Tag Archives: Hasbro

#3865: Clone Captain Rex

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

CLONE CAPTAIN REX

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Rex served the Republic on the front lines during the Clone Wars, taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano first as a captain and later a commander.”

Since The Clone Wars has little cross-over in terms of actors with the live action films it crosses over with, most of its original characters are portrayed through their entire runs by veteran voice actors, rather than the people that might play them in live action.  Some of them have made the jump with the same actor; Katee Sackoff as Bo-Katan is probably the best example.  What’s an interesting quirk of the nature of the Clone Troopers, who make up a solid portion of the show’s cast, is that they’re mostly new characters, but they’re voiced by an actor different than the one who portrayed them in live action.  This means that Captain Rex, easily the most prominent clone in the series, and really the most prominent clone in the wider franchise, spent the first decade and a half of his existence never having once been played by Temuera Morrison, the guy that originated the clones in the first place.  This was finally addressed in 2023, however, when Rex made his live action debut in Ahsoka via some key flashback sequences.  And, hey, Hasbro’s also taken advantage of that appearance to give us another Rex figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Clone Captain Rex is figure 16 in the Ahsoka show subline of Star Wars: The Black Series.  He’s in an assortment that also features the flashback version of Anakin from the same show, and they’re both based on their appearances from the earlier flashbacks, meaning Rex is in his Phase I armor.  Since the first Rex was in his later design, it makes this one a much needed variant.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  He’s built on the 2020 Clone Trooper body, rather than using the prior Rex body.  Technically, this does make him more accurate to specifically this armor set, and it’s not too bad a mold.  He gets a new pauldron, and belt with kama, which work about as well as they usually do.  The pauldron seems a bit floaty (I liked the affixed one from the last Rex mold), and the kama is a bit restricting, but those are both rather typical.  One minor but super cool touch is that he’s got a new left hand, which has a trigger finger, meaning he can *finally* hold both blaster pistols properly.  Yay!  His helmet is the standard Phase I style one, with the range finder added on.  Underneath, we get a head that looks to be very similar to the prior Rex, if it’s not actually the same sculpt.  It’s certainly a little sharper, though, and it fits better in the helmet.  His paint work aims for a cleaner look for Rex, which is true to the show, and also fits, this being Rex from earlier in the war.  It’s cleanly applied, and he generally looks pretty good.  Rex is packed with just his two blaster pistols.  It’s again accurate to the show, and I’m glad he can properly hold them, but also that feels really, really light.  I know that the Phase II helmet shouldn’t *technically* go on this body, but it might have been nice to at least get one as an option.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Rex’s appearance in Ahsoka was exceedingly exciting for me.  I literally jumped for joy.  And, as soon as I saw that Phase I armor, I was hopeful it might mean getting him in figure form.  It took a little bit longer than I expected, but I think it was worth it.  I like any chance to get another Rex, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the Phase I armor.  The figure winds up being mostly by the numbers, but, as silly as it may sound, that tweaked left hand *really* works for me.

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.

