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

[Team Jetfire]

15-R
Hasbro- Animated Clone Wars: General Grievous.
Approx Release date: 2005
Current Price and Availability: $47.00
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Hasbro-Star-...4AAOSwtSFc3H8y



This might be a unpopular opinion to some, but I feel that the 2003 Genndy Tartakovsky Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon series was the best “non-movie” media released to date and is in many ways superior to the longer running series that shares its name. Granted it’s like two very different things and essentially comparing apples to oranges, but I digress; I think it is highly underrated and should be given a new life, in the similar format, for other Star Wars eras. That said, it’s not like Disney to take any bold chances anymore, but how great would a Rogue One cartoon be in this style?

Now it’s been a while since I have seen the whole series, but if I remember correctly the writers gave a really cool set up as to why Grievous was dealing with breathing issues throughout EP3. Basically the last episode happened right before EP3 started in-where Grievous kidnaps Palpatine (ordered by Dooku, under Palpatine's orders… so many layers) and is almost stopped by the Jedi who are trying to protect the Chancellor. In this fight, just as Grievous jumped on his ship, Mace Windu (I think) uses the force to crush Grievous’s heart area, thereby turning him into the asthmatic we know and love from The Revenge of the Sith. I don’t know about you, but I loved this explanation as I never really understood why Grievous was portrayed like that. In truth it was probably just a dumb offhand decision by Lucas thinking it would be funny if he sounded like a villain from some 50’s movie. Unfortunately for people like me who like this series and given that the other Clone Wars series had a rather incredible run, it’s safe to say that the 2003 series is not considered cannon to the Start Wars universe.

Pros: Overall the figure is very imposing looking in sheer size as compared to the other Clone Wars characters. I love the rather clean look of Grievous what with a sleek sculpt and brite white armor and looks great with his stolen lightsaber collection.

Cons: While there are some points of articulation, he’s basically a statue. Not that a figure of this shape and size would do well articulation of any kind as it would be either a) a floppy mess or b) ruin the aesthetics of the sculpt, but it IS a toy and this is not McFarlane toys from the 90’s. In any case I love it and could be my favorite of that entire Clone Wars line.

[sixshot1981]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

This might be a unpopular opinion to some, but I feel that the 2003 Genndy Tartakovsky Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon series was the best “non-movie” media released to date and is in many ways superior to the longer running series that shares its name. Granted it’s like two very different things and essentially comparing apples to oranges, but I digress; I think it is highly underrated and should be given a new life, in the similar format, for other Star Wars eras. That said, it’s not like Disney to take any bold chances anymore, but how great would a Rogue One cartoon be in this style?

That 2003 Clone Wars series was brilliant. I mean it was the only series without going to deep into it, that shows the Jedi as the powerful force driven people they really are. The movies and other shows on TV show them relying on their lightsabers alot. A small example of the shows brilliance is the episode where Mace Windu fights using just his speed and the force against that massive droid army is amazing, even more so just him at the end taking the drink from the kid while there's explosions everywhere, gah so awesome ! It's classic Genndy Tartakovsky, how could you not like it, I mean Samurai Jack !!!!

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by sixshot1981

That 2003 Clone Wars series was brilliant. I mean it was the only series without going to deep into it, that shows the Jedi as the powerful force driven people they really are. The movies and other shows on TV show them relying on their lightsabers alot. A small example of the shows brilliance is the episode where Mace Windu fights using just his speed and the force against that massive droid army is amazing, even more so just him at the end taking the drink from the kid while there's explosions everywhere, gah so awesome ! It's classic Genndy Tartakovsky, how could you not like it, I mean Samurai Jack !!!!

Could not agree with you more. I’m partial to the Clone troopers assault on the city, 3 min all action- no dialogue. So great.

