Return to the Planet of the Apes: A Planet of the Apes Toy Review

One of my very first duties for ToyFare was attending the New York Toy Fair at the beginning of this year. It was an overwhelming experience as I met a legion of people who I now talk to every day and saw hundreds of toys expected to come out in 2008. But of all the toys I saw, the ones I was most excited about were these Planet of the Apes Mego-style figures produced by Diamond Select Toys in conjunction with EMCE Toys. I’m a big POTA fan (proof: I actually own the box set that came in the limited edition ape head), so these seemed right up my alley. The only downside? I had to wait until a few weeks ago to get them in hand and check them out, but I’ll tell you what, the wait was worth it.

First off, these are the very first Mego-style figures I’ve ever encountered. I got a Marvel Famous Covers set of Spider-Man and Electro a while ago, but I don’t really count them. The POTA Cornelius and Soldier Ape are actually based on the original Mego molds and cloth costumes. You can check out what the originals looked like at the Mego Museum, a great site for checking out Megos. So, let’s get this time traveling rocket ship through space off the ground shall we? Blast off!

CORNELIUS

In the first three POTA movies Cornelius, played mostly by Roddy McDowall, saw everything from a man who could talk(!) to proof that humans evolved before apes to the destruction of his planet to time travel (POTA continuity is pretty wonky) and this figure looks ready to do all that and more. Features-wise, it’s a pretty basic figure. You’ve got a cloth tunic and stretchy pants (both removable), plastic shoes and furry sleeve cuffs. The real bonus here is the poseability of the figure. As you can see from the pics, Cornelius here can really get down if you want him to (I’ve got him knee-sliding across my desk with a Gene Simmons bass right now). As far as negatives go, I’m having trouble thinking of any (aside from the fact that if you don’t like POTA or 8-inch Mego-style figures, this obviously ain’t the toy for you).

SOLDIER APE

The Soldier Ape, a generic “bad guy” has a few more features. He’s still got the cloth clothes, but he’s also got a bandoleer (is that what that’s called?) strung across his shoulder and a gun that you can place in his hand with surprising success. Now, one thing that it took me a while to figure out that I want to pass on to you is that those weird “I have to wear oven mitts otherwise I’ll burn things” gloves he has on actually come off. At first I thought it was all one piece until I actually dropped the figure and the glove popped off. Soldier boy here is just as poseable as Cornelius and the only real problem that I see is that I would have much preferred to get my hands on another well known character (Bright Eyes, anyone?) over general ape cannon fodder.

I have no idea how the rights work for this kind of thing, but I’m hoping that Diamond and EMCE are able to put out all of the figures that were originally produced in the Mego line (go check that link out above if you haven’t yet, there’s some great stuff there) and possibly even new figures from the later movies or even the remake. I can’t wait to see the next to figures, which will be Dr. Zaius and Zira. Hey, what can I say? I’m a fan and my ape head DVD could really use some more figures surrounding it.

Thy Kingdom (Hearts) Come: Reviewing Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts Action Figures

Hey folks, welcome to another ToyFare toy review. This time I’ll be reviewing the figures based on the original Kingdom Hearts video game which holds the distinction as being the only RPG-like game I’ve ever played and liked (though I still haven’t finished it). With that in mind, I was pretty excited to get my hands on this line from Square Enix which consists of Sora, Riku and King Mickey. The figures are highly poseable with an advertised 12 points of articulation per figure (even Mickey) and each come with a sword accessory and extra hands. So, let’s get into the individual figure reviews.

SORA

Right out of the box, Sora is a very impressive figure. Square Enix captured the look of the video game perfectly from his spikey hair down to those huge yellow shoes. Even more impressive at first glance, though, is the articulation. Even with his super-thin arms, Sora’s got elbow and shoulder joints that allow for a wide range of motion. But my favorite piece of articulation takes place in those giant yellow shoes I mentioned. If you look, the ankle joint is actually incorporated into the tongue of the shoe and when you bend the shoe joint, the back of the shoe stays with the ankle while the rest of the shoe moves. It’s definitely a small aspect of the figure, but I really appreciate that attention to detail.

Aside from the aformentioned joints and the knee joints, the articulation is actually a bit weird once you start posing and playing with the figure. His hips don’t move all that much, maybe because of the crazy MC Hammer pants he’s sporting or maybe he’s just built that way. Also, the mid torso joint doesn’t really seem to do much. It allows you to kind of lean Sora forward just enough so it looks like he might have scoliosis. Speaking of negatives, after only a few minutes of playing with this figure the arm popped right off and it’s not the only appendage to be lost from this series, but more on that later. Luckily Sora’s arm popped right back in.

