January 24, 2024

S.H.Figuarts Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan Trunks: Infinite Latent Super Power

By Joe
It’s Trunks with a new hairstyle!

In the waning days of Toys ‘R Us, I found myself at one of the nearby stores in need of something. What that something was, I don’t recall, but since everything was hitting clearance I had a look around the store. TRU had started carrying the Bandai/Tamashii Nations S.H.Figuarts line of action figures which, at that point, was a rarity. That brand was mostly an online only thing for US buyers, though GameStop was stocking them as well. And on that day, they had finally started marking them down. TRU marked them up to start with, so it wasn’t until the clearance price hit 40% off that it even seemed inviting to me to grab the Super Saiyan Trunks figure. I had recently purchased Vegeta, but I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to get sucked into an expensive toy line. This Trunks, depicted with his hair tied back and in his Saiyan battle armor, was in the neighborhood of 45 bucks after the discount. It was certainly better than the 70 or 75 they had wanted initially, but did I really want this version of Trunks?

It turned out, on that day, the answer was, “No.” I carried it up to the register, but while waiting in line I thought better of it and set the figure down and carried on with the purchase I had intended to make. I wouldn’t say I regretted that decision, but as I’ve gone much further down the rabbit hole that is DBZ figures I have questioned if I want that particular version of Trunks on my shelf. It turns out, my decision that day ended up being a very good one as Bandai decided to release that very same Trunks in 2023 with a revamped color scheme and at the budget price of $35. By waiting these years, I saved some money and got a better looking figure – not bad! I obviously didn’t plan it that way, but what really changed between now and then to make me want this figure? Basically, not a whole lot, it’s just harder to pass up at $35.

The first release of this figure featured colors like the Vegeta on the right. This new one matches the new Vegeta (left).

Super Saiyan Trunks is just a reissue of that older figure, but with a really exaggerated subtitle. I don’t really know what they’re going for with “Infinite Latent Power” since that’s not how I’d describe Trunks at all. I guess it’s a nod to the point in the story where Trunks was concealing what he felt was his true power, but in reality, it was the fan-named Ultra Super Saiyan form that’s similar in power to Super Saiyan 2, but is so slow that it’s all but useless in a fight. Though I did kind of wonder why Trunks couldn’t just boost his power and then, rather than engage in a fist fight, just channel it into a massive energy attack? I guess I shouldn’t be putting that much thought into it since that isn’t really the DBZ way, but I will say that Trunks sure did look pretty bad ass in that form. It’s one I’ve always wanted a good action figure of, but this figure is not that. It’s him before that moment when he’s just standing and watching Vegeta take-on Cell. The ponytail look is at least unique to Trunks and it’s fun to see the Super Saiyan hair restrained to some degree, but it does stink he has no signature moment in this look other than getting punked by Vegeta.

Scream for me, Trunks!

As for the figure itself, it’s Trunks in the Cell Saga battle armor. As I mentioned going in, I didn’t get that original release, but I had the Vegeta who followed the same color pattern so I can at least compare this figure to that. This figure is a much richer shade of blue while the previous one was more pale. The powder blue is probably more accurate, but I love this darker shade. It’s probably my favorite shade of blue and blue happens to be my favorite color. The other main difference is the hair which has a shiny, pearl, finish to it. It’s still more yellow than gold, but it has some gold shading in the center part and it looks really nice. Bandai has tackled Super Saiyan hair in a few different ways over the years and this might be the best. Like the blue, it’s not necessarily the most accurate look, but it’s the flashiest. It gives it that impression that it’s glowing and it’s definitely a great hair color for powering-up poses and the like.

I probably prefer the more unique look of Trunks’ debut outfit, but I do enjoy this era of Saiyan battle armor too.

Because this is a figure releases in 2023, that also means the face is improved. Bandai has changed-up how they print/paint the facial details on its figures which really helps to sell these reissues even if you have the original. The hair and suit color are more subjective and even if you prefer the new to the old, I can still see being happy enough with the original to pass, but the face? It looks so good as the details are so much sharper and less soft. Trunks is sporting his stoic look by default and the likeness is terrific. He also has a teeth-gritting face and a yelling face and both look equally great. The hair sculpt features one, thick, bang hanging over his face which looks fine, but I do wish we had an alternate set of banges for the yelling head that has this piece turned upward or something.

Those are what’s new and improved, what isn’t likely any better is the overall paint job. Maybe it’s the budget price on display, but the paint is a lot sloppier than usual. Not so bad that you’ll see it from a shelf, but unusual for an SHF release. The neckline is not smooth at all and pretty fuzzy. The gold paint for the straps and the abdomen and back armor isn’t any better. The straps stop short before they meet the chest plate and the right side of the abdomen piece doesn’t see the paint continue as far as it needs to. The same issue is repeated on the back of the figure at the upper limit of that gold section. Trunks comes with a crossed-arms piece that can connect to his shoulders and that isn’t painted very well either. It’s a shame, because yeah, even though this is a cheaper figure than usual these areas still had to be painted. It doesn’t cost anymore to make sure it’s done right. I don’t think Bandai should be lowering its standards to offer consumers a more budget-friendly option when we’re still dealing with old tools.

Everybody looks pissed.

I already mentioned the three face plates and the crossed arms piece, the only other accessories are some optional hands. Trunks has fists, clenchy hands, and open hands. What he doesn’t have is a non-Super Saiyan head which the original release came with. That’s a bit of a bummer as it would have been cool if we got that here still, but with something other than a neutral portrait so we could mix and match with the Boy From the Future release from earlier in the year. I know, budget price and all that, but still a bummer to see that accessory cut even though I probably wouldn’t have used it.

Trunks doesn’t have any surprises when it comes to articulation, though I was surprised he’s not a lot of reuse from the Super Saiyan Vegeta. Thankfully, Bandai cares about scale to some degree so Trunks and Vegeta are almost entirely unique. Some stuff, like the feet and hands, are almost certainly the same, but just about everything else looks different as Trunks is both taller and leaner than his father. Even with the differences, they move the same. You get the double-ball jointed head which works okay, but the ponytail will get in the way. The neck is on a ball joint so that will help get more range looking down. Shoulders are hinged ball pegs with a butterfly joint. They’ll go out to the side better than horizontal and there are no restrictions with rotation. The butterfly joint is just okay, but it’s not ugly. Trunks doesn’t need to do a Kamehameha pose so it’s not a joint he needs to get a lot out of. In the arms, we get the biceps swivel, double-jointed elbows, and ball-hinged wrists and all works fine. The arms detach at the bicep to facilitate the use of the crossed arms piece. It’s still a pain to get the piece on flush on both arms, but it works okay. It does mean the arms come apart a little too easy sometimes when just messing with the figure, but I suppose it’s better than being too hard like the recently released Beast Gohan.

There’s not a lot of hands included with this set, but it’s probably enough.

In the diaphragm, Trunks has a hinged ball joint so you can lift the chest up and crunch forward and back. This creates more room for the articulation and helps protect the painted parts, though it can lead to some gapping if you bend him too far. The figure can rotate and tilt to the side as well. The waist is a simple ball-peg attachment which is mostly useful for rotation. The hips go out to the side better than 45 degrees, but not quite to splits. The figure has some floating bits in this area and if you can maneuver the thigh piece to slide under them you can get more range, but it’s fickle. Kicking forward goes to about horizontal and he can kick back a fair bit too. There’s a thigh twist, double-jointed knees, and ball-peg ankles which only provide for mediocre range. There is a toe hinge, for good measure.

I’ve always been a little surprised that with this costume being so basic that the figure doesn’t have more range, but it is what it is. It’s not bad, I just think the legs could be better. The ankles are always an issue with the Saiyan boots as well as Goku’s boots. There’s no doubt that their approach here looks lovely, but I wish they did something to get the ankles more range of motion in every direction, including the ankle rocker. Even though Trunks moves well enough, I do find he looks best just standing there, arms folded across his chest, with a grim expression on his face. Pair him with a similar Vegeta (like the reissued one) and you get a pretty bad ass looking father-son duo for your shelf. This isn’t my favorite look for Trunks, but Bandai did this one just fine. And at the price they’re selling it at you really can’t go wrong.

Because you can’t have just one Saiyan on your shelf, here’s a look at a few more:

S.H.Figuarts Dragon Ball GT Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta

We’re back with another action figure review from everyone’s favorite version of Dragon Ball: Dragon Ball GT! And really, the only thing people remember from Dragon Ball GT is the Super Saiyan 4 transformation. Designed to bring the Saiyans back to their more primal roots, the Super Saiyan 4 transformation is pretty much on an…

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by Joe

SH Figuarts Super Saiyan Vegeta

He’s the Prince of all Saiyans. The last survivor to have laid eyes on Planet Vegeta, home world of the mighty warriors and birthplace of the legendary Goku. And he’s also a pretty fine toy. Vegeta, arguably the most popular character to emerge from Dragon Ball Z, has seen his likeness cast in numerous forms…

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by Joe

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January 16, 2024

NECA TMNT Toon The Adventures of Space Usagi

By Joe
Boldly going where some rabbits have gone before.

When it comes to NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line of action figures based on the old cartoon, I’ve pretty much been all-in. The only figures I’ve passed on have been the style guide variants for the turtles. That will probably change in 2024 as the collection has grown quite large and has hit on basically all of the A-listers from the show and many of the D-listers as well. One figure I thought I did not need was the Space Usagi variant that started showing up late in 2023. It was easy to pass on since I never encountered it, but mostly I felt like I didn’t need another Usagi, especially one that didn’t even show up in the show. When NECA wanted to include Usagi Yojimbo (and yes, I know, Usagi Yojimbo is technically the name of the comic and the character is Miyamoto Usagi, but we’re sticking with the TMNT name for the character to avoid confusion) in the main line, it meant getting a license agreement in place with creator Stan Sakai. And once they had that, it certainly made a lot of sense for the company to get more out of that agreement than just one figure, so while this one does bare the classic TMNT logo on the box it’s really more like a solo Usagi figure that just maintains his look from the cartoon.

The team is reunited!

As a kid, I liked Usagi Yojimbo as much as the next, but I never did get his action figure. I did get the variant Space Usagi figure and it was one I really liked. He looked pretty interesting with a partially cybernetic face (Terminator 2 was pretty damn popular and quite influential), shoulder pads, and a soft goods cape. The only weapon I recall him having (he came with more) was a bronze carrot gun which was pretty absurd, but as a kid it made plenty of sense to me. That figure went on space adventures with my Space Cadet Raph figure and I had a lot of fun with it so I was somewhat predisposed to like this new Space Usagi. Only this one looks nothing like that old design, so the pull wasn’t as strong as it could have been. No, what did me in was seeing the reactions of other collectors and reviewers to the figure. Even though I’m not a “professional” reviewer, I do avoid other reviews of anything I plan on reviewing myself so I don’t pre-judge anything inadvertently. With this figure, that isn’t the case as it was the reception that turned me on. Specifically, this review by YouTube channel Nostalgia Unboxed convinced me that this was a fun figure worth picking up so when I finally came upon it recently on a Target visit I decided to give it a shot.

Swords, guns, it all works for this version of Usagi.

Space Usagi is a single-pack, Ultimates, style of release like the previous Usagi. It features new artwork on the front by artist Ben Seto which has been done with a watercolor approach. It’s different from the usual f.h.e. inspired artwork, but it looks really nice and it’s going to hurt to toss it in the trash when I’m done with it. Usagi himself is a mix of old and new parts, but mostly new. He stands a tick over 4.5″ to the top of his head, not factoring in the ears, and he has a slightly redesigned portrait with narrowed eyes. The secondary portrait is the exact same as the teeth-baring one from the first Usagi with the flat-draped ears. The hands are also mostly the same (fists, open, gripping), but also include a set of trigger finger hands since this Usagi uses guns as well as blades. As far as I know, the rest of the figure is unique. He has a black and gold space suit that makes me think of Mega Man due to the oversized boots. The paint job is great on the gold parts and designed to simulate metal cel-shading. Rather than just do the bright colors on front and dark on the back, NECA went with a more stylized approach similar to the one it took with Chrome Dome. There’s hits of yellow, gold, black, and white to achieve the effect and it’s really striking. It’s also not perfect as there’s a smudge on the left boot of my figure and some of the edge work isn’t as sharp as it could be. The figure also appears to be sculpted in yellow so there’s a little yellow showing through around the pins on the arms, but nothing out of the ordinary for a mass produced figure.

Same alt head as the first Usagi, and just as much of a pain in the ass to swap too.

