First Turtles (Eastman & Laird)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
As I've brought up already, this year is the 40th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and whilst a huge franchise spanning comics, film, animation, and video games, it started off as mere sketches done between friends. Playmates gave us a set of Turtles based off Peter Laird's original group drawing, but NECA went one step further and gave us a two-pack of both Kevin Eastman and Laird's "first" turtles. This was an SDCC exclusive available through both the show and NECA direct, so unless you got them then, eBay's your only option now. As a convention exclusive, NECA had to do something special with the packaging, hence why in addition to the usual Mirage line graphics and trapezoidal shape, there's also a slipcover. The front of the cover depicts Eastman's renditions of this...[See More]

Original Sketch Leonardo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Collection (Playmates) - 40th Anniversary
Rated 4.15 stars by RMaster007
In 1984, up-and-coming comic artist Kevin Eastman sketched up a goofy drawing of a ninja turtle, which led to his friend Peter Laird doing his own version, ultimately leading to them starting their own comic book. What was supposed to be a one-shot turned into a long-running comic series, and it wasn't long before it became a global franchise and pop culture phenomenon. Now it's 40 years later, and Playmates has been celebrating the anniversary with plenty of re-releases of figures and vehicles from the original toy line, alongside some new products, such as a set of turtles based off Laird's initial group sketch. In contrast to the usual cardback, Playmates put these figures in window boxes, likely due to them being more orientated to collectors than kids (still says 4+ on the box). The...[See More]

Earl Sinclair
Dinosaurs (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
Being a toy collector isn't easy at times, with how hard things can be to track down in-store (prefer that over buying online most of the time). The NECA Dinosaurs Earl Sinclair is an example, as I had a lot of trouble finding the regular version, but thankfully a trip out of town by the folks let them get him for me. Earl Sinclair is your usual sitcom patriarch: dopey and self-centered but mostly well-meaning. His design invokes this, with a soft, fat face and a friendly expression for (what he thinks is) a mighty megalosaurus. Eric Barnett did the sculpt, as with Baby, and it matches the puppet/suit used in the show well. The paint and wash are clean, and texturing is subtle but there. The alternate "talking" head is good, with eyes looking off to the side, and as the box shows, it was...[See More]

Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland)
Disney (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.75 stars by RMaster007
With Super7's now-ended Disney Ultimates line, they sought to represent some of the company's most popular films, including Alice in Wonderland, which was fortunate enough to get two representatives in one wave. I got Alice months ago for a discount, and even by Super7 standards, she was poorly-made. The Mad Hatter was released alongside her, and I recently got him for cheaper through eBay, so it's time to see if he's any better. One thing I'll credit Super7 for is that they gave all of their Disney Ultimates a unique package. The Mad Hatter has a wider than average box, as to fit all his accessories, but it's designed to resemble his huge table, complete with various silverware and lantern lights, while the slip cover has a swirly green checker pattern. Even though there's very few tape...[See More]

Donald Duck
Disney (Beast Kingdom) - Dynamic 8ction Heroes
Rated 4.35 stars by RMaster007
The one stuck with all the bad luck, cranky and mischievous Donald is the opposite of the more happy-go-lucky Mickey, and has much more personality to him. My favorite incarnation of him comes from the old newspaper comics, and if you haven't read those, I recommend checking them out. Donald's received a couple figures and other merch over the years, including Beast Kingdom's Dynamic 8ction Heroes figure. I've seen plenty from the line, but Donald's the first one I got in-hand, mainly cause I was able to get him on discount. The packaging is simple in graphics, having an illustration of Donald's head on the front of a blue box. Inside is a thick paper insert designed after Donald's shirt, and below that is a tray that holds all the contents in. It's easy to open it up and take everything...[See More]

Tracks (G1 Cartoon)
Transformers (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.10 stars by RMaster007
One thing that bothered me about Super7's Transformers Ultimates line was the lack of major Autobots. Optimus Prime and Grimlock were expected, but not Tracks, since he's not as mainstream as the likes of Bumblebee, Ironhide, and others. I guess S7 was satisfied with just doing the Autobots in ReAction form, and Tracks didn't receive a figure like that, hence why he got the Ultimate treatment. Another figure in the line lifting their design from the old Sunbow cartoon, Tracks is red-faced, but not in an embarrassed way, rather in the fact that his head is red and white. The head is fully painted with a matte finish, and although the edges aren't clean, I appreciate the effort. He has a stoic expression, since Transformers then weren't super expressive, though he comes with an alternate...[See More]

Baby Sinclair
Dinosaurs (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
While sitcoms featuring puppets weren't new, Dinosaurs was the first (though I could be wrong) one to have the whole cast be puppets, courtesy of the crew behind Muppets and Sesame Street. It took me a while to pick the show up, as in, just started it while writing this review, but the show is known for tackling social issues very well for a comedy with people in dinosaur suits. Following their success with ALF, NECA decided to tackle the other popular puppet sitcom. Everyone's been talking about Earl (who I'm currently trying to track down), so I'll be going over the other character out right now, Baby. The packaging isn't anything too special, featuring stock art on the front, and shots of the figure on all the other sides. The graphics do the job well, including the WESAYSO logo on...[See More]

Chester Cheetah
Chester Cheetah (Jada Toys) - Basic Series
Rated 5.00 stars by RMaster007
Over the past year or two, Jada Toys has evolved from just a company dedicated to die-cast cars and miniature figures to one of the best names in action figures today. Their Street Fighter and Mega Man licenses have been shaping up pretty well, and they have other licenses coming like Cyberpunk Edgerunners. In between the popular properties are more unexpected choices, like, who expected a figure of the Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah? I'm more surprised it didn't happen sooner. The box for Chester is very similar to what Jada did with their General Mills monsters figures, given that it's a fifth-panel window box with the same graphics as a Cheetos bag on the front (Crunchy Cheetos, since that's the best kind), and "Action Figure Facts" on the side. The contents inside are held between...[See More]

Czarface
Czarface (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
While I can't stand modern rap, due to its incoherent vocals and crap instrumentals, Czarface is an exception. I don't think it's often you get a hip-hop/rap group nowadays, and its pop culture influence and consistently great songs make them stand tall above the rest. Admittedly, I was introduced to it through Super7, who started out with ReAction figures for their mascot before giving him a proper Ultimate. Their track record with music Ultimates has been great as of late, so I was more than happy to get him. At times, Super7's been able to do some pretty cool packaging, and Czarface is one of the better Ultimates boxes. It's designed after his head, with the upper part of his head serving as the slip cover, and removing it gives the impression he's opening up his mouth to reveal the...[See More]

Casey Jones (Business Suit) & Foot Soldier (Split)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
NECA's TMNT line has notably seen a shift from doing just about everyone, both major and one-shot, to putting out a bunch of character variants at once. Not that that's a bad thing, as I've said before, variants are common in animated licenses, and the original cartoon has plenty of unique outfits, if not forms, for each character. That includes Casey Jones, a minor presence in the show compared to everything else TMNT, with his much-requested suit and tie from "Corporate Raiders from Dimension X." Since we've gotten Casey Jones already in the line, NECA could've just reused the head from the regular version for this specific look. But no, he has a newly-sculpted head provided by Tomasz Rozejowski. The mask is smaller and shaped better, with his ears being visible behind it, the eyeholes...[See More]