Tag Archives: big bad toy store

June 24, 2026

Jada Toys Ultra Street Fighter II Blanka (Player 2 Version)

By Joe
Player 2 has entered the game.

I have been admiring Jada Toys and their action figure line based on the video game Ultra Street Fighter II from afar. As I mentioned in my reviews of the Storm Arena Street Fighter Alpha 3 figures, I am just a casual Street Fighter fan. I never owned Street Fighter 2, but I still managed to play it a lot because it was ubiquitous. I did own the first Street Fighter Alpha so I have more nostalgia tied into that series, but going back to the original sequel my favorite character was one that didn’t appear in Alpha: Blanka. Blanka was just cool to me. He was this monstrous creature in a roster of characters that looked far more conventional. I also wasn’t that great at the game so when I learned that he had a super move that just required me to hit one button repeatedly (his electric attack) that made me like him even more. Much of my Street Fighter 2 playtime came at the home of my nana and grandpa as my cousin would bring his Super Nintendo and a copy of the game over. Since I was one of the younger cousins, I was almost always player two which meant I would play as a blue Blanka often. That would come to be my preferred colorway for the character over his standard green (never mind that Blanka translates to white in Spanish, though he’s from Brazil where most speak Portuguese. It’s all so confusing,) and that’s true to this day. As a result, I opted to pass on the Jada figures even while they received glowing reviews from fellow collectors, but I promised myself that if Jada ever did a version of its Blanka in blue and yellow then I’d get it. Promise kept.

Different lines, but the sizing seems to work all right.

Big Bad Toy Store was given this exclusive player two variant of Blanka to sell on its store for $35. Blanka, classified as a deluxe release by Jada, does run a little more expensive than their other Street Fighter figures, but $35 is still a pretty good price in today’s market (this figure is a lot better than one we’re looking at next week which set me back $40). The packaging is big and flashy as it resembles an arcade cabinet with game artwork on the sides and photography on the back featuring the character. There’s also an expansive cross-sell featuring the character select artwork from the game which really captures how big the line is at this point. As nice as it is, I do have to say that getting into this box is a bit of a pain in the ass. There’s different layers of plastic inside and they’re held in place by those god-awful translucent tie-downs that NECA loves so much. This isn’t the sort of packaging that will easily go back together if you want to re-box the figure, though that really shouldn’t be a concern for Jada. There is a backdrop inside the box that refers to Blanka’s stage in the game, but it’s probably too small to be of much use outside of the box. Still, if you are one of those weirdos that doesn’t like to play with their toys, (I kid, I love you too) this will display nicely and there’s a window on top of the box which helps light to filter in and really show off the figure inside.

There isn’t a ton of paint on this guy, but what is there is pretty clean.

For those who do bust Blanka out of the box, they’ll find a big, blue, boy who stands at about 6.75″ to where I assume his head would end. To the top of his blazing yellow hair he’s about 7.25″. Some of that is irrelevant since Blanka, like last week’s fellow blue boy Beast, is almost always crouched to some degree when moving about in the game and I assume most will pose him as such. I don’t have any other figures from this line, but comparing him to the Storm Arena figures and he looks to be well sized. The sculpts for this line run soft compared with Storm Arena which is partly why I’ve preferred the look of their figures to what Jada was doing, but I do think this does a solid job of capturing the artwork associated with Ultra Street Fighter II. Not the sprites, but the artwork. The default portrait, for example, is definitely modeled on his portrait in the character select screen with the frowny grin that’s wider on his right side. It’s captured well and I like the cleanliness of the edges and the paint. Where the softness comes in is with the musculature. He’s ripped compared to a normal human, but not to the same degree as other figure lines. The biceps show this best as they just wrap around the base of the shoulder without really separating from them. It’s better than the Marvel Legends tiny shoulder syndrome, but I’d have liked to see more definition in that particular area.

“So, what made you blue?”

What obviously jumps out about this figure is the deco. This powder blue skin with bright yellow hair and trunks just pops. I love the blue and yellow combo, maybe it’s why I’ve always liked a lot of the X-Men costumes from the same era, and this looks great to my eye. The blue body is mostly colored plastic, but it has this tendency to eat light. It’s not shiny and it doesn’t have that “plastic” look some figures possess. There does appear to be some shading on the muscle groups in places which helps give it a nicer texture. The painted portions include the yellow patches of fur on the torso, forearms, and shins. It’s applied cleanly and the yellow is applied heavy enough to overcome the blue underneath. I have a tiny bit of chipping on the shins, but I think that’s from the bronze shackles around his ankles which are floating. I probably need to be more careful when posing his feet. The hair and trunks are molded yellow plastic with the trunks having white trim at the top and bottoms which is nicely applied. We do have some slight color mismatching though as the painted yellow is noticeably darker than the hair and trunks. The upper torso is also a stronger plastic and is a slightly different shade of blue from the arms and abs. It’s not egregious and I’ve seen worse on more expensive figures than this, but it is noticeable under certain lighting conditions. The previously mentioned shackles also appear to be painted which is probably why they have a nice metallic finish.

I think this was his fierce strike? It does draw attention to the fact that his arms probably aren’t as long as the sprite’s.

