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

 

   Today I'm starting to look at the newest series of G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures from the most recent series to ship and I'm kicking things off with Leatherneck. Leatherneck was a 1986 release in the vintage line and thus was one of the figures I had when I was quite young. General Hawk v2 was my first figure and Sci-Fi was my second, so I either started collecting at the end of 1986 when these guys had been on shelves a bit or in early 1987 before that year's line shipped (I think Hasbro kept the figures in circulation for about 2 years before discontinuing them). Interestingly, three of the four figures from the newest series of releases are based on 1986 releases: Leatherneck, Dial-Tone, and Zandar. (The S.A.W. Viper was a 1990 release, though I was still collecting Joes by then, too.) On Leatherneck's vintage file card there was always a line that stuck out to me: "He is uncouth, opinionated and overbearing. And he has no patience at all with the indecisive, the lazy and the dishonest. Not a man you can like, but one you can trust." 
   That always has stood out to me as some excellent characterization. Leatherneck isn't really a likeable guy at all but he's a darn fine Marine. Interestingly, the vintage figure looks like it could have easily been a Gung-Ho version 2 at first (there are quite a few figures like that in 1986- Sci-Fi as Flash, Wet-Suit as Torpedo), but it's clear that by the time the figure was created he was a very different character from Gung-Ho despite them being both highly decorated Marines. The Joe team was expanding and needed more than one medic, more than one Marine, more than one SEAL, etc. Ready to check out Leatherneck? Then join me after the break...

Missing in Action: Toyline That Didn't Make the Cut in 2024

 

   Since 2015 I've followed up my Top 10 Toylines of the Year list with Missing in Action (no relation to the Chuck Norris film), a look at what lines made the list in the prior year's best of list but fell off for this year. This is somewhat of a reflective list where I look back at the Top 10 Toylines list from the year before and give my reasoning for why some of the lines from that year failed to return for the current year's list.  2024's top 10 list had five lines returning from 2023's list (2023's also had five returning lines while 2022's top 10 list had seven returning toylines and 2021 only had four returning toylines from the 2020 list). I find it interesting to look at the lines that failed to show up again in order to diagnose why they went missing. It's also fun to make some complaints and whine a bit, which might be part of the reason I enjoy this list so much. There's a lot of piss and vinegar here. There are a few reasons why a toyline might make this list:

Missing in Action: This is a toyline that gets cancelled, ends, or just didn't have any releases during the year. It happens a lot, unfortunately, and often to some of my favorites it seems, though not as much as in the past. There do seem to be more longer running lines today than, say, 10 to 15 years ago. 

Demoted: Sometimes a toyline just gets outdone by others. This isn't specifically related to the quality of the demoted line and more reflective of the quality of the lines that supplanted it or of my interest shifting to other things. You can be demoted simply because of my attention shifting elsewhere. 

Sunk: This is when a toyline has a severe drop in quality, becomes stale, or suffers an exorbitant price hike that causes it to fall off my radar. While most toylines get better as they go, some do indeed get worse and worse due to cost cutting, mismanagement, and quality control issues. Sometimes the price just outpaces the value, making a once impressive toyline now seem like a shell of its former self. 

Let's jump in and check out who went missing in action in 2024 after the break...

Action Figure Review: Luke Skywalker (A New Hope) from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 

   It's only February and I've already purchased as many Star Wars: The Black Series figures this year as I did last year! The number for both years is only two (and only three in 2023), which is more of a critique of the line and my interest in it for last year, I guess. This year started off with all new versions of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa from Star Wars: A New Hope and I really wanted both of them. It doesn't get much more classic than these two and it really was time for a new version of the Skywalker siblings from the original film. The first Black Series Luke in his Tatooine gear was released in 2016 in the Phase III line and it was just OK, even back then. Hasbro tried to go for soft goods for Luke's tunic; it was a decent choice, but the execution wasn't perfect nor was the headsculpt one to write home. Collectors will debate until the end of time about why Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford have likenesses that seem to be so difficult to capture but Hasbro has been improving, especially since they've been using the face printing work on their figures for better details. I remember how impressed I was when I upgraded my POTF2 Luke Skywalker (He-Luke!) to the Luke from the Purchase of the Droids cinema scene, and that was only about a 2 year gap. Heck, remember the "Flashback" Episode I tie-in Luke Skywalker with his rifle, floppy hat, and binoculars from 1999? He had elbow joints. Elbow joints! This new Black Series Luke feels like a worthy upgrade, so let's check him out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Jordy Verrill (First Bloom) from Monstarz: Creepshow by Amok Time Toys

