Tag Archives: Hasbro

#3449: Commander Rogers

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

COMMANDER ROGERS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Steve Rogers is chosen to take a lead role in global security after the dissolution of Norman Osborn’s corrupt H.A.M.M.E.R. agency.”

And we’re back on over to Marvel!  In the ’00s, Marvel had this thing where they just kept moving from status quo shift to status quo shift.  It was all rather frustrating, honestly.  Like, there were good things mixed in, but you couldn’t really focus on them, because of everything else that surrounded them.  Wedged into all of that was Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America, which brought back Steve’s long -dead partner Bucky, killed Steve, had Bucky take over the mantle, brought Steve back, and had him take over S.H.I.E.L.D.  It was honestly kind of cool, except for that part where they left Steve dead for a while and refused to admit that he was coming back.  But, at the end of it all, we got Steve as Commander Rogers, and that’s super cool.  And here’s a Legend of that!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Commander Rogers is figure 6 in the Totally Awesome Hulk Series of Marvel Legends.  He’s the last figure to contribute a Build-A-Figure part, the second to last comic figure, and the figure where we really loose grip on the theme of this set.  I’d say that both Steve and Carol are “Captains”, but this is a Steve from when he was emphatically *not* a captain, so we lose the thread again.  Whatever, I’m just happy to have the figure.  This is the second time this look’s been in Legends form (third if we’re counting the variant, but they’re really no that different), but it’s been a while.  Back when the first one was released the suit was still relatively new, whereas now it’s retro.  Crazy.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  Commander Rogers is built on the Reaper body, which Steve has been on and off since its introduction.  The build works fine, but like with Pizza Spidey, this one’s a little outdated, and puts this assortment at three out-of-date re-uses.  Still, it does at least look pretty solid.  He re-uses the shield harness from the 20th Cap, and gets a new head, hands, shins, and feet, as well as new add-ons for his belt and wrist straps.  The head keeps the Steve likeness we’ve been seeing on more recent Cap figures, which I definitely like.  The hair I’m not super sure I love, but it’s something different than the unmasked head from the 20th figure, so I can appreciate some variety.  The new pieces for the outfit mesh well with the re-used parts, do a good job of capturing the comics look, and get a good deal of sharp detail work.  Rogers’ paint work is nice and sharp, especially on the suit, which gets a lot of pop.  The head also gets some really solid accenting on the hair, as well as the usual printing for the face, which gives him a nice lifelike quality.  Rogers is packed with the holographic Cap shield and the head of Totally Awesome Hulk.  The shield is built on the Cap Wolf version, rather than the new 20th mold; it’s smaller, but I suppose that isn’t that weird for the holo shield.  He notably doesn’t include the guns or even hands to hold the guns like the older figure.  In general, he seems a little light, especially given the re-use and the fact that he’s got the smallest BAF part.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When the first Legends Commander Rogers was released, I was still on the fence about going back to Legends, so I didn’t get one.  And then, after many years, I finally tracked one down…about a week before this one got released.  You win some, you lose some.  Whatever the case, I was pretty pumped about getting this guy, and while he’s a little light on the extras, he’s still a pretty darn solid figure.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review. If you’d like to see a video of this figure (and the rest of the series) in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3447: Karnak

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

KARNAK

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Through mental discipline, the Inhuman known as Karnak has mastered the ability to perceive the flaws and weak points in any person or object.”