#3862: Rom

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

ROM

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

In 1979, Parker Brothers, traditionally a board game company, nominally got into the action figure world with Rom, an early electronic toy that took the traditionally figure guise.  The toy was a pretty colossal failure, and would have likely been completely forgotten were it not for the licensing agreement Parker Brothers made with Marvel for a comic adaptation of the figure.  Despite the toy’s failure, the Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema’s comic adaptation was very successful, running 75 issues and 4 annuals, far outlasting the original toy.  Because of the weirdness surrounding the whole thing, Rom’s always been a rarity on the toy front, and has also been completely absent from anything Marvel related.  But, with the character now owned by Hasbro, and Hasbro being on good terms with Marvel, Marvel’s been able to reprint the original series, and Hasbro’s been able to put out a new figure, under the Marvel Legends banner no less!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Rom was released in the Classic Comic Collection series of Marvel Legends, alongside the Banshee figure I reviewed last week.  He further contributes to the eclectic nature of the assortment, which is just kind of a grab-bag of random characters and looks.  Hey, it got me classic Banshee *and* a Rom, so I shan’t question it.  The figure stands just shy of 7 1/4 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is a little different than the usual Legends release, but it’s very much workable, and it does well within the confines of his unique design.  His sculpt is completely new.  It’s based on Rom’s slightly refined look as the series progressed and he moved a little further from the toy-inspired elements of his original design.  There’s still plenty of those vintage elements, though, and he’s very clean and sharp.  It’s one of the slickest Legends sculpts of the year, for sure, and it works really well with his articulation scheme.  Rom’s paint work is decently handled.  Notably, all of the silver is painted, rather than molded, which gives it a more even finish, without any of those swirly bits.  He’s also got some slight red detailing, with the eyes in particular working very well to capture that comic design.  Rom is packed with both his Neutralizer and Analyzer, as well as an effect piece for the Neutralizer, and two pairs of hands (in gripping and a fist/flat combo).  He’s also got a small replica of Rom: Space Knight #1, which is using the same mold as the GSXM included with Banshee.  It’s still kind of a weird gimmick, but at least Rom’s actual on the cover of the issue he comes with.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Rom’s a thing I mostly know through reputation, and not through much actual direct interaction, since the original toy’s pretty rare, and the comic was out of print for so long.  That said, I’ve always dug his design, and I’m also always down for a good robot toy.  His last figure was really hard to get, so that was a no-go. This one proved easier, so here we are.  Banshee was sort of by the numbers and simple, whereas this guy is rather involved and rather a departure from the standard style.  He’s very much an impressive figure, and hands down the best Rom ever made, as well as the best figure in this particular assortment (even if Banshee is my own personal favorite).

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.

#3858: Banshee

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

BANSHEE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Last week, I took a detour from my ’90s Marvel reviews for something that was still *kind of* a ’90s Marvel review.  This week, all I can truly promise is the Marvel.  In fact, it’s kind of meant to *replace* a more ’90s-centric piece already in my collection.  That doesn’t seem right, does it?  Well, look, there are layers, okay?  Today we’re talking about Banshee, a surprisingly early addition to the X-Men mythos, first appearing in 1967 during Roy Thomas and Werner Roth’s run on the original team.  He was a reluctant antagonist, and would eventually join the team proper when the “All-New, All-Different” line-up debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1.  Since he and Sunfire were both “returning characters,” they didn’t get to be on the fancy Gil Kane-drawn cover to the issue with the rest of the team, which means they more frequently get left out of figure coverage related to the issue.  Fittingly, Hasbro started their “modern” recreation of the team in Legends form back in 2017 with Sunfire, and are finally closing it out (more or less) eight years later with Banshee.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Banshee is part of the Classic Comic Collection series of Marvel Legends, which just started hitting in the last month or so.  It’s certainly an interesting line-up of characters, and by that I mean they seem to have just sort of drawn names out of a hat.  Banshee is one of two X-Men in the line-up, the other being Dakken, whom I don’t know that he’s ever met.  This is Banshee’s third time in Legends form, all three having been under Hasbro.  He’s based on his classic green and yellow garb, which is the same as his first Legends figure, from Hasbro’s first series of Legends after they got the license in 2007 (which, incidentally, like this figure, was in a hodgepodge assortment that happened to include an Ultimate Iron Man figure).  That one was *not* good, so this one’s been a long-time coming.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  As we’ve all been kind of expecting since we got Strike Team Banshee back in 2023, this figure makes liberal use of parts from that one, sharing both heads, the modified upper torso, and the attachments for the glider wings with the earlier figure.  I still love both heads (sculpted by Paul Harding), and the calm one in particular feels more at home on this costume, what with the clearly ’70s muttonchops and all.  It’s still a little odd that he doesn’t have consistent hair between the two heads, but it is what it is.  On the flip side, I’m still not super into the very obvious pegs that attach the glider wings to him.  Sure, they’re secure, but they’re awful to look at.  This guy swaps out the Jim Lee-specific costume elements for the standard Vulcan pieces, making for a slightly cleaner sculpt.  In terms of color work, he changes things up, obviously, to match the new palette.  I’m always partial to the green and yellow, so I do generally like it.  That said, the tops of the boots and gloves being painted rather than molded is a bit jarring.  Otherwise, though, it all looks decent.  Banshee is packed with five different hands: a pair of fists, an open right hand, and two gripping hands.  These hands are unique, as near as I can tell, in that they have stitching on them to indicate gloves.  It’s a small detail, but I actually really like it.  Banshee is also packed with a small replica of Giant-Size X-Men #1, as is the gimmick of this assortment for…reasons?  I don’t know.  It’s nifty enough, even if it’s not *quite* scaled right.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back in 2006, I was *thrilled* by the announcement of Banshee being in Hasbro’s first series of Marvel Legends.  In 2007, I was *not thrilled* by Hasbro’s actual Banshee figure.  I just never much cared for it.  I’ve been waiting for a better one since.  As we made our way through the updated GSXM line-up, I kept hoping the next one would be him, making it especially comedic when we got the Strike Force version first (especially since *exactly* the same thing happened in Minimates).  I made do with that one, but this was the one I was really waiting for.  He’s simple, and it’s not like he’s really doing anything new, but it’s very, very nice to have the GSXM line-up finished, and also, since Banshee was around for a bit, also have all of the subsequent line-up changes before he left the team in ’79.  That’s my favorite era of the book, and it’s really my X-Men, so this is really awesome.

