Tag Archives: Marvel

#0194: Marvel’s Black Knight

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

MARVEL’S BLACK KNIGHT

MARVEL UNIVERSE

For quite some time, I’ve felt that The Avengers was the greatest super hero team ever. Well before the team became a big hit with their recent movie, I was desperately seeking out the random trickles of Avengers characters amongst ToyBiz’s many 5 inch Marvel lines. I know lots of people don’t care for it, but Avengers: United They Stand excited me to no end because its toyline gave me access to figure versions of Falcon, Tigra, Wonderman, Vison, and Kang. Those slightly lower tier characters are what make the Avengers for me. Sure, Cap is still essential, and Iron Man and Thor are both important too (Hulk, on the other hand, really isn’t. Until recently, his status as an Avenger consisted of 3 issues. Out of 500.), but for me the Avengers were Scarlet Witch, Vision, Hawkeye, and the like. So, for quite some time, I’ve been doing my best to find the best collection of all those lesser known Avengers in one scale. Hasbro seems to be finally delivering on that, with their pretty decent roster of Avengers from their Marvel Universe line. The line has recently “ended” and was rebranded under an Avengers name, which I’m totally cool with. Before MU ended, they got out one last series of new figures, which featured today’s figure, Black Knight, one of those lesser known Avengers I discussed. For more info on him, go here.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Knight was released as part of the final series of Marvel Universe. He’s based on the Dane Whitman version of Black Knight, and is depicted in Dane’s first costume. The figure stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and has 20 points of articulation. He’s built on the medium sized male buck, which I believe first appeared on Captain Marvel, a few years ago. It’s one of Hasbro’s better pieces, so I’m not gonna complain, though I do wish the arms went down a bit further. He features a new head and hands, plus add-ons for the belt/scabbard and cape. He also reuses the “pirate boot” feet previously seen on several versions of Hawkeye. The new pieces look pretty good, especially the head, which seems pretty spot on to the classic Black Knight look. The paint work is pretty much the usual faire for a Hasbro release. Not perfect, but there’s no really noticeable instances of slop or bleed over, which is nice. Dane’s one accessory is his Ebony sword. It’s made of very soft plastic, so it comes out of the package pretty bent. It’s also a grayish-silver, which is odd, what with it being an EBONY sword and all. Oh well, guess the figure doesn’t have to be perfect, right?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like so many figures these days, I purchased Black Knight from Amazon. I’m very happy to have the figure because it’s the Black Knight figure I’ve wanted since I was a kid. Previous Black Knight figures were always a bit off, so I’m really thrilled by how well it turned out!

#0193: Mark I, James Rhodes, & Mark II

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

IRON MAN MARK I, JAMES RHODES, & IRON MAN MARK II

MARVEL MINIMATES

Minimates, Minimates, time to review some Minimates! Yep, it’s more of my favorite line of toys to review, Marvel Minimates. It’s a long running line, with almost 60 main series, plus lots of supplemental boxed sets and exclusives. And I own a very large portion of them, so there’s quite a few for me to review. Today, I’ll be looking at a set from the tie-in series for 2008’s Iron Man. It’s James Rhodes and the Mark I armor, plus the variant Mark II armor.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These guys were released in the 21st series of Marvel Minimates.

IRON MAN MARK I

While stranded in a cave, being held captive by a terrorist cell, Tony Stark builds his first suit of armor, dubbed the Mark I, from scrap parts. That’s right, Tony Stark built it. In a cave. With a box of scraps! The Mark I is built on the standard Minimate body, which means it has 14 points of articulation and stands about 2 ½ inches tall. The figure has 10 sculpted add-on pieces: helmet, chest plate, upper arm covers, lower arm covers, thigh covers, and boots. All of these pieces look great, and have a tremendous amount of detailing. The coolest feature about the figure is what’s underneath of all those pieces: a whole Tony Stark! Add the included hair piece and spare feet, and you get a pitch perfect interpretation of what Tony wore while working on the Mark I. It’s a great touch, and this was one of the very first Minimates to implement such a feature. The paint work is very detailed and quite cleanly applied, especially on the underlying Tony pieces. This is by far my favorite figure in the set, and in fact the whole of series 21.

