Tag Archives: Hasbro

#3218: Fifth Brother

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

FIFTH BROTHER

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Originally introduced in the second season of Rebels, the Fifth Brother is a character that’s never been all that deeply explored, despite now having been in two different shows.  Like, I’ve watched all of his canon appearances, and I couldn’t really tell you much about the guy beyond that’s he’s got that fancy hat thing going on.  I suppose that’s a pretty respectable thing in Star Wars, though, since distinctive looks tend to be a character’s biggest selling point.  Did wonders for Boba Fett.  Anyway, let’s look at this guy and his fancy hat.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Fifth Brother is the fifth figure in the Kenobi-inspired series of Hasbro’s Star Wars: Retro Collection.  He’s the third of the three Inquisitors included in this assortment, and marks the Fifth Brother’s third figure, following up on a small-scale figure from Rebels and a Black Series figure from Kenobi.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt is all-new, though it certainly has its share of similarities with the Grand Inquisitor.  That makes sense, of course, since they’re kind of in the same profession and all.  That said, they’re totally unique from each other when it comes to the actual parts break down.  He’s a little bulkier than the Grand Inquisitor, which makes sense, and allows for the uniform to sit just a little bit differently.  His head, and his face in particular, gets quite a bit of sculpted detail, moreso than the others in the set.  It gives him quite a distinguished look.  The Fifth Brother’s paint work is pretty much on par with the other Inquisitors in the set.  Still feels like a bit too much for a proper vintage paint scheme, but honestly, it still works out pretty well, and I do appreciate the internal consistency.  The Fifth Brother is packed with his Inquisitor Saber, which is the same one included with the Grand Inquisitor.  It makes sense, since they have more or less the same weapon in the show, and it’s definitely the way Kenner would have handled things on a proper vintage figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t have much attachment to this guy.  I mean, honestly, does anybody?  Well, somebody does somewhere, I’m sure.  Like, just statistically, right?  Anyway, I wasn’t invested enough to get the Black Series figure, but since I was planning to pick up the rest of the series, this guy was along for the ride.  He’s not a bad figure.  Not my favorite or anything, but I can see the appeal.

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

 

#3217: Grand Inquisitor

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

GRAND INQUISITOR

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

While some of Kenobi‘s returning characters were picking up from where they’d left off earlier in the timeline, there were also a few that were *technically* making their earliest appearances within the timeline.  Today’s focus, the Grand Inquisitor leans heavily on the “technically,” since, via retcon, he was actually present in one scene in Clone Wars, but as far as proper appearances go, the Grand Inquisitor truly hails from Rebels, where he serves as the primary antagonist for the first season, and ultimately closes off his story.  For Kenobi, he’s more of a background character, sidelined for most of the story, but he’s still present enough to justify some toy coverage!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Grand Inquisitor is the fourth figure in the Kenobi-series of Star Wars: Retro Collection, the fifth overall series of the line, and the third at mass retail.  Thus far, this is his first figure from the show, since his Black Series offering is still pending.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s sporting an all-new sculpt, obviously meant to be based on his live-action design, though thanks to the styling of the line, he serves as a nice mid-point between live action and animation.  The sculpt on this guy is pretty decent.  Obviously, lighter on the detail side, but all the key stuff is there, and his outfit is actually quite well detailed.  It’s cleanly handled, and the details are well rendered.  He’s got another vinyl cape; this one’s got a far more unique cut to it, which fits the design from the show pretty well.  It does make it a little trickier to get it on and off, but it’s certainly not impossible.  His paint work is again probably a touch too involved for proper vintage coverage, but it’s consistent with that of Reva, so they go well together.  It also still dials things back just a little bit, so it won’t look too out of place with actual vintage offerings.  The Grand Inquisitor is packed with his lightsaber, which is similar to Reva’s, but has a guard that goes all around, accurate to his personal weapon.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I enjoyed the Grand Inquisitor well enough in Rebels, but given how his story wrapped up in that show, I wasn’t really sure there was much more to do with him in Kenobi.  I actually kind of liked the misdirect within the show, and I don’t mind the opportunity to get him in figure form.  This one’s actually a lot of fun, more than I was expecting, even.  He honestly makes me kind of want the proper Rebels cast in this style, just because that seems like it would be pretty nifty.

