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

[Team Jetfire]

397-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Hobgoblin.



As I started with Dormommu, I’m going to go through the various highs and lows of the figures that made up the wave and provided pieces to build Hobgoblin.

1. Pizza Spiderman: Often touted as the best Marvel Legends Spiderman figure todate and I really cannot disagree. THe Pizza slice and half masked head really make this figure standout though.
2. Anti Venom: Overall a cool looking figure of an interesting character, but is a little light on accessories.
3. Spiderman 2099: One of my first Marvel Legends figures (review 61 of volume 1) and I still think he holds up as one of my favorites. Call me a sucker for the 90s though.
4&5. Spider-girl and Spider-woman: Unfortunately I was unable to find either one for a reasonable price and just picked up loose BAF parts. Both look to be meh.
6. Daredevil- I really didn’t expect to like this figure as much as I did. Given all the upcoming DD’s figures I have, it will be interesting how they stack up.

Pros: Quick story on Hobgoblin, A few years ago I bought what I thought was a COMPLETE BAF Hobgoblin figure off Ebay. Given some of the prices of the individual figures I thought this would be a cheaper alternative to a BAF that I wanted in my collection. When I received it, it did not take long to see that I had been duped, but in the strangest way possible. First of all, it was not complete and missing the Flame Sword (not a big deal as I had it from Spiderman 2099) and the pumpkin bomb (a bigger deal as I did not have it). When I looked back at the listing these items were not in the pictures, but when it says complete, it should be complete. But that was not the strange thing: for whatever reason, the seller had super glued all the elbow and knee joints so they would not move…They weren’t broken, seamling loose, or even in a cool pose, they were just glued standing straight up and down. What insane person does that? Anyway, I got my money back and got to keep the figure (as the guy didn’t want to pay shipping) and was able to track down the rest of the pieces over time. Overall I’m not sure that he was really worth all that extra work, but he is a rather imposing figure on the shelf.

Cons: Leg posability hindered by the tunic and I feel like he should have come with a glider. He also has a hard time holding his flaming sword.

[Team Jetfire]

398-2
Hasbro- GI Joe Sigma Six: Heavy Duty.



I’m continuing to review each episode of the short lived G.I. Joe Renegades show; see review 275-2, 302-2, 330-2, 357-2 & 384 for previous thoughts.

EP 5: The Package
Basic Premise (from Wikipedia): The Baroness contacts mercenary, Major Bludd, to track down and assassinate a target—-a former Cobra employee turned internet blogger-—who they believed stole one of their data scanners, only to learn he's under the Joes' protection.

Thoughts: Another mixed bag for me. Unlike the last episode, The Package connected to and built on the bigger storyline which was good, but it felt a bit weak in terms of overall story telling. Maybe I’m asking too much of a kids cartoon, but I thought that Renegades was supposed to be for a slightly older crowd. I will give credit for including Major Bludd (one of my favorite Cobra characters) But again wonder why they didn’t introduce him with the eyepatch and bionic arm. Maybe they thought they could develop him more overtime? But with such a deep roster of potential Joe and Cobras to include, I’m not sure that drawing them out is such a great idea. That said, the same could be said for Breaker who was also introduced as an English College student/ computer whiz and it didn’t bother me nearly as much.

Pros: I’ve been looking forward to opening up this version of Heavy Duty ever since I opened up the first version of Heavy Duty and I’ll be honest, the big guy does not disappoint. Let's go through it: Massive sized figure for the price (Retail was $24.99 Canadian), a great amount of articulation for the time that this was released, soft goods that look normal, a massive flamethrower weapon with multiple attachments that can can be wound up and spun, a gas tank back pack and multiple hoses, attachments and a removable gas mask. Did I mention that this was only 24.99? Such a great figure.

Cons: Some additional articulation would really have gone a long way on these figures, but it's not really fair to compare these figures to current standards.

[Team Jetfire]

399-2
DC Collectibles- DC Icons: Wonder Woman



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, 344-2, 358-2, 369-2, 371-2 & 385-2 for my previous instalments.

