[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: Not to have a fangasm or anything, but I really freaking love this Spider-Man figure. The Future Foundation costume grew on me, and this figure is the absolute best representation of the costume on any merchandise yet. The paint deco on this Spider-Man is spectacularly well-done, and the articulation is some of the best ever on a Spider-Man figure. I can’t in good conscience give this figure a full ‘A’, as the pre-posed web-shooting hand bothers me, as does the high price for a figure with zero accessories, and the fact that he’s unjustly a limited variant. Even so, this is easily my favorite Marvel figure in any size that I’ve purchased so far this year, and he definitely receives a high recommendation.

GRADE: A-

Yesterday I started off my Marvel Legends Series 2 Reviews with one of the most high-profile entries in the new Marvel Legends line, Future Foundation Spider-Man, and today I’m moving on to one of the most obscure choices: the modern re-imagining of Drax the Destroyer. Drax is a character who’s been dead for several years after being featured in the low-selling (but beloved) Guardians of the Galaxy series, a part of the now-abandoned cosmic section of the Marvel Universe, and is best known for temporarily managing to kill Thanos, a much more popular character who still doesn’t have his own Marvel Legends figure. To say that Drax’s inclusion in the second series of Marvel Legends is strange would be an understatement. While an incredible action figure can sometimes make people take notice of a previously unfamiliar character, I don’t think this figure is quite at the level where Drax’s popularity is going to ignite because of it…

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

The Right:

I never thought I’d be reviewing a Drax the Destroyer figure, and I certainly didn’t foresee that I’d be reviewing two of them within a year of each other. The Marvel Universe 4″ Drax I reviewed in last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy team set was one of my surprise favorite Marvel Universe figures last year, so I was intrigued by the possibilities when he was announced for Marvel Legends Series 2. One of the aspects of the Marvel Universe line that makes it so endearing to me is the ridiculously wide hemisphere of characters it releases, so I’m pleased and impressed to see Marvel Legends taking a page out of the Marvel Universe playbook and releasing a relatively obscure character.

Drax’s all-new head sculpt makes him look more like a hardass killer than he does a superhero, but given his character I doubt Drax would argue with that assessment. Drax also has a sculpted knife strapped onto his forearm, which adds to the depiction of Drax as a deadly warrior.

The paints used on Drax are all neat and clean, and I couldn’t find any slop or uneven lines on him anywhere to complain about. The tattoos add a lot of intricacy and color to what would otherwise be a very drab figure. I’m not overly thrilled with the paint wash used on his upper-body, although some might really like that it makes Drax’s skin appear darker and more realistic than that of his Marvel Universe figure.

While not quite up to the level of Future Foundation Spider-Man, Drax still features the Marvel Legends signature abundance of articulation. Drax has 26 points,including a ball-jointed head, hinge neck, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel biceps, double-jointed elbows, swivel forearms, upper torso ab crunch, swivel waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, double-jointed knees, and double-jointed ankles.

Like his Marvel Universe counterpart, Marvel Legends Drax includes two weapons: a pair of lethal-looking twin knives that can be stored in the holsters on the back of his belt. Drax’s hands have been sculpted to hold the knives tightly and securely, and I had no problems at all posing Drax slaughtering alien menaces and supervillains with them.

Drax also has a couple of bonus items that come with him related to Series 2′s Build-A-Figure, Arnim Zola. Drax contains the left leg piece of Arnim Zola. I’ll talk about these pieces in-depth when I review Arnim Zola.. In addition, Drax comes with a unique fold-out piece of paper with a “Tale of Arnim Zola” featuring Deadpool on one side (instructing collectors on what comic they can read to continue the story), and a checklist/diagram for how to build Arnim Zola on the reverse side. I actually rather enjoyed the recap of the Deadpool & Bob (Agent of Hydra) vs. Arnim Zola storyline, and I wouldn’t mind hunting down the particular issue summarized on the insert, as it’s wackiness is about at the level that I most enjoy. These inserts are no replacement for the full comic books that Hasbro Marvel Legends included, but they add an air of importance to the BAF and are still worlds better than the awful “collectible comic shots” Marvel Universe figures are including in 2012.

Finally, the generic packaging blurb. I’ll be brief: I love the 2012 Marvel Legends packaging. It’s bright, vibrant, and character-specific. The huge artwork on the front and back of the card depicting the character you’re buying is engaging and a real treat to look at, and it’s a shame you have to utterly destroy the packaging to get at the figure inside. The only thing I’d like to see improved is slightly more text about the characters on the cardbacks, as characters like Drax are obscure enough that anyone who doesn’t read some of the lowest-selling Marvel comics may legitimately have no idea who he is. But in general, this is some of the prettiest packaging on the market today and it absolutely blows the Marvel Universe 4″ line’s packaging away.

The Wrong:

The biggest and most obnoxious fault with this Drax figure is his belt. Like the Marvel Universe Drax, the belt is a separate add-on to the figure’s mold. Unlike the Marvel Universe Drax, the engineering for the belt has been done exceptionally poorly. The waist on Drax has been sculpted with a groove for the belt to rest in and be kept in place, but the belt itself was sculpted too large and cannot be forced into the groove by any means. As a result, the belt flops freaking everywhere every time I pick Drax up, and forcing it down onto his waist only succeeds for a few moments. My obsession compulsion cannot deal with this, though I really did try.

Another thing making my OCD-sense tingle is the overall looseness of the joints on Drax. Whereas my Series 1 figures all had tight, well-produced joints, Drax feels like a string doll or something. His head is so loose it’s like a bobblehead, his upper torso ab crunch is constantly rattling back and forth, and his legs sway back and forth by themselves whenever I pick him up. The high quality of the joints that I’ve had throughout the rest of the revived Marvel Legends so far isn’t present in Drax at all.

As far as the body choice itself goes, this Drax is much narrower and less muscular than the Marvel Universe figure. I actually really liked the ‘roided-out appearance of the Marvel Universe figure, so I’m disappointed to see this Drax looking so much less buff and powerful.

Finally, Drax doesn’t have the ankle rockers that some of the other figures in Marvel Legends Series 2 have. This is a legitimate problem here in spite of his double-jointed ankles. His boots are so restricted by the sculpting on Drax’s pants that they can barely be moved much at all, and it makes getting Drax into any kind of dynamic pose a lot harder than it should be.

Overall: Drax is one of the first major letdowns for me in the 2012 Marvel Legends line. While he’s an odd selection for the line, I don’t really mind that since he opens the doors for Rocket Raccoon later on (I hope, I hope). What I can’t get past is that this 6″ figure has pretty much been shown up by his 4″ Marvel Universe counterpart. I liked the body mold used on that Drax a lot more, the paint color appealed more to me, and his joints and belt didn’t flop around uncontrollably. This Marvel Legends Drax is by no means a bad figure, but he’s certainly below average compared to some of the smash hits in the line like Hope Summers and Steve Rogers Super-Soldier. If you really like the modern Drax then this figure is a worthwhile purchase, but with no other Guardians of the Galaxy released or even a Thanos for Drax to fight against, this figure is one of the first in the revived Marvel Legends that you can pass on without missing out on much.

GRADE: C-

Good review. I was really hoping for an old school, skull cap and cape version (or even the one he had for the Thanos Imperative). As much as I like that personality of this version, his visual design is boring. I'm happy with the 4" version and will be skipping adding this to my 6" cosmic shelf.

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: The UNSC Sabre Pilot isn’t going to top anyone’s list of most-wanted action figures of the year or become anyone’s new favorite Halo figure, but he is a solid entry in the Halo Reach line that completists won’t feel bad about having to buy. There are some issues with the hands not being sculpted properly to hold his rifle, and the leg articulation is somewhat stifling, but all-around this is a well-done figure with great sculpting and paint deco. If you’re a hardcore Halo fan the Sabre Pilot is recommended, although this figure is probably not for casual fans or non-gamers.

GRADE: B

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

GRADE: A+

These new marvel legends are pretty sweet, but ouch! I remember going into a walmart and buying marvel legends for $8. That spidey looks good.

Never realized your new years res was to write daily toy reviews. I gotta say good job, I have been seeing most of them and keep it up! So, will your toy review on December 31st 2012 be amazing? Not poking fun, but can;t wait to see.

Thanks for the compliment, MR!

12/31/2012... I really have no idea yet. It takes me about 4 hours total every day to write and format and take photos for each review, so when I'm going away for a couple days (which is often) I'm literally up all night writing reviews beforehand. If I didn't have to go to work it'd be perfect! So as far as the last review of the year goes... I have to survive that long!

