTrio

#0221: Baron Zemo – Soldier of A.I.M.

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

BARON ZEMO – SOLDIERS OF A.I.M.

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

ZemoII

If you’d told me a few years ago that two of my favorite lines of toys (Star Wars: The Black Series and Marvel Legends Infinite Series) would be coming from Hasbro, I’d have laughed in your face. I’ve never hated Hasbro or anything, and I’ve been pretty happy with their work on Marvel Universe, but they’ve never been known for anything downright outstanding. In the past year, they’ve really stepped it up in terms of sculpts, articulation, accessories, and general quality of figures. Sure, they’ve had a few missteps (re-packing Han in the third series of SWB instead of an extra Stormtrooper; making Black Widow, the Hydra Agent, and the A.I.M. Soldier one per case), but they do seem to be learning, and they actually are trying to make up for some of their failures. That’s down right admirable, especially after years of dealing with Mattel…

Today, I’ll be reviewing Baron Zemo from their recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series. Unlike yesterday’s Cap, he’s based on a comic design, and if you’d like to know more about him, head over to the Backstories section!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Baron Zemo, or “Soldiers of A.I.M.” as he’s officially named, is part of the first series of Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinite Series and is also in the first revision case featuring series two. He is a swap figure with the A.I.M. Soldier, hence the name. The figure is a little over 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation. He’s based on Zemo’s more recent appearances. It’s honestly not far off from his classic design, sans the fur-lined boots and shoulders. The figure is built on Hasbro’s medium male buck, with flared boots and gloves. He also gets a new head and add-ons for his shoulder holsters and his belt/loincloth. The head is a perfect representation of Zemo’s look in the comics, and the body and add-ons look great too. I quite like the “Z”s embroidered on his holsters. They’re a nice touch. Like STRIKE Suit Captain America, the figure’s sculpt is let down a bit by some rocky paint apps. The forearms have been molded in yellow and painted purple, and not only did they miss some of the spots closer to the gloves, the paint also seems to be a bit too thin, allowing the yellow plastic to bleed through. The edge of the mask also has some pretty fuzzy lines, the whites of the eyes aren’t quite in line with the sculpt, and his crown piece isn’t totally painted. None of these are major issues, but they are annoying, and they detract from an otherwise great figure. Zemo includes a pistol, a sword, and the right arm of the Mandroid. I’ll be taking a look at the Mandroid after everyone else is reviewed, which leaves the gun and sword. The sword sadly suffers from similar bleed through issues to the forearms, but it fits well in his hand, and can also be slipped through the loop on his belt. The pistol is a nice piece, which has some great painted details. Sadly, he’ll be forced to always hold it, because both of his holsters have permanently sculpted guns. Drat it!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Zemo was part of the set of Series two figures I received from Big Bad Toystore. I wasn’t sure I was going to get him at first, as I wanted the A.I.M. Soldier a bit more. However, he was in the set, and I figured why not? I’m glad that was my attitude on the figure. Paint issues aside, he’s a great figure, and a very welcome addition to anyone’s Captain America shelf.

#0220: Captain America – S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA – STRIKE SUIT

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITY SERIES

CapStrikeSuit1

It’s still early into the summer movie season, but I think it’s going to be hard to topple Captain America: The Winter Soldier from its spot at the top of my list. The movie really resonated with me, and unsurprisingly, I wanted all my favorite characters from it in action figure form. I already picked up and reviewed three of the smaller scale figures, and the Minimates are still a little ways out, but the ones I was really interested in getting were Hasbro’s 6-inch scale versions, released as part of their latest incarnation of Marvel Legends. I finally managed to get a set, and today I’ll be starting my reviews off with the main man himself, Captain America! Foes who oppose the shield, you’d best prepare to yield!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cap was released as part of the second series of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Legends Infinity Series. Man, is that a long name! He’s presented here in his S.T.R.I.K.E Team suit from The Winter Soldier. That suit is in turn based on Cap’s Commander Rodgers from the time he was Director of SHIELD for a while in the comics. The figure stands a bit over 6 inches tall and sports 32 points of articulation. The figure features an all new sculpt, and it’s a really good one at that. The body has excellent proportions, and the uniform has a great variety of textures, just the real thing. The main head sculpt (the helmeted one) is a very nice piece of work. The face isn’t spot on to Chris Evans, but it’s a decent attempt, and the helmet looks pretty much spot-on to the one featured in the movie. The figure also sports an add-on belt piece, which aids in giving the figure a bit more dimension. The paint work doesn’t quite live up to the sculpt. There are a few noticeable spots of bleed over, though there doesn’t seem to be any outright slop. There are still some nice touches, such as the American flag and “ROGERS” name tag on his left shoulder, and the SHIELD logo on his right shoulder. These could have easily been overlooked, but their inclusion really adds to the figure. Cap is quite well accessorized, with an extra unmasked head, saluting and pointing hands, his mighty shield, and the right leg to this line’s Build-A-Figure, the Mandroid. The extra head is nice, though it looks even less like Evans than the main sculpt. The extra hands add a bit of extra character, and I especially love the pointing finger. It’s got a lot of possible uses. I’ll be covering the Mandroid after the rest of the reviews are done, which just leaves the shield. It’s a well sculpted piece, but it does seem a bit large for Cap. Not too much, but still noticeable. Also, they’ve gone with the all blue look, which I suppose goes with the costume, but given that it’s only in one scene of the movie, it would have been nice to get a regularly colored version.