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

Matty’s Corner #0004: In Space Blue Ranger with Galaxy Glider

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Matty's Corner and tagged with , , , , ,

IN SPACE BLUE RANGER & GALAXY GLIDER

POWER RANGERS: THE LIGHTNING COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Hi, Ethan here!  Welcome to Matthew’s Corner, where I’m collecting the mad ramblings of my 6 year old Matthew, who also likes to talk about action figures.  What can I say, I’m sympathetic to his need to ramble about action figures.  So, I’m just gonna let him take it away…though, for what it’s worth, I’m still transcribing for him.

Presenting the Blue Space Power Ranger!  *Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech*  [Yes, he actually screeched–E]  Okay, I don’t mean that screeching anymore.  If you saw, that step at the end of the screech was actually my father writing a note.  Don’t write another note.  I am going to review the Space Blue Power Ranger.  If you heard that, in the starting, with the screech.  Is that the end of the preview?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Blue Power Ranger is in the Lightning Collection toyline.  This Blue Power Ranger is a deluxe figure.  Apparently, my dad cannot remember when this figure was out.  *Farting noise*  The figure has 34 joints.  This figure’s height is 6 inches and 1/4.  The sculpt is, well, I feel like the knee pads are a little too straight.  Other than that, it’s probably good.  I really like head of the figure.  Both heads.  He can move well, a little bit on the arms is a little hard and a little bit on the right knee is hard to get, but otherwise it’s okay.  Okay, reviewing all of the colors in one.  Starting off with the head, which has blue on the chin and over the mouth of the hat.  The eye strip has a little bit of black and white on the outside, but not all white.  There is a little tiny gold strip, if you look in.  A bit on the top of his head is black.  The mouth strip is grey.  And the rest is all blue.  Okay, the rest of the figure. That does not include the head.  The neck is white, with a little gold strip around.  The top of his body is blue with white strips on the arm and a little in the middle.  Now, what’s in the middle that does not include some white is on the color strip in the middle of the body.  There is black, yellow, red, pink, and blue.  Then below all that is just a lot of blue and a belt that includes white and gold, legs with a blue strip and the boots, white.  The arms start blue and then there are some white gloves.  Back to review of the normal figure.  No more color scale.  My favorite accessory is the gun and the blast.  The sculpting of the blast looks really hard to make.  He also comes with hands and an axe, and he comes with another head.  And!  He comes with a galaxy glider.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got this figure because I really, really, really like Space Power Rangers and Blue is my favorite color.  My dad came home with a Blue Space Power Ranger because every Monday we watch Space Power Rangers.  I love, love, love, love, love, love, loooooooooooooooooooove the figure.  I will see you next time with Venom!  Good night, folks!