Remember back in 2017, when Marvel was desperately trying to make The Inhumans a thing?  And remember when it really didn’t work out, and they gave up and just waited to get the X-Men back so they could use mutants again and not push the Inhumans anymore, so they dropped all their merch like a sack of wet potatoes?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.  No, wait, they probably don’t.  They’re a snack company, and probably not super into The Inhumans.  Well, enough time has passed that I guess it’s safe to do something more with The Inhumans.  Let’s bring that Legends line-up on up to a whopping three, with Karnak!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Karnak is figure 5 in the Totally Awesome Hulk Series of Marvel Legends.  He’s the second of the four comics figures in the line-up, and the next step down in the relevance of the comic figures to the overall theme.  I mean, the Inhumans were a Kree experiment, and so is Carol Danvers, so I guess that’s something.  As noted above, Karnak is our third Inhuman in Legends format, following Black Bolt, Black Bolt, Black Bolt, and Medusa.  There’s been a lot of Black Bolts.  Oh, sorry: Blackagar Boltagons.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Karnak is using the Pizza Spidey body as his starting point.  It’s not a terrible fit, given Karnak’s usual skinnier build, but it’s still got the visible pins on the elbows and knees, and its generally a little outdated, especially with the AF Spidey in use now.  In particular, the butterfly shoulders really seem to be wearing out on this mold, so I worry about long-term longevity.  Karnak gets a new head, forearm guards, and belt/loincloth.  The new pieces are actually quite nice; the head’s got the proper weird shaping for the character, and the face makes for a good likeness of a more evergreen take on Karnak.  The guards sit well on the arms, and help to break up the base body a bit.  The belt piece is a bit too free floating for me, but otherwise looks alright.  The color work on Karnak is largely handled via molded colors, which keeps it pretty clean.  There’s still some paint to make things work; some of the edges are a little fuzzy, but overall things look quite nice.  Karnak is packed with two sets of hands, one in fists, the other in flat poses, as well as the right arm of Totally Awesome Hulk.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Getting one cohesive set of Inhumans is apparently an impossible feat.  Across four different styles, we’ve had four differently incomplete takes on the team.  Legends has been at the lowest set up until now, but I guess it’s turned itself around by virtue of at least matching up to Marvel Universe, so now there’s only three differently incomplete teams across four styles.  Progress!  Karnak, like Marvel Boy from last week, is a pretty by the numbers figure, really only hampered by the odd choice to put him on such an old body.  Still, he could be worse.  He could be a lot worse.  Now, can we please get the rest of the team before the line ends?

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review. If you’d like to see a video of this figure (and the rest of the series) in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3445: Agent Kallus

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

AGENT KALLUS

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBR0)

“Agent Kallus is a member of the Imperial Security Bureau, a secret police force that hunts down and crushes any rebellion in the galaxy. Intelligent and ruthless, Kallus is a skilled pilot who makes it his mission to stop throublesome freedom fighters.”

You know what?  I’m gonna keep this Rebels train rolling for another week.  Go ahead.  Try and stop me.  Actually don’t.  It’s my site.  You won’t succeed.  And then you’ll feel all silly, and I’ll feel bad, and it’ll be a whole thing.  So, back to Rebels.  While the Imperials in the Original Trilogy are largely just straight forward evil, Rebels played with that a little bit.  Alexsandr Kallus starts the show as a purely antagonistic force, with some pretty terrible deeds behind him.  Over the course of the show, as he has more run-ins both with the Ghost crew and with Imperial higher ups who are far worse than him, and by the end of the show, he’s a full-fledged hero in his own right.  It’s one of the most satisfying arcs in a show that’s got a lot of satisfying arcs.  Despite all of his journeying, Kallus got one action figure.  Kind of a bummer.  Well, let’s look at it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Agent Kallus was released in the first assortment of the Star Wars: Rebels tie-in line’s single carded component Saga Legends.  He’s figure SL05, the second to last of the first batch of Rebels.  He only got the one release, with no re-issues or updates later in the line.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s got the same basic articulation that this whole line got, and it works as well as you could hope.  For 5POA, it’s not bad.  Kallus got an all-new sculpt, based on his Season 1 design from the show.  For whatever reason, they decided to depict him with his helmet permanently attached, rather than giving him a removable one.  It’s a real bummer, and means we never got to see Kallus’s mutton chops in all their plasticky glory.  Beyond that, the sculpt is actually quite nice.  The proportions match his animated counterpart, and the detailing is all very sharply defined.  The figure’s color work is generally pretty drab, as you might expect from an Imperial.  Lots of grey and black.  It works, though, and the mix of paint and molded colors does alright.  Application is pretty clean for what’s there, too.  Kallus is packed with the Bo-Rifle he stole from one of the Lestat; like Zeb, Kallus’s rifle doesn’t transform, instead being only in its gun form.  It’s too bad there couldn’t be a second one in the staff form, but again, this line was really locked into only one accessory per figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Agent Kallus is a figure I didn’t get when he was new.  I remember seeing him, but I’d not seen the show, and didn’t know the character.  After seeing the show, I grew to really like the character, and since this was the only figure he got, I kind of had no other options.  I was able to snag a loose one from All Time, back in 2019, from the same collection that got me Hera.  He’s better than I’d expected.  I still don’t like that the helmet doesn’t come off, but I guess I can’t let it go.