What does kind of stink about this figure is the engineering of the swappable parts. The prior Usagi was a real pain to swap the head on as often the neck would come out instead. This one is the same. If you plan to use the other head, maybe just go ahead and try to heat the default head first to see if that loosens it on the ball joint. If you can avoid getting the neck heated up as well, it might serve you well. Unique to this Usagi are the hands which are surprisingly tough to swap as well. The holes in the forearms are quite tight and you may need to heat them up to get the extra hands to fully insert. NECA also cast the hands in the same yellow plastic as the rest of the figure, but then painted them white which is a little frustrating. It means you need to be mindful when swapping weapons and such as scratching the paint will reveal yellow beneath it. It’s a very thick, chalky, paint so it doesn’t seem especially prone to chipping. I also can’t tell if the actual hinge is cast in yellow or not. If it is, the paint isn’t flaking so it isn’t an issue there. There’s some yellow on the posts, but that could easily be transfer from the forearms. It’s also possible only the new, trigger, hands are yellow (which would make sense if they were part of the tools for the body) as they’re the only ones that chipped on me and exposed the yellow. It’s possible the old hands are part of the same tools as the heads which were done in white.

I suppose two Usagis are better than one.
Usagi Yojimbo…still a little guy (rabbit).

The good news is that’s kind of the end of the bad with Space Usagi. Which version of the character you prefer is certainly a subjective choice, but there’s no question in my mind that this Usagi is the better action figure. The prior one had some design things to work around that this one doesn’t have. The articulation, as a result, is allowed to be much better. The head and neck are the same and they work fine, but the rest of the figure is vastly superior. The shoulders are ball-hinged and they’re not hindered much by the shoulder pads. He can raise his arms out to the side all the way and the shoulder pads flex if you want to rotate them forward or back. There is a biceps swivel, though the right one is stuck on my figure, and the elbows are double-jointed. Even with that though you’ll be hard-pressed to get better than a 90 degree bend at the elbow because of the bulky forearms and the joint itself is pretty small. If you can get the top hinge to bend all the way first then you may be able to do better than I. Wrists swivel and hinge and, unfortunately, all of the hinges are horizontal. It’s a shame they didn’t re-sculpt the gripping and trigger hands to vertical hinges since some of that tooling cost could have been made-up with the Usagi four-pack NECA solicited recently, but the wrist hinges have been a consistent issue in this line so I wasn’t expecting an improvement there.

“You’re getting a little too close to my gimmick, samurai.”

In the torso we have a ball-joint at the diaphragm. It provides for a little forward and back as well as rotation and tilt. Nothing crazy, but it helps for posing. As far as I can tell, there’s no waist twist and the hips are the usual ball and socket joint. Usagi can perform splits and he kicks forward reasonably far without much room to go back. The thigh will pivot on the ball joint, but there’s also a thigh joint below that, though it may be stuck on your figure as it is on mine. The knees are double-jointed and will bend past 90 degrees, though this is the spot where I’m seeing the most paint-flaking which is kind of a bummer. The ankles hinge forward and back a bit, though the bubbly design limits the range. There is an ankle rocker as well, and while the range isn’t fantastic, it works well enough to keep his feet flat on the surface. The large nature of the feet means he’s easy to stand and one-legged stances are also pretty easy.

This figure is a lot of fun to mess with and it’s made even better if you have a flight stand hanging around.
Usagi comes well-armed.

This Usagi just plain moves much better than the last one, which I found a little disappointing even though I understood why that was the case given his baggy clothing. There’s no doubt though that this one is more fun to handle and manipulate and it’s one of the best posing figures in the line. This is a good desk figure to have to mess around with and it is helped by the accessories. Usagi has the two heads I mentioned previously as well as a bunch of hands. To go with said hands are two guns and two melee weapons. For guns, we have a small, blue, pistol. It appears to be the same gun from the cover artwork, though there it’s gray instead of blue. There’s also a larger gun which the box refers to as a rifle, though it’s pretty short for a rifle. It’s all gray with some black linework and a yellow tip. It’s more gun-like than the pistol, which almost looks more like a flashlight or heat gun or something.

I do think of Usagi as a melee first type of battler.
Though this version of the character is definitely capable of blasting his way out of trouble.

For melee weapons, we get a laser sword and butterfly knife. The sword resembles a short katana and it has a green hilt with black cross-hatching and I quite like how it came out. It has an energy effect that’s done in a very soft, pliable, blue translucent, plastic. It slides over the blade, though the center is removed so it just goes around it similar to the chain on a chainsaw. I like how soft the material is as it should prevent paint rubbing. The sword also looks good with or without the effect. The butterfly knife is just a large knife with a yellow handguard. It looks like something one would use to hack through bone while butchering a carcass, though I’m guessing Usagi is a vegetarian and wouldn’t find a use for it like that. It looks fine, though is less fun than the laser sword. Also included is S.P.O.T., a robotic version of the little dinosaur that came with the other Usagi figure and we also get a helmet to complete the space suit. Like the vintage Playmates figure, the helmet is cast in transparent plastic and comes in two pieces so it can fit around his ears which poke through the top. It won’t work with the flat ears, but if it did it would have a hole in the top and we all know that wouldn’t work in space! Not that the other way works either, but it follows cartoon logic anyway. The box also lists his jetpack as an accessory, but since it’s a non-removable part of the sculpt I don’t consider it a true accessory. The thrusters on it don’t feature holes for blast effects either which feels like a missed opportunity.

If you like little buddy figures, you’ll like this little robo dino.

That’s Space Usagi though. I guess if you like what you see then you’ll probably enjoy this figure. I think it’s the first figure for the line that’s inspired by the cartoon series, without being from the cartoon series. There are more such sets to come as NECA tries to keep this toon line going even as it runs out of characters and looks from the show. As mentioned earlier, NECA even did a four-pack of Usagi Yojimbo in four different looks which are basically just variants of the previous figure and one of this one. There’s a new samurai Usagi in that set, but he’s also ticketed for this line as a single reason, just with a different deco. That four pack is technically a comic Usagi release and not tied to the TMNT show, though the look of 3 of the 4 figures are the same toon-inspired likeness. Either way, I didn’t need it so I didn’t order a set. I didn’t think I even needed two versions of the character, but I was essentially talked into this one. Will the same repeat when the samurai version arrives? Maybe, maybe not. I do know I’m happy with this figure and I really like that it only cost $32 at Target. Most NECA Ultimates seem to be coming in at $38 these days, if not more, so getting a mostly brand new figure for close to 30 bucks definitely felt nice. And while it has its issues, most of them aren’t a big deal to me personally so I think it’s definitely worth the price. Your mileage may vary, but this is one figure that shouldn’t be passed over so easily.

Introducing…The Carrot Crew!

Want to read more NECA TMNT reviews? We got plenty:

NECA Cartoon TMNT The Tale of Usagi Yojimbo

The early issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles released by Mirage Studios include a few guest stars here and there. One of them comes from the pages of Usagi Yojimbo, the samurai rabbit by the name of Miyamoto Usagi. The pairing of samurai rabbit and ninja turtles was a big enough success that it migrated…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Toon Turtle Van

It’s our last Turtle Tuesday before Christmas, though probably not of the year, and it’s a pretty big one: The Turtle Van! NECA solicited its version of the Turtle Van based on the same from the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in April of 2022. It was originally scheduled to be released before…

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by Joe

NECA Cartoon TMNT From the Files of Pizza Squad (Deluxe Rex-1)

When you’re doing a syndicated cartoon expected to air basically every day, you need to pull story ideas from anywhere you can. I think that’s why parodies are so popular in the cartoons of the 80s to the point where it didn’t matter if the show was parodying something kids would actually know. Take REX-1,…

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by Joe

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January 8, 2024

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Omega Red – NYCC Exclusive

By Joe
The Soviet super soldier has joined the ranks of Mondo’s X-Men line!

Last year, Mondo sold three different exclusives timed with popular conventions from its sixth scale line of action figures based on X-Men the animated series. One of them was a comic edition of Magneto which was sold at San Diego Comic Con. The other two were essentially preorders to be delivered at a later date. San Diego Comic Con brought Logan, a version of popular hero Wolverine in his civilian attire. New York Comic Con, which took place a couple of months later, featured Omega Red, the soviet super soldier who appeared in a pair of episodes. I don’t know how toy production works, but for whatever reason the exclusive sold most recently was the first to arrive at my residence so lets talk about Omega Red!

Omega Red comes in the standard box from Mondo with new artwork by series storyboard artist Dan Veesenmeyer and an assortment of production art as well. Omega Red has the added wrinkle of featuring raised elements on the box with his hands and coils being a separate piece of cardstock that’s been attached to the box. It’s a fun little embellishment I wasn’t expecting. The front flap is affixed via Velcro, which is different from the Gambit figure we just looked at which used magnets. The inner tray is a floating piece and is not affixed to the cardboard backdrop. I’m guessing the little variations in packaging are just due to them originating from different factories. Also of interest is that Omega Red shipped to me via DHL and it came straight from the factory rather than going to Mondo first in Texas and then being shipped via FedEx. This meant the figure required a signature, but it wasn’t an issue since I was home at the time of delivery. I’m curious if this will be how the figures are shipped going forward or if Omega Red was a special case.

There’s not a ton in the box this time, and for me, I’m even short a hand!

Omega Red is certainly an interesting choice for this line. We have three heroes and three villains so far and I bet if you asked fans of the show which villain would arrive third most would have guessed Mr. Sinister. Omega Red was only a featured player in two episodes and one of those episodes is considered among the worst in the series by showrunner Eric Lewald. And that was because he basically had to write it in a weekend since they were an episode short (I forget why, but it’s detailed in one or both of his books on the series). Omega Red was also a fairly new villain in the comics when the show began and he may have even appeared in the series because Marvel wanted to spotlight the new adversary of Wolverine and the X-Men. He’s basically the soviet equivalent of a Captain America or even the Weapon X project. He was created by artist Jim Lee and writer John Byrne and I would say he’s a case of 90s style over substance. Still, Omega Red was undeniably cool looking and his old Toy Biz figures was one of my favorites as a kid because of that. He’s a good enough foil for Wolverine, and strictly from a design perspective, I was happy to see that he was going to be included in this line.

Looks good! Except for that empty “bubble” in the plastic…

Unfortunately, I do have an issue right off the bat with my figure. When I opened the shipper box and took a look at the goods inside, I noticed right away that there was a spot in the bubble tray that was empty. It was supposed to contain an optional left hand for the figure. I was hoping it had just become dislodged during the shipping process, but upon opening the box there was no hand to be found. Bummer. It’s disappointing that this wasn’t caught by the factory since just a cursory inspection of the product would have revealed the missing item. I’ve reached out to Mondo to see if they can send me a hand or exchange the figure – whatever is needed to get the complete package. They got back to me after a few days to say a replacement hand is on the way and should ship by the end of the month. I’ll update this space accordingly when that happens. UPDATE: The missing hand arrived as promised maybe two weeks after I reached out. Perfect customer service!

Another issue to be mindful of is the plastic splitting on these short tentacles.

Omega Red stands at roughly 12.5″ to the base of his ponytail. This would put him at a bit over six feet, which seems reasonable for a sixth scale action figure. Omega Red is a very impressive looking figure. I’ve raved about the paint jobs in this line with every release, but Omega Red represents a new high bar. Alex Brewer is the sculptor for this figure, and he’s been the sculptor for all of them I believe, but handling the paint master this time around was Mark Bristow. Mark, you knocked this one out of the park! There are two primary shades of red in use, a bright red and a crimson, with black and white mixed in as well. The metallic portions of the suit are white with a gray-blue and some black linework and the same approach is taken for the white flesh of his arms and face. This figure is just covered in paint and it looks amazing. This is a figure that is going to draw eyes to it on your shelf. The sculpt is also very impressive as he has this massive upper body. He is just a joy to behold.

He’s not quite as big as Sabretooth, but Omega Red is still pretty large.

Of course, with a lot of paint comes a lot of room for error. For the most part, the paint job on Omega Red is very impressive and cleanly applied. Upon close inspection, there are a few blemishes here and there mostly in the form of a small scratch. Some of the white accents could be applied in a more opaque manner, especially the white on the forearms which ends up almost pink. There’s also a ton of paint around the elbow joints that’s a risk to flake off or get scratched with repeated use. I also think the black under his chin might be just a tad too heavy, but that’s more of a subjective critique. Overall, the presentation is the strength of this figure and I doubt any who picked this one up will be disappointed by it.

Poor Wolverine, he has to share the shelf with two of his mortal enemies and another guy who famously almost killed him.

What’s a little more surprising with this figure is the small assortment of accessories. There was only one edition of Omega Red so perhaps that’s why, but he’s comparatively lighter than the rest of the line. He comes with fisted hands in the box, but should have a set of open hands as well. The cuffs around his hands are removable and will pop off when you swap hands, but they’re pretty easy to work with and are just floating pieces. He also comes with three different portraits: neutral/scowl, smirk, angry yell. All three look appropriate for the character and all three use the same hair mold. It would have been nice if one had a more windswept hair piece instead, but I don’t think his hair changed much in the show either. They are a bitch to swap though. It took some force to get the default one off and I could not get it or any of the others to pop onto the ball joint without first heating it up. And even then, it still was a challenge. I’d recommend picking a favorite and just sticking with it, though admittedly that’s a hard choice because all three heads look terrific.