But, hey, these figures probably aren’t really meant for kids to be playing with, they’re more for collectors and video game fans I would assume. Those fans will be happy with the figure and even happier with the Key Sword Sora’s rocking. Just don’t be too rough on the figure and you should be fine

RIKU

Sora’s pal Riku is actually a far more interesting figures as far as poseability and playability go. His arms are a little thicker and his hip joints do a lot more. Like Sora, he looks like he popped right out of the video game and is ready to kick butt with his dragon wing sword. Of course, not all is perfect with the figure. Almost immediately after taking the figure out of the packaging his head popped off. Like Sora’s arm you can pop it back on, but it doesn’t sit very well. Even for a figure that you’re not necessarily going to play with a lot, that’s not a good sign which is really too bad, because like I said, it’s got more articulation and playability than the other two combined.

Even with that in mind, if your version of Riku has a head that stays in place, this figure should please any Kingdom Hearts fan. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a pose from the game that the figure can’t recreate, though you might lose some arms, legs or heads in the process.

KING MICKEY

I purposely waited to open Mickey last because he was the figure I was most skeptical about. As you can see in the above picture, he’s wearing a Matrix-like long black trench coat that would seemingly inhibit movement. I was surprised to find that his arms are compeltely articulated from the shoulder to the wrist and even his legs have limited range of motion thanks to that coat.

I took it easy on Mickey as far as exercising the joints because I’d feel pretty bad if I broke or beheaded the most famous cartoon in the world. But the head sculpt is dead on and his crown sword looks great. I didn’t mention above how these swords work. They’ve got a tiny hole in the handle and the figures have protruding posts in their palms, so the post slides into the whole give the sword some movement, but otherwise keeping it in place.

Little details like the Mickey ear-shaped hood resting on his back and the tail sticking out through the trench coat make this my favorite figure of the bunch even though he’s got the least playability. I think he’d make an interesting convesation piece on just about anyone’s mantle from your video game obsessed cousin to his Disney obsessed mom.

ALL IN ALL
All in all, the line looks fantastic and has enough little embellishments to boost them from average video game figures to somewhere higher up, but don’t spend your money on them if you’re looking for anything more than cool shelf surfers.

Come On Baby Light My Sunfire: A Marvel Legends A.O.A. Sunfire Review

We here at ToyFare love when a plan comes together. Back in ToyFare #123 we launched a poll so that you the fans could let your voices be heard by Hasbro and help choose an upcoming exclusive on Hasbro’s Toy Shop. The choices were Silver Samurai, Northstar, Aurora, Storm in her original costume, Lilandra, Magneto, Gambit in his X-Men costume and Age of Apocalypse Sunfire. Well, Sunny came out on top and we’ve finally gotten our hands on him (hey it takes a long time to put a whole figure together). So how does he hold up? Read on.

We here at ToyFare love toys just as much as you guys, which is why we got extra geeked out by the “ToyFare Fan’s Choice” sticker on there. Here’s a closer look:

Okay, enough about us. Sunfire here, who first appeared in the Age of Apocalypse event, is a darn good looking figure. Not only did they capture the look and the feel of the character with the black markings on his body, the studded collar and mask, but the translucent body and fire bursts really accentuate the figure and capture his powers well. When you hold the figure up to the light, he looks even cooler. Apocalypse would be proud. As an added bonus, this seems to represent the current, in-continuity Sunfire as well after he got turned into one of Apocalypse’s Four Horsemen. Man, this guy can’t catch a break.

And like all Marvel Legends figures, Sunfire here has plenty of articulation including mid torso and ankle articluation that allows you to roll the ankles to the left and right and not just up and down. I did have a bit of a problem getting the arms to fold down correctly, but I think that’s a result of the way he’s packaged. That being said, some of the joints feel like they’re specifically there so you can make him look cool in flying poses as opposed to standing up poses. It definitely takes some joint manipulation to get him standing straight up.

All and all Sunny here’s a pretty great figure, especially if you’re an X-Men, Marvel Legends, fire or translucent figure fan. Oh, or if you’re a fan of figures that ToyFare helped put in your hands.

–TJ

Studying the Classics: A DC Universe Classics Wave 4 and 5 Review

Our pals over at Mattel sent us a package of DC Universe Classics figures earlier this week and now that we’ve finally stopped playing with them, it’s time for a toy review. Wave 4 includes Wonder Woman, Artemis as Wonder Woman (a variant), Batman Beyond, Ares, Cyborg (a variant with sonic arms), Captain Atom, Gold and Red Captain Atom and a Despero build-a-figures. Wave 5, which is exclusive to Wal-Mart boasts figures of Black Lightning, Eradicator, Riddler, The Atom (Ray Palmer version), a Metallo build-a-figure and Amazo (which actually wasn’t in the box). All the figures were sculpted by the Four Horsemen.

