Action Figure Review: Dr. Evazan from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 

   Ready for another Star Wars: The Black Series review? Today we return to the original film with a look at one of the many dangerous patrons of Chalmun's Caninta: Dr. Evazan. Dr. Cornelius Evazan certainly doesn't have much screen time in A New Hope but, my gosh, does he make the most of it. He has some of the most memorable lines in the movie and both he and Ponda Baba com off as a truly threatening duo until they get their butts handed to them by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since appearing in the original film Dr. Evazan have appeared in plenty of books and comics, both set before and after A New Hope, even netting a cameo in Rogue One. Dr. Evazan's an evil son of a gun who tortures and performs unlicenses (and unwanted) surgery across the galaxy. The cantina patrons from Star Wars haven't gotten much love in the Black Series so it's nice to finally have a couple more to keep Greedo company. Dr. Evazan was released last year in the Cantina Showdown set that was a Hasbro PulseCon exclusive inspired by the 1997 Power of the Force 2 Cantina Showdown set, but as far as I'm aware this is the exact same figure. Let's check out Dr. Evazan after the break and see how he fares in the Black Series...

Action Figure Review: Kerak from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   Last week I reviewed one of the first Valaverse Action Force figures I picked up in January, the Bone Collector, and now I'm getting ready to check out the leader of The Garrison. It's Kerak, the ruthless Colonel of New Colonia who runs his troops like a medieval army. Kerak reminds me of someone you'd see in a series like The Walking Dead or in the Fallout games; someone who has just been waiting for the civilized world to end so their ruthlessness and aggression can go unchecked. While Action Force is named after the vintage 1980s Palitoy series, based on Action Man, which brought the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero characters, it doesn't seem to directly tie in with the vintage line and mythology. It's a new story set in the United States after the fall of the federal government and the rise of states as individual Republics. There is an SAS trooper as a major character, though, and perhaps more elements from the 1980s series will appear in time. For now, though, you could say that this incarnation of Action Force also draws inspiration from earliest Action Force figures that were simply realistic military action figures. These guys are bigger, though, and Kerak is a pretty tough dude who can command your Garrison troops or fit in with Cobra. Let's check out Kerak after the break...

My Top 10 Toylines of 2021

 

  It's that time of the year again!

    2021 was another interesting year for toys and action figures. While the Covid-19 pandemic continued to effect everything and supply chain issues and inflation were at the forefront of the discussion about almost any topic, there were still plenty of toys and action figures hitting shelves. Timing product was still a bit of an issue as some companies as seemed to have trouble getting out product in the ideal time for entertainment based launches wile other companies ran like clockwork. Popular lines from Hasbro, Mattel, Funko, McFarlane, NECA, Diamond and other companies mostly continued on as usual but there were some exciting changes. I find it interesting and inspiring that we're starting to see more product and action figure lines from companies like Jazwares, Jakks Pacific, Jada Toys, Super7, and other smaller companies showing up at mainstream retail, often with a focus on video game based toys that do appeal to a younger demographic. There were some real surprises at retail this year. While prices jumped on quite a few lines, Dollar Tree's Greenbrier International kept the Final Faction line going for around $1, creating a fun budget line that kids and collectors could go nuts over without breaking the bank. Smaller companies like Boss Fight Studios, Valaverse, and Lone Coconut, among many others, continue to really expand what's available for collectors outside of retail offerings. We're definitely seeing some incredible product marketed directly to collectors. As a diehard Masters of the Universe fan I'm still amazed by how much MOTU product hit retail last year. Of course, there was also the resurgence of Spawn, the toyline that, along with Kenner's Star Wars: The Power of the Force, essentially created modern action figure collecting as a hobby. The 90s are really starting to get the nostalgic focus that the 1980s have gotten for so long.

   Creating my "Top 10" lists is always one of my favorite things to do at Action Figure Barbecue and I always spend plenty of time pouring over my notes from the previous year to determine which toylines I thought were the coolest and most fun to collect. This is the tenth year I've created a list (the earliest ones were posted at The Epic Review) and it's always interesting too see how my lists change from year to year, often reflecting my changing interests and collecting trends. 2021's list was a little more difficult than last year as there were definitely more lines that caught my attention. Also, with Mattel putting out multiple MOTU lines, I had to really pick and choose. I'll still say that a majority of my collecting focuses on Masters of the Universe and I pick up a wide array of stuff, while with other properties I love I might stick to a single line (The Black Series for Star Wars, Classified Series for G.I.Joe, etc.)  I've realized that besides MOTU stuff I'm far more prone to pick up items that I can really sit around and mess with versus items that just display well. It's not always the case but more often than not that seems to be a theme of my purchases this year. I also jumped back into Marvel Legends, which kind of cycles on and off for me.

