Dec 3 2016

Sword Art Online II: Lisbeth by SEGA

I wanted to start busting into my Kantai Collection Figmas for this weekend’s Anime Saturday, but work and holiday madness just didn’t allow it. As a result, I’m going to dig into my pile of Sword Art Online Prize Figures from SEGA and why not start with a character that doesn’t get a lot of merchandise? How about adorable blacksmith extraordinaire, Lisbeth!

I’ve looked at some of SEGA’s Super Premium KanColle figures, but this is my first foray into their SAO line. While many of their KanColle pieces are actually fully scaled figures, these fall more into the 6 to 6 1/2-inch scale, which is not too shabby and fits in perfectly with Taito’s SAO offerings. The figure comes in a colorful, fully enclosed box with lots of pictures of what you’re getting. Inside, Lisbeth comes suspended in a plastic bubble and all you have to do is plug her into the base and she’s all ready for display.

And hot damn, doesn’t she look great? There’s so many things I love about this figure, I’m not sure where to begin. This is, of course, Lisbeth’s ALO Avatar. I certainly wouldn’t have minded a figure of her in her SAO blacksmithing dress, but I’ll happily take her in her ALfheim adventuring gear, particularly since I love the ladies’ costume designs so much. The pose here is cute and she’s obviously mugging for the camera. She’s bent slightly over with one hand on her hip and the other up in the air, almost like she’s flexing.

The actual armor plates are confined to a chest piece, hip plates, a left shoulder, and grieves. Under that can be seen a slightly poufy blouse, a sort of sideways sash, which just hangs down on the sides and leaves the front and back of her legs open, white ragged cut leggings, and boots. While the details on some of these prize figures can run soft, what’s here the sculpt is sharp and very well developed.

Still, I think it’s the coloring on this figure that really sells it. The silver edging on the white armor looks fantastic and the red garment with yellow piping makes the whole thing pop beautifully. What’s more, the quality of the paint application is impressive for a figure in this price range. The lines are pretty sharp and the whites are bright. There’s virtually no slop or bleeding to speak of.

The portrait is just perfect. Lisbeth offers a shy smile. Her gorgeous eyes are perfectly printed and she’s got a hint of freckles. Her short pink hair is kept in place with a little sculpted hairclip. The plastic used for the flesh tone is also quite good and not too waxy. And just check out the paint on her collar ribbon. It’s immaculate!

The base is a simple white hexagon with Sword Art Online printed on it in both English and Japanese. My only complaint here is the orientation of the statue on the base in relation to the position of the lettering. To display it on my shelf from the ankle I like, I have to have the lettering skewed to one side. It’s probably not a big deal to most, but it aggravates my OCD.

And, I couldn’t call it a day without an obligatory tushie shot.

I was originally sticking with Taito for my SAO figures, but I had to go to SEGA to get Lisbeth on my shelf and after experiencing the quality of this piece, I quickly picked up some more. I’d say the quality on this one is on par with Taito’s Aincard Fencer Asuna, but quite a bit better than their ALfheim version of Sinon. Lisbeth set me back about $25, which is more than I’m used to paying for these figures, but I feel it’s still a good value for what you’re getting.

Dec 2 2016

Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Mera by DC Collectibles

I’m just about done going back and picking up all the older Cover Girls that I needed to fill out my collection. In fact, Mera here was one of the last. There are a couple recent releases I still need to grab, Raven and Power Girl, but what the future holds for this line is still uncertain. The only Cover Girls solicit I’ve seen for 2017 so far is Hawkgirl, so it could be that DCC is wrapping this one up. And that would make sense, what with the shakeup from New 52 to ReBirth this year. But I’d best not get ahead of myself, let’s live in the moment and have a look at the lovely Mera!

After looking at over a dozen of these ladies, there isn’t much new to report about the packaging. Mera comes in a fully enclosed box with some pictures of the statue on the front and side panels. The back panel advertises the Katana statue that I’ve already looked at here, and Starfire, which I’ll be getting around to eventually. As usual, the statue comes wrapped in plastic and encased in a styrofoam brick. The base comes separate from the figure, so you need to do some assembly that is minor, but no less harrowing. I’ll come back to that when I talk about the base.

Once set up, Mera makes for both a majestic and gorgeous display piece. All of these statues are executed in roughly a 9-inch scale, but Mera’s a bit bigger since she’s elevated. She rises from the waves with her back arched and her right arm reaching out to the unseen object that has captured her gaze. For a line that has gotten by with mostly static and almost museum-style poses, Mera here really breaks tradition with a composition full of grace and energy. Just the engineering of the balance here is impressive as she appears to defy gravity.

