Action Figure Review: Vykron from Masterverse: Masters of the Universe New Eternia by Mattel

 

   Ready for another Masterverse review? Here it comes! Today I'm checking out Vykron, a very cool Mattel Creations exclusive that went on preorder earlier this year. In fact, Vykron still seems to be available, so you can still add this figure to your collection. Vykron is based on the original trio of figures shown off to Mattel management by Roger Sweet (with the design of Vykron himself by Mark Taylor) in 1980. The trio of figures, a military inspired tank man, a spaceman, and a barbarian warrior then called Vykon (before He-Man was settled on), are a key part of Masters of the Universe history and, if you're interested in delving to the full history behind them, the Battle Ram Blog has an incredible article about their history. While the trio inspired MOTU, they weren't released as action figures until the 30th Anniversary of the brand in 2012 when Vykron was released in Masters of the Universe Classics. For his MOTUC bio, Vykron was reimagined as a gladiator who fought 50 years before the birth of Prince Adam. Vykron took the weapons and armor from the opponents he defeated, giving him different looks. While the MOTUC version of Vykron looked very accurate to the original Sweet trio of figures, the Masterverse outfits have been redesigned to look more in line with the MOTU aesthetic. Vykron isn't very different but the military inspired "Tank Head" and the space man " Bullet Head" have really been redesigned with recognizable MOTU design elements. Let's take a look at this very fun new release after the break...

Action Figure Review: Superman (Black Adam) Black & White Accent Edition from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Today I'm checking out another of the McFarlane DC Multiverse Black & White Accent Edition figures and this time it's the Man of Steel himself: Superman! Yup, Clark Kent has gone and gotten himself a new color palette and it's... well, it's kind of iffy. While the Flash really looked impressive and still heroic with black, grey, and yellow, Superman look a bit creepy. I think it's the red eyes, like he's using his heat vision. So far we've got the Flash, Superman, and Martian Manhunter in this series (he's coming soon) and while originally I kind of wanted to complete a Justice League in this style, now I'm not so sure. This figure is a repaint of the DC Page Punchers Superman from last year's Black Adam comic series, so that's why the package says Black Adam on it. Let's take a look at this black, gray, and red Kryptonian after the break...

Action Figure Review: Snake Face from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   This review goes out to Mekaneckfrenchiefrog, who has been keeping the Snake Face hype going for a few weeks in the comments! I've had this guy for around a month now but I'm just finally getting around to reviewing him. But today is as good of a day for a review of one of the Snake Men as any, right? Snake Face is billed as the "Most Gruesome of the Snake Men Warriors" and I think that's an apt description. He has a real Medusa vibe to him, both with his appearance and his power to turn people to stone with his petrifying gaze. I have never owned a vintage Snake Face, not even as a kid, so there's always been a real allure about him for me. He's not a common figure, either, so it's not cheap or easy to score one. This Masters of the Universe Origins release is quite welcome, then, as I'm guessing he's missing from many collections. Mattel has really been pushing the Snake Men lately and it's rather exciting that we'll be completing the faction soon as well as adding Lady Slither and Fang-Or as Mattel Creations exclusives. At SDCC just last weekend we learned that the majority of future MOTU Origins releases are going to be Mattel Creations exclusives. Honestly, I don't think that's a bad idea as I've had good success with most Mattel Creations releases and we're definitely getting into more obscure figures as the line goes on. I'm really looking forward to Origins versions of characters like Gwildor, Blade, Saurod, and Rotar, but will everyone else? (Note: Those guys haven't been announced yet but Mattel did reiterate that they are dedicated to finishing the vintage lineup). Let's take a look at what we do have in hand, though, and check out Snake Face after the break...