The figure looks good and my only nitpicks with it really are more stylistic than anything. If you dig the source artwork then you’ll probably dig this interpretation of Blanka. I will say, the in-hand feel of this figure is not as premium as Storm Arena. I don’t know how interested people are in hearing comparisons between the two, but since they are my only reference point for Street Fighter figures (unless you want to count the 90s Hasbro offerings) it’s a comparison that’s begging to be made. Blanka has a very similar feel to the Jada Frosty the Snowman I reviewed back in December of 2025. There’s a heft and a chunk factor, but not really that smoothness I often find with more premium offerings. Of course, he’s $35 so it’s not like we’re talking about MAFEX or Mezco here, but those Storm figures are in the same price range and come with about the same amount of stuff. Blanka feels more like a toy to me which is good in some respects as he definitely feels durable. The plastic is very hard in most places and offers little give. There’s not a smoothness to the joints and even compared to a Marvel Legends it still possesses some of that toy feel. It feels similar to a McFarlane figure, which again is not a bad thing on its own, but it’s just my impression. I’m not sure how I expected the figure to feel in-hand, but it took me a little by surprise.

Simple, but effective.

The accessories in the box are pretty typical from what I’ve see of this line. We get an alternate head, an alternate set of hands, and an effect apart from the game. The alternate head features Blanka with a yelling expression. The hair is slightly different and a bit more wild befitting the expression. It’s a good look and I honestly don’t know which I prefer. He comes with a pair of fists by default, but also has a set of clawing hands which is appropriate for the character. For an effect part, we actually get two lightning effects designed to be placed on a surface around a crouching Blanka to mimic his lightning attack from the game. They’re not the same sculpt with one being a little taller than the other, but both are done with soft, translucent, plastic that starts off yellow and finishes clear. It looks great and makes the most sense as an effect part for Blanka though if you wanted a stand in the box I wouldn’t blame you.

The lightning move was the easiest to pull-off in the game, but the head bite was my favorite.

What I was most looking forward to with this figure was just having this colorway in my hands, but not far behind that was checking out the articulation. For a company that has only been in the action figure business a short while, Jada really knows what it’s doing where articulation is concerned. They seem unafraid to take risks and I get the sense that their figures are designed by people who like handling action figures. Take the head, for instance. I haven’t even mentioned it up until now, but the plastic used for Blanka’s hair is very soft and very pliable. It’s basically in two parts: the front which frames the face, and then a center part that’s basically hollow. It looks good, but best of all, it doesn’t impede the figure’s ability to look up nor does it add substantial weight. I don’t know how this would work with something like Dragon Ball Z, but with this figure it works very well. As for joints, just get a load of this roll-out: double ball peg head, neck joint, butterfly, shoulder hinge, bicep, double elbows, wrist hinge and swivel, ball-jointed diaphrahm, ball-jointed waist, ball-socket hips, thigh swivel, double knees, shin swivel, ankle hinge and rocker. And it’s not just what is articulated, but the manner in which Jada does it. The diaphragm has great range weather it’s tilting or rotating. There’s plenty of clearance between it and the abdomen so there’s no paint rub on Blanka’s patch of stomach fur. The waist ball has a little cut-out in the front to help it rock forward that you would only know is there if you popped the figure apart. The thigh swivel is under the shorts so it’s not visible and the shin swivel is hidden by the ankle shackles. The fur on the front of the shin even starts above the cut but hangs over the joint and thus isn’t split when the joint is utilized. It’s a small attention to detail, but how often do we see Hasbro say “Screw it,” and just put a cut through some part of a figure’s sculpt? Doing so renders the joint almost unusable for many because it looks so bad, but Jada took care not to create such issues.

He can kind of do the rolling attack though finding a stand that can support him was a bit of a challenge.

That’s not to say there isn’t any room for improvement. The neck joint on mine doesn’t seem to want to do anything. I checked out some videos to see what it’s supposed to do and it looks like it should click forward and back, but mine is binding. There’s also a lot of plastic cut out of the inside of the elbow joint so it’s not the prettiest double elbow you’re likely to see. The range is great as this big-armed monster can bend past 90 degrees, but some might not like the trade-off. Apart from that though, it largely works really well. The figure, even with a semi-functional neck joint, can look up well enough to get into a crouch and it’s even capable of a decent rolling attack look. The range in the torso and hips is terrific and about the only joint that’s semi-compromised when it comes to range is the butterfly joint. I assume that was an aesthetic choice to not cut more into the pectorals and it’s one I’m personally fine with. It also means his shoulders sit where they should which preserves the silhouette. I hope Jada gave its designers a nice bonus last year and that other companies are buying these things with the intent to copy them because more companies should make figures that articulate like this.

I’d say set it and forget it, but he’s too fun to pose to leave on the shelf for too long.

That’s a lot of praise to end the last paragraph on and it’s justified praise. Everything I’ve heard about this line is captured well in this Blanka figure. The figure looks good, the construction is solid, and the articulation is fantastic. And it all comes at a pretty decent price especially considering that this is an exclusive variant. If you’re just interested in picking up a good action figure you’re unlikely to find one that’s appreciably better than this Blanka. While I prefer the aesthetic Storm Arena has settled on for its Street Fighter line, that doesn’t diminish what Jada is doing. If I was a bigger fan of Ultra Street Fighter II then I’d be more than happy to collect this line. As it stands, I may still cave and grab Vega if I ever see him in the wild and I look forward to seeing where Jada goes from here. It may only be June, but I’m pretty sure this Blanka will be part of my own personal top ten when all is said and done this year.

