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

[Team Jetfire]

S-69
Hasbro- G.I. Joe Classified: Snake Eyes and Timber





I may have spoken about it before, but I'm going to address it again. My thoughts on the windowless package issue created by Hasbro. On the whole, I don't really care that they have removed plastic from the packaging. I open my figures, throw out the boxes and have often spoken out on the ridiculous lengths that some toy companies go to in keeping the figures secure in their boxes. Case in point the G.I. Joe Sigma Six figures are nearly impossible to free from their confines without the help of wire cutters. There was often too much plastic that from what I understand can not be recycled that will eventually end up in the trash. However, on the flip side, not every collector is an opener like me and has their own reasons for keeping a figure mint in box or on card. What good is a sealed, windowless box to a MISB collector? May as well be a cardboard box full of used tissues at this point. There is also the bigger issue and irony about a multi-billion dollar toy company, making a choice on packaging under the guise of environmental sustainability when they are in the business of producing and selling plastic products.


So what is the solution? I feel like perhaps Hasbro went a step too far and alienated a good portion of their fan base so they should rethink their branding. (Which was already announced) That said, I'm not sure they need to go all the way back to the super MISB collector friendly packages. Perhaps they keep the plastic window, but drop the plastic blister inserts? Hard to say what will please everyone. As for me, I would just like a package that would give me peace of mind that what is on the inside of the box matches the outside, negating the need for me to open windowless boxes as soon as I get them and creating havoc with my opening by number schedule.

Pros: I love me a Snake Eyes and Timber release and it's a good thing too given that I have both of them. I wish I had opened the initial release to compare, but given the windowless package debacle, I thought it better to open this one first to ensure all the stuff is there while I was still in my “return window”. On the whole, I feel like this Snake Eyes is really just like the other Snake-Eyes, but with a “new hat” as it were (Shout-out Simpsons), which is also to say that this one is equally as great as the last release, but with a bunch of cool stuff. Also, Timber may be the best animal accessory that has been produced thus far.

Cons: I really don't have much bad to say outside of the typical complaints that the joints are gummy and feel like they could tear at any time. Also while I love all the guns and extra gear, I hate that there is nowhere to store it. Lastly the poncho is cool, but doesn't really sit right on his chest. A fabric one would have been preferable.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

S-70
Mattel- Pixar Favorites: Crush and Squirt






Don't get me wrong here, but I can kind of understand why Mattel's Pixar favorites line did not do all that well thereby landing at our dollar store. Yes it is cool to have a handful of figures from now dated movies, but some releases like Crush here are pretty basic. I guess I'm not sure what I was expecting as both are just sea turtles and by nature don't have much in the way of movement outside of their fins, but feel that they could at least include a stand for them to be displayed with. Unfortunately without one they just kind of sit on the ground and lose a lot of the characters charm.

Pros: Overall I love the sculpt and the overall articulation that was achieved on these figures and the price certainly doesn't hurt either.

Cons: As compared to both the other Pixar Favourites and typical “collector” lines, Crush and Squirt are overall very basic and would have greatly benefited from stands.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

966-2
Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Obi-Wan Kenobi.





Supposedly we are all toy fans/collectors here so I wonder what toy was it that started it all for you? For me it was Obi Wan Kenobi from Kenner?s Power of the Force 2 line back in 1994; long saber and all. Who knew after all this time that I would still be collecting toys and still be picking up versions of my favorite Star Wars character? That said, you would think that 25 years would give them an opportunity to make a perfect figure at this point, but sadly not. Unfortunately while some things have improved, including articulation and sculpt, their reliance on hard plastic continues to irk me with every release. Thankfully It doesn?t affect this release as much as some others, but just think how cool this figure would have been if he had the same flowing robes as his live action counterpart.

Pros: Solid sculpt, nice soft goods cloak, cool lightsaber and a decent amount of usable articulation for poses.

Cons: Slight issue with the hard plastic tunic below the waste, but otherwise a fine release.

[Team Jetfire]

967-2
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Sub-Mariner.