CapStrikeSuit2 CapStrikeSuit3 CapStrikeSuit4

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I received Cap and the rest of Series 2 from Big Bad Toystore just the other day. I’ve had the set pre-ordered for a while in order to insure I got all three of the movie related figures. Cap is a really good figure, and one of the best Captain America figures that Hasbro has produced. I’d love to see this level of detail applied to a more classic Cap design. Still, I loved this design in the movie, and I’m glad to have a top-notch figure of it in my collection.

#0219: Roadblock, Beach Head & Kamakura

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

ROADBLOCK, BEACH HEAD, & KAMAKURA

GI JOE RETALIATION

NinjaDojo3pack(Retalliation)

Two G.I. Joe reviews in a row?  What are the odds?  Well, G.I. Joe’s are about 5% of my collection, so take of that what you will.  This time around, the figures are from the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the second like-action movie based on the Real American Hero incarnation of the franchise.  Retaliation wasn’t by any means a good movie, but it did have its enjoyable moments.  Also, being a toy movie, there were toys.  In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a sucker for toys!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Roadblock, Beach Head, and Kamakura were released in the Ninja Dojo three-pack.  The set was part of the first set of offerings released to tie-in with the movie.  Thanks to Paramount’s decision to move the film’s release back, the set ended up on shelves almost a year before the film’s release.

ROADBLOCK

RoadBlock(Retalliation)

Roadblock is the only figure in the set actually based on a character from the movie.  However, he doesn’t appear to be based on any of the character’s looks in the movie.  The figure stands just over 4 inches tall and features 16 points of articulation.  Hasbro seems to have decided to rid some of their figures of a few points of articulation, and Roadblock is one of them.  He’s got single jointed knees and no ankle articulation, which greatly limits the figure.  The figure’s sculpt is shared with the regular line’s release of Roadblock, with a new right hand.  The sculpt looks okay overall, and does bare a passing resemblance to Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, who played Roadblock in the film.  The paint is my biggest issue with the figure.  Everything is cleanly applied, but there’s one glaring problem:  he’s waaaay too pale.  Roadblock is very definitely supposed to be black, and this guy definitely isn’t.  It’s very distracting.  In addition to the coloring issue, they’ve also turned his goatee into more of a subtle stubble (that’s kind of a neat term.  Subtle stubble.  I should make that a thing.)  The figure comes packed with a rifle, a mini-gun, ammo, and an ammo box. (The nun-chucks are actually Kamakura’s, but I put them in Roadblock’s picture.  Oops!)

BEACH HEAD

BeachHead(Retalliation) (2)

Beach Head is G.I. Joe’s resident drill sergeant.  He’s been absent from the films so far, but Hasbro gave the character a movie style revamp for this set.  The figure stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and features 22 points of articulation.  Beach Head is made from all reused parts.  His head is reused from the Pursuit of Cobra version of the character, and his body is from one of that line’s versions of Snake Eyes.  Both figures are top notch, so the pieces being reused are good choices.  The level of detail in the textures of the sculpts is downright amazing.  Beach Head also makes use of add-ons for his web gear and knee pads, which add some great depth to the figure.  The paint work on the figure is nice and clean, with no bleed over or slop.  He’s been given a rather muted color scheme, which is in keeping with the style of the film.  Beach Head includes a rifle, two different submachine guns, two knives, and a pistol with a removable silencer.  These are all re-use from other figures, but they’re great pieces, so it’s sensible.

