Tag Archives: Super 7

#3746: Cobra B.A.T.

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

COBRA B.A.T. — COMIC VERSION

G.I. JOE: REACTION+

Last week, I took a look at the first of Super 7’s latest venture with the G.I. Joe license, ReAction+, a new line of vintage-style O-Ring construction figures. I kicked things off with Snake Eyes, who’s a good mark for the Joes. For my second entry, I’m switching to the opposing team with the B.A.T., a robot dude that’s there for robot dude stuff. So, let’s look at that robot dude and said robot dude stuff.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Cobra B.A.T. is, much like Snake Eyes, part of the four figure line-up that launched Super 7’s G.I. Joe: ReAction+. All of the figures thus far are comics based, which actually means a little bit more for the B.A.T. The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and has 16 points of articulation. He gets the same basic articulation set-up as others of this style, plus additional swivels at the forearms. The hips are notably less restricted here than on Snake Eyes, which is a definite plus.  The B.A.T.’s sculpt is a respectable one, and honestly a bit better than the work we saw on Snake Eyes.  It’s certainly more involved, with the more detailed outfit, and all of the intricacies of the robotic arms.  His torso plate is actually sculpted, rather than a lenticular piece like the original, and the comic styled, generally boxier head is really sharply sculpted, and also rather unique.  I also quite dig that both arms get the swappable forearms, as opposed to just the right on the vintage.  It’s an extra layer of versatility that kicks him up a notch.  His colors again lean into the comic styling, going for blue in place of the usual black sections.  It’s a nice shade, and makes him once more a little different from prior B.A.T.s.  Actual paint application is all quite clean and crisp, with minimal bleed over, and no slop to speak of.  The B.A.T. is packed with the usual three arm attachments (gripper, laser, and torch), a backpack to store them in, and a rifle.  That’s one more accessory than his vintage counterpart got, which gives him a leg up on Snake Eyes, who was down by one.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew going into this line that I wanted Snake Eyes, but wasn’t sold beyond that.  This guy looked pretty cool, but it wasn’t until I saw him in person that I realized how cool.  He really did wow me in-hand, and that was enough to give him a try.  I’m glad I did, because he’s honestly a better figure than the Snake Eyes was, and feels like an all-around more solid product from Super 7.  Still not certain about the direction of this line, but if they can do more figures like this, maybe it might have some legs.

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.

#3741: Snake Eyes

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

SNAKE EYES

G.I. JOE: REACTION+ (SUPER 7)

Well, I took a week off, but I guess I’m back with some more Super 7?  I didn’t *mean* for it to be a weekly feature, but that’s certainly where it’s sitting right now.  So, being back with the Super 7, what in particular am I focussing on?  This time around, it’s more G.I. Joe.  Hasbro’s attempt to give the Joe brand a re-launch included amongst its many product lines a revisit to the O-Ring assembly Joes of the ’80s.  Despite attempting to come at it from a few different angles, Hasbro wasn’t able to get the market support they wanted to keep the O-Rings going, so they’ve opted to license the style out.  Super 7, who already had a set of ReAction figures going at the same scale, picked up the additional license, and has launched an upgraded selection of Reaction+ figures, now with O-Ring assembly.  The first round of the figures just hit, and I’ve snagged myself a Snake Eyes to try out the line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Snake Eyes next to Pink Tennis Ball for scaleSnake Eyes is one of the four figures that launched Super 7’s G.I. Joe ReAction+ line.  Thus far, they’re all comics-based, with Snake Eyes specifically being based on his updated V2 look that coincided with his ’85 figure.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  He’s making use of the expected O-Ring articulation set-up, or at least a version of it.  Unlike the original V2, which had the upgraded ball-jointed neck, this one’s more like the earlier vintage figures, when they still just had the swivels.  I also found his hip articulation to be a bit more restricted than your average vintage figure.  You can sort of get some side-to-side, but it’s mostly just forward and back.  Snake Eyes has an all-new sculpt, and it’s got its pluses and its minuses.  It’s generally more geometric in its shaping, and the limbs, especially the arms, are a little more tubular and less organic.  That said, there’s some very sharp detailing for the outfit, which is a little better than we’d see on a vintage release.  In particular, the head’s quite good at capturing the classic Snake Eyes look in a very clean and striking way.  I also find that the sculpt just Accessories for Snake Eyesgenerally looks a bit better and more polished than the early renders we saw initially.  Snake Eyes’ color work is reasonably well done.  The dark grey of the main body is certainly well chosen, and the blue is a more unique accent choice.  Personally, I don’t love the entirety of the boots being blue, but it’s minor.  The actual paint application is pretty clean, and I noticed no real issues on mine.  Snake Eyes is packed with a sword, Uzi, and backpack.  The weapons fit alright in the hands.  I’m not sure how the paint will hold up over time, but it looks okay now.  The back pack looks alright, but its storage for the sword isn’t a great design, and doesn’t really hold it well.  I worry about how it will hold up long term.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After falling out of love with Classified, I’ve been trying to find something good to keep some form of Joe collecting going.  I’ve been trying a little bit of everything.  This line’s announcement intrigued me, and I liked the look of the prototypes for this guy in particular.  Admittedly, I have a hard time saying no to a halfway decent Snake Eyes.  This one does a little better than halfway decent, but I can’t say he does *much* better than that.  He’s generally fun, and friendlier to mess with than a proper V2 release, and for the price point, he’s alright.  That said, I’ve definitely got some concerns, and there’s room for improvement.  I worry about this line’s long-term viability, but at least I got a fun little Snake Eyes out of it.

