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Old 05-30-2019, 12:34 PM   #381
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Re: I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

212-2
DC Collectibles- DC Icons: Atomica and the Atom.





I like to think of myself as a bit of a comic book fan with a decent knowledge of most modern characters of the DC universe, but Atomica was certainly a bit of mystery. In truth, it’s not surprising given her relatively short time being alive and all (Villain posing as a hero, eventually getting squished by Lex Luthor...oh, um…. SPOILERS), but still you would think give the great cost for action figure production that DC Collectibles would have maybe selected a more popular character for their FIRST female release of their Icons line. Sure eventually we would get Harley, Wonder Woman and Batgirl, but what about all the other fantastic ladies of DC like Catwoman, Batwoman, Lois Lane, and of the GL Corps. I suppose there is the added bonus of the 2 little Atom figures, but given that the Atom never got a full size release and these little figures are a bit basic, it’s not really fair trade in my opinion. Perhaps DC should have made The Atom regular sized and Atomica middle sized as a nice little (heh) bonus for anyone who actually knew of her limited history.

Pros: Despite being an unknown, DC did a phenomenal job with this release. Amazing head sculpt, nice costume details like on her belt as well as double jointed elbows. The mid-sized Atom has a decent sculpt, but limited articulation and the min-Atom looks has a neat little shrinking effect that his feet can plug into.

Cons: Unfortunately Atomic’s amazingly sculpted hair limits her neck movement causing her to always look down . Also has the same Icons thigh swivel issue that I will not shut up about. I also wish that the Atom had a bit more articulation to make him a more legitimate release.










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Old 05-30-2019, 12:35 PM   #382
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Old 06-10-2019, 09:49 PM   #383
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Re: I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

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Hasbro- Transformers- Reveal the Shield: Turbo Tracks.



Rating of worst to best of the Transformers movies continued; see review 208-2 for the first instalment:

Transformers Movie Rating #7. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The Bad- Revenge of the Fallen is a bizarre collection of set pieces loosely connected by a senseless storyline that somehow contradicts established history from both movies prior and there after. I suppose the official reason is because of the Hollywood writers strike, but that would suggest that Michael Bay had any plan outside of “big robots and blow some stuff up”. I also don’t understand why Sam never really caught a break in these movies. I mean, he only saved the world from transforming aliens, why wouldn’t getting an undergraduate degree in what... communications not be the most important thing on your mind after an experience like that? I feel that it simply comes down to fact that Michael Bay is so in love with the American experience that he is incapable of understanding why a kid like Sam would NOT have a college experience. Like seriously, if I was even aware that giant transforming robots from space existing, I would quit my job and head off the grid cause shit is going to go down. In fact, the MOST believable characters are Simmons and Leo. Some other bothersome things include pacing and editing suggesting that not one person who made this movie knows how time and distance works, but that’s is almost standard on these movies.

Turbo Tracks.

Pros: Overall Tracks is a great figure and represents a bit of a golden age of the Transformer Toys for me as it seemed that Hasbro was killing it with these “classics”or “generation” type figures. He certainly has all the hallmarks of the G1 Tracks that we all know and love but adds the modern touches of decent articulation and poseability. I also appreciate that Hasbro included a 3rd “flight” mode, regardless of how mediocre it is.

Cons: Not sure how to put this delicately but, he’s a little fat, or rather, big boned. Normally it would be fine, but given that tracks is such a narcissist, it would un-appealing for him to be so large in robot mode. (jeez, I can’t believe that my main complaint on a childrens toy is that its too fat for what the “made-up” character would have liked. In-fact, why do I care at all?? Ah well, someone needs to do it) My other issue is that the robot mode is a bit floppy and the car mode has some issues with tabing all the body parts together.












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Old 06-10-2019, 09:50 PM   #384
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Old 06-11-2019, 11:51 AM   #385
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Re: I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

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DIsney Toy Box- Disney Animation: Jack Skellington and Zero



WHAT IS THIS!!! Well, it looks like Disney Toy Box’s second “Disney Specific” figure and it’s a decent choice for sure as Jack Skellington is an easy fan favorite. That said, I will concede that it’s perhaps an odd choice for the 2nd “Disney” release given there are so many more classic characters to run with. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that he WAS released around Halloween and Disney is nothing if not opportunistic.

Pros: Another knockout punch from the Toy Box folks; Great sculpt, decent articulation and fits the cartoonish aesthetic of the Toy Box figures. Alon, on Zero, check out the Jack O Lantern on the nose, now that is some attention to detail.

Cons: Something you have to understand about these Toy Box figures is that nothing is standard in as far as articulation. I encountered this on Spiderman with the ankle tilts and now Jack with not have ball jointed hip joints. It’s a bit of a bummer as it totally affect the poseability, but given that the joints are so small, I see why he was ultimately designed that way. There is some play there, but be warned, looks can be deceiving and do not snap a joint.













