William David Lee, ESQ.

Ah, the Wonder Twins. These super-powered teenagers from the planet Exor have been the butt of many jokes. Originally introduced on the Superfriends cartoon, the Twins have wormed their way into pop culture thanks to their battle cry of, “Wonder Twin Powers activate!” Along with their pet monkey, Gleek, the Wonder Twins were the teen sidekicks to the Superfriends and made Robin feel just a bit less worthless than normal. Mattel announced they would sell a Wonder Twins 2-pack at Comic-Con and later Mattycollector. However, they riled up thousands of fanboys into a pitchfork and torch-wielding frenzy when they stated Gleek would ONLY be available at Comic-Con. I won’t go into the mess I now refer to as Gleekgate. Suffice to say, it was a pain in the ass that I was lucky to avoid.


Packaging - ****
Mattel usually goes the extra mile when it comes to the packaging for their convention exclusives. Their JLU Solomon Grundy a few years back came in a vibrating box while their albino Man-Bat would screech when the panels were opened. They stepped it up to another level with the Wonder Twins. First, the figures are housed in a basic white box with the DC Universe logo. Open that up and you’ll find a pentagon-like box in the standard DCUC orange color with a Wonder Twins shield insignia on top. There’s a plastic slipcover around the package with Wonder Twins stamped on it in a Superfriends-style font.

Pull the slipcover off and you’ll find Zan on one side and his sister, Jayna, on the other. Here’s the cool part: the box can fold together so the Twins can touch fists. When that happens the box lights up and says, ”Wonder Twin powers activate…shape of an eagle…form of a bucket of water…let’s save those kids…I’m with you, Wonder Brother!”

Gleek is NOT packaged with the Twins. He comes separately in a polybag and was (supposed to be) given out 1 for every set of Twins purchased at the Con.


Sculpting & Paint - *** 1/2
Four Horsemen sculpting powers activate! Mattel’s star sculpting team once again gives fanboys another set of awesome figures. These toys capture the classic look of the Wonder Twins while giving them something of a modern, updated look. Created in the 70’s, the Wonder Twins still retain the basic goofiness of that era right down to the high collars and hairstyles. Zan has a Beatles-style mop top while Jayna has a pointy beehive ‘do. Looking at Zan, Mattel could pretty easily re-use that collared body for Earth-2 Robin. Zan uses the basic male body while Jayna uses a smaller female body that could be the same as Supergirl’s. Not sure, they appear to be the same size. She’s definitely smaller than Starfire. There is something about the Twins’ smiling faces that seem a bit unsettling. It’s as if they were staring into my very soul.


The paint is clean all around with just a bit of the yellow on their belt buckles and boot trim that bleeds with the dark blue around it.

Gleek is spot on. There’s a little bit of texture sculpted onto Gleek’s arms, legs, and neck to simulate his fur. He’s got the bent legged look that was the Horsemen’s signature in the old He-Man and DC Superheroes line.

Articulation - ***, Gleek - * 1/2
Basic DCUC articulation. The arms have joints in the shoulder, upper arm, elbow and wrist. The legs are connected to the hip with side-to-side and back & forth joints along with joints at the knees and ankles with a cut at the thighs. There’s also a joint in the midsection and neck cut.

Gleek only has articulation at the shoulders and neck.

Accessories - ***
The Wonder Twins come with Zan in bucket of water form as well as an eagle for Jayna’s animal form. Mattel seems to love that damn eagle because they’re also using it for their Masters of the Universe Classics line and it’ll be packaged with the Wave 10 Beast Boy. I’m also counting Gleek and the box as accessories.


Value - **
I’m giving it a two-star rating based on the original retail price of $40.00. That’s basically one Andrew Jackson for each Wonder Twin though you do get the added value of the tricked out box. Gleek was supposed to be a limited-edition gift given away for free at Comic-Con. Again, I won’t go into the mess at Mattel’s Comic-Con store, but it was a clusterfuck. I didn’t even bother to wait in line and bought the set off eBay through Buy It Now for $60. Considering the ridiculous prices Gleek ALONE went for on the Bay, I got them for a bargain. I may have paid an extra twenty bucks, but at least I didn’t have to deal with any headaches or waste hours and hours of precious time. At that price, I’d knock down the rating by a star. I love the Wonder Twins, but I don’t 60 bucks love them.


Gleek was gone by Friday while the Wonder Twins sold out Saturday at the Con. Even without Gleek, the Twins still sold out on Mattycollector. So if you still want the set, you’ll have to go to the secondary market.

As a sidenote, It’s been a Superfriends summer for me. I bought three of the DVD sets at Big Lots back in July for $6 each and I got The Lost Episodes DVD a couple weeks back for review. You can read that write-up on DVD Town. These Wonder Twin figures compliment the DVDs just fine.

"To infinity and beyond!"

After 10 amazing films, it seems Pixar can do no wrong. Right now, they are on top of the animation world. Disney has practically given the keys to the Magic Kingdom to John Lasseter. Pixar will be returning to the property that put them on the map when they release Toy Story 3 next June in Digital 3D. As a preview, they will be re-releasing Toy Story and Toy Story 2 this October as a 3D double feature. Not to mention Toy Story merchandise has begun flooding retailers recently after a long absence from the shelves. There are so many toys in various shapes and sizes that it can be a daunting task to pick out the right one. The Disney Stores have their own exclusive line of figures while Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart have recently reset their toy aisles to include a Toy Story section with playthings by Mattel and Thinkway. I’ll discuss the differences later in the review, but if you’ve got the cash and the love for Toy Story then you want the super, deluxe versions from Thinkway. These are easy enough to spot…


Packaging - *****
I grade movies on a five-star scale, but I use a four-star scale for toys. However, for my new Woody and Buzz, I’m giving the packaging five-stars. Thinkway has put out a higher end line under the Toy Story Collection brand. These are essentially the toys Andy plays with in the films if they really existed. Well, they exist now. Buzz comes in the iconic spaceship box with ‘Buzz Lightyear’ logos on the front, sides, and top. The bottom of the box is designed to look like rocket thrusters. The back of the package describes all the cool features Buzz comes with and we even get the little picture of Buzz explaining who he is. ”I protect the galaxy from the threat of invasion from the Evil Emperor Zurg…” Even better, Buzz comes with a pair of sturdy cardboard wings that you can attach to the box to make it even more authentic.

