Action Figure #873: Hiya Toys Persona 5 Joker

 What a bunch of jokers!

 Well, I wasn't quite satisfied with Figma's take on Persona 5's Joker so the moment I learned of this figure I decided that, hey! Why not give somebody else a chance? It is a good character design, and if it means getting more Shin Megami Tensei figures... I'm up for it!

 Design wise, it is a nicely sculpted figure, although they took some liberties with him. At first glance, he is Joker, and it's not until you look closer that you'll notice that his pants and boots have sculpted details that the official art and 3D model don't have. What's more, all the buttons on his jacket and pants fly are painted silver... when they went black in the source material. This is not a deal breaker, and while I don't think these details make it better, even as an action figure, they are worth pointing out. Other than that, the proportions are good, maybe the hands are a bit too small, the figure itself looks good.

 He comes with five pairs of hands: Trigger fingers, Fists, Gripping hands, Open hands and Fancy open hands, an alternate hair piece that comes with the mask, an alternate face plate, his pistol, his knife, a really, really tall figure stand and a static Morgana statuette. 

 The paint apps on his face plates is very soft, so both face look nigh identical. One is slightly angrier and has pink lips instead of a line for a mouth. That's it.

 The soft plastic on the jacket seems kinda brittle, I pulled up its coattails and it's already tearing.

 Articulation is acceptable. He gets double jointed elbows and knees, with toe articulation and a ball jointed waist with little range. Sadly, he doesn't have butterfly joints, or swivels anywhere! At least, the ball joints on his hips and shoulders allow you to rotate the limbs slotted there, which while not as generous as thigh and bicep swivels, allow you some extra poseability. He has drop down hips too.

 And now, the Figma comparison. Figma is much less detailed, which also makes it much sleeker... and closer to the source material. The paint apps on the face are much sharper too. But, the reason I bought this one, is that articulation on the Figma was very lackluster... and this one suffers from the same pitfalls! No swivels, no butterfly joints, a pelvis designed as to hurt the hip articulation... I do think Hiya Toys' articulation is marginally better, but that's not good enough.

 So why get Hiya Toys' Joker over Figma? It's taller so it mixes better with a six inch collection. It's slightly cheaper. He is easier to balance without a stand. And, best of all, while the soft plastic jacket quality seems to be suspect, I like it much better than the jointed-coattails of the Figma. It makes Hiya Toys' version better to play with, while Figma's nicer to look at.

 And the Morganas. This one is a bit larger than Figma's. Figma Morgana can turn their head, this one is completely static. Figma has a more dynamic pose... but it needs a stand to, well, stand. Both are really good, but, hey, you don't need a stand with this one so it looks better on a display. 

 So, is this a good action figure? Yeah, I'd say so. It's not super accurate to the Source Material, but the design choices they made don't detract from the original design. But, is it better than Figma? No. It's not worse either, it's just different. They share many of the same shortcomings, which is kinda funny, but it also has its own. That said, this one is a better fit for my collection. It's a scale I prefer, the engineering is better suited to playing with, which is perfect for me since I love fidgeting with my figures! So, yeah, both figure are decent, albeit not great, and which one is better depends on what kind of figures you prefer.

7.5

Action Figure #872: Overwatch Ultimates Soldier 76 (Gold)

 Ain't no gun large enough.

 Seems to me I may just have started an Overwatch Ultimate collection. Soldier 76 (Gold) instantly caught my attention, looking a bit like Cable, but with this eye catching gold color scheme I simply couldn't say no to.

 The sculpt is pretty good. While he is not overly detailed, there's a pretty good amount of stuff sculpted onto his body, as well as some neat stuff he wears on top, like shotgun shells on one bicep and on his belt, as well as straps on his back. He has a gun holstered on his belt, but sadly, it's just for looks as you can't remove it. The paint apps are not very intricate, but the gold-on-grey color scheme is just delightful. That said, they could've done more with his face, as he has the scar sculpted there, but since there's no paint or wash to highlight it, it's hard to tell it's even there.

