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

[Team Jetfire]

875-2
Hasbro- Ghostbuster Plasma Series: Dana Barrett



2022 and THIS is the version of Dana Barrett that we get? I suppose this is probably the most well known look that most Ghostbusters fans would recognize, but given that this is primarily a toy marketed to kids, in the kids toy section, is a sultry, hardly dressed and barefoot woman really on the top of anyone?s most wanted lists? Hell, I?m the target demographic and I feel weird having this figure in my collection. I suppose a case could be made about representation in toy lines and by excluding the female co-star of the movie, despite her being almost naked and extremely sexualized, would be worse than what we got, but it just seems short-sighted in today?s world. I feel that perhaps a better option would have been to add Slimer or maybe even Rick Moranis?s character Louis Tully dressed in his Ghostbuster?s 2 outfit. In any case, I got her and am one step closer to completing the BAF so mission accomplished Hasbro.

Pros: What is good about a sultry, half naked and barefoot 6? version of Sigourney Weaver? Truthy I?m not sure outside of coming with a BAF piece.

Cons: Outside of the obvious, the head sculpt looks weird, she doesn?t come with any accessories and her articulation is limited by what little clothing she has on. It's absolutely nuts that Hasbro green lit this figure.

[Team Jetfire]

S-29
Diamond Select- The Muppets: Rowlf the Dog and Scooter




If you are a fan of the Muppets at all I highly recommend checking out any Wiki articles on your favorite characters especially if you are a moderate fan like me. I mean, I thought I was a fan of the Muppets, but my knowledge is downright laughable. For instance, did you know that Rowlf the Dog was the first Muppet? That’s right, first appearing in dog chow commercials in 1962, Rowlf was a big start and was responsible for the early popularity of the Muppets. In fact, The Muppet Show/Movie weren’t even the first big time media that the Muppets were a part of. Apparently in 1963 Rowlf appeared alongside Jimmy Dean (sausage guy?) as a sidekick on the aptly named program “The Jimmy Dean Show” the featured duets between the two. This level of fame carried over to the Sesame Street pitch and later on to what we would know as the modern Muppets. How cool is that? And here I thought that Rowlf was just an underused background character. Scooter has a bit less history, but started off as a bit of a jerk being the son of the guy who owned the theater that the Muppets perform in. Apparently that shtick didn’t last and he became the helpful stage manager that we all know and love. As an aside, I totally forgot about Scooter kid sister Skeeter that was created for the original Muppet Babies cartoon that played in the 80’s.

Pros: Much like the rest of The Muppets Series, Rowlf and Scooter are very well sculpted and have a lot of nice details and come with a good selection of accessories to round out the stage that I’m apparently creating with these figures. The piano is pretty sizable too, which gives this set a bit more “stuff”.

Cons: Articulation is really the biggest weak part of this set and while it's not imperative that Rowlf the Dog has knees, it would be nice if there was a bit more movement. Also, it seemed as though his upper arms were installed backwards which makes movement even more difficult.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

876-2
Loyal Subject BST-AXN- Avatar the Last Airbender: Aang.





Alright, so I?ve been excited for BST-AXN figures for a very long time and have bet on them like one would invest in say ?futures? on the stock market. Basically I thought that they were going to be cool and put money down on buying the sets as they came out with he hope that they would provide a cool experience once I got around to opening them and so far, if I am being 100% honest, the investment isn?t really paying off to the level that I had hoped. Are they bad toys? Heavens no. Is there room for improvement? Most certainly. That said, I have only opened two figures so far, Aang and Gandalf, and both are good, but suffer from the same issues: HARD PLASTIC CLOTHES THAT LIMIT ARTICULATION. I suppose I shouldn?t be too made given that practically every other toy company has the same issues, but is it my biggest pet peeve, amplified by the fact that the package boasts a staggering 31 points of articulation, but fails to note that most of it on the right leg is useless because of his tunic. Anyways, I?m probably being overly harsh on this figure and seem to recall having similar thoughts on Diamonds ATLAB early offerings too.

Pros: There is lots to love about BST AXN?s 3rd book Aang. First off the sculpt is great and captures the animated look from the show really well. I also appreciate the extra accessories including three (3!?!) different head sculpts, some spare hands, a glider pole and some wind effects. He also has a decent range of motion thanks to a bevy of articulation points, but?.

Cons: some of the ability to pose is hindered by the cursed hard plastic clothing. Also, the heads are like super hard to change and I recommend heating you figure up in some hot water to soften the plastic.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

S-30
Diamond Select- Avatar The Last Airbender: Final Battle Aang



I recently asked my Brother, who was the one that introduced me to Avatar in the first place, a super difficult question regarding both Avatar the Last AirBender and the sequel Legends of Korra: Basically I asked him which series he preferred and I think we both feel that the answer is complicated. Granted, many fans feel very strongly that Korra is a derivative, uninspired clone that pales in comparison to the original, but I disagree with that. There are certainly similarities in that they exist in the same universe and involve some of the same characters, but on the whole there are two very different stories.

Looks like we need a good old Good, Bad and Ugly of both series to help answer this question: More to come on the next Avatar figure review (that is, if I remember)

Pros: Everything about this Aang is better than the initial release. Better sculpt, better movement, WAY better accessories (two guilders), and that Avatar state air, water, earth, fire effect is so great. If you can get it, this should be the one Aang figure that you pick up.

Cons: On the whole I?m annoyed that they did not include a glider with the initial Aang figure and even more annoyed that they included two in this set. I guess Diamond has a tendency to do this as I saw it with the Lord of the Rings figures too. Ah well, all?s well that ends well.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

S-31
Diamond Select- The Muppets: Professor Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker





I?m not sure that many people realize this, but before they bought Marvel, Star Wars and Fox, Disney bought the Muppets from the Henson?s in 2004. This likely just solidified the relationship between the two as there had been an ongoing partnership between the two featured in the Disney Parks in the form of the super fun, second 3D experience found at the Disney Parks named MUPPET VISION 3D. It made its debut in 1991 at the newly created Disney MGM studios in Florida which was the home to a number of other non-Disney IPs, which makes me wonder if the management of that time was keen on doing trial runs for certain media projects to see if they would be worth buying after. For instance at any given time, MGM Studios features content from the aforementioned Muppets, Star Wars, Indiana Jones (which are now all owned by Disney), but also The Twilight Zone, Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, MGM Studios, Narnia, The Pink Panther, Ace Ventura and even, EVEN, the characters from the Looney Tunes like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (not even kidding, look it up). And while it?s unlikely that the WD would have ever given up their biggest cartoon characters, there is a world in which Disney bought out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. How crazy is that?

Pros: Personal favorites, I am super happy with how these two turned out. Not only do they have fantastic sculpts and solid articulation, they also come with a LAB full of equipment for their various experiments. Love it.

Cons: Really nothing, I love this set.

[Team Jetfire]

[Robimus]

That's a great set!