JAMES RHODES

James Rhodes, or Rhodey as Tony likes to call him, is Tony Stark’s best friend and confidant. This figure is kind of funny now, given that it’s based on Terrance Howard’s ill-fated portrayal of the character, and is in fact wearing the very outfit he has on during the infamous “Next time, baby!” scene. The figure is built on the standard Minimate body with two add-on pieces: hair and jacket. Both pieces were new to this figure, and both are pretty much spot on to how Rhodey looked in the film. The paint work on the figure is pretty nice, with no real slop, and some very nice detail work on the shirt and pants especially. The face isn’t quite Terrance Howard, and it seems like the skin may be a tad too dark, but it’s a valiant attempt. Rhodey included no accessories.

IRON MAN MARK II

After he returns home from captivity, Tony decides to refine the Mark I, and builds the Mark II. It’s a sleeker design, and it’s a bit higher powered. It’s also a really easy repaint for toy companies, given that it’s really just a silver version of the Mark III, the film’s main armor. So, here it is, for pretty much that reason. The figure is on the basic Minimate body, with 6 uniquely sculpted pieces: two-piece helmet, chest piece, gloves and legs. All of these pieces are well sculpted, and look accurate to the movie. Not as impressive as the Mark I, but still pretty good. The paint is fairly basic, being mostly one shade of silver, but they did put all the appropriate rivets on, which is a nice touch. The figure includes a spare set of hands and legs, and a hair piece, to allow a more disassembled look.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really loved the first Iron Man film, and patiently awaited the release of the tie-in ‘mates. They kept getting pushed back, which was very annoying, but once I had them, they were one of my favorite series of Minimates for a very long time. I still love the Mark I, and all the amazing detail present in that little guy!

#0186: Kraven The Hunter

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

KRAVEN THE HUNTER

SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Remember my review of Unmasked Spider-Man from just last week? Good, that means this intro can be a bit shorter. Like that figure, this one hails from ToyBiz’s Spider-Man: The Animated Series line from the 90s, and also comes from one of the boxed sets ToyBiz released exclusively through BJ’s Wholesalers. This time around, it’s Kraven the Hunter, one of the classic Spider-Man foes. He was a hunter looking for a more exciting hunt, which led to him fighting Spidey on numerous occasions and eventually joining the first incarnation of the Sinister Six. Let’s see how he turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kraven was released in the BJ’s exclusive Monster Mayhem set, which also included 5 other figures, all repaints. Kraven stands about 5 inches tall and has 9 points of articulation, which were both standard for the line. Kraven is 100% re-use, being a repaint of the main Spider-Man line’s own release of Kraven. The previous Kraven was based on his cartoon appearance, whereas this one seems to be more comic based. The biggest difference present is this figure’s leopard patterned pants in contrast to the previous figure’s black pants. The sculpt is a pretty good one, and is pretty in line with the classic Kraven design, so I can’t blame them for re-releasing it in a more comic accurate palate. The paint work is well applied and clean overall, and it appears to be a bit more detailed than the single release figure. Kraven included no accessories, which is a shame, because his hand is obviously molded to hold one.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I acquired this BJ’s exclusive at KB Toys. Yes, you read that right. Apparently, BJ’s would only actually hold on to these sets for a short while before selling them to KB for the rest of the distribution. Hey, it works for me. Anyway, I was on a trip to the beach, I think right before my brother was born, but I don’t recall for certain. My dad took me to the nearby KB and they had this set there. I had known about its existence, thanks to the internet, but I hadn’t seen it in person. I remember being pretty happy to get it, though it wasn’t really for Kraven. Still, he’s a decent figure, and does help bring back the memories of getting the set.

