Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Fright Features, Ecto Collection, Goo Jitsu

Blame the 2020 pandemic all you want, but Hasbro did their fair share in judging the demand for new Ghostbusters products.  Several successful GB-related Haslab crowdfunds and one successful movie relaunch later, they are getting another chance with Frozen Empire heading toward theaters in March.  With only a couple month away, how has Hasbro done with the toy aisles?  Well, about as good as they did with Indiana Jones:  not much.  And what little there is out there is mainly available at Target and online retailers.  Sigh...post 2008 movie launches...

So far its all been geared toward younger audiences with the continuation of the Real Ghostbusters inspired "Fright Features" movie line.  I dig them for what they are:  toon representations of the actors along with their signature gear.  They do get away with some body reuse, but they have added a few more paint apps (name tags, undershirts, elbow pads).  Best part about these, just like the original RGB figures, you get a hero and a ghost in one pack.

Gone are the action feature ghost gimmick from last time.  Now we have hollow rubber ghosts intended to be stretched over our Busters.  I feel they cheaped out on this plastic-wise, but the sculpts on the ghosts are pretty good.  Slimer in particular.  He looks just like the real deal!  Ghostbusters prime, even!  Since he was omitted from the 6-inch figure line, he makes a great stand-in.

Speaking of the 6-inch "Plasma Series" line...no word yet if we're getting anything new.  Maybe just because of the risk of spoiling the movie?  I would like to believe that, but we've seen how behind Hasbro gets in delivering demand waaaay into the cooling off period of a property (BABY YODA, anyone?).  Still holding out hope for some GB II in this scale.  Hope, but not my breath.

Beyond action figures, Hasbro has skipped the marshmallow goo gimmick and has gone with pure blind box gimmicks for their Slimer and mini-Puft Ecto Collection.  They are more substantial hunks of plastic than the previous pufts, but get off cheap by swapping out varying face plates, heads, and apps.  12 figures here, but really only 6 unique sculpts.  If they are your thing, there is a letter code faintly stamped on one side of the box to help you determine which figure you're getting. 

What else...a revamped play proton wand...redecoed car...some sort of interactive Slimer doll things...oh, and a stretchy Stay Puft.  Good for stress relief if anything else, especially while we wait to see if Hasbro, and the movie itself, drops the ball this time.

Titan Hero Sentinel

 Titan Hero Sentinel

Marvel, X-Men '97 - Hasbro

Everyone's favorite comic-adapted cartoon is back!  No, not Batman: The Animated Series.  Okay, everyone's second favorite comic-adapted cartoon is back!  X-Men '97 is on the way with some new toys to boot!  Marvel Legends six-inch scale will be later, but the four-inch Epic Hero scale is beginning to hit stores now, along with a compatible Blackbird jet and and one big baddie:  the Sentinel.  

These "Titan" figures are about fourteen inches tall and can be good enough to stand in with Legends figures.  (Thank goodness for the Arcade Game and fighting games for allowing us to fudge scale on these army builders.) 

They aren't super articulated, but sport more than standard, twelve-inch scale Hasbro offerings.  Paint and detail are minimal, but they match the cartoon and the comic source material.  Big, solid robots...nuff said.

As for army building, I went in for two...for now.  I've already got the Haslab Sentinel as Master Mold, a couple of Marvel Universe, one Toy Biz build-a-figure, and two re-released/upgraded 90s Toy Biz.  Robots get upgraded all the time, so my head canon changes to explain the size and design differences.

These new ones are $22 each, but I got mine as Amazon Warehouse steals for $15 (damaged packaging).  I like them enough to add a few more down the line, but will also keep my eyes open for another deal before I jump.  

If you don't have any Sentinels to menace your mutants, you cant lose with these.  If you like army building, they are worth picking up as well, even if you have more advanced "machs."  Grab them now to reenact the soul-crushing opening from the original series where (spoilers) Morph bites it and Beast gets incarcerated for several seasons! 

Aunt May and Doctor Octopus

 Aunt May and Doctor Octopus

Special Guest:  The Spot!

Hasbro - Marvel Legends

We've been given plenty Alfreds.  A handful of Commissioner Gordons.  Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White have made the cut.  In the same department, Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, and J. Jonah Jameson.  Still, when it comes to great supporting character's in comics, one big name has eluded both the extensive Toy Biz days and early Hasbro.  No, Jarvis, sit down...I'm talking about Peter Parker's biggest fan, Aunt May!  

Toy Biz did make the strange choice to include Aunt May in their 8-inch cloth-clothed Mego throwback line.  The execution was...um...lacking, to be kind.  Granted, most depictions of the character up to that point made her look pretty decrepit.  That old catcher's mitt puss:

Spider-Man the Animated Series in 1994 gave Aunt May a much needed facelift.  And a blonde-ish dye job to maker her younger?  I don't mind this in comparison to the overboard approach with Marisa Tomei.  I know Marisa is pushing 60, but c'mon...who was Uncle Ben in that universe?  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson?!