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.

#3738: Lobster Johnson

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

LOBSTER JOHNSON

HELLBOY REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Okay, who’s ready to punch some Nazis? Well, a good chunk of Golden Age comic heroes, for sure, and also some retroactive additions to that time period as well. Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, which has its main character arrive on our world during World War II, is obviously supportive of the punching Nazis front, and that includes later retroactive addition Lobster Johnson, WW2-era pulp hero turned recurring character. Lobster has become one of the franchise’s most distinctive characters, and that lends itself to some pretty decent toy coverage as well.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lobster Johnson was released in the single-carded assortment of Super 7’s Hellboy ReAction Figures line, much like the Abe Sapien I looked at a little while back. Lobster was the only non-BPRD guy in the mix, but he’s Lobster Johnson, so he’s a pretty natural fourth figure. The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and has the usual 5 points of articulation. His sculpt is rather basic, as is the line’s style. It strips him of a lot of the grit that Mignola’s art depicted, but it still works for Lobster and his more classical pulpy vibe. Like Abe, the head still feels a touch large for the body, but not terribly so. Lobster’s color work is rather basic, which is expected; guy’s always had a pretty simple look.  The application’s decent, though, and the blue and orange details are quite striking.  Lobster was originally packaged with a small gun, which mine is unfortunately missing.  I guess he’ll just have to keep punching Nazis with his fists.  Oh, darn.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As with all of the Hellboy ReAction Figures, this is a figure I wanted back when he was new, but just wasn’t really in the spot to buy at the time, so I wound up missing him.  Like Abe, this one I got loose, when one came into All Time a little while back.  It’s a solid figure. No muss, no fuss, nothing crazy, but he’s certainly nifty and fun.