#0183: Rocket Fire Falcon

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ROCKET FIRE FALCON

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

One of my favorite things about The Winter Soldier (which is a super awesome movie, by the way. If you haven’t already, go and see it!), was Anthony Mackie’s performance as Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon. It’s a role that could end up being either boring or too hokey, and he made it neither. He offered a great sounding board to Cap’s displacement in the present day, and I really hope to see more of him in the role (Is it too late to work him into Avengers 2?).

Needless to say, I definitely wanted the action figure. Sadly, Hasbro seems to have decided to leave him out of their really cool 6 inch line, so the only way to get him was to get into the 3 ¾ inch line (Of course, there’s no Black Widow in that line, so that means I still have to get the 6 inch stuff if I want her. Damn you, Hasbro and your ability to play into my need of action figures to get me to buy two different scales!). So, I broke down and bought him. Let’s take a look at how it turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Falcon was released in the second assortment of The Winter Soldier figures, alongside “Shield Blitz Captain America.” He’s mostly based on Falcon’s look in the movie, though it’s a little bit off. He’s a little over 3 ¾ inches tall and he has 21 points of articulation. I like that he has the wrist articulation that Cap lacked, but I still think he’d be helped by ankle and waist articulation as well. The sculpt is pretty good, though it isn’t without issue. First of all, he has a bit of a pin head. Not terrible, but it’s there. Secondly, his uniform’s wrong. They’ve given him sleeves, which he definitely didn’t have in the movie at any point. Aside from that, he’s not bad. The head does actually look a bit like Anthony Mackie, which is cool to see. The paintwork kind of betrays the sculpt. It’s not atrocious, but it’s certainly sloppy, and once again, the top half of his uniform is just plain wrong. Falcon manages to get hit the least severely of Hasbro’s decision to cut actual accessories in lieu of silly rocket launchers. He still has trigger hands, to be sure, but they can be hidden by the posing, thanks to the wrist articulation. He’s got this silly bright red rocket in place of his jet pack, but Hasbro has thankfully also included a more film accurate one as well.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, the fact that I have any of The Winter Soldier figures from the 3 ¾ inch line is totally Falcon’s fault. I found him at Target over the weekend and decided to pick up Cap and the Winter Soldier as well. Falcon’s not a bad figure. I wish he were a bit more accurate, but he’s a decent representation of the character in the movie, which is cool.

#0182: Shield Blitz Captain America

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SHIELD BLITZ CAPTAIN AMERICA

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Did you guys see Captain America: The Winter Soldier? If the answer isn’t yes, go see it. Go see it now. I’ll wait. Actually, I think I may go see it myself. Yep, I’ll be back in 2 hours.

 

 

Oh, hey guys, you still here? Cool. So, yeah, that was a good movie. And you know what good superhero movies mean, right? Action figures! And thanks to Hasbro’s wonderful case pack outs and distribution, I’ve ended up buying both the 6 inch and 3 ¾ inch lines, to ensure I can get my Captain America fix. Yes, I have a problem. Anyway, there are a few versions of the sentinel of liberty himself. I picked up the “Shield Blitz” version.

THE FIGURE ITSELF
Cap was released in the second assortment of figures in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier line, along with the Falcon. This particular figure depicts Cap in his WW2 uniform seen in the first movie, though they seem to have given it a color scheme a bit more in line with the one he wears in The Winter Soldier. The figure stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and features 19 points of articulation. The figure seems a bit small, especially in comparison to other movie offerings, and he would also really benefit from wrist, ankle and waist joints. As he is currently, he seems a bit stiff. The sculpt on this figure is okay. I think it’s better than the previous movie’s take on the costume, but still not amazing. The head does bear a vague resemblance to Chris Evans, but it’s hard to tell at this scale. One of the things that does bug me a bit is the torso just seeming a bit too short, which gives him this oddly scrunched look. The paintwork is decent, with no real slop, but I do wish they had added a few more paint apps. They left his gun the same color as the holster! Also, there seemed to be quite a bit of variance in the quality of the paint work on the figures I saw, so you might want to check for the best one. The accessories, oh boy, the accessories. Hasbro is and has for quite some time been a fan of the over-sized, useless missile launchers as accessories, but they are typically in addition to one or two more sensible pieces as well. This seems to have changed with The Winter Soldier figures. Cap includes a shield launcher (because we wouldn’t want him to have to actually throw his shield…) and a shield that can be launched. No real issue, right? He still has the shield, right? Yeah, about that… To facilitate the launching feature, they kind of undersized the shield, rounded the edges, and, for some really stupid reason, replaced the usually handles meant for holding it with a single peg. Which he can’t really hold properly, since his hands have been molded in pseudo trigger fingers. Thanks Hasbro…

