Action Figure #691: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Alien Yellow Ranger

 Only an Alien would think of dressing as a Yellow Ninja!

 Lastly comes the Mighty Morphin Alien Yellow Ranger, the one who should've been my favorite of the bunch, but alas...

 While at first glance these four sculpts look identical, each figure has their own helmet, because the symbol on the head band is different, their own belt, because the symbol is different, as well as their own sword hilt, because, once again, the symbol is different. Unlike the Alien White Ranger, these guys use the older body buck, the one with pins. While I think the figures look good, I think the helmets are a smidge too large. But that's as far as the differences go. This figure comes with two trigger finger hands, two fists, a blaster, a dagger, a scabbard that slots into his back and a sword. While the belts should hold the dagger, I feel that they hang very loose, and they hold the blaster much more firmly. Every figure can use any effect, but according to the back of the box, the blue blaster effect belongs to him. The Yellow Ranger has a few aesthetic differences, like the bottom of his collar and his belt being black instead of gold. I love how vibrant the yellow plastic is on this guy too!

 Articulation for these guys is as follows: Swivels on the boots, ankles and biceps, a hinged waist, a ball jointed ab-crunch, butterfly joints and double jointed elbows and knees. That said, Yellow has the same issue as Blue: very tight shoulder joints. At least the shoulder pegs look to be made out of very solid plastic because I haven't noticed the pegs getting any stressed when moving his arms to the sides, but I still don't like it. His big helmet makes him a touch taller than Bucky Cap.

 Well, I love having another male Yellow Ranger in my collection, and I really dig the design, it's just a shame about the stiff shoulder joints.

7.0

Action Figure #690: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Alien Black Ranger

 Finally! One that actually looks like a ninja!

 Being clad in black makes the Mighty Morphin Alien Black Ranger look like a proper ninja, if only there was a Green Kakuranger we could've had an Alien too, bummer!

 While at first glance these four sculpts look identical, each figure has their own helmet, because the symbol on the head band is different, their own belt, because the symbol is different, as well as their own sword hilt, because, once again, the symbol is different. Unlike the Alien White Ranger, these guys use the older body buck, the one with pins. While I think the figures look good, I think the helmets are a smidge too large. But that's as far as the differences go. This figure comes with two trigger finger hands, two fists, a blaster, a dagger, a scabbard that slots into his back and a sword. While the belts should hold the dagger, I feel that they hang very loose, and they hold the blaster much more firmly. Every figure can use any effect, but according to the back of the box, the yellow sword effect belongs to him. As far as the Black Ranger goes, the gold and white accents on the suits look particularly good on him, making him very easy on the eyes.

 Articulation for these guys is as follows: Swivels on the boots, ankles and biceps, a hinged waist, a ball jointed ab-crunch, butterfly joints and double jointed elbows and knees. Much like the Red Ranger, his joints are very smooth. His big helmet makes him a touch taller than Bucky Cap.

 The Black Kakuranger is another fun Ranger. While I still think the helmets are a little bit too large, the rest of the sculpt is good, the costume is cool and the articulation makes him fun to pose around.

8.0

Action Figure #689: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Alien Red Ranger

 No monkey business here.

 Here's the Mighty Morphin Alien Red Ranger representing the Monkey, because not only was that his Zord in Rangers, but his S symbol stands for Saru in Kakuranger! Or maybe for Sarutobi? Or Sasuke?... either way, he is a monkey ninja or a monkey alien ninja.

 While at first glance these four sculpts look identical, each figure has their own helmet, because the symbol on the head band is different, their own belt, because the symbol is different, as well as their own sword hilt, because, once again, the symbol is different. Unlike the Alien White Ranger, these guys use the older body buck, the one with pins. While I think the figures look good, I think the helmets are a smidge too large. But that's as far as the differences go. This figure comes with two trigger finger hands, two semi-open hands, a blaster, a dagger, a scabbard that slots into his back and a sword. While the belts should hold the dagger, I feel that they hang very loose, and they hold the blaster much more firmly. Every figure can use any effect, but according to the back of the box, the yellow blaster effect belongs to him. As far as the Red Ranger goes, well... He looks pretty good, this design works really well in Red, and Hasbro picked the right tone too.

 Articulation for these guys is as follows: Swivels on the boots, ankles and biceps, a hinged waist, a ball jointed ab-crunch, butterfly joints and double jointed elbows and knees. The red ranger in particular has very smooth joints. His big helmet makes him a touch taller than Bucky Cap.

