Samurai Adventure Michelangelo and Space Adventure Donatello
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.80 stars by RMaster007
Character variants are inevitable in cartoon figure lines, but how often do such lines incorporate variants not seen in the source material? NECA's TMNT line, which hasn't been variant-heavy thanks to the wide character selection, started giving specific characters all-new outfits. Usagi, a mere two-episode character, got both new space and samurai outfits, and such themes are present with one of their latest two-packs. The samurai role is played here by Michelangelo, and he looks like a total badass. The combat-focused head, with gritted teeth, is an all-new sculpt, and it's got the traditional samurai kabuto helmet on him. This helmet pegs into the back, where a mask knot would usually go, allowing it to fit on his head with ease. You can swap his head out for an afraid expression, and...[See More]

Slam Dunkin' Don
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Super7) - Ultimates!
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
After Samurai Leo, Surfer Mikey, and Space Cadet Raph, you'd think Super7 would do an Ultimate Undercover Donatello next, but nope, it's Slam Dunkin' Don. It was supposed to be Punker Don, but that got pushed back by a lot, so here we are. Granted, an Undercover Don would've been great in this format, but I guess the BBTS-exclusive Undercover Raph filled the "turtle in a trenchcoat" quota. The portrait of the Slam Dunkin' Don was kinda weird. I suppose it's supposed to be a "game face," but the expression is still a little off-putting. Super7 and Four Horsemen did a good job recreating it in a larger scale, albeit without the goggles, and also threw in an extra head. This head has a somewhat happier expression, with his tongue hanging out, and it fits for this specific version of the...[See More]

Punk Disguise Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
In licenses with a ton of characters like TMNT, it's important to keep major characters on the shelves, such as the Turtles themselves. With this year's Haulathon, there's plenty of new versions of the brothers, including outfits both in-house and sourced from the cartoon, the latter being the long-awaited "punk" disguises. The Loyal Subjects did some punk Turtles already, but those suffered from weird design choices and mediocre head sculpts (which were the S.H. Figuarts Turtles heads but worse), so here's NECA with something better. Usually these four-packs have unique art, slipcovers and/or fifth-panel flaps, but not this set; it's just a standard window box with the same motif as the rest of the toon line. It does a good job showing everything off, though, and the new artwork done...[See More]

Soundwave (G1)
Transformers (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.60 stars by RMaster007
I think it's clear now that Super7's Transformers Ultimates line is done for. We haven't seen any waves go up for pre-order since the end of 2022, and with complaints about the quality and articulation, alongside most of the figures having gone on sale, Super7 may have felt the line wasn't worth continuing. On a more positive note, they at least gave us fan-favorite Soundwave. Soundwave has a rather unique head design (though not as unique as Shockwave), with no visible mouth and red, visor-like eyes. It gives him bit more of an ominous vibe than the other Decepticons, and Four Horsemen did a great job matching his animated appearance. Back then, Transformer designs weren't consistent across media, let alone toys, and Soundwave's alternate heads reflect that. One of them originates from...[See More]

Baxter Stockman
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.85 stars by RMaster007
Unlike everything that followed after, the Mirage TMNT comics didn't have a huge cast of mutants and other non-human characters, but it still had some pretty interesting humans. One of the first human villains after Shredder's "demise" is the evil scientist Baxter Stockman. Despite his presence throughout the franchise, his role in the original comics was minimal. Over at NECA, Richard Force and David Giraud brought the original Baxter into action figure form. The default portrait is a sly grin, and it's very accurate to how he appears in the comic, but it can be swapped out for a more sinister look with a wider grin and visible forehead wrinkles. The hair has a lumpy texture, giving it a bit more definition, and the paint is good, though the alternate head has better work. At about 6...[See More]

Steel Clan Robot
Gargoyles (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
Most gargoyles are flesh and blood, as with any other creature in the world, but there are some that aren't, like David Xanatos' army of evil "Steel Clan" robots. I've seen this release in-store a lot, but it wasn't until a few days ago I caved in and got it. This is probably the last time I'll mention the packaging with this line, since we all know these figures have great box art, and this one in particular depicts an army of these robots glaring at you with their menacing red eyes. Other than that, it's all the same. Same text on back, same cross-sell, same interior backdrop. Xanatos must have a thing for Goliath, as the Steel Clan robots are made in his image. The chiseled jaw and long hair are reminiscent of him, but it's basically a blockier, mechanical version of the big guy....[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]

Professor Perry 2-Pack
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 1990 Movie (Neca) - Secret of the Ooze
Rated 4.85 stars by RMaster007
NECA seems to have almost run out of characters from the first two TMNT films, or at least the ones everyone wants. They've done enough to satisfy fans, though, with the latest Secret of the Ooze release being not one, but two versions of Professor Jordan Perry in a single two-pack. I guess they really like him over there. Unlike most movie figures, this set is a much-easier-to-get NECA Store exclusive rather than a Walmart one, and is still available as of this writing. One of the Perrys comes wearing a TGRI lab coat, with a square-patterned shirt and brown suspenders, and the straps are sculpted onto the torso separate from the waist. The other Perry wears an orange jumpsuit, also TGRI-branded, but has that same shirt underneath it. There is quite a bit of shared tooling between both...[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]

Count Chocula
Cereal (Jada Toys) - General Mills
Rated 4.40 stars by RMaster007
With Jada Toys making action figures for various popular licenses such as Mega Man, Street Fighter, and even Cyberpunk Edgerunners, sometimes we'll have to look back to a few years ago when they decided to enter the figure market. Universal Monsters was one of their first lines, and going hand-in-hand with those were a few figures of General Mills' spooky cereal mascots. Sure, anyone could make a Frankenstein, but who was willing to do Franken Berry? I've been on the fence on the figures for a while now, but I finally caved in and picked up Count Chocula for a good price not long ago. The packaging features the classic box art on the front, which fits for a cereal-based figure like this one. The back has a comic, albeit covered up a bit by other graphics, and there's even mock...[See More]