Wave 4

WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman’s one of those difficult characters to create a visual for. She’s supposed to be an ambassador of peace descended from Greek gods but also an apt and powerful warrior and I think that the Horsemen did a great job with this figure. She’s not overly bulky like some female figures can be, but she’s also well articulated and, most importantly, doesn’t feel like you’re going to break it if you actually play with the figure. She comes with a star=spangled shield and a battle axe that resembles her “WW” eagle symbol. Good stuff. But the real bonus for me is the variant figure of Artemis, the one time Wonder Woman replacement, dressed in the Wonder Woman gear. I actually started reading Wonder Woman when Artemis took over, so I was pretty excited when I saw that she’d be the variant (I would have also accepted the bicycle-shorts wearing post-WW Diana Prince). This isn’t just a different head sculpt though, as they Horsemen gave Artemis the sandels of Hermes so she can fly, switched her lasso to her left side and gave her a quiver of arrows on her right. She also comes with an arrow-loaded bow. Well done gents!

ARES

Speaking of Greeks, Mattel gives us Ares to combat those pesky Wonder Women. The god of war here looks like he stepped right out of either The Odyssey or a wicked game of Dungeons and Dragons, all the more impressive when you realize he’s actually wearing a dress. But a badass dress. You can’t look long at Ares without seeing a skull or some other vision of death. He comes with a sword and battle axe that look like they may have come from a He-Man line, but I’m not quite sure. I really appreciate the heft of this figure. It really feels like he could do some damage, offering up a good adversary for the rest of these heroes. My one gripe is that his shoulder pads and dress greatly restrict how much you can move his arms and legs, but then again, I’m not really sure how you’d get around that.

BATMAN BEYOND

I remember when Batman Beyond came out I was pretty skeptical of how cool this cartoon would be compared to the completely rad-tacular Batman The Animated Series. Well, it turned out to be a pretty great toon in its own right so I’m all in favor of a figure based on the Batman of the future. The figure is just as articulated and flexible as other Bat-figs like Nightwing and Robin which adds a great continuity to the ever-growing Bat-family. He even comes with a futuristic batarang. Overall the figure looks pretty faithful to the cartoon, though unlike the above image, the one we got in the office is a little shiny. I do have a bit of a problem with the head though. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I think I just figured it out. I knew that the head didn’t seem right, almost like it wasn’t a mask, but an actual face painted black and here’s why: the show the teeth through the mouth whole, whereas in the cartoon you couldn’t see through, it was just white. Justin had no problem with this, but I figured I’d mention. It definitely wouldn’t stop me from buying the figure though. In fact, I’d probably just dab a little White Out in there and never think about it again.

CYBORG

For a half human half cyborg, Vic Stone here sure looks good. Opting for his classic, original look, the Horsemen really outdid themselves recreating Cyborg’s most famous look, right down to the utility belt and thigh straps. We didn’t get the Kay Bee sonic hand variant, but no worries here as we got what looks like a clamp and a giant taser. But beware, only his right hand pops off to accommodate the additions. I did eventually pop the other arm off to no detriment, but it serves no purpose. I know I’m not alone in hoping the Horsemen get a chance to create the other Wolfman and Perez-era Titans.

CAPTAIN ATOM

Cap was a pretty big part of my youthful comic book-buying past as I was a regular reader of Armageddon 2001, Justice League and later Extreme Justice (what can I say? I was a kid). I’m not quite sure if I like what they did to him in Countdown, but I’m sure that can be easily retconned out. Anyway, oh Captain MY captain here is available in both his classic (though not original) silver, red and blue version (though curiously lacking the gauntlets and boots he sported in Extreme Justice, hmm) and the red and gold version that Alex Ross created for Kingdom Come based on the original design that went on to be featured in the DC/Wildstorm crossover Captain Atom: Armageddon. Neither figure comes with any accessories, but they both have pretty cool hair.

DESPERO

One of the Justice League’s greatest villains (and a personal favorite of mine) Despero has been a part of the JLA’s history for decades and now you can use him to beat up on your favorite heroes (or have him fight alongside him as the L-Ron possessed Despero from Justice League Task Force). Despero here isn’t quite as big as Solomon Grundy and definitely not as big as Metallo, but he is larger than your average DCUC figure. He comes with a hand gun in a holster and a big honkin gun you might recognize if you were lucky enough to snag the SDCC exclusive Lobo figure (the sword in the original PR photo above does not come with the actual product). As build-a-figures go, he’s not necessarily the biggest, but they did a great job with the belt/holster and the shoulder pad/neck guard thing and once you have the figure all together it doesn’t feel fragile like some build-a-figures, it feels like it was built just like all the others.

