Action Figure Review: Cammy from Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   I was incredibly excited a couple weeks ago when I received my Big Bad Toy Store shipment that had Jada Toys' Cammy, Guile, and Dee Jay. It's not just that I love this line, which I do, but that all three of these characters felt pretty significant to me in some way. Guile was my first Street Fighter figure when I found the Street Fighter 2 subset of Hasbro's G.I. Joe toyline as a kid while Cammy and Dee Jay were two figures I really wanted, especially after seeing the live action movie, but Hasbro never released them in any form. I want to say I was aware of Cammy due to seeing her in the arcade game or in a video game magazine, by Kylie Minogue's portrayal of the character was definitely my first real introduction to the character. Between Hasbro's movie line and the G.I. Joe subset, over a couple years I managed to at least complete the classic roster of twelve World Warriors. Now I have Cammy, and I'm thrilled. Ready to check out the British Special Forces and MI6 agent who has a past with Shadaloo and is a staple among the cosplay community? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Red Hood (Dawn of DC) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   There was once a point where I kept up with most of the DC Universe. Actually, it was that way for quite a number of years. I read single issues into the New 52 era but eventually went to just picking up the trades. Yeah, I mostly read Bat-titles, but I'd also read at least one of the main books (i.e. Justice League) and a few other more offbeat titles that caught my eye. I eventually grew pretty tired of crossovers, though, especially as they became more of a regular event rather than something unique or special. Eventually I got tired of DC rebooting, doing new launches, renumbering, and such and decided to stop keeping up with things all the time. Now I usually just add everything from the previous year or two to my Christmas list and then keep up that way. That's a long way to say that I don't know very much about Dawn of DC, DC Comics' publishing initiative from last year. This version of Jason Todd as Red Hood is from Dawn of DC, and he does seem to have gotten a decent focus in Dawn of DC along with a new costume. Jason Todd is one of my favorite DC characters and my favorite of all the Robins so I really wanted this guy. As a figure, though? I'm actually rather disappointed. Let's check out Red Hood from Dawn of DC after the break...

Action Figure Review: Fisto from Masterverse: Masters of the Universe New Eternia by Mattel

 

   It's been a few months since I last reviewed a Masterverse figure, hasn't it? The last one I looked at was Leech back in July. Recently I found most of the newest series or two of figures and they've been pretty good. I haven't picked up all of them but I did grab the 1987 movie Beast Man, the New Eternia Evil-Lyn, and the Revolution Snake Sorceress Teela and Hordak. I've looked at so many variants of those characters, though, that I didn't get around to reviewing them. The New Eternia Fisto seemed to warrant a review, however. I'm a fan of the guy and he usually ends up being a strong figure no matter what line he's in. Mattel isn't at all flooding the market with releases from this line but they do  seem to consistently get new figures out and it's fun to see what they do with the characters. I've been getting a bit bored with MOTU Origins as of late but Masterverse is still a quality lined that feels designed to both to impress with their coolness and their pure toyeticness. These guys just have some neat "gimmicks" that make messing around with them fun. Ready to check out Fisto? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Jonah Hex & The General (All-Star Western) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   I'm not terribly knowledgeable on Jonah Hex but I do like the character, so I scooped this guy up when McFarlane put up the preorder over the summer. Not is this just a cool western cowboy figure, it's also one of the few DC figures to come with firearms since Warner Bros. "no firearms" mandate for all of their brands. It seems that Warner Bros. has loosed their regulations a bit in the past six months or so, allowing for figures to come with firearms if they're directly marketed to collectors (Jonah Hex and & The General have "17+" printed on the box) and are sold directly online. Since Jonah's release we've also seen a BvS Batman two-pack with weapons, a re-release of Thomas Wayne as Batman with pistols, and the upcoming (and ridiculously priced) 2-pack from the 2019 Joker film. Jonah Hex comes with his faithful steed, The General, and is available in this McFarlane Toys Store exclusive set or in another Gold Label set with blue clothes, a grey coat, and The General with white hair. Ready to set off on a reviewing journey with Jonah Hex and The General? Then ride along into the break...

