I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

482.1-2
Hasbro- The Black Series: Range Trooper




T’is the season for the 2nd Annual Holiday themed toy review and given that I managed to track down two of these Holiday Edition figures, I felt it was only fair that I reviewed both back to back starting today with The Range Trooper on Christmas Eve Day.

So I’ll just come out and say it, 2020 continues to suck and further affected is my family’s Christmas traditions. I will say that 2020 was not all bad, but I was looking forward to the typical family get together that we have enjoyed for the last few years. That said, I thought it would be fun to share some Christmas toy memories from Christmas’ past.

First that comes to mind is also partially the reason for my username. Way back during Christmas in the mid 80’s, when I was around 5, I accompanied my Dad to the local hardware store for him to pick up some Dad supplies and while he was checking out the newest power tool or whatever, I was drawn over to the carousel of bulk nails and screws. Now I can’t recall why, but I felt very inclined to pocket one VERY shiny gold screw no doubt thinking I just found a treasure of great value.

My Dad, none the wiser, collected me on his way out of the store and while walking back to the car I, not unlike the creature Golum from The Hobbit, was admiring my new shiny prize; my...precious. It didn’t take long for my Dad to notice what was going on and boy ‘o boy, was he pissed. Not pissed enough to make me go back to the store and return the screw, but pissed enough to lose his temper in the car on the way home and threaten something very upsetting for a kid at Christmas: I was not going to be allowed one present at Christmas time. I was DEVASTATED! What could be worse than missing out on a Christmas present as a kid, not to mention the whole Naughty or nice present giving system that Santa had set up! I was screwed! (Pun VERY much intended)

The days that followed were filled with a mixture of guilt and melancholy where I distinctly remember going through the 8 stages of grief. I was also so angry at the screw, which I still had, that I hid it in my closet, not unlike a cat covering up it’s poop, hoping to cover up my shame, but the damage had been done; not only was I going to miss out on one a present, there was a very good chance that Santa was not coming for me at all. I thought about asking my Brother if he would take pity on me and share some of his bounty, but I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t; What would Santa think if he found out that my brother was conspiring with me? No, this was seemingly my cross to bear.

Thankfully my anxiety was for nothing as when I awoke Christmas morning I was greeted with a rather nice looking Christmas haul. And as luck would have it, it became clear that my Dad had no intention of following through on the punishment. I even had to remind him when my present pile had dwindled to a few remaining “big” ones, but he brushed it off mentioning that Santa wouldn’t want me to miss out on my special gifts. One in particular made a big impression, and if you have not guessed by now, it was G1 Jetfire in all his glory, which by coincidence was also my very first Transformer and sparked a literal lifetime of love for Transformers, Action figures in general and petty theft of bulk items (kidding).

Pros: Funny enough, I have yet to open the original version of the figure so this mold is new to me and while I realize that the Solo movie was not well received I can’t help but love both this specific figure and the overall design of the Trooper. Lots of detail throughout the mold and body armour, decent articulation and as advertised, a holiday colour scheme that I adore given his homage to a certain Sleigh flying (THEY FLY NOW?!?) jolly man. I also want to comment on those extremely cool magnetic boots; such detail! So many moving parts! Lastly I have to commend the addition of the little D-O droid that was re-deco’d to look like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. So cute!

Cons: I probably sound like a broken record, but even with the cut out at the back, the plastic on the long jacket interferes with the overall ability to pose the figure. Also, I would have rather they included a typical imperial blaster rather than the odd melee weapon. Lastly, I kind of wish they kept the furry collar on the jacket that was on the first release. I’m sure it was a cost issue, but it’s just an overall better look.

[Team Jetfire]

482.2-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: SnowTrooper (Holiday Edition)




Well, Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you got all the new toys that you wanted. As noted yesterday I’ve decided to review both of the Holiday Edition Black Series figures that I was able to track down this year. I’m also feeling nostalgic and wanted to share some toy memories from Christmas past. If for whatever reason you missed yesterday’s review, check it out for what my brother calls “my super villain origin story”.

So we are going to jump forward a few years from yesterday’s memory for this story that took place in either 1989 or 1990. I was 10 or 11 and probably at the age where parents feel their kids are starting to be too old for toys. Unfortunately for my parents this was not the case as I remember hand writing a Christmas list FULL of potential GI Joe vehicles and Playsets that would make excellent presents from both my parents and extended family and this year I didn’t hold back; everything and anything listed in the Consumers Distributing and Sears wish book was up for grabs in my hopeful mind.