We have a few other Street Fighter figure reviews if you’re interested, and also more blue:

Storm Arena Street Fighter Alpha 3 Sagat

As my collection grows, I try to be more regimented in my purchasing decisions. I have toy lines that I’m more or less all-in on and I rarely question myself with those. They have the most room budgeted in my house and in my actual budget. And then there’s the stuff I’m less invested in.…

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by Joe

Storm Arena Street Fighter Alpha 3 Ken

One of my most anticipated releases of 2025 came out of no where. I was a kid during the early 90s and into video games so I know a thing or two about Street Fighter. Street Fighter II was everywhere and is pretty much the reason why the one-on-one fighting game became a huge genre…

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Marvel Legends Gamerverse Captain America vs Venom

We’re going to be doing a lot of 2025 catch-up here as Christmas always slows things down. Toy producers also like to push product for the holidays so I seem to always end up with a backlog at the end of the year. Especially when stores are doing generous sales and convincing me to buy…

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by Joe

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February 14, 2024

Naughty or Nice Father Frost & Mall Santa

By Joe
Two very different Santas.

Fresh Monkey Fiction is back with Naughty or Nice Wave Two and just in time for…(checks calendar)…Valentine’s Day? Okay, so things didn’t go quite as planned with this line. In 2021, Fresh Monkey Fiction partnered with Big Bad Toy Store for this line of action figures based primarily on Santa Claus. That preorder took about a year to fulfill, but the first wave arrived just in time for Christmas 2022. It was around that same time that FMF put wave two up for preorder. I’m sure they tried their best, but FMF is a small shop and probably doesn’t have much sway when it comes to overseas factory priority. I suppose I could have waited and put this review on hold until we get closer to Christmas 2024, but there’s this flying, naked, guy in my house pointing a bow and arrow at me so I guess we have to do it now.

The new figures are basically the same as the old ones, just with new heads and a longer coat for Father Frost.

The Naughty or Nice Collection is essentially one figure modified for each separate release. Both figures we’re going to look at today utilize the same body as the two figures I looked at in 2022. I’ll link to that review at the bottom of this entry, but essentially if you liked those figures then you’ll probably like these ones provided you like the aesthetic they’re going for. Obviously, I’m not all-in on this line as I have need for only so many Santas in my collection, but these two appealed to me. Both figures come packaged in a window box display and it’s been modified from the first wave. Where wave one had more of a “Hasbro” shape, wave two is rectangular. There’s more red incorporated, the character name is now on the bottom of the front of the box instead of the top, the cross-sell has been updated, and the side panels feature images of other figures from wave two. I have no idea which design in-box collectors will prefer, but both seem fine to me.

Father Frost is managing better up top than his Santa brothers.
They don’t all have to be red and green.

Let’s talk Father Frost first. This is basically blue, wizard, Santa and it’s not based on any specific folklore that I’m aware of. I think of it as a combination of Santa and Jack Frost. Frost stands at about 6.5″ to the top of his head, slightly taller with the hat, and the only thing different about the sculpt from the Santa figures I looked at from wave one is that this figure has a longer coat which necessitated a different belt overlay. The head is different from the traditional Santa to feature a longer beard and hair on top and a face that is less full. What attracted me to this design is the blue and white deco. There’s a lot of red, white, and green in my Christmas display so any chance I have at adding some blue is welcome. I do like how the figure turned out, though I will say the shade of blue has a touch more yellow to it than the promotional shots and even the images on the box where it’s a darker blue. I would have preferred that, or even a more powder blue, where as this is almost in between.

And he apparently has some rather gnarly powers.
Translucent powers – activate!

The paint job on Father Frost is an improvement over wave one in some respects, but also not perfect. The head portrait is done very well. I like how he has blue eyes with a touch of white inside them. Upon very close inspection the left ear isn’t perfect nor is the transition from beard to right cheek, but it’s nothing you would see even at an arm’s length. The white portions of the coat have been dirtied with a paint wash that makes the robe look more lived in. The belt buckle is painted silver as are the buckles on the boots and it’s pretty clean. Based on the box, it looks like the end of the belt was supposed to be painted silver, but it was missed by the factory on mine and I’m guessing it will be on most. The only paint detail that bugs me a little is the hem of the coat isn’t painted all the way to the edge. It’s worse on the back, but at least it’s the back. For this wave it does look like all of the hinges are cast in the best color so when paint flakes off of them there won’t be a miscolored piece beneath it.

He comes with the same naughty and/or nice list we’ve seen a whole bunch, but in his hands I like to think of it as a spell scroll.

Father Frost comes with a solid assortment of accessories and optional parts. He comes with a set of blue gripping hands, but also has four ungloved hands: trigger right, gripping left, left fist, pointing right. Basically, if you don’t like the look of the blue, gloved, hands you have bare hands instead. He has an alternate head which is the same sculpt as the default, but it’s cast in translucent blue plastic. This was added after solicitation on the suggestion of someone in the Facebook community (if I’m not mistaken) so that Father Frost could match one of the elves in the wave and it’s a good idea and pretty cool that it was added. It looks nice, but it’s hard to get onto the ball joint. And you want to get it all the way seated so that you can’t see the painted neck. They also wisely added some gray paint to the top of the neck ball so there isn’t an odd blob of color inside the head. Father Frost’s main accessory is his staff which is topped with a translucent, blue, crystal. It looks like the sculpted rope was supposed to be painted a different color to differentiate it from the staff, but that didn’t happen. Still, it looks fine. The other accessories are reused: a present which opens, a nice list, and a stand. There’s also a little locomotive toy which fits inside the present. The present has a white and blue deco to coordinate with Father Frost.

