Action Figure Review: Major Noir from The Order of the Crimson Moon by Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Woorkshop

 

   I really appreciate the great response and kind comments I've received for my review of Count Ironmoon from Fresh Monkey Fiction and Big Bad Workshop's The Order of the Crimson Moon toyline so today I'm excited to check out Major Noir, another figure in the line who pays tribute to the Action Force villains from the vintage Palitoy toyline. The Order of the Crimson Moon is definitely a spinoff line of Operation Monster Force but it set in 1974 in Transylvania and focused on a werewolf cult. Major Noir is the second-in-command of the Crimson Moon Army, a devious faction that wants to take over the world and doom humanity. Like with Count Ironmoon, Major Noir is heavily inspired by an Action Force figure; this time the Black Major. Whether you're a fan of the vintage Palitoy Action Force, you want a new villain for Hasbro's G.I. Joe: Classified Series, or you're using these guys to supplement Operation Monster Force, there's a lot to love here. Heck, this guy comes with three swappable portraits that allow for some real versatility. Ready to check out Major Noir? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Blast-Attak from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   Want to check out a somewhat obscure Masters of the Universe villain? Then let's take a look at Blast-Attak from Masters of the Universe Origins. Blast-Attak was part of the 1987 series of action figures and is a bit unusual as he was initially listed as an Evil Warrior summoned by Skeletor but his minicomic appearance shows him as being part of the Snake Men as a creation of King Hiss. He's an odd character whose power is exploding into two halves. This doesn't seem to destroy him, though; it's simply his special attac. What an odd guy, right? I'm quite glad that Mattel finally released him in Origins (he went on sale in January) as I love these vintage guys that just don't get as much attention. The last Blast-Attak released that I can recall was a Funko POP! vinyl back in 2020, so we were definitely due for a new Blast-Attak. Ready to see how he turned out for MOTU Origins? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: E. Honda from Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Some of you might be wondering where I've been for the past couple weeks as it's been about that long since I last published a review. We actually went on a family vacation and took a sleeper train (with a dining car) to New Orleans for a week. It was a lot of fun and I had the chance to ride in an airboat, go on a ghost tour, eat at a vampire cafe, visit some great book stores, visit a filming location from Live and Let Die, roam the French Quarter, and do some Geocaching. I also ate some great food and we visited the National WWII Museum and the Museum of Illusions while staying in the city. I'm back and rested up, though, and I'm excited to check out another new addition to my collection: E. Honda from Jada Toys' Street Fighter. I've never been very good at the videogame Street Fighter II, though I've always liked it, and as a kid I definitely gravitated to playing characters like Chun-Li, Blanka, and E. Honda as they had special moves which could be activated by rapidly pressing a single button. Who doesn't love the Hundred Hand Slap? Ready to check out the character who introduced so many of us to the sport of sumo wrestling? (I'm guessing for many of us, it was either E. Honda or Tattoo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Tri-Klops from Masters of the Universe Origins: Cartoon Collection (200x) by Mattel

 

   Mattel is releasing quite a few figures from the Mike Young Productions/ 200x cartoon in the Masters of the Universe Origins: Cartoon Collection subset and I recently picked up Tri-Klops, so I figured I'd take a look at him. How cool is it that we're getting so much product from that era? Remember when Mattel couldn't say enough that the "Hyper Anime Detail" style was retired? Well, now we're getting figures from both Mattel and Mondo based on that era. I haven't jumped on any of the Mondo figures yet since they're over $100 each for a 1/12th scale figure and it will have to be someone pretty special to get me to jump through their hoops. Maybe Moss Man? I actually reviewed Mattel's MYP/200x Moss Man from this line back in March, but I'm always down for more Moss Man. Ready to take a peek at Tri-Klops? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Count Ironmoon from The Order of the Crimson Moon by Fresh Monkey Fiction & Big Bad Workshop

 

   Today I'm finally starting to check out The Order of the Crimson Moon, the latest collaboration between Fresh Monkey Fiction and Big Bad Workshop. This line shares parts with other Big Bad Workshop lines such as Operation: Monster Force, Soldiers of Fortune, and C.O.P.S. & Crooks but has a unique story set in the 1970s that involves a Transylvanian werewolf cult, the Order of the Crimson Moon. There are heroes mentioned in the story but they haven't been revealed yet. It even seems possible that the story might take place in the same universe as Operation: Monster Force. One of he big selling points of this line, however, is that these guys are somewhat similar to the British Action Force villains by Palitoy. Action Man, released in 1966, was Palitoy's take on the American 12 inch G.I. Joe. After the success of working along with Kenner in releasing smaller scale Star Wars toys in the UK, Palitoy also shrunk Action Man down, releasing the 1/18th scale Action Force toyline in 1982. In 1983 Action Force released an enemy faction, first known as just the Enemy but later referred to as the Red Shadows, and the leader was Baron Ironblood. So.. who is Count Ironmoon? Well, he's awfully similar to Baron Ironblood, though he has a different head and headgear. A head and headgear that's quite similar to another vintage Action Force figure, the Black Major. I'll get to that in a minute, though. This guy is both a fantastic homage to a vintage Action Force design and a rather unique looking villain who mixes the style of a fascist dictator with a James Bond villain. Ready to check out a new villain for your 1/12th scale heroes to fight? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Mekaneck from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

   Today I'm checking out another figure from Mattel's "Core" Masters of the Universe movie line: Mekaneck, the Heroic Human Periscope. Like with my review of the Skel-Knight last week, I'm planning on talking about this figure, sure, but I'm also planning to talk about the move a bit. If you haven't seen Masters of the Universe yet, I'd definitely encourage you to go. I really enjoyed the movie and had an amazing time watching it. I plan to see it again sometime this week. I mean, it's not perfect, but I don't think there is any way to make a MOTU film that every fan would 100% be behind that would also appeal to a mass audience. I'm not going to get into too many spoilers and I'm not touching anything from the end-credits and stinger yet, but I will talk a bit about some of the stuff in the film like the combat, the naming of the characters, and Mekaneck himself. This figure of Mekaneck is part of the kid-focused toyline and you can find him on store shelves or from e-tailers for around $10-$12 dollars. That's pretty affordable for a decently articulated action figure these days. Ready to take a peak at what's going with Mekaneck? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Balrog from Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Back near the end of April or early May the two newest World Warriors from Jadas Toys' Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers arrived on my doorstep: Balrog and E. Honda. I'm going to kick things off with Balrog, the last of the four original "Bosses" from Street Fighter II. Balrog is probably my least favorite character to play as in the classic games since he only throws punches but he's a character whose design I really like. Modeled after Mike Tyson and called M. Bison in the original Japanese game), he ended up getting renamed to Balrog to prevent any lawsuits for the American release of the game. There actually was a character named Mike in the original Street Fighter who was also a boxer modeled after Tyson, but he and Balrog are apparently different guys. Balrog is packaged in a larger box like other deluxe figures such as Blanka and Sagat but he doesn't feel quite as large as those guys. Blanka is far wider and Sagat is much taller. He's still bigger than your average figure, such as Ryu, but but not by much. Ready to check out this boxer who is ready to go head to head against your other World Warriors and Gandalf the Grey? Then join me after the break...