Prince Adam
He-Man - Masters of the Universe (Mattel) - Series 3
Rated 4.25 stars by Karl T. Face
Superman may get some flak for his insufficient disguise, but this guy makes him look like The Chameleon. 3 waves in, the MOTU line started dropping "story" characters like Orko and Prince Adam. It was nice to see, although Adam (and later,most of Randor) was just He-Man with clothes. But hey, the show pretty much did the same. And the lavender pants and white shirt may just be painted on, but with the softgoods vest covering a lot of the chest detail, it actually looks pretty damn good. An elastic belt holds the thing closed, with a tiny yellow buckle. Articulation is the usual Big Five plus spring-loaded waist. You all know what to expect. The downside is that you can't really holster his sword on his back. At least you could fake that with the original harness. And you'd probably want...[See More]

Crawler
Convertors (Select Merchandise) - Insectors
Rated 3.50 stars by Karl T. Face
We have Deluxe Insecticons at home. Nah, I kid. These things were actually out a year before the Deluxe Insecticons, licensing the same Beetras molds- which, interestingly, came from the same design studio as Bubblegum Crisis. This makes two lines that brought the toys into more hands than the original, often in better colors. Starting in beast mode, it's about what you'd expect- a blocky, angular robo-beetle with metallic stickers and improved greebles. I particularly like the cooling fins on the elytra. And of course, folded robot legs underneath, but only really visible from the sides and rear. The metallic blue and dull silver are slick as hell. Articulation is limited to the head and horn, and the turret-eyes. Robot mode is fairly solid-looking apart from a noticeable gap in the...[See More]

Suckerman
Suckerman (Mattel) - Basic Series
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
Spoiler alert: this thing sucks. Now, this may be my long, long history with rubber monsters that are older than me, but there's a simple pleasure in holding a floppy Fierce Critter. While most companies were content with the 2-5" range, Mattel went big with a plate-sized suction cup lizardman. I've had the classic green here for years, but never gave it a proper review. Firstly, despite being 44 years old, all 11 inches are still plenty soft, with only a hint of discoloration on the rear suckers and a small mouse nibble. Sporting 14 suckers on the front, 10 in back, and two on the feet, one's eyes are mostly drawn to the head, where we get a grinning nosferatu-lizard that radiates pulp-comic energy. Fishlike scales cover the torso and hips, fading into a cracked or veiny texture. The...[See More]

Zodac
He-Man - Masters of the Universe (Mattel) - Series 1
Rated 3.50 stars by Karl T. Face
This guy probably drinks with Metron and the Watcher. Zodac didn't do much back in the day. Introduced a story or two, breaks his vow of non-intervention a couple times, and that was about it. On one occasion, he oversaw a battle between He-Man and Superman. Dude got around in his few appearances. His presence in the series bible (series 1 was unquestionably closer to the storybooks) meant he still snuck in early. Unfortunately, he was a bit out of place there. Among the various fantasy warriors was this 50s spaceman with copious body hair and a ray gun. Now, I can appreciate that on its own, but here, he comes across as either too dull or too weird. At least he's a good weird. The flared boots and gloves lend a fun retro touch, the angular chest plate and bizarre helmet mesh well, and...[See More]

Manterror
Transformers - Beast Wars (Hasbro) - Deluxe
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
Whenever anyone talks smack about Beast Wars designs, I point to the bugs. Manterror is a bit of an odd duck, in that he's one of those toy-only characters that didn't see any presence at all in fiction at the time. Selling on design alone, he was a winner in my book. Kicking off with beast mode, there was no way they could pull off full-length legs that could hold it up, so I can forgive the stumpy limbs. The oversized claws look strangely thick and powerful, like there's some crustacean mixed in there, which is interesting. The only real complaint I have is the mouth articulation: it reminds me of Flygon more than any arthropod. But hey, those balljoint wings have pretty good range. The color scheme is good: lime green and translucent green plastics, with a few touches of translucent...[See More]

