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

[Team Jetfire]

478-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Electro




It’s been a while (at least one reboot) since Electro was on the forefront of the Spider-Man franchise, but I heard that there was some talk to include him in the next MCU Spider-Man movie to which I have mixed feelings. On one had I have always been a fan of the character since the 60’s Animated Spider-Man cartoon and continued into the 90’s Spider-Man cartoon and even did not mind Jamie Foxx’s portrayal in the Amazing Spiderman 2 movie. But on the other hand I think they have achieved everything that they can for the villain; what more can you do? I also don’t love that they may tap Jamie Foxx on the shoulder again to play the role. I mean, I said he did fine, but would not want to see him again.

Pros: Overall, on the surface, Electro is a fine looking figure: Nice paid job, 2 detailed heads, one cartoon accurate and one unmasked, and some cool looking electrically charged hands.

Cons: Hasbro laziness at its finest. Yes the head sculpts are nice, but everything else on this figure is recycled. The body is a straight up repaint of Pizza Spiderman (less some articulation), and the hands are from the Amazing Spider-Man Electro. There is no additional molding on the body or even a set of extra fists so he’s not constantly blasting energy out of his fingertips. Look I know the game, Hasbro does repaints with new head sculpts all the time, but for $30, a BAF piece is not cutting it anymore. Especially when Jazwares and McFarlane are pumping way better stuff out for the same price, or cheaper. That said, I literally have over 100 Marvel Legends (and counting) to open, so obviously I’m really not that mad at Hasbro…

[Toradoch]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

478-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Electro




It’s been a while (at least one reboot) since Electro was on the forefront of the Spider-Man franchise, but I heard that there was some talk to include him in the next MCU Spider-Man movie to which I have mixed feelings.

Those face sculpts are pretty awesome. I might need one, of only to use for a Mythic Legions bezerker.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Toradoch

Those face sculpts are pretty awesome. I might need one, of only to use for a Mythic Legions bezerker.

Honestly the best part of a straightforward repaint. Might still be available from the retro set?

[Team Jetfire]

479-2
Hasbro- Transformers Combiner Wars: Defensor.



Ok, time to rundown each of the parts of this combiner with some quick thoughts:
1. Blades: Overall a nice mold, but I think this is my 3 version of the mould and not anything special at this point. Plus I still don’t understand why a rescue chopper needs missiles.
2. Rook: The new kid on the block that was met with fairly lacklustre fanfare given that this is not a police motorcycle. Overall, not a bad figure that makes more sense for the set.
3. Hot Spot: Touted as being one of the best voyager sized figures and with good reason: he’s great.
4. First Aid: A decent figure overall and I like that he comes with an axe.
5. Streetwise: Another retool from the Stunticons, but I actually like it quite a bit; probably due to his shotgun accessory.
6. BONUS: Groove: Well, he’s no replacement for his G1 Namesake, plus his ability to actually combine with Defensor is questionable, but I think he’s fun.

Pros: Defensor represents the end of an era for me as there is a good chance that I’ll never complete a series to the level that I did for Combiner Wars. Yes I’ll grab the odd figure that interests me, but not as a completionist. Overall I think Defensor was the best combiner of group, but likely chalk that up to Hot Shot given the main body can make or break the entire combiner which I suppose would also give Bruticus a short at top spot, but since Defensor is still fresh in my mind, he benefits from recency bias. In any case, much like the other combiner figures, Defensor is a solid figure and looks great with the rest of the group.

Cons: Much like the other teams in the series, the ability to pose a figure of this size is its biggest issue.


.

[Team Jetfire]

480-2
Hasbro- GI Joe Sigma Six: Shipwreck




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, 384-2, 398-2, 425-2, 440-2 & 452-2 for previous thoughts.

EP: 11 Homecoming Part 1
Basic Premise (From Wikipedia): Duke heads home to Missouri to protect his family from a Cobra attack while the Joes infiltrate Cobra's Christmas party in Washington D.C. to find Adam DeCobray. All the while, Duke's adolescent past with Flint during a high school football state championship game is revealed.