Action Figure Review: Egghead from Batman: Classic TV Series by McFarlane Toys

 

  It's been a long time since I've reviewed anything from the 1966 Batman TV Series but this year McFarlane Toys has been putting out some new characters and they've caught my attention. I'm a huge Vincent Price fan (I consider House on Haunted Hill to be the first true horror film I ever watched), so having an action figure of Egghead, a villain with multiple appearances in the classic Batman television series, is a pretty big deal. McFarlane has been putting out figures from the television show since 2021, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that these figures are in a 6 inch scale and not a 7 inch scale, like DC Multiverse and the larger DC Page Punchers. They actually fit in quite well with Mattel's 1966 Batman figures, though the sculpts on these are clearly superior. Ready for a look at Batman's greatest egg-themed nemesis? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Gelatinous Cube from Dungeons & Dragons: Golden Archive by Hasbro

   While I haven't collected any of the action figures, I really enjoyed the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and it's a shame that it didn't do better at the box office. I thought it was an excellent D&D movie that didn't try to get too meta but still captured the feel of playing D&D with a group of friends. My daughter says it's currently her favorite movie, so I guess that's high praise, eh? Hasbro is still releasing some Dungeons & Dragons figures in their Dungeons & Dragons: Golden Archive line, some based on the film and others simply based on characters and creatures from the game. It's been kind of tough to find anything at retail other than the first three characters released (Holga, Simon, and Forge) and Rakor, though I have recently seen a Xenk and Doric at GameStop about four months after the release of the film. I never saw the Gelatinous Cube anywhere until it was on a clearance shelf at Walmart for $6 earlier this month. What the heck? It seems like this year Hasbro hasn't been able to get their action figures on shelves at mainstream retail. D&D has had a limited presence, G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures have been almost non-existent at Walmart, and Indiana Jones stuff apparently was not even ordered by Walmart. The Gelatinous Cube did make an appearance in Honor Among Thieves, so this toy is based on the movie appearance. It's an interesting release and while I never intended to purchase it, I changed my tune when I could get it for $6 bucks. Ready to check it out? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Flash (DC Rebirth) Black & White Accent Edition from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   I'm not usually into repaints that present characters in an unrealistic way, like black and white, gray scale, metallic colors, or other such oddities, but I have to admit that there was something about McFarlane's DC Multiverse Black & White Accent Edition of the Flash from DC Rebirth that I really like. I saw this version of Barry Allen pop up as a preorder on Big Bad Toy Store (it's their exclusive with a limited run of 3,000 figures) and I jumped on it. In fact, I also ended up grabbing a preorder for the Black & White Accent Edition of Superman, too. I have a vision of having a cool display of the core Justice League members in this style, assuming we ever get a straight up comic book version of Wonder Woman. Flash and Superman both arrived in the last week or two, so let's start off with a look at the fastest man alive. The Flash comes in a tray-like box with a removable slip cover and, for the most part, it's fairly collector friendly. Nothing special, but collector friendly. I don't own the standard version of this Flash figure, so it's more new to me than it might be to you. Let's check him out after the break...

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

 

   I only own one or two of the non-Masters of the Universe inspired Mythic Legions figures but, fortunately, the MOTU tributes are so varied and inspired that it gives me a nice chance to see multiple different elements of the line. Today I'm checking out Zenithon, a heroic member of the nature loving band of warriors called  Xylon's Flock. Inspired by Stratos from Masters of the Universe, I picked up Zenithon last month straight from the Four Horsemen themselves. We went to HeroesCon 2023 in Charlotte, NC in June and discovered that Four Horseman Studios had a booth at the show. I had to opportunity to  meet a few members of the team and chat with them for awhile, look at some cool customs on display, and peruse a nice selection of Mythic Legions figures. I've never been a huge Stratos fan, though I do like his color scheme, so this is probably the most exciting of version of Stratos I've ever owned (the Masterverse: New Eternia Stratos is really good too, though). In Mythic Legions, Zenithon is one of the Oraphim of Mythoss, a mysterious and isolated people with the ability to fly. A messenger and warrior, Zenithon takes  to the skies to protect the land. Let's take a look at Zenithon after the break...