Action Figure Review: Nemesis Immortal from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   Cobra-La is probably one of the most unusual concepts ever used in G.I. Joe since the beginning of the brand in 1982. Sure, we've had G.I. Joe as an adventurer, a cryo-frozen World War 2 soldier, and every sort of military/ ninja/ spy/ international super team that you can think of, and we've seen G.I. Joe in multiple scales and styles. Still, in 1987 G.I. Joe went hard into a sci-fi/ fantasy theme with the introduction of Cobra-La, an ancient snake themed civilization that once ruled the glove but who now hangs out deep underground in the Himalayas. This wasn't the first time the brand went in that direction (in 1976 the Adventure Team fought the Intruders, intelligent caveman like enemies from another world and in 1986 they met the Transformers), but Cobra-La really cemented the weird sci-fi, horror, and mystical elements into the brand in a major way. Some people love them and others hate them, but for decades now they've had an affect on the brand's identity. Cobra Commander (Once a Man) figure started things, but the appearance of Nemesis Immortal seems to show that the Classified Series is willing to embrace these elements, too. Based on the character from the 1987 animated film and the 1987 ARAH toyline who was originally named Nemesis Enforcer, Nemesis Immortal kind of dropped unexpectedly on October 28th and shipped out within a week. Crazy! No preorder or anything. Ready to check out one of the most fearsome adversaries for the Joe team in the Classified Series to date? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Huntress (The New 52) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   We are quickly approaching the end of the year and it's time to check out another McFarlane DC Multiverse figure. Personally, I think 2024 has been a pretty strong for this line as the amount of unique characters and Batman heroes and villains that has been added to the roster has been pretty impressive. I believe we're probably getting more figures per year than Mattel released at the height of their DC Universe Classics line and far more than DC Direct/ Collectibles ever released in a year. Furthermore, they're all compatible, unlike most DC Collectibles and DC Direct sets, which usually had their own scales, styles, and artist specific aesthetics. Huntress is new to DC Multiverse and is part of the McFarlane Collector Edition subset which costs a bit more, but usually comes with a few more extras as well. Huntress in her default look comes in her outfit from The New 52 while her Platinum release is based on her early/ mid 1990s look that was also utilized in the Total Justice toyline from Kenner. I've seen the Platinum version around quite a few times but I haven't been tempted to pick her up. This one was a huge want for me, though, and it's probably my second favorite Huntress costume (I love her Jim Lee/ Hush design best; I'm a sucker for that era). Ready to check out McFarlane's first attempt at Helena Wayne? Then let's check her out after the break...

Happy Franksgiving! Frankenstein's Monster with Chair from Universal Monsters by NECA

 

   Is 1935's Bride of Frankenstein the first sequel to be better than the original in film history? I think so. The Wolf Man is my favorite Universal Monsters character and film as well as a character with a very solid storyline through multiple films (especially since he was always played by Lon Chaney Jr.) but the Frankenstein film series is a close second to me for best film series, and the Bride of Frankenstein is definitely a high point, perhaps the highest, in the series. Boris Karloff returns in the sequel and his take on the creature sees some tremendous character growth. NECA has previously released a figure of Frankenstein's Monster from the first film but the popularity of the second film definitely warrants another take on him. This was actually given to me as a birthday gift from my birthday back in September and was ordered by my parents in late August or early September, but he didn't show up until a few weeks ago. NECA's online store is really not very user friendly and their customer service is a bit rough, but, fortunately, they did deliver and I received my birthday gift in early November. Honestly, I had originally wanted this guy to be the crowning jewel of 31 Days of Toy Terror Takes the Universe but I ended up creating Happy Franksgiving! to give the guy his own special month. Ready to check out Frankenstein's Monster from Bride of Frankenstein? Then join me after the break...