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

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Eko123

On a related note, back in 2022 NECA released 4 unproduced figures from the LJN line as San Diego Comic Con exclusives.

Those are amazing.

[Team Jetfire]

994-2
Mattel- Masters of the Universe- Revelations- Battle Cat.





Goodness gracious: why did I buy this monstrosity? I mean don?t get me wrong, Battle Cat is a VERY impressive figure, but he?s just so?big. Like there is a reason why I have stayed away from 6? scaled vehicles and it?s not because they aren?t cool, but just take up SOOOO much space in a collection that is already extremely full, but sometimes you just need to have a gigantic hunk of plastic to take up some space right?

Pros: I?m actually really impressed with Battle Cat and think Mattel did a really solid job with a great sculpt, a decent amount of articulation, including ball-type joints on the hips and shoulders and I love how the armor is incorporated. It is also impressive given that I think the cost was relatively low as compared to a figure of similar size from other companies.

Cons: There is one BIG issue and it?s unfortunately a bit of a doozy. And while this could be blamed on the specific He-Man figure it still stands to reason that if you are going to make a figure with a saddle, you better make darn sure that the figure that is SUPPOSE to ride it can properly sit in said saddle. Because of his fur shorts, He-Man is unable to sit properly in the saddle; how silly is that? Did the designers not work together on this? It would be like making a Cobra Hiss, but make it impossible for the driver to sit down in the cockpit.

[Team Jetfire]

995-2
Toybiz- Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King: Crossbow Uruk-Hai




Much like the orcs who “run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them” we are just moving along with these old TOYBIZ releases and honestly, while I am glad that I went back to pick up these figures, they are a bit of a mixed bag. Now it is certainly not fair to compare these 20 year old figures to the current lot that I am now used to, but I would truly have the same issues with them then as I do now. Like who do I have to thank for the wholesale removal of the dreaded “action feature” that plagues these otherwise amazing figures? Why were toy companies so IN love with spring action and who thought it was a better option than having the ability to achieve a few different decent poses, or heaven forbid, stand up straight without a massive plastic button protruding out of a character's back? Insanity. That said, I have such a fondness for the overall designs and sculpts, not to mention the movies that they are base on that this is merely a slight irritation as I love them all regardless.

Pros: Great sculpt, really nice paint job and cool accessories including the titular crossbow, a bunch of arrows in a quiver and a removable helmet.

Cons: Some posing limitations due to the dreaded “gimmick” but it’s really not a massive issue for me.

[Team Jetfire]

996-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Spider-Woman




It’s crazy to me how long ago Spider-Women debuted in the pages of Marvel Comics. According to Google she first appeared in 1977 and from what I can tell, next to Batgirl, is the earliest “girl version of a boy character” to be popularized in comics and to her credit, she was much more than just a gender swapped character having a completely different power and skill set than Peter Parker. That said, growing up in the 80s and collecting in the 90’s, I had zero affinity for her and only saw her as a secondary character that was often over sexualized on comic covers with one in particular being very infamous, even by the over-sexed standards of the decade. However, once the Marvel started playing in the “Spider-Verse” I feel that Spider-Woman started finding her place in the Marvel-verse that eventually lead to fairly large roll in the newest Spider-Verse movie and despite being re-imaged as a POC, I do give the production company credit for carrying over a very interesting story line from the comic when Spider-Woman was pregnant and still focused on fighting crime. Granted it had very little to do with the overall storyline, but was a ballsy move and even more considering they also released an action figure of her. (Hasbro may have released a preggo Padme as part of the EP3 toy line, but if not, this would certainly be a first). And while I’m sure some people wouldn’t support it, I have nothing but love for it given that it is literally part of life. Women get pregnant and have kids all the time, why not show how a super powered woman deals with it? Hell, my only issue with it is that Hasbro did not have the guts to release this version as the “expecting” Spider-Woman given that she was technically the first one in the comics to fight crime while with child. At the very least it would have made this release far more interesting given that it’s just a super basic figure.