#3214: Reva – Third Sister

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

REVA — THIRD SISTER

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Obi-Wan Kenobi was definitely populated with a lot of characters we’ve seen elsewhere in the saga, but it wasn’t without its standouts in the new character department.  Amongst those new characters was Reva, an antagonistic force throughout the story, whose own journey was run parallel to that of Obi-Wan and Anakin.  After years of exploration of the increasing number of Jedi padawans that made it out of Order 66, her story was a dark reflection of many of them, showing the unfortunate and destructive path that such trauma can impose upon a person.  Oh, and she was also the latest addition to the growing list of “worst characters in Star Wars,” according to a vocal minority of the “fandom.”  She’s just absolutely ruining the franchise, really.  And she’s doing in three separate styles of toy, no less.  The nerve!  Well, I guess this site’s about the be ruined, too.  Just kidding; we already passed that mark years ago!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Reva (Third Sister) is the third figure in the Kenobi-series of Star Wars: Retro Collection, which is the fifth overall series of the line, and the third to get a proper mass release.  This marks Reva’s third figure, following the Black Series and Vintage Collection offerings, though it’s worth noting that they did all hit pretty close together.  Kudos to Hasbro on ruining all of their lines more or less simultaneously!  The figure stands a little under 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpt is totally unique, with no basis on any earlier offerings.  It’s a pretty nice one, honestly.  The likeness is obviously not meant to be an exact recreation of Moses Ingram, but it’s a good approximation of her look viewed through the lens of the original line.  The body sculpt captures all of the main details from her costume design, and it’s generally nice and sharp in its detailing.  Her cloak goes back to the vinyl construction, which somewhat clashes with the prior two figures, but also feels more appropriate for this particular design.  Kenner did mix cloth and vinyl during ESB, so it’s not entirely without precedent.  As has been the trend up to this point, the paint work is perhaps a little bit too involved for a true Kenner release, but it’s kind of fun to get that slightly idealized set-up.  The two-toned coloring on the outfit actually looks really solid.  Not sure why she’s lacking eyebrows, but, you know, it’s a choice.  Reva is packed with her Inquisitor-style saber, which is a new piece modeled somewhat on the Bespin Luke saber, but with the two blades and Reva’s distinctive single hand guard.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Despite her supposed ruining of the franchise, I didn’t mind Reva.  You might even say I, like, actually liked her and the role she played on the show.  That said, I’m finding myself not needing every single character in Black Series form.  Something about this release in particular just really spoke to me, and really sold me on the full Retro line-up.  She’s actually a lot of fun, despite perhaps not being the most outwardly thrilling design.  Definitely a nifty addition to the line-up.

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

#3213: Darth Vader – The Dark Times

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

DARTH VADER — THE DARK TIMES

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Though he may have died at the end of Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader, as perhaps one of best villains of all time, has still remained a fixture of the Star Wars universe.  After Jedi, the character tended to have some of his menace removed from him in subsequent appearances, but starting with Rogue One, there was a very definite attempt at returning him that menace.  Obi-Wan Kenobi takes that even further, giving us quite possibly the most imposing, powerful, and generally terrifying version of the character yet.  There’s a rawness to how he’s portrayed, and it really works, again with the themes of merging the stylings of the Prequels and the Original Trilogy.  And, as per usual, it gives us another go at basic Darth Vader figures, so that’s pretty cool.  Let’s look at one of those today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Darth Vader (The Dark Times) is the second figure in the Kenobi themed series of Hasbro’s Star Wars: Retro Collection, which is the line’s fifth assortment overall.  He’s the third version of Vader in the line, following the straight re-issue of the vintage Vader, and the Target-exclusive “prototype” Vader.  The figure stands closer to 4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  In contrast to the other two Retro Collection Vaders, this one is a new sculpt.  The head is pretty consistent stylistically with the original Vader sculpt, though it does appear to actually be a unique piece, with a slightly different shaping, and a little bit more detailing.  Below the neck, he’s totally new, updating Vader to the later film stylings.  His right arm is no longer has the extending saber built-in, and both hands are now designed for gripping accessories.  He also gains the inner robes that original figure lacked, albeit worked in as the usual split-leg set-up like the others from the vintage line.  Instead of the vintage vinyl cape, this one gets a cloth one, which sits more properly on the shoulders.  It’s a rather thin piece of cloth, but otherwise works out pretty well.  Vader’s paint work is again a little more involved than perhaps a true vintage release might have been, with full detailing on his chest panel, and extra silver details on his belt, as well as red lenses for the eyes.  Again, more of an idealized set-up, but one that still feels pretty true to the original feel.  Vader is packed with a recoloring of the Bespin Luke saber, but in red this time.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Vader is one of those characters whose lack of major changes in design makes for less need for updates.  In the vintage line, that translated to only the one single figure.  It’s a distinctive figure, sure, but it’s also a kind of limiting one, compared to how the rest of the figures evolved over the course of the line.  Going back and doing an update is something that I’ve kind of wanted to see since this line launched.  This one’s pretty fun.  He’s similar to the original, but with enough changes to make him feel worthwhile.  I’d love to maybe see an unmasked Vader come out of this mold as well, but until then, this one’s certainly not bad.