That year Christmas day was going to start at our home, but migrate over to my Grandparents house for Christmas dinner and more importantly in my little brain: additional PRESENT TIME! Now I don’t recall the morning Christmas spree, but I’m sure it was memorable in its own right. My parents were never huge fans of buying me toys, but they usually gave amazing gifts to both my brother and I. That said, I could always count on extended family for the “good stuff” that parents never bought into and to be honest, it started off really strong. My Grandparents came through quite literally BIG time with the amazing mobile rocket launcher the ROLLING THUNDER. I’m not even kidding when I say that this was incredible. Seriously, you yourself a favor and check out https://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/88/rollingthunder/ for details. I was quite literally in shock as I had never owned a Joe vehicle like this before, but unfortunately for me the euphoria did not last as the next present brought me crashing right down to earth.
The next gift that followed was from my Aunt. She loved me very much, but was a little out of the loop on the toy scene as her kids, my cousins, were older and likely didn’t care much for GI Joe. Holding the wrapped box, I was convinced that I would get another amazing Joe vehicle to go with my incredible new Rolling Thunder, or maybe even an enemy Cobra figure so I could create battles in the background while the adults got tipsy on wine and other libations throughout the night, but no. The anticipation was killing me, so I gave way to my excitement and started on the paper. I quickly noticed the bright colored, shiny cardboard box, but was perplexed as to who, or rather what was on the face of the package: T-H-U-N-D-E-R-C-A-T-S? Thundercats? Why was I getting a Thundercats toy? I never asked for a Thundercats toy. I don’t even have any Thundercats toys. Perhaps she just put the actual good toys in this box? Nope, it was a Thundercats “Thunder Wing” flying transport. My Aunt, who was seemingly quite pleased with herself must have noticed my confusion and asked if it was ok. Not ever wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I quickly lied and said it was great, but she persisted and point blanked said that Thundercats were on my list and she had to search high and low, too all the department stores, for ANYTHING from this toyline to give to me as a present. She even went as far to show me my own list to prove that I wanted a Thundercat toy and that is when it started to make sense. You see, as a young fellow (and still to this day), I had some legendarily poor handwriting and where my Aunt read THUNDERCATS I actually had written THUNDERCLAP. The issue was confused further when I didn’t specify the GI Joe Thunderclap in that particular line item, choosing rather to list all my desired toy lines under specific Toy brand headlines. The mystery was solved, but I still felt bad that my Aunt literally went to the ends of the earth (Wolco if I recall correctly) to find a toy that I desired, but also that my terrible handwriting got in the way of a toy that I would have actually wanted!
The epilogue to the story is that my Dad, as introduced in the previous story, told me to box up the toy (no accompanying figure either as it was sold separately) and we would figure something out. The holiday’s soon past and the box sat, tucked away in our kitchen cupboard until a faithful spring weekend that I was invited to a friend’s birthday party. You may have already connected the dots as to what happened next, but it’s how I first learned about the practice of re-gifting. Now to be clear, I was not onside with it. Not because I wanted to keep this toy, but because I didn’t want to gift it to my friend who A. was not into toys anymore and B. certainly not into Thundercats, but I had little other choice in the matter; If I wanted to go to the party, this was to be my offering. I don’t recall much about the party, but do remember the gift opening. My sugar fueled enjoyment of such frivolity quickly turned to embarrassment when my present was eventually selected and quickly opened. A familiar puzzled look washed across my (soon to be ex?) friends face as he surveyed his new gift. His gaze then worked across the group of boys, who were also puzzled as to who would bring such trash as trade for cake, hotdogs and games, when it eventually landed on me. Not having much to offer as reasoning, I quickly changed tactics to share in the group's confusion. I asked what it was and quickly explained that my Dad picked the present effectively blaming him for such a weak effort.
The epilogue to the epilogue of the story is that I later became pretty good friends with the birthday boy. As a matter of fact he was the only person to come to my birthday party that following summer and even got me the GI Joe Locust and Cobra Desert Scorpion as a gift. Unfortunately we grew apart over the next few years and if I’m being honest I’m not sure he stuck around though high school. I later found out through the grapevine (pre Facebook) that he died in an apartment fire caused by falling asleep with a lit cigarette, so there is that… Merry Christmas?
Pros: As with Range Trooper, I have not had a chance to open the original Snow Trooper released, so this is another first mold for me. I have loved the design of the Snow Trooper from the instant I first saw them featured on The Empire Strikes Back and have always wished they got more screen time. The toy itself has some good detail throughout, a good amount of articulation and features an extremely interesting paint job. Less on the nose then the Range Trooper, the Holiday design is working with a lot of interesting elements including solid green accented with both red and white checkers on the helmet and red and white stripes on the socks; a solid A for effort. As for holiday themed melee weapons, he comes with a holiday themed spear, which I like better than the blade that the Range Trooper came with. Lastly they included a little Porg wearing a cute holiday scarf that is very reminiscent to Pablo the Cold Blooded Penguin from the Disney cartoon short.
Cons: *SIGH* Now I said that I loved the design of this figure and one of the more unique aspects is the skirt. Unfortunately, once again, the hard plastic used for this skirt limits the articulation of the lower half causing all poses to be slightly bent forward. It’s such a bummer that they don’t use soft goods for stuff like this, but I’m sure it’s a cost issue.

