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! 

Toy Room Update

 Toy Room Update

It's been a rough six months or so, and the blog has suffered.  However, that doesn't mean I've stopped accumulating toys!  From the tiniest of Hot Wheels, to your standard action figure, and even a couple of overindulgent Haslab crowdfunded monsters...the Terrible Toyman returns with a glut of pictures and a few comments to go along with them.

Popeye!  I thought Mezco was the end all, be all, but Boss Fight Studios is giving them a run for the money!  Maybe my fave line at the end of last year and heading into this one!

Wart!  Love me some Super Mario Bros. 2!  Etsy statue that scales well with the 4-in Jakks Pacific line.

More Tick added to the lineup with an almost complete Dick Tracy group (no Blank, of course).  And did a deep dive into Star Trek!  The price was right at $4 a figure carded!  Micro Machines?! Yes!

Robin Hood, Prince John, and Sir Hiss...a childhood favorite comes to life!  Also, any Roger Rabbit is good Roger Rabbit, even if it's overpriced ReAction figures.


Egghead, Mr. Freeze, and Catwoman III join the Villains United!


Since Neca/Playmates loosened up on the exclusivity of the toon Turtles, the collection has almost topped out.  The Turtle Van is on the way!

Dime Novel Legends.  A lil pricey, but understandable for a home-grown operation.  Definitely hooked when certain likenesses started to pop up.  Awesome figures for the older crowd.  Or those of us with a restless heart?  "I was born under a wanderin' star..."

Galactus Haslab.  Ugh, crowdfunding...but how could I have Marvel Legends without him?  More Heralds, too, but no Jack Kirby.

Another Haslab, but comparted to the pack building community options, worth the price.  Since I have several built packs, this one stays an "official" collectible...until Im old and need something lighter weight.

Hasbro Selfie Series.  Aside from suggestion of facial hair and lack of glasses, I think mine turned out pretty good.  $60 may seem steep, but its all painted, and Ghostbusters def has it over other options with the accessories.  I added some video game parts, because I love that 2009 release so much.  Now I stand on the "B" team with "Casper Mustache" Ray and the Rookie.

That should bring us up to speed more or less.  In case there's something I missed, here are pics of the toy room in various states.  Enjoy!

Tantive IV Hallway Playset

 Tantive IV Hallway Playset

Hasbro - The Vintage Collection

I've been sitting on this one for a while...over half a year. There are a couple of reasons why.  Tantive IV (the Rebel Blockade Runner) has been one of my most wanted Star Wars ships since the beginning of my collecting days.  Yes, scale would always be an issue, but Kenner/Hasbro used to be masters of adapting large concepts to maximum playability and affordability.  Even if it only fit three to five figures, like the not-too-long-ago unearthed Kenner mock-up, I wanted it.  I get that Hasbro is a money making company that likes to maximize their profits as much as the rest, but I'm never going to be convinced that the market doesn't exist for a scale between Haslab's crowdfunded behemoths (Sail Barge, Razor Crest) and "bite-sized Vintage" (aka - Mission Series).  Maybe the designers honestly feel it shouldn't be done any other way?  Choosing to go the route of playset form for the size-problematic Death Star, and not the goofy-but-fun Star Destroyer?

Any which way, after all this time, we have to settle for a hallway.  It's a nice looking hallway.  But this is nothing I could not have already had from 3D printers.  It's nothing special, but I suppose it saves one a little money ($50 for a good chunk) and time (no painting, gluing, or sanding) packaging it up this way.  You can buy multiple sets to make more hallways...or longer hallways...but that's about it.  The questionably angled design on the right end pretty much says "link four together for a square."  Wow...the possibilities are endless!

The back side isn't detailed at all, but does have these "metal" sections seen in the parts where Princess Leia gives R2-D2 the Death Star Plans and gets "stunned."  An updated escape pod would have been nice here.  Or maybe sections and seats of the conference room from Revenge of the Sith?  Hasbro: "Nah...good enuff for 'em.  They got opening and closing doors, after all."

Yoda: "In your solitude on Tattooine, 3D printing job I have for you."

The pack-in bonus is a Rebel Trooper.  Army building is great and all, but this is the exact same figure that I think has been released to the vintage series twice now?  They aren't clones...how about a different head or multiple heads?  The only change here is that they are featured in vintage packaging within the boxed set.  Why would anyone be buying this not to take it out of the box?  I suppose there are sad people out their that don't play with their toys...but can they resist opening a box to be able to display the figure inside in it's box?  Maybe that's why Hasbro went with "Rogue One" packaging on the figure....only dopes would believe anything was worth keeping pristine about that turd of a movie.  What a slap in the face to vintage collector's wanting any representation of this ship, thinking that it needs current Star Wars garbage to sell it.  Packaging is trash, just like Rogue One.

Darth Vader would like to add: "No ignited lightsabers necessary, nay, allowed on this playset!"

Even with all this negativity, I did have a good time positioning the 15 or so Rebel Troopers I have (who have been oh-so patiently awaiting their demise aboard the Star Tours speeder for many years) on this "playset".  I am enjoying it for what it is, coming to terms with this being all there is for the Tantive IV.  At least, I'm hoping that a coffee table sized Haslab behemoth isn't coming...but considering the success of the others, I wouldn't be surprised.  And I wouldn't be surprised to see Hasbro pushing that dollar sign even higher...$700?  $800?  Make it an even grand?