Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Action Figure #636: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Goldar(Winged)

 There's a reason Zedd clipped his wings.

 Speaking of Ranger villains, I had to get Goldar too. There were two versions available, one with Wings, and one without them, as Zedd punished him. I thought wings were the way to go.... I might've been wrong.
 The sculpt is pretty much perfect. His armor has all the right details in all the right places, and the headsculpt matches the show 1:1. The problem is the paint. There's a lot of sculpted parts, like below his arms, that are sculpted in the facsimile of a leathery material, and they should be painted red or maroon. They didn't paint it at all, leaving it as unpainted gold plastic. It's not just that, some parts had a different shade of gold paint applied to them, but others didn't just because. This makes it look more like a lazy Chinese bootleg than a collectible. He comes with his wings, his sword, an effect piece for his sword and two alternate hands. Hs wings, the reason I got this version, are horrible. It has the gummiest pegs I've ever seen and they keep coming out of the back ports. I hate them, I opted to remove them.
 At least the articulation is up to snuff, matching the rest of the figures in the line: Double jointed elbows and knees, hinged waist, ball jointed ab crunch, butterfly joints and swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots. You can get him looking pretty badass alright. He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.
 Great sculpt, great articulation... but very lazy paintjob. Sometimes Hasbro can get it so right, and other times they fall short of greatness out of simple laziness.
5.5

Action Figure #635: Marvel Legends Chameleon(Retro-Carded)

 The man with a thousand faces.

 Chameleon is one of the few of Spider-Man's most classic villains that I had yet to add to my collection. While the older figure in a sit would've suited me better, I hold more nostalgia for this silly looking super villain look he had in the show.
 Well, work went into this guy, as I'm pretty sure the torso is entirely new. Aside from that, the head sculpt is beautiful, and they added some black shading to highlight some of his features, which isn't faithful to the source material but does give the figure a more realistic look. Now then, I have one big issue with the figure, and that's the belt: It's a single piece together with the chest band, it hangs loose over the figure and can't be removed. Why is this an issue? Because it's a huge missed opportunity, as the belt was how Chameleon transformed in the show, and it gave away when it was him and not the real character, so being able to put the belt on other figures would've been amazing. He comes with two trigger finger hands, two fists, a pistol, a rifle and a crumpled J Jonah Jameson mask.
 The mask accessory has indentations for his fingers so that he can hold it.
 He has the standard Marvel Legends articulation: Double jointed elbows and Knees, swivels on his biceps, thighs, boots and waist with a hinged ab crunch. You can get him into any position that you could need. He is a touch taller than Bucky Cap.
 Not my favorite look for The Chameleon, but Hasbro managed to get his TAS look down to a tee. A removable belt could've been neat, but what we got is great by itself.
8.0

Action Figure #634: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger

 Pretty in pink.

 Every 90's kid first crush was Kimberly Hart, the Mighty Mophin Pink Ranger and there's no arguing that. Having opened her, that means I've a version of every MMPR in my collection, finally!
 Well, she's the same buck as the previous Yellow Ranger, so same deal, except that she has a mini skirt setting her apart. She comes with two fancy gripping hands, a flat palm hand, a fist, a Kimberly head, an arrow and an arrow beam effect. The Kimberly head is decent, but has a bit of a creepy uncanny smile going on. The bow and arrows are cool and all, but it's hard to get cool poses using them. Gettingeher to hold an arrow is a hassle enough!
 The side of her bow that can be combined with the other guys' weapons lacks paint and detail, so you can only pose the bow one way, which kinda sucks.
 On the articulation front... let me do a quick copy paste: she has single jointed elbows and no bicep swivels. She gets double jointed knees, butterfly joints, boot and thigh swivels, a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist. The skirt is soft enough not to hinder her legs in any meaningful way. She is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.
 Same deal as the yellow ranger. She was decent at the time, it's just that there's a new version with better proportioned and articulated arms out there, as well as a more accurate paintjob on the belt. But if you'd rather not overpay, this one is just fine.
6.0

Action Figure #633: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Scorpina(Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger & Scorpina two Pack)

 GET OVER HE--wait, wrong Scorpion.

 Now, this two pack was great because it came with two figures I really wanted, a female Yellow MM Ranger and, well, Scorpina the original baddie.
 Well, she is amazing. She had a lot of armor pieces sculpted just for her and her alone, and I love the overall asymmetrical look of the character, which they nailed really well. The only thing, I feel like the face sculpt isn't very accurate to the actress, but that'd be my only gripe. She comes with two gripping hands, a fist, an open hand, her boomerang and an electric effect for her weapon.
 The shoulder pad is a separate piece that can be rotated, so it doesn't get in the way of her articulation, but I'm getting ahead of myself!
 Shes built on the same outdated female buck as the yellow Ranger, meaning that she has single jointed elbows and no bicep swivels. She gets double jointed knees, butterfly joints, boot and thigh swivels, a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist. She's almost as tall as Bucky Cap.
 I'm quite happy with this figure. What she's missing in arm articulation she makes up for with a really cool design.
8.0

Action Figure #632: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger(Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger & Scorpina two Pack)

 The original race swap.

