Statue Review: Deadpool (The New Mutants #98) from Marvel by McFarlane Toys

 

   It was quite a surprise a few months back when McFarlane Toys announced they would be releasing a series of 1/6th and 1/10th scale Marvel statues and while I initially thought they would be something pretty easy to pass up for me, I did change my mind when I saw this statue of Deadpool on the shelf at GameStop. I've always loved the look of Deadpool and loved my Toy Biz Deadpool as a kid, so seeing this statue based on Wade Wilson's first appearance from the cover of The New Mutants #98 by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, I was quite intrigued. McFarlane isn't putting out "high end" statues; this guy cost me a little under $30 dollars with my GameStop pro discount and is more like a "staction" figure than a statue made from a fragile material. Is there a market for these? The first series is all heavy hitters (a 1/6th scale Captain America and Spider-Man and 1/10th scale Deadpool, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Spidey) and they're all quite affordable, so that ought to help move these. With Deadpool and Wolverine being the hottest of hits right now, let's give Deadpool a bit of a tribute and check out a statue based on his first appearance. Join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: M. Bison from Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Today I'm checking out the third figure from the second series of Jada Toys' Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers figures: M. Bison! Originally known as Vega in Japan (a fact I didn't know until I was in Middle or High School and bought a copy of Street Fighter 2: The New Champions that had the bosses with their original Japanese names), M. Bison is the major villain of the Street Fighter universe and has recently returned to the series in Street Fighter 6. This figure is based on the classic depictions of the character, though. Well, at least the classic video game depictions, as Raúl Juliá's portrayal of Bison in the 1994 film is the true classic depiction of Bison and definitely the best part of film (with Ming-Na Wen as Chun-Li being the second best part of the film). This figure captures the buffer video game version, though, and does a fine job of it. Ready to check out M. Bison from Jada Toys? Then join me after the break...

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

 

   Jada Toys' Ultra Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers is the Street Fighter toyline I've always wanted. The figures are incredibly well articulated, come with great accessories, the character selection is wonderful, and they're quite affordable. I'm amazed that Jada Toys showed off the complete cast of 16 characters from the Street Fighter 2 era at SDCC 2024 and have started teasing some other characters, too. I mean, how companies would you expect to launch a series with 16 core characters and show them all ready for release in less than a year after the line has started. Usually companies like to drag their feet and not reveal the full main cast until later in the line. God bless you, Jada! You know what we want! Today I'm checking out another of the series 2 figures: Dhalsim, the Yoga mystic from India who can stretch his body beyond belief. Let's take a look at Dhalsim, a guy that loves meditation and curry, after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Penguin (DC Classic) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Today I'm checking out another DC Multiverse figure from McFarlane Toys. I'm going to be reviewing quite a few of these in the days ahead because, oh my gosh, the Toddfather is dropping DC figures left and right. Specifically Batman stuff, which is mainly what I collect with DC. The Penguin is part of the same "McFarlane Collector Edition" subset as Starfire (who I reviewed a few weeks back), and thus he comes in at a higher price point. I'm still not sure how I feel about these "Collector Editions" since most of them don't really feel any more deluxe than a standard figure. Still, I like the character selection of many of them and have thus far picked up Abyss, Bat-Manga Batman, and the aforementioned Starfire, who was gifted to me by a kind reader. There's a Platinum edition of the Penguin available as well based on the classic Kenner Super Powers or Toy Biz DC Comics Super Heroes paint scheme (I had the Toy Biz figure as a kid), but I haven't found him yet. There have been any Penguin figures over the years and I own quite a few (though I haven't reviewed many for some reason). This guy strikes a nice middle ground between looking like a standard gangster (think Gotham or The Batman) and looking like a complete monster (think Batman Returns or Dark Victory). He really looks like a classic licensing art version of Oswald Cobblepot, just given some more realistic features. Ready for a stop at the Iceberg Lounge? Then join me after the break...

🔥Hot Toy Summer!🔥 Flareon from An Afternoon with Eevee & Friends by Funko

 

   

We've got another installment of 🔥Hot Toy Summer!🔥 today and this time we're checking out the hottest of them all: Flareon! Flareon is a fire type Pokémon with an average body temperature of between 1,300 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit who can exhale fire at around 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes! That's insane. If you're a regular reader, you probably know that my daughter Adora is obsessed with Eevee and all of the Eeveelutions, so this is a piece from her collection. Flareon is part of a Funko set of Eeveelutions called My Afternoon with Eevee & Friends. This figure was released in 2020 and is part of a set of nine mini-statues that can all be displayed next to each other to form one scene. Adora received a number of pieces from this set as Christmas presents last year and when I was looking for another toy to celebrate the heat of summer, Flareon jumped out at me. Since she's been quite little, my daughter has insisted that all of her Eevees and Eeveelutions are girls except for Umbreons (who are boys), so let's check out another lady who is out enjoying the summer heat after the break...

Action Figure Review: Zabu from Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro

 

   Has it really been over 2 months since I reviewed Ka-Zar from this series? Apparently. I haven't reviewed all of the figures in this series, only Ka-Zar and Wolfsbane, because three of them I sold off as soon as I could (Red Widow, Ikaris, and Black Winter) and Cable I just didn't get around to reviewing. I had to check out Zabu, though. I actually owned the 2008 Zabu from the SDCC 2008 Savage Land boxed set, but that was because the figure reused the body from the G.I. Joe Sigma 6/ Adventure Team Tiger that came with Storm Shadow. I sold him sometime last year, though, before this set was announced, as I had a strong inclination that Hasbro was going to revisit this guy soon. I was right! Zabu is the Build-a-Figure for the most recent series and a part of him came with each figure in the series except for Super Iron Man. This guy is the perfect companion to Ka-Zar (and hopefully we'll get Shanna the She-Devil soon, too), so let's check him out after the break...

🔥 Hot Toy Summer!🔥 Dreadnok Torch from G.I. Classified Series by Hasbro

   It's back to being incredibly hot and humid in southeastern US and that means it's time for another installment of 🔥Hot Toy Summer!🔥 This month I'm looking at some characters with fire based powers, fire based gimmicks, or characters who are literally on fire! Today I'm checking Torch, another member of the Dreadnoks and the guy most known for using fire as a weapon. In 1985 Zartan got three Dreadnoks to help him out, Buzzer, Ripper, and Torch, so these guys get a lot of love for being the first Dreadnok gang members. I've had this guy for well over a month now and I'm still not sure which of the Classified Series Dreadnoks from 1985 that I prefer; it's either Torch or Ripper. Ready to check out an Aussie with a penchant for fire? Then join me after the break...