Mera is clad in her fish-scaled green bodysuit that covers from the tips of her toes all the way up to her shoulders, allowing for a deep and revealing plunging chest cut-out and ending with long sleeves. Apart from the individually sculpted scales, the only other detail and paint variation on the bodysuit itself comes from the gold shell patterns on the cuffs of her sleeves. The green paint used for the suit features an appropriate sheen and the flesh tone used for her hands and exposed neck and cleavage is soft, warm and evenly applied. The paint and quality of application here is some of the best I’ve seen in this line.

Mera’s portrait also ranks up pretty high on my list. Previously, my favorite was the other green costumed redhead, Poison Ivy, but I think Mera is giving her a run for her money. The sculpt is beautiful and the paint applications, from her lips to her eyes, are neat and precise. The subtle green eye shadow is a nice touch as are the gold hoop earrings. She has a gold tiara and her red hair spills out the back, with some stray strands snaking around her neck. Oh yeah… and bewbs! Mera is not too modest to show off her goodies.

As a rule, I don’t have a lot to say about the bases on these statues, but Mera’s is an exception. She manages to retain the familiar and uniform oval style with her emblem positioned at the four cardinal points. However, this time instead of a mere painted platform, we get a sculpted transparent blue wave of water that cradles her feet and ankles. It’s a similar flourish that we saw with Bleez’s firery base and it looks just as magnificent here.
What’s also magnificent, and a little scary, is the fact that Mera does not have any actual pegs or posts to support her connection to the base. Instead, the waves are sculpted so that they grab her ankles and provide a slot for her right toes. There are no instructions, and it took me a while to get the figure positioned correctly in the base. And all the while, I was worrying about scratching her paint. Fortunately, the plastic waves are soft, and when you do make the connection, it’s secure enough that you can pick her up from the figure and that base isn’t going anywhere. That having been said, if I ever need to re-box this lady, I’m not looking forward to trying to get the two apart again.

As always, the bottom of the base is hand numbered. Mine is 2,561 of 5,200.

In a line that seldom disappoints me, Mera shines all the more brighter. One of the things that has impressed me the most about the Cover Girls line is the work that DCC puts into some of the backbench characters. Statues like Mera, Katana, Bleez, and Vixen have all turned out fantastic and certainly rival some of the A-listers in terms of overall sculpt and composition. And maybe I just have a thing for busty red heads in tight green costumes, but Mera and Poison Ivy are among my favorites in this collection. As always, these statues carry an MSRP of about $100, but are easy to find a lot less. Indeed, Mera is currently being clearanced out at a number of online retailers and I was able to pick her up for the sweet price of $65.

Dec 1 2016

Transformers Titans Return: Wheelie by Hasbro

I cheated y’all out of last week’s Transformers Thursday because of holiday madness, so let’s bring it back home this week with a new Titans Return figure. This time I’m going back to the Legends Class to look at a certain Autobot that fans either love to hate, or hate to love… I can’t remember which.

So, what do you say? Let’s look at Wheelie today!

Of course, Legends is the smallest of the classes, unless you count the tiny Titan Masters and their little vehicles. The package is the same format that we last saw with Rewind, and I like the character art here even if it misleadingly suggests that there might be a slingshot in here somewhere. If you want that, you’ll have to rob it from the last release of Wheelie, a figure that I never bothered to pick up. And I’m glad I didn’t, because that one was a remolded Deluxe and I think this brand new Legends Class suits him better. Let’s bust him out and have a look at his alt mode first!

Wheelie’s vehicle mode is a little futuristic car, which certainly works for me! At least in theory. In practice, I could not get all the panels to lock together the way they should. The tabs are all there, it’s easy to see what’s supposed to be happening, but the tabs that are supposed to connect the arms to the hips kept popping out. I went in there with a razor and did a little shaving and he’ll hold together pretty well now, but I still get some gaps in those seams.

Looking past that issue, everything else is great here. The orange and yellow plastic is bright and snappy and it really suits the character. Toss in some of that lovely silver that Hasbro’s been using lately and this vehicle mode pops beautifully. There’s not a ton of sculpted detail here, but that fits because he’s supposed to look smooth and sleek. You do, however, get a few sculpted panel lines and some grills on the front and sides.

The canopy and the back each hinge upward and open to reveal a compartment for the driver. Wheelie’s head is not a Titan Master, but you can still take one from another figure and put him inside just like the Deluxe Class figures and that impresses the hell out of me. I grabbed Hyperfire here to demonstrate. I believe the Takara version will be coming with a Titan Master, just not one that can function as Wheelie’s head.

Wheelie has a couple of ports on his sides, but he doesn’t come with any weapons, so you’ll have to borrow that too if you want to weaponize his vehicle mode. Once again, I made use of Blurr to give him a side gun. I like the way Blurr’s rifle matches the silver accents on the car.

Give Wheelie a gun, because killing is fun!

