Review > Joker (DC Universe Classics)

October 7, 2009 | Poe

infantino_jokerMattel’s first Joker figure was way back in 2003 as part of their first comic-based Batman line. He was a rare non-Batman variation, which made him popular with collectors. But he also suffered from a common issue with Mattel lines of the time–scale. He was supposed to be a wee bit taller than Batman, but instead, he was too short and small (c.f. MOTU 200X Trap Jaw, who should have been larger).

Finally–after the Joker’s infamous depiction in The Dark Knight, his memorable, twisted turn in Grant Morrison’s “Batman R.I.P.” storyline and his recent bravura performance in the videogame Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mattel has seen fit to allow the Four Horsemen to resculpt everyone’s favorite clown-based psychopath. (more…)

Review > Webstor (Masters of the Universe Classics)

September 22, 2009 | Poe

webstor_80sSome people in Eternia don’t seem to trust their own abilities. Stratos has wings, but wears a jetpack anyway. Webstor, ostensibly a spider-man, carries a grappling hook, a backpack pulley system and fifteen feet of uncoiled rope.

As I’ve said elsewhere, I never owned Webstor as a kid– in fact, I don’t think I even knew anyone who did. So it’s fair to say I don’t really have any attachment to the character, which also means this is one of the first MOTUC figures I’m not reviewing through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. (more…)

Review > Gandalf the White (Return of the King, ToyBiz)

September 21, 2009 | Poe

Gandalf is my favorite literary character. Oh, there are other ones I’m very fond of–Ebeneezer Scrooge, Randolph Carter, Dick Diver, the Continental Op. But when it comes down to who I’d like to share a beer (or in his case, a glass of red wine) with, Gandalf’s my man.

In fact, without Gandalf I might not be an adult action figure collector–it was Toy Vault’s line of figures based on The Lord of the Rings (the novel) that drew me back into collecting just after I started college. While the toys may look a bit quaint, and looked quaint even for the time, they were great figures and clearly created with a great love for the source material.

Of course, along came the movies, starting in 2001, and what was once a beloved secret treasure of geeks became a billion-dollar, Oscar-winning franchise.

While I do love the movies, I still love the books just as much, if not more. But Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf so incredibly close to the literary version that I couldn’t help but love him too.

Toy Biz’s Lord of the Rings line, already fading from most collectors’ memories, was easily the best 6″ line of movie-based action figures ever made, and perhaps the best movie-based line ever made, period. The figures featured top-of-the-line sculpting, great articulation, huge character variety, and tons of accessories. (more…)

Review > Kratos (God of War, NECA)

September 18, 2009 | Poe

300px-Kratos12I’ve never played God of War or its sequels, but I know an awesome action figure when I see it.

Ask any Marvel figure collector about the first super-articulated figure, and chances are they’ll tell you about Blade with Anti-Vampire Weapons, a.k.a. “Trenchcoat Blade.” His sixteen points of articulation–included articulated toes–were a revelation in 1998 and led to the super-articulation seen in Spider-Man Classics and later Marvel Legends.

Similarly, when NECA’s Kratos hit stores two years ago, collectors of NECA’s highly-detailed figures were surprised to discover hinged elbows, swivel biceps and ball-jointed ankles. NECA has used greater articulation on many of its videogame figures since, from Gears of War to Bionic Commando to Resident Evil (though sadly, not on their movie-based figures, such as Conan the Barbarian).

NECA has released three different versions of Kratos, all based on the second game, God of War II: “Golden Fleece” Kratos (which comes with Medusa’s head); “Ares Armor” Kratos; and the subject of this review, Kratos with the Flaming Blades of Athena. I chose this Kratos for two reasons: since he’s bare of armor he’s the most basic, iconic version of the character, and the flaming blade accessories looked awesome in photos. (more…)

Review > Simon Belmont (Castlevania, NECA)

September 16, 2009 | Poe

castlevania-wall

Being on something of a fantasy jag lately, I did one of those things where you look at a figure in  store for months and months and months and finally break down and buy it. In this case it was for NECA’s Simon Belmont from their Castlevania line, who oddly enough hasn’t had any major reviews as far as I can tell.

For the record, I don’t know anything about Castlevania. I vaguely recall playing the original NES game when I was seven or eight. I think this line is based on that game, or maybe NECA just picked and chose from among the various incarnations, since Alucard wasn’t in Castlevania.

I decided to pick up Simon because he looked like a cool barbarian figure–not so much Conan as Kull, another Robert E. Howard character. The clincher was all the articulation and accessories.

It’s worth noting that this is the second Simon Belmont NECA has released–the first was this goofy SDCC exclusive. (more…)

Review > Ninja Minimates Decal Kit

September 9, 2009 | Poe

mini_ninja_3

Today’s review is a bit unorthodox, since it’s not really a review of a figure, but a set of customizing accessories.