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.

#3845: Commando Droid

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

COMMANDO DROID

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

One of the things Clone Wars did was flesh out the ranks of the two opposing armies a bit more than what we saw in the movies.  Obviously, we got a lot of focus on the individual clones, but the Droids also got some new models not seen elsewhere.  A good number of them were more specialized, but one of the earliest additions to the more standard line-up was the Commando Droid, a more robust take on the standard Battle Droid.  As we finally start to get some more of the droid army in Black Series, we’ve finally made our way to some of those Clone Wars-original designs, meaning we finally get an update to the Commando Droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Commando Droid is figure 18 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ 4th Phase.  The Clone Wars line is really one of the slowest growing of the sub-lines; the Commando Droid is only 1 higher than Pre Vizsla, a figure released at the end of 2023.  It also makes the Commando Droid thus far the only Clone Wars-branded figure in the new standard packaging (though there’s already a Savage Opress in the deluxe equivalent).  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The articulation on this guy hits pretty much all of the notes it needs to, and doesn’t leave really any of his sculpted joints as false ones, which is always nice to see.  I was impressed by how the neck and shoulders worked; the ball joints coupled with the hinges make for an impressive range.  The only part I’m not too keen on is the knees, which don’t go quite as deep as I’d like; they pretty much stop at 90 degrees, which is bare minimum, but not great for lunging and stuff.  Thankfully, the hips and ankles have enough movement to offset.  The sculpt is an all-new one, and it’s a very strong one.  The Commando Droids only exist in the Clone Wars style, but this figure manages to capture the spirit of that design, while also making them feel at home with the rest of the more realistically-styled figures.  The detailing is all very sharp, and the articulation works into the sculpt well.  He’s also quite sturdy, which is an improvement to some of the other droid sculpts.  His paint work is more involved than you might expect.  There’s the base color work, of course, which is good and clean, but he’s also got a fair bit of weathering, which makes him seem a little more battle-hardened, which feels right for such a droid.  The Commando Droid is packed with a standard droid blaster and a vibro-blade.  The blaster fits very nicely in his hands, and the blade can be mounted on his back, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m a big fan of the Commando Droid, and have almost every version from the Clone Wars line.  That’s one of my very favorite molds from that era, so this one was one I was really looking forward to, but ever so slightly worried might not live up to my expectations, especially after being rather letdown by the Magnaguard.  But, I couldn’t bring myself to pass him up, so I snagged him when he hit.  He’s truly a fantastic figure, and a worthy successor to the old Clone Wars mold.  I’m very glad I didn’t skip this one.