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

#3733: Zoot

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

ZOOT

THE MUPPETS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Wow, two Super 7 in a week?  Sure, they’ve been getting close, but not like this.  This is, like, Gottlieb talking about the frequencies of kaiju arrivals in Pacific Rim.  When’s the first double event gonna be?  Actually, I reviewed Brett and Parker together two months ago, didn’t I?  Well, guess I played myself on that one.  Something I don’t much discuss here is The Muppets, which has had a surprising number of goes at the action figure world.  Obviously, Palisades set the standard with their line, but with them gone and the figures all being rather expensive, there are always other options.  Super 7, purveyors of the double event I was just discussing, did their own Muppets line under their ReAction Figures banner.  Today, I’m taking a look at Electric Mayhem’s resident saxophonist, Zoot!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Zoot was released in Super 7’s six-figure Muppets ReAction Figures line-up, which was entirely themed around Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem and hit retail in March of 2023.  The figure stands just over 3 1/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The general set-up of the figure is very much the standard, basic ReAction affair, in terms of size and articulation.  The sculpt proper does mix things up a little bit by being slightly preposed, so as to better work with his instrument, which I do quite like.  Beyond that, it’s an alright offering.  It’s a little soft on the details, which is I suppose the style.  I’m not sure that they quite captured his facial likeness; something about the shape of the chin and jaw doesn’t quite feel right for Zoot.  Near as I can tell, he seems to be drawing the most inspiration from Zoot’s Muppets TV incarnation, which is a bit of a design outlier.  Zoot’s color work isn’t bad, but some of the paint is a little sloppy, especially on the sunglasses.  Zoot is packed with his saxophone, which is a sensible inclusion.  It fits nicely and securely his hands.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My direct exposure to The Muppet Show as a kid was minimal, but I do very much remember the Palisades line.  One of my parents’ friends collected the whole run, and I was always fascinated with Zoot in particular.  I wanted one of my own, but never got one, which is my experience with almost all of that line, really.  When I saw this guy at Gidget’s Gadgets while vacationing with my family a couple of summers ago, it felt like a nice, lower cost alternative.  So, I bought him, and he sat off to the side for over a year, because I’m easily distracted these days.  He’s alright.  Fairly basic, nothing fancy, but that’s to be expected.

#3731: Roadblock

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

ROADBLOCK

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

I generally stay about a week ahead on my review writing these days, largely so that nothing falls through the cracks and I don’t have mad dashes to get reviews written before a midnight deadline.  In contrast to that particular set-up, I’m writing this review less than 12 hours before it’s going live.  The buffer I had going last week was, well, it was rather consumed by goings on, I suppose, and while I got through the first two posts of this week without too much fuss, today’s has proved a little more tricky.  I know this is just a silly, little toy site, and I very much doubt people are coming here for more serious matters, so I do generally steer clear of them.  I also know it’s important to sometimes have a place to get away from the politics and the spite of the world, so that further drives me to keep things lighter.  But, I’d be lying if I said I weren’t struggling with some things about the current state of the world.  And perhaps writing about “A Real American Hero” isn’t the most ideal way of facing that down, but it’s what I’ve got, so it’s what I’m doing.  And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

So, more Super 7, right?  Crazy, huh?  There’s just, like, a whole bunch of them these days.  Well, more than two, which feels like a bunch in Super 7 terms.  Today, I’m jumping back into their G.I. Joe: Ultimates line, with a look the bestest rhyming Joe there is, Roadblock!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Roadblock was released in Series 5 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates line.  The spacing on this line’s been all sorts of wonky, and I feel like there was a gap between releases, but also these ones totally snuck up on me.  It may be more a me problem than a Super 7 one.  Roadblock is definitely the heavy hitter of this particular assortment of figures, with the rest of the line-up being the comparatively less immediately known Cover Girl, Major Bludd, and Crimson Guard.  The figure stands a little over 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is pretty much the same as the others from the line, so it’s generally not bad.  The range on the elbows does continue to be better than other Super 7 lines, but this time around it’s not quite as good as earlier entries.  He’s got an all-new mold, based on his earlier cartoon design, which was patterned after his V1 figure from Hasbro.  It’s generally a pretty good one, capturing the look of his Sunbow animation model pretty well.  Some of the details are a little softer, but the heads, of which there are three, all have a pretty good likeness of the character.  My personal favorite is the smiling one, which just feels truest of how I view the character, but they’re all solid.  In general, I did find the QC on this figure’s construction better than the prior round of figures.  He’s generally cleaner, and doesn’t feel like any of his joints are going to break.  He’s got total coverage in terms of paint, which, while it does rob the sculpt of some of the depth, does still look pretty nice.  It’s consistently applied, and I didn’t have any notable issues of bleed over or slop on my figure.  The colors are very warm, and feel right for the animation as well.  He’s certainly a well accessorized figure, with four different pairs of hands (in fists, gripping, trigger finger, and open), the standard laser rifle, a helmet, backpack, pistol, bayonet, and Browning with tripod.  They’ve stuck more to just recreating toy extras this time around, which is fair, I suppose, but I do miss some of the more episode specific stuff like we were getting on earlier run figures.  In terms of what’s there, the backpack is a little weird, with the bottom piece feeling like it’s supposed to be removable, but also not quite wanting to budge.  The Browning is also notably warped on the barrel, which is rather unfortunate.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was quite excited by this line when it launched, and wanted to see it go far.  I really hoped it might have the legs for it, but given the general state of everything, I don’t really feel like that’s happening.  After this, we’ve only seen the DiC re-colors, which didn’t land, so I can’t help but feel like this assortment is something of a farewell.  I’d love to be wrong on that.  Roadblock himself is an important part of the core team, so I was glad to get him to fill it in.  He’s not a bad figure.  Perhaps not as stand out as, say, Snake Eyes, but still fun.