Woody’s box isn’t as ostentatious. It’s a light blue box with a dark blue bottom and a big window to see Woody. There are Western style graphics around the package which is made to look like what Woody might have come in back in the 50’s. The ring to Woody’s pull string comes out the back so you can try him out.

There are two negatives to these otherwise beautifully designed boxes. One: the toys are a complete bitch to get out. Woody is held in by a shit-ton of twisty ties. Buzz also has a bunch of twisty ties keeping him trapped along with a zip tie and a plastic shell around his chest. Two: these boxes aren’t exactly collector friendly, Buzz’s more so. Finding a Woody in mint condition should be fairly easy, but the majority of the Buzz Lightyears I’ve seen have some dent or shelf wear. A few have been really bashed in. So those of you who are MOC collectors or who just want to keep the boxes for display will have to be really picky. Also, try to grab a figure in the back, one that hasn’t been played with in the store.


Sculpting & Paint - ****
Thinkway has basically given us movie replicas. They went straight to the source and used Pixar’s original designs. It was as if they reached right into their computers and pulled them out. They are in exact scale to the dimensions they would be if the toys existed in real life. Buzz stands at 12 inches while Woody is 16 inches tall. Woody has a real nice flesh tone to his face with a subtle pink to give him a pair of rosy cheeks. The browns for his eyes and hair are just right. His cowboy boots are made of a semi-hard plastic and have a cactus etched in on both sides. His outfit is great too. There’s a nice texture to his shirt and jeans. Woody’s vest is sewed onto his shirt and his sheriff’s star is sewed onto that. He’s even got his bandana around his neck.


Buzz is f’n incredible. His spacesuit is of a hard plastic and the sculpting on his face is perfect. His facial expression is pure Buzz with the raised eyebrow and the slight smirk on the end of his wide smile. Much like Woody, Buzz’s skin tone is just right and he has the same subtle rosy cheeks. Flip the panel open on his left arm and he has a decal for his wrist communicator. Thinkway released the original Talking Buzz when the first Toy Story was released and that toy created mayhem during the holidays. He was one of those hot in-demand items like Tickle-Me Elmo and another Pixar toy, the talking Boo from Monsters, Inc. I don’t have that Buzz, but I compared pictures of the two. The new Buzz is bulkier and a bit sleeker. The paint on his face is also better, lighter and more realistic.


Articulation - **
Buzz has articulated joints in his legs, shoulders, elbow, wrists, and fingers, but not his thumbs. He also has ratcheted joints in his lower torso, knees, and feet. These are more difficult to move, but the tightness makes it easier to pose him. This balances things out a as Buzz is a little back heavy due to his jetpack and wings. Buzz’s neck is articulated, but his head moves on its own. The shoulders don’t have full movement so you can’t put Buzz’s arms close to his body.

Woody’s head turns all the way around so you can recreate the Exorcist-esque scene from Toy Story. His wrists can also turn. However, Woody isn’t a traditional action figure; he’s much more of a soft doll.

Accessories - * 1/2
Buzz doesn’t come with any accessories unless you count his display box. Woody comes with his cowboy hat and a display stand with a base in the shape of a star. He does have a holster attached to his belt, but doesn’t come with a gun. Damn political correctness.


Extra Features - ****
Here’s where things get real good. Woody has a switch on his back to put him in ‘Play’ mode or demo (‘Try Me’) mode. The box proclaims Woody says 50 phrases in normal play mode and you don’t actually need to pull his string to hear them all. Woody has an interactive feature that allows him to react to the sound of your voice or other noise in the room. He can even sense when you’ve raised your voice. It doesn’t work quite as well as the materials seem to say, but it’s still cool. You can hear Woody say lines such as, ”Howdy, pardner! My name’s Sheriff Woody.”, ”Haha, boy, am I glad to see you!”, ”Reach for the sky.”, and, my personal favorite, ”There’s a snake in mah boots.” Maybe it’s just me, but some of the phrases don’t sound like they were done by Tom Hanks. Some have definitely been lifted straight from the movie, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they got a sound-a-like to fill out the 50.

As neat as Woody is, Buzz completely blows him out of the water. I guess that’s the point. Like I mentioned earlier, Buzz’s left arm has a flip panel to reveal a decal for his wrist communicator. His right arm has a laser (”It’s a little light that blinks!”) that can be activated by a red button that’s handily marked ‘Laser.’ Buzz’s wings have blinking lights on either end (one red, one green) and they can fold and retract into his jetpack. There’s a big red button on his chest that will pop them back out. His helmet also retracts. He’s got three oval buttons on the other side of his chest, blue, green, and red that switch between his different modes. Press the red button and that puts Buzz in Toy Mode. This is where Thinkway gets an additional gold star because of the tiny details that will please any die-hard toy collector. In Toy Mode, Buzz’s voice is on the tinny side and he says standard phrases such as, ”Buzz Lightyear to the rescue,” ”I protect the galaxy from the threat of invasion,” and “I come in peace.” Thinkway made Buzz sound exactly like your typical talking toy.


