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

[Team Jetfire]

056-2
Mega Bloks- Kubros: Spock.



Up until JJ Abrams’ NuTrek I had never been a Star Trek guy, but after I saw the reboot I was pretty well all-in and quickly gravitated to Spock as being one of my favorite characters. I find that their (Vulcan’s) penchant of logic over emotions to be very desirable and almost wish that I could emulate that in my only life (seriously). With that said, I’ll do my best to channel Spock and use logic to figure out why these Kubros things exist and furthermore why I added one to my collection.

If you are not familiar these figures, they are 3” “Lego type” building sets based on Mega Bloks properties including Star Trek, Mattel (He-Man) and Halo. I feel like the pitch meeting for these probably started and ended with the following equation:

Funko Pop + Lego type building sets - popular characters = Kubros.

Ok, maybe that is unfair, but it’s clear that Funko has a much more powerful licensing whereas Mega Bloks are sticking to what they own. That said, Spock here is actually a pretty cool little figure that I would proudly display on my desk (likely the intended use) and I was honestly impressed how it all came together. And unlike a Funko pop, it has some range of motion in the neck and the arms, which allows Spock to give his famous live long and prosper sign.

As for why I bought one? Well, honestly I’m not really sure. It was purely a whimsical purchase from my local Dollar Store (something that tends to happen a lot) but made logical sense given the $4 cost was greatly reduced from what they are currently being sold for at Wal-Mart. Plus, I also need content for this thread, so it only seemed logical that I purchase it in order to complete this review. Seems like a bit of a stretch, but as Spock is half human, perhaps he even would fall victim to the dreaded impulse purchase.

Pros: A nice little piece that any Star Trek fan could appreciate.

Cons: Limited character types and can be expensive at regular retail.

[Team Jetfire]

Weird, I'm going to do some reposting as some of them were deleted or missed.

2-017
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Spider-Girl ( I think?)



You know how long I spent trying to figure out who this was? Apparently according to the box she could either be his ally, or carry his legacy, but one thing is clear is that she is a Skyline Siren, whatever the f**k that means. Yes, she's a Spider character, but not a well known one, yes she's a Spider-Woman, but not that Spider-Woman and yes she wears a black suit, but not that black suit. Infact, even after the all the research, I’m still not certain. She could be the second spider woman Julia Carpenter or one of the Spider-Girls by the the name of Anya Corazon; Still not sure though.

It’s not that I’m mad, it's just that I’m disappointed with the lack of information and I think Hasbro could have easily fixed this by putting 3 additional lines of backstory on her package. It’s honestly a really simple thing to do and would probably go along way to help sell the figure.

Maybe it’s a long shot however hypothetically as a nice figure it could easily catch the eye of a young girl who is browsing the toy aisle with her brother. She picks up the package, reads the back story and maybe something resonates with her to the point that she becomes a new fan. Instead, they gave her the most generic box without even giving her a name, a NAME!?!; how does that even make sense?
[/rant]

Anyways, the figure is decent and has a nice head sculpt, but as with the other smaller females that share this same body, could use more articulation for better dynamic posability. Other accessories like a separate head sculpt or fists would have been welcome, but I guess she does come with a massive Goblin Torso to offset the lack of other stuff.

Pros: Good head sculpt with a sleek costume.

Cons: Articulation and accessories are lacking on this nameless character.

[Team Jetfire]

2-018
Disney Elite Series- Star Wars: Cassian Andor



Oh boy, I must have been really jonesin for a new toy when I walked into the Disney Story, or maybe it was because I couldn't pass up a great deal like this. Normally 2 for 1 is a good deal, but when it’s 2 for 1 on a figure that is marked down to $8? Well of course I’m walking out of the store with a few. I didn’t go nuts though as I wanted to keep it to figures that didn’t see a black series release and that basically left Cassian in his rebel gear and Bohdi, who is up next.

Overall this figure is ok, but as a true human figure it pretty well exemplifies why I don’t love the Disney figures; Die Cast has weight and makes a figure feel special, but it's just too heavy to appropriately pose and also is limited in what can be done with sculpting. I will give credit to Disney for producing a figure that has the featured look of the character; something that Hasbro apparently missed the memo on.