Wave 5 (Wal-Mart Exclusive)
Exclusive waves tend to have more obscure characters and come with fewer accessories. You’ll notice that most of the bodies used for these figures are either the same, basic body or resemble an earlier figure. But the same level of quality, painting and articulation is always there. Plus the build-a-figure is sick!

THE ATOM

Ray Palmer disappeared for a while, but now he’s back in the comics AND in toy form. The Atom fits in with the other agile heroes of his ilk with plenty of articulation and play possibilities. He lacks the sometimes trademark Atom shrinking belt, which I would have preferred, but, hey, he didn’t always sport it, so it’s not an oversight or anything, just my personal opinion.

BLACK LIGHTNING

Here we have the most current version of Black Lightning as he appears in Justice League of America. And it’s about time right? Black Lightning is one of those characters that has kicked around the DCU for years, even getting shafted and replaced with Black Vulcan in Super Friends, so it’s about time he made it to the major leagues in both comics and toys. The figure doesn’t come with any accessories, but he does sport his yellow and black domino mask. Here’s hoping for a both a retro version of BL with huge collar and Afro wig (yup, it was a wig) and also a full set of the classic Outsiders from Batman and the Outsiders.

ERADICATOR

Another favorite from my childhood, Eradicator has a long and complicated history that I don’t want to get into, but he did play a huge part in my first crossover (and the even that got me into reading comics) The Reign of the Supermen. This figure takes it’s cues from that series with the body suit, shield-cape and visor. I must admit that I’m a little disappointed in the visor though, as it looked translucent in the press photos and turned out to be completely opaque.

THE RIDDLER

Sure he looks like the guy in those infomercials yelling at you about getting money from the government, and sure, I’m not the first (or 20th) person to make that joke, but that doesn’t mean the Riddler isn’t a cool character. Just look at what Paul Dini’s done with him in Detective Comics. This figure seems based more on the classic look though as he seems somewhat cartoony. In general I like the figure, but the jacket, which is actually a separate piece of plastic stretched/attached to the figure itself sits kind of funny and makes the Riddler look a little out of proportion. I think I would have preferred a sculpted jacket. He also comes with a question mark cane of a particularly plasticy nature.

AMAZO

We didn’t get Amazo in house, but the figure looks pretty faithful to the body-sock wearing version of the JLA’s android, power-stealing foe.

METALLO

Holy socks, meet my new favorite build-a-figure. And that’s saying a lot considering he’s missing a leg. While the rest of the series feels like redecos and repaints, this figure is completely unique. He even looks like he was originally pieced together with metal scarp and then they made a plastic mold out of that. There’s some really creative articulation on this metallic body. But, my favorite part is the removable “M” chestplate that reveals some hunks of Kryptonite underneath, just waiting to give Superman a bad time. I would seriously consider braving the aisles of Wal-Mart to buy this entire wave JUST to put this build-a-figure together.

Whew, okay, I’m done, feel free to head on over to the message boards and discuss.

Toying Around with the Simpsons

The fine folks at Kidrobot sent us a full set of their vinyl mini figures based on The Simpsons. The series consists of 24 3-inch figures with neck and arm articulation, most of which come with an accessory specific to their character and a sticker of the character in the Kidrobot-style. They’re available in the Kidrobot stores or on their website where you can buy them for $7.95 a piece, but be warned, they’re blind-boxed so you don’t really know what you’re getting unless you buy a full set which will run you $181.20. There are 21 regular figures and 3 chase figures.

Here’s the full list of regular figures: Bart, Lisa, Homer, Maggie, Marge, Bumblebee Man, Itchy, Scratchy, Krusty, Sideshow Bob, Mr. Teeny, Fat Tony, Smithers, Mr. Burns, Comic Book Guy, Barney, Apu, Hippy Homer with Hair, Lucius Sweet, Duffman and Chief Wiggum. Flanders as the Devil, Snake and Funzo are the mystery chase figures (or were mysteries, until I just told you).

Whew, I think that covers all the basics, so let’s get into the review. This is a great set, but it’s not perfect. But first, the good. Man, what a fan-freakin-tastic selection of figures. You, of course, get the main Simpson family along with 19 of their friends, neighbors and enemies. And kudos for not just going for the obvious choices like Grandpa Simpson Patty or Selma and throwing in some really out there characters like Funzo, Mr. Teeny and Duffman (my personal favorite).

