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

[Team Jetfire]

338-2
Disney Toybox- Marvel: Star Lord.



Was Star Lord ultimately responsible for letting Thanos fulfil his destiny of collecting all the infinity stones and wiping out 50% of all life in Avengers Infinity War? It’s a debated topic and I think with due reason; it was a really emotional part of the film. That said, much like laying blame on a Field Goal kicker for not making the last second kick to win the game, if that was the last ditch effort, then all of the previous attempts were just not good enough and the entire team carries the blame. So in an effort to create more content for the multitude of Marvel Figures that are coming down the pike I’m going to explore how it was a team effort that screwed over 50% of the universe by practically giving Thanos the stones and exonerating Star Lord from this alleged oversight.

Pros: Another great Toy Box figure. Great stylized sculpt that matches the exceptional Disney Infinity figure, a good amount of (non-hindered) articulation and 2 of his character specific blasters that even can affix to his belt!

Cons: I got nothing as Star Lord is one of the better Toy Box figures that I have reviewed to date.

[Team Jetfire]

339-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Enchantress



I’m continuing my multipart look on why Star Lord is NOT to blame for allowing Thanos’s rise to power as featured in the MCU Infinity War movie with today’s review. Have a look at review 338-2 for initial thoughts.

To get you up to speed, many people feel that Star Lord’s emotional outburst on Titian led to the Avengers defeat and subsequent annihilation of 50% of life in the universe and I do not agree. As we all know, even without the Infinity Stones Thanos was a formidable warrior and had quiet the reputation throughout the galaxy, but at the time of the battle on Titian he already had amassed 4 stones; how could a group of scrappy heroes compete with that? Besides, who failed 4 times before in order for Thanos to get that far?

1.The Power Stone- The Power Stone was found by Peter Quill (aka Star Lord, Our Defendant) during the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1. Thankfully it was saved from Ronan (and by proxy Thanos) by Peter via an amazing dance off and later given to the Nova Corp for safe keeping. However in an event that wasn’t even epic enough to deserve more than an offhand comment from Thanos in Infinity War, he was able to attack the Nova Corp and take the stone from them. I’m sure he had help from his “children”, but this should not have been that difficult for the Galaxy’s police force, especially as he did not have any stones at that point! Where is their blame?

Pros: Enchantress has a fantastic head sculpt and from top to bottom looks great with a good amount of articulation and the typical “Magic effects” that have been reused for many Marvel Legends.

Cons: It is literally a magic trick to make this figure stand up on her own given those ridiculous heels, I’m also so tired of those same magic effects.

[Team Jetfire]

340-2
Hasbro- Studio Series: Bumblebee




Back when the live action Transformers was first announced there was a lot of rumblings and frustrations about the vehicle choices for some of our favourite characters and I feel that Bee was one of the more confusing choices. I mean, In the G1 era he was a yellow VW Beetle, likely earning him his moniker, which worked well as his role on the team. However in the Bayverse movies he got a bit of an ‘upgrade’ due to GM’s sponsorship, but it makes no sense whatsoever as a friggin muscle car. That said, I don't think there was even an option to match his G1 self as it was rumoured that VW would not lend its image to ‘war’ movies. I guess they have relented, probably after seeing how well these movies do and I for one am pleased given that part of the charm of the Bumblebee movie is his return to the VW Beetle.

Pros: This is really a nice looking transformer and definitely one of my favourite movie Bumblebee’s to date. He has a challenging transformation (that was made no easier with the instructions) but not frustratingly so and I love the extra accessories including the battle mask, blade and blaster.

Cons: He’s bit on the small size and for a figure this complex, the transformations become slightly tricky and I always think I’m going to snap something off.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

341-2
Jakks Pacific- Disney Afternoons: Launchpad McQuack



Rating of worst to best of the a the Pixar movies continued; see review 205-2, 219-2, 231-2, 240-2, 264-2, 270-2, 285-2, 292-2, 297-2, 303-2, 313-2, 320-2, 325-2 & 333-2 for the previous instalments:

6. Wall-E

Wall-E used to be one of my favorite Pixar films but as slipped recently due some gained perspective on my part. I will say that I still love the imaginative characters, the amazing visuals and rather unique and almost experimental storyline/screenplay that relies on visual storytelling over typical dialogue and it really works: audiences develop a bond with both Wall-E and EVE and are smitten watching their love story play out; it truly is real Disney Magic. BUT, and there had to be a but, this primary story is overshadowed by the subplot that led to the development of cute robots and subsequently my growing issue with the film. The Walt Disney Company is one of, if not the largest, consumable goods corporation in the world. Their very existence is now dependent on the sale of Disney branded merchandise that is made in factories across the globe with plastics, shipped to multiple retail outlets using carbon spewing boats and trucks and eventually thrown out into landfills when the next big Disney thing comes out. And while I’m sure that they have a small budget to fund seemingly altruistic “ecological based” initiatives it still has not slowed down the consumer sales. It’s almost akin to a Tobacco company running their own stop smoking ads. The irony that I am seemingly on a soapbox talking down to Disney on a review for another action figure, of which I have many, is not lost on me, but let’s face it, I’m not Disney. All that said, I understand that the world is what it is and Disney is a money making company and I am apparently a money spending consumer so unless someone stops, things are not going to change. But hey, at least we’ll have cake in a cup!