Again, as with these Disney Diecast figures, the MSRP was way too high, but if you can get them on sale at an outlet, they may be worth your while, especially if you want a toy version of this Cassian look.

Pros: Nice to have this better known version of the character and for an incredible deal.

Cons: Diecast construction limits the possibility and the overall craftsmanship of the figure.

[Team Jetfire]

2-019
Disney Elite Series- Star Wars: Bodhi Rook.



Bohdi suffers from all the same issues that Cassian has and maybe more, but gets a free pass as Disney gets all the credit for releasing him when Hasbro didn’t. Couple that with a being a great bargain and I honestly can’t say anything bad about this empire turncoat. If you need him to round out your Rouge One cast then he's certainly worth the money as I can almost guarantee that this will be the only toy version that will see the light of day.

Pros: A otherwise unproduced figure that is a decent representation of the character with decent accessories right out of the movie.

Cons: Diecast construction is a pain in the butt.

[Team Jetfire]

2-020
Mezco One:12- DC: The Dark Knight Returns Batman.



Oh, a special treat today; it’s not very often that I crack open a $100 figure and Batman has been in toy “bullpen” for opening for sometime. I have a tendency to hold back on opening expensive figures because I feel like in many cases the buildup and excitement of having the figure versus the actual payoff is a bit of a let down. Generally speaking I’m also terrified of breaking any toys and would feel terrible if something happened right out of the package so I’m guilty of keeping them MISB for a little longer than I originally intended. With all that said, Mexico TDKR Batman is a bit bittersweet and I'm not sure how I feel about it and seeing as this guy is pretty well universally praised I'll step lightly with my comments: he's ok.

I'll start with the good; of which there is lots: packaging is great, the sculpt is nice, the accessories are perfect, and the extra head and hands are welcomed. In particular I love the batarang fists and I absolutely love how easy it is to change them up.

The fabric costume is unique and actually looks pretty good, but I'm wondering if it is really needed and feel that it is more of a hinderance on a figure this size. Sure 12” figures, like Sideshow Toys, can look amazing in soft goods, but 6” clothed figures tend to feel more Mego dolls given that details are hard to get right at this size class. It also somewhat limits the overall articulation which is disappointing for me given that I have become so used to the unencumbered free range of movement of Hasbro’s 6” figures. I suppose that in a world of Marvel Legends and Revoltech, Mezco was going for a different approach and that is totally fine.

Another big selling point for this figure was his cape attachment. Basically a 4 pronged wire rig that attaches to the corners of the cape and (theoretically) allows for more dynamic action poses. Results may vary, but I found this to be the most frustrating thing to fiddle with; almost like putting a fitted sheet on a bed. I’m sure that I am the minority here, or perhaps just inept, but I struggled to get it to really work for me. Sure I settled on some decent poses, but it just didn’t look the way that I had envisioned it. Kudos to Mezco for trying to solve the cloth cape problem; perhaps with a few tweaks it could really be a good option going forward.

He also includes another head, a grappling hook, a revolver and a holstered boot. I need to revisit the book (or movie) to get some context on the revolver as I simply can’t remember why he has it.

Overall it is a nice figure and Mezco deserves some praise for ambition of this One:12 line, however due to the price point and focus on cloth goods, I’m not sure that this line is for me going forward. I think I would bit at more reasonable price, but as these are currently going for $110 I can see many more in my future.

Pros: Great sculpt, great accessories with easily interchangeable features.

Cons: Fabric suit is ok, the cape rig is finicky and the cost is just too much.

[Team Jetfire]

2-021
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Mockingbird



I recently started watching the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon on Netflix and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. Not sure why I turned my nose up to it before, but it has given some great context to these lesser known Marvel characters that I have been forced to purchase in toy form to complete BAF sets. Mockingbird here is a prime example of a character with a cool history and decent back story and was featured fairly early on in the series and I understand was also a character in the live action S.H.E.I.L.D. TV show. (admittedly another show that I have turned my nose up too as never saw the appeal to experiencing the most boring part of the MUC. Perhaps if it was able to “play” more in the movie verse it would be more my speed, but I understand the budget and story limitations that are inherent in a show like this.)

