Tag Archives: TRU Exclusive

#4055: Classic Edition 4-Pack

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

LUKE SKYWALKER, DARTH VADER, HAN SOLO, & CHEWBACCA

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

“To commemorate the rich history of the Star Wars film series, Kenner presents this Classic Edition 4-Pack in a strictly limited release. Four of the most popular characters have been produced from molds cast directly from the original Kenner action figures dating to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. This special edition comes as a new era for Star Wars toys is proudly unveiled. Look for the all-new line of Kenner action figures and vehicles that capture all the detail, authenticity, and excitement of the epic Star Wars tradition.”

Ugh, shopkeeper’s apostrophes on the decades.  I hate those.  ….what am I doing here?  Oh, right, toys.  That’s what I’m doing.  Not critiquing 31 year old writing style choices.  I guess that’s fair.  Well, let’s talk toys!

In 1995, Star Wars had been absent from toy retail shelves for a decade, and Kenner was bringing it back.  Of course, what most people remember when you talk about Star Wars toys from 1995 are the super buff all-new Power of the Force figures, but they *also* did a not so often brought up set of recreations from the original run.  It was…not well received at the time, and there was all sorts of anger, and Kenner promised never to do it again.  These days, of course, we have all sorts of retro recreations and continuations, so it’s an entirely different vibe.  These clearly denoted recreations seem pretty quaint by comparison.  Anyway, let’s check them out!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Chewbacca were released in 1995 as the “Classic Edition 4-Pack,” a Toys “R” Us exclusive Power of the Force II offering from the beginning of the line.  The set includes the four figures and their corresponding accessories, as well as four Topps “WideVision” train cards.  Though touted as “Limited Edition,” the set is rumored to have been produced in numbers between 200,000 and 250,000, so not exactly rare.  I suppose it’s at least finite?  Could that be a thing?  Could we start promoting figures as “finite editions.”  Sure, it means nothing, but think of the synergy!

Luke was one of the very first Star Wars figures back in the day, as part of the Early Bird set, so it’s fitting for him to be included again.  This figure is patterned on his very first figure, which I’ve actually reviewed here on the site.  Like that figure, he’s 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpts for these guys are, as noted in the packaging text, are cast from original figures.  It results in a degree of shrinkage from the originals, so he’s just a little bit smaller in every way.  Beyond that, he looks like the old figure, pretty much.  Details are a little sharper, and some angles are a little harsher, but it looks reasonably like the real thing, at least until you catch the updated date stamp.  Obviously, there’s a definite style to this figure, but there’s a quaint charm.  The paint work keeps up with the original, albeit cleaner than any I’ve seen in person.  Luke is armed with his lightsaber, which in this case is a small retractible blade that goes into his arm.  It’s yellow, as was the original.  Why?  Who knows.  It’s quaint!

Can’t have Luke and not have Darth Vader, right?  Vader, unlike Luke, only had one single figure during the original run, and that’s the one they were recreating here.  The figure is 4 inches all and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt is done in the same way as Luke, so it’s a little smaller than the original, and has some minor changes from the transfer, but generally looks the part.  It’s again a little sharper, which isn’t so bad.  Like the original, his cloak/robe/cape is a piece of black vinyl, with arm holes in it.  It’s a little bit thinner than the original was, which is honestly a bit better for posing and how it hangs.  His paint is more or less identical to the original; it’s minor, but it looks fine.  He’s got the same retracting Lightsaber blade as Luke, but molded in the proper red.

Han’s vintage figure is noteworthy for having a very prominent sculptural change mid-production, split by “small-headed” and “big-headed” Hans within the fandom.  Big-Head was the later and generally more plentiful of the two, and also the one that got the reproduction more recently from Hasbro, but Kenner’s first recreation was the small-headed one.  And you know what?  Good.  It’s the better one, and I don’t think it’s even close.  Big-Head Han looks silly, and Small-Head Han looks significantly less so.  He’s more proportionate.  The sculpt uses the same approach as the others, with the same caveats.  I think the sharper detailing works better for his outfit’s details, especially that vest.  In terms of coloring, he’s a little more paint reliant than the original, with his arms being molded in black and totally painted, rather than molded white like the original.  Even painted, it looks a lot like the original, so it’s not so bad.  Han is packed with a replica of his blaster pistol, which is very secure in his right hand.