Thoughts: This is a really interesting episode of G.I. Joe that provides some interesting character development and back story for Duke. Not only do we get to see where he grew up, but we also learn a bit about his upbringing and the very rocky relationship with Flint which is present throughout the series thus far. The other crazy thing is that we meet Duke’s family, including his younger brother Vincent Hauser, AKA Lt Falcon, the screw up turned hero from the G.I. Joe movie. Given that Renegades plays around with known character backstories, it is not clear if he will evolve into Sgt Slaughter’s least favorite Marauder, but it was a nice nod to the original Sunbow series nevertheless. Lastly there is a rather odd pro ARMY bend to the story, which I suppose tracks given that it IS GI Joe, but still feels weird in a kids cartoon.

Pros: Look, if you haven’t figured it out by this point, I’m not sure what to tell you: I adore the Sigma Six line and while I love the Classified line, there is just something so dang charming about these toys and Shipwreck is a prime example. He’s got a fantastic expressive head sculpt, detailed mould and paint job, great accessories including a machete, a spring loaded harpoon gun, a pet monkey that pegs into his shoulder and a knife that he can hold in his mouth, PIRATE STYLE. And if that weren’t enough, he has some detailed tattoos on his fore arms including some names of fellow female G.I. Joe teammates that have been crossed out; you connect the dots as to why that is.

Cons: So, while I did note it as a “pro”, the idea that Shipwreck could be keeping a running score on the Joe females that he potentially had… relations with is a but icky in this day and age, but I’ll choose to believe these were consensual relationships, that he was a gentleman and not some scallywag. Additionally they gave him a monkey? Really? I mean who doesn’t like monkeys, but he’s known for his pet parrot.

[Team Jetfire]

481-2
DC Collectables- DC Icons: Batgirl




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, 399-2, 414-2, 426-2, 441-2, 453-2, 462-2 & 468-2 for my previous instalments.

Superman Unbound 2013
Animation Style: It’s certainly a bit of a departure to what we have seen before and I am not a fan. Clark/Superman’s face is really narrow, I don’t like Lois with a “Karen” style haircut and I prefer the Supergirl design from the last DC movie. That said all the other supporting characters are really unique looking. I will say that I like both Superman and Supergirl’s suit though.

Voice Acting: Overall, even though these are new voices for these characters, I liked them. Superman/Kent was played by Matt Bomer (known for Doom Patrol and the current Will and Grace show), Lois was voiced by Stana Katic (best known from Castle) and Molly Quinn (also from Castle) played Supergirl. And in interesting credits, John Noble, who played Brainiac, is known to many LOTR fans as the crazy Denethor: Steward of Gondor,

Story: Nice to see a continuation of the Supergirl story. Perhaps it’s because I have seen it done in many other DC TV shows. I feel like the Brainiac story is a bit overdone. Doesn’t help that Marvel’s Ultron is also a very similar story that is also done to death; we get it, artificial intelligence is bad. Was nice to see the building relationship between Lois and Kara, but I would have liked to spend more time with Clark in the captured Krypton city. I also liked how Superman ended up defeating Brainiac, but was really sick of all the robot punching; just seemed to go on for a long time; surely there was more story that could have been included. Superman’s ‘welcome to earth’ quip was a nice touch. Also not sure you can just grow a city back to normal size? Like what happens to all the sewers and powerlines, but this is comic logic I suppose. I’m also confused as to the Supergirl ending, like did she just stay with her parents on Kandor? Was that in the comic cannon? If I had super powers I’m not sure that I would let that go. Besides, wasn’t she supposed to go to the future and hang with the Legion of Superheroes? So confusing!

