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

[Team Jetfire]

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McFarlane Toys- Fortnite: Vendetta



It?s amazing how a toy line, that basically has the same amount of parts and generally the same design, is so different then the last. Big kudos to McFarlane for keeping the line fresh given that a certain other toy manufacturer would be satisfied with one master mold and a slough of repaints to follow and for a higher price. I should not be too forgiving though; these figures aren?t perfect. That said, some VERY minor tweaks (not just limited to Fortnite figures) would make these almost perfect. 1. Size: The 7? size class that has been co-opted by McFarlane is great for detail, it?s not great for scalability with other lines. 2. Articulation: McFarlane adding articulation was a game changer, but I REALLY cannot stand the ankle ball joints and the limited thigh swivel. 3. And this is Fortnite specific, I hate the raised stands. They are not big enough to support a wider stance, but most figures need them to not fall over.

Pros: Fortnite has two types of designs that the characters fall into: Silly or cool and honestly it?s a toss up as to which one I like better. See Vendetta here is in the cool category and he is certainly that. A sleek, badass design with translucent blue energy effects all over, awesome accessories including a character specific pickaxe and rifle with scope.

Cons: I seem to recall another Fornite figure with a hood that could not effectively move it?s head. Form over function I know, but still a bummer when turning one's head is essential to aiming and shooting a gun.

[Team Jetfire]

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Toybiz- Lord of the Rings- The Two Towers: Ugluk



You may recall Ugluk here from one of the early scenes in the Two Towers as part of the Orc pack running with a captured Merry and Pippin to Isengard. Being the Uruk-hai Chief, he was tasked with ensuring ?strong morale? by ensuring that meat was ?back on the menu? once again for his boys. I think this is him anyways; the package isn?t exactly clear and lets be honest, a lot of the Orcs look the same. In the instance that this is in fact the speaker of the well known quote, I just want to heap some praise on some of the supporting actors that really made the Lord of the Rings movies so epic. Yes the main cast was fantastic, but they are only heroic because they have a worthy opposition. Also, kudos to Toybiz for going deep on each of these releases. I?m not kidding when I say that Ugluk has more detail and better paint than 95% of all Marvel Legends releases.

Pros: These old Toybiz figures continue to impress. Ugluk has an amazingly detailed sculpt that is completely unique, fantastic paint job with some washes to bring out the detail, 2 accessories including his whip and Orc sword and even a decent amount of articulation to allow for some fun poses. Considering this thing originally retailed for $10-$15 I?d say it is really impressive.

Cons: Understanding that full articulation is normalized at this point, it still feels that this guy is a bit lacking. I also realize that this is a toy, but the push tab in the back along with the subsequent whipping action is annoying.

[Robimus]

The LotR line was great.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Robimus

The LotR line was great.

I love it and have gone bananas buying the older figures up. Lots of ToyBiz LOTR coming down the pike.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Flame Trooper



Who doesn’t love a specialized Storm Trooper? Ever since Empire, Star Wars fans of all types have wanted more, and boy-o-boy did George, Disney and Hasbro continue to deliver. This particular variety comes very early on in The Force Awakens and all in all is quite brutal. Sure, for 6 movies we saw Storm/Clone Troopers of all kinds shoot lasers wildly, kill a few combatants and take aim at Cute Ewoks, but it was a rare sight to see the First Order Troopers straight up burn innocent people alive. Sure they never really showed it, but let's be honest; it was implied. Something to think about when dismissing these films as kids movies.

Pros: I love the stark white and black contrast that only a Storm Trooper can provide. Great overall sculpt with nice details from the movie design, a good amount of usable articulation that allows for a variety of poses and of course a nice flame thrower/backpack set up that reminded me of a few GI Joe figures that I used to have.

