Monthly Archives: August 2019

Aug 30 2019

DC Gallery: Batgirl Statue by Diamond Select

I’m always happy to be able to bring back DC Friday, even if it isn’t that often. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when I had enough DC related action figures and collectibles to keep it going as a regular thing. But between Mattel’s terrible distribution and DC Collectibles’ inability to stick with a line and scale, I’ve mainly been turning to Diamond Select Toys’ Gallery Statues for my DC fix these days. Let’s check out their new Batgirl!

Based on her 2014 makeover by Babs Tarr in Batgirl of Burnside, this statue comes in the typical Gallery style box, with windows on the top, front, and side panels and a purple and yellow deco to match Batgirl’s costume. The statue is suspended between two plastic trays, allowing you to see what you’re getting before you buy and open her. And as always, everything here is collector friendly, which is good for me because I don’t have the shelf space to display all of these, so I have them in their boxes and stacked in a corner.

There’s no assembly required, as Batgirl comes out of the box all ready for display, and what a nice piece this is! I should start by saying that I don’t find the pose anything terribly special, she’s simply striding across the rooftops with her arms out and hands balled into fists. Her hair splays out in the wind and her cape bellows off to the side behind her. It’s not bad at all, it hints at a nice bit of action, but it’s just not that unique or memorable to me.

Thankfully everything else about this statue is so well executed! Every detail about the costume is incorporated into the sculpt and that includes the tailored seams, pockets, and even the bat symbol on her chest. Even the lines of the black stripes on her legs are sculpted. The detail on her utility belt includes the little buckles and retaining straps on the pouches, and the sculpted laces on her boots are fully realized.

Equally impressive is the coloring here, which mostly relies on the purple, yellow, and black of her costume. Everything is done with a matte finish, and while this costume’s boots and gloves are often depicted as shiny in other recreations, I think the matte works fine too. For the most part the paint applications are sharp and clean, but there are a few exceptions, particularly between the yellow on her boots and the black of their soles. Still, it’s nothing that I haven’t seen before on far more expensive statues.

The portrait is pretty solid, although not terribly expressive. It’s a good likeness from the comic art and I’m extremely happy with how sharp the lines are on her mask, as well as the paint applications for her eyes and lips. The sculpted red hair is a bit muted, but I dig the way it spills out of the cowl and blows wildly around her.

The base appears to be an abstract of the city rooftops, perhaps scaled down to give her a sense of height? I’m not really sure what they were going for here. It’s not bad, though, and it offers her a good surface for her wide stance, as well as giving the statue stability.

Batgirl is another fine example of why it’s been impossible for me to quit DST’s Gallery series. You simply can’t beat the quality at this price point. And while my budget and available space often requires me to admire the bigger premium statues on the market from afar, I can collect this line all day without breaking the bank. Batgirl here cost just under $40, and I couldn’t be happier with how she turned out!

Aug 28 2019

The Predator: Armored Assassin Predator by NECA

Thank God for alcohol, because back when I saw The Predator in the theater, booze (and the always sublime hospitality of Cinebistro) helped to make it a pleasant experience. I had a genuinely good time! When I woke up the next day I couldn’t remember a lot about it. I assumed my memories of it were a jumbled mess because it was being screened through a rich alcohol haze. Fast forward to this past weekend when I found it on Blu-Ray for $10 and I thought, “Hey, I’d like to see that again!” Oh, man! All I can say is that I laughed a lot, but I think it was equal parts at the movie as with it. Now to be fair, I haven’t really been a fan of any movie with the Predator in it since the original two films. To me, the franchise had already been run into the ground, so I’m probably a lot more forgiving of this movie than most. But was a bad movie going to stop me from buying the NECA figures? Hells no! Let’s check out the Armored Assassin!

And he’s HUGE!!! So much so that I included one of NECA’s Utlimate Predator boxes next to it for scale. Now, I’m a little confused as to where this big guy falls into NECA’s classifications. I don’t think it’s an Ultimate, although I think this Pred is sometimes called Ultimate Predator by the fandom. The box says it’s a Deluxe figure, so I guess we’ll go with that. Either way, it comes in the same type of box as the Ultimate figures. It looks like it’s fully enclosed, but the front panel is actually a flap that conceals a window. It’s also collector friendly so I’ll keep the packaging, but this box is too big to fit on the shelf with my other NECA Pred boxes, so it’ll have to go somewhere else. The box’s deco consists of some solid artwork on the front, and lots of pictures of the figure in action on the rest of the box. The lettering is a little generic and bland, but then so was the movie!

Towering over your average Yautja, this ton of fun was the result of genetic manipulation to create an ultimate assassin to… ah, the hell with it. I’m not going to rehash the weird and nonsensical narrative of the film to justify this big boy’s existence. The fact that he was specially bred by splicing genes of different species together really goes against the grain of what I know about the Yautja culture. And the fact that he was bred to assassinate a fugitive Predator who had come to Earth to help save mankind, well that shit just makes my head spin. So let’s just get on with the figure. One of the most distinctive things about him is the fact that he’s nearly naked, which makes his name, Armored Assassin a little misleading. But apparently, his skin is his armor, which is reflected with a bumpy texture that resembles hardened shell in some places. And I really can’t say enough good things about the detail NECA infused into it. The muddy gray skin features some brown veins webbing throughout and it all has a slightly glossy sheen to him.

The other unique thing about this guy is the dog-like configuration of his lower legs, which gives him a very beast-(almost Werewolf) like profile. Unfortunately, it also makes him very difficult to stand up, so I had to dig out one of those NECA figure stands that I had rattling around in one of my accessory totes. It helps a lot, although he’s still prone to the occasional topple. In the end I will likely utilize one of the MEGO-sized wast-grabbing stands I have to keep this guy from taking a shelf dive when I display him. The legs definitely give him a distinctive look, but they also advertises the oddball narrative behind him. In the end, I think I would have preferred him with just regular Pred feet.