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Old 06-12-2019, 03:34 PM   #386
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Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Han Solo



Well, you probably figured this was coming, time to rank the Star Wars movies from bottom to top, and like the Transformer Movies I’m going to take a Good, Bad and Ugly look at each film in the ranking. I’m not including the Clone Wars animated movie, the Ewoks TV specials, or the Life Day special because I do not want to put them too far above the others that it wouldn’t even be fair. As always, these are my thoughts and probably differ from yours and that's ok.

Star Wars Movie Rating #10- Star Wars EP2 Attack of the Clones.

This should not be a surprise to anyone, but AOTC is, in my mind, the worst of the Star Wars movies yet I still watch it on a regular basis for some reason. I can say that my opinion of the movie is somewhat tainted given that I was going through some challenging times in my personal life, but even if I had won the lottery the same day that I say it I'm sure I would have still had the same feeling about it.
The Good: When this movie as a whole is viewed as a cheesy pulp novel with cliche story lines, hoeky dialogue and over the top characters it's actually somewhat palatable. For example, Obi Wan's detective noir side story is kinda fun and many of the characters introduced like Count Dooku and Jango Fett are not terrible to watch. I also will give credit to Hayden Christensen for taking over the role of Anakin Skywalker from the terribly miss cast Jake Lloyd and made it somewhat believable that he could eventually turn into Darth Vader. finally the battle of Geonosis was great and lightsaber duel between Duku, Obi Wan, Anakin and finally Yoda had me smiling from ear to ear. Overall Ep 2 helped create a world that could transition to the next chapter as well as create a starting point for 8 seasons of the very popular and well made
Han Solo
Pros: The rouge smuggler with a heart of gold looks great in his signature Star Wars outfit with iconic vest, blue pants and black boots. The pre “face scanning” head sculpt works well enough and the blasters, belts and spare flying gloves are a really nice touch.

Cons: I get really nervous while changing over the belts as I can just see the soft rubber tab breaking clean off. Also, it's hard to get into a single jointed elbow in a in a double jointed elbow world and while I appreciate the cleaner aesthetic, a greater range of motion would be nice.









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Old 06-13-2019, 01:53 PM   #387
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Re: I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

012-R
Disney Vinylmation- Urban 3 Series: WDW Puzzle
Approx Release Date: 2009
Current Price and Availability: 9.99
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Disney-Vinyl...EAAOSw3ydV0DBM



Unfortunately, unlike my other Disney Vinylmation figures this little fella was not a souvenir from a recent trip to a Disney Park, but rather the first Disney Vinylmation that we bought during our first trip to Disney World as a family. And here’s the thing, it’s not even mine. Technically it belongs to my son who was the first to try his luck at the blind box Vinylmation figures and looking back at the entire series, I think he chose wisely given that the design has a bit of a retro Disney World feel to it which is convenient as a souvenir to remember our trip and what a trip it was…

I remember it like it was yesterday (or because of the pictures), Christmas 2009, my wife and I decided to surprise our kids with a week long trip to Disney World in the New Year and despite having a few Disneyland trips under our belt we were not really prepared for how to handle Disney World let alone in January. I won’t go into too much detail, but here is the coles notes on what we encountered.

Around the time of our planned departure a failed terrorist attempt (shoe bomber) resulted to even more airport security and the provision that passengers were limited to having no carry-on luggage. This obviously made things difficult travelling with young kids, so I tried my luck through security with a backpack full of gameboys and other things to keep the kids busy for the 6 hour flight; which ultimately backfired and lead to me carrying around a clear plastic garbage bag with the entire contents of my carry-on that I was unable to cram into our checked luggage.
Florida in January can be cold, really cold, and because I was born and raised in Canada I did not think that a little chilly Florida weather would slow us down (I even packed shorts and wore them to prove a point). Well that was a mistake as I forgot to account for a little thing called humidity. Lucky we brought our winter jackets, but it still was not enough; our little winter getaway was really just that, a literal winter getaway. Now it could be a fluke as it actually snowed, which doesn’t happen often, but I will never visit Florida in January ever again.
At that point in our lives we had been to Disneyland in California a few times and thought that we had a solid understanding of how to experience a Disney Theme Park and while there is no wrong way to do it, I feel that we somehow still did it wrong. Not to say that we didn’t have a good time, but we missed out on a good portion of the things that make Disney World unique from Disneyland. Key rides, special shows and other specific attractions that are typically “must-dos” were missed in favor of other less than impressive activities. The key for anyone looking at a trip to any Disney park is planning and we feel short. Thankfully since that time we have been back a few times to remedy some of missed opportunities.

Pros: Serves as both a great reminder of our first trip to Disney World and as the Vinylmation that started it all. I’ve also come to really appreciate the retro vibe of this design as a nice throwback to 80’s Disney World.

Cons: This little fella actually belongs to my son and lived through the wear and tear of the last 8 years so it’s a bit smudged up. Thankfully he was gracious enough to provide to me to add to the group of other Vinylmation figures.







