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!

The Suicide Squad and the Winter Guard

 The Suicide Squad and the Winter Guard

DC Multiverse - McFarlane Toys and Marvel Legends - Hasbro 

So, the first Suicide Squad movie sucked, but at least I got some obscure DC figures out of the mess.  Expectations for a second movie are low, but like hell I’m gonna pass on a figure of Polka-Dot Man!

I don’t dislike Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, I’m just a lil tired of that character carrying the bulk of the weight of the DC Cinematic Universe.  Having been Harley(ed) to death with figure variations since 1993, I would have passed on this one altogether had it not been for the King Shark build a figure piece.  Still, the red dress is something new, and the applications of her bonkers tattoos are clean and crisp.  There is something a bit off with the face…almost there, but not quite.  It really depends on the lighting and angle.

Same goes for John Cena’s Peacemaker.  Being a WWE fan, Ive had my fair share of better likenesses from Mattel.  It’s there, but not quite…which may be a minus for a face covered 50% by a helmet.  The costume looks great.  See, Marvel…you can do movie-ized versions of comic outfits and get away with it…if you arent secretly ashamed of the material you’re writing for.

The Idris Elba likeness is…um…nonexistent.  Yup, Todd McFarlane wants you to buy a figure with 95% reuse just so you can get an alternate head.  It’s always 1997 in Todd’s world!  Eh, I like the helmet anyway.  Has Bloodsport had an outfit or color scheme like this in current comics?  It’s a lil too “placeholder for Deathstroke” if you ask me.

Saving the best for last, Polka-Dot Man is here is all of his goofy glory!  And he has a fairly comic accurate costume!  Love the removable goggles. Not sure how they are going to explain his bizarre dot powers, but at least he comes with an appropriate weapon and blast effect.  Now, If we could only get Kite Man for SS III…

Oh, speaking of weapons…I assume the movie will explain the weird swords and staff included with these.  Apparently, Warner Brothers will approve you to make toys of your violent, not-for-kids movie, just as long as they don’t have guns.  Um, that kinda dulls the MO of two world class assassins being on the team (one having once shot Superman with a Kryptonite bullet.). Sigh…Thank goodness for Jazwares’ Fortnite figures and their plethora of ammunition.  I was able to grab a few appropriate firearms for this photo shoot.

I already have a King Shark from Mattel some years back, but this is a unique take:  chubby and deceivingly friendly looking.  From they trailers, I assume he’s the team’s big, dumb tank.  And he’s voiced by Stallone!  

Sharky may be one of the weightiest figures in some time…lottsa solid plastic.  His articulation is fair for a figure of his size, but the shorts restrict most of his knee movement.  No team running pics for this guy.  The articulated mouth makes up for it.  Nomnomnomnom!

Aside from Harley overload, this is a pretty solid wave of figures.  I know there are a ton of characters on the team this time around (though who knows who survives more than a few second of screen time), so I hope the movie is successful enough for another wave or two.  The Thinker, Ratcatcher 2, and Mongal are musts for me.  They can keep the Pete Davidson figure, though…he looks like you could catch something from him just by standing next to him, and I don’t need any of that near my action figures.

One good, wacky team deserves another, so I’m pairing the Squad with Marvel’s Soviet Super-Soldiers, the Winter Guard!  Not much to say about Marvel Legends in general…more of the reused bodies, but great articulation and head sculpts.

I’ve covered the awesome, steampunky Crimson Dynamo before, and Red Guardian came out several years ago at this point.  Darkstar and Build-a-Figure Ursa Major are new additions.  It’s hard to keep track of Legends…I think we’ve had four waves hit in one summer!

 

 

It’s the summer of shark man and bear man…how epic is that?!

Cowabunga!!!  Let’s hear it for more completed action figure teams!

Take a look back at a slimmer, scarier looking King Shark:

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2017/06/king-shark-wave-dc-multiverse.html 

Ray Arnold

Ray Arnold

Jurassic Park - Amber Collection

Mattel

Like the Star Wars Black Series, did Jurassic Park really need to be in a larger, more costly scale?  It may limit the variety of dinosaurs (or starships) we can get, but what we do get sure does look purdy.  Take this figure, for instance...Sam Jackson is back for the third or fourth time in this scale (Pulp Fiction, several Marvel Legends) and he has never looked better.

Mattel has really outdone themselves for a company that got by with the same suited body over and over again in the past (DC, Ghostbusters).  Ray Arnold appears to be totally unique, and sports a surprising amount of articulation for a character that is just seated at a computer for most of his screen time.    Double hinge elbows and knees, upper arm and leg swivels, torso ball joint, head ball joint, waist swivel...he can take service calls and leap into action to switch service breakers on a dime!

The head sculpt is great (particularly nice is the fade from hair to bald spot on top), really only hurt a bit by the execution of the glasses.  Glasses have always been hit and miss on action figures, but this one fares a bit better than others.  A lab coat and gray pants don’t make for an exciting toy, but the details sure make up for them.  Just check out that JP patch!  Pens in the pocket, tie design, striping on the shirt...nice attention to detail!

