Tag Archives: Ultimates

#3868: Donatello

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

DONATELLO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULTIMATES (MANUFACTURER)

My looks into Super 7’s Ultimates banner have jumped back and forth a bit between several of their licenses, but given just how sizable their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line is, it’s one I sure do circle back around to a lot.  I last left off with a Donatello variant, and now I’m circling back with another Donatello.  The distinction this time around is that it marks the line’s transition from ’80s TMNT to ’00s TMNT, because these days the 2003 series is *also* vintage, so we might as well revisit that one too, right?  Right.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of Series 12 of Super 7’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates line.  This is the first of the two 2003 assortments, and features the new versions of the main four.  This is Donatello’s fourth figure in the line, and his second “standard” version.  The figure stands 5 3/4 inches tall and he has 38 points of articulation.  The 2003 figures mark a departure from the prior offerings on a number of fronts, the first of which is the articulation set-up.  These figures get an increased count of joints, as well as an increased range of motion.  Most notably, there are double joints on the elbows and knees, which fixes the range issue seen on a lot of the earlier Ultimates figures.  He also gets a better range on the neck and the waist joints, which in general just makes for a better posing experience.  In terms of styling, where the figures up to this point have largely been based directly on the original Playmates sculpts, the 2003 figures are notable based not on the toys, but on the actual cartoon directly.  It’s certainly a stylistic shift, but it works.  It’s sharp, and angular, and a good match for Donnie’s design from the show.  There are two heads present.  One with a more neutral expression and a friendly smile, and the other with more expressive eyes and his teeth showing.  Of the two, the neutral’s more my speed, but they both work well, and they’re internally consistent.  His color work is basic, largely relying on molded colors.  What paint is present is cleanly handled, and he matches up well with the muted tones of the show.  Donnie is packed with three pairs of hands (in fists, open, and gripping), his bo staff, a turtle communicator, and a pair of goggles.  That’s rather on the light side compared to prior Super 7 offerings, notably missing much in the way of goofier and more specific items.  Given what these guys cost, that’s not ideal.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I went back and forth with this one, I really did.  I’ve enjoyed the Super 7 figures I’ve gotten for the most part, and I do like a good Donatello, but also I’m kind of stepping back on my modern figure purchasing, and these are rather pricey for what they are.  But, given how short ordered these seem to have been, I didn’t really want to miss out on the chance to get him.  In hand, I actually do really like him.  The changes they’ve made do really make for a better figure.  I do wish he was either a little cheaper or came with a bit more stuff, but I don’t feel like I *wasted* my money, which is at least a good thing.

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

#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.

#3623: Radioactive Man

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

RADIOACTIVE MAN

THE SIMPSONS ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0102: The Simpsons’ in-universe fictional super hero Radioactive Man shares his name with a Marvel Comics villain, meaning that Disney owns two completely unrelated Radioactive Men!

I don’t talk too much about The Simpsons here on the site, largely because I’ve never been incredibly invested in The Simpsons, and therefore don’t have a ton of the associated merch.  It’s worth noting, however, that one of the things I did during the pandemic was watching through the show’s whole run, at least up to what was current at the time, which gave me a slightly different perspective, I guess.  I still can’t say I have *that* much of an attachment to the franchise, but I’ve certainly narrowed in on the things I like.  Unfortunately, there’s a shortage of Sideshow Bob merch, and they never did anything for Cecil, so my Simpsons-based Frasier set-up is a no-go.  Guess I’ll just have to settle for something else.  Well, I do like super heroes, so I could do worse than Radioactive Man, I suppose.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Radioactive Man is part of Series 3 of Super 7’s The Simpsons Ultimates.  This set wound up being the final assortment of the line, as the Simpsons license has transferred over to Jakks Pacific.  It’s…well, it’s an interesting send-off, I guess.  While Playmates’ old World of Springfield Radioactive Man was based on Rainier Wolfcastle’s interpretation of the role from the episode “Radioactive Man,” Super 7’s version is based directly on the in-universe comic character, which is a nifty switch-up.  The figure stands 7 1/2 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation.  His articulation is…something.  The elbows are restricted, as per usual for Super 7, and the tolerances on the joints are definitely a mixed bag.  On my figure, the shoulders are really tight, while the hips are quite loose, especially the right one, which pops off a lot.  Also, one of his two heads never truly clicks into place on the ball-joint.  QC was definitely very lax on this assortment.  His sculpt is, admittedly, pretty decent.  It translates the design into three dimensions pretty well, and actually manages to look good from multiple angles.  There are two different heads included, one calm, the other with his teeth bared.  The calm one doesn’t click in place quite right, but they’re both at least pretty nice sculpts.  The figure does a bit of mixed media, with a cloth cape piece, which has a wire running through it for posing options.  It sits a little weird on the neck joint, but it’s otherwise decent to look at.  The color work on Radioactive Man is basic, but bright an eye-catching.  There’s minimal paint work, and what’s there is a little on the sloppier side, again because of the clearly lax QC for this round of figures.  There’s a lot of small scratches, fuzziness, and even errant marks that shouldn’t be there, especially given the retail on this thing.  Radioactive Man includes the aforementioned swappable heads, plus six hands (fists, two different right gripping hands, a thumbs up left hand, and a pointing left hand), a Radioactive Man comic, and an American flag (which has 43 stars, for some reason).  Personally, I’d have loved to see some goggles that do nothing, but that wouldn’t actually be right for this one, with him not actually being the Wolfcastle version.  As it stands, though, he does feel a little light.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