Pros: I was drawn to this figure given her new look, but really wanted one that was based on the comic story run that featured her as a pregnant hero still fighting crime. On the whole, the figure looks fine with a nice sculpt based on her new look and I always appreciate when a toy company can make a set of sun glasses work.

Cons: Honestly outside of her removable glasses and the required BAF piece there is NOTHING special about this figure which is a huge bummer for any fans of Spider-Woman. These are the figures that make me happy that I stopped collecting the line.

[Team Jetfire]

39-R
Hasbro- Star Wars Collector Series: Lando Calrissian.



Ok, quick story on this one: Way back in the late 90?s I was a budding high school toy collector and was held back by two major factors: 1. Money and 2. Geological constraints. 1. Is a fairly common story given that most kids in High School don?t have the disposable income to support a collecting habit hobby what with full time school, after school sports and only a few hours at a part time job, but I certainly tried. 2. It was a bit of a cross to bear when living in Canada back then. Yes we had toys, many toys, but given the odd distribution channels it was rare for some figures to make their way up to our stores. This included a good chunk of the 12? Star Wars Collector Series and I was not in the position to shell out the money needed from comic stores. It was for that reason that when my parents took a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona I BEGGED (literally begged because my parents hardly supported my collection thinking it was both a waste of money and childish) for them to look for these 12? figures that I had seen in Toy Mags, but NEVER saw in store and bring one home for me. And while it seems odd, I REALLY wanted Lando as he is one of my favorite characters for the OG trilogy and to my delight and surprise, my parents were able to find one for me which I proudly displayed on my very thin, but growing toy shelf.

Pros: Lando was a figure that I got very early on in my collection, is one of my favorite characters and was a gift from my parents so regardless of its faults, he is still a great release in my eyes. Also, I do have to commend Hasbro for making what can only be called: a VERY COOL looking doll. The head sculpt is perfect, the cloth outfit matches the costume from the movie and I even like the rebel issued blaster.

Cons: Lando is basically a (very handsome) Ken doll so he (and the other 12? figures) are very difficult to pose with out assistance.

[Team Jetfire]

89-S
Bandai- Gundam Infinity Series: Gundam Exia



Time to continue my look at any media where specific Gundam Figures are emulated from and according to the package Exia is from GundamBreaker Battlelodge which I have no clue about.

***To the GOOGLES!***

Ok, well turns out that I was wrong and this figure is actually from the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 series from 2006, which I clearly had no idea about.

https://youtu.be/Ddzy_otb6bY?si=o993L2_a-lcoyI4v

I will say that the opening sequence is pretty amazing and has a lot of that Gundam type animation that I gravitate to. At this point I'm not sure if there has been any English dub on wide release so it is difficult to say what is going on, but if I can judge from the images, its similar story to Gundam Wing having a group of teens tasked with piloting various themed Gundams that are fighting an oppressive force. I'm not sure I've seen any of the other Gundam Mechs IRL, but in the opening they look really cool. Soundtrack wise, it's a typically cool anime opening, but with almost a rock ballad melody, which feels a bit out of place with all the destructive imagery, but seems to work nevertheless.

Pros: Y'all are going to see a lot of these given the entire series (save Wing and Deathscythe) was available at my DollarStore for a very reasonable price of $5. And while I love most things Gundam, I will say that these are worth the $5 and not a penny more. Overall the sculpt is decent and they certainly look good on the shelf, but....

Cons: their ability to pose is just ridiculously limited. Like I'm not sure how a modern figure can have less movement than a figure from the 2000's. I'm not going to complain too much as I still love the figures, but I fear that a bicep cut would have made all the difference in the world.