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

#3841: Luke Skywalker – Imperial Guard & Princess Leia Organa – Boushh

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

LUKE SKYWALKER — IMPERIAL GUARD & PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA — BOUSHH

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“To gather intel on the Black Sun, Leia disguised herself as an Ubesian bounty hunter. But when Xizor captured her, it was up to Luke — alongside his friends and posing as an Imperial Guard — to rescue her”

Next year, it will have been 30 years since Shadows of the Empire, the multimedia Star Wars “event” set between Empire and Jedi launched.  So, you know, we’re all getting properly nostalgic.  Also, I think the last of the original product might *finally* be starting to dry up.  No, I’m just kidding; that stuff’s never gonna dry up!  Nevertheless, Hasbro’s actually doing some updated versions of a lot of the principal players in their Black Series line, including today’s focus, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Luke Skywalker — Imperial Guard and Princess Leia Organa — Boushh are a Hasbro Pulse-exclusive Star Wars: The Black Series two-pack.  They hit more or less in tandem with the main line’s Prince Xizor figure, launching this little Shadows of the Empire sub-line.

LUKE SKYWALKER — IMPERIAL GUARD

While for much of the Shadows story, Luke is just wearing slight variations on his looks from the two surrounding films, the look that gets the most play in tie-ins is his Imperial Guard look, when he and Lando steel the armor from the elite Stormtroopers on Coruscant.  It’s notably the look for his vintage Kenner figure, giving it some distinctive play.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation.  He appears, near as I can tell, to be an all-new sculpt.  That’s not terribly surprising, since it’s a rather unique design.  That being said, this figure does a bit to bring said design just a touch more in line with the general Star Wars vibe, playing up the similarities to the clone armor just a bit.  It’s a solid translation of the design, with a lot of well-rendered textures and layering, making it a very visually interesting design.  As with the original figure, the helmet is removable (though, unlike the earlier figure, the cape is not), and we get a fair run of the mill modern Luke underneath.  The whole thing goes together pretty well, and it’s an impressive piece of work from top to bottom.  The color work is a little brighter than I’m used to, going by the Kenner figure and all, but at the same time, it’s not bad.  The red matches closer to the Black Series Royal Guards, which makes its own degree of internal sense.  He’s packed with the aforementioned removable helmet, as well as his taser staff weapon thing.

PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA — BOUSHH

Within the context of the story, Shadows serves to introduce the Boushh disguise that Leia uses to infiltrate Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi, which also serves as a great way for the Shadows tie-ins to double-dip on Boushh disguise Leia molds.  Despite there being other looks for Leia in-story, this figure is hear to offset the cost of new tooling on Luke, hence the re-used look.  The figure stands about 5 1/2 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  From the neck down, she’s identical to the very first Black Series Boushh Leia, and, by extension, it’s Archive re-issue.  It’s a good sculpt, and apart from some slightly older style articulation, there’s not much you can do to improve it.  The one change-up is the head, which goes from being a solid cast piece to being the head/hair two-piece assembly that’s become standard for the line.  I always felt that the Boushh head sculpt was one of the better likenesses for Leia, but the styling was a little outdated, so I get the need for update.  Ultimately, this one’s more technically advanced, but I think it looks less like Carrie Fisher, so it’s a bit of toss-up in terms of which one’s actually better.  The paint work is again very similar to the last release, with only the head really changing things up, again to bring things more up to modern standards.  Like her prior release, Leia is packed with her helmet, staff, and thermal detonator.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m slowing down on Black Series these days, and I don’t *need* to get all of the Shadows figures, what with having the originals and all, but at the same time, I’m a sucker for that Luke design.  When these were shown off, I was certainly interested, and Max was thankfully nice enough to hook me up with a set, since he was ordering one for himself.  Now that they’re here, they’re certainly…well, they’re certainly the smaller figures, but bigger, I guess.  Both of them are nice, for sure, and Luke’s a particularly impressive piece himself.  But, as with so much Black Series these days, I don’t know that my own personal excitement is there much.

#3837: Hoth Chewbacca

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

HOTH CHEWBACCA

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE (HASBRO)

“Chewbacca, like all members of the Wookiee species, was indigenous to the jungle planet of Kashyyyk. Honorable, intelligent, and friendly, though fierce and dangerous when angered, Wookiees were a proud species who once made contributions to the Galactic Republic. Wookiee senators represented Kashyyyk in the Galactic Senate. Their respectable position changed, however, when the Imperials seized power and began enslaving the extraordinarily strong Wookiees as laborers. In Chewbacca’s case, he escaped slavery and death with the help of a young officer by the name of Han Solo, who destroyed his military career to save the innocent Wookiee. A life debt was established, and Chewbacca joined Han in his adventures through the galaxy. Later on, the duo played significant roles in the Rebel victory over the Empire, and the Wookiee species was restored to its position of honor in the galaxy.”