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: I’m pissed at Hasbro for the whole debacle with the Transformers Prime First Edition figures, but Wheeljack is a good start for making it up to me. Not that there have been a lot of great Wheeljack figures over the years–there haven’t–but this is easily my favorite toy rendition of the character ever. There are a couple things about the figure that I can nitpick–the missing Autobot logo, the lack of extra detailing on the swords, the out-of-the ordinary articulation–but those all undersell the main point here: this is an outstanding figure and easily up to the quality of the best deluxe-class Transformers. If you can deal with Wheeljack being a little different than you may remember him, then this Transformer is highly recommended and an all-around excellent toy.

GRADE: A

Following up on yesterday’s review of the outstanding Transformers Prime Wheeljack (and my previous reviews of First Edition Arcee, Starscream, and Bumblebee), today I have one of the most anticipated characters in the Prime line: Soundwave. Among the most popular and important Decepticons, Soundwave is always at Megatron’s side and is Megatron’s second-most loyal follower ever (Sorry Soundwave, Animated Lugnut’s zealous loyalty has you beat). Soundwave has had quite a few toys over the years, ranging in quality from the iconic G1 cassette player to the fairly lame Revenge of the Fallen satellite toy. Impressions I’ve heard about this Soundwave had been mixed, but I was hoping for the best. Unfortunately, despite the wicked-cool character design for Transformers Prime Soundwave, I have to contribute another negative review into the fray…

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

The Right:

Soundwave and Laserbeak Transformers Prime Deluxe Revealers 2012 Hasbro ToySoundwave in Transformers Prime is a little different from every other iteration of Soundwave ever in that he doesn’t talk. He just plays voice recordings of others speaking and intercepted transmissions. Think movie Bumblebee, but with a dark twist. It’s a change that’s taken some getting used to, especially since Soundwave’s G1 voice is one of the most well-known and memorable voices in Transformers history.

I’m totally enamored with the Transformers Prime Soundwave character design, which perfectly complements his new demeanor. He’s sleek and futuristic, yet spindly and rather creepy at the same time. Sculpting-wise, this figure does a very solid job of capturing the visual aesthetic of the design. The sculpt for this figure is superb, and I really don’t have anything to complain about with it. In addition, The blue plastic with metallic flakes that Soundwave is molded in has a great appearance up-close that’s very difficult to capture in photos. The plastic adds a bit of texturing that really helps add appeal to what’s otherwise an under-detailed toy.

The one thing that’s really set Soundwave apart from all his Decepticon brethren over the last three decades is his unique ability to deploy an army of smaller minions. In G1 they were just called cassettes, but in Transformers Prime Laserbeak is considered a Minicon. (I love that Transformers Armada’s ‘minicon’ term has become such a major part of Transformers lore, by the way!)

The way that this Soundwave toy deploys Laserbeak is actually really cool and innovative. Laserbeak is stored as part of Soundwave’s chest in robot mode or docked on him in vehicle mode, and can be easily released in either mode. Laserbeak coming out of Soundwave’s chest is a feel-good throwback to G1, and I thought the idea of him being part of Soundwave in both forms was really fun and interesting. (Though my favorite Laserbeak ever is still the Animated one where his alt mode is an electric guitar, but I digress.)

The choice of vehicle mode for Soundwave is inspired. Soundwave turns into an aerial reconnaissance drone this time out, allowing him to spy and relay communications from a safe distance. I love that Soundwave almost always has a passive alt-mode, and this one doesn’t keep him as removed from the action as his satellite mode in Revenge of the Fallen. Laserbeak can dock underneath in this mode or be deployed separately, reminding me a bit of the G2 Dreadwing/Smokescreen combination (but much less purple and teal). The transformation is incredibly quick and easy, and you can switch Soundwave from one mode to another in under a minute with no problems. It’s so easy, even I can do it without cursing up a storm!

Finally, I have to say I really love the packaging for these Transformers Prime toys. The inclusion of the tech specs on the side of the bubble is a treat, and the character-specific cardback artwork is vibrant and eye-catching. The First Edition Deluxe figures had packaging that was acceptable, but this packaging is a whole lot nicer.

The Wrong:

The packaging art for Soundwave looks absolutely incredible. The neon-glowing conduits accent the eery sound wave on his faceplate, and the whole thing just looks glorious. Unfortunately, almost none of those amazing details carry over to this toy. Soundwave’s faceplate has absolutely no detail of any kind painted onto it, leaving his “face” dull and expressionless. Furthermore, only a few of the power conduits on his body have been painted at all, resulting in the figure being overwhelmingly the same color as the plastic. There’s no comparison between the packaging picture of the character. which is visually striking, and the actual toy, which looks drab and boring. I’ve seen deluxe-class Transformers over the last few years with a plethora of details that go far beyond what we get on Soundwave, and the whole toy suffers for not having those extensive details.

Soundwave is undersized in robot mode, which takes away quite a bit of the intimidation factor of the character. Soundwave is a decent size in his alt-mode, but unfortunately he’s a character most people are going to want kept in robot mode. I never got the sense watching the show that Arcee of all bots should tower over Soundwave. This is a case where I would have much rather had a properly-sized robot mode that turned into something undersized instead of the other way around.

The articulation on Soundwave is surprisingly limited and bad. Soundwave’s head is restricted by his backpack and its spring-loaded nature, and you really can’t move it much at all. His actual hands look like they should at least swivel, but they’re not articulated at all. As a result, even though the wings look seamless when fully-extended in vehicle mode, he ends up looking ridiculous because of the immovable hands sticking out of the wings if you extend them in this manner. When the wings aren’t extended all the way, it doesn’t look quite right either. I’m not sure what Hasbro’s intent was here, to be honest.

The loudest complaint about Soundwave, though, has to do with his horrible knee articulation. You can only bend his knees about 60 degrees, which is a huge impediment to getting this figure into all the poses you may desire.

Even Laserbeak disappoints me. While I’m glad that we get him at all, even as a freebie bonus Laserbeak is basically just an indiscernible jumble of parts. When he’s perched on Soundwave’s arm your brain can make out that it’s Laserbeak because your brain associates him with being posed on Soundwave’s arm–but if you found or saw this “figure” anywhere else without already knowing for absolute certain it was supposed to be Laserbeak, you wouldn’t have the slightest clue. If it wasn’t for the positioning of the peg to insert into Soundwave’s arm, I wouldn’t even have a clue which side was his front and which was his rear. I don’t expect Hasbro to give us extra Targetmasters or anything like Takara is doing with these, but seeing as how Soundwave includes no weapons or accessories of any kind besides Laserbeak, I wish Laserbeak was a little nicer.

The Ridiculous:

Some genius at Hasbro made the brilliant deduction that what the world needs is more Bumblebees to throw on top of the mountain of Bumblebees already stacked up in every toy store in America, so Bumblebee is heavy-packed at 3-per-case while Soundwave is packed at just 1-per-case and impossible to find at retail for many collectors. Smooth move, Hasbro.

Overall: I’m sure a lot of people are going to lynch me for this, but I’m not giving this Soundwave a grade that’s anything above average. The robot mode design is undeniably cool and I love the concept of how Laserbeak disengages from Soundwave, but this toy has way too many flaws to earn a higher grade than he does. Soundwave is too small, has no true weapon, is lacking in paint detail, features horrid head and leg/knee articulation, and an awkward wing design in vehicle mode. Laserbeak is a fun add-in, but he’s also an amorphous mess. And the awful distribution plan on Soundwave is the icing on the cake. If this toy was not Soundwave, I honestly don’t believe anyone would be jumping to defend it. I’ve seen Hasbro produce deluxe-level Transformers in the last half a decade that absolutely blow this toy out of the water–Soundwave is just not all that good. Soundwave is an integral character in the Transformers mythos and it doesn’t look like we’re getting another this year, so I expect most Transformers Prime fans to purchase him anyway. But don’t get your hopes up–he’s merely average as a toy, nothing more.

GRADE: C-

Excellent review of Soundwave -- thanks for purchasing it so those of us who had doubts didn't have to! May I suggest, in a friendly way, that you may not want to use the word "lynch" in future reviews? Its associations are altogether too horrible to use it in a fun post about toys.

Best, MyClone

Duly noted! I'd change the wording in that particular post, but it won't let me.

I love toy reviews, so thanks for doing them! Great job!

I bought Wheeljack a few weeks despite being resigned to skip over this line because of the whole FE debacle. I didn't even know they were going to do the side characters, and I figured this one didn't have an FE anyway, so it's not like I was getting an inferior mode. And as your review stated, it's a great toy, I'm glad I didn't pass it up.