[Team Jetfire]

997-2
NECA- Back to the Future 2: Griff Tannen




So here is a new proclamation: NECA is very quickly becoming my favorite toy manufacturer and have produced a slough of figures that are head and shoulders above anything that Hasbro, Mattel or even McFarlane are doing. Yes they are not without issue, and yes they come at a cost (especially for a Canadian) but they rarely disappoint. Do you disagree? Well that?s fine, but let's go through why NECA is so great:
Able to focus on niche properties and markets. I Currently collect 5 different NECA lines: Back to the Future, TMNT, Gargoyles, The Boys and Dungeons and Dragons and will probably eventually get The Dinosaurs figures when released. McFarlane and Diamond Select may have the ability to produce these properties, but Hasbro or Mattel would never as they are just too niche.
They design a line focusing on the characteristics and attributes of that property. The Turtles are different from Gargoyles, that is different from The Boys. Compare this to McFarlane that all are around the same size with the same hip connections and silly ankle ball joints.
They include thoughtful accessories that make sense for the character, provide value and are there to make the toy better. Hasbro?s thing, especially with Marvel Legends, is an alt head and some fists that just end up in storage and for me is the ultimate in laziness.
So far I have had NO figures that posing limitations due to hard plastic molds that SHOULD be cloth. Hasbro is very guilty of this in their Marvel Legends series, but Diamond?s Lord of the Rings series has a lot of issues with that and it bothers me to no end.

I suppose the only downsides for me are price and distribution, however online retailers like toysnowman.com and my LCS have always provided when I?ve pre-ordered and as for the price, I?m really not that vexed as long as I am getting value, which is clearly the case.

Pros: Top to bottom Griff is an amazing addition to the NECA Back to the Future line up. He has a great sculpt that captures his likeness perfectly, a lot of detail in his ?future? clothes and some great accessories including a bat and his hoverboard. They even included an extra head without his trademark helmet that I?m not sure made it into the film.

Cons: I got nothing, Griff is great.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

998-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Gladiator Hulk




As with all completed BAF’s it's time to look back at all the figures that I needed to buy to build this figure.

Thor (Ragnarok)- A solid figure from a great film. Unfortunately I already had a version of him from another release, so this was less than impressive, but I do like his helmet even though it should have been removable.
Loki (Ragnarok)- Much like Thor, I already had a Loki from another two pack, but I like him in his helmet.
Hella (Ragnarok)- Sounding like a broken record, Same thing as Thor and Loki. That said, the crazy crowned head is always impressive in hand and probably my second favorite in the wave.
The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster)- I like the storyline of Jane Foster Thor and find the story to be compelling. Thankfully the figure did well to impress.
Oden Son- I liked this figure more than I thought I would. Very cool and bulky figure.
Aries- A regular release that was originally released as a BAF? Sign me up. Aries is not only hands down the best figure of this wave, but in the running as the best Marvel Legend produced. I wish they still put this much into releases.

Pros: I mean…. WOW. Now THIS is a BAF. Easily in the running for best figure ever: Great sculpt, very detailed armor, good articulation for the size AND a removable helmet. Just outstanding and a PERFECT way to effectively use BAFs.

Cons: One minor thing is that his shoulder armor is held on by a little plastic nub that doesn’t hold in place very well. Not sure why they didn’t just make it one piece…

[Team Jetfire]

999-2
McFarlane Toys- DC Multiverse: The Dark Knight Returns: BAT- Horse




As with all completed BAF’s it's time to look back at all the figures that I needed to buy to build this figure.

TDKR Joker- Kudos to McFarlane for sculpting this to match the art style of TDKR, but nothing will top Mattel’s version of this character that came with a bat-a-rang impaled in his eye.
TDKR Robin- An ok version of this different Robin, but it says a lot when they re-used the mold for a “classic” Robin release.
TDKR Batman- Probably my favorite of the line given that they were able to capture the age and overall bulk of the character.
TDKR Superman- Much like Batman, I do like the sculpt and it matches up the art, but I just don’t like Superman that much and feel that a Green Arrow or Bat-Thug may have been a better choice to round out the line.

Pros: I’ve come to realize that I like my figures to come with horses so this wave was right up my alley. Overall the sculpt is nice and they did ensure that Batman was able to sit on it’s back and “ride” it without too much problem.

Cons: Have the designers at Mcfarlane ever seen a horse in real life or did they just base this on pictures taken from the side? Like do they know that Horses have shoulder and hip joints that don’t just rotate on a single plane? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, have a look at the head on picture and notice how the legs are basically at a 90 degree angle and have no functionality to splay out. This makes posing nearly impossible despite having 3 other movable joints. They honestly would have been better off not doing any articulation at all.






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