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

[Team Jetfire]

806-2
McFarlane Toys- Fortnite: A.I.M.



These McFarlane Toys Fortnite figures continue to impress and while the line is basically dead, I have to give credit where credit is due: a lot of care and effort were given to this line that has something that the current DC Multiverse line, his current priority, doesn’t have: 1. A wide range of unique characters that doesn’t revolve around Batman and 2. Gun accessories. And while I know that the “no guns” thing isn’t their policy, it has a massive impact on a collector line of figures that are meant for an older audience. In fact, it has irked me so much that I’ve basically stopped buying the DC figures, or at least the ones that are supposed to come with guns. I’m sorry, but I just can’t behind a Peace Maker with only a sword, a Joker with only an axe, or perhaps most egregious: a Red Hood with finger guns; goddamn finger guns. Anyways, for those Multiverse collectors that still want their figures to have guns consider picking up these Fortnite figures as they come with a fantastic arsenal and you may actually get why I love these figures in the process.

Pros: A.I.M. (not sure what it stands for) has an excellent sculpt with some really fantastic sculpted robotic details throughout. Articulation is McFarlane standard that allows for a number of cool poses and I really appreciate the inclusion of 2 pistols which I think looks kind of cool. I also want to give a shout out for the pick-axe accessory. It’s not my favorite design, but kudos to them for making them all unique to the character.

Con: I have some slight issues with McFarlane’s ankle articulation on this guy and makes me wish that he would ditch the ball joint pivot on that area.

[Team Jetfire]

807-2
Toybiz- The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings: Sam and Frodo w/Canoe.




The late 90?s and 2000?s was an amazing generation for toys and I don?t think I appreciated it as much as I should have at the time. That said, I?m glad I can rekindle that love through these older LOTR figures, but it really makes me nostalgic for a time when toys could both be fun, detailed and not cost a fortune. And while I understand inflation is a thing, I just can?t help but feel that we are collectively getting less bang for our buck and this 2-pack is a perfect example. 2 figures with solid articulation and swords/sheaths of their own, a boat with ores and a little stand molded to look like water. All cool things, but made even cooler by the fact that they can be posed in the boat and look great while displayed on a shelf. And maybe the best part? This likely retailed for $25 bucks at the time. Currently it would be $60+ and not include the swords. Now I?m not saying it wouldn?t be worth the $60, but it's way more enjoyable when you aren?t paying a week's worth of gas for it.

Pros: I?m very impressed with this set that is probably 20 years old at this point. Both Frodo and Sam are well sculpted, have a decent amount of articulation to both fit in the boat and pose outside and both come with swords and sheaths. The boat itself has a really nice design that matches the elf aesthetic and comes with the special paddles as seen in the film. I think my favorite part is how well the 2 can be posed in the boat for display.

Cons: In a perfect world there would be a bit more articulation, mostly in the feet, but for when this was made and what the cost was, I can?t complain too much. Overall, super happy to have this in my collection.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

808-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Ahsoka Tano



Well, someone has really become a massive part in the Star Wars franchise in a relatively short period of time. And while her start was a bit rocky (that first Clone Wars Movie was rough) she has become fairly universally liked by most of the fandom which isn’t an easy task these days. I think a lot of it could be due to the hours of characterization that she received through the cartoons, but I think she was and continues to be a very interesting character that resonates with many fans. Also the fact that she was able to make the jump to live action, brought to life by the wonderfully talented Rosario Dawson, really provides the character with a lot more legs in the series and who knows where that might lead in the future. I for one really enjoyed her parts in both Mando and Boba Fett and look forward to her own solo series.

Pros: Based on the original Clone Wars series, but made to look less animated, Ahsoka Tano is everything I like in a Black Series figure: Well detailed with a good amount of useable articulation, nice character specific accessories and the combination of soft goods with plastic to allow for a full range of movement without hindrance. Love it!

Cons: It’s crazy to me that in this day and age that Hasbro has not figured out double jointed elbows on their female figures. Granted, the male Black Series figures don’t have them either, but a Jedi, regardless of gender, should have a full range of motion.

[Team Jetfire]

809-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Black Panther





I feel like I?ve been opening a lot of Black Panther figures lately and while they are basically all the same, it is building up to something else which I am much more excited for: other characters from the Black Panther movie. Unfortunately this wave is a bit weak, but I?m on the cusp of some really cool stuff and if it takes another Black Panther to get to them I am down.

Pros: Yet another Black Panther to add to my collection and I?m not clear on the differences between this one and previous ones, but I?m not sure I care given how cool they all are. He has a great detailed sculpt, nice claw/fist hands and an unmasked head that has a somewhat passable likeness to the late Chadwick Boseman.

Cons: Much like the other greats, Black Panther is getting to be a bit overdone as a figure as of late and while it is important that all these heroes have new action figures, it would be nice if Hasbro tried a bit harder to give collectors something different instead of just repacking the same thing over and over.

[Team Jetfire]

810-2
Diamond Select- Pirates of the Caribbean: Captain Jack Sparrow.