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.

#3444: Marvel Boy

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

MARVEL BOY

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“A Kree warrior from an alternate reality, Noh-Varr aka Marvel Boy is the self-appointed protector of Earth and member of the Young Avengers.”

The third Marvel Boy (following Bob Grayson and Vance Astrovik) and the fifth Captain Marvel (following Mar-Vell, Monica, Genis-Vell, and Khn’nr), Noh-Varr does sure like some borrowed names.  Created in 2000 by Grant Morrison and JG Jones, the character’s one of those ones that Marvel likes to really push every so often.  It’s been a little while since the last push, but with the rumor of actor Park Seo-joon playing the character in The Marvels, perhaps we’re due for another?  Well, in the meantime, he’s got a new Marvel Legend, so let’s look at that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Marvel Boy is figure 4 in the Totally Awesome Hulk Series of Marvel Legends, and is the first of the assortment’s four comic-based figures.  Of the four, he’s certainly the one with the best ties to The Marvels, even if he doesn’t show up in the movie.  This marks Noh-Varr’s second Legend, though its his first billed as Marvel Boy (the last one was from his Protector days).  He’s depicted here in his garb from the Gillen/McKelvie run on Young Avengers, which is honestly his best look, and probably the character’s best run.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  Noh-Varr is based on the 2099 body, which seems a good enough fit for the character, even if still has the visible pins on the elbows and knees.  He gets a new head, hands, and an add-on for his belt piece.  The head is a pretty solid recreation of McKelvie’s take on Noh-Varr, while still keeping him in line with the Legends house style.  I especially dig that they got the one stray strand of hair that was always present in the book.  His hands get new sculpted detailing on the backs, as well as actually having dual trigger fingers, which is a plus, and the belt is a pretty by the numbers addition.  Beyond that, it’s down to paint work to make it all happen.  It’s generally pretty solid.  The application’s pretty clean, and the colors match up well with the printed appearances.  Noh-Varr is packed with a pair of blasters, which are pretty fun and unique pieces, as well the left arm of the Totally Awesome Hulk Build-A-Figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Noh-Varr is a character I had little attachment to prior to his run with the Young Avengers.  I greatly enjoyed his addition to the team, and his interactions there, but honestly, I haven’t really clicked with him beyond that run.  This figure being pretty explicitly based on that version of the character definitely works for me.  While I can’t say this figure was at the top of my list for this set (in fact, he was probably the one I was least looking forward to, if I’m honest), he’s a strong by the numbers offering.  And, hey, it’s another Young Avenger.  We get those so infrequently, that any of them getting made is a real cause for celebration.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review. If you’d like to see a video of this figure (and the rest of the series) in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3442: Ms. Marvel

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

MS. MARVEL

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Kamala Khan has encountered much in her Ms. Marvel adventures, but nothing could prepare her for a cosmic adventure alongside her idol Captain Marvel!”