And while much about the Armored Assasin is atypical of your average Predator, the head sculpt is where the design brings it all back home. You get the same deep set beady eyes and the wild looking dreadlocks, each individually sculpted, with some cool copper rings wrapped around each strand. And, of course that creepy mandible-mouth that elevates this face from just plain ugly to goddamn nightmare fuel.

There is no masked portrait, because apparently this guy doesn’t need a Biomask. In one of the true WTF moments of the movie, he was even able to use thermal vision without one. Yeah, I guess it could have been bred into him, or maybe he had some kind of ocular implants. I’m not to worried about it either way. So, no masked noggin, but you do get a second head with the mandibles open in full roar, and man does it look fantastic! Popping off the head is really easy, but getting the other one on was actually a painful experience. It required a lot of pressure, and those spikes on top of his head dished out a world of hurting to my poor hands.

The articulation here is exactly what I’ve come to expect from NECA’s modern Preds, which means plenty of rotating hinges, double-hinged elbows and knees, a ball joint in the torso, and extra hinges down in those beastly ankles. Some of the joints were stuck on my figure when I got him out of the box, but a little heat did wonders to get him nice and limber. A number of the joints are ratcheting, which helps this heavy figure keep its poses. And I’ll point out here that this figure comes with two sets of hands: One pair open, and one pair balled up into fists.

In terms of actual armor, this Pred gets by with a pair of armored undies to protect his modesty. Gone are the ornamental trophies and the netted body suit. One thing he has in common with the regular Predators is a pair of arm bracers, and like his fellow Preds, this guy has a few tricks up his sleeves. Literally. The right bracer has a blade attachment, which is meant to simulate it retracting and deploying from the bracer. It’s only a single blade, where most of the others have twin blades. It does have a nice curve to it and a very sharp taper to its deadly point. Not bad!

On the other arm, his left bracer has an attachable cannon, once again meant to simulate it deploying from inside the gauntlet. I wasn’t a hundred percent certain about the configuration here, so I took a few pictures with it inserted two different ways. They both work, but obviously one is correct and the other is upside down. This tiny cannon is articulated in two places, and I guess it’s meant to replace the iconic shoulder cannon that most Preds wear. Honestly, this cannon looks pretty puny compared to regular Pred tech, but I guess when you’re a giant hulking slab of Yautja beef like this guy, you don’t need to overstate things with your weapons. I mean, I have to imagine that this fella is content with just tearing his prey apart with his bare hands.

Thanks to NECA something good came out of The Predator. The movie may have been a misguided mess, but at least we got some great action figures out of it. And as such, this won’t be the last time I’ll be revisiting it, as I’ve got a few more to look at and a few more to track down as well. Hell, this is probably the most figures I’ve ever purchased from a movie that I just didn’t like all that much.

Aug 26 2019

Marvel Legends (Kingpin Wave): Symbiote Spider-Man by Hasbro

No random draw for this week’s Marvel Monday. Instead, I went straight for a Spider-Man figure so I can be sort of topical in light of the Spider-Man movie news. I’m not really going to go into that here much, instead I’ll just say that I haven’t given up hope that either Sony or Disney will see reason and reach some kind of new agreement. Then again, if he’s done I’ll just be grateful for every miraculous moment we got of him on screen. Another reason for this week’s pick is that I’m hankering to finish off another Build-A-Figure, and since I’ve already opened and reviewed two of the six figures needed to build Kingpin, this one will get me halfway there. Oh yeah, it’s the new Symbiote Suite Spidey, so don’t expect a lot of enthusiasm out of me for this review.

Since I don’t have anything to really say about the packaging, I’ll throw it out there that Hasbro has recently announced the decision to remove plastic from their packaging. How’s that going to work with Legends? Will there be enclosed boxes? Will we no longer be able to scrutinize the paint on the figures we buy? How will we know someone hasn’t stolen the BAF part, or swapped the figure for a Toybiz version and returned it? These are all questions that interest me a lot more than how it will effect the aesthetics of the package. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, let’s tear in and see what we’ve got.

As many of you probably remember, Hasbro gave us a Symbiote Spider-Man as part of the Sandman Wave, and it wasn’t that long ago. Of course, that was the Classic version and this is the more recent look of the Symbiote black suit as it appeared in last year’s “Go Down Swinging.” And while I don’t want to sound like a broken record, I am not a huge fan of a lot of the newer Marvel costume designs, and this one ain’t about to change my mind on that matter. Ah, but I’m here to review a figure and given what they had to work with I think Hasbro did a fine job on this one.

The Symbiote suit doesn’t require a lot of fresh sculpting, so Hasbro was able to save a few shekels on this release. From the neck to the ankles it’s just a recycled buck. The body is cast in black plastic and you get the white pattern painted on the chest and back, and wrapping around the shoulders. This is usually a recipe for disaster when it comes to the black bleeding through, but it doesn’t look too bad on this figure. I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for monochrome suit designs, so this one does gain some points in that category.

The feet are sculpted into monster-symbiote feet and you get two sets of hands: Fists and claws. As for articulation, at first I thought this was a reuse of the Miles Morales figure, but it actually has the extra shoulder crunches, so that’s pretty cool. Everything else is standards stuff. As a rule, Hasbro’s Spider-Man figures are always loads of fun to play around with and this guy is no exception.

And then you have that head and those eyes. I wasn’t a big fan of this look in the comic art, and I’m sorry to say that I think it’s even worse when translated to an action figure. And yeah, personal taste aside, I think this is just one of those cases where 2D art wasn’t meant to be depicted in 3D. Hasbro did their best, but I just can’t get past how weird it looks. Why did Marvel decide to go with such a strange design? Well, why does Marvel do half the things they do in the comics these days? It’s a mystery. I understand the desire to update and make things look fresh, but I don’t get what they were going for here at all.