The animated look is a good medium if this is the only figure we are going to get of her.  Not too animated, there's an appropriate amount of wrinkles and lines on the face.  The outfit has an appealing amount of color, and is a step up from aprons and house shoes.   While she should have been packaged in an "Amazing Friends" boxed set, they did ensure she'd sell better than just being partnered with Ms Lion.

Animated Doctor Octopus is here as well!  I can't remember if the cartoon covered the "Doc Ock marries Aunt May to get at her newly inherited nuclear facility" plot, but I'm sure he at least menaced her a time or two.  

As a kid, I was always puzzled by the slightly muscular, accented approach to the character.  Digging into greater Spider-Man lore, one could assume this take was inspired by the the failed approach to bring web-head to the big screen in the late 80s/early 90s:  the one where James Cameron was to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doctor Octopus.  I dig it, and would welcome a retool of Doc in his white suit (specifically thinking Erik Larsen's art) with this as a base.

One big area he has over the traditional, dumpy Marvel Legend figure, is the bendable tentacles.  He can mostly support his own weight if you want the tentacles to do the walking, and you can get better poses than before.

This set is a Hasbro Pulse exclusive.  This may be a 50/50 for most, but I was all in as soon as I saw the promo pictures.  Now, if you'll excuse me, my Aunt May figure is off to beat her 984 pies baked record as detailed on her Marvel Universe trading card:

Bonus!  A fairly obscure Spidey/Daredevil adversary, The Spot, makes his six-inch debut!  I don't mind that his animated form is weird and gangly since you cant see his face.  Just pretend that its a side effect of traveling through his interdimensional portals!

Custom Ewoks Movie Figures

Custom Ewoks Movie Figures

Etsy

3D printing has made Etsy a wonderland for all things geek, especially action figure fans with holes in their collections.  It can be tricky to navigate, coming up with just the right search words, but you never know what you can find until you try.  Take these custom Ewoks movie figures for example...

Don't let Disney's canon wipe get you down, true fans.  The Battle for Endor still stands as the best Star Wars spin-off movie so far, even with visible zippers on the furball suits!  The Dis made a partial dream come true by including Teek and mystic Ewok, Kaink, in one of their Star Tours figure sets.  But that wasn't enough for me.  Or for an Esty store in the Czech Republic (Two Mirrorz store), apparently.  More Woklings!  Wicket's mom and sister!  Cindel Towani!

Hasbro has only released one Wokling (Nippet was a pack-in with Leektar), and that's been a good 14 years ago!  Here, you get three different sculpts, all fully painted, for $18.  $6 a Wokling may sound steep, but just look at them...can you deny the original "Baby Yodas?"  

You can save a few bucks by going in on a bundle deal with Shodu and baby Winda.  They scale great with Hasbro Ewoks.  And just check out the paint detail on those eyes!  Wicket's family is getting bigger, but still a few members short of completion.  

At least he has someone to play with now...Cindel Towani!   Sure, she has no articulation, but she's perfect.  The curly ringlets of hair are amazing.  $20 painted isn't so bad, considering I was thinking of butchering/repurposing an Episode 1 kid Anakin figure to undoubtedly mixed results. I'm so glad to have her next to Wicket and Teek.

In-action figures, sure, but great stand-ins for characters that may never be produced anyway. I hope to see a few more Ewoks figures soon, especially Noah Briqualon and Chukha-Trok.  I also hope that 3D printing can push a little further into the forgotten areas of a galaxy far, far away....

Come back soon, I'll be waiting!

Until then, have a look back a my large Ewok army!

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2020/02/at-st-raider.html

Holiday Droid Factory

Holiday Droid Factory

Disney Exclusive

There’s no Christmas in Star Wars, so I’m just going to assume that these festive lil buckets of bolts are celebrating Life Day even longer!  This four-pack is a Disney exclusive, and it sold out pretty early in the season.  

As far as the Droid Factory premise goes, you can expect the same old sculpts and same old interchangeable parts scheme.  The holiday charm comes from the special paint decos, winter hats and scarves, and a few seasonal accessories.

“Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it, but a kiss can be-”  “BACK OFF, NERF-HERDER!”

This is the same drink service tray that came with R2-D2 from Jabba’s sail barge, but more colorful.  

Hoth chocolate, anyone?  Hey, who spiked the blue milk?

And featuring Chewbacca’s family!  *Harvey Korman not included*

This set is $35 if you can find it.  Maybe eBay prices will come down after Christmas?  

As a special treat, enjoy this year’s Tree of Life - featuring hand-painted Holiday Special ornaments from my pal, Eddie Warren!

  

 

Happy Life Day, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!