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

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Robimus

Yeah, that's totally Heavy Duty to me as well.

Could have been so easy and we wouldn?t have even noticed.

[Team Jetfire]

861-2
DC Collectables: Batman: The Animated Series: The Ventriloquist.




It’s easy to forget now, but it’s amazing just how lucky we were to get so many amazing characters in toy form from the DC Collectables Animated Series line. Granted I’m still pissed about never getting a BTAS Scarecrow figure, but that’s a story for another time. And while for fans of The Animated Series, a character like The Ventriloquist was not obscure, he certainly isn’t one of the major players in a rogues gallery. In fact, much like so many other “villains” in the series, he was really more of a mentally sick individual who needed professional help rather than a pair of fists in his face.

Pros: Converting a 2D picture to a 3D object is really difficult and DC Collectables has done an exceptional job with The Ventriloquist and It’s been a while since I was so impressed with the look of a figure. I’m also impressed with how they achieved him holding his pal Scarface and works really well.

Cons: As with these later DC Collectables figures, articulation and accessories have taken a bit of a hit due to cost, but I’m not sure if ankle tilts would have added much. That said, a stand for Scarface, or the ability for him to be held by his free hand would have been cool.

[Team Jetfire]

862-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Hela




Know what is crazy? Hasbro produced 4 different heads for Hela. Two were released as part of this version (antlers and unmasked windswept) and Three (antlers, hair back wet look and ?girl from the ring? look) as part of the 2 pack released with Scourge. I?m not sure if I have ever seen that before for the same character; nice work Hasbro. Actually making buying multiples of the same figure worthwhile.

Pros: Typically I?d be pissed about having to buy multiple figures for BAF pieces or to get original figures (like Scourge) but Hasbro made it worth our money as this version is just different enough with different heads and accessories; plus that antler head is still a marvel for a figure like this.

Cons: Hela is a great figure and while both versions are cool, I like the accessories that come with the other version better. That said, I couldn?t pass up parts to that HULK BAF.

[Team Jetfire]

863-2
McFarlane Toys- DC Multiverse: The Joker



Could you imagine how different the pop culture landscape would be if Batman just stopped after Jason Todd died in the comics? I’m not sure if that was ever a possibility, but think of everything we would have missed out on. No live action iterations with new takes every 6-7 years, no Batman Animated series, or Timm Verse and no hugely impactful (and perhaps overused) characters to play in the DC sandbox. And while I am a huge fan of the character, I wonder if DC has maybe juiced this orange a few to many times. I suppose the same could be said about Superman and maybe Wonder Woman, but it’s not difficult to see why some people prefer the MCU over a cinematic DC film. Marvel was forced to adapt to some crappy licensing deals and in the process made people care about a monosyllabic talking tree. DC never had those issues, but perhaps squandered that benefit just the same by not having a proper vision. If it didn’t work, what is the harm in trying again? Not realizing that they have created so many different versions of these characters that the fandom will never come together to agree on the best one. For a lot of Marvel fans, RDJ’s Iron man is, for better or worse, Iron Man. And while we likely will never see another traditional Iron Man again, it will force Marvel to once again innovate rather than just trying again with another new version.

Pros: Look, I’ll be honest, I just wanted this set for the horse. And while I love Frank Miller’s amazing The Dark Knight Returns trade paperback, I already have a full Mattel set that is decent enough, but lacks a Horse and for some reason displaying Batman on a horse is something that I need on my shelves. In any case, McFarlane did a great job on the basics of this figure: a nice sculpt in the style of Millar’s book and a good amount of articulation for some nice poses.

Cons: I feel like the Jokers pants are the wrong color, but I could be thinking about the recent cartoon. Also it’s super lame that DC doesn’t allow guns as I think he should really come with one. Also, how is it that the Mattel version includes the super messed up knife in the eye head sculpt?

[Team Jetfire]

864-2
Toybiz- Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring



What is everyone’s opinion of the new Lord of the Rings series on Amazon? As of this writing I have yet to watch it and aren’t in any rush to do so. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not because of any ‘hot button’ issue, but rather general apathy on my part. I recognize that it’s probably really well produced and likely up my alley as a fan of the genre and of the source material, but it just seems like work to me. It’s the same reason why I never watched Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and even Breaking Bad. At this point, it’s just way easier to put on Batman the Animated series and not have to figure out some new bullshit because everyone wants to produce a serialized, mystery box laden series that never pays itself off. You remember that show Heros? That still pisses me off till this day and made me despise these types of shows. At any rate, rant over. I’ll probably watch it eventually and hate the fact that I waited too long, which I’m also apt to do.

Pros: Gandalf is a perfect example of the 2000’s toys of the time. Great sculpt, great accessories, a small gimmick and enough articulation to make it fun to pose.

Cons: The holes on his feet aren’t large enough to peg into the rock stand; which is the entire point of the figure.

[DanM]

Good review, as always.

I don't watch a lot of TV- streaming or broadcast- but I watched Rings of Power. It did not suck. It was not a chore.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by DanM

Good review, as always.

I don't watch a lot of TV- streaming or broadcast- but I watched Rings of Power. It did not suck. It was not a chore.