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

#3212: Obi-Wan Kenobi – Wandering Jedi

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

OBI-WAN KENOBI — WANDERING JEDI

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

It was only just a few months ago that I was looking at the second series of Hasbro’s Star Wars: Retro Collection, which was about a year removed from its first series predecessor.  Those two were both based on The Mandalorian, but it seems Mando isn’t getting all of the Retro Collection love, and we don’t have to wait a whole year for the next round of them.  Hooray!  For years, it’s been widely agreed that, whatever your opinion of the Star Wars prequels may be, Ewan McGreggor’s Obi-Wan was the best part of them, and was also really under-utilized in the grand scheme of things.  With Ewan still being very much on board to do more with the role, Disney decided to give Obi-Wan his own show, bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, at least as far as Obi-Wan himself was concerned.  It started slow, but the show’s honestly the best instance of truly melding the aesthetics and tones of the Prequel Trilogy with those of the Original Trilogy, and was just far better than it had any right to be.  With its direct lead-in to ANH, it’s not a bad fit for the Retro style, and Hasbro jumped right in on it, with an assortment of six different characters from the show.  I’m kicking things off today with Obi-Wan himself!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Wandering Jedi) is the first of the six figures that make up the first (so far) Kenobi-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection, which is officially the fifth series within the wider Retro Collection set-up, counting the more direct re-issue sets.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s based on Obi-Wan’s “Wandering Jedi” look, which is what he wears for the first couple of episodes, while he’s doing his whole detective thing.  It’s the look that got the biggest marketing push up front, and also the one that I suppose best fits the overall aesthetic of the show, being consistent with his general looks from the prequels, while also still being a little more average and downtrodden.  To facilitate this, he gets an all-new sculpt, which, much like the rest of the line, is meant to evoke the vintage Kenner feel.  Though time-line wise, he’s from pre-ANH, the figure is clearly meant to evoke a post-Jedi era of the vintage line.  He’s a little less stilted in his posing, and the details are a little more organic.  He’s also lacking the built-in lightsaber of the original Obi-Wan, and gets a cloth robe that’s actually a robe, rather than the vinyl extended vest piece.  It’s an interesting concept of what an Obi-Wan in the vintage line might have been like post-ANH, if he’d gotten there.  I can definitely dig it.  I also enjoy that they’ve kept the working holster concept from Karga in the first series; someone was clearly very proud of that idea.  His paint work is rather on the drab side, as expected, but that’s not a bad thing.  In some ways, he feels like maybe he has just a little too much paint for proper accuracy to the style, but there’s obviously a bit of idealizing here, and I don’t think that’s so bad.  Obi-Wan is packed with his lightsaber (a recolored version of Bespin Luke’s from the vintage line), and a small blaster pistol.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really enjoyed Kenobi, and I found myself really drawn into how it handled the throw-back feel.  I had the chance to grab the first round of Black Series offerings for it, but for whatever reason, they just didn’t speak to me.  These guys, on the other hand, felt much more up my alley.  If I’m entirely honest, this Obi-Wan design is probably my least favorite of the three that have thus far been tapped for toy treatment, but it’s not a bad one, and it certainly translates to a pretty fun little figure.

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

#3207: Cobb Vanth

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

COBB VANTH

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“The marshal of Mos Pelgo, a small town on Tatooine, Cobb Vanth has earned the trust of the townsfolk as a capable peacekeeper and leader”