KAMAKURA

Kamukura(Retalliation)alt

Kamakura is one of G.I. Joe’s numerous ninja members.  Interestingly enough, he wasn’t added during the line’s Ninja Force incarnation, but instead first showed up in the Devil’s Due run on the G.I. Joe comic in the early 2000s.  He’s only had a small handful of figures, and none of them were really all that good.  The figure is about 3 ¾ inches tall and features 22 points of articulation.  Like Beach Head, this figure is 100% parts re-use.  His head comes from the Resolute version of Storm Shadow, his hands and feet come from another POC version of Snake Eyes, and the rest of him comes from the 30th Anniversary Storm Shadow.  These are all well sculpted pieces, although I do feel one of the other Storm Shadows may have more accurately represented Kamakura’s usual balaclava.  Regardless, they’re good pieces, and they work well for the character.  The paint work is all nice and clean, but I do feel like it’s a little basic compared to some of the other figures in the line.  Kamakura is accessorized with a removable hood, three different swords, a set of sheaths, a machete, a submachine gun with a silencer, a claw thing (which the internet informs me is called a “Tekagi”) and a set of nun-chucks.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I pretty much only bought this set for Kamakura.  I enjoy the character, and, like I said, he hasn’t really had any good figures.  This one’s not perfect, but he’s certainly an improvement.  While Roadblock will forever be relegated to the bin of shame, Beach Head is actually a pretty decent figure in his own right.  All in all, it’s not a bad set, depending on what you’re looking for.

#0218: Captain Ace

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

CAPTAIN ACE

GI JOE 25TH ANNIVERSARY

Ace

“He’ll fight for freedom, wherever there’s trouble, G.I. Joe is there!” or here rather. Yep, it’s another G.I. Joe review. Yet again, I’m pulling a figure from the A Real American Hero incarnation of the franchise. This time around, is one of G.I. Joe’s trusty pilots, Ace. Or, as he’s been named due to trademark issues, Captain Ace. Hey, he lucked out compared to some of the others, believe me.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ace is one of the figure’s from Hasbro’s G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary line. He comes from one of the line’s two-packs, where he was packaged with a figure of Cobra pilot, Wild Weasel. I picked up Ace on his own, so no Weasel review, I’m afraid. Ace stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and has 22 points of articulation. He’s based on Ace’s original design from his ’83 figure, and, according to yojoe.com anyway, features an all new sculpt. I know several pieces of this sculpt were also used on the 25th Anniversary version of fellow pilot Wild Bill, but I guess Ace came first. Ace’s sculpt is very nice, with lots of great detail work in the folds of the jumpsuit. His head sculpt also has the appropriate “hotshot pilot” vibe. Ace also features a harness add-on, which helps to further emulate the look of the original figure. It’s a nice piece, and it sits pretty well. Ace’s paint is a bit on the messy side. There’s a few spots of bleed over and his face paint is just odd, giving him a bit of a wide-eyed stare. It’s a bit of a letdown, given how nice the sculpt is. Ace includes a helmet and a display stand with his name and the G.I. Joe logo.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up Ace a while after his release, from a local toystore. I got him loose, hence the lack of pack-mate Wild Weasel. I’ve always liked Ace, though this is actually the first figure of him I ever got. He’s a cool figure, but I do wish the paintwork were a bit better.

#0214: Spider-Girl – Skyline Siren

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

SPIDER-GIRL – SKYLINE SIREN

MARVEL LEGENDS INFINITE SERIES

Spider-Girl

Sometimes you buy a figure because it’s a character you love, or like, or at least decently interested in. Other times you buy a figure because it’s in a set with others you want or because it includes that final Build-A-Figure piece you’ve been looking for. On rare occasions, you buy a figure because it’s just that darn cool. Today’s figure is in the last category.