Wheelie’s transformation is pretty cool, especially the way the driver compartment shrinks down and folds up into the chest. While I had some nits to pick with the vehicle mode and its troublesome gaps, I’ve got nothing but love for this little bot mode. He’s nicely proportioned and just looks fantastic. There’s some wonderful little touches on him too like the sculpted springs inside his hollow thighs. If only the budget had allowed Hasbro to paint those silver to make them stand out more. I may have to take a Gundam marker to them.

From the back, he looks a tad unfinished, but not bad at all. His arm kibble is a little more apparent here and it can get in the way sometimes, but it’s nothing that really bothers me. I really dig the way the quarter panels and wheels of the car fold in to fill out his lower legs.

Titans Return has given us some great head sculpts and Wheelie here is no exception. The bucket-style “helmet” is a good match for the characters G1 animated counterpart and the silver paint on the face and blue in the eyes looks great. The strategically placed Autobot emblem on the chest is also appreciated.

As is often the case with these Legends Class figures, you get a lot of ball joints for articulation. Shoulders, elbows, hips, knees are all ball jointed and the head can rotate. Wheelie is undoubtedly a fun little figure to play with and pretty well balanced too!

I sure as hell wasn’t screaming for a new Wheelie figure, but now that I have this little fellow in hand, I’m mighty glad Hasbro made him. Despite being the smaller class, he scales perfectly with the Generations and Titans Return Deluxes and he brings me another step closer to filling out my Sunbow Season 3 Autobots. I’d argue that this is one of the best Legends Class figures we’ve had in a while, and that’s saying something, because most of them have been damn good. Now, if only I could find that Legends Kickback for a decent price and complete my Insecticons, I’ll be a happy camper.

Nov 30 2016

Star Wars Hot Wheels: TIE Fighter and Imperial Shuttle by Mattel

Yup! More Star Wars! While it’s true I have a ton of Star Wars stuff I want to get caught up on before Rogue One hits in a few weeks (A FEW WEEKS!!!), the truth is I also needed something quick and easy to look at today because I’m insanely busy with work and probably will be for the rest of the year. I’m trying as hard as I can to not have to reduce the number of Features each week, but realistically, I may be cutting back to three updates a week in the near future. We’ll see. In the meantime, let’s check out a couple more Hot Wheels Starships from Star Wars!

This pair are new enough to feature the updated figure stands, but not the Rogue One branding, although they are re-issues and do feature shots of some of the Rogue One ships on the back of the cards. These packages are very attractive, show off the ships beautifully, and I’m still impressed that Mattel does individual card art for each ship. Honestly, it’s really tempting to just collect doubles of these, keep them mint on card, and hang them on my wall. Let’s look at the TIE Fighter first…

There aren’t many surprises here, but this is a beautiful little rendition of the iconic Imperial fighter. It’s also a completely new sculpt from the First Order TIE that I own. The body is die-cast and the panels are plastic, and the quality of sculpt and detail is just all around fantastic.

They also did a fabulous job painting the cockpit windows and framework, the black striping on the top, and the tiny red dots on the laser cannon. The rest of the coloring consists of the blue-gray hull and the black panels on the “wings.” My only question is, does anyone know if Mattel issued a white version, because I’d love to pick up one of those too.

Next up is the Imperial Shuttle, one of my favorite ship designs from The Original Trilogy. One of these days I need to get around to reviewing Hasbro’s re-issue of the Kenner 3 3/4-inch version of this ship! This one may be tiny, but it captures the look of the design perfectly in this scale. The body and central fin are all die-cast, with only the wings being plastic, and yes, the wings are articulated so you can display the ship landing or in flight.

The shuttle does not sport much in the way of paint. Mattel went for a very clean and new look here. You do get some gray panels on the wings and fin, blue paint on the rear thrusters, and black paint on the cockpit screen. There are also plenty of great little details and panel lines sculpted into the hull. I would have liked a bit of gray paint on the wing guns, but it’s still a nice looking ship.

If you’ve been collecting this line from the beginning, you’ll note the change in stand designs. Gone are the ones designed to go on your finger and in their place are these clear discs with the Imperial insignia sculpted in. I liked the old style well enough. They were fun and innovative, but I think these just look better. Unfortunately, the fact that the stands don’t match on all my little ships is making my OCD flare up.

While my attention to this line has been spotty at best here on FFZ, I continue to enjoy collecting these a lot. I picked up this pair for under five bucks a pop and I still think these are some of the best values in the toy aisles today. They’re fun, they look great, and I can amass a whole fleet of them without breaking the bank. I kind of think of these as the modern equivalent of those cheap rack toys I used to buy with my allowance at the corner drug store when I was a kid. The only difference being that these are a whole lot better quality.

