Premonition of a Premutation
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
About a month ago, we got our first in-person San Diego Comic Con since before COVID, and everyone knows that means exclusive toys! NECA came out the gate with five new items, but I only got one of them, and it's Ninja Turtles-related. Last year gave us a four-pack of the Channel 6 news crew from the original cartoon, and this year gave us another set of toon figures; the pre-mutated forms of four different characters. Unlike last year, this was an in-stock set that you had to pick up at the show, but they also offered online sales before and during it. If you missed out on those, your only chance for this set now is through resellers. The packaging here is much like the Turtles in Disguise set, being a big wide box with a "fifth panel" flap and artwork based off the old VHS tapes....[See More]

Attack Track
He-Man - Masters of the Universe (Mattel) - Vehicles
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
As MOTU vehicles go, the Trak is possibly the least screen-accurate thing in the series. I suppose ground transport for more than two was a necessity for the show, but oh well, the animated design was boxy, plain, and boring. This thing is what Eternia is all about! First off, to hell with any sort of neutral colors. You get Play-Doh blue and candy-apple red, with orange and yellow accents. Stickers include lightning bolts, condor heads, gargoyle heads, and exhaust pipes spewing electricity. The front end, sort of like a camper van on the show, is shaped vaguely like a nondescript sort of drake, while the usual trapezoidal control station rises up slightly behind it. The seat rests against a blocky engine compartment, with a couple of dinky cannons mounted near the top. Pretty average...[See More]

Trap Jaw
He-Man - Masters of the Universe (Mattel) - Series 2
Rated 4.25 stars by Karl T. Face
What can I say? It's Trap Jaw. This was easily the weirdest thing we'd seen so far. Animal people, sure. Cool armor, maybe a skull head. And then here comes a shirtless steampunk pirate with a prosthetic arm and a casque helm with a Zipline grommet. He has a laser rifle and a metal jaw. Comes with a GITD ring for some reason. New legs, new arms, new head. They really went all out within the confines of the medium, and it's a pretty striking color combo too. The paint is well applied as always. You all know the articulation, I'm sure, but we also get a hinged jaw, which is nice. And of course, a swivel at the "wrist". I do wish the robo-arm was bent like everyone else; it feels so stiff and awkward. Because of that bland pose, the attachments- the classic hook, a fairly fancy laser that...[See More]

Gargo
Blackstar (Galoob) - Laser Lights
Rated 3.75 stars by Karl T. Face
Ah, Blackstar. The almost-He-Man. Our hero has roughly the same origin as Queen Marlena, he's got half a legendary weapon while the villain has the other. Sorcery and science coexist. And all of this has very little to do with Gargo. What we have here is possibly the only character exclusive to the toyline: a colorful warrior with no identifying info other than the title of "Vampire Man". No fictional representation or lore. Do the rest of his people look this weird? Maybe. Is he Overlord's servant, or rival? Hell of I know. Can he sell on design alone? It worked on me. As a design, he owes a lot to medieval depictions of demons. And maybe some dime-store novel art. Piercing eyes, enormous ears, cartoonish bat-wings and a sagging posture pair with garish colors to really stand out on the...[See More]

Kessler Werewolf
American Werewolf In London (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
One of the lesser-known horror movies from the early 80s, An American Werewolf in London is undoubtedly a cult classic, thanks to its nice blend of horror and comedy. I will admit the ending is pretty anti-climatic, but a great film nonetheless. NECA's been holding onto the license since last year, first giving us the "nightmare demon" before the Kessler wolf itself. I got the wolf a while back, and now it's review time! The box is a lot bigger than the usual NECA packaging, but the wolf is a big figure, so it makes sense. Just expect it to take up quite a bit of space if you're one of those weirdos who puts your figures back in the box when not playing with them (like me). We got some really cool artwork on the front as well, courtesy of Justin Osbourn. It's definitely better when NECA...[See More]

Bronx
Gargoyles (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
After being able to finally find Demona last month, it was only a matter of time before I would get Bronx. Like her, he was found at retail over an hour away from my house, and I guess whatever problem NECA Turtles had over a year ago getting stocked in MD must be affecting Gargoyles now. Still, nice to finally have found him, so let's take a look at how good the figure itself is. Bronx's packaging is the same size as Demona's, and it has a nice illustration to go along with it. For some reason, NECA used both twist ties and plastic ties to hold in the figure and whatnot, but I didn't have any difficulty removing them. As opposed to the previous figures, Bronx is a quadruped, as he's to other gargoyles what dogs are to humans, and he's a bit smaller as well, standing around 4" tall and...[See More]

South Park (Season 1)
Tiny TV Classics (Basic Fun) - Basic Series
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
We’ve gotten a lot of little plastic TVs to go with our action figures over the years, but have you ever asked yourself “what if there was a toy TV that could actually play video?” Basic Fun, makers of all kinds of toys, has answered that question with their “Tiny TV Classics” line. It’s been going on since last year, and has covered a good amount of shows and movies. The one I’m taking a look at is for South Park, meaning that this isn’t one you should give to the little ones. The packaging has specific designs for each TV, with this one being peppered with a few characters from the show. There’s even a “try me” feature for it, just push the button on the side of the box and you’ll see how it works. The TV and remote (the latter which I’ll talk about below) are kept safe with two...[See More]

Banzai-Tron
Transformers (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
It’s been a while since I got my first Super7 Transformers Ultimate, which was Optimus Prime, and now it’s time to go from the face of the franchise to a lesser-known character: Banzai-Tron from the Action Masters line, which I believe was the first “non-transforming” Transformers line. Look at us coming full circle with both these Ultimates and Hasbro’s R.E.D. figures, except the deep-cut lovers at Super7 are more likely to do this guy. The packaging is much like Prime’s, bigger than usual, but with some nice graphics. Illustration of the character on the slipcover, and stats on the back of the main box. They also used the Action Masters version of the TF logo, which is a nice touch. There’s two plastic trays being held together with tape, and a single twist tie holding in the figure,...[See More]

Deadly Grell
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (LJN) - Bendable
Rated 2.50 stars by Karl T. Face
*sigh* This toy, frankly, was a mistake. Like, it shouldn't have been attempted. Gather 'round, and I'll elucidate on what happens to toys when mistakes are made. I will give credit to the paintwork. It's got a bit of airbrushing, some wavy lines to follow, and it all looks good. A little cartoonish, but that's the house style at LJN. It's the construction I take issue with. They went with "bendy" here, probably for a couple reasons: it's the only way a radially-symmetrical being can have any kind of size on a blister card, but still be able to flex the tentacles downward. The only other solution would be a separate "pillar" of tentacles, but even then, the head would have to be either vertically or laterally flattened- the latter would turn out pretty flea-shaped, which would've...[See More]

Zarak
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (LJN) - Basic Series
Rated 3.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Zarak is not at the top of anyone's list. I get that. He's also stupid cheap compared to most, so here he is. At a glance, he doesn't look like much. The gloss plastic doesn't do the sculpt any favors, but in soft light, it's alright. The clothes seem a little baggy for a rogue, and he lacks the satchel and knife sheaths shown in the art. We do get a few fun extras on the back: a bundled rope and belt pouch. And then there's the color. Oh, it's laid out well enough, no slop. The red is well integrated. And then you get to the head, with its primary blue hood and lime-green face with angry red.... warts? It's like the toy people had never seen comic art before, and thought the blue highlights were actually blue cloth. Or maybe it's because the head was gang-molded with other figures'...[See More]