Thursday, February 6, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Dee Jay from Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 




   I'm getting excited with pretty much every release of a new character in Jada Toys' Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers toyline. Dee Jay is probably one of the characters who I'm the least familiar with gameplay wise as I didn't have The New Challengers for my SNES until... maybe like 2000? I actually mostly new him from the move where he was played by Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and is portrayed as a computer expert and hacker who is working for Bison just for the money. Unlike Zangief, Dee Jay was getting paid! In the game, though, he's not on Bison's side and is instead a Jamaican kickboxing musician and breakdancer based on Billy Blanks, the real-life martial arts champion and creator of Tae Bo. Dee Jay didn't get an action figure in the G.I. Joe subset or Hasbro's movie based line, so I didn't have a Dee Jay as a kid. I don't recall using any other random G.I. Joes as any of the New Challengers crew from the film, either, so I'm kind of thrilled to have an actual Dee Jay. Ready to check out this kickboxing karate champion? Then get with the beat and join me after the break...



Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Nights with Nosferatu!: Nosferatu from Vinyl SODA by Funko

 

      I've collected action figures based on Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror on and off since I picked up the Aztech Toyz Silent Screamers Graf Orlok sometime in the early 2000s. This isn't a new Vinyl SODA (the line seems to be dead), but one I found from 2022 that I didn't have. Since I reviewed the Bram Stoker's Dracula version of Dracula from Vinyl SODA last month, I figured I'd give this one a look over as well. I'm really excited for the extended cut of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu, which is being released on physical media later this month (I think mine's supposed to ship on the 18th of February), so consider this a way to harness my excitement to watch the film again. This one is obviously based on Max Schreck's iconic horror performance, just in a somewhat cuter and only a tad bit more charming style. Ready to pop open a cold can of Graf Orlok soda? Then join me after the break...



Monday, February 3, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Metal-Boto from Turtles of Grayskull by Mattel

 

   Today I'm checking out the Build-a-Figure from the Turtles of Grayskull toyline: Metal-Boto! Metal-Boto is a hybrid of Robot from Masters of the Universe and Metal-Head from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the figure absolutely does feature elements of both characters. It's been a little over a year since I found and reviewed Mouse-Jaw, the first figure in the series to come with BAF pieces for Metal-Boto, and the other three figures were scattered throughout the year, with 2-Bopsteady coming out near the end of 2024. Ready to check out this upgraded version of Robot and Metal-Head, straight from Donatello's lab? Can you believe I've written another review with a video supplement? Then join me after the break...

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Rogue & Destiny from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

   In February I'll still be wrapping up some 2024 reviews, but I've got some new stuff for 2025 to look at. I'll also be publishing my annual Best of the Year Awards throughout the month, so keep reading!

   I thought 2024 was a really good year for Marvel Legends. While it was odd that it took Hasbro so long to get out action figures for Deadpool and Wolverine, and then it was a pretty basic lineup (if any Marvel film in recent memory was going to be a surefire hit that was it, plus those two always sell action figures), I think most of the year was excellent. The second series of X-Men '97 figures were great, the 80th Anniversary figures were incredible, whether individual figures, multi-packs, deluxe releases, or Ghost Rider with his motorcycle, the Strange Tales and Secret Wars sets seemed pretty popular, and the Spidey fans got plenty to love. My main Marvel Legends focus is X-Men, and while most releases were excellent, I do want to look at a set that I received for Christmas which was a bit disappointing: Rogue and Destiny. The character selection isn't bad at all (first appearance "villain" Rogue and the first ever figure of Destiny/ Irene Adler), but the figures are the definition of barebones. Compare this set to the Wong and Doctor Strange set, also an exclusive and a 2-pack, and you'll be shocked by what you get with that set versus the single pair of swappable hands that Rogue and Destiny each come with. No energy or power effects? No really cool alternate hands like Rogue taking off her glove? No alternate portraits, or an unmasked portrait for Destiny? Nope. I added this set to my wishlist because while I like Rogue, I really wanted Destiny for my Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Sometimes with figures like this you never know what's going to hang around and what's going to disappear (this year's Target exclusive Warbird and the Cabal set come to mind) and skyrocket in price. Let's take a look at this two-pack after the break...



