Action Figure #768: Power Rangers Lightning Collection S.P.D. B-Squad Blue Ranger

 Time for the main event!

 Well, now the main reason I bought this two pack, the S.P.D B-Squad Blue Ranger which was, kinda, the last SPD ranger I was missing, so the team is complete... for now, and yes, Spoilers!

 Much like the Yellow Ranger being a repaint of the Pink Ranger, this is a repaint of the Green Ranger, even the weapons are the same... although his' are painted blue instead of black. So, in order to learn how to slot his weapon, look up my SPD Green entry. Well, I do think this design looks better in blue, for what it's worth, BUT, matching up the "2" on his left side is a bit harder than with any other SPD ranger. And I know it's possible because it looked fine before I took him out of the box! He came with two gripping hands, a hand to hold his badge, his badge, an open palm hand, his unmasked head, his morpher, and his weapon in its two forms. Yes, one of the gripping hands is missing from the photo... because I gave it to the Green Ranger so that he could FINALLY properly gold his weapons! Blue Rangers tend to be nice like that.

 You know the deal about this, so let me copy paste a bit. Articulation follows everything this line has, with double jointed elbows and knees, butterfly joints, swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots, with a hinged waist a ball jointed diaphragm. Luckily, no drop-down hips. Well, this figure's shoulders aren't as tight as the Green or Red Rangers', so that's a good thing. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap, which is weird because the red Ranger seemed shorter. Curious.

 He is a fun new addition to my collection, he is just as good as the other SPD ranger, at least the ones from the B-Squad, and I'm happy that I finally completed the team... for now.

8.0

Action Figure #767: Power Rangers Lightning Collection S.P.D. A-Squad Blue Ranger

 So... I'm collecting the A-Team now?

 Saban's deal was being as cheap as possible. It's the reason Power Rangers was made splicing pre-existing footage with new connective tissue. The actors were paid poorly, and when they had to make new costumes, they looked cheap. The S.P.D. A-Squad Blue Ranger as well as his team were made as cheap as possible: Reusing Megaranger/In Space helmets and equipping them with motocross protectors, a la Mortal Kombat Ninjas. I didn't want to collect this team, but I guess this 2-Pack will now force me to do it, huh?

 And this figures stays true to the 'as cheap as possible' philosophy. Well, let's be fair, a good amount of work went into the figure, a lot of pieces, the chest, the leg guards, the additions to the helmet... What they needed to sculpt, they did. The problem is that despiste the work that went into making the figure... he still looks lame as hell! And we have to also mention his accessories, he comes with two gripping hands, two fists, a rifle and a blast effect piece for the rifle. First of all, and more of a nitpick, securing the effect to the rifle was a pain, it kept falling off. But that's the least of its issues, the actual issue... is that his weapon has a trigger, but he has no trigger finger hand, so he'll NEVER hold his weapon well enough. That's just pathetic.

 Articulation is on par with the line. Swivels on his boots, thighs and biceps, double jointed elbows and knees, butterfly joints, a hinged waist a ball jointed ab crunch, so no issues there. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 So, A-Squad... did anyone beyond the die-hards actually want these guys? These deep cuts would've been really neat after making other more important teams. Regardless, here is where I stand: This is a well made figure, the articulation is up to snuff, work went into the sculpt, and the only real issue is the lack of a trigger finger... BUT, one has to also keep in mind that the design is really lame. So make of that what you will.

6.5

Action Figure #766: Marvel Legends Triton

 Oh boy... another green skinned character...

 And now, the main event, Triton , the guy I actually needed. Triton is probably the Inhuman I know the least about, but... I was missing him, so I got him ASAP. Sadly, I had to cancel the Medusa two pack due to money issues, but I'll try getting them this year.

 Well, this guy seems to have a lot of new sculpting just for him. His legs and arms are all scaly, and not like the armored scaly legs, so it does seem to be a new figure, the torso too is unique. His head is a different shade of green than his body, which does look a bit odd, but I'm pretty sure he used to wear a body suit over his body that was also colored green. I might be wrong, so I won't take points away for it. Overall, I think he is OK. he comes with an alternate head, two fists and two open hands.

 Articulation is pretty good. He has some miserable butterfly joints, but they are there. He has swivels on his biceps, waist, thighs and boots, and his elbows and knees are double jointed, while his ab crunch is on a hinge. So far, so good...