All Star Superman:
Animation Style- Looks like it could have been a slight return to a more realistic animated style that doesn’t match any particle artists style, it works for this feature, but I do not care for the design of Superman- A short cape that he wears like a cloak? No thank you.

Voice Acting- - It’s a bit of a unique cast with some new actors providing voices mixed in with old pros. Superman’s voice is pretty good provided by James Denton (Mike from Desperate Housewives), Lois is played by Christina Hendricks (of Mad Men fame) and Lex Luthor’s voice is brought to life by Anthony LaPaglia who is a character with an impressive body of work going back for years. There are a number of other notable VO actors that are easily recognizable including John DiMaggio (Bender), Steve Blum (Zeb from SW Rebels) and Keven Michael Richardson (Joker from The Batman, Bulkhead from TF Prime) but two crazy credits that caught my eye was Linda Cardellini playing the role of Lex’s niece who would be best known to us geeks as Hawkeye’s wife in the MCU and Arnold Vosloo who was the Kryptonian astronaut that Superman met on earth and has played Imhotep in the Mummy movies and Zartan in the Gi Joe movies; How fun!

Story- So there is a whole lot of story packed into one short movie. I feel like the producers took all the high points of the comic series and tried to smush them together with a weak overarching story about saving the world. Here are all the “acts'' as I see them: Act one: Superman saves the sun researchers, gains additional powers and learns that he is going to die. Act Two: Lois learns about Clark’s secret… again. He takes her on a tour of the Fortress of Solitude (which was super cool) but is soon sidelined when Lois tries to kill Superman. THEN he gifted her with super powers. Act Three: While gallivanting around Metropolis they ran into 2 super hero time travellers (that I have never heard about until now) Sampson and Atlas and fought to win Lois’s affection? They then meet the sub terrain dinosaur people and the frick’in UltraSphinx (whoever that is) and have to solve a riddle in order to save Lois. Finally they cap this off with an arm wrestle challenge to again try to win the Lois, which Superman wins? Forth Act- Lex Luthor interviewed in jail when Parasite goes after Clark due to all of his new powers. Fifth Act- Superman then takes Kandor (Krypton City shrunken down by Brainiac) to a distant planet to keep it safe, then doesn’t show anything about that adventure and comes back to Metropolis being changed to New Krypton by 2 new Kryptonian Astronauts that were put in the Phantom zone as quick as they came? Sixth Act- Back to Luthor and the attempted execution with him getting Super Powers from a drink? I don’t even know when Solaris (a sun eater) was introduced, but apparently Superman is fighting him in a fun white suit. Then you have Lex’s niece terrorizing the city? Final Act- Lex and Superman’s final fight, I enjoyed how he defeated Lex. And then Superman DIES after turning into pure energy and combines with the Sun. WHAT THE HELL. Easily the most disjointed DC animated feature to date, but had some fun moments that should have been expanded on.

Pros: Overall this is a fantastic representation of Wonder Woman and looks to be maybe a combo of the modern comic and movie versions? The figure itself is beautifully sculpted and really showcases DC Collectables abilities when it comes to producing female figures; I wish that Hasbro would take notice. Accessory-wise she is well equipped with her sword, 2 truth lassos (one loose and one wrapped) , a shield/arm band to hold it with and some different hands. Kudos to DC Collectables for including enough spaces for her to store everything. I also am impressed with her overall stability with the wedged shoes. Really nice figure.

Cons: Unfortunately her face sculpt changed from the initial pictures and not really for the better. Also, due to her flowing hair, she can;t really hold her shield on her back very well. I’m really not sure how this made it past design if I’m being honest.

[ghostlurk29]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

399-2

Cons: Unfortunately her face sculpt changed from the initial pictures and not really for the better.

This is so frustrating. They didn't even update the appearance on the packaging.

The head they went with was re-used from another figure, which is why the hair gets in the way.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by ghostlurk29

This is so frustrating. They didn't even update the appearance on the packaging.

The head they went with was re-used from another figure, which is why the hair gets in the way.

Serious? I guess that makes sense, but really does make it frustrating as it really affected the entire figure.