 And now, a Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger to represent the American localization! While Aisha wasn't the original, she was the one that got to appear in the movie and get the Ninja powers and all that good stuff.
 This is the original Female Ranger buck, and I think it's pretty good, but the arms might be a bit too slim for my liking. She gets an alternate unmasked Aisha head, which looks just like the actress, two gripping hands, an alternate grip hand and a flat hand, as well as her twin daggers, a power effect for both, and the blaster-dagger in dagger and blaster forms.
 Articulation is pretty good, but this older buck has single jointed elbows and no bicep swivels. She gets double jointed knees, butterfly joints, boot and thigh swivels, a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist. She's fun to  play with, all things considered. She is half a head shorter than Bucky Cap.
 I mean... she's fine for what she is and what she was, it's just that, well, there's a better version available... albeit with Trini's head. I'll tell you this much, I think the remastered version is a bit taller, but I like her being a bit smaller, like this! 
6.0


Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Action Figure #631: Star Wars The Black Series Supreme Leader Snoke & Throne

 I can have my figures play musical chairs now!

 Is there a more wasted non-character than the Supreme Leader Snoke in the Sequel Trilogy? He was barely even a character before getting smoked in the second movie, leaving questions about who he was, what he wanted and what not hanging, because that was the next director's problem!
 Well, for starters, the throne looks pretty neat, despite it looking very simple and glossy, which makes it look like the toy that it is. In contrast, and I can't believe I'm saying this.... Snoke is a thing of beauty. While he has a very simple design, his body behind the soft-goods robes is a unique, skeletal looking sculpt, and a ton of work went into his head, chest and hands, even including a flesh wash to highlight all the gritty details. Other than that... no accessories or gimmicks, I mean, he barely did anything in the movies!
 A close up at the beautiful sculpt. This character didn't deserve this much TLC! His robes are glued onto ahard-plastic piece on his neck, so you can't take it off.
 Much like the Emperor he has more articulation than he really needs, being of the very few Black Series figures with double jointed elbows and bicep swivels... Which I think were a mistake, since his shoulders are hidden by the robes! He also has double jointed knees and swivels on his thighs.
 On the other hand, his leg splits are pathetic. His ab crunch is on a swivel. He is much taller, and lankier, than Bucky Cap.
 Really, this character didn't deserve a figure this good. He has a ton of articulation, for a guy that never got up from his throne in the movies, and so much detail considering he must've had 15 minutes of screen time at best!
7.0

Action Figure #630: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Lost Galaxy Red Ranger(Lost Galaxy & Psycho Red Rangers two Pack)

 He can be found at the lost-and-found galaxy over there.

 I don't remember much about Lost Galaxy, so I'm not very familiar with the Lost Galaxy Red Ranger to be honest. In fact, the last season I've memories of is Lightspeed Rescue, so maybe I didn't even watch anything from Lost Galaxy, but, hey, I won a super cheap auction for these two!
 Well, I'll tell you this much: I don't find the Lost Galaxy Ranger design particularly impressive, so I don't much care about him. He comes with a dagger, a sword, a fire effect for the swords, two gripping hands, an open hand, a fist and an unmasked head sculpt. And this is where things pick up: I think the flame effect makes him look badass, and having him dual wield the sword and the dagger makes him look badass.
 My figure's left foot came off looking gappy, sadly.
 Same articulation as always. Double jointed elbows and knees, hinged waist, ball jointed ab crunch, butterfly joints and swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap. And, yes, this is a copy paste from the last entry. I'm getting tired of typing up the same thing every time!
 I'll keep it simple and honest, if it wasn't for his badass weaponry and effects I wouldn't care about this figure in the slightest!
6.5

Action Figure #629: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Pyscho Red Ranger(Lost Galaxy & Psycho Red Rangers two Pack)

 Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est!

 Well, I'll see how I'll go about getting the expensive Psycho Rangers, but for now let's start with the In Space Psycho Red Ranger.
 These guys were very memorable in the show, at least when I was younger, so I'm glad they got the sculpt so well. The guy is filled with details, most of them unpainted in black... but that's how they looked in the show, so there's nothing else they could've done. The only thing, is that I feel like the red paint should've been either metallic or glossier. He comes with his sword, which looks really cool, two fists, a gripping hand and a hand shooting out electricity... the issue is, the gripping hand and the electric hands are both right hands, so he can't wield his sword and use electricity at the same time.
 Same articulation as always. Double jointed elbows and knees, hinged waist, ball jointed ab crunch, butterfly joints and swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.
 I like this guy a lot. He looks like an evil Ranger would, so I love having him between my other rangers.
8.0

Action Figure #628: Epic H.A.C.K.S Red Sonja

 Build-a-Sonja.