So, to sum it up, this is a decent figure based off a design I don’t like. Personally, I think it would have been much cooler to see the classic black suit return in the comic, but then Hasbro and Marvel couldn’t have sold another figure to idiots like me, so I guess they know what they’re doing. As much as I consider Legends a universe building line, I would have easily passed on this one if it weren’t for my desire to not own a headless Kingpin BAF. Then again, the same could have been said for the modern Black Cat included in this wave. And, I think I’ll keep the whole controversial update theme going next week with a look at another figure in this wave, Red Goblin.

Aug 23 2019

Transformers Siege: Refraktor by Hasbro

It’s impossible for me to explain why I was so obsessed with Reflector in the old Transformers cartoon. Maybe it was because his appearances were a bit rare. Maybe it was because he wasn’t readily available as a toy. I’m not even sure I was aware at that age that he was a mail-away figure in the US. It’s also possible that I was fascinated by his very nature of being three robots referred to as one, not to mention the first team of robots that could merge into a single alt form. I often wondered about how that worked, and what a cool alien/sci-fi concept it was. But in the end, it was probably because there were so few Decepticons in the early days, and Reflector bolstered their numbers by three. And sometimes even more than that, thanks to some animation gaffs.

And that brings us to Refraktor! A figure that is just as interesting as his predecessor. Hasbro released him as a single character with its own alt mode, but advertised on the back that you could buy two more if you wanted to make use of their camera mode. Also, I’ll point out now that I’m going to be calling him Reflector during this review, because if I try to call him Refraktor, I’m probably just going to mess it up half the time anyway. Let’s get his bullshit alt mode out of the way first!

I think this is supposed to be a spaceship, and to be fair it isn’t all that bad. It gives me a little bit of a Sweeps vibe, especially since I have three of them. The Energon Sharkticon also comes to mind, since I used to army build the hell out of those. But to be honest, it strikes me more as a seafaring gunship. Maybe even a hydrofoil, since the landing gear looks like a set of skis. In the end, I don’t hate it, and it’s kind of cool to give these guys something a little more practical to transform into. Especially in a line called Siege. And they do look kind of cool in battle formation. Let’s just move on to the robot mode!

One of the things that struck me most about Reflector in the old G1 days was that he was one of the few Decepticons that didn’t advertise his alt mode with a lot of kibble. It was genuinely tough to figure out what the hell he turned into. It also made him look like a generic rank-and-file Decepticon warrior, which was pretty appealing too. I think Hasbro did a wonderful job with this update. It continues the Siege aesthetic of infusing the sculpt with loads of detail. That’s especially the case here in the arms and behind the clear chest panel. The coloring is pretty damn great too. Purple is always a good choice for Decepticons and it mixes well with the bare grey plastic. You also get some snazzy silver paint hits on the leg panels, feet, and the frame of his chest panel. A little splash of red on the forearms and knees, and a Decepticon emblem on the left shoulder rounds out the deco quite nicely.

From behind, Reflector doesn’t look nearly as polished. There are plenty of hollow compartments and some exposed screw-heads. But at least there isn’t a lot of kibble. Even the skids from his alt mode fold neatly into his leg compartments. There is a way to help spruce up his back view, but I’ll come back to that in a bit.

The head sculpt is extremely faithful to what I remember from the Sunbow animated version. He has the same rounded “helmet,” narrow eyes and broad mouth. The silver paint on the face looks especially good, as does the red used for the eyes, which are pretty much flawless. No question, Hasbro has been killing it with their portraits in this line, and Reflector here is no different.

The one real difference between the three robots in the cartoon was the aperture being present in one and not the other two. Here that’s easily achieved by pulling it off. Yeah, it leaves a peg hole there, but I’m OK with that. I’m sure some Third-Party company will release a bag of plugs to cover these up and charge $20 for them. No, seriously, nobody do that. I will probably be the one dumb enough to buy them.

Reflector relies heavily on two rather large pieces for his alt modes. The large cannon simply turns into a gun for his robot mode, while the other can be used as a shield. I dig both of these accessories a lot. The gun is big and beefy and has a rather distinctive low-slung armor plate. The shield is rounded and has a notch out of the top that reminds me of a riot shield. The shield piece can also be pegged onto the back, but it isn’t meant to be, which means it can fall out pretty easily. I think this is the biggest shame about the figure design, as it looks really good on the back, gets it out of the way when not being used as a shield, and it would have been really easy for Hasbro to have seen this opportunity and make it work. When I display these guys in robot mode, I will likely have two with the guns and shields and one with just the gun. Of course all of these pieces can also be combined together for the camera mode, so let’s check that out.

The camera mode is achieved by transforming each of the figures into the same folded up block and then sticking them together so that the middle one faces front. Next the three shields combine together to form the lens and the three guns combine to form the tripod, which then attaches to the camera using one of the aperture pieces. It’s very clever and overall it looks pretty good, but it’s not nearly as detailed a camera as the old G1 toy. And I’m totally OK with that, because the sacrifices were made to allow each of the bots that form it to look identical. Maybe Hasbro could have tossed in a few extra pieces to tack on and make it more convincing as a camera, but I’m totally fine with it the way it is. Also, it’s roughly the right size to give to one of the Titans like Metroplex or Fort Maximus, but really too big for any of the smaller bots.

Never in a million years did I ever think Hasbro would revisit these guys. Hell, even the first time the early pictures of him, I didn’t think the camera mode was going to be ab option. As a result, I can’t  tell you how many times I almost pulled the trigger on one of the many third-party Reflectors on the market. In the end, I’m glad I didn’t, because Hasbro’s Deluxe Class treatment scratches that itch perfectly, and for a lot less money. These guys were a bit hard to find at first, because most everyone was looking to grab three of them, but I was eventually able to get all three online for a couple of bucks under retail, and that ain’t too shabby. They’re a great little team, and I think they look fantastic when displayed with the Siege Decepticons.