While I’ve never been crazy into the Simpsons stuff, the Playmates line was always very tempting to me.  I particularly liked the Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy set, though I never actually owned one.  The Ultimates line has also been tempting me, but the higher price point kept me from jumping in on most of the figures.  I was honestly holding out for a “Cape Fear” Sideshow Bob to be my entry into the line, but with that off the table, I was back to being tempted by this guy.  With the line ending, and uncertainty about availability, I bit the bullet and bought one.  He’s…well, he’s a bit of a mess, honestly.  The general set-up is great, but the QC is *rough*.  I was rather unhappy when I pulled him out of the box.  That said, I’ve had some time to mess with him and let my opinions form more fully, and I do find myself liking him a lot more than I did initially.  There’s still issues, but he’s at least fun to pose and stick on the shelf.

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.

#3589: Stalker

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

STALKER

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0068:  Lonzo “Stalker” Wilkinson was part of the “Original 13” debut line-up for A Real American Hero in 1982, and was also the line’s first African American team member.

My general lack of interest in Duke as the face of G.I. Joe is, in part, due to the fact that I find his predecessors in his various roles more interesting.  Obviously, I’m a big Hawk fanboy, and I dig him as the top-tier leader of the Joes, but I also dig Stalker, who originally occupied Duke’s role as the team’s field leader, and had a much larger role in the original comics.  In the Sunbow cartoon, he was a more minor player, appearing in only 23 out of 95 episodes (and only having a speaking part in 10 of them).  Still, he was there, and he was still somewhat important, so, you know, justification for a toy, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Stalker was released in Series 4 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates.  There was supposed to be a distance of time between the release of Series 3 and 4, but they wound up shipping within about a week of each other, so more Joes for me, I guess.  Stalker’s the first of this set’s two Joes, the other being Gung-Ho.  Like Doc from earlier this week, Stalker’s a slightly deeper dive character, at least as far as the cartoon is concerned.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  After the issues I faced with Doc, I’m happy to report that the articulation on Stalker works as intended, and I had no issues with things getting stuck or warping.  I’m glad it seems to have been a one-off thing.  Stalker’s movement is pretty decent, but back to Series 1 standards, it seems, rather than the slightly improved motion from Series 2.  Stalker is sporting an all-new sculpt, which I was admittedly a little surprised by.  He and Snake Eyes (and most of the rest of the original 13, to be fair) have a history of sharing parts, and their designs in the cartoon would have still allowed for it to a degree.  I kind of expected re-use to be the main reason for Stalker’s inclusion, honestly, but that’s not the case.  He’s got a slightly stockier build than Snake Eyes, which I suppose is more true to more individualized takes on the character.  It’s a strong sculpt, and one I definitely dig.  There are three heads to choose from, one stoic, one smiling, and one shouting.  All three have the beret as a separate but permanently affixed piece, in contrast to how it was handled for Flint.  I don’t believe we see Stalker in the cartoon with his hat off, so it makes sense that they’d all be attached.  I’m partial to the friendly smile, because I generally think of Stalker as being that sort of character, but I like all three of them.  Stalker’s color work is done to match his animated appearances, which slightly brightened up the colors of his original figure.  It’s pretty basic, but a good set-up.  His face paint is very clean, and the skin tone is very consistent on all three heads and his assorted hands.  The figure is packed with three pairs of hands (in fists, trigger finger, and gripping), an animated style pistol, a re-use of the animated style rifle (which is back to being totally painted, after being molded color for Doc), the assault rifle we saw with Scarlett, his toy-style sub-machine gun (re-used from Duke, but in the proper dark grey), a jump pack (re-used from Snake Eyes, but with tan straps instead of green), a radio, binoculars, a canteen, and a bundle of dynamite.  That’s quite a bit, especially on the weapons front.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I like Stalker a fair bit, what with the whole “alternative to Duke” angle and everything.  It was kind of a big deal for me when I opted to skip the Classified Stalker, on the basis that he just really wasn’t speaking to me.  Just a few weeks later, this figure was announced and made me feel a lot better about my decision.  I wasn’t expecting to get him as quickly as we did, and with a bunch of other things piling up, I almost skipped this one too, but I didn’t, and I’m glad for that.  I actually like this one a whole lot more than I’d expected to.  He may not dethrone Snake Eyes as my top of the line, but he’s a close contender, and certainly got an underdog vibe about him.

