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

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

324-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends Riders: Black Widow




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, 233-2, 242-2, 244-2, 248-2, 254-2, 258-2, 259-2, 294-2. 296-2, 300-2, 306-2, 310-2, 311-2, 316-2 & 322 for the previous instalments.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating #1.

Avengers: Infinity War

Well, here it is and I’m not sure it’s even that much of a surprise given that It was both a critical and financial hit, but Infinity War is not only my favourite Marvel Movie, but also one of my favorite movies period; I really think that it is that good. That said, I recognize the effort that it took to make a movie like Infinity War happen and I’m not even talking about the production (even though MCU mastermind Kevin Feige rightly gets most of the credit). Much like when a running back is indebted to the offensive line for blocking before a touchdown (I’m writing this during the Super Bowl, yay sports!) Infinity War owes a great deal to the movies that preceded it. Multiple story lines and character payoffs are only possible because Disney and Marvel studios took the time to build it up and were not looking for that immediate payoff; something that current studios should take a note from. Now I could write a review as long as the movie itself on why I love this movie, but I thought I would just split it up into a few separate forthcoming reviews. I still have about a million Marvel Legends toys to review, may as well spread this out as long as I can right?

Pros: My first “rider” figure and I think it is a good fit given that Black Widow tends to cruise around on a motorcycle quite a bit. I really like the overall looks of the figure and she fits fairly well on the bike considering that she has no specialized articulation. I also love that they included 2 different head sculpts that more or less cover both her MCU and comic version.

Cons: No issues with the figure, but I feel that the bike itself is a bit too big and I would have liked her to have a few accessories as the set feels a bit lacking as compared to the other “rider” sets.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

325-2
Disney Infinity 3.0- Disney Animation: Mulan



Rating of worst to best of the a the Pixar movies continued; see review 205-2, 219-2, 231-2, 240-2, 264-2, 270-2, 285-2, 292-2, 297-2, 303-2, 313-2 & 320-2 for the previous instalments:

8. Inside Out - Much like Coco, Inside Out has all the trappings of a fantastic pixar film, but had the added beat of starring a protagonist who was the same age as my daughter going through some similar challenges of growing up and becoming young women; needless to say there are still some tears shed when I watch this movie.

Pros: Overall Mulan has an exceptional sculpt that captures her animation model beautifully and while I sound like a broken record at this point, I feel that these character models could be scaled up and sold to great demand.

Cons: While the character model is great, I’m not too keen on this version of Mulan. I guess I’m not a huge fan, but this doesn’t scream Mulan to me.

[Team Jetfire]

326-2
Hasbro- Transformers Generations: Scourge



It’s an interesting process to open these figures that were once considered to be the “best” version of the character at the time. In a lot of ways these toys are excellent, but sometimes have already been overshadowed by already improved versions over the years. Not to say that this Generations version of Scourge is worse than the more recent Titans Return Scourge (see review 280) it’s just a different, more updated homage to the character. Either figure looks like Scourge, it just depends on what your preference as a Transformers fan might be: an updated version of the G1 figure (Titans) or a modern take on the existing character (Generations); I prefer both.

Pros: I really love the new vehicle mode that gave Scourge as it has a similar G1 feel, but updated to what form that he might take on earth. Transformation is fairly intuitive and his robot mode looks nice with a decent amount of articulation. I also appreciate that his primary weapon can split up into 2 or combine into 1 giving it a bit of a G1 “target master” feel.

Cons: Generally speaking I like the overall look, but due to the design of the figure his arms are a bit of a pain to work to pose. Also his back wings don’t really stay in place very well.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

327-2
Disney Toy Box- Star Wars: Yoda




Rating of worst to best of the Star Wars movies continued; see reviews 215-2, 218-2, 221-2, 241-2, 245-2, 247-2, 266-2, 272-2, 293-2, 299-2 & 321-2 for the previous instalments:

