NECA Kratos and Atreus 2 Pack - God of War

In 2005, Playstation released the first of the God of War games which would become a mainstay on their platform for years ahead. You play this action-adventure in the role of Kratos, a Spartan warrior who has been used and manipulated by the Greek gods, and quite frankly, is pretty mad about it!
In the other games, he slaughters many of the gods and obtains items along the way. Kratos is usually portrayed as a very angry man, who is shouting and brutally murdering his enemies. Classic Greek stuff. There have been a few games released since then, mostly on the PlayStation 2 or 3.

I was not interested in playing any of the games until a friend really sold me on God of War (2018); how interesting the characters are, as well as the world discovery that you get to do. This God of War game is that Kratos is seeking some redemption, and has a son that has an important role in the game. This smooths out the character I find and makes him more interesting rather than a single-minded, brutal character with no other facets. Anyway, the gameplay, graphics, dive into Norse mythology and the ending make it a really amazing game. Even the flavour dialogue between Atreus and Kratos gives you a deeper look into their characters.

This 2 Pack of figures is an example of when NECA does it all so right. The proportions, sculpt and paint are AMAZING. Seriously I doubt you can do much better even on a bigger scale.  The accessories are plentiful and reflect nearly every part of the combat gameplay. The joints are a bit stuff and you have to be careful, especially with Atreus who has some of the smallest double joints I've seen since the Damien and Superboy 2 pack.  I'll review these two as one, as they have nearly identical qualities in many respects, minus a point of These are top 10 figures for sure!

Bandai Figure Rise Model Kit - Naruto Uzumaki

So I saw this model kit advertisement last year and thought "What...a Naruto action figure from Bandai that I don't own?!" and rectified it immediately.  Now these Figure-rise model kits from Bandai cover a huge range of characters from Dragonball, a few Batman figures, and of course one hojillion Gundam figures. As far as I know, this is the only Naruto figure they have made.

I have to say the figure looks good in a stance, and I'm pleased with some aspects of the look, as well as the accessories. The most fun part of it was actually building it though! Cutting out the pieces and going along with instructions felt like lego assembly all over again...except with stickers...and adding some lining with a permanent marker.

It's definitely my least favourite Naruto Uzumaki figure but that at the price he was at(25 CAD before shipping), it was totally worth it!

I Am Elemental - Courage

Now, this is something a little different: a small company that kickstarted in 2014 with the goal of creating a dynamic, more realistic body proportioned female action figure. I Am Elemental is a group based in New York has received several awards as well as hints of movie deals for their action figure line.

I had seen a few other reviewers with these and with my desire to find a female action figure, ordered Courage (who also came with a Buy One, Donate one figure to a childhood cancer patient, so it was for a nice cause). The figures are inspired by female heroines in history, and this one is inspired by Joan of Arc.

I am really pleased with how well they executed this figure, and aside armour pieces and extras, this seems to be the basic mould for all the female figures. All the figures feature a less sexualized bust to hip ratio and more proportional legs. The figures also have WAY better articulation and yes, they FINALLY made a female figure at this price point that has very good diaphragm articulation.

S.H. Figuarts Spike Spiegel - Cowboy Bebop

I've already written a full Gemr Guest Blog post which you can find here about our friend Spike:
Figure Review: Spike Spiegel

As per the new rating system, see his rating here!

Update: Rating change

Although I've been using my rating system based on how some other reviewers rate their figures, 

I've decided to remove the Price/Availability category from the rating system. 

Previously it went like this:

Price/Availability:  /5 
1- You are made of money and can find one or two sources that even sell online! Damn scalppers.... 
2 - Hard to find. Available online or from the rare collector. Easily 200%+ of its original value.
3 - Mostly available online only from few sellers. Expect to pay 125-150% of original value. 
4 -Available most places at standard price, or fewer places at a decent discount (10-50%). 
5- Either available everywhere at standard price, or heavily (50%+) discounted. 

It seems it can skew a figure when the rest of the figure is excellent or a poor figure receive a higher rating. On top of that, it seems that a figure can rapidly change in its price and availability over time, making the current rating of it more or less useless after a while. I will still mention price and availability near the end of a review, but it'll be kept off the numbers! 

To this end, Verdict will now be out of /20 with the following guide:

1-5: Poor: Very underwhelming, even if you like collecting the particular type or line of figures. 
6-10: Limited: Some poseability or paint/sculpt and accessories. Limited but disappointing. 
11-15: Good: Pretty good figure on its own merits, even if you lack interest in the character/line
16-19: Great: Great aesthetic with lots of play, options and more. Get it right meow! 
20: Amazing. Best figure. Top 10 in your collection. 

Mafex Batman - Batman Begins

Nolan's first film Batman Begins wasn't his best Batman film but it definitely set the tone, cinematography style and realism of his Batman vision. I still very much enjoy watching it to this day, and I thought it was clever how he ingrained Ras Al Ghul into Batman's origins. I also liked that he didn't jump from traumatized kid to full Batman. It was a gradual step into the cowl. He had to figure things out, realize he can't just walk into someplace wielding a gun on the big criminals of the city.

This figure does a lot of things well given it was one of the first Mafex Nolan Batman figures released in 2017. He's got a very wide range of movement, smooth joints and a lot of great accessories. AND if you got the Scarecrow you've almost got a second action figure! I'm not 100% sure that I would have gone with a floating belt and a massive torso gap. The head can turn and ankle slightly under the cowl edge but has nothing at the neck joint. This is fairly accurate both to the real costume and the general flexibility issue of wearing a fabric/armoured cowl connected to a cape. I love that they included an unmasked head but it definitely looks less like Christian Bale than the newer Mafex Bruce Wayne from the Nolan films.