Aug 21 2019

Star Wars: Stormtrooper 1:6 Scale Figure by Hot Toys

I was already well behind on my Hot Toys reviews before the site went on hiatus, so now I’m buried even deeper. But since the new Stormtrooper arrived this week, I thought I might as well bump him to the head of the line and check him out. A while back I maintained that I wasn’t buying any Original Trilogy Hot Toys, because that rabbit hole runs too deep, and to make that work, I’ll just point out that this guy will go with my Rogue One Hot Toys. Hey, I used that same argument to justify getting Vader and Tarkin, so why not? Today I will be looking at the standard release, although there is also a Deluxe version available.

The packaging for Hot Toys’ Star Wars offerings are really nothing special. They use the same black format with a picture of the figure to do most of the talking. Although here they added a little wrap around for the front lid that offers a splash of color. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer something a little more special with my expensive figures, but that’s OK. These boxes mainly just go into storage anyway. And if there’s one theme of today’s review, it would be simplicity. Under the lid you get a standard plastic tray that holds the figure, stand, extra hands, and a couple of accessories. Apart from removing some protective plastic, the Stormtrooper comes ready for display.

And boy is this figure simple! And that is in no way meant as a slight, because it is indeed almost refreshingly simple. Reviewing Hot Toys figures is often intimidating for me. They are complicated to set up, sometimes difficult to handle, and giving them their proper due is seriously time consuming. Costumes need constant adjusting, little bits and bobs fall off during shoots, and I’m often afraid that I’m going to break things. But none of that is true with my new Stormy! And here’s where I should also point out that even with as many goddamn Stormtrooper figures I’ve owned over the years, I’m still no expert on the particulars of their armor. This looks great to me, but there could be some inaccuracies that I’m not seeing. I also do not own the previous Hot Toys Stormy, so I can’t do any in depth comparisons on the improvements here. So why should you even keep reading? Hell, I dunno. Just let me enjoy my new figure.

As simple as the figure is, it’s still an underlying articulated buck that’s actually wearing the armor, and that obviously sets it apart from most of the other Stormtrooper figures out there. The figure is first dressed in a very soft fabric bodysuit, which can be seen in the joints and between the armor plates. This is a big departure from the leather-like bodysuit that Hot Toys First Order Stormtroopers wear. The result is that the underlying suit doesn’t really hinder the articulation at all, even though the armor plates themselves in some cases do. The armor pieces themselves consist of upper and lower legs, sleeves for the forearms and biceps, shoulder pieces, a codpiece and a butt plate, a wrap-around for the abdomen, a chest and back plate, and of course the helmet. The boots are sculpted plastic and the armor pieces on the backs of the hands are sculpted as part of the hands. And you do indeed get a nice assortment of hands, including a set of weapon hands, fists, relaxed hands, a “stop” hand, and a hand designed to cradle the blaster. The armor pieces have a nice glossy finish to them, and are some very subtle weathering marks here and there.

The belt is plastic on the front and fastens in the back with elastic and velcro, which holds it on surprisingly well. There’s a leather-like holster that hangs off just behind his right hip, and this houses his E-11 Blaster and features a retaining strap that is secured by a magnet. The holster is very easy to work with and I don’t have any concerns about the strap tearing. Besides the blaster, which we’ll check out in a second, the only other actual accessory included is the cylinder that goes on the back of his belt. I think this is referred to as a thermal regulator, and it attaches onto the belt with two metal hooks, which also helps conceal the velcro patch that secures the belt. I’ve found that the belt itself can ride up a bit on the figure when I’m posing him, but otherwise it fits fine and looks great.

The helmet sculpt also looks excellent, but here’s where I will once again defer to experts, who may be able to point out all kinds of things wrong with it. For me, the detail is all there from the blue vents on the sides to the breathers on the front. I especially like the green tint on the goggles. It’s subtle enough, but in the right light it looks brilliant. The neck area under the helmet also has a ribbed rubber gorget over the cloth bodysuit.

The E-11 Blaster is a beautiful little weapon. I can’t even imagine how many times I’ve owned this blaster in the 3 3/4-inch and 6-inch versions, but this feels like the first time I’m actually seeing it for all it can be. The detail is every bit as amazing as I expect from Hot Toys accessories. The sculpted hands that are designed to hold it work quite well, although I find it easier to get the weapon into the hand, wrap the trigger finger, and then attach the hand to the wrist post.

The blaster also has an articulated stock, which folds out from under the barrel. It’s a nice touch, even if I’ve never really cared for the way this thing looks extended. It’s also frightfully fragile, which gives me even less incentive to fold it out. That’s it for the accessories, and yes I’m fine with that, as I wasn’t expecting much going in. There are a few more things that I think Hot Toys could have thrown in, like maybe a rifle and a pauldron, but none of those things were included in the Deluxe version either.

And finally, Stormy comes with a pretty standard figure stand. The base is rectangular and designed to look like the deck plating of an Imperial ship. The name plate simply reads, “Star Wars Stormtrooper,” and the post is the usual crotch-cradle design, which works fine with the figure. And herein lies the big difference between the regular and Deluxe releases. The Deluxe version includes an LED Death Star backdrop panel to put behind the stand. It’s a very nice addition, but at $243, that makes it $55 more than this regular release? Nah, I’m good, thanks!