 But the arms are disgustingly gummy. Like Spider-Man 2099. Those shoulder pegs are already looking stressed and none of his joints feel stiff, so it makes no sense... and yet, I know that some day, these WILL break. Goddammit, Hasbro. He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 So... a character I don't care about beyond filling a team... made with some of the gummiest arms I've seen that I know will break at any moment? Nah. One has to be careful buying Marvel Legends these days. Just buy the characters you are missing.

4.0

Action Figure #765: Marvel Legends Black Bolt (Triton 2-Pack)

 Now it became a screaming match.

 I didn't need another Black Bolt but I needed a Triton, which brings us here... Black Bolt used to be a really cool character that maintained relevance through aura alone, but now his aura is gone... and so is his relevance, a conscious decision by Marvel themselves mind you.

 Well, this is a fairly basic figure, as this is a Vulcan buck painted in Black and Silver, but he does get new cuffs for his cloves. I still like it, I do feel like Black Bolt has a timeless design, so it looks good enough. He comes with two heads, two fists, two open palms, two open hands and two versions of the wings that go under his arms. I knew right away, because Hasbro is Hasbro, that this would very easily come off... and they do. The previous Black Bolt had this sculpted onto the biceps, so no such issue... I'll probably superglue them on one of these days...

 This figure was cast on the Vulcan buck, so articulation is excellent. Swivels on his biceps, thighs, boots and waist, a hinged ab crunch, double jointed elbows and knees and very ample butterfly joints. 

 Do mind the ever present gummy arms. He is a smidge taller than Bucky Cap, has much better proportions too.

 Well, I knew that Black Bolt would look great on the Vulcan buck, because this buck showcases his mighty presence so well. I do wish the wings had been sculpted in, and maybe the screaming head could've had some sort of energy effect, but still... it's a good upgrade, aside from the gummy arms.

8.0

Action Figure #764: Star Wars The Black Series Luminara Unduli

 For all the crap she gave Anakin... she's the one who lost her Padawan!

 I don't know why I didn't get Luminara Unduli when she first released, but I definitely should've, because she is one of the most unique looking Jedi. Well, no harm done, she is here now!

 Luminara is not just a recycling of Shaak Ti. Sure, they share the legs underneath the robes, but her skirt decoration is completely different, he soft goods coat is completely different, and even her sleeves look so cool! She's a fantastic looking Jedi, with an overly detailed skirt and vambraces that just catch your eyes when you look at her. She always wear darker robes than most Jedi, which I also feel is pretty gnarly. Her only accessory is her lightsaber.

 Articulation follows suit with the series. Single jointed elbows with deep cuts, butterfly joints and a mediocre waist ball joint. the only bit I'll hold against her is that she used the outdated Leia legs, which have swivels on the highs and boots, and are double jointed... but are not the best when it comes to getting her to stand, particularly when the skirt hide the legs! Luckily, her headpiece moves with the head, so unlike Palpatine, the Temple Guardian and Revan, she can turn her head and look to the sides. She is quite shorter than Bucky Cap.

 She's another fine new Jedi, Hasbro has really done good for as prequel fans. Of course, using updated legs would've been better, but this is not a deal breaker at all.

7.5

Action Figure #763: Marvel Legends Iron Man (Mark 72)

 About time I got a new Iron Man.

 When Iron Man (Mark 72) was first unveiled my first thought was: When are we getting the action figure. I think it's been 1-2 years, but he's finally here.

 Well, for fairness sake, I was always flip-flopping on this design. Sometimes I thought he looked pretty neat, other times I thought he sucked. And as for the figure... Much the same, I don't know if I like him or not. Just when I'm sure that I dislike it... I turn it around in my hands and now I like it... only to dislike it again. So... I guess that means they translated it well into plastic. And looking at art, I do think they got him right. Some artists added a few black bits on torso, but others didn't, so this I'd say it's pretty accurate. He comes with two gun pieces that can be placed on his arms if you remove the covers... but they come out fairly easy. The covers stay perfectly in place, however, so I just might glue down one of the blasters. He also comes with two blasting hands, and two blasting effects that you could also equip on his feet.

 As per usual, what articulation you'll get on Iron Man figures is always sort of a toss up. he does have double jointed elbows and knees, as well as swivels on his thighs, which is acceptable. He has no butterfly joints, which is definitely disappoint, and a rather underwhelming ball jointed ab crunch.

