Action Figure Review: Roronoa Zoro (Romance Dawn) from S.H. Figuarts: One Piece by Bandai

 

   I don't pick up all of the S.H. Figuarts One Piece figures but I'm definitely trying to assemble the main crew of the Straw Hat Pirates. Bandai is putting these out really slowly with Luffy and Nami released a couple years back, Roronoa Zoro released this year, and the brave Captain Usopp coming out later this year or early next year. Sanji has been teased, but no release date has yet been set. I received this Romance Dawn version of Zoro a month or two ago (Romance Dawn is the name of the first story arc, but this is a pretty accurate Zoro for most of the series up until the time-skip. The fearsome pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro becomes a pirate himself while on his quest to become the world's greatest swordsman? Shocking! Let's check out Zoro, a man who loves swords, napping, and booze, after the break. By the way, follow my directions and not Zoro's' he'll just get you lost!

Action Figure Review: Blowtorch from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Lots of new G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures have hit recently and today I'm starting to check out some figures from the newest series of single packed releases. Let's get this party started with Blowtorch, the G.I. Joe team's original flamethrower user. Blowtorch (AKA Timothy P. Hanrahan) was originally introduced in the 1984 series of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and went on to have a few appearances in the Marvel comic, the Sunbow animated series, and the Devil's Due comics. Despite never being a main character, Blowtorch's colorful outfit has seen him revisited as a character a few times in post 1994 G.I. Joe lines. I think he's most famous for his appearance in a PSA about fire safety which led to him appearing in the Fensler Film where Blowtorch's paranoia of fire and his love for porkchop sandwiches combined to make a memorable viral video. If you count the Night Force version of Rip Cord, Blowtorch completes the single carded releases of 1984 characters in the Classified Series, so that's interesting, too. I never had Blowtorch originally (he was before my time) but I did get one when I was in High School and was back into collecting the vintage G.I. Joe line. Ready to turn up the heat with Blowtorch? Curl up with a delicious porkchop sandwich and let's check this one out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Rom from Marvel Legends Series: Rom The Spaceknight by Hasbro

 

   If you think there's nothing exciting left in Hasbro's Marvel Legends Series, let me introduce you to Rom the Spaceknight. This guy is definitely a somewhat out of leftfield release this year that is just a really unqiue and cool figure. He's also been on lots of most wanted lists for at least a decade. I will admit that I'm not terribly familiar with Rom outside of knowing about the vintage toy released by Parker Brothers in 1978/1979. Besides being a large vintage space toy, Rom also received a Marvel tie-in comic book series that ran from 1979 until 1986, outlasting the toy by several years. Rom K'atsema was once a poet on the peaceful Galador but an invasion of Dire Wraiths causes him to volunteer to be changed into a Spaceknight to defend his home world. He also ended up on Earth and met many of the Marvel Universe's greatest heroes and villains. Parker Brothers was acquired by Hasbro in 1991, so Hasbro owns Rom but hasn't done much with him over the years (he received a 1/18th G.I. Joe sized figure and a Mighty Mugg in the past decade or so). He's part of this new Marvel Legends Series now which instead of including a Build-a-Figure, now includes a miniature comic book accessory. It's a neat little trinket, but no substitute for a Build-a-Figure, especially at the standard price. These would have been better inclusions with the Retro Collection figures. Still, Rom is a must buy and seems to be the first figure gone anytime you find this series on shelves. Let's check out Rom the Spaceknight after the break...

