Monthly Archives: December 2015

Dec 11 2015

Trinity War: “New 52” Superman, Wonder Woman & Batman by DC Collectibles

It’s a triple play today, folks, as I tear into a boxed 3-pack from DC Collectibles. Back when Mattel inexplicably shit-canned their amazing DC Universe Classics line, they re-branded it into “DC Unlimited” and it looked like we would continue to get the same DCUC style figures based on The New 52 continuity. Alas, it didn’t last long and while we did get five Justice League members, we never got Green Lantern or Cyborg. I spent a long time agonizing over whether to start DC universe building all over again with DC Collectibles and pick up their boxed set of the complete New 52 Justice League, but I never did. Fast forward to now, and after unintentionally amassing a sizable collection of DCC New 52 figures, I thought it was finally time to go back and start picking up some main players. Yeah, there’s a bigger boxed set out there with the entire Justice League in it, but I decided to go with this one for now because it was super cheap!

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It may be a three figure set, but the box is more or less the same style that we’ve been seeing all along. It’s just expanded to hold more plastic. While the box is still kind of bland, I can’t deny it shows the figures off beautifully. The back panel also shows off the Super Heroes vs Super Villains 7-figure set, which is a good way to pick up Flash and Aquaman, but will of course make me double up on the Batmans. Anywho, I’m just going to go from left to right, so let’s start with Superman!

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Superman dons his spiffy New 52 panel-lined costume, which I’ve actually been a fan of since the beginning. I don’t think it adds all that much to the comic art, but when you reproduce it as a statue or an action figure like this one, I think it looks fantastic. All the panel lines are sculpted right in, as are all the other details, like the S-Shield and the boots. To top things off, this version of Supes also features a new sumptuous, metallic paint job, which really makes this piece look like an articulated version of Kotobukiya’s gorgeous ArtFX+ Superman. I think it looks rather stunning.

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The soft plastic cape is attached to the front of the shoulders and cascades nicely over the shoulders and down the back. The cape features the black S-Shield tampo’d in the middle and it looks perfect on the figure. It’s relatively light so it doesn’t make the figure back heavy.

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The other big difference between the regular DCC Superman release and this figure is a new head sculpt. This one features a slight smirk on Superman’s face, which adds a little personality. I like it, but it doesn’t fit the Trinity War theme of the release, as Superman was going through some pretty serious shit during that particular arc. That having been said, it’s a great sculpt and I particularly like the detail in the hair. Next up is Wonder Woman…

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Looking beautiful as always, Wonder Woman dons her one-piece red, blue, white, and silver costume. All the details are picked out in the sculpt, right down to the segmentation in the red area and the stars. The silver paint has a subtle metallic sheen to it, which is duplicated for her wrist bracers and tiara. The blue used for her “shorts” and boots is metallic, but it doesn’t pop as much as what we saw on Superman. Possibly because it’s a darker shade and there isn’t as much of it. The flesh areas are all bare plastic, which is definitely the way to go as it avoids any paint mishaps and looks great.

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Wonder Woman’s golden lasso is sculpted all coiled up and attached to her right hip. Her right hand is sculpted into a fist, and her left hand is sculpted to hold her sword, which sadly this set does not include. There isn’t even a loop for it on her belt, like there was on the Mattel figure. That seems like a huge oversight, or just a devious plan by DCC to get you to buy one of the other releases. I’m still torn on whether I like Diana’s bare leg look or the blue pants. Both have their merits, but this version is accurate to her Trinity War look.

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I’m pretty sure this is a completely new head sculpt over the one in the “We Can Be Heroes” 7-pack. Either way, I like it a lot. The hair looks a little straighter and the face a little more angular. It’s a very pretty portrait and the paint apps for her eyes, lips, and tiara are all sharp. And that brings us to Batman…

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Of all the characters to don the New 52 panel lined armored look, I think it suits Batman the most. It just looks like some fancy new Wayne Tech armor. As with Supes, every line is part of the sculpt and all the details on his boots, gauntlets, and utility belt are as well. Even the exposed mesh between his shoulder and chest armor is conveyed through textured plastic. This is a great looking suit and it has been beautifully executed for this figure. Of the three figures, Batman also seems to have changed the least for this set. Again, I don’t have the 7-pack, so I can’t compare directly, but I don’t see a lot of differences. The belt looks like a paler gold on my figure than the yellow I see in pictures of the WCBH boxed set version, but that could just be a trick of the light.