Nov 29 2016

Star Wars Black (Rogue One): Imperial Hovertank Pilot by Hasbro

I feel sorry for Christmas this year, because it’s competing with Rogue One and I know which I’m looking forward to more than the other! In fact, going to see that will be the only thing that gets me anywhere near a shopping mall this December. While Hasbro hasn’t exactly flooded the shelves with new merchandise, we have had a couple of 3 3/4-inch and 6-inch waves of figures. One of the more sought after figures in the 6-inch Black Series so far has been this Toys R Us Exclusive Imperial Hovercraft Pilot. It was in short supply on Force Friday, but now it seems to be hitting with a lot more regularity. Hey, if I can get a TRU Exclusive, you know it ain’t that hard to get!

The figure comes in the typical Black Series window box with no specific branding to the Rogue One film. There’s only a couple things worth pointing out on the package. One is the TRU Exclusive sticker on the lower part of the window. The other is the fact that the figure isn’t numbered on the side panel. So far, Hasbro has been skipping the exclusives when it comes to the numbered series. I really enjoy the way this packaging has evolved with the snappy red background and the larger piece of character art. I don’t generally tend to keep my Black Series packaging, but I will probably make an exception here, just because he’s an exclusive.

Out of the package, this is one damn cool looking figure. The blurb on the box points out that he has lighter armor than your average Stormtrooper because he drives an armored Repulsor Tank. While technically his armor is lighter, what’s really only missing is the area from his knees to his waist. Maybe that makes it more comfortable for him to sit. I can understand the armor on his top half, if he spends time popping out of the hatch, and I suppose the lower leg armor is akin to just fortified boots. Still, if I’m going into battle, I’d rather my crotch not be the only thing that’s not armored. It’s probably best not to over think these things. Especially with this guy, because I really love this design.

The armor on his arms, mid-section, and belt are very evocative of your more traditional Imperial troop armor. The chest and back plates are different, with a more deliberate look to the sculpt on the front and a vented integral backpack on the back. I like the sculpted straps that connect his chest piece and back plate. All of the armor plates on this guy are colored off-white with an effective paint wash that makes him look nice and grungy. The exposed under garment between the armor is pretty typical of regular Stomtroopers, but his exposed trousers are brown. He retains that familiar “bed-roll” tube on the back of his belt.

I really dig the helmet design on this guy. While the Death Trooper helmet looks a little kit-bashy to me, this one stands out as pretty unique and distinctive. The only thing I really find familiar is the slit visor, which reminds me a little bit of the First Order Snowtroopers and Flametroopers. The pronounced plate above his visor looks like it might be designed to articulate downward and shield his face on the costume, but it is sculpted in place on this figure.

The points of articulation here are very similar to what we got with most of the 6-inch Black Series troopers, although with a little less armor, some of those points feel like they have a greater range of motion. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, with swivels in the thighs and double hinges in the knees. The ankles are hinged and have lateral rockers. There’s a swivel in the waist and a ball joint just under the chest. His neck has both a ball joint and a hinge. The joints on this guy feel great and he’s a lot of fun to play around with.

The Hovertank driver comes with a pretty typical E-11 Blaster. It’s a little soft, but still a nice sculpt. He doesn’t have a holster or clip for it, but I guess he probably just stows it in the driver’s compartment of the vehicle when he’s not using it to shoot rebel scum.

While I was able to get this guy at regular retail price, I have to say that I would have been perfectly fine with having to pay more if I had to. He really is that good. In fact, If there’s any downside to this figure for me, it’s that he’s a driver for a vehicle we will most certainly never get. He’s such a cool design and so wonderfully executed, I’d love to have him as some kind of specialist infantry so he can hang out with the rest of my Imperial troops and see more action on foot. With that having been said, this figure represents one of my favorite new Imperial designs to come out of Rogue One so far, and likewise, he’s definitely my favorite Rogue One figure in the 6-inch Black Series.

Nov 28 2016

Marvel Legends (Rhino Wave): Misty Knight by Hasbro

I’m back from my little post-Thanksgiving hiatus. The turkey has been gobbled and I’ve worked a lot of hours, but it’s time to get back in the saddle again on this wonderful Marvel Monday. I’m coming into the final stretch with my unfashionably late look at the Marvel Legends Rhino Wave, so let’s jump right in and have a look at Misty Knight!

You get the same old packaging and Misty shares the “Heroes For Hire” slot with Ghost Rider, who I looked at a few weeks back. Misty was a peg warmer around these parts, which is ironic because she was one of my most anticipated figures in this wave. Not only has a version of the character gotten a lot of screen time in Netflix’s Luke Cage series. But more importantly, she was prominently featured in alongside Valkyrie in The Fearless Defenders, a comic run that I enjoyed quite a bit. And it’s pretty cool that Hasbro has hit a lot of the gals in that lineup with Marvel Legends lately.