So today I went back and saw Soundwave, whom I had skipped on the first time because it looked pretty monochromatic and unimpressive. I had heard that he was harder to get, so I figured I'd pick him up (there were a ton of Bumblebees and Cliffjumpers, but only one each of Soundwave and Wheeljack on the rack). Haven't opened him yet, but my expectations are lowered after your review. I'll still open him, unless there's a bigger one coming out later (and to be honest, the bigger toys in this line, at least Optimus and Megatron, didn't look all that great).

Did you pick up Cliffjumper, or did you pass on him?

There's about a million Cliffjumpers at my Toys R Us for $14.99+tax, but I'm gonna wait until my Target restocks him so I can save a couple dollars. I'll definitely get him, though, since Prime Cliffjumper is voiced by The Rock! I'm such a sucker! Ha!

Great reviews.

Wheeljack and Soundwave are the only ones I've picked up from the line. Wheeljack is great. Nice looking in both modes and a lot of fun to play with. I wish I would have passed on Soundwave. It isn't bad per se. Just not too interesting. The omission of the power conduits makes it look bland. The auto-reveal gimmick on the head renders the articulation useless. I agree that Laserbeak looks like an indiscernible jumble of parts, but I feel that way about the animation model as well.

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: Though he’s not an unorthodox and unique as the near-perfect Elite Ranger, the Elite Zealot is a quality action figure that I only have minor nitpicks with. I’m not excited about the inclusion of another Concussion Rifle, but I can’t deny that the Elite Zealot can hold it perfectly. The deco on this figure definitely looks extraterrestrial and complements the alien-looking insectoid helmet fantastically. It can still be a pain to get this Elite to stand, but I think he makes up for it in sheer visual aesthetic coolness. I’m sad to see the Reach line end, but the Elite Zealot is a sensational action figure for the line to go out on, and is highly recommended for any Halo fan.

GRADE: A-

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: I really did agonize over how to score this figure. The Heroic Age Captain America is an amazingly-designed figure with impeccable paint choices, a plethora of articulation including ankle rockers, well thought-out accessories, and impressive details like his authentic-looking belt. On the flip side, Bucky Captain America (at least mine) has the weakest quality-control in the revived Marvel Legends line, with botched paint and plastic that feels more like a bootleg than a Marvel Legends figure. The design is stellar, but the factory dropped the ball and brought down the final product. Captain America is still recommended, but he could have and should have been near-perfect if tighter quality-control standards were enforced in his production.

GRADE: B

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: The world needs more good Ratchet toys, and I’m thrilled that Hasbro has delivered to us what I consider the best Ratchet ever in this deluxe Transformers Prime toy. Ratchet’s transformation is fast (but not too simplistic), the weapons are really fun, the sculpt looks show-accurate, the alt-mode is satisfactory–hell, I even like the cardback bio for the figure! I think some slightly improved articulation would have perfect this toy, but even with the missing flexibility he’s still outstanding and second only to Wheeljack as my favorite domestically-released Transformers Prime toy so far. This Ratchet Transformers Prime toy is a great version of an integral character and comes highly recommended.

GRADE: A-

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: It’s actually extremely difficult to say whether I prefer this new Arcee or the First Edition Arcee released a few months ago, as each of the two has its own advantages and drawbacks. First Edition Arcee has a superior paint job, less kibble, is more show-accurate color-wise, has a more interesting transformation, and features amazing lightpipe eyes. Revealer Arcee is smaller and more in-scale, has better weapons, a more neutral facial expression, and a quicker and easier transformation. For me personally, I prefer the First Edition Arcee because I want my Arcee to look like she does in the cartoon. Even so, this Arcee is a solid toy and much easier (and cheaper) to acquire than the First Edition Arcee at the point. Revealers Arcee is a good purchase and fun toy overall, especially if you don’t have the First Edition version, and earns a recommendation.

GRADE: B

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: I honestly did not expect to like this set nearly as much as the Zealot Elite Drop Pod set. But it turns out I love them both equally, and consequently, they receive the same “B+” grade. The Drop Pod itself remains a nice sculpt, and while boring, an undamaged Drop Pod makes sense to have on the battlefield and adds diversity to the battlescape. The Elite Combat isn’t the most exciting figure since we’ve had so many already, but the milky white paint looks good and is easily nicer than the paint on the Blind Pack Elites. And the weapons–the weapons!–pure win. Another Energy Sword is always welcome, the Plasma Pistol looks great in colors and will be replacing one of my unpainted ones, and the all-new Fuel Rod Gun is tremendous and easily the star of this set. The Combat Elite Drop Pod is overall a very fun set that gives us lots of new things for our Halo Mega Bloks displays, and I can easily and whole-heartedly recommend it.

GRADE: B+

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: So what did I think of Revealers Cliffjumper? IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT I THINK!!! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Anyway. I bought this Cliffjumper because I didn’t want to pay $40 to import the Takara First Edition version. Now that I’ve had some time with this $14 Cliffjumper, I wish I’d spent the $40. If you just want a cheap Cliffjumper to fill space on your Transformers Prime shelf, I guess this one is acceptable. If you have any genuine affection for the character or want a better toy, though, you can keep on walking past this Cliffjumper and order the First Edition. Revealers Cliffjumper isn’t a bad toy, but it’s definitely not a great one. Compared against the standard of most of the other Transformers Prime toys released thus far, Cliffjumper just does not bring it.

GRADE: C-

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

The Right:

Overall: I would be perfectly content never owning a toy of the Flood in my life. But if I was going to own one, this is the way that I’d want it to be. The subject matter may be utterly revolting, but this Flood Pod has been done the best it possibly could. The Combat Elite that transforms into an Elite Combat Form Flood is by far the most creative use of this year’s “Customize!” theme so far, the Infection Flood forms are surprisingly amusing to play with, the Pod itself is a fantastic totally-new sculpt, and this set feels more like a mini-story of its own than just a small $10 add-on to your collection. If you like (or at least can tolerate) the Flood, this set is a ton of fun and receives my highest possible recommendation by being one of my surprise favorite Halo Mega Bloks sets so far this year.

GRADE: A+

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: Mega Brands hits another interstellar home run with the Elite Ultra Covenant Drop Pod. Any time I’m planning to buy an extra of an item and I’m not begrudging the purchase, clearly something has been done right. The Elite Ultra figure in this set is far cooler to me than the previous one released, and I am totally psyched about the Elite Ascetic armor parts included here. It took a while, but now that I can see the potential of the “Customize!” theme this year, I am fully sold on it. The purple Energy Sword and fully-painted Needle Rifle are terrific weapons to include, and the Arctic Covenant Drop Pod looks pretty and will make a fine complement to the Arctic Wolverine and Warthog. I don’t love this set to the extent that I did the Flood Pod, but it’s still a solid set at a very affordable price. For Halo Mega Bloks collectors, this is yet another must-buy and is highly recommended.

GRADE: A

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall: [/b]While it’s not a complete failure or utter abomination, this Loki figure reeks of being below average. Yes, he has a good sculpt and the paint was applied well–but that’s literally all this figure has going for it. The articulation is primitive, the plastic and paint quality is horrible (and consequently my figure already has paint breaking off), he can’t hold his staff well or balance properly, and his facial expression is more bored than anything else. This not a Loki figure worth $9-$10. He may be a $6 figure–he’s not a $10 figure. Ordinarily I’d say that this figure isn’t good for much of anything except standing around, but he can’t even do that right. Unless you’re a diehard Loki fan who doesn’t mind being disappointed, I absolutely cannot recommend this figure.

GRADE: D

Google is being a major pain and flagging my posts for duplicate content when I post the full-text over here, so I'm going to have to put abbreviated reviews here for the time being while I get it worked out and figure out what their problem is. Bear with me.

Anyway, my most recent acquisition review is the mighty Thunderball from Marvel Legends Series 2!

Finally found and snagged Thunderball to review on my blog yesterday, and I have to say, he's a ton of fun! Piledriver is still a little better because of better paint apps and a more expressive face, but man, I can't believe my favorite revived Marvel Legends figures are two members of The Wrecking Crew, of all things!

Overall: Thunderball is an excellent action figure and a great example of what Hasbro can accomplish with Marvel Legends. I don’t think his facial expression or paintwork are the pure perfection that Piledriver’s were, but I am still bedazzled by how superb this figure is, and as such Thunderball easily receives my highest possible recommendation.