Now, hit the blue button and that puts Buzz in Interactive Mode. This is when Buzz "comes to life." He’ll turn his head automatically and say even more phrases in a voice much, much clearer and louder. Like Woody, he’ll respond to your voice and when he doesn’t hear anything for a while he’ll ask, ”Hello, are you still there?” He can even interact with himself. Flip the communicator and you get a little blip sound and Buzz will speak as if he’s trying to contact Star Command. Flip his helmet open and he’ll say, ”My eyeballs could have been sucked from their sockets!”, "The air isn't toxic..." or ”Ah, it’s good to breath planetary air again.” Flip it shut and he’ll say something like, “Switching to internal air supply.” Pop the wings out and he’ll make ‘whooshing’ sounds when you tip him to certain angles to simulate flying. Buzz is advertised as saying 65 phrases. I’ve been playing with him for a while and I haven’t heard all of them yet. Oh, the voice is unmistakably Tim Allen’s.

Value - *** 1/2
The Toy Story Collection Buzz and Woody have popped up at Target and Toys R Us at $49.99. Yes, 50 bucks is pretty steep, especially for Woody, but these are the most detailed and realistic Toy Story figures you’ll find. Again, these are Buzz and Woody as depicted in the films and are what Andy probably played with. As I mentioned earlier, these particular Buzz and Woody toys are easy to spot due to the unique packaging. They also have ‘Toy Story Collection’ stamped on the lower left corner of the boxes. Also available for the Toy Story Collection are a remote-controlled RC (for $80), a three-pack of aliens (for $30), and a bucket of green army men (for $15). Rex and Mr. Potato Head are coming soon.

If $50 is too much, Thinkway has also made cheaper, less elaborate talking figures for $34.99. Buzz, Woody, and Jessie are available in this price range. There are also a variety of action figures, mini-figures, and plush dolls made by both Thinkway and Mattel.

For me, Buzz was worth the fifty bucks though Woody would have been more palpable at $40. Still, these are worth every penny I spent. They’re fantastic toys. They look great for display, but made for play. Even older collectors will feel like kids again when they get their hands on these bad boys.


For more on the Toy Story Collection, you can visit Thinkway Toys' website.

These toys have also been given the stamp of approval by John Lasseter himself. You can view videos of Lasseter discussing the toyline on YouTube.

I’m back again with another quick look at the latest releases from the DC Universe Classics line. This time, I’m reviewing a pair of the newest 2-packs from the Mattel. The first is “Battle for Earth 3” with Alexander Luthor and Ultraman which is exclusive to Mattycollector.com. The second is “Clash in the Cosmos” with Superman and Brainiac which is available only at Toys R Us and several online retailers.


Packaging - ***
Like the single-packed figures, the 2-packs come on the orange cardbacks with large display windows perfect for those of you who like their figures still in the box. They’re easy to open and the figures are held inside their trays using clear bands instead of the dreaded twisty ties. The figures are pre-posed which is sometimes a problem as the positioning can warp the plastic. That’s what happened to my Alexander Luthor as his right leg is slightly bent. My Starfire suffered a similar fate.


Sculpting - ****
I’m giving them a full four stars across the board. As Superman’s evil twin from a parallel universe, Ultraman looks like the basic Superman figure with some minor tooling. He’s got a V-shaped collar with the ‘U’ insignia attached. His face looks a lot like a vampire version of the Man of Steel with slicked back hair, sharp teeth, and red eyes. He’s based on the classic look rather than the modern version. Luthor is basically Lex’s good twin and one of the few heroes in the evil Earth-3 universe. His costume is a bit hokey. There’s a lot of detail in his face with just a minor bit of wrinkling and the pirate-esque goatee.


The “Clash in the Cosmos” set has yet another rehash of Supes, this time with heat vision eyes. He’s the same Supes figure previously released, but minus the long hair. He’ll be available again with regular eyes in the Walmart exclusive 5-pack. Most folks will be picking this set up for the Brainiac figure in his classic costume. The character was released years ago for the DC Superheroes line back when Mattel only had the rights to Bats and Supes. That version was the robot incarnation famously used during the Super Powers era of Superfriends. The 2-pack version is the one from the Legion of Doom era of Superfriends. He’s wearing a purple, long-sleeved polo shirt, black shorty shorts, and white go-go boots, a rather odd uniform for a supervillain. Mattel only needs to release Cheetah and Toyman for fans to get the complete LOD line-up. A new Riddler in spandex would be a plus.


Paint - *** 1/2
I don’t have any paint issues with the figures I purchased. I know some folks have found Brainiac with sleeves that were either lighter or darker in color to his torso, but mine did not. There’s no slop or bleeding with the white areas of his outfit. The green of his skin is also perfectly done. Supes and Alexander Luthor both look great too. The skin tones on Ultraman’s fists are lighter than his head.

Articulation - *** ½
These are the usual highly articulated figures from Mattel. There aren’t any issues with joints that are stuck or loose nor does any part of their sculpting get in the way of the joints.

Accessories - *
Brainiac is the only one to come with an accessory. He’s armed with the same laser pistol that came with the DCSH Lex Luthor. Everybody else has bupkis.


Value - ***
Again, I love these figures and the prices haven’t gotten so high that I’m turned off the line. Luthor/Ultraman is only available on Mattycollector for $25.00. The cheapest shipping option would be just under $9 and if you live in Southern California, you’ll probably get your figures in no time as Mattel is based in El Segundo. So you’re looking at about $17 per figure which is a little pricey. I picked up the Supes/Brainiac set at TRU for $21.99 which is a much better price though I really only wanted Brainiac. I don’t mind having an extra Superman as I’ll use him as a Superman Robot with my one, true Kal-El. The Supes/Brainiac set is being shipped with Batman/Clayface set and those have been hitting TRU in good amounts.