Action Figure Review: Copperhead from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

   Last week I received a box in the mail from Hasbro Pulse with three more figures from the newest series of G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures: Shipwreck, Torpedo, and Copperhead with Bazooka arriving a few days later. I received Rock 'n Roll from BBTS in early June, so there was a solid gap in time between getting the first and last figure in this series. This is an excellent series of figures, however, and I'm going to kick things off with a look at Copperhead. I never had Copperhead as a kid; being a 1984 figure, he was probably long out of stores by the time I was old enough to collect G.I. Joes in 1986, but I did have the Python Patrol Copperhead. The vintage Copperhead was originally included as the driver of the Cobra Water Moccasin but this Classified Series version comes on his own. I'd gladly take a Water Moccasin in this scale, though, but vehicles are going to be understandably less common in this line. Let's take a look at Copperhead after the break and see how he turned out...

Action Figure Review: Mr. Freeze (Batman: Fighting the Frozen) from DC Page Punchers by McFarlane Toys/ DC Direct

 

   It has been so darn hot out lately that I figured it might be wise to beat the heat with a look at the DC Page Punchers Mr. Freeze. This guy is absolutely amazing and one of the coolest and craziest interpretations of Mr. Freeze ever released. A steampunk suited scientist who ends up travelling 16,000 years into the past, this version of Mr. Freeze is seriously geared up for keeping himself refrigerated, presuming that's what this incarnation of Dr. Victor Fries needs. This guy has just wowed me. In fact, this whole series of Batman: Fighting the Frozen Page Punchers is just one of the standout toy releases of the year. Ready for an amazingly cool figure? Then let's check this version of Mr. Fries out after the break...

Action Figure Review: King Hiss from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   It seems like the toyline based on the Netflix He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon has reached an end as the last few releases have been kind of tough to find. Most disappointingly for me is the Savage Eternia Moss Man, who has become crazy expensive and impossible to find. My preorder for him was cancelled from BBTS and if you find any on Ebay they're often on auction, now seeming to sell for over $500 bucks. That sucks, doesn't it? Moss Man is my absolute favorite MOTU character and I fear I'll never get this version with a cool owl companion. I did manage to get King Hiss, however, and he's an interesting figure. One of the things I really did enjoy about this toyline is that the characters really did vary quite a bit from their classic counterparts. It kept things fresh and interesting. This version of King Hiss is wildly different from any previous version, but that does make it a fresh, interesting take. He's one of the deluxe figures from this series. Let's take a look at King Hiss after the break...

Toy Review: Eternia Battleground from Masters of the Universe by Mega Construx

 

   There were a few really good Masters of the Universe Mega Construx sets released last year, including the awesome Snake Mountain which I own but never reviewed, but it definitely feels like tis line is now being targeted towards a direct market rather than being sent to mass market retailers. Just this past weekend I was in a target that had a full aisle and a half of Lego product and maybe an 1/8th of one side of an aisle with Pokemon Mega Construx. No MOTU Mega Construx at all. It makes sense, then, that the latest MOTU Mega Construx set was available directly through Mattel Creations (it's still available there as of the date I'm writing this). The Eternia Battleground building set is based on the legendary vintage playset released at the tail end of the vintage MOTU line and know for being an absolute beast (I have one and, yes, it is indeed insanely large). To keep this set affordable, the Mega Construx team scaled it down a bit, making it much smaller than either Castle Grayskull or Snake Mountain, and only including the central tower rather than all three towers. Hopefully the other two smaller towers will be released as another set at some point, or perhaps as two separate sets. It's kind of crazy that Mattel is currently offering this set while also producing the MOTU Origins Eternia playset that was crowdfunded last year while back in 2010 a Castle Grayskull for the popular Masters of the Universe Classics line seemed like wishful thinking. Ready to check out the Eternia Battleground set? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Batman Who Laughs with Sky Tyrant Wings (Dark Knights Metal) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

   