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The cape is longer and heavier than Superman’s, but that’s appropriate. It’s very light and soft to avoid pulling the figure back and even if it did, it rests on the ground behind him to add as a further support.

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The head sculpt here is solid. Naturally, Batman shows the least of his face, but what’s exposed is a nice strong and well defined mouth and jaw. The cowl features some great glossy paint that matches his boots and gauntlets and offers a nice contrast to the matte grey and black used on the rest of the figure.

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Articulation is where this set stumbles, but as an earlier DCC release, that’s to be expected. These figures’ articulation definitely draw a link back to the DC Direct Days. All three figures feature the same points. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders, swivels in the biceps, and hinged elbows. The legs feature T-crotches in the hips and hinged knees. The necks are all ball jointed, but with Wonder Woman, you get very little movement because of the hair sculpt. That’s it. Obviously posability here is limited. I will, however, add that all of the figures’ joints feel great right out of the box and I had no issues at all.

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I’ve had my eye on this set ever since it first came out and it took a sale to push me over the edge. At $30 shipped, it was just too good to pass up and I’m glad I went for it. The sculpting and paint on these three are top notch and It’s going to feel good to have the Trinity on display with all the other DCC figures I’ve been picking up over the last couple of years.

Dec 10 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Legends Class Rodimus by Hasbro

I almost didn’t have anything new for Transformers Thursday this week and then I saw this little guy swinging on a peg and decided to pick him up. I’m really feeling the bite of pressure from real life this week, so I figured this was the perfect day to kick back and chillax with a Legends Class quickie. Let’s take a look at Combiner Wars Rodimus…

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Package shot. He comes in robot mode. Bubble held on with scotch tape. Keeping it classy, Hasbro! Nothing else to say. Let’s move on to the alt mode…

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Of course, Rodimus is a repaint of the Stunticon Blackjack, a figure that I liked a lot as a stand alone piece, but he doesn’t really fit into my Menasor, so I don’t really consider him an official Stunticon. The car is re-cast in a pleasing crimson plastic with blue painted windows and a bitchin’ flame deco on the hood. But, why you no have Autobot symbol on your hood, Rodimus? It seems very conspicuous by its absence. But also, apart from the deco, I’m not really feeling this as Rodimus. It’s missing something…

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Oooooh, yeah. Well, plug the axe weapon into the top and it sort of looks like a spoiler and now it kind of looks more like Rodimus to me. But seriously, Hasbro, why isn’t there an Autobot symbol on his hood? That’s really pissing me off. Anyway, transformation is the same as Blackjack…

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It’s quick and easy and it results in a nice looking robot mode, but one that is still a bit of a reach for me as Rodimus. Again, the coloring works well enough, and the new head sculpt looks pretty good, but the homage isn’t as tight as it could have been. Hasbro has done some impressive stuff with shared molds for different characters, but to me, this one isn’t one of their better efforts. Maybe if there was a way to put his axe on his back, it would have helped it along a little more.

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And yes, the axe still serves as a cool weapon, but again… an axe for Rodimus? Meh, not really.

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I know what you’re saying. Quit picking on the little guy. Well, don’t get me wrong, I think this is a cool little figure and I picked it up for under eight bucks so I’m not going to be super demanding of it. It’s an attractive figure and it’s fun to play around with. So while it sounds like I’m being really tough on him, I’m still plenty glad I picked him up, as he’s another little bot to wage war around my Titan Class Metroplex. I just don’t think he’s going to get to keep his name. Maybe I’ll just call him Hot Shot.