Overall - *** ½
I just love the DCUC line. Brainiac is awesome and perfect for those of you trying to build the Legion of Doom. Ultraman and Luthor aren’t exactly must-haves, but they’re great figures and I for one definitely want figures of Ultraman’s comrades, the Crime Syndicate. Can we get Superman/Owlman and Johnny Quick/Power Ring 2-packs, Mattel?

The Mattycollector 2-packs go on sale every quarter. The first one, Adam Strange/Starfire, went on sale back in January and is still available. The Earth-3 set went up last month. The next 2 sets look to be even better as we’re getting Sinestro Corps members Romat-Ru & Karu-Sil in the fall and Animal Man/B’Wana Beast next winter.

After a long drought, Mattel seems to be flooding stores with DC Universe Classics. Wave 8 and the new 2-packs finally hit stores with Wave 9 right behind it and the Wal-Mart exclusive Wave 10 coming soon. Another WM exclusive, the Gotham City 5-Pack has already hit stores a few weeks ago. Wave 8 is being reportedly found at Target and Toys R Us, while Wal-Mart seems to be getting 9 first. This review is for Mr. Terrific, Dr. Fate, Gentleman Ghost, and Hawkgirl.


Packaging - ***
The Classics come on the standard orange cardbacks that all of Mattel’s DC products come on which makes it a bit confusing for the uninitiated. The figures are housed in a big plastic bubble that’s perfect for MOC collectors. Each character in the wave is represented in the artwork behind the figure.


Sculpting and Paint - ****
I’m just going to go ahead and give each figure the full four stars. This is the Four Horsemen at their best. Each figure looks like they were ripped right off the comic book page. Dr. Fate uses the basic male body with some minor tooling for his costume. Mr. Terrific has his sweet jacket with “Fair Play” written on the sleeves though mine had some very minor smudging on his right leg. Hawkgirl is another awesome figure with no paint problems at all. They’ve managed to get all the little details just right such as the hawk logo on her belt buckle and the hawk feet design on her boots.


Gentleman Ghost is probably my favorite out of the four I bought. I never thought we’d get a GG figure, but this year we’ve managed to get two of them in both DCUC and JLU styles. That’s likely because he shares the same body with the Joker (a DCUC version will appear in Wave 10). What’s really cool is that they connected his top hat to the tip of his collar to replicate his headless look. His shins and feet and parts of his cape are done in transparent plastic to give him a more ghostly look.


Articulation – Hawkgirl **, Gentleman Ghost ***, Dr. Fate & Mr. Terrific ****
Lots of articulation which I’m not going to run down. I marked GG down one star only because the leg joints on mine are really loose, making it hard for him to stand. Hawkgirl gets knocked down two stars because her neck joint is severely limited in movement because of her molded long hair. Her head is stuck looking at a downward angle and can’t move too far to the left or right.


Accessories – Dr. Fate **, Mr. Terrific **1/2, Gentleman Ghost & Hawkgirl ***
Dr. Fate comes with an ankh-shaped energy construct, Mr. Terrific comes with his T-spheres which hook onto his back, and Hawkgirl comes with a mace, sword, spear, and a blue display stand. GG comes with a cane, a flintlock pistol, and the coolest of all, a miniature Atom (which I forgot to snap shots of). All four figures come with pieces to build Giganta.


Value - ***
The DCUC line used to be $9.99, but the prices have slowly risen with another supposed price hike for Wave 11. Target has these for just under 12 bucks while Walmart sells them for $12.97. Still, this is my favorite toyline of all time and I think they’re still worth it though I hope Mattel will give us more bang for the buck by including a few more accessories. The only problem with be actually finding these figures. Except for Mr. Terrific (who I picked up at Comic-Con), I found them all at a local Target the weekend before Comic-Con. I bought up the last of them and the store restocked two weeks later. Unfortunately, it was with Wave 6. Just about every store near me is still packed to the brim with leftovers from 6 and 7. That’s the most frustrating thing about collecting this line. New waves are really scarce at first, but are overstocked months later and sit on the shelves because most people have already bought them.

Toys R Us’s website does have a few Wave 8 figures for sale at $11.99. I’m more than likely going to order Wave 9 online.


Overall - ****
As I said this is my favorite toyline of all time. I love how we get a mixture of well-known figures and obscure characters in each wave. Along with Commander Steel, this set is perfect for JSA fans as we get several important members as well as one of their arch-enemies.

I’m a big Street Fighter fan even though I haven’t played any of the games since Street Fighter Alpha 3 on the original Playstation. I owned Street Fighter II as well as Street Fighter II: Turbo and Super Street Fighter II on the Super NES. I watched the animated series on USA Network and a lot of the anime stuff. I even saw that God-awful movie with Van Damme. Sadly, I never bought any of the amazing action figures from ReSaurus or SOTA. There were also a series of Street Fighter figures from Hasbro that was done as a subset to the G.I. Joes. NECA currently has the license and they’ve released two sets (or Rounds) of figures based on the latest game, Street Fighter IV. Round 1 consisted of Ken, Ryu, and a new character named Crimson Viper. I’m reviewing Round 2 which are Chun-Li, Guile, and Akuma.


Packaging - ***
Nothing too spectacular. The figures are housed in a clamshell package with artwork of the game on the front. The back features a shot of one of the unpainted figures from the wave along with biographical info specific to the figure. A neat touch, the insert behind the figure is a silhouette of the character.