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

#3726: Cortex Commander

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

CORTEX COMMANDER

THE WORST ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Oh man, more Super 7?  What are the odds?  Well, honestly sort of high right now, because they seem to be shipping a lot of their stuff in big batches, so all of the stuff I had planned on getting over the course of the last, like, two years, is landing at the same time.  Yay?  Today, I’m talking about something that’s just the worst.  No, seriously, that’s not a judgement of the product; the line is called “The Worst.”  The Worst is actually one of Super 7’s in-house properties, and they’ve done a lot of it with their ReAction imprint.  With that being rather successful, they expanded the brand into their larger Ultimates branding, and I’m taking a look at one of those today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cortex Commander is part of the third assortment of The Worst Ultimates.  Due to slower movement on the first wave, this round took a little ways to get out, and appears to have been a rather low production run, if the case numbers I saw are anything to go by.  Each set has two figures in it, and Cortex Commander’s buddy is Killer Bat, the baseball-themed samurai.  Cortex Commander himself is a rather classic brain in a jar set-up, albeit with some military dictator elements to what I have to assume is a robot body.  It’s a pretty nifty classic sci-fi thing, so I do dig that.  The figure stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  His sculpt is unique to him (though time will tell if Super opts to do repaints of these molds the way they did the small guys), and it’s a solid up-scaling/reworking of the ReAction figure.  There’s no denying that this design lends itself well to a toy, and in general it’s just very polished and sharp.  The sculpt looks the part, and generally manages to make the articulation work pretty decently.  His elbows are still rather restricted, but he otherwise poses well.  His paint work isn’t bad.  Generally, it’s pretty minimal, but what’s there works, and sells the overall design well.  He gets a lot of accessories, including three pairs of hands (fists, gripping, and a trigger finger/cigar holding combo), two head domes (standard and shattered), an alternate tank piece to swap the brain onto, a cane, a pistol, a globe with a nuclear launch button in it, and a pet pigeon with a similar brain jar set-up as the Commander.  It’s a pretty decent selection of extras.  The pistol’s a little loose in the holster, and it’s a little strange that there’s no standard right fist included.  Also, it might be due to spending a lot of my time with an 18 month old, but I find myself with “have you ever seen a brain in a jar, smoking a cigar, down by the bay!” stuck with my head while messing with this figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Worst is one of those things I’ve been aware of for a while, and I’ve been passingly interested in it.  The Ultimates in particular did look pretty cool, and this guy’s design spoke to me.  Initially, I thought I had missed out on my opportunity to get him, but I was able to get him through All Time, and then kind of forgot he was coming until he showed up, so he was a bit of a surprise.  He’s a pretty cool figure.  And, for the fun of it, here’s a picture of him getting punched in the dome by Captain America, as is the customary way of breaking in all my figures of fascist villains!

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.

