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

[Team Jetfire]

541-2
Disney Toybox- Disney Classics: Sorcerer Mickey Mouse.




I’m continuing my quest to watch and review the entire Disney Animation collection to date. See reviews 429-2, 434-2, 456-2 461-2, 484-2, 513-2, 518-2 & 528-2 for previous entries.

The Three Caballeros
Year Released: 1945

The second of the Disney Package films is, like the first one Saludos Amigos, another goodwill film aimed at Latin America and acts like a travel documentary with seven different stories that are connected by Donald Duck, who acts a bit like a main character throughout. The first 2 segments, The Cold Blooded Penguin and The Flying Gauchito are fun little stories that have the least to do with the overall story, but would likely be familiar as standalone shorts or from older Disney Books. We then get another appearance of Jose Carioca, the Brazillain, cigar smoking parrot who shows Donald around the coastal paradise of Bahia, Brazil. For the forth segment, they meet a new friend named Panchito Pistoles who is a Rooster ambassador to Mexico and he explains some Christmas traditions for the people of Mexico and leads to a who bit about piñata’s. The Fifth segment continues in Mexico with some history of Mexico city and leads to the last two segments with more musical features set to animation. Overall, like Saludos Amigos it is a fun series of animated shorts that give an interesting look at some countries that are often grouped into the heading of Mexico south. That said, I don’t love how they made Donald a sex crazed hornball throughout. The entire last half of the movie is him making really uncomfortable moves on the ladies and while it was likely all in good fun, it’s a bit creepy. Be forewarned if you want to watch, there is a lot of singing and dancing, but the animation is pretty stealer to make up for it.

Theme Park Presence: Given that I’m such a fan of the Disney Theme Parks, I thought it would be fun going forward to include any inclusion from these films in the parks.

The Three Caballeros are featured prominently at EPCOT at the Mexico pavilion on a ride my family proudly called “The Mexican Boat ride” In actual fact it’s called the Grand Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros and it’s a damn delight. Yes it’s a bit boring, but has some nice video segments of Mexico featuring an animated Donald, Jose and Panchito as your guide. It’s also located in the air conditioned Mexico pyramid that is set up like an open market at night. Lots of stuff to see, eat and drink as they also have a Tequila bar.

Pros: I love everything about this Toybox figure. Seriously, the sculpt is excellent, the articulation is great for various poses, the magic hat is removable and looks great on OR off and the mop accessory is the perfect accessory. If you are a Disney fan and looking for an ideal desk piece, run, don’t walk, to your local Disney store and pick one up.

Cons: Nothing. This is the perfect figure and does exactly what it should.

[Team Jetfire]

542-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Commander Cody.



I always was a bit bummed to see that after years of working together Cody ended up turning on Obi-Wan after Palpatine gave Order 66. I suppose all Clones went after their Jedi Generals, but given we see Cody so much more throughout the Clone Wars series, it just hits a bit different. That said, the same Should be said about Rex, Anakin’s Clone liaison, but it was later shown in the Rebels cartoon that Order 66 didn’t have the same effect on him. I suppose this is a good time to highly recommend both the Clone Wars and Rebels cartoon series, as both are extremely well done and provide a window into the Star Wars universe outside of the movies.

Pros: While I like the Clone Trooper design well enough, I REALLY like the design of the higher ranking Clones way better and this sculpt pulls it off pretty well with a detailed helmet, some extra bits on the armour and a molded backpack. Seems to have the same articulation scheme as the standard clone, which is decent enough and comes with the same hand blaster and heavy blaster.

Cons: Given that Cody represents a more sussed out character I wish they put a bit more detail into the figure and would have really benefited from a removable helmet and actual clone head sculpt. I believe since then there has been a number of Clone Commanders released with removable helmets, so perhaps a re-release is in order to update.

[Team Jetfire]

543-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Red Guardian.



So once again I’m working with a character that I know very little about, with little to no detail provided by Hasbro. I suppose it should be noted that Red Guardian, or rather a version of him, was to play a rather big part in the still yet to be released Black Widow movie, so at least the MCU can give me an eventual assist. In the meantime a quick Google search brings up a number of articles, no doubt written in conjunction with the hype from the movie, about who the Red Guardian really was, so it really was not that difficult to learn a bit more about this figure. As far as I can tell, this figure is based on a character named Josef Petkus who was the 3rd or 4th person to identify as the Red Guardian. Incidentally this character is different from the MCU version who has a direct connection to the Black Widow. As with other Red Guardians, Petkus was created to be the USSR’s answer to Captain America, but was not really seen as a villain. It’s also not clear if he has the super soldier powers like Steve Rogers, but still carries a similar looking shield that is unique to the initial versions of the characters who wielded a circular disk that they kept on the belts.

Pros: Red Guardian is overall a stunning looking figure with an imposing head sculpt on a large sized Marvel Legends body, really striking red and white paint job and featured shield that can be attached to his arm or stored on his back. I will also never not like the extended gauntlets on the gloves and folds on the boots of this body.