K.O. Kruiser
Wheeled Warriors (Mattel) - Monster Minds
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
As mentioned in my Saw Boss review, Wheeled Warriors is pretty bizarre. One of its more subtle curveballs is the inclusion of a couple plant-monster takes on Earth vehicles. To that end, here's a 60s flatbed truck from deep space in the distant future. K.O. Kruiser, the dumb muscle of the group, is fairly unassuming insofar as the dark blue truck body goes (apart from the vines), until you get to the sneering chrome mouth and headlight eyes. Not to mention the vaguely worm-like plant-bludgeon mounted in back like a tow arm. It's on a swivel/hinge, but isn't really long enough to reach anywhere since it can't spring out like in fiction. This felonious 4wD boasts four hardpoints on the sides, one on the hood, and four more in the truck bed. In fact, the entire cab is mounted on one, should...[See More]

Mighty Morphin Eye Guy
Power Rangers Lightning Collection (Hasbro) - Mighty Morphin
Rated 3.50 stars by Karl T. Face
Ironically, I eyeballed this extensively when it came out. Finally pulled the trigger on a trade, but there's a reason I waited. As a Kaiju nut and mythology fan, I couldn't turn down another classic Dora Monster in the end. This one's based on Argos, the hundred-eyed giant that guarded one of Zeus' side pieces from his frequent advances, despite her having already been turned into a heifer. Dora Argus, meanwhile, was created to trap a little girl in a nightmare dimension to break her spirit so their pathetic resident vampire could actually drink human blood for a change. Either way, this is some wacky stuff. First, the good. This thing is big, hefty, and very well sculpted. Various eyes are half-closed, and the freaky skin texture looks great. The articulation is the usual Lightning...[See More]

Saw Boss
Wheeled Warriors (Mattel) - Monster Minds
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
Wheeled Warriors was wonderfully weird. A young hero, a wizard, Basically Han Solo, a human/plant hybrid, and a dwarfish warforged pilot crazy vehicles in their quest to defeat a bunch of evil plant monsters that produce cyber-plant war machines. The 80s! Saw Boss, here, is one such machine. Technically, it's one of the type produced by Saw Boss, but they all seem to be able to project their consciousness into any given unit, so it counts. The general layout for this line is a unique body and main weapon, with the wheels, axles, and additional weapons interchangeable between them all. Saw Boss is basically a smooth techno-dragon head in jet black and gold chrome. The axle bit is a trike, with two pairs of wheels and a couple triangular tank treads. Nominal placement is treads up front,...[See More]

Dreadnok Air Skiff (with Zanzibar)
G.I. Joe - Classic Collection (Hasbro) - Series 6 - Accessories
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
I love the Dreadnoks. They're equal parts wacky and threatening, and have a lot of visual personality. Some even have pizzazz. Smuggler, pirate, and if Jack Black is to be believed, a pretty versatile chef, Zanzibar lends some much needed amphibious air support to the 'noks. Sporting a unique sculpt that brings Waterworld to mind more than anything else, he sports two grenades, a pistol, and a knife, all sculpted on, plus a pistol, billhook and mallet. The ponytail is usually in dire need of some straightening. On to the ride! The Air Skiff is one of those improbable contraptions that crop up at this price point, a hilariously tall hydrofoil with a seat plopped on top like a zero-turn mower. It's got a lot of swooping shapes, and looks pretty good in green and yellow in spite of itself....[See More]

Crystar
Marvel Legends - Infinite Series (Hasbro) - Void Series
Rated 5.00 stars by Karl T. Face
If you cherry-pick this line as severely as me, your choice this time is clear. Crystar is one of those oddballs that's eked by on guest appearances and miniseries for like 25 years. A sword-and-sorcery adventure filled with strong character arcs, fun designs, and a bit of a throwback feel even then. Our protagonist here was one of two princes, turned into mineral through various magics, and forbidden to ascend the throne until they stop trying to kill each other. I won't go into it all, but the story is great; it's just lousy with infodumping. Credit where it's due, Hasbro has delivered what I believe to be 100% new sculpt. And they did not skimp, covering every inch with multiple facets. The art in the comic wavers a tad, but this seems to be taken from one of the splash pages, with the...[See More]