Pros: A character that bridges two of my favorite Disney Afternoon Cartoons together, Launchpad was destined to be one of my favorites of the line. He looks like he stepped right out if the cartoon with a beautiful sculpt featuring his trademark scarf and a decent amount of articulation as is standard on these Jakks Pacific figures.

Cons: I realize that he is a touch larger than the other Afternoon figures, but I wish they would have included an accessory given the price point.

[Team Jetfire]

342-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Groot.



I’m continuing my multipart look as to why Starlord is NOT to blame for allowing Thanos’s rise to power as featured in the MCU Infinity War movie with today’s review. Have a look at review 338-2 and 339-2 for previous thoughts.

So now that we know the Xandarian’s had dropped the ball in protecting the Power Stone from Thanos, we can now look at the comedy of errors by the “Heroes” that were entrusted with the protection of the other stones as to how Thanos became the most powerful being in the universe.

2. The Space Stone (The Tesseract).
Potentially the most “on screen” stone in the MCU, it certainly has changed hands a number of times through the years and some of it doesn’t make sense. Called the space stone, it allows the user to basically “warp” from one area to another and would certainly be helpful to a Mad Titian who is wanting to collect stones scattered across the universe. Given that it was not entirely clear that the Tesseract was in fact the Space Stone until found in Infinity War, it is somewhat understandable that its holders did not know of its overall importance and power there for the protection was somewhat lax. That said, at any given time it was in the hands of Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, Captain America, Thor and even Loki at different times when he was good and bad, so would think that one of these heroes would have been able to protect this powerful artifact in some way or another.

Pros: I love Groot and if I’m being honest this figure was somewhat the driving force behind collecting the whole wave so I really have no complaints. Overall he has a nice imposing sculpt that gives him a good size as compared to his linemates, an excellent detailed sculpt and a solid amount of articulation for a tree. This is a prime example of what a BAF figure should be like.

Cons: Nothing as Groot has met all of my expectations of a BAF.

[Team Jetfire]

343-2
Hasbro- G.I. Joe Sigma Six: Tunnel Rat



It looks as though (some) G.I. Joe fans’ prayers have been answered. As at the time of this writing, Hasbro has just announced and released images of the new 6” Joe line and I could not be more pleased as they look AWESOME! Of course there was little worry on my part given that Hasbro has already released similar looking Joe figures in both the Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black series lines, but you never really know. I suppose there are a few minor things about these figures that standout including the finalized character version, futuristic weaponry and size class.

Every fan has their character version preference in terms of how they look and what accessories are included. For instance, I love V2 of Snake Eyes (Visor and Timber), but it’s clear that Hasbo’s new version is more modern commando look. I’m not sure that I mind as I have a lot of different versions that are equally as cool, but I also realize that this could be a one and done type situation with no other Snake Eye’s on the horizon. I feel that Hasbro is going to work to reach a compromise for collectors which works for me, but you can never please anyone.

As for the weapons: well, one look at Roadblock’s railgun kind of proves that Hasbro is really not taking a realistic approach to this toy line. This is consistent with most of the recent lines, including Sigma Six, but I understand that one of the appeals for old school collectors is the realism. Perhaps there is a 3rd party group that will step up with some accurate 6” weapons to match, but I’m not too worried.

Lastly, the size. I remember years ago when Hasbro almost lost their Star War licence and I was incensed at the thought that we may be losing the 3 ¾ figure line, but obviously since then I have come around to the larger scale. Sure, it limits the vehicle selection, but as a collector, vehicles were never my jam (couldn’t fit them in) and appreciate the individual characters much more plus 6” gives a lot of room for detail and articulation. The downside of course is that selection is rather limited given that the cost associated with producing one 6” figure is much more than a few 3 ¾ figures. Sure, we will get our share of tier one characters, but how many Captain Gridirons will we get? HOW MANY!?!?!?

Pros: Tunnel Rat is a great example how Hasbro really tried to incorporate play value into the Sigma Six line and unlike other gimmick, I don't think it detracts from the figure. Sure the weapons are a bit bit, but that’s typical for the time and fits with the “Sci-Fi” bend of the Sigma Six Mythos. THe figure has the standard Sigma body type, but comes with lots of super fun accessories that would provide pay value for days. A drill with multiple drill bit heads, various bombs with adjustable timers (no kidding, look at the picks) and finally a literal tub of pretend plastic explosive that can fit on his back; how cool is that!?!? When was the last time a kids toy was released with pretend plastic explosive?