 It goes forward very little, and while the range is better when pushing his chest back... it will leave a hideous gaping hole in front of him. he is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 He's fine, he's OK. Look, I've seen worse Iron Man figures, that's for sure. I just wish that the ML team started trying a bit harder with the ol' Bucket Head, because you either get mediocre figures or really good ones, when, considering how important he is to Marvel right now, most of them should be bangers.

6.5

Action Figure #762: Marvel Legends Cardiac

 The 90's are so back, baby!

 Reading through every appearance of Spider-Man eventually got me to meet the weirdos. Characters such as Puma, Rocket Racer, Grizzly, The Human Fly and.... Cardiac too. He's as 90's as 90's get, being called Cardiac because his powers come from his ersatz heart, and I'm so happy we finally got him!

 See all the white lines going through his body? Fully sculpted. That's right, the sculptors cared about bringing Cardiac to life, and they nailed him. Look, I get it, his design is definitely not for everyone, but all four of us who wanted Cardiac... we got him, and he is great. And he doesn't feel gummy to boot! He comes with a fist, two gripping hands, an open hand, his staff, and an energy effect for his staff.

 Articulation is basic but pretty good. He has swivels on his biceps and thighs, a ball jointed torso and double jointed elbows and knees. Sadly, no waist articulation, but you can get pretty good poses with what we've got. He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 Brilliant figure. I really hate it how spotty Marvel Legends can be. Sometimes you'll get gummy figures that are weeks away from breaking, but then you get something like this. A completely new sculpt with good plastic. Hasbro, get it together, man!

9.0

Action Figure #761: Marvel Legends Spider-Boy

 At least he was free...

 I know very little about Spider-Boy but what I know I hate. They pulled a Sentry and apparently he was always there, yeah right, only that the world was made to forget him. Personal grievances with the character aside, I wasn't sure I was going to get him... until I was able to secure a HUGE discount on him by using my credit card points... Capitalism at its finest.

 The character's costume is not half bad. I like the gold lenses, and the gold backpack.... but he is a tiny character. I don't tend to like kid characters, and this is no exception. So, I like the costume 'n' everything, I just wish it was on an adult buck. He comes with two fists, two thwipping hands, his back pack and an alternate head sculpt.

 Articulation is serviceable. Elbows and knees are double jointed, which is good enough, and he gets swivels on his boots, thighs, biceps and waist. His ab crunch is on a hinge. So far so good, but... He doesn't have butterfly joints. Nimble characters should come with butterfly joint by mandate. He seems to have hinges inside his shoes, but since they barely move I'm just scared to touch them, so let's just assume he doesn't.

 GUMMY ARMS STRIKE AGAIN. At least, it seems like the pegs are good enough and aren't getting stressed, but... c'mon, it's Spider-man, you have to do your best with your best sellers. he is quite shorter than Bucky Cap.

 He is alright. He hits all the basics, that's for sure, but he falls short in a few key places... namely, gummy plastic and no butterfly joints.

6.0

Action Figure #760: Star Wars The Black Series Bo-Katan Kryze

 Mean doesn't mean bad. Although she is mean, and sometimes she is also bad.

 Y'know, at first I wasn't planning on getting Bo-Katan Kryze because she was kind of a dick. But later on, Maul took over her organization, and the whole hoopla with her sister and... yeah, I liked Bo-Katan now!

 What struck me as odd was how old she looked... but of course, this is the Mandalorian's Bo-Katan, in which she is older, and played by an actress I quite liked from Halloween and Riddick! While her design is a bit simple, and the flat blue colors made her look a bit like a toy, she has weathering all over that adds some spark to her, so the end result is quite good, so at the end of the day, she is pretty good looking. She comes with two guns, her helmet and a jetpack.

 And this must be the tiniest jetpack I've seen on a mandalorian! While the peg is rather short, I've played a bit with her and it seems to hold on fine.

 Articulation wise, she has single jointed elbows and knees that reach slightly over 90 degrees each. She has swivels on her thighs, for whatever reason, and a small ball jointed waist. She does have butterfly joints, but they seem to add little to no extra range. She is quite shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Well, she is a fine figure. I don't think much more could've done with her, so I'm happy with the result, and glad to have her among my Mandalorians.... now, if we could only get her sister...