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This is kind of another example of my lack of self-control on certain action figure purchases. I pretty much bought this because I wanted a Cap to go with the Winter Soldier and Falcon figures I was buying to hold me over until the Minimates and 6 inch versions are readily available. Of the three Caps available, this one seemed to be the best option. The shield totally sucks, and the proportions are a bit off in some places, but I actually am not all that bummed by my decision. He’s not too bad, and I do feel, appearance-wise anyway, he’s an improvement over the one from The First Avenger.

#0181: Spider-Man – Unmasked

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SPIDER-MAN – UNMASKED

SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Spider-Man, Spider-Man.  Does whatever a spider can.  Spins a web any size.  Catches thieves just like flies.  Look out, here comes a Spider-Man….Review.  It’s a Spider-Man review.  That’s what it is.

Yes, it’s another figure from the 90s Marvel Licensing giant that was ToyBiz.  They made a big success with X-Men, so they moved onto Spider-Man and ended up finding even greater success.  This figure comes from that line.  It’s not the first figure I’ve taken a look at from this line, but the first figure was actually Captain America, so I didn’t really discuss it much at length.

Once the line proper had proved to be a hit, ToyBiz teamed up with BJs Wholesalers to have several exclusive boxed sets, consisting mostly of repaints, and based around certain themes.  Today’s figure comes from one of those sets.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

This figure was released as part of a 6 pack of figures, all based on the Clone Saga, which was going on in the comics at the time.  The figure depicts Peter in his Spider-Man costume, sans mask.  I guess he took his mask off a lot in the story?  I must confess, I haven’t actually read the Clone Saga, so I wouldn’t know.  I’m not opposed to having an unmasked Spider-Man, whatever the reasoning, so I’m not complaining.  The figure stands about 5 inches tall and features 11 points of articulation, which was pretty good for the time.  The figure was made from completely reused parts:  The head comes from the Spider-Man line’s version of Peter Parker, and the body is the same one used on Mutant X’s The Fallen.  It’s a body ToyBiz was fond of reusing.  It’s not bad, though it is a bit scrawny, especially in the lower arms.  The head was pretty nice.  It’s based on his look on the cartoon, which it emulates well.  Peter’s  paintwork is decent, not amazing.  Mine has some wear on the webbing from minor play and such.  As far as I recall, he included no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, I’m going to give a shout out to my friend Pat Sponaugle, who follows this blog. This figure, as well as the rest of the set he was included in, was a Christmas gift from Pat way back when!  Thanks Pat!

Overall, he’s actually a pretty neat figure.  Perhaps not the greatest Spider-Man ever, but still pretty cool.  I have fond memories of getting this figure and adding it to my, at the time much smaller, collection.  I think this was the rough start time of me becoming the kid for whom everyone just bought whatever action figures they could find during the holiday season.

