Mario Kart

Mario Kart

Hot Wheels - Mattel

Sure, they may be a lil over-sized, but these new Karts from Mattel fit with my 1:64 movie and TV car collection better than any other offerings out there.  Plus, they roll very nicely and look sweet! 

Die-cast metal carts with a nicely sculpted plastic figurine in the driver's seat.  Bowser is probably my favorite, not just because of his bulk, but the spikes on his shell are a separate, under laid piece.  They have a flexible, rubbery feel to them.  

The only complaint I have with these is that Luigi needed his death stare.  That, and we're missing some key characters in this lineup.  All the main cast is here, except for Donkey Kong and Toad.  Hopefully there will be a second wave with these, Koopa Troopa, Shy Guy, and Wario.

Oh, and I am thankful that no spot in this wave was given to a motorcycle.  It's "Mario KART", dammit!  

Dr. Wily and Mega Man

Dr. Wily and Mega Man

Funko - 4-inch figures

Alright, Funko...I'm giving you some more money with the hope of you not bungling another property.  Wait...your first wave consists of only two sculpts?  Four Mega Man paint variations (and one is a crappy chase variant)?!  No robot masters?!  Ugh, not a great start.  At least the hero and the big-bad look good!

Scale-wise, they match up quite nicely with Jakks Pacific's World of Nintendo figures.  That's really what got me to buy-in:  video game universe cohesiveness.  Wily looks great with other baddies like Bowser and Ganondorf and Mega Man's mega noggin might be able to out-bonk Mario's.

The articulation is comparable, too.  Mega's upper-leg/hip area is a bit lacking in range of motion.  Megaman comes with an alternate set of hands.  That's great, but no blast effect?  Wily gets nothing to hold, which is a shame for a mad scientist.  Nothing to tinker with?  I guess that's the price we have to pay to get one unique character in the batch.

Price-wise, I shouldn't complain too much.  At $10 each, you get a pretty chunk of plastic with some decent playability and great sculpts, much like Funko's Disney Afternoon figures.  That's another line that I was afraid Funko would be one and done with, but they did recently put out a second wave with some great characters.  All I am asking for is a complete Mega Man One robot master lineup, Funko...or anyone, really.  So, so many starts and stalls for a modern Mega Man action figure line.

Super Mario Happy Meal Toys

Super Mario Happy Meal Toys

and

Jakks Pacific 2.5 inch Retro Figures

It's been a long time since there was a good Happy Meal promotion.  Even longer since the last Super Mario Happy Meal toys I collected.  Even though I would prefer just standard figurines, these all have some pretty fun action features.  Like Mario here...he has a button on the bottom of his stand that, when the figure is lifted, makes the classic jumping sound effect from the games.  Neat!  Nice sculpt and paint for a fast-food premium, too!

Luigi can be loaded and launched from this pipe.  He has wheels on his underside to give him some rolling distance, but the power on this one is pretty disappointing.  He might get 6 inches to a foot depending on the surface.

Princess Peach (or Princess Toadstool, as she used to be known in the original English manual translation and Super Mario Bros. Super Show) is the weakest of this bunch.  She is attached to a base with a Mushroom Kingdom backdrop.  There are wheels on the bottom that, when rolled forward or backward, make Peach spin in a circle.  Not all that exciting.  I guess you can at least get some dignified, royal waving going on.

Bowser is a block of a figure.  He comes with two fireball projectiles.  Why two?  Because there are two Mario brothers to toast, of course! What's more important is that, unlike Luigi, these things have some power behind them.  Maybe more than 3 feet!  Die plumbers!

Yoshi is here to finish off the set.  Push down on his shell, and his tongue sticks out.  Exciting, right? Game accurate at least.  I never really cared for Yoshi as a game mechanic, and my feelings toward him really took a dive after the awesome Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2 was followed by the deplorable Yoshi's Story.  I only got this figure because the size is almost in scale with the World of Nintendo 4-inch poseable figures, and it's impossible to get Mario to ride on the standing figure in that line.  

Giddyup!

As a little bonus review, here a two 2.5-inch World of Nintendo 8-bit figures that I picked up recently.
The ever-annoying Toad is here to tell you "your princess is in another castle"...and what's more, he looks like he's flipping you the double-bird!  You little @#?*!  Star Power Luigi has a cool pearlescent sheen like the Star Power Mario I reviewed a couple months back.  Obviously, these figures are not articulated.  They're barely three-dimensional:  if you flip them over, you get a flat, black back.  Great for a desktop display if nothing else, and not all that expensive.  I've got several 8-bit Marios and Links, a Donkey Kong, and now these...here's hoping for classic Bowser soon!