I’m having a hard time deciding what my preferred portrait is for this guy.

The only other accessories included with Omega Red are his carbonadium coils. He has two sets: long and short. The long ones are pretty damn long – about 14″. They’re done with soft plastic with a bendy wire inside that works reasonably well. You won’t be able to do anything too crazy, but they’ll pose. They’re done with gray plastic and there’s some black shading on them as well. I wish there was a little blue or white too, but they look fine. They plug into the ports on the underside of his forearms and that works fine. The shorter ones are about 4.5″ long and work the same way so you get a little variety, but that’s it. I did encounter some splitting of the plastic on one of the short tentacles, so beware if you intend to bend them a bunch. The only other thing in the box is the usual Mondo stand (and it’s the older version which lack the no-slip bottom). I’m a little surprised we didn’t get an effect part as the coils glow with green energy in the show whenever Omega Red sucks the lifeforce out of his victims. Some removable ice blocks to simulate his frozen state could have been cool too. I think the assortment is fine, I’m just a little surprised at the sparseness.

Omega Red won’t “wow” you with articulation. He’s meant to just stand there and look cool.

The articulation for this line has not been impressive and Omega Red may be the worst one yet. He is extremely locked-down for me so this figure is definitely a case of what you see is basically what you get. If you’re not impressed with how he looks, then you will definitely not be all that pleased with the product. The head is on the standard double-ball peg, but the hair means it can’t really do anything. He can basically look down a bit and that’s it. Try to even turn his head and you risk a lot of paint transfer. The shoulders are ball-hinged and pretty tight. I can only get about 45 degrees of range out to the side, and the big shoulder pads will also limit rotation quite a bit. There is a cut about the elbow for a swivel, but as I mentioned in the aesthetics portion, there’s a ton of paint here so you want to be careful moving it so as not to disturb any of that paint. The hinge in the elbow is very tight and maybe moves a little past 45 degrees. The hands rotate fine and the ball-hinge is pretty smooth. I still can’t get the hands to rotate on that ball, but at least they’re not as tight as Gambit’s.

We got some snow this past weekend so of course I had to take this figure outside for a photo shoot!

The diaphragm features a ball joint, but the fit is super tight. I can’t get that joint to do much of anything. There’s a waist twist, but it’s behind his belt so that’s super tight as well. I get a little pivot out of it, but not full rotation. The ball socket hips work about as well as they do on the other figures. He can widen his stance a bit and kick forward a bit, but nothing crazy. The thigh swivels on that joint and it works fine while the usual double-jointed knees are in place. My left knee works fine, the right is super tight and I don’t want to force it. The ankles hinge forward and back a little bit and the ankle rocker is suitable.

Omega Red barely poses as a result of all of that. He’s basically just going to stand there on your shelf and look cool. A more adventurous sort could probably get a little more out of this figure than I, but I don’t want to screw up the paint at all. The end result is I have a figure that I absolutely love to look at, but doesn’t bring me any joy to handle. Some would say that makes this a pretty poor release since it is, after all, an action figure and should be able to pose accordingly. I can’t bring myself to say that about it though because it does just look amazing. This is a figure for those who prioritize aesthetics over articulation and accessories. If you want a bad ass, foot tall, Omega Red in your collection then this figure is awesome. If you want something that can be posed in a dynamic fashion then this will let you down. If you know what you want out of this, then you should be able to make an informed decision. I personally love it, but it’s not for everyone.

This Mondo line has been pretty rad, check these out:

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Gambit

It is my belief that when it comes to X-Men, the animated series which debuted in 1992, the breakout star of the show was Gambit. Wolverine was the closest thing we had to a household name going into the show and was the de-facto pick for favorite character of many. And while the whole roster…

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by Joe

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Sabretooth

It’s Halloween 1992. You’re sitting in front of the television with a bowl of candy and your costume in pieces. Coming on is a prime time airing of Fox’s newest superhero cartoon: X-Men. You’ve seen the comics at the grocery store and in other places. You know Wolverine, you know there’s a guy who shoots…

Keep reading
by Joe

Mondo X-Men TAS Wolverine 1/6 Scale SDCC Exclusive Action Figure

When San Diego Comic Con was cancelled for 2021, many of the entities that would have sold exclusive merchandise at the event pivoted to web sales. And since the 2020 iteration of the famed event was also canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many seemed to expect the same for 2021, or the massive delays…

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by Joe

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Television, toys

January 4, 2024

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Gambit

By Joe
“Everyone can relax, Gambit has returned!”

It is my belief that when it comes to X-Men, the animated series which debuted in 1992, the breakout star of the show was Gambit. Wolverine was the closest thing we had to a household name going into the show and was the de-facto pick for favorite character of many. And while the whole roster certainly benefited from a raised profile following the show’s success, it sure seemed like Gambit became the favorite for many in my circle. I was just a kid in the 3rd grade when the show premiered and it was something to see X-Men infiltrate the school yard. It felt like we went right from Batman to the mighty mutants and even the seemingly unstoppable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saw their star fade pretty quickly. The show also arrived around the same time the Toy Biz action figure line was expanding past the first wave of X-Men and in that second wave was Gambit. He wouldn’t linger on the pegs very long and getting that figure for your collection was more than a little challenging (as was the yellow and black Wolverine II figure).

Nice packaging, as usual, from Mondo.

Gambit has often had a tough time making the jump to plastic. His design is tough to do in a satisfactory manner because of the trench coat. That original Toy Biz figure went with a pliable plastic that was more like paper than modern, rubbery, overlays. It was awful and prone to splitting at the seams. More modern figures always look a little “off” to me because I associate Gambit with this show more than anything. If he’s got a different head shape or his hair is more flat then it doesn’t look right. His unusual eyes can be tricky too since the sclera is black instead of white and the iris red. It’s an odd design, but Gambit is a pretty odd design all by himself. It’s like Jim Lee set out to make a character that just oozed “cool.” Usually, such characters turn out terribly, but for some reason it worked with Gambit. I couldn’t tell you why since everything about his design seems ridiculous to me in a vacuum. The hood with exposed face and ears, poofy hair, gloves with only certain fingers missing, the hot pink shirt, and of course the coat. His costume doesn’t really look like a costume and instead like someone with bad fashion sense. And there’s the fact that he actually has long hair, but somehow it’s all kept under wraps with that hood he wears. The back of his head and neck must just constantly be drenched in sweat.

The ranks are starting to fill out a bit.

Mondo has selected Gambit as its fifth release in its line of X-Men action figures. I’ve been really high on this line because it better than any other captures the look of the source material. I don’t think there’s another toy line that’s even comparable. Hasbro’s attempts at the same were trash and their figures based on Spider-Man aren’t any better. DC Direct (and now McFarlane via reissues of the same) did okay with the Batman: The Animated Series line, but those figures have their own problems. NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line is probably the present gold standard, but even that can’t match the accuracy of the sculpts and paint we’re getting from Mondo. Of course, all of those lines are roughly 1:12 scale and a great deal cheaper. Mondo’s line is sixth scale which makes it a lot easier to go with robust paint apps and it also comes at a much higher cost. That price tag of over 200 bucks a figure has been the only real bummer here, but the quality of the finished product has at least reflected its price.

These shuffling card hands are pretty damn cool.

Gambit comes in a window box with a front flap that connects via magnets. It features new artwork from former X-Men storyboard artist Dan Veesenmeyer of Gambit in a fairly casual pose. I don’t think it’s Veesenmeyer’s best cover as it’s an off-model Gambit and the presence of actual storyboard art behind him draws attention to that fact. The figure is sculpted by Alex Brewer with the paint master handled by Tom Rozejowski. This is the timed edition of the figure which was limited to 1,000 units and comes with a few extra tidbits. A slightly cheaper version is (or will be) available that omits those extras, but comes in the same packaging. The interior packaging has been altered slightly from the past releases. The figure and some of the accessories are still in a tray, but the second tray with more accessories is now glued into the back of the cardboard insert. I don’t know what the reason for this change is, but it’s a bit annoying as you have to peel it off to get at the accessories underneath the bubble making this one essentially impossible to completely reseal if you want to have access to everything.

Gambit is about the same heigh as Magneto, a little shorter than Sabretooth.

Gambit stands right at the 12″ mark. This essentially makes him perfect for the scale as the show’s official height chart puts him right at the 6′ mark. I would argue he, and other characters, were drawn a bit bigger than 6′ in the show, but the height charts are the best information available and what Mondo should be basing its figures off of. This makes him scale well with Jubilee and Magneto, though Wolverine and Sabretooth practically occupy their own scale. Wolverine being too tall and Sabretooth too short. Gambit looks the part as his costume is accurate to the show and the portrait looks terrific. The head is the right shape and the hair has the part in the right spot. I think what makes Gambit look like Gambit is getting the size of the hair and face right and Mondo found the right ratio here.

He’s a cocky bastard.

Gambit’s coat is done all in plastic, so no soft goods here. The main body of the coat is a rather form-fitting overlay with the sleeves part of the sculpt of the arms. This is the best approach for this character and it’s consistent with what they did with Jubilee. The proportioning of the sculpt looks great and the paint features the same cel-shaded approach as the rest. Here, I think the shade of both the trench coat and the pink of the shirt are a little on the dull side. Less so the coat, but I would have personally liked to see the shirt a bit brighter to get more of that “pop” we get from the other figures. I’ve definitely seen production art that has this more muted approach, but I’d argue the finished product on screen turned out brighter. Aside from that, the application of the shading looks great. We get some hits of blue on the black pants which looks good and the interior of the coat is a darker brown to create the illusion of shadowing. The quality of the application of the paint is perhaps a touch behind the other figures. It’s mostly an issue for the hands which look a tad sloppy in places. Gambit is also the only figure in the line which needed to have its fingers painted so it’s a more challenging paint job, but it could have been better and arguably should be at this price.

For those who prefer their Gambit with a ponytail.

Nit picks aside, Gambit is going to look damn good on your shelf and with the other characters. The likeness is terrific and the many accessories are going to add some spice to your display options. The default portrait is a stern one, but Mondo also included three other options. My personal favorite is the smirk as I think of Gambit as a playful sort. This smile looks great and will likely be my chosen display option. We also get the unhooded portrait which features his hair in a ponytail that’s draped over his right shoulder. I think this look is taken from the Dark Phoenix Saga when Gambit and Cyclops go clubbing and meet Dazzler. It looks fine, but Gambit wasn’t one to appear in costume with his head uncovered so it’s a look that’s not likely to be popular. The fourth portrait is a gimmick one and it’s unique to this edition. It features Gambit with his stoic expression, but half of his head is transformed into Mystique. This is a reference to the Days of Future Past plot where Mystique impersonates Gambit to frame him for the assassination of Senator Kelly. It’s really well done, but the gimmicky nature of it means it’s not likely to be used by many for their display. The heads all pop on and off pretty easily, but this Mystique head is definitely one to be careful with as you could easily have some paint transfer from the hair to the neck/collar area.

This head is really well done, I just don’t see myself using it.

Gambit also comes with an assortment of hands for his other accessories. He comes with a pair of gripping hands in the box and also has a set of fists, open hands, and a trigger finger right hand. The trigger finger hand is likely included to be used with the pistol which is again from the assassination scene the Mystique head is based on. It also looks like the same gun Morph is seen with so it could potentially have some uses down the raid. It’s very thin with just a little hit of paint on the rear of it. It’s a snug fit in the hand and you may want to just heat the hand up first to avoid paint rub. This trigger hand also can work with Gambit’s cards. He has a hand of four aces and the back of the card makes them Mondo brand, which is kind of fun. There’s also a glowing, charged, card that’s done on translucent yellow plastic with some pink paint on the energy portions and is sure to be a favorite accessory of many. What’s missing though is Gambit’s classic two-finger gesture he often holds cards with. I’m genuinely perplexed at its omission to the point where it has me wondering if that was a gesture reserved more for the comics over the show? I don’t think so, but maybe?

This effect is pretty damn cool, just a little tough to “sell.”

We’re not done though as Gambit also has his trusty staff. It’s done in a blue-gray with some light gray shading and a little black linework. I’m honestly not sure how often his staff was shown with this color in the series. The opening title had it as green and I can recall it being brown at one point. I’m guessing it made an appearance in this color at some point, or maybe this was the color it was in the reference art? It fits rather snug in his gripping hands, and again, a little hot water might help to get it in there easier without paint transfer, though his bottom fingers have a tough time getting around the staff. We also get a set of card hands where the right hand is shuffling the cards and the left is catching them. I love how Mondo did the shuffling cards as they’re on transparent plastic to create the illusion of motion. I just wish his articulation made it easier to sell this effect, but we’ll get to that. There’s also another right hand that is connected to an effect part depicting the tossing of three, charged, cards. It looks pretty cool and doesn’t feature any reality-breaking inaccuracies like the Hasbro version of the same. Just like the shuffling hands, the figure has a hard time selling the illusion due to the articulation.