GRADE: A

I finally found the remainder of Marvel Legends Series 2 last week, and I finished reviewing the whole set including Arnim Zola on my toy review blog over the weekend. I have to say, I am just so impressed with this series of figures. I love almost every figure in the set, and this is some of the nicest work Hasbro has done ever with the Marvel license. I was hoping to just continue with the cheaper Marvel Universe line, but there's no way I can pass up a line this good. This is the early front-runner for my best line of 2012, no questions asked.

Here's some photos and overall thoughts on this wave...

Arnim Zola: Absolutely awesome Build-A-Figure. This Arnim Zola is pretty much perfection in every way. I don't even like Arnim Zola as a character, and I still graded this as an 'A+'. I never thought we would see this figure produced at all, and certainly not as amazingly as Hasbro did him.

Fantomex: Fun figure and I'm really excited to get him, especially with Fantomex being featured so heavily in X-Force over the last year. Everything about this Storm Shadow-looking figure strikes me as "cool" from his dual working holsters to the monochrome costume and detailed trenchcoat. I'm not a big fan of his eyes, as they don't convey the character's personality, in my opinion, and I have a tough time getting the guns into proper position because of their shape and the shapes of his hands. Even so, I'm very glad to add him to my display.

Madame Masque: For a character I have zero attachment to, I've been picking her up and posing her a lot on my desk over the last few days. She's a little under-articulated compared to the other figures in this series, but I really like her golden Magnum and the execution on her gold face mask. Simplistic figure and certainly not going to win any figure of the year awards, and her obnoxiously-loose belt makes me crazy, but definitely solid and I don't mind having Madame Masque in my collection at all.

Dark Wolverine Daken: Here's a character that I outright hate, and it turns out he's my pick for the very best figure in the whole of Marvel Legends Series 2! An astonishing 36 points of articulation, the best-looking and coolest mohawk I've ever seen on a figure, endless flexibility, great costume add-ons (particularly the Wolverine mask around the back of his neck)--just awesome work here. If Hasbro can keep churning out incredible figures like this, I don't really care what characters they pick.

And if you missed any of the first half of my reviews of Marvel Legends Series 2, you can check out all the in-depth reviews and photo galleries from Marvel Legends Series 2 right here on my blog.

Today I'm sharing a couple of my favorite reviews from last week, from a line I'm becoming increasingly certain no one cares about besides me: Disney's Vinylmation!

First up is the 9" Park Series 7 (LE 1500) Magic Kingdom 7 Adventures Retro Ticket Book. At first glace, I thought this was one of the single ugliest Vinylmation figures Disney had ever concocted. But upon researching this and seeing the actual 1971 ticket booklets Disney sold at Disney World, I gained a true appreciation for the artistry of this design. Meant as a nostalgic figure to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World, I think this is a really sweet figure. (Only Disney could sell you a product designed to look like tickets you purchase and have it be sappy and sentimental. Heh.)

They did a great job with using the original ticket booklets as inspiration for the swirls and logos on this figure, and the microscopic text on the back of the figure is pretty crazy. Unfortunately, the text on the back has several errors and type-o's in it, which really irritated me.

I really like the idea behind this figure and the creativity that it took to design it, but given that Disney is charging 45 bucks each for this figure, I wish they'd at least hired someone to spend 10 minutes proofreading the text on it.

GRADE: B-

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Next up I've got the Main Street Electrical Parade Train. If you've seen this parade even once in your life, then the train should be etched into your memory--it's pretty much the icon of the parade, as Goofy drives and Mickey and Minnie ride on-board the train.

Disney put a ton of work and detail into designing this figure, and it really looks spectacular as a result. My photos don't really do it justice, but in-person it's one of my very favorite vinyls. The different colored "lights" have been carefully applied and have no paint flaws or blemished, and the design even continues underneath the articulated arms.

I love the little treads on the sides of the feet, as well as the flags made of lights hanging from the sides. This is another $45 figure, but with this one I feel like the design and work that went into it is definitely worth the money. This is another 40th Anniversary tribute Vinyl figure, and I'm quite happy with it. Definitely recommended if you have any fond memories of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

GRADE: A

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

I'm back today with a trio of reviews from this week! I've spent the last few days looking at some of the Blu-Ray Deleted Scenes figures from the Star Wars Vintage Collection, and for the most part I'm extremely pleased with the final product.

Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian

First up we have Sandstorm Lando! I didn't expect to, but I'm really impressed by him. I only really looked at the bulky Sandstorm Outfit photos online before I found him person, so I expected him to be pretty lackluster. But when I actually got him and had a chance to adjust the softgoods myself, I think he looks good. And he looks even BETTER once you get all that Sandstorm crap off and have the best Skiff Guard Lando ever!

As much as I like Lando, he does have some flaws. He has T-Crotch hips that restrict his movement and end up being a major pain to getting him to stand up, which is pretty annoying. In addition, someone at Hasbro made a mistake and made Lando a white guy (or at least far too close to one). But otherwise this is figure is outstanding, and he's certainly the best-designed Skiff Guard Lando we've ever gotten. I actually wish they'd packaged this as Skiff Guard Lando with the Sandstorm accessories on the side, but I suppose we'll get that carded version another day.

GRADE: B+

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Sandstorm Outfit Princess Leia Organa

Sandstorm Leia is next, but I have to say I'm somewhat disappointed with her. Sandstorm Lando was such a fantastic figure under all the sandstorm garb and turned out to be undoubtedly the best Skiff Guard Lando ever, so I had similarly high hopes for Leia. But... she's just kinda there. Her paint deco is inferior to the 2009 Legacy Collection Slave Leia, and she's lacking the great alternate legs and chain from that figure. The force pike at least has superior paint deco (as it's actually painted this time), but otherwise the only things of interest at all are the Sandstorm accessories.

The only thing I really, really wanted to be done to any Slave Leia was to give her new ball-jointed hips, but this one still has the awful T-Crotch that makes it next to impossible to get her standing stably in any kind of dynamic pose. I know Leia was needed to complete the sandstorm set, but, well, she looks kinda silly in the gigantic soft goods cloaks. Of the Deleted Scenes figures I've gotten so far, she's definitely the least compelling.

GRADE: C+

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Rebel Pilot Mon Calamari

Finally, we have the AWESOME Mon Calamari Rebel Pilot!! Well, maybe not awesome, but at least adorably cute. I'm really pleased with all the new parts Hasbro tooled up for this figure, although I wish they'd done something about the T-Crotch hips and added some wrist articulation. The level of detail on the sculpt is great, and the paint is pristine. I love how expressive his fishy face is, and I think this may be the cutest Star Wars figure this year by far. I don't own an A-Wing, so I have him flying a can of Monster instead (it's the right color scheme). I very much like this guy all-around. Highly recommended!

GRADE: B+

[You can access the prettied-up version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]


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I've been too tired/lazy to post a lot of the Daily Toy Reviews over here lately, but I had something today I thought I'd share: LEGO Captain America's Avenging Cycle!

[You can access the prettied-up full version of this review on my blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Overall, I think this is actually really nice for a "small"-sized Marvel set. Captain America himself looks all serious, but it's pretty adorable when he's shoved into a little LEGO body. The motorcycle is easy to build, but can stand up straight without a kickstand (!!!), has rolling wheels and also a clip on the back to store Cap's shield.

The Alien Space Invaders are neat-looking. They remind me of Geonosians but more freaked-out, and I love that they stole Serpentor's Air Chariot to fly around on. They also have a little rocket launcher, which is alright but nothing special.

On the downside, I'm annoyed that such a small set still has a sheet of decals, which I always despise, but the stickers really do add something extra to the aesthetic of this set. Also, I feel like $13 + tax is too high for the "value" sets. I liked it a lot more when these sets were priced around ~$10 a few years ago.

This is a quick and easy build with a lot of fun features, so I can definitely recommend this set, but I wish it was a couple dollars cheaper.

GRADE: A-

It's been a little while, but I'm back with new Halo figures to talk about!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Repainted from the Master Chief Evolution Three-Pack and in-scale with all of the Halo Reach figures.
• Blue secondary armor color is unobtrusive and actually adds a splash of color to an otherwise plain armor.
• 28 points of articulation, including a greatly-improved ball-jointed upper-torso compared to the awful movement of the old 2008 Mark VIs.
• All joints are tight and sturdy. Mark VI is able to be posed easily and without feeling like anything is going to break.
• The white paint on the armor is more pure and natural than the yellowish white on the Halo 3 style white Spartans.
• The Build-A-UNSC-Logo is an interesting gimmick, and I don't mind it--especially as a free bonus.

Cons:

• Comes with the same old Battle Rifle from the old 2008-2010 Halo 3 line. The Spartans got bigger, but the Rifle proportionately is the exact same old mold. Totall unacceptable!

