Buzz-Saw
SilverHawks (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
While the Silverhawks being a band of flying cyborgs is pretty neat, I will admit I find the Mob, the main villains of the show, much cooler. The variety of characters, unique designs, and personalities make them more enjoyable to watch than the good guys. One that stands out is Buzz-Saw, a giant robot who's equipped with various buzzsaws, hence the name. Buzz-Saw has one of the least complex designs in the show, due to his simple colors and shapes. The head manages to make him look quite menacing, though, with jagged mouth, blank yellow eyes (a lighter shade than the yellow used for his body), and of course, a saw blade on top of his head. In addition to his default portrait, he gets two other heads, one with an open mouth, and another with the blade designed as if it's spinning....[See More]

Storm Shadow
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
Everybody knows ninjas are cool, hence why G.I. Joe has two; Snake Eyes on the side of good, and Storm Shadow on the side of evil. Snake Eyes is the more popular one, probably since he doesn't talk and has a wolf buddy, but Storm is pretty cool too. It feels like the packaging for Super7's Joe Ultimates changes every wave. The second wave started taping flaps closed and using plastic ties, and now the third wave has apparently done away with making details on the packaging "stand out," for lack of a better term. The emblem, logo, dog tags, etc. are now just flat; nothing raised. It still looks pretty good, and getting most of the contents out should be easy. Like his adversary Snake Eyes, most of Storm Shadow's head is covered, but his eyes are at least exposed. It's a simple design...[See More]

Baroness (Blue Suit)
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.85 stars by RMaster007
Like the Joes, C.O.B.R.A. has no problem including women in their ranks, such as Baroness, one of the most ruthless members of the organization. I mentioned recently with Flint that Super7 always seems to nail the portraits on the Joe like, looking more close to life than their real-life human figures. As with the good guys in wave two, Baroness has unpainted, glossy skin on her head, but she looks a little nicer than the others, with a bit less shine. In addition to the neutral and smirking expressions, Baroness also comes with a head that I understand is based off her comic look, with shorter hair with blue wash, round glasses with clear lenses, and pink lipstick instead of red. Unlike most Ultimates, she gets a fourth head, another comic-inspired one wearing an oxygen mask and a tank...[See More]

Lady Jaye
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.80 stars by RMaster007
Who says fighting for justice is a men's-only thing? Standing about 6 7/8" tall, Lady Jaye's outfit reminds me a bit Flint's, sharing some of the same elements. She has rolled-up sleeves, gloves, two belts around the waist (but no shoulder straps), and boots, all done up in army-esque shqdes of green and brown. The one strap on her torso is sculpted as part of the body, rather than a separate piece, resulting in the look being broken up too much when the chest is posed. The little knife in the holster on her chest is removable, as is the quiver with all sorts of tools. The paint is clean, but as with Flint, the head and forearms aren't painted (or at least not matte), resulting in them contrasting with the painted skin tone on the body. As for her likeness, the glossy skin throws off...[See More]

Flint
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.25 stars by RMaster007
Yo Joe! It took me a while to complete the first wave of Super7's G.I. Joe Ultimates, and I recently got my hands on most of wave two. It's a good thing I held out a bit, since I was able to grab them for less than $22 each. May as well discuss these, starting with Flint. As seen in wave one, Super7 did a pretty good job nailing the character designs from the Sunbow cartoon, and Flint is no exception. He bears a stoic, serious look, and it's accurate to the animation. Alongside it are a slightly smiling head with the beret as a separate piece, and a head talking into a headset. Unlike Duke from wave one, Flint's skin tone on the head isn't painted (it was supposed to, but something changed at the factory I guess), resulting in a glossy appearance. On the positive side, the paint on this...[See More]

Night Ninja Leo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Collection (Playmates) - 90th Reissue - 2022
Rated 4.00 stars by RMaster007
Even with NECA and Super7 putting out plenty of good Ninja Turtle figures, Playmates, the originator of turtle toys, has been keeping up with not only new figures, but plenty of unexpected comebacks from the late 80s and 90s. The old "Mutations" sub-line has been resurfacing for some time already, and joining them are two of the "Auto-Mutations:" Leonardo and Raphael. Hey, if they can bring back those weird Pizza Tossin' Turtles, I don't think anything is off-limits… provided they still have the molds. The Mutations came in window boxes with flaps rather than cardbacks, and their reissues keep those, but the Auto Mutations now come on cardbacks for some reason. That said, the artwork from the original packaging is retained, and provided you have some scissors on-hand, these should be...[See More]

Batman (New Batman Adventures)
Mafex (Medicom) - DC
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
After covering McFarlane's re-releases of DC Direct's Batman: the Animated Series figures, I figured (heh) that I'd go over another animated Batman in my collection. I've heard of Medicom's MAFEX figures time and again, but haven't been interested in the line that much. Their animated Batman intrigued me, and here we are. The packaging is pretty solid with a city byline on both the outside and the inside, along with various shots of the figure. There's no twisties to deal with here; the plastic trays and bags keep everything in place, and it's all easy to take out. This figure isn't from BTAS, but rather The New Batman Adventures, a retool of the show that overhauled the art style and character designs. This included Batman himself, with narrower eyes on his mask and a blockier chin....[See More]

Ghost of Jacob Marley
Mythic Legions (Four Horsemen) - Figura Obscura
Rated 4.85 stars by RMaster007
Everybody knows the story of A Christmas Carol, having received various adaptations and retellings for years and years, but the one thing they all (almost all of them, at least) have in common is the presence of ghosts. The mysterious, life-changing night Ebenezer Scrooge has begins with the appearance of the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, in his bedroom. Recently, I picked up Four Horsemen Studios' take on Marley, part of their "Figura Obscura" line, dedicated to various tales and legends. The packaging is rather unique, with a painting of a Marley door knocker on the front and paragraphs related to the character on the back, but this part is a separate piece held onto a window box with magnets. Remove it and you'll see the reverse side has a backdrop showing a startled Scrooge...[See More]

Cliff Burton
Metallica (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
In the world of heavy metal, one of the most iconic bands is Metallica, and one of the most iconic bassists is Cliff Burton. Although his life was tragically cut short in a bus accident, his legacy lives on through the band's music… and this new action figure by Super7. Considering how long it can take for Super7 to produce their Ultimates, I was surprised this guy came out in just under a year. The slip cover here is designed after a denim jacket, complete with various pins and a Metallica-styled "BURTON" on the front. The box underneath has a cool lightning motif, with a painting by Ed Repka on the back. There's only a single bit of tape and a tie to remove to get everything out, a definite plus here. The likenesses on Super7's recent music figures have been quite good, and Cliff is...[See More]

Robin
Batman - Animated Series (McFarlane) - Basic Series
Rated 3.95 stars by RMaster007
While I could care less for McFarlane's DC Multiverse line nowadays, I'm happy with their re-releases of the DC Direct Batman Animated line, bringing back older figures with new extras, and there's a second build-a-figure wave on the way, along with New Adventures figures. I've just now completed the first BAF wave with the other half of characters, Batman's sidekick Robin and the tragic villain Mr. Freeze. Let's start with Robin first. He's been put out a couple times now, and McFarlane's re-release is the third or fourth time we've seen him. The sculpt is pretty nice and spot-on to the show's style, with a confident expression and one side of the cape draped over the shoulder more, but the rubbery material prevents it from hindering movement. They also did a good job with his hair, a...[See More]