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

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