It’s hard to find a Hot Toys figure for under $180 these days. Hell, even the First Order troopers were each over $200. Granted, there aren’t a lot of extras in this box and there’s no actor likeness to sculpt, but it still feels like a pretty good value. Enough for me to pick up another? Well, probably not, but I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. I’ll also point out that It’s kind of amazing that even after all of these years I can still get excited about a Stormtrooper figure. I’ve had entire of legions of these guys in the 3 3/4-inch scale, many of which have long since turned yellow and useless. I was quite pleased with Hasbro’s 6-inch Black Series version and grabbed up as many as I could find. It seems only fitting to add the Hot Toys version to my collection. The real reason I picked this one up was to put him in the back of a Rogue One display, which I will inevitably assemble once I get Director Krennic. For now, he’s hanging out between Tarkin and Vader, two figures that I desperately need to get around to reviewing.

Aug 19 2019

Marvel Legends (Deadpool Corps): Deadpool and Scooter by Hasbro

This week I’m back on track with Legends on this Marvel Monday, and since I’m still working on the archaeological dig that is my Toy Closet backlog, I just grabbed the first thing that fell and hit me on the back of the neck while I was rummaging around in there. Oh look, it’s Deadpool with a scooter! And damn, that hurt!

I’ve only looked at one of these Deluxe Riders so far, and that was Black Widow and her motorcycle. I liked it a lot, and I’m expecting good things here as well. The set comes in a large window box that shows the figure, the scooter, and the bevy of other accessories and extras within. It definitely looks like something special, and I enjoy how Hasbro laid out the tray with Deadpool chasing the scooter. Let’s start with a look at the Deadpool figure!

Obviously, we’ve seen a lot of Deadpool figures in the modern Legends line. Some may say too man, but I’d say those people are wrong. My casual eye tells me this is a mix of the Juggernaut Wave Poolsy and the Sasquatch Wave X-Force Pool. Most distinctively, he has the armored pieces on the shins and forearms from the former, and the simpler chest of the later. The armored pieces are now painted all black, so they still look a bit different from their original appearance. I’m not sure if Hasbro was going for a specific comic look here, but most likely I think they’re just trying to come up with new combinations so dopes like me can justify buying the character again and again. I’m going to skip articulation, since we’ve seen this buck so many times now, I’ll just be lazy and refer you back to one of the other reviews, conveniently linked above.

For the belt and harness, Hasbro dug deep, going all the way back to their original X-Force Pool release, all the way back from 2012! And that’s a figure that is now best forgotten. The harness itself is cast in silver plastic, the chest shield is left a simple red, but he’s got his patented Deadpool emblem on his belt buckle and the pouches on the belt are all painted in a deep brown to convey rich Corinthian leather. Yeah, the combo is a bit kit-bashy, but I’ll concede that it works well together.

The scabbards and swords are recycled from the Sasquatch/Juggernaut Wave figures, and they work quite well here. The blades and guards are now gold, which I presume was just to mix things up a bit. I’m not a huge fan of the cut-outs on the scabbards that allow the tips of the swords to show through, but I do like these swords a lot. And it’s a good thing, because this Pool comes with no guns. He does, however have the combat knife from the Juggernaut figure, which still fits into the sheath on his lower right leg. Also, the scabbards are removable from the harness, which is something you may want to do if you’re going to have him riding the scooter with Dogpool.

The head is new, and Hasbro is going for pure comic effect here. Deadpool has both eyes popped wide and you can see his mouth open through the sculpted hood. If you were jonesing for an astonished looking Deadpool portrait, you can look no more. I’d argue that this was a rather specific expression to go for when only including one portrait, but I’ve got so many Deadpool heads to choose from, I can always swap it out if I want. Ok, let’s talk scooter…

I can’t remember when or where Pool’s red scooter originated, but I was delighted to the nod to it in Deadpool 2. And this is a really decent recreation in the 6-inch scale. It’s simple, but it’s designed to fit the figure well enough and even features peg holes on the running boards to help Pool stay put. A little assembly is required here, specifically popping in the rear view mirrors and clipping on the horn. They can be taken off again to go back in the box, but I fear clipping and un-clipping the horn may result in a breakage down the line. The rest is pretty basic. The front wheel does turn with he handlebars, and there’s a kickstand to keep it upright. There’s a detailed speedometer, and you also get a sheet of stickers so you can customize it.

Also included in the box are Dogpool and Squirrelpool. These aren’t so much figures as they are just display pieces. Both of them feature rotating heads, but that’s the only articulation there. I was actually surprised that they worked that into the tiny Squirrelpool. These do feature some very nice detail. I love Dogpool’s helmet, and Squirrelpool has his tiny swords on his back. The paint is pretty sharp on these as well. Both are sculpted in a very specific poses to be riding on the back of the scooter, although Dogpool can just sit with his paws up, almost like he’s begging, and Squirrelpool can stand on the ground on all fours. Squirrelpool is designed with a peg in his tummy that pegs into the hole in Dogpool’s back. These can be a little unsightly if you choose not to display them on the scooter, but that’s kind of the whole point.

Before wrapping up, I’ll note that the set also comes with a Hydra Bob head, just in case you happen to have the Hydra Trooper or the Hydra two-pack. Sure, it’s basically just a smiling Hydra head, but still definitely a cool bonus!

I like this set. It’s fun and it adds just enough stuff so that I don’t mind buying another Deadpool to get it all. And I do appreciate that it is a new figure, albeit a kit-bashed one, rather than just a straight repack. Although it would have been a good way to get that original Juggernaut Wave Deadpool back into circulation, as it remains one of my favorite Legends figures to date. I love it so much I have two, or at least I did until I gave one to my nephew. I don’t think this set is a must-buy for most, but as a Pool fan, nobody had to twist my arm to buy it. I picked it up for about $35 and I got no complaints.