And isn’t she lovely! Misty’s buck features a mostly featureless body suit, showing off some sculpted muscle definition in her abs, a plunging neckline with gold piping, and a high collar. She also has a sculpted shoulder rig with armpit pouches… ARMPIT POUCHES!!! Even Deadpool, Lord of the Pouch, never thought to wear armpit pouches! She also has a belt that rests on her right hip and plunges down to a low slung holster on her left hip, complete with thigh strap.

And like a lot of the Legends ladies, she’s got a fine caboose! In terms of sculpt, this design strikes a really nice balance between plain buck, new sculpting, and some added bits. The red plastic used for the body suit has a nice, subtle metallic sheen, the straps and belts are all brown, and the gold paint is applied very neatly even on the tiny buckles.

The sculpt on the portrait here is fantastic, even if the paint has a few flubs. The eyes on my figure are a bit askew, and there’s a chip on the paint on the back of her head. It’s nothing I can’t fix with a little Sharpie action, but I shouldn’t have to. Either way, she’s got a beautiful face and the epic 70’s style afro that spills out behind the red headband is superb. The gold painted hoop earrings are a nice touch too! And speaking of gold, Misty is sporting her cybernetic arm from Stark Industries. Only the hand is exposed, but it’s a cool little sculpt and has some more of that nice gold paint.

The articulation here is in line with most of the modern females we’ve been getting. Sadly, that means the arms lack bicep swivels. They do, however, have rotating hinges in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, with swivels in the thighs and double hinges in the knees. The holster strap does restrict the left thigh swivel a bit. The ankles are hinged and have lateral rockers. There is no waist swivel, but she does have a ball joint just under her chest and both a ball joint and hinge in the neck. Misty can be a little daunting to keep standing up, which makes me doubly thankful they didn’t give her heels.

Misty comes with one accessory and that’s her gold revolver. I’m not a big fan of this piece. The sculpt isn’t very detailed, the barrel tends to warp, and the matte gold plastic used for most of it just doesn’t look that good. It does, however, fit nicely in her hip holster and she can hold it in her left hand.

Despite a few hiccups on paint and a crappy gun, I’m very happy to have this lady in my collection. In fact just seeing an action figure like Misty, oozing that 70’s funk and swinging on the pegs in the toy aisle makes me happy. I just wish there weren’t so many Mistys swinging on those pegs, because that suggests she didn’t sell well. And that makes me sad.

Nov 24 2016

Happy Thanksgiving…

…I’m taking the rest of the week off!

Last year, I was able to muddle through this week with content as usual, but I decided that in the interest of my sanity, I wasn’t going to attempt it this year. For the next couple of days I’ll be crazy busy with work and travel obligations, and hopefully get to do some festive eating. Nonetheless, I just wanted to pop in today to say how thankful I am for everyone who continues to read my silly little toy blog. I’m thankful for all the cool people I meet doing this and new friends I’ve made, especially on Twitter. And I’m also thankful that I’m blessed enough to live a lifestyle that allows me to pursue a hobby as frivolous as collecting and writing about toys.

That’s all I’ve got for today. I wish you all a Happy Holiday, and I hope to see you back here in a few days for Marvel Monday!

Nov 23 2016

Star Wars Rogue One (Wave 1) Stormtrooper and Imperial Ground Crew by Hasbro

As promised, I’m back today with a look at some more of Hasbro’s 3 3/4-inch Rogue One figures. Yesterday, I tackled the first half of the initial wave with Jyn Erso and K-2SO, and today I’m having a look at the Imperial Stormtrooper and the Imperial Ground Crew.

And look! This time I didn’t forget to take a packaged shot before ripping them open! Once again we get some lovely character art beside the bubbles and the Rogue One Death Trooper branding on the top, right corners of the cards. He is clearly pleased that I have added two new Imperials to my collection. The backs of these cards feature short blurbs about the characters and a multi-lingual soup of text. The annoying mission themed categories of The Force Awakens line are gone as are the Build-A-Weapon parts. Let’s start with the Stormtrooper!

What can I possibly have to say about yet another 3 3/4-inch Stormtrooper? Well, mainly that this is a fantastic little figure. The sculpt is sharp, the paint is clean, the plastic is nice and glossy, and he just looks amazing. And given that he’s just five points of articulation, he can stand with total stability and ram-rod straight, making him perfect for those huge Imperial processions we all fantasize about displaying. I could easily see setting up a display by lining up dozens of these figures and peppering in some of the super-articulated modern Stormies for a little variety. In short, I adore this figure. And I will definitely be on the hunt for some more.

Naturally, the Stormtrooper comes with a standard E-11 blaster, which he can hold in either hand. The only knock I can come up with against this guy is that I wish he had a holster for it like some of the super-articulated 3 3/4-inch Stormies of the past. He also comes with a pretty clever combination of chest pieces to add a little play value.