Friday, January 31, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: 2-Bopsteady from Turtles of Grayskull by Mattel

 

   If you've been around here long enough, you might have noticed that I didn't review as much Masters of the Universe stuff in 2024 as I had in previous years. While both Origins and Masterverse still have some good releases that come out, so much of the MOTU product I like has gotten really expensive (think Tweeterhead and Mondo) or Mattel seems to be releasing the same characters over and over and over again with little difference. Yeah, there were some new characters and such, but a good bit of things felt a bit stale to me this year. The most exciting line Mattel did for MOTU last year was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover, Turtles of Grayskull. TMNT has crossed over with everything out there, but the MOTU crossover feels more organic than most of the others. I've skipped a lot of the figures in the series, sure, but I did want to get 2-Bopsteady as it's just such a wildly wonderful concept for a figure and it contained the final pieces for the Metal-Boto figure. Ready to see what happens when Bebop and Rocksteady get uncomfortable close? Then let's check out 2-Bopsteady, the "Two-Headed Mutant Monstrosity," after the break...




Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Col. Siege from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   I didn't review as many Action Force figures as I thought in 2024, but I've still got a couple reviews planned as I only recently received a shipment of figures and accessories from series 5, which was released near the end of 2024, along with one or two items that are just now shipping at the beginning of 2025. Today I'm checking out the figure from series 5 that I was most looking forward to: Col. Siege! Col. Siege has decades of military experience and helps recruit new talent to Action Force, but do you know why I really wanted him? He reminds me of Col. John "Hannibal" Smith from The A-Team. Heck yeah! I love The A-Team and imagining Col. Siege as Hannibal-like cigar chewing mastermind who can get the job done in a variety of unorthodox ways. He's a cool figure and I'm excited to add him to my 1/12th scale forces. Let's check out Col. Siege after the break...





Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Storm Shadow from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   The 1988 Storm Shadow V2 was my first Storm Shadow as a kid. Actually, he might have been my only Storm Shadow until I got into G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 during my senior year of college (I was married by that point) and got back into G.I. Joe pretty heavily. I loved the version 2 Storm Shadow as he just looked incredibly cool and has an very impressive array of accessories. I'm impressed that Hasbro has managed to stay conservative with variants in the Classified Series and it's been a bit since the more classic Storm Shadow and the Retro Series Storm Shadow. During the 2000s Storm Shadow variants came in the 1/18th scaled lines quite often. This is a great update of the vintage figure with a few new details. Interestingly, this entire series seems to have a lot of reused accessories. The Iron Grenadier, Storm Shadow, Alpine, and the Iron Grenadier all have a lot of accessory reuse from other figures. That's not the end of the world or anything, but it does make me wonder if that was a way of offsetting some costs or something without doing a series full of repaints? Ready to check out Tommy Arashikage as part of the G.I. Joe team? Then join me after the break...




Monday, January 27, 2025

Toy Review: Dracula from Vinyl SODA by Funko



 

   With the release of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu last month, I've been thinking a lot about Dracula films. There have been quite a few retellings of Bram Stoker's classic story and while the name is different, Nosferatu definitely counts in my book.  I loved the 2024 Nosferatu but I think my favorite Dracula film is still Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 masterpiece Bram Stoker's Dracula. While there are elements of Nosferatu that made me think of this film, the vampire is completely different as he's just downright evil, uncharismatic, and utterly irredeemable with a demonic origin. Coppola's film, while still giving us an evil, corrupted Count Dracula, also does give the Count some humanity and a tragic backstory. I don't want every take on Dracula to have that, but it works really well in this film. I wanted to talk about the movie and while I desperately hope that someday NECA releases figures from the film, the most recent company I can think of who did release some versions of Dracula and Van Helsing is Funko. I really liked the Vinyl SODA figures overall and this was a simple but nifty take on Count Dracula/ Prince Vlad in his super cool red armor. Ready to chitchat about this figure, Gary Oldman, and Bram Stoker's Dracula for a bit? Then join me after the break...



