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

[Robimus]

Thats hilarious.

[Team Jetfire]

945-2
Mattel- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Origins: Ram Man.




The 80's had a ton of stupid and crazy toy lines and even though I liked it (and still do) He-Man and the Masters of the Universe had to be the most outlandish/ridiculous. I mean, the main guy is named “He-Man” and is basically the picture of peak male stature; if that isn't too on the nose, I'm not sure what is. That said, of the characters, one may stand head and shoulders above the rest for on the nose naming conventions: Ram-Man. What does he do? He is a Man that Ram's stuff. It basically writes itself. On the flip side, while it is all very ridiculous, the growth and fandom of something so ridiculous makes it kind of incredible. The growth and characterization of each MOTU character after the fact helps one look past the silliness and understand why people like the series and its characters so much.

Pros: Mattel really nailed the “Origins” vibe with this release, probably more so that any other origins figure to date. I like the overall sculpt, the extra accessories and the added articulation, however...

Cons: ...the classic action spring loaded “Ram” feature really messes up the ability to pose below the waist.

[Team Jetfire]

946-2
Jazewars- Fortnite Legendary Series: Peely





Sounds crazy to say, but this stupid anthropomorphic banana is a big reason why I have an apparently limitless revolving door of Fortnite figures to review. Yes, they are very cool toys with lots of things to love about them, but when I saw this unique and quite frankly ridiculous figure I was pretty well hooked on multiple figures lines that could still be silly and produce excellent products. Thankfully for me, Original Peely hit it out of the park.

Pros: I'll make this easy: everything is good.

Cons: Outside of the fact that they cannot turn their head, nothing is bad.

[Team Jetfire]

947-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: FOX Studios Mystique



On the whole, the FOX produced 4 movie X-Men movie arc that started with First Class is pretty decent with the caveat that they get worse with each iteration and that Mystique was featured and retconned way too heavily in a series that she was never that big of a part of from the start. Sure she was featured in the first 2 X-Men movies and definitely played a part, but not in a way that she would basically become a main character for 4 prequel type movies. That said, without her the entire story would need to change as any NEW female mutant that was like a sister to Charles would be out of place at this point in the movie continuity. That said, when you sign a name like Jennifer Lawrence and she literally blows up in fame during the span of these movies as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, you really need to use that good fortune despite the ramblings of some random guy who writes dumb things on the internet for free.

Pros: Overall the figure is really well sculpted and was a lot more fun to pose than I thought it would be . The extra “human” arm also turned out really nicely.

Cons: In a world where the Movie Deadpool figure was released alongside this figure it is very hard to not wonder what happened to the rest of this figure. Like, she is super basic and feels like a complete ripoff. Thankfully I got mine for $9, which is even cutting it close for value.

[ghostlurk29]

100% new parts and painted head to toe. Hardly basic by Marvel Legends standards.

The Fox figures made me really optimistic about the brand, at the time. Not sure if it's the source material or the cost-cutting that is killing it today.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by ghostlurk29

100% new parts and painted head to toe. Hardly basic by Marvel Legends standards.

The Fox figures made me really optimistic about the brand, at the time. Not sure if it's the source material or the cost-cutting that is killing it today.

Good point. I think it?s easy to lose sight of the entire process when reviewing these figures sometimes. That said, I?m not really comparing her to another Spider-man, but rather Cable, Deadpool and Domino for the same sub series. They all have new molds, but feel like a better value all around. Also, in a world where the Fortnite and Overwatch figures exist, Marvel legends fans really need to re-evaluate what the overall value is of these figures.

[Team Jetfire]

30-R
Bandai- Gundam Wing: OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon
Approximate Release Date: 2000



In the last retro review I explained that my knowledge of Anime was pretty limited, however I was a big fan of Gundam Wing and made an effort to actually watch all the episodes that aired way back in 2000 and even found the follow up Gundam Wing Endless Waltz feature film to check out. This of course led to me picking up a good portion of the Gundam figure releases of that time and have a real soft spot for the entire set that included all the Wing characters, but branched out to the previous series, that also include my favorite Gundam RX-78GP02A Physalis (Retro Review #8). Unfortunately a rather large collecting regret (I have a few) was that I never picked up the G-Gundam figures that came out after, given that for whatever reason YTV never showed the episodes on tv and I had no connection to these new crazy characters. That said, if anyone has a full set that they want to sell, hit me up.