Being 3-inch figures you can’t necessarily pose the figures any way you want, but the accessories really ad a whole new level of awesomeness to the figures and give them something to do with their cartoony selves. Barney’s got a beer mug, Lucius has boxing gloves, Duffman has a beer utility belt and Fat Tony’s rocking not only a gun with a silencer but also a set of brass knuckles with three finger holes! Plus way way more.

When all together, these figures look sweet and really make you want to get the full set to really show off the full breadth of the Simpsons universe. Kid Robot could probably put out a few sets a year and not run out for a decade, especially including different versions of the characters (Sunday Best Bart? Poochie? Why not?!). I really like the sense of posibilty that comes with the set. Just imagine if they were able to do some of the celebrities who’ve shown up on the Simpsons like most of the Beatles and former presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.

Okay, now, I’ve got to mention what doesn’t make this a perfect set. First off, the figures of the actual Simpsons figures don’t look so great (see above). As we were opening the little boxes in the office, we were geeking out over the style of each secondary character as Kidrobot really put a new style onto these famous characters. But then we got to Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie and they look a little bit off, almost like they weren’t sure which way they wanted to go with the style of these primary figures. My other complaint, and this is definitely a personal thing, is that I don’t like buying blind box figures. When I buy a figure I want to know exactly what I’m buying. But, hey, that’s just me.

All in all, though, like I said, it’s a great series and if you’re a Simpsons fan with some extra cash, try your luck and grab a few blind box figures or save up all your pennies and buy the full set. They’ll look great and fit really well on your book or DVD shelf.

–TJ

Grundy’s Gang: A DC Universe Classics Wave 3 Review

This week, Mattel sent us a box of the currently available DC Universe Classics Wave 3 figures. The set includes Nightwing, Robin and Green Lantern Hal Jordan in their current costumes, Sinestro in both his classic and Sinestro Corps costumes and Deathstroke with masked and unmasked head, plus a Solomon Grundy build-a-figure.

Full disclosure time, I am a big DC fan and a huge fan of this line and Wave 3 does not disappoint whatsoever. Before I get into the individual figures, I’ve got to say that this wave has excellent playability right out of the box (assuming you buy the full set…in a box). You’ve got archenemies Hal Jordan and Sinestro who can fight right out of the package along with the tag team duo of Nightwing and Robin taking on Deathstroke the Terminator. Or you can have everyone throw down with Solomon Grundy, newest member of the Sinestro Corps (though that might involve some paint customization).

SOLOMON GRUNDY

Okay, usually I’d start with the individual figures, but I’m super-jazzed about this build-a-figure. Grundy looks like he crawled right out of the swamp on Monday with his huge fists and boots. I’ve noticed with some previous snap-together figures that the joints don’t feel right and don’t really move in the way that I like when I’m playing with a figure (right now, Nightwing and Robin are doing the best they can to topple Grundy on my desk), but Grundy doesn’t have that problem. He moves a bit stiffly, but once you get the joints worked he’s a great figure. And HUGE. He stands at just under 9.5 inches and 11 with his fist pumped proudly in the air.

NIGHTWING

Good old Dick Grayson makes his first DCUC appearance here in his current costume accompanied by those two small bars he throws at people. You can snap them neatly on his back when he’s not doing that whole beating the crap out of bad guys thing. LIke the rest of the figures, Nightwing is super-flexible. Heck you could pose him in all your favorite Scott McDaniel stances. My only problem with the figure is that the face looks a little dull. There’s not a lot going on there. I’d like to see maybe a smirk or something, showing that he’s not as dark and brooding as his former partner.

ROBIN

Speaking of former partners, Tim Drake makes his first Mattel action figure appearance in his current costume with this line. I actually had the pleasure of getting this figure early before the First Annual ToyFare Hall of Fame awards and have been staring at him on my bulletin board ever since. as he hangs from a peg by his trusty bo staff (he also comes with a batarang). Another highly poseable figure (I’m going to stop saying it because they all could rollerskate under a really low limbo bar), Robin’s face captures some of the seriousness of the character (his mom, dad, best friend and, for a while, girlfriend were all murdered). He’s also a little bit shorter than Nightwing which is a great touch.

DEATHSTROKE

We got the mask-less version of the Terminator in our case, though I think I would have preferred the masked (I’m just a big fan of that half and half look). Deathstroke comes decked out in those cool boots that only pirates and superheroes/villains wear, plus he’s armed to the teeth with a sword and hand gun that slide into his (evil) utility belt, a big honkin’ rifle and bandoleer of bullets that you can sling over his shoulder and his famous shock staff that attaches to the bandoleer. The unmasked version shows of the weariness and sharpness that characterizes Slade Wilson and, of course, he comes with enough pouches and leg belts to make Liefeld proud.