[Team Jetfire]

232-2
Disney Toy Box- Marvel: Ironman



Rating of worst to best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies continued; see review 207-2, 210-2, 216-2, 222-2 & 228-2 for the previous instalments.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating #15. Ant Man and the Wasp

For the most part I liked Ant Man and the Wasp, but I can’t help but feel that, in a roundabout way, it too was a victim of Thanos. Not in the *Snap* way, but more in the way that after the amazing events of Infinity War, a fun little Ant Man and the Wasp movie could never live up to the movie that preceded it. That said, it is a great example on how the Marvel Cinematic Universe Is literally made up of all different types of movies that complement each other well, but ultimately feel different from one another. The story of Ant Man and the Wasp is enjoyable and provides a bit of a back story while still linking itself (in a rather big way) to the rest of the MCU. Unfortunately the Villain(s) are pretty weak and not very memorable, especially the vendor of the goober (Spiderman reference FTW!) and it is unclear how they will fit into the growing Ant-Man universe, if at all. I suppose I should give credit that the filmmakers went for something different than a rehash of the first one as they could have easily made another shrinking villain to fight just like the FLASH does every season with another speedster. What is next for the Ant-Man movies? Not really sure as it seems as though they have done their bit for the MCU and could easily be dropped in favor of other Marvel properties, but I would be lying if I said that I wouldn’t like more adventures of these character

Pros: Another fantastic Toy Box figure that features a nice blend of sculpt and articulation with a the cartoonish accuracy of the old disney Infinity figures. I also appreciate the added blast effect that can fit on his hand or foot.

Cons: This particular Iron Man suit has a bit of a different color scheme than the more well known red and gold version, but was later rectified in a newer Iron Man release. I also wish they would have included another energy blast for both hands. Additionally, unlike most other Toy Box figures, Iron Man is missing ankle tilts.

[sixshot1981]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

Could not agree with you more. I’m partial to the Clone troopers assault on the city, 3 min all action- no dialogue. So great.

How could I have forgotten the no dialogue stuff !!!

Those are some of his best episodes.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by sixshot1981

How could I have forgotten the no dialogue stuff !!!

Those are some of his best episodes.

Right? I know that Disney probably wouldn’t go that route, but I think an ep 4-6 version would be amazing.

[Team Jetfire]

233-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Dr Strange



Rating of worst to best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies continued; see review 207-2, 210-2, 216-2, 222-2, 228-2 & 232-2 for the previous instalments.

Not with the addition of Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame the ratings have been bumped up.
To date:
22. The Hulk
21. Thor: The Dark Workd
20: Iron Man 3
19: Iron Man 2
18. Thor
17. Ant Man and the Wasp

Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating #16- Captain Marvel

I’ll be honest here and while this is not really an “unpopular opinion” or anything, it really should be stated: Captain Marvel was a fine film. Were there really fun parts of the movie? You bet.Were there really questionable parts of the story? Sure. Did I enjoy my time watching it? Yup. Was it any different than a good portion of the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films? No, not really. For the most part I enjoyed the story and really appreciated a bit more depth to the Marvel world in space, what with the involvement of the Kree and the Skrulls, but also how it tied them to earth in a way that Guardians of the Galaxy never did. I enjoyed the supporting cast a great deal and felt that Brie Larson played the character well. I understand the complaints that the performance gets, but it’s also somewhat lost on me as I have little to no connection to the character; who am I to say if she was playing the character emotionally stunted? My biggest criticism of the movie is probably more of a criticism of period movies in general that they were a little heavy handed on the 90’s references and music cues. Hell, I like the 90's pop culture and music as much as anyone else, but it was just a bit heavy handed. Oh, and for the record can I formally place a moratorium on NEVER using the super cliche “I’m Just a Girl” song for any sequence involving a Girl kicking ass from this point forward? Thanks. .

Pros: Way Back in review 130 of Volume 1 I complained that Dr Strange should have come with his trademark cape and what-do-you-know? A few years later he was re-released with a wicked ass huge cape. The figure itself is pretty similar to the first release, with some sculpting changes, but looks much more complete. I also appreciate that they continue including those magic effects too.

Cons: Aside from being a re-use of another Dr Strange figure, there is really nothing bad about this figure. If I was being picky perhaps the cape is a bit big and cumbersome for poses? But I rather sacrifice form over function for it. It would have also been nice if they gave him more iconic comic colors, but would probably need a whole different sculpt change.