Rounding out the set is Chewbacca, another figure whose original has been reviewed here on the site.  Like Vader, he just had the one vintage figure, which served as an all-purpose figure for all three movies.  The figure is 4 inches tall with 4 points of articulation, since he’s missing a neck joint.  As I noted in my review of the original, he’s got a definite stylistic approach, but I do really like it, and I feel like it gets to the core of his character, even if it’s silly.  His coloring is slightly more of a departure from the original figure than the other three here, with his shades being a bit desaturated compared to his vintage counterpart.  He’s packed with a replica of the original’s bowcaster, notable in its lack of the bow part, but otherwise cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This is a set that’s…not commonly talked about in collecting circles.  Since I got into the line in its second year, I didn’t have a reference for them, and I had my dad’s originals anyway, so it didn’t really jump out as something I *needed* to know about.  My first encounter with them was a display at the Air & Space Museum, which was honestly kind of cool.  In putting together my list of Power of the Force stuff, I actually almost missed these.  As it stands, they were part of a crazy venture right at the end where I just bought all the figures I still needed in one fell swoop, and they were the first of the batch to show up.  They’re an interesting sort of approach to an idea that the world just wasn’t ready for yet.  They don’t do anything new, but I think they do what they’re looking to do a little better than later approaches.

#4043: Snowtrooper

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

SNOWTROOPER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

Dear readers, we’ve finally arrived, after a seven week stretch, at the end of the Power of the Force coin reviews!  As noted last week, the last few of these are the ones that don’t really have as much in the way of new to offer.  While the seven figure set was heavier weighted on the heroes side, there were two “villains.”  I already looked at Emperor Palpatine, but there was a trooper in the mix, specifically of the Snowtrooper variety.  Why “snow?”  I got no idea, but why question it now.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Snowtrooper is the seventh and final figure in the Toys “R” Us-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” line-up from the Star Wars: Power of the Force II line, released in 1998.  This was the line’s third and final Snowtrooper, following the single and the deluxe.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The Snowtrooper’s sculpt is a straight re-use of the single release mold.  It’s kind of restricted in its movement, but generally a reasonable sculpt.  It’s accurate to the design, if perhaps a bit soft on the detailing.  So, what’s the thing that makes this worthwhile?  The paint, of course!  The original release’s paint was fine, but ultimately inaccurate to the source material.  The deluxe release had a more accurate layout, so this one matches that.  It’s the sort of thing that you aren’t likely to notice on its own, but side by side it’s a notable change-up.  Like the single release, the Snowtrooper is packed with a medium blaster rifle.  He also includes the required Millennium Minted Coin, which rather amusingly refers to him as “Hoth Stormtrooper” so as to keep its accuracy to the vintage release, despite the box calling him “Snowtrooper.”

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Count this figure as yet another on the pile of “didn’t really think I’d need it” when I started collecting the line, since it’s pretty similar to the others.  I got him because I didn’t have him, but wasn’t expecting much.  So, I gotta say, he’s actually a pleasant surprise.  The new paint’s not drastic, but it’s a change, and it’s ultimately a better figure for it.  Of the three Snowtroopers in the line, this one’s probably my favorite.  And that’s a wrap on the figures with the coins.  This set was one I didn’t think much of when I went in, and I was honestly kind of expecting them to be kind of lame.  While they’re totally a fairly hollow cash-grab, I found it to be a surprisingly nifty set of figures.  The coins are actually cool, and all of the figures do feel at least like a minor step-up from the single releases.