I’m actually very impressed with the figure and surprised that I passed on it so many times. I understand that this costume is based on her more modern look as seen in the comics, but has black and white aspects of her original one. I think the biggest surprise is her removable sunglasses that, unlike many other figures with glasses, look great while on. In fact, I didn’t even realize that they were removable until I got here out of the package. She also comes with her iconic battons that can fit together to make a small staff that could have been a bit bigger in my opinion.

Pros: Nice sculpt, good articulation and included key accessories.

Cons: A longer combined staff would have been nice.

[Team Jetfire]

2-022
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Sharon Carter.



As with many of these Marvel Universe figures, what I know about some of them comes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe; some to the detriment to the character, but some can be really great, including Sharon Carter. I suppose it stands to reason that Captain America’s future girlfriend should have a decent role in his stand alone moves, but even in a character heavy movie like Civil War she manages to give a very memorable performance.

This figure is clearly based on the her comic form and has a few faults that make her less than desirable over her other wave mates. Firstly I’m not sure if it is just this female body, but the neck and shoulders look really odd, almost like she is constantly hunched forward. Secondly I hate her feet; she’s a highly trained S.H.E.I.L.D agent and doesn’t need to wear high heels. Thirdly they gave her this great holster harness, but it has molded guns and intern gave her some lame space gun. Why are functional holsters such a problem for Hasbro? Seeing as this figure is 95% reused parts from Black Widow and Maria Hill, I see it as a bit of a cheap out and they could have done a bit more for this iconic character.

Pros: Nice to see another female figure get some love in Marvel Legends.

Cons: Basic repaint, molded holsters, lame space gun.

[Team Jetfire]

Jeez, how did I not post these...

2-023
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Boomerang



Perhaps it's a kid of the 80s/90s thing, but there was a time in my life that I loved everything to do with boomerangs; I honestly thought it was the weapon of the future and anyone who could wield one would be unstoppable. It wasn't until actually trying to use, and consequently break, a ornamental boomerang that my parents bought on a once in a lifetime trip to Australia that I realized that this was not the weapon for me.

Again, I know basically nothing about the character, but I can’t image that anyone really does. It still makes me laugh that a comic book archetype, such as boomerang assian, can still have a DC counterpart. Granted, Captain Boomerang seems to have a stronger following (probably due to his higher rank as Captain) but I just don’t understand the danger or threat that a boomerang poses. Sure, I'd rather not get hit in the face with one, but in a world of Spider Men and Super Soldiers, a glorified stick is not a big deal.

The figure looks like a basic remould with a new and awesome head sculpt, four boomerangs and a boomerang shaped backpack to store them in. Much like Whirlwind and Captain America he has those boots folds that I like so much, but are oddly not included on the package art. It would be interesting if this is a running change, a simple case of product may vary from picture, or perhaps I have inadvertently bought another bootleg. Funny thing is that the later could be the case as I knowingly purchased him from Wal-Mart with a swapped part (Onslaught leg that I gave away before I decided to complete him). At any rate, you could say that I eventually came around to liking him (boomerang humor).

Pros- Boomerangs are fun, excellent face sculpt and more boot folds!

Cons- Filler character, could be a bootleg?

[Team Jetfire]

Ok, Back in the saddle:

057-2
Disney Store- Toy Box- Star Wars: Kylo Ren

I loved Disney Infinity and my only complaint was that the figures were static, non-articulated mini statues. So when I saw these fully poseable, 5” sets from the Disney Store I was thrilled and picked up one favourite from each of the Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar sets.
Of the three, Kylo was first pick to crack open and unfortunately, he's a bit of a mixed bag. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like on the $15 figures including awesome sculpting, nice accessories and a good amount of articulation including ball jointed shoulders and hips. The downside on Kylo specifically is that his cloak pretty well limits any decent possibility that I was hoping for. It also seems as though his arms and legs are sculpted between the joints that kind of screws with the joints. I suppose it comes with the territory on these stylized figures, but still not ideal.
Pros: Great look, good accessories and a decent price.
Cons: Somewhat limited possibility.

[dinga]

I bought the Buzz Lightyear in this range. Pretty surprised by the articulation. Nice sculpt.