Action Figure Review: Shredder from Teenage Mutant Nunja Turtles by NECA

   I don't review much Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stuff on Action Figure Barbecue these days and that's because I don't collect much TMNT stuff these days. When I first started writing reviews back at The Epic Review I was enjoying Playmates' line based on the 2012 TMNT series but when the quality of that line dropped off, my interest did, too. I've picked up a few TMNT items here and there but NECA's releases based on the 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles definitely captured my attention. Their quarter scale Raphael in Disguise is one of my favorite toys of all time and I would love to own all of the smaller 7 inch figures but, darn, they're hard to find. Thus far the movie based figures have been insanely expensive SDCC exclusives or GameStop exclusives which have been near impossible to get. The only two I own are the GameStop Donatello and Michelangelo. Now it seems distribution is getting better and I've been able to pick up the figures I wanted from the newest series. The Shredder was one of my most wanted figures and I was thrilled to find him at a GameStop last Saturday. Based on James Saito's portrayal of the character, this guy really manages to be terrifying despite having what seems like it would be a very non-frightening costume. I mean, a sparkly purple outfit with a shiny black and silver cape? Seriously, it sounds more like something a glam rocker would wear but Saito's presence and David McCharen's voice (Shredder was dubbed in the film, FYI) make the Shredder a truly menacing presence. While McCharen's voice isn't captured in action figure form, you're certainly going to hear it in your head when you look at this figure that so faithfully captures The Shredder. Let's take a look at The Shredder after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Shredder from Ninja Turtles by Playmates

Here's an old review I found that I had never brought over from The Epic Review. Enjoy!    

At this point I am cautiously optimistic about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film that is set to be released on August 8th, 2014. I really, really want it to be awesome but, like many turtles fans, I do have my reservations. This hasn't stopped me from getting excited about some of the cool new Turtles like the various flavors of Crush soda (we drank some on the most recent episode of the Confirmed Epic Podcast), the TMNT Gushers, and of course the new toys from Playmates. I'm rather charmed by the toyish simplicity of the TMNT toys based on the Nickelodeon Cartoon but I decided I definitely wanted some of the movie figures, too, so I selected a few that I thought might integrate into the Nick line: The Foot Soldier, Raph in Disguise, and The Shredder, who I'm reviewing today. As I mentioned the last time I reviewed an action figure of The Shredder, I'm not sure the character has ever had a truly definitive action figure and after reviewing this new move version, I still feel the same way (let's hope Playmates reveals a Shredder as part of their TMNT Classics line). We don't know much about Shredder's portrayal in the film; there are definitely some images in the trailer that make him look robotic at times. I guess all that will be revealed in a little less than a month, huh? For now, let's look at Shredder in more depth after the break....

Missing in Action: Toylines That Didn't Make the Cut in 2019

   Since 2015 I've supplemented the lists of My 10 Favorite Toylines and 10 Favorite Individual Toys with a list called Missing in Action, a list where I look back at last year's Top 10 Toylines list and determine why some of the lines from last year failed to return for the current year's list.  2019's top 10 list only had two toylines returning from the 2018 list, which is the lowest retention rate for toylines on any of my yearly lists to date!  I find it interesting to look at the lines that failed to show up again and attempt to diagnose why they are missing. There are usually three reasons why a toyline makes this list:

Missing in Action: This is a toyline that gets cancelled, ends, or just doesn't have any releases during the year. It happens a lot, unfortunately.

Demoted: Sometimes a toyline just gets outdone by others. This isn't specifically related to the quality of the demoted line and more reflective of the quality of the lines that supplanted it or of my interest in other things.

Drop in Quality: This is when a toyline has a severe drop in quality that causes it to fall from grace. While most toylines get better as they go, some do indeed get worse and worse due to cost cutting, mismanagement, and quality control issues.

Let's jump in and check these out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Stratos from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Super7

   It's time for the last review from Super7's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe/ Club Grayskull line: Stratos! Stratos definitely was one of the most popular B-characters in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, appearing in 15 episodes and, of course, He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special. He definitely warrants a place in this line far more than Roboto (sorry Roboto!), so his presence here feels worthy of the last series of figures. He also looks quite different from the Masters of the Universe Classics Stratos figure, so that's another plus in his favor. I've never been the biggest Stratos fan but I've definitely been warming up to the character lately (I honestly just bought my first vintage Stratos figure at a toy show a few months back). Let's check out the last figure from the final wave of Super7's Club Grayskull figures after the break...

Action Figure Review: Kronnaw from Mythic Legions by Four Horsemen Studios

    The Four Horsemen have a long history with the Masters of the Universe brand and they've been making it a tradition to include some MOTU inspired figures sprinkled throughout the Mythic Legions line. The latest Mythic Legions series, Wasteland, just started popping up en masse and the set contains tribute figures to two great MOTU characters: Trap Jaw and Panthor! Today I'm checking out the Trap Jaw tribute figure. He's named Kronnaw, a portmanteau of Kronis (Trap Jaw's real name) and "jaw." Kronnaw's bio reveals him as the creation of an evil and arcane experiment, causing him to be a walking death dealer who kills indiscriminately. He's probably my favorite Mythic Legions figure yet (I don't own many), so let's check him out after the break so you can see why!

Action Figure Review: Shadow Weaver from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Super7

    While Super7 never offered any of the female Horde villains like Catra or Scorpia in any of their toylines other than M.U.S.C.L.E./ Keshi Surprise, they sure did ensure that Shadow Weaver made it into each line. Shadow Weaver thrilled collectors of Masters of the Universe Classics back when she was revealed as the 2012 subscription exclusive figure and now Super7 is offering her up in the Filmation inspired Club Grayskull/ He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line. She's a character who I'm not sure looks different enough from her MOTUC figure to really warrant a figure in this line (the MOTUC as very Filmation inspired) but she's a popular character and she fits in with the Filmation styled Horde Super7 was trying to build, which will forever remain without Leech, Catra, and Scorpia). Let's take a look at the evil Horce wtich Shadow Weaver after the break...

Action Figure Review: Mer-Man (Mondo Exclusive) from Masters of the Universe by Mondo

    Last week Mondo sent out another figure from their series of 1/6th scale Masters of the Universe figures and this time it's the ocean warlord Mer-Man! Mer-Man is one of the original Evil Warriors from the vintage line and here he makes the fourth villain in the series. Yup, the fourth villain. Poor He-Man is woefully outnumbered so far! Then again, he's He-Man, so you know he's got this. This Mer-Man looks pretty serious, though. I really like Mondo's subtle redesigns of the MOTU crew in this line as they look fantastic and really seem like something you would see in an incredible MOTU movie adaptation. Mer-Man might just be the most impressive figure in the line yet and the Mondo exclusive figure is even better since he comes with not two but three interchangeable heads and a spear containing the Crimson Pearl. Amazing stuff, right? Let's check out Mer-Man after the break and see how cool he is!