Action Figure #867: Marvel Legends Daredevil (Secret Wars wave)

 Plastic is blind.

 While Bucky Cap Daredevil was a fantastic little figure, he was starting to look very outdated next to my other figures, and the only two updated Daredevils were going for a ton of cash... but, finally, we have a single-carded, accessible new release.

 This Daredevil features an all new sculpt, which looks pretty good. He is very muscular, but not overly beefy. The only real thing going against him is that his arms feel a bit too long. All around his joints there are sculpted creases on his clothes, which are all very lovely, and the billy clubs holster is glued on his leg, and the holster's strap is sculpted on the leg itself. Not as realistic looking as proper straps, but I'll take it. On the whole, it's a really good looking figure, provided you are OK with the black lines. Yes, this is based on the Secret Wars figure, so he has black lines on his boots and gloves, the logo is painted in black and his belt is black. I honestly don't think it's a dealbreaker, but, some people might not like it.

 As for accessories, you get two gripping hands, an open hand, a fist, two billy clubs, the silly lenticular shield and... a really cool sonar effect that slots on his back! It looks the best when looking at him from the front, but it's a really cool effect nonetheless.

 The billy clubs now come with a separate middle piece to connect them with.

 Articulation is all around great. Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on his biceps, thighs and boots, butterfly joints, a reverse hinged waist and a ball jointed ab crunch. The only thing we are missing is toe joints, everything else is excellent. He is not the gummiest ML out there, but some oil on his shoulders made sure that his shoulder pegs aren't getting stressed. So, while I don't think we should have to oil the joints, after a single drop I've had no issues whatsoever with him.

 Here's compared to Bucky Cap, Bucky Cap is a bit taller, but he doesn't look as good. Aside from the length of the arms, everything else I'd say is a step up from the old one.

 A few nitpicks aside, and forcing myself to ignore the shameful gummy plastic, this one is a brilliant new release. I'm absolutely in love with him and his sonar accessory, so you are looking at my brand new main DD figure. Now, if we could get the White DD...

9.5

Action Figure #866: Mattel DC Premier Batman

 A blue Batman is a happy Batman.

 Is Batman still the night when he wears blue? While Batman has worn the grey and blue ensemble longer than the more modern black and grey, I've always preferred Black and Grey. But, hey, this is the kid friendly Batman Mattel decided to start with, so what can ya do?

 Batman has a completely different sculpt from Flash and Robin. He is a much beefier figure than either, with bigger and more defined musculature. It looks good on Bats, and his suit has been given some texture here and there, to liven things up. He is easy on paint apps, not that you can do much with Bats. The only thing that caught my attention is that the gauntlet spikes are glued onto the arms. Why isn't it a single piece? I don't know, and since they are bombarding us with Batman figures it's even weirder, since those are color swaps, it would've been a better idea to just sculpt unique forearms for the Batmen.

 Like Robin and Flash, he comes with accessories on a runner you have to clip out. and just like Robin, he also includes a little shelf to hang them on. They are a grappling gun, three chaff grenades, 5 batarangs, two... mines, of all things, and this thing here above that seems to be some sort of hook or zipline. All of these are very flimsy and full of holes, to save up on plastic, so... eh.

 As seen above, the spikes are a separate piece glued onto the gauntlets.

 Articulation is the same as with the other three figures I got: He has single jointed elbows that go slightly beyond 90 degrees, double jointed knees, swivels on his thighs, boots and waist. For the price, it's not even half bad, it's comparable to their old DCUC line, considering how pathetic that diaphragm hinge was.

 And here's compared to my very first collectible Batman figure. It's technically not the same outfit, but as much as I loved that metallic grey costume, it was too outdated. This one has better proportions, like a better sized head, so... yeah. This one is my new main Batman figure. He is a bit taller than Bucky Cap, and even taller than Robin.

 Well, another fun little figure from Mattel. What more can I say? Each figure I get is another reason to get hyped for their proper collector's line.