While The Mandalorian’s second season was in production, we knew from an early point that Temuera Morrison was returning in some capacity.  Boba Fett was, of course, the heavy rumor, as his return had been theorized since the show’s announcement, but we didn’t know for absolute certain going into the season.  The creators certainly had a good time with that, because in the first episode, Mando goes to Tatooine looking for more of his people, and encounters someone wearing Boba’s armor…only for that person to take off the helmet and reveal himself not as Boba, but instead as Cobb Vanth, a character introduced in the Aftermath novels from right after Disney acquired the franchise.  Though he may not have been the bounty hunter most fans were looking for, Cobb was none the less a rather popular character in his own right, and even got a follow-up appearance in The Book of Boba Fett.  He *also* got an action figure, and I’m gonna be taking a look at that today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cobb Vanth is the 18th figure in the Mandalorian sub-line of Star Wars: The Black Series‘s Phase IV incarnation.  He’s a deluxe-sized release, presumably on the basis that all of the figures using the new armored Fett pieces have been.  It seems to be more of a complexity of build thing, rather than a pure scale or size thing.  Cobb was *supposed* to be out back nearer the beginning of the year, but apart from a few small quantities dropping, he didn’t really seem to arrive.  Thankfully, as of the last month or so, he does seem to be hitting in a bit more force.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  Cobb is making use of the more modern set-up for articulation in the Black Series line, so it’s got a better range than earlier offerings.  That said, amongst his contemporaries, he’s a little more on the restricted side.  He’s still able to get a lot of solid poses, though, so he’s very workable.  Cobb’s sculpt re-uses a few pieces from the recent Boba figure, which makes sense, since it’s the same armor and all.  This includes his torso armor (which has the wookie braids removed) and his gauntlets.  The rest of the sculpt is all-new, and does a solid job of recreating Cobb’s look in the show.  His likeness isn’t spot-on, but it’s a respectable enough recreation of Timothy Olyphant in the role, certainly close enough to get the idea across.  The rest of his outfit is quite well assembled, with some impressive texturing, especially on the tunic.  He’s got an extra scarf piece, which is sculpted to fit around the armor.  It’s a bit too loose and floaty, but otherwise looks the part.  Cobb’s paint work is generally pretty solid.  The advanced weathering on the armor really captures the feel, and his face, hair, and beard paint is also quite lifelike.  The base color work matches well with his palette from the show, and the insignias on the armor are quite sharply defined, as well as matched well with the RotJ Fett.  Cobb is packed with the helmet and rocket pack to match his armor, as well as a pistol and a rifle for proper armaments.  The helmet is the same as Fett’s, but just not glued to the head.  It doesn’t sit quite as well on Cobb’s head, but I’m not really looking to display him helmeted anyway.  The pack is largely the same as the prior Fett release (albeit with a more broken-in paint job), but gets the adjusted rocket at the top.  Both of the guns are new pieces, and they match well to what he’s seen carrying in the show.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As someone who’s on-record as being skeptical about Boba Fett’s role in the whole Star Wars thing, I had no pre-conceived notions about Fett’s presence in Mandalorian.  The misdirect with Cobb was fine by me, and I quite liked how his character shaped up in the show.  I was very definitely down for him getting a figure.  It’s taken a while for this one to make his way out, and he’s not 100% perfect, but he’s still quite a lot of fun.

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.

#3204: Spider-Man & Spinneret

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

SPIDER-MAN & SPINNERET

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Peter and Mary-Jane Parker are partners in marriage and crime-fighting as Spider-Man and Spinneret!”

With the character’s 60th anniversary upon us, now’s as good a time as any to really look into the history of Spidey and his supporting cast.  In 1987, Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson officially tied the knot in not one, not two, but three different venues, which included the mainstream Marvel universe in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, the Spider-Man newspaper strip, and even a live performance of the marriage held at Shea Stadium and officiated by Stan Lee himself.  Within the main universe, the marriage lasted 20 years, before Joe Quesada, during his absolutely wonderful and not at all the worst thing ever run as Editor-in-Chief at Marvel, decided he didn’t think people could relate to a Spider-Man who was married.  Because, apparently people had been not relating to Spidey for the last two decades at that point.  Obviously, the solution to this issue of relatability was to have Peter and Mary-Jane sell their marriage to the literal Devil in what has got to be the most convoluted sequence of events ever crafted in order to end a marriage.  Very relatable.  “One More Day” went over about as well as a lead balloon at the time of its publication, so there have been plenty of attempts at circumventing its effects.  During 2015’s Secret Wars crossover, Dan Slott and Adam Kubert helmed a limited series exploring a world where Peter and MJ had never sold their marriage to the literal Devil, called “Renew Your Vows.”  The story was generally seen as a good thing, and has spawned itself its own two-pack, Spidey and Spinneret, which I’ll be taking a look at today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Spider-Man and Spinneret are one of the pair of two-packs in the “Spider-Man 60th Anniversary” sub-line of Marvel Legends.  The pack is officially branded “Renew Your Vows” after the story that spawned it.

