Action Figure #888: Dragon Stars Cell Final Form

 Would modern day Cell carry a cellphone?

 While most of us refer to this design as Perfect Cell, for some reason Dragon Stars went with Cell Final Form instead, which isn't even accurate considering this isn't even Super Perfect Cell.

 If Bandai's budget lines have proved anything is that they are really good when it comes to non-human looking characters, so I've been meaning to get my hands on some of Dragon Balls' villains. Cell's sculpt is actually rather excellent, although as with most anime budget lines, the face is rather derpy. While some of the colors are a bit too vibrant for Cell, he's got this almost matte finish that looks really nice, and all the paint apps look very sharp. All in all, ignoring the face, it's a fantastic looking figure. 

 He comes with two fists and two energy shooting open palms.

 But for as good as the figure looks, articulation is where Cell takes a hit. Everything above the waist is pretty good. He has double jointed elbows and some exceedingly tight bicep swivels. His ab crunch and waist are ball jointed, but the range is negligible, so they might as well just be swivels. The shoulders are on double ball joints, so while doesn't have butterfly joints, he can hit decent Kamehame Ha poses.

 Below the waist is where his equipment fails. His double jointed knees barely reach 90 degrees when bent, double joints! And even though he has drop down hips, that is how much he can lift his legs to the sides, a martial artist! This severely hampers his posing, sadly.

 His wings are on tiny hinges that love to come off. Pictured above is how far he can move them. His head is a bit taller than Bucky Cap, and since Cell is supposed to be tall you can finagle him around Figuarts.

 Well, no wonder he wasn't called 'Perfect' Cell, for, as good as the sculpt is, as fantastic as the paint apps are... The articulation is far from perfect. Serviceable, sure, but with a few tweaks to the legs, thigh swivels, deeper cuts on the knees for better bends... it could've been truly great. But, for a budget Cell? He gets the job more than done.

7.0

Action Figure #887: Star Wars The Black Series RC-1207 (Sev)

 I got bamboozled!

 While a new Republic Commando buck has been revealed, and I already pre-ordered(Spoilers!), I still want the RC team filled, so it was time I got RC-1207 (Sev) which happens to be the most expensive of the lot. And I thought I had managed to find a good deal, but...

 You might notice that there's something different with mine. Well, it seems the previous owner was a customizer, because mine's paintjob is fairly different, mostly better to be honest, although the customizer removed the pearlescent blue effect from the visor, shame! All that aside, Sev is the same as the other Republic Commandos, but he has probably the most eye-catching design thanks to the blood-spatter paint job he has, plus, his psychotic personality! So, yeah, this guy looks great.

 He comes with a backpack and his own unique sniper blaster. The back pack stays on very firmly, unlike Scorch.

 On the articulation end, he does have butterfly joints, but they don't offer much range. He has single jointed elbows and knees, with good range on them, a ball jointed waist, and swivels on his thighs. Overall, it's really good for the poses you'll probably have him in. He is a hair shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Sev is the standout character from the Republic Commando game, so it's lovely being finally able to own him. It's not an exact representation, but it's a good one, and the customizer who owned mine did a better job with the paint apps, so it's all gucci. Just one more...!

7.0

Action Figure #886: BOZOBO Ice Cream Transforming Toy

 Can't say no to a transforming ice pop.

 So, I'm not really going to start collecting Transformers, bootleg or otherwise, but through a video I discovered this Ice Cream Transforming Toy that just seemed like it was such a fun concept... This is a brilliant toy, really, despite it's generic name.

 So, the Ice Pop form is fantastic. Sure, it has a few hinges showing here and there, but the fact that it gets the shape so fantastically well is nothing short of glorious. The plastic quality feels good enough, It's a bit harder than your typical Hasbro fig, but it doesn't feel as if it would crumble in my hands. In fact, when I was younger I always kept my transformers' instructions around, but with this one I was easily able to feel my way around the transformation engineering just find.

 The only point I'd hold against him is that some parts are a bit hard to shift, for instance, the chest overlay stays firm in place, so I have to use my nails to bring it down. His Torso, one it clicks on the waist is hard to pop back upwards too.

 Articulation is pretty good. His shoulders and hips are on ball joints that offer a great range of articulation. Elbows and knees are singe jointed, although he has no waist articulation at tall. All the joints are very smooth, but he keeps his poses very firmly, just try shaking him and look at how well he holds his poses! He is a head shorter than Bucky Cap, making him a better fit with import figures.

 This toy is fantastic. I paid about 15 bucks for him and I regret nothing! It has a fun gimmick, and considering how he is a third party, cheap figure, the quality is shockingly good. While I won't be posing him with my main collection, he is already standing guard over my books!

7.5

Action Figure #885: Star Wars The Black Series Eleventh Brother

 They are a rather large family.

 The Black Series team is firing on all cylinders as now we get the Eleventh Brother who happens to be yet ANOTHER character we've been itching to have in plastic form for a while now. All it took was him being a prominent antagonist in a new show!

 Many people, me included. were a bit apprehensive about how flat the mask inside the hood looked... well, good news, in person, it looks really, really good. For some reason, photos make it look flatter than it really is, but trust me, it looks really good. The rest of the figure seems to be an all new sculpt, and he is pretty mean looking, so I like it. He has a soft-goods cape that has this neat stitching on either side!