Aug 16 2019

Overwatch Ultimates: Lucio by Hasbro

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back with a third review for the second week in a row. Sure, things can derail at any time, and it’s really tough to scrounge the time to do these, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get back into the swing of things. And there… I’ve just jinxed myself! Anywho… As promised, I’m back with another one of Hasbro’s Overwatch Ultimates figures. Last time I checked out Sombra and now I’m opening up Lucio, the Brazillian DJ turned Freedom Fighter! And just to remind everyone, I have never played Overwatch, but I really dig its character design and I have watched most of the cinematics, because I’m crazy like that. So if I sound woefully ignorant about some of the details of these characters, that’s because I am!

I just talked about the packaging a few days ago, so I won’t dwell on it much more. It’s attractive, it embraces the style and color pallet associated with the game, and it’s totally collector friendly. If you like to keep your figures and accessories in the boxes and line them up on a bookshelf, then you should be really happy with these! Just compare this bright and snappy package to Hasbro’s own Star Wars Black Series, and let’s just say that there’s a reason I pitch all those boxes right away, but I’m going to try to hang onto these.

If you ever needed a great example of how Overwatch’s sometimes wacky character design just oozes personality, well look no further than Lucio here. I would stop short of calling him distinctive, because Lucio actually looks like he’d be right at home in Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast. So much so, it’s almost impossible for me to believe that he isn’t a direct homage. Seriously, when I’m playing around with this figure, I catch myself humming Sweet Soul Brother.  From the icon on his shirt to the hard-light blades that he zips around on, everything about Lucio is beautifully executed in a figure that is both a killer sculpt and as colorful as candy. I mean, just look at this dude! The design gave Hasbro plenty to work with, including the complex robotic design of his legs, which includes a mix of lovely blue armor plates, lime green kneepads, and a gray framework underneath. Not to mention a couple of cables that run from the front to back. Are these all part of what’s powering those slick skates? I don’t really know, but they look amazing. I’m particularly fond of the translucent green plastic that makes up those hard-light blades.

I dig the iconography on his shirt, which is very reminiscent of the previously mentioned Jet Set Radio, and he wears a backpack that I presume is part of his audio gear. The yellow unit houses a golden speaker-like disc, and even his belt-buckle has a little sound wave pattern etched into it. As great as the sculpting is on this guy, I have to say it’s the coloring that really sells it. It’s so bright and dynamic and celebrates all that is so damn visually appealing about the game.

Lucio’s portrait is equally well detailed, thanks to his DJ rig, which includes a mic and headphone on his left ear and a translucent green visor that covers his eyes. The portrait is sharp and it’s capped off by a ridiculous set of chunky dreads. Ok, these are probably the one facet of the figure that doesn’t match a lot of the character models I’ve seen as closely as I would have liked. And while I’m on the subject of nitpicking, I got me a QC beef. My figure has some unfortunate yellow paint splatter on his visor. Yeah, it’s one of those problems with buying a figure sight-unseen online. I just have to decide whether it upsets me enough to return him and get a better one, because it does not seem to want to come off.

Lucio sports some improved articulation over Sombra, and I’ve come to expect those differences between Hasbro’s 6-inch male and female characters. That means Lucio benefits from having double hinges in his elbows, and swivels in his biceps. The ball joint in the torso is also not impeded by any soft plastic covering. All this means he’s a remarkably fun figure to play around with. I’ll also note here that he comes with two extra hands, both of which are lefties. One has him gesturing with two fingers, and the other is balled into a fist. Let’s move on to accessories!

I’m actually starting with the effect parts, because these are actually great. You get two translucent green tracks for his skates. They simply fit around the base of the skates and while the figure can stand quite well without them, they do add a lot of stability. Most of you know that I’m not a huge fan of Hasbro’s effect parts, but these are really well designed and I can’t imagine I’ll be displaying the figure without them. And thank god these are so good, because Lucio only comes with one additional accessory.

Ah, but yeah it’s an important one… his Sonic Amplifier. This chunky piece of tech includes a cable that plugs into the notch on Lucio’s right bicep. It’s very well detailed and includes a blue painted shield on top, which matches his leg armor, and a green painted emitter on the front. It fits perfectly in his hand and completes the package quite nicely. Yes, the cable is prone to pulling out of his arm from time to time, but at least it goes back in really easily.

As much as I liked Sombra, I have to say I’m digging Lucio even more. This is a fun character design that has made the transition to plastic form without skipping a beat. Plus, there’s just something about the coloring here that scratches my itch. It’s rare for me to collect a line of figures based on a property that I don’t really consume, but that just goes to show how appealing this line is to me. I’m only two figures in, and I’m already dedicated to picking up whatever Hasbro decides to put out.

Aug 14 2019

Overwatch Ultimates: Sombra by Hasbro

Oh yeah, did I mention I’m collecting this line? Did I also mention that I’ve never played the game and probably never will? I honestly fell in love with the character design and personality of this game the very first time I watched the teaser and some of the cinematics. But I’m not one to play multiplayer FPS games, so I knew it was never going to be something I actually played. How else to indulge in the characters? Well, with action figures of course! I while back I looked at Figma’s release of Tracer. She was a great figure, but I wasn’t prepared to go too deep at that price point, so I was glad to see Hasbro answer the call with their own line. And just to keep things moving along, I’m going to try to check out two of the figures from the first wave this week. And we’re starting with Sombra.

The boxes are very attractive with the die-cut character art on the front panel and the partial window, which wraps a bit to the side panel. The gray, white, and orange colors match the familiar palette that the game employs. The back panel features some more character art, some stats about the character, and some shots of other characters from the wave. The box is totally collector friendly, and for some reason I’m actually thinking of hanging on to these boxes, even though I’m sure I’ll just end up throwing them out in a few weeks when I get frustrated over the lack of space. OK, let’s have a look at Sombra! Who is Sombra? You’ll never know!