   Last week I went to one of my favorite collectible shops, Back in Time Collectibles in Gastonia, NC, to do some trading. I cleared out some older stuff I had in boxes and walked out with the complete Merciless build-a-figure series from  DC Multiverse, so I was pretty happy. I'm not going to be reviewing all of them right now but this figure of the Batman Who Laughs with Sky Tyrant Wings is just so cool that I had to show him off. The Batman Who Laughs is the Batman of Earth -22 mixed with the concentrated chemicals released from the Joker's dying body, creating a bizarre and terrifying hybrid of Batman and the Joker. While McFarlane Toys didn't have the DC Comics license when the character was first introduced in 2017 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, it's always seemed like a perfect match for McFarlane's style. McFarlane's DC Multiverse line has returned to the Dark Multiverse again and again but this version was released in 2020, the first year of the line, and it's become a bit difficult to find him. Let's take a look at this incredibly creepy amalgam of Batman and the Joker...

Action Figure Review: Batman (Fighting the Frozen) from DC Page Punchers by McFarlane Toys/ DC Direct

 

   Remember the 2011 Return of Bruce Wayne line from DC Direct? It was based on Grant Morrison's Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and featured four figures of Batman in different time periods: Batman: Wild West, Batman: Witch Hunter, Batman: High Seas, and Batman: Prehistoric. They were very cool figures but, like many DC Direct figures of that era, they were essentially mini statues with minimal articulation. It was a wildly cool concept, though, and I'm hopeful that McFarlane Toys and DC Direct continue to draw inspiration from it in their DC Page Punchers collaboration. Today I'm looking a new take on the Prehistoric Batman, the second of four figures from the newest DC Page Punchers series. This series comes with a new comic book called Batman: Fighting the Frozen which tells the story of a time travelling, steampunk inspired Mr. Freeze causing trouble for Batman of the Bat-Clan and his allies 16,000 years in the past. Can Batman discover fire in time to help him defeat Mr. Freeze? Does this version of Batman live in a literal bat cave? Will the sticks and stones he uses as weapons break the bad guys' bones? Find out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Superman (Superman: Lois and Clark) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Superman two days in a row? This wasn't planned! It just happened. Last Monday I was at Walmart grabbing some fireworks and snacks for our 4th of July festivities and during my obligatory trip to the action figure aisle I saw the DC Multiverse section restocked with some figures from last year. There wasn't much I didn't already have but I did notice this cool black and silver "Solar Suit" from the comic Superman: Lois and Clark. I've always liked the black and silver suit and wanted it just for the coolness factor, especially when I noticed he was priced at $6 bucks. That was the clencher right there. Want a super cool black and silver Superman? This is actually the classic, Post Crisis, Pre Flashpoint version of Clark Kent introduced back into canon in 2015's Superman: Lois and Clark and he's sporting this cool suit to be a bit more low profile here. Let's take a look at Superman after the break...

Action Figure Review: Project Superman (Flashpoint) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   The Target excusive Flashpoint build-a-figure series continues with Project Superman, an alternate take on Kal-El where he was captured as a kid and kept in a secret military complex overseen by General Sam Lane, Lois' dad. Hidden away and experimented on, Superman (known as Subject One) doesn't have access to the rays of Earth's yellow sun, so he's really scrawny and pale. The recent movie The Flash used some of the elements of this storyline, but they used Kara Zor-El/ Supergirl instead of Kal-El. I'll admit that I bought this figure pretty much just to get the pieces for the build a figure of Cyborg as he's not overly exciting on his own. Ready to take a look at Project Superman? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Batgirl (Batman: Fighting the Frozen) from DC Page Punchers by McFarlane Toys/ DC Direct

 