Don’t get me wrong, It’s not that I’m completely unaware of the most recent person to call herself Spider-Girl. In fact, I’ve even read a few of her comicbook appearances. She’s a perfectly entertaining character. Normally, I’d write a Backstory for a figure like this, but given my own lack of knowledge about the character, you might just be better googling her. Anyway, let’s take a look at why I bought the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spider-Girl was released as part of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 Marvel Legends Infinite Series. She is labeled “Skyline Sirens” on the package, and appeared in the second wave of the series, as a replacement for the initial Black Cat figure. The figure stands a little under 6 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation. The body sculpt looks to be a 6-inch scaled version of the basic female body used for the Marvel Universe versions of Wasp and Scarlet Witch, but I’m not certain. I’m also not sure whether it’s been used on any previous figures. Regardless, it’s easily one of the best female body sculpts I’ve seen. The proportions aren’t 100% realistic, but they still look pretty good, and it doesn’t seem to have the short-armed problem present on the MU body. The figure is topped off with an awesome headsculpt, which is truly a beautiful piece of work. Female headsculpts tend to either look too man-ish or totally void of personality, but neither is an issue here. The paintwork is not quite as outstanding as the sculpt. She has some fuzzy lines in a few spots on her logo, and there are a few spots where the paint missed covering up some of the dark red plastic her head was molded in. It’s nothing too terrible, but I do wish it were a little cleaner. Spider-Girl’s only accessory is the torso of the Ultimate Green Goblin, this series’ Build-A-Figure. I’ve got no interest in completing this one, so I guess I’ll just have a spare torso laying around. Yay.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In an increasingly rare circumstance, I actually found Spider-Girl at my local Target, and marked down to $17.99 at that! The figure ended up being a spur of the moment purchase, which is something I don’t tend to do anymore. However, this figure exceeded my expectations, and presented me with an outstandingly fun figure. Generally, a good female figure is still only as good as an average male figure in terms of quality, but Spider-Girl is one of the most fun action figures I’ve gotten in quite some time!

*Want a Spider-Girl figure of your own?  She’s currently in-stock with our sponsors over at All Time Toys!  Click here to check her out!

#0213: Quicksilver

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

QUICKSILVER

MARVEL LEGENDS

Quicksilver

ToyBiz’s Marvel Legends was seen by many fans as the definitive Marvel toyline (not by me, but that’s a whole other thing). So, many were dismayed to find out that at the end of 2006, the Marvel license would be moving to Hasbro. Hasbro quickly assured that they intended to continue production of Marvel Legends, in the same scale and style. People were definitely worried. Those first few waves were certainly rough, with a very mixed selection of figures. But, eventually, Hasbro started to get it, and has recently turned Marvel Legends into one of the greatest toylines on the market. Today, I’ll be looking at one of their earliest releases, Quicksilver. If you’d like more info on the character, check out his entry in the Backstories section. On to the figure…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Quicksilver was released as part of the second series of Marvel Legends under Hasbro. He is supposedly one of the prototypes already completed by ToyBiz before the property transferred over. He’s based on Quicksilver’s second costume, which seems to be the one most people associate with the character, given it prevalence in his action figure releases. There was also a variant of this figure in his original green costume, but I never got that one. The figure stands a little over 6 inches tall and features 40 points of articulation. He’s built on a body that originated on ToyBiz’s version of Bullseye from an earlier wave, with hands and feet that were previously used on the line’s version of Havok. Quicksilver gets a brand new head, which looks great. It’s really perfect for the character, and they even managed to make his hair not look silly, which is quite a feat, let me tell you. The paint is rather bland, I must say. He features minimal detailing. It’s cleanly applied and all, but it doesn’t do much to make the figure’s sculpt pop. I feel this sculpt could look downright amazing with a good paint job. Quicksilver included a piece of the series’ Build-A-Figure, the Blob.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Quicksilver was a gift from my always supportive Mom! I had wanted to finish up my Blob figure, and she very kindly went out and bought me the remaining figures I needed. I have to say, most of them weren’t very good (but I still appreciated them. A gift’s a gift, and they were an incredibly thoughtful one.), but Quicksilver was definitely an exception. Bland paint apps aside, he’s a really great figure. How is it that Quicksilver keeps getting good figures but most of Scarlet Witch’s figures end up looking like pond scum? That ain’t right…

#0211: Stormtroopers

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

STORMTROOPERS

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

Stormtroopers

THE FIGURE IN QUESTION

EPISODE 211

It was a dark time for the FIGURE IN QUESTION. Negotiations have broken down following the disappointment of the Slave Leia figure. The rebellion has recovered from this blow with the release of the Bespin Luke Skywalker figure. The rebels quietly celebrate their victory. Little do they know that the evil Galactic Empire has plans for an awesome figure of their own. If only the collectors could find that figure….