Following up on her solo Disney+ series from last year, Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan makes the jump to the big screen this November in The Marvels, where she’ll get to interact with both Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau.  Vellani’s performance as Kamala is one of the MCU’s best page-to-screen portrayals, so there’s a lot riding on getting to see her interact with the wider MCU cast.  Like the other two members of the titular group, she’s gotten a brand new look for the movie, and, by extension, that leads to a brand new figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ms. Marvel is figure 3 in the Totally Awesome Hulk Series of Marvel Legends.  She’s the last of the movie-based figures in the set.  This marks the fourth Kamala Khan Legend, and the second time her MCU incarnation’s gotten a figure.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Compared to her last figure, this one’s definitely a step-up on the articulation front.  Not a tremendous one, mind you, since she’s still rather restricted at the neck and hips, and the shoulders are also rather tight.  The arms are double jointed, though, which is pretty cool, and, though it may still be restricted, the neck is still more mobile than the prior figure.  Ms. Marvel’s sculpt is almost entirely an all-new one.  The scarf is shared with her prior figure, but everything else is new.  Like the articulation, it’s an improvement over her last figure.  The head sports a much better likeness of Iman Vellani; still not 100% spot-on, but it at least actually looks like her this time.  The hair is also a lot less flat, and her body sculpt isn’t nearly as skinny.  In general, it’s just a better sculpt, start to finish.  The paint work continues the trend.  The colors wind up a lot less muddied this time around, just by swapping the blue out for a darker shade.  It gives the whole look a lot of pop, and just makes everything feel really sharp.  The application is pretty clean for the most part, apart from some slight bleed over on some of the gold.  Ms. Marvel is packed with two sets of hands, in open gesture and fist/gripping combo, as well as a Flerken (who doesn’t appear to be Goose, given its coloring), and the torso of Totally Awesome Hulk.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The show Ms. Marvel figure was a pretty big let-down for me.  She really didn’t look the part, and wound up as more a phoned-in comic figure than a proper live action version of the character.  I really dig the new design for her in the movie, and the new figure winds up being a lot better than the last one.  I’m a lot happier with this one, and she feels a lot more unique than the first, which is a definite plus.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’d like to see a video of this figure (and the rest of the series) in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  And,if you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3440: Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios

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

GARAZEB “ZEB” ORRELIOS

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBRO)

The cast of Rebels was designed to be new and unique, while still fulfilling the franchise’s classic archetypes. Since A New Hope, there’s pretty much always been a “big guy,” and for Rebels, that was Garazeb Orrelios, better known as Zeb. While Zeb is more talkative (in English, anyway) than Chewbacca, he shares a bit of common ancestry, being based on Chewy’s original Ralph McQuarrie-drawn concept design.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios was released in the first assortment of the Mission Series two-packs from the Star Wars: Rebels tie-in line in 2013, alongside a standard Stormtrooper from the show. He then received an almost identical re-release in a two-pack with Chopper in 2015, as part of the Force Awakens push. This is one of the two, but I got him loose, so I can’t say for certain which of them. The figure stands about 4 1/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation. His height is definitely cool, as it helps to really break up the silhouettes of the team a bit. The articulation is basic, but that’s what’s to be expected, especially with this particular era of the line. Zeb’s sculpt is probably the strongest of the original Ghost crew sculpts. His alien nature translates pretty well, and I think his design just goes really well with the style of the line. He feels a bit less rudimentary than the others, and the general shaping of him is a lot more organic.  Zeb’s paint work is fairly basic stuff.  It matches pretty closely with the color scheme he had on the show.  The application on the paint is a little sloppy, and there’s a little bit of wear on my copy, but it gets the job done for the most part.  Zeb is packed with his Lasan Honor Guard AB-75 Bo-Rifle.  It’s purely a rifle-mode version of the weapon, with no transformation feature like the Black Series.  It’s alright, but he has a little difficulty holding it, and obviously can’t two-hand it, due to the articulation.  It’s a shame they didn’t also give him an alternate version in the other configuration, but they were pretty locked-in on only one accessory per figure at this point.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Longtime readers with an absolute perfect recall of the nitty-gritty details of all of my reviews might recall that when I picked up the Rebels Stormtrooper back in the day, I remarked not caring enough for “Garazeb” (yes, I used the full name, not the derivative; I didn’t know any better) to buy the two-pack.  By the time I actually got into Rebels in 2016, I very much regretted that move, as both versions of Zeb had gotten trickier to acquire, and he didn’t get an update like the others.  This was the second-to-last of the Ghost crew I got in this scale.  I salvaged him from a pretty beaten up bin of loose Star Wars figures that came into All Time back in 2020.  He’s basic, but honestly not bad.