I can’t decide if it looks better with more of an arc to the toss.

We’re still not done! Yes, Gambit has even more stuff to talk about and they’re episode specific. We get the tithe box from the episode “X-Ternally Yours.” I don’t like that episode, but it being the Gambit episode of Season Two I’m not surprised to see something from it included. The box looks okay, but the gold paint on it isn’t very well done. Also from that episode, but featured in multiple others, are the mutant power restricting collars. Gambit comes with two of them so I guess you can put one on Jubilee too. They’re done on a very soft, rubbery, yellow, plastic and the glowing portions are painted a magenta. I don’t know why they didn’t go with a bright red, but the collars just look so-so. There’s some nice details sculpted onto them, but they’re not accentuated with paint at all and I assume it’s because of the material. They definitely have a cheap look, which is uncharacteristic of this line. Gambit also has a charged chain to swing around. It’s a hard, translucent, yellow, plastic and it’s taken from the episode “Till Death Do Us Part.” It looks fine, though I kind of wish they went with a swinging, swooshing, sculpt since he swings it over his head in the episode. Lastly, we get the Mondo doll stand. It’s like the one that came with Sabretooth which has a slightly nicer and heftier base. It’s designed to go in-between the figure’s legs and it works, but it doesn’t allow for any dynamic posing or anything. It’s more for peace of mind if you’re worried about shelf dives.

I love the inclusion of episode specific accessories, even if I’m unlikely to ever really use them.

That’s a whole lot of stuff and collectors who pick Gambit up will have no shortage of display options. It’s partly what the line is known for. What it’s not known for is the articulation, and Gambit is no exception. Mondo prioritizes the look of its figures over function and this scale also limits what a figure can really do from a practical standpoint without having to worry about balancing issues. Gambit’s head is on a double-ball peg and it performs quite well. He gets plenty of rotation as well as enough range looking up and down and some tilt. The shoulders are ball-hinged and they’re quite tight. Some of that appears to be due to the fit of the coat, but regardless Gambit can’t raise his arms out to the side all the way. He can rotate fine, but going out is a problem. The elbows are single-hinged and they peg into the bicep. This gives them the ability to swivel there, but the range on the hinge is poor. Gambit can’t even achieve a 90 degree bend. The hands continue to be an issue as well for this line. The pegs are more of a straight peg with some ribbing at the end. Swapping is really easy as a result and the peg can rotate in the joint without fear of damage (unlike Magneto). There is a ball-hinge inside the hand, but the hands won’t spin on that joint so whatever the direction the hinge is positioned by default is where it will stay. The hinges are also quite clicky and lacking nuance. You basically just get 3 positions out of them and they’re quite tight. It’s definitely an area for improvement.

Gambit comes with two collars so you could use one with Jubilee, though it’s pretty roomy on her.

In the torso is a diaphragm joint. It’s likely a simple ball peg, possibly a double, and it mostly provides some rotation and tilt. You’re not really going to get an ab crunch out of it and the coat makes it a bit tough to mess around with. There is a waist twist while the legs are connected via ball and socket joints. Gambit won’t be able to kick all the way forward, but there’s enough posing there to at least put the figure in a wider stance. There is a thigh twist built into the joint and below that is the usual Mondo double-jointed knee. It can swivel above the knee and below it, if you want, though they’re pretty tight. The hinges will let the figure bend the knee past 90 degrees. The ankles are hinged and also feature an ankle rocker and they work fine. The hinge is either very tight or limited, but there’s enough nuance to keep the feet flat on a surface.

If you think cards are lame, Gambit has this handy, kinetically-charged, chain to wield as well.

Gambit’s articulation is mediocre at best. Most of the joints are there, they just don’t do much. My main gripe is with the elbows as they should be better. I also wish we had butterfly joints in the shoulders to help with the throwing accessories, but I couldn’t reasonably expect such. This means the figure is going to look best just standing on your shelf with the more static accessories. I think the shuffling cards are just barely usable with some finesse, but I’m having a hard time getting a good pose out of the throwing cards which really stinks as I want to use that effect part. I’ll probably end up sticking him with staff and charged single, but I do expect to change him up from time to time.

Gambit is largely as expected and could be considered more of the same from Mondo. That sounds like faint praise, but more of the same for this line is pretty damn good. He looks awesome and has a ton of accessories which create multiple display options. It’s just a figure held back by the subpar articulation, but it’s not so bad that it ruins the experience. If you like the rest, you’ll like Gambit. I don’t think he’s my favorite in the line, but he is right there with Magneto and Sabretooth when it comes to nailing the likeness. If you’re collecting this line, there’s definitely no reason to skip Gambit.

Check out some of these other figures from Mondo’s line of X-Men collectibles:

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Sabretooth

It’s Halloween 1992. You’re sitting in front of the television with a bowl of candy and your costume in pieces. Coming on is a prime time airing of Fox’s newest superhero cartoon: X-Men. You’ve seen the comics at the grocery store and in other places. You know Wolverine, you know there’s a guy who shoots…

Keep reading
by Joe

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Jubilee

When one hears the phrase “mall babe” it implies a certain visual. Probably a short, young, girl with intentionally messy, short hair. There’s a certain confidence the phrase exudes so she has to have style. Maybe hot pink, bright blues, and certainly a long yellow coat with gloves to match! There has to be an…

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by Joe

Mondo X-Men TAS 1/6 Scale Magneto

If you showed a random individual this blog and asked them what my favorite cartoon was as a kid I’m guessing they would go with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And they wouldn’t be wrong as that was my favorite for a time, but come 1992 I was starting to drift away from that show. Batman:…

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by Joe

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Television, toys

December 31, 2023

2023 – A Year in Action Figure Reviews

By Joe

I don’t usually do year-end wrap-up posts. My collecting is usually too narrow to really warrant it, but this year I felt a little different. I probably spent way too much on my hobby in 2023 as there were a lot of releases that came in bunches. It’s probably going to have a somewhat negative impact on my collecting in 2024 as I try to narrow things down and stick to what I really want as opposed to what just looks cool. I’ve already made the decision to not collect NECA’s The Last Ronin line as I just have too much TMNT as it is and I don’t love the designs from those books enough to warrant figure purchases. Plus, where would I put them? I’ll probably be scaling back on Turtles in general since most of what I want has already been produced. Am I going to stop? No, not entirely, but I’m finally at a point where I can see something new on the shelf and not feel like I have to buy it.

That’s 2024’s business, let’s talk 2023 one last time. Rather than just rank the figures I reviewed in a top 10 or something, I figured I’d do it more like an awards show only my awards are both celebratory and dubious. You can’t have good without the bad, so if you’re one of those types that just hates anything that could be perceived as negative then maybe skip those. I’m also limiting this to figures I purchased in 2023 that were also current. Getting a figure that was new to me didn’t qualify if it was released prior to 2023. On the other hand, release dates are pretty loose so it’s possible you personally got something on my list in 2022 that I received in 2023. That’s just the action figure business at work. Let’s get to it though as so that we’re not here forever.

Longest Wait of 2023 – Mezco Batman ’89

This figure took so long to come out that I was starting to think it was never going to come out. Mezco isn’t known for its communication so folks who had preordered this thing, and paid in full, in 2020 were left completely in the dark. Maybe it would come, maybe it wouldn’t? 2023 ended up being the year where that wait finally came to an end. Was it worth it? Probably not. If I had a category for most interesting release of the year this figure would win that as well. It’s certainly an experience. Mezco did nail the Keaton likeness though which was the most important factor for me. I just question how well this silicon body is going to hold up over the years. Runner-Up: Super7’s The Simpsons Wave One

Best Figure not in 1:12 or 1:10 Scale – Mondo Sabretooth

I mostly collect 1:12 and 1:10 scale action figures, but every now and then a company gets me to dip my toes in something else. Usually that something else is 1:18, but Mondo has absolutely been killing it with its 1:6 scale line of figures from X-Men the animated series. There have been 3 releases in 2023: Magneto, Jubilee, and Sabretooth, and it’s Sabretooth that takes the crown for me by just a smidge. He looks awesome, poses well enough, and came loaded with accessories. These figures half shelf-presence for days. The only negative is the cost and space and that Mondo solicited 5 figures in 2023 which really did some damage to the old toy fund. Gambit should be arriving any day now too with Logan and Omega Red coming in 2024. I better make room! Runner-Up: Mondo Magneto and Jubilee

Worst Company – Hasbro

Sorry to kick you while you’re down Hasbro as the company just announced a layoffs to take effect next year, though maybe look at the top of the company instead? Either way, Hasbro keeps getting worse with its action figure offerings. The Power Rangers brand is stale, the Dungeons & Dragons stuff based on the old cartoon were riddled with quality control issues, and prices keep climbing on Marvel Legends and Star Wars while accessories and paint apps get cut. They’re putting out their most bare bones releases ever in those lines, but at a price greater than we’ve ever seen for those lines. More expensive plus poorer quality is not a recipe for success. I currently have two Hasbro action figures on pre-order and I’m not looking to add anymore. Runner-Up: Super7

Best Company – NECA

A more conventional round-up of the best figures of 2023 would have included these boys.

Basically, see what Hasbro did in 2023? NECA did the opposite. For the most part. Yes, their prices have gone up as well, but we haven’t seen a reduction in the product to go along with that price hike. NECA still keeps putting out tons of unique sculpts that are fully-painted with a generous assortment of accessories. They also managed to deliver their long-awaited Turtle Van and the product turned out pretty damn awesome. Now, lets just not talk about the pricing debacle that is the TMNT Sewer Lair. This is supposed to be a positive entry. Runner-Up: Jada Toys (even though I didn’t review any of their stuff here)

Best Original IP Release – Robot Reaper (Super7)

This is what sold me on this one.

Super7’s The Worst is their own collection of takes on popular, villainous, tropes, I suppose. Their first wave in their Ultimates! collection didn’t thrill me, but I could not keep myself away from wave two’s Robot Reaper. This thing is just a fun, clever, design and it’s also a fun action figure to mess around with. Some of the accessories I could do with out, and part of me feels like a sucker for paying full MSRP knowing full well it’s sure to be discounted, but when a company puts out something good I don’t mind paying full price. Runner-Up: Boss Fight Studio Saurozoic Warriors

Best Figure that Costs Too Much – MAFEX Scarlet Spider

He’s cool, but is he $100 cool?

Medicom’s MAFEX brand is basically known for being super-articulated and super expensive. Figures routinely cost over 100 bucks for those of us who dwell in the west and it’s hard to figure out why. Sure, some of the licenses they grab don’t come cheap, but Bandai puts out similar or better products for considerably less. And sometimes even for the same license. This Scarlet Spider figure is one I enjoy quite a bit despite feeling like it’s not worth the tasking price. It’s a better figure than what Hasbro is set to release very soon (one of two I have preordered), but I could very easily make the argument that the Hasbro one is a far better value which trumps any advantage the MAFEX figure brings to the table. Runner-Up: Super7 TMNT Ultimates! Robotic Rocksteady

Best Figure With Awful Quality Control – Super7 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ultimates! Goldar

I’m not sure if Super7 has ever made a prettier action figure than Goldar from its line of MMPR figures. I mean, he is a sort of dog-faced monster, but the gold armor they sculpted and painted looks terrific and the character looks like it stepped right out of a television set in 1993. I can’t say the same for basically anything else in Super7’s MMPR line. It’s also the figure that I’ve seen break on camera in figure reviews more than any other. Whether it be the neck, wrists, or those damn wings, this is a finicky, fragile, mess of a figure. I don’t even like handling it as a result. I basically selected the head I wanted and the wing options and I don’t intend to change anything or move much. In some respects, it’s a terrible action figure, but also a great one. It’s a conundrum. Runner-Up: None

Worst Action Figure of 2023 – Marvel Legends Spider-Man (Animated)

Go ahead Venom, squeeze the life out of this twerp and his weird-shaped head.

This is one of those figures you may have received in 2022 that I got in 2023. Walmart put it up for preorder in the fall and didn’t ship them for awhile, if at all, while some were able to find it in-store in December. No matter, it’s my pick for worst figure of the year that I personally reviewed. And it’s kind of getting it on a technicality, as the worst figure I bought in 2023 was a reissue of an old figure in the McFarlane Batman – The Animated Series Mr. Freeze (what’s with figures based on 90s animated shows getting the shaft?). This Spider-Man is the infamous cel-shaded one, but I’ll defend the cel-shading to a point. It’s not awful like most of the X-Men figures were in 2022, though it’s nothing special. It’s fine. Everything else sucks though. The head is a bizarre shape and looks stupid, the body is way too undersized for the character this figure is based upon, and while it articulates better than some Hasbro Spider-Men, it still does some weird things. The accessories, which include two extra sets of hands and some web splats, are also terrible and since it was a Walmart exclusive it was really annoying to have to track down. Hasbro did a whole line of figures based on the ’94 cartoon series and yet they didn’t make the central character, Spider-Man himself, available in his red and blue threads to a mass audience. What a stupid decision and another deserving reason for Hasbro’s status as worst action figure company of 2023. Runner-Up: Marvel Legends X-Men ’97 Magneto

Best Action Figure of 2023 – Mezco Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Green Ranger

I’m just sorry I don’t have an actual award to give him.