Yep, Star Wars: The Black Series is a pretty cool line, but I can’t help but feel that it’s a bit short on representing the Empire. Sure, we got a pretty cool Sandtrooper back in series one, but that’s just a Sandtrooper. It can’t even find the droids it’s looking for! But then, Hasbro announced the Stormtrooper! Everyone loves the Stormtroopers! And you can buy a bunch, meaning that your Empire’s ranks could quickly grow, right? Yeah, in theory anyway. But then Hasbro decided to pack him one per case. So…that didn’t go so well. After a few months I finally tracked a couple, but man…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Stormtrooper was released in the third series of Star Wars: The Black Series. His number is #09. The Stormtrooper is pretty much the same in every movie (I know there are some differences that a die-hard fan could point out, but I don’t know them.), so they’ve gone with the one look.  The figure is a little over 6 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation. In a first for the line, the Stormtrooper’s sculpt is mostly re-use. The figure shares everything but the belt and left shin with series one’s Sandtrooper. The head might also be a new sculpt, but I can’t tell. The difference might just be paint releated. Anyway, the sculpt was nice to begin with, so it works really nicely here. The big difference between this figure and the Sandtrooper is the paint. The Stormtrooper is much cleaner, which makes the figures sculpt look a bit bolder. The figure is mostly molded in the appropriate white, but he has some black detailing, which is mostly clean. I did notice a few areas of slop, but they seem to vary from figure to figure, so check them if you have the opportunity. The Stormtrooper includes two accessories: his basic rifle, which is reused from both the Sandtrooper and Han Solo, as well as a larger rifle, which is speculated to see a re-use with robot assassin IG-88. Once again, this is a bit of a step down from earlier series, but I can’t really think of anything else to give the troopers.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After a while of searching, I finally caught the Stormtrooper while it was in stock on Amazon. I was able to get two of them, because you can’t just have one Stormtrooper, that would be wrong. I had enjoyed the Sandtrooper quite a bit, and was eager to see how the sculpt would look when used for the main trooper. Aside from the issues finding the figures, they really didn’t disappoint!

StormTrooperswbubble

#0210: Luke Skywalker – Bespin

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

LUKE SKYWALKER – BESPIN

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES

Luke(Bespin)

I’m just a moderate Star Wars fan, but I am an action figure fan (in case the site hadn’t already clued you in on that…), and that means I frequently find myself venturing into the galaxy far, far away for my purchases. Hasbro recently brought the characters into the 6 inch scale with their new Star Wars: The Black Series. The line boasts improved sculpts, better articulation, and a greater selection of accessories. It’s also quickly become one of my favorite lines. The third series proved to be a bit difficult to procure at first, but I’ve finally tracked a set down and I’ll be reviewing them today and tomorrow (It’s only a three figure assortment and I don’t need prequel Obi Wan, so just the two for me.)

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke comes from the third series of Star Wars: The Black Series. Each figure in the line gets a number, and Luke is #011. He’s presented here in his main gear from The Empire Strikes Back, generally referred to as his Bespin look. It’s generally see as one of the character’s definitive looks, so it’s great to see it in the line. The figure stands just shy of 6 inches tall and features 29 points of articulation. All of the articulation seems to work pretty well, though I am slightly annoyed by the choice to give both hands a forward/back joint instead of the usual mix of one forward/back, one left/right. It’s a minor issue, but it limits the pose-ability a bit. Luke features an entirely new sculpt, which is great all-around. It’s well proportioned, nicely detailed, and the head has more than a passing resemblance to Mark Hamill. He also features an add-on belt piece, which could probably be removed if you so desired, but isn’t meant to be. On the paint side, he’s not quite as good as previous waves, but he’s not bad, and seems a lot better than I’d heard from other reviews. My figure seems to have received a decent paint job with no slop or bleed over. He’s got a decent wash on his body-suit, which does an excellent job bringing out the details in the sculpt. Luke is accessorized with a blaster and a lightsaber, both of which are reused from the previous LightsabersLuke. This is a bit of a letdown, given the larger selection featured with the rest of the line. Heck, the previous Luke even included a helmet in addition to these two pieces. I’d have liked to at least get a few extra hands, or at bare minimum that his right hand was removable to recreate the Bespin duel. Alas, he just gets the two pieces. Oh well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got Luke from Amazon. He’s been in stock there for a little while, but I wanted to wait until they got in the Stormtrooper at a reasonable price before ordering him. Initially, I wasn’t sure I was going to get this figure. I already had the pilot version of the character from series one, and that’s a really cool figure. However, once I saw some pictures of this figure, I knew I couldn’t miss out on him. Plus, he’s Bespin Luke. What kind of a fan would I be if I didn’t have him? Anyway, I’m really glad I got this figure, and I’m going to have a lot of trouble picking which of the two Lukes will be my default.

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