Tag Archives: ReAction

#3635: Soundwave

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

SOUNDWAVE

TRANSFORMERS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0114: This is the fifth non-transforming Soundwave I’ve reviewed on the site.

Before I can jump into any given Transformers product line, I always have to ask an important question: is there a Soundwave and an Ultra Magnus?  If there’s not, I’ve got some serious thinking to do.  Super 7’s ReAction had one, but not the other for a bit, and then both, but it took me a bit to get them, so, you know, more waiting.  But it’s okay!  No more waiting now!  Well, I mean, I guess a tiny bit of waiting, since I’m only reviewing one of the two.  It’s Soundwave!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Soundwave was released in the first series of Super 7’s Transformers ReAction Figures line, which hit in 2020.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  As with the rest of the ReAction line, he’s going for that vintage Kenner style, which is…well, it’s certainly a divergent style when it comes to Transformers.  They’ve gone animation model styled for these, which has been pretty much Super 7’s bag for TFs.  I’ll hand it to them, there’s a lot of internal consistency between this guy and the Ultimates version, so they’re certainly doing a good job of pulling the same general stylings there.  This one is, of course, a lot more rigid.  In fact, he’s downright pigeon-toed, which is just a tad goofy looking.  Other than that, though, it’s a decent enough sculpt.  Very squared off and technical, and very clearly Soundwave.  Hard to argue with that, really.  His paint work is basic, but decent itself.  It matches again with the Ultimate (or, I guess the Ultimate matches this one, since the ReAction came first), which goes hand in hand with the animation stylings.  The application is clean for the most part, with minimal fuzziness or bleed over.  Soundwave is packed with his concussion blaster, which is just one solid piece this time around, rather than having any of its usual collapsing components.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I recall seeing this one when the line launched, but I just wasn’t sure I wanted to jump in on it, especially without the certainty of a Magnus.  I did come very close to grabbing him on multiple occasions, though.  Unfortunately, by the time Magnus was announced, sources for this one had largely dried up.  Thankfully for me, a loose one got traded into All Time, and, hey, there we go.  Non-transformy-sound-boi.  He’s nifty.  I don’t know that it really elevates beyond that, but I wasn’t really expecting that.

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

#3600: Tron ReAction Figures

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

TRON & FLYNN w/ LIGHTCYCLES

TRON REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0079: I saw the original Tron for the first time about a week before the release of Tron Legacy, exclusively to know what was going on prior to watching the sequel.

I *love* Tron Legacy.  It’s a defining movie for me.  Just, like, the whole thing.  I love the music, the design, the choreography, the characters…I love it all.  It’s super great.  You know what’s not super great about Legacy?  It’s tie-in products.  Sure, there were a few slightly nifty products when the movie came out, but there was a *lot* more trash.  And I just really want some figures that are semi-decent.  Until then, I will forever be stuck making due with stuff from the first movie.  I love Legacy.  Did I mention that?  The first movie?  It’s…fine.  Like, I get the ground-breaking nature and all.  But…ehhh?  Still, I’m not gonna say no to everything Tron related, if that’s all I’m gonna get.  So, here’s some Tron stuff.

THE FIGURE THEMSELVES

Tron and Flynn with their respective Lightcycles were released as part of Super 7’s Tron ReAction line.  The line as a whole was a Disney Parks exclusive, but Tron and Flynn were both also offered up for order on ShopDisney.

First up, it’s the title character, Tron!  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s just got the standard ReAction articulation, which is exactly what you expect.  He’s based on the original Tron look, hockey pads and all.  The sculpt is a pretty basic one, but that’s really what you need for this style of figure.  The face has a respectable likeness of Bruce Boxleitner, especially given the style and sizing.  Obviously, it’s not to the same level as either of the two DST figures, but it works well enough.  I like the slight detailing for his costume elements; it’s simple, but very effective.  Tron’s color work is really solid.  He’s molded in glow-in-the-dark plastic, with plenty of line-work for all of those classic “tron-lines”.  It works really well.  Tron is packed with his identity disk, which can be stored on the figure’s back.