Sunday, January 26, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Albert "Alpine" Pine from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Now that I've finished off reviews of the entire HasLab Dragonfly crew it's time to jump into the.... well, not the most recent series, as Letherneck, Zandar, Dial-Tone, and the S.A.W. Viper are currently out. Most of the set is on the way to me as I'm writing this, but I guess I should cover the set that came out at the end of 2024, huh? Let's start by checking out Albert "Alpine" Pine. And, yes, that's his real name and always has been. On the original figure, his real name was only visible on the file card on the back, though, but in the Classified Series Hasbro has his real name and code name together, front and center. Alpine is another figure that came out before I was collecting Joes as a kid and who I don't ever remember seeing in stores. He had a pretty solid presence in the Joe media, particularly animation, but he was never released in one of the repaint subsets nor was he given a second figure in the vintage line. I'm pretty sure my first Alpine was one of the Valor Vs. Venom versions from 2004, though I also did later have the 25th Anniversary figure, too. Alpine ought to be a pretty popular figure as he's a well liked character, clad in a more traditional military color scheme, and has a nice assortment of weapons. He's also the star of one of the popular Fensler films, so if you need a guy too harass lost kids at a carnival, Alpine is your dude. Huh. Maybe the whole review should just be me typing "memememememememe." Kind of like if Beaker from the Muppets wrote the whole thing. And then instead of saying the figure is Crap, Eh, Good, Great, or Epic, I'll just end with a video of a fart. But I'm not going to subject you to that. Instead, I'm giving Alpine the respect he deserves. Let's check this guy out after the break...




Saturday, January 25, 2025

Action Figure Review: Imhotep #1082 from POP! Movies: The Mummy by Funko



   There have been a handful of "modern" updates of the classic Universal Monsters horror films and while I like quite a few of them, I still think the best of the lot is 1999's The Mummy. It's been one of my favorites since seeing it when it was released in May of 1999 back when I was in 9th grade and I still love it today. I like the entire series of The Mummy films, even if the two sequels aren't as strong as the original (I barely remember The Scorpion King, though, and I never saw any of the sequels to that). It's as much an adventure film as it is a horror movie, but it works so well. The 2017 The Mummy with Sofia Boutella and Tom Cruise that was meant to launch the Dark Universe just didn't hit quite right, but Lee Kronin's The Mummy is scheduled for next year as part of the Blumhouse Universal Studios collaborations. I'm excited to see what happens there. Lee Whannell's Wolf Man was OK, but his The Invisible Man was really quite good. For right now, though, I thought it would be fun to check out this Funko POP! of the Arnold Vosloo version of Imhotep from the 1999 The Mummy film. Vosloo was a very intimidating presence in a different way than Boris Karloff was and the film made great use of special effects to really showcase Imhotep's sorcery. Ready to check out Imhotep? Then join me after the break...

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: William "Wild Bill" Hardy from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 


   While he's no Duke or Snake Eyes, Wild Bill has had 15 figures in the classic 1/18th scale G.I. Joe toylines. That's a lot! Wild Bill was one of the 1983 characters and was packed with the vintage Dragonfly Assault Copter XH-1, so it's no surprise that he's both quite popular and the figure Hasbro selected to include with the base HasLab Classified Series Dragonfly (XH-1). Thus far, I think Wild Bill is definitely the highest profile figure to only be included with a HasLab vehicle, so this guy is selling for mucho dinero on the aftermarket. The Dragonfly is a fantastic vehicle but it's so large that my photography space just couldn't hold it and I didn't feel like doing a video review of it. Wild Bill, though? I definitely wanted to check him out. I never had him as a kid; not the original nor even the Battle Corps versions. My first Wild Bill was either the Valor Vs. Venom version or one of the G.I. Joe: Vs Cobra releases after they'd been on the market for a couple years. I was married by that point! Still, I appreciate the character and always liked his appearances in the cartoons and comics. His file card gives him a lot of personality and that spills over into the figure and the Classified Series Dragonfly with lots of cool little details like the names "Chips" and "Salsa" being given to two of the rocket launchers on the helicopter. Ready to check out Wild Bill? Then join me after the break...




Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: The Mummy from Toony Terrors by NECA



   The Toony Terrors Frankenstein and Mummy were both Christmas gifts from my parents for Christmas of 2024 which, along with the standard NECA Frankenstein and the graphic novel featuring Mary Shelly's story and Boris Karloff's likeness, led me to proclaim it as "A Very Karloff Christmas." That sounds like an old 60s novelty song, doesn't it? Today I'm checking out the Toony Terrors Mummy, leaving us now 3/4th of the way through the set. Out of the classic Universal main crew, I do think the Mummy is my least favorite of the films. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's not as good as Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, or The Wolf Man. Now, when it comes to post 1960 Universal Monsters films? 1999's The Mummy sits at the top and reigns supreme. I really hope we see a resurgence of merchandise for that film someday. It's tough to beat the iconic look of Karloff, though, and that's what we get here. Just more animated. ready to unwrap this Mummy? Then join me after the break...


Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Prepare for the Wolf Man: Wolfman from Universal Pictures Classic Movie Monsters by Imperial Toy Corporation

 

   Prepare for the Wolf Man? Well, the 2025 Wolf Man film has been released and I had the chance to go and watch it with my dad on Friday, January 17th. My wife and I originally planned on taking my daughter and a friend of hers to a showing of the film on Friday evening but Thursday night I learned the movie was rated R. I actually had missed that and really thought it was PG-13. It turns out that it was a very mild R (honestly not sure why it wasn't PG-13) and I'll probably take her another time, but  by that point we'd already made alternate plans and took her and her friend to see Sonic the Hedgehog 3. That was excellent, by the way, and as someone who grew up with Jim Carrey being such a big deal it was definitely his film. It was fun, charming, and I loved it. The Wolf Man? Eh...it was OK. Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man was excellent and I thought it managed to do a lot with it's premise, plus Elizabeth Moss was excellent. Wolf Man tried. It's a decent movie with some cool new ideas, though it doesn't realize it's full potential and some of the decisions to "ground" the film really end up defanging it. I'll probably end up writing a review of the film at the end of the month but today's focus isn't on the film Wolf Man at all; It's actually on the 1986 Wolfman toy from the Imperial Toy Corporation's Universal Pictures Classic Movie Monsters toyline. 

   This (along with a couple of the other Universal Pictures Classic Movie Monsters) are currently the oldest Universal Monsters items in my collection. I don't want to say that 1986 is that old (I turned two in 1986), but it is close to 40 years old. Of course, the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. film is 84 years old, so the distance between the original film and this toy is comparable between the distance between this toy and now. Crazy, right? I'm planning to start getting into some of the Remco Universal Monsters at some point soon, but these were much easier to acquire. And much less expensive. I haven't had these since childhood but only acquired them last year. Ready to take a look at Imperial's Wolfman? And, yes, they called him Wolfman with no space between Wolf and Man. Let's see how he howls after the break...


Thursday, January 16, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Rip Cord (Night Force) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 
   
   Here comes the third team member of the Haslab Dragonfly crew: Rip Cord in his Night Force gear. Rip Cord was the first tier/ stretch goal figure unlocked (at 13,000 orders) and, since he's decked out in his Night Force gear and was part of the 1984 series, we'll likely see a standard version (or Retro version) at some point in the near future. While Rip Cord isn't one of the A-list Joes like Snake Eyes, Duke, Roadblock, Scarlett, Flint, or Barbecue, he definitely has some recognizability due to appearing in one of the most popular years of the vintage line, appearing in the Sunbow animated series, having a pretty well remembered storyline (when he date Candy Appel, A.K.A. Bongo the Balloon Bear, and goes on a solo mission to rescue her from Cobra Island), and appearing in 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra where he was played by Marlon Wayans. Rip Cord / Wallace Weems is an interesting character as he has all of those accomplishments and appearances and yet he only received one vintage figure and seems to often be confused with other characters, or intentionally renamed. Also, sometimes his name is written as Ripcord with no space, while other times he's Rip Cord (with a space). Has Rip Cord received any action figures since the vintage line? 

   Yes, has. In 2003, as part of the G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra: Spy Troops, there was also a figure that was named HALO Jumper, Ripcord's MOS, with the file name Wallace Weems. The name was changed during the run, however, and the figure became Sgt. Airborne instead, now with Airborne's classic name of Franklin Talltree. Airborne wasn't a HALO Jumper but a helicopter assault trooper. In 2009 as part of the 25th Anniversary Collection,  Airborne was released in the Assault on Cobra Island set....just kidding, no he wasn't. It looked like Airborne but the figure was named Spc. Altitude and given the file card name Phillip Arndt, like the Sky Patrol Altitude figure with the file name of Freefall. Who the heck was this guy supposed to be anyway? That same year there were four Rip Cord figures released as part of the Rise of Cobra line, all called Wallace "Ripcord" Weems and based on Marlon Wayans' likeness. None were outfitted as paratroopers/ HALO Jumpers, though they were pretty cool, especially the one outfitted in full camo. Lastly there was a Ripcord figure in 2011 based on the short lived G.I. Joe: Renegades who did have paratrooper gear and favored the Marlon Wayans take on the character over any other previous versions. While he wasn't part of the vintage Night Force subset, a Night Force Rip Cord did come out as a 1/18th scaled figure with the Haslab Skystriker a couple years back (2022), which seems to be what this figure is based on. Why'd I spend all that time on this? I just find it interesting. Thanks for sticking around! Let's dive in to the main review after the break...