SPIDER-MAN

There has been no shortage of standard Spider-Man variants in Legends, but Hasbro is intent on continuing to improve their standard issue Spider-Man wherever they can.  Just under the current run of Legends, we got Pizza Spidey in 2015, and the Retro Spidey in 2020, and now, there’s a whole new one.  Well, I say “whole new,” but that’s not entirely accurate.  I’ll get to that.  The figure stands just over 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 38 points of articulation.  Yesterday, I spend a good portion of my review of discussing how impressive the Amazing Fantasy Spidey’s articulation is.  Today’s Spidey is…well, he’s different.  A lot of it comes down to how this guy is built.  While AF Spidey is an all-new sculpt from the ground up, Renew Spidey is sort of retrofitting older parts into a modern set-up.  He’s taking a lot from the Retro Spidey from 2020, a figure that was himself slightly hindered by his reliance on pieces from the ANAD 2099 figure.  In order to make up for that figure’s older pieces, this one replaces or at the very least alters a few more pieces to modernize things just a bit.  The arms and legs are now adjusted to feature the pinless construction on the elbows and knees, which was a major issue with the last release, since he literally *just* missed the implementation of that feature.  This figure also gets a new set of feet, which see the return of toe articulation, something that was once a staple, but has been absent from Legends since shortly after Hasbro took over the license.  Admittedly, I tended to find the toe articulation overused, but on Spidey it does make a degree more sense.  It’s all topped off with a head that looks like it might be a re-use of the Pizza Spidey head, but there’s enough slight change-up of the width of the jaw that I’m not sure if it’s actually new or if that’s just a slight variation in the mold over time.  Whatever the case, it’s a more current looking Spidey head than the one that was on the retro release.  The whole set-up on the mold is a little bit piecemeal, but it’s greater than the sum of its parts.  The articulation gets the job done, and he ultimately gets a similar range of motion to the AF Spidey.  There are definitely some areas where one articulation set-up is compensating for another, so it’s not as fluid in its motion as the other figure.  Still, it’s not a bad set-up.  The figure’s paint work is generally pretty good.  The palette is a little darker than the Retro Spidey, which fits well with the particular storyline the figure’s adapting.  Spidey is packed with an unmasked head and three sets of hands (in fists, thwipping, and open gesture).  The unmasked head is the same one we’ve seen a few times, though this time with the face printing, which is honestly a notable improvement.

SPINNERET

Within the original run of Renew Your Vows, MJ is still doing the civilian thing, but when it was continued as an ongoing book under veteran Spidey scribe Gerry Conway, he gave MJ her own super hero identity as Spinneret.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and it has 29 points of articulation.  MJ winds up as about as much of a patchwork job as her husband, which is appropriate, I suppose.  She starts with the AoA Rogue-modified version of the Polaris-modified version of the Phoenix torso, which translates to her having two separate ports on her back that don’t actually do anything for this release.  She’s then got the upgraded pinless-style arms and legs from Shriek, an all-new head, and a pair of add-ons for the cuffs on her ankles.  I’m not super thrilled by the extra ports on the back, but otherwise it’s a body with a decent set of proportions and a really nice range of motion.  The new head does a solid job of recreating her masked look from the comics, and manages to do a not so terrible job of a teeth baring grin that doesn’t look frightening or goofy.  Spinneret’s paint work is pretty decent.  I dig the rather unique color scheme, and the paint on the face in particular, which is using the face printing.  The figure’s packed with an unmasked head (the same one included with the Retro Gwen Stacy figure) and three sets of hands (fists, thwipping, and open gesture).  As with the Peter head, MJ gets the face printing, which is again a marked improvement.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was on the fence with this set.  I enjoy the storyline and all, but it’s a pricey set, and I’d not really been wowed by the Retro Spider-Man in his first release.  That said, once this set was in front of me, it was harder to turn down, especially when I suddenly found myself getting another item for a lot cheaper than I’d expected, so I had some extra cash to justify it.  Spidey is definitely a bit of a Frankenstein, but it ultimately works out better than I’d expected.  He’s the slightest bit undercut by how well the AF Spidey turned out, but they serve different purposes and they serve them well.  Spinneret isn’t the main draw of the set, but she’s still a really solid figure, and rounds out the pack really nicely.

