Steelwill
SilverHawks (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.10 stars by RMaster007
Like me, you've probably never heard of Silverhawks until Super7 announced they got the license. I wasn't too enticed at first, but I got interested in the designs, and checked out the show; it's pretty good. A little over a year later, we finally saw the release of the line: with wave two coming before wave one. Super7 really can't get their release windows straight, can they? We all know the usual Ultimates packaging - a trapezoidal box with slip cover. The slip cover is simple, with the Silverhawks emblem on the front of a shiny silver color. The box underneath is a starry blue, with the back having an illustration of the character and a bio. The only thing needed to remove from the plastic tray is a tie holding in the figure, and everything's easy to get out. Steelwill's face has...[See More]

Gir
Invader Zim (Palisades) - Series 1
Rated 4.40 stars by RMaster007
Ah, Invader Zim, a show that's generally agreed to be one of the best Nicktoons ever. Between its great art direction, absurd humor, hilarious dialogue, and being able to get away with darker content than the network could allow, it was pretty much perfect. While the show sadly got cut short because of who knows what, it has managed to put out new material in the years after it ended, such as a comic book series and a movie. Around two years ago, Diamond Select announced they'd be making figure two-packs for the show, but production issues held them back greatly, to the point where they had to take down pre-order listings for them. Years before that, around the time when Zim had a general presence at Hot Topic, there was a cool line of figures by one of the best toy companies to exist:...[See More]

Charizard (Dracaufeu)
Pokemon Select (Jazwares) - Series 1
Rated 4.35 stars by RMaster007
Has anyone heard of Jazwares before they started doing Fortnite figures? I’ve gotten a couple of their older figures as I grew up, and a good amount of them were hit-or-miss, and I believe the main issue with them was floppy and weak joints. The last “new” thing I got from them was a Fortnite figure set that was gifted to me for some reason, and I was surprised by how good the joints were considering their earlier work. But I’m not talking about those (maybe someday I will), I’m talking about their new Pokémon figures. They got the license through Wicked Cool Toys (which they at first owned and then merged into the host company) and did the same stuff they were doing, but now they’re doing a “Select” figure line, meant to go with their Fortnite stuff and pretty much everything Hasbro’s...[See More]

Invisible Man (H.G. Wells)
Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
It's been a while since I've gotten one of NECA's Universal Monsters figures, and the latest addition to my collection is the Invisible Man. When I first saw the film, I knew it'd tie with Frankenstein for my favorite Universal Monsters flick, thanks to Claude Rains' great portrayal of Dr. Jack Griffin, the invisible man himself, being able to capture his descent into madness with equal parts horror and comedy. Following the trend of previous releases in this line, the Invisible Man's packaging consists of the film's poster on the front, and a collage of figure photos on the back. Also as per usual, you can flip open the flap on the front to reveal the figure and everything it comes with. There are a few ties to snip out to get the figure itself out, but at least there isn't a whole lot...[See More]

Finn Balor
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 1
Rated 4.25 stars by Karl T. Face
Another modern character I'm only somewhat familiar with, Finn Balor was built for this line. Maybe not to the extent of, say, Berserker, but that ain't happening. Anyhoo, Finn's Demon persona works well here, other than one minor niggle. A Beast Man-esque collar forms the lower jaw of his usual makeup, but it goes all the way around, somewhat lessening the illusion. Just somewhat. The bracers are new to me, but possibly reused. They're a good look. And on the accessory front, the streamers he wears on his wrists have become grasping tendrils. Two pairs, one black, one red. Happily, one can get all four on at once, and they look halfway decent grasping at other figures from halfway across the ring. Just flexible enough to eliminate any fear of breakage. My only major complaint is another...[See More]

Roman Reigns
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 2
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
I know little of Roman Reigns; I've been a fairly peripheral fan since the Attitude Era or thereabouts. But this figure definitely works for me. May as well get the basics out of the way. The standard body used here is basically the vintage MOTU body, with vastly improved articulation. Swivel/hinges at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, ankles, and knees. Barbell joint at the neck. Movement range is about as expected for something this bulky, and the knee and elbow pads on some of them don't help. But it's enough for a number of wrestling poses, and as we've got a Fisto homage here, punching is all it needs. The sculpt here is great. The head looks okay to my eyes, and the fusion of RR's vest and Fisto's armor looks quite good. Paint is impressive by Mattel standards, with the gorgeous...[See More]

Jagwar
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) - Adventures
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
While I haven't had any really huge success with NECA and Target's Haul-a-thon event, the few figures I have been able to get from it have been pretty great, including the last Adventures figure for now: Jagwar. Like the other two recent figures, Jagwar is sculpted by Tony Cipriano and Kushwara Studios, and the head… well, it's okay. The eyes come off a bit too cartoony for me; they looked fine on Dreadmon, but here they kinda pushed it. There is an alternate head with narrower eyes, and that one definitely looks nicer. The hairs on the top of his head, along with the cheek fur, stand out too much, and comparing it to the packaging's illustrations along with panels from the source material, I doubt he was ever drawn like this. Both heads get a hinged jaw, which is a cool touch, and it...[See More]

Robin Hood (Stork Costume)
Disney (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.70 stars by RMaster007
If there's one Disney movie I can say is my favorite right now, it's Robin Hood. Its quirky charm and beautiful animation has made it a classic I can watch time and again. Super7 dove into it a bit with their first wave of Disney Ultimates, but to mix things up, they did Prince John instead of the fox. Wave 2's been out for a while now, and with that we got the hero of Nottingham. The box is the usual Ultimates packaging, albeit wider than usual because of all the accessories this guy comes with. The graphics on both the slip cover and main box are very nice, and there's a bio of the character on the back like usual. It's very easy to open up as well, with only a few bits of tape and a tie to remove. By default, Robin has an open-mouth smiling portrait, and it looks very spot-on to the...[See More]

Ultron
Marvel Legends - Cinematic Universe 10th Anniversary (Hasbro) - Basic Series
Rated 2.00 stars by Milbury
If you're looking for an affordable, easily available MCU Ultron figure, this is the one to get. If you're looking for an Ultron that does the character justice... keep looking. At a little over 8 inches tall this Ultron at least has the height to stand above measly heroes, but sadly height is all the figure has. It reminds me a lot of the blander DCUC offerings: no accessories, minimal detailing, just eight inches of phoned-in plastic to rake in the cash from spendaholic MCU fans. You get what you pay for they say, and with this Ultron that is definitely true. Get him as a placewarmer if you absolutely have to have an Ultron in your collection RIGHT NOW, but if you want quality in your Ultron consider the BAF or the S.H.Figuarts versions instead....[See More]

Spiral
Marvel Legends (Hasbro) - Red Hulk Series
Rated 5.00 stars by Milbury
Poor early Hasbro Spiral. Just a year ago this figure was one of the highest priced Legends series figures and commanded regular triple digit prices on the secondary market. But now that Hasbro's finally released an updated version of her for their retro collection line, collectors are unloading her by the case and I recently scooped up a loose version (with all accessories!) for a measly $10. Is the figure really a lemon people only wanted because she was the only version of the character available? From someone who briefly owned both versions, I would say no. In fact, I think those collectors are being hasty, because in a lot of ways this Spiral is a better figure than the update. How so? While the new Spiral has more swords and slightly more points of articulation, this Spiral has a...[See More]