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.

#3587: Doc

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

DOC

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0066:  The G.I. Joes have no shortage of soldiers, but they’re a lot shorter on medics, with just two on hand, and usually only one of them at a time.  The first of them was Doc, introduced in 1983.

I’ve always liked the non-combatant portion of the Joes, since a story can’t just be all action guys all the time.  Admittedly, my personal favorite of the bunch is Lifeline, the Joes *other* medic, but that doesn’t mean I can’t also appreciate Carl “Doc” Greer.  He is, after all, the original.  Let’s give him his moment, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Doc is part of Series 3 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates. He’s the second of the two Joes in the set, following up on Scarlett.  He’s very definitely the deepest dive the line’s taken thus far, having been pretty heavy-hitter driven up to this point.  He’s also the first instance of Ultimates beating the Classified version of a character to market, though Hasbro’s in-house release is coming later this year.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  The articulation scheme here is intended to be the same as the other male figures in the line, but my figure has a pretty major issue with the hips.  It seems the dark tan plastic used for the majority of this figure’s construction has some issues with getting stuck, resulting in the hips being pretty badly fused right out of the box.  I did what I could to free them up, but it resulted in some stressing and tearing, and I wasn’t able to get the left hip fully freed up.  That’s a pretty major issue, and it was right out of the box.  The actual sculpt isn’t bad.  It’s on par with the others, specifically being pretty similar to the Duke and Flint releases.  There are three heads here, much like a lot of the others.  There’s standard, smiling, and screaming expressions.  The sculpts match well with Doc’s animated likeness, and they’re consistent across all three heads.  Unfortunately, the QC issues showed up again here, as the glasses on the screaming head broke while I was swapping the heads out, which is again not fun.  The color work on Doc is okay.  The skin tone is painted again, which looks decent.  I’m not big on the molded color for the uniform, especially from a consistency standpoint.  Doc gets four sets of hands (gripping, trigger finger, fists, and alternate gripping in white for gloved), his helmet, first aid kit, satchel, flare gun, a laser rifle, radio, comic book, and a two piece mortar that references his original figure.  It’s actually a really nice selection of extras, and I particularly like the comic and the first aid kit.  I was a little surprised that he didn’t get a stretcher to complete the set-up for his vintage figure, but I do like what he got.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

While Scarlett was definitely my biggest want from this assortment, I was actually rather looking forward to this figure, since I like some of the more minor and unique characters.  I had high expectations for him, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed by the final product.  The hip thing is really, really annoying, and it’s a shame, because all the architecture is there for him to be a really fun figure.  As it stands, he still *is* a fun figure, but just not one without his drawbacks.

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.

#3584: Scarlett

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

SCARLETT

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0063: Scarlet is G.I. Joe’s First Lady, debuting as part of the 3 3/4 inch line’s Original 13 in 1982.