    A few years back I divided my Top 10 list into two separate categories: My Top 10 Toylines and My Top 10 Individual Releases. Today I'm starting with My Top 10 Toylines as it's my standard best of list. These are the 10 toylines (action figures, statues, minifigures, etc.) of the past year that I most enjoyed collecting. They may not always be the best or the most expansive lines, but they're my favorites for one reason or another. As I reiterate every year, the two key word for this list are "my" and "favorite." My list isn't really based on a toyline's true merits and I don't typically go outside of what interests me. This is really a snapshot of the ten toylines I had the most fun collecting last year. As always, these are listed alphabetically rather than by any order of merit. And now, for My Top 10 Toylines of 2021...

Action Figure Review: Bib Fortuna from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 

   It's been a few months since a new series of Star Wars: The Black Series figures hit shelves and today I'm checking out the first of four figures I was able to get my hands on: Bib Fortuna. I picked these up when Hasbro put them on sale at the beginning of January and while I didn't purchase everyone (there were a couple I skipped and a couple I missed) I did manage to grab all of the Original Trilogy figures. Bib Fortuna is definitely another of those figures that I'm shocked it took us 8 1/2 years to get. Isn't it crazy that the Black Series has now been around longer than the vintage Kenner line lasted in stores? Anyways, it's funny that we just got Bib Fortuna considering he was killed off pretty quickly in the teaser for the Book of Boba Fett during the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. Bib Fortuna hasn't played a huge role in the Book of Boba Fett, either, even in the flashbacks, so this guy is sold on the strength of his OT appearance, though he did appear in Episode I and the Clone Wars. Let's take a look at the infinitely quotable Bib Fortuna (is there ever a time when it's not utterly fitting to say "die wanna wanga?") after the break...

Statue Review: Hordak's Minion from Masters of the Universe Legends by Tweeterhead

 

  I really liked Tweeterhead's Hordak 1/5th scale statue that came out last year and I'm pretty excited to now have this cool little sculpture of Hordak's Minion to go with it. A few months after Hordak went up for sale Tweeterhead also solicited a preorder for the little red bat/ demon creature that has often appeared in artwork and which was included with the Masters of the Universe Classics Hordak figure. This isn't Imp, just in care you're wondering. Imp is blue. This guy is red and seems to be a living version of the shield-like accessory the vintage Hordak came with. It's kind of neat to get a little companion piece for a statue and I was excited to order it. He was sold exclusively through Tweeterhead. Mine arrived in early January and it's finally time to take a look at Hordak's Minion. Join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: B.A.T. From G.I. Joe Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   I do believe a few of the B.A.T.s and Alley Vipers snuck out at the end of 2021 but since Hasbro Pulse and other E-tailers didn't even start selling these guys until 2022 I'm counting them as new releases for this year. I'm starting things off with a look at the B.A.T., a Cobra battle android trooper who was originally part of the 1986 lineup. That was the year I got into G.I. as a kid so I definitely have fond memories of the bat. I still have most of my original vintage figures, too, so I have the B.A.T. somewhere. For the B.A.T. Hasbro has largely just updated the vintage figure which works really well for the B.A.T. as it's a pretty iconic design and it's not outdated or anything since it was already a little bit futuristic. I'm sure that, even with almost 40 years of technological advances, these things still cost Cobra a pretty penny. Let's take a look at the B.A.T. after the break and see if he has any upgrades for the Classified Series....

Action Figure Review: The Bone Collector from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   It's time for the first new review of a 2022 product and I'm kicking things off with a look at the Bone Collector from Valaverse's Action Force line. I do think some folks got their Kickstarter orders in late December but since Valaverse didn't officially put these figures up for sale until early January 2022 and most e-tailers haven't gotten their orders yet, I'm counting them for this year. Action Force is a 6 -7 inch scaled military line that is obviously going to draw comparisons with Hasbro's G.I.Joe: Classified Series. That's not a bad comparison and I honestly started picking these up to supplement my Classified collection. This is an ambitious line, especially for a new company, and it seems that so far they've been quite a hit with collectors. Action Force is centered around the aftermath of a possibly engineered second American Civil War where individual state are now their own Republics who must contest with a growing threat called New Colonia, a growing collective violently protected by an army called the Garrison, led by Kerak. The Bone Collector works for Kerak but seems to be an independent operator who has his own small faction, the Brothers of Bones. He's a chilling figure that works within the fiction of Action Force but could also serve great as a supplement to the forces of Cobra or as a Dreadnok operator. He's part of the first series of figures in Action Force and is one of the standard releases in the line. Let's check him out after the break...