Monday, January 13, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Frankenstein from Toony Terrors by NECA

 

   I picked up the entire series of the Universal Monsters Toony Terrors and I'm making my way through them, following up the Wolf Man with Frankenstein. Or Frankenstein's monster. Or just the Monster or the Creature. I received two of the Toony Terrors as Christmas gifts from my parents, Frankenstein and the Mummy, so it was a very Karloff Christmas at my house. Ready for an animated take on the classic First Monster of cinema? Then join me after the break...

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Prepare for the Wolf Man: The Wolf Man from Toony Terrors by NECA

 

   We're less than a week from the opening of the new film Wolf Man, a reimagining of the classic character. From everything I've seen (I've been trying to stay very spoiler free) we are definitely in for a different take on the story rather than a remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. film. I'm actually really excited for the movie and, to help find an outlet for that excitement, I'm reviewing a few different Wolf Man figures throughout January. While the Crypt Club 4-pack and this Toony Terrors version of the Wolf Man are new releases (though both from the very end of 2024), I've got some older stuff that will be showing up, too. NECA's Toony Terrors are a fun range of figures that I really cherry pick. I don't buy or like all of the characters or films they draw from, but I've found most of the ones I've picked up to be real winners. I received the Mummy and Frankenstein for Christmas but last weekend I was at a large mall that had an FYE and found Dracula and the Wolf Man. Let me tell you, I have no idea what FYE's business model is or what they're smoking but these guys were priced at $22.99. That's really high! Fortunately they were having a buy one, get one half off sale, so I ended up paying around retail price and had the opportunity to select from multiple figures for the best paintjob. They had a lot of figures in stock, but FYE was charging $40 bucks for a standard Star Wars: Black Series, Marvel Legends, or Jada Street Fighter figure. Insane. I'm not sure what their marketing strategy is as they have a massive clearance section of unsold figures, some cheaper and some more. Anyways, I just wanted to complain, even though it worked out to standard retail for the two Toony Terrors I received. Let's run with the Wolf Man after the break...


Friday, January 10, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Jane "Glenda" Mullighan from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   It's time for another figure from the Dragonfly crew and this time it's Jane "Glenda" Mullighan. Glenda is an interesting figure as she's another character based on a vintage international variant figure. Glenda was originally part of Plastirama's G.I. Joe: Comandos Heroicos from Argentina and was a repaint of Scarlett. Glenda was blonde instead of a redhead and sported a blue and white jumpsuit with a vac-metallized torso. She's similar to Quarrel, another international vintage repaint of Scarlett (who was part of Palitoys' Action Force line. Glenda is a really nice inclusion with the Dragonfly as she's always been a helicopter pilot. Hasbro didn't just repaint Scarlett here, either; Glenda has lots of unique gear, accessories, and a new portrait with three different hairpieces. She's an impressive figure! I do like these international variants, especially when Hasbro really puts time and effort into them. Glenda was the second stretch goal in the Dragonfly campaign (unlocked at 16,000 backers) and is the figure from the Dragonfly least likely to see a re-release. Ready to check out Glenda? Then join me after the break...


Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: Wong & Bats and Doctor Strange from Marvel Legends Series: Doctor Strange by Hasbro

 


   As I'm wrapping up 2025 I'm going to be reviewing a few cool things that I received for Christmas from my family. My wife surprised me on Christmas Eve (everyone always gets to open two gifts each) with the Amazon exclusive Marvel Legends Series set of Wong, Bats, and Doctor Strange. While I haven't been buying much outside of X-Men and related mutant releases lately, I'm always still down for what seems to be the best of Hasbro's new stuff and this set was definitely on my radar. Probably on my Amazon wish list, too. :) Hasbro put out some excellent releases this year and this one really appealed to me. I love Doctor Strange and I've long wanted a comic accurate Wong figure. The movie version was a pretty good figure and I love Benedict Wong as Wong, but I tend to prefer the comic inspired versions best. It really is pretty wild that it's taken Wong over twenty years to get a Marvel Legends figure not from the films. He's a pretty prominent character. Also, I wasn't familiar with Bats until this release, but a ghost Basset Hound? I'm all for that. I've lost two of my boys over the years and I'd love them to accompany me as spectral sidekicks. A new comic Doctor Strange, the first ever comic Wong, and Bats the ghost dog? This set really sells itself! Let's check it out after the break...


Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: David "Crazylegs" Thomas (Night Force) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 


   Since I'm wrapping up the figures from 2025 that I received over the past month or so, it's time to start looking at some more G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures. Today I'm very excited to be checking out one of the stretch goals from the HasLab Dragonfly (XH-1): David "Crazylegs" Thomas in his Night Force gear. While we're almost guaranteed to get a standard Crazylegs figure at some point soon wearing his classic red and grey outfit (likely just a repaint of this figure), I was really excited for this guy as I love Night Force (in the Classified Series it might be eclipsing Tiger Force for me) and Crazylegs is the only one of the four Dragonfly figures that I had as a kid. Well, I had the original, not the Night Force repaint. Still, I've always liked the figure. Back in the day you could even send crush a Crazylegs Valentine! Crazylegs hasn't had many figures over the years (just the two from the vintage line, a Pursuit of Cobra update in 2011, and a Night Force parachute drop convention figure in 2014). Maybe that's just because he's not the most popular guy or doesn't stand out that much, but it could also be because he was one of the Joes who was actually killed in the Marvel series. Crazylegs was killed by a Cobra Maggot alongside Breaker and Quick-Kick. Bummer. It's nice to know that all those guys are still alive in the Classified Series, though, as Crazylegs still has plenty of missions ahead of him. Let's check him out after the break...

Monday, January 6, 2025

Prepare for the Wolf Man: Crypt Club 4-Pack from Universal Monsters by NECA

 

   
   Today I'm very excited to check out the Crypt Club 4-Pack of Universal Monsters from NECA! I preordered this set from NECA's online store back in September with the hope of reviewing it during 31 Days of Toy Terror. The release date changed a couple times; initially the release date was October 2024, then 1st quarter 2025, then it ended up at my door a few days before Christmas. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. I had hoped to get around to a few Nosferatu reviews in December, though I ended up with all Dracula reviews. Anyone seen Nosferatu yet? My wife and I went a couple days ago and I loved it. She wasn't all that into it but I thought it was incredible. If you're looking for an incredibly well-shot vampire movie that's bleak, oppressive, moody, and absolutely a well-acted gothic story with a vampire who is utterly irredeemable, this should be right up your alley. Now, for January, we've got Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man. It's a new Universal Studios take on the classic character and I'm cautiously optimistic even though I'm not expecting anything traditional. The original The Wolf Man (1941) is probably my top Universal Horror film, but I'm excited to see something different and new as well. Lon Chaney, Jr.'s Wolf Man (directed by George Waggner) will always be here and Benicio Del Toro's The Wolfman (2010, directed by Joe Johnston) is a pretty solid re-make film. I'm glad to have a story I don't know this time around.
   Now, about the Crypt Club 4-pack? These are a tribute to the Burger King Kid's Club toys from 1997. I don't have as much memory or nostalgia for those as some folks seem to, though I do think I had the Wolf Man. I've never been a huge fan of the BK Lounge, so we didn't eat there as much as some other places. Still, these are a fun tribute, if a rather off-beat one. NECA originally offered these last year and early this year as parts of four different crates through Loot Crate (which they purchased in 2019), but this set is more convenient, less expensive, and comes with a red coffin for Dracula. I'm sure some folks who purchased Loot Crates just for these figures might be a bit miffed, but they got their figures early and perhaps a bit cheaper, too. Ready to take a look at this set? Then join me after the break...






Thursday, January 2, 2025

Wrapping Up 2024: The Forgotten King from Operation: Monster Force by Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction

 
   
   For now, this review of The Forgotten King is going to be my last review from the first series of Operation: Monster Force figures, though it's my first review of 2025 as I'm beginning to wrap up my 2024 reviews. In the story of Big Bad Workshop and Fresh Monkey Fiction's ambitious new toyline, the Forgotten King is the main villain. An ancient Egyptian pharaoh with a penchant for sorcery, the Forgotten King's reign was marked by evil and wickedness and his name was erased from history. Unfortunately, grave robbers have recently stumbled upon his tomb, freeing him to continue his reign of terror in the modern world. When the soldiers sent against him are turned into an army of the undead loyal to him (with help from Dr. Caligari, it seems), the United States military calls upon Declan Van Helsing for help. And then, Declan Van Helsing has to turn to the imprisoned Count Dracula to stop what might be an even greater threat. I'm really loving this line, especially the blend of classic monsters with a modern military feel. It's right up my alley! The Forgotten King is a unique take on the classic mummy and brings something new to the line. Ready to check out the Forgotten King? Then join me after the break...