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

#3203: Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man

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

AMAZING FANTASY SPIDER-MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“In Spider-Man’s first-ever adventure, tragedy teaches a young Peter Parker that with great power comes great responsibility.”

On August 10, 1962, the world of Marvel changed forever, with the publication of Amazing Fantasy #15.  With the anthology series officially ending, writer Stan Lee was given free rein to do whatever he wanted for the final issue.  So, Stan dusted off an old concept he’d been trying to get published for a little while and Spider-Man found his way to print.  60 years later, he’s effectively the face of Marvel, and one of the biggest super heroes out there.  In honor of the character’s 60th anniversary, Hasbro’s running all sorts of figures from all throughout his history.  I’m kicking things off today with Peter as he appeared in the very beginning.  Let’s take a look at Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man is a single release figure in the “Spider-Man 60th Anniversary” sub-line of Marvel Legends.  He’s based specifically on Spidey’s first appearance, the second Legends release to do so, following up on Toy Biz’s own stab at it back in 2005.  Things have certainly changed a bit since then, so a re-do feels like it was overdue.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and has 34 points of articulation.  Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man is built on a brand-new base body which, more so than the retro Spidey base from 2020, feels designed as a direct replacement for the Pizza Spidey base.  It’s key strength is how its articulation works; not only is it sporting those fancy pinless elbows and knees that Spidey has been deprived of up to this point, he’s also sporting an impressive range of motion on just about all of his joints.  Okay, so let’s talk about this figure’s articulation, because oh boy is that worth focusing on for a bit.  Perhaps the best area of range is on the figure’s ankles, which have enough forward motion that the figure can stand in a crouching pose while still keeping both of his feet flat on the ground.  Like, *I* don’t even have that kind of range.  He’s also got enough crunch range on the mid-torso and waist, and enough forward mobility on his butterfly shoulders that he can get his hands resting on the ground in front of him while crouching.  The coolest thing about all of this mobility, however, is that it doesn’t require the joints to horribly break up the aesthetics of the mold.  It’s the best of both worlds. The sculpt gives us a slightly more balanced set of skinny proportions than the Pizza Spidey body did, which I think will help it work a little bit better for other characters than that release did.  He also gets an all-new head; it’s not specifically Ditko-based, but it’s got the thinner eyes, which certainly suit the earlier days look a bit better.  The figure’s paint work is a decent set-up.  Thanks to the way the articulation and part break down works, he’s get less need for paint than earlier figures, since a lot of him can just be molded in the proper colors.  The work that’s there is generally pretty solid.  I did have one issue of slop on my figure’s left arm, and there’s a slight mismatch of the reds between the upper torso and the rest of the figure, but beyond that, it’s all reasonable work.  They’ve made sure to give him the slightly modified logo on the front and back, which I love.  I’m also just really overjoyed about the pinless elbows meaning we finally have a Legends Spidey without bright red dots on the interior of his arm.  Spidey is packed with four sets of hands (in thwipping, gripping, fists, and open gesture), a webline, and swappable web wings in both compact and stretched out set-ups.  I love the inclusion of all of the extra hands, since there’s a tendency to drop them these days.  These ones give him a great range of expression.  The webline’s the same one they’ve been using; it works out alright.  The web wings are always tricky in figure form; the swapable pieces feel like the best way of handling them.  They work well on mine, but I know that for some people they’ve been really loose fitting.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve got a soft-spot for the AF Spidey, especially when it comes to Legends.  The Series 10 version from Toy Biz was my standard 6-inch Spidey for a very long while, only being retired by the Pizza Spidey.  Pizza Spidey himself has been a favorite of mine, and, while the retro figure was okay, he wasn’t really an upgrade to me, just a lateral move that I personally didn’t like as much.  With this release, I feel like Hasbro has a suitable replacement for Pizza Spidey.  I mean, sure, he’s still not in standard colors, but in case you hadn’t been clued in by how attached I was the Toy Biz AF Spidey, I’m clearly not too shaken up about that.  This guy’s really, really great.  Honestly, he’s my favorite Legends Spidey to date.