And, perhaps not the title character, but certainly a central one, it’s Kevin Flynn!  …Yeah?  He’s like Tron, but, you know, not.  Flynn was actually the only character to get multiple figures, since there was a single card and the one with the lightcycle.  The single was his “disguised” colors, where this one is the standard.  Like Tron, he stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt is very similar to Tron’s, but they only actually share the right arm; everything else is minorly tweaked in some way.  Even the head’s got a Bridges likeness; it’s very similar to the Tron head, but I think that’s more the style and similar traits between the two actors.  His color work is very similar to Tron’s as well.  He’s also molded in the glowing plastic, and he’s got his own unique “tron-line” detailing, to help distinguish him.  He’s packed with the same identity disk as Tron, which can likewise be mounted on his back.

Both figures are packaged with a Lightcycle, designed to work with the included figure.  The cycles are each about 6 1/2 inches long, and they have moving wheels and an opening hatch.  Both cycles (and the one included with the Ram figure I don’t have) use the same sculpt.  The sculpt is very basic, but it matches what we see on screen pretty well, and it does what it needs to.  The figures fit inside, though with the 5POA set-up, they do admittedly look pretty goofy, just folded in half in there.  The coloring is where the change-up occurs.  Tron gets orange and Flynn gets yellow.  Both are accented by some black paint, as well as a little bit of the same blue glowing plastic used by the figures.  The glowing doesn’t work as well on the cycles, but it’s still nifty.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I haven’t been to a Disney park since 2007, and I missed these on Shop Disney.  So, how did I get them?  Well, a bit of luck, really.  They just so happened to come through All Time, and I just so happened to be there at the time, allowing me to just so happen to get them for a reasonable price.  They’re basic, but I do really like them.  It’s the simplicity that really sells them.

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.

#3527: Orko

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

ORKO

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0006: In both the original ’80s Filmation Masters of the Universe and the 2002 re-boot, Orko and Mekaneck share a voice actor, Filmation founder Lou Scheimer in the ’80s and Gabe Khouth in the ’00s.

I’m not a hardcore Masters of the Universe fan by any means, but I’ve got a shortlist of three characters that I like to have in every possible style.  Number three on that list is He-Man’s plucky comic relief sidekick Orko, who I’ve had a soft spot for since I was rather young.  Yes, kid me saw the appeal of the kid-appeal character.  I was an easy target.  Super 7’s ReAction line is an ill-explored one in my collection, but I did get the Mekaneck back when he first hit, but I passed on Orko at the time, and he sold out.  He has eluded me for a bit, but no figure escapes me forever.  Oh, no.  I’m like a mounty: I always get my man.  Or…you know, action figure.  I’m like an action figure mounty.  Sure, let’s go with that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Orko was part of Series 2 of the Masters of the Universe ReAction Figures, which is interestingly enough, the same one that had Mekaneck.  The figure stands 2 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Orko doesn’t tend to get the same articulation as the rest of the characters, but this one actually gets the same set-up as everyone else, giving him some of the best mobility of any Orko figure.  He actually has “legs” to move, which is unique to this particular Orko.  As per usual for the character, Orko gets a unique sculpt.  It captures the style of the line nicely, and also requires less adjustments to his character design than some of the others.  His arms are a little longer, but not by much, and overall, he gets all the important details you need to sell Orko’s look.  Orko’s color work is his usual set-up; the paint work is a little spotty on the ears (a classic issue with Orko figures), but otherwise it’s pretty clean.  Orko is packed with his wand, which for this release is just a simple yellow cylinder, rather than anything more ornate.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Since I missed out on grabbing Orko from All Time back when he was new, I’ve been waiting for one to come through, and one did indeed, just last week, in fact.  I’ve been stepping back my pick-ups recently, but he was worthy enough to bring home.  He’s a fun little version of the character.  Plus, he gave me an excuse to introduce my daughter to Orko, which is always a fun time!

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.

