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

[Team Jetfire]

2-040
Hasbro- Titans Return: Apeface



I’m very familiar with G1 headmaster Horrorcon Apeface who was binary bonded (what an amazing term) to Spazma who was essentially his head while in robot and beast mode, but I can’t quite figure out who this little guy is supposed to be. Sure, it says his name is Apeface, but how can that be? Should this not be Spazma who comes with a little Ape/Jet version of his old buddy Apeface? Truth be told, this was my first little single pack and I’m feeling a bit ripped off. Why is it that they can make every other Transformers character in Titans Return figure into a Headmaster, including the figures that never were Headmasters in the first place, but skip two of the best (I include Snapdragon in there too) in favor of little head figures with mini versions of their original forms? Don’t get me wrong, the homage is nice and the two different modes are pretty cute, but it just seems like a missed opportunity to update the Horrorcons.

Pros: Cute little figures that almost look like that thing I played with as a kid.

Cons: A bit of a letdown considering they should have gone full scale with this well-known fan favorite.

[Team Jetfire]

2-041
DC Collectibles- Icons: Flash



The Icons line is bitter sweet for me as I really had some high hopes that have since been dashed with disappointing articulation, odd scale and their ultimate cancellation before such amazing figures like Etrigan, Catwoman and Blue Beetle/Booster Gold two pack were released. To make matters worse DC Collectables actually went so far as to blame collectors and their lack of interest for the demise of the line. Well, duh. But also, how do you expect the line to thrive when DC lower tier figures like Mr. Miracle and Atomica are released before some of the major characters like Superman and Wonder Woman. I suppose like the rest of us, DCC had some high hopes for this line and the fact that they scrapped it in favor of the new Essentials line where they hopefully learned what collectors want.

Second round of icons starts with everyone's favorite Scarlett speedster, or rather second favourite depending on if this is Barry Allen or Wally West. In truth, I'm not sure I can tell the difference, but he looks to have a classic design, so I'll go with this being Barry. The design is quite nice and I do like the winged details on his mask and boots. Face sculpt is a bit generic and expressionless and given that the Flash is often portrayed in a bit more light hearted way, a face sculpt to match would be nice.

Articulation wise he's pretty standard, but missing that coveted thigh swivel that is absent from most Icons. For accessories he comes with interchangeable hands for playing 2/3s of Rock, Paper, Scissors; or punching and running as well as a full size cosmic treadmill, which i’m not that big of a fan of. Yes it's a cool accessory that is fitting for the character, but at the end of the day, much like for anyone who buys as treadmill, it just sort of sits there. Maybe in time I’ll put some effort into posing him better on it, as I do like the idea.

Pros: Overall a solid looking Flash figure.

Cons: Possibility is hindered by lack of key articulation and main accessory is kind of meh.

[Team Jetfire]

2-042
Disney Infinity 3.0: Judy Hops



Zootopia was a big hit and huge surprise for me as I did not have any expectations going in at all, but man was I pleasantly surprised after it was done; it has to be one of my favorite Disney Movies from the last 5 years.

Again, so much credit goes to these Infinity creators for capturing such beautiful action poses and detail in static plastic. Disney could make millions if they removed the video game tech from the base and scaled these up to 6 inches.

Pros: Amazing sculpt of an excellent character that is right out of the movie.

Cons: Static figure from a now defunct video games series.

[Robimus]

If I was a kid I'd be all over the Zootopia toys at Dollarama. I really like the look of them, plus that they are a two pack.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Robimus

If I was a kid I'd be all over the Zootopia toys at Dollarama. I really like the look of them, plus that they are a two pack.

I have seen thoughts and stopped myself from buying them multiple times... the Brick Block big head things on the other hand; different story.

[Team Jetfire]

2-043
Hasbro- Transformers- Dark of the Moon- Human Alliance: Icepick and Sgt Chaos.



Going forward in my reviews you will see a lot of figures circa 2010-2015 that I purchased and promptly put into storage because I did not have the new toy room built yet. With that said It’s hard to believe that Dark of Moon came out 6 years ago and that there has been 2 other Transformers movies since; where does the time go? Sadly since that time my interest in Transformers has diminished some due to live action movie fatigue, boring cartoons, less than impressive toy offerings and a staggering price increase that is preventative of collecting at the same scale. However the good news it that I still have some of the best figures in Transformers history MISB, just waiting to be opened and maybe that will re-kindle my appreciation of the franchise.

Icepick and Sgt. Chaos (it’s also odd that they gave Sgt Chaos top billing on the package. SMH: human superiority...) is part of my favorite Transformer Sublines: Human Alliance. The line originated with movie robot characters that were paired with movie human characters. The cool thing was that the Robots were engineered with space for their human counterpart to sit as a driver or operator. And while the little human figures were a bit meh, it still lead to some Masterpiece level Transformers for a fraction of the price and still are among some of the best Movie figures to date in my opinion.