Dec 9 2015

Masters of the Universe Classics: Dragstor by Mattel

Ack! Once again, the December Matty figures are shipping soon and I haven’t opened my November figures yet! Oh, yeah, not to mention the Battle Ram and the huge-ass Castle Greyskull boxes that are taking up precious real estate in my toy closet. I’ve vowed not to open any of the big stuff until I’m completely done with this year’s figures, so let’s take a step closer to that goal by tearing into The Evil Horde’s road warrior, Dragstor!

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Dragstor fills out his package nicely and his tag line is “Transforming Evil Warrior Vehicle.” Apart from that I don’t have anything new to say about the packaging. We’ve been seeing it for years now and not much has changed. Of course, Dragstor was a figure that was big on gimmickry in the vintage line, so I’m very curious to see how this Classics version turned out!

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Dragstor’s design is a delicious mix of monster and machine and one that adheres very strongly to the vintage design. In fact, once you get past the more realistic proportions and the neutered gimmick, there’s not a lot of changes at all. And that’s a good thing for me, because I’ve always dug this crazy design. The exposed tire that resides in Dragstor’s tummy is particularly well sculpted with well-defined treads and it even has the little notch off to the side where the rip-stick would go if that gimmick were still in tact. The whole tire ensemble is part of a bulky sculpted vest that’s laid over the torso of the buck and also includes some silver hoses and The Evil Horde symbol sculpted right into the chest.

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The back of the vest features Dragstor’s jet-powered backpack, which helps propel him at break-neck speeds on his tire. I love the way the side pipes look on this piece as the design is straight out of a suped-up hot rod. The outfit is rounded off with a pair of red angular boots and orange gauntlets, just like on the vintage figure.

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The head sculpt offers what little look we get of Dragstor’s actual organic side and it isn’t much. You just get a pair of reptillian eyes and some scaly skin peering out from the helmet and breather mask. There are a few paint flubs on my figure. particularly noticeable is the one pupil that runs up into his eyebrow. There’s also some slop on the silver paint where the pipes meet the vest. All in all, though, it’s nothing too bad.

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Articulation follows the usual MOTUC male buck. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders, hinges in the elbows, and swivels in the biceps and wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, hinged at the knees and ankles, and there are swivels at the hips and boots. The neck is ball jointed and Dragstor can swivel at the waist. I’m sure there’s still an ab crunch buried in the torso, but all that gear on him renders it inert. Alas, I was unable to get him to balance on his tire without having his limbs touching the ground to support him.

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Dragstor comes with two accessories. First you get the ubiquitous Horde crossbow. In this case, it’s a very unique design and made to look like it’s fashioned out of an engine and exhaust pipes, which is a nice touch because I don’t remember the vintage toy’s crossbow matching Dragstor’s theme so nicely. There’s a hole on the top of his backpack, where you can plug this thing in for storage. It probably makes more sense to angle it down, keeping the spoiler and the pipes in the opposite direction he’s traveling, but I kind of dig the way it looks angled up.

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The other weapon is a whip with a double bladed axe on the end. It’s presumably intended as a nod to the vintage figure’s rip-stick. If you want you can plug this into the backpack too, but it just looks silly to me.

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As the last addition to my Horde ranks, I really dig Dragstor a lot. He’s a perfect example of the crazy imagination that went into this line. At the same time, Matty was able to keep him very faithful to the original design and still make him fit in with the modern Classics aesthetic. It’s a great figure like this that makes it harder to face the fact that it all ends this month with the final shipment of figures. But before we can get to that, I’ve still got one more November figure to look at next week.