#3292: Ron Swanson

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

RON SWANSON

PARKS & RECREATION REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

At the very beginning of the year, I discussed Parks & Recreation and how it’s the superior workplace comedy when compared to The Office.  Why do I bring this up again?  Well, for one to remind you all that I said it.  I said it and I stand by it.  I’m not backing down on it.  So there.  But, also, it’s because, at the time, I only looked at five figures out of the six figure assortment of figures that Super 7 put out under their ReAction umbrella.  The one figure missing was a character that, if he’s not one of the best characters in the history of TV, is at the very least one of the most distinctive.  That’s right, it’s Ron ****ing Swanson.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ron Swanson is the sixth and final figure in the first series of Super 7’s Parks & Recreation ReAction Figures line.  He’s seen here in his usual attire from Season 2 and on, after they’d nailed down the long sleeved polo and khakis look which would become his definitive outfit.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Of the six figures in the set, I think Ron may just have the best likeness.  There’s little mistaking who this guy is supposed to be, right down to his somewhat surly expression.  That’s definitely Nick Offerman, and he’s definitely playing Ron Swanson.  The body sculpt is far more basic, of course, but matches well with the rest of the line.  He’s a little stockier than the other men in the set, which is appropriate for Ron, and he’s again just got the rather standard pose.  Ron’s paint work is rather straight forward.  On mine, it’s a little cleaner than the others I’ve gotten from the line.  I did, however, notice one in the case that I pulled mine from that was, rather amusingly, missing his eyebrows.  Guess he was a Season 3 Ron, huh?  Ron is packed with a plate of breakfast meat, which seems about right for a guy that has a framed picture of breakfast meat on his wall.  Also, it means he pairs off well with Leslie and her waffles.  He still can’t really hold the plate, but at this point that’s expected.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I found the rest of the set, Ron was the only one not present, and I haven’t seen him anywhere since either.  He looks to be the first one to sell out everywhere, which I guess makes some sense.  Thankfully, I was able to get one through work, so my set is complete.  I’m glad I did, because Ron’s honestly the best of the first batch of figures.  He just really nails the character.  I’m hopeful that this set does well enough to justify more, because I really would love to get the whole main cast, and maybe a few of the recurring characters.  But, if it doesn’t, I’m happy that we at least got what we did.

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.

#3262: Parks & Recreation ReAction Figures

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

LESLIE KNOPE, BEN WYATT, DONNA MEAGLE, APRIL LUDGATE, & BURT MACKLIN

PARKS & RECREATION REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

“Ba ba badadada ba badadada ba badadada ba badabada….”

Parks & Recreation Theme Song (Paraphrased)

The Office gets, like, a lot of attention.  So much attention.  Absurd amounts of attention.  And, the thing is, honestly?  It’s kind of overplayed.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some very funny bits on The Office.  But, for the most part, they can just be boiled down to quippy clips that make just as much sense, if not more, when chopped up and thrown into compilations as when shown in actual context.  For my money, the superior workplace comedy by a wide berth is Parks & Recreation, a show that’s also just one of my favorite shows in general.  As a show with a lot of pretty normal looking people, there’s not a *ton* in the way of merchandising for Parks & Rec, but there’s more than you might think.  Funko of course grabbed the license for Pops a while back, and last year Super 7 also got the license for the purposes of doing a set of ReAction Figures, most of which I’m taking a look at today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Leslie Knope, Ben Wyatt, Donna Meagle, April Ludgate, and Burt Macklin are five of the six figures (the other being Ron Swanson) that make up the first series of Super 7’s Parks & Recreation ReAction Figures line, which started hitting retail in the fall of last year.

You can’t very well have a line of Parks & Rec figures and not include the main character, so Leslie was always along for the ride.  Leslie gets quite a number of looks over the course of the show, but this figure settles on one of her office attire blazer and skirt looks, which feels pretty appropriate for the character.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  The movement on her neck is a little restricted by the hair, but otherwise it’s a decent basic set-up for movement.  Leslie’s sculpt is obviously stylized to be a bit more basic.  It’s gets the important details, while dialing back a bit on some of the specifics.  The head’s got a passable likeness of Amy Pohler; it’s not spot-on, but at this scale and in this style, it’s hardly expected to be.  I’d say she’s probably the best of the likenesses present in the initial line-up.  The paint work is, like the sculpt, pretty basic.  It does what it needs to, and it looks the part.  Leslie is packed with a plate with a waffle on it, undoubtedly one made by JJ’s Diner.  There’s honestly nothing more on-brand for Leslie, so it’s definitely nifty.  She can’t really hold it, though, which is a shame.  Still cool.

