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

 

   The wave of the Classified Series gives us yet another 1986 figure and another Dreadnok: Make way for Zandar, a Dreadnok who is supposed to be such a master of camouflage and blending in that folks just tend to forget he's there. Honestly, that's a bit how I always felt about Zandar, at least as a kid. Back then I didn't know what to do with him. Not getting into G.I. Joe until late 1986 or early 1987, I never had Zartan or the early Dreadnoks and I never really had a huge use for them until later figures started coming out like Road Pig and Gnawgahyde who just kind of mixed in with my general Cobra figures. Zandar just always seemed odd to me and was definitely one of my least favorite figures. While he and Zarana always get brought up because people love Dreadnoks and they have a connection to Zartan, oddly enough Zandar only ever had two figures prior to this release: The 1986 vintage and the 2011 figure from the 30th Anniversary era Dreadnoks Battle Set. Like Zarana (and most other Dreadnoks in the Classified Series), this dude is pretty awesome and might be the stand out figure in this series for me (I don't have Dial-Tone yet, so we'll have to see). The Classified Series version just hits different than the prior figures of Zandar. Ready to check out Zandar? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Panthor from Masterverse: Masters of the Universe New Eternia by Mattel

 

   Just a couple weeks ago Mattel offered up a New Eternia version of Panthor on Mattel Creations and I decided to go ahead and snag him. I have a ton of different Battle Cat items, but Panthor doesn't always get the love that good ol' Cringer does. The Masterverse Battlecat (from Masters of the Universe: Revelation) was released in the summer of 2021, so it took almost 4 years between getting a Masterverse Battle Cat and the Masterverse Panthor. Like you might have guessed, there is some parts of this figure shared with Battle Cat but Mattel did give Panthor new paws, a new head, and all new armor and accessories. There really is a lot unique here. Panthor isn't flocked, but he does have an incredible metallic sheen to him. For the same price as Battle Cat in 2021 (and coming with a bit more stuff) this guy is definitely worth checking out (he is still on sale as of my writing this). Ready to ride with Panthor? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: S.A.W.-Viper (Semi-Automatic Weapon) from G.I. Joe: Classified Series by Hasbro

 

   It's time for another G.I. Joe: Classified Series review and this time we get another Cobra trooper: The S.A.W.-Viper (Semi-Automatic Weapon). A 1990 original, the S.A.W.-Viper is infamous for both the massive weapon included with the figure (it was at least as long as the figure is tall) and because of its connection to the S.A.W.-Viper named Robert Skelton, a S.A.W.-Viper from the Marvel Comics series who executed Doc, Thunder, Crankcase, and Heavy Metal (and later became the character Overkill). The S.A.W.-Viper is overall quite nicely updated here, though Hasbro has retained the mistake of the vintage line in asserting that S.A.W. stands for "Semi-Automatic Weapon" instead of "Squad Automatic Weapon." Unless referring to the fact that this guy comes with an autoloader, or automatic, pistol, this was surely a goof as he clearly is using a light machine gun of some sort (or maybe a medium or general purpose machine gun), which would be classified as a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). Semantics aside, this guy is pretty cool though I do have a few issues. Ready to check him out? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Princess Leia Organa (A New Hope) from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase IV by Hasbro

 

   Just last week I reviewed the new Star Wars: The Black Series version of Luke Skywalker in his classic A New Hope/ farm boy outfit and today I'm checking out the other half of the Skywalker twins: Princess Leia Organa. Like with Luke, the Hasbro Black Series Phase III version of Leia was also released in 2016, utilized soft goods, and hasn't aged well. In fact, it wasn't all that good to begin with. Like with my Phase III Tatooine Luke, I sold that Leia sometime last year as soon as I hear this one was coming. I only purchased two Black Series figures last year, but these two are two iconic and I want the best versions of the classic Original Trilogy characters from each film on my shelf (now we need an updated A New Hope Han!). I actually found Luke at retail but I ordered Princess Leia. I've since seen them both at a couple different GameStop locations, so they're out there for the hunting. I was just looking at my previous review and realized that I published it just 24 days before the passing of Carrie Fisher in late December of 2016. It's crazy to think about that. Since then, Hasbro's Princess Leia figures have really improved as they've been using the face printing technique since then. I'm shocked it's taken eight years to fully revisit this version of Leia (they did offer a repaint of the 2016 figure with the face printing for the 40th anniversary). Ready to check out this much improved version of Princess Leia Organa? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Night Ops Senshi from Action Force by Valaverse