#0180: Kitty Pryde

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

KITTY PRYDE

MARVEL UNIVERSE (HASBRO)

When Hasbro took over the Marvel license, it was no surprise when they launched Marvel Universe, a 3 ¾ inch scale line of figures. 3 ¾ inch is Hasbro’s bread and butter, what with their long runs on both GI Joe and Star Wars. Marvel Universe has officially been replaced by Avengers Infinite, but it had a pretty decent run. Most of my Marvel Universe collection was Avengers-related, but for some odd reason, all of my Marvel Universe reviews have been X-Men figures. Guess the randomized list has a preference for those crazy mutants! Today’s review continues that with the team’s #1 girl who walks through walls, Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, aka Ariel, aka Sprite, aka holy crap, why the heck can’t these people just stick with a name?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kitty was released as part of the 8th series of Marvel Universe. She’s based on John Cassidy’s redesign of the character from his and Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. She stands about 3 ¾ inches tall and has 21 points of articulation. When Marvel Universe started out, there was one female body to go around, and that’s the one they put Kitty on. While it I still think that the female buck was the best of the initial base bodies, that ain’t saying much. The proportions aren’t terrible, but arms and legs do seem a bit stubby, the neck is most certainly too long, and she has an odd bow-legged stance. The base body is also too big for Kitty, who is generally depicted as being a fairly small person, even as an adult. The head isn’t the worst thing ever, but it’s nothing to write home about. She looks like a woman in her 40s, not her 20s as she should be, and the hair just looks strange overall. Perhaps Hasbro was attempting to recreate Kitty Pryde: The Later Years, after she and Colossus have settled down. One can only hope we’ll eventually see the complimentary Colossus with a receding hairline and beer gut (Oh, wait, he’s Russian. Is a vodka gut a thing?).  The paint work is even worse than the sculpting, with lots of fuzzy lines, and parts of the uniform that don’t match up right from piece to piece. Kitty includes a stand with her name on it and her pet dragon Lockheed, who may well be the best part of the figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

If I recall correctly, Kitty was part of the large selection of Marvel Universe figures I picked up while Target was running a “buy-one-get-one-free” special. She’s not a particularly good figure, but she’s better than some of the earlier Marvel Universe offerings, so that’s good I suppose. Also, it’s not like there are a wide range of Kitty Pryde figures from which to choose, so if you want a figure of this fairly essential X-Woman, this is one of the few options available.

#0178: Rogue & Beast

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ROGUE & BEAST

MARVEL MINIMATES

Sometimes two things come together in a way that’s more awesome than you can possibly imagine. Such was the case for me with Marvel Minimates series 34. Obviously, the mere fact that it’s Minimates makes it one of my favorite things, but in addition to that, this particular wave was based on Jim Lee’s early 90s work on X-Men. This means they happen to have the same designs as the versions of the characters present on X-Men: The Animated Series, the cartoon effectively responsible for getting me into superheroes and the toys that accompany.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

As noted in the intro, these two were released in Marvel Minimates series 34, and are based on Rogue and Beast’s appearance in the comics in the early 90s.

ROGUE

This isn’t the first time I’ve looked at a figure of Rogue based on this particular design; I’ve previously looked at Hasbro’s interpretation from their Marvel Universe line. As I said in that figure’s review, I think the costume is a good choice because it’s the one most people remember. She’s built on the standard Minimate body, so she has 14 points of articulation and stands about 2 ½ inches tall. She features 6 sculpted add-on pieces: Hair/headband, rolled up sleeves, leather jacket/belt, and boots. The hair and jacket are brand new pieces and the rolled sleeves and boots are re-uses, seen several times in the line. The hair looks pretty much spot on to Rogue’s style of the time. The jacket isn’t bad, though it might be a bit bulky around the shoulders. The paintwork is cleanly applied for the most part. The detail lines are pretty much limited to the front of the torso and head, though she also has the appropriate x-logo on her right shoulder, which is nice to see because it often gets overlooked. Rogue included no accessories.