It’s been seven months since I’ve taken a look at Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates, largely because it’s been about eight months since there were new G.I. Joe: Ultimates to look at.  In general, Ultimates seem to be in a rocky spot, but I’m still invested in getting at least the line’s Joes…or most of them.  Scarlett’s one of my favorite characters, an essential counterpart to Snake Eyes in my collection, so I’ve been waiting for her addition to the line since the first series.  She’s here now, and I’m taking a look at her today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Scarlett is part of Series 3 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates.  She’s the first of the two Joes in the set, the other being Doc.  She continues the trend thus far of keeping the Joes pretty much on the heavy hitters side, especially in terms of the cartoon, where she’s one of the the four most recurrent Joes.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and she has 33 points of articulation.  Scarlet’s articulation scheme matches pretty much with the slightly improved articulation from Series two, matching up pretty closely with the layout used by Lady Jaye.  Scarlett continues the line’s trend of basing the sculpts on the Sunbow animation models.  It’s an all-new mold (though one that’s already been slated for a re-use on a follow-up figure in her DiC colors), and it’s on par with the rest of the line.  It’s simple, clean, and very effective.  I really like the smaller details, like the folds and creases at the base of the boots.  She gets three different head sculpts, one with a neutral expression, one smiling, and one with a headset.  They continue the Sunbow likeness of the figure, and they’re really consistent internally.  They also swap out without much fuss, which I always like.  Once again, the headset wearing one is my favorite, but all three are equal quality.  Scarlett’s color work is handled pretty well.  It’s a lot of molded colors, but, in contrast to Flint and Lady Jaye from Series 2, she’s got painted skin-tone for the faces, which I admit, does help to better sell the animation angle.  Scarlett is packed with three pairs of hands (in fists, flat, and gripping), two styles of crossbow, 3 identical standard arrows, 3 different specialty arrows, a bag for holding the arrows, an assault rifle, and a radio.  The hands are cool enough, though it’s a bummer that she’s got one less set than prior figures.  I do like the crossbows, as well as the swappable arrows.  The arrows are a little delicate, but they swap into place alright.  The bag on mine had the strap come unglued right out of the box, which was definitely frustrating.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I loved the first series Snake Eyes, and since one of my earliest Joe pieces was the ToyFare exclusive Snake Eyes and Scarlett two-pack, I’ve been hoping to duplicate it in modern styling.  She’s not quite as strong as Snake Eyes, but he’s the high mark for the line, and she’s still a lot of fun.  They’re a really fun pair, and even if the line doesn’t have longevity, it got me these two, which is my big thing.

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

#3582: Soundwave

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

SOUNDWAVE

TRANSFORMERS ULTIMATES (SUPER7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0061: Soundwave is actually one of the earliest classic Transformers characters to get a non-transforming figure, having been part of Action Masters.

I don’t circle back to Transformers quite as often these days, so when I do, I gotta make it count, right? Yeah, go for the best of the franchise, the things that best represent the whole thing. And what best represents the Transformers? That’s right, it’s figures that don’t transform at all! Yeah! So, let’s look at this not-transforming Soundwave!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Soundwave is part of the fourth wave of Super 7’s Transformers Ultimates, which also features Starscream (a particular favorite of Super 7’s for this line) and a dead Optimus Prime. The figure stands 8 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation. Sizing wise, he’s in the general scale of the line established up to now…which isn’t really to scale with anything else. I’m not sure exactly what they’re aiming for, but they’re okay for a standalone set-up. The articulation set-up here is okay. Super 7 can have some troubles with range of motion. Given Soundwave’s blocky build, some restrictions are expected, and they’re definitely there. The elbows do at least get about 90 degrees, but other areas aren’t so great. The neck and shoulders in particular are pretty stiff, meaning, amongst other things, he can’t do his tape eject pose. That’s a real bummer, and my biggest knock against this figure. His sculpt is all new, and it’s very much G1-inspired. Since this is territory that Hasbro’s R.E.D. line already covered, there’s a bit more of a comparison going on. There’s definitely some common ground, since they both use some pretty heavily animation-based inspiration, but the approaches are a little different, with Hasbro prioritizing movement over aesthetic, resulting in some odd looking spots. Super 7’s priority is more on the aesthetic, so he looks a bit better in the sculpt department. The ankles especially look a lot better. He’s got three different heads in play, with standard being the usual animation-based one. He’s also got one based more directly on his original toy, which we don’t see as often, and, for the first time ever in toy form, a head based on his mouthed appearance from the Marvel Comics run. Sure, it’s not the right color scheme, since that wouldn’t match the rest of the figure, but it’s still cool. Soundwave’s paint work isn’t bad. It’s pretty flat and clean, which is what you want. I’m not sure how I feel about the opaque window on the chest. It’s obviously more accurate for animation and comics, but it throws the toy look off. Soundwave is packed with 5 pairs of hands (which are *very* hard to swap), plus his shoulder cannon, blaster, a clear cube (which I assume is something episode specific that I’m just not up on), and a miniature version of himself in tape deck mode. The two cannons can be stored in his back, in an homage to his vintage figure.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I don’t have an overwhelming attachment to non-transforming Transformers, I’m hard pressed to pass on a Soundwave. So, it’s hardly a surprise that I broke on this one, especially with the fun extras he gets. He’s kind of a lateral move from the R.E.D. figure, I guess, but he has the benefit of more distance from other Soundwaves.