#4039: Bespin Han Solo

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

BESPIN HAN SOLO

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

As I make my way through the home stretch of the Power of the Force coin reviews, I’ve officially passed the figures that really offer anything actually new, so, you know, that’ll be a ton of fun, right?  Right.  Since one of the aims of the subset of the line was new variants of the franchise’s heavy hitters, it’s no shock that all three of the central trio were present.  I’ve already looked at two of the three, so today, let’s round out the trio with Han Solo!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bespin Han Solo is one of the seven Toys “R” Us-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” set from Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force II line, released in 1998.  While Luke and Leia were both sporting their Endor gear from Return of the Jedi, Han breaks up the theme by being based on his main look from Empire, which is a twofer, being from a different movie, and also being his main look, not a specific variant.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  Structurally, he’s pretty much identical to the main line release of Bespin Han.  Honestly, that’s not awful.  Apart from the fact that the head sculpt doesn’t really look like Han, it’s past the crazy bulky proportions of the earliest sculpts in the line, and generally looks the part.  The only issue with this particular release is that he can’t stand particularly well, so he needs a stand to keep him upright.  Color wise, he’s again pretty much the same as the single release.  Apart from the jacket being the wrong color (a forced error mandated by Lucasfilm’s licensing in the ‘90s), the paint work is pretty well handled, and fairly cleanly applied.  Paint is also the one distinguishing point for Han’s blaster accessory; though totally black in all other releases, this one gets a bit of silver paint at the front, which is a fun change-up.  He also includes the requisite Millennium Minted Coin, as well as a display stand, which is especially helpful, given his troubles with standing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like the Chewbacca figure from a few weeks ago, this figure wasn’t really on my list until very late in my Power of the Force collecting, given just how similar he is to both the standard and Cinema Scene releases.  Ultimately, there’s not a ton going on with him that’s not going on elsewhere, but the added paint app on the blaster is honestly a pretty cool thing, even if it’s kind of small.  I do appreciate there being *something* different to justify another purchase if you’re the sort of crazy person buying them all.

#4035: C-3PO

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

C-3PO

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

Last week’s Star Wars review was difficult for me to get into, but it was Palpatine, and I don’t much care for him.  Maybe today’s will be easier, because it’s C-3PO, and I certainly find him preferable to Palpatine.  My last 3PO review was almost a year ago, and there was a five year gap before that, so I guess he’s a bit infrequent here.  He’s got one of the lowest review counts of all of the main OT characters, but I think that’s less about me not liking him, and more about him having less variety of looks, especially as he advances in the narrative.  Kenner kept tinkering with different ideas for variants of him during their tenure with the license, and his penultimate release came from their obsession with coins, which has now become *my* obsession with coins.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

C-3PO was added to Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force II line in 1998, as one of the seven figures making up the TRU-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” set.  He’s more all-purpose than most, aside from Chewbacca, who is similarly not tied to a specific film in the Trilogy.  The figure is just under 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  This 3PO represents a sort of “best-of” approach to the available molds for the character.  While the original figure wasn’t *bad*, especially compared to other early line figures, he also wasn’t super accurate in terms of proportions.  This one aims to be more accurate, and uses the upper half of the removable limbs 3PO (with the arms modified to stay in place) and the lower half of the one from the “Purchase of the Droids” set. The end result is the most accurate the line got, sculpturally, to how he looks in the bulk of the movies, which is actually pretty cool.  Beyond that, his color work breaks from those two figures to go back to the approach of the earliest 3POs, which is vac-metalizing for that proper chrome finish.   They even went the extra mile and made his lower right leg silver, something missed on previous chromed figures.  Sure, the foot’s *also* silver, when it should be gold, but it’s a cool idea, right?  Well, it was at the time.  Unfortunately, it’s not an idea that time has been kind to, and almost 30 years later, the gold coloring is all sorts of flaking, and really just not long for this world. There’s otherwise some pretty great paint work on the not chrome parts, with proper coloring on all the wires and the under sides of his hands.  C-3PO is packed with a display stand and the requisite coin, showing him and R2 on Tatooine.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

3PO was probably the figure in this set I was most looking forward to, because of the aforementioned “best of” approach.  I was quite excited to open him up when my set came in…and more than a little disappointed when he started flaking the second I took him out.  It’s a shame, because he looks very cool, but I don’t dare touch him, for fear that he gets worse.  As it stands, the removable limbs figure is still kind of the definitive take from this line, and this guy’s just a spare.