Thanks Dan!

Since I wrote this I did manage to watch the first episode and was actually somewhat charmed by it. I'll be updating my progress throughout

[Team Jetfire]

Hello Friends!

Aren?t annual holiday traditions wonderful? We?ve had a lot through the years and they never fail to make me enjoy the Christmas season even more. One of the more recent traditions has been thanks to the various Toy manufacturers who have produced a few Christmas themed figures that to me are just a fun edition to the season. If you?ve missed them over past years I?ve added links to them below to get you in the yuletide mood with some old Christmas memories of mine prior to this year's Christmas figure review.

2019
272.5-2 Crackshot

http://www.actionfigurenews.ca/board...&postcount=477



2020
482.1-2 Range Trooper

http://www.actionfigurenews.ca/board...&postcount=802



482.2 Snow Trooper

http://www.actionfigurenews.ca/board...&postcount=803



2021
S-5 Holiday Joker

http://www.actionfigurenews.ca/board...postcount=1200



S-6 Slushy Soldier

http://www.actionfigurenews.ca/board...postcount=1209



Enjoy!

[Team Jetfire]

Christmas-1
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series- Wookiee: (Holiday Edition)



It?s a Christmas miracle! Not only was Hasbro able to produce a new line of these charming holiday figures in time for Christmas, I was also able to find one for a REASONABLE price! Unfortunately there is only one review this year because the current greedy Scrooges at Toys R Us were charging 54.99 for these figures. FIFTY-FOUR-NINETY-NINE!!!!! *Takes a big gulp of RUM and EGGNOG and sighs* Bah humbug indeed. I?m hoping there will be a sale for next year so I can keep this up.

Anyways, as with other Christmas reviews I wanted to share a memory from Christmas?s past and while this one isn?t a childhood memory, the thought of it still makes me laugh for how stupid it was: kind of one of those ?was the good old days, but we did realize it was the good old days? types of memories.

Ok, let's set the scene: I?m going to say it was Christmas of 2006 or 2007, my wife and I were mid twenties and our kids were around 8-10 years old. Financially we were doing ok, but didn?t have a lot of extra money at the end of the month and as such we said that we were not going all out on gifts for each other for Christmas. Now it needs to be mentioned that I?m a bit of a procrastinator and because the house was kind of small there were not a lot of places to hide gifts. It should also be mentioned that from a very young age, I?ve experienced the idea that all presents, be it Christmas or birthday, should be surprises and this has led to my gift giving as an adult. For example, in my dumb brain, my wife should not be aware that she is getting a gift until a wrapped box is on her lap. I?m not sure why this is how I view things, but I?m just going to blame my parents for being such good gift givers. With that in mind, I have a small collection of gifts for my wife that need to be wrapped and time is running out fast. Before I know it Christmas Eve is upon us and I still have not taped a poorly folded corner, but I had a brilliant plan:

Step 1: Have a normal fun Christmas Eve celebration with my family, Parents and Brother (who typically stays the night, sleeping in the basement, with us on Christmas Eve. *Important detail alert*).
Step 2: Go to bed after setting up Christmas with my wife.
Step 3: Set alarm (very quietly) to go off at 2 AM.
Step 4: Turn up the thermostat to create background furnace noise to allow audio cover while secretly and shamefully wrapping gifts in the middle of the night.
Step 5: Go back to bed and surprise my wife with magically appearing gifts on Christmas morning.

Now, for the most part my plan worked. I woke up with my alarm, increased the temp for cover and wrapped the gifts, but I did not account for my brother in the basement. Apparently he woke up in the middle of the night, soaked in his own sweat, and wondering why the furnace has been running for an hour straight. This eventually led him to head upstairs from the basement where he apparently heard some rustling and movement on the main level. Not knowing that I was in the midst of pulling off my great plan, he thought I was an intruder (or maybe Santa Clause I guess) and quickly looked around for something to arm himself with. Thankfully for both us, just as had his hand on the doorknob to take me out, I had finished my task, turned down the heat and headed upstairs back to sleep. It was only after Christmas had been un-wrapped that he brought it up and I was forced to explain my plan to the family and when I found out how close I was to getting knocked over the head with a toy hockey stick. Fun times indeed.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Pros: When the images for the new Black Series Holiday Editions were released I was most unenthused, except for this fella so I was real happy when I spotted him on Facebook Marketplace for a reasonable fee (as compared to actual retail price). I mean, I know he is really just a repaint of an already released figure, but with that coloring he looks a lot like Bummble the Abominable SnowMan from the Rankin Bass Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Christmas special. As a lifelong fan of that show, how could I say no? Also, it creates a lot of potential for white furred, arctic Wookies on different planets? Might be fun. Anyways the sculpt is super detailed and has a lot of moving parts to allow for a good amount of poses. Lastly I appreciate the edition of the Bowcaster and the different harness that even has a place to store his weapon on his back. Very cool.

Cons: While the esthetic is cool, I really dislike the fur details over the hands and feet as it makes both posing and holding on to his weapon really difficult. Also Hasbro and TRU, can we talk about that price?

[TehCollector]

Loved the story!
Hate the toy lol

Thanks for the always entertaining posts