Pros: Are these the perfect figures? No, but they are really, really great for the time with a detailed sculpt, a good amount of articulation and fantastic accessories considering the cost back then.

Cons: As with most Japanese action figures released, these figures are very delicate and the joints can be very loose.

[Team Jetfire]

S-60
NECA: Disney’s Gargoyles- Hudson





Want to know a fun fact that will possibly ruin your childhoods? The amazing ancient winged stone creatures that came to life through magic and were reanimated in the present day by an evil megalomaniac billionaire weren’t even technically GARGOYLES. According to sources (ahem Wikipedia) a Gargoyle is a carved stone figure that serves to spout water away from the structure, typically from its mouth. So if these aren’t Gargoyles, what are they? Apparently in architecture these carved beast type structures are actually called “Grotesques” which is kind of bad ass if you ask me. Might have been a bit tough pitch with the Disney execs back in the day though given that Disney’s Grotesques doesn’t really roll off the tongue in the same way.

Pros: I have to hand it to NECA as these Gargoyle figures continue to impress. Hudson is one of my favorites (due to his mentor status of the group) and NECA really nailed the overall sculpt, articulation and extras. Just a phenomenal figure.

Cons: No complaints outside of the wings being a bit difficult to deal with. Also, why is NECA such a pain to source as a Canadian?

[Team Jetfire]

S-61
Diamond Select: Marvel Select- Beta Ray Bill




I’ve said it before and I think it rings true now more than ever: I am a toy collector and like to collect cool toys. And while I am brand or rather IP driven at times, I do gravitate to new and interesting figures that I think were done particularly well, hence my Marvel Selects pick-ups to date. For the most part I find their figures to be somewhat dated and behind the times as compared to the big H who is the industry gold standard for a reason however they do have the latitude to create something that might not be tied to a current movie and or series and when they flex that muscle its works out particularly well. For example, as the primary license holder Hasbro has no choice but to design, tool and produce figures based on all current Marvel productions regardless of how they will perform. This is why we will have the Eternals on our shelves for, well, an eternity. But Diamond doesn’t necessarily have that issue. They probably have a white board of all the Marvel characters that they would want to produce and cherry pick 3 or 4 to release a year. Time and effort can be given to these designs and without a major motion picture to partner with they can be released without stress about a deadline and to make things even better, they are often all around the same price point despite the size. This is why I was so jazzed about Beta Ray Bill: he’s just a solid, detailed and imposing figure and in hand? Extremely impressive.

Pros: What is not to like? Everything about Diamond Select’s Beta Ray Bill is to my personal tastes as far as action figures go. Really nice sculpt, a good amount of usable articulation, his trademark hammer and even an extra “spinning effect” hammer that honestly I am such a sucker for. Love it.

Cons: Minor detail. I love his helmet mohawk, but it somewhat interferes with head movement.

[Team Jetfire]

947-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: AT-AT Driver



I was going to start my Star Wars sequel re-write, but wanted to share a happy memory that involves the AT-AT. Picture it holiday season 1998. We are on the cusp of the prequels, but Star Wars mania is firmly ramping. A young man (19 years old) was knee deep in all things power of the force, but is also on a pretty tight budget. Sure he can get a few figures here and there, but the big things, the cool things are very much out of reach budget wise and that is where a very good friend of mine stepped up and pulled a little “Santa magic”. See he was the type of person who loved to buy presents for people that he cared about and he knew that the Star Wars Power of the Force AT AT vehicle playset would have blown me away and it certainly did when he gifted it to me at Christmas that year. Apparently he had it on layaway for a few months until he had enough money to pay for it ($120- still a lot of money for a toy back then). Unfortunately we had a bit of a falling out as friends (nothing crazy, just different paths) but it's one of those presents that I never expected and still cherish in my collection to this day.

Pros: Like every Black Series figure this is a nearly perfect 6” representation of a very cool character. Sculpt is perfect with details taken right from the movie, articulation is decent but typical for BS figures and he even comes with a gun.

Cons: It seems stupid to say because I don't know the answer, but I feel like they should have included more stuff with the figure. Perhaps Black Series should have followed the trend of including BAF parts to make up for limited accessories.