BEAST

For many people, this is the definitive version of Beast; a hulking, blue, furry guy in blue shorts with an x-logo and sporting some serious Wolverine-hair. I’m more partial to the more reserved George Perez styled Beast from when he was a member of the Avengers, but I certainly appreciate this look. He’s built on the usual Minimate body, like Rogue, so he has the same basic height and articulation. Beast features 9 sculpted pieces: hair, bulked up torso, elongated forearms, clawed hands, belt, and big, furry feet. The hands come from DC’s Cheetah, the forearms come from the sentinel released in the previous wave (more on that in a second), and the torso and belt are standard pieces; the hair and feet are new. The new pieces are great. The feet are just the right size, and while the hair may be a touch too big, it still looks good. The reused pieces are a bit of a mixed bag. The hands work fine, but the torso cover isn’t one of my favorites, mostly due to those shoulders. The forearms are odd, because they were initially used as blast-off hand pieces in the sentinel. They were cool there, but here they look way too long, giving the arms a strange set of proportions. Fortunately, they can be removed, which greatly improves the figure. The paint detailing is pretty good. I especially love the face, as it’s the perfect expression for Hank. The coloration is off on the bulked up torso, which is a bummer, but you can remove it to reveal a full set of details on the under-lying torso, so it’s not too bad. Beast includes a spare set of feet.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was pretty excited when this series was announced, but I will admit this set is just average at best. It’s easily the weakest of the wave, but it does have some redeeming features. The Rogue featured here is easily the definitive version of the character, and Beast is a passable version of a character who is severely lacking in alternative choices. It’s a solid set, and I’m certainly glad I have it.

#0176: Avengers Boxed set

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

HULK, GIANT MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, & KANG

MARVEL MINIMATES

If there’s one toyline I like more than all others, it’s Minimates, particularly the Marvel Minimates subset. Frequent readers should be well aware of this fact, given the sheer volume of Marvel Minimates reviews present on this site. Anyway, I’ve got another Marvel Minimates review for today. This set is important in that it heralded the first release of long-demanded villain Kang!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

This was one of two boxed sets released exclusively through the Disney Store in 2012. The sets were both Avengers related, in an attempt to tie into the movie release. The sets featured three all new figures packaged with five re-releases from Marvel Minimates series 44.

HULK

The Hulk is one of the three re-packs in this set. He’s based on his Professor Hulk incarnation, from Peter David’s run of Hulk. The basic idea was that Banner’s intelligence remained when he turned into the Hulk. It was a pretty big moment in the comics, and it definitely deserves a Minimate. This is actually the second Minimate of Professor Hulk, but the less said about the first one, the better. The figure is built on the standard Minimate body, with sculpted add-ons for bulk. He stands a little over 2 ½ inches tall and has 12 points of articulation. Most of the bulked up pieces are the same ones seen on other large characters, but he does feature a new set of feet, new hair, and it’s the first official release of the basic bulked up hands. All of the pieces look pretty good, and it’s nice to finally get a hairpiece that accurately resembles Hulks occasional bowl cut look. The paint work is good overall. There’s a bit of slop a few places, but all detail work is sharp. Hulk includes two rock slabs.

GIANT MAN

GiAnt Man is yet another of the repacks from this set. He’s based on George Perez’s redesign of the character from his and Kurt Busiek’s run on The Avengers in the 90s. The idea behind this redesign was creating a look that could easily morph between Hank’s Giant Man and Ant Man personas, hence the GiAnt Man title. It’s not a bad look, so its inclusion here is fair. He’s also built on the standard Minimates body, so he’s about 2 ½ inches tall and has 14 points of articulation. The number of add-ons depends on how you set him up, but amongst them are a Giant Man helmet, an Ant Man helmet, a belt, a torso extender, a pair of tall feet and a pair of short feet. The figure seems to be a case of better in concept than in execution, as the Giant Man set-up looks a bit strange, the Ant Man set-up is a bit too large, and neither helmet actually fits his face properly, leading to his mouth being too far down, making him look silly. The figure also includes a spare hairpiece to display him unmasked. It’s a re-use of Renfield’s hair from the Dracula set, and I’m not sure it quite fits Hank. Overall, this figure had some potential, but ends up being a bit of a mess.