Icepick was released in a Human Alliance line that had smaller vehicles that were inspired by, but not featured in, the movies and had a similar design asthenic. As with many of the movie figures, the overall toy is a mixed bag; that is to say, the snowsled vehicle mode is nice, but the robot is a bit of a mess of hinged parts and lanky appendages. The Human Alliance figures also feature a somewhat suspect 3rd weaponized mode that the Human figure could presumably use in battle, but often seem like they were an afterthought. Issues aside though because Icepick gets all the love from me as a closer look reveals that he is sporting a Goalie mask for a head; how great is that? Not to be outdone it seems as though Sgt Chaos may have a bit of inspiration from Cobra with a very familiar helmet design. Someone at Hasbro was having a good time for sure and I would be lying if I said that I would not buy the crap out of a Transformers/GIJoe Human Alliance subline.

Pros: I like the Human Alliance concept and feel that more could have been done with it. The goalie mask is also an amazing detail.

Cons: Robot mode is a bit weak.




























[Team Jetfire]

2-044
Hasbro- Transformers- Powercore Combiners: Skyhammer



Combiners have always been a staple of Transformers lore and it was pretty great that Hasbro had decided to focus some energy on a sublime dedicated to it. While the actual combined modes are a bit weak, what with odd, none transforming, drone type limbs and rather terrible stability issues, the main figures are actually not so bad. I also like how they they were released with Armada style Minicons that transform from robots into weapons making the Powercore Combiners one of the only Transformer sublines that unites two gimmicks in one toy; not so bad.

Overall Skyhammer is a nice enough figure, but nothing remarkable. If I were a kid I would have loved it as I always appreciated a good Jet fighter and especially with the added playability of an extra minicon weapon. Another really cool detail is his combined head which resembles an old flight helmet and goggles set.

Pros: Nice chunky, classics looking figure with a fun head sculpt and Minicon companion.

Cons: Robot mode is a bit meh.

[Team Jetfire]

2-045
DC Collectibles- Batman The Animated Series: The Joker



I feel like one of the most polarizing questions one can ask of the comic fandom could be who the best Joker in popular media is and for the most part I do not think there is a wrong answer. While I appreciate all of his iterations, including parts of Jared Leto’s most recent take, my favorite will always be from Batman the Animated Series. With an iconic voice provided by Mark Hamill, character depth and development that can only be sussed out over multiple episode arcs and a really amusing balance between silly and psychotic it’s not difficult to see why he is among the most popular and my personal favorite. I would also put this version above the New Batman Adventures that featured a more simplistic design, even though they are practically the same.

This particular release was based on, and includes accessories from, the BTAS episode titled “The Last Laugh” leading to a rather odd collection of items that made me want to revisit the episode to see how they all connect, which is to say very loosely. I will say that DCCs approach to these releases, tying them to one particular episode, is curious. Sure it is nice to have accessories, but you would think that throughout BTAS there would be more Joker specific stuff available that is superior to a telescope (that he can’t hold), an odd clear helmet (that doesn’t really fit) and a comb (that he can’t use). That small complaint aside the figure sculpt is fantastic and looks like he is right out of the animation cell, but also leads to a rather large trade off on the scope of usable articulation. Don’t get me wrong, as a toy collector I am always in favor of more articulation over form, but it would be wrong to not recognize that these figures are so stylized that it hinders the possibility and overall look. Again, not a deal breaker for me, but some people may prefer a cleaner look with less articulation.

Pros: Amazing sculpt that is right out of the show and has accessories and extra hands to (sort of) hold them with.

Cons: Articulation is somewhat unusable given stylized look, an odd choice of accessories included.

[Team Jetfire]

2-046
Bandai- Movie Realization: Ashigaru Stormtrooper



In my last review for the Movie Realization Boba Fett I gushed about how great the concept was to mash up Star Wars and Feudal Japanese design as well as how amazing the figure was in hand. The Stormtrooper, while lacking in overall accessories, still packs a similar punch as far as detail and design and is quite impressive in its own right.

I suppose for all intensive purposes this is your standard run of the mill Stormtrooper and includes a sword with scabbard and old style flintlock (with working hammer!) blaster. I really appreciate some of the Stormtrooper armor details with the little face tubular sections (vents!?!) in the helmet and the little canister on the back of the belt.

Articulation has all the appropriate joints to allow for a range of poses, but like Fett, is somewhat limited by the armor. I do appreciate that you can more or less have him hold the sword and blaster with two hands.

Pros: The Star Wars / Japanese Feudalism mash-up works great for the Stormtrooper, has nice accessories and a good amount of usable articulation.

Cons: Since this release there has been a number of other troopers with better accessories; for the cost of this figure it would have been nice if there was one Stormtrooper release with all the cool accessories to not have to purchase multiples with similar design.

[Team Jetfire]

048-2
Playmates- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Original Michelangelo



Sigh, I said it before with Raphael and Leonardo; these figures were a great idea, but are a complete disappointment given their limited articulation. Seriously, a simple wrist swivel would have made all the difference in the world.

Pros: I like the concept of a set of original Turtles.

Cons: Limited articulation makes these a real disappointment.