Minifigure Review: Stink Buzzard from Trash Bag Bunch by Galoob

 Recently I've been getting back into working to complete collections of older minifigures again. A few years back I finished my collection of G.U.T.S. and Mattel Mega Heroes (both Cyber Force and Judge Dredd) and recently I've turned my attention to a few other lines like M.U.S.C.L.E., Monster in My Pocket, and Trash Bag Bunch. I loved the Trash Bag Bunch as a kid (I've written about them before) and I'm kind of sold on them again because my little one seems to like them. She'll pull bags of minifigures out of my organizer and ask to take them to her room to set up. The Trash Bag Bunch has been fairly popular with her (she likes Junker, the werewolf like creature) so I've been picking up more. I recently acquired a lot of minifigures and the very cool seller threw in an extra Stink Buzzard for me. I actually have owned one as a kid (I've always called him Vomit Vulture for some reason) but now I have two. I've always thought of him as an army builder, anyways, so let's check this guy out, shall we?

Minifigure Review: Black Buffalo #179 from M.U.S.C.L.E. by Mattel

 I've probably talked about my love of M.U.S.C.L.E. figures many times in the past but you know what I've never done? Reviewed a M.U.S.C.L.E. figure on this site! I recently acquired a few new pieces and I figured I'd start showing them off to up the minifigure love here on Action Figure Barbecue. Today I'm looking at figure #179, Black Buffalo. I remember back in 2003 one day when I was sitting in my dorm room and somehow started checking out M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. I was completely flabbergasted to learn that not only did each of these characters have names but that they were based on a long running manga and anime series named Kinnikuman. I'm pretty unfamiliar with it but I'm kind of trying to learn a bit more about it. Today I'm looking at Black Buffalo, a character who appeared in the 1984 Kinnikuman TV film Showdown! The 7 Justice Supermen vs. The Space Samurais. Black Buffalo is a member of the Black Emperor's Black Satan Squad who fights Terryman (the M.U.S.C.L.E. guy with "Texas" on his shirt). Now that you know everything I know about Black Buffalo, let's take a look at the figure, shall we? Join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Cat Mario from World of Nintendo by Jakks Pacific

It's been a few months since I last reviewed some World of Nintendo figures and, man, is Jakks cranking these toys out right now! While my series 2-1 figures just showed up in the mail from my Pile of Loot, I actually stumbled across a few series 2-2 figures at my local Wal-Mart this week. That's actually the first time I've seen these ever stocked at a Wal-Mart which seems really good for the health of this line. This is definitely the toyline right now that seems to be defying the odds: Despite hardly anyone seeming to carry it (although that's changing thanks to some exclusives being released at Target, Spencer's, and Wal-Mart), it being difficult to find, and the characters getting more and more obscure, it just keeps trucking along. Cat Mario is a Mario variant from a few of the newer Nintendo games that I honestly just haven't played. The most recent Nintendo system I own is a 2DS so Mario Maker and Super Mario 3D World just haven't been accessible to me. Still, I'm loving this line and picking everything up. Let's check out Mario dressed like a cat, shall we?

Action Figure Review: R2-D2 (Jabba's Skiff) #121 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

 My Smuggler's Bounty box just came in the mail last week and I was pretty excited to find another Star Wars POP! exclusive to the subscription. This time the theme is Jabba's Palace and the exclusive POP! is R2-D2 carrying around a tray of drinks on Jabba's sail barge. While I was hoping for an unusual character from Jabba's palace (maybe Oola or Max Rebo) this is definitely a cool variant. R2-D2 is always a hit! Mix in the drink dispenser and the tray and you have a fairly intricate POP! Ready for a closer look at nearly everyone's favorite astromech droid? Then join me after the brea as we look at Bar2-D2...

Action Figure Review: Despara from Masters of the Universe Classics by Mattel

What? You've never heard of Despara? Sure you have: You just didn't know of her as Despara. You might recognize her better as Force Captain Adora. Or maybe She-Ra, as she later became known once she broke free of Hordak's control. Yup, Despara is an evil version of She-Ra that was introduced into DC Masters of the Universe comics sometime in the past few years and she's gained a lot of popularity. Rather than have her growing up not knowing that Hordak and the Horde were actually the bad guys, Despara is a reinterpretation of Adora that has her raised by Hordak and Shadow Weaver to be evil. It's a pretty good storyline and I was insanely excited to see that Mattel picked Despara to be the club exclusive figure for Club Eternia (well, I was excited that she was included, not necessarily that she was exclusive or anything). Ready for a closer look at Adora during her days on the other side of the law? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Crita from Masters of the Universe Classics by Mattel

 So, have you heard the big news? Mattel is ending MattyCollector.com at the end of December 2016 and all of the Masters of the Universe product will be released by Super7, the company currently releasing the M.O.T.U.S.C.L.E. and retro styled Masters of the Universe toys. That's pretty wild, right? Super7 kind of reminds me of Funko in that while they're known for their stylized and retro inspired stuff, they can put out some really high quality product when they want to. While it's certainly reasonable to have some concerns and a mixture of excitement and doubt over the line changing hands, I think there is definitely some positive things about this. I kind of feel like no one at Mattel cares about MOTUC right now. For Super7, though, having access to create any MOTU stuff is probably the biggest property they've ever scored.  This gives me hope because after receiving my July 2016 shipment of Mattel's Club Eternia product, I kind of feel like Mattel is now the Senior in high school with all of the credits under their belt just waiting for the end of the school year. Crita has been a figure I've wanted for a long time but, as you'll see, Mattel made some really strange choices on her. Read on and find out more about this member of the Evil Space Mutants after the break...

Action Figure Review: IG-88 #103 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

 Today I'm looking at the second POP! figure from May's Bounty Hunter themed Smuggler's Bounty box that I received belatedly due to not-updating my debit card on file: It's IG-88, one of the six bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back. Surprisingly this seems to be the first POP! version of IG-88 that Funko has released and he's an exclusive to the Smuggler's Bounty box. Ready to take a look at one of the most famous Assassin Droids in the galaxy? Then join me after the break...