Ok quick story. Back in the early 90?s my brother and I got the Comic Collecting bug and used to hit up this local comic shop in a strip mall relatively close to our house (20 min bike ride) called Comic Haven. By all standards it was probably a crappy comic shop, but for us it seemed like a truly amazing place with all the comics that we would ever want to read. I was there to pick up the ?new and exciting? comics of the day (see my Sleepwalker review for details on that) but also find the treasure trove that was the back issues bin. Now at some point, for whatever reason, this store was going out of business and all older issues were being liquidated for 25 cents a piece and even though we were young kids with very little money to our names, that was still a manageable deal. I recall spending countless summer days, riding to the comic store with hopes that we would find some new and exciting old treasure, worth hundreds of dollars, for the low price of a quarter and by all accounts we came up short. That said, there was one comic in particular that we thought we hit gold with. Amazing Fantasy #15? Please? The Incredible Hulk 181? Nope. How about Amazing Spider-Man $252? Hardly. No we found something even more special that was sure to make us very wealthy: Sub Mariner #1. Or rather Prince Namor: The Sub-Mariner #1, or actually Prince Namor: The Sub-Mariner #1 of a 4 part mini series. Yeah, it was really nothing, but given that we had no access to the internet or a price listing at that time, it seemed as though it SHOULD have been a veritable lotto ticket to our dumb brains.

Pros: Namor is an interesting character and I feel like, outside of his recent MCU appearance, that Marvel has never really done right by him in other media. I mean, he?s not really a superhero, but not a villain either right? That said, his inclusion in the Wakanda Forever was a high point for me and I hope to see more of him in the MCU. As for the figure, well what can I say? I really like it.

Cons: When this figure was first released there was a bit of static regarding his legs and even though I get it, I?m not really bothered by it. If you are curious, it basically looks as though Hasbro just took the legs from another mold and painted them with a skin tone. And sure, while that manufacturing strategy might make sense, it gives his legs this very bulky look, almost like he is wearing skin tone colored pants.

[Team Jetfire]

968-2
NECA- Disney?s Gargoyles: Demona.





Back when Disney?s Gargoyles was released I knew that Jonathan Frakes (of Star Trek the Next Generation) had lent his voice to the main antagonist, but I did not realize that one of his ship mates helped to voice his newly villainous partner Demona. That?s right, for some odd reason Marina Sirtis who played counselor Deana Troi in TNG provided her vaguely British accent to this centuries old turncoat and I say odd given that outside of Frakes, and a bunch of other Star Trek cast members, there is no seeming connection of the Disney produced Gargoyles to the Paramount produced Star Trek. I?m sure there is a deeper connection there somewhere, but it?s not evident on IMDB, so I?m just going to assume that the creators of the cartoon were just big Trekkies. Regardless, given that I?ve become a bit of a Trekkie later in life, I am very happy to see so many of my Star Trek actors, including Frakes and Sirits, be a part of one of my favorite Disney series.

Pros: Good lord NECA is amazing sometimes. Demona is another fantastic Gargoyles figure that has totally blown me away. A seriously beautiful sculpt with lots of details, a nice arsenal of weapons, a few extra hands, a book that can open and two different face sculpts that I like WAY better than alternative heads. Articulation is also very strong and she can pull off a number of great poses.

Cons: Two minor issues. One of the removable faces has some molding problems that interfere with the connection to the head so it has a tendency to fall off if you are moving her head around a lot. Also, and this is asking a lot, I would have loved for them to include a flight stand to make posing with those big wings easier. Overall it's not too bad, and she can hold her own with the help of that tail, but a stand would make things easier.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

S-71
McFarlane Toys- DC Multivers: Parallax



Is this Parallax or Green Lantern? Or rather is this Parallax, Green Lantern, or Hal Jordan? I'm sure if I actually read the Parallax story line I would know, but that would be too much work. However I did recently watch the DC Animated Green Lantern Feature: Beware My Might where John Steward took over the GL mantle and had to battle a fairly crazy Hal Jordan who was revealed to be Parallax, so I guess the answer is that he is all those things at once. And even though I've basically all but stopped buying McFarlane DC Multiverse figures, I so like to get some of the more special ones and this one certainly counts as special.

Pros: One of the best McFarlane DC figures to date, Parallax certainly deserves the Gold Label status. Solid sculpt with lots of detail, a decent amount of non-hindered articulation and some great energy effects and the first (that I know of) GL figure that actually comes with a power battery.

Cons: The figure itself rocks, but as with any flight capable figures, I feel flight stands should be standard.

[Eko123]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

S-71
McFarlane Toys- DC Multivers: Parallax




Pros: One of the best McFarlane DC figures to date, Parallax certainly deserves the Gold Label status. Solid sculpt with lots of detail, a decent amount of non-hindered articulation and some great energy effects and the first (that I know of) GL figure that actually comes with a power battery.

Cons: The figure itself rocks, but as with any flight capable figures, I feel flight stands should be standard.

I agree, it is a great figure. My only other Con would be that they got the hair color wrong (it should be brown instead of black).