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.

#3439: Photon

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

PHOTON

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Monica Rambeau’s life changed forever at Westview, where her exposure to reality-altering energy imbued her with the power to perceive and manipulate all energy along the electromagnetic spectrum.”

Remember when the first Captain Marvel came out, and despite Carol Danvers having held the title for the better part of a decade by that point, people were all mad about a female Captain Marvel?  Wanna know what’s even funnier?  She wasn’t even the first one.  Nope, back in the ‘80s, that honor went to Monica Rambeau, the first person to carry the mantle after Mar-Vell’s death.  I know, a black woman was Captain Marvel.  And she was even the leader of the Avengers for a while, too.  Who could imagine such a thing.  Monica unfortunately got herself wrapped up in some seriously bad writing towards the end of her run with the mantle, but she was fortunately enough of a fan favorite that she didn’t totally disappear when the Genis took the title, and she instead got a new codename.  Okay, actually a couple of new codenames.  They definitely bounced her around a bit.  But, the best of them was definitely Photon, and that’s the one that seems to have stuck the best for marketing purposes, including her MCU counterpart, who’s gotten her first figure for The Marvels. 

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Photon is figure 2 in the Totally Awesome Hulk Series of Marvel Legends.  She’s the middle figure of the three film-tie-in figures for The Marvels.  This marks Monica’s second time as a Legend, following her comics counterpart getting a figure in the A-Force boxed set.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Her articulation is a bit restricted in the middle section of the figure, but the head gets a pretty great range, and she’s got double elbows, which is certainly cool.  Photon is sporting an all-new sculpt, and a pretty good one at that.  In particular, the head’s likeness of Teyonah Parris is certainly the best of the three in this assortment, if not just one of their best MCU likenesses in general.  They even managed to translate the hair pretty decently, which is impressive in its own right.  Her body sculpt sports a very nice, rather realistic set of proportions, matching pretty closely with Parris.  The color work on Photon is pretty solid.  She’s got the usual face printing, which works very well, and there’s some accenting on the hair, that definitely helps to bring out the sculpted details.  Her uniform’s black and white scheme is dynamic and eye-catching, and the application for it is quite clean.  Photon is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture, as well as the right leg to Totally Awesome Hulk.  She feels a little bit light, and it might have been cool to possibly get an extra head with her powered up eyes, but not having seen the movie, I don’t know if that’s still a thing she can do.  The hands are at least a bare minimum.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve always been a fan of Monica, no matter what name they saddled her with, and I’ve also liked Parris in everything I’ve seen her in, so seeing her turn up as Monica in the MCU was super cool.  I’ve been waiting to see more of her since the end of WandaVision and also waiting to finally get her in action figure form.  She was certainly high on my list for this series, and, slight lack of accessories aside, she didn’t disappoint.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.

If you’d like to see a video of this figure (and the rest of the series) in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  And, if you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3437: Captain Marvel

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

CAPTAIN MARVEL

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“No amount of problem punching can repair the broken promises Carol Danvers has made. Captain Marvel is a powerful solo act, but now has a real shot at redemption as team member of The Marvels!”

