Action Figure Review: Wonder Woman from DC Comics Multiverse: Wonder Woman by Mattel

  As Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman enters it's third weekend at the box office it's probably not going to come out as the number #1 film (I imagine that will be Pixar's Cars 3) but it most likely will still come in #2. The movie is having a great run in theaters and I'm really curious how merchandising tie-ins are performing. Mattel has put out a pretty decent line of Wonder Woman action figures, particularly the Wonder Woman subset of the DC Comics Multiverse line. Today I'm looking at the Toys 'R Us exclusive standard Wonder Woman whom has been relatively easy to find (Mattel and Toys R Us have both done a great job of making sure their joint DC Multiverse exclusives have been available both in stores and online!) and whom I picked up the week the movie was released. It's kind of interesting that Mattel chose to make the "standard" Wonder Woman the exclusive, isn't it? While there are rumors that we may get one more figure in this series (possibly another Amazon exclusive or an SDCC exclusive), this could be the last figure in the line. While it would have been cool to have received a Dina Prince figure from her time in London or Wonder Woman undercover in her blue part dress, we did get three variants of the character. Let's take a look at this classically styled Princess Diana after the break...

Action Figure Review: Menalippe from DC Comics Multiverse: Wonder Woman by Mattel

 So, Wonder Woman: Pretty incredible movie, right? It's nice to see that DC has a legit hit on their hands in the DCEU that is both critically and commercially successful. It's always interesting to look at a movie based line after the film is released; sometimes the character choices are rather odd. Take the subject of today's review, Menalippe. While I loved characters in the film like Sameer, Chief, Charlie, and General Antiope, we haven't received any of them in the toyline. We do have Menalippe, however, who I didn't even remember seeing in the film. I had to look her up in Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film. She's currently a shared exclusive between Amazon and Toys 'r Us and has been available for around a month now. Let's take a closer look at Menalippe after the break...

Action Figure Review: Luke Skywalker with Speeder #175 from POP! Star Wars by Funko

Today I'm checking out the lone POP! vinyl from the most recent Star Wars Smuggler's Bounty Box from Funko: Luke Skywalker with Speeder! Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope, this crate included a few items that hearkened back to classic elements from that film. The set includes the standard patch and pin (Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca, respectively), Han Solo and Greedo salt and pepper shakers, some Star Wars wristbands, and this oversized POP! vinyl piece. I really like these deluxe POP! vinyls and this might be one of the best yet. While Hasbro is releasing a Luke Skywalker with landspeeder later this summer, Funko has beat them to the punch. This is a pretty iconic Star Wars vehicle that looks great on your shelf. More details after the break...

Action Figure Review: Damian Wayne Robin (Robin War) from DC Comics Multiverse by Mattel

   While I love the DC Collectibles Bombshell figures and I think that Mezco's One:12 Collectives are among the best (if not the best) DC Comics action figures ever made, I gotta give Mattel credit for being the only company right now who seems to be creating actual comic inspired figures from more recent stories (yes, it feels like DC Collectibles has given up in this area). Today I'm looking at one of those figures: Damian Wayne from his role in Robin War. I'll admit that while I've ready most everything vaguely Batman related from the New 52 and Rebirth, somehow I let Robin War and We Are Robin pass me by. It's in my pile to read right now, so I should be getting to it in the next few days. Having not read the story certainly didn't deter me from wanting to pick this guy up, though. Damian Wayne has really evolved into a great character over the past decade but his action figure appearances have been few and far between (my favorite is still the Batman Incorporated version from DC Direct). This is Mattel's second shot at the character (a Damian Wayne Robin was also released near the end of the MattyCollector only DC Signature Collection) and the results are a bit mixed. He's exclusive to Toys R Us and seems to be pretty easy to pick up online (pair him with one of the Wonder Woman TRU exclusives and you'll get free shipping, too!), so hopefully he'll fill a gap in a number of Damian-less collections. Let's take a closer look at this new release after the break...

Minifigure Review: Pack D from M.U.S.C.L.E. Mega Man by Super7

   Let me say that 99% of the time I take no joy in giving a toy or action figure a bad review, and these Mega Man M.U.S.C.L.E. figures certainly do not fall into that 1% rarity (every now and then I buy something that I know will be terrible just to review it). Not only do I feel like I wasted some money but I know that releasing bad product typically hurts a companies reputation, especially a smaller company like Super7 who is still establishing themselves. I've really enjoyed the Super7 stuff I've purchased over the past few years, particularly their various M.U.S.C.L.E. sets and the amazingly bizarre The Worst. Sadly, these Mega Man figured just didn't turn out well and are cursed with flimsy plastic, soft details, and an odd, shiny finish. My hope is that Super7 figures out what happened here ASAP, acknowledges it, and finds a way to rectify it. I'd love to own these figures in the same quality of plastic as the Street Fighter II or Alien minifigures and hopefully Super7 will find a way to offer these that doesn't reek of "double dipping." For now, though, I'll finish up this set of figures with a look at Pack D, containing Dr. Light, Elec Man, and Bomb Man.

Minifigure Review: Pack C from M.U.S.C.L.E.: Mega Man by Super7

I've already voiced my disappointment with Super7's new Mega Man series of M.U.S.C.L.E. figures so let me go ahead and get right into showing off these minifigures for the sake of having a complete archive on the site. It's disappointing when a company seemingly continues to get better and better (last years Alien M.U.S.C.L.E.s were an improvement over most of the Masters of the Universe stuff while the Street Fighter 2 minifigures blew everything before it out of the water) and then inexplicably takes quite a few steps back, but that's exactly what Super7 has done with the Mega Man series. These just aren't good minifigures due to the overly soft sculpts, oddly colored plastic (far too shiny and strangely bendy but not rubbery), and weird sticky, oily feel. These are a mess and this review is to serve as a cautionary tale: Read on to learn more about Pack C after the break...

Minifigure Review: Pack B from M.U.S.C.L.E.: Mega Man by Super7

As someone who absolutely loves minifigures, particularly M.U.S.C.L.E., it hurts my hear that Super7's Mega Man M.U.S.C.L.E. figures are so terrible. Yeah, that's a spoiler for the rest of the review. Oh well. If you read my reviews fairly often, you might come to the conclusion that I'm not too harsh of a critic on most toys. That's partially because I usually buy stuff I'm predisposed to like but also because most modern action figures and toys that I pick up are actually pretty decent. Something happened with Super7's recent efforts on the Mega Man minifigures, though: The plastic is overly shiny, the figures feel bizarre (kind of oily/ sticky and not at all "solid"), and the sculpts are pathetically soft. Compare these to the Street Fighter II M.U.S.C.L.E. figures Super 7 released earlier this year and you'll wonder what happened. How did the same company release some of the greatest minis ever and some of the worst in such a short span of time? Who knows? Since I bought them and opened them, I feel compelled to at least review these as a cautionary tale for anyone who might be contemplating them!