Action Figure Review: Spawn (Bloody Version) from Mortal Kombat 11 by McFarlane Toys

 

   Spawn again? Yeah, as I mentioned in yesterday's review I picked up both of the new Spawn figures from the Mortal Kombat 11 series and since I looked at Malefik Spawn (Bloody Disciple) yesterday today I will be checking out the simply named Spawn (Bloody Version) figure. This sculpt has appeared in the Mortal Kombat line a few times previously but this specific paint scheme is based on the skin named "McFarlane Classic." I wonder why that is? Did Spawn have a yellow cape in some early concept art or something that I'm unaware of? It's a cool look for the figure but a weird name for the in-game skin. Oh well. I have plenty of red caped Spawn figures and I liked that this one looks a bit different. The real selling points for me, though, were his axe and the bloody paintjob. No one does a bloody action figure like McFarlane Toys. Let's check out this bloody version of Spawn after the break...

Action Figure Review: Malefik Spawn (Bloody Disciple) from Mortal Kombat 11 by McFarlane Toys

 

   Are y'all ready for some Mortal Kombat reviews? OK, while I definitely like the character designs for Mortal Kombat and enjoy the original movie (haven't seen the newest one yet) I've never been a big fan of the games themselves. I'm more of a Street Fighter fan. The last Mortal Kombat game I played was Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe... so it's been a minute. What turned me on to picking up some Mortal Kombat figures, then? Spawn, baby. Spawn. I've seen many of the Spawn figures from the Mortal Kombat XI toyline by McFarlane Toys but while perusing GameStop the other day I stumbled upon the two new bloody variants. Not only did these look awesome but they were on sale as well (maybe 20% off?) so I snagged two of the new Spawn figures. So, yes, Spawn is a character in Mortal Kombat 11. He was introduced in Kombat pack 1 as a guest character but seems to have received more figures in the Mortal Kombat 11 line than any other character. Kind of funny, right? Hey, Spawn sells. The first of the two new figures I picked up is Malefik Spawn (Bloody Disciple), a blood splattered Spawn variant based on one of the in-game skins simply called The Disciple. I picked him up because he's cool looking and the blood splatter effect is just fantastic. Let's take a look at Malefik Spawn (Bloody Disciple) after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month: Battle Armor Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   In the vintage Masters of the Universe line Mattel made sure that ever He-Man variant had an accompanying Skeletor variant and, for the most part, Mattel has continued that tradition over the past 40 years. 1984 saw the release of the first vintage He-Man and Skeletor variants, both wearing battle armor with a rotating drum that gave the armor the ability to reflect damage incurred during combat. Battle Armor variants of He-Man and Skeletor have continued to be the most popular MOTU variants and Mattel has included them in the line based on last year's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe CGI animated series. I really like the show (season 2 just dropped last month) but the accompanying toyline has been fairly so-so. Some of the smaller 5 inch figures have been cool but the larger line has left me a bit cold. An 8 1/2 inch Battle Armor He-Man was released last October and back in February Battle Armor Skeletor began showing up in stores to go along with him. Ready to take a look at one of the newest versions of this classic villainous variant? Then join me after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month: Webstor from Masters of the Universe Classics by Mattel

 

   Let's wrap up Masters of the Universe Day 2022 with a real winner from the greatest Masters of the Universe toyline of all time: Get ready for Webstor from Masters of the Universe Classics. Released in September 2009, Webstor was the first figure of the first subscription offered by MattyCollector. While the line started in 2008, it wasn't until 2009 that it started really getting some major attention and experiencing some crazy sellout times. While some figures stayed in stock for a few days (Skeletor stayed up for 10 days, the Goddess for 13 days, Zodak for 12 days, and Webstor for 6 days) others were gone within an hour (Man-At-Arms sold out in 41 minutes!). To kind of help out with this Mattel began offering the pre-sale subscription plan with a truncated 4 month subscription for September through December of 2009 soon followed by a full 2010 subscription. Webstor, the Evil Master of Escape, was one of the vintage 1984 figures and since we're focusing on that year of the vintage roster this month he's getting some special attention. Let's take a look at Webstor after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month: Prince Adam from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   