 He comes with a blaster rifle, a three-torpedo effect for it, two gripping hands and two fists.

 His blaster looks incredible, even the paint job. Getting him to grip it is not the easiest thing ever, but once you get it there... man, it's a nice look gun!

 So, for the articulation is almost great. He covers the basics: Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on his thighs and biceps, butterfly joints, a ball jointed ab crunch and a hinged waist. So far so good, right? Well...

 This is as far up and down he can lift his arms to the sides. Yes, it's pathetic. The butterfly joints can help a bit with this, but... you won't be able to get very good side-shooting poses. Mind you, the balance with the blaster effect, while finnicky, isn't too bad.

 And... one of his legs can be raised higher than the other. I don't know if it's just MY copy, if it's because of the belt, I dunno... but this is pretty annoying.

 Also, the belt broke due to me playing with him. Lame! He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap, but with different proportions.

 This just might be the first decent OverWatch Ultimates figures I've purchased so far. Articulation is good enough, the sculpt is fine, the character design is good... Yeah, this is the first Overwatch Ultimates figures that I can 100% recommend.

7.5

Action Figure #871: Star Wars The Black Series Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander

 Well, the Kaminoans did make thousands of these...

 A few months ago I discovered that there was a Gendy Tartakovsky bright  yellow-esque Clone Trooper, the very same Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander here, and I knew, KNEW, that I had to track him down.

 Well, at a first glance, I think he looks dope as hell. The matte yellow paint, while sparse, evokes the simple, vibrant style of Tartakovsky's Clone Wars. He is cast on the old clone buck, so that mins pinned arms and legs, as well as a more angular helmet. On the bright side, the kneepads and elbow pads don't hang loose on the figure.

 He comes with a blaster and a rifle, both have a bit of whit paint to them, unlike any other Clone I've purchased.

 So far, this is the only trooper I've seen with the indentations on his back plate painted!

 Articulation-wise... He does have double jointed elbows and knees, but the knee pads prevents either from giving you the full range of motion. He has swivels on his bicep and thighs, with a ball jointed ab crunch. Being an older figure, he has no butterfly joints.

 Sadly, the articulation on the shoulders is a bit gimped. This is as far as he can raise his arm, and as far as he can raise his elbow. Current figures have so much better range that this is kinda pathetic.

 Here he is compared to the modern Phase 1 trooper. The new one is much beefier, and the helmet much bigger. They don't look too bad next to each other, but the new figure is an improvement in pretty much every front. That said, this one looks closer to the hand-drawn show, so if that's your thing, then this is your figure. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Despite the articulation being a bit disappointing, I don't think this trooper is an awful figure, but, current Clone Trooper figs are so much better in pretty much every way that I don't see any good reason for tracking this old guy down, besides, y'know, liking the yellow paint. Or you can get a modern Phase 1 Trooper and paint him yourself.

4.0

Action Figure #870: Mattel DC Premier Clayface

 Just in time for the new movie. Capitalism at work!

 A character I've been wanting to update for a while has been Clayface because DCUC's one had rubber arms which are already flaking. So, let's see Mattel's newest attempt at the guy.

 The sculpt is actually pretty good. The torso and legs do look like goopy clay, with soft layers folding onto themselves. The texturing is pretty nice. But then as you follow the arms into the forearms, rougher, more rocky shapes start protruding alongside them... which is a pretty logical transition sine Clayface will try to harden his weapons! That said, for as good as the sculpt is... beyond his eyes and teeth, there are no paint apps here, not even a black wash to bring the sculpt to life! It all ends up looking like a very flat toy.

 He has two play features, one of them is the hidden giant head beneath his head. He can open and close this jaw. I can't say I really care about it.