Dec 8 2015

Pop! Vinyls (Doctor Who): The 11th and 12th Doctors by Funko

Last month I picked up a couple of Funko’s Pop! Vinyls based on the Fallout video game franchise. This was after a long career of making fun of the fools who bought these stupid Pop! things. Nonetheless, I maintained that it wasn’t going to be a gateway drug into the deleterious habit of Pop! addiction, rather it was just because of the limited amount of real merch and toys based off of the Fallout universe. I have since picked up some more Pop! Vinyls, this time from Doctor Who. I blame Character Options for these, because if they had kept up their 5-inch Scale action figure line, I wouldn’t have to be turning to nefarious world of Pop! Vinyls to slate my Who toy cravings. And with the amazing Series 9 coming to a head, I had a really powerful need to buy some Doctor Who shit. So again, not early signs of any broader kind of Pop! addiction here, it’s just a coincidence. WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME??? Ahem, I actually have a slew of these Who Pop!s to look at, but I’m starting with the two most recent Doctors.

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The packaging consists of compact little window boxes, showing you exactly what you’re going to get. From what I’ve seen, the trend in the Pop! collecting community is to display these deformed little fellars in their boxes, making it easier to stack and store when you have like 1,000 of them. Funko even makes clear acrylic cases so you can store your Pop!s in the box and in the case. A couple thousand years into the future archaeologists are going to have a great time trying to figure these things out. Anyway, these are numbers 219 and 200, from the Pop! Television Series. That’s as opposed to the two billion other series of these things Funko churns out. I swear to God, there’s probably a series of Pop! Vinyls based on people I used to go to High School with. The back of the boxes show the nine other Who Pop!s they’ve done so far, including a Deluxe Pop! TARDIS. And yes, I’ll be getting to all of them eventually. IT’S NOT AN ADDICTION! Let’s start with Eleven…

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Yes, he’s an adorable, big-headed version of Matt Smith with black soul-less specks for eyes. Even with the accurately floppy sculpted hair, I don’t know that I could tell who this is from a head shot, but the body is spot on. He’s got his tweed jacket, complete with sculpted elbow patches, and his Sonic Screwdriver in his right hand. And yes, he’s donning his bowtie, because lest we forget bowties are cool! While I had some paint flubs on my Fallout Pop!s, the paint here is more or less perfect. There’s one glossy smudge on his jacket lapel, but I don’t know if that’s paint or just excess glue. Moving on to Twelve…

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Can there be anything more right than a super cute Peter Capaldi? I don’t think so. Oddly enough, I might be able to pick out this one from a head shot, just because they painted on his attack eyebrows. Brilliant! The body could have been more problematic, as The 12th Doctor has been rather erratic with his choice of costumes. In this case, Funko went with his original promo pic costume, blue coat with red lining, and it was a good choice. He’s also got his little sculpted ring on his left hand and his Sonic Screwdriver in his right hand. I can’t help but wonder if they’ll be a Sonic Wayfarers Exclusive like they did with The 10th Doctor and his 3D Glasses.

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I picked up these Pop! Docs during a Black Friday sale over at Dorksidetoys for about forty percent off, along with some other stuff. It worked out to be about $12 for the pair. I think they’re still up for sale, so anyone looking for some Pop! Vinyl Time Lords should go check them out. Next week, I’ll swing back around and check out The 10th and 4th Doctors.

Dec 7 2015

Marvel Legends (Hulkbuster Wave): Blizzard by Hasbro

It’s Marvel Monday again and time to tear into another figure in the Hulkbuster Wave. It’s exciting stuff, because it brings me one step closer to building this sweet Hulkbuster BAF! What’s not quite so exciting is that today’s figure is Blizzard. Oh…

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Packaging! Yes, the figure comes in packaging and it’s right in line with what we’ve been seeing for a while now. Blizzard comes crammed all the way to one side to make enough room for the giant front and back shoulder pieces of the Hulkbuster armor. Hasbro probably could have left the figure out completely, and this package would still have sold. Ah, but let’s give Blizzard his due and check him out.