Sculpting – Akuma ****, Guile & Chun-Li *** ½
Not everyone has been won over by the style these figures are done in. It’s accurate to the new game, but they’re more rough and muscular compared to the smoother, streamlined SOTA toys. I wasn’t originally a fan of them either and passed over Round 1 when I saw them on the shelves. However, Round 2 was the first hit that got me addicted to the line. Akuma is the main culprit. He looks f’n phenomenal. Guile is pretty cool too though he looks a little too bug-eyed at some angles. Chun-Li is probably the most controversial figure of the line due to her thunder thighs. Seriously, those things are monstrously muscular. I was put off by the pictures, but seeing her in person changed my mind. She’s a great looking figure and you get used to the legs. She’s also got the spiked bracelets and buns in her hair. As an added touch, the gold trim on her outfit is sculpted rather than just painted on. The boots on Chun-Li and Guile are also well-done as you can see and feel every lace. The same goes for the ropes around Akuma’s fists and sandals.


Paint - ****
No issues here which is better than I can say for the somewhat disappointing paint job on the NECA’s new Half-Blood Prince figures. One store did have slight problems with all their Akumas, but I found a bunch of perfect ones at a different location. No slop on any of the characters and the skin tone is just right. They really nailed Guile’s camo pants and he’s even got clean USA flags tattooed on each shoulder.

Akuma is missing the Kanji symbol on the back of his gi. I know it only pops up during his victory pose, but it would have been appreciated.


Articulation - ****
Most of NECA’s figures feature limited articulation and are more in line with the almost-statues by McFarlane. Thankfully, NECA has given these figures plenty of articulation which is a fact boasted on the package. I won’t give you a detailed rundown of the joints, but these bad boys are definitely poseable and playable.


Accessories - *
This is my only nitpick with the line. Each figure comes with alternate hands, closed and open fists. Chun-Li has an extra for the peace sign. Unlike the SOTA figures, they don’t come with alternate heads. That’s it. I’m shocked that Guile doesn’t come with a comb. I’m also really disappointed that NECA didn’t include snap-on accessories to simulate their energy attacks. So, no Hadokens or Sonic Booms.



Value - ** ½
These figures just started hitting Toys R Us a few weeks ago and go for $13.99. I haven’t searched online yet, but you may be able to get the set for a slightly lower price. At fourteen bucks, these are some solid figures, but the inclusion of more accessories would have been a bonus.


Overall - *** ½
I really, really like these new Street Fighter figures. The sculpting may be an acquired taste for some, but it’s impeccably done and eye-catching. They definitely fill an obvious hole in my collection. I managed to buy Crimson Viper for less than retail at a nearby trade show and am going to hunt for Ken & Ryu. You should be able to find Round 2 easily at TRU though Chun-Li seems to be the big seller. Crimson Viper is warming the pegs from Round 1. NECA’s unique style should fit well with characters like Sagat, Blanka, and Balrog. I haven’t heard of any line-ups for future waves other than re-colored re-releases of Round 1. Hopefully, NECA’s license extends to other characters outside of Street Fighter IV. I’d really like to get my hands on figures of Adon, Rolento, and Birdy.

Just wanted to post something...no matter how minute.

Hasbro finally posted the results to the Marvel Legends Fan Poll and the winners are...







Kinda disappointed since I really wanted a Hood figure. Deadpool isn't a surprise due to his sudden rise in popularity. Valkyrie (along with Bi-Beast and the Red King) were originally scheduled for release with the Fin Fang Foom wave. The new Black Widow is amazing and has it all over the old Toy Biz figure.

We are less than a month away from one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Iron Man. I never thought I'd be this excited for an Iron Man movie, but all the footage I've seen looks tremendous. They've got a great director in Jon Favreau (Made, Elf) and a fantastic cast. We've got Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Leslie Bibb, Samuel L. Jackson in a cameo as Nick Fury, and Hilary Swank in yet-to-be announced role. Bethany Cabe? Janet Van Dyne? Plus, Marvel is setting up the foundation for a future Avengers film.

The figures have just started hitting stores in the last couple weeks. I don't usually go for movie toy lines, but these were too cool to pass up. Toy Biz did a pretty good job when they had the Marvel license, even if stores were clogged with unwanted Hulk and Fantastic Four stuff. Since taking over, Hasbro has met with mixed emotions from toy collectors. Their Spider-Man 3 figures were pretty stinky, but their Iron Man line looks to redeem the company.



Packaging - ***
Hasbro did some snazzy designing for the packages. There's a real high-tech armor look to the blisters and the red will definitely draw the attention of any youngsters wandering into the toy aisle with mom and dad. The logo is boldly stamped on top right next to the Iron Man drawn by Adi Granov. For those of you who prefer keeping your toys in the box, these will look cool hung up on your wall. For those of you who prefer PLAYING with your toys, these are easy to open (much easier than the clamshells) and there aren't any annoying twistie ties to trap your figure.



SCULPTING - ****
I like these figures so much, I'm just gonna go ahead and give them four stars across the board. There's a ton of detail put into each figure. No half-assing here. The Mark 01 armor looks spot-on from what I've seen of the real deal from the trailers. The same goes for the red and gold Mark 03 armor. The toy appears to have leapt right off the pages of Adi Granov's sketchbook, the Iron Man artist instrumental in designing the movie version. If I have an issue with the Mark 03, it's that it looks rather skinny compared to some of the past Iron Man toys. The Iron Monger might be my favorite, it is a beast. The Monger is bigger and bulkier than its compatriots, a slicker, much improved version of the Mark 01. Some might make a bigger issue of it, but the Monger does have a slightly softer feel to his details compared to the Mark 01. It's only a minor nitpick for me.

