Action Figure #799: Star Wars The Black Series Mandalorian Death Watch

 Guess we are collecting Mandos now.

 So... I remember seeing this generic random Death Watch Mandalorian and thinking that the matte blue plastic made them look like toys and not real, breathing characters. But, well, I had some spare money, kinda, and he was sorta cheap, so I decided to bite the bullet.

 And I'm glad I did, because for some reason I'm in love with this figure. I've fallen in love with this blue Boba Fett, no, really, I've had a ton of fun posing him around all week long. This blue, grey and black color palette just wound up being so appealing on a Mandalorian armor! I haven't been able to put him down. So, yeah, he looks really cool. He comes with a jetpack, that falls off at the slightest touch, a pistol, and a cool dual handed rifle.

 The grip on the rifle isn't the best ever, but it stays on his hand well enough, but it will fall off every now and then. It's a pretty cool looking weapon, to be honest.

 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 right thigh swivel is limited by the gun holster. The funnels of his jetpack can be moved up and down, as well as his targeting reticule. The shoulder pads move alongside the arms, so no issues there. Sadly, this is another figure with loose kneepads over his knees. That said, the only big annoyance is the one mentioned before: How easily his jetpack falls when posing him. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 So... Yeah, it's not a perfect figure, it's rather simple, and yet... I love it. The Mandalorian armor just looks so good with this color scheme, and the articulation is good enough to make him look so badass! And that's why, despite how unimpressive he looks from the outside, and his little jetpack mishaps... I found this guy to be lovely.

8.0

Action Figure #798: Marvel Legends Nimrod

 Exterminate all mutants.

 Well, my knowledge about Nimrod comes from the TAS show. The indestructible future evolution of the Sentinels. And since buying Sentinels is kind of out of my budget, since I have to pay import fees on 200usd packages, it really is not worth it, so why not get the next best thing?

 Since my knowledge on the character is pretty limited, a quick search on google images reveals that the figure sort of resembles most photos I've found of the characters. Depending on the artist he can be a bit more angular, or have more or less pink, but it's definitely a good representation of the character... although, I didn't find a single image that looked exactly like this design. While hot pink isn't the most menacing color ever, I think that coupled with the pearly white plastic it does give it a futuristic edge, while harkening back to the sentinels. The translucent purple triangle on his chest doesn't look good on photos, but trust me, it looks really nice in person. He comes with two fists, two open hands, for shooting, too fantastic looking blast effects and an alternate head.

 While this gripe could've fallen under the articulation section, this is tied to the blast accessory. The wrist peg is too short for a perfect 90 degree bend on the wrist, so he will always shoot aiming slightly downwards, which kinda sucks. I'm sure that they could've found a more elegant solution for this.... like a longer wrist peg. These things are thick, so they wouldn't have stressed when bending the wrist.

 The articulation is exactly the same as with MLs other big guys. He has single jointed elbows, but double jointed knees. The elbow barely hit shy of 90 degrees. He has swivels on his thighs and biceps, as well as a ball jointed ab crunch that has more range than you'd expect! The shoulder pads move alongside the arms, so he has full shoulder articulation. Sadly, the neck has no articulation, but then again, I think that's perfectly in line for the character. He is quite a bit taller than Bucky Cap.

 While this is a sleek, good looking hunk of plastic, there's not much worth writing home about. Fans of the character will probably be happy with him, but as someone who only wanted him to fill a spot? Eh, nothing special. And the oversight on his wrist kinda sucks too.

6.0

Action Figure #797: Jada Toys Street Fighter II Akuma

 It was about time Jada returned. First Jada release of 2026, here we go!

 I can't say I was overly excited about the Akuma release, because, at the end of the day, he is another karate-gi character. Sure, I like him more than Ryu, but... it was another figure on the same buck.

 ...or is it?

 Well, sculpt-wise, he is another guy on the Ryu buck. The jacket of the Gi is a bit more torn, he has a rope instead of a belt, and he is wearing sandals, but all things considered... he is more of the same. He comes with his prayer beads, a giant Hadoken, two fists, two open hands, an angry face and a neutral face.

 But here is when things get interesting. On the outset, it's the same articulation. Butterfly joints, swivels on his biceps, thighs and ankles, a ball jointed ab-crunch that only goes up and down, and a ball jointed waist. But before you sell him short, Jada actually did some innovation with this guy. The butterfly joints don't just go to the sides, but they have 360 degrees of movement, and they go much deeper to the sides than the older ones! He can actually hit a perfect Hadoken pose! It sounds like a tiny change, but it adds SO much to the articulation that it's almost unreal, to the point that if Jada re-releases Ken and Ryu with these, I will buy them again. When people say that Jada are the best on the 6 inch budget market, they are not kidding.