When Mezco first unveiled its take on the Green Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers I had a feeling it had a chance to be THE Green Ranger for me. I’d have no need for any other. It was another long wait, and the figure was released annoyingly enough as a convention exclusive, but it lived up to the hype. This figure is not perfect, but it’s the best representation of the Green Ranger in 1:12 form. The details look great, the proportions suitable for the source material, and the soft goods actually enhance the figure and not detract from it. It has all of the accessories you could want plus a flight stand. There are effect parts and even an extra holster for the Blade Blaster, if you want it. I was skeptical, and I almost put this guy in the runner-up category for the too expensive, but Mezco delivered a great product. It’s so good that I’m almost tempted to get the rest of the MMPR team, but then I look at the price tag and I feel pretty satisfied to just stick with Greeny here. Runner-Up: None, this figure was in a class by itself

Those are my thoughts on 2023. To my surprise, I didn’t pick anything from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but then again, that brand had a lot of good releases in 2023, just nothing exceptional. I considered doing a “Best Toy Line” and that probably would have gone to NECA’s cartoon TMNT line, but I didn’t feel that strongly about it, nor could I come up with a corresponding worst toy line. As for 2024, I’m looking forward to it. I have a ton of stuff preordered with Bandai and its Dragon Ball line including some figures that I’m already eyeing as potential Figure of the Year when 2024 is nearing an end. And then there’s Mondo X-Men that I have preordered and we’ve seen artwork for Rogue and Cyclops so that line figures to expand. As for Mezco, I may have given them top prize for 2023, but I’m not planning on picking up anything from that company in 2024. Their brand is pretty specific and it often doesn’t appeal to me. It will take a perfect marriage of enthusiasm for a brand on my part and their unique talents to get me to buy another one. And while I may scale back my toy buying in 2024, don’t expect to see my reviews vanish anytime soon. There will still be plenty to talk about.

Looking for toy-related posts that are more broad than a single review?

Take My Money, Hasbro, Give Me X-Men Animated Series Legends!

  It’s been probably 13 or 14 years since I’ve purchased a Marvel-branded action figure. This is somewhat shocking to me because from the age of 7 to around 25 I spent who knows how much money on Marvel action figures. I was there for the inaugural Toy Biz line of Marvel Superheroes and X-Men…

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by Joe

Let’s Rank the NECA Cartoon TMNT Figures…Again!

It’s the first Turtle Tuesday in a little while that I don’t have some new TMNT review to post. Given that, I think it’s time to revisit the rankings I did last year for NECA’s toon line of action figures. This has become NECA’s most popular line, and while it has cooled a bit since…

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by Joe

Super7 is Heading to Springfield!

Wednesday, August 18th, ended up being quite an eventful little day in the world of toy collecting. There were some reveals from major toy companies, leaks, and even those long neglected Street Sharks fans got something to get excited about late in the day. Personally, it was a good day for me too as I…

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by Joe

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December 30, 2023

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Lexington

By Joe
The littlest gargoyle finally makes his shelf debut.

It took a bit over two years, but the Manhattan Clan is at long last assembled upon my shelf. The last character to arrive is Lexington, the smallest and most unique from a design standpoint of the clan. This line was a bit unexpected when it was announced and it was like a dream come true for 90s kids who watched the show as part of the Disney Afternoon. NECA’s take on the characters may not be exactly what fans would have wanted if given the choice, but it has been pretty good. Visually, at least. There have been issues as well and the size of the wings packaged with each figure has been a point of contention. Lexington, being that he doesn’t feature the large wings of his brethren, is a different beast all together. He’ll take up less space on your shelf as a result, but he’s not without his own problems.

Lexington comes in the same five-panel box as the rest of the line, just a good deal smaller given his more diminutive stature. The artwork on the front by Djordje Djokovic (linework) and Nate Baertsch (paint) depicts Lexington in a rather fearsome pose and makes the little guy look about as ferocious as he could. The figure itself is sculpted by Djokovic who is apparently really into Gargoyles and has been given the honor of sculpting them all. Like the gargoyles before him, Lexington combines some of the characteristics of the cartoon with a more realistic approach. He’s very cut and muscular, but his face is pretty close to the show. Whether you like this approach or not, it’s consistent with the rest so you have likely already decided at this point, or just simply made peace with it.

He seems to fit in well enough with the rest of the clan.

Lexington stands at roughly 5″ depending on how bent you have his knees. He scales pretty well with the rest of the clan. Again, I think Goliath could be bigger, but the rest look pretty good. Lexington has a bit of a smile going on with his default head and I think it captures the essence of the character. The skin tone is an olive green with some black wash that looks rather nice and I really like the blue of his loincloth. He looks good, but then there’s the wings. Yeah, his wings aren’t a thing you have to account for space-wise on your shelf, but you do for the design and function of the figure. We’ll get into that part more when we talk articulation, but NECA opted to do his wings as two pieces of somewhat pliable plastic. They don’t have a ton of flex, but obviously aren’t the hard plastic the other gargoyles have. They peg into his back on ball-hinges and then are glued into his forearms and thighs. They don’t drape like the wings in the show, NECA would have had to go with more of a soft goods approach to get that look, and with his arms down they take on this wavy appearance. It exposes the gap between the torso and the mid-section of the wing and it’s not a great look. He almost looks better in a pose closer to what he’s doing on the box art, but that’s a challenge too.

“Stop complaining about the wings!!”

Is this the right approach? I don’t know. Lexington’s wings were always going to be a challenge as his are closer to actual bat wings in construction. When NECA first revealed a prototype for Lexington, it looked like they did his wings in pieces so he had a fin on his arms and another on his back or thighs. It’s similar to how S.H.Figuarts does capes where from certain angles it looks like one, continuous, piece, but in actuality it’s segmented. I didn’t love that look so I would say this is better, but I don’t like the material. I get why NECA chose this route because this is plastic they can sculpt and paint and the detail is consistent with the other gargoyles in the line. Had they gone with a stretchy fabric, it likely would have been one color, but maybe not? The movie Shredder figures have some pretty cool looking capes with designs on one side and solid colors on the inside. The Shadow Master Super Shredder that NECA did even has this faux leather material for the cape that would have made for an interesting solution. If NECA were matching the cartoon, that approach would have been a no-brainer since a solid color would have been fine. They’re not though, but I still think that would have been better and it makes more sense when we talk about the articulation. Probably the best solution would have been to do both and match the arms swappable. Hard plastic for flying poses, soft goods for casual.

I think this is how he’ll live on my shelf, I just wish we had something for the controller to go to.

We might as well jump into articulation now since I’ve already teased it. The head is on a double-ball-peg and it gets great range in all directions. That’s partly because NECA carved out a little section on the back of the neck to give the figure more range looking up. This means Lexington is actually the only figure in the line who could actually be displayed in a flying pose where he’s looking forward and parallel to the ground. That is good, but almost everything else is bad. The shoulders are incredibly tight on this figure. NECA seemed to really want to reduce any gaps to almost nothing because these are shirtless, hairless, beasts, but the shoulders sit so far in the torso that it kills the range. Lexington can’t raise his arms out to the side all the way, and worse, there’s little room for leverage to work the hinge. I have gone through two figures so far because I snapped a bicep peg trying to lower his arms. Even though I had my thumb right on the seem between the shoulder and bicep, it still snapped like a twig without much warning. I would later snap a foot off trying to put his alternate head on, so yeah, this one seems brittle. Thankfully, Big Bad Toy Store has a terrific return policy.

He can also pack some heat if that’s your preference.

The shoulders rotate fine and the bicep swivel works. The elbows are double-jointed, but hard to work with because of the wings and how they connect to the forearm. There’s just not a lot he can do because of that. Thankfully, the pegs on the rear of the figure where the wings go into the back are forgiving and will pop out if you try to do too much so there seems to be little chance of ripping the wings out of the arms or thighs, but this guy is just not fun to handle at all. The wrists rotate and hinge and the gripping hands have a vertical hinge, so that’s good. The diaphragm can rotate a little, but again, wings get in the way. The same is true for any forward and back motion. There is a waist twist and the hips are ball and socket joints with a thigh swivel built in. The knees are single-jointed and they peg in and hinge so you can swivel there. The ankles have a hinge and a rocker and the toes do the same. They’re pretty tight, but manageable. The tail pegs into the rear of the figure and has a hinge. It’s bendy, just like the other gargoyles, and can act as a support when standing the figure on a shelf.

The figure would have some limitations with or without the wings, just as the other figures in the line do. Lexington can’t, for instance, do his usual crouch where he has his hands on the ground. It’s like his default pose in the show, and the fact that he can’t do it in figure form is a bummer. Getting his arms up and spread like they are in the box art is also quite the challenge. If you rotate the shoulders over the figure’s head, carefully, you can get close. Introducing a NECA flight stand is a pain though since the wings get in the way of getting a grip on the torso. You’re better off with something that can grab the figure by the thigh. For most though, I’m thinking this is a set it in a basic pose kind of figure and then forget it.

I’m probably never going to display my figure with this thing, but I can admit it looks pretty cool.

Lexington does come with a solid assortment of accessories, but even here there is a bit of a letdown for one very specific reason. He has the slight smiling portrait and a yelling one with white-out eyes that looks pretty good. He also looks kind of funny with it since he’s so small, but that’s true even in the show. For hands, we get a set of open hands, a gripping left hand, a trigger finger right hand, and a set of fists. The gripping hand is for use with a remote control, which might be from the episode that introduced Coldstone, or brought him back, I forget. He also has a headset that slips onto his head without issue for communicating with Elisa. The trigger finger hand is intended for his crossbow, which is an homage to the original Kenner figure. Like Broadway and Brooklyn before him, Lex gets an updated version of his old weapon which looks really awesome. It has a thick, real, chain on it. I don’t know how well a chain would work on a crossbow, but it looks cool. There are also four bolts that can slot into it, though they don’t fire.

Well, they’re all here now.

That’s a solid spread that spotlights Lexington’s character traits with a techy set and then the homage, but what’s missing are another set of caped wings. NECA had specifically called out Lexington as a figure that would come with wings for another figure considering he’s a much smaller character, but none were included. Perhaps development costs on Lexington ended up being higher than expected, or it was more of a business decision. Everyone is going to want to add Lexington to their shelf, so why essentially give away a sought after accessory when it could go to another figure that could use a boost? As a consumer, I hate that mindset, but I get it. As of right now, Hudson, Broadway, and Angela are lacking another wing option. Broadway is getting a variant next year that’s basically the same figure, but in a soft goods trench coat. That one is coming with caped wings, which sucks and is annoying. We know MacBeth is on the way so it stands to reason he’ll come with wings for either Hudson or Angela. We also don’t have caped wings for Thailog, but I’m guessing he’s a lower priority. An armored variant could easily come with those. At least that’s a variant I’d have interest in.

In some ways, Lexington is one of my favorite releases in the line. He looks good, I think he’s properly sized, and I’ve just always liked the character. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to call him a fan-favorite. In other ways though, he’s the worst in the line. I don’t like handling him, and I think his wings look terrible in any pose that isn’t featuring them spread out. And even that’s a pain in the ass to get right. My pictures of this figure are so vanilla because he’s such a chore to work with. I basically don’t want to touch this figure ever again. I don’t really want to recommend it as a result, but the reality is, if you’ve been collecting this line you’re not going to stop before you add a Lexington. That would be silly. I guess just have low expectations and handle with care. Maybe one day we’ll get a better option.

If you’re interested in more Gargoyles reviews, check these out:

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Broadway

We are getting oh so very close to assembling the original Manhattan Clan in action figure form! Disney’s take on gothic beasts originally included the following gargoyles: Goliath, Hudson, Bronx, Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington. The clan would grow from there, but those six are still the first that come to mind for me when I…

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by Joe

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Brooklyn

For the first time in a long time, we did not have a Turtle Tuesday post this week. We do, however, have a Warriors by Night Wednesday for you! It feels like NECA’s Gargoyles line is the most stop-and-start action figure line I’m into of late. The line has seen large gaps between releases and…

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by Joe

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Hudson

Happy Boxing Day! It’s been a minute, but we’re back with another figure in NECA’s line of action figures based on the 90s cartoon/property Gargoyles – Hudson! Hudson, who was wonderfully brought to life by the late Ed Asner, was always my favorite character in the show. He’s basically the old veteran of the group.…

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by Joe

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December 29, 2023

Super7 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ultimate Megazord

By Joe
Behold! The mighty Megazord!