[Team Jetfire]

483-2
McFarlane Toys- Fortnite: Black Knight.



I have to hand it to the Fortnite game designers for coming up with so many interesting skins that appeal to such a wide array of players. And while I really like the super silly options (like Peely the Banana) I also like the more serious ones and if I were a Fortnite player would possibly gravitate to something a bit more “cool” looking. I’m not sure if the Black Knight meets the definition of “cool” but I sure love this figure.

Pros: As much as I am enamored with the Fortnite world of pink teddy bear mascots, Werewolves and Bananas I still find a figure like the Black Knight very appealing. It’s a relatively simple design, but still looks really cool. The figures is nicely detailed with a great sculpt and nice paint, the helmet head sculpt looks super cool, the articulation works for some decent poses and is not hindered, and the accessories, including the rocket launcher and shield backpack are great. I also really love the pick-axe design and it is certainly up there as one of my favorites.

Cons: There seems to have been a lot of reuse of the molds for these early figures and while it is standard practice, not to mention game character accurate, it just feels like a bit of a cheat. I also wish the stand had a lower profile as it is not big enough to allow for a wide stance. This is an issue with all the McFarlane figures, but thought I would mention it nevertheless.

[Team Jetfire]

484-2
Disney Toybox- Disney Classics: Genie



I’m continuing my quest to watch and review the entire Disney Animation collection to date. See reviews 429-2, 434-2, 456-2 & 461-2 for previous entries.

Dumbo
Release Date: 1941

Dumbo is an interesting movie to say the least and while there is a lot to love about it, I’m not sure that it sits as one of my favorites. The story is pretty thin and with a runtime of just over 60 minutes the movie is more visuals than actual premise. Not that I’m complaining as the animation is a lot of fun, but I feel there could have been a bit more substance to the story. That said, two of my favorite scenes / musical numbers are not the more well-known ones. Sure when people think of Dumbo they may remember the drunken “Elephants on Parade” sequence, the somewhat problematic “When I see an Elephant Fly” or even the touching “Baby Mine, but I really like the “Song of the Roustabouts” scene when they are all working together to set up the Circus tent and the “Clown Song” where all the animals are on their best behavior during the parade through a somewhat familiar looking main street. Indecently one gag that made me laugh was when the gorilla shakes the bar off his cage and quickly puts it back into place embarrassingly. I was also somewhat impressed with the overall message that everyone has unique attributes that should be celebrated and even more impressed that they took some shots at the overall care of animals in captivity. Yes, this was made in the 40’s and animal cruelty never really subsided, but it was cool to see that not everything was on the level. Lastly the crow scene was kind of tough to watch in the current lens. I will say that while these characters were not shown in a particularly bad or negative light, the fact that their main character trait was that they were black in colour so they had to speak like a typical person of colour for that time is regrettable. Yes it was a different time and yes we need to learn from it, but it is a blemish never-the-less.

Pros: One of my favorite Disney Characters from one of my favorite Disney movies Genie looks as though he jumped right off my computer screen and onto my toy shelf; ok not really, but he looks pretty good in the Toybox/Infinity aesthetic. Articulation wise he is more or less on par with the other larger Toy Box figures and even includes his little, not so ordinary, lamp.