#3721: Punker Don

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

PUNKER DON

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

“Listen up, spudheads. Punker Don isn’t a scum sucking, stage divin’ sewer head. He’s a kickin’ kowabunga keyboardist of calamity. He’s gonna slam dance the Foot into submission! This mutant mohawk of mayhem will make mincemeat outta any mindless minion who can’t rock ‘n roll. He’ll crank your cranium with his punk-funk flute bo, then slide you on the inside with a flip of his flyin’ record discs. But be wise dudes: the only thing more grating than Don’s music is Shredder’s armor. So watch the wax blast out of your ears – cuz the punk-sonic sounds of Don have dawned!”

The last several instances of my discussing Super 7 here on the site have focused on the ReAction side of things, because it’s just so easy to pick up a bunch of those, I guess.  They’re small.  I haven’t touched on Ultimates in a good while, in  part because Super 7’s been having some difficulty getting the figures out in anyway other than huge batches all at once.  While the first Ultimates figures I looked at were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-related, that’s one of the lines I’ve been away from the longest.  Super is moving into the 2003-era in the next year, but they’re wrapping things up with their vintage-inspired figures first.  In 1991, Playmates did a “Rockers” series of Turtles variants, which is one of the variant sets Super 7’s been working on recreating.  I snagged the Donnie, who is of the Punk Rock variety.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Punker Don is part of Wave 7 of Super 7’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates line.  This particular assortment proved a specific trouble for Super, it would seem, as it faced even more major delays than the rest of the line, making it the last of the “vintage” inspired assortments, despite there being later assortment numbers that were released before.  We got no official word from Super 7 regarding the delays, but when they did arrive, they were still in the older style packaging, with the extra slip cover and everything.  Had this assortment arrived in proper order, Punker Don would have been the second Donatello from the line, but Slam Dunkin’ Don jumped ahead of him due to the release snafu.  The figure stands just over 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 30 points of articulation.  His articulation range is pretty similar to the other figures I’ve looked at from the line.  It’s a little restricted, especially at the elbows and knees, but okay overall.  The joint tolerance is tighter than other releases, presumably in an attempt to offset the floppiness of earlier releases.  It’s a little tricky to get him to pose, but I imagine the joints will loosen up a bit through regular posing.  The figure’s sculpt is all-new.  It does a really nice job of replicating the vintage sculpt, while updating it and adding more depth and sharpness.  He lifts details like the tear in the back of the jacket from the vintage figure, showing off the shell beneath, but here it’s a lot sharper, and more convincing.  The necklace is also now a separate piece, which is certainly fun.  The color work on Punker Don is very vivid and eye-catching, even to a greater degree than the original.  It also makes sure to get the proper coverage for all of the sculpted details, in contrast to the vintage release.  The application’s generally pretty decent, but there’s a little bit of slop, especially on the laces of the boots.  The vintage Punker Don included a Punk Funk Flute Bo, two Record Flyin’ Discs, and a Kickin’ Keyboard.  This release ditches one of the two records, but gains two extra head sculpts, four pairs of hands (fists, pointing, loose grip, and tight grip), a chain, tuning fork, mic, and mic stand.  The two new heads are new designs, one taking the vintage look and adding a pair of goggles, while the other gives him a different punk hair style.  I quite like the goggled version, though on my figure it gets a spot of excess glue on the top of the head.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I first dipped my toes into this line, I knew I wanted some version of Donnie, but I didn’t know exactly which.  I was going to grab the standard, but this one got shown off, and I really wanted him, so I opted to wait.  And what a wait it was.  It was a long enough wait that the standard Donnie started to dry up, and I was starting to feel the pangs of regret.  But, this one finally arrived, and waiting for him was definitely the right call.  He’s a really fun, quite unique figure.  Sure, the posing can have some limitations, but still fun.