Cons: Would be nice to actually have some FLAMES for my FLAME Trooper.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Star Lord




Much like Chris Pratt himself, I seem to be dealing with a surplus of Star Lord. I mean, I like the character, but I JUST reviewed one and have another right in the chamber. And you know what the stupid thing is? I didn’t even need to get this one as its basically the same as the one included in the Ego 2 pack, WITHOUT his music player and didn’t have a BAF figure piece; good lord I’m an idiot. Maybe I’ll fashion a little red hate for this guy and pretend it’s Mario from the newly announced series.

Pros: I don’t know, what did I say before? Looks cool, has a great sculpt, nice articulation, 2 heads and his weapons.

Cons: It’s a basic re-paint that is somehow worse than the two pack version.

[Team Jetfire]

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NECA- King Kong.




So here is a fun thing about me: I like the King Kong movie and no, it?s not the one you think. I have a soft spot for the bloated, super long and kind of cheesy King Kong that Peter Jackson released in 2005. I know I?m not supposed to. I mean, I know that I?m supposed to like the older ones that this was re-making, but I just really enjoy Peter Jackson?s style of film making. Plus, I think it works really well as a true period piece film that current movies tend to have issues with. I should say that I also really enjoy the more recent Kong Skull Island, but have yet to watch Kong Vs Godzilla. I understand they are often mentioned in the same breath, but while I like King Kong, I?m not a fan of Godzilla or other Kaiju type films. Now I?m not sure where this particular fellow is modeled from, but looks pretty close to the Kong that I like. In any case, kudos to NECA for an amazing piece.

Pros: Toy of the year as far as I?m concerned. Yes NECA has some issues, but not with this figure. Unbelievable sculpt, two expressive head sculpts, a bunch of articulation that allows for a bunch of nice poses and some spare hands. Honestly all that is missing is a blonde bombshell for him to fall in love with.

Cons: No issues to speak of.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

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Diamond Collectables- Lord of the Rings: Gimli



So I’ve had a bit of a love hate relationship with Diamond Collectables. The few Marvel figures that I picked up were cool, but the Avatar: The Last Airbender figures were a bit of a disappointment and the Rocketeer figure provided a mix of emotions. As such, my expectations were appropriately in check when I picked these new LOTRs figures. From the onset it seems like I was already getting the old bait and switch from Diamond, what will be great looking figures, but missing key accessories in a play to save money. As an example, Legolas apparently has dagger holders, but no daggers? What in the world were they thinking? Thankfully though, they have said on their Instagram that the upcoming Gollum will come with a few extras, including daggers for Legolas. I’m not sure I fully support this type of release, given that a character should really come with everything up front, but it certainly makes me enjoy the line more.

Pros: Gimli is a figure of the year candidate, if I did such a thing, for me. I may have said that about King Kong too, but what can I say? I can’t help it if I accidentally opened two amazing figures back to back. The sculpt is fantastic and has some amazing detail throughout, the articulation is usable and allows for some great poses and the axes are perfect accessories. Really happily surprised with this figure.

Cons: While I believe that Gimli has all his typical accessories, I do not like Diamond’s practice of packing character specific accessories with other characters. Also, on Gimli specifically, he has these molded metal rings that should be used to store his weapons, but are molded to the body and are not functional.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends Riders: Cosmic Ghost Rider



There are three different reasons why I buy toys: 1. The character or piece of pop culture that it is based on interests me. 2. I need the figure to complete a build-a-figure 3. It?s a cool toy and I have to say: Cosmic Ghost Rider is a hella cool toy. Given that I have no attachment to the character I was set to skip him, but I?m so glad that I didn?t. Helped that he was majorly discounted to make it more than worthwhile, but even if I paid full price? Still worth it.

Pros: Firstly the space bike is really neat looking, has that front wheel ball thing (that took me longer than I?d like to admit to put together) and has a functional, ball point stand that allows for some nicespace poses. Secondly, the figure itself looks completely unique, has a really solid flaming head sculpt and a good amount of poseability. Thirdly, the accessories are amazing with two different guns, with unique flame effects that fit on the bike, and a trademark flaming chain.

Cons: I really have no complaints: If you can track one down and you are a fan of cool toys you should pick him up.