 The Alien Red Ranger is probably among the best figures in the pack. This sculpt looks really good in red, and the joints are very smooth, making him very fun to play with and pose around.

8.0

Action Figure #688: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Alien Blue Ranger

 And now begins the four part Alien copy pasta.

 Well, next up is the Mighty Morphin Alien Blue Ranger. Why the blue guy? Roll o' the dice! These next four figures are pretty much identical, so I'll be doing a lot of copy pasting.

 While at first glance these four sculpts look identical, each figure has their own helmet, because the symbol on the head band is different, their own belt, because the symbol is different, as well as their own sword hilt, because, once again, the symbol is different. Unlike the Alien White Ranger, these guys use the older body buck, the one with pins. While I think the figures look good, I think the helmets are a smidge too large. But that's as far as the differences go. This figure comes with two trigger finger hands, two semi-open hands, a blaster, a dagger, a scabbard that slots into his back and a sword. While the belts should hold the dagger, I feel that they hang very loose, and they hold the blaster much more firmly. Every figure can use any effect, but according to the back of the box, the pink blaster effect belongs to him. As far as the Blue Ranger goes... well, for starters, I couldn't equip his blaster effect on any gun, it seems like the hole is too small. Also... they botched the color. In both Sentai and Ranger forms, the blue ranger was dressed in a very light cyan tone, but for the figure they went for a very deep blue. The figure looks good, I'd dare say this tone of blue looks much better, but... it's not quite faithful to the source material.

 Articulation for these guys is as follows: Swivels on the boots, ankles and biceps, a hinged waist, a ball jointed ab-crunch, butterfly joints and double jointed elbows and knees. That said, Blue in particular has very tight shoulder joints, but the shoulder pegs look to be made out of very solid plastic because I haven't noticed the pegs getting any stressed when moving his arms to the sides. His big helmet makes him a touch taller than Bucky Cap.

 I think this is a good figure, but the helmet is a bit too large, and while I like the deep blue color... it's not faithful to the show at all. I also dislike how tight his shoulders are, because Red and Black don't have that issue.

6.0

Action Figure #687: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Alien White Ranger

 She's an illegal alien, as I see no papers!

 Looking back, I never liked the Alien Rangers season. I hated having the main cast de-aged to children, and I didn't really jive with the aliens. Come present day and now I learn that they are based on the much cooler Kakurangers! Needless to say, I had to get this five pack, and we'll start with the Mighty Morphin Alien White Ranger since she is the most different from the bunch.

 Being the only female of the team means she is the only one made on a different buck. She has the updated, pinless, female body unlike the other four. She's a really nice looking figure, molded in vibrant white plastic, and the black and gold accents look really good on her. She comes with a scabbard, that slots on her back, a sword, a dagger and a pistol. Every Ranger's helmet, belt and sword hilt is unique, which is worth mentioning. She also comes with two gripping hands and two open palm hands. The set comes with three shoot effects and two sword swirl effects, and any Ranger can use any effect, but according to the back of the box, the pink swirl belongs to her. The Rangers usually put the dagger in dagger form on their belts, but the daggers hang a bit loose, while holding down the pistols much better.

 Being on the newer buck means she gets double jointed elbows and knees. She also has swivels on her boots, thighs and biceps, with butterfly joints, a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist. Sadly she has drop down hips, but they do help with the skirt! The skirt has cuts on both sides, so it shouldn't restrict her legs too much. She is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 I felt that this was a fun figure, and in some ways, it's better than the other four considering she is pinless and I feel the size of her helmet is better proportioned to the rest of her body. All things considered, this is the only white female ranger that the line produced, so I'm glad to have her.

8.0

Action Figure #686: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Dino Charge Blue Ranger

 A blue Stegosaurus is kinda like a blue Hedgehog, right?

 And now, with the Dino Charge Blue Ranger in tow you might notice I'm kind of in a Dino Charge bind. Why? Because they were at the top of a Lightning Collection Series Checklist Website!

 Much like the Gold and Pink Rangers from this series, I think this guy's design is pretty rad. Appealing design aside, this guy comes with two gripping hands, two fist, an unmasked head sculpt, a sword, a blaster and an energy effect for his sword.

 While still far from good, the paint apps on his gun are better than the pink ranger's, and they covered both sides of the gun too! It was molded in a less cheap looking yellow plastic too.