Since launching as a solo act in 2019’s Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has actually been in the role of team player for all of her subsequent roles. She’s back to headlining her own film in this fall’s The Marvels, but now with Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau as her co-stars. New movie means new look, which means new toys. And that? Means new review. Let’s jump on into that!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Marvel is figure 1 in the Totally Awesome Hulk series of Marvel Legends, which serves as the tie-in assortment for The Marvels. While she had reversed her colors and gotten a drastically different hair cut when we saw her in Endgame, by the time of her reappearance in Ms Marvel’s teaser scene, she’d gone back to a look more similar to her solo movie design, and that’s what we see here. It’s a bit more dressed down, with a less armored appearance and rolled up sleeves which suggest a more relaxed fit. In a way, it almost feels like Carol’s equivalent look to Steve’s Nomad design from Infinity War.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Her articulation scheme is pretty basic, especially for an MCU figure.  The joints are pinless, and the range is fair.  She’s an improvement to the mold they used for the last few versions of Carol, so that’s a plus.  The sculpt itself is all-new, and I actually quite like it.  It’s a bit cleaner than the last one, and the head seems to have a closer likeness of Larson, especially for her longer haired look; I’m still partial to the Endgame version, but this is very close too.  The build on this body also feels a bit more accurate to Larson; the last one was really skinny, which didn’t seem *quite* right.  In terms of color work, Carol is pretty basic for the most part.  She does get the printed face, which looks pretty nice, as does the slight accenting to the hair.  The body work is decent if not the most exciting.  The painted skintone on the forearms doesn’t quite match with the face and neck, but there’s enough distance between them that it doesn’t become a major issue.  Carol is packed with two sets of hands (in fists and gripping/gesture), two effects pieces, and the left leg to Totally Awesome Hulk.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Endgame Captain Marvel is kind of my end-all version of the character, for a good number of reasons, but I was intrigued by this look when it first cropped up in Ms. Marvel, and I liked the look of the figure.  She turned out pretty well, and I definitely dig this secondary design for her.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.   If you’d like to see a video of this figure (and the rest of the series) in action, I helped out with one for their YouTube channel, so check that out.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3435: Hera Syndulla & Stormtrooper Commander

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

HERA SYNDULLA & STORMTROOPER COMMANDER

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBRO)

“Hera supports any mission that undermines the authority of the Empire’s Stormtrooper commanders.”

Wow, it’s already September. And, contrary to how I’ve been running things for a bit the last few years, I say this from only about a week ago, rather than way back in the past. Well, with a new month under my belt, I’m going to try at least a little bit to get back into some more back catalog stuff. So, let’s do some Star Wars stuff. Ahsoka launched last week, which has put the Rebels cast back into focus for a bit. Let’s check out some of that, I guess!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Hera Syndulla and the Stormtrooper Commander were released in 2015 as part of the Star Wars: Rebels line’s third assortment of Mission Series two-packs.

HERA SYNDULLA

Hera was the final member of the core Ghost crew to get released.  This would mark the first of her two figures from during the show’s run, the other coming packed with an A-Wing during the Rogue One product line.  The figure stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  All of the Rebels figures were at the reduced articulation, so it’s not like it’s a shock or anything.  To Hera’s credit, as a pilot figure, she’s does a great job of sitting, and I mean that in a totally not sarcastic way.  With the 3 3/4 inch line, it can be very easy to overcomplicate figures to the point of them not actually being able to sit in the vehicles they’re meant to go with.  Her sculpt was totally new to this release, though everything below the neck would be re-used for her later figure.  It’s a pretty stiff sculpt in terms of posing, which was pretty common for the early Rebels offerings.  She winds up looking a touch silly, especially next to the updated versions of the other characters.  Still, it’s far from the worst thing the line put out, and she does at least look pretty on-model for the character.  Her paint work is decent enough.  It’s a mix of basic and perhaps just a little bit sloppy around the edges.  Hera was packed with her small blaster pistol, which she can hold in either hand.  She notably can’t use the sculpted ankle holster for it, due to the relative scaling.