By popping on this chest piece, you can make him into an officer. Yeah, it makes him a lot bulkier and it doesn’t look all that great, but the addition of pouches to the sculpt helps hide it a little bit. Now, if you press in on the bottom of the plate…

It pops the top of the chest piece off as if he’s been hit. Honestly, I’m never going to display this figure with these parts. They’ll likely never find their way out of the dreaded Tote of Forgotten Accessories, but I still think it’s a clever gimmick and I have a feeling the kids will get some fun out of it. Best of all, it doesn’t detract from the figure. If you don’t like it, you can just cast it aside. Moving on to the Imperial Ground Crew…

The back of the card describes these guys as the people who keep the spaceports and Imperial facilities running. I’m always up for expanding my Imperial forces and I love the idea of getting background support characters like these to fill out hangers or other displays. He has a very classic Imperial look to his outfit, what with the cheery dark charcoal gray on black deco and I can certainly see a couple of these guys strolling through the background on one of the Death Star scenes in A New Hope. Indeed, the helmet is very reminiscent of the Death Star Gunner. This guy features some very sharp paint detail.

The Ground Crewman has a backpack that stores his batons, although they have a habit of falling out.

Speaking of the batons, the character art on the card has him wielding these like weapons, but I’m pretty sure they’re intended to be the directional batons that ground crewman use to direct aircraft. At least that’s the function for them that I’m going to go with in my head, because I think he looks really good waving in Tie Fighters. Some kind of sidearm would have been nice, but instead Hasbro invested a whole lot of plastic into this backpack…

What the hell? I’m totally torn on this thing. On the one hand, for a made-up toy gimmick accessory it looks really cool, even if it isn’t something I’d expect to see in a Star Wars film. The sculpt is beautifully detailed and there’s some excellent paint work. On the other hand, why would these guys have something like this? Oh, wait… it gets better!

Obviously, it’s supposed to be some kind of attack jetpack. The guns and wings are articulated and while it doesn’t reach the Power of the Force 2 levels of absurdity (Seriously, go back and look at Han Solo’s POTF2 Smuggler’s Pack), it just seems really odd to give it to a bunch of ground crew who probably spend their days directing landing craft, stacking cargo containers, and eating space donuts. That having been said…

It does make a pretty nifty drone. I could see certain Imperial Troops carrying these on their backs and deploying them on the battlefield. And maybe in my own private head canon, these Ground Crew could also serve as Drone Troopers who maintain and operate these things as support craft. Yeah, I spend way too much time thinking about this stuff!

Before wrapping up, there are a couple of other things worth mentioning about the Ground Crewman. First off, he’s very short. He’s about half a head shorter than the Stormtrooper. We’ve already seen Jyn wearing a uniform similar if not identical to this one, so it seems like she’s going to bonk one of these guys on the head and steal their clothes. That would explain not only why the figure is so short, but why we’re getting one in the first wave. I seem to recall seeing pictures of a disguised Jyn figure and it was just a head swap. I’m not recounting anything original or groundbreaking here, but I just thought it worth mentioning.

While I thought yesterday’s pair of figures was OK, I definitely like this pair a lot more. That should be pretty evident, since I already have two of the Ground Crew and I’m actively hunting more Stormtroopers. Granted, I’m generally biased toward Imperial figures and it looks like Rogue One will be rich with new Imperial designs for Hasbro to explore through their toys. The diversity of character selection here has already been a lot better than what we got for The Force Awakens, as far as I’m concerned and while the 6-inch Black Series has been solid, I find I’m still addicted to these little 3 3/4-inch guys.

Nov 22 2016

Star Wars Rogue One (Wave 1) Jyn Erso and K-2S0 by Hasbro

The second wave of 3 3/4-inch Rogue One figures are starting to trickle onto the pegs in these parts, so I thought it long past time that I take a look at the first wave. In fact, I’ll be looking at a lot of Star Wars figures over the next few weeks, so I can get caught up before the movie hits. Also, this week is going to be crazy busy for me, so rather than look at all four figures today, I’m going to tackle two today and two tomorrow. Yes, keep in mind that I’m only looking at the Rogue One figures in this wave. I passed on the Kylo Ren and I’ll check out the two Rebels figures later on down the road. So, let’s get this rebellion going with Jyn Erso and K-2S0!

OH, BUGGER! I was sure I had a shot of the packages before I opened them, but nope. So, here’s the best I could do. It’s a shame, because this is my first time showcasing the single carded Rogue One packaging. Anyway, you get the idea. It’s very similar in structure to The Force Awakens packages, but it’s now branded for Rogue One with the image of the Death Trooper in the upper right hand corner. Like the TFA cards, there’s some amazing character art on these packages, making me a little sad to be tearing them open. Also worth noting, the Build-A-Weapon gimmick has been replaced with individual weapons and gear for the figures.