PAINT - Mark 01 & Mark 03 ***, Iron Monger **
As awesome as the Iron Monger is, it could have been better. I don't care for the brownish gray they did him in. I'd have preferred a much nicer, sterling silver coat. The Monger's paint job is done uniformly so there isn't much detail to him which adds to his soft look. The Mark 01 is very well done. There's no slop and the detail missing in the Monger can be found here. The Mark 01 looks beat up and rusty, exactly the way it should. The Mark 03 is excellent, at least mine is. The red and gold armor has a real shiny look to it. It will definitely stand out in your collection. There is some slight bleed between the red and gold on one of the arms and there's a tiny red splotch on the back of the left leg.



I will warn you all to choose your Mark 03 very carefully. I went through a bunch of them at several stores and only found maybe 2 or 3 that weren't painted in a sloppy manner. Lots of smudging and splotches. I was tempted to knock off a star and a half because of this. So, examine your figure closely before plunking down your cash.

ARTICULATION - Mark 03 **1/2, Mark 1 & Iron Monger *1/2
The Mark 03 armor isn't the well-articulated figure that collectors are used to from the Marvel Legends line. It features the basic articulation with ball joints at the leg and shoulders along with joints at the elbows, wrist, neck, waist, torso, knees, and ankles. Not super-poseable, but good enough.

The Mark 01 armor has basically the same articulation as its successor, except it's not nearly as poseable due to the design. The arms at the elbows can't move much as the armor gets in the way. There appear to be ball joints for the legs of the Iron Monger, but they can't move at all. The Monger features a DC Super Powers style action feature. Squeeze the legs together for "Super Fist Smash" action. The action feature definitely hinders movement at the waist and shoulders as well.



ACCESSORIES - *
The Mark 03 comes with two shoulder pad attachments, a wrist mounted rocket launcher, and rocket. The Mark 01 comes with only a flame projectile, while the Monger comes with bupkis. I would have liked the figures to come with some sort of stand or mini-poster.

VALUE - ***
These are available at Target, Toys R Us, and Wal-Mart for 9.99. That's a fair price though I do wish we could have gotten some more accessories. With the cost of oil rising, toy prices are going to be bumped up. 10 bucks is looking a lot better compared to 11 or 12.





OVERALL - ***
These are some quality action figures and they'll fit in well on the shelves with your other Marvel characters. The Mark 03 gets high recommendations (if you can find one with a clean paint job) and the Iron Monger is my favorite, but might be harder to find as it comes only one per case. Aside from the figures I've reviewed, there is also an Iron Man Prototype which comes with removable face plate and snap-on armor and a Mark 02 which is the Mark 03 with an all silver paint job. Also available, are a Target exclusive of the Mark 03 in Silver Centurion colors and a Wal-Mart exclusive War Machine. The second wave will feature another Iron Monger and Titanium Man.

I am a huge fuckin' G.I. Joe fan. Not so much the original 12inch figures, but the later 3 3/4 inchers from the 80's, the Real American Heroes. Duke, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Sgt. Slaughter. I still have a box of figures stashed in a closet somewhere. I have the DVDs of the animated show that Rhino put out and I'm still waiting for Sony (who now has the rights) to release the last boxset so I can complete the series. I've been dying for a live-action film for the longest time and I have my own dream cast already in my head. I've been kinda antsy with the developments that have been going on. Joe fans are a little on edge since they announced Stephen Sommers as the director and plans for the Joe team to now be an international peace keeping force with no affiliation to the United States military. At the moment, the latest version of the script by Stuart Beattie sounds like it'll be closer to the type of film fans want to see.

2007 marks the 25th anniversary of the Real American Hero line and Hasbro decided to help fans celebrate by releasing brand-new, resculpted versions of their favorite characters. Originally planned as only 25 figures, the buzz from collectors was so great that Hasbro has decided to expand the line and will be releasing product until at least 2009.



The new line was kickstarted by a pair of 5-figure boxsets each one featuring Joe or Cobra figures. These were followed up by two waves of single carded figures. Currently, a third boxset (Cobra Legions) has hit stores and reports are coming in that wave 3 (Zartan, Shipwreck, Stalker, Red Ninja, Firefly) have also hit shelves.

This review is for the first 2 boxsets and waves 1 & 2. At least, the ones that I have found.

( YO JOE!!! )

'Tis the summer of sequels this year. We've got the third installments of Spider-Man, Pirates, Shrek, Bourne, Resident Evil, and Rush Hour. Not to mention a fourth Die Hard plus, the Bruce Almighty spin-off with Steve Carell. Perhaps, the most anticipated will be the fifth Harry Potter film, The Order of the Phoenix. I'm not exactly a Potter fanatic, but I am a late convert. I caught the first two films on HBO and didn't find either all that appearling. The third, directed by the ultra-talented Alfonso Cuaron, was a huge step-up and Goblet of Fire was just a damn good movie, whether you're a fan of the franchise or not.

Just in time for the new movie are a brand new line of action figures. The license was previously held by , but NECA has control now. These new figures are aimed more towards collectors and diehard Potter fans. This first wave is based on the previous Goblet of Fire and features Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort, a Dementor, and a two different Death Eaters. Upcoming waves will be based on the OOTP with Wave 1 made up of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Sirius Black which should be available soon. The second wave will feature Dumbledore, Snape, and two more Death Eaters. There will also be shrunk down versions of those figures in the 3 3/4-inch scale to fit right in with your Star Wars figures and GI Joes.

I'll be reviewing Harry's arch-nemesis, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Lord Voldemort. Thanks again to Michael Crawford's Review of the Week for inspiring the template I'm copying...er...borrowing.


PACKAGING - ***
Packaging is the standard clamshell made famous by McFarlane. It's bigger in height and slightly shorter in length than the usual ones. But, it's strong and sturdy for those who prefer to keep their figures mint in box. The graphics are really nice and the back shows off all the figures really well.