Though absent until the end of the show’s second season, Ben’s still very much a signature character for the show.  Gonna be honest, there are few fictional characters I identify with more than Ben Wyatt.  His absence from the first two rounds of Pops kind of soured me on those, so I’m very excited that he’s here.  Ben’s sporting his more dressed-down, getting things solved look, which definitely works well.  The figure’s sculpt is one that works better in context than on its own.  The head’s an okay Adam Scott, but it could honestly just as easily be Jason Bateman or Jason Sudekis.  I don’t hate the smile, but it’s also not quite a quintessential Ben expression.  The body doesn’t seem quite skinny enough for Scott’s build; he’s too doughy in the middle, I think.  It’s definitely a little bit of a stylistic thing, though.  The paint work on Ben is pretty basic, and fairly drab, but that’s all about right.  Ben’s packed with a small recreation of the Cones of Dunshire, Ben’s absurdly complicated strategy game he invented.  As with Leslie’s waffle, this is a very on-brand piece, so it’s a lot of fun.  He does have a little bit more luck actually holding it, so that’s a plus.

Donna may have been in the show from the beginning, but she’s a character who very much grew as the show progressed, going from a glorified extra in the first season to a prominent series regular by the end.  Donna also has a lot of looks over the course of the show, but this one goes for her more casual attire.  Donna’s sculpt is a little more immediately obvious as to who it’s supposed to be, but it’s still not quite as on the mark as Leslie.  The likeness to Rhetta’s not overly there, but at the same time, it’s not like the figure looks *unlike* her.  As with Ben, the context of the rest of the figures fills it in pretty quickly.  Her sculpt is pretty basic, as expected, but her proportions seem a little more on the mark than Ben’s were.  Her paint work adds a little more color to the set, with a nice splash of bright pink, which works well for the set.  Donna is packed with a box of baked goods, marked “Treat Yo Self”, which is another very appropriate extra, since the Treat Yo Self antics really helped to cement her character.  We’re back to the figure not being able to hold the accessory, unfortunately, but it’s still nifty to have it.

April’s one of the few characters that comes out of the gate more or less fully formed on the show, albeit in a way that still very much allows her to grow as the series progresses.  For her figure, she’s another casual attire look, which is again pretty on-the-mark for her character.  April’s sculpt winds up being the weakest of the bunch, I find.  Something about the head just misses the mark.  The hair seems to sit too far back, making her forehead seem far too large, and the proportions on the body seem a bit off.  None of it’s terrible, but it’s not super great either.  Her paint work is at least pretty bright, so she’s got that going for her.  April is packed with a small minifigure of her and Andy’s three-legged dog Champion, which isn’t quite as spot-on for the character as some of the others, but is still a pretty solid inclusion.

Burt Macklin, FBI!  Yes, while everyone else in the assortment is just their normal selves, our first version of Chris Pratt’s Andy Dwyer is him using his Burt Macklin persona, which he’d whip out whenever things got “serious.”  It makes him the most targeted of these figures in terms of appearance, and also marks him as someone they’re probably looking to do multiple variants on, should the line progress.  “Burt” is a pretty decent sculpt as well.  The likeness is a little harder to place, since he’s got the glasses sculpted in place, but it seems to land the look pretty alright, and the body gets Pratt’s slightly huskier build down well.  “Burt” has a slightly sloppier paint scheme than the others in the set, especially on the hair and beard.  Given the scale and style, though, it’s not that bad, and the rest of the figure’s all pretty clean.  There are no accessories for this guy, which is a bit of a bummer, but I suppose they’re holding out on the more fun stuff for another Andy variant.  Still feels a bit light.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With Parks & Rec being very high on my list of favorite TV shows, it’s hard for me to justify passing up the chance to own the cast in action figure form.  Of course, given the price point on these things, I was initially thinking I might just grab Ben.  I wound up being swayed into getting the five of these when my wife Rachel and I found them at Target, and she insisted on buying them for me as an early Christmas gift.  They’re definitely expensive for what they are, and they’re not perfect, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be down to pick up whatever else they want to do from the line.