Action Figure Review: Krypto #565 from POP! Heroes: Superman by Funko

 

   James Gunn's Superman comes out this week and I am incredibly excited. I've liked most of the film versions of Superman (the only one I didn't much care for was Superman Returns) but this one looks incredibly fun, colorful, and inspiring. It also features Krypto, so as a dog person I'm thrilled. I even bought some of the Krypto branded Milk-Bones for Zoey, our beloved kelpie/terrier mix who has helped me with some reviews in the past. Unfortunately, these past couple weeks have been a bit tough for my family as our beloved Jackabee, Crouton, passed away near the end of June. He was a very old dog (at least 17 years old!) so he had a long life with us, and who knows what he did and where he went before he was brought to our home as a stray, but we still miss him and his absence is always noticeable. He was lovable a good bit of the time, but also crotchety in his elder years, and he was always convinced that he ran the place. Still, he was a charming pup and a really cute little dog; white with black speckles. While I'm not sure what Krypto and Crouton share in personality, I definitely can't look at Krypto without thinking about my pup. I have a lot of faith in Gunn's direction and vision for Superman overall and putting Krypto in this movie is an incredibly wise choice as he's not only a draw for dog lovers, but his presence clearly signals that we're in for something fun and lively versus a darker, grimmer film like Man of Steel. I saw this Funko POP! vinyl of Krpyto a week or two ago at GameStop and decided to grab him. I liked him better than any other toy version of Krypto that seems to be out there on shelves right now. Ready to believe that a dog can fly? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Professor X (Savage Land) from Marvel Legends Retro Collection by Hasbro

 

   I'm really excited to have Professor X in his green adventuring suit. That's what I've always called it, anyway. Hasbro calls the figure Professor X (Savage Land) and refers to this outfit as his "Safari Suit." Interesting. He's part of the Marvel Legends Retro Collection and is a Target exclusive figure that I managed to find rather easily. I've seen him multiple times, too. There wasn't a retro version of this guy in the Toy Biz X-Men line or anything; they just like to use the Toy Biz inspired cards. I love the look of the carts, though since I open my figures they don't do much for me after that. This has always been a Marvel Legends figure I've wanted and it's long been on my top 10 most wanted Legends list. It's both a great look for Chuck and it helps to flesh out a Savage Land display, which I absolutely adore. Professor X mysteriously regains his ability to walk when in the Savage Land, so this guy is absolutely ready for action. Ready to check out Professor X (Savage Land)? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Heavy Duty from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   I haven't had a new G.I. Joe: Classified Series figure to review since March, so I'm really excited that I have quite a few figures in line for the coming month. Today I'm checking out Heavy Duty, a 1991 release who Hasbro really took a shine too. Heavy Duty became a prominent part of the early 2000s lines like G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra, Spy Troops, and Valor Vs. Venom, was one of the main team members of Sigma 6, and appeared in the 2009 live action film G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. He was also revealed to be Roadblock's cousin in some of the animated productions like Renegades. I still have my vintage Heavy Duty and I loved him as a kid. My dad managed K-Mart stores for decades when I was a kid and I remember getting him at one of my dad's stores. I think I might have done something or helped at the store in some way (maybe a fundraising event where employees could bring their kids?) and was rewarded with a gift certificate or something similar or was given the option of picking from some toys preselected for us to pick from. I've had a number of other Heavy Duty figures over the years, especially from the Sigma 6 line, but this guy takes most everything great about the vintage figure and dials it up. Ready to check out Heavy Duty? Then join me after the break...

Statue Review: Roronoa Zoro from One Piece: Battle Record Collection by Bandai/ Banpresto/ Bandai Namco

 

  How about another One Piece review? Back in March I reviewed Nami in her outfit from the Egghead arc so today I decided to finally check out Roronoa Zoro in his cool SSG gear, too. I'm not at Egghead yet (I'm just in the early episodes of Water 7, so in the low 230s) but I absolutely love these cool outfits. I have a number of these Bandai plastic statues of the characters geared up, though some are from The Grandline Series, so they're in a more neutral standing position rather than all posed for battle like the Battle Record Collection statues. Ready to check out Roronoa Zoro, the man who wants to become the greatest swordsman in the world? Then join me after the break...

(That means that if you're reading this from the home page, just click the link to read the rest of the review. We don't want anyone getting lost! IYKYK)