Odds and Ends

Odds and Ends

Trying to play catch up here.  It's been a busy spring, collecting toys across various lines:

The Disney Mirrorverse mobile game is still going somehow, and so is the toyline from McFarlane.  The scale offering shave always been confusing...some in 7 in, some more in the 4-5 inch range.  I had to buy a box set with a 7 inch Goofy and 5 inch Genie (already having the smaller Goofy and the larger Genie) just to get Scrooge McDuck (smaller scale).  The steampunk look is neat, and it looks like he flat out stole the Rocketeer's jetpack for this adventure!  He scales well with the PhatMojo and Disney Toy Box ducks.

The Outlaw skeleton cowboy from Boss Fight Studios is lots of fun, but I wish he were a smaller scale to work with my Dime Novel Legends cowboys.

McFarlane's Batman and Robin movie figures all look fantastic.  This is is first go at Poison Ivy period, and I think she is the stand out sculpt.  Too bad she's the weakest part of that film overall!  

Random McDonald's merch:  old cup, Funko burger and Speedee.  Again, hate Pops, but these actually look like the real deals.  Kirwin Frost McNugget Buddies stand in the back, still beloved spoils from the holiday season past.  My army of Changeables grows!  Just a few more to go, then they can join the Autobots and Decepticons in my Transformers collection.  Best Happy Meal toys ever.

A Disney Parks exclusive Indiana Mickey I picked up cheap at Planet Comicon Kansas City.  Hard to believe we arent that far past the newest Indy movie and we're back to scrounging for old relics....sad.  Oh, hey, and I broke down and got a Toony Terror Elvira since NECA refused to do a decent scale any other way.

Masters of the Universe Origins is dying down, but the Ninja Turtles have arrived to save the day.  I like this goofy mashup best of all the Turtles collaborations, and there have been some strange ones!  Mutated Ram Man is currently my favorite sculpt.

 

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 

Sack Head Jason

Sack Head Jason

Friday the 13th Part 2- NECA

I never thought there was anything inherently scary about Jason’s signature hockey mask.  Gimme a good sack, length of rope, flannel shirt, and bib overalls...I prefer the homespun “Bald Knobber” look, dagnabbit! Maybe it’s because I live in the Ozarks?  Why, is that you, Cuzin Jason?  Come on down by the fire and rest a spell!  Bring yer Ma, too!

“Ma’’ has seen better days.  She’s not quite as dried up as Mrs. Bates, but at least the smell might have faded at this point.

Jason has come in from a hard night‘s work, putting to rest all the tools of the trade.  Looks like a mess of em are in dire need of a good scrubbin, son!

The fire is roaring high and mighty hot.  Better take off your mask before you freeze to death.

Yeeesh, on second thought, put it back on!  That’s definitely a face only a mother could love.

Oh, look!  More guests to share the warmth of our company.

What’s that?  Yes, I have seen the controversial X-Files episode, “Home.”  What’s that got to do with...Jason look out!

Oh, well...he’ll be back.  Again and again and again and...Happy Halloween 2020!

The Bat-Raptor

The Bat-Raptor

DC Multiverse - McFarlane Toys

The most exciting thing about McFarlane taking on DC Comics, is his promise to deliver scale vehicles.  The inclusion of the Bat-Raptor was most welcome here in his first wave of figures.  It may be a funky choice as far as aesthetics go, but it doesn't break the bank for the consumer or merchandiser.  It looks great, even if it is bare-bones and should fit my 6-inch figures just fine.

Like Hellbat armor Batman, this vehicle is mostly black, but varies in application from flat to shiny.  This adds a little more visual variety and helps some of its lines and curves stand out.  There is also some very nice silver weathering where appropriate.

The engine/thruster area also features some silver weathering with a touch of dirty gold.  The same goes for the underside.

The interior has a lot of nice sculpted details in the seat and console area.  As this was made for slightly larger figures, you should have no trouble fitting Mattel figures in the seat, cape and all.

Big, heavy, rubber tires for the win!  One of the biggest complaints about toys of this size is that most have hollow plastic wheels.  This is definitely a rarity and adds more realism to the overall look as well as weight to the vehicle.