 Articulation is on brand for the brand. Double jointed elbows and knees, butterfly joints, swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots, with a hinged waist and a ball jointed ab crunch. He also features the dreadful drop down hips. All his joints felt very smooth, which makes him fun to play with. He is ever so slightly shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Overall, I'd say he is a pretty fun figure. He looks pretty good, his accessories are neat, is fun to play with and, as far as I know, didn't botch the paint and colors unlike Hasbro did with the Gold Ranger.

7.5

Action Figure #685: Power Rangers Lightning Collection Dino Charge Gold Ranger

 And with him... I've now gotten all two Gold Rangers released by Hasbro!

 As a lover of yellows, which includes golds, it was inevitable that I'd overpay if that meant getting the now rare Dino Charge Gold Ranger and boy if I overspent! But he is part of my collection now, and I liked him!

 Well, I do dig this guy's design. I'll do say that he feels closer toa yellow ranger than a gold, because his tone is closer to mustard than gold. I looked up footage from the show and its Sentai counterpart and.... yeah, he should be a bit shinier. So while the sculpt is very good, the color is not quite right. And it goes beyond that, much like Hasbro mass produced the White Abare Ranger without the black outline on his visor.... they forgot to paint this guy's neck white! He comes with two gripping hands, an open palm, a fist, an unmasked head, a yellow energy effect, his sword and his gauntlet morpher.

 Here's his unpainted white neck.

 His sword can open up. The hinge has loosened up a bit  since I have played with it quite a bit, I did mention I liked the figure, right? But it's not too bad... at least for now.

 As per usual with the line, double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on his boots, thighs and biceps, butterfly joints, a hinged waist and a ball jointed ab crunch. The only issue I had with him is that his right shoulder is a bit stiff, so I hope the peg that connects to his bicep doesn't break. Other than that, he is fun to play with. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 I'm a bit torn in this case, because since I don't have any sort of connection to either Ranger or Sentai show I find myself not caring about how unfaithful the figure is to the source material, so all the inaccuracies don't affect how much I like how this figure looks. I think his accessories are badass too, so it's easy to get him looking cool. Ah well, what can I say, I like him.

7.0

Action Figure #684: Marvel Legends Gorr the God Butcher

 Non deities need not fear.

 A few months ago I started reading my first ever Thor volume, with the Thor: God of Thunder series that introduced Gorr the God Butcher for the first time. It was a fun, short read that also gave me a look into other Thor villains I've been collecting like Malekith and Ulrik! That aside, I liked Gorr, so getting his figure was a no brainer!

 Gorr is a relatively nice looking figure. He is built on the Grim Reaper buck, which is showing its age... and its pins. That aside, this buck gives him a nice size and musculature which suits Gorr just fine. His black cape is made out of soft plastic, which is a bonus in this case since it lets the cape have this molded ethereal tendrils coming out of it. The headsculpt is very detailed too, bringing his head to life. I've got two big complaints, first is that his pelvis should be more like a thong than a trunk, but I'll forgive them since it's meant to be sold as a toy. Secondly... is that one of his feet should be crippled, but both feet look identical here, and this is kind of a big deal since this was an important part of his design. Other than that, the rest of the figure makes for a good translation of the character. He comes with two heads, one with the hood and one without, as well as two right hands, one of them holding his All-Black weapon.

 Articulation is the same as any other Grim Reaper buck. Double jointed elbows and knees, with swivels on his ankles, biceps, thighs and waist alongside a hinged ab crunch. Gorr was quite a nimble character, so butterfly joints would've been welcome. He is about a head taller than Bucky Cap.

 Well, Gorr is a good figure. He looks like 80% accurate to the character and the articulation is good enough to pose him looking badass. It's just that he is missing a few bells and whistles to make him the only Gorr figure you'd ever need. As it stands, I like him, but if there's an update with the right foot, and more accurate paint apps... I'm getting the update!

6.5

Action Figure #683: Star Wars The Black Series Night Trooper

 And now we've got zombies in space.

 Since Alien proved that horror and Sci-Fi go together, here have the zombie Night Trooper , because, indeed, now Star Wars has zombies. I knew I had to have this guy as soon as he was announced.