Totally not Willie from Bad Santa.

Father Frost is the magical interpretation of Santa, Mall Santa is the opposite. This guy seems to be clearly inspired by the movie Bad Santa, but he’s kept legally distinct. He’s basically a worn down, drunken, cynical, Santa just trying to make a buck. He features a balding portrait with a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He has a five o’clock shadow and a look of almost sad indifference in his eyes. His left eye is supposed to be a black eye, but the paint there is a bit lacking and it doesn’t make it as obvious as the promotional images. His beard is part of the sculpt and I kind of wish they sculpted it in such a way to make it look more obvious and pathetic that it’s a false beard. Maybe a gap between the chin and beard or hooks around his ears would have done the trick. There appears to be a paint wash on his face to dirty him up which has been applied to the body as well. His suit is a deeper red than the other Santas and the whites are all dirty. There’s even a stain in the middle of his chest, which is a nice touch. The look the figure is going for is obvious, but I do wish he could have been on a skinnier base, but I know that’s not really what this line is designed to do.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with a cookie?!”

Mall Santa does not come with any alternate hands or portraits. His default hands are gloved, gripping, hands and I’m torn on if I prefer those to ungloved hands. The good news is if you do want different hands then you could always borrow them from another figure. Mall Santa’s main accessory is his bottle of whisky. It’s a translucent amber with a black cap with prints on both sides to let you know that it is indeed whisky. The cap doesn’t come off, and the articulation is limited in that he can’t really “drink” it. The cap also isn’t removable, so while I like it, the accessory is a bit limited. There’s also a handheld bell in case he’s more of a donation seeking Santa. He comes with a crushed, red, present with silver ribbon which is pretty neat and makes for a good pillow should you wish to display him passed out. He also has a gingerbread man cookie with a bite taken out of the head and a teddy bear toy. There’s nothing cynical about the bear, it’s just another toy for the display. He also comes with the customary stand, should you wish to use it.

“Ohh Krampus, I have another one for your naughty list.”

Both Father Frost and Mall Santa arrive as expected. Obviously, since they were based on the same molds as last year’s figures it makes sense. The articulation is completely the same, which is why I’m not doing a rundown on it for this space. I would like to see some improvements to the upper body to get better range out of the shoulders since these figures should be able to eat cookies and drink milk (or booze) and they can’t do that. Father Frost basically is what I wanted. Some of the paint could be better and I would have preferred a darker blue, but he looks fine with the other figures and will make for a nice addition to the Christmas display. Mall Santa is also mostly as expected and any disappointment I have with it is basically the same as when it was solicited. I would have loved a passed out, second, portrait and more booze. A crumpled beer can, six pack, empty bottles, something else to go with the whisky would have been cool. His paint is clean though, actually better applied than Father Frost, and the figure works for me. I also count Bad Santa among my favorite Christmas movies and I understand it’s not for everyone.

“Look out, kids, Santa needs to empty his stomach.”

If you’re looking to add more Santa figures to your Christmas action figure collection in February, then I can certainly recommend these two. The others are probably just as good and it all comes down to if you like the design. This line is exclusive to Big Bad Toy Store and everything from wave two is in-stock as of this writing. Each Santa will set you back $37 which isn’t a small amount. They are from a smaller company and not produced in the same volume as a bigger toy company, but it’s probably still a little more than I think most would want. I compare the price to original IP from other small shops where their figures come in at the 30 dollar mark. Still, with the amount of paint and overall feel of these figures I would say you’re getting something better than Marvel Legends quality so it’s reasonable to me. Just don’t ask me about those reindeer they’re currently soliciting for wave three.

Who doesn’t want to read about Christmas toys in February?!

Naughty or Nice Classic Santa and Cyborg Santa

It was looking like we were in for a photo finish this year. Last year, toymaker Fresh Monkey Fiction partnered with online retailer Big Bad Toy Store to launch the Naughty or Nice collection. Structured similar to a Kickstarter campaign, FMF posted several action figures for preorder with a minimum order quantity needed for the…

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by Joe

McFarlane Toys Gold Label Batman Santa (Blue Suit)

Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s the jolly one – Santa Claus! Oh, wait, no, it’s the somber, moody, one: Batman Santa! Yes, it’s our first Christmas themed post of 2023 and it’s an action figure review – shocking, I know. McFarlane Toys has held the DC license for several years now, but this is my first…

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by Joe

Figura Obscura – The Ghost of Jacob Marley

Four Horsemen Studios is back with another holiday release in its Figura Obscura line of action figures. This sister line of their more famous Mythic Legions property launched two years ago with Krampus and continued with last year’s Father Christmas. Many fans, myself included, expected another holiday figure this year, though if you had asked…

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by Joe

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November 30, 2023

Plunderlong Feral 8-Ball

By Joe
Look who came to join the plunder party!