First up, we have Jyn Erso. The 6-inch Black Series figure I looked at was based on her appearance on the planet, Jedha. Here she’s bundled up for Eadu, which seems to be a snow planet. This certainly isn’t the flashiest figure, but there’s some cool stuff going on here. She’s wearing a drab poncho with a sculpted hood down the back and some little bits of equipment sculpted across her chest and on her left hip. Her pants have some sculpted rumples and she has a pair of brown boots. I dig the little torn hole in the back of it, that’s a nice touch. I want to say that I get a little Princess Leia in Endor poncho vibe off of this figure, but then I don’t want to be one of those people for whom everything new in Star Wars has to be a call back to the original films. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn’t.

Articulation is the standard 5-points, although the neck is ball jointed, rather than a simple swivel. Her feet seem to be slightly pre-posed so one is supposed to be a little in front of the other, but even taking that into account, I find it really difficult to get her to stay upright without a figure stand. Also, since her poncho extends past her hips, it gets in the way if you put her in a sitting position. I don’t have any Rogue One vehicles, but my guess is she’ll be difficult to seat into a vehicle because of this.

The head features a sculpted helmet with goggles. The sculpt is very, veeeery soft and I’d be hesitant to even refer to it as a likeness to the actress. We’re in very vintage territory here, even down to the way the eyes are painted. In short, the portrait here is nothing special, but I suppose it’s passable enough for this scale. On the other hand, this close up does showcase some of the nice silver paintwork on her sculpted gear.

Jyn features a sculpted holster to hold her little pistol and she can wield the pistol in either hand.

She also has a gas mask that comes on the figure, but is obviously removable. The tank tabs in near her left hip and the you can pop off her head to get the mask on and off the neck. I found it a little tricky to get it onto her face, but once there it looks pretty good. It’s a cool accessory and it reminds me a bit of the breathers in the mail away accessory pack Kenner had back in the day for The Empire Strikes Back.

Jyn’s giant gimmick accessory is a huge missile launcher. As ridiculously big as it is, I kind of dig that it has an eye piece that is positioned in front of her face when she is holding it. Of course, since the poor girl can barely stand up on her own, putting this in her hand doesn’t help. If she actually fired it, I could imagine the kickback throwing her back several feet into a wall. Moving on to K-2S0…

I had a few pre-conceptions about how this figure would turn out and all of them were bad. Most of all, I expected flimsy, warped, gummy limbs and I’m pleased to say that isn’t the case at all. His spindly arms and legs are actually straight and fairly strong, and he actually stands better than Jyn does. And speaking of standing, K-2SO is a damn big figure for this scale, appropriately towering over Jyn. The articulation is a little bit different than the standard 5POA. The shoulders still rotate, but the hips are ball jointed and the head is positioned on two ball joints.

The sculpt here is excellent. Hasbro managed to pack all sorts of details, particularly in the mid section of the droid. I also like how they left the knee and elbow joints empty slots. The paint is passable. The Imperial emblems on the shoulders look good and there’s some nice silver dry brushing. The orange around the arm sockets, however looks pretty rough.

K-2S0’s only accessory is his gimmick piece and that’s a zipline with a claw on the end. Much to my surprise, I actually don’t hate this thing, although I think it would have worked better as a backpack. I may try giving it to one of my 6-inch Black Series figures. It may scale better with them.

All in all, this is a decent pair of figures. There’s nothing terribly exciting here for me, but I like them well enough. I know, that’s not a resounding endorsement, but I tend to have more fun just playing around with these then I do shooting them for reviews. While I know the 5-POA business is still rubbing a lot of collectors the wrong way, I can honestly say, it’s grown on me and I get a little jolt of nostalgia whenever I open a new one, even if that sentiment isn’t always reflected here. I think this is a big reason why, if you’re going to go back to vintage articulation, you really need those vehicles to help enhance the figures. But maybe that’s just me.

Tomorrow, I’ll be back to look at the second half of this wave: The Stormtrooper and the Imperial Ground Crew.

Nov 21 2016

Marvel Legends (Rhino Wave): Chameleon by Hasbro

I’m continuing my slog through the now ridiculously outdated Rhino Wave of Marvel Legends, and today lands me on the second half of the “Savage Force” slot with Chameleon. This is a figure that was not only an easy release for Hasbro, but also one that brings us all the way back to the earliest days of Amazing Spider-Man.