Overall: What a great surprise this Spartan Mark VI was! I was expecting to shove this Spartan Mark VI into my big box of unloved extra Spartans in my closet. Instead, he's prominently on display right next to my monitor now. This figure is the new benchmark for Halo 2/3 style action figures, and there's no going back now. Articulation, paint, quality control, sturdiness, sculpting--the Anniversary Series 2 Spartan Mark VI is simply superior to the old 2008 mold. Now I want Halo 2 Hayabusas, Recons, and more in the new scale. I'm really frustrated that McFarlane didn't see fit to improve the Battle Rifle--at all--but that doesn't change the fact that this is a truly awesome Spartan action figure. Even if you thought you'd never purchase another Halo 2/3 style Spartan again, give this figure a try--you won't be disappointed that you did.

GRADE: A-

Following up on yesterday's review of the Halo 2 Mark VI Spartan, today I'm back with one of the most-anticipated Halo figures ever: Captain Jacob Keyes!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Captain Keyes is an all-new mold with 100% new tooling.
• Holy crap, it's Captain Keyes!! I can't believe McFarlane Toys actually made him! Crazy!
• Keyes is sized to be in-scale with all of the newest figures such as the Halo Reach figures and Halo Anniversary Master Chiefs.
• 22 points of articulation is pretty good for a relative noncombatant, despite being below what we're used to in the McFarlane Halo lines.
• All joints are tight and sturdy. Keyes is able to be posed easily and without feeling like anything is going to break.
• The paintwork on the uniform and especially on the ribbons and Captain's Bars is really great.
• It makes a lot of sense to me for Keyes to come with the Build-A-UNSC-Logo piece with the "UNSC" written on it, and I appreciate the free bonus.

Cons:

• Paintwork on the face is absolutely horrendous. With his bold eyebrows and lifeless eyes and drawn on mouth, he looks like Bert (of Bert & Ernie). Awful, awful.
• Does not resemble Captain Keyes as he appeared in the game, in my opinion. He looks way too young and undistinguished.
• Reused Magnum mold still has the peg on it, though there's nowhere to store it on Keyes. It also unfortunately looks awkward being held by Keyes because of the peg. Sounds like a nitpick, but when you try to pose him with the gun you'll understand and agree.

Overall: While I was surprised by how excellent the Halo 2 Mark VI Spartan was, I was equally surprised by how below average Captain Keyes is. I wrestled with this figure, trying very hard to draw out all of the positives as much as I could, but in the end, this figure is a disappointment. I agonized over his grade, but I just can't score him higher than I have here. He doesn't bear much of any resemblance to Keyes, the gun is awkward because of the mold choice, the paint on the face is terrible, and even the articulation is below what we're used to in the McFarlane Toys Halo lines. The biggest positive here is that McFarlane Toys pulled the trigger and made this character at all, but Captain Keyes is definitely a bit of a misfire. I wanted Keyes regardless of the quality, but I can't in good conscience recommend him to anybody else who isn't a huge fan of the character.

GRADE: D+

This time it's the penultimate member of the ODST Squad: Mickey!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Not a straight repaint--lots of new tooling on this figure, particularly his helmet, lower legs, and left shoulder armor.
• I love the unique parts of Mickey's sculpt like the radio backpack, ammo belt on his right leg and the HESA-E on his helmet.
• Terrific paint deco--the red on him really pops, and the armor just looks great all around.
• In-scale with all of the other members of the ODST squad.
• 26 points of articulation, though some of it is highly restricted and nearly unusable.
• Thus far zero parts of his body have broken, which is a huge plus.
• Rocket Launcher is the one from the Halo 3 line (as it should be), and the deco on it is very detailed. Mickey holds it well.
• Comes with the eagle body piece of the Build-A-UNSC-Logo. I don't mind it as a free bonus.
• We're only one member (Romeo) away from completing the ODST Squad! Unbelievable!! Thanks, McFarlane Toys!!

Cons:

• Has the same fragile feel that the other ODSTs have, as if he's going to break in half every time I move him.
• Joints are incredibly loose, particularly his knee joints. Makes it very hard for him to stand up.
• Lower body articulation is terrible. He can't sit, kneel, or so much of anything dynamic.

Overall: Mickey looks absolutely sensational with the stellar paint deco and great all-new parts on the figure. For standing around holding a Rocket Launcher and looking like a badass, Mickey is the tops. As a toy--he's not so good. His articulation really fights against dynamic poses, and the problem is compounded by the horrible quality control. His knees are so loose they can barely support him, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'm certain his wrists are going to break off if I move them more than a few more times. Mickey is a terrific figure aesthetically and I'm glad to have him for my Squad, but he's going to be doing a lot of standing around and not being touched so I can try to preserve him. If you're building the ODST Squad you'll need him, but if you like to move your super-poseable figures around a lot, beware.

GRADE: C

Moving on, it's a brand-new version of Halo's biggest star: The Master Chief!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• A 100% all-new mold with no reused tooling (as far as I can tell).
• Amazingly accurate to the Halo Legends source material. This may be the most authentic Halo figure McFarlane Toys has ever put out.
• In-scale with all Halo: Reach figures, all Halo Anniversary Master Chiefs, the new Mark VI, and Captain Keyes.
• 26 points of articulation, including the same outstanding ball-jointed upper torso as the Mark VI.
• The feet look like Gundam feet. Awesome.
• Phenomenal attention to detail. Great gritty paint wash all over the figure with a ton of red and white paint details as well.
• All joints are tight and sturdy. Master Chief is able to be posed easily and without feeling like anything is going to break.
• Master Chief has two--TWO!--peg holes on his left left so he can accurately carry two grenades as seen in Halo Legends!!
• Comes with the Globe piece of the Build-A-UNSC-Logo. I don't mind it as a free bonus.

Cons:

• I'd have much preferred ball-jointed hips to ball-jointed thighs.[/li]

Overall: I don't want to sit here and gush about this figure, but I love this Master Chief action figure like none before it. The attention to accuracy that McFarlane Toys put into this figure is incredible. There's both sculpted detail and paint detail on every molecule of this figure, and he looks like he busted straight out of the Halo Legends short film. No quality control problems whatsoever, the Assault Rifle is a perfect fit in his hands, and I'm overjoyed McFarlane included two grenade slots on his left left. This is just a tremendous action figure. There's still a few figures I need to review from this series, but I'm going to outright say it here: *spoiler* This is far and away the best figure in Halo Anniversary Series 2. An absolute must-buy. Go get it.

GRADE: A+

I was psyched and surprised to discover a King Booker T (in a mangled package) at my local Target, and I liked him so much I reviewed him on my blog!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• The accessories with King Booker are terrific! The royal cape is wonderfully-sculpted with a great fur texture, the crown fits nicely, and the scepter is a great sculpt with strong deco.
• The head sculpt on King Booker is perfect. I love that he has his crazed, bulging eyes and dignified clean-shaven look. The dreadlocks look really good on the back of his head as well.
• The articulation is nearly as good as the 2012 Hasbro Marvel Legends (and better than some of those!) with 30 points of flexibility. He can easily be posed to do the spinaroonie, axe kick, Harlem Hangover, or any other signature Booker T move.
• Every paint detail that should be present on King Booker is here, from the logos on both sides of his tights to the spots on the fur of his cape to the text running down his boots. Amazing attention to detail here by Mattel.

Cons:

• The ankle joints on this figure are unacceptably poor. I don't buy a lot of Elite figures, so maybe they're all like Booker's, but regardless they inhibit him standing in dynamic kicking poses and are thus totally inappropriate for the figure.

Overall: WWE Elite figures are more money than I like spending on a single action figure, but this King Booker T is well worth the ~$20 I paid for him and probably even a little bit more. The sculpting, accessories, articulation, and paintwork are all absolutely superb and blow away the quality of the Basic WWE figures. The only thing that knocks this figure down from an 'A+' is the terrible ankle articulation, which prohibits Booker from standing upright without support while doing some of his signature maneuvers. Overall, this is a fantastic Booker T figure and comes highly recommended.

