Purgatori
Chaos! Comics (Moore) - Series 1
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Chaos! was one of the powerhouses of the Exxtreme 90s comic book boom, turning out a respectable crop of cheesesteak titles dripping with mysticism and mythology. The characters generally look about how you'd expect, and here's a fine example. Purgatori (an ancient Egyptian vampire empowered by demons) is a decent study in the art of Clayburn Moore: leggy and cut, top-heavy and contraposto. The lines are clean, the pose isn't overdone, it's just a damn good sculpt. The paint is tight but minimal, with the only wash being on the wings and skulls, but the plastic is dark enough to cast its own shadows. Bonus points for the clean apps on her boot stitches. Articulation is... incidental. It's just there to get her out of the mold, and maybe tweak the arms a little. If you want to try, you get...[See More]

Baroness (Blue Suit)
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.85 stars by RMaster007
Like the Joes, C.O.B.R.A. has no problem including women in their ranks, such as Baroness, one of the most ruthless members of the organization. I mentioned recently with Flint that Super7 always seems to nail the portraits on the Joe like, looking more close to life than their real-life human figures. As with the good guys in wave two, Baroness has unpainted, glossy skin on her head, but she looks a little nicer than the others, with a bit less shine. In addition to the neutral and smirking expressions, Baroness also comes with a head that I understand is based off her comic look, with shorter hair with blue wash, round glasses with clear lenses, and pink lipstick instead of red. Unlike most Ultimates, she gets a fourth head, another comic-inspired one wearing an oxygen mask and a tank...[See More]

Lady Jaye
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.80 stars by RMaster007
Who says fighting for justice is a men's-only thing? Standing about 6 7/8" tall, Lady Jaye's outfit reminds me a bit Flint's, sharing some of the same elements. She has rolled-up sleeves, gloves, two belts around the waist (but no shoulder straps), and boots, all done up in army-esque shqdes of green and brown. The one strap on her torso is sculpted as part of the body, rather than a separate piece, resulting in the look being broken up too much when the chest is posed. The little knife in the holster on her chest is removable, as is the quiver with all sorts of tools. The paint is clean, but as with Flint, the head and forearms aren't painted (or at least not matte), resulting in them contrasting with the painted skin tone on the body. As for her likeness, the glossy skin throws off...[See More]

Flint
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.25 stars by RMaster007
Yo Joe! It took me a while to complete the first wave of Super7's G.I. Joe Ultimates, and I recently got my hands on most of wave two. It's a good thing I held out a bit, since I was able to grab them for less than $22 each. May as well discuss these, starting with Flint. As seen in wave one, Super7 did a pretty good job nailing the character designs from the Sunbow cartoon, and Flint is no exception. He bears a stoic, serious look, and it's accurate to the animation. Alongside it are a slightly smiling head with the beret as a separate piece, and a head talking into a headset. Unlike Duke from wave one, Flint's skin tone on the head isn't painted (it was supposed to, but something changed at the factory I guess), resulting in a glossy appearance. On the positive side, the paint on this...[See More]

Shadow Weaver
Masters of the Universe - Masterverse (Mattel) - Princess of Power
Rated 4.75 stars by Karl T. Face
Finally! Evil-Lyn may be a badass goth sorceress, but Shadow Weaver was just spooky as hell. Her private quarters are called Horror Hall, man. The magic, the mannerisms, that voice- it's a crying shame she never made it into the old toyline. I refused to buy into Classics, missed out on the Super 7 release entirely, and finally landed this one. And brother, she doesn't disappoint. Right off the bat, the sculpt is just detailed enough- it is mostly flowing cloth, after all, with vertical piping. What paint there needs to be is applied well, with nice clean eyes and almost no slop on the nails. The cloth mantle and sleeves are apparently a point of contention. I don't mind the transition myself, but I do wish we got a skosh more material around the shoulders; one or both ball joints will...[See More]