SCULPTING - ****
The likeness (based on the climactic scene in Goblet) is really superb, much better than what I'm showing in my pictures. They really captured the flat nose, the beady eyes, and gnarled teeth. You can even see a tiny bit of Ralph Fiennes there. The robe is hard plastic and in mid-flow. My one complaint is the Marilyn Monroe in Seven Year Itch-thing he's got in the back. Before you ask, the dark lord goes commando.

PAINT - ****
The paint job is another example of exceptional work. Voldemort's skin has a sickly alabaster palour to it. There are even lines and cracks along his arms, skull, and neck for added effect. There's not a sloppy application or speck to find, not even around the tiniest details like the eyes and teeth.



ARTICULATION - *
Voldemort only has 4 points of articulation. They're found at the waist, neck, and both shoulders. You're pretty much stuck with one basic pose. As I said before, these are aimed for collectors, so kids (little or fully grown) looking to play with their toys will be severely disappointed. I don't know for sure, but I think the smaller scale figures are likely to pack more articulation.

ACCESSORIES - *
Nothing much. Voldemort comes with a basic base and his magic wand.



VALUE - **
I picked the dark lord up at the local Spencer's for 14.99. Not that great, a better price point would be 11.99 or even 12.99. I'm sure other mall stores like Suncoast or Hot Topic will carry these at similar cost, I don't know if places like KB or TRU are stocking these. You might be able to find a better price online, especially if you're looking to pick up the whole set.

OVERALL - ***
Other than a lack of articulation and accessories, Voldemort is a quality figure. I'm guessing he and Harry will probably be the most wanted figures and the others will wind up as peg warmings until clearance time. The likeness is amazing and he'll look really cool on display. I'm eagar to pick up some of the other characters to keep him company on the shelf. NECA is really on a roll this year pumping out figures for Potter, 300, Pirates, and Grindhouse, which I previously reviewed. Just click on either 'action figures' or 'toybox' in the tags list to read it.

Yay! We're back for another dip into the ol' toy collection. This time with a look at some of the recent DC Superheroes from Mattel, a company which has been on my shitlist for a while now. It began with a group of sculptors nicknamed The Four Horsemen, who Mattel hired away from McFarlane. The group would revamp Mattel's long dormant He-Man & The Masters of the Universe line and bring it into the 21st century. While the new toys and new animated series were a hit with diehard fans and collectors, neither found a newer audience. To make matters worse, Mattel employed a completely ridiculous case ratio that saw toy stores flooded with unwanted He-Man & Skeletor figures, while the more desired secondary figures (Teela, Orko, Evil-Lyn) were virtually impossible to find. With figures wasting valuable store space, it appeared as if the toyline was a big flop, which definitely wasn't the case. The same would happen to Horsemen designed Batman line.



It seems Mattel hasn't learned a damn thing and the new DC line (which focuses solely on Batman and Superman) might suffer the same fate. I can't tell you how many times I walked into the toy sections of Target or Wal-Mart, only to find peg after peg of Supermans and none of the villains. I still haven't found Azrael or Blue Costumed Supergirl. Luckily, I had a lucky streak last month and found the rarely seen Steel, Parasite, & Mongul.


PACKAGING - ***
I love the new purple design scheme that Mattel is using for this line and the Justice League figures. It definitely catches the eye when you're wandering the aisle. The logos are big and sharp with no wasted space. The backdrops have an added effect too. I'll try not to analyze the packages too much since I ripped them apart not long ago to get at the real meat.


SCULPTING - Steel ****, Mongul ****, Parasite **1/2
We'll start off with John Henry Irons himself, the man known as Steel. This awesome figure certainly makes up for that crappy movie with Shaq and Judd Nelson. There's some amazing detail in the figure with the muscle lines and all the little rivets around parts of his armor. The 'S' shield stands loudly and proudly on the center of his chest. His head suffers slightly from a case of the horseface, but it's a minute quibble.


Mongul is definitely my favorite figure out of the entire line. He's another one who's blessed with great detail. His costume is spot-on with his look in the comics and they didn't skimp on all the little bumps and ridges. His face sports a well-done scowl and has a craggily look. My only nit to pick would be the scale issue as he's bigger than Darkseid, which I don't think is the case.


Not faring so well is Rudy Jones aka The Parasite. There's nothing wrong or shoddily done about him, it's just that I'm not particularly fond of the look they used. It looks like somebody had a Clayface mold lying around and decided to go with that. He probably had that look at one point in the comics, but I'm more familiar with his less monstrous form in the comics. I don't really like the cloven hoof-like style they used for his feet as it makes it a bit harder to make him stand.

PAINT - Steel & Mongul ****, Parasite **
Once again, poor Parasite isn't as strong as his peers. The white bands along his body are pretty sloppy and come off more off-white and gray than actual white. There's also some bleed over between the purples and the bands. Steel and Mongul look a lot better and I didn't find any blemishes in the paint jobs on my figures.



ARTICULATION - **1/2
All three figures have 17 points of articulation. They aren't super poseable, but they aren't the statues that most McFarlane & NECA figures are. Parasite doesn't have a wide range of head movements due to his almost hunchback design. If you wanted to play with them, you'll be disappointed, but if you're just looking to display them, it's not a total loss.

ACCESSORIES - Bupkis
Steel comes with his big-ass hammer and that's it. Mongul and Parasite get nothing and like it. The backdrops can be used to display with the figures, but I'm not counting them.

VALUE - ***
Depending on where you find them, they usually range from 8.99 to 9.99. Wal-Mart will probably have the best price on them. But, I'd get them wherever you might be lucky enough to find them.