[Team Jetfire]

400-2
Hasbro- Transformers- Reveal the Shield: Grapple.



Wow, 400 reviews Well technically 530 if you count Volume 1, plus a few retro figure reviews, but I digress: it’s still quite the benchmark if I do not say so myself. Too bad I picked Revival the Shield Grapple to celebrate. I often wonder how many people are actually reading these reviews and wonder if some might even be getting enjoyment out of them despite my ramblings, poor grammar and average pictures. That said, I am happy to share, I mean, that is why I post them, but I started this review thread to get more out of all these figures that I have been buying. For me, there is enjoyment in opening the figures up (especially the ones that I bought years ago), again when I fiddle with them to take pictures and put them on the shelf and finally when I review them. Is it a good use of time? Hard to say, but it’s really the only thing I do in my spare time, so I suppose it could always be worse? So you can look forward to some more Transformers, A lot of Marvel Legends, and the odd new thing that catches my fancy in the toy world (and there is a lot of that now-a-days)

Pros: I’m not going to bury the lead on this one… RTS Grapple is a poor representation of the character and a very mediocre Transformers figure. However, credit where credit is due, the vehicle has a nice overall look and I appreciate the clear plastic windshield that shows a molded cab interior.

Cons: Why is this even Grapple? Aside from his coloring and his hook he looks nothing like his G1 counterpart. Outside of that the transformation is really basic, even for me, and the robot mode is a floppy mess. Also what is with the friggin boom/hook attachment on his arm. Like is that his weapon? An unwieldy 20 ft pool with a hook on the end? At least give him a gun of some sort.

[Team Jetfire]

401-2
McFarlane Toys- Fortnite: Rex



Try as I might, but I cannot figure out these Fortnite characters. I mean, I get that it’s a guy dressed in a Dinosaur costume, but there is really nothing more to it. I suppose that fits well within the scope of the Fortnite franchise, that is, crazy characters and outfits that have nothing to do with anything, but it’s not something that I’m really used to. In any case, I was drawn to the figures given their unique and crazy designs and look forward to seeing what is coming up next.

Pros: I mean, Rex is a guy in a cartoon Dinosaur suit that comes with a RPG. What is not to love? I love the silliness of the overall look that is captured by a great sculpt, he has decent articulation, that is standard for McFarlane toys, a matching dinosaur backpack and a really excellent pick axe that looks like an embiggened grabby dinosaur toy.

Cons: I suppose this could easily be rectified by sharing weapons between my figures, but I feel that he was a bit short changed by only getting a RPG as a primary weapon. And while I love the extra articulation, there are still some issues that make posing a less than enjoyable.

[Team Jetfire]

402-2
Disney Toybox- Disney Classics: Stitch



For those who have not seen it, Lilo and Stitch is a really fun movie that I feel is often overlooked likely due to the time it came out as Disney animation was starting to fall a bit flat with some less than popular movies including Atlantis (actually good) Treasure Planet (actually great) and Home on the Range (Rosanne was a Cow… not great). That said, Stitch is a staple at all the theme parks and has an even bigger presence overseas, so it is clear that some people sure like him.

Pros: Overall Stitch has a fantastic sculpt from right out of the movie, a good amount of usable articulation for a little guy and 2 accessories including a SurfBoard and a Laser Gun.

Cons: He has a bit of a difficult time holding on to the laser gun and I kind of wished that they would have given him some extra arm attachments to capture his more alien look.

[DanM]

I agree with you about Atlantis and Treasure Planet. Highly underrated.

That said, I can't stand Lilo & Stitch, and it's mainly due to Stitch. There is something about the character I find eminently unlikeable.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by DanM

I agree with you about Atlantis and Treasure Planet. Highly underrated.

That said, I can't stand Lilo & Stitch, and it's mainly due to Stitch. There is something about the character I find eminently unlikeable.

Yeah, I get it, the whole shtick is a bit exhausting. That said, I love Hawaii, have some great memories tied to my kids and these movies plus my cat is named Lilo, so I’m a bit biased.