GRADE: A-

I hadn't planned on purchasing Big Bossman, but when I found him on the pegs next to King Booker, I couldn't resist buying him to review on my blog!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Includes a sensational variety of accessories! Handcuffs that really fit on other wrestlers' hands, a pair of snug-fitting sunglasses, Big Bossman's trademark nightstick, and even a ball and chain (like in his theme song!). All the accessories really make this figure feel like he's worth ~$20.
• The head sculpt on Big Bossman is very good, considering Ray Traylor passed away quite a while ago and wasn't available to be scanned. I can definitely tell this is Big Bossman, and I think Mattel did an excellent job capturing his beard and buzz-cut.
• As fantastic as the articulation was on Booker T, Big Bossman's is even better! The only flaw in Booker T's articulation was his awful ankle joints, but Big Bossman's double-jointed ball-joint ankles have a terrific range of motion and enable him to easily stand up and balance, on top of having great all-around upper and lower body articulation.
• The paintwork on Big Bossman's body is outstanding. Mattel managed to get every line even, add tons of small details and emblems, and avoid any kind of paint mishaps or splotches. I'm very pleased with the paint deco on this figure.

Cons:

• Big Bossman's grip simply isn't tight enough to properly hold the nightstick in place. It won't fall out of his hand, but it wobbles around and won't stay where you want it to. It's not a major issue, but it is annoying.

Overall: I don't like the Big Bossman character nearly as much as Booker T, but even I have to admit that this is a perfect figure of Big Bossman and certainly the best figure in Elite 14. The paint deco, articulation, sculpting, and accessories are all absolutely top-notch. It takes a lot for a figure to earn an "A+" from me, especially at a crazy price of around $20, but Big Bossman is just that good. Absolutely recommended to any 90's wrestling fan as a total must-buy.

GRADE: A+

I don't usually buy the larger Boxed Sets, but I ended up with the Generator Defense set since I ordered the case with the Halo Wars Spartans Three-Pack. And man, am I happy I did! The Spirit of Fire Red Team is okay, but the Generator Defense is excellent, pure and simple...

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• The Generator is a 100% completely new mold that must have required extensive tooling. I'm shocked McFarlane Toys was willing to invest that much into this set, but I'm also grateful.
• The Generator itself is amazingly detailed and has more paint applications and colors on it than any item in the entire McFarlane Halo universe, as far as I can tell. Beautiful job on this.
• Value-priced at $19.99-$24.99. Awesome price!!
• The Generator requires some minor assemble such as putting the legs onto it (which snap tightly into place) and connecting the top part of the Generator to the base.
• Generator is about 6 inches tall and 5 inches wide. I'm not sure if it's necessarily perfectly-scaled, but it looks good enough to me with a Spartan standing in front.
• The Generator has a blast shield that raises and lowers and works really well, along with the radar dish which has two points of articulation and can swivel and pivot itself. Very effective for getting the Generator set up at precisely the angle you want it.
• The Spartan JFO Custom included is among my favorite Spartan combinations we've gotten in the Reach line. He has a JFO Helmet, Security Chest, and HAZOP Shoulders. It's a pretty cool-looking mish-mash, and the realistic Olive/Steel coloration of the armor complements the Shield Generator well.
• The Spartan JFO Custom included is among my favorite Spartan combinations we've gotten in the Reach line. He has a JFO Helmet, Security Chest, and HAZOP Shoulders. It's a pretty cool-looking mish-mash, and the realistic Olive/Steel coloration of the armor complements the Shield Generator well.
• A shotgun is included for the Spartan to wield--we've moved past the days where pack-in Spartans come with nothing, thankfully.
• The JFO Custom has 28 points of articulation, as all Reach Spartans have. Huge range of motion of plenty of dynamic posing possibilities.

Cons:

• The JFO Custom has the floppiest and loosest hip joints I've gotten yet on any Reach Spartan. His legs kept giving out and sliding and making him fall over when I was trying to photograph him. The mold degradation is really getting out of control, and I am super glad that this mold is being retired now that the Reach line is complete.

Overall: It's sorta funny that I wasn't even going to purchase this set, and now I consider the Generator to be a crucial part of my Halo display. I love--love--having a prop for my Spartans to defend, and McFarlane Toys just made this passive accessory as tremendous as anyone could have hoped for. And then they were even kind enough to include the Generator Defense set in the assortment of cheaper, $19.99 sets! With moving parts that work great, exceptional sculpting and paint deco, and a great-looking Spartan figure, the Generator Defense set is pure gold and well-worth its cost and then some. The set missed out on an "A+" due to the awful looseness of the JFO Spartan pack-in, but make no mistake--if you have a ton of Spartans, you absolutely want this set for your display. Highly recommended.

GRADE: A

Today I'm back with a review of something I'd truly given up hope on ever seeing in plastic form: the complete Red Team of Spartans from Halo Wars! At first glance, they're amazing. Unfortunately, then you have to touch and play with them...

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• It's the complete Halo Wars Red Team!! I can't believe it!! The set includes all three members of the squad: Jerome-092, Alice-130 and Douglas-042.
• Red Team is in the smaller scale of Halo figures from 2008-2010, and as a result they fit in seamlessly with Sgt. Forge and the Halo Wars Arbiter, as they should.
• I don't have Red Leader from 2010 on-hand, but the mold for these seems to use significant new tooling from what I remember, if it's not 100% new altogether.
• This three-pack is an outstanding value at just $19.99-$24.99 retail! That's around $7-$8 per figure, which is cheaper than single figures in the Halo McFarlane Toys line have ever cost. Terrific value.
• The figures utilize a hip-joint structure I've never seen in the Halo line before. The flexibility allowed by these hips seems to be much better and easier to use than on my old 2008-2010 figures.
• Set includes the signature weapons for Red Team: a Spartan Laser, dual SMGs, and a Shotgun. These were all released before in the Halo 3 line where they were perfect, and they still are.
• McFarlane Toys used a dark paint wash on the armor of the figures that really brings out the details on them and makes them look sensational.
• All three Spartans share the same Mark IV armor mold, as they should. Jerome has his red stripes to differentiate himself, while Alice has her authentic Phoenix symbol and Douglas has his Jolly Roger.
• All three figures have 28 points of articulation, and feature the ball-jointed upper torso that I love so much.

Cons:

• Quality-control on these figures is -The Almighty--AWFUL. All three of them have ultra-loose knees, ankles, and especially hips. No matter how carefully I set them up, every time I come home at least one of them has collapsed under its own weight. Absolutely ridiculous. This isn't even a frequently-used mold--it's just terrible, terrible quality-control.
• The Spartans really aren't very good at holding their weapons at all. The Shotgun is fine, but I couldn't get a good two-handed grip on the Spartan Laser at all, and the hands on these Spartans are just not meant for holding the SMGs. The SMGs don't position perfectly in either hand, and the left hand sculpt is so wide that the SMG just falls out if you don't hook it onto one of the Spartan's fingers.

Overall: The Halo Wars Red Team set is pretty much a quality-control nightmare. The figures are in the proper scale, they look fantastic, and are value-priced. But even so, the quality on these is atrocious. For the most part they don't hold their weapons properly, and I can't get them into any cool poses for any amount of time because they just fall over. Just getting my three to stand up straight for the photo above was a horrible ordeal, as Jerome toppled over constantly and kept taking Douglas and Alice with him. I love these characters, I love that McFarlane Toys made them, I love McFarlane Toys, and I love the appearance of these figures--but I do not love these figures as a whole. If these had been made properly I'd lovingly award them an "A". But with the endless frustration they're causing me, I just can't recommend them as anything greater than average.

GRADE: C

I think this may be a straight reuse of the old Mark IV(?) figure, but I can't say with 100% certainty since I no longer have the old figure. The old figure did have the same hip design with the ugly pin. The old figure was also really loose. I ended up returning it since it was a mess.

I think the Halo Wars Sgt. Forge figure also used a similar hip design. It never seemed to work as well as it did on the Halo Wars Spartan. Maybe it was due to the fact that Forge's legs were sculpted into a wide stance so you could never get closed stance poses.

Thanks for the insight, Matt! My Red Leader figures from 2010 broke, so I don't have him to compare the new ones to. I think his leg broke off so quickly that I never actually absorbed that his legs had the weird hip articulation! If I didn't have to pay for all these defective McFarlane Toys, it'd be funny.

Today I'm taking a break from Halo (I love Halo, but man, I needed a break) to cover one of the most hotly sought-after Transformers out now: the Transformers Prime Vehicon from Deluxe Wave 3!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• This Vehicon looks like a completely new tool, as opposed to being a simple repaint or retool of the First Edition Vehicon.
• Unlike other Deluxe Revealers toys (such as poor Cliffjumper), the Deluxe Revealers Vehicon actually looks far sleeker and better-designed than the First Edition version of the character. He's thankfully missing all of the terrible back-kibble from the FE version.
• Terrific expressionless head sculpt. The generic and intimidating expressionless face is totally appropriate to the character's depiction on the show.
• I love the alt-mode on the Vehicon. It feels like the Batman: The Animated Batmobile to me, and seems a lot more badass than the other cars we've gotten in the line so far.
• As a robot, I feel like the Vehicon evokes Lockdown (which is a good thing). The dark and brooding black and purple look great with the striking silver.
• Vehicon includes one weapon--a blaster cannon. It fits excellently into either hand or can be mounting on the Vehicon's side in sports car mode.
• Quality is outstanding on this figure--all of the joints are super-tight, the paint has been applied perfectly, and he's stable in either form.
• Articulation is very good (for the most part). The Vehicon's ball-joint head, ball-joint shoulders, and ball-joint hips are his best and most flexible joints.
• The Vehicon is FUN to transform!! I haven't been impressed enough to say that about a Transformer in a long time.