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Yeah… Donnie Gill. I’ve got almost nothing. I think he’s the second person to carry the Blizzard identity. Was he an Iron Man villain? I vaguely remember that. Mostly, I know him as a one time member of The Thunderbolts. As you can tell, he isn’t high on my list of Marvel characters and that’s saying something, because I have an irrational love for a number of pretty obscure Marvel characters. Anyway, this is another one of those figures that just requires a basic buck, some metallic paint, and a new noggin and… voila… you’ve got Tiger Shark… I mean, Blizzard. I can’t place the buck, but there’s a hole on the back accentuating the hollow torso, so I’m assuming this body wore a cape at some point.

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Blizzard’s buck is a combination of white plastic painted metallic blue and vice-versa. There was certainly potential here, as if done properly the metallic blue and white could have been rather striking. Alas, there are a lot of eye sores on this guy when it comes to paint quality. The arms are the biggest offenders where the blue plastic bleeds through the white paint on the forearms and shoulders. The seams on the forearms look especially bad. There’s also some chipping or transfer on the legs. It’s a shame.

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The articulation here is very solid, even if the paint isn’t. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders and wrists, double hinges in the elbows, and swivels in the biceps. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, double hinged at the knees, and swivels in the thighs and lower legs. The ankles are hinged and have lateral rockers. The torso features a swivel at the waist, an ab crunch hinge and both a hinge and ball joint in the neck. The joints feel great and he is tons of fun to pose.

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And that’s all I’ve got on this guy. I’ve said it before, my Marvel collection is all about universe building, so it doesn’t bother me when I get a back bencher like Blizzard, so long as the figure is decent. Blizzard, unfortunately, falls just a little below the mark. If there were no BAF parts at stake, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to buy him, but I sure as hell don’t mind adding him to my shelf as decidedly average as he is. Now if you’ll excuse me… I’ve got a strange urge to run down to Dairy Queen.

Dec 6 2015

Justice League: “New 52” Stargirl by DC Collectibles

Once again, my DC Friday feature is spilling over into the weekend. This time, I had to dig out my Toy Closet from the backlog of receivings just to get to anything and there’s still a big pile of toy boxes impeding my entry. Anyway, better late then never and today I’m opening another DC Collectibles figure… Stargirl! I thought Stargirl was an odd choice for this line, as she hasn’t exactly lit up the “New 52” or at least not the books that I’ve been reading. Appearances in Justice League Dark and Trinity War kept her on the radar, but for me she just isn’t quite the same unless being shadowed by her robot buddy, STRIPE. Of course, none of this stopped me from picking up the figure, mainly because I have fond memories of her from the old DC continuity and she was really, really cheap.

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Oh, bugger! I forgot to take the in-package shot before I tore it open like an animal. I threw one in anyway. You get the idea. Courtney comes in the fairly standard white window box with a blue swipe across the front. The side panels denote the figure inside for easy access if you save the boxes and store them lined up on a shelf. The back panel shows off the other three figures in this assortment. I’ve already looked at Zatanna and Constantine. I’ll get to Hawkman sooner or later.

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Stargirl’s costume didn’t undergo a major change for The New 52. She still has the cut-off, mid-riff revealing blue top with a large star on her chest and smaller ones lining her sleeves. Blue mask? Check! Red gloves? Check! The biggest departure is that they gave her a full set of pants, in this case the same shade of blue as her top, and red boots. She also has a red utility belt with pouches. This was a pretty simple outfit to sculpt, but I think DCC did a beautiful job on her, mainly because of the gorgeous blue and red paint, sculpted seams, and crisp lines around the stars.

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The portrait is pretty good too, especially considering the last Stargirl figure I bought was the one from DCUC, Wave 19 and gave Courtney a freaky Stepford Wives kind of smile. Here she’s wearing a fairly neutral expression and the paint on her eyes and lips is solid. Indeed, the only place the paint on this figure stumbles a bit is with some yellow transfer from her blonde hair onto her right shoulder. Thankfully, it’s not even noticeable if you keep her head facing front.

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Articulation here is better than average for a DCC release. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders, swivels in both the biceps and wrists, and hinges in the elbows. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, have swivels at the tops of the boots, and hinges in the knees. The neck is ball jointed, but because of the long sculpted hair, there isn’t a lot of room for movement. Alas, there’s no articulation in the torso, but even still, she made out pretty well compared to some other DCC releases.