 I desperately needed a Red Sonja in my collection, and while it seemed Executive Replicas' would be my only option, this one came along and it seemed like a better choice. The renders looked great, so I pre-ordered it day one... but then prototype photos came out and she looked terrible, many cancelled their pre-orders, I almost did.... but decided to wait it out, and now, here we are.
 What makes this Red Sonja interesting is that she comes with a t on of alternate pieces so that you can customize her looks. She has a single chainmail bikini top with a socket at the back for two different shoulder armor pieces... or a scabbard for her sword. She has two different chainmail bikini bottoms, two armbands, two leg bands and a single leg band with a scabbard for the knife, two similar but different gauntlets, an optional belt, three pair of hands, three heads, a sword, a dagger and an axe. One issue with the figure, which I've seen is a common issue, is that the right arm comes off very easily. I coated the peg with super glue and haven't had a problem since. Due to the nature of the customization.... the lower armor hangs a bit loose, so it would've been nice if they painted on some underwear or something. I'm of half a mind to glue thee belt in place.
 That aside, the figure's sculpt is great, really. The faces looked a bit ugly in the prototype stages, but they came out great. The detail on the body feels very natural, and her hair has a lighter wash on it to highlight the sculpt. The armor looks very detailed too, the chainmail bikini has a black wash, which is nice, but an alternate, all-silver piece would've been nice for comic purists.
 Articulation is almost perfect. She has a ball jointed ab crunch and a ball jointed waist, with great range on both. Double jointed elbows and knees, butterfly joints and swivels on the biceps. Sadly, she doesn't have swivels on her thighs, opting for the sleeved ball pegs which aren't nearly as good. And that's my only complaint. She is a bit taller than Bucky Cap, which suits her quite perfectly.
 This customixzble Red Sonja experiment has more successes than misses, I'll tell you that much. That said, yeah, if the armor could stay in place better she'd look a bit cooler, but I'll definitely keep my eye out for other Epic H.A.C,K.S figures.
8.0

Action Figure #627: Star Wars The Black Series Prince Xizor

 He should have a light saber scissor.

 Prince Xizor is another character I owned in Kenner form back when I was younger. Bootleg SW figures would get mixed up with legit ones so I'm not sure if mine was legit or not, but the black paint on his ponytails wore off and he looked as if he had green antennae!
 And as with most Black Series figures as of late, the sculpt is fantastic. His intricately textured robes looked great, and this extends, literally, to his sculpted back vertebrae. I would've liked the lower parts of his robes to be soft goods, but I get why they went with soft plastic: The texturing and the details. He does get soft goods sleeves, however, and he comes with a staff... the grip could be a bit tighter, but it's OK.
 Articulation is the usual, single jointed elbows and knees, with decent range each, a ball jointed waist and butterfly joints, but the range they add is minimal. The robes do limit his lower half articulation, but I don't see Xizor as the kid of guy that kicks his enemies. His two ponytails can be rotated, and he is almost as tall as Bucky Cap.
 Prince Xizor is a nice figure to look at, but not the most fun to play with. All that said, I'm glad he is in my collection.
7.0

Action Figure #626: Total Anime Chainsaw Man

 Invincible would've a field day with his alias!

 Well, I was considering Jazzware's Total Anime line until I saw how tall they were... but I got Chainsaw Man for free, due to Credit Card points, and figured a non-human looking character could fit my collection... so here we are.
 Well, like with most non-import anime figures, the proportions look a bit off. He's a bit too slim, a bit lanky, but for the most part, he looks pretty decent. He comes with a simple plastic base, two alternate arms, an alternate head that has more blood on the saw, and three different mouth plates. Swapping the arms was very easy, and they stay on quite firmly, same goes for the mouth plates.
 He has a port on his back... maybe the torso piece isn't a unique sculpt? It's a bit weird, and he does come with a little piece of plastic to cover it up, so it's fine.
 Articulation is pretty good. He has double jointed elbows and knees with plenty of range each. Sadly, while you get swivels on his biceps, you can't turn the hands, due to the saws, so how you display the hands is limited by the arms. He has very generous butterfly joints, and while he has no thigh swivels the legs are sort of sleeves that slot on the ball jointed hips, so you can rotate his legs a bit. Sadly, he gets drop-down hips. His ab crunch and waist are on ball joints...
 ...but the range is very limited...
 ....both forwards and backwards. His ab crunch is also very squeaky when moving it to the sides and does an awful crack when you turn it. As seen below, he is half a head taller than Bucky Cap, making him taller than Star Wars and Power Rangers figures. A human, teenage Denji would definitely look off, but in his transformed state he fits quite nicely. 
 Well, these Total Anime figures are not all that much better than Anime Heroes, but I quite liked this Chainsaw Man. They got a lot of things right, and if I find another figure from the line that I could fit among my figures I'll certainly check it out.
7.5