Action Figure #473: Star Wars The Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi(Duel of Fates Three Pack)

 The ken-only-bi wan.

 And now, we're down to the last figure of this fantastic three pack, Obi-Wan Kenobi, young Obi-Wan in fact. I used to own a figure of this particular version of Obi-Wan, as well as Qui-Gon, so I'm quite happy to have both of this guys again.

 Obi-Wan looks great, the likeness to Ewan McGregor is excellent, although my one gripe would be that his look is a bit too angry from what I'd expect from Obi-Wan... but it probably represents Obi-Wan after Qui-Gon was murdered, so I'll take it. Also, I would've made his hair a darker shade of brown. That aside, I love how he came out. And much like Qui-Gon, he too comes with a brown coat, albeit a bit darker.

 The articulation matches Qui-Gon's, but he has the same updated robes as Mace, so he gets butterfly joints that grant him more range. That said, he does have one little annoyance...

 ...he has the same downward hip pegs as Padme. These articulate much better than Padme's, but it still feels a bit awkward to play around with. I don't know why they decided to do this instead of using normal, straight pegs, but I don't like it.

 Despite his legs, Obi-Wan is another banger. I love having my Jedi collection grow, as I initially planned on buying more Star Wars figures before Covid hit and we were impacted with MORE limitations to imported packages.

8.0 

Action Figure #472: Star Wars The Black Series Darth Maul(Duel of Fates Three Pack)

  Short, horny and deadly.

 And, further proving that Jar Jar didn't ruin the Phantom Menace, we've got Darth Maul, the other fantastic new character they added. A man of few words but many light sabers, this guy introduced us to the double light saber!

 And he looks amazing. He a small guy, but his robes are very detailed, and he has a two-layered skirt, which allows for easy movement, as well as a soft-goods black coat that you can remove. His dual blade can be split apart, if you so wish it. The only nitpick I have with the sculpt is that the face paint is inaccurate, in particular, his chin markings are wrong. Honestly, even though you can compare it with the boxart, I wouldn't have noticed if someone hadn't told me, it's that small of a nit pick.

 The articulation covers all the basics of a modern black series figure. Ball jointed waist with single jointed elbows and knees. Both elbows and knees have very good range, for being single-jointed, so you can get him into all sorts of fun poses. He is quite shorter than Bucky Cap!

 They used some new engineering on the wrists, now instead of them being hinged pegs, we get ball joints. They offer more circular range, but they can't bend as deep. They aren't necessarily better, but they aren't worse either, they just offer a different kind of articulation range.

 The only really big issue with this figure is that the hilts are too soft, and the combined blade is too long... and heavy, so it inevitably gets bent, which makes it hard to get a fully straight blade. I think I might use super glue to get it into place, I mean, as far as The Phantom Menace is concerned, he never split his blade, and when it was cut in two he didn't wield one blade on each hand. Oh! And the color of his saber is a bit more orangey than red.

 Darth Maul is a fun new figure. I just wish Hasbro would start making their saber better and more solid, so that they stop bending, because blade aside, this Darth Maul figure is perfect.

8.5

Action Figure #471: Star Wars The Black Series Qui-Gon Jinn(Duel of Fates Three Pack)

 He will find you and he will kill you.

 This year I decided that I'm tired of pretending like the Prequel movies are bad. The only bad prequel is Attack of the Clones, I would know, I recently watched all six original, and good, movies again. That said, when I was younger I remember I did enjoy The Phantom Menace, although the Internet led me to believe that it was bad... it wasn't. And Qui-Gon Jinn is one of the best things about it, a Jedi that doesn't like to play by the Jedi Council rules, a Jedi so great that even though he tends to go against them... the Jedi Council still respects. Gotta love the Qui!

 Well, the first thing I noticed from stock photos, and something that is hard not to notice... is that while it is a decent Liam Neeson likeness... his head looks a bit chubby. It does. It's not a deal breaker, but it is what it is. The rest of the figure looks the part, this is Qui-Gon as I remember him, and I love how he comes with a removable soft-goods cloth, exactly like Mace's.

 The articulation is where this figure falters a bit. His hair is made of a rather hard plastic, so good luck turning his head. It can be done, but it takes some finagling. Another caveat, is that unlike Mace, he comes on the older Jedi buck, like Anakin, so he has no butterfly joints... which means, good luck getting a good two-handed pose, y'know, Qui-Gon's iconic battle pose. You can play with him, you can get him into good poses, but it takes some finessing due to how he was enginereed. Ah well! He is as tall as Bucky Cap.

 While his articulation could've been updated, and maybe his hair-piece done in a softer plastic, I think this is a really good Qui-Gon figure. It helps that I love the character, which probably makes him like this figure more than I really should.