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Courtney comes with her Cosmic Staff, which is sculpted in gold plastic and looks great in her hand. I do wish both of hands were able to grip it, but her left hand is sculpted into a fist.

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I always enjoy it when a company takes a lower tier character and knocks that figure out of the park. That’s exactly what it feels like DC Collectibles did with Stargirl here. Yes, there are other characters who probably deserved this slot more, but I’m not going to argue when the figure turns out this good. Nice sculpt, gorgeous paint, and better than average articulation for the line. Toss in the fact that she only set me back ten bucks, and I’ve got nothing to complain about! And she looks damn good with my DCUC STRIPE figure too!

Dec 3 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Prowl by Hasbro

Ugh, it’s been a brutal week and I’m pretty sure I’m coming down with something. I want nothing more than to crawl into bed and hug a bottle of Jameson. But, it’s Transformers Thursday, and I can’t let that pass me by, so I’m mustering up the resolve to take a look at a new convertorobo. Last week I mentioned that I was sitting out most of the Autobot wave of Combiner Wars. I picked up Mirage, just because I wanted to try out a bulkier version of the character for my Classics shelf, and I also picked up today’s figure, Prowl. Prowl is one of the Classic figures that just hasn’t aged well. I think the mold is passable enough, but there was a lot of clear plastic on that figure painted white and, unfortunately, it just turned out looking like garbage. And so, I decided to give the new Combiner Wars version a try to see if it could serve as a worthy stand in.

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There he is in package and since I’ve got nothing new to say on the subject, let’s take a moment to talk about mold reuse. Holy hell, it’s the fourth outing for this mold this year! Yeah, it’s been tweaked quite a bit from the Brake-Neck and Dead End figures, but still. Four times in the same line? If you set aside the Seekers, that’s got to be some kind of record even for Hasbro! Who the hell is going to buy four variations on the same mold in one series? Oh… yeah. I did. Let’s start with his alt mode…

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While Prowl may be remolded from Dead End and Brake-Neck, in auto mode, he’s a straight repaint of Streetwise. That hits pretty close to the mark, considering both vehicles are police cars and were released close enough that they’ll likely be sharing the pegs in a lot of toy aisles. That having been said, Hasbro did their best to get Prowl’s deco as close as possible to the original G1 toy. The plastic is more of a pure white and there’s plenty of black trim. The sides even have the Police Highway Patrol tampos to match the original Prowl’s auto mode. It’s an interesting homage, but to me this version of Prowl just doesn’t distance itself from Streetwise enough to make it work and this auto mode is just too far removed from his original Datsun mode.

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In robot mode, Prowl is missing all of his most distinctive G1 features. Gone are his door wings, the front bumper chest, and the shoulder cannons. He doesn’t even look like the Prowl depicted in the pages of the comic that’s bundled with the figure. All that’s left to make this Prowl is the new head sculpt and the G1 inspired deco. And yet, somehow it’s almost enough. The black trim around the chest piece works wonders to drive the homage home, despite being flat and not the front of the car. And the headsculpt? Yeah, there’s no doubt as to who that’s supposed to be. It’s a great noggin and I particularly love his blue eyes. By all reason this figure shouldn’t work at all, and yet it does… kinda.

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Prowl comes with the same shotgun we got with Streetwise, only this time cast in white plastic. Again, a big departure from Prowl’s trademark laser rifle, but I like it and it suits him.

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I know that I’ve gone on record here before about how much Prowl has meant to me over the years. He was one of my very first Transformers figures and he always factored big in whatever story I was playing out. In my own Transformers canon, Prowl has been and will forever be Prime’s First Lieutenant and Right-Hand Bot. So I’m surprised even at myself when I say that this figure works for me, at least in robot mode. Sure, it helps that the Classics Prowl figure is positively prehistoric. In fact, Classics Prowl has probably aged worse than the original G1 figure, which is just plain crazy. And maybe that’s a big part of why I have no problem putting this version of Prowl on my Classics shelf and retiring the old one. And keep in mind, this is all coming from someone who has no plans on combining this figure with anyone.