When Lone Coconut came back last year with a new Kickstarter to build out its Plunderlings universe, I was immediately smitten with the brutish new Plunderstrong. The big, chunky, boy looked like a fun character type to pair with the diminutive Plunderlings. The Plunderlong, on the other hand, took a bit for me to get onboard. It’s basically a taller version of the Plunderling with an elongated face that mostly takes the form of a large chin. It’s not a cute design, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be, and the initial designs didn’t thrill me. Then along came 8-Ball, a demolitions aligned Plunderlong that’s basically designed to work with Captain Blackjak’s canon. That was a fun concept to me, so I went ahead and added the character to my pledge along with a box of hatchlings to go with it. When the figures were initially delivered to Lone Coconut, there was a quality control error with the Plunderlong figures that held them up. Lone Coconut did not specify what that issue was, but it was something the factory fixed. For the consumer, it meant a slightly longer wait (about 6 weeks) for the Plunderlong to arrive, but now I have mine in-hand and I’m ready to render a verdict.

I expected the Plunderlong to fall in the middle of the Plunderling and Plunderstrong, but he’s really just a little bit taller than the ‘ling and quite a bit smaller than the ‘strong.

The Plunderlong comes in a similar box to the Plunderlings, though (get this) taller. It still has a window box framed by a face and there are some cardboard ears inside the box you can attach to the side if you wish. The Plunderlong stands around 4.75″ so while it is indeed taller than the Plunderling, it’s considerably shorter than the Plunderstrong. Most of the figure is brand new tooling, but it does share some parts with the Plunderling including the hands, feet, forearms, and maybe the upper thigh. Basically, all of the new pieces are where the Plunderlong gets its added length such as the torso, thigh, shin, and bicep. Having the same hands will help with the hatchlings and will allow for easy sharing of weapons and accessories with your Plunderlings.

I think of this guy as a wacky pyromaniac.

For 8-Ball, the chosen color is white. The figure is sculpted in white, but also painted over, so it has a nice, matte, finish. The fingernails, toenails, eyes, and trunks are where the detail paint is needed. It’s mostly okay, but you will find some imperfections upon close inspection. There’s also a hint of pink air-brushing on the inner ear which looks nice and I do wish they had added a touch of color to the teeth just to differentiate them from the white of the figure’s skin. The vest the character wears is removable, though you would have to pop the arms off first, and it’s black with brown trim and it looks fine.

I much prefer the happy expression in this case.

8-Ball is a nice looking figure, but it’s made much better via the accessories. 8-Ball comes with three heads, as basically all of the figures do: neutral, grimace, and smile. Of the three, the smile seems most appropriate as this guy seems like he’s got a few screws loose. For hands, he has a set of gripping and a set of open hands which is also standard. For stuff unique to this guy, there’s a helmet with attached goggles. It’s black and made out of soft plastic and slots over his ears just fine, but there’s also a magnet to make it even more secure. There’s some brown paint on it and the character’s namesake is painted on the top to make the helmet resemble an actual 8-ball. It looks great and adds tremendous character to the figure so you’re unlikely to ever display him without. To go with that helmet is a long torch with translucent flame attachment. You can pull the flame out if you wish, though there isn’t much that can be done with it. There are also two bundles of dynamite that are fastened together with handles that 8-Ball can hold. It would have been cool if the accessories were design to work with each other so that the flame could be attached to the dynamite, but it’s a minor complaint. An actual explosion effect, or soot-covered face, would have also been pretty fun.

He’s a rascal!

The articulation for the Plunderlong is basically the same as the Plunderling, though with a larger figure comes more room for joints. The head is on a ball-hinge and it gets great range up and down, but only a little tilt. It’s also very tight and Lone Coconut even sent out a warning to heat the heads first if they show some resistance and I followed their recommendation. The shoulders are ball-hinged and raise out to the side past horizontal, though there’s paint transfer on mine from the brown trim on the vest so he has some pretty nasty looking armpits. I’d recommend that future figures just omit that paint hit as it doesn’t add much anyway. New for the Plunderlong is a biceps swivel which works fine and the single-hinged elbow returns with a 90 degree bend. It’s attached via a peg so it probably could swivel too, but mine don’t really want to. The wrists are pegged in and swivel as a result while each hand features a hinge: vertical for gripping and horizontal for open – perfect!

“I’m ready – let’s do this!”

The torso features some additional articulation over the Plunderling as well, though this one I’m not sure about. The diaphragm is attached via a hinged ball-peg so the chest can rotate freely. It’s also engineered much better than the same joint at the head as there’s plenty of tilt and the chest can move forward and back on that ball peg very well. The hinge is the part I’m not really feeling as it’s an eyesore. It also doesn’t add much. 8-Ball can bend pretty far forward just on the ball-peg. Yes, the hinge lets him go even farther than that, but the trade-off isn’t really warranted, in my opinion. There is a waist twist, but if it had been a ball-joint it might have given them the range they were looking for with that torso hinge. The hips are ball-sockets, but they don’t go out to the side very far – maybe 45 degrees. They kick forward fine, but not back as the Plunderlong has the same saggy butt cheeks the Plunderling has. There’s a thigh cut and double-jointed knees which bend past 90 degrees. Some are tight, so you may need to heat them. The ankles are hinges with rockers and both work fine. Since the figure is all painted there will be some flaking at the joints, but there’s no mis-colored joints underneath so the flaking shouldn’t result in any terrible eye-sores.

“Ahhhh! I’m not ready!”