Cons: Much like the actual character, this figure of Red Guardian is really just a repainted version of Captain America figure from the Onslaught wave with a new head and less accessories. Not the worst thing given that I really liked that figure, but still a bit of a cop-out for Hasbro.

[Team Jetfire]

544-2
Hasbro- Transformers Prime: Cliffjumper



Cliffjumper is one of the few Prime figures that I doubled down on. That is, I bought both the preview figure and the mainline. I think the draw for me is his muscle car vehicle mode, the fact that he was not just a repaint of Bumblebee and of course the bizarre truth that for all of 5 minutes he was voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the first episode of the cartoon. I guess it was before he was the super star that he is today and may have been a favor to Hasbro given that he also played Roadblock in the G.I. Joe sequel. Either way, I think it’s a fun little piece of trivia for a rather unimpressive series.

Pros: Way back on review 191-2 I reviewed the previews version of Cliffjumper and its actually interesting to see the difference between the two. I mean, both are a deluxe, both have a cool vehicle mode and both are clearly Cliffjumper, that said they each have their better parts. For instance, the Previews version has a better looking vehicle mode due to the tinted windows and better looking arms in robot mode. However, the lower body portion of the mainline version is overall better looking and a better likeness to the animated model. Transformation wise the mainline figure is fairly simple, but still fun and I appreciate the included Hammer/Blaster weapon.

Cons: The arms look a bit like elongated gorilla arms, plus the overall assembly of them is a bit weak as they have a tendency to come apart easily.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

545-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends Riders: Wolverine




I really dislike the idea of full size vehicles for 6” figures as they are just far too large to be practical in any collection. That said, I do love these riders figures and a motorbike, or Star Wars speeder or even perhaps a Cobra Trouble Bubble (Not confirmed, just hopping) are almost the perfect size to be cool, yet still fit on a collection. Obviously a bike with Wolverine is a given, as I feel it would be his preferred mode of transportation. In fact, a few years ago on my short lived Retro toys I reviewed a similar type figure from the X-Men Evolution toy line that featured a Sabertooth and two different Wolverines (one costumed and one plain closed) on some really fantastic looking bikes. The funny thing was that the costumed Wolverine figure actually came with a helmet. Think of the logic there; a helmet for the mutant who has both an adamantine skull and a healing factor that can heal any ailment.

Pros: Now this feels like a Wolverine figure. Short and stocky, muscular and hairy and the only thing missing is a lit cigar. I’m not kidding, this figure just oozes personality. Overall decent articulation, two heads, one with a classic Eye Patch and both clow hands and grasp hands for the Motorbike. The titular RIDE of this rider set is a blue Harley Sport clone that I assume is a less dressed version of Ghost Riders bike. Overall it’s a nice looking bike that can hold the figure fairly well and distinguishes itself with some soft plastic saddlebags.

Cons: While I don’t mind the extra head, I really wish that Hasbro gave the rider set the cowboy hat and Katana sword from the overpriced EB Games exclusive. It’s not that 6 blades on a bike is not enough, but I would have loved the look from his days in Japan. On the bike, while I love the saddlebags, they just did a really bad job in affixing them to the back of the bike and just fells off. Not a big deal for me as I’m not VROOM-VROOMING it around, but should stay on a little bit right?

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

546-2
Disney Infinity 3.0- Pixar: Nemo



I’m continuing my quest to watch and review the entire Disney Animation collection to date. See reviews 429-2, 434-2, 456-2 461-2, 484-2, 513-2, 518-2, 528-2 & 541-2 for previous entries.

Make Mine Music
Release Date: 1946
Availability: Not streaming yet on Disney Plus, but each segment is available on YouTube.

The 3rd anthology package file, Make Mine Music steps back from the Latin American theme to a more random grouping of 10 Disney animated musical shorts that will seem familiar to any Disney fan. They include:
1. The Martins and the Coys- A version of Romeo and Juliet with an Appalachian twist. It’s pretty fun and a great way to start the movie.
2. Blue Bayou- Apparently a segment meant for Fantasmic this features some beautiful animation set to equally beautiful music.
3. All the Cats Join In- A really upbeat segment scored by Benny Goodman following some 1940’s teens through a night of dancing.
4. Without You- Even though I just watched it, I cannot remember this segment, yikes.
5. Casey at Bat- One of the more well known shorts, this features the story of an arrogant ballplayer in a reverse underdog story. A really great watch with some funny bits.
6. Two Silhouettes- A balled between two rotoscoped dancers through animated backgrounds. One of the weaker of the segments, but nice for what it is.
7. Peter and the Wolf- A short featuring a young Russian boy named Peter and his adventure in trying to catch a wolf in the wilderness. I have this story book as a kid and must have read it a thousand times and also read it to both my kids. I absolutely love this story and is easily my favorite of the movie. Doesn’t hurt that it was narrated by Sterling Holloway.
8. After You’ve Gone- Again, can’t really recall this one…
9. Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet- A nice love story between two hats. It actually kind of feels a bit like a PROTO Pixar story with giving feelings to inanimate objects.
10. The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met- Another really enjoyable segment that could be a Pixar movie. It’s a bizarre tale of an opera singing whale and the Sea Captain who is intent on harpooning him.


