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

[Team Jetfire]

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Disney ToyBox- Disney Classics: Simba and Zazu.




Does anyone remember the hype that surrounded the Lion King when it was released? Such a massive hit and as is typical, had endless marketing potential for cross promotion. One of the better promos was the Lion King toys that were offered with all Kids Meals at Burger King and as luck would have it, my very own brother worked there and was able to hook me up with a few of the toys and they were pretty cool. A few had decent sculpts, were posable and had no silly gimmick that ruins most Fast Food toys. I’m fairly certain that I had Simba, Scar and Rafiki, but left the rest given the gimmicky features. Fun times for sure.

Pros: I was very surprised when I saw that Simba was going to get the Toybox treatment given that the live action film had come and gone and Disney seems to really hold back on pushing this uber popular franchise. That said I’m a big fan of the movie so it was really a no brainer to pick him up. Overall has a nice sculpt featuring the Disney Toybox look, a surprising amount of articulation and comes with the royal advisor Zazu. Really a fun figure for any Lion King fan.

Cons: I love all the articulation, I really do, but without ball joints on the shoulders and hips is all wasted. Boo!

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Star Wars Black Series: Finn



Finally, after long last I’ve made it to the current round of Star Wars Black Series figures. For those not aware, the original run started way back in 2013 with X-Wing Luke Skywalker in what is referred to as the Orange Stripe boxes. The numbering continued with the Blue Stripe boxes, but Hasbro decided to start fresh with The Force Awakens resenting the numbering and a new red and black package. This scheme lasted for a good while, but has once again changed to a different packaging with different shape and color that I really like. Now, I don’t really care about the boxes or the numbering, but I could imagine MISB and completest collectors going nuts over this.

Pros: Remember when everyone thought that Finn was going to be a Jedi? I suppose he still could be, but I’m not sure if that idea will be explored any time soon; getting a bit ahead of myself though. I’m not sure if this is a hot take anymore, but I like the character of Finn and really liked his development through this film. As with all Black Series, they’ve captured the likeness of the character fairly well, the articulation is decent for a number of cool poses and I like the new blaster that they included.

Cons: I’m not trying to be negative, but I was pretty underwhelmed with this release. I’m not sure what else they could have included, but out of the package he’s just so basic. Finn is literally one of the main cast members of the new Disney age of Star Wars and all he gets is a gun? He also has the issue that I talked about a few reviews ago with having limited ankle movement due to interference of his pants.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Vance Astro



Look, I fancy myself as a comic fan, but sometimes things are just out of my scope and Vance Astro is one of those things. That said, I do remember the rather iconic image of Vance Astro, as Major Victor, posed on the cover of Guardians of the Galaxy 20, but that doesn’t really help given that this Marvel Legend figure is not this version. I did my standard five minute’s worth of research and only found an extremely confusing and convoluted backstory that would rival any other comic character, but there was one item of note: He was a founding member of The Guardians of the Galaxy, or rather a Guardians of the Galaxy from a different universe, or possibly a Guardians of the Galaxy from a different future timeline? He also found Captain America’s shield and uses his telekinetic powers to throw it around. Neat.

Pros: Vance Astro is line filler, clever line filler, but filler nevertheless. I suppose if I must include some pros it would be that he makes use of the mold fairly well, has a nice shiny paint job and of course Captain America’s shield, but that’s really about it.

Cons: I’m sure that Vance is someone’s favorite character however I think he deserves better. Additional effects? An unmasked head? ANYTHING? Again, it’s filler and for $30 it should be better.

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Transformers Prime: First Edition Optimus Prime vs Megatron




Hard to believe that it’s been 11 years since Transformers Prime first premiered. And you know what is crazy? The time between the last episodes of G1 (Rebirth) and the first episode of Beast Wars was only 9 years. Unreal given that the last 11 years seems to have flown by, but the period of 1987-1996 was quite different and formative given that I aged from 8 to 17 years old. I suppose what is even more crazy is that I still have a number of these Prime figures to open. I always wondered how someone could still have a MISB Generation 1 figure in a package just hanging around, and while this set is not as sought after as an old school Optimus or Megatron, it’s still pretty cool.

Pros: Optimus Prime- It’s rare that Optimus gets a deluxe sized figure so this is a nice change of pace. The mold is nice and looks like the animation model well enough, transformation is fun, but challenging and I like the included weapon. And while they are super basic, I like that they included the static kid figures that star in the cartoon. They might be annoying, but it’s not often that we get human representation in toy form.

Megatron- Much like Optimus, Megatron is a nice size, looks good in robot mode, has a decent transformation and comes with his trademark arm cannon.

Cons: Optimus Prime- There is no real good way to say this: He has monkey arms…

Megatron- Even though I’m getting some Beast Machines vibes from it, I don’t like the vehicle mode as it looks like one of those unofficial 3rd “flight” modes that we gave out G1 figures back in the day. Also… you can totally see his head popping out of the top there. Lastly the back of the robot mode is a bit of a pain to transform properly and the instructions are zero help.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

[WhenGeeksCollide]

MARVEL LEGENDS HELLFIRE CLUB BOX SET
https://youtu.be/F1UuBXE9QK0

[Team Jetfire]

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Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Marvel Riders Deadpool





Do I love Deadpool? I mean, no, but I certainly like Deadpool a great deal; parts of him anyways. I really enjoy his characterization in the recent live action movies. I like the rather zany comic shenanigans and gravitate to the many Marvel Legends figures that have been released, but I really hate the fandom. You know what I’m talking about: the wacky cosplayers who dress up in his suit and do screwball pranks, in the spirit of the character because it’s just so random and fun. I understand that it is in the spirit of the character, but I just can't stand it and honestly ruins the character for me.

Pros: This “riders” figure is really just the start of the veritable avalanche of upcoming Deadpool figures that I have upcoming and for the most part it’s pretty great. The figure is solid with a lot of usable articulation, full of weapons including two swords / sheaths that fit on his back and an extra boot knife, a really nice looking scooter and some extra animal friends who I don’t know much about. It’s just a really fun set and makes it all the better that I only spent $15 on it.

Cons: The swords don’t really stay pegged in on the back very well and it’s difficult to cram them all on the scooter at one time.

[Team Jetfire]

[Team Jetfire]

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NECA- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michelangelo



Just cruising through these movie figures and each one is as good as the other, so much so that I’ve moved past just picking up the key four figures and adding most of the supporting crew including my first Shredder, Splinter and Casey Jones! I did manage to snag a Foot Soldier, but I’ve technically had one in the past as a kid. Just my speed though; no main characters, but I had Leatherhead and a Foot Soldier.

Pros: Pound for pound, the NECA TMNT line might be one of the best toys lines that I have collected. Granted, I’m only 3 figures deep, but Michelangelo, like the brothers before, has a super nice sculpt with a lot of detail, decent articulation, fun accessories, some extra hands and a spare bandana. Love it!

Cons: I don’t have a lot of faith in the wire that connects the nunchucks and feel that it would easily break if you moved them around too much. That said, the wire came out of the handle on mine but was easily fixed with super glue.