We continue to bang out action figure reviews here in 2023 just in case there’s one that needs to sneak onto a year-end best of 2023 list. Is today’s figure such a contender? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth talking about. Super7 has managed to crank out three waves of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ultimates! in 2023 after a lengthy delay to get the line off the ground. The reception has been so-so. There have been figures I thought turned out rather well, and others I wasn’t too thrilled with. Not all have been reviewed in this space, but basically I’ve been disappointed in the actual Power Rangers while the zords have pleased me quite a bit. That’s why my lone purchase from Wave 3 is the Megazord, or Dino Megazord if you want it narrowed down a bit more.

A lot has changed since 1993, though I still maintain this old Bandai Megazord is a damn fun toy.

When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered in 1993, the Megazord was their ultimate weapon. At least for a little while. Then the Dragonzord came along which meant the Megazord could level-up to the Mega Dragonzord. Then they added Titanus and suddenly the Ultrazord was a thing. And on the toy front, the Megazord was every bit as cool in plastic as it was on the screen. The Bandai Megazord was such an awesome toy that I wanted it badly, only I never got it so I had to purchase it as an adult to make it up to the kid in me. The toy is a blast because it’s five in one. Five robot dinosaurs (okay, well, three robot dinosaurs and two mammals) which can combine into a massive robot. In order to pull that off, the final product had to sacrifice some of the aesthetics when compared with the character on television. This may come as a shock, but the costumed person punching and kicking as the Megazord was not, in fact, made-up of five robots and had the proportions of a normal human. The toy basically couldn’t duplicate that look while maintaining the play functionality, but I don’t recall anyone who had it caring at the time.

“Are you my dad?!”

When Super7 got the license from Hasbro to do Power Rangers it can be assumed it was like the Transformers license which meant no transforming and no combining. No problem. Doing just straight toys of something like the Tyrannosaurus zord or Megazord without having to incorporate that function means they can focus on screen accuracy. Now, if I were still a kid I’d think a Megazord that can’t break down into five robots sounds useless, but as an adult collector? I’m intrigued.

Since I have it, we might as well compare this one to the Hasbro combining Megazord. Super7’s clearly looks better, though the Hasbro one can at least brag about its elbow articulation.

Super7’s version of the Megazord comes in the usual Ultimates! packaging. We’ve moved on from the brown shipper, but we’re still getting the slipcover for now. The box may surprise since it’s not nearly as large as the T-Rex or Dragonzord, but that’s because the Megazord doesn’t feature a giant tail. Don’t be fooled though as this is still a big, chunky, action figure that has substantial weight for something in this scale. The window box display is as nice as ever, though Super7 must have been concerned about paint rub as the figure is basically surrounded (not wrapped) in plastic in the tray which does downgrade the presentation for in-box collectors. Not that Super7 should care. The packaging is meant to get the product to your hands in pristine condition. Anything else is just gravy.

The Megazord more or less seems to scale with the rest.

Out of the box, Megazord stands about 8.625″ to the tip of the “fin” on its head. This line is a 1:10 scale line, but that obviously does not apply to the zords. Instead, this figure is meant to just scale with the other zords and the monsters and pass the eyeball test in doing so. I will say, he looks mostly okay beside the Dragonzord. Maybe a little undersized, but certainly good enough. It looks ridiculous beside the T-Rex though which is too big. Considering it’s technically impossible for these two robots to appear side-by-side, it’s not a big deal, but if you remind yourself that the T-Rex is technically the torso of the Megazord then it becomes laughable. It looks pretty good opposite Goldar, better than the other zords if you ask me, and it’s probably more important for this particular figure to scale with the monsters than the others so I like that.

These two don’t always see eye-to-eye…

As for the figure itself, it looks pretty damn good. The head and shoulders are properly sized and the proportions look much better than the other combining figures out there. Even better though, is that seemingly every inch of this thing is painted. I believe the black portions are where the bare plastic is, but even they look like they at least have a matte coat on them. The silvers are nice and shiny and I think they nailed the shade of red this character possesses. The face, in particular, is really well done and pretty clean. Closer inspection of the figure in other places will uncover some blemishes and subpar linework. The nose of the sabertoothed tiger has a blemish and there’s a silver spec on the snout of the triceratops foot. The white on that same foot is a bit thin and I could say the same for some of the yellow. These blemishes are mostly invisible from the shelf and the only one that bothers me is the tiger foot. The hands are the same shade of silver as the other silver parts of the figure and I think they were darker on the show, but that could have been due to ware and tare on the suit itself. Otherwise, this somewhat garish mix of colors looks as good here as it did on TV and it’s nice to see this amount of paint on what is a fairly expensive collectible. The figure also has a nice weight and feels sturdy, just the like the zords that came before it.

The main accessory here.

It’s important that this figure nail the presentation because it doesn’t have much else to rely on. The accessories are very light with this one as we get just one extra set of hands: fists and gripping. They look fine, but I would have liked some style-posed hands as well. For those gripping hands we get the power sword and mastodon shield. The sword looks great. It’s painted silver and has some nice etching near the hilt that’s painted a soft gold. The handle is painted as well, though if I was going to criticize one aspect of the item it’s that it’s too big. Super7 has a tendency to go bigger with weapons (just check out their Conan) and that apparently happened here as the sword on TV wasn’t quite so large. The mastodon shield also looks great and the paint on it is very crisp. I wasn’t sure if I’d even display my figure with it since it showed up in the show rarely, but I love the finish on it so it’s likely going to make the cut. The trunk is short and curled in though so it can’t be pointed at an enemy like it’s about to unleash a cloud of freezing air, not that it would have an effect piece for such. That’s the easiest room for criticism as a laser effect for the sword would have been neat or some crackling lightning, but this is basically it.

At least the new ones have the white diamonds painted on. Really makes the Red Ranger look like shit. I don’t know why they can’t all have a hit of black for the visor like the Green Ranger.

There are a couple of other accessories in the box, but they’re not really for the Megazord to use. Call them indirect accessories, if you will. There are two, miniature, Power Rangers in a summoning pose: Pink and Yellow. They’re the exact same sculpt which means the Yellow Ranger has a skirt piece which is inaccurate to the show, but I don’t know if that’s something that will bother people or not. They look okay, and if you’re keeping track that means we have two Red Rangers, Green, Pink, and Yellow. What’s missing is Blue and Black. Since the Megazord is the combined robots of all five of the original Power Rangers, why not just include Black and Blue in this box and get it over with? I’m not sure what else would make sense for them to be packed in with. The Mega Dragonzord? I’m not sure how much enthusiasm is out there for that one. Lastly, we get a power coin. One one side is the Megazord logo which features the portraits of the five robots that make it and on the reverse is the Zyuranger logo, one of the few remnants in the show of its Japanese origin. It’s the same high quality coin as the prior two and it’s fine. If it’s here at the expense of more accessories for the Megazord itself then I’d consider it unwanted.

In a contest to see who can bend their elbows the farthest, we’re going to have to declare a draw.

You likely need only take one look at this thing to figure out it doesn’t articulate particularly well. This is a boxy design and it’s not like the actor on the show was capable of much when in costume and this figure is pretty much the same. The head is on a ball-joint, probably a single, so it rotates and gets some tilt. The figure can look up a little and down some as well, though when looking down it’s just staring at the top of its own torso. The shoulders are ball hinged and rotation is fine, but you probably get about 70 degrees worth of range going out to the side. If they had put the shoulder pads on pegs so they could move out of the way it would have minimized this. There is a single hinge at the elbow that pegs into the upper arm which is essentially your bicep swivel. The hinge on the elbow offers less range than that of the shoulder and we’re pretty much in Optimus Prime territory here. The design of the character presents a challenge, but they could have done this better to get at least 90 degrees of bend here. Even the Hasbro combining Megazord can do better. The wrists swivel and the fists have a horizontal hinge while the gripping hands have a vertical hinge. They’re recessed pretty far in the forearm so range is mediocre, but you can pull them out slightly to get better range.

“Foolish Power Rangers! You’ve come into a sword fight with only fists!”

There is a waist twist on this guy, but it’s damn near useless because of the shape of the crotch area. Even though Super7 did that crotch with a soft, rubbery, material, there really isn’t enough flex to turn the waist and you do have to be mindful of paint rub. The hips appear to be the standard hinged ball pegs, and something that may annoy some, is they can’t be straight up and down due to how bulky the shins are. This appeared to even be an issue with the actual suit so I can’t fault Super7 too much for not being able to do better. The oversized diaper piece severely restricts what these hips can do. Rotation is fine, but going out to the side is minimal and the figure doesn’t have much range kicking forward and back. I would say it actually has no range going back, and going forward is basically one “click.” There is a single hinged knee below that which pegs into the thigh so there is some pivot, but not much due to the shape. The hinge is super tight and my left leg doesn’t seem to want to move much while the right will bend just a little. It’s more or less useless as there isn’t much clearance. The ankles are likely supposed to hinge and rock, but they do next to nothing. They basically wiggle just enough to let you know there’s a joint there and if there is a hinge it’s totally blocked by the sculpt.

“Oh no! A sword!”

The Megazord was never going to be a figure that’s super-articulated, but even with low expectations it still manages to disappoint. From the waist down, it’s practically a statue. The thigh swivel is okay, but everything else is borderline useless, especially the ankles. Super7 really should have borrowed a page from Bandai and used plastic “scales” that peg into the figure instead of the diaper. That would allow for plenty of range at the hips and it would still look fine if done properly. At the knees, they really should have just added a centimeter or less for clearance for those knees. Instead, they seem far more concerned with hiding the knee joint, but this thing is an action figure. If people don’t want to see the joints, they can go for the vinyl version or something. The joints are at least fairly tight. There’s some wiggle at the calves, but that’s it. The left arm at the shoulder could be just a touch tighter as sometimes the arm will droop when holding the mastodon shield, but it usually stays put for me when I set it. I guess time will tell if it gets worse or not.

Let’s get one last comparison in before we put a bow on this one. Here’s the Megazord with Super7’s take on Voltron.

Super7’s take on the Megazord is about as good as the two previously released zord figures. To no one’s surprise, they went heavy into the aesthetic and trying to match this to the show as much as possible and the results are pretty damn good. There were some things to nitpick, but overall they delivered on that end. Where they could have done better is in the accessory department and definitely with the articulation. I’ve said it before, but I feel like when Super7’s designers run into an obstacle with the articulation they don’t put any effort into actually coming up with a solution and instead give us a joint that doesn’t work. It makes me wonder if they even want to be in this business or if they’d be much happier just doing ReAction and the vinyl stuff. The only other real negative here is that this figure comes in at the inflated sticker price of $65. At $55, I felt the T-Rex and Dragonzord were a good enough value given the size, weight, and paint apps. At $65 here, I’m really not seeing where that extra ten bucks went. I’m not unhappy with my purchase, but in general, at this price point I think I need to see a bit more value in the box or I should at least be getting something that earns the term “action” figure better than this one. This figure is also likely to end up on clearance at some point, as that has been the trend, making it a hard sell at its current price.

If you’ve been buying the zords up until now then I suspect you’ll get this one since it probably is the most popular of the three. And it certainly is the most popular of all of the Megazords that followed. It will be interesting to see if there is an appetite for more. Collectors and fans already rejected Super7’s attempt at the White Tigerzord which came in at $65 and was probably more sparse than this release since it didn’t feature a shield of any kind. Super7 had to cancel it due to lack of interest. Do fans want a Mega Dragonzord? Maybe they want the Thunder Megazord? Or Dragonzord Battle Mode? If Super7 can’t get them onboard with the zord of the most popular Power Ranger then it’s hard to say what they will buy. For me, I probably don’t need any other zords so this may very well be my final word on Super7’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers line. And if it is, I would say it filled a niche for me and did a good enough job at it. Others may disagree.

If you’re interested in what I had to say about some of these other Super7 Power Rangers releases, then check these out:

Super7 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ultimate Goldar

Last week, when we took a look at the first Power Ranger in Super7’s line of Ultimates! action figures based on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers I expressed some surprise that Hasbro would license out this brand since it competes with their own Lighting Collection. I do feel like the actual Rangers are pretty safe. People…

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by Joe

Super7 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Ultimate Dragonzord

After a long delay, wave one of Super7’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers line arrived earlier this year. And after a delay of basically just as long, wave two is now upon us. For the first wave, we took a look at three figures: Green Ranger, Goldar, and the Tyrannosaurus zord. For wave two, it’s just…

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by Joe

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Television, toys

December 28, 2023

Super7 Disney Ultimates! Stitch

By Joe
Stitch is bringing a little summer in December.

To my surprise, roughly an entire year passed between waves for Super7’s Disney Ultimates! line of action figures. That seemed to be a common occurrence in 2023 for the company as the same happened with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At any rate, this was a line I was really excited for when it was announced as there isn’t a lot out there for Disney collectors who primarily like action figures. Wave One ended up being a mixed bag. The sculpts of Mickey, Pinocchio, and Prince John were there, but the paint was lacking and the quality was iffy. Wave Two was worse, though the only figure I bought was Robin Hood and I was not happy with it. I was so dissatisfied that I dropped my preorder for the Big Bad Wolf, but I had to keep one: Stitch. In my house, Stitch is pretty popular. I don’t consider him a classic Disney character, even though he and Lilo are now old enough to drink, but he’s certainly beloved by many. Now that he’s here, I’m happy to say he’s much better than Robin Hood, but is he worth $55?