The Plunderlong moves better than the Plunderling, which by itself, moved pretty well. It doesn’t have any joint tolerance issues like the Plunderstrong, so if articulation is a priority for you, then the Plunderlong is probably the best action figure of the three. Of course, there are plenty of other elements that affect one’s enjoyment of an action figure, but that is my objective take. I also grabbed a set of hatchlings which comes with the fist hands. I find that these newer hatchlings feature very tight joints and you may need to heat them to get the hands in all the way. The heads do not go on easily either, but I didn’t need to use heat, though they don’t spin very well on the ball joint. The heads also worked fine with the canon blast effect. It makes me wish I had two hats for my display as I think the heads look great on the blast. I may go with the grimace head instead since it gives the character a look of “What have I done?” coming out of a canon.

Hatchlings are a must with any Plunderling/long/strong purchase.

If you have found yourself charmed by Lone Coconut’s Plunderlings, then you’ll probably feel pretty similar about the Plunderlong. If the appeal of the Plunderlings for you resides in their cuteness, then maybe you won’t see much need for the Long. As an action figure, it’s pretty well done and a satisfying experience. The Kickstarter obviously ended awhile ago, but Big Bad Toy Store has partnered with Lone Coconut to offer these figures post Kickstarter. Lone Coconut prioritized getting the Plunderlong to backers first, since they had to personally receive all stock to swap whatever the faulty part was, but it can be assumed that BBTS will have them soon. Since Lone Coconut is a small shop, these figures aren’t cheap and will run you $45 a piece. From a pure value standpoint, they don’t match-up well with other figures from more established lines and companies which may not work for you. For those who want a fun figure with a good design that don’t mind paying a premium to a “little guy” then I think this is a worthy buy. Frugal shoppers may find deals somewhere down the road, though given it is November, you could always toss a few Plunderlongs on the old Christmas list!

It’s a plunder party!

Check out these other offerings from Lone Coconut:

Plunderlings Raider Fwush

When I first came across the Kickstarter drive for a series of action figures called Plunderlings I was almost instantly smitten. The little impish creatures reminded me of some characters I used to doodle as a kid. In my mind, they look a lot like what I used to draw, but given I was much…

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by Joe

Plunderstrong Captain Blackjak

In 2020, Lone Coconut, a small company out of the Dominican Republic, launched a Kickstarter campaign for a line of original action figures called Plunderlings. They’re basically little imp-like creatures with a pirate motif that have a very charming design. From an engineering point of view, they made for a smart toyline because every figure…

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by Joe

Plunderlings Nomad Goyle & Hatchlings

Last April I posted a review of the Plunderlings Raider Fwush from Lone Coconut. I was pretty charmed by the little goblin-like creature and found the action figure to be pretty fun. It’s also always a little rewarding to know that in buying such a toy I’m supporting a small shop like Lone Coconut. When…

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by Joe

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December 19, 2022

Naughty or Nice Classic Santa and Cyborg Santa

By Joe
“What’s this?!”

It was looking like we were in for a photo finish this year. Last year, toymaker Fresh Monkey Fiction partnered with online retailer Big Bad Toy Store to launch the Naughty or Nice collection. Structured similar to a Kickstarter campaign, FMF posted several action figures for preorder with a minimum order quantity needed for the figure to go into production. The only difference was, since it was through BBTS there was no real obligation to buy. Payment wasn’t required until the product shipped, which was going to take about a year, so it felt like a pretty significant gamble on the part of FMF and BBTS. Essentially, they were banking on a line of Santa Claus themed action figures to be a big enough hit to take the risk, and so far it looks like it’s worked out.

The latest in Christmas action figures are here!

The goal from the get-go was to get these figures into the hands of collectors in time for Christmas 2022. That was looking a bit dicey going into November, but FMF came through as the figures arrived on Tuesday the 13th and BBTS began shipping them out the next day. I received my order on the 18th, a week before Christmas, ensuring at least 14 days or so of holiday display. As for what I ordered, that ended up being just two figures plus the accessory set. The line is essentially a series of Santa Claus figures. There’s a classic one, a black one, an army one, robot, pirate, and zombie. In addition to that, there were two versions of Krampus on the same buck and a bunch of elves and nutcrackers done in a five-points style. The main Santa body, which is used for every figure, is basically a 1:12 Santa. Some have described it as a “Marvel Legends” styled Santa, but it’s simpler than that as far as construction goes. The articulation setup is more like a Mythic Legions release, but the sculpt less ambitious. There’s also more paint than a typical Hasbro offering and, ultimately, they are their own thing. I ordered just the Classic Santa and the Cyborg Santa. I do like some of the others, but at $37 a piece I’m not sure I need any of the others. What attracted me to the Classic Santa should be pretty self-explanatory, while the Cyborg one just looked pretty cool. In what is planned to be my final Christmas themed action figure review of 2022, we’re going to take a look at both.

Some Figura Obscura and Fresh Monkey Fiction. Plus a clock.

The Naughty or Nice collection comes packaged in a window box with a hanger on the top. It’s pretty similar to a Hasbro window box or the old DC Direct boxes. The cardstock is a little thin, but it seems durable enough to protect the figure. It just may be difficult to get a mint one through the mail. The figure can be removed from either side, or the bottom, but not the top unless you want to destroy the box. Both figures are identical with the exception of the heads and hands, which is why I feel fine reviewing them together. The figures stand at about 6.5″ to the top of the head and close to 7″ with the hat on. The hat is removable and it plugs on just fine. It looks like FMF did not apply any paint to the inside of the hats so there should not be a cause for concern with paint rub, unless it comes from the head to the hat.

Watch it Santa, don’t be spilling milk all over my floors!
Check it twice!
I’m going for “laying a finger upon the side of his nose,” but it looks more like picking.
He’s a good-looking Santa, I just wish his beard was more “white as snow.”