Anyone who collects Minimates knows there’s a thriving customizing community for the little block figures. What you may not know is that some of those customizers are moving beyond individual customs to making kits that allow any fan to create their own brand-new Minimates. (more…)

Review > Isadorra of the Ironspynne Clan

September 8, 2009 | Poe

isadorra_3

It was ten years ago this month that the fearsome foursome known collectively as the Four Horsemen–Eric “Cornboy” Mayse, Chris Dahlberg, Eric Treadaway and Jim Prezioso cast off the training wheels of McFarlane Toys and struck out on their own to create the action figures they wanted. They were barely out of the iron gate when Mattel swooped in and contracted them to design a radical revamp of the company’s most memorable action figure property, Masters of the Universe.

Thus was born a partnership that would bring ecstatic collectors not only new MOTU toys but also Harry Potter, DC Universe Classics and the Ghostbusters (leaving only one burning question: where the hell are the Thundercats? But I digress).

However, the Four Horsemen were not content to rest on their Mattel-sponsored laurels. In 2005 they created FANtastic Exclusive, a yearly contest in which fans voted on all aspects of a Horsemen-designed character to be produced and sold the following year.

Of course, they’ve had a few bumps along the way. While the 2006 FE, Xetheus, turned out quite well, the Horsemen went through a long run of bad luck in producing the following year’s Ramathorr figure. But now, the FE is back on track with Scarabus (now in production) and this year’s Raven currently in the mid-voting phase.

In the meantime, to keep fans sated, the Horsemen offered Queen Alluxandra, a female figure from the Seventh Kingdom world shared by Xetheus and Ramathorr. Like those two, Alluxandra has had a host of variants.

I can never afford the complete set of variants, so, I look among the options and choose the one(s) I want. This year, it’s Isadorra of the Ironspynne Clan. (more…)

Review > Deadshot (DC Universe Classics)

August 31, 2009 | Poe

deadshotI’m now cherrypicking DCUC, sticking mostly with Batman-related characters. Between his nominal status as a Bat-villain and his badass outfit, Deadshot was the only figure I planned to get from Wave 9.

Of course, what were the chances I’d ever see one at retail, especially here in Boston? It usually takes months before a wave shows up here–if at all–so imagine my surprise when I came across both Deadshot and Guardian at my local Toys ‘R Us. For some reason they’re the only two I’ve seen so far (at a couple different TRUs). It’s already quite evident Guardian will be a pegwarmer of Cyborg-like magnitude.

To escape the memories of a family altercation that left his father paralyzed and his brother dead, Floyd Lawton moved to Gotham City where he began his career as a criminal. In the process he trained himself to become a highly skilled marksman and adopted the name Deadshot. During one of his many stays in prison, Lawton was offered amnesty for past offenses if he would accept a potentially fatal mission on behalf of the U.S. government as a member of the Suicide Squad. Since then, Lawton has worked both on his own as a criminal, and occasionally as a member of the Squad. (more…)

Review > Tri-Klops (Masters of the Universe Classics)

August 26, 2009 | Poe

tri-klops_origIn the 1980s cartoon, Tri-Klops was just another one of Skeletor’s thugs. He was given no background story on the show, although the cartoon series bible claimed he was a scientist by the name of Dr. T. E. Scope on board the future queen Marlena’s spaceship who was later corrupted by Skeletor. TK also received little in the way of character development; Tri-Klops’s only claim to fame was the various abilities of his three eyes, which could shoot laser rays, see through walls and so forth.

On the 2002 series, Tri-Klops was changed into Skeletor’s #1 inventor, creating useful devices such as his iconic Doomseekers (little bird-like robots that secretly observed the good guys). While in the original cartoon, Skeletor had invented both technological and magical devices, in the 2002 series Tri-Klops took on the technology side of things, leaving Skeletor free to investigate the workings of the mystical realm.

While the 2002 portrayal was great, I’ve always been partial to the early mini-comics, produced by DC Comics, as well as the DC mini-series. In his first appearance in any media, “The Terror of Tri-Klops,” TK is just a random swordsman summoned by Skeletor to fight He-Man. When we first see him, he’s just randomly slaying blue demon-looking fellows who may or may not have deserved such treatment. When Skeletor teleports him to Eternia, he’s about ready to give Skullhead a beat-down until Skeletor hires him to fight He-Man. Tri-Klops proceeds to systematically take down Battle-Cat, Ram-Man and Teela before giving He-Man a solid thrashing. Ultimately He-Man triumphs, of course; and interestingly, Tri-Klops seems to accept his defeat gracefully, and there’s no reason to think he’ll go back to working for Skeletor.

While I think Tri-Klops works best in the MOTUniverse as Skeletor’s gadget guy, I’ve always liked the notion that he’s a near-match for He-Man as as a fighter, and may be more morally complicated than he appears. His bio for MOTU Classics is a blend of all his origins, and even includes a take on the old “T. E. Scope” name. (more…)