The scale on this line is a bit weird, but I think it only matters that characters scale with other characters from the same film, and with Stitch, we don’t have anyone else from the film to compare to.

Stitch comes in the same Ultimates! packaging as the rest of the line. It’s been tailored to his movie and it looks nice, though the outer, shipper, box has been dropped. The slipcovers are going to be dropped as well, but this wave still has them. Stitch stands at around 3.75″ to the top of his head. Given that Ultimates! are 1:10 scale, this seems about right for Stitch. He’s the lone representative for his film though so figuring out where to put him might make the scaling seem weird. He’s a lot bigger than Mickey, not because of his height, but the chunk. He’s got some weight to him and it’s mostly found in his head. He’s going on my Disney shelf regardless, so he’s just going to have to fit in no matter what.

How can you not love that?

As for the sculpt itself, Stitch looks like, well, Stitch! He’s mostly blue plastic, but the painted details that are present look fine. The head is really well done and captures that dog meets koala design that seemed to drive the character’s looks. This is Stitch’s standard form once on Earth, so he only has the four limbs and no antennae. The head looks so good from a sculpt and paint perspective that it makes the body of the figure look cheap by comparison. There, the blue plastic is dominant and there’s some frayed seems on the sides of the figure that could be trimmed with a fine blade. The paint on the chest is mostly fine, but it’s kind of driving me a little nuts that it’s impossible to line-up the sides of the light blue portion on the upper torso with the same on the lower half. The overall feel of the figure is a bit mixed. He has a nice weight, but the lightness of the body feels cheap. It’s been the same story with the rest of the line. It looks fine, but does it feel like a premium collectible? No, not really.

Yeah, sure, I guess we can do something with this?

Super7 hopes to make up for that with accessories and Stitch has a ton of those. He had a lot of looks in the film, and Super7 selected a few to focus on. The standard head features a smile and looks fine, but he also has a similar one with a plunger stuck to his noggin. It’s cute, but not one I’ll ever use. He also has a portrait with his ears curled back and his tongue stuck up his nose. It’s a great visual in the movie and it’s executed really well here. He also has an optional right hand that’s holding a snow cone, and if you don’t like the disgusting origins of this tongue head, you can make him look like he’s licking the snow cone instead.

Super7 was very committed to recreating this very brief scene.

Stitch’s other heads are intended for more of a costumed look. There’s one with a chef’s toque that’s on a neutral expression. It pairs with optional oven mitt hands and a massive cake which was shown in the film’s epilogue. The cake is just a brick of plastic even bigger than Stitch. It looks fine, but certainly feels a bit excessive. The other head features a polka-dotted bathing suit top over his ears and squinting eyes. It’s to be paired with a soft goods and fully wired cape to recreate Stitch’s “Batman” outfit from the end of the film. The cape just affixes via two tabs on the cape where the wire runs through. It’s not super secure, but it seems to work. This is probably my favorite look for the character and it’s a lot of fun to have in figure form.

Obviously, this is his best look.

Stitch also has a couple of additional toys to make use of. There’s a set of sunglasses which fit on the standard head just fine. You can put them on the other heads too, but they’re intended for the standard one. He also has his laser gun with the carrot jabbed into the end. It has a hand molded onto it so it’s technically an optional hand just like the snow cone. It’s pretty heavy though and getting Stich to stand while holding it is pretty tough. The carrot also isn’t removable which is an odd choice. Perhaps it was mandated by Disney? I kind of doubt it, but I’m not ruling it out.

I’m surprised I got him to stand with this gun hand.

That’s a healthy spread of accessories, but given what was there to work with in the movie I’m sure everyone and their mother will have something they wish was included instead. The plunger head and the whole baker look is definitely one I could have done without. I’d trade both for an Elvis outfit without question. His book or Lilo’s doll would have been nice, or something indicating his “Badness” level. I don’t think Super7 necessarily did wrong here (okay, maybe I personally think the big plastic cake is pretty stupid), it’s just the reality of being able to only fit so much into the box. If the figure does well, I could certainly see them doing more versions like an Experiment 626 with extra arms or a Halloween edition where he’s in his Dracula costume.

You probably won’t be able to do much with your posing on this one.

The Ultimates! line is rarely celebrated for its articulation, and with Stitch that is about as true as ever. This is a figure that can’t do a whole lot. The head is just on a big ball joint so you get range in all directions, but not a lot up or down. Getting the heads off is mostly easy, but some of the extra ones are tough to get on, though do-able without heat. At least the lack of a ball-hinged joint means this one should be plenty durable. Some of the heads (like the tongue one) feature articulated ears on ball hinges while others are pretty stationary. They’re all softer plastic which is nice for when you’re trying to get one seated. The shoulders are ball-hinged, and have good range going out to the side. Rotation is fine. The elbows are hinged pegs as well and they rotate, but the hinge barely moves. The left arm on mine is really stubborn too. The hands rotate and feature a horizontal hinge. In the torso, is a diaphragm joint, but it’s poorly implemented. It feels like it’s binding when rotating and I find I have to push down hard to get it to swivel properly. There’s virtually no forward and back. The hips go out to the side a touch and swivel forward and back, but are otherwise just there for him to stand. You won’t be posing these legs, and the ankles just swivel.

I will say, that is a damn fine looking snow cone.

Stitch is basically capable of just standing there and modeling his props. He can’t convincingly stand on all fours which is disappointing. He can sit like a human, but not like a dog which he does a lot in the movie. You’re likely to just pick a look for him and hope he stands on your shelf. He can be a challenge to do so because there just isn’t much to work with. I have him doing a Batman pose on my shelf right now, but I’m just waiting for a shelf dive. Thankfully, if one takes place he should land harmlessly on my couch.

“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

Stitch basically turned out as expected. The solicitation images do a solid job of representing what’s in the box and there weren’t any dramatic changes to the figure like we saw with Wave One. It just comes back to the question of is this figure worth the $55 asking price? Objectively speaking, probably not. This line has a tendency to hit clearance (recently, some GI Joe Ultimates! were priced as low as 12 bucks) and until that changes it’s basically impossible to recommend paying full price. The only reason to do so is if you want it now, or you want to show your support for the line with your wallet so that it keeps going. And that’s a question that’s impossible to answer right now. The most recent Disney Ultimates! wave (based on The Rescuers) was cancelled due to lack of orders. Wave Four is The Nightmare Before Christmas and is tentatively scheduled to arrive in the spring. Presently, there is no other open preorder for the line and information about its future has been cloudy at best. It’s very possible it’s headed for the chopping block, and that only matters in the context of this review for people hoping to pair Stitch with more characters from the film. If you don’t want your Lilo & Stitch Ultimates! collection to be one and done with Stitch then this probably isn’t for you. If you don’t care about getting anyone else from the film, then your decision should be a lot easier. I’m largely happy with how this figure looks and the display options available and I would even go so far as to say it’s my favorite in the line so far. Do with that what you will.

Here’s some more Disney Ultimates! reviews you can check out:

Super7 Disney Ultimates! Robin Hood

When Super7 announced it was taking Disney into its world of Ultimates! line of action figures, they really seemed to confuse the Disney fans unfamiliar with their business model when the first wave consisted of Sorcerer Mickey, Pinocchio, and Prince John from Robin Hood. Where was Robin Hood?! Well, he was coming, just in Wave…

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by Joe

Super7 Disney Ultimates! Prince John

Our third and final figure of the inaugural wave of Disney Ultimates! from Super7 is the most surprising of the bunch: Prince John, the phony King of England! Super7 often surprises with its deep cuts, and Prince John certainly fits the bill. While it’s hard to argue much from Disney could be considered a true…

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by Joe

Super7 Disney Ultimates! Mickey Mouse as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

The first figure from this line of Super7 action figures based on characters from Disney’s treasure trove of animated characters was Pinocchio. In that review, I mentioned how Disney wanted to outdo itself with Pinocchio and sunk a lot of money into that film’s production. Well, the only other film from that era that might…

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by Joe

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December 27, 2023

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Elisa Maza

By Joe
Friend of the gargoyles, Elisa Maza, has joined the shelf.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a review on an action figure from NECA’s line of figures based on the Disney Afternoon animated series Gargoyles. That’s not due to me not getting any figures, it’s more just me not having a ton to say. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that I wasn’t exactly excited to share my opinion. That’s primarily due to these figures being very fine looking figures, but they’re not the most fun to handle. The problems the first figure in the line had, Goliath, are still present in the most recent. I started to feel like a broken record as I kept saying “This figure looks great, but these wings suck and the posing is really limited as a result.” That’s been true of them all. Today’s figure though is different because we’re not looking at a gargoyle, but a human. And that human is none other than Elisa Maza.

New York’s only unarmed cop.

Detective Maza is the first human ally the Manhattan Clan makes in the series following the time-skip to present day New York. I suppose the crew thought their first ally was Xanatos, but he was never their friend. Elisa, being a detective and all, investigates a disturbance atop the skyscraper where the clan dwells and quickly runs into Goliath. It doesn’t take particularly long for the gargoyles to view her as an ally and once Xanatos’ deceitful ways are out in the open, she basically becomes their only friend. And along the way, she’ll become a romantic interest for Goliath because this property wasn’t afraid to go there. Love is love.

Maybe this should be the Cagney review with accessories.

As an action figure, Elisa is understandably less impressive than a monstrous gargoyle. She’s a plain clothes detective in denim pants and a red jacket. She still gets the same window box treatment from NECA with original artwork by Djordje Djokovic while the sculpt (and what NECA terms as fabrication) were handled by Thomas Rozejowski and Kyle Windrix. Elisa stands at roughly 6.5″ and is pretty well proportioned for the character. She has pretty long legs, and her coat is done with an overlay on the torso with the sleeves included as part of the sculpt of the arms. In other words, if you wanted to remove the coat you would need to find some new arms for her or else it will look silly. The coat does make her look a little frumpy, if you will, as basically all coats do in real life. She still has curves so I think there is a nice balance being struck here between the animated look and the realistic approach NECA has taken with the line when it comes to her body.

This old Toy Biz handgun doesn’t look too bad in her hand.

Where things get a bit murky is with the head. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with it, it’s just that the faces look very animation-inspired when the gargoyles have largely shunned that look. Her eyes are oversized like a cartoon would and her skin-tone is flat. Again, it’s not a bad sculpt and paint job by any means, but it isn’t consistent for the line. The gargoyles have all been sculpted and designed by Djokovic where as this figure was handled by a different team and it shows. I personally would have liked for this line to follow the animation, so I can’t say I dislike what’s done here, but I do have to concede that Elisa strikes a different vibe on the shelf when placed with the other figures. Even her hair more follows the show has it’s black with blue highlights as cartoons often do with black hair. This is likely something that is going to bother some more than others. Or maybe it will bother everyone since those who want that uniform look will obviously be irritated, while those who wanted that animated look might just be frustrated that the gargoyles aren’t done that way. I suppose this approach may end up pleasing few.

I also grabbed a third party gun for her. It’s not perfect, but will probably do fine.

NECA did provide Elisa with some accessories, though with one pretty obvious omission. Elisa has two styles of hair at her disposal: a neutral one and a wind swept version. Both fit on her head just fine and look nice. I do find myself leaning towards the wind swept portrait more often than not as it adds a touch of style. Elisa also has three different heads with three very similar expressions: neutral, smile, and a smile with a raised eyebrow. They all look fine, but are also way too similar. I would have loved some variety as even the neutral face almost has a hint of a smile to it. Maybe an angry expression? Or a startled one to reenact Goliath saving her instead of Demona?

Goliath’s inability to really look down comes into play here unfortunately.

Elisa also has an assortment of hands and accessories for her to handle with said hands. We get fists, trigger finger hands, a left hand with a pinching gesture, and a gripping right hand. The pinching hand is for her to display her included badge should someone question her credentials. It’s a small piece of plastic and the badge is rather neatly painted, but good luck not losing this thing. The gripping hand is for use with her flashlight which looks fine, but is just a flashlight. Her cat, Cagney, is also included, but not included is a hand for petting said cat. The cat looks fine though and has an articulated head. Just like the figure itself, the cat looks more cartoony than realistic. Also not included is something for those trigger finger hands. Yes, NECA did not include her sidearm. Why? Because they wanted to make us mad. No, obviously that’s not the reason and it was not an oversight because how could something like that be missed? NECA hasn’t publicly commented on it, but you can basically assume that Disney said “No” to Elisa coming with a gun. “But Demona, Thailog, and Xanatos all have guns?” you say, but I would counter their guns aren’t of the realistic variety. Elisa carries a standard 9mm that looks like an actual handgun and not some weird laser weapon. NECA gave us the hands, but we have to find our own gun. Even though this line is technically 1:10 scale, I find 1:12 weapons work pretty well. My old Toy Biz Deadpool handgun looked pretty good in her hands, and I also grabbed a generic one from Casting Cave. I haven’t painted it, though I really should, but it gets the job done for me.