Cons:

• Extra paint deco and details are shown on the packaging photos for the Vehicon that the toy itself doesn't actually have. I don't mind the missing grill and feet paint applications, but the gun looks rather plain without any.
• The swivel wrists on the figure suck. I hate that you have to move his entire lower arm just to get his wrist at the angle that you want to.
• I hate the cardback bio, which essentially asserts that Vehicons don't care if they're disassembled by Megatron for spare parts because they're so loyal to him and thrive on danger. I just don't buy it.
• The army-builder is the shortpacked one? Really, Hasbro?!

Overall: The Vehicon was probably the figure I was the least interested in of any Transformers Prime character released so far, and yet the toy is so exceptional that it's probably my favorite of all the Prime toys thus far (I do love First Edition Starscream equally, though). From sculpting to alt-mode to articulation to quality to paint, the Vehicon is a total winner all-around. I'm so glad I didn't pay a ridiculous price for a First Edition Vehicon, because this one looks far better. I have a few quibbles with Hasbro cheaping out on some of the paint apps and I don't care much for the swivel wrists, but this is overall one of the best deluxe-class Transformers I've purchased in years, and the Vehicon earns my highest-possible recommendation.

GRADE: A

I've got my first-ever Young Justice action figure today (and possibly my last if the line is cancelled), the new 6" Kid Flash figure!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Only our second 6" Kid Flash figure at mass retail ever, and the first in the animated style! The core trio of Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash is now complete!
• This Kid Flash figure has a much more stylized head and bolder, more cartoon-like colors than the Wally West Kid Flash in DC Universe Classics Wave 7.
• All of the paint on Kid Flash is neat and clean--no problems whatsoever.
• Kid Flash includes interchangeable mask wings and goggles. I thought the goggles were stupid at first, but now I love them. They fit tightly.
• Sculpted base is extremely elaborate and well-done. It's heavy enough to hold up a running Kid Flash with one leg up, and the debris and bent speed limit sign look super.
• The Speed Force Energy Streak that attached to Kid Flash and the base is incredibly cool. The base makes this my favorite speedster toy ever for displaying.
• 23 points of articulation is still pretty good, even if it is overshadowed by competing lines like Marvel Legends and even McFarlane Toys' Halo figures.

Cons:

• Energy funnel and speed force leg attachment are both far too large to fit on Kid Flash's slim hand and leg. The funnel falls off instantly, and the leg attachment only sticks for a few seconds before flopping off. Big disappointment, since both accessories seemed super-cool until I tried to use them with the figure.
• Lack of ankle rockers or at least ball-jointed ankles is a real pain. Kid Flash can stand up and run because of his display stand, but without it dynamic poses are near-impossible.

Overall: For the most part I'm happy with this Kid Flash, though there is room for improvement. This figure basically feels like a repaint/retool of the DC Universe Classics Kid Flash, but with a new head and a crapload of accessories. The display stand base is my favorite I can ever remember getting with a figure, and the energy trail that hooks up to Kid Flash and the base just may be my favorite sheet of plastic I've ever gotten as an accessory. Heh. This figure should have had improved ankle joints, and I'm really let down that Mattel didn't bother to do any quality-control on the energy attachments for Kid Flash's hand and leg. Overall, I'm glad to have another Kid Flash 6" figure and he's fairly good, but Mattel could have done better with him. Kid Flash earns a recommendation.

GRADE: B

That's cool that they allow you to display him without the goggles (which I think he is never without on the show) but can you put the goggles on his head without him wearing it over his eyes? Or does that make the wing ears look odd?

I forgot he wore the goggles up in the show! I just tried it out, and they look perfect when you position them above his eyes. I wasn't sure they were going to fit right, but turns out they're a great fit!

Moving further into the newest wave of Transformers Prime toys, today I have the first Hot Shot toy that I've ever bought in my life!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Hot Shot features an all-new remolded head, so he's not just a Bumblebee repaint.
• Flip-down visor works fantastically.
• There are a crazy number of homages designed into this toy! Draws on Armada, Cybertron, Robots in Disguise, Targetmasters, and more! Really fascinating and I like him a whole lot more because of them.
• Paint deco is vastly superior to what was on Bumblebee. I particularly love the flame gradient on the sides.
• Transformation is exceedingly simple--you can literally transform him either way in under a minute and you may not even need the instructions the first time. It's pretty intuitive.
• Dual Blaster Cannons fit tightly on Hot Shot's hood, arms, or in his hands. Looks great dual-wielding.
• Joints are all nice and tight, paint is applied beautifully, and stays stable in both modes.

Cons:

• Part of the transformation is an automorphing gimmick which I always despise. I've had it break on a good number of Transformers in the last half-decade and ruin the toy, so I'm never happy to see auto-morphing anything.
• The articulation is sufficient, but I'd have really appreciated ball-jointed shoulders, as Hot Shot's arm movement is a little bit awkward without them.

Overall: Hot Shot is not a character I had any--any--interest in going into this purchase. But like the Vehicon, Hasbro has won me over and far exceeded the expectations I had for this toy. All of the homages built into this toy are a ton of "insider" fun, and I particularly like the Armada-inspired Hot Shot head and flip-down goggles (even if they're not a visor as in Armada). There's no issues with inaccuracy as there were with Bumblebee (since Hot Shot isn't in the show), and the quality control on Hot Shot himself is extremely high. I love that the dual blaster cannons can fit on Hot Shot's arms as well as in his hands, and the combining of the two guns into one four-barreled blaster (a la Targetmasters) rocks. I wasn't really anticipating liking this toy much at all, but everything from the great colors chosen for Hot Shot to the simplistic transformation to the homages and weapons really click with me. Just a really solid, fun entry into the Transformers Prime toy universe, and definitely deserving of a high recommendation.

GRADE: A

Today I've got the last of the Wave 3 Deluxe Transformers Prime toys--Knock Out!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Knock Out is a 100% all-new mold.
• Head sculpt is full of personality--you can feel the scheming vibes radiating off of Knock Out.
• Sports Car mode sculpt looks fairly accurate to what we see in the show.
• Very little back kibble--it's really just his wheels that get in the way.
• Energy Spear fits well into Knock Out's hands (either), and can be split into two weapons that look like a spiked club and a sai. He's the first Decepticon deluxe that can dual-wield to fight Wheeljack or Ratchet!
• Energy Spear can be stuck on Knock Out's side in car mode for an "attack mode". It's sort of like a jousting car, and I can see this working well with Knock Out's character.
• Excellent quality control, the same as the other Wave 3 Deluxes. No problems with paint consistency, joint tightness, etc.

Cons:

• Color scheme on Knock Out is pretty much hideous. The maroon and bright red plastic just do not look good together, and the gradient on the side of the car is atrocious. For the most vain Decepticon, it's unfortunate he's also the ugliest.
• Hasbro cheaped-out and cut paint deco from the final toy. The Energy Spear is missing its "energy" so it just looks like a pitchfork, the spikes on his shoulders are totally unpainted, and so forth. It's disappointing that paint deco was left off a toy that already didn't look very good.
• The instructions for this figure are long and confusing, and the worst part is that they don't even go all the way! You need to figure out how to complete Knock Out's robot mode chest on your own, because the instructions just stop.

Overall: Knock Out is by far (by far) the character I like the best in this assortment. Unfortunately, he's also (by far) the weakest toy in it. His paint just looks bad all-around, and I hate that Hasbro is cutting paint apps when deluxes are at their highest price-point ever. The sculpt is pretty decent in both modes, but the awful paint makes it look bad anyway. I like the head sculpt and jousting mode of the car, and the Energy Spear is a cool weapon, but this is overall a completely average Transformers Prime deluxe. After the pure gold that the Vehicon and Hot Shot were, I'm more than a little let down that Knock Out is so mediocre. I'm sure I'll buy Knock Out again when Hasbro releases a better version, but I wish they'd put a little more effort (and money) into this one.