One of the sets of Power of the Force figures I’m slowly working my way through is the Flashback figures, the sort of odd promotional set for the pending Episode I figures that were yet to be.  They did, if nothing else, give a decent opportunity to re-release some heavy hitters, though some of the flashback connections were…a bit of a stretch.  Obviously, not everyone had a direct equivalent in Episode I, but for Chewbacca here, the equivalent was…a Wookie Senator? Do you guys remember the Wookie Senator?  Because I don’t.  He didn’t even get his *own* figure.  Well, here’s Chewy.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hoth Chewbacca was released in the 1998 assortment of “Flashback Photo” Power of the Force figures.  He was the third version of Chewy in the main line, and completed the set-up of one per movie, being specifically based on Empire, the only one not covered up to that point.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation…sort of.  As with all the Chewbaccas in the line, he’s got a neck joint, but it doesn’t really do much.  Otherwise, it’s pretty normal stuff for the line.  His sculpt is similar to the other two Chewbaccas from the same year, which was notably a departure from the earlier, far more buff version of the character.  It’s not spot-on, but it’s a more accurate build at least.  His paint work is what makes him officially a “Hoth” figure; he’s got a bunch of white detailing painted over top of everything else, so he looks like he’s been out in the snow.  It works okay.  It’s at least different, right?  Sure, let’s go with that.  Chewy is packed with his bowcaster, which is the same piece used with the others in the line.  He also gets the flashback photo, which shows the earlier mentioned Wookie Senator.  Wooooo.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hoth Chewbacca has the distinction of being the last Flashback Photo figure I needed for my collection (though he’s not the last one I need to review; I’ll get on that, I swear!), which is honestly kind of silly, because he’s hardly a rare figure.  I just happened to not get him for a while, and then when I had all the others, he wasn’t immediately in front of me.  But, then he was, so I guess that was nice.  He’s okay.  Very specific, but honestly, that’s not such a bad thing.

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

#3830: Blue Time Force Ranger

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

BLUE TIME FORCE RANGER

POWER RANGERS: LIGHTNING COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Way back in 2020, I discussed my last true hurrah with Power Rangers, Power Rangers: Time Force.  It’s a show that resonated pretty well with me, and ranks as probably my fourth favorite iteration of the series (after Space, Zeo, and Mighty Morphin, in that order).  I brought it up during its introduction into Lightning Collection, which, as it turned out, was also most of its presence in Lightning Collection, since they did Red, and then had a rather large gap.  The only other team member, added not too long before Hasbro wrapped up the line, was Blue.  I guess I’m okay with that.  Here he is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Time Force Ranger was added to Power Rangers: Lightning Collection in 2023, as part of a deluxe offering that included both the figure and his time cycle.  Today’s review is just of the figure, since I do not have the time cycle.  I apologize to all the time cycle enthusiasts on that one.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  His assembly and articulation set up is very similar to Time Force Red, with the only major change-up being the removal of the visible pins on his elbows and knees.  Two figures in the line-up, and they don’t even have internal consistency.  Oh, Lightning Collection.  Otherwise, it’s all very similar.  Honestly, the Time Force Red sculpt was quite a nice offering, and lacked some of the weirdness of the MMPR-based bodies, so it’s actually a pretty solid starting point.  It’s pretty sleek and clean, and looks the part well.  His paint work is the main differentiating thing, of course, with the major palate swap for the coloring, as well as the tweaked shaping on the visor.  It all looks quite sharp, and the application’s generally well handled.  He’s packed with the same Chrono Blaster and Sabers as Red, as well as his own unmasked head, and hands in fists and gripping.  And that’s all without the Bike parts!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Early in Lightning Collection, when Time Force Red hit, I was genuinely planning to get the whole line-up.  As we progressed, that plan shrank down to maybe just this guy and the Quantum Ranger.  Well, it became clear Quantum Ranger wasn’t getting made, and then this guy got bundled with the cycle, which I didn’t really need.  But, Max ended up wanting the cycle, but not the figure, setting us up for one of our classic Ethan-and-Max-split-a-set-they-both-don’t-need-to-be-splitting-but-they’re-doing-it-anyway situations.  Ah, the good ol’ EAMSASTBDNTBSBTDIA set-up.  Ultimately, he’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a late-run Lightning Collection figure, which is to say very solid and by the numbers.