Now Brooklyn can take up less space on your shelf.

Elisa does come with one other accessory and it’s one for a different figure. Like Bronx before her, Elisa comes with a set of caped wings for a gargoyle: Brooklyn. The wings work just like Goliath’s and fit over the figure’s neck and can be secured via pegs in the back. The plastic is soft, but not so soft that it won’t restrict the movement of the figure’s arms once on. It looks okay, but this look is still not the one desired by most which would be those relaxed, A-shape, wings for walking around. And I could be wrong, but I feel like Brooklyn went with the caped look less often than Goliath. I picture him in my head as often more crouched than the others and his wings more relaxed. At any rate, if your shelf is full because of those spread wings then this accessory is welcomed just to be able to squeeze more out of said shelf.

This doesn’t look like a fair fight.

Since Elisa doesn’t have wings like the others, I expect her to be a little easier to handle. She is, for the most part, though this is still a NECA figure and articulation is a lower priority than it would be with other companies. The head is on a double-ball peg, but the hair is going to restrict her a bit. You can rotate, tilt, and she looks down pretty well while looking up is tougher because of her hair. The shoulders are ball-hinged and she can rotate just fine and the arms raise out to just about horizontal. There is a biceps swivel and the double-jointed elbows bend well past 90 degrees. The wrists swivel and all of the hands feature a horizontal hinge which is lame as the trigger hands, at least, should have vertical hinges. There might be a diaphragm joint on the figure, but the coat makes it functionally useless. The waist twist is just a waist twist, though it feels like a ball peg so you get a tiny bit of nuance to it. The ball and socket hips go out to the sides nearly to a full split. Be careful with the diaper piece over the crotch as I have seen instances of the paint cracking which is unfortunate. The legs can kick forward almost to horizontal, again you probably don’t want to force it since it will stress that crotch piece, while the thigh twist works just fine. The double-jointed knees bend past 90 degrees and the ankles hinge and rock side-to-side and work fine. Her feet are a bit small relative to her body, so she’s harder to stand than you may expect. This one was often falling over on me overnight when I had it on my desk, but once I found a solid stance she’s been fine.

I’m starting to wish she came with a new head for Goliath that was a bit warmer of an expression.

One last thing to talk about with this figure is how she looks with the others. I already mentioned the style clash, but more important to me is that her scale is off. Or perhaps more accurately, her sizing really makes it apparent that Goliath is just too small. She looks fine with Bronx, Hudson, and Brooklyn while Goliath and Broadway clearly seem undersized to me. I’m thinking the idea here was to fudge the scale a bit. Goliath should be the largest, but he doesn’t need to be that much bigger than Hudson as he was in the show. And I guess that kind of works, but it starts to look bad when Elisa is introduced. Goliath being already out for quite some time and the pillar of the line, Elisa probably should just be smaller. Even though she’s probably perfectly in the realm of 1:10 scale being 6.5″ herself. On my shelf as I type this, she’s at Goliath’s shoulders which is just too tall. In the show she’s more at his chest. Part of the issue is the unique anatomy of gargoyle legs and I will admit that Goliath’s knees are bent more than I’d like, but it’s hard to have him standing otherwise. Also more of an issue with Goliath than Elisa is that he can’t look up so it’s really hard to do flying poses with Goliath carrying Elisa, nor can he look down at her. I’m starting to wish we could just get a Goliath redo at this point.

Despite the fact that she’s a human, Elisa looks like she belongs. I have Goliath about as tall as I’m comfortable with him (and I’m still expecting a shelf dive at some point) standing to mitigate any scaling issues.

Is Elisa Maza a worthy addition to your Gargoyles collection from NECA? At the end of the day, I think so since she’s a pretty integral character in the show and the comics that followed. The execution isn’t perfect, but some of the issues are definitely not the fault of the figure when it comes to scaling and accessories. It is a shame we couldn’t get her gun in the box and I doubt that could be fixed with a Gargoyles accessory set. It would have to be a generic weapons pack like what McFarlane does to get around DC not allowing guns with its figures. It sucks, but I’m obviously not mad at NECA and I’m not really even irritated with Disney as I get why these companies make these choices. It’s not the end of the world and anyone who collects action figures can probably source a gun from another figure without much problem. And if you can’t, there are plenty of customizers out there who can. On its own merits, this figure is just fine. It’s not extraordinary in any way, but anyone familiar with Gargoyles will know who that is on your shelf which is probably good enough for most.

If you’re interested in other figures from this line then check these out:

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Goliath

It was nearly 6 months ago that NECA unveiled one of its newest licenses for 2021: Gargoyles! I was incredibly pumped at the time to see that NECA had acquired Gargoyles because the license had so much potential. The show was basically a cult hit in the 90s often characterized as Disney’s answer to Batman:…

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by Joe

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Brooklyn

For the first time in a long time, we did not have a Turtle Tuesday post this week. We do, however, have a Warriors by Night Wednesday for you! It feels like NECA’s Gargoyles line is the most stop-and-start action figure line I’m into of late. The line has seen large gaps between releases and…

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by Joe

NECA Gargoyles – Ultimate Bronx

Well, here’s something different. Bronx, the good gargoyle dog, is NECA’s fourth entry in its relatively young line of action figures based on the beloved Disney Afternoon series Gargoyles. And not only is Bronx here all on his own, he’s also got something for his buddy Goliath that collectors of this line have been begging…

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by Joe

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December 26, 2023

NECA TMNT Quarter Scale Toon Michelangelo

By Joe
Look who finally showed up.

Another Boxing Day is upon us and it’s an especially said one since 2024 is a leap year so we have to wait an extra day for Christmas 2024. However, it’s also the final Turtle Tuesday of 2023 so lets shell-lebrate with one last TMNT toy review before the ball drops on this one. March 2021 is when I got my hands on the NECA Quarter Scale Raphael from the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now, in December 2023, the quartet is complete as I have acquired Michelangelo, the last of the brothers to see release. Because the four turtles were essentially all the same in that old cartoon series, NECA’s action figures follow the same mold. Literally. As such, there won’t be a whole lot to dig into with Michelangelo here that we haven’t already covered, but there’s a few things unique to this figure to touch upon. Mostly though, if you have and enjoyed the prior three then you’ve probably already ordered or already have Michelangelo.

Your Michelangelo can be either happy, scared, determined, or excited.

Michelangelo comes in the same Turtle Van style window box as the other three and will stand at nearly 15″ on whatever surface you choose to place him on. Just like the other figures, this mold is based on the 1:12 turtle figures first released in the Turtles in Disguise pack which have a more pronounced toon look to them based on the second season of the show and beyond, at least until the redesign that came late in the “Red Sky” seasons. There’s interchangeable expressions with the heads as each turtle came with happy eyes and angry eyes plus an assortment of mouth parts. For Mikey, he comes with the open-mouthed smile and the neutral, closed, mouth. If you have all four turtles, that means you now have two smiles, 3 open smiles, 3 neutral, and 2 yelling mouths. It’s kind of strange that we didn’t end up with four of anything so if you want all four turtles to look the same you’re out of luck, but there’s enough to have them all happy or angry at least.

Michelangelo arrives in a slightly different shade of green than his brothers.

Michelangelo looks basically the same as the others, just swap in orange for the other colors. He has the same belt as Raph which doesn’t feature any holsters for his weapons so you have to just sneak them in under his arms or something. The look for these figures is nice, though Michelangelo is a bit peculiar in that his skin tone is a slightly yellower green. You may not notice it out of the box, but once he’s with his brothers it’s apparent. It’s not a huge difference, but obviously it’s a difference that isn’t supposed to exist so someone screwed up somewhere. Either NECA approved a factory sample with this error color, or the factory messed it up when it went into production. How much it bothers one is going to vary. I don’t display my four turtles side-by-side so it’s not a big issue for me. I also don’t think the colors are so off that you can’t use the other mouth parts with Michelangelo. The hands look a little odder, but only if you place two different colored hands side-by-side. Nevertheless, if it sounds like something that will bother you then you could always wait and see if NECA does another run of these figures as it could be corrected then. Or maybe the newer releases for the other turtles currently on pre-order will look like this one.

The different colors are most noticeable with the hands while I think this mouth piece from a past figure looks fine on Michelangelo.

I’m not going to drill down into the articulation again since it’s the same as the other three. I will say that for Michelangelo his joints all seem to work as well as they can. Leonardo and Raphael both had fused thigh joints for me that just won’t budge even after applying heat while my Donatello works well. Michelangelo appears to have a fairly liberal amount of lubrication in his joints so things are moving very well right out of the box. The heads are still a pain in the ass to work with and will likely require a heat source, but at least that’s something that can be worked with. The thighs work fine and even the forearm swivels which I don’t know if I noticed that with the other three (or if it was possible). The joints are still pretty tight as they need to be for such a heavy figure. The knees, in particular, were stubborn out of the box, but I got them moving without heating them up. Michelangelo is going to move probably better than his brothers, though the heft of the figure will still limit what you can do with him.

Something youre figure won’t be able to do without modification.
Yeah, these aren’t the same as the ones on the box.
One long chain.

The main separator for these figures rest with the accessories. I already mentioned the head parts, but Mikey also comes with a set of gripping hands, pointing hands, and thumbs up hands. He’s basically only lacking the open palm hands. The gripping hands are exactly the same as before, so no vertical hinge and the fingers are spread further apart than usual since these are modeled after the sai-gripping hands intended for Raph. For those hands, Mikey has his nunchaku. Just like the 1:12 version, they’re done with painted plastic handles and real chain links connecting them. If you saw the solicitation images online or on the back of the box and got excited for how long the chain looks, you’ll be let down as the chain is much shorter on the final version. I count seven links while the figure on the box has basically double that. You could pry the links apart to create one, long, ‘chuk, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It means you won’t be able to do the under the arm pose on the box, so that’s a bummer.

As a nunchaku replacement, the Turtle Hook is lame, but as a tool? It’s cool.
More pizza.
The Turtle-Com is still nice.
Sorry Mikey, but I don’t think a quarter scale Kala is in the cards.

Michelangelo’s other unique accessory is the Turtle Hook, the famous weapon that supplanted the nunchaku since some cultures had an issue with that particular weapon. The Turtle Hook is an up-scaled version of the same that came with some of the 1:12 releases over the years. It’s painted and sculpted well and the hooks are on a hinge so you can open them up. They sound ratcheted and since the hook is very thin it’s definitely a little scary, but so far so good. There’s a yellow string affixed to it with a white piece of plastic at the end which Michelangelo can sort of grip. I wouldn’t mind a longer rope, or if they had built in a means to wind the rope on this larger version, but it’s overall a fun addition. The only other unique accessory for Michelangelo is a paper one which features an image of Kala the Neutrino on it. Otherwise, he has two slices of pizza which can connect with the six other slices to form one, whole, pizza if you have all four turtles. He also has a Turtle-Com just like the other three and it’s still a cool accessory, just less special since we’ve seen it four times now.

My chosen method for displaying this big boys. Yeah, the quadrant Mikey occupies is full of Gundam and other robots, but he’s just going to have to deal with it.

Michelangelo is really just more of the same, and that’s fine! It’s a bit of a bummer that the skin tone is a little different, but otherwise this is the figure you probably expected. All of the stuff that is good about the past three is still good here, and the bad stuff is still bad, though with Mikey at least the articulation is better than some. And it’s just nice to have all four turtles now. I have one in each corner of a display shelf I have and that open spot where Mikey is now is finally occupied, even if the quadrant he’s in doesn’t feature turtle figures (they can’t all be turtles). This is all I need him to do, and all I really need of the quarter scale line so if NECA announces giant Foot Soldiers or Shredder you’ll have to read about them somewhere else. Now that giant-sized Krang they showed off at Comic Con…stay tuned, I guess.

You’ve read my thoughts on Michelangelo, now read what I had to say about his brothers:

NECA Quarter Scale TMNT Toon Raph

My first NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles product was the original release of the Mirage Studios quartet released in 2008. Nearly a decade went by before I bought another TMNT product from NECA, and that item ended up being the quarter scale movie Donatello. It was love at first sight for me and Donnie, and…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Quarter Scale Toon Donatello

2022 has been a year of catch-up so far for me. A lot of stuff I preordered a year or more ago is finally coming due, and often without the actual preorder! The NECA quarter scale toon Donatello from the classic cartoon series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is yet another preorder that just didn’t get…

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by Joe

NECA TMNT Quarter Scale Toon Leonardo

We’re not yet far enough removed from the holidays that Christmas has left my brain. And if you were to ask me what my favorite Christmas present was as a kid I wouldn’t hesitate to say my Super Nintendo. I had a real “Ralphie moment” in that I found it last having failed to notice…

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by Joe

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