HAL JORDAN

Earth’s number one GL come with a just-a-bit-too-fluorescent GL battery and the confindence the comes with being Hal Jordan. You can pose him in cool action poses both on the ground and in the air. My only complain is that the paint work on the ring comes off as a little sloppy. Yes you can see the indent of the GL symbol, but the paint around it kind of bleeds off the edges. It’s a small gripe, but hey, I’m a big GL fan.

SINESTRO

Like with Deathstroke we only got one version of this figure in house: the Sinestro Corps version. I’ve always thought his other costume is a bit goofy and you can’t go wrong by referencing the best GL story in years (maybe ever). I do have to say that the figure leaves me just a little flat. Part of it is that the thigh joints don’t seem to match up in the right way to get him to stand properly. I mean, you can get him to stay erect if you fiddle with the joints enough, but the lines aren’t super-clean. His bicep joints also don’t seem to line up quite right and I think he should be taller than Hal, but I might be mis-remembering my comic history there. Besides these minor cosmetic (and in-my-head) flaws, I do like the figure, he’s got a great look that says “You will bow before me” and I like seeing him throw down with Hal Jordan. He also comes with a an actual Yellow Power Battery that’ll look great sitting with the Green ones.

–TJ

The Savages: A Savage Land SDCC Box Set Review

Today we’re taking a slightly different approach to the toy review section. Instead of one person writing up the San Diego Exclusive Marvel Legends Savage Land box set, we split the contents of the box among three of the ToyFare ranks. Managing Editor Kate Napolitano got beefcake Ka-Zar, Associate Editor TJ Dietsch got the cheescake Shanna and Designer Jairo Leon got…uh, tigercake Zabu.

Before we get into it, a little background info. The cover of the Savage Land box set was drawn by Frank Cho, who loves drawing jungle girls (including his own Jungle Girl character). It seems as they Marvel Legends took a bit of a cue from his work when producing these figures as well. For the super-uninitiated, The Savage Land is a prehistoric jungle in the middle of icy Antarctica in the Marvel Universe. Ka-Zar’s the king of the jungle, Shanna’s his wife-slash-partner-slash-queen and Zabu is their faithful pet sabertooth tiger.

So, away we go, have at it Kate.

KA-ZAR

If you’ve gotta have a belligerent diapered jungle man glaring down at you from your shelftop, Ka-Zar’s totally the way to go. Not only is he self-sufficient and won’t bug you for late night White Castle, but he’s in with celebs like Spider-Man and the X-Men, so you know the parties are going to be off the wall (in Spider-Man’s case) or off the hook (Spidey again, I suppose—at least after One More Day).

So, go ahead, invite Ka-Zar’s new Marvel Legends figure into your life. And, heck, I’ll even throw in a few reasons below to do it that aren’t quantifiable in the DSM-IV as “aural/visual hallucinations symptomatic of schizoid disorder(s).” Bleh bleh bleh. What was Chucky—a movie prop? I rest my case, you alleged scientists!

Ahem. Ka-Zar, for those who may not know, is actually an amalgam of three Ka-Zars that first appeared in comics between 1936 and 1939 for a couple of companies that quickly assimilated into Marvel (resistance being futile). Because of his healthy tenure in comics to date, finally getting a Marvel Legend of our Savage buddy is arguably a decent comics-history footnote (as is his luxurious blond mane, which could decidedly rival his wife’s).

From a pure plastic perspective, Ka-Zar is as superbly constructed as any Legend to date. With finely sculpted features, fluid articulation and a sturdy body that free-stands easily, it’s just gosh-dern Hasbro quality all over. He comes adorned with three sheathed daggers, only one of which—his bowie knife, of course—is an actual accessory you can pull out and stick in his hand (Like this or dislike this as you will).

Compared with wife Shanna, he is shorter, but lacks at least what I think is Shanna’s awkward head angle (she looks a little hunchbacked to me, but he’s fine). Next to Zabu, though, he is perfection—lookin’ ferocious and totally fit to fight. I think in general Hasbro does an excellent job of giving Legends characters genuine expressions, and Ka-Zar is no exception. They gave him a face that agrees with plenty of poses, so feel free to mix him up with his box-mates however you like. I will say, though, that his loin-cloth is a little clunky: at least on my figure, the waistline of the loincloth doesn’t meet his body and you can see where his torso is glued in place. Forgive me, but I truly dig the illusion that my figures are all just frozen little people about to come to life, and don’t appreciate being rudely awakened by the sight of dried Elmer’s.