 

   Guess what! This is my second new review for 2025. In fact, I think it might actually have been the first 2025 release that I received in the mail, though I did look at Mezco's Toht with the Ark of the Covenant first. Read for another review from a classic 1980s film? Then let's take a look at Jordy Verrill (First Bloom) from Monstarz. Based on the classic anthology film Creepshow, a collaboration between George Romero and Stephen King, Jordy Verrill is the country bumpkin from the second short story who gets infected by a space virus in plant form. Played in a wonderfully kooky and over the top manner, Stephen King's Jordy Verrill might be my favorite part of the film (story wise, it's between this one and "Father's Day"). It's just a wonderfully delightful performance with some wacky quotes ("meteror $#!%") and it cracks me up that the king of horror has no problem being so goofy. Garth Marenghi would never take on such a comedic role, that's for sure. Amok Time's Monstarz line has been around since 2008 with a mix of scales and styles, but their Creepshow line started in 2016 with the Nathan Grantham from "Father's Day" and then continued with the zombies from "Something to Tide You Over," the creature from "The Crate," and the Creep himself. Jordy Verrill was definitely a missing spot in the line and it seems like Monstarz has further plans for the line as they've recently renewed the license. Jordy Verill comes in two styles: The First Bloom version I'm looking at here on a green card with a smaller mossy beard and the standard figure with a larger mossy beard. Ready to check out that old lunkhead Jordy Verrill? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Wolfman from Universal City Studios Mini Monsters by Remco

   

   Today I'm taking a break from newer stuff and checking out something older that I've recently acquired: The 1980 Remco Wolfman. I had originally hoped to have this guy in hand for last month's Wolfman themed review series but it took a bit longer to get him. I'd been eying a Remco Wolfman for sometime and this guy was in excellent condition for a very decent price. It's not uncommon to find these figures beaten up or with the capes missing for Dracula and the Phantom, so finding a Wolfman in good condition was a win for me. This guy is one of the oldest action figures I've reviewed (the only older ones would be a couple vintage Kenner Star Wars figures) and the first figure I've reviewed from Remco. Remco released a series of Mego-like Universal Monsters and these 1/18th scaled Universal Monsters Mini Monsters, all of which are now very collectible. These were a couple years before my time so I never had any as a kid. Ready to check out the good old fashioned Wolf Man? Then let's jump in after the break...

The Best of the Rest: My Top 10 Favorite Individual Toys of 2024

 

   To supplement My Top 10 Toylines of 2024 I present to you The Best of the Rest, a listing of my top 10 favorite individual toys of 2024. I find that I typically am drawn to toylines where I can build a huge roster of A, B, and C list characters (with the odd Z-lister thrown in) that are part of a series with lots of releases throughout the year. I was born in the 1980s, so "Collect Them All" has always been my mantra. The Best of the Rest is my way of acknowledging single releases or  that odd figure that's cool enough for me to grab from a larger toyline I really don't even collect. Who's eligible? Most any toy or collectible released in 2024 could make this list. Who isn't eligible? Any toy from a line I picked in my 10 Favorite Toylines of 2024 list. Remember that these are just listed alphabetically, not in order of merit. Many of the figures I picked this year were from properties with limited characters released, import figures I ordered to supplement other lines, or my favorite figures from lines that just didn't make the cut in 2024. Ready to pick out some of my favorite one-offs of 2024? Then join me after the break...

Wrapping Up 2024: Pirate Captain Brutus (Port Borgo) from Star Wars: The Black Series by Hasbro

 

   Today I'm checking out the last of the action figures I actually purchased in 2024 and I think you'll be quite surprised that it's a Star Wars: The Black Series figure. It's been over a year since I last reviewed a Star Wars: The Black Series figure (I reviewed Sabine Wren from Ahsoka in 2023) and, to the best of my memory, I only purchased two Black Series figures last year: Osha from The Acolyte (who I found on clearance and am using as a mechanic/ tech expert with my G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures) and Pirate Captain Brutus (Port Borgo) from Skeleton Key. I haven't watched either of these shows and I haven't been tempted by much that Hasbro has released lately. In the days ahead I do have two Star Wars reviews of new releases, the recent Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia from A New Hope, as those are incredible versions of characters I'm legitimately nostalgic for. Last year was pretty boring for the Black Series to me, but Pirate Captain Brutus was absolutely a must buy. Why? Because he's a Shitsavane wolf man with five blaster pistols, that's why. I'm a huge fan of Lak Sivrak and Captain Brutus seems even cooler. Ready for a wolf man in space? Then join me after the break...