#4031: Emperor Palpatine

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

EMPEROR PALPATINE

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

Bleh, it’s another Palpatine review.  I’m bad at intros for these because I just don’t know how to make him interesting.  “Somehow Palpatine returned” is exactly the level of care I personally have in Palpatine, so it landed right at home for me.  Anyway, here’s another Palpatine, from the period of Power of the Force where Kenner felt the need to make another Palpatine, seemingly for the purpose of having another Palpatine.  Palpatine.  Yep, here’s a Palpatine.  Also a coin.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Emperor Palpatine was released in 1998 as one of the seven Toys “R” Us-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coin” figures from Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force II line.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 3 points of articulation.  Hey, check out all that crazy posability, right?  Like, he can slightly angle his head to either side.  Or slightly move his arms up and down.  The possibilities are endless!  While this line was a re-use heavy one, Palpatine was rather unique in that almost all of his tooling is new.  I mean, sure, he’s clearly modeled on the same basic sculpt that the electronic Palpatine was using, but this one is sans gimmick, and sans any trace of the gimmick, and also just a lot less boxy.  So, I guess that’s all pretty good?  Eh, I’ll consider it a win.  Otherwise, he’s really just a Palpatine figure that feels more or less like all the other Palpatine figures that the line offered up.  He’s an old guy in a black cloak.  Not a lot of room for fun there, really.  Even the paint looks essentially identical to the other Palpatines that preceded him.  The most notable thing here is that he gets a different finish on the clasp for his cloak, so it stands out a little more.  He gets a unique set of electricity effects, which are honestly pretty nice, as well as the stand and coin that all of these figures got.  The coin’s at least pretty nice.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I make it no secret that I’ve got very little love for Palpatine, and even less love for Palpatine figures.  But, I’m going for the complete run, and I’ve bought all the other ones, and this guy was in a big lot with everyone else, so I didn’t really have to think about it too much.  This one’s fine.  He’s better in terms of posing a detailing than anything other than the Flashback figure, and he’s also more stable on his feet (or lack thereof) than that one, so I think it’s generally the best Palpatine the line had.  And also, it’s the last one I have to review, which is quite nice.  Now I never have to talk about Palpatine again!

#4023: Princess Leia in Endor Gear

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

PRINCESS LEIA in ENDOR GEAR

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

Remember last week when I reviewed a Star Wars figure and a coin?  Wanna see me do it again?  Well, whether you want it or not, that’s what I’m doing, because I’ve already taken the photos and set up the text file to write the review, so I’m locked in.  Sorry guys, my hands are just really tied here.  You know how it is with management.  I mean, sure, that’s also me, but do you think I can really get me to change my mind?  I’m doubtful.  So, let’s just take a look at this here Star Wars figure.  Last week, I looked at Luke in his Endor Gear, so why not follow up with his sister Leia, in her very similar Endor Gear.  Oh yeah!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Princess Leia in Endor Gear was released in the Toys “R” Us-exclusive “Millennium Minted Coins” sub-line of Star Wars: Power of the Force II from 1998.  Like her brother Leia was released in her Endor Gear from the Speeder Bike sequence of Return of the Jedi, and she had likewise just gotten a released with her own vehicle the prior year.  The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 6 points of articulation.  The sculpt has a lot of similarities to the prior version included with the vehicle, but actual parts re-use appears to be restricted to the torso, pelvis, and poncho.  The head is quite similar, but the angle of the neck is slightly different, as is the case with the arms.  The legs are all-new, and remove the knee joints because I guess if you’re going to buy Leia without the bike, maybe you don’t want her to be able to properly sit?  I don’t know.  She’s a bit more stable, so I guess that’s good.  The re-use of the pelvis leaves her with a bit of an odd, almost diaper-like look, but it’s hidden by the poncho, so it’s not really an issue.  Much like Luke, Leia’s paint work is notably improved from her prior release.  Detailing is sharper, and there’s a greater variety of shading and gradation to the pattern on the poncho, as well as more accurate coloring to the uniform underneath.  Leia is packed with her distinctive blaster pistol (replacing the Han-style blaster included with the vehicle pack-in), as well as the coin, and the display stand.  The coin and stand are still pretty cool, and honestly not a bad selling point.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I noted in last week’s review, I didn’t have any of these as a kid.  In fact, I didn’t even have the prior version of this look as a kid.  I’ve had Luke sitting on my shelf unopened for a few years now, and finally decided of snag the rest of the set.  I was initially planning to piecemeal them, but found a complete run of them, so I guess that worked out.  The pack-in Leia honestly wasn’t bad, but this one is overall an improvement, and in general just a fun little extra way of getting the look, with the added bonus of a kind of nifty coin!

