Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Action Figure Review: Yondu from Marvel Legends: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 by Hasbro



   I'm really looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 and, fortunately, Hasbro's Marvel Legends offerings for GOTG2 appear to be quite a bit more robust than their offerings for the first film. While we received the main Guardians of the Galaxy heroes in that line, that was it; no Nebula, no Yondu, and no Ronan the Accuser. Hasbro has been really weird about not making villains from many of the Marvel films, haven't they? Fortunately, this new series already has some other characters like Mantis, Ego, and Nebula revealed and Yondu was released as part of the first series. Michael Rooker always stands out in everything he is in and his role as Yondu, the father figure who see his decision to not eat a young Peter Quill as something to brag about, was a highlight in a film that was chock full of highlights. Hasbro has released a 1/18th scale Yondu in their smaller Marvel "Universe/Legends/ whatever they're calling it these days" line, but I'm looking at the 6 inch Yondu. Let's check him out after the break...


Friday, March 24, 2017

POP! Review: Darth Maul #165 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

 It's time to check out the 3rd vinyl figure from the Rebels inspired Smuggler's Bounty Crate from Funko: Darth Maul from Rebels. Sorry for the spoiler, but Darth Maul is still alive and kicking on Rebels. Well, the last time I saw him anyways. Who knows what has changed recently, huh? Anyways, I'm always a sucker for Darth Maul stuff and I was pretty thrilled to know that he was going to be included in the crate. Let's check him out, shall we? More Darth Maulness after the break...

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Toy Review: Chopper (Black) from Hikari Minis: Star Wars by Funko

    The March 2017 Smuggler's Bounty crate from Funko turned out to be one of the best they've ever offered. Not only did it include two Rebels themed POP! vinyls (Captain Rex and Darth Maul) but it also includes a Hikari Mini. This time it's Chopper and he is the second Hikari Mini I've owned (I reviewed my first Hikari Mini back in November of 2016) and while I'm not actively collecting them, I kind of like getting them in these crates. They kind of remind me of oversized, Star Wars shaped gummy bears. I think they're intended to pay homage to the Japanese Sofubi styled figures, meaning they're made from a softer vinyl than your average POP! vinyl figure. They also come in multiple colors packed at random. I've heard there is also red, orange, clear, and... yellowish? I received black, which looks really cool. Orange may have been the coolest, since Chopper is overwhelmingly orange, but I'll settle for this one, too. Let's take a short look at this guy after the break...

Monday, March 20, 2017

POP! Review: Captain Rex #164 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

I just received my March 2017 Smuggler's Bounty crate on Saturday so I'm jumping right in to look at some of the cool stuff it included. Being a big fan of Star Wars: Rebels, I was pretty excited for this box. After opening it, I really think this might be the best crate Smuggler's Bounty has produced yet. It includes a Rebels t-shirt, a Sabine Wren pin, a Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios patch, a Darth Maul POP!, a Chopper Hikari vinyl, and the Captain Rex POP! that I'm looking at today. That's a lot of really good stuff for $25 bucks! Funko had advertised the Darth Maul POP! but Captain Rex was quite a surprise, and a good one at that. Rebels is absolutely one of my favorite Star Wars things ever and the reappearance of Captain Rex and his comrades is just one of the many reasons why. Today, though, we're just talking about the toy, so let's take a look at Captain Rex after the break...

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Action Figure Review: Villager from World of Nintendo by Jakks Pacific

 Today I'm checking out another World of Nintendo figure from series 2-3 which, with series 2-4, sneaked out at the end of the year and has just started to saturate the market. Well, as much as World of Nintendo figures can saturate the market, anyways. The Villager is from Animal Crossing and, like yesterday's Inkling Boy, it's another Nintendo game I've never played. I'm only passingly familiar with it and it's never quite seemed like a game I'd spend much time with. Being a huge fan of this series of figures, though, I was happy to give the Villager a home due to his Mii-styled vibe and his cool Nintendo t-shirt. He's a completely unique sculpt, so that's worth a look at least, right? Let's check out the villager a bit more closely after the break...

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Action Figure Review: Inkling Boy from World of Nintendo by Jakks Pacific

 My guess is that most collectors of Jakks' World of Nintendo line grew up with Nintendo's characters on their classic consoles. Nintendo definitely tends to rely on their classic characters like Mario, Link, Samus Aran, and Donkey Kong, so it's interesting to see what they come up with when releasing a new IP. I'm not very familiar with Splatoon, but it seems like an interesting game. The Inkling Boy I'm reviewing today is one of the protagonists of the Splatoon series and is some sort of a human/ squid hybrid. He's part of the recent series 2-4 and is the only completely new sculpt in the series. Let's take a closer look at the Inkling Boy after the break...

Friday, March 10, 2017

Action Figure Review: Star-Lord from Marvel Legends: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 by Hasbro

  Star-Lord has become one of my favorite superheroes/ sci-fi characters and I'm always a sucker for a cool Star-Lord toy. Fortunately, Hasbro has went all out and produced one of the best mass market action figures we've ever seen for Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I really do not think I'm exaggerating when I say that looking at Hasbro's work here, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to complete dominate the 6 inch market, as both headsculpts included with Star-Lord are as good (if not better) than what I've seen from more expensive companies. Let's take a closer look and see if you agree that Hasbro has just raised the bar for both themselves and others with this release...