#3822: ARF Trooper – Assault on Geonosis

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

ARF TROOPER — ASSAULT ON GEONOSIS

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

So, remember just last week when I was talking about the Biker Scout armor and its various derivatives?  Cool, let’s loop back to that.  Amongst the prequel era Biker Scout derivatives is the ARF Trooper, a modified version of the standard Clone armor that surfaced in The Clone Wars.  I’m a huge fan of that particular design, and I’ve made it one of my goals to track down every version of it released in Hasbro’s tie-in line.  During the episode “Landing At Point Rain,” the ARF armor gets a re-deco in Geonosis-inspired camo, which got toy coverage in the form of recurring clones Boil and Waxer, but also a not-named clone, you know, for some variety.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The ARF Trooper was released in 2011 as part of the “Assault on Geonosis” Battle Pack from Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars tie-in line, in a pack that also featured variants of Obi-Wan and the Geonosian Warrior.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  He’s using the standard ARF Trooper mold from the line, which also happens to be one of the line’s very best.  The articulation is just top notch, and the detailing is really fun.  Just generally a fantastic mold.  This one mixes it up on the paint front, as is the case with all the ARF Trooper variants.  It’s not *drastically* different from the ARF Boil and Waxer figures, of course, since they’re all Geonosis camo, but it’s different enough to say “hey, that’s different.”  The actual shades are yet another slightly tweaked set up, meaning were three for three on the colors being different.  He ditches the Boil and Waxer specific markings, swapping for a more generic set-up.  So, you know, different.  The ARF Trooper is packed with two styles of blaster, both long and medium, so that you can mix it up a bit.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Have I mentioned that I like the ARF Trooper design?  And also that I like the ARF Trooper mold?  Because I do.  And I do.  So, any chance I have to get another ARF figure I don’t have, I take.  Even if he isn’t *drastically* different from two other ARF Troopers I have already.  But he *is* different, and that’s the most important thing.  Yaaaaaaaaaaay!  New ARF Trooper!

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.

#3821: Blue Senturion

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

BLUE SENTURION

POWER RANGERS: LIGHTNING COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Ah ha!  As the prophecy foretold I said in the opening to last Friday’s review, it’s time to look at Blue Centurion!  Who’s Blue Senturion? Aw, why’d you have to go and ask that? Oh, right, because I mentioned him.  That tracks.  I have discussed once before here on the site Power Rangers: Turbo, the season of Power Rangers wedged between my two favorite runs of the show.  It’s…not great.  It does make up for it’s lack of quality with a noted *quantity* of Rangers.  Thanks to a mid-season cast change-up, there are a total of nine main rangers over the run, and not one, but two contenders for the “sixth ranger” spot (though, neither is officially classified as a Sixth Ranger).  The last time I talked Turbo, I looked at one of those two contenders.  Today, I’m looking at the other, the aforementioned Blue Senturion .