#4019: Luke Skywalker in Endor Gear

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

LUKE SKYWALKER in ENDOR GEAR

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

“The Star Wars Mint is officially re-instituted with this limited edition series! New gold-colored coins feature character images from the classic silver-colored coin release-all with brand new reverse-side stampings specially designed for this exclusive commemorative offering.”

If you haven’t gathered by this point, there’s a running theme with the Power of the Force reviews that at a certain point, Kenner was so desperate to have more product to sell in the ‘90s that they were literally come up with just about every excuse to throw a figure in the box with something.  The height of it’s definitely the computer game, but they also revisited some old favorites from the original line, namely coins.  Yes, it’s like printing money…you know, expect it’s not actually legal tender in any sense of the word.  But coins!  Like before!  Also, it provided a fantastic excuse to once more release several of the heavy hitters, which was always a great idea.  So, here’s Luke Skywalker, yet again!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke Skywalker in Endor Gear was part of the “Millennium Minted Coins” sub-line of Star Wars: Power of the Force II, a Toys “R” Us exclusive set of deluxe release figures, which were all dropped in 1998.  Luke was seen here, as noted by the name, in his Endor Gear from Return of the Jedi, a look that had been released alongside the Speeder Bike the year prior, but hadn’t gotten a “single” release.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  Structurally, there’s undoubtedly similarities between the two releases of this look, but there’s not quite as much parts re-use as you might expect.  It’s ultimately just the head and poncho, which is honestly not a terrible set-up.  The poncho’s made of a stiffer material this time around, so it’s detailing is a little sharper, and it holds its shape a little better.  The underlying body is new, and it’s not bad.  A little pre-posed, but not to a crazy degree, and it properly gets his sans-vest look.  It’s honestly a little surprising that Kenner never threw a non-helmeted head on this body for a more standard final duel Luke, but I suppose the line has kind of hitting critical mass here.  The paint work is notably quite refined for this release.  Kenner put the extra price on these figures into the paint, and that’s especially notable on Luke’s poncho, which has a lot more variation than the vehicle pack-in, and is generally closer to the pattern seen in the movie.  Luke gets a version of his green lightsaber, as well as the coin that was the selling point of this whole thing, along with a pretty cool stand for both Luke and the Coin.  The coin itself if a replica of the original Luke in Endor Gear coin, but now gold, and with a generic backing, rather than the one with writing on it.  It’s honestly a pretty cool piece, and I appreciate the included stand, so that I don’t just have to sort of prop it up somewhere awkwardly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I wasn’t much of a Toy “R” Us kid in the ‘90s, and I certainly wasn’t looking for slight variations of figures I already had to get an extra piece I wouldn’t have cared about as a kid, so I didn’t have any of these as a kid.  Luke here was actually the first of them I tracked down, by a good margin.  I got him several years ago, when pulling items from a larger Power of the Force collection.  As has become the theme with my more recent PotF reviews, he’s been sealed most of that time, and I finally opened him up in preparation for this review.  I wasn’t expecting much of him, and was mostly just buying him to complete my run, but he’s actually a really nice figure, that genuinely improves on the prior release, and feels like a slight step-up from the main line.  The coin’s also not as silly and pointless as I’d expected, so I kind of dig the whole thing.

#3918: Cyclops & Jean Grey

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

CYCLOPS & JEAN GREY

MARVEL’S FAMOUS COUPLES (TOY BIZ)

“As founding members of the mutant team of super heroes called the X-Men, Scott Summers and Jean Grey began a friendship that quickly blossomed into love. Adventuring around the globe and even into outer space, Scott and Jean have faced the most terrifying of threats. But even when hardships struck this duo, they’ve struggled to overcome the danger and emerge together even stronger than before. Now married, Cyclops and Phoenix are the foundation of the X-Men team!”