 First of all... entirely new sculpt. He looks fantastic, he is clad entirely in black, with the golden cracks and red straps of Thrawn's troops. He's got a ton of details sculpted onto him, and the gold, red and black color scheme is always a winner. But... Hasbro had to Hasbro. His backside is as detailed and full of cracks as the front... but there's no gold pain on his back. At all. At least the straps are painted red, but you'll notice that his body has a ton of sculpted cracks on his backs that are unpainted. Boo! The bit of head you see under the cracked masked looks good too, but... his teeth are the same color of his skin, which also feels sorta lazy. His only accessory is his rifle... which has silver paint at the tip. So that one gets a dash of pain but his back doesn't?

 Articulation is fine, it hits all the basics: Single jointed elbows and knees, both reaching slightly over 90 degrees when bent, a ball jointed ab crunch and swivel on his thighs that you'll need to you if you want him to split his legs, due to the armor on his legs. Surprisingly no butterfly joints. This big boy is taller than Bucky Cap!

 Despite Hasbro cutting corners with the paint, I still think that this is a really good figure. It's a really good all new sculpt, the paint work is good and eye catching and the articulation is good enough. It's just missing a little extra.

7.5

Action Figure #682: Star Wars The Black Series Ezra Bridger (Ahsoka)

  Our boy's all grown up!

 Full disclosure... while I finished Clone Wars a few weeks ago, it's October now, time for horror movies, so I haven't started Rebels, much less Ahsoka, yet, so I know very little about Ezra Bridger (Ahsoka) besides the few clips I've seen of him fighting... but he looks like Jedi Jesus, I had to get him.

 Fantastic sculpt all around, he looks just like the actor, who happens to look JUST like Ezra. And it's not just that, his clothes have been beautifully sculpted with all sorts of belts, pouches and straps... he is a very interesting figure to look at. The one thing I'll give them some slack for is that he has a trigger finger gun. This was a weaponless Ezra, he was using the force to fight... so he should've gotten Force hands, heck, a single Force hand would've been perfect. His only accessory is his light saber.

 He has single jointed elbows and knees, with very deep cuts, and swivels on his thighs and boots. His waits is on a ball joint, and he has pretty nice butterfly joints, although my left butterfly joints seems a bit loose and his should a bit stiff.. let's hope he doesn't break! His skirt is made out of soft plastic, so it doesn't limit his legs. Sadly, for a newer figure, he is still using the old hinged hands. He is about half a head shorter than Bucky Cap.

 This guy came out fantastic. Definite recommendation.

8.5

Action Figure #681: Marvel Legends Madame Masque (SuperVillains 2-Pack)

  Forgive the mask, she is a bit shy!

 Now that I'm done glazing Crossbones, comes the actual reason I wanted to buy this pack, Madame Masque as I've been waiting for a long, LONG time for get to get a figure. I first discovered her through the animated Iron Man TV Show, I've since come across her a few times through my Spider-Man adventures. So, yea, she was a necessity in my collection.

 She is built on a slightly retooled Shriek mold, as she has the zipper on her upper torso actually sculpted onto the figure. I don't mind the reuse, it works for her. She share the case, the smoke effects, the blaster effects and the ground explosion accessory with Crossbones, but she gets to open hands, two trigger finger hands, two golden guns(One with a silencer) and an alternate head. First of all... why the open hands? Those don't suit her at all, they should've been fists. That aside, I think she looks really nice, and while I'm more familiar with the classic look of the character... this is close enough. That said... much as it happened with Crossbones, the art the chose for the box doesn't match the figure, although she is much closer than Crossbones, for you see... the fingers should be black, not white. It's a nitpick, sure, but still. 

 I'm also not familiar with this more modern mask of hers, but in the figure it looks like a domino mask... but if you look at the very same art the chose for the box, this is supposed to be a transparent mask of sorts with a golden domino mask. The effect is completely lost on the figure, in fact, they didn't even try. I mean... come on, Hasbro, when you try to can make the most amazing figures!

 One thing to keep in mind, while I put the blaster effect on the silenced gun... I broke it, it bent hard ans stressed the plastic, so be careful.

 Another bit that disappointed me with her is that her arms are rather gummy. I hate it when the shoulder pegs get stressed like this.

 While she is not built on the newer female buck, the Shriek buck is good enough. Double jointed elbows and knees, bicep and thigh swivels, with a ball jointed ab crunch. It's not the best ever, but it's good enough. She is about as tall as Bucky Cap.

 She was my biggest determination factor in getting the two pack, and, mind you, she is a decent figure, but... Crossbones was the real star here.

7.0