The figure comes in the typical Legends window box, this time branded for Spider-Man. Because he shares a slot with Kraven, his name only appears on the back of the package. There’s quite a bit of goodies on this tray, including two spare heads and three weapons, not to mention that giant Rhino arm, so let’s just jump right in and get started…

The most obvious thing about this figure is that from the neck down he’s just a repaint of the Legends Phil Coulson figure from that Agents of SHIELD 3-pack. That means, you’re getting a guy in a business suit. The slacks and jacket have been recast in blue plastic. The shirt is matte black and the shoes and tie are gloss black. You also get some nice sharp silver paint on the belt buckle and I absolutely love the sculpted row of buttons on the bottom of each sleeve. That’s just a lovely little touch. This is a great looking buck and apart from using a remold of it for Bruce Banner, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of it. Personally, I would have loved to see Chameleon in the more classic smoking jacket, but I can understand Hasbro wanting to re-purpose this body and to be fair, it works quite well.

The Chameleon head is pretty cool. He’s wearing his creepy and almost featureless white mask with a seam running down the center. There’s some nice blue shading in the center and you can see his gritting yellow teeth through the mouth hole.

The articulation here is quite solid. You The arms feature 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, have double hinges in the knees, and swivels in the thighs. The ankles have hinges and lateral rockers, but I can get hardly any movement out of those joints on my figure. The torso feature a swivel in the waist and an ab crunch in the chest. Finally, you get both a hinge and a ball joint in the neck. While Chameleon can be a fun figure to pose, the lack of mobility in my figure’s ankles make him a chore to keep from falling over.

Chameleon comes with two extra heads to show off his ability to assume the appearance of other people. Of course, you can also just use these heads to make that character. It’s all up to your imagination and personal preferences. First off, we have Hammerhead. I absolutely love this head sculpt. It’s a wonderful sculpt and would be very distinctive even if it weren’t for the flat top head. Granted, he really should have a vintage gangster-style suit, but it still works OK with the body here.

And you also get the coveted, hypertensive noggin of J. Jonah Jameson, which is quite frankly the biggest appeal of this set for me. This is another fantastic sculpt. It’s very expressive and I’d have absolutely no doubt in my mind who it is, even if I was just going by the head. The suited body works a little better for Jameson than it does for Hammerhead, even though it’s still not Jameson’s familiar attire. Now that I’ve covered the heads, let’s look at the weapons…

For starters, you get this little futuristic pistol, which kind of reminds me of Cobra Commander’s vintage sidearm. It sort of has that blow-dryer look to me. But, that may be me just mis-remembering what that old gun actually looks like. Either way, this is a really cool sculpt and I think it suits Chameleon quite well.

Next up is this behemoth! I have no idea what it is, but I love it. Despite it’s futuristic design, it has a pretty standard detachable drum magazine with bullets coming out of the top that peg into the slot under the rifle. You get a nice textured grip under the barrel and some red paint apps on the sides of the barrel. This thing may be too damn cool to let Chameleon keep it, but I haven’t decided who to give it to yet. It may wind up going to The Red Skull.

Next up is the Tommy Gun and since it’s commonly associated with gangsters of the 20’s and 30’s, this one really suits Hammerhead. While not quite as impressive as the amazing Thompson that DC Collectibles gave us with their Icons Joker, this is still an excellent weapon for this scale. The sculpt is spot on and you get brown paint apps on the wood fixtures on the stock, pistol grip, and the grip under the barrel. The black finish looks great too!

There’s really nothing in the way of accessories to give to Jonah. It would have been cool if they threw in a rolled up copy of The Daily Bugle. That’s OK, though. If I display this body with Jonah’s head, he’s always going to be waving his hands over his head in rage. It fits the shouting head sculpt so well.

I’ll confess, knowing he was largely just a repaint of Agent Coulson, I wasn’t all that excited about getting Chameleon at first. But in hand, this figure is a lot of fun. Not only do the extra heads make it like three figures in one, but the weapons Hasbro packed in with this guy are all excellent. Not to mention there’s so much classic Spidey goodness bundled into this box that it’s hard not to love it. Interestingly enough, Chameleon was the hardest figure in this wave to track down. Amazon has been a good source of Legends for me in the past, but Chameleon has been languishing there in the $30 range for a while. I ultimately turned to Hasbro Toy Shop where I was able to get him at regular retail with free shipping.

“So what do they call you? White Mask?”

FigureFan Zero

Action Figure Reviews, Toys & Collectibles…

Sword Art Online II: Lisbeth by SEGA

Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Mera by DC Collectibles

Transformers Titans Return: Wheelie by Hasbro

Star Wars Hot Wheels: TIE Fighter and Imperial Shuttle by Mattel

Star Wars Black (Rogue One): Imperial Hovertank Pilot by Hasbro

Marvel Legends (Rhino Wave): Misty Knight by Hasbro

Happy Thanksgiving…

Star Wars Rogue One (Wave 1) Stormtrooper and Imperial Ground Crew by Hasbro

Star Wars Rogue One (Wave 1) Jyn Erso and K-2S0 by Hasbro

Marvel Legends (Rhino Wave): Chameleon by Hasbro

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