Dec 2 2015

Commando: Ultimate John Matrix by NECA

The good folks at NECA have been gracing us collectors with a new line of “Utlimate” figures based on various movie properties, mostly from the 80’s. I’ve already got a number of these releases under my belt, including Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, and the T-800 from T2: Judgement Day. Now it’s John Matrix’s turn!

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One of the most distinctive features of this line has been the lovely packaging. You get a box with a front flap, secured with velcro, that opens to reveal a window to see the figure inside. The box features great art on the front, titles on the side panels, and a blurb on the back along with various shots of the figure in action. The box really reminds me of an oversized VHS tape sleeve, and considering the 80’s film property, it fits like a glove. Everything is collector friendly, and thank god for that, because I already have a shelf devoted to line these up on. I remember loving this film as a teenager and has remained a go-to pleasure ever since.

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The figure represents Schwartzenegger in his most primal form. No science fiction tropes, just a Delta Force operative out for revenge in full combat gear. I have to admit, I was at first uneasy about the decision to use the type of unpainted plastic they did for the flesh areas, as it tends to look rather waxy. In execution, I think it was actually a great choice. Matrix goes through most of the movie either sweating like an animal or greased up for effect and the skin tone on the figure reflects that. Just comparing it to the art on the box tells me it was the right way to go.

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The bulk of the attention to detail here lies in his vest, which is an entirely separate sculpt that is permanent layered onto the figure’s buck. He’s got enough pouches to make Deadpool jealous, with other details including shotgun shells, grenades, and a pair of non-removable combat knives hanging down off the back. The whole rig is “secured” with straps running down between his legs. The paint quality on the vest is off the charts. The pouches have camo patterns, each individual shotgun shell is painted, the tiny buttons and snaps are neatly painted, there’s some mix of matte and gloss black paint. That’s not to take away from the trouser fatigues as they also feature intricately sculpted stitching and various folds and wrinkles. Obviously, NECA is no stranger to Arnold’s likeness and that’s reflected here in a brilliant head sculpt right down to the individual bristles of hair. The face, chest, and arms are also adorned with grease paint.

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Articulation has been a high point on these Ultimate figures and that continues to be the case here. The arms feature rotating hinges in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and have rotating hinges in the knees and ankles. I don’t think there’s anything buried in the torso, but with the bulky vest, there isn’t a lot NECA could have done with it. The neck does feature a generous ball joint.

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And then there’s the accessories! Arnold comes all kitted out as a one-man vengeance machine. For starters, he has his Desert Eagle that tucks neatly into the holster on his right leg. I have a little nit to pick here as I’m pretty sure the entire weapon should be stainless, whereas this one has some black accents. No biggie, though.

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He also comes with a combat knife that slides into the sculpted sheath on the front of his vest.

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Next up the firearms food chain is the Valmet M78/83. There’s some really nice detailing on this piece, right down to the collapsed bi-pod on the front.

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You also get the M60E3 machine gun, complete with shoulder strap. Again, a wonderfully reproduced weapon for this scale, although the top grip is pretty fragile.

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Finally, we get to the big mama, the M202A1 FLASH rocket launcher. I love this thing, as it’s just a big box that shoots rockets. The markings are all there and it even has the flip down grip and the shoulder strap. You get two rockets and a blast effect piece, so you can display it with a missile just about to leave the tube or with one having just left with the smoke trail behind it. Nice!

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NECA’s Ultimates series has become one of my favorite lines of 2015 and continues to be one of the best values on the action figure pegs today. At around $21, you get iconic characters, collector grade packaging, phenomenal craftsmanship, and a bevy of accessories. And while this line has seen some great releases in the horror genre, it feels like it caters to Schwartzenegger’s films the best. Matrix doesn’t supplant the T-800 as my favorite Ultimate release so far, but he is certainly a very strong addition to this wonderfully eclectic collection of figures. Keep these coming, NECA, and I’ll keep on buying them!