 His only accessory is his dual light saber.

 So, one thing worth mentioning, the cape is tied to the chest via these slim threads. I hope they are durable, because, to me, they look a bit flimsy.

 On the articulation end of things, same old, same old. Single jointed elbows and knees, with butterfly joints, useless thigh swivels and a ball-jointed ab crunch. Surprisingly, he uses the old-style hinged wrists over the ball pegs. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder why they are using the old hands with such a newer figure.

 Now then, picture above is as far as he can turn his head before it pops out of the neck. This is a HUGE issue because it kills most of the really cool poses he could strike. And it's really sad, because other than that, this figure would've been perfect. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 Man, this one hurts, because I absolutely adore everything about the figure... but the head articulation. No, really, if he could turn his head he'd be a perfect 10 because everything about him is just THAT good.

9.0

Action Figure #884: Star Wars The Black Series Jaina Solo (Jacen Solo 2 Pack)

 Real Skywalkers come in twos.

 I've been meaning to get Jaina Solo for a long time, but another purchase always got in the way, thankfully this 2-Pack gave me the perfect excuse to finally get her!

 So, this figure is identical to the single carded release, but painted in orange instead of black, and with more realistic face paint apps. I'll admit... I never quite liked the Pilot Uniform, just look at how many Pilots I own! So I think the black suit looks much better. I'm of half a mind to track the older release and swap the heads around. Regardless, much like Jacen, this is a lazy release in which they did the bare minimum. But it IS a good looking figure, and the face looks like someone that shared blood with Leia.

 She comes with her lightsaber, a blaster and a pilot helmet.

 The pilot vest and straps can be removed, and I'm of half a mind to do it since I don't really like it... But I'm not sure if this character in bright orange will look better without the white, brown and grey straps. It would in black, just sayin'.

 Articulation-wise, she seems to be a Mara Jade reuse, so she has single jointed elbows with deep cuts, double jointed knees, a ball jointed ab crunch, swivels on her thighs and a hinged waist. Sadly, no butterfly joints, but other than that, she's pretty good!

 Mind the hair, because her ponytail is already getting stressed! She is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 While I would've preferred a black costume re-release, this figure gets the job done. They did a great job at bringing Jaina to life, and Mara Jade's buck offers a ton of articulation for a female figure, so no complaints there either! If only she wasn't wearing that ugly orange Pilot uniform...

8.5

Action Figure #883: Star Wars The Black Series Jacen Solo

 Ben Solo from another Universe.

 The best part about getting Jacen Solo is that this opens up the gates for non-gaming Expanded  Universe figures. But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?

 So... While the Black Series team is usually eager to sculpt new stuff, when it comes to their Gaming line they usually cut costs... And this is no exception. Jacen Solo is a straight up Bespin Luke reuse. And, to be fair, these clothes are usually how Jacen is depicted, but they could've made a new sculpt to make him taller than tiny Luke, or gone with his Darth Cadeus look. But, look, it's Jacen, it's the Expanded Universe. I'm not gonna look at the gift horse's mouth. And, for what it's worth, the head sculpt is spectacular, this looks like a young Han Solo., down to the cocky smirk.

 His only accessory is his green lightsaber.

Articulation is what you'd expect. Single jointed elbows and knees with decent bends, a ball jointed waist and butterfly joints hidden beneath the soft plastic chest overlay. He is a fun figure to pose around. Being a Luke headswap means he is about a head shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Lazy? Absolutely. But he is a great representation of Jacen Solo, and I'm happy to own him.

8.5

Action Figure #882: Star Wars The Black Series Embo

 Barely a couple of months old AND already outdated.

 Embo is one of Clone Wars tertiary characters that were long overdue, and he us finally here... and already outdated because a couple of months after he released an overpriced two pack with his wolf was announced. He doesn't even get his Clone Wars color scheme, it's a straight up re-packaging. What were they thinking?

 First things first, this is The Mandalorian & Grogu's Embo, which is why he is painted in such drab and lifeless colors instead of the vibrant oranges from the show. I much prefer that design, but at this point I'll take this one, because colors aside, he is very distinguishable as Embo. And, y'know, love was poured into sculpting this guy, he is filled with textures and tiny details all over.

 He comes with a crossbow, two kama-looking weapons which might be his bow and his iconic flat hat that... really doesn't stay on very well, sadly.

 The arms of the crossbow are articulated in two places, but the joints are tiny and feel very frail, so I wouldn't play with them too much.

 For some reason they sculpted every finger individually. This is nothing important, nor does it add, or detract, from the figure in any way, but I found it quite curious.

 The articulation is as good as it could possibly be. Elbows and knees are single jointed, with deep cuts that go slightly over 90 degrees, the waist is ball jointed, he gets tiny butterfly joints and the new ball-peg wrists. The only problem are the clothes he wears on his wait, as these heavily restrict how much he can move his legs up, down and to the sides. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 Embo is a really good figure. I think they did the best they could considering the design, although they could've made the hat stay on better. It's a shame Hasbro decided to outdate this release so soon.

7.5