7.5

Action Figure #470: Star Wars The Black Series Han Solo(A New Hope)

  I'm feelin' like a star, can't hold my shine, I'm Solo, I'm Han Solo

 I've never been much of a fan of Han Solo, but having grown with the original trilogy.... it's about time I start collecting the original heroes! Back then I used to own the old Kenner A New Hope and carbonite-unfrozen Solo figures, but for now, Han's original look will suffice.

 Considering this was one of the first Black Series Han Solo figures... he is not half-bad! Particularly the head sculpt, while this was before they had their digital face-printing technology, this is a more than adequate Harrison Ford likeness. The figure itself feels a bit lanky, I think it has to do with his beck been a smidge longer than it needs to be. His left hand looks a bit weird, as if he was cupping something, but it was sculpted like this to be able to pose him in his most iconic A New Hope pose. He came with a buch of accessories, like gloved hands, for when he is flying the Millenium Falcon, and a StormTrooper belt-and-blaster, a blaster that I gave to Padme!

 As an older Black Series figure, he has double jointed knees, although only single jointed elbows. He has a ball-jointed waist and swivels on his legs. All in all, you can get him into decent poses. He is almost as tall as the Bucky Cap mold.

 Considering this figure's age, I'd say he came out great and still holds up, it's probably why the updated figure only updated the face paint! Oh! And he comes with less accessories and the left hand looks even weirder.... all in all, I'm happy with this release.

7.0

Action Figure #469: Star Wars The Black Series Yoda

  Do or do not, there is no try.

 I used to have a tiny, vintage Kenner Yoda action figure when I was younger, he was my father's favorite character next to Chewbacca, so eventually I gave it to him. Since I love getting updated action figures from toys I used to own, it was only a matter of time before Yoda made it.

 At a glance, this Yoda figure looks really good. He is a very small and simple figure, but I think it is a decent likeness. This is the very first Yoda release, so he has this goofy, wide-eyed, shocked look to him. I don't mind it because it sorta resembles the original puppet. He comes with a cane, a serpent, for whatever reason, and his lightsaber, which he only used in the prequel movies... but, c'mon, Yoda needs a lightsaber, I think it was a mandatory accessory. His outer robes are made out of a very slim, frayed soft-goods. It looks like it might untangle at any moment, which is a bit scary, but it IS accurate to how Yoda looked.

 Articulation is where Yoda disappoints the most. He has a waist swivel, can rotate his neck, hands and feet, and, for whatever reason, he has thigh swivels...

 Which why would you need if he can't bend his knees? I get it, Yoda is a small figure, but I would much rather get joints on his needs than swivels on his legs. I mean, really, what's the point of turning his legs? 

 But worst of all, he has double-jointed elbows... but no arm swivel, which means you can't get many poses from Yoda's arms. Single-jointed elbows would've been the better idea, since you can just turn those around, and Yoda doesn't really need such an ample elbow bend.

 And the worst bit, because it looks ugly, is that turning his head pops the peg upwards, so you get gaps between his collar and his neck. As you'd expect, he is quite a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Yoda is definitely a step up from the Kenner figure I used to own, I mean, his two feet used to be a single piece you could bend. But they made so many odd engineering choices with this figure, such as swivels on his legs, where he doesn't need them, and double jointed-elbows with no arm swivels... It all amounts to a rather disappointing figure of a fan-favorite.

4.5

Action Figure #468: Marvel Legends Sersei(Gilgamesh Wave)

 At least she's not wearing a glorified swimsuit.

 Funny story about how I got this Sersi figure... Ebay had this questionnaire, complete it and you'd get a 10 usd gift card. Of course, using it required finding something that cost 10 or less... and I remembered this wave of figures that did really bad... well, I got Sersi new in box for 10 bucks! As for her... I haven't watched the movie, and the only Sersi I'm familiar with, and only slightly, is the one from the comics, when she wore the green swimsuit and was part of the Avengers, which meant she appeared alongside Spider-man, which is how I first discovered her.

 Much like Ikaris, this lady looks amazing. I love the metallic green and silver color scheme/ The costume is quite detailed, and while I don't know if the face sculpt is faithful to the actress, I will say that it is a good looking sculpt. She comes with a pair of closed fists, and that's it. 

 Articulation wise... well, it's about what you'd expect from a female Marvel Legends figure...

 ... albeit, unlike Ikaris, he skirt prevents her from lifting her legs too high, which is a bummer. She can't even crouch.

 But, much like Ikaris... she has no paint on her back, which feels more like laziness rather than accuracy. And if the costume is like this in the movie... then that's lame! She's a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Sersei is alright, but the skirt makes her a bit dull to play with.

5.0

Action Figure #467: Star Wars The Black Series Darth Revan

 A case of bad amnesia.