Cons: So I’m a bit of a greedy guy and would have loved more articulation on his knees and tilts on his ankles. It also bugs me that he is unable to properly hold his own lamp.

[Team Jetfire]

485-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Bossk



Look, I’m a big fan of all the Star Wars movies including the originals, prequels, sequels and offshoots, but it does not take a genius to understand why people love the originals so much. Not only were they amazing, but they were the only thing we had for almost 20 years. I mean, it was such a limited amount of Star Wars so we picked it all a part, studied it all and literally made something out of nothing. Take a character like Bossk. Sure he is an interesting looking creature, but he has all of 5 seconds of screen time and a more developed back story than Finn, a main character of 3 entire films. Now this is neither due to the amazing character development from Lucas or the fault of Disney, but more so the ability of the fandom to fill in the gaps when needed. Unfortunately Disney has learned that a bit of Star Wars can go a long way and has pulled back on the constant barrage to let it breathe some. Not that I want it to, as I love it all, but would like the general popularity to remain over time and do not want to wait another 20 years before we see something new.

Pros: Bossk is the reason why I love the Star Wars Black Series figures, despite the constant price increases. I mean, just look at this beauty. Nice head sculpt, detailed flight suit with straps and tubes and a movable mouth in addition to a good amount of articulation and his rifle. This is not only a fantastic figure for any Bossk fan, but also every Star Wars fan.

Cons: Despite the decent amount of articulation, there are still some gaps that could have improved with something and simple as a double joint on the elbow; something that Hasbro already does on both Marvel Legends, GI Joe and even Overwatch. As such, it’s odd that they still chose not to do this with the Black Series figures.

[Team Jetfire]

Happy New Year everyone! As it is typical to do, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all the figures that I reviewed in the past year and talk about a few highlights as well as a few lowlights and discuss some things that I’m looking forward to in 2021. I should mention that these are not my favorite toys of 2020 given that most of these figures were released years ago and I have also opened a bunch more for upcoming banked reviews, but simply toys that I posted in the year 2020.





So here it is, Class picture of 2020 with all headshots taken. A lot of really cool figures in this group, as well as a few disappointments. I was happy to clear out a massive Transformers backlog that I had amassed due to not opening figures for 6 years before my toy room was built, but would offer one piece of advice. If you are a collector that opens their toys, do not wait for 6 years to do it, especially for transformers. Why? Well Hasbro has decided to continually release updated and sometimes upgraded versions of all the ‘classic” figures that we have come to know and love. So that amazing Classic StarScream that was released as part of the Generations line line looks a little less appealing as compared to the much superior Rise of Cybertron mould. It's clear that in many Hasbro lines, there will always be a new version of the figure that may be an improvement.

Sharp eyed, long time readers will also spot some Retro reviewed figures throughout. The retro reviews didn’t last as long as I’d hoped for. Turns out just keeping up with the new figure reviews is a lot of work and I just didn’t have time for it. Perhaps in the future I’ll be able to get at it as there are a ton of amazing figures from the 90s and 2000’s that I’d like to revisit.

A closer look at the top left section:




Ok 2020 Highlights:

I never thought that I would be saying this, but 2020 belonged to McFarlane. Not only did their short lived Star Trek, Harry Potter and Fornite lines impress the hell out of me, they also dropped a ton of really great DC figures that put the previous licence holder DC, to shame. I still have a lot to open, but with their consistent approach to these figures, i’m certain that I will continue to be impressed.

Another highlight of 2020 was Jazwares and their Fortnite Legendary line of figures. Over the past few years, collecting had felt a bit routine, but Jazwares quite literally got me excited about toys again and regardless if you are a fan of the Fortnite, I really recommend that you pick a fun character up to see what I’m talking about.

Last highlight would be a shout out to the big H itself and their long overdue decision to produce a 6” GI Joe line. As a LIFELONG lover of Gi Joe and a super fan of the 8” Sigma Six line this a dream come true. Now technically I’ve only reviewed 1 figure to date, but have opened a few and all have been contenders for favorite toy of the year. Really excited as to the potential for this line.