 Articulation is when everything falls apart. His right arm is the other play feature, because... you can only raise this arm, and it will fall down the moment you let go. Lame. You can turn this hammer hand, but... why bother if he can't move this arm to the side? Heck, he can't even hold the arm an inch higher due to the play feature. Only the hammer pointing downward makes sense. No waist articulation, no knee articulation, and a single jointed left elbow that can't swivel around. At least the legs and left arm can move to the sides. He is a bit hard to balance, but you can cheat with his overgrown left arm to use as a third leg.

 Compared to the old one, this one is a bit larger, and has proper plastic arms... but he looks like a toy, the other one was much better painted, and no arm play gimmicks restricting his articulation... only his longevity. He is quite taller than Bucky Cap, and a touch taller than Sagat!

 Well, this is my first disappointment with Mattel's new line. What few positives he has are weighed down by the very lackluster articulation he suffers from. At least he is tall, so he could be fun to pose fighting heroes... but not with his hammer due to its lame gimmick.

2.5

Action Figure #869: Mattel DC Premier Batman (Batman VS Clayface)

 Let the recolors come in!

 Nothing tingles my nostalgia more than Batman recolors. I would've just fine with a single black and grey Bats, but until he comes along I guess I'll dabble in a few of these.

 So... same exact sculpt as the other Batman but in a very light grey and black. I much prefer this color scheme to the classic blue. So, yeah, it's a good looking, beefy Batman. His belt is different, and only gets two pegs instead of three.

 His only accessory is a cannon that slots on his back. It can rotate around an arm that extends from the backpack. It can also be equipped on any of the multiple slots on the Batmobile.

 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 he is compared to the Batman I'm retiring. It had a good sculpt, but man, that cape was too restrictive. He is slightly taller than Bucky Cap.

 It's as good as the other Batman, but with a paint job I like better. Not much else to say!

7.5

Action Figure #868: G. I. Joe Classified Series Destro & Iron Grenadier Despoiler

 You've met the man with the golden gun, this is the man with the golden dome.

 I haven't been getting a lot of Joes, I mean I never get a lot of Joes, but this year's hauls have been particularly skimpy, so I hope that Destro and his Iron Grenadier Despoiler count for two.

 The Iron Grenadier Despoiler, man that's a mouthful, is a neat hunk of plastic. It's cast in blacks and golds, with a bright red seat that makes the whole thing look very posh and evil. There's a bit of DIY assembly with the wings and missiles, so the wings don't feel quite as solid as the main body. The missiles are not as snug as I would've liked, as exerting pressure on them, which may happen when grabbing the thing by the wings, might have them pop out, so I might just glue them on.

 The only articulation is on the dual turrets down and in front of it, which can spin on its axis.

 As for the Destro figure... about time I got a classic Joe villain! And while the golden mask is an alternate color, it was born from a classic figure redeco anyways! The figure looks phenomenal, he is wearing a sort of civil war-esque black and gold ensemble, with chains and decoration all over. He even gets a really nice soft goods red cape that is fixed on just one side of his back, to complete the ensemble. The only issue I had is how loose the gun holster is, so I glued it on the leg.

 As for accessories, he has a golden shield, very intricately detailed, with hidden guns on the inside, a saber with a sheath you can fix on his belt, a golden revolver, and a really cool Claymore. He has two alternate head, one with a neutral expression and a angry, shouting one. Both are really good.

 Articulation is pretty much like other Joes. Double jointed elbows and knees, with swivels on his biceps, thighs(which re barely usable due to the thickness of the leggins) and boots, complimented by drop-down hips and butterfly joints. As far as the torso goes, a hinged ab crunch and a ball jointed waist. The pauldrons rotate with the arms, so no range loss there. All things considered, he has good range all around. He is slightly taller than Bucky Cap.

 I do think that this is a fantastic figure and a really good vehicle, but, and it's a relatively big but... this set costs 110 bucks. That's a big ask for a vehicle that while perfectly good on its own right, really shouldn't be worth so much money, even if it includes a brilliant Destro fig. So, in other words, the worth of this set is entirely dependent on you being willing to pay a price it definitely isn't worth.

9.0

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