By figurefanzero • Tagged
2
Dec 1 2015

Star Wars: Unkar’s Thug, Jakku Scavenger, and BB-8 by Hasbro

It’s December, folks! We now reside in the very same month into which The Force Awakens will release. And while I’m not completely losing my shit over it like some people are, I’m still pretty excited. And wouldn’t ya know it, I’ve got some more Star Wars figures to check out! Today’s feature is another of those boxed Mission Series packs. The previous two I looked at were based on the Rebels series, but this one is most definitely from the upcoming new film. It’s also based on some characters we know basically nothing about!

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I’ve gushed plenty about this packaging, but isn’t it just great? The figures come in a little window box with some fantastic artwork and the ominous Kylo Ren and lightsaber up at the top. Everything is collector friendly and there’s a symbol on the side panel that denotes this set is part of the Desert Mission Series. The back panel features some pretty basic descriptions of the characters. Interestingly enough, the little guy is just called Jakku Scavenger on the front, but on the back of the box he’s named as Teedo. I’m assuming no relation to Teebo, although I suppose there could be an Ewok under all those wrappings. Let’s start big and work our way down…

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Unkar’s Thug is completely covered from head to toe in desert garb. He’s a fairly basic looking figure, but the sculpt is still solid. You get texturing on his shirt, a quilted pattern on his jacket, and some nice detail work on his mask, hood, and goggles. While previous robed figures in this series had detail sculpted between the legs, here it’s just left smooth like the old Kenner days. For the most part, the simple articulation is what I expected, but I was surprised they were able to work a ball joint into his hooded neck. The Thug comes with a staff and a blaster pistol.

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His buddy, Teedo is a tubby little dude all wrapped up in bandages like a mummy. His pale green hands, feet, and part of the skin on the top of his oddly shaped head are exposed. I’m guessing he’s some kind of reptile. There’s some really nice detail on the mask, he’s got a tank on his back and some pouches hanging off his hip, and some funky looking sandals. Alas, he comes with zero accessories, but I’m content to give him the staff.

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So who are these guys? Well all we know is they work for the scavenger Unkar Plutt (allegedly played by Simon Pegg), a junk dealer on Jakku. And based on the scenes in the trailer and the artwork on the package, I presume Rey runs afoul of them as they are capturing BB-8. While most of what we’ve seen pairs the little droid with Rey, he’s still clearly named as Poe’s droid. Could he be the common thread that brings Rey to the Resistance? Who knows, but it’s fun to speculate.

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Anyway, speaking of BB-8, yes he’s in here too, and imagine he’ll be the main selling point of this set. He’s a pretty solid representation of the spehrical droid, especially considering how small he is. You get some good paint and sculpted panel lines. The bottom of his body is flat, so he can stand without wobbling over. He also has a peg hole, but it’s really not necessary. The head is ball jointed and on a post, so it not only swivels, but can move front and back a bit. I’m going to assume this is the same figure packed in with the Force Awakens Millennium Falcon. I can’t imagine much they could do to change him.

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As usual, these packs come with a large gimmicky weapon. In this case it’s a gigantic missile launcher that fires two missiles with a net between them. I give Hasbro credit for actually working something in that’s possibly in the movie. We do see the little guy and Rey fussing with BB-8 in a net, but it’s still a ridiculous accessory and the net is small and made of plastic. So, meh!

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The going rate for these packs is $14.99 and I’ve been happy with that so far. In this case you technically get three figures, so it’s a pretty nice deal. I can’t say as I would have been rushing out to buy single carded versions of either of these junk scavengers, but they’re well done for what they are and the 3 3/4″ Star Wars line has always been about universe building for me, so the more diverse characters the happier I am. And hey, this was a much better way to get BB-8 into collector’s hands than making us buy that big dopey new Falcon, because that was never going to happen.