 I also found it ingenious how they gave him a toe-joint, which Ken and Ryu were lacking, which are tied to his sandals! That said, the sandals seem to be made in a harder, more brittle plastic, which scares me a bit when using the ankle hinges.

 And one tiny nitpick, is that the beads feel sorta cheap. I don't know how much that plastic string will hold the prayers, and since it's made out of plastic, it's hard to get the beads to look natural or even to look nice on Akuma. He is a bit taller than Ryu and Ken, and almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 Overall? Jada keeps showing every other western brand how 6 inch figures should be done. While this figure is not as impressive as their Sagat, they did surprise me with how they managed to improve on their already great Ryu buck. Here's to the rest of their 2026 releases!

9.0

Action Figure #796: Star Wars The Black Series Quinlan Vos

 The character that proves that even as a background character you can make it BIG!

 Quinlan Vos is one of those characters that has fanbase almost large enough to make him popular, but not quite, which probably explains why it took so many years to get made. Which is kind of a shame, since he is one of the most interesting Jedi designs of his era!

 Well, I love the guy's look, and he looks great in plastic. He does have a very interesting color scheme to his robes, all made up of greens, grays and a few yellows. And as unique as his design was in the show, he'll also look great next to other Jedi figures. Using Hasbro's current engineering they gave him a layered look, much like the new Obi-Wan and Anakin, that just looks phenomenal. About the only nitpick I have, is that for such a laid back character, the look on his face is a bit too stern. But, really, as far as the sculpt goes, he gets top marks. He comes with his lightsaber and an alternate swishing blade.

 Articulation is par for the course with new releases. Butterfly joints, a ball jointed waist, single jointed elbows and knees with deep cuts for great range, as well as swivels on his thighs that are, quite honestly, useless. The robes are made of soft plastic, so he can move his legs just fine. Also, his hands are on the new ball-peg system.

 The only issue I had is that his neck lies on a ball joint on both ends, and for some reason, aligning his head with the neck is rather hard with him. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 I really love how he came out. As far as Jedi and Sith are concerned, Hasbro is doing wonders.

9.0

Action Figure #795: Star Wars The Black Series RC-1262 (Scorch)

 The one with the 1337 skillz

 While after replaying it a few years ago I discovered that Republic Commando hasn't aged the best, it was still part of my childhood, so I've been meaning to get the Delta Squad for a while now. Taking advantage of RC-1262 (Scorch) getting a re-release, this just might be the time to do so!

 Scorch is cool because he is yellow. No, really, I love Scorch. In the game he is similar to Sev, always competing with him, but his yellow accents made me love this guy's custom armor. Another thing I really dig is the metallic blue pain on the visor, it looks REALLY good in person and in photos. His look is a bit more simplified than it was in the game, but that's because this is based on the Clone Wars show cameo, still, I'm quite happy with the result. He comes with his custom blaster and a bulky backpack. Some sort of explosive accessory would've been nice, but no biggie.

 First of all, the backpack is awful. Not only does it come apart, but it also comes out of his pack very easily due to the, frankly, terrible peg design. I just might end up gluing the backpack onto his back. It's that bad. Hasbro tends to be bad with back accessories, but this is a new low for them,

 His grip on his gun is very flimsy too. I think the trigger finger is not long enough to get a got hook around the trigger, which means that his gun tends to fall from his hand. Ironically, the non-trigger finger gun seems to hold it down better.

 On the articulation end, he does have butterfly joints, but they don't offer much range. He has single jointed elbows and knees, with good range on them, a ball jointed waist, and swivels on his thighs. Overall, it's really good for the poses you'll probably have him in. He is a hair shorter than Bucky Cap.

 The figure itself, the sculpt, the paint job, the articulation? All get high grades from me. It's a shame he can't hold on to his accessories very well, which does bring the figure down a bit. He should be able to properly carry his backpack AND wield his gun, and those things keep him from being a truly great figure.

7.0

Action Figure #794: Star Wars The Black Series Clone Captain Rex (Ahsoka)

 What if Eminem was a Clone?

 I've got no real excuse as to why it took me so long to add Clone Captain Rex into my collection, but what matters is that he is finally here. While his Phase 2-custom look is probably more iconic, I liked this Phase 1 look better, which is why I went with it. Plus, it was the newer figure which, hopefully, meant better quality.