7.5

Action Figure #865: Mattel DC Premier The Flash

 Faster than speeding plastic.

 There's a lot of characters sharing The Flash mantle, so Mattel has to re-start somewhere, don't they? While he's never been my favorite DC hero, and I do think Quicksilver is a more interesting speedster, no DC Collection is complete without a Flash. 

 Well, here we have another neat and tidy sculpt. It's a very classic version of Barry Allen, the only real sculpt work is on his mask, everything else but the boots is just paint. But it is very nicely done, he has a sleeker build than Batman(Spoilers!) or even Robin, so it's not a buck reuse. I do like the bright red and yellow they went with, although I would've made the red a shade or two darker.

 He comes with an... interesting assortment of accessories. He has a thunder... lance, a pair of thunder short swords, a thunder shield... Like, what even is this? At least there's a net thunder accessory that slots on his back, and two smaller electricity effects you can snap onto his ankles or arms. The last three effects are relatively neat at least, particularly the one that goes on his back.

 Much like Robin, these pieces come in a runner. They are fairly flimsy.

 Articulation is serviceable. He has single jointed elbows that go slightly beyond 90 degrees, double jointed knees, swivels on his thighs and waist, but not on his boots. For the price, it's not even half bad, it's comparable to their old DCUC line, considering how pathetic that diaphragm hinge was.

 Compared to the old DCUC figure, he is a touch shorter, but he has more realistic proportions, at the cost of looking a bit less heroic. I'm gonna miss my crimson and gold Flash, but he was getting a bit old, and this Flash meshes much better with my Marvel figures. Height-wise, he is a bit taller than Bucky Cap, but a bit shorter than his DCUC counterpart, and quite a bit shorter than Mattel's Multiverse Wally.

 He's a fine figure, besides the somewhat limited articulation in comparison to Collector's lines, which isn't really fair since this is a kid's line, the figure is pretty nice, and a good replacement for the DCUC Flash figures.

7.5

Action Figure #864: Blokees Nightwing

 Can't ever have too many Nightwing Action Figures.

 My adventures with Blookes have now turned up to Bludhaven's hero, Nightwing himself. Being my favorite super hero I just had to get this kit... even if it meant importing and having my Local customs ruin the box. Thanks for nothing!

 So, Blokee's Nightwing... unlike my previous Blokees, which looked like specific versions of the character they were representing, this is an all new design. It's very armored, almost futuristic thanks in no small part to the metallic blue of his accents, which is not going to be everyone's cup of tea... but I dig it! It's also a very eastern design with how busy all his armor is. While I do like the figure, his proportions are a bit whacky, he is the tallest Blokees I own because he has legs for days.

 He comes with 6 hands, a batarang, two short eskrima sticks that can be slotted on his back as well as a longer stick. Sadly, the sticks are only painted on one side, and he gets no alternate heads.

 Articulation hits all the notes this line does. Double jointed elbows and knees, bicep swivels, which are obscenely tight, thigh swivels, butterfly joints, drop down hips, a ball jointed waist and a ball jointed ab crunch. Each shoulder pad is on a peg that lets you move them around. Overall, it's easy to pose him doing fun stuff. Due to his exceedingly long legs he's almost as tall as Mafex Nightwing, but with very different proportions.

 While the proportions make him look a bit off, I do like this rendition of Nightwing. And I do like owning him, but it seems he won't gel very well with my other Blokees due to his height...

7.5

Action Figure #863: Star Wars The Black Series Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk Trainer (Male)

 Collecting Mandos is like collecting Pokemon, they even have different genders.

 Well, the previous figure didn't come alone, so now the Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk Trainer (Male) gets his turn.

 I found the female impressive, but I like this one EVEN more because his color scheme is even more unique, all those browns, oranges, teals and maroons make him so much more different from other Mandos! His chest armor overlay is completely unique to him, and I love how his gun holster goes in front of his waist. Definitely a fun looking Mando.

 He comes with a jetpack, a gun and the same gold-streaked rifle as his peer. He can actually hold it too!

