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

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- G.I. Joe Classified: Snake Supreme Cobra Commander



It’s been a while since the unfounded “controversy” of the availability of a “hooded” Cobra Commander in the Classified line, but I thought I would share some thoughts about it. If you are not aware, there was a tweet or answer from one of the designers of the Super 7 Sunbow G.I. Joe series that said (and I am paraphrasing) the hooded version of Cobra Commander was not on the table as part of this release. No other detail was provided or follow up from Hasbro was given, but many people speculated this was to distance the characters from other racist images of hood wearing folks. Overall, I could not give a crap; I don’t care in the slightest. Hasbro owns G.I. Joe and can do whatever they please with their characters. It is up to me as a consumer if I wasn’t to support that decision, or not. That said, what bothers me the most is the rampant speculation that followed and led to the typical discourse and division that happens with this type of stuff. All of a sudden Hasbro was a woke company that would not be getting any money from the purists that grew up with Cobra Commander wearing a hood and would never recover from such a slight to their childhood. I mean sure, it is entirely possible that Hasbro didn’t want the Hood for social issues, but perhaps they just don’t like that particular version of him and want to move past it. Hell, I’m glad the helmet version won out; I hated the look of that hood.

Pros: Snake Supreme Cobra Commander is a nice upgrade from the original release, but I’m still on the fence as to whether it is worth the extra money. As far as I can tell, the mold is the same, but has a much better paint job. He has a different belt and a holster that can hold his classic looking sidearm and similar sword and also comes with 2 new items including a golden orb and cobra head sceptre. Lastly, the biggest upgrade is the addition of the cloth cape that looks pretty amazing.

Cons: Your mileage will vary on if it is worth the extra money, but If I’m being honest it kind of rocks: I have no issues.

[Robimus]

It looks great. Love the accessories.

I’m just more into the traditional blue.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Robimus

It looks great. Love the accessories.

I?m just more into the traditional blue.

Agreed! Would have been amazing if this was the general release, but with the blue uniform.

[Team Jetfire]

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DC Collectables- Batman- The Animated Series: Clayface




I know that Harley Quinn was made specifically for the Animated series, but I wonder if any other villains were, or rather specifically if Clayface was. I doubt it given how many villains Batman has had throughout the years, but I have to wonder as I don?t think I know of him prior to his memorable appearances in The Animated series. I suppose that is typical given how much of an impact The Animated series had on pop culture in general. Yes, most of the big players, like the Joker, Catwoman and The Penguin were featured in movies and the 1966 Adam West show, but the cartoon gave us so much more, especially us non-comic readers, of the lesser known villains like The Ventriloquist, Firefly and of course Clayface. One last thing I will mention is that I think DC is missing a massive opportunity to hit a large audience by not making the Timm-verse animated series easily available on demand. There are so many good episodes and stories out there that new DC fans could sink their teeth into, but for some reason DC is hell bent on Blu-ray sales and live action garbage.

Pros: There is no real other way to say this except that Clayface has a lot of mass; he?s a beefy figure! The sculpt is pretty amazing nda captures his animated likeness pretty well. Also kudos to DC Collectables for going that extra mile with releasing him as a deluxe figure to allow for various unique arms attachments and two different head sculpts.

Cons: It?s somewhat apt that the character is made out of clay given the figure is a bit of a brick. Yes there are joints below the waist, but they are all basically useless given how limited they actually are and how top heavy he is. The included stand is also particularly useless given that it will not fit around him.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Thor.



“He’s a friend from work!” A great line for sure and often attributed to a Make a Wish child that was visiting the set of Thor Ragnar?k, but I call bullshit. Don’t get me wrong, I love the line and think it is memorable, but I doubt that some kid would come up with that off the dome. I mean, the comedy in the line matches the rest of the movie and what kid would come out with the idea that the avengers “work” together. No, if I was to guess I would say that there were a few different options in the script and this was the line that the kid picked with a story that they came up with. I mean, It’s totally harmless and I’m fine with it as they get a little shout out and Marvel has a fun little story to go with it, but honestly I’m sick of hearing about it.

Pros: If I have one Thor in my collection it would be the classic looking one, but if I had 2, this would be my second one. I already have a version of the mold from the Valkyrie 2-pack and it has some nice sculpting and articulation, but this one has the super cool winged helmet and swords that Thor uses in the AMAZING Gladiator scene of Ragnar?k.

Cons: I hate that they destroyed Mjolnir in the first act of the movie and am salty that it was not included with this figure. I know it wouldn’t make sense, but it still irks me.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Transformers Generations- Fall of Cybertron: Ravage, Rumble, Ratbat and Frenzy






The Michael Bay movies tend to get a lot of flack and for good reason as they are kind of terrible; but a fun terrible (at least for me). That said, I think they (Micahel Bay and Hasbro) severely dropped the ball on how great Soundwave and his minions could have been. Sure, he was included in both the first and third movie and both Ravage and Lazerbeak made appearances, but it wasn’t in a master-minion way that made those specific characters so fun and unique. And while G1 had the perfect solution for these characters, it wouldn't have been difficult to come up with an updated, modern design from them all. How cool would it have been if it was Rumble chasing after Sam while he was at school instead of the “pretender” Alice that we got. I suppose it takes away all the wacky/sexy shenanigans that we got instead, but why would Michael Bay do anything that a G1 fan would like?