Closer look of the top right section:




I suppose you can’t have the good without the bad so here are some of my lowlights for 2020

Firstly, and while this if likely due to the time it takes for me to open some figures that were released years ago, some toy companies, **cough, cough* hasbro **cough, cough** needs to include some “value adds” in order to justify re-paints or slight re-tools of Marvel Legends figures that are included in build-a-figure lines. For example if I need to drop $30 on a Giant Man figure to complete my Ultron, then you got to give me something better than a new head sculpt on a standard re-painted mould. I think they are getting better with the current releases, but some of those earlier lines were pretty rough.

Secondly I would like to propose the immediate death to all store exclusive figures. For the most part I was able to track down each of my desired figures, but only due to luck. The GI Joe Cobra Island figures are a great example of how terrible these really are, but the issue is consistent across all Hasbro lines and really makes me want to get out of collecting. That said, one shining light through these exclusives is EB Games as their decision to cater to collectors with pre-orderes etc has been great and I think as a community we should try and support them as much as we can.

Lastly and while I didn’t want to use this time to crap on specific lines, I was REALLY disappointed in the Diamond Select Avatar line. I was really hopeful that it was going to be an amazing line with a deep roster of characters, but was not meant to be. You can read my reviews for my complaints, as I don’t want to get into, but let's just say I’m glad that McFarlane got the licence going forward.

Closer look at the bottom left corner:




New years celebrations are often a time to look back at the past year, but also time to look forward to the things that are in store for us in the coming year. For me, I’m excited to see what MacFarlane has in the hopper for the DC line and the aforementioned Avatar line. I’m thinking it's time to slow down on the Marvel Legends line (starting with the new Eternals movie line) and focus on the Gi Joe classified line, which will surely be a bitch to find and of course work on meeting my goal of releasing a review daily.

Closer look at the Bottom right corner.



Well that is a wrap on 2020. Just want to say a quick thanks to the admin and MODs of actionfigurenews and anyone who reads and enjoys these reviews I do. Happy New Year and here is to a happy healthy 2021.

[ghostlurk29]

Not a fan of the Fortnite game, but I also share the same sentiment with regards to the figures from Mcfarlane and Jazwares. They add a lot of unique silhouettes to the collection.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by ghostlurk29

Not a fan of the Fortnite game, but I also share the same sentiment with regards to the figures from Mcfarlane and Jazwares. They add a lot of unique silhouettes to the collection.

100% They are just fun, interesting figures to have on the shelf and a complete shock considering how I’m not into Fortnite at all.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Black Panther




It’s only been about 4 months since Chadwick Boseman passed away, but honestly feels like much longer. Like most, I was only familiar with Boseman through his portrayal of T’Challa / The Black Panther in the MCU movies, but by all accounts was an accomplished actor in his other movies, of which I need to make an effort to check out. If you have read some of my past ramblings, you might recall my somewhat dismissive feelings toward the pre-MCU versions of the Black Panther character because the character was presented as a bit of an unlikable dick. So when I found out that the Black Panther was going to be featured in the MCU I had some trepidation, but was quickly proven wrong after seeing his first appearance in Captain America Civil War. Sure, his appearance was somewhat dwarfed given the last minute addition of Spider-Man, who I love regardless, but really was pleasantly surprised with Boseman as T’Challa. This delight was carried through to the stand alone Black Panther solo movie that remains as one of my favorite MCU films to date and of course the epic two part Avengers Infinity and Endgame. It seems silly to be sad when an actor who we do not know in real life passes away and certainly feels selfish to see their passing as a hit to the pop culture that we have come to love, but in the end, this is how we connected with them. Recently Star Wars fans felt this loss when the great Carrie Fisher suddenly passed and Boseman’s death feels much the same to me. I’m not sure what is next for the character and while I understand that people are asking not to recast, I really feel that Boseman would want someone to take over his role. No, it will not be the same, but I feel that the character of the Black Panther is bigger than the actor and by cutting him out prematurely would do a disservice to all the young fans of the character.

Pros: It’s crazy to me that I have not yet opened a Black Panther figure yet, but believe me, the dam has been busted and there are a lot on the horizon. Overall I have loved the MCU design of the character and feel the detailed sculpt has captured it really well. He has a good amount of articulation for some decent poses and an extra unmasked head sculpt with a somewhat generic sculpt.

Cons: The Black Panther doesn’t lend itself to many accessories so the package feels a bit light. Also while the extra head sculpt is a nice touch, the likeness is non-existent. Hopefully they get better over time.