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

Action Figure #860: Power Rangers Lightning Collection In Space Red Ranger

 Nothing like the smell of another full Ranger Team in the morning.

 Took some time coming, but with the In Space Red Ranger I have finally completed another Ranger team. This team wasn't among my priorities... until I realized how cool the design really was, which is why they were next in order. Now, with which team should I go next?

 Well... same exact sculpt as Blue, Black and Silver but in Red. The design looks pretty good in Red, albeit I think Blue and Black mog him a bit!

 I bought him loose, so I only get his blaster, his drill blade and his gripping hands, but he also comes with an unmasked head, which has a very good resemblance of Andross,  two alternate hands and a effect piece for his weapon.

 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. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Look how cool all of them look together! There's not much else to say about this guy, it's another pretty good figure from a line that was gone too soon.

7.5

Action Figure #859: Mattel DC Premier Batmobile

 I say it counts as an action figure, you can move parts and equip accessories.

 Since I got the Robin Cycle might as well get the Batmobile, right? Considering it was only 40 usd and it looked like such a lovely piece of plastic.... I couldn't resist!

 This is how the thing looks. While it's not very accurate to any version of the Batmobile, I do think the yellow bits add some nice contrast to the rest of the vehicle. It also exposes it as a toy rather than a collectible, but oh well! I do like the overall shape of it, and it has various slots and ports to combine it with other accessories from other figures, including, surprisingly, Joker's gun.

 The cannon at the top can be removed and slotted into a character's back, for you see, it's more than a cannon, it's the Bat Glider! It comes with five projectiles, although you can only load them 1 at a time. You can open and close its wings.

 The main gimmick is that it can open up. It looks rather cool this way, but it's meant to allow you to link up with the Robin Cycle! Sadly, there's only room for a single figure, and most basic 6 inch figures, assuming they don't have weird back packs, capes or wings will fit.

 While every instructional photo shows the linked Cycle without a Driver, there's room for one, which kinda works to let you have two characters riding it. The Cycle connects via two prongs that extend from the Batmobile and go inside two socks at the back of the Cycle. It's not the most secure lock ever, and may feel kinda floppy, but they stay connected well enough,

 Sadly, DCUC Batmen won't fit due to their soft-plastic capes. But... Mattel's own Dick Grayson Batman came out with a cloth cape, so he can actually drive it!

 As a collectible? I like it. Due to the bright yellows here and there, it does look more like a toy than anything else, but considering it's the only Batmobile I own, and I can actually have figures driving it? I like it. It's also very cheap, and kids will probably enjoy swapping in and out the different weapons from other figures.

8.0

Action Figure #858: Savage Crucible Elric of Melniboné

 World's first emo edgy boy.

 I wasn't just going to stop at just 1 more SC figure, was I? I looked at Elric of Melniboné when he first popped up for pre-order and I knew I had to have him. To be honest, I have the most shallow knowledge of good ol' Elric, as he is a character that often pops up as I read about the things I like. Not to worry, as I already ordered the firs compendium of the Elric Saga.

 Well, just look at him, the sculpt is phenomenal. Where to start from? They got the sickly look in his face perfectly well. The slim, almost lanky proportions are there too. But it's his incredibly detailed armor that takes the cake. From top to bottom, it's incredibly detailed. It's also very spiky, so be careful with them fingers! But, seriously, his armor not only looks incredible, but it's meticulously detailed, he even wears chainmail below it! He also has an optional wired cape you can equip him with, which seems to be made of a faux leather. I don't know how long it will last before flaking, but it does look nice. Also, the armor has some interesting blue, purple and red glitter that sparkles very subtly under the light, giving his armor a very mystical look.

 His accessories are a chained ring, a chained horn on his belt, a small green potion you can slot instead of the little pouch on the strap of his scabbard, a beautiful, helmeted alternate head, another helmeted head that must be a reference to something because it doesn't look like Elric, three different blades, two seem to be the Stormbringer in different states(Cut me some slack! As soon as the books arrive I'll read them!), a shield, as well as the usual assortment of open and gripping hands.

 Overall, this is a very complete figure, he is packed with stuff and pieces!

 The horn seems to be removable, and you'd probably be able to slot the potion in there... but, hey, I like the horn!

 Even the scabbard is highly detailed, this really is a labor of love.

 Same articulation as the other guys in the line. Double jointed elbows that go slightly over 90 degrees double jointed knees, swivels on his biceps, and the legs joined at the hips through deep sockets allowing some twisting. He has a ball jointed ab crunch and a ball jointed waist, with reverse butterfly joints at the shoulders. I have only two issues with him: Firstly, that he is very spiky, so playing with him can hurt, and that his right shoulder is VERY tight, even after applying oil. He is half a head taller than Bucky Cap.

 So, I've been sitting on this guy for a few days now, spamming my Instagram feed with photos posing him and... while the longevity of the cape does worry me... I love this figure. He looks so good, and he is so much fun to pose him looking very badass, I've been particularly enjoying posing him with my other Savage Crucible figs! So... yeah, he is lovely.

10

Action Figure #857: Savage Crucible Naraka The Undying

 Every Who-Man needs his Skelletor.