Cons: If I had to say something bad it would be that the drill is a bit big, there is no place to store all the accessories and the articulation is dated, but that is really just the charm of this line that really keeps on impressing me with every figure.

[Team Jetfire]

344-2
DC Collectibles- DC Icons: Static




Continuing my quest to re-watch all the DC Animated features to date and give some thoughts regarding 3 key touchpoints: Animation Style, Voice Acting & Story. These are really just rough notes as I watched the movie and might not make a whole lot of sense unless you have recently watched it. See 290-2, 303-2, 318-2 & 331-2 for my previous instalments.

Green Lantern First flight 2009

Animation Style: Overall I think the animation of First Flight is amazing and some of the best I’ve seen on any of the DC animated Features. It has a nice “Timm-verse” animation style, but also upgraded with very fluid movements. Also kudos to the team or person responsible for animating all the smoke/dust; it looks incredible.

Voice acting: All the voice actors fit well to the roles and for the most part are really well done. While I prefer Nathan Fillion, Christopher Meloni (from Law and Order SVU and Gordon in the new Harley Quinn series) does a good job as Hal Jordan. Victor Garber (Plays one half of Firestorm in DC Legends of Tomorrow show) is bad ass as Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (Known for Battlestar Galactica, Black Cat from Spectacular Spiderman and nerd’s dreams) plays Boodikka who is the only female lead and John Larroquette (known for Night Court) plays Tomar Re.

Story- If you don’t like long drawn out origin stories this movie is for you given that Hal becomes the GL within the first 4 minutes. It really showcases the alien side to the Green Lantern mythos. I have not seen Training Day, but I assume it’s like this with Sinestro playing the Bad cop. Again, this movie is a little condensed throwing years of Green Lantern stories into the span of 2-3 days. That said I am glad that Sinestro becomes the Yellow Lantern by the end. I also found it curious that they made Boodikka his partner in crime as I am not sure if that is comic accurate. Overall I would have liked to see a bit more building to the Darkest Night/Brightest day storyline as I think it would have worked really well in this format.

Pros: Another fantastic Icons figure with an outstanding sculpt, really nice metallic paint job, and great accessories including 2 nicely sculpted heads (I prefer the Malcolm X hat), a electricity effect and manhole cover that he rides around on. Also, and I’m not sure why Static is the only one like this, he does have a swivel joint on his calve; doesn’t make up for no thigh swivel, but it’s a start.

Cons: My biggest gripe is that he doesn’t stand well on the manhole cover and it looks as though he is just kind of standing there. Also I seem to recall him being shown with an overcoat when he was first solicited. Not sure that would have improved the figure either way, but more accessories never hurt anyone. Also, Icons still suffer from lack of thigh swivel and figure size issues, but at this point it really doesn’t bother me.

[Team Jetfire]

345-2
Hasbro- Transformers- Reveal the Shield: Optimus Prime



It’s funny to me that I never had a G1 Optimus Prime growing up. Hell, I didn’t even have a Prime until buying the RID fire truck version from the Car Robots Series (which incidentally is one of my favorites figures to date) and before that it was Optimus Primal from Beast Machines. So I guess that's why I don’t have a huge affinity for the character. Sure, I still have a bunch in my collection, but would rather a good Jetfire, Soundwave or even Ultra Magnus if given the option.

Pros: A nice little mini figure that is easy to transform, has a good enough likness and is pocket sized for on the go adventures.

Cons: Not sure how, but I think they could have done a bit more to form his hands as they just look like claws...

[Team Jetfire]

346-2
McFarlane Toys- Fortnite: Inferno.



I have found that as a toy collector there are a few things that will lead to an eventual “all out” buying frenzy of a toy line. First is interest. The line needs to appeal to me in one way or another. Could be a movie, show, comic or video game, but also could be the look of a line that catches my eye, like these Fortnite figures. Second, there is availability. I have to make sure that I can easily get the figures as I do not want to spend extra (over retail) to complete a collection. Incidentally this is why I never got into the original Toy Biz Marvel Legends figures in the 2000’s, even after buying the chase Doombot figure from the first wave. Lastly is price. This is the one of the greatest determinators of going all in on a line, or simply a one and done like Mezco Batman.

I like the overall look of the Fortnite figures, they are literally everywhere in great quantities and a bunch popped up on a major sale after Christmas, so in short… I bought the entire line.

Pros: I picked up Inferno solely based on how cool he looked. I don;t know if there is a backstory with him or anything, but I have to assume that he is some kind of Business Demon or Fancy Devil. In any case, the sculpt from head to toe is great, has a good amount of articulation and comes with 2 handguns, a stylized building tool, a backpack and a stand.

Cons: Inferno has a soft plastic suit jacket torso that looks a bit bulky and while Macfarlane has come a long way with articulation I don’t love the ankle joints.