Pros: I love both the idea and the finished product of these guys and really get an updated G1 feel from them. Each has a unique spring loaded transformation (well, obviously not Frenzy and Rumble) which is extremely impressive considering that they all have the same rounded disk alt mode. I also appreciate the pink plastic storage cases.

Cons: Not sure what I want from a little figure like this, but they are all a bit basic. Also, my Ravage doens;t seem to want to stay together very well and I would have preferred a non spring loaded version.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

786-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black series: Han Solo



One of my favorite videos on youtube is the teaser trailer for Star Wars EP7- The Force Awakens, but maybe not the one that comes to mind for most folks. No, my favorite is the grainy, cellphone video that was taken at Star Wars Celebrations where they dropped the 2nd teaser in front of hundreds of Star Wars fans at Star Wars Celebrations. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. Something about the optimistic reaction that everyone in the room shared at the same time that can’t help but bring a smile to your face and many even a tear to your eye.

Here’s the clip:

Star Wars Celebration - The Force Awakens Teaser #2 Audience Reactions! - YouTube

Also has changed in the world and in the Star Wars universe since and not really for the better, but I digress; it was a moment to behold and I’m sure all those in folks who were there, live in person will never forget that feeling.

Pros: EP7 Han is a really nice figure. He has a decent likeness to Ford, great overall sculpt, a good amount of articulation and comes with his trademark blaster/holster combo.

Cons: Maybe I’m getting cheap (I really am) but $30 seems like a lot for what you get. I’m not sure what else one would add to the figure, but it just feels basic.

[Team Jetfire]

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The Loyal Subjects- BST AXN- The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf the Gray.



Well this is cool: new toys! Well, I guess more specifically a new-to-me manufacturer of action figures, but the fact still remains. And they came to play (pun intended) with some cool stuff. Lord of the Rings, Cartoon TMNT, Avatar, Gremlins and a decent run of rock stars including the entire KISS lineup. I myself am only really interested in LOTR and Avatar, but it’s a nice assortment of popular franchises that will certainly put these figures on the map for collectors and fans alike. Now I’ve only opened one of these figures so far and it is far from perfect, see below, but I really like the idea of these figures for the following reasons. 1. They are inexpensive compared to the current 6” lot of toys. I picked Gandalf up from my LCS for $20 and while it's smaller, it still feels like a good value. 2. The articulation is robust for the size class. 3. They do not skimp on accessories and 4. They have a good assortment of licenses. I’m not sure how long they will last, nor am I sure that a decent assortment of LOTR/Avatar figures will follow, but I am happy for the time being with what we got.

Pros: Overall I really like this new offering from The Loyal Subjects. The sculpting is nice for a smaller sized figure and I really appreciate that both his staff and sword/sheath were included as well as a few spare hands for good measure. Lastly, a big plus for the cost given that it was priced decently for today's standards.

Cons: As a Canadian, availability for these guys really sucks. I suppose patience is a virtue as they have eventually all shown up at my local comic shop, but it’s irritating when they are normally carried at Wal-Mart stateside. Also I really want to love everything about him, but he suffers from the same hard plastic skirt issues that many other Hasbro figures do, making most articulation below the waist useless.

[Team Jetfire]

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Mattel- Masters of the Universe Origins: Mer-Man



I never thought that Mer-Man was utilized very well in the original series. Granted, none of the henchmen were utilized all that well, but the fact remains that a water based villain that could control the seas would be a great asset against the Masters of the Universe. I mean, Eterna is a thriving kingdom that would no doubt need access to overseas trade right? What would they do if Mer-Man and his sea buddies stopped those shipments? And sure, He-Man could stop a few, but he cant be everywhere at once and there are literally 1000’s of creatures in the sea. The best answer would be to find another sea based Master of the Universe (his Aquaman to their Black Manta if you will), but as far as I know that never materialized in the series.

That said, this is supposing that Mer-Man was the leader of his fish people. Yes it has been established in the new Revelations series that he holds some power, but in the original series there is a good chance that he was a banished idiot who holds no power in the sea hence why he was forced to work for Skeletor. Kind of like a Jarjar Binks of the He-Man universe.

Pros: There isn’t too much delineation between these MOTU origins figures in as far as their pros and cons. The sculpts are similar but perfect for what they are, the articulation is awesome and checks all my boxes and I appreciate the character specific accessories. Couple those points with an attractive price point and you have a winner of a toy line.

Cons: My only issue is that Mer-Man was re-released with a different sculpt that was based on the original comic which I think I like better. I suppose I could get another, but I really don’t want another Mer-Man.