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

#3698: General Hawk

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

GENERAL HAWK

G.I. JOE REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Well, let’s keep this weekly ReAction review thing going and take a look at the third figure I’ve gotten from a line I wasn’t planning to get any of, G.I. Joe ReAction Figures.  It’s such an odd little line, and even Super 7 themselves don’t seem to see the longevity on it, if the introduction of their O-Ring line this year is anything to go by.  But, the O-ring line’s not here yet, and ReAction still is, so I’m over here falling back into my safe realm of guys in bomber jackets.  There’s no sense in trying to lean away from it.  So, let’s look at General Hawk.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Hawk was released in Wave 7 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe ReAction Figures line, and it was only in doing the work to double check his release information that I even found out that this line had actually made it through *seven* assortments.  Like, when did they do that?  I mean, I guess in the last couple of years, but, still.  I mean, I guess I’m glad they got to Hawk, because Hawk’s cool and all, so I won’t complain.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  It’s still rather odd to have a Joe articulated like a Kenner figure, but I’m growing more accustomed to it as I move forward.  Hawk’s sculpt is another all-new one.  He’s seen here in his best look, which is v2 bomber jacket-sporting look, which also served as his look for the Sunbow cartoon.  The sculpt leans more into animated than anything else, since it’s a little removed from how the actual c2 figure looked.  I can respect that; if I want a v2 faithful figure, I’ve got the actual v2 figure.  The sculpt is a little stiff, as is the case with all of these.  Hawk’s generally a stiff guy, though, right?  I mean, he’s at least a little better than Duke, though.  Duke’s the worst.  But not Hawk.  Hawk’s paint work is decent enough.  Pretty basic, and again leaning into the animation angle.  It’s a little sloppy on the hairline, but otherwise not bad.  He’s packed with a pistol and a removable helmet.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This guy got traded into All Time, and that was genuinely the first time that I even knew the figure existed.  Not that I was deterred by the lack of knowing he existed.  He’s Hawk, he’s in a bomber jacket, and that’s that.  Ultimately, he’s got the same general drawbacks as the other Joes I’ve looked at in this style, but I think the extra touches, like the removable helmet, make him a touch more impressive.  Plus, he’s got the bomber jacket, and I’m an easy mark.

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.

#3693: Parker & Brett

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

PARKER & BRETT

ALIEN REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Before being the ever-expansive line of just about everything that it’s become, the Reaction Figures line was borne out of Super 7 acquiring the rights to finally release the abandoned Kenner prototypes for a 3 3/4-inch Alien line.  Super 7 originally intended to produce the figures themselves, but as a smaller company, there were concerns they would be able to produce enough of them to meet demand.  Funko stepped in to assist, and built an entire imprint out of it in-house, applying it to a great many of the licenses they already had.  The actual Alien line was initially limited to the five figures that there were already existing prototypes for from Kenner, since that’s all there was.  Funko retooled and repainted to put a few others out, but we didn’t really see truly new* figures, notably the missing three members of the crew, until ReAction moved back under Super 7 exclusively.  A decade and 40 ReAction Figures reviews ago, I actually reviewed the very figures that launched the whole imprint, and now I’m finally adding two of the three missing crew members to the mix!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Parker and Brett were released alongside a bloody deco version of the Alien in the second of the three “Crew of the Nostromo” three-packs, which Super 7 used to re-release the first series figures in new colors and add the missing members of the crew once they took over the line solely.

PARKER

Hey, it’s Parker!  The most sensible person in the movie after Ripley, and also Yaphet Kotto doing his Yaphet Kotto best.  In case you’re wondering, his Yaphet Kotto best is “being Yaphet Kotto.”  Just so that’s clear.  Parker’s seen here in his main garb from the movie, sans-jacket, but before he loses the headband and button down shirt.  The figure’s just over 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Parker’s sculpt was new to him, and a pretty good mimic of the five Kenner sculpts we got.  The head has a passing resemblance to Kotto, while still being within that Kenner realm of “not really a full likeness.”  I’d say it’s still a bit better than the first series figures, and certainly a lot better than Funko’s in-house stuff.  Parker’s paint work is also a noted improvement on the earlier stuff, losing some of the coldness of the first series, as well as its relative sloppiness.  There’s an errant mark of white just above his mouth, but otherwise, it looks pretty good.  Parker was packed without any accessories; it’s a shame they didn’t at least repack the flamethrower here, but the multipack thing offset that, I guess.