During their expansive ‘90s run with Marvel, Toy Biz really experimented with all sorts of ways to get as many figures as possible out on the market.  While the bulk of their figures were single-carded assortments, they also had all manner of multi-packs, of all manner of themes.  In the latter half of the decade, they put out a decent chunk of themed two-packs, usually exclusive to specific retailers.  One of the larger sets of these was Famous Couples, which paired off some of the best known couples in the Marvel Universe.  And, you can hardly do such a set without touching on really the central couple of the X-universe, Cyclops and whatever code name Jean Grey is using this week!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Cyclops and Jean Grey are one of the three two-packs that made up the Marvel’s Famous Couples line.  It was a Toys “R” Us-exclusive run, with each pair getting a 24,000 piece production.  The sets were released individually, with Scott and Jean coming from the line’s second year.  In addition to character-specific accessories (which I’ll address in the relevant sections), the set included a weird pressed metal sort of thing depicting the two embracing in a way that the figure’s could only dream of.

CYCLOPS

Cyclops had no shortage of figures under Toy Biz.  They covered most of his major looks, and this one was rather unique.  It’s his late-run X-Factor attire, which lasted all of 7 issues, but had a lot of influence on the later Jim Lee re-design.  This is the only time it’s gotten a figure, which is pretty neat.  The figure stands just over 5 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  He’s a total kit bash figure, with the head from the Monster Armor release and the body of Archangel II.  Boy, did Toy Biz sure love that Archangel II body.  It’s an…interesting combo.  The head has that whole screaming thing going on, which is odd enough on the original release, where it’s worked into the whole body.  It’s extra odd on this very stiffly posed body.  Presumably, it was chosen as a reference to the cover of Uncanny X-Men #280, but given that the sculpt for the X-Men vs Street Fighter Cyclops was in production at the same time, it does feel like a bit of a shame that one wasn’t re-used.  The body’s fine, but still has the sculpted wrist cuffs that don’t line up with Scott’s costume, and also still the visible spots on the back where the wings would have connected.  Scott’s paint work is rather sloppy around the edges, but I do like the colors, especially the metallic blue.  Scott is packed with a recolored version of the Cerebro blaster from the Generation X Banshee, which is…fine?  I don’t know.  It’s a weird accessory, and it doesn’t really fit him, and he can’t hold it.

JEAN GREY

Jean was a little rarer under Toy Biz, but still on her third separate mold here, so that’s not so bad.  Like Scott, she’s in her short-lived X-Factor costume, which she had for the exact same span of time, and which has likewise not received any other figures.  The figure is 5 inches tall and she has 9 points of articulation, though the neck is very restricted.  Jean is also totally parts re-use, but curiously, none of the parts were previously Jean Grey figures.  Instead, she gets Black Cat’s head on Invisible Woman’s body.  Admittedly not a bad combo, and I’m honestly a little surprised it never got re-used for a more proper ‘90s Jean.  It’s a little stiff, and you can still see the costume elements for Sue on the body, but it does feel less clunky than Scott.  The paint is also a little cleaner here.  The colors remain the same, and she still gets that really cool metallic blue, which I still really dig.  Jean gets Blizzard’s ice fist and cane, but now in translucent red.  Not totally sure why, but they’re cool enough.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I vividly recall looking at this set multiple times when it was new, but for whatever reason, I never actually bought it.  Seems sort of silly, because it’s a Cyclops, and I do love an excuse to buy those.  This one got traded into All Time Toys a couple of years ago in a much larger Toy Biz collection that I bought way too much of.  A good cross section of the two-packs was present, so that made that part easier.  They’ve been sitting in my office waiting to be opened for a bit, but I finally cracked open a bunch of them in the spring, as I’ve been trying to get more of my Toy Biz stuff out on display.  This set’s kinda weird and quirky.  But also, I kinda dig it.  Like, it’s not great, and it’s not Toy Biz’s best take on either character, but they’re a fun and unique pair.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased these figures for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

Flashback Friday Figure Addendum #0039: Wolverine – Yukon & Yukio

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Flashback Friday Figure Addendum and tagged with , , , , ,

WOLVERINE — YUKON & YUKIO

MARVEL MINIMATES (DIAMOND SELECT TOYS)

It’s Friday, so we’re flashing back again!  Once more, we dive into the world of my early Minimates reviews!  A couple of weeks ago, I revisited some of the The Wolverine movie tie-ins.  Here’s another one of those, with Wolverine — Yukon and Yukio!

“Today, I’ll be taking a look at yet another set of Minimates. Like the last Minimates review I did. These also come from the tie-in line from this year’s The Wolverine. Once again, it features a variant of the title character, this time packed with his trusty companion Yukio.