 I know who Darth Revan is, do you? To be honest, while I played KOTOR when I was younger.. I never got to the big reveal. It felt as if my game had bugged or something, as I couldn't figure out what I had to do, I think I was at a point in which you had to find things around various planets? Something like that? Whichever the case, I eventually read about Darth Revan, so I know who he is, for a change.

 The overall look of the figure is alright, and sadly, just alright. The soft-good pieces feel a bit... frail, as if they'll fray at any moment. He's also a bit shorter than I would've liked, he is as tall as Obi-Wan(SPOILERS!) or Shin Hati... but I'd expect a more imposing figure, since this is Darth Revan after all.

 As an older Black Series figure, he does have double jointed knees. The robes are soft-goods, so you can just lift his skirt upwards to get him to kick or jump. That said... his hood is a large, rubbery piece, so he has no neck articulation, although you can try to slightly move his head to the sides, and the hood covers his shoulders, so he can't raise his arms all the way to the top.

 And this is as far as he can bend his single-jointed elbows, which is kinda pathetic. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 Darth Revan is an OK figure. I liked his detailed armor and intricate robes, I really do, but... he could've been taller, and the articulation could've been better.

6.5

Action Figure #466: Star Wars The Black Series Shin Hati

 Oh, look, she has the Padawan braid!

 Surely, it can't be that I'm getting yet another figure of a character I know nothing about, right? Right? ... Yeah, I know nothing about Shin Hati, all I know is that she has an orange saber and that she looks really cool, and that's good enough for me.

 And she's everything I had hoped she'd be. I lover her overall look, she has the robes of a Jedi, but pieces of armor here and there that makes her look like a badass warrior. I think my figure came with the orange saber, because apparently, she had a red one at first. But the thing is... is this an orange blade? Because Maul's(SPOILERS!) looks exactly the same! That aside, I really like this lass, but I've heard that she is a bit taller than she should be... not that I would know.

 On the articulation end of things, she's a modern Black series figure, so elbows and knees are single jointed. She has butterfly joints and a ball-jointed waist. Overall, I didn't have any issues posing her around. The rubber robes are soft enough, and she has openings on the folds on both sides, so you can move her legs around pretty easily. She is quite a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 The one small gripe I have is with her hands. She can hold her blade better than Star Killer, for sure, but the sculpt of the hand could've been a bit better, so that it looks as if she's ACTUALLY holding the blade with intent.

 Well, I'm quite happy with how Shin Hati turned out... at least as someone who thought she looked like a cool figure. I love how she looks, she looks like a meaner take on a Jedi. Now, I hope Marrok arrives soon enough... Yes, spoilers!

8.0

Action Figure #465: DC Multiverse Batwoman

 The red-headed stepchild of the Batfamily.

 My collection was only missing a single important Batfamily member, aside from Alfred, that being Batwoman. I'll admit that I haven't read many of her comics, but I know enough.

 And well, she has the same female buck most other female figures have in Mattel's multiverse line, which isn't half bad, as she looks pretty nice. The red and black look quite striking on her, so she'll stand out next to the other Bat-people, Batman Beyond included.

 She has the same articulation as the other female Multiverse figures. She's ever so slightly taller than the Bucky Cap mold.

 The range on her elbows is a bit pathetic, severely limiting her range, which is a bit disappointing.

 She's alright. Just a few tweaks, like a better ab crunch and more range on her elbows would've done wonders for her.

6.0

Action figure #464: Star Wars The Black Series Padme Amidala(Attack of the Clones)

  Are you an Angel? No, just an action figure.

 Well, it was time for Padme Amidala to join my collection. There were only two versions released under the Black Series label, and I feel like her Attack of the Clones look was the most iconic. The pure white ensemble is reminiscent of Leia, but it looks a bit more sporty and actiony.

 Well, the sculpt is fantastic. I love this look on her and they nailed it perfectly. The soft-rubber cape is fully textured and easy to move around, and the choices they made with the paint break up the pure white look. The resemblance to Nathalie Portman, while not perfect, is close enough. I bought her used, so sadly, I don't have her guns. But hey, she was super cheap!

 Articulation is just what you'd expect from older Black Series figures, namely, single jointed elbows and double jointed knees. He torso has a balljoint and she's got swivels on her legs. She is quite a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 My figure was missing some paint on her sideburns... so I had to use a black market to fix it. Was it a singular QC issue or is it prevalent? I don't know!

 The worst and weirdest bit about the figure are the legs... the pegs on the hips come from the torso DOWNWARDS instead of being perpendicular to the legs themselves. This makes moving the legs feel awkward because they move in a circular motion. I don't understand why they would do this or what benefit it gives the figure.... but it's what it is.

 Leg issue aside.... Padme is a decent figure. I wouldn't mind an update, however, to give her better legs. But I'm fine with this one.

6.0