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Senturion was released as a deluxe-priced figure in Hasbro’s Power Rangers: Lightning Collection line. Unlike Phantom Ranger, Senturion was actually billed under the Turbo banner, making him the first in the line (though there was only one more after this before the line wrapped).  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 36 points of articulation.  His movement is similar to the rest of the line, but surprisingly unimpeded by the sculpt, which is super cool.  He’s sporting an all-new sculpt, courtesy of sculptor Dennis Chan.  It’s a very strong recreation of his show design, wherever you may land on that.  I mean, it’s certainly goofy.  I don’t think it’s really as strong a look as Phantom Ranger.  But, there’s no denying that the sculpt does it justice, and it’s certainly clean and sharp.  There’s a lot of layers to the assembly, which gives him some nice depth.  It’s this complexity of design and sculpting that contributes to the “deluxe” price point of the figure, despite his generally fairly average sizing for the line.  The color work on this guy is also pretty solid.  I really dig the translucent coloring on his “lights”, and the general application of the paint’s all pretty clean.  Blue Senturion is packed with two pairs of hands (in fists and gripping), his Senturion Synergizer in blaster, baton, and collapsed configurations, swappable leg holsters for open and closed on both sides, a blast effect, and his whistle.  That’s quite a lot of stuff, and pretty much covers every base except perhaps his bike, but that’s a bigger item I really wouldn’t expect.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I came rather close to buying this guy new, but ultimately didn’t because I’d opted to start scaling back on this line.  Of course, so did a lot of other people, so he didn’t really sell, and then he got really cheap, so when a loose one got traded in, he wasn’t really worth doing anything with on his own.  Max also prodded me by reminding that he’s not only technically a sixth ranger, he’s also kind of a Blue Ranger, so here we are.  He’s not as cool as the Phantom Ranger.  But that’s a character thing, not a figure thing.  The figure’s actually really good, and he’s certainly worth what I paid for him, so that’s a definite plus too.

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.

#3817: Elite Corps Clone Trooper – Combat on Kashyyk

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

ELITE CORPS CLONE TROOPER — COMBAT ON KASHYYK

STAR WARS: SAGA COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“The specialized troopers in the 41st Elite Corps are deployed on the beach of Kashyyyk to battle droid forces invading from the water. Swarms of droids overrun the beach but the elite troopers hold them back, supporting their Republic leaders… until the Emperor orders the corps’ commander to execute Order 66.”

Ah, whoa, whoops, looks like I dropped my review there yesterday.  Okay, that makes it seem like an accident.  It wasn’t.  At about 9:30 last night, I decided I just didn’t have the energy in me to write a review about Blue Centurion.  So, you know, something to look forward to for next week?  Today, I’m setting my sights back on Star Wars, though.  My favorite troopers have always been the Biker Scouts, so I’m always excited to see some variant of them show up elsewhere.  In Revenge of the Sith, that variant of them was green, which is extra exciting, and an excellent way to get me to buy another figure of a Clone Trooper, which is admittedly not super hard to do in the first place.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Elite Corps Clone Trooper was released as part of Star Wars: The Saga Collection, the franchise-spanning line that immediately followed the Revenge of the Sith tie-in.  He was figure #65, and one of the many that served as an extension of the RotS line’s run.  RotS was surprisingly light on the clone figures up front, so there were a lot of them here.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 22 points of articulation.  Structurally, he’s a straight re-paint of the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection Biker Scout.  Now, the thing is, it’s not strictly accurate; while the designs are certainly very close, there are a number of changes to the Elite Corps design, that obviously aren’t represented here.  But, on the flip side, it’s a really good mold, and it’s really fun to mess with.  The articulation’s great, and it doesn’t break up the sculpt too much to get there.  On top of that, his inaccuracy kind of makes him feel like he belongs with the similarly inaccurate clones from the RotS line.  So, you know, maybe not that bad?  His paint work also isn’t strictly speaking screen accurate, but it is strictly speaking pretty cool looking.  It gets the general vibe down, I feel, and that feels like the most important thing in light of the sculpt not being accurate to begin with.  There were two versions of the visor color (much like with the original Gree), and mine is the lighter of the two (which matches my Gree!  Hooray for consistency!), which I dig.  The Trooper was packed with a small blaster pistol and a medium sized blaster rifle, as well as a display stand that is not pictured.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I dig the general vibe of this design, but I can’t say I’m in love with the specifics of it, so figures that are more accurate don’t do as much for me.  In that regard, this figure feels strangely perfect for me.  And, in light of there being other, more accurate versions of the same design for those that want a proper one, he can just be a quirky step towards the accurate figure, and also go perfectly with my original Gree, who is also not accurate, but also still very much entertains me.  It’s because of this that, when I got the chance to snag this one, I swapped him with the more accurate 30th Anniversary figure already in my collection.  I don’t regret that swap, and I don’t regret getting this figure at 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 and their eBay storefront.