But I really am being picky—picky for all you toy lovers out there, true—but maybe harshly so. I leave it up to you—because as I said, this Ka-Zar is comic-accurate, long overdue, and devilishly crafted (to go with his She-Devil wife of course). It’s at least worth a good perusal, if not outright buy.

What say you TJ?

SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL

Okay, I’m going to get the obvious out of the way right up front. Yes, this figure is almost naked and yes, it did feel strange when I was trying to loosen all the joints up to get her to pose her on my desk. See, even that last sentence just sounds wrong.

Anyway, once you get past whatever your initial response to the voluptuous, scantily clad She-Devil you can see the craftsmanship that went into making this figure. At first, I wasn’t sure about the joint in the abdomen. Like Kate said up above, it kind of makes her lean forward a bit, giving off a thuggish vibe. But, after thinking on that one (it’s been kind of a slow day) I realized that it makes sense. She’s a bad ass woman living in the jungle with her husband, a tiger and a thousand other weirdos. She’s going to take on a few animalistic qualities. And when your surrounded by so many dangers (read: weirdos) it’s good to have your trusty rifle and big honkin’ knife to keep yourself safe.

I’m also impressed with the poseability of the figure. At first, it felt pretty awkward, but that’s because it took a while to loosen up the joints and now she poses great and will look great alongside Ka-Zar and Zabu on your shelf. Do be careful when it comes to her neck joint though, Justin accidentally popped it off, but luckily it’s a ball-in-socket type thing so you can pop it right back on with no problems.

And finally, I appreciate the detail given to the feet. I can’t really think of another action figure I’ve seen that is barefoot, but Hasbro did a good job with them (though I’m not sure how her toenails stay so white in the jungle, but I digress). Well done folks.

And last but not least, Jairo:

ZABU

Every team needs a saber-tooth tiger. One would expect a two pack Ka-zar and Shanna, but Zabu as well? Now that’s what I call a triple-threat blond crew. Zabu is very similar to the Sigma 6 Storm shadow boxed set, which makes for a cool bonus figure that compliments the set. How else are Ka-Zar and Shanna going to get around the Savage Land? This three exclusive three-pack from Hasbro is a must have for those who are engrossed in the current Secret Invasion storyline.

Well there you have it.

Platoon-ing In: A Platoon MiniMates Review

The good folks at Diamond Select sent us a boat-load (really a box-full) of MiniMates for a top secret upcoming project. In that boat/box we got an early look at the Platoon set based on Oliver Stone’s 1986 classic which includes MiniMate interpretations of Sgt. Bob Barnes (Tom Berenger), Sgt. Elias Grodin (Willem Dafoe), Pvt. Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) and Private Gator Lerner (Johnny Depp).

I’ll be honest, it’s been quite a few years since I watched Platoon and I don’t really remember too much of it. But, even considering that, I had absolutely no problem looking at these figures and figuring out who was who. It’s amazing how well the MiniMate masters can capture the essence of an actor or character with what boils down to a few lines on smooth, rounded peg. Kudos to DST’s artists.

As with most of the MiniMates I’ve seen, these ones come with extras. Each comes with a rifle and a helmet (except Dafoe who doesn’t care for protective headgear). The rifles are all the same, but each helmet is unique. Depp’s has rosary beads and a cross, Berenger’s a pack of smokes and Sheen’s a clever saying about burial and butt kissing. Oh and while I’m on the subject of the helmets, they made them big enough to fit over the figures’ movie accurate hair, even though they do look a bit huge.

The uniqueness doesn’t stop there. Each figure has a distinct removable shirt with gear and a backpack (none of which opens or comes off, but it looks freakin’ cool). Underneath, all the non-Dafoe figures sport the same olive drag shirt and dog tags. Dafoe ’s showing off a bare chest, dog tags and mud covered arms.

As always, the fun in MiniMates isn’t just with the specific Mates, but in the potential for further customization. You could have Dafoe fight the Green Goblin or make your own Two and a Half Men set. But seriously, these are great little figures that offer up plenty of play potential (especially considering you can have them take out those damn Cylons in the future) and look fantastic whether you keep them in the packaging or bust them out and pose them around in war-like positions.

Oh yeah, quick note on the above picture. It was a promo image and there’s a few differences between the picture and the actual figures. The pic makes Dafoe look darker than he actually is. Those tan stripes on the front of Sheen’s shirt are actually green and Depp’s zipper is silver and not gold like in the shot. Oh, and there’s helmets which you can’t see obviously.