 

   Action Force has been one of my favorite action figure lines for the past few years and I'm excited to start 2025 off with a very cool release: Night Ops Senshi. While the standard Senshi figure was a regular release, I held out for this incredibly cool Night Ops version that is exclusive to Big Bad Toy Store. While it was always cool to get martial arts themed figures in G.I. Joe, so often they seemed impractical as they were running around without shirts or shoes, not even carrying a firearm for when things got really nasty. Senshi doesn't have that issue, though. He's wearing a mixture of regular modern combat gear with some samurai themed armor over the top. He's carrying a katana, sure, but he also has a pistol and a submachinegun. Senshi reminds me of what Budo from G.I. Joe could look like in the Classified Series if he was released and not just a straight up redo of the vintage figure. Ready to check out Senshi? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Dark Avengers Warbird from Marvel Legends Series: Dark Avengers by Hasbro

 

   Just a week or so ago Hasbro Pulse delivered my Dark Avengers Warbird figure right to my door. So, boom, here's my first new Marvel Legends Series figure of 2025. I'm only just passingly familiar with the Dark Avengers, so who is this? The packaging and everything I'm reading says this is the supervillain Moonstone disguised as Carol Danvers, AKA Ms. Marvel. Not sure why they're calling her Warbird here unless Disney/ Marvel doesn't want anyone to use that name except for Kamala Khan, but you know what? I'm going to call her Ms. Marvel. In fact, I'm just straight up using this figure as a classic Ms. Marvel. It's pretty much exactly her second costume (the first had a big cutout and showed off her stomach). Whether you're wanting to build a Dark Avengers team (which Hasbro does seem to be working towards) or you want a classic Carol Danvers, this figure should have you covered. I loved last year's Warbird Carol, so it's nice to get another version of her so soon. By the way, is anyone else just baffled that Hasbro hasn't released a proper comic version of Carol as Captain Marvel since 2015? I have most of the Brie Larson ones, and they're pretty solid, but I want an updated comic version of Captain Marvel, too. She's like the only major Marvel MCU hero who hasn't received an updated comic version of their main look in the past 5 years. Let's check this one out after the break...

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

 

   Today I'm starting to look at the newest series of G.I. Joe: Classified Series figures from the most recent series to ship and I'm kicking things off with Leatherneck. Leatherneck was a 1986 release in the vintage line and thus was one of the figures I had when I was quite young. General Hawk v2 was my first figure and Sci-Fi was my second, so I either started collecting at the end of 1986 when these guys had been on shelves a bit or in early 1987 before that year's line shipped (I think Hasbro kept the figures in circulation for about 2 years before discontinuing them). Interestingly, three of the four figures from the newest series of releases are based on 1986 releases: Leatherneck, Dial-Tone, and Zandar. (The S.A.W. Viper was a 1990 release, though I was still collecting Joes by then, too.) On Leatherneck's vintage file card there was always a line that stuck out to me: "He is uncouth, opinionated and overbearing. And he has no patience at all with the indecisive, the lazy and the dishonest. Not a man you can like, but one you can trust." 
   That always has stood out to me as some excellent characterization. Leatherneck isn't really a likeable guy at all but he's a darn fine Marine. Interestingly, the vintage figure looks like it could have easily been a Gung-Ho version 2 at first (there are quite a few figures like that in 1986- Sci-Fi as Flash, Wet-Suit as Torpedo), but it's clear that by the time the figure was created he was a very different character from Gung-Ho despite them being both highly decorated Marines. The Joe team was expanding and needed more than one medic, more than one Marine, more than one SEAL, etc. Ready to check out Leatherneck? Then join me after the break...