Night Ninja Leo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Collection (Playmates) - 90th Reissue - 2022
Rated 4.00 stars by RMaster007
Even with NECA and Super7 putting out plenty of good Ninja Turtle figures, Playmates, the originator of turtle toys, has been keeping up with not only new figures, but plenty of unexpected comebacks from the late 80s and 90s. The old "Mutations" sub-line has been resurfacing for some time already, and joining them are two of the "Auto-Mutations:" Leonardo and Raphael. Hey, if they can bring back those weird Pizza Tossin' Turtles, I don't think anything is off-limits… provided they still have the molds. The Mutations came in window boxes with flaps rather than cardbacks, and their reissues keep those, but the Auto Mutations now come on cardbacks for some reason. That said, the artwork from the original packaging is retained, and provided you have some scissors on-hand, these should be...[See More]

Batman (New Batman Adventures)
Mafex (Medicom) - DC
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
After covering McFarlane's re-releases of DC Direct's Batman: the Animated Series figures, I figured (heh) that I'd go over another animated Batman in my collection. I've heard of Medicom's MAFEX figures time and again, but haven't been interested in the line that much. Their animated Batman intrigued me, and here we are. The packaging is pretty solid with a city byline on both the outside and the inside, along with various shots of the figure. There's no twisties to deal with here; the plastic trays and bags keep everything in place, and it's all easy to take out. This figure isn't from BTAS, but rather The New Batman Adventures, a retool of the show that overhauled the art style and character designs. This included Batman himself, with narrower eyes on his mask and a blockier chin....[See More]

Panthor
Masters of the Universe - Origins (Mattel) - Accessories
Rated 2.50 stars by Karl T. Face
Bad kitty. I didn't even buy this for Skeletor; it just seemed like something HHH would ride into the arena on, given the option. And it was only ten bucks, so the bar is a little low. But like any cat, it snuck under. I must commend the sculpt. The original mold was famously well sculpted, and this one, while a tad beefier, ramps up the fine detail and looks far better than flocking ever did. Paint is of course minimal; some dark airbrushing would be nice, but it's a deep enough purple to make its own shadows. The saddle buckles securely and looks great from all angles, which isn't always a guarantee. Articulation is nice on paper: tail, shoulders, hips, knees, elbows, neck, and jaw. But while the head is remarkably flexible, the limbs are all but useless. The swivel/hinges at the knees...[See More]

Triple H
Masters of the WWE Universe (Mattel) - Wave 1
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Well, that's an improvement. The pack-in HHH was a fine wrestler toy, but not so hot for a MOTU crossover. This is more in line with his more extravagant entrance gear, which blends right in. The body is the same, but with full pants and a lot of purple. A bulky harness adds some fun spiked armor, and it's topped off with a tattered cape and skull-crown-helmet. Articulation is standard as always- above average, in fact, since nothing was stuck. The shoulder pads do restrict upward motion a bit, but he can still pose with his hammer convincingly. For a bit. The hammer is actually the chief flaw here. The gorgeous sculpt can't quite save it from the fact that it's slightly too big for the hands. It's bad enough the reused Classics sculpts barely stayed on, now they're doing it on purpose?...[See More]

Ice Giant
Witcher (McFarlane) - Megafigs
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
So, The Witcher. I've only seen the series, and never actually finished that, but I can confirm more-or-less myth-accurate monsters (Kikimora notwithstanding), which is what I come for. So whatever version this is based on, it's looking pretty good. But does it hold up in-hand? Firstly, it's McFarlane. They know what they're doing when it comes to monsters, and this is as good a cold-weather giant as one could ask for. The pale skin, furs, and shaggy hair look great, and the pulleys on his sash add a nautical touch. I gotta say, though, the ropes holding the bones onto the legs are mostly unpainted, which is odd considering the rest. All in all, a "greatest hits" ice giant, pulling from a number of classic inspirations. I like it. Articulation is pretty typical for the last couple years:...[See More]