The Raptor isn't as long but just a hair wider than Mattel's Batman Missions Batmobile...which may replace it as my default Bat-transport for the foreseeable future.  The real test was fitting it into the garage area of the Batman V Superman Batcave playset.  Like a glove!

It may not have any action features (save for the extending front wheel), sound effects, or lights, but for $30 this is a solid first outing for McFarlane.  I really hope these sell well so we get more gadgets.  My Batcave is in desperate need of water transportation, Todd!

Hellbat Batman and Superman Unchained

Hellbat Batman and Superman Unchained

DC Multiverse - McFarlane Toys

The corpse of the Mattel DC Multiverse is barely cold, and Todd McFarlane's new 7-inch successors are hitting retail outlets everywhere in early 2020.  His first lineup was revealed several weeks prior to release and...drumroll...boy, am I disappointed.  Well, not totally...maybe just indifferent?  The hopes of having a line that scales well with most of my DC collection completely disintegrated, the first assortment isn't even all that exciting.  A standard Bats and Supes was expected (too tall, lanky, and weird chest articulation), but animated figures (just recently exhausted by DCC), another CW Arrow (both done by Mattel and DCC in recent years), and a not-animated-but-animated-looking Harley Quinn?  This is just DC Collectibles Mach II with Multiverse packaging!

At the least, there are going to be some armors and larger-scale characters that I can fudge into my collection from the look of things.  Like Hellbat and Superman Unchained.  These look great and will fit into any Batcave and Fortress of Solitude display quite nicely.  Plus, since these are mass retail releases, they cost less than DC Collectibles.

Hellbat is mostly black, but different shades and shines here and there keep him from being boring.  The armor that dishes out the beatings (shoulder pads, knee pads, gauntlets) have a flat, weathered look about them, whereas the chest, legs, and helmet might have been polished with Darth Vader's woodoo hide.  There are lots of folds and lines to keep it busy, but not too busy and an accent of red to bring it all together.

The whole figure is much less fragile than I expected.  The spikes and fine edges look and feel much less brittle than older DCC and McF offerings.  The wings are the only concern, being flat and made with a less pliable plastic.  The metal pin makes folding them out a bit tight, so take your time.  They also port to the back kinda strange:  just plug into hexagon shaped holes.  There is no joint or ratcheting system to allow you to adjust these without straight up removing them.  If there is one weak point to this figure, that would be it.

Superman fares a bit better with his wings, but has failings elsewhere.  His wings are a more pliable plastic with a pegging ball hinge for easier posing.  They are a pain to get in there at first, but at least you don't have to remove them to switch things up.  Wait...why does Superman need metal wings?!

Yeeeeeeah...what a strange costume all around.  I haven't read the comic to put it into context, but it would still look a bit bonkers if I had.  Looking at the art its based on, I feel the figure looks more anime/Gundam Wing than it should.  It should be giving off vibes similar to Ares' armor or something Apokalyptian.  That, and there are some small details in the face of the helmet that are just plain missing.

Also missing is his energy hammer thingy and shield.  Must have been a cost-saving cut, which is a real shame.  Because of this, he has open, grip hands...if you couldn't do the weapons, could we at least have some punching fists?  Gripes aside, he's still a fun figure to play with.  The colors shine bright metallic, and you can get a decent amount of poses out of him.  

And there you go.  The new age of DC figures is here and it's "meh" at best.  If they were trying to honor the early days of Mattel with a glut of Superman and Batman figures, they're off to a good start.  Otherwise, the two armored figures are the best of the bunch by default.  Luckily, they are solid figures that can literally stand on their own.  You are getting a good deal with them, too:  Build-a-Figure sized figures at retail for $20 each.  You also get a trading card! 

I'm looking forward to more armors and vehicles, but anyone picking up the torch with these figures should have put a little more effort into bridging the gap with long-time collectors.  I'm never going to go all in on the seven inch scale...well, I suppose I would have to fudge a classic Trickster, Mr. Bones, and ridiculous-McFarlane-cape Batman if they ever get around to those.  Never say never, I guess.