–TJ

Minding the Corps: A Review of Green Lantern Series 3

Hey Gang, we here at ToyFare occasionally get figures before they hit shelves. This month we got DC Direct’s rad Green Lantern Series 3 figures in advance and we’re passing the savings (and by that I mean reviews) on to you. The series includes Batman as Green Lantern and Star Sapphire along with Sinestro and Cyborg Superman as they appeared in the fantastic “Sinestro Corps War” event from last year. So, here we go with the reviews…

BATMAN AS GREEN LANTERN

Okay, full disclosure, I love Green Lantern. I’ve got an ever-expanding Green Lantern Corps growing on my desk here at ToyFare, so these toys are right up my alley, but I’ll still try and give a fair and balanced view of them. That being said, this Batman as Green Lantern figure may be my favorite figure of the year. First of all, it’s just such a unique figure. This version of Batman showed up for about three pages and a cover in “Green Lantern” #9 and yet he’s already got a figure. I really appreciate DC Direct stepping out of their comfort zone with this (even though it is yet another Batman figure). Second, I like the heft of the figure. It, along with the rest of the figures, feells big and bold in my hand, like Masters of the Universe figures did when I was a kid and how some of the Spider-Man and X-Men figures felt when I was older. The articulation offers plenty of play opportunities (and, yeah, I do still play with my figures). I even like the Bat-GL logo that leaps off of Bats’ chests, though don’t try to futz with it too much, it doesn’t come off. Or at least if it does, it doesn’t go back on. GL Bats will make a welcome addition to my GL Corps.

STAR SAPPHIRE

Hal Jordan’s long-time flame Carol Ferris has been the host to alien invader Star Sapphire on a number of occasions. But now, it turns out that the Zamarons have used the actual Star Sapphire rock and turned it into a ring and power battery, thus making themselves the Violet Lanterns who have love on their side. Anyway, this figure is based on the Daniel Acuna drawn “Green Lantern” #18-20. She doesn’t quite resemble Acuna’s luminous art style, but still captures the sexiness of the character. The problem is that the figure is not very poseable. Her legs don’t quite bend at the hips, though she can kick her legs back. Her neck is nicely articulated so she can give Hal a scolding look, but overall, the figure lacks the kind of articulation that I like when playing with a figure. It sure does look good on a shelf though.

SINESTRO

Duh, duh DUUUH. Man, Sinestro has turned into one of the best villains of the past few years. Think of it like this, he’s the dude that controls all the other dudes who inspire fear in the hearts of men and aliens. And this figure really captures that feeling of dread and impending doom that has followed Sinestro since he came back in “Green Lantern: Rebirth” along with Hal Jordan. Ethan Van Sciver drew “Rebirth” and his Sinestro is the one that sticks out in my mind. So it’s great that this figure seems to take it’s cues from Van Sciver’s work. The dead eyes, huge forehead, Hitler-esque haircut and menacing sneer all scream Van Sciver and, frankly, scream terror. And best of all, he comes with fellow Sinestro Corps member Despotellis, the living virus who killed Green Lanter Kyle Rayner’s mother. My only gripe with this figure is that he comes with a Green Lantern symbol to stand on instead of a Sinestro Corps symbol. But, hey, that’s really just a nitpick.

CYBORG SUPERMAN

Like I said before, I’m a big Green Lantern fan. But I’m also a big Superman fan. “The Death of Superman” was the story that got me into comics, so the inclusion of Cyborg Superman in “Sinestro Corps War” and his inclusion in this line are both home runs for me. The best part is that you can even pose him like he appeared on the cover of “Green Lantern” #12, albeit with his Sinestro Corps rings and costume instead of the GL ones from that cover. Again, Cyborg Supes feels like a heft figure, which, at least in my mind, makes me feel like I’m getting more bang for my buck. Speaking of bang, this figure looks ready to punch a hole in your face, either with his raised fist or hand full of Yellow Lantern rings. The sculptors really captured Cyborg’s impressiveness as a character along with the great tiny details like the ring and the detail on his robot parts. Oh, and his red eye looks cool too. He also comes on a Green Lantern stand instead of a Sinestro Corps one, but aside from that, I’m a huge fan of this figure.

Overall, this is a great line of figures. DC Direct did a great job in choosing the figures for this line. It will appeal to long time Green Lantern fans, but also crossover with Superman and Batman collectors and even folks who like to go after artist-based figures, even though the lines get a little smudged between Van Sciver and fellow “GL” artist Ivan Reis. Between unique selections and great detail on these figures, we can’t wait to see what DCD releases in future waves, especially with the rest of the Lanterns revealing themselves over the coming year.

–TJ