#3153: Ripley

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

RIPLEY

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

You know, every so often, I remember that Aliens is my favorite movie, and it’s got a diminishing presence here on the the site.  It’s the sort of thing that happens when you tend to buy just about everything from said film, and keep up with reviewing it all as its released.  Or the fact that you do sort of hit this point of only needing so many different versions of the same cast of characters.  Back in April, I took a look at a few of Super 7’s ReAction figures from the movie, and I’m circling back with another from the set.  This time around, it’s the film’s main character, Ellen Ripley!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ripley is part of Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, the third of the six human figures that I’ve looked at here on the site.  In contrast to the rest of the figures in the set, this is Ripley’s fourth time in the ReAction style, and the second Aliens-based version, following up on Funko’s two-pack with the Loader and the Queen.  Despite using the same basic style and design, she is, nevertheless, a unique figure.  If I’m honest, I do feel like it might have been a good spot for a bomber jacket Ripley, since the final battle was already covered by Funko, but that might be my bomber jacket bias talking.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall (about a 1/4 inch taller than the Funko version), and she has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpt is all-new, and it’s just kind of different from the Funko version.  Not, like, in particularly notable ways.  Just different.  There are elements I like more, namely the head (and its more accurate hairdo) and the height/general build better matching Weaver.  The detailing on the outfit is a bit of a step down, making her look a lot more basic, but it at least covers all the bases, and she still matches up with the other figures in the set.  The paint work is similarly basic.  The colors are close to what they are in the film; notably, they’re brighter than the Funko version, which again matches better with the Super 7 set, so that makes sense.  Ripley is packed with her combo pulse rifle/flamethrower, which follows the stylings of the shotgun packed with Hicks, so that’s cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After snagging the Hicks and Bishop when they were traded into All Time earlier in the year, I was definitely looking to pick up a few more of the figures in the line, but also totally content to wait for more of them to come through in trade.  Ripley wound up being the first of them to come through in follow-up, so she wound up being the next one to get added to my collection.  I didn’t really feel like I needed her at first, what with having the Funko version and all.  That said, I appreciate this one for its distinct differences, and I like how she pairs with the rest of the set.  Now I get to wait for the rest of the set to walk through…

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.

#3142: Iron Giants

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

IRON GIANTS

THE IRON GIANT REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Okay, so I wrapped up the Retro-styled Star Wars figures yesterday, but I’m not pivoting away from the whole retro thing entirely just yet.  Instead, I’m doing one more day, this time turning my sights on 1999’s 1950s-era space-race coming of age robot story, The Iron Giant.  It’s certainly a favorite of mine, and it’s had a growing presence in the toy world in the last few years.  One of the most recent additions comes courtesy of Super 7’s ReAction brand.  I’ll be taking a look at a couple of those today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The Iron Giants, both with Hogarth and with Super symbol, are two of the three figures that make up the Iron Giant ReAction Figures line-up, with the other being the “Weapon” version from the film’s climax.  The figures both stand just a hair shy of 4 inches tall and they have 5 points of articulation.  The sculpts between the two are largely very similar, as expected.  The arms and legs are entirely the same, with the heads and torsos getting minor deviations.  The “with Hogarth” version is meant to be a standard variant of the character, with no extra frills or anything, and a fairly all-purpose expression.  The Super version has the torso modified to add the “S”, as well as a goofy grin on the head, which feels pretty perfect for the scene.  Both sculpts are a really solid recreation of the character’s on-screen design, and there’s a lot of really sharp technical detailing, which looks really good.  The paint work is pretty basic, since he’s mostly just molded in the proper colors, so it’s really just the eyes and the darker grey accents, as well as the “S” on the Super version.  The main version includes a small micro figure of Hogarth (which is admittedly far too large for proper scaling, but for the style of figure, it makes sense), while the Super version is without any extras.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After a rather long gap in terms of toy coverage, I’ve been pretty thrilled by all the cool Iron Giant stuff recently.  That said, I didn’t jump on these immediately, largely due to the heightened price point on ReAction figures.  When All Time was able to get them in and set me up with an alright deal on them, as well as give me the chance to see them in-person, I was a much easier target.  I really dig them.  They’re kind of basic, but I like having something more on the basic side.