The figures present pretty well. The heads are fully painted as they were sculpted in white plastic while much of the body appears to be sculpted in red. My Classic Santa has a tiny chip on the tip of his nose and a small blob of flesh-tone on his moustache which is unfortunate, while Cyborg Santa’s default portrait looks terrific. The beard on Santa has some dry brushing over it with a light brown. This is different from the solicitation and even the cross-sell on the boxes where it was all white with some gray shading like Cyborg Santa. I’m guessing they wanted to differentiate the figure more from the others, but I definitely prefer the all-white approach to this one. It’s almost cream colored as a result and it takes some getting used to. The suit is also shaded which looks nice and helps to reduce the plastic look. I like the shading applied to the white portions of the suit as it gives this Santa a more hearty presence like he’s been going up and down chimneys all night. The paint is cleanly applied in most places. It’s not super crisp around the beard of Santa, but it’s good enough. The only issue I have with the paint is the choice to sculpt the boots in red and paint black over them. There’s a couple of small chipped areas where red shows through and the hinge down there seems to pick up pieces of red plastic which flake out. The foot is done in black so the hinge is black as well which is nice, but if I could make one suggestion going forward it would be for FMF to make the entire boot a separate mold that pegs into the lower leg which would also add a boot cut. The hands on both figures are ungloved and the sculpt for the Cyborg Kringle is wonderful. There’s some nice paint wash there as well and they just look great. The regular Santa has hands molded in a flesh color and it looks like they were paint too to give them a warm presence and not a plastic one.

This alt head looks awesome.

These guys look nice at a stand still, but the one thing that I was really curious about was how these guys would move. They feel really nice and sturdy in hand and out of the box all of the joints were nice and tight. Some maybe a touch too tight, but I never felt like I was in danger of breaking anything while I was breaking them in nor did I need to apply any heat. The head is just on a big ball peg, which again, makes it feel like a Mythic Legions release as it’s the same setup as the Father Christmas figure. Because Santa has a beard and a coat, he really can’t do anything except turn his head as far as the beard will let him. There’s no down, and barely any up rotation. At the shoulder, we have a ball-hinge setup which can raise out to the side almost to a fully horizontal position. It can also rotate around, but you have to avoid rubbing the edge of the torso when doing so as it’s cut at a slight angle. The elbows are just single hinges and do not reach a 90 degree bend. There is a swivel point there as well which is okay, but these arms are pretty limited. The wrists rotate and hinge and I’m happy to report that Cyborg Santa’s trigger hand hinges vertically instead of horizontal which is a nice attention to detail. There’s a ball joint at the waist that mostly allows for rotation with barely anything forward or back. The hips are ball and socket joints and because the lower part of the coat and belt are one piece and done in a soft plastic, the legs can go out to the side way farther than they need to. They kick forward a decent amount, but nothing really back. The knees are like the elbows, a single hinge with a swivel, and also can’t hit a 90 degree bend. At the ankle, there’s a hinge and a rocker which works pretty well..

One Christmas robot meets another.
Everyone seems to love Legends comparisons.

The overall articulation is merely functional. These guys aren’t going to get into any sort of exotic pose, which is probably expected of a Santa figure. The problem though is they struggle with basic stuff. Santa can’t really get his hands to his head for cookie eating or a finger by the nose pose. You can fudge some of these with perspective shots, but that’s it. Santa also can’t present one of the gifts with both hands under it which is unfortunate. Worst of all though, is Cyborg Santa can’t hold his shotgun in a convincing two-handed fashion. I can get two hands onto it, but not with one on the trigger. I would like to see some improvements for next year’s batch. I think the biggest addition they could make is a biceps swivel. I don’t know if it would solve all of the problems, but it could help. An upper torso joint would be a nice addition too, but I don’t see that happening. I also wouldn’t expect, or even ask for, something like a butterfly joint to help get the hands closer together. And anything that could improve the range of the elbow bend would be welcomed. I think the overall aesthetic of the figure base is good so I get not wanting to mess with it too much. A biceps swivel wouldn’t harm the look, as far as I’m concerned, while I can see some not wanting an upper torso joint. Mostly, I hope they don’t just rest on their laurels and do nothing to improve what was released here.

Stockings and candy canes, if you need them.
I don’t know about this cloak…

Both figures also feature some accessories, and some are shared. Both Santas come with a second head. For Classic Santa, it’s a winking face and it looks okay. The winking eye is just a straight, black, line and I feel like it could better. It’s not bad enough that I’ll never use it, but not the slam dunk I expected. For Cyborg Santa, the alternate head is a half Santa half robot look as we’re definitely going for a T-800 thing here. It’s awesome and I’m really torn on which head to go with for this guy. Classic Santa also comes with extra hands. His default ones are gripping hands and he also has a set of relaxed hands and a pointing right hand. The pegs on the hands are basically the same diameter as a Marvel Legends, just shorter, so one could conceivably swap hands with other figure lines. Both figures come with “The List” which is sculpted like a scroll of paper. It’s fine, but I wish the printing on the list itself was different. Santa should have a nice list and Cyborg Santa a naughty list, for instance. Both figures have a red gift box with a painted green ribbon and bow on it. It opens from the top and it’s fine. Both figures also come with a white display stand that is pretty unnecessary since they stand fine and it’s not attractive enough to force its way into the display.

