Action Figure Review: Michael Myers (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers) from Halloween by NECA

 

   

   I'm back! Sorry for another slow week or so, everyone, but my wife and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary last week and we took the chance to get away for a few days. I also wanted to rewatch Halloween: the Curse of Michael Myers before reviewing this one and I got the chance to the night before last.

   I was really surprised when this Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers figure went up for preorder on Target.com during the Haulathon event this year. I was even more surprised when it shipped rather quickly. I've long hoped that NECA would start releasing Michael Myers figures from other Halloween films and this one is a nice start. NECA has covered Michael from the classic film and the Rob Zombie series years ago, and Halloween 2, and the Halloween 2018 films over the past 6 or 7 years, so it's cool to get one of the 90s films. While Michael Myers doesn't change his look up much, there are costume and mask differences and lots of new weapons and such here. Personally, I enjoy Halloween VI and really liked where it was going. I love the concept of Michael Myers as just an inexplicably evil guy with no backstory for his violence like we see in the original film and the 2018 series, sure, but I'm also intrigued by the Curse of Thorn and the roots to the darker side of Halloween/ Samhain that Halloween II hints at. The Curse of Michael Myers is a mess of a film at times, sure, but it has some great scenes and a great atmosphere, too (though the soundtrack is definitely weak compared to most other entries, in my opinion). Ready to check out a cool take on Michael Myers that I don't think we've seen in toy form before? Then join me after the break...

(Note: I've stopped referring to every NECA figure as "Ultimate Blank." It makes listing them in the archives annoying and it just seems unnecessary. I'm dropping it for my reviews.)

Action Figure Review: Creature from the Black Lagoon (Monsters of the Silver Screen) from Universal Monsters ReAction by Super7

 

   
   One of the things I really appreciate about my parents is that they've always been incredibly supportive of my hobby. They also love to drive around and go shopping in different areas, so pretty frequently I'll get a call or text from my dad about something he's found that looks new to him. Just a couple weeks ago he called me as he and my mom were at a Walmart and they found some new blind boxed Super7 Universal Monsters ReAction figures. That was a surprise to me as I hadn't heard about this set nor could I find any information about them online at the time. This is a new set of blind boxed Universal Monsters ReAction figures titled "Monsters of the Silver Screen." Why's that? Because they're in a grayscale, which is a very popular alternate color scheme for the Universal crew since, you know, the original films are mostly in black and white. My parents picked up two boxes, but guess what? Both were the Creature! I ended up giving my extra to the cousin of my daughter's best friend, a kid who is definitely at the right age to enjoy the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The other one? He's going into my collection, of course. Ready to check out the Creature, the illustrious star of the silver screen? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: She-Ra & Kowl #1800 from POP! Animation: She-Ra: Princess of Power by Funko

 

   It's an interesting and pretty exciting time to be a Masters of the Universe fan! While I've grown a bit bored with Masters of the Universe Origins, I'm still really liking Masterverse. I'm also getting pretty pumped for the upcoming movie, something that seemed like it would never actually happen. Lots of interesting stuff going on right now, really. 2025 is also the 40th Anniversary of She-Ra: Princess of Power, so Funko has released a set of characters from the classic Filmation animated series. I haven't picked any of the others up yet but I definitely grabbed She-Ra & Kowl #1800, a cool set with not just a great new She-Ra POP! vinyl but also a Kowl mini companion. Let's spend some time celebrating She-Ra and the wonderful world of Etheria after the break...