The Bad: As mentioned in my previous “the Good” review for Solo, I compared Solo to one of the hundreds of Star Wars novels that were released in the 80’s and 90’s to keep fans satisfied and I think if we got a novelization of this movie back then, it would basically be considered canon and well regarded in the fandom. Problem is, so much time has passed and there has already been hundreds of other accepted Star Wars stories that this movie aims to solidify certain aspects of Han Solo’s life is almost a slap in the face to everyone who thought they knew otherwise.
Solo also has a real Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Vibe to it. (This was something my Brother said about the start of Indy 3 and I have not been able to forget it). No, Han does not have ot save his father from the Nazi’s, but that everything that we know about Han Solo as a character is presented to us in this movie in rather quick series of events during this movie. I mean, I’d like to think that the best aspects of my personality were developed over a longer period than a week. His name, his best friend, his gun, his ship and even his claim to fame is all explained in this movie. I’m half surprised that the movie didn’t include a scene with him getting his famous chin scar in a pseudo “space lion tamer” scene like in Indy 3. I would have much preferred a chapter in the life of Han, not the full story.
Also I have to fault the production and directorial change of this movie. You might not know, but Solo was originally to be directed by Lord and Miller who were the team behind the Lego Movie and Spiderman- Into the Spiderverse. After creative differences (half way through the production) they were fired and replaced with Ron Howrad. And while Howard is an amazing director, it is clear to me that there are still a lot of influences from Lord and Miller on certain scenes (more humorous) that do not really fit with the rest of the movie. I’m not saying that Lord and Miller’s version would have been better, but at least it would have felt consistent.
Lastly I have to fault this movie, Lucasfilm and perhaps even Disney in general for almost killing the franchise. And while I still love all Star Wars (good and bad) it was clear that they were far too overconfident with this franchise and took some of the fan base for granted. Thankfully for everyone, it looks as though Disney has taken a step back and are going to rethink their strategy to keep the universe going for a long time.

Pros: If you are looking for a perfect little Star Wars figure for your desk, this is it. Nicely detailed, a good amount of articulation, a little light saber and even a Jedi Ghost version to play out all his post Jedi versions.
Cons: Not a darn thing; this Toy Box figure packs a lot in for the price.

[Team Jetfire]

328-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Iron Man



So funny story: this was almost my first Iron Man figure and if it wasn’t for the unreasonable cost of Marvel Legends at the time ($20 each?!?!) It would have been a short run for me cause this is certainly not the pinnacle of what Hasbro is capable of. Lucky for me once I was hooked by a selection of much better Marvel Legends, I was able to pick this crap sack up at Target on sale during a trip to Phoenix.

Pros: Ok, credit where credit is due: in a world where there has been a number Iron Man suits each more or less the same, there is something cool about a unique Iron Man space suit that was used during a short stint as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy; also he comes with a BAF piece needed to complete Groot.

Cons: Despite being a unique figure, Guardians Iron Man is quite possibly the worst Marvel Legend to date and that is saying something. It’s a terrible design, feels like a knock off and has no additional accessories that would make this figure worth the retail price. Thankfully this is not the norm for most Marvel Legends figures.

[Team Jetfire]

329-2
Hasbro- Transformers Combiner Wars: Rook



Rook is a bit of a paradox to me as he represents both the bad and good about Hasbro’s figure choices. BAD because they again bucked tradition and opted to not produce a G1 accurate Defensor complete with the Motorcycle “groove”, but GOOD because they did go the extra mile by not simply throwing another Combiner Wars repaint into the group. It’s really just an odd choice as Rook is one of the more unique moulds of the Combiner Wars series, and even makes sense from a size perspective, but G1 fans would have probably preferred a Motorcycle.

Pros: Rook is a beefy figure that reminds me a bit of Animated/Prime Bulkhead, but in Protectobot colors. Both modes look good, the transformation is fairly simple and the robot articulation is as good as any of the other similar Combiner Wars figures. His tazer weapon is also a bit unique and fits (perhaps a bit too well) with his SWAT vehicle mode. Hopefully he is not as keen to use it on human protestors like some other law enforcement agencies as of late.

Cons: While I appreciate the simple transformation, it might be a bit too simple amounting to limit more than a shell-former. I also don’t love the lack of fist holes with which to hold his weapon with; I get that they were wanting to have the tazer as an extension of the arm, it’s just not my favorite look.

[Team Jetfire]