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Old 06-14-2019, 02:00 PM   #388
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Re: I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Bulldozer



Rating of worst to best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies continued; see review 207 & 210 for the previous instalments:
:
Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating- #18: Iron Man 3

While it’s not nearly as bad as other ‘Marvel branded’ 3rd movies (looking at you X-Men: The Last Stand and Spider-Man 3; I actually didn’t mind Age of Apocalypse) it’s certainly the worst of the standalone Iron Man movies, but I think it has less to do with the overall story and more to do where it stands within the MCU as a whole. I suppose it doesn’t help that there were 3 Iron Man releases within the initial 7 released and that the trajectory of the character likely evolved when Disney took over, seemingly circling back to make Stark the godfather of the franchise. For instance, consider where Tony was at the finale of this movie: He seaming had mentally sorted out the space invasion with the help of the whiny kid from Jurassic World, he destroyed pretty well of the suits that he made since first becoming Iron Man and he was miraculously saved from the injury that lead him to become Iron Man in the first place; All of this to just be thrown back into action in Avengers: Age of Ultron and beyond, but it’s not like I’m complaining; in fact I think I would be upset if he did move on considering his added impact in the universe as a whole, for now anyways.

Overall this is actually a decent movie that does a good job in developing Tony’s character into more of a mentor rather than a lead character, which is important given the role that he plays in following phases of the MCU. Additionally the plane scene is overlooked as possibly one of the top 5 legitimate exciting sequences in all of the MCU. When you consider all the CG heavy scenes in most of the movies, it’s nice to see some practical stunts mixed in. Plus the reveal of the drone suit was a nice touch.

Unfortunately, for me anyways, there are some things that really don’t work. Firstly, I love Rodey and War Machine, but the whole Iron Patriot thing fell flat for me; maybe if they somehow intertwined Iron Patriot with the history of Captain America (garish propaganda symbol), but they just kinda through him together with a limited story about how War Machine didn’t track too well. Secondly the whole Mandarin miss-direct was a wasted opportunity to work in one of Iron Man’s most well know foes. Instead we get a Ben Kingsley acting his ass off and a few throw away moments with another major glossed over villian group: AIM. Thirdly, and this just dawned on me so if it is a common criticism i’m not aware, but the storyline has the same basic beats from The Batman Forever movie. Awkward scientist is brushed off by good looking hero. Then somehow becomes equally good looking (somehow) and vows some type of revenge. Add in a young ward type character and it’s basically the same story.

Bulldozer

Pros: I have no absolutely no idea who Bulldozer is, but I love this figure. I’m sure I have mentioned it before, but I love big bulky figures and BD really fits that bill. The helmet head sculpt is also really well done and the figure has a decent amount of articulation for a figure this size. It’s also always nice when a lesser know figure has a good figure produced.

Cons: It’s a bit of an older figure and has the articulation to prove it with wingle jointed elbows, those terrible hip joints and even predates ankle tilts in favor of those toe joints.. I suppose it becomes a form over function as multiple joints can look terrible (LIke Toy Biz Marvel) but still would have been nice.I’m also not sure if Bulldozer has a Rhino thing going where he cannot take off his helmet, but an extra head would have been nice as no other accessories were included.










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Old 06-17-2019, 03:57 PM   #389
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Re: I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

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Hasbro- Transformers Prime: Wheeljack



Rating of worst to best of the Transformers movies continued; see review 208-2 & 213-2 for previous instalments:
Transformers Movie Rating #7. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

The Ugly- So much, so very much is ugly with this movie that it’s hard to believe Hasbro signed off on it. Firstly the female characters are nothing more than eye candy or parental characterture with no development whatsoever. When compared to the BumbleBee and the Last Knight it’s crazy how far they have come. Secondly, those frickin twins… Like how could anyone listen to those voices matched with that design and think that it might come off as a touch insensitive? Again, how did Hasbro sign off on this again? Thirdly, the humor appeals to the lowest common denominator with multiple fart jokes, sexual innuendos and two parents that I think should be committed to a mental institution. Lastly and I have to say it; I find the idea giant alien robots much more believable than Sam being with Mikaela and they make a big deal about him saying that he is in LOVE? Jesus christ Michael Bay; stop it with the American boy cliches!

Pros: I have loved Wheeljack since I first saw him and Bumblebee stealing power rods from the Decepticons on Cybertron so any Wheeljack is a good Wheeljack, err for the most part anyways. There is a lot to love on this figure: A great sculpt with really nice G1 Wheeljack details (including back fins), a good amount of usable articulation for some dynamic poses and 2 kickass swords that have built in backpack storage.

Cons: While the figure itself is pretty great, it just doesn't really fit the personality of the G1 character. Wheeljack is not really known as a blade wielding ninja bot, but more of a mechanical engineer; perhaps they played up that side of him in the cartoon, but it's certainly not apparent in this figure.













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Old 06-17-2019, 03:57 PM   #390
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