Action Figure Review: Monkey D. Luffy (Romance Dawn) Gum-Gum Option Parts Set from S.H. Figuarts: One Piece by Bandai

 

   Interested in some more One Piece stuff? I hope so because I've got a few coming up in the days and weeks ahead. In my watch through of the series I'm currently near the end of the Skypeia arc, so I'm absolutely right in the midst of Monkey D. Luffy using his abilities as a "rubber man" against Eneru. Rubber versus lightning? Very useful! Bandai has released a couple different Luffy figures in S.H Figuarts, the most recent ones being a Gear5 Luffy, Luffy from The Raid on Onigashima, and the classic Romance Dawn Luffy. I have both the Raid on Onigashima Luffy and the Romance Dawn Luffy, though I never got around to reviewing him. They're both great figures, though, but they were a bit light on accessories. Bandai does seem to have a sales tactic of selling the main character for a much lower price than the rest of the figures in the series (you can find the basic Luffy's for $35 dollars easily) while everyone else is priced a good bit higher. As I mentioned, the basic Luffys don't come with a ton of accessories, which is why Bandai has recently released this Gum-Gum Options Parts Set. It's an accessory pack with lots of goodies for the Romance Dawn Luffy: A new faceplate, a new hat, bendy arms and legs, a display stand, and a Gum-Gum Gatling Gun effect. If you're a big fan of the character and really like the Romance Dawn Luffy figure, this is a pretty fun set to add a lot of life to the figure. These just started shipping last month and some places stateside haven't shipper theirs yet, so it's pretty new. Ready to check this out? Then let's Gum-Gum Rocket our way into the review...

Action Figure Review: Nemesis (Genocide) from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

   After reviewing all six figures needed to build this figure over the past month or so, I'm finally ready to take a look at the figure Hasbro is calling Nemesis. I've been mistakenly calling him Holocaust in my other reviews, but that's not really correct. Holocaust is a son of Apocalypse from the Age of Apocalypse timeline who Hasbro (and Toy Biz) have called Nemesis before due to considering the name Holocaust to be too specific and offensive for a toy. Hasbro did release a Build-a-Figure of Holocaust called Nemesis in 2007 as part of a Walmart exclusive series (I still have the Camo Punisher from that series), but this figure, who they're also calling Nemesis, seems to be based on Genocide. Genocide is a newer character (first appearance 2011) who is also a son of Apocalypse and Famine (Autumn Rolfson), but from Earth-616. Genocide, AKA William Rolfson, can create energy bursts that are as hot as the son, generate radioactive plasma bursts, and cook every Hot Pocket in the frozen foods aisle with a snap of his fingers. The suit he's wearing keeps his powers in check, though. There's not much cooler than a flaming skeleton in a spacesuit, so this BAF is proving to be a pretty popular commodity. Let's check out Nemesis/ Genocide after the break...

Action Figure Review: Nightcrawler (X-Force) from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

*BAMF*

   Look who has showed up! It's Nightcrawler! Another heavy hitter in this series of figures, Nightcrawler is a beloved mutant and not only a member of Uncanny X-Force here but also another Age of Apocalypse figure, technically. Yes, this is the Age of Apocalypse version of Nightcrawler/ Kurt Darkholme who eventually showed up in the Uncanny X-Force. I'm not 100% familiar with this guy at all as I'm not real up to date on more modern X-books, but I do love mutants so I'm thrilled to assemble an X-Force team of these mutants in their cool black and grey costumes. Ready to check this guy out? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Dr. Jack Griffin (Kemp House) from Universal Monsters/ Classic Monsters by NECA

 

   It's been a bit since I've reviewed a Universal Monsters item, so I'm glad I recently found the newest figure from NECA's Universal Monsters/ Classic Monsters line: Dr. Jack Griffin in his suave pajamas and robe look from when he visits his research partner, Kemp. 1933 The Invisible Man is my second favorite film from the classic Universal horror films and I'm always excited to get another take on the Invisible Man. Despite it not being how he first appears in the film, the pajamas and robe look does seem to be the more iconic of the Invisible Man's robes, doesn't it? I'm really glad that NECA is still putting out Universal Monsters figures, though I'd still love them to go deeper into the Universal catalog. For now, though, let's enjoy this incredible figure of Dr. Jack Griffin. More after the break...