 Well, Rex is a good looking Clone design. I wish I could say more, but I've already written plenty about plenty of clones, and Rex is just another clone but with blue highlights. The marking on his armor are nothing too interesting, which I guess fits Rex's serious personality, but his helmet's marking fair a bit better. I would've liked to see a soft goods skirt over the soft plastic they used, but I won't hold it against it. That said, the kneepads staying loose over his legs is annoying. His helmet can be removed, and he comes with two blaster pistols.

 Articulation is par for the course with clones. Butterfly joints, single jointed elbows and knees, with good bends on each, a ball jointed ab crunch, as well as swivels on his legs to be able to lift his legs since the armor would get in the way otherwise. The neck-pauldron-thing does limit his left arm going upwards a bit, but you can move it sideways anyways, and the soft-plastic skirt is not as restrictive as it could've been. He is almost as tall as Bucky Cap... with the helmet on.

 Not the most exciting of Clone designs, but he IS a good figure. And, c'mon, Clone Wars fans need a Rex in the collection!

7.0

Action Figure #793: Star Wars The Black Series Jango Fett(2026)

 He is looking to get a-head.

 Well, I was quite content with my old Jango Fett but, since I've always liked the Fetts, why not get the Upgrade?... well, maybe because it's a bit more complicated than that.

 This figure features an entirely new sculpt. Sure, it's the same character, but the body, proportions and articulation are completely different, right down to the guns. I really do like the look of the figure, the Fetts have always looked badass, and this is no exception, and I do think this sleeker build is a bit better... but more on that later. He comes with a removable helmet, his jetpack and his two guns. Firstly. the helmet, now you can move the shooting aide that is on its side. It's a bit smaller, and at first I thought that it was kinda lame because some angles showed too much of his chin. But never fear, eventually I learned that it was a skill issue: If you center the helmet just right, it will fit his head like a glove.

 With an updated mold comes updated articulation. He has single jointed elbows and single jointed knees. The elbows are MUCH better than they used to be, sadly, the knees aren't as good, but no biggie, they are good enough. He has a ball jointed waist. The most glaring flaw with this figure are the shoulder parts. They are part of the armor, and they will hamper his shoulder articulation. The most important element to keep in mind is that his arms end on sleeves, that have a 'sub sleeve'. You have to turn this sub-sleeve to avoid his cables from breaking.

 But good luck with that, even keeping that in mind, they broke. This is unacceptable by now, because most of their Mandalorian figures have this issue, and it KEEPS happening. This doesn't happen with Bobba Fett, there's no reason it should happen with Jango.

  And this is the comparison. The new figure has all-around better proportions, he looks much sleeker and much cooler, but... Well, the previous figure had the shoulder-pads as part of his arms, so he could actually raise his arms upwards, the new one can't. That said, the elbow bend is much superior. Another issue, the knee-pads. They were sculpted into the old figure, on this one they are loose pieces of soft plastic hanging loose on his knees, which are a point against him. The belt is much better sculpted this time around, but I think that will also make it a bit more delicate, but only time will tell. But the bigger point of contention: The paint. The old figure had silver paint all around him, making him shiny. The new one has silver paint on his chest and gauntlets, but the helmet and everything below the waist is made out of silver plastic, which doesn't look too bad, but it doesn't look as good as it used to. His guns too, the old one had painted grips, these ones don't. Because of all of these things... I don't think the new figure is an upgrade. It is in some ways, but it's a downgrade in others, making it a bit of a sidegrade, if you will. He is a bit shorter than Bucky Cap.

 This Jango Fett is fine. I like the new proportions, but I really don't like losing articulation. It's also baffling that they can't make durable cables, because this used to be an issue, and still is. And it's unfair to blame the user, the engineering should be better. Make them thicker if you need, but it shouldn't be on the user. So... yeah, as much as I'd like to score Jango higher, Hasbro still has ways to go with him.

6.0

Action Figure #792: League of Legends Champions Collection Blitzcrank

 He blitzes AND he is cranky!

 Well, I wasn't sure I'd be getting more League of Legends figures, but I just couldn't skip Blitzcrank I mean... just look at this thing! He's never been one of my favorite champions, but the figure just looked so appealing.

The sculpt is absolutely glorious. While he doesn't have the most intricate design ever, they did a great job with the sculpt, and added some scratches and scuffs here and then to liven up his look, as well as a black wash to make him look worn down, while keeping a nice light golden hue. My only complaint is that the scuffs are mirrored between limbs, so the arms, hands and feet have the same scratches on the same places, which is a lazy, but not a deal breaker by any means. He comes with a cool looking base... which I don't have since I preferred to get him loose and much cheaper!