 

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Cap is the final repack in this set. He based on Cap’s typical look, though it does take some of the more specific cues from George Perez’s work. The figure is on the standard body, so he’s got the usual stats. He features six sculpted add-ons: mask, glove cuffs, shield strap, and boots. All of these are reuse from previous Captains, but it’s kind of a case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The paint work is all pretty good. Everything is nice and clean, and he’s even got little details, like the scales on his shirt or the blue shorts he’s sometimes depicted wearing over the pants. One area that is a bit off is the face, which seems a little bit angry looking for Cap. Other than that, he’s a pretty great standard Cap release. He includes his mighty shield (in metallic colors!), and a spare hairpiece, which is a re-use from one of the Back to the Future Marty McFly figures.

KANG

KAAAAANG!!! Yeah, he was a pretty big deal. Kang is the only exclusive figure in this set. For those of you who don’t know Kang, he’s one of the more pivotal Avengers foes. He was a conqueror from the future that came back in time to take over earlier. The Avengers of course would always stop him, as they do. For a quick explanation, I’d recommend checking out the character’s appearances in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, which is currently available for streaming on Netflix. Kang is built in the standard Minimates body, so he has all the typical stats. He features 7 sculpted add-ons: helmet, gloves, shoulder armor, belt, and upper arms. The upper arms are the same ones seen on Betsy Braddock and the Hydra Elite. They aren’t my favorite piece, but they do work for depicting more billowy shirt material, which Kang does have. I think the rest of the pieces are new, though the gloves mightbe a re-use. The paint work on Kang is pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but it isn’t bad and everything is nice and sharp. Kang includes two guns and a pink teleportation stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was pretty excited about this set. The update on Professor Hulk was much needed, and the release of Kang was super cool! I wish Giant Man had been a bit better, but overall, this is a pretty good set. I got this set from Disney’s online store, as none of the Disney Stores near me carry Minimates. I like the idea of Disney exclusives, if it gets us cool sets like this, but they should definitely work on distribution.

#0169: Captain America

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA

SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (TOYBIZ)

By the time this review is posted, I will have seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  I’m hoping that I love it as much as I am expecting to, but I’ll just have to wait and see (EDIT: I saw it!  It was amazing.  Go check it out!).  In the meantime, to celebrate the release of the movie, I’ll be taking a look at my very first Captain America action figure.  Back before Cap was the household name he is now, the only way to get a Cap figure was in the tie-in line to the Spider-Man cartoon, of all places.  Cap had just made an appearance on the show, so Toybiz was gracious enough to put him in the eighth series of the line, dubbed Electro-Spark.  How does the figure hold up almost 20 years later? Let’s find out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Spider-Man line was 5 inch scale, but Cap was a big guy, standing almost 6 inches tall and featuring 9 points of articulation.  Toybiz seemed intent on depicting Cap as quite the hulking figure (not that one).  He’s so big, it’s almost like his super-soldier serum took super-soldier serum.  This was not a Cap you wanted to mess with!  The sculpt had some nice touches, particularly the scale texture on Cap’s torso, which is simple, but very effective.  The gloves and boots also show a nice level of detail.  There’s lots of folds and creases, making them stand out nicely.  The face depicts Cap in a very angry state, which wouldn’t be my first go to for the character, but it was the 90s.  Everybody gritted their teeth like that.  The paint work on Cap was simple, but it fits with the time, and it was fairly cleanly applied.  I quite like the stylizing of the “A” on the forehead.  Cap included his mighty shield, though this is probably my biggest issue with the figure.  The shield was reworked to give it some sort of light-up feature, which means it’s really small and like an inch thick. Plus, the star’s not even the right color!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I mentioned in the intro, Cap was my very first figure of the character.  It was also the only version available for a few years, so this is what I had to live with.  The figure is probably one of the most dated sculpts of the old Spider-Man line, but I can’t help but love it.  I guess I just got used to what I had.  AS a kid, there was no thrill like getting to watch my VHS copies of the Ruby-Spears Captain America cartoon while holding this figure.

Read the Flashback Friday Figure Addendum for this guy here!