THE FIGURE THEMSELVES

These two were released as part of the Toys R Us tie-in series for The Wolverine.

WOLVERINE (YUKON)

First up, it’s our hero Wolverine. He’s depicted in his “Yukon” look, from early in the film. This is the look that Logan sports for the first half an hour or so of the movie. It’s a very different look for the character, and is important to the character’s story in the film. It’s also really unique, which makes it stand out pretty well on the shelf. He’s built on the basic Minimate body, so he stands about 2 ½ inches tall and has 14 points of articulation. He has sculpted pieces for his hair, jacket and claws. The claws are the same as those used on the rest of the Wolverines in the wave. The hair and jacket are new pieces. They are sculpted well, and accurately depict his look from this point in the movie. The paint is well done on the figure. In spite of it not being a default look, I think that the likeness on this Wolverine may be the best Jackman likeness so far. The paint on the coat could possibly be a little better, with so noticeable slop on the edges, but nothing too bad. There’s some great detail work on the pants, with the wrinkles and such all being present. And underneath the jacket piece, there’s also chest detailing, showing Logan in a brown turtle-neck. I don’t recall him wearing it in the movie, but I could be wrong. Regardless, it’s a nice touch. Yukon Wolvie is rounded out with a pair of spare normal hands and a clear display stand.

NINJA YUKIO

Next up is Yukio, who fills a role that would conventionally be referred to as the “sidekick”, but that doesn’t seem quite right for Yukio. Were it not for the fact that the title of the film was “The Wolverine” I feel like she’d fall more into the hero role. Anyway, she’s depicted here in her “ninja” look, at least according to the package. I’d personally describe it more as a formal look, since it’s what she wears during the funeral sequence. It’s one of her two main looks from the movie, so it makes sense to see it here. Like Wolverine, she’s built on the base Minimate body, and has the standard 2 ½ inces of height and 14 points of articulation. As far as sculpted pieces, there’s her hair, her forearms, her skirt, and here boots. The forearms are shared with Mariko from the specialty wave, the hair was previously used on the Amazing Spiderman Gwen Stacy, and the boots have seen numerous previous uses, including the Urban Yukio from the specialty wave. Near as I can tell, the skirt is a new piece. The paint is all fairly well done, though there is a bit of slop on the hair. The likeness is better here than on the Urban Yukio I feel, but still a bit off. Rila Fukushima, who plays Yukio in the film, has a very uniquely shaped face, which seems to be difficult to translate to the cylindrical Minimate head, so I think Diamond did a pretty good job. Yukio is accessorized with a sword and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This set was ordered online via tru.com. Unlike Wolverine & Harada, I had no real issues acquiring this one, so that’s good.

I really like this set, it has a really unique Wolverine, and a very well done version of Yukio, who is one of the best characters in the movie. While I don’t think either figure is going to be the definitive version of the character for me, it’s a really fun little set!” 

Real talk?  I don’t really have any notes on this review.  I think I covered the bases pretty well, all of the parts are there, and my point still stands.  I thought it was an okay set then, and I still pretty much feel that way.  So, today’s just enough writing to justify showing off all the updated photos.  Here you go!

Flashback Friday Figure Addendum #0036: Wolverine – Prisoner & Kenuichio Harada

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Flashback Friday Figure Addendum and tagged with , , , , ,

WOLVERINE — PRISONER & KENUICHIO HARADA

MARVEL MINIMATES (DIAMOND SELECT TOYS)

Last week’s Marvel Minimates Flashback Friday Figure Addendum went so well, I’ve decided to keep it going.  Honestly, I’ve got things mapped out far enough ahead that I would have kept it going anyway.  It’s my site, and all.  So, I’m going back to the very early days of the site, with a set that’s noteworthy for being the first set of Minimates I reviewed new for the site.  That’s pretty nifty!  Of course, it’s stuff from The Wolverine, so maybe let’s not let “nifty” take us too far.  Anyway, here’s Prisoner Wolverine & Kenuichio Harada!

The Wolverine was released this summer.  It was a sequel to X-Men 3, and it was one of those few times that a movie actually manages to make its predecessor better, not by making it look better by comparison, but by retroactively adding some emotion to a lackluster film.  The Wolverine was not a perfect movie, but it wasn’t bad either.