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

#3083: Bishop

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

BISHOP

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

Wow, I took such a gap between Aliens reviews, didn’t I?  Who knows how long it could be before I review another one?  Well, I mean, I knows.  I knows very well.  The answer is “no time at all,” by the way, because I’m totally doing another Aliens review today.  Is it an ill-advised move to group them together, knowing that it’s probably not super likely that I’ll have anything else Aliens-related to review next April 26th?  Probably.  But, I’ll risk it, especially if it means I get to get all meta with this intro.  I do like my meta intros.  Anyway, I looked at Hicks yesterday.  Today, I’m gonna look at Bishop.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bishop is another figure from Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, the second of the six “human” figures, though I suppose “human” isn’t quite right for him.  He prefers the term “artificial person” himself.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Bishop is another all-new sculpt, which isn’t a terrible shock.  It’s a pretty cool sculpt, which captures his general look pretty well.  He’s not the most thrilling character when it comes to design, of course, but that’s just Bishop.  They make the best they can with what they have.  Honestly, they make more than the best, because this figure’s pretty clever.  See, while on the surface he’s just a basic Bishop, he gets a fun action feature.  You can split him apart at the middle, recreating his post-Queen attack damage.  There’s even a peg shaped like his gross android entrails.  It works surprisingly well, and the split’s not as glaringly obvious as you might think.  Sure, it’s clearly there, but it doesn’t jump right out at you.  Honestly, if it sat just a little bit better at the back, it’d be pretty much perfect.  Bishop’s paint work is fairly basic, but it fits the style well, and it captures all the main elements needed.  The application is pretty clean, with no real slop or bleed over, which is nice.  Bishop has no accessories, but the gimmick is the real extra.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hicks was my main want from this set, but Bishop here happened to be the other of the two ReAction figures that got traded into All Time, and I was hardly going to just leave this one on his own.  I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  Hicks was just kinda basic, but Bishop’s actually a quite clever figure.  He could have been very bland and boring, but he’s really fun instead.

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.

#3082: Hicks

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

HICKS

ALIENS: REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Happy Alien Day every one!  I’ve missed it the last two years, by virtue of not having anything to review, but I actually made a concerted effort to not miss it this time around.  I like, purposely saved an item and everything.  Crazy, right?  So, today, I’m turning my sights on a line I haven’t looked at in quite a while, ReAction.  The brand actually has quite a history with the Alien franchise, since it was Super 7’s desire to release the cancelled Kenner Alien figures from 1979 that launched the whole project, and got them the attention of Funko, who blew the whole thing up to epic proportions and then proceeded to run it into the ground.  Super 7 wound up splitting the brand back off from Funko, and has done a lot to refocus it, which included bringing things back to that first license, and actually doing some follow-up figures based on the second movie.  That’s a big deal for me, over here, with the second one being my favorite movie and all.  So, you know what, let’s take a look at Hicks, because that’s what I’m about, son.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hicks (who is, notably, just “Hicks” on the package; not Corporal, not Dwayne, just Hicks) was released in Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, as one of the six humans included in the line-up, hitting retail in mid-2020.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation, in true replication of the intended style.   Hicks’ sculpt was all-new, and, quite surprisingly, entirely unique.  I had expected him to at least share some parts with Hudson, but the core figures are entirely different, which is actually pretty cool.  The sculpt is really good, albeit in the way that it’s supposed to be, which is, admittedly, kind of dated looking.  He’s definitely a sort of stripped down and simplified, almost Saturday morning cartoon version of the character, and it works pretty well.  Like, all of the major details of his outfit are there, just much more basic.  I like that they’ve also more accurately followed the progression of Kenner’s style than the Funko stuff did, so these figures, which would have hailed from the mid-80s had Kenner actually produced them, look more like the later end Star Wars stuff, or even the Raiders figures.  Hicks is actually a little more bulked up and sturdy in his build, which feels more appropriate.  Hicks’ paint work takes the general color palette of the character in the movie, and brightens it up a bit, as it would have been back then, as well as again simplifying things a bit.  It works pretty convincingly, and still sells the main look pretty convincingly.  Hicks is packed with a removable helmet (which is the same as the one included with Hudson), and his shotgun for close encounters.  While it’s a shame he doesn’t also get his pulse rifle, this does at least mean he’s got a unique weapon, since Hudson got the rifle packed with him.  I was also quite impressed by how well the helmet fit, while still sticking to the style.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Though I’m a huge Aliens fan, I’ll admit that I had a hard time justifying these figures when they were announced, due to them being hit by Super 7’s price creep on the ReAction line as a whole.  I want to get more of them, but at $18 a piece, it’s a bit tricky, especially when there’s a whole assortment.  Hicks was the one I *really* wanted to track down, but I just never got around to it.  Then, he kind of tracked me down, I guess.  A Lego minifigure collection that came into All Time had exactly two ReAction figures bundled in with it, and, as luck would have it, Hicks was one of them.  He’s a very specific style of figure, but it’s one that I really like.  He goes really well with the Ripley I got from the Power Loader set, and I’m definitely cool with having another Hicks in my collection.