Well I?d have to address this eventually I guess and what better time than for a review figure based on the character that he is perhaps most well known for originating. As of this writing, the current defamation trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is currently underway and it is receiving a ton of coverage through all media sites. I assume that by the time this review is posted it will be long over, so sorry for bringing up something that was thankfully long over, but it is certainly a current topic of interest and on my mind. I?m not going to get too much into it, nor am I going to rail against one party as there are enough other places on the internet taking care of that, but I will say that it?s disappointing for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I hate that this is a case that the general population is so enthralled in. Yes they are celebrities and we all like a peek into their lives, but I can?t help feeling like it is just a distraction from the more important issues in the world. I?m also not sure why there is such fierce defense on either side given that these celebrities are not our friends and the decision has very little bearing on our lives.

Secondly, this was clearly an abusive relationship, but I don?t feel that it was one sided as both seemed to be horrible throughout the relationship.

Thirdly, it?s unfortunate that one party was immediately called a brave survivor and the other vilified as an abuser. I think it is important to believe women, but I also think it is important to verify claims as it has become clear that some claims are miss-represented or complete bogus. Now again as mentioned above, I believe both were horrendous through the relationship, but why was Depp fired from both Wizarding World and potentially Pirates while Heard was kept on for Aquaman 2?

Lastly, and this is where my own personal bias comes into play given that I actually like Depp as an actor. Jack Sparrow is one of my favorite characters so the decision to move forward with out the star of the franchise is a bit of a bummer. I couldn't care less about Aquaman, nor Heard, so while I?m not sure Depp will be a bankable product anytime soon, I hope that he eventually can put this behind him and move on.

Pros: I love the Pirates movies and was very surprised to see Diamond release a Jack Sparrow figure seemingly out the blue. I mean, given his current issue, I doubt we will see another anytime soon, but that is a different story. In any case, I really love this figure. Diamond provided a great sculpt with some nice detail throughout, a good amount of usable articulation, and sword and a boat deck set piece that can only be described as rather large for the one figure.

Cons: I believe that this figure was based on the most recent movie and likely could have included a few more accessories suited to the character. A bottle of Rum and a musket would be my hope, but alas we got a huge plastic boat deck instead. I have to wonder if there were plans for more characters to fit on the deck, but as far as I know this is a one and done release for Diamond.

[Team Jetfire]

811-2
Hasbro- Transformers Prime First Edition: Bulkhead.



It’s not too often that this happens to me, but I can recall the day that I bought this Bulkhead. The year is a bit hazy but given that it’s First Edition Prime I’m going to go with 2010. The reason why I recall the day is because it was December 26 and the day after Christmas. I recall taking my kids to Toys R Us to spend their Christmas money and here I saw these 2 Voyager (Bulkhead and Optimus Prime) sized gems for the first and only time at retail, just sitting on the toy shelf like a goddamn Christmas miracle. I was actually really shocked given that there had been really nothing too exciting released for a bit and I was already set for the post Christmas wasteland that plagues toy isles until March. Sadly I eventually sold Optimus given that I didn’t end up loving the series, but I knew that I had to keep Bulkhead despite him going for a huge amount of money online; he was my favorite character from the amazing animated cartoon series and even though I didn’t take to Prime the same way, I knew I had to show the character some love.

Pros: I still find it interesting how different the first edition Prime figures are from the regular releases that were released fairly soon after. It’s been a while since I reviewed that Bulkhead, but included a picture for comparison. Overall I prefer the First Edition one given that there is less emphasis on gimmicks and feels more like a “collector” type figure. Both modes are really nice and suit the character well. The articulation is decent for a figure this size and was able to get him in a number of nice poses and he comes complete with his big wrecking ball that can fit on the end of his arm.

Cons: My only issue is that in robot mode, the wheels on his back stick out far too much and make a top heavy figure even more difficult to pose.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

812-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Hydra Enforcer & Hydra Soldier








Kudos to Hasbro for producing such a clever two pack using all existing parts while not seeming like it?s yet another cheap repaint. I mean, sure it?s not hard to see where most of these parts came from, but that doesn?t make this set less desirable for collectors or rather the ever important Army Builders segment of the toy world. I myself was file with just one set, but given all the different heads and weapons, there could be a lot of different options for those who want their own garrison. It?s too bad though that this was an exclusive though and if I remember correctly it was exclusive to Toys R Us during the time that it was about to go belly up in the states making it even more difficult to track down. Lucky for me, and Canadian?s in general, TRU is still very much alive and I think is where I picked this set up. I guess with that I will once again share my plea with any toy company that is listening: can we please do away with exclusives? Ever since the early days of the dreaded KB toys Star Wars exclusive, I?ve had a HATE-HATE relationship with the practice and yet it continues to bring me collecting anxiety. I mean, if you want to make an already released figure a different color or give it a new weapon then fine, go nuts. But to make it a brand new figure of a previously unreleased character (like we see in GI Joe Classified) is just a slap in the face to all collectors. Not everyone has a Target in their backyard, not everyone can spend hours online waiting for the pre-order to drop and not every country gets access to these exclusives. It?s killing the collecting game and I wish they would just stop.

Pros: Well, basically everything about this set is awesome. Two great figures, lots of accessories and head sculpts and a ton of overall value in this 2-pack

Cons: Aside from being a stupid exclusive, I have two nitpicky beefs with this set. 1. I really hate the oddly shaped/designed space gun that was previously released with Nuke and I find it odd that they just included a Taskmaster head with the Soldier. These are supposed to be army builders; were there no other heads you could include?

[Team Jetfire]