Disney Park Presence: As far as I know, the only segment that has a theme park tie is Casey At Bat. In Disney World there is a popular diner called Casey’s corner that serves Hotdogs and sodas on Magic Kingdom’s Main Street. There is also a Casey’s Corner in Disneyland Paris in the same area off Main Street. Fun fact where we were there a few years back, it was the only place open for us to eat and we spent $80 on 2 mediocre hotdogs, some drinks and chicken nuggets. Cie si bon!

Pros: Well, this is it, my very last Disney Infinity figurine and it’s a bit of a bummer and I really am not a fan of Nemo! I’ve never liked the film or the sequel (for personal reasons as it is objectively good) In any case, it’s been a really great run and I really appreciate that Disney has produced so many great figures and Nemo is no exception. Really nice sculpt with a fantastic looking environment.

Cons: As with Boba Fett and Dorey, Nemo had the same plastic film that developed on the figure. I didn’t notice until after I took a bunch of pictures and it wipes off without much effort, but still makes me wonder how long these figures will last.

[Team Jetfire]

547-2
McFarlane Toys- DC Multiverse: 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, 481-2, 490-2, 496-2 510-2, 519-2, 525-2 & 538-2 for my previous instalments.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters

Animation Style: Given that Gods and Monsters was produced by the architect of the DC Animated universe, it would stand to reason that this film shares a similar yet updated and more fluid animated style. It messes with your mind a bit given that this takes place in a different continuity as the other animated series and I’m expecting the normal Justice League to jump in, but overall it works well. I also enjoy the designs of both Batman and Wonder Woman, but don’t love the look of Superman; something to do with the lines on his face.

Voice Acting: Overall Gods and Monsters has an impressive cast featuring many of the standard DC Animated players as well as Benjamin Bratt (Eric from Miss Congeniality and Hector from Coco) playing a very different Superman, Michael C. Hall (Psycho good guy from Dexter) as a fitting creepy vampire Batman and Tamara Taylor (Serenity, Party of Five and Bones) as a different, yet equally cool, Wonder Woman. In interesting credits, President Waller (yes, that Waller) is voiced by Penny Johnson Jerald who I know from the surprisingly fantastic show, The Orville.

Story: Generally speaking I’m not a big fan of the “What-If” type scenarios when it comes to comic stories. I suppose it’s interesting to see how things could have been, but they often rely on a butterfly type effect that triggers an entirely different reality from what we are used to. For example, in Gods and Monsters, Superman is no longer the son of Jor-el, but rather Zod and instead of being raised by Ma and Pa Kent, was raised by Mexican Immigrants. Now I can easily see how that may have changed Superman’s trajectory and overall personality, but not how EVERY OTHER DC super hero, including the original Brue Wayne Batman and Amazonian Princess Wonder Woman is missing from their world? Why are the Flash? Martian Manhunter or Green Lantern missing yet Will Magnus and the Metal Men are around? I should say that these issues are present in the upcoming Superman: Red Son movie too, but I’ll get to it.

All those silly frustrations aside, this is a great movie if you don’t get into the weeds too much. The three “heros” are developed well throughout the story and you actually understand their individual motivations and they work their way through the mystery as to who is framing them. I’m not sure if this was meant to be the beginning of a bigger new universe, but it never really seemed to go anywhere which is a bummer as it could have been cool to see how they added all the missing DC stuff in this universe.

Pros: Lots of Batgirl on my reviews lately and as a fan of the character I say keep em coming. In typical McFarlane fashion, we have an amazingly sculpted figure with nice details throughout. The suit looks really great and while I know the toy is just matching the comic that it was based on, I like the shorter cape and different cowl design too. Another thing I appreciate is that they gave her boots rather than high heels as they are far more practical, but also much easier to pose. Also nice that they included a grapple gun and bat-a-rang.

Cons: Overall I feel that she could be an inch shorter plus I’m still not sold on that face sculpt as she looks a bit like a frog.

[Team Jetfire]

548-2
Hasbro- Transformers Generations Thrilling 30: Starscream and Waspinator.




On the surface this seems like an odd pairing, but in actuality, this two-pack makes a lot of sense. If you overlooked the Beast Wars series given its departure from the G1 landscape, you actually missed out on a really well written series that evolved into a fantastic Transformers story that eventually effectively linked itself to G1 in a way that no other series since has. In the episode Possession, Waspinator is possessed by the Ghost of Starscream and forced to help with his diabolical plans to overthrow Megatron once again. The episode was a big deal at the time as it was relatively early on in the run of the series and included the first sign that there might be *ahem* more than meets the eye to the world of the Beast Wars.

Pros: Starscream: A nice, classic looking Starscream figure that looks great in both modes, a fun transformation and a decently posable robot mode.
Waspinator: Clearly supplemental to the set, Waspinator has a surprisingly good beast mode, but only a passable Robot and weapon mode. Still not bad considering is a two inch tall triple changer.

Cons: Starscream: For what it is, I have no complaints, just a fun little figure.
Waspinator: Again, not going to come down too hard on it given what it is.