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.

#1839: VF-1S

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

VF-1S

ROBOTECH: REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

This site could always do with a little more Robotech.  I didn’t know that until just recently, but now that I do, I’m working to fix that unfair dearth of Robotech reviews post-haste.  Post-haste, I tell you!  Of course, since a lot of Robotech/Macross stuff is imported, I’m at a slight disadvantage for quantity.  Fortunately, every so often, a domestic company will take a stab at it, with the most recent attempt being from Super 7, as part of their reclamation of the ReAction branding.  Surprising no one who’s familiar with my prior Robotech reviews, I picked up the Roy Fokker’s veritech, the VF-1S.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The VF-1S is one of the six figures in the first series of Super 7’s Robotech: ReAction Figures line, and is inspired by the appearance Roy’s Veritech in the original Macross, more or less.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Obviously, this whole scaling thing is being handled rather loosely, since the VF-1S would have to be quite a few times larger to properly scale with other ReAction lines.  But then these guys couldn’t be at the same very affordable price, which sort of defeats the whole point, doesn’t it?  The VF-1S shares a good number of his pieces with the other three VFs in this assortment; specifically, they’re all identical from the neck down.  This is true to the show, though, so it’s really just a sensible re-use on the part of Super 7.  It’s a decent sculpt, a bit more squat than the look from the show, which helps it to be a bit more in keeping with the ReAction aesthetic.  There’s still plenty of detail work all throughout, and the details are appropriately clean and machined looking.  He gets a unique head piece, which matches up with the body in terms of style, and also guarantees him a unique design from the others.  The VF-1S’s paintwork is fairly cleanly applied, and consistent with his on-screen appearance. He’s obviously had less wear-and-tear than the last 1S I looked at.  There are a few fuzzy paint masks here and there (the edges of the feet are the most obvious), but for the given scale, it’s passable.  His Skull Leader emblem is particularly well-handled, and helps to pull him slightly above the others in terms of detailing.  The 1S is packed with his standard-issue rifle, which he can hold in either of his hands, or mount on his right arm.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Remember when I reviewed Mekaneck?  Well, I picked up the VF-1S at the same time.  In fact, it was the 1S that caught my attention, as I’ve had the hankering to pick up something Robotech-related ever since I reviewed the 0S several months back.  I love the 1S design, so I was a pretty easy mark for this guy.  I’m really, really pleased with how this figure turned out.  Sure, he’s not in the same league as one the high end Veritechs, but he’s still a lot of fun, and I really want to pick up a whole set to go with him now.

As with Mekanek, I bought the VF-1S from my friends at All Time Toys.  If you’re looking for other cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay Store.