This figure doesn’t come with a stand like the others in the line...at least I don’t think he does.  I had to double check the packaging/trash just to be sure.  I assume they had to save plastic for his huge hunk of an accessory:  a 90s desktop PC tower/monitor!  It’s big, but hollow, and it’s made of a flexible, rubbery plastic.  It has a JP grid system map sticker on the monitor and, I’ll have to verify with Lex, an interactive CD-ROM!  Mr. Arnold also comes with a removable headset and a change of hands.  Sadly, he does not come with cigarettes or a hand to simulate smoking.  Yes, it is a harmful habit, but this is yet another one of those characters that it would just enhance that much more.  Delivery of “Hold on to your butts” and “PLEASE!  God dammit, I hate this hacker crap!” just wouldn’t be the same without them.  C’mon, they even get their own close-ups:

It is a bit strange that Mr. Arnold gets a figure in this scale before Hammond, or even Sattler and Grant.  It’s a testament to all Sam Jackson brings to this smaller part.  Let’s give him a hand or...oh...I forgot a key accessory:

Let’s review:  Dismembered, bloody limbs good, cigarettes bad...got it.

Take a look back at smaller scale Jurassic Park/World offerings from Mattel:

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/06/jurassic-world-dinosaurs.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/06/more-jurassic-world-dinosaurs.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/06/dinobots.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2019/05/jurassic-world-iii-primal-clash.html

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

 Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends

Hasbro Marvel Legends

Took ‘em long enough!  The now defunct 3.75 in Marvel Universe figures teased me with a set like this way back when Toys R Us still lived and breathed.  2009, I think...a decade and some change?!  And we got two different versions of Dazzler before Firestar?!  Travesty!

Well, she’s here now, and she’s spectacular!  Bright colors?  Check.  High collar?  Check.  Flame effects?  Check.  And she has an extra head!  Granted, I’m not as excited by this one as the neutral head...the exposed forehead and “wings” on the mask don’t do it for me...but it’s still a bonus.

She has alternate hands for fire-casting, or closed fists for knuckle-dusting.  I need to look into the current-gen clear stands for characters like her.  I’m sure there are also many third party fire effects that would compliment this figure.  

I’m just as excited by the special, pack-in character:  Ms Lion!  Aunt May’s annoying cartoon dog has jumped into the third dimension with a more realistic look.  Mostly static, there is a ball joint on the head. It’s not like she needs articulated legs or anything.  An “ears up/growling” alternate head would have been nice, unless...unless they are saving that for the pack-in with an Aunt May figure!  

C’mon, Hasbro, Aunt May is way overdue.  Just check the stats on that Marvel Universe Card:  984 pies baked!  If that doesn’t put her in the heavy-hitter category, I don’t know what else will.  Maybe double-pack her with a wedding tux Doctor Octopus to make sure she sells?

Aunt May would complete the colorful camp that is Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.  I threw in a couple of new baddie pick-ups:  Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin.  They both appear in the show credits, along with full episodes here and there.  I also have a new, default Spider-Man, if you hadn’t already noticed.

Just the right shade of classic red/blue.  He’s also got this more narrow-eyed alternate head that looks like he jumped right off the pages of the John Romita books.

Doom is a repaint from the recent Fantastic Four wave.  Classic colors, he sports a brighter, truer green.  He only has the “classic” head sculpt, which is fine by me...true Jack Kirby inspired awesomeness!  

He’s repacked with some textbooks (used by gray Beast, the Hellfire Club), green mystical energy effects, and some yellow booster jets.  The only new part is a cloth tunic piece that sits under the cape.  I like it more in-hand than I did in initial pictures, but it can be removed to suit one’s preference.  I wish he had an unmasked, burned headsculpt, or even a Doombot alternate head...but I’ll take Doom any way he’s offered.

Green Goblin does have an unmasked, Norman Osborn head.  This should fit fine on any on the many suit bodies in the Legends line if you want to go full civilian.  Like Doom, we get some brighter colors than previous releases.  

I believe the Goblin Glider is a new sculpt, but I could be wrong.  The only thing lacking here is maybe a pointed finger with energy shot.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention the eyes...I repainted them.  The original pupils were way too big.  Like, Mr. Burns’ “alien” too big.  I also gave him a black outline around the eyes to stand out better.

These figures should still be relatively easy to find, at least online.  Doom and Gobby should be must-haves for comic fans.  Firestar may not be a necessity for most but, aside from the obscure cartoon, who doesn’t need another X-Man (and to a lesser extent, New Warrior) on the roster?  I hope to see her in Legends again soon...this time, in a more modern costume.  Bring on a “Maximum Carnage” sub-line!  Spiderman sells, and it would be a window to get other missing characters like Shriek and Carrion in the mix!