Hacker supreme, Olivia Colomar comes sporting her delightfully distinctive battle dress, all of which is reproduced in soft plastic and laid onto the figure. It allows for some very nice detail and some beautifully vibrant colors, including lavender, purple, silver, and aqua. I particularly dig how the There’s no doubt Hasbro invested a lot of love and attention to her costume. Her legs are painted with long purple stockings and her shoes are sculpted so that you can make out her toes. There’s also a very cool gradation between the purple on her legs and the aqua of her boots. My only complaint here is that while the dress does look good, the fact that it’s laid onto the figure makes it a bit bulkier than it probably should have been.

The portrait is especially nice as well. I think they’ve captured all of Sombra’s cuteness, even if she does look a bit younger than her game model. Her hair sweeps off to the right side of her head, curling up at the ends and terminating in a playful purple. The exposed scalp on the left side shows a pattern in her shaved head, and the paint on her eyes and lips is executed beautifully. She even has the hint of a scar protruding through her left eyebrow.

The articulation here is more or less right in line with Hasbro’s Marvel Legends females. That means the arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders and elbows, and the wrists are on hinged pegs. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, have double hinges in the knees, and swivels in the thighs. The ankles have both hinges and lateral rockers. It’s kind of hard to see what’s going on under that dress, but I’m guessing there’s a ball joint under her chest. Alas, the heavy dress does curtail a lot of movement there. The head is attached below the neck, and here too it’s tough to get a lot of movement because of her high collar. Moving on to accessories…

Sombra comes with her machine pistol, which I can best describe as a sci-fi infused Uzi on steroids. The weapon features plenty of detail and some blue paint apps on the black plastic. Both her hands are sculpted with trigger fingers, so she can comfortably hold it in either hand. The magazine extends way past the grip, but it is not removable. No big surprise there.

Next up, she has her hacking effect part. This is designed to work with either of her second pair of more relaxed hands. There are tiny holes in one end to pass her fingers through. The effect stays on quite well and I’m glad they didn’t opt to sculpt this as part of the hand, because having the extra pair sure is nice.

And lastly, she has her Translocator, giving her the power to teleport to wherever she can toss it. There isn’t a lot to say about this piece. It’s a simple sculpt and cast in black plastic. There’s a little lavender paint on the top, and she can hold it in pretty much any of her hands.

Sombra gets nothing but kudos from me in terms of sculpt and paint. She’s a beautiful looking figure that really captures the spirit of the character and the game’s art design. What’s more, with the gun and translocator, she comes with everything I would expect to be included, plus the effect part, which was a nice surprise. If I had any nits to pick here, it would be that I wish the dress were a little less bulky and restrictive. All in all, I’m still very happy with how this figure turned out, and she’s certainly made me excited about opening some more. At the $20 price point, these fall right in line with Hasbro’s other 6-inch lines, like Marvel Legends or the Star Wars Black Series, in terms of quality and value. Give me a few days, and hopefully I’ll be back with a look at Lucio!

Aug 12 2019

Marvel Gallery: Black Cat by Diamond Select

Welcome to another Marvel Monday, and as you can tell by the title, today I am giving Marvel Legends a rest in favor of one of Diamond Select’s new(ish) Marvel Gallery statues. No, it’s not going to help me get caught up with my stupidly huge Legends backlog, but truth be told, delivering three reviews last week didn’t give me enough time to prepare a Legends review today, and checking out these statues doesn’t take me nearly as long. But that’s not to say I don’t enjoy checking them out!

Just a couple of weeks ago, I reviewed DST’s Supergirl Gallery statue, so I won’t spend a whole lot of time on the packaging. Suffice it to say these come in attractive window boxes, with clear plastic on the front and top panels, as well as the sides. These offer plenty of light to see what you’re getting, and while I buy these online, I recommend picking them up at a local comic shop if you can. That allows you to check the paint, and make sure you aren’t getting a dud. With that having been said, I’ve had pretty good luck with mine. The box is collector friendly, and Felicia doesn’t require any assembly.

And here she is out of the box, on the shelf, and looking pretty fabulous. This is definitely one of the most unique entries to the Marvel Gallery line, as most of the releases tend to focus on the figure with the base seeming like an afterthought. But not here! Black Cat crouches on one knee atop a Spider-Man themed safe, presumably one that she just cracked open. Perhaps Web Head himself has entered the room, because she’s frozen in what could be a defensive stance and ready to pounce. Let’s have a look at Felicia first!

I definitely dig the pose here. It’s very dynamic and works extremely well for the character. She looks like she may have just jumped back atop the safe after opening it, and is ready to go a few rounds with a rival. This is definitely classic Black Cat, with the slick bodysuit, garnished with the tufts of white fur around the forearms, lower legs, collar, and plunging neckline. The suit itself doesn’t feature much detail, but it does have a very nice blueish-black sheen to it that mimics the coloring right out of the comic panels. The sculpt shows off all of her curves, and even a little bit of musculature under the suit.

My one real complaint here is something I’ve seen before, at least a few times in the line. If you haven’t guessed, it’s the seams that ring her shoulders and her right leg at the pelvis. Obviously, these are where the statue was assembled, but it’s disappointing that they aren’t able to apply some kind of sculpty to conceal these better. Is it a deal breaker for me? Meh, not really. Not in a budget line like this one. But it’s something that I’m probably always going to notice when I’m admiring her.

I think the sculptor did a nice job on the portrait. She’s pretty, easily recognizable, and the paint on her lips and eyes is all quite clean. Her domino mask is actually part of the sculpt and the paint lines around it are also very crisp. The silver tag hanging off of her collar is a nice touch too.

The safe represents nearly half this statue’s height and it really elevates the composition here. The door is partially opened showing the contents inside: Bundles of cash, gold bars, and scattered gems. There’s even few bundles of cash that look like they’ve spilled out onto the ground. The front of the safe is painted with a Spider-Man motif and features the dial and lever. You can even see the two locking bolts protruding from inside the door.