GRADE: C+

It's funny how Knock Out's car mode looks like an old clunker to me. The maroon looks like primer and the silver looks like bare metal.

Argh, after that FE mess, I was going to avoid this line until Wheeljack pulled me in. Now your reviews are getting me antsy, and I just barely found Ratchet and Bulkhead too, so I doubt I'll see a Vehicon or Hot Shot or this guy for months...

I don't think I'll ever be able to quit Transformers...

It took me a while to get around to it, but it's the final figures in Halo Anniversary Series 2: a Sentinel & Guilty Spark 343!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new Halo Toys blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Someone actually made a freakin' Guilty Spark 343 toy!!! And a Sentinel!!! AMAZZZZZINNNGG!!!!!!
• 100% all-new figures, as these needed to be to be done right. No reused parts or tooling whatsoever.
• Guilty Spark's reversible eye works terrific and it's a cinch to change him from "good" Guilty Spark to rampant Guilty Spark.
• Guilty Spark has enough leeway to fit in with the Halo 3 figures or the larger Halo: Reach scale figures.
• The Sentinel seems appropriately-scaled to the Halo 3 figures, but is a bit too small for the larger-scale figures.
• Guilty Spark has 1 point of articulation (the eye--what else did you expect?), whereas the Sentinel has 9 points that I could find (4 on its "fingers", 4 on its appendages, and 1 on its undercarriage). The packaging says 15 points, but I can't find anymore. Regardless, that's all I think either of these characters needs for articulation.
• Comes with the right wing piece of the Build-A-UNSC-Logo. This completes my UNSC Logo, and it holds together nicely and looks good. I'll be sticking it at the back of one of my Halo shelves--not bad for a freebie.

Cons:

• The figures are both permanently attached to a base via metal rods. Guilty Spark and the Sentinel are going to be BFFs floating a couple inches above the ground for eternity. LAME!!!
• The figure base is unfortunately a Halo 3 logo instead of any kind of generic terrain, meaning it will disrupt the facade of any display it's put into.
• Quality-control isn't the best on the Sentinel. His gripping fixtures are warping and look wrong curved, and the hinge joint on the undercarriage quickly became too weak to hold the undercarriage up, so it's permanently down now.

Overall: This is by far the set I was looking forward to the most in Halo Anniversary Series 2. So much so, that I didn't even bother to ogle the prototype photos. So when I got my three sets of Guilty Spark/Sentinel in the mail, I was pretty devastated by the horrible engineering of this set. The notion of sticking a Sentinel flying low to the ground permanently next to Guilty Spark 343 fixed to metal rods on a base replicating the Halo 3 Logo is just ludicrously stupid.

I don't just want a Guilty Spark and a Sentinel in my collection--I want figures that actually have the freedom to be posed and played with like all my other McFarlane Toys Halo figures. I boiled the figures and forced the metal rod with the Sentinel off the base, but I haven't been able to get the Sentinel free of the other half of the rod yet. These are well-sculpted and nicely-painted original figures, but the design of the "two-pack" is just a horrible, horrible idea. If you're okay with the engineering of these figures after reading all this then you'll enjoy them, but if not I can't really recommend them. In my opinion, McFarlane Toys really botched this set of Sentinel and Guilty Spark up.

GRADE: C-

I haven't reviewed a Minimates figure in close to two years (seriously, it didn't seem like that long), but I couldn't resist my chance to complete an Avengers roster quickly and affordably! Today, I've got Hawkeye and Black Widow.

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my daily toy review blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

Pros:

• Wow! I completed my whole Avengers roster for under 40 bucks and within a few days of the movie! You could learn something from Diamond Select, Hasbro.
• Hawkeye comes with two heads: a standard Clint Barton head and a glasses-wearing head. I'm grateful for the option, and though it's not in the movie, I prefer Hawkeye sporting his stylish shades.
• Hawkeye includes 5 accessories: a detachable quiver, a bow, and three spare arrows.
• The spare arrows can fit inside of Hawkeye's quiver, and there's a clip on the bow to allow an arrow to be attached or detached from it.
• Black Widow's wavy hair looks sensational.
• Twin pistols come with Black Widow, and they fit tightly in her hands or into the holsters on her hips. The holsters are seriously well-engineered and work better than the Holsters on a lot of my G.I. Joes and Star Wars figure!
• Both figures have the standard Minimates 14 points of articulation, and neither is wearing any add-on parts to limit the articulation.
• Back of box gives bio information for Hawkeye and Black Widow, which is quite appreciated since Hawkeye got so little development in the movie.
• Stellar value at just $7.99 for the two-pack.

Cons:

• This set is a Toys R Us exclusive. Considering that Black Widow and Hawkeye are crucial members of the Avengers, I'm pretty perturbed that Diamond Select Toys made these figures hard-to-find exclusives. Supposedly they're shipping a couple of each exclusive set per case, but thus far I've seen about a million sets with Iron Man and Captain America and such so far, but the exclusives only once.
• As with many Minimates, the lower-body joints on these figures are a little bit wobbly and unstable. This may not bother everyone, but it's making my OCD flare up.

Overall: Man, what great work by Art Asylum! A lot of people who ordinarily don't pick up Minimates may start with this set since it's the only way of completing the team right now (outside of LEGOs), so Art Asylum brought their A-Game to really try to impress people. With tons of cool weapons and accessories, real working holsters and a quiver, and even an alternate head for Hawkeye, this set is just awesome. The Avengers Minimates are easily my favorite Avengers movie toys released, and this set is an absolute must-have.

GRADE: A

I nearly fell off my chair laughing at that MLP picture!

Today I've got the other of the two Toys R Us exclusive sets of Avengers Minimates: Nick Fury and Loki!

[I can't post the full version of this review here without Google flagging me for duplicate content, but you can access the prettied-up version of this review on my new daily toy blog blog with the full photo gallery by clicking right here.]

The Right:

• Not only has Diamond Select Toys/Art Asylum given us the complete team of all six Avengers, but to enrich the theme here's their first arch-nemesis Loki and their gatherer, Nick Fury! Thanks, Diamond Select!
• Nick Fury comes with a removable trench coat, pistol, and rocket launcher. And yes, Nick Fury does look like a BMF holding the rocket launcher.
• The holster on Nick Fury holds his gun very tightly and looks good doing so, the same as Black Widow's dual holsters did.
• Nick Fury's trench coat is made of a super glossy black plastic, and as a result it looks like a real leather trench coat. I thought this was really cool, as most trench coats (such as the ones Mattel releases in the WWE line) usually use a flat black material that looks very unrealistic.
• Loki comes with his sleeveless jacket (robe?), as well as his helmet and the Cosmic Spear. I'm very pleased with the detail on the Cosmic Spear, which I think actually looks as good (or better!) than Hasbro's 4" version.
• Loki's jacket has some of the most ornate sculpting and paint detail that I think I've ever seen in the Minimates line. Really beyond anything I expected to see on these figures!
• Both figures have the standard 14 points of Minimates articulation. It's not perfect, but it's still pretty great for 2" figures!

The Wrong:

• Loki is bald under his helmet, and there's no removable Tom Hiddleston hair that you can plug into the spot. This was a bit of a disappointment for me, as I much prefer movie Loki without the helmet.
• I don't like how Nick Fury's eye patch strap drops out of existence when it reaches the top of his face and pick up again on the back of his head. I understand why it's done that way, but it seems really awkward to me.
• The lower-body articulation on the figures is very restricted due to the trench coat/jacket that the figures have. There was no way around this other than using super-soft plastic, but it is an annoyance. Especially because...
• Both figures are extremely top-heavy because of the heavy add-on coat/jacket that they're wearing. It makes them a lot harder to get standing stably than your typical Minimates figure.

Overall: This set is a terrific complement to your Avengers Minimates collections, and an overall good choice for an exclusive, as Nick Fury and Loki simply are not as crucial to the lineup as Black Widow and Hawkeye were. Both figures look dead-on to how their Minimate selves should, and the extensive detailing on Loki and faux-leather trench coat on Nick Fury really make the figures pop. I'd have like a Tesseract or Tom Hiddleston Loki alternate head, but the Rocket Launcher and Cosmic Spear we get with the set are great fun regardless. I wish that the coat-pieces didn't need to make the figures top-heavy or limit their lower-body articulation, but I think that's really the nature of the beast with Minimates and I'm not sure how Art Asylum could have avoided this. While I had some quibbles about its design, this set is a very solid release and I don't feel like I'd be satisfied with my Avengers Minimates collection without it. Recommended.

GRADE: B