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...

Action Figure Review: Marrow from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

   I'm going to go ahead and throw out another Marvel Legends Series review from the most recent X-Men series: Let's check out Marrow! What's Marrow's power? In addition to enhanced healing and constitution, Marrow can grow and enhance her skeletal structure, even creating weapons out of her bones. Crazy! Marrow has been a pretty common part of the mutant side of the Marvel Universe since her first appearance in 1994, though she might be most well known as a playable character in 2000's "Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes." Hasbro looks like they're going to start releasing a lot of the Marvel characters from those games starting this year (and Jada's Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers figures are a perfect fit) and they've made sure that Marrow is absolutely based off of her appearance in that game. Marrow's never had a Marvel Legends figure before; in fact, it's been 30 years since she had an action figure in Toy Biz's X-Men: Generation X line. She's a very welcome addition to the collection! Let's check out Marrow after the break...

Action Figure Review: Gambit (Age of Apocalypse) from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

   The most recent series of X-Men Marvel Legends Series figures has been a really interesting mix of characters from different teams and eras. You've got four A-list big guns (Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, and Nightcrawler) from different teams and eras (X-Treme X-Men, X-Factor, Age of Apocalypse, and X-Force), and three 90's era creations who haven't had Legends releases before (Marrow, Husk, and Fabian Cortez). It's a real potpourri! Age of Apocalypse Gambit was a really nice surprise for this series as whole the Age of Apocalypse storyline is quite well loved by many, the two series of Marvel Legends figures based on it didn't seem to sell as quickly as most mutant focused series and thus ended up easily found on clearance at GameStop, Target, and Ollie's. They look great together and I'd love to see Hasbro continue to add to them little by little. Gambit is an excellent addition and is always a hit, right? We've also rarely had Gambit figures in any outfit other than his classic trench coat wearing look. Ready to check out the AoA Gambit? Then join me after the break...