The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror: A is for Acid Alien from Aliens: Hive Wars by Kenner

   Welcome to the first installment of this year's Halloween countdown: The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror! This is the 11th year of 31 Days of Toy Terror and it's still something I eagerly look forward too every time the Halloween season rolls around! While I don't strictly collect horror figures and I certainly don't buy as many horror figures as I used to, I still have a bunch of horror themed figures in my collection. I also generously stretch the definition of horror figures, sometimes, to allow for aliens, robots, and all sorts of supervillains who are frightening, intimidating, or just plain creepy. This year I'm challenging myself to review one figure for every letter of the alphabet, which also leaves me a few extra reviews for unique and interesting stuff that just happens to show up during the Halloween season. To kick the season off right, today I'm starting with a figure from one of the horror themed line I loved as a kid: Kenner's Aliens and Predator line!

   For the letter A, I'm taking a look at the Acid Alien from Kenner's 1998 Aliens: Hive Wars line. Released the year after the film Alien: Resurrection and it's tie-in toyline, Aliens: Hive Wars was a bit of a dumping ground for multiple molds that Kenner had worked on but hadn't released when the Aliens/ Predator line was ongoing. It was also released exclusively through KB toys, who managed to score a lot of exclusives of previously unreleased figures through different manufacturers. This fellow was pretty cool as he really looked like one of the movie Xenomorphs, particularly the dog alien from Alien 3. I'm not sure what makes this guy more of an "acid" alien than the rest, though. Maybe Kenner just needed a cool moniker for this guy? Let's check him out after the break...

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

 

   Snake Eyes has definitely received the most figures in the G.I. Joe: Classified Series so far but it doesn't feel like he's being overdone. Other than maybe the movie Snake Eyes (who didn't hang around as much as the rest of the movie figures), it's tough to say that any version of Snake Eyes hasn't been a brisk seller. Today I'm really excited to check out the Retro Carded version of Snake Eyes which is inspired by the vintage 1982 action figure. While none have been bad, the Retro Carded figures have been pretty hit or miss as to their desirability (Zartan, Baroness, and Destro were simple repaints while Gung Ho and Lady Jaye had some major differences from their mainline counterparts). Snake Eyes is definitely a hit and it build differently from the previous Snake Eyes figures with a mixture of parts from previous Snake Eyes figures, Stalker, and quite a few new elements. Snake Eyes is definitely the face of G.I. Joe now, hiding his face and being a man of few words. Let's take a look at this impressive Retro Carded Snake Eyes after the break...

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

 

   Hasbro has been releasing so many G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures recently that it's almost overwhelming, but in the best way possible! I've got a bunch of figures lined up to review with more arriving each day, but today I'm checking out the Cobra Eel, an Amazon exclusive. The original Cobra Eel was released in 1985 as part of the fourth series of figures. While I never had one as a kid, I did have the Eel's unique accessories from one of the weapons packs. My first Eel was the 25th Anniversary version from 2008. The Classified Series Eel does reuse some parts from Torpedo, but there is so much new stuff here that he doesn't feel like a repaint or anything. These guys have been a little tough to get but they do seem to be popping in and out of stock on Amazon. Hasbro will surely rerelease the Eels at some point, too, so patience will hopefully pay off. Let's dive in and look at the Cobra Eel after the break...

Action Figure Review: Sentinel from Marvel Legends Retro Series

 

   Having grown up with the 1992 Konami X-Men arcade game as a staple of arcades and rodent themed pizzerias, I was always down with the sentinels coming in different sizes and colors and having them attack in waves. While I wish that I did have the massive HasLab Sentinel from a few years back, that guy is so massive that I'm not sure where I'd display him. I'm not really sure why I never owned the 1994 Toy Biz Sentinel as a kid, though. Maybe I was just phasing out of the Biz X-Men lines at the time? Anyways, once I saw some pictures of this Marvel Legends Retro Series Sentinel, I knew I had to have him. He's the perfect Sentinel for my collection. For those unfamiliar with the Marvel Legends Retro Series (not to be confused with the Marvel Legends Retro Collection), these are typically 1/18th scaled figures done in a more basic style, kind of like Hasbro's Kenner styled Star Wars figures or Super7's ReAction line. The line is temporarily on an indefinite hiatus, so who knows if it will reappear? The Sentinel was one of the last releases and makes a nice treat for 1/12th scale X-Men collectors, too. Ready to check this one out? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Moss Man from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Moss Man is my favorite Masters of the Universe character and I was pretty devastated when my preorder for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Savage Eternia Moss Man was cancelled earlier this year. It seems like the figure was produced in very limited numbers and has dramatically surged in price. As a consolation prize, I did find the Masters of the Universe Origins Moss Man at a local Walmart quite quickly after he began showing up in stores. The Origins version of Moss Man is a Walmart exclusive and a deluxe release that comes packaged in a really nice window box. Oddly enough, though, he's bizarrely expensive. I've always found Mattel to be really fairly and competitively priced with Origins but Moss Man's $40 price point is quite bizarre. The Walmart exclusive flocked version of Panthor was also more expensive back in 2021 ($15 more than the standard Panthor), so maybe flocking has gotten really pricey since the 1980s? I love Moss Man so much, though, that I had to go ahead and snag him. How is he? I like the figure quite a bit but is he deluxe enough to justify a $20-$22 price increase? Let's find out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Avalanche from Marvel Legends Retro Collection: X-Men by Hasbro

 

    Today I'm looking at another X-Men figure from the Marvel Legends Retro Collection and this time it's Avalanche, the mutant master of seismokinesis. Avalanche was a figure I was really looking forward to as the last version of him released is over 15 years old and wasn't even in Marvel Legends (it was the Toy Biz X-Men Classics version) but when he first showed up I wasn't that impressed with him. I really wanted him to have the character for my Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but as a figure I thought he seemed dull and so I waited until he was on sale. Well, I found him on sale so now I have Avalanche. I remember wanting Toy Biz to make him as a kid but he didn't appear in the line until after I was mostly through collecting the Toy Biz X-Men line. How do I feel about this figure now that I have him in hand? Well, he's kind of dull. That doesn't really sell the review much, does it? Let's still check him out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Olek Thygar (GraveRing) from Cosmic Legions by Four Horseman Studios

 

   Today I'm checking out Olek Thygar (GraveRing), the last of my Hvalkatar: Book One Cosmic Legions figures. Not only is this variant of Olek Thygar, whose first figure I really liked, but it's also an evolution of the character. This version of Thygar depicts him during his time as a warrior in GraveRing (the secret prison gladiatorial battles held deep within Hvalkatar) but also developing some sort of new powers. Thygar's head has changed and he has new horns sprouting on his head and a larger, almost gem-like marking on his forehead. Combined with his additional hands that look like they're in different gestures, has Thygar discovered some new Force-like abilities that he didn't know he had? That seems very possible! Let's check out the Olek Thygar (GraveRing) figure after the break and see what he's got going for him...