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.

#3199: Moon Knight

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

MOON KNIGHT

MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO (HASBRO)

“A mercenary bound to the ancient spirit, Khonshu, Moon Knight fights to win the spirit its due!”

Ohhhh! Every day I wake up, then I start to break up, lonely is a man without love!  Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out, lonely is a man without love!  …you see, it’s clever, because that’s the song that Stephen wakes up to in Moon Knight, and…umm, I’m using it to start my review.  Fun, right?  Look, I’m just thrilled to be here, really.  Moon Knight’s mainstream, you guys.  I got Moon Knight socks the other day!  Moon Knight socks, you guys!  And there’s so many Moon Knight toys. We had this small selection, and now, it’s just so much more, and I’m all about it.  Moon Knight’s been shown on the card art for Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Retro line since the line began, but he’s just now finally made it into the line.  And I’m pretty excited about that too.  Let’s check him out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Moon Knight is part of series 7 of Marvel Legends Retro, alongside Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man, Nova, Firestar, and repacks of Cap and Iron Man.  He’s one of two figures double-packed, the other being Spider-Man.  Moon Knight’s on Spider-Man’s level.  That’s crazy.  I’m so here for it.  As with the rest of the line, Moon Knight comes packaged in a beautiful retro throwback package, with lovely unique card art and graphics, all of which you must utterly destroy to open the figure.  That’s right, I destroyed this art, just for you guys.  I sure hope you appreciate that!  After being aggressively torn from his packaging, the figure stands just a hair over 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is the same as the Cap I already looked at from this line, which is the classic 5 POA set-up with the addition of swivels on the forearms.  The boots are still separate pieces, but they’re also still glued in place, so there’s no extra movement there.  Moon Knight’s construction uses the same core body as the Cap figure, so he adheres pretty closely to the line’s own established style.  He gets his own unique head and cloak pieces.  The head’s a very basic full-face mask, which I feel like we’ll see more use of as the line continues.  The cloak is quite an impressive piece.  Still more on the basic side, but that perfect classic Moon Knight look.  The paint work on this figure is generally pretty basic, but I appreciate the slight change-up in tones of white for the belt and symbol, as well as the rarely used red eyes in reference to the original Moon Knight #1 cover.  The only thing I don’t really care for is the rather obnoxious brown production code printed on his inner right thigh; the odd color makes it kind of stand out, but it’s at least in a spot you won’t see most of the time.  Moon Knight doesn’t get any accessories.  I’d have liked maybe a staff or moonerangs, but accessories are at a minimum for this line in general, so it’s not majorly surprising, especially since he’s got the cloak.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like I said in the intro, Moon Knight’s been on the card backs for this line since the beginning, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for his proper announcement since.  I was very excited when he was finally shown off.  Obviously, he’s just a basic figure.  I’m not expecting him to break the mold or do anything crazy.  And I still have my slight reservations with this line as a whole, as I did when I reviewed Cap.  But I’ve also kind of mellowed on things a bit there, and I’m honestly just super thrilled at another Moon Knight.  Perhaps the luster will start to wear off once there’s a ton of Moon Knight stuff everywhere for a prolonged period of time, but for now, I’m just really happy about it all.

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.