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.

#3559: Blue Ranger

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

BLUE RANGER

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0038:  David Yost’s Billy Cranston, aka Mighty Morphin Blue, had the longest run of the original five Power Rangers, making it halfway through the fourth season before departing.  He was the only of the core Mighty Morphin cast not to gain a replacement during the original run.

I keep *sort of* being done with Power Rangers, but in that sort of fashion where I know I’m not *actually* quite done.  What can I say, I’m a sucker for Blue Rangers, especially when they’re Mighty Morphin Blue.  If there’s a new line of Rangers, I’m pretty much a lock on picking up a Blue, as is the case with today’s offering, which is a Blue Ranger from Super 7’s Ultimates imprint.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Ranger is part of the third wave of Super 7’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ultimates line.  Each assortment gets two of the Rangers, and in this case, it’s Blue and Black.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Movement can always be a bit touchy on an Ultimates figure, and that’s somewhat maintained here.  His arm movement, especially on the elbows, is restricted.  He does get okay movement on the neck, as well as the mid-torso and waist.  He’s a little stiffer than other Ranger lines, but he’s not terrible.  You can get some decent poses out of him with a little bit of work.  But, by usual standards for Super 7, not bad.  The sculpt on this guy is largely shared with the other male Rangers in the line.  It’s a pretty good one.  We’ve gotten all different manner of builds on the Rangers in differing lines from differing manufacturers.  This one goes for the lighter build, which is pretty accurate to what we see on screen.  Detailing is generally pretty basic, but generally lifelike.  He gets a unique head with his signature triceratops helmet.  It goes for his cleaned up “toy style” helmet, and it does that pretty well.  Like his Lightning Collection counterpart, he’s also got a slightly tweaked belt, featuring his proper emblem on the buckle.  Blue’s paint work is basic, but quite clean, and pretty much exactly what it needs to be.  Blue gets a quite impressive selection of accessories, which includes two unmasked heads, five pairs of hands, three different configurations of his Power Lance, four different styles of the Blade Blaster, his power blastert-thingy, his morpher, and power coin.  While most of the other Rangers use the two heads to cover both people who use the identity, Billy instead gets early and late run head sculpts.  The early sculpt is goony and a little silly (but the paint is pretty good), while the later run sculpt sports what is probably the best David Yost likeness I’ve seen on a Billy head.  For the Power Lance, there are extended and compacted versions of the show-accurate look, plus a toy style version.  The Blade Blaster gets folded up, blaster, blade, and toy style versions, and the hands are designed to work pretty well with all of those differing configurations.  The gripping hands are all a little loose when holding the accessories, which makes for some tricky posing.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

You know, way back in 2014, when I got my Figuarts Blue Ranger, I really thought that was going to be it, but here I am with yet another version.  Honestly, I knew I was grabbing this one as soon as he was shown off.  Of course, he was beaten to market by the Remastered edition of the Lightning Collection release, which hits some of the same marks as this one, albeit in its own unique way.  I like them both for different reasons.  Based on what I’ve seen, Blue looks to be the nicest of the Super 7 Rangers, which I appreciate as someone who only collects Blue Rangers.  On his own, he’s not perfect, but there’s quite a bit about him that I really, really like.

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.