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Action Figure Review: Groot Evolution from Marvel Legends: Guardians of the Galaxy by Hasbro



   If you want to talk about a success story for introducing new comic characters to audiences, look no further than 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. Featuring a group of characters that at the time were Marvel C-listers (at best), the combination of an incredible cast, a seriously fun film, and one of the greatest soundtracks ever elevated the eponymous Guardians of the Galaxy into the spotlight. Remember when everyone was saying Guardians of the Galaxy was going to flop? As Rocket might say: Hahahahaha. Anyways, today I'm looking at the current Marvel Legends Toys 'R Us exclusive which features three versions of the insanely popular flora colossus Groot. If you meet someone who doesn't know who Groot is, you've probably met someone who has been living in a bomb shelter since at least the 1980s. The guy became a pop culture phenomenon overnight and Hasbro is absolutely capitalizing on his popularity in their merchandising for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. While Groot was a build-a-figure in the Marvel Legends tie-in series from the first film, now Hasbro is releasing him on his own. I found this guy the other night and I'm pretty thrilled, as I anticipated him being pretty hard to get my hands on. Let's take a closer look at the Groot Evolution set after the break...

Monday, March 6, 2017

Action Figure Review: Drax from Marvel Legends: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 by Hasbro

 While I'm largely getting out of the Marvel Legends game thanks to my recently found love for Mezco's One:12 Collective line, I was absolutely willing to make an exception for Hasbro's new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 figures. I love the Guardians and these new Marvel Legends are largely better than the ones from the first film. Except for Drax. Drax is still incredible but, so far as I can tell, he is the only figure that reuses parts heavily from the original release. Of course, that was a darn fine figure and it still holds up well. Considering the paintwork is redone and Drax has a new headsculpt and a new accessory, I decided he was worth a buy. He's part of the first series of 6 figures which also includes Yondu, Vance Astro, Angela, Darkhawk, Nova, and Star-Lord which include the build a figure parts for Titus, a character I know nothing about. Actually, this set includes quite a few characters I know little to nothing about (Vance Astro, Titus, and Darkhawk). Drax, though, I'm absolutely familiar with. Let's take a closer look at this super cool guy after the break...

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Minifigure Review: Crayboth Esedeth Mobile Patrol Scout from Glyos by Onell Design

 Here's a really short look at the last Crayboth I picked up at the 2017 Charlotte Minicon: Crayboth Esedeth Mobile Patrol Scout! Released in early 2016 as part of Glyos Wave 52: Esedeth Mobile Patrol, this little guy features a very cool tan and red color scheme. Since this guy is a repainted version of the standard Crayboth that has been released over and over again, I'm going to be pretty brief. More Crayboth madness after the break...

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Minifigure Review: Craboth Marezioc from Glyos by Onell Design

On Sunday I showed off the Flesh Crayboth, one of the three Crayboths I picked up at the Charlotte Minicon in January. Today I'm showing off the second Crayboth I picked up: Crayboth Marezioc. Crayboth Marezioc showed up in June of 2016 as part of Wave 56: Chariot's Keep. I had no idea Onell Design had released so much stuff! Since this guy is exactly the same as the Flesh Crayboth I reviewed earlier this week, I'm really just looking commenting on the new color scheme. A few more pics and some words after the break...

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Action Figure Review: The Joker from One:12 Collective DC Universe by Mezco

 Mezco just released the Joker in their One:12 Collective range of action figures, making him only the second superhero baddie to be released in the line (the first being the Mutant Leader). Sneaking out at the tail end of February, the Joker was the last release in what turned our to be a very busy month for One:12 Collective. I'm not sure the line has ever been hotter and more and more collectors are starting to pay attention to this line. It's a crucial time for the line right now and while figures like the Punisher and Daredevil demonstrate how perfect this line can be, the Joker is an example of a few of the pitfalls this line needs to avoid in the future. Let me temper that comment by saying that the Joker is a gorgeous figure with two of the most amazing (if not the two most amazing) Joker headsculpts I've ever seen; it's just that it also has some odd decisions, particularly in regards to the alternate hands and the accessories, that kind of make you think twice about this one. Let's take a closer look at Mezco's take on the clown prince of crime after the break...

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Action Figure Review: Baze Malbus from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

 Near the beginning of last month I reviewed Chirrut Imwe and now I'm finally getting to review his fellow Guardian of the Whills, Baze Malbus! At this point, Baze Malbus is the final member of the Rogue One crew to be announced by Hasbro. What sucks is that probably means we're not going to see Bodhi Rook at all. How in the world did Hasbro miss out on that character? Anyways, now that I have Baze in hand I have to say that I'm very conflicted by him. There are some really good things about this figure, but also some very negative aspects, too. I'm disappointed by those as Chirrut was incredible and he, along with Baze, were probably the two most memorable characters in the film, so I really wanted some incredible figures of the pair. There is a book about these guys coming out by Greg Rucka (titled Guardians of the Whills) , so hopefully we'll continue to see tales of their earlier exploits. For now, let's look at how Hasbro translated actor Jiang Wen's awesome character into plastic. More after the break....