STORMTROOPER COMMANDER

There weren’t a *ton* of trooper variants for Rebels, but it’s still a Star Wars tie-in, so it’s not totally avoidable.  This one gets a new pauldron.  Woooooooo.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s largely the same figure as the standard Rebels trooper.  The only difference is the new pauldron, denoting his rank.  It’s non-removable, which is a bit limiting, but not the end of the world.  I still quite like the sculpt.  It’s a good recreation of the animation design, and it’s got a fun and goofy flow to it.  The color work on this figure is pretty similar to the standard.  The exact shades are a little different, and the eyes are closer to the head band, but it looks pretty good for the most part.  The Stormtrooper Commander is packed with his blaster pistol, which, like the standard, he can hold in either hand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was unfortunately not on the up-and-up with Rebels during its early run, so I missed out on the earlier toys.   By the time I got into things, Hera had gotten a bit pricier on the after market.  I wound up getting this pair loose, waaaaaaaaaay back in early 2019, when they got traded into All Time.  They’re pretty basic and rudimentary figures, but they fit the style, and I definitely dig that.

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.

 

#3434: Hot Shot – Armada Universe

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

HOT SHOT — ARMADA UNIVERSE

TRANSFORMERS LEGACY: EVOLUTION (HASBRO)

Hey, remember back in February, when I was talking about Transformers: Armada?  Cool.  Well, um, I’m gonna talk about it again.  So, there.  Specifically, I’m talking about Hot Shot, a character created for Armada, who was specifically designed to fill a role somewhere between Bumblebee and Hot Rod.  Which makes sense, because he totally looks like a cross between those two.  Well, at least in his original incarnation.  Which is the one I’m looking right now!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hot Shot is part of the first Deluxe Class assortment of Transformers Legacy: Evolution.  Evolution serves as the sub-branding for everything in Legacy‘s second year, and they started hitting in early 2023.  He’s the second Armada update in Legacy, following up on last year’s Starscream. This is our second update to Armada Hot Shot since the show’s tie-in line ended, following the Universe one from 2009.  In robot mode, Hot Shot is about 5 inches tall and he has 22 workable points of articulation, as well as the original figure’s moving visor for his helmet.  All of the Armada figures were pretty restricted in terms of articulation, and Hot Shot was pretty notable for his complete lack of neck movement, as well as shoulders that didn’t go forward and back.  This one addresses both of those points.  The neck is really just a swivel, but that’s better than no movement at all.  His sculpt was an all-new one at the time, but it’s already been tapped for a Powerlinx re-paint.  The sculpt does a pretty solid job of capturing all of Hot Shot’s key design elements, both from the toy and the show.  There are a few areas, mainly the lower legs, where there’s a slightly off construction due to transforming elements, but he generally goes together pretty solidly.  Also, it’s a minor little thing, but I miss the goofy smirk on the face.  Sure, the stoic expression’s more accurate, I guess, but I miss it nonetheless.  Guess it’s a good thing I have my old one still.  Hot Shot is designed to keep the original’s “axlezooka” weapon.  It’s not spring-loaded this time, so you just deploy it manually, but it’s still there, which is very much appreciated.  His color scheme mimics the original figure pretty closely, albeit with a few trade-offs.  He’s got more detailing on the face and head, but loses some of the details on his legs.  Certainly still looks very Hot Shot-y, though.  Hot Shot is packed with his gun, which he can hold, but cannot mount on his chest the way his original version could.  Still no minicon present for this one either, but there’s a Jolt coming with the Power Linx version later in the year.

Hot Shot’s alt-mode is the same stylized sports car as his original release. The transformation scheme is a bit more involved, as expected, but it’s not too terribly hard to figure it out. In car mode, he gets fancy clear windows, and he even has a Minicon port, a very pleasant change from Starscream. As with the “axlezooka” for the robot mode, Hot Shot’s vehicle mode includes a non-spring-loaded version of the original’s “driving claws.” Sure, it’s just flipping the feet out, but that’s all the original did, so, you know.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Armada is really the closest I get to having a thing that’s “my Transformers,” so I’ve got a real soft spot for it, especially when it comes to the three figures I had as a kid. Hot Shot was one of those, and I’ve held onto him the whole time. I got the Generations Select Hot Shot when he came out, and he was cool, but he was a placeholder for the real deal. This guy was a birthday present from my son Matty, who has also gained an appreciation for my old Armada figures. This one’s cool. I like him a bit more than I did Starscream. I wish he had Jolt, but other than that, I do really like him.