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

Action Figure #463: DC Direct Batman Knightfall Nightwing

  Move aside Discowing, it's time for yellow wing.

 Discowing is remembered for it's Discolicious neck-line. The modern Nightwing suit is remembered for its fingers stripes.... but if one Nightwing costume doesn't get much love, it's the second one, the one with yellow! As a Dick Grayson fan, I love all of his costumes, and this includes Yellowing.

 And well... this is based on the Knightfall look, which means he is wearing a ponytail instead of a GLORIOUS mullet. Whichever the case, it's a very 90's look. This is a very simple look, so.... it's a very simple figure. I do love the metallic blue paint used on his body, so it makes for a very striking figure. That said, I'm not much of a fan of the way they did his legs, they stand too far apart, and one of his hands is sculpted as if he was holding a cellphone or some sort of switch, and he comes with no accessories, so... it's a bit clunky.

 The articulation is lacking in every way. Legs only move forward and backwards, but the arms can at least move to the sides. Do be careful, as they are very tight, and the paint on the shoulders has chipped a bit. No wrist movement, no waist movement... nothing fun, really, and due to the way his legs are molded, the poses you can get him in are... well, minimal. He is on the higher end of the 6 inch scale, so he is quite tall.

 I like having a figure of this costume that can be finagled in a 6 inch collection... but as an action figure, this is quite bad.

4.0

Action Figure #462: Aquaman Black Manta

  This was a mistake.

 Look, the seller had this Black Manta listed as the DC Multiverse Black Manta, and the figure looks, at a glance, like that very same figure. It's even manufactured by Mattel... so... I got this basic 6 inch action figure thinking I was getting another figure. And to add salt to the wound, I only got this figure because I thought the seller of the previous Black Manta figure I purchased had reimbursed me... when what he had reimbursed was the shipping cost since he shipped it with another figure! Ah well, what can you do?

 I'll tell you this much... for a basic action figure, he doesn't look half bad. The figure feels solid, and the sculpt is very detailed. He is a bit lacking in paint, but, I mean, he IS called Black Manta after all.

 But articulation is where he falls apart. His legs only move backward and forwards, he has a waist swivel and his arms are actually on hinges, so they have forward/backward as well as sideways movement. Knees and elbows are single jointed, but you can move the forearms to the sides. I mean, considering this is a very basic figure... this isn't half bad. He is slightly shorter than Bucky Cap.

 I kinda dislike the figure because he is so basic, but... I mean, he isn't too bad. I'll stick to my other Manta figure, however.

6.0

Action Figure #461: Star Wars The Black Series Mace Windu

  I've had it up to here with the motherlovin' light sabers on this motherlovin' plane!

 Among the supporting cast of the prequel SW movies, few characters were as iconic as Mace Windu and his purple lightsaber. While purple sabers had been mentioned in SW literature before, Mace Windu was the first character to use a purple blade on screen!

 And this guy is awesome. Firstly, they nailed Samuel L. Jackson's likeness perfectly, so he looks exactly like the actor, and the Jedi robes are beautifully sculpted. He comes with a soft-goods coat that really adds to the overall vagrant look of the figure.

 While he looks like my old Anakin figure, Mace has an update sculpt, for he has butterfly joints beneath the rubber torso, allowing him to wield his lightsaber on both hands much more easily. As with other older SW figures, he has single jointed elbows but double jointed knees, his torso laying on a ball joint. He is as tall as Bucky Cap. 

 This is one of the finest Black Series action figures I own. He looks incredible, and he is so much fun to play with.

8.5

Action Figure #460: S.H. Figuarts Kenshin Himura

  Oro? Orooooooooooo

 When I was a wee lad, Rurouni Kenshin was my favorite anime, and then my favorite manga. No other artist has influenced the way I try to draw as Nobuhiro Watsuki, so seeing how influential Rurouni Kenshin has been in my life... adding Kenshin Himura into my collection was a no-brainer.

 And well, he is a thing of beauty. Comes with a ton of hands and face plates as well as an alternate belt(one has a peg for the scabbard). The sculpting is phenomenal, if you spend some time looking at Kenshin you'll start seeing all these various little pieces that make him up and allow for so much articulation. It's also a bit scary, because you can tell how fragile he is! The face-plates are so good that you can tell which ones are the Battousai faces and which ones are the Kenshin gestures.

 As mentioned before, he is made up of a ton of different pieces, which grant him a fair amount of articulation, heck, as seen below, even his lower legs are on ball-pegs so that you can move his feet out of his wide pants! The one bad thing I'll say is that while there are swivels on his thighs... they are just for show, as due to their shape they can't rotate. That said, he has double jointed knees and elbows, he also has butterfly joints and a ball jointed waist, so you can do a lot of fun stuff. Having hinges on his toes also allow him to pose like Kenshin would! He is quite a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 The ball-jointed feet. Interesting!

 Another small negative is that his arms can't go very high to the sides.

 Not the best that S.H. Figuarts has done, but I'm quite happy with him, I played around with him a whole bunch, out of this last figure haul, he was probably the guy I played with the most aside from Dracula.

8.0