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

 

   I haven't had a new G.I. Joe: Classified Series figure to review since March, so I'm really excited that I have quite a few figures in line for the coming month. Today I'm checking out Heavy Duty, a 1991 release who Hasbro really took a shine too. Heavy Duty became a prominent part of the early 2000s lines like G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra, Spy Troops, and Valor Vs. Venom, was one of the main team members of Sigma 6, and appeared in the 2009 live action film G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. He was also revealed to be Roadblock's cousin in some of the animated productions like Renegades. I still have my vintage Heavy Duty and I loved him as a kid. My dad managed K-Mart stores for decades when I was a kid and I remember getting him at one of my dad's stores. I think I might have done something or helped at the store in some way (maybe a fundraising event where employees could bring their kids?) and was rewarded with a gift certificate or something similar or was given the option of picking from some toys preselected for us to pick from. I've had a number of other Heavy Duty figures over the years, especially from the Sigma 6 line, but this guy takes most everything great about the vintage figure and dials it up. Ready to check out Heavy Duty? Then join me after the break...

Statue Review: Roronoa Zoro from One Piece: Battle Record Collection by Bandai/ Banpresto/ Bandai Namco

 

  How about another One Piece review? Back in March I reviewed Nami in her outfit from the Egghead arc so today I decided to finally check out Roronoa Zoro in his cool SSG gear, too. I'm not at Egghead yet (I'm just in the early episodes of Water 7, so in the low 230s) but I absolutely love these cool outfits. I have a number of these Bandai plastic statues of the characters geared up, though some are from The Grandline Series, so they're in a more neutral standing position rather than all posed for battle like the Battle Record Collection statues. Ready to check out Roronoa Zoro, the man who wants to become the greatest swordsman in the world? Then join me after the break...

(That means that if you're reading this from the home page, just click the link to read the rest of the review. We don't want anyone getting lost! IYKYK)

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

 

   Ready for something pretty new? How about we check out Blanka, the battling beast from Brazil! I loved Blanka as a kid. He jut looked cool, his moves weren't too difficult to pull off, and you could spam his Electric Thunder move pretty easily. I never was all that good at Street Fighter so I definitely enjoyed characters who had moves that looked cool and used one button: E. Honda's Hundred Hand Slap, Chun-Li's lightning leg, and Blanka's Electric Thunder. The movie took some liberties with Blanka (well, everything, really) but at least they let him be green with orange hair. Oddly enough, though, the commercials for various Street Fighter II toys featured better looking Blankas. Blanka released alongside Sagat (who I also have, review coming soon) as one of the first two deluxe Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers figure. And they're definitely deluxe feeling, being noticeably larger than the other figures! I picked mine up from BBTS where I had a preorder dating back to when they were originally listed for $30. They changed to $35 at some point to do tariffs and such, but BBTS honored the preorder price for those who jumped in early. Nice! Let's check out Blanka, the most electrifying man in street fighting, after the break...

Action Figure Review: Adam Strange (Strange Adventures) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   I haven't read Tom King's 2021 Strange Adventures book that this figure is based on, but that's not a huge deal: This is legitimately just a pretty good classic take on Adam Strange. Sure, there might be a couple minor differences between this costume and Adam Strange's classic look, but I think they're pretty minimal. I really do love the unusual DC characters that seem to exist outside of the heroes and allies of the mainstream Justice League members and I think McFarlane Toys really has done a pretty incredible job of adding characters like to the DC Multiverse line. I'm also just a fan of the retro space aesthetic, so I'd dig this guy just on his own. Put him with your NECA Defenders of the Earth/ Flash Gordon figures or have him hang out with the Four Horsemen's Cosmic Legions. He's just an all around excellent space man! Adam Strange is one of the McFarlane Collector Edition figures, so he's a bit more expensive but comes with more extras than your average DC Multiverse figure. Let's check out Adam Strange after the break...

Toy Review: Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Interceptor (Armada Edition) from Star Wars: Micro Galaxy Squadron by Jazwares

 

   

   Jazwares seems to put out new models quite frequently, but they also tend to release quite a few repaints/ retools and rereleases. In 2024 they began releasing most straight repacks of popular vehicles with the designation "Armada Edition" on the package and an "A" at the end of the numerical designation. Now, if you see Armada Editions in stores, you'll know what they are. Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Interceptor is a Light Armor Class release and originally came out in 2023, though it's just received an Armada Edition release this year as part of series 8. This is Anakin's yellow Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor and the one that he flew at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith during the Battle of Coruscant. That's where it was destroyed, too. Ready to check out another cool mini ship for your fleet? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Fei Long (Deluxe Player 2 Exclusive) from Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Oddly enough, the only figure from series 1 of Jada Toys' Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers line I reviewed was Chun-Li. I must have gotten overwhelmed with new releases or something, so I never had the chance to review Ryu, the deluxe Evil Ryu, and Fei Long. That means that my review of the recently released Fei Long (Deluxe Player 2 Exclusive) should be a bit more exciting. This guy was a WonderCon exclusive who was also available on Jada Toys' website. Since Walmart and GameStop have started carrying this line, it's become a lot easier to find the older figures, particularly Fei Long and Chun-Li. The standard Fei Long is wearing his black pants while this Player 2 version is sporting purple. I hate to say it, but Fei Long's palette swap just isn't as exciting as most other palette swaps. I kind of wish Jada had given him the Bruce Lee inspired Tang suit that Fei Long sometimes wears in some artwork and in the pre and post-fight images. Still, there are a few cool extras here and the figure is better than the original release. Ready to check out Fei Long? Then join me after the break...

Toy Review: Tydirium Shuttle from Star Wars: Micro Galaxy Squadron by Jazwares

 

   My review of the Star Wars: Micro Galaxy Squadron Slave I/ Boba Fett's Starship seems to be quite popular so I've got another one line dup for you: The Tydirium shuttle. Tydirium is the Lambda-class T-4A shuttle (usually just referred to as an Imperial Shuttle) that Han Solo's team of Rebels used to land on Endor in order to knock out the shield generator for the second Death Star. It's a very cool looking ship and definitely a fan favorite. Jazwares released a previous version of an Imperial Shuttle in 2023 that is Palpatine's (the Emperor cruises around in one of these bad boys, too) and comes with some Imperial Forces as well as a throne in the back for Sheev to sit in. This one is specifically the stolen Rebel version, though, and comes with part of the Rebel Strike force. I've never owned any Kenner or Hasbro versions of this vehicle though I do still have a few Micro Machines versions of it along with the Action Fleet Imperial Shuttle from the Series Alpha line. This one is much larger and more accurate, though. Ready to check out the Tydirium Shuttle? Then join me after the break...