[Team Jetfire]

234-2
Hasbro- Transformers- Dark of the Moon: Sideswipe



Rating of worst to best of the Transformers movies continued; see review 208-2, 213-2, 217-2, 223-2, 226-2 & 230-2 for previous instalments:

Transformers Movie Rating #5: Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Good

I think Transformers fans had high hopes for the 3rd instalment of the live action series and after Revenge of the Fallen can you blame us? However I’m not so sure that DOTM really had the power to save the franchise and solidified its place as a silly, loud, bombastic movie series that was aimed at the undiscerning masses who were more interested in explosions, action and sexy ladies than good story telling. It’s too bad that Bay and company weren’t aware that they were not mutually exclusive.

So being 3rd from the bottom means that there has to be some good things right?

Firstly I liked the addition of the Wreckers, the 3 suped up Nascar boys who were tasked with the maintenance of the Autobots spaceship and while normally I do not care for NASCAR racing I did dig the look of these guys from the start. Unfortunately they were featured rather sparingly, likely due to the cost of CGI on new fancy robots, but also I didn’t really get why they had British accents. I suppose It might have been in poor taste if they doubled down on southern accents, but it didn’t need to be in a mean way.
Secondly, there was a linear storyline that actually made sense. Sure some of the details are a bit hazy and it basically throws out all the back story from Revenge of the Fallen, but I could see this as being a story fright from out of the G1 cartoon and that’s my relative low bar for storytelling on these “Based on a toyline” movies. I also appreciated the Sentinel Prime, double cross twist and legitimately did not know about it going into the movie for the first time. .
The story made sense, decent double cross,
Lastly, and probably more importantly given Bay’s trademark Movie style, was this movie was packed with legitimately good action scenes. Yes there was the typical explosions and car chases, but perhaps the piece de resistance was the flight suit sequence through downtown Chicago. Taking real life, red bull chugging, life insurance nightmares and tossing them out of a plane in a city environment is next level. And while some of the sequences are clearly CGI, kudos to them for using real life stunt people as it would have been safer, easier and cheaper to just rely on the special effects team for it.

Pros: I’ve liked Sideswipe from the jump and thought that the new convertible model was a pretty sleek look. The transformation is pretty simplistic and straight forward, especially if you are familiar with the general engineering for Sideswipe. Additionally the robot mode looks the part with the trademark wheeled feet and forearm blades.

Cons: Unfortunately there is one thing that is holding this figure back and I’m not sure that this is a defect on mine or a widely known issue, the trunk flap will not stay connected in robot mode and just has to kind of sit there in the backpack. Looks to be a design flaw with the plastic and its so annoying. Perhaps they could have included a bit more plastic on the tab holding it in place from the gigantic, spring loaded plastic blade that makes no sense and add no playability whatsoever to the figure overall.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

235-2
Jakks Pacific- Disney Afternoons: Darkwing Duck.



“Let’s Get Dangerous” Seriously, such a great line and from a Disney afternoon cartoon no less. I’m actually surprised his motto made it past the disney lawyers, but it was the 80’s so maybe the general public was not quite so litigious yet. I’m waiting on the eventual dumbdowned reboot where the new “improved’ motto will be “Let’s Get Dangerous in a Controlled Environment Where Risks Have Been Mitigated For The Safety and Enjoyment For All” I don’t know, seems a bit wordy. In all serious I would love if they did a reboot for Darkwing in a similar style as the super enjoyable new Ducktales cartoon: hell they already have Launchpad so what is holding them back?

Pros: It’s frickin Darkwing Duck in 3D articulated glory,sculpted beautifully like he stepped right out of the cartoon complete with his signature Hat and trustly Gas Gun.

Cons: Alright, alight, there are a few issues that I have with old DW. The leg articulation is a bit of a letdown on this figure, but was something I was prepared for as it;s a constant issue with these afternoon figures. I’n not sure what the solution would be, but given that the leg movement is pretty well pointless, it might have been better to just leave them imoble. Also, I wish the hat was removable. I get that these are basic figures, but it would have been nice to actually see his face.