 For articulation, he has ball jointed shoulders, and single jointed elbows that are decent but don't reach a 90 degree bend, and being single-jointed, they can be spun to the sides. His head is on a ball joint, but due to his short neck, there's not much range there. He has a swivel on his waist, so you can rotate his legs around. The legs connect to the hips through ball joints, so the legs can go up and down, as well as side ways. He has NO knee articulation, but his feet are hinged.

 The true highlight are his hands, kinda. They are almost perfect. His three fingers can be bent independently... however, they are joint together at the middle, so all three fingers move as a single unit which is, frankly, a baffling decision. You can still have fun bending the fingers and moving them around, but they could've been EVEN better. The thumbs look as if they could be rotated, but sadly, they can't, you can only bend the thumb forward. Once again, almost perfect. He is a very thick boy, and about a head and a half taller than Bucky Cap.

 Blitzcrank might just probably be the best figure Spinmaster released in the collection. He is really fun to pose around, as well as playing with his hands was just delightful, even though they could've been pulled off a bit better. This one is a rather fun figure, and his size makes him fun to display alongside other six inch figures.

8.5

Action Figure #791: Marvel Legends Doppelganger Spider-Man

 And now we are scratching the bottom of the barrel!

 Doppelganger Spider-Man is another one of the weird late 80's - early 90's villains I've been missing. But he is one of the REALLY weird ones. During the INFERNO event, which was one of the sloppiest crossovers, a lot of evil doppelgangers of Marvel heroes appeared, but, after the event was over, only one remained: Spider-man's. I actually first learned about this guy through Pepsi's Latin American Marvel cards, but still, I was intrigued to finally learn his origin. And... he completes the Carnage, Shriek, Demogoblin and Doppelganger foursome, for you see, Shriek and Carnage were so nutty, that they adopted Demogoblin and Doppelganger as their children!

 This is an interesting sculpt, no doubt about it. This is a six-armed figure, and I think they pulled it off really well. Between all six arms, you get two open claws, and two fists, which is fair enough. For some reason, I feel like the head looks a bit... goofy. I don't know, I think they could've made it look a bit nastier. Another interesting thing about this guy, is that while he is a comic book character, the blue parts of his suit are textured, and the web-lines are sculpted, but not painted. Next to the head sculpt, my other gripe would be just how dark the figure looks. The shades of blue and red they picked are very dark, which is a bit surprising since they pick lighter shades for Spider-Man... and this guy SHOULD match Spidey in color.

 Articulation is interesting. All six arms are double jointed at the elbow, and have swivels on his biceps. All six of them. His knees are double jointed, with swivels on his thighs and boots. Sadly... not ab crunch, no waist articulation. Not even a waist swivel! While he feels a bit tiny, he is just a hair shorter than Bucky Cap... which just isn't right! This should be a threatening monster!

 A bit of a mixed bag. I like the sculpt, I like how the implemented the six arms, but there's something off about its head, and he should've at least gotten a waist swivel. At least!

5.5

Action Figure #790: Marvel Legends DemoGoblin (Build-A-Figure)

 The 90's were wild, man.

 Like I said, I wanted to go back to collecting Spider-Man villains, and the late 80's - early 90's were some of his wildest years, with villains such as the Demogoblin here. His history is all sorts of whacky, if I remember correctly, he was a consquence of the INFERNO event, in which Jason Macendale had a demon Hobgoblin persona split away from him and take on the identity of the Demogoblin, a goblin with a weird Christian edge to him. Don't question it, the 90's were wild.

 On the outset, he is kind of a disappointing BAF because he as large as your basic Marvel Legends. But he is a fun looking Goblin. He has this twisted, demonic headsculpt, and they even kept in mind his pointy hood! His arms are scaley, and he has these torn cape, gauntlets and belt that look really nice. But the centerpiece of this figure is his unique flaming glider. He comes with no flaming pumping bombs of any kind. Overall... He is alright, but for a BAF? Disappointing.

 Articulation, at first sight, seems to follow the Bucky Cap buck standard. Swivels on his biceps, thighs, boots and waist, with a hinged ab crunch and double jointed elbows and knees, but....

 His shoulders are TOO thick for the torso, trying to move his arms all the way to the side will have them popping out. Disappointing is putting it lightly. He is as tall as Bucky Cap.

 So... I'm sorry to say, but Demogoblin is a very disappointing figure. Being a BAF you'd expect something special, but he is just another Bucky Cap... with hampered arm articulation. Kinda lame.

5.0