OVERALL - ****
These are some great figures and I'm really looking forward to future offerings. They showed off a really nice Catwoman at last year's Comic-Con and the upcoming Two-Face looks great as well. Parasite is okay, but Mongul and Steel just blow my mind.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I haven't done my movie and comic columns in a while, so now we're gonna get a toy column that's almost never gonna get posted. Well, it's my blog, so suck it.

Anyways, in the early-90's, a little toy company started up by Todd McFarlane practically revolutionized the action figure industry. They set new levels for sculpting and collectibility. McFarlane also snatched up a wide variety of licenses that stretched far beyond those of comic book characters and into sports, music, TV, and film. Now, NECA seems to be McFarlane's heir apparent. They've been snagging licenses the way McFarlane used to. Shaun of the Dead, Bubba Ho-Tep, Kurt Cobain, Kill Bill, and Sin City are just a few of them. 2007 should be a huge year for NECA as they're rolling out figures for 300, Grindhouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter.



To coincide with this weekend's release of Grindhouse, I've got a review of some of the first action figures. The first set spotlights Robert Rodriguez's entry, Planet Terror. I've got Cherry and Dakota. The third figure is Quentin Tarantino as The Rapist (?!?!) which I left on the peg as it looks like QT with Down's Syndrome. No announcements have been made about further figures, other than a Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike. I'm really looking forward to getting that and putting him on the shelf next to my Snake Plissken figure. Sadly, the Jack Burton figure from Mirage was a piece of shit and I didn't like SOTA's Jack MacReady either. A man can never have enough Kurt Russell action figures. Now, if someone can get off their ass and make Sky High figures...


PACKAGING - **
I'm kinda using Michael's Toy Reviews as the template here and stars will be on a scale of 0-4. The figures come in a plastic clamshell that is more compact than the larger versions that McFarlane started and everybody else started using. The graphics are pretty cool, but the backdrop is kinda plain. The back and sides feature a grimy film strip theme. I don't think they'll look too exciting if you decide to hang 'em up on your wall. Luckily for me, I'm popping them open.

SCULPTING - (Cherry) ***, Dakota *** 1/2

I'm mainly judging the sculpting on how close the faces are to their real-life counterparts. Cherry looks kinda like Rose McGowan, but has a real angular look to her face upon closer inspection. The nose is a bit pointy as well. I think part of the problem is they tried for a smoldering sexy facial expression, but wound up with an "I smell the stench of rotten eggs, circus midgets, and asparagus farts." Then again, I'd walk around like that if I almost married Marilyn Manson too.


Dakota fares better. Cherry is Ms. McGowan's second figure as SOTA made one based on her character on Charmed. Dakota is Marley Shelton's first action figure since NECA has yet to make one for the Woman in Red from Sin City. Ms. Shelton is, perhaps, best remembered as lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn in The Sandlot. The figure might not look exactly like her, but it's spot-on with the poster, "You might feel a little prick."

PAINT - *** (Both)
The flesh coloring on these figures look great. They're really clean and even. There isn't any bleed through from the paint on their clothes. There are a couple tiny specks, but they're hardly noticeable. You might want to closely inspect your Dakota before purchasing, I noticed one or two at the store that looked really wall-eyed. I guess those bugged out pupils weren't easy. NECA did skimp a bit on Dakota's teddy underneath her skirt, leaving most of it flesh colored, instead of black. Yes, I did look under the skirt of an action figure. Shut up.

ARTICULATION - *
While McFarlane may have made advancements in toys, they set articulation back to the stone age. NECA seems to be following in their footsteps in this department too. These figures are essentially mini-statues, meant to be displayed rather than played with. Dakota features 6 points of articulation. The top part of her legs, her waist, and head can twist and turn, while her arms can only move up and down. Cherry only has a whoppin' 2 points. The bottom part of her leg (at the boot) and her head twist and turn. You're pretty much stuck with the poses they gave you, which is a shame if you wanted to have Dakota hold up her syringe like in the poster.

ACCESSORIES - * 1/2
Not much. Dakota comes with three syringes and a wacky lookin' gun/crossbow. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm only speculating that she shoots needles at people, which sounds awesome. She has a soft rubber holster attached to her leg which I'm guessing you're supposed to use, but I have no idea how to fit anything into it. I also don't know how she's supposed to hold anything as I can't get the gun to stay in her hand. It's even harder since she doesn't have any wrist or finger articulation. Be extra careful with them because they're really small and easy to lose. Cherry comes with a detachable right leg and the machine gun replacement. Both figures come with black, oval peg stands which is great as they can't stand for shit. This was a huge problem with the Sin City figures, so I'm glad NECA has corrected that mistake. Some miniature posters to display with the ladies would have been nice.

VALUE - ** 1/2
Ah, the pain of being a toy collector. It's getting harder and harder to find cool stuff like Grindhouse figures. Obviously, places like Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target aren't gonna carry them. Video game stores such as EB and Gamestop no longer carry action figures. Tower Records and Sam Goody are gone and Suncoast has closed down a ton of their stores. You're only avenues are internet vendors, comic book stores, and mall shops like Spencer's and Hot Topic. I picked these up at Spencer's for 14.99 each. Not that great a price. 10.99 would have been fine and I could have eaten 12.99 no problem. The lack of accessories and articulation makes paying 15 bucks each a bit much. If you're interested in getting all 3 figures, check on the 'net as you can probably find the set for around 35 bucks, not including shipping.




OVERALL - ***
Even if the lack of accessories and poseability, I still dig the figures. They look really great and I'm sure I'll love them even more after seeing the film.

http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_090606a.htm

You know, I haven't bought any of these yet. But, I can definitely use Peanut Butter Jelly Time Brian and Sexy Party Stewie.