Creature from the Black Lagoon (Color)
Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
The late 1920s and early 1930s saw Universal putting out various monster movies featuring iconic characters such as Frankenstein and Dracula, and NECA's been tackling them with as much heart put into them as possible. One of their more recent monsters is one originating from the 1950s: the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The packaging style is no different from the other Universal Monsters, with the original poster art on front and figure shots on the sides and back. Same old, same old, but it works for these figures. There's still a handful of plastic ties on the figure, but all the accessories are secured in the tray thanks to additional plastic. Designed by Milicent Patrick (and not that jealous hack Bud Westmore), the Gill-Man has a lot of fish-like attributes to his appearance. The...[See More]

Wolverine
Marvel (Mondo) - X-Men Animated
Rated 4.35 stars by RMaster007
I said a while back that I wasn’t too big into Marvel, but I can say for sure that my favorite from them right now is X-Men. I’ve been watching the animated series on Disney+ and I’ve fallen in love with it. It hits all the right marks, and knowing that it’s getting a revival due out next year has me excited. Mondo got the license to it last year, and after two special versions of him, we finally got the regular Wolverine. Mondo tends to do pretty nice packaging, and they peppered Wolverine’s box with storyboard drawings from various episodes. The flap on the front opens to show some text on the back, written by two of the show’s crew members. There’s a few plastic ties to cut out for the figure and one of the accessories, and an extra head tying the plastic tray to the cardboard. Once...[See More]

Mon*Star (Red)
SilverHawks (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.15 stars by RMaster007
Having been created following the success of Thundercats, it's worth noting Silverhawks took cues from it. A group of semi-humans going up against a group of funky villain designs, including a leader that can transform into a stronger version of himself. Unlike Mumm-Ra, though, Mon*Star looked pretty strong pre-transformation, but his bulked-up form is a true beast. While the Hawks have a blue box, the Mob gets a red one. It's pretty shiny, and gets Mon*Star's face on the front, and other than that, it's not too much different from the good guys. There's some tape and ties to get rid of, but it shouldn't be too hard. Oh, one more thing about the box: it's huge, and that's because the figure itself is huge. Mon*Star stands about 11" tall up to the tip of the spike on the top of his head,...[See More]

Snake Eyes
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
If you're familiar with G.I. Joe, then you'd know that there are a lot of characters in it. In the Sunbow cartoon, each of the tens, if not hundreds, of Joe members got at least one episode with them as a major player, but arguably one of the most well-known characters in the franchise as a whole is Snake Eyes, his popularity most likely attributed to the fact that he's a speechless ninja. In the "M.A.S.S. Device) five-part mini series that would ultimately serve as the pilot for the cartoon, Snake Eyes had a completely different look. As opposed to his usual get-up, he wore a bodysuit that had a less "ninja" aesthetic. Since Super7's G.I. Joe Ultimates line is based more off the cartoon than anything else, it's no surprise that they'd do this design of the silent commando before his...[See More]

Snoopy's Contest Winning Display
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Memory Lane) - Box Sets
Rated 4.25 stars by RMaster007
It's Christmas once again, which means it's time to watch plenty of holiday specials, including the ever-beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas. The most well-known animated special featuring the Peanuts cast, it was a television tradition for years until Apple got the rights to it, but as long as you can watch it yearly, that's no issue. Back in the early 2000s, a company known as Playing Mantis nabbed the Peanuts license for their "Memory Lane" brand, and they put out plenty of great figures with a lot of heart put into them. I'll admit I don't have much of them, but I'd be more than happy to build up a big collection. My personal favorite of the few I own is related to the aforementioned Christmas special, featuring Snoopy and his decorated doghouse. The set actually received two...[See More]

Genghis Frog
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Super7) - Ultimates!
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
Considering how the 80s TMNT cartoon was made to get kids (and adults) interested in the toy line, it's a bit of a surprise some characters didn't make it to figure form. Take the Punk Frogs, for instance; Genghis and Napoleon got made (with different designs), but Rasputin and Attila were not, and eventually vanished from the show. I'm 99% sure NECA was the first to do all four frogs, while Super7 only did the two that got the original Playmates treatment. Napoleon got a ReAction, while Genghis gets to join the Ultimates line. Unlike Napoleon, Genghis' toy design wasn't too much different from his toon appearance, but a bit more detailed. His head is covered in warts, and Super7 (with Four Horsemen's help) proceeded to take that design and modernize it. The head seems to have more warts...[See More]

Otherground Dwella (Gray) (Ecko Unltd)
Citizen Urban Icon (X-Concepts) - Tin Cases
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
I'm a guy who every now and then likes to pursue more niche stuff, be it a DVD of random animated shorts, or some unusual licensed SpongeBob merch like a toothbrush holder. When it comes to toys, I sometimes look into lines not everybody knows about, such as X-Concepts' Citizen Urban Icon line, featuring a variety of stylized characters wearing clothes by real brands. I heard of at least one of them before, the Eckō rhino “Thug,” and when I saw him in-person, I was in love. No, not in that way. The figure comes in a tin container with a window on the front. The graphics are simple, but I feel it really fits the nature of this line. They made sure the container was protected enough to keep people from opening it in-store, covering it in plastic and using a "collector's seal" to keep the...[See More]

Pizza Tossin' Leo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Collection (Playmates) - 90th Reissue - 2022
Rated 4.00 stars by RMaster007
While most of the best TMNT figures this year have come from NECA, Playmates, the originator of Turtle toys, has been keeping up as well. In addition to their Mutant Mayhem line, they've been reissuing certain older figures, including the unexpected return of 3/4 of the Pizza Tossin' Turtles. I covered Raphael a while back, and now it's high time I cover the remaining two. As discussed with Raphael, the turtles in this sub-line have very strange designs. Like him, Leonardo has bug eyes and a big grin, but with his tongue sticking out. There's a lot of shared tooling with not just Raph, but the other turtles. I assume that's why they chose to reissue these, as the shared parts likely keeps costs down. Aside from the head, Leo has a few other unique parts, with his pizza launcher...[See More]

Scarecrow
Batman - Animated Series (McFarlane) - Basic Series
Rated 4.35 stars by RMaster007
Batman has gathered himself quite the rogues' gallery over the years, with a variety of unique villains for him to face off against. We all know faces like the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, amongst others, and we certainly can't forget the terrifying Scarecrow. In his first appearance in the 90s animated series, "Nothing to Fear," the Scarecrow had a rather goofy look, but his second appearance, "Fear of Victory," updated him to look more sinister. The regular look is included with this figure, and it's nicely captured, with a good expression and some decent paint, but it did notice a few areas of clumping or inconsistent coloring. And if you want Scarecrow with the mask off, a Jonathan Crane head is included. I like this one as well, primarily due to the equally sinister face, and much...[See More]

David Xanatos
Gargoyles (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 4.80 stars by RMaster007
In addition to the titular creatures, Disney's Gargoyles had plenty of human characters that were just as interesting, such as David Xanatos. He started out as your typical evil businessman, but he later developed into a more neutral character. That's the thing with continuity-driven series, you can have characters change and develop as they go on. NECA's figure of Xanatos comes in their usual five-panel window box, with the front having a painting done by Djordje Djokovic and Raph Herrera Lomotan of the man overlooking a chess board with various characters as pawns. This signifies his position as the show's "chessmaster": one who uses those around them to their advantage. Everything else is no different from the other figures, but I wish NECA would stop using the same generic text for...[See More]