 Late last year I gave Savage Crucible a chance, and I was so impressed that I mentioned I'd try to get more of that line this year, hence why Naraka the Undying is sitting here with me today! A blue-skinned, skull-headed villain was just what my Who-Man needed.

 The sculpt is spectacular. He uses the same base body as Who-Man, albeit painted light blue, but his armor is completely different and oozing with detail. From the darker blue wash on his skin, to the different metallic silver and purples on his armor, this guy looks incredible. This extends to his very ornate weapons as well!

 His accessories include a half mask to hide his face, alternate helmeted head... which I'm so sad is an alternate head, because it looks so good and I'd love the ability to quickly put it on or remove it, two beautifully sculpted swords, one red and one blue that look like sculpted crystals, two sets of gripping hands, each with a different swivel(Up/Down or Left/Right), two open hands, a very nice ornate ax and a bunch of jewels and coins. My one complaint is that the weapons are hard plastic, so if too much pressure is applied they will snap in two.

 Just wanted to call attention to how beautiful the headsculpt is. He even has a red jewel embedded in his eye socket!

 A minor gripe I have is that the belt holster for wither of his blades is a bit unwieldy. The hilts are so long that they get in the way of his arms when posing him. Plus, the swords are so long that they will inevitably touch the floor.

 The pauldrons are slotted on those weird looking prongs that come out of his back sockets. They look a bit silly, but you won't notice them from he front, and they help keep his arms unrestricted.

 Articulation is identical to Who-Man, with double jointed elbows and knees... although the arms barely bend over 90 degrees. He has swivels on his biceps, although it's more appropriate to say that the biceps are separate pieces that can be turned. Although he has no thigh swivels, the legs slot to the hips on some deep holes that allow for some leg turning. The waist and the ab crunch are ball jointed, and he also has reverse butterfly joints for some dynamic poses. He is about half a head taller than Bucky Cap.

 To be honest, I bought this guy mostly just to get another Savage Crucible figure, but I wasn't too fond of the design... But now, having him on hand, he is incredible, every bit as good as Who-Man, and in some ways... I'd say more work went into making this guy, from his hideous skull face to his incredible looking weapons. I'm honestly loving these figures.

10

Action Figure #856: Marvel Legends Constrictor (Secret Wars wave)

 Snakes and cables.

 Another guy I've been wanting to add to my collection for a while, problem being that the old Constrictor figure was very, very outdated. I'm not one to look at a gift horse in the mouth, so I made my purchase!

 First of all... I can't say I much like this color scheme. The older figure is black and yellow, like most modern interpretations. While classic Constrictor is usually painted black with deep blue highlights. So a blue Constrictor is not technically wrong, I mean the vintage figure this one is paying tribute to was blue, it is a shade or two too light for the character. On the other hand, the tendrils, or cables, start off painted silver but then turn translucent yellow, which is a very nice look for them. As for the rest of the figure, this is a Vulcan sculpt, which looks really good for Constrictor.

 His only accessory is the silly lenticular shield. He has the same pre-posed cables as Omega Red.

 Being a Vulcann buck you get all the usual doodads. Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on his biceps, thighs and waist, butterfly joints and a hinged waist. While the figure is a bit gummy, it's not the worst I've seen from Hasbro, and the joints are soft enough so as not to stress the pegs.

 The figure has no wrist articulation, being replaced with forearms swivels. They are fine, I guess, although the tendril-openings shouldn't shift like that on his arms I guess! He is about as tall as Bucky Cap.

 He's a good little figure. I personally would've gone with a darker blue, but they used a good buck, the cables came out looking great, it's not horribly gummy or stiff... He's a decent upgrade for the old figure, I think.

7.0

Action Figure #855: Marvel Legends Absorbing Man

 They made a Man figure!

 As soon as my Spider-Man reading adventure took me to Secret Wars I discovered I needed to add Absorbing Man into my collection. Sadly, he only had old figures available, with those clunky ball hips, so I had to wait. And wait.... until 2026.

 So, the good first: He has the new Gladiator's upper body, so he gets those nice, meaty shoulders, as well as Luke Cage's lower body. It's a good recipe, Cocaine Man(Look it up! It happened!) looks very beefy and rough like this. His two heads look very nice too, I almost had him with the smile, but nah, this guy's got to look mean and unfriendly.

 Besides the two heads, he also comes with two fists, a gripping hand, an open hand, and that silly lenticular shield. His iconic chained wrecking ball is... pre-posed in plastic. That's so lame! While it would've been harder to pose, a proper plastic linked chain would've looked much ever. He can't even get a good grip on the thing! As for his iconic Absorption powers... hopefully you have the old BAF's arms, cause you get nothing. This guy is just Man.

 This is a Marvel Legends, so as per usual, the articulation is good enough. Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels on his thighs, biceps and waist, as well as a hinged ab. He has no butterfly joints, but the shoulders have a nice, wide range to them.

 The biggest issue is Hasbro's usual gumminess. I know I shouldn't expect better, but still. He is about half a head taller than Bucky Cap.

 Hasbro did the bare minimum for this figure. Yeah, it looks good, the articulation is decent, but... where are his powers, something done better by previous figures, yes, plural, he got? What with the lame wrecking ball? How are we still getting this low quality plastic?

5.5