Action Figure Review: Gambit from Marvel Legends Retro Collection: X-Men by Hasbro

 

   Gambit was definitely one of the most popular characters when the X-Men experienced another renaissance during the early 1990s. He was a new character in the comics (created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee) and a major part of the 1992 animated series. Who didn't think Gambit was the coolest back then? Who didn't want to wear a long coat like Remy LeBeau? Who didn't carry a deck of playing cards around to toss at their enemies? I sure did. Toy Biz released Gambit in series IV of Marvel Legends (one of the handful of Toy Biz Marvel Legends figures I owned) and Hasbro released their classic Jim Lee styled Gambit as part of the Caliban Build-a-Figure series back in 2019. I own that full series but never got around to reviewing it for some reason, so this is the first Legends Gambit I'm reviewing. I recently obtained him in a trade and definitely find him to be superior to the first release (which is still a pretty good figure). This Gambit is part of the Marvel Legends Retro Collection which I find pretty exciting because I remember looking for and finding find the 1992 Toy Biz Gambit figure from series 2 of the X-Men line. I loved that figure even though a "power kick" action was pretty disappointing compared to some sort of card throwing ability. This guy has it all, though, and is definitely a definitive Gambit for my X-Men shelf. Let's take a look at the Retro Collection Gambit after the break...

Action Figure Review: Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Sonic/ C3

 

   

   Wherever He-Man goes, Skeletor has to follow! I really like Skeletor in the Netflix CGI animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe but, so far, we haven't received a really good figure of the character. Today I'm check out the Sonic Wacky Pack kids meal Skeletor toy from recent promotion and while he's not a great action figure or anything, he is a fun little toy with a really unusual look. Let's take a look at Skeletor after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Curse from Spawn by McFarlane Toys

 

   Ready for some more older Spawn reviews? I hope so! The Toddfather can't get out new Spawn figures fast enough now to feed my obsession so I'm having to go back and snag vintage figures I missed as a kid. Today I'm checking out another series 3 figure from 1995: The Curse! The Curse is a character directly from the comic (so many figures were just crated for the toyline) who first appeared in issue #27 as an opponent of Spawn. A religious extremist intent on showing his dedication to God through ascetic practices, as a child The Curse removed his left eye and scarred his own face with the barbed wire from rusty metal fence. Then he removed his own right arm, later replacing it with an upgraded cybernetic arm. I was only 11 or 12 in 1995 and while I was mostly interested in Goosebumps books, Batman, Iron Man, and Congo action figures, Micro Machines, and Star Wars stuff, I definitely paid attention to what was coming out in the Spawn line. I kind of remember The Curse being a bit of a peg warmer back in the day. Heck, he didn't cost me much at all when I picked him up last month at Toy Federation in Greer, SC. Ready to check out the craziness of The Curse? Then join me after the break...

Utensil Review: Sword of Power Spoon from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Sonic/ C3

   The recent Sonic Wacky Pack kids meal promotion is based on Netflix's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the CGI series that debuted last year. The kids meal prizes for this set are three figures (He-Man, Skeletor, and Sorceress) and three spoons (Sword of Power, Havoc Staff, and the Sorceress' Magic Staff), so you've either got something to play with or something to eat with. Since I just reviewed He-Man, let's take a look at the utensil version of his Power Sword (which this show calls the Sword of Grayskull). My daughter recently discovered a color changing Trix rabbit spoon at my parents' house and has insisted on eating with it whenever she ear there. It got me thinking about fun utensils and cereal box prizes, like the Jurassic Park: The Lost World chomping dinosaur spoons from 1997. Remember those? This Power Sword spoon is kind of crazy because it sort of doubles as a butter knife, too. Nifty, right? Let's check this one out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Cyclops from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

      While my favorite era of X-Men story-wise is definitely Chris Claremont's run through the 1980s, costume wise I love the early 1990s designs. I was first introduced to X-Men through the Toy Biz action figure line and the 1992 animated series and these uniforms have always been some of my go to looks for these characters. I own a couple other Marvel Legends Cyclops figures (the jacketed version of this guy from the Love Triangle set and the second X-Factor outfit from the Retro Collection) but this one was the one I wanted most and I finally scored it in a trade. I loved the vintage Toy Biz version of this version of Scott as a kid and while this one looks great, it's definitely got a few problems. It's a few years old at this point, though, so it's likely Hasbro will be releasing a new version at some point in the future. Still, let's go ahead and take a look at this version of Cyclops from the 2017 Warlock Build-A-Figure series after the break...

Action Figure Review: He-Man from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Sonic/ C3

 

   Remember back in February and March of 2020 (before Covid) when Sonic had a Wacky Pack kids meal promotion for Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power? Now Netflix's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has joined the party. The CGI animated Masters of the Universe cartoon has six exclusive items which can be found in the Wacky Pack kids meals at Sonic drive ins: Three articulated figures and three spoons. Today I'm going to kick things off with a look at He-Man. I always get a kick out of adding some unusual MOTU stuff like this to my collection and this is a pretty cool stylized He-Man figure. You might have to look for these for a bit as some Sonics may not have them in stock yet and some don't seem to want to see them without the purchase of a kids meal. Others sell them for between $1-$2 while the one I finally found them at just brought me a bag of them and asked that I tip the waitress. Score! Let's take a look at He-Man after the break...

Action Figure Review: Cosmic Angela from Spawn by McFarlane Toys

 

   Angela was a huge part of the popularity of Spawn, both the comic and the toyline, in the mid 1990s. Created by Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane (with about two decades or more of craziness regarding who owns the character), Angela became an important character in the comics and a high desirable action figure. Angela first appeared in series 2 of the toyline and was so popular that she was given a variant in series 3: Cosmic Angela. That's the version I'm checking out today! I went to Toy Federation in Greer, SC a couple weeks ago and picked up some vintage Spawn toys to review and display with my newer stuff. Sadly, we won't get a modern Mcfarlane Angela figure because today Angela is part of the Marvel Universe. This figure is from back when she was one of the A-listers at Image, though. I'm not sure if this costume was made up for the toyline (I've read the first 100 issues of Spawn and the Angela miniseries and I don't recall it), but I really like it. This is a cool looking figure with neat accessories and lots of weird problems. Many of McFarlane Toys' early releases really tried to do some impressive things and while they usually succeeded, they struck out a few times, too. Is Cosmic Angela a hit or a miss? Let's find out after the break...