   The newest series of DC Page Punchers has been shipping for around a month now and this is my favorite set yet. It's the only set of Page Punchers where I've purchased all of the figures in the set, too, but being that it's a Batman based set, that's probably not much of a surprise. Today I'm checking out my first figure in the series: Batgirl! Y'all know I absolutely love Batgirl, so a prehistoric/ cavegirl themed Batgirl is a real treat. Wait; prehistoric, cavegirl Batgirl? Yup! This series comes with a new comic book called Batman: Fighting the Frozen where a steampunk inspired Mr. Freeze accidentally travels 16,000 years back in time, causing trouble for Batman of the Bat-Clan and his allies. Batgirl is a member of the Bat-Clan and is armed with plenty of prehistoric weapons for dealing with Freeze. Ready to take a look at a really cool set? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Indiana Jones (Club Obi Wan) from Indiana Jones: Adventure Series by Hasbro

 

   It kind of drives me crazy that we're getting so many figures in the 6-inch Adventure Series that we didn't get in the 2008 line while there are so many major characters in the 2008 line who don't seem to be in the works for the Adventure Series. The subject of today's review, Indiana Jones in his snazzy white tuxedo from the Club Obi Wan, didn't make it into the 2008 line. Neither did Wu Han, Lao Che, nor Willie Scott in her red and gold performance dress. Think those will show up in this line? I'm not getting my hopes up! This line seems largely like it's meant to help promote Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (which I enjoyed, but I'd put it in last place out of the Indy moves) but, with the movie underperforming, I can't imagine Hasbro really extending this line much beyond whatever they might be contractually obligated to produce by Disney and Lucasfilm. This is a great, unique look for Indy, though, and I imagine it'll be the base for many James Bond customs. This is a Target exclusive and has been out for at least a month. Let's check out Indiana Jones (Club Obi Wan) after the break...

Action Figure Review: Clawful from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe New Eternia by Mattel

 

   
  Who's ready for some Masterverse? Today I'm very excited to check out another figure from Mattel's excellent Masterverse subset Masters of the Universe: New Eternia: Clawful! Not only have the New Eternia figures just been solid toys with a nice mix of new elements but they've also typically offered up very classic versions of the MOTU cast as well. The same goes for Clawful here; want a mostly classic Clawful? You've got it. Want an updated Clawful with elements from the Filmation Clawful and the 200x/ Staction Clawfu? You've got that, too. When I went to order my Mattel Creations exclusive Vykron I found that Mattel actually had some standard figures in stock, too, so I managed to grab the new Origins deluxe figures and this guy. They shipped before Vykron, but have no fear! I'm reviewing him soon, too! Let's take a look at Clawful after the break...

Action Figure Review: Indiana Jones (Temple Escape) from Indiana Jones: Adventure Series by Hasbro

 

   I'm not sure how many times I've said that Raiders of the Lost Ark is tied with Ghostbusters as my favorite film of all time, but it always bears repeating. I'm not sure any movie has as amazing of an opening sequence as Indiana Jones, either. The intro to Raiders of the Lost Ark might be the finest 10 minutes ever put to film. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny came out this weekend but I'm not going to spoil anything about it yet. I'm kind of still processing it. Maybe in a day or two I'll be ready to give a more insightful opinion. For now, I'm focusing on the figure at hand: Indiana Jones (Temple Escape) from Hasbro's Indiana Jones: Adventure Series. I believe this is a Fan Channel exclusive and while it's currently only available for preorder from Hasbro Pulse it actually has been shipping from shopDisney for around a month. I managed to get mine in early June using my Disney+ membership. This is definitely the most iconic version of Indiana Jones from one of the most iconic movie scenes in history but there is a bit of an issue with this figure: It's exactly the same figure as the standard Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark) from the Ark of the Covenant build an artifact series, but with the idol pedestal and the bag of sand included. Oh, and fewer hands. Yeah, unless you want to have two identical figures, you have to decide whether or not you want to build the Ark of the Covenant or if you want this display piece. That was kind of a silly move on Hasbro's part, wasn't it? Surely they could have found some way to differentiate these figures more. Since I'm not going all in on this line and am mostly just cherry picking here and there, I opted for this set as this scene is just way too cool. How this set turn out? Is it a treasure or a trap? Let's find out after the break...