7.0

Action Figure #759: Marvel Legends Astonishing X-Men's Beast

 Is it insensitive to call him a good boy?

 I don't really like Astonishing X-Men's Beast but X-Men '97 waves keep coming out but no Classic Beast re-release, so I just gave up... I need a Beast in my collection, and if this is the only way I'm getting him, then so be it!

 This figure is easily the standout of the wave. An entirely new, beautiful looking sculpt, with really neat detailing, such as the fur coming over his bracelets, heck, the fur itself, or even the divisions between yellow and black on his costume being sculpted on the figure... they went full throttle with this guy, and it paid off. And it doesn't stop there, two alternate heads, four different hands, and the lame tiny comic book... yeah, if you can only get a single figure, it should be this one.

 He has double jointed elbows and knees. The elbows don't get the full benefit of the double joint due to the size of his biceps, but it's still pretty good. He has swivels on his biceps and thighs, pretty generous butterfly joints, a hinged waist and a pretty good ball jointed ab-crunch.... and it doesn't end there, he has toe articulation too! I've seen and heard and read about some people having his arms pop off the shoulder very easily... but I wasn't able to reproduce it. I went full ham on his arms, and they fit perfectly in place, they don't even feel gummy... so maybe spotty QC? He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 We don't get figures like this on this line any more. Good, sturdy plastic, love and care on a completely new sculpt.... Why can't more Marvel Legends be like this? This is how they keep suckering me back in. The only reason I'm not scoring him higher is because I don't much care about Beast, and much less about this version of him.

9.5

Action Figure #758: Power Rangers Lightning Collection S.P.D. Yellow Ranger

 So this is like a palette swap, right?

 Did I mention I liked the SPD team? Well, that's why it's the turn of S.P.D. Yellow Ranger  now!

 Well, this is gonna be a fast one, as this figure is identical to the Pink Ranger but in yellow. The only differences are the hands, as she gets a different pair of hands, a different unmasked head and a different effect piece... but the weapons are identical, the sculpt is identical, and the helmet is a bit different. But, hey, I like the look of the figure, and I prefer it in yellow!

She's on an older buck, which has a few shortcomings. Her elbows are single jointed, but the bend goes slightly beyond 90 degrees, while her legs are double jointed. She has swivels on her thighs and boots, a hinged waist and a ball jointed ab crunch. She does have butterfly joints, but they only add range behind her, still, a good addition, but not the best. The only issue with this buck is that the legs are a bit gummy and skinny, so some poses might be a bit harder to balance. She is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 I've not much else to add... I like her a tiny bit more because yellow is my favorite color, but aside from that... it's the same figure. Her weapons, much like Pink's, are really cool, and, to be fair, look better in yellow, and her effect piece is cooler, but I don't think either push her over into greatness.

7.5

Action Figure #757: Star Wars The Black Series Commander Cody (Retro-Carded)

 He's gonna feel a bit lonely until I ship Rex(Spoilers!)

 I didn't understand why people were so interesting in buying all the Clone generals besides the Republic Commandos... until I watched Clone Wars and decided that I needed Commander Cody and Captain Rex. And, well, Cody arrived first, Spoilers!, so let's get on with it!

 I actually really like how he looks. Yeah, yellow is my favorite colored, so I'm biased, but he had quite a few pieces sculpted just for him, and all these little differences make him a fun Trooper to look at. The one thing worth keeping in mind is that the antennas, such as the one protruding from his shoulder pad, are very flimsy and might break. The one thing I don't like about the paint apps is the weathering. They only applied it to his torso, so it just looks weird how the entirety of his armor looks pristine except the front of his torso. That's just lazy! He comes with a removable helmet, a tiny Emperor hologram, and his blaster. His hologram was kind of a paint in the neck to get him to hold... but I don't care, I doubt I'll ever pose him with it.

 Articulation is pretty decent all across the board. He has swivels on his biceps and thighs, the latter which you'll have to use in order to lift his legs due to the armor, his elbows and knees are single jointed, but they have pretty good range. He has butterfly joints, and a small, but functional, ball jointed ab crunch. He is as tall as Bucky Cap.

 Well.. I like Cody. I like all the unique bits to him, I like his color scheme... he is a fun new Clone Trooper to have added to my collection.

8.0