BRETT

Parker’s “Right” hand man, Brett!  …Do you get it?  Cuz he always says “right?”  Isn’t it funnier now that I’ve explained it to you?  Look, I bet Brett would have laughed at it.  He would have at the very least said “right.”  Brett’s really only got the one look, and that’s the one he gets here.  I mean, I guess you could do the “turning into an egg” Brett, but that seems like a weird way to go.  The figure’s 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s got another unique sculpt, and it’s honestly another pretty solid one.  It feels very authentic, and, much like Parker, I feel the likeness, this time of actor Harry Dean Stanton, is actually not bad, especially given the stylings.  Honestly, I think he reads better as Stanton than the NECA figure, just by leaning more into caricature, and thereby missing the issue with the more subtle details not quite working.  His paint work is similar to Parker’s, and it’s better than what came before.  I do somewhat miss the pattern on the shirt, but that’s probably not very true to the style.  The jacket lacking the “NOSTROMO” on the back feels like more of a glaring omission.  Also an omission is the lack of a cattle prod accessory for him, but it’s once again a multipack thing, so there it is.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Somehow, I just missed these.  I know there was the exclusive release where they did the single cards, and then the three-packs followed, and I just never got to getting them, and then they were gone.  I had the NECA figures, of course, but I likewise never got the whole crew that way, either.  These ones landed in front of me a month or so back, and I was honestly pretty happy to find them.  They’re certainly my favorites from the crew, and I like having them to go with the rest.  I guess now I just need to find a Lambert.

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.

*I know there are the two Kane figures that are new sculpts, but they suffer from some of the worst of Funko’s in-house sculpts, and they’re heavily reliant on each other.  Also, we already had a Kane, so…

#3688: Abe Sapien

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

ABE SAPIEN

HELLBOY REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

In what has to be one of the quietest and understated moves the franchise has ever taken, apparently there’s a Hellboy movie coming out in two weeks?  The franchise got a reboot in 2019, and this one’s another reboot, specifically adapting the comics story “The Crooked Man”.  I guess that gives this movie a slightly better reason for not including Abe Sapien, since he’s not part of the original story, nor would he really fit its aesthetic.  It does mean that I’ll have to supply my own Abe Sapien appreciation, so here I am, doing just that!  Oh yeah!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Abe Sapien was released as part of the single-carded first assortment of Super 7’s Hellboy ReAction Figures line, alongside HB, Liz, and Lobster Johnson.  The figures are all comic-based, filtered, of course, through the usual ReAction lens.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt was unique to him, and it does a respectable job of taking Mignola’s fish-man design and making it look like a Kenner figure from the ’70s.  Proportionally, his head seems maybe a bit big, but I think that may also be slightly linked to the way the gills work.  Beyond that, it’s a neat sculpt.  They’ve gone more for the “underwater adventure” look for Abe, so he’s got his shorts and belt, but that’s it.  The feet are an interesting quirk; as far as I know, Abe’s always been depicted with actual toes, albeit frequently webbed ones, but this figure gives him sort of hooves, kind of like what Hellboy classically has.  I’d chalk it up to shared parts, but the two have very different details elsewhere on their legs, so it can’t really be that.  Just one of those things, maybe to sell the frequent Kenner inaccuracies? The color work on Abe is pretty fun; the teal sort of color is brighter than Abe is usually depicted, but it fits the vibe of the line very well, so I very much dig it.  Application’s all pretty clean, and there’s a surprising amount of accenting.  Abe is packed with a harpoon, which is great for all those harpooning needs.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

These figures all hit during a period of time when I didn’t have much in the way of disposable income, so I wasn’t really able to jump on any of them when they first hit.  It’s always bummed me out, because I definitely dug the style, and it meant there was an Abe figure I didn’t have.  Thankfully, things have a tendency to come back around, and Abe here got traded into All Time a few months back, giving me an opportunity to finally snag one.  Yay!  He’s not a terribly complex or involved figure, but I enjoy him for his simplicity.  Definitely fun, and I’m now fighting the urge to track down all of the rest of 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.