   In celebration of Masters of the Universe Day today here's a look at Prince Adam from the new toyline based on the Netflix animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Arguably one of the most popular civilian "alter-ego" action figures ever, Prince Adam usually makes an appearance in MOTU toylines. Almost everyone has a civilian alter-ego in this version of MOTU but Prince Adam is the first to get an action figure. This version of Adam has a slightly different backstory as he was kidnapped from Eternos Palace as a very young child by his Uncle Keldor but was raised by the Tiger Tribe. Let's take a look at the newest MOTU toy I've procured after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month: Chopper from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Super7

 

   

Let's kick off the Masters of the Universe Day celebrations with a look at Chopper!  

 

Hey wait a minute... this isn't Chopper! It's Jitsu! Actually, yeah, it is Chopper, too. In the Filmation animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Jitsu only appeared once (in the 1983 episode "The Dragon Invasion") and there he wasn't even referred to by name. It was in the Filmation series bible that he was referred to as Chopper, so when Super7 released the Filmation version of Jitsu as a 2018 PowerCon exclusive they named him Chopper as a tribute. Jitsu/ Chopper appeared on the cartoon about a year before Jitsu debuted in the 1984 toyline, probably as Mattel was working on the toy designs. Filmation was reluctant to use Jitsu, fearing he would be perceived as a negative racial stereotype, so he never appeared again. Jitsu is a moderately popular character, though, particularly because of his conflict with Fisto since they're both awesome warriors with swords, cool facial hair, robotic horses, and massive metal hands. Well, the Filmation version of Jitsu doesn't have a metal hand. He just has an oversized hand similar to some early concept art for a character whom I believe was called Hand-some. I haven't seen anything concrete making a connection between the two (I believe Handsome was intended to be a hero, so he could have inspired Fisto). Let's get things started and check out Chopper after the break...

Action Figure Review: Ultimate Ash Williams from The Evil Dead by NECA

 

      I've probably mentioned it before but I was introduced to Ash through ToyFare magazine. They regularly included references to Ash and the Evil Dead films, particularly to Army of Darkness, and had lots of appearances and quotes from Bruce Campbell. ToyFare magazine first came out in 1996 when I was in 7th grade and it was a huge part of my formative years. If something was mentioned by ToyFare I did my best to check it out. I was super curious about the Evil Dead films though I really hadn't seen many horror films at that point. I was thrilled that the summer after I finished 8th grade while staying with my grandmother I happened to find a VHS copy of Army of Darkness which belonged to one of my uncles. I was absolutely thrilled. It was everything I could have wanted in a movie and it's still one of my favorites to this day. As soon as I came back home that summer I convinced my dad that we should head to Blockbuster and check out the other films. We started with 1981's The Evil Dead, of course, and wow: I wasn't prepared for that. I mean, I was, but at the time I found it terrifying and shockingly bloody. Honestly, it still is. While the mixture of horror, comedy, and coolness of the future films is probably what makes them so endearing to me it's easy to forget just how crazy and horrific the first film is and how different the character of Ash Williams is in the film.

   I've long collected Evil Dead figures ever since the first Movie Maniacs figure from McFarlane Toys and while we've had plenty of figures from Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, Army of Darkness, and even Ash vs. Evil Dead, no one has released a figure of the original Ash Williams until now. NECA has a long history with the property and it's exciting that they've finally been able to secure the rights to the original appearance of Bruce Campbell's iconic character. We're just a few days away from Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which will absolutely feature a Bruce Campbell cameo, so let's celebrate the duo's original masterpiece with a look at NECA's Ultimate Ash Williams from The Evil Dead. I picked this up from one of my favorite shops, Back in Time Collectibles in Gastonia, NC, so check them out if you're ever in that area. Now, let's take a look at Ash after the break....