Pros: Despite my attempts to have a well-rounded vocabulary on these reviews it is difficult to find different words to convey how I feel about these action figures that I purchase and review. Understand that while I try to be subjective as a reviewer, my point of view is often skewed by my own personal bias to the fact that I have invested money into a thing and would be disappointed if it did not meet my exceptions. I do not get paid for this, nor do I get early toys to review… yet, so I approach these reviews from the perspective of a young collector who just spent a days’ worth of wages from his job at the garbage dump on a cool new figure. I tend to throw the words amazing, love and fantastic around a lot on some of these reviews and while I’m not being disingenuous, I am perhaps blinded by fact this investment should have brought me some kind of joy or satisfaction. That said, this DC Collectable Batgirl is AMAZING, her vehicle is FANTASTIC and I absolutely LOVE everything about the set. We’ll start with the figure, like all the ICONS figures before: great detailed figure with a good amount of articulation, two fantastic head sculpts, including one with wind swept hair for when she is riding on the bike, a few character specific accessories including a phone, a grapple gun and 2 caps, one again for wind swept effect and a few fists to hold on to everything. The motorcycle is also fairly detailed, has a movable front fork and rolling tires. The other impressive thing about this set is the stand. Not only does it have action effects, but has the ability to tilt left or right as if the rider was leaning to the side.

Cons: Ok, not every figure can be perfect and Batgirl is no exception. I have a few minor quibbles: Her neck articulation is limited and she can’t really look up when riding the bike. Also, on the bike, I feel it’s about 20% too big. I get that she’s a smaller character and would likely look small on any bike, but this bike looks to have been made for a taller figure. Lastly, and this is like beating a dead horse at this point, a thigh swivel would have made it much easier to pose her realistically on the bike.

[Team Jetfire]

[dusty]

That last batgirl pose is fantastic.
I dont post or comment much but have been following for a long time and love the reviews.
keep up the great work and Happy Holidays

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by dusty

That last batgirl pose is fantastic.
I dont post or comment much but have been following for a long time and love the reviews.
keep up the great work and Happy Holidays

Right on! Thanks man, glad to hear that someone likes them too!

Happy Holidays to you as well!

[Team Jetfire]

482-2
Hasbro- Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Smokescreen.




According to the card back, Smokescreen’s Bio reads: “This AUTOBOT trickster strikes quickly, then disappears behind a black puff of magnetic smoke”. Ok let’s take a moment to unpack that. First, it's good to know that he is an Autobot, I mean it’s all over the package, but an actual Autobot symbol is not present on the actual figure. Secondly they describe him as a trickster, which is weird given that I don’t think he has ever been labeled as such, but maybe they are doing something different for him in this Prime series. Lastly, what is Magnetic smoke? Does it stick to Deceptions making it difficult to see? What happens to all the excess? Does it harm the environment? I need answers and for years I had recommended that companies like Hasbro partner with their respective media partners to provide a digital code for access to videos, stories or even comic book issues about the figure that was just purchased. It would be like a file card insert from those old Joes, but could have way more detail and could really benefit all parties. So imagine my surprise when I saw a little QR code on the back of Smokescreen’s package. Unfortunately the link is dead and I think was only to drive people to IDW’s sale page, but it proves that it can be done nevertheless; they just need to include a smidge of content that is already readily available, to make it worthwhile for fans to notice it.

Pros: Of the original Porsche G1 Cars (Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen) Smokescreen was always my favorite. I thought the race car aesthetic and colors looked much sharper as compared to the others and liked the dual shoulder cannons that he had in robot mode. This version certainly has some homage to the G1 character, but seems to be only Smokescreen in name. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad figure, quite the opposite as I really like the figure, but this will not be anyone’s favorite of the character. The robot mode has the cartoonish Prime design that I have become accustomed to, the articulation is decent and allows for some decent poses and the transformation is difficult enough to be enjoyable. I really like the design of the vehicle mode and know that if I was a younger fan that he would easily be one of my favs on car design alone. The Beast Hunters gimmick of extra armor and weapons is interesting, but doesn’t do much for me, but thankfully can be set aside if desired. That said, the car armour fits remarkably well and looks kind of cool.

Cons: The figure itself is cool, but given his namesake I would have loved some more convincing paint apps and while the armor looks cool on the vehicle, it looks a bit ridiculous in robot mode.