“Merry Christmas, Morph!” “Wow! Thank you, Santa!”

Both figures also have their own unique additions. For Cyborg Santa, it’s a police style pump shotgun. It’s all black and it looks fine, but the problem is it’s too thin. He doesn’t get a good grip on it as a result and it’s a balancing act to pose it. Maybe they were worried about paint rub and thus overcompensated on the thickness of the weapon? It’s too bad and I already mentioned the posing issues with it. For Santa, we get a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. Everything is it’s own piece so the plate is separate from the cookies so you can place them on it or put one in Santa’s gripping hand. He can also grip the plate just fine, and if you’re persistent, you could probably balance it on one of the relaxed hands. The glass of milk is also two parts as it’s a transparent glass with the milk a separate piece of plastic so it can be empty or full. The only problem is, the gripping hands are too tight to grasp the glass while the relaxed hands are too loose. I wish one of the relaxed hands had been replaced with a hand designed specifically for holding the glass. It is possible to position it in such a way that will stay in Santa’s hand, but in an unnatural way. I suppose with enough heat, the gripping hand could be softened to the point where it could hold the glass, but I didn’t want to risk the paint transfer from the hand to the glass. My solution? Blue sticky tack.

“What the Hell is this?!”

We also have one more thing to talk about and that’s the accessory set. FMF sold a separate pack for about 22 bucks that contains the following: a cloak, a sack, an extra red present, a set of green presents, two stockings, two pieces of coal, a candy cane, another list, and another set of milk and cookies. I grabbed this mostly for the cloak and sack, but I’m having a bit of buyer’s remorse. The soft goods cloak has a real cheap feel to it. It’s thin, the white trim is like what you would find on a 3 dollar stocking, and the tie is done with cheap ribbon. It just doesn’t look great on Santa. I think it needs to be heavier and maybe the trim should be a shorter “fur” to add a touch of class. Santa can wear it with or without his hat, but I don’t know that I like it enough to use. The sack is basically the same deal as it’s done in the same style and there is a ribbon for the drawstring which I just don’t like the look of and it’s much too long. Santa needs a sack though, so I can see myself using this, but it could have better. The rest of the stuff is just “meh.” The stockings are solid plastic so you can’t fill them with anything. The Santas both have trouble gripping the candy cane, and the coal is just coal. The green presents are molded together and they add something to the display. The repeat items are unnecessary though – why do I need another set of milk and cookies or list? I guess I like being able to fill out the plate a bit more with the cookies, but how about some toys instead? I like the presents and stockings just to fill out a display, but this set could have been better and I don’t think it’s something I can recommend.

I’m not here to pick favorites, I’m just happy to have multiple representations of Santa Claus in my display.

The Naughty or Nice collection isn’t without its issues, but the total package of the Santa figures I purchased are still good enough to merit inclusion in a holiday toy display. I like the look of both figures and my only nitpick there is that I wish Santa’s beard was whiter. The sculpt is great and there’s enough paint to add a touch of class to both figures. These don’t look or feel cheap (provided you’re not using those soft goods in the accessory set) and can stand beside the Figura Obscura Father Christmas and not look out of place. Ultimately, I recommend these based on your own personal preferences. If you want a classic, Coca-Cola, styled Santa then the Classic Santa should be more than sufficient. The other figures are just about what amuses you. I thought Cyborg Santa looked cool so I bought him. If the gun situation was better, I might have talked myself into Sgt. Santa too. I can definitely see a lot of folks liking the look of Pirate and Zombie Santa and it would be easy to just go all-in to amass a larger, Santa, display. I personally wanted to like Krampus, but him being on the same Santa body just doesn’t do it for me. I want a naked, furry, Krampus and not one dressed like Santa, but the head sculpt looks pretty rad. He does have a tail, and there’s a plug on the Santa figures to cover-up the peg hole for that tail, though it’s not visible so I don’t consider it an eyesore.

Blue sticky-tack is your friend.

If you would like to add these or any of the other figures in the collection to your holiday display then head over to Big Bad Toy Store. Some of the figures have been going in and out of stock, but have since been re-stocked it would seem. Fresh Monkey Fiction also plans to make some of this collection available for preorder again when and if they do sell out, but those won’t be delivered until next year. Wave 2 is also up for pre-order and it looks like the major new addition from a sculpting perspective is a shirtless Santa which will also be used for a shirtless Krampus. I am probably going to order a figure or two from the second wave, so check back next year to see how those turned out!

Need some more Christmas toys?

Figura Obscura – Father Christmas

It was just last year that Four Horsemen launched a subline of its popular Mythic Legions brand of action figures called Figura Obscura. Practically speaking, there’s little difference between the two lines as Mythic Legions seeks to serve as a modular line of toys based on myth and legend and that doesn’t feature licensed characters.…

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by Joe

Figura Obscura – Krampus

Over the years, I’ve acquired quite a few action figures designed by the good people over at Four Horsemen LLC. They’ve been designing figures for companies for awhile now. My first exposure to the company was via NECA’s inaugural line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles based on their appearance in the Mirage Studios comics. Lately,…

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Transformers Generations Holiday Optimus Prime

We interrupt our regularly scheduled holiday posts with something very familiar to this blog: a toy review! Yes, we have ourselves another Christmas toy to talk about and it too comes from Hasbro. We already looked at a Star Wars toy at the end of November, and now we’re turning to what I suppose is…

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by Joe

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