 My copy of the figure came with a little QC issue. It's not the end of the world, and it doesn't bother me too much, but... He is missing the top half of his tracking thingie on his helmet!

 Articulation is up to par. Single jointed elbows and knees with good enough bend each. A ball jointed ab crunch on his torso, and swivels on his thighs. The funnels of his jetpack can be moved up and down, as well as his targeting reticule, even though mine is broken. The shoulder pads move alongside the arms, so no issues there. Sadly, this is another figure with loose kneepads over his knees. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 This is another fun, patchwork looking Mando, much lie his companion. While there's nothing incredible when it comes to his sculpt, it's his particular color scheme that makes him a nice Mando to own.

8.0

Action Figure #862: Star Wars The Black Series Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk Trainer (Female)

 Patchwork Mandalorian.

  I've been meaning to add more Mandalorians into my collection, ever since I found out how nice the design looked in blue plastic. But I've plenty of Blue Mandalorians now, so looking to add a bit more color into my displays I got the Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk Trainer (Female) up next.  

 At first impression, she seems like the other Nite Owls, but if you pay more attention you'll notice her mismatched armor made up of browns, oranges and creams. Beyond the patch-work color scheme, you'll notice that she has two unique pieces all to herself: a neckrag and a loin cloth. Both pieces make her look very western, and pop out among her peers.

 She comes with a jetpack, a pistol and she also happens to be the only female Mando to come with the rifle, and hers has a nice gold paint app on it.

 That said...her hand is too small to actually hold the rifle the way it's meant to. So unless you angle her AND the photo just right, posing her with it won't look very good.

 And what is a baffling design choice, she can't take off her helmet, but for whatever reason, they picked a flesh toned head underlay for the helmet, so if her poses reveal this... it will just look ugly.

  Since her buck is identical to Bo's... time for a little copy and pasting: 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.

 Despite the questionable neck color choice, and the fact that she can't grip her rifle, she is still my favorite female Mandalorian due to her color scheme and unique pieces. That said, she's probably one of the least important Mandalorian figures you would really need in a collection.

7.5

Action Figure #861: Overwatch Ultimates Genji (Chrome)

 Tracer's got a buddy now!

 When I bought Tracer I actually had other figures like Genji (Chrome) next in line, but Tracer was so tiny I decided to abort the mission. Wellll.... I change my mind, so expect a few more Overwatch figures in the upcoming months. Spoilers!

 The sculpt of the figure is pretty nice, he has all sorts of neat details sculpted onto him. So as far as the figure goes, it's a really good rendition of Genji. The hips are a bit too wide though, it's impossible not to notice the pegs. But where it falters is in its paint apps, or lack thereof. In-game Genji has a lot more details, like black dots on hiss ribs that are just unpainted here. The circles around his body pulsate with orange energy, depicted even in the figure's box, but all of them but the one in the middle of his chest are unpainted. Heck, beyond the collar piece, there is no paint in his back. And that's not even getting into how dull the silver, which is closer to dark grey, he is sporting is. Oh! And the cloth extending from behind his helmet is sculpted in very soft plastic that was almost torn, right out of the box! I had to use superglue to fix it.

 He comes with two gripping hands, a shuriken shooting hand, a ninja-gesture hand and two katanas that can be sheathed on his back and hip.

 Articulation is passable. He has double jointed elbows but with a pathetic 90 degree bend. Knees are double jointed too but they fare much better. He has swivels on his biceps and thighs, with a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist. While his feet should be able to rock to the sides... the leg armor has two tiny prongs coming out at both sides of each foot preventing any ankle angling. He is a pretty short figure, albeit not as short as tracer, but half a head shorter than Bucky Cap. He is closer to a Black Series figure, although with smaller proportions.

 I'm sad to say that it's easy to see why this line was discontinued. While this is a very serviceable figure, there really isn't anything truly great about him... or even Tracer. They invested the minimum effort possible, that's for sure.

5.5