Like most of the recent Marvel movies, Diamond Select Toys did a selection of figures from their Minimates line in order to tie-in with the movie.  Like previous movies, this one was given a comic book store assortment, and a Toys R Us assortment.  I’ll be taking a look at one of the sets from the Toys R Us assortment today.

The characters featured are, of course, Wolverine himself, and somewhat antagonist, Kenuichio Harada.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Like I said above, these guys were released as part of the Toys R Us tie-in series for The Wolverine.

WOLVERINE (PRISONER)

First up is the titular character.  Wolverine is depicted here in his “prisoner” look, which is what he’s wearing during the WWII era flash-backs in the film when he is a POW in Japan.  There’re some important scenes that feature him with this look, so it’s not surprising to see it pop up here.  It’s a bit odd to see it packed with Harada, but it’s not a huge deal.  The figure is once again built on the basic Minimate body, standing about 2 ½ inches tall and featuring 14 points of articulation.  He features sculpted hair and claws and a sculpted belt.  I’m not 100%, but I’m fairly certain that the claws are a reuse from a previous Wolverine.  The other pieces are new, although the hair piece was also used on two of the three other Wolverines in the wave.  Wolvie is mostly molded in the appropriate colors, but the paint still makes up most of the detailing.  It’s well done and fairly intricate.  The face on this version is fairly calm, which is okay, since Wolverine kept pretty calm during the captivity scenes.  The Hugh Jackman likeness is better than some of the one’s we’ve seen in the past, but not quite dead on.  Wolverine includes the sword he was presented by Yashida, a display stand, and three sets of hands:  one regular, one clawed, and one bone clawed.  The Adamantium claws aren’t scene accurate, but I appreciate that they give people the option to choose.

KENUICHIO HARADA

Next is Japanese Hawkeye  Kenuichio Harada, technically an antagonist, but an unwilling one, making him more of an anti-villain.  He’s shown here in his ninja gear from the film, which is what he spends most of his screen time in, so it makes sense.  Like Wolverine, he’s built on the basic Minimate body, meaning he stands about 2 ½ inches tall and has the standard 14 points of articulation, although his hair restricts the neck joint a bit.  Harada has a sculpted jacket and hair, as well as wrist pieces to simulate the ends of his gloves.  The hair and jacket are new pieces, although the jacket is shared with the Black Clan ninjas also in this wave.  The hair seems a bit off for the character, whose hair was far less bulky in the film.  It looks right in the control art on the box, but something seems to have been lost in translation.  Paint wise, he’s really only got the detailing on his face, which is passable.  The likeness isn’t as good as Wolverine’s, but it isn’t too bad.  Harada is rounded out with his trusty bow, two arrows, an alternate masked head, and a clear display stand.  The Bow and arrows appear to be reused from one of the Haweyes from last year, and the head is identical to the head on the Black Clan ninja.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Oh boy.  Hold on tight guys, it’s another tru.com story.  Yeah, so I’m always uncertain as to whether my local TRU will get their exclusive wave, so I tend to order online.  I’ve mentioned before that tru.com has a tendency not to put up pictures or label their sets correctly, making online ordering difficult.  But it’s okay, as long as you have the proper sku code, which allows you to go directly to the corret product page.  And that’s how I ordered this set and the other exclusive set from this wave.  Unfortunately, I seem to be smarter than tru’s online store, as they still sent me Wolverine and Shingen in place of this set.  And that’s not cool because Shingen kinda sucks.  Anyway, I ended up having to drive to my local TRU and exchange it.  Which is what I was trying to avoid.

Oh well, I have them now.  Which is good, because Harada was my favorite character in the film and I’d be bummed to have missed out on him.

Well, I was somewhat complimentary of The Wolverine.  It was still new and fresh in my mind, and Days of Future Past hadn’t come out to reset my expectations of the X-Men movies, so I was rather positive.  I don’t know I’d be as positive now, but admittedly, I haven’t watched the movie since 2013, so it’s hard to truly gauge.  My review’s honestly pretty much spot-on beyond that.  I got the Minimates reviews down pretty quickly, as you can see.  I had personally forgotten a lot of my TRU.com-centered diatribe.  Seven years without them has let me forget how frustrating dealing with them could be.