Tale of Usagi Yojimbo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
The world of indie comics have given us many different icons, including the rabbit swordsman Miyamoto Usagi. While he's the star of Stan Sakai's long-running Usagi Yojimbo comic, he's best known for his crossovers with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including comics, cartoons, and action figures. Since one of those cartoons was the original 80's one, that means you-know-who gets to make a figure of him. NECA continues to give us great artwork with these releases, harkening back to the days of the F.H.E. video tapes. As per usual, the front is a "fifth panel" that flips open to show off what the figure and all it's accessories look like. Unfortunately, they're held in by those annoying plastic ties, something I wish they'd stop using. The sculpt for Usagi was done by Paul Harding, the...[See More]

Cobra B.A.T.
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
If there's one line of figures I'm excited to be getting soon, it's Super7's G.I. Joe Ultimates. Yeah, Hasbro's ongoing Classified Collection is cheaper and nicer, but I think we can all agree getting figures based directly off the original cartoon is awesome. The first wave of Ultimates won't be out for another month or so as far as I'm concerned, but until then, we got our first released figure during SDCC. It's one of COBRA's Battle Android Troopers, or B.A.T.s, with its comic design rather than the cartoon one. The packaging is standard Ultimates; a trapezoidal box with a slip cover. The slip cover invokes a metallic look, with rivets and peeling paint. The package underneath has a character bio and some nice graphics on the back, and is attractive overall. Surprisingly, there's no...[See More]

Bombshell
Transformers (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
The first wave of Super7’s Transformers Ultimates is giving us quite the varied line-up, with the face of the franchise, a regular character in a specific variant, a lesser-known character, and a recognizable character in an unrecognizable version. The last of those is the Insecticon Bombshell, but his figure here is based off of his “Action Masters” figure instead of his regular design. We already got Banzai-Tron in this wave, why not give him a friend from his original subline? The Action Masters design for Bombshell seems to have more in common with his original toy design than his cartoon design. The torso is the most similar aspect, and the mouthplate is something shared across the three versions of him. I could go on and on comparing the different ways he looked, so let’s just cut...[See More]

Premonition of a Premutation
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
About a month ago, we got our first in-person San Diego Comic Con since before COVID, and everyone knows that means exclusive toys! NECA came out the gate with five new items, but I only got one of them, and it's Ninja Turtles-related. Last year gave us a four-pack of the Channel 6 news crew from the original cartoon, and this year gave us another set of toon figures; the pre-mutated forms of four different characters. Unlike last year, this was an in-stock set that you had to pick up at the show, but they also offered online sales before and during it. If you missed out on those, your only chance for this set now is through resellers. The packaging here is much like the Turtles in Disguise set, being a big wide box with a "fifth panel" flap and artwork based off the old VHS tapes....[See More]

Kessler Werewolf
American Werewolf In London (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
One of the lesser-known horror movies from the early 80s, An American Werewolf in London is undoubtedly a cult classic, thanks to its nice blend of horror and comedy. I will admit the ending is pretty anti-climatic, but a great film nonetheless. NECA's been holding onto the license since last year, first giving us the "nightmare demon" before the Kessler wolf itself. I got the wolf a while back, and now it's review time! The box is a lot bigger than the usual NECA packaging, but the wolf is a big figure, so it makes sense. Just expect it to take up quite a bit of space if you're one of those weirdos who puts your figures back in the box when not playing with them (like me). We got some really cool artwork on the front as well, courtesy of Justin Osbourn. It's definitely better when NECA...[See More]

Bronx
Gargoyles (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
After being able to finally find Demona last month, it was only a matter of time before I would get Bronx. Like her, he was found at retail over an hour away from my house, and I guess whatever problem NECA Turtles had over a year ago getting stocked in MD must be affecting Gargoyles now. Still, nice to finally have found him, so let's take a look at how good the figure itself is. Bronx's packaging is the same size as Demona's, and it has a nice illustration to go along with it. For some reason, NECA used both twist ties and plastic ties to hold in the figure and whatnot, but I didn't have any difficulty removing them. As opposed to the previous figures, Bronx is a quadruped, as he's to other gargoyles what dogs are to humans, and he's a bit smaller as well, standing around 4" tall and...[See More]

South Park (Season 1)
Tiny TV Classics (Basic Fun) - Basic Series
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
We’ve gotten a lot of little plastic TVs to go with our action figures over the years, but have you ever asked yourself “what if there was a toy TV that could actually play video?” Basic Fun, makers of all kinds of toys, has answered that question with their “Tiny TV Classics” line. It’s been going on since last year, and has covered a good amount of shows and movies. The one I’m taking a look at is for South Park, meaning that this isn’t one you should give to the little ones. The packaging has specific designs for each TV, with this one being peppered with a few characters from the show. There’s even a “try me” feature for it, just push the button on the side of the box and you’ll see how it works. The TV and remote (the latter which I’ll talk about below) are kept safe with two...[See More]

Banzai-Tron
Transformers (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
It’s been a while since I got my first Super7 Transformers Ultimate, which was Optimus Prime, and now it’s time to go from the face of the franchise to a lesser-known character: Banzai-Tron from the Action Masters line, which I believe was the first “non-transforming” Transformers line. Look at us coming full circle with both these Ultimates and Hasbro’s R.E.D. figures, except the deep-cut lovers at Super7 are more likely to do this guy. The packaging is much like Prime’s, bigger than usual, but with some nice graphics. Illustration of the character on the slipcover, and stats on the back of the main box. They also used the Action Masters version of the TF logo, which is a nice touch. There’s two plastic trays being held together with tape, and a single twist tie holding in the figure,...[See More]

Michael Myers (Halloween II)
Halloween (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 5.00 stars by RMaster007
The original Halloween stands as one of my favorite horror films, though it's first sequel isn't too shabby either. I don't think I've had a chance to rewatch it, but I may have to at some point, because I caved in and got this figure. I already have the 8" scale clothed Myers NECA did, but the "Ultimate" version was just too tempting to keep passing on. The Ultimate packaging is something we're all familiar with by now: poster art on front, figure photos on the back and inside the front flap. With Myers, it's no different. The skull-faced pumpkin adorning the front and sides is appropriately creepy, and it's not too hard to get the figure out of the box. Just three twist ties holding it in, and they're far less annoying that those plastic ties I usually see with NECA. Unlike in the...[See More]

B.A.T.
G.I. Joe - Classified (Hasbro) - Basic Series
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
YO JOE! G.I. Joe has been around for years, but I've just now been getting into it. I got the original cartoon on DVD, and I've also gotten a few of the "Classified Series” figures, including this one. The packaging is the standard for the line, and is outfitted with some nice illustrations and graphics. There's also a number on the left of the box, but it feels unnecessary to me to number these. The box is easy to open, with only a single strip of tape to remove. Standing around 6 3/4” tall, the B.A.T. is similar in appearance to the original figure from the 80s, with some different details such as the grenades and cybernetics on the chest. The wrinkled clothes and detailed metal arms look good, and the paint is pretty clean, though some wash on the clothes and metal would help make...[See More]