Even with the unfortunate seams from assembly, I’d still say this statue is quite a worthwhile piece. It’s one of the more compelling examples of creative composition this line has shown. And at about $40, the quality here is very good for a statue in this price range. Indeed, I’d dare say that if I didn’t know better, it could pass for something a bit more costly. I’ve been really trying to curtail my Gallery statue purchases lately, because I am running out of space for them, so it’s a testament to how good these are that I can’t seem to stay away.

Aug 10 2019

Halloween (2018): Ultimate Laurie Strode by NECA

Earlier in the week I checked out NECA’s Ultimate Michael Myers figure, based on his appearance in the most recent film in the Halloween franchise. That release was quite special in its own way, as it marked the long overdue return of the Halloween license to NECA’s loving, and abundantly-skilled, hands. But today’s figure? Oh boy, this one is a release that was against all odds. It’s not only Laurie Strode, but it’s Laura “elderly, survivalist-wack-job, ass-kickin, and unbelievably amazing” Strode. Yeah, it’s a great time to be a horror action figure collector, my friends!

I don’t think it would be accurate to call Jamie Lee Curtis my very first celebrity crush, but she’s gotta rank in rather closely. I cut my teeth on the first two Halloween films at a shockingly young age and I’m not ashamed to admit that JLC sure made me feel all funny down there. Since then, I’ve always enjoyed her films. Fast forward to the 2018 Halloween, and her wonderful character arc just made her all the more appealing. Older, Grittier, and a total badass. One time hot Final Girl blossomed into I-Ain’t-Takin’-No-More-Shit-Granny and she has never been more awesome. We just talked about the Ultimate packaging a few days ago with my Michael Myers review, so I won’t spend any time on it here, other than to say how much I love the art on the front panel. That’s it… let’s just jump right into the figure.

Laurie comes sporting the latest offering from the Survival Chic catalog. I honestly couldn’t even remember much about what she wore in the film, but I’ll happily accept this as screen accurate because I know NECA does their homework and always has an eye for details. She’s got a pair of black trousers with stitch lines running down the sides, and partially tucked into her woodland boots. And I might add the sculpting on the laces and individually painted eyelets just shows you how much love NECA pours into these figures. Whenever I can admire details in an average, everyday costume like this, that’s how I know they are masters at their trade.

Working our way up, she’s got a thin brown belt with a knife sheath on her right hip, a dark blue t-shirt, and a jacket which makes use of the old trick of using sleeveless soft plastic and sculpting the sleeves onto the arms. Like the boots, the jacket sports all sorts of great details, from the sculpted pockets and wrinkles, to the stitch lines and carefully painted silver zipper tracks. She even has a tiny cross hanging from a chain around her neck, both of which are part of the body sculpt. The articulation here is basically the same as we saw with Myers, and yes that does include the double rotating hinges in the elbows. As some of you may know, Hasbro’s elbow articulation gender inequality in their Marvel Legends figures is a big sticking point for me, and it’s nice to see that Laurie here doesn’t take a hit just because she’s a woman.

But the gushing doesn’t stop there, because now we get to the portraits, and wow are these great. I think the likeness is instantly recognizable, although I will say I think it looks better from an angle than when viewed from dead on. If I were to nitpick, I might suggest that it could have used some more age lines, especially since these are very apparent in the art from the box. The film did not play down JLC’s age, and I really respected that about the film and the actress. But when the figure looks this good, why complain?

The secondary head looks more or less identical, with the one exception being the granny glasses. I’d argue that these are some of the best executed glasses I’ve seen in this scale. Now, did I really need a second head to display her with or without glasses? Nah, if the extra head weren’t in there, I wouldn’t have missed it. Did NECA throw it in anyway? You bet your ass they did! They cool like that. What other extras are in the box? Let’s have a look!

NECA bundled enough weapons in here to make their own Ultimate Sarah Connor jealous. She also comes with a right hand that is sculpted with a trigger finger to work with all the guns, and a left hand that is designed to cradle the long arms. The first of the guns is her Smith & Wesson Model 66. This is the one she was using for target practice in the yard. The sculpt is ridiculously well detailed for such a tiny weapon, and includes some really nice silver paint and brown paint on the grips.

Next up, we get one of my all-time favorite rifles, the Winchester Model 1873. This one really appeals to the Western lover in me, and it was great to see it make an appearance in the film and in this figure’s accessory list. Once again, you get some wonderful detail in the sculpt, and the paint includes an authentic finish to both the metal and the wood.

And finally, Laurie comes with her own boomstick, and another iconic beauty, the Mosberg 500 shotgun. This one is easily the simplest sculpt of the three firearms, but it’s still quite accurate and her left hand is sculpted to fit the pump action slider very well.

And just when you think we might be done, Laurie comes with one more weapon, and that’s this little survival knife. It fits into the sheath that hangs off the belt on her right hip and the sheath itself is a magnificent little piece of work. It features a retaining strap for the hilt, sculpted stitching, and teeny-tiny rivets, which are individually painted in silver. The kicker is that this entire thing is only visible if you peel back her jacket flap, which just goes to show you how much love NECA puts into these figures. The knife itself is very small, and Laurie comes with an extra right hand sculpted specifically to hold it with a tight grip. I dig the finish on the blade. It looks like it might be intended to be a Damascus blade.

What more can I say, other than, “HOLY HELL, WE GOT A LAURIE STRODE FIGURE!!!” What other company would take the risk of making a figure like this? I can’t think of many. And all I can say is I hope she sells well enough to justify it. NECA did a beautiful job with this one, and I consider an essential companion figure to the 2018 Michael Myers. What’s more, I’m so happy to see this license back in NECA’s hands and I’m eagerly looking forward to the classic Halloween II version of Myers that’s supposed to be shipping sometime this month. Keep them coming, NECA, and I promise to even buy versions of The Shape from the movies I hated.