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

[Team Jetfire]

858-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Ex Nihilo



He’s big, he’s gold, he’s filler and he’s a reminder as to why I stopped collecting Marvel Legends. Bad effort Hasbro; do better.

Pros: Ex Nihilo utilizes a big boy sculpt that is basically a fully articulated blank slate that would be awesome for any budding artists or customizers out there. Did I mention that he comes with Mantis’s arm?

Cons: It’s ridiculous that Hasbro thought this was a suitable figure for the price. And while it’s not a bad figure, it's just… nothing, which is almost worse.

[Team Jetfire]

S-21
McFarlane Toys: DC Multiverse: Red Robin



I’m not sure if I’m a big fan of Tim Drake as Robin or I’m just a fan of his aesthetic that was used for Robin’s costume throughout the 90’s regardless of who was wearing it. I’m mainly speaking about Dick Grayson’s Robin from the Batman the Animated Series cartoon, but there seems to be a bit of revisionist history as to what the OG Robin wore. In any case, costum aside, I liked Tim’s character and was a fan of how they updated him from the typical downtrodden ward that needed saving by Bruce Wayne turned sidekick. Unfortunately, I’m not sure DC knew what to do with him in the long term given that he was quickly replaced by Bruce’s son Damien as Robin, but also was not heavily featured in the Batman mythology during the New 52 period of DC comics. I’m also a bit pissed that he has been left out of all but one lousy DC Animated movies to date.

I will give credit to the New Animated Series for making Tim the Robin after Dick moved on to Nightwing, but will never forgive them for making him the villain in the Batman Beyond: Return of Joker movie… sorry spoilers.

Pros: In a world where the original Robin steals your look one must adapt and if I’m being honest, this look is better than the 90’s Robin look that Tim Drake originated. McFarlane did a typically fantastic job with the sculpt and the details and I love that we got both adjustable wings and his trusty quarterstaff. Cool
stuff.

Cons: I love the McFarlane flight stands and wish they were included in every flight based character. Also, What's with the box art? They typically feature an art piece of the character, but instead they just took a (bad) picture of the toy. McFarlane is literally one of the best comic artists out there….

[Team Jetfire]

859-2
Hasbro- Transformers R.E.D.: Cheetor



I’ll be honest with you, these R.E.D. figures are a bit of a mixed bag and certainly not for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, as someone who has a healthy collection of typical Transformers and 6” articulated action figures, this blend of the two still works for me, but I can see a collector who likes one over the other would pass on these. I mean, first off, they don’t transform so if that is a required feature, these are not for you. But secondly, as 6” action figures, they aren’t particularly good toys: rather basic looking opting for cartoonish designs with flimsy joints. I suppose there is the benefit of animation accurate sculpts that could never have been achieved in toy from outside of Masterpiece Class figures, but that really only works for the characters based on G1 designs and typically falls apart with the amazing current crop of Studio Series figures that look the part and actually transform. All in all I can’t say why I’ve stuck with this line, but also say that I’m passing on anything that isn’t G1 going forward.

Pros: Cheetor remains to be one of my favorite Beast Wars characters and I think that this R.E.D. figure has captured the overall look of his robot mode really well. Overall nice sculpt, key accessories including a blaster, some energy effects and spare hands and a good amount of unhindered articulation for some decent poses.

Cons: Not sure if this is just my version, but his joints are really floppy and has a difficult time holding the poses that his articulation allows. Also, and this is just personal taste, given that an updated Cheetor was just released as part of the Kingdom line, I feel a better figure could have been based on the much cooler looking Beast Machines design.

[Robimus]

The colours on the box art are way nicer than the actual toy imo

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Robimus

The colours on the box art are way nicer than the actual toy imo

Yeah, that blue could have been a bit more subdued.

[Team Jetfire]

860-2
Hasbro- G.I. Joe Classified: Cobra Island Roadblock




Three quick things:

G.I. Joe Classified figures could be the best thing on the market right now for 6? mass produced action figures.
If you are a toy collector and have even the slightest connection to the brand, but are holding off due to the size or the style, you really should do yourself a favor and pick one up even just to see how great they are.
I can only imagine the fighting within Hasbro between the G.I. Joe development team and the higher ups concerning this toy line. It is clear, especially after the success of the Haslab Hiss tank project, that the Joe production team is giving Joe fans everything they can: highly sought after characters, more waves each year and accessible product on the shelf, while Hasbro is making things amazingly difficult with limited production runs, lack of commitment to a manufacturing schedule in favor of other lines and of course a continued use of exclusives that are ridiculously difficult to find. It?s almost like Hasbro wants the line to fail, which seems crazy.

Pros: Little odd thing (in the G.I. Joe world anyways) is that I am a big fan of Sigma Six and more specifically, A HUGE fan of the character Heavy Duty. And while he was a big part of the Sigma series and had a bit part in the initial G.I. Joe: Ride of Cobra movie, he faded to obscurity given the ?only one big black guy per movie? rule was firmly in place for Retaliation. After that, All things Heavy Duty were filled once again by Roadblock which is how we got to this exclusive. Thankfully this is a great use of a re-paint and exclusive: Really nice sculpt with a different paint job and most of the same accessories. It?s fun because it?s a bit different, but if a collector can?t track one done, it's not the end of the world.

Cons: I love the new head sculpt but this doesn?t look like Roadblock to me. Also, while the glasses look cool, they have a tendency to fall off on my version.

[Team Jetfire]

S-22
NECA- Disney’s Gargoyles: Bronx





After Goliath I figured that I was going to be done with the Gargoyles line. Not because he isn’t a great figure, but rather because I really LOVE the figures and do not want to have to worry about hunting out another line that is frankly a bit of a pain in the ass to find. However, when I saw that trusty Gargoyle dog(?) was going to be released and would include Goliath’s much less cumbersome wings. I figured why not? Now its difficult to say if I will hunt these figures out, but if I see them available for purchase at the local toy shop I might bite as both have been solid figures out of the package.

Pros: Like his master, Bronx is an excellent 3D render of what was a pretty simple animated design. He has a solid detailed sculpt and surprising amount of usable articulation. Kudos to NECA for giving us an extra head sculpt, but I’m not sure that it’s needed given that they are not that different from one another. Lastly, I’m both happy and flustered with the extra wing/cape for Goliath. It looks amazing and works surprisingly well, but I only have one Goliath to display and I’d like to have both looks. First world problems right?

Cons: Nothing really to say. Bronx is a super fun sidekick for Goliath and I’m glad to have him.

[Team Jetfire]

[WhenGeeksCollide]

GI JOE CLASSIFIED STORM SHADOW
https://youtu.be/4juzDp90Dw4

[Robimus]

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