Mafex Scarecrow - Batman Begins

Dr. Johnathan Crane is a psycho-pharmacologist who probably should have had a psych eval done on him before he became a professor or anyone who is allowed to come in contact with people in general! He is the secondary antagonist in the first film of the Christopher Nolan trilogy, Batman Begins. He is one of the few characters to appear in all three Nola films in one role or another with his biggest role in the first movie.

As per classic Scarecrow, he is using his fear toxin to experiment on people as a psychiatrist at Arkham. He is in cahoots with Ra's al Ghul to destroy Gotham. In exchange for conducting research and testing out his toxins, Scarecrow releases the inmates to cause chaos in the streets. Wouldn't be the first or last time inmates get out of Arkham. The terrible security at that place is like, 50% of Batman's work.

This figure is once again an amazing representation of Scarecrow and Dr. Crane. The likeness is incredible, the articulation is once again great and the accessories are everything you really need. To top it off (and yes, this is some of the reason I bought the figure), it includes an alternate cape, head and hands for the Mafex Batman Begins figure to replicate his fear toxin look when he doses Crane with his own gas (also a classic staple of having Scarecrow as a villain...eventually he gets a taste of his own medicine).

Mafex Two-Face - The Dark Knight

I've already talked a little about Two-Face in my previous post on the Arkham City version (if you haven't seen it, look here! Arkham Two-Face review. I find him to be a much more dramatic and powerful character in The Dark Knight than I have in other movies or shows. He also has a true purpose for his wrath, as opposed to just for the sake of being a small-time criminal. Aside from his character's motivation, I think Aaron Eckhart delivered a good performance, and I don't say that often about him!

This is one of the few figures I own that is in a suit and tie, and I have to say Mafex really pulls it off well. With a figure like this, you don't need a ton of articulation, but it is surprisingly good despite some limits, such as on the jacket bottom. He comes with every accessory possible for his role in the show with the options of changing him into pre-burnt Harvey Dent!  His sculpt and facial features are actually fairly close to the actor, though the eyes seem to be overly squinted for either head sculpt.

DC Collectibles Batgirl & Oracle - Arkham Knight

Appearing in Arkham Knight as Oracle, Barbara Gordon is once again Batman's eyes and ears in Gotham. She mostly operates from the clocktower in a secret room behind the clock itself, feeding Batman information and occasionally getting abducted! It's the first time you get to see Oracle up close and as a fantastic added bonus, the game designers actually made a DLC where you get to play Batgirl pre-shoot in the spine!

I loved loved loved playing the DLC as Batgirl because she wasn't simply another Batman character with the same moves and tactics. She had a much more sophisticated set of options for hacking any and all tech in her area as well as combat moves. I like the design they did for the character and it's definitely based on her New 52 look. I like the Rebirth look with the purple and yellow, but the black and yellow will always be my favourite. I also like Oracle's design with her clothes having bright, interesting colours. One odd thing though is Oracle's wheelchair. Not only is the wheelchair not super high tech, but it's not even a basic electric wheelchair. It's literally the oldest looking design for a wheelchair I've seen. It looks as if she got it from a haunted asylum and brushed off the cobwebs. Surely your dad as chief police commissioner can afford better. 

DC Collectibles Catwoman - Arkham Knight

This is another Gemr review so for the full text check out the link! Gemr Catwoman Review

Here's the rating breakdown!

Do you even Bootleg? Mafex Batman Justice League Edition

Before I got my hands on a legitimate copy of the Mafex Justice League Batman, I managed to buy a bootleg off eBay that I did not realize was a bootleg until past the date of return. It was well done enough that the smaller details had escaped my notice, and by the time I actually handled the figure a while longer, went to youtube to confirm my fears! A FAKE! No justice here.

Now it's time to play a game! 

Let's play: Do you even Bootleg? 

DC Collectibles The Electrocutioner - Arkham Origins

A few people have donned the name Electrocutioner, and in previous versions, he is an extreme vigilante who kills criminals. Just like the Arkham Origins version, he has a suit with wiring and gloves that release a charge upon contact to either kill or stun his enemies. This version is the alter-ego of Lester Buchinsky, who uses this one trick pony as a killer for hire. He's sought after by Black Mask in Origins as one of the 8 Assassins (My current count: 4. I'm still missing Bane, Firefly, Deadshot and Killer Croc...though I do have A version of them). He's easily defeated by Batman and then cast aside for his incompetence. Batman recovers his shock gloves though and uses them as a cheap combo trick AND a few cut scenes later on.

The figure is probably the best of the two pack. His articulation is still wildly all over the place, but the look is nice. I also thought it was ingenious of the sculptor to allow the yellow gauntlet wires to be detached so you can move the forearm swivel (or exchange the gloves) and then reattach them in a pose. He is bulky, heaving and imposing as he should be. They did a pretty good job of his scarred face as well and added some nice paint throughout the suit.

DC Collectibles Shiva - Arkham Origins

Sandra Wu-San AKA Lady Shiva is a master martial artist who was first introduced in comics in 1975 as an antagonist to Richard Dragon whom she believed murdered her sister. Lady Shiva's moral compass is fairly flexible though. She goes between assassin for hire (as she did in Arkham origins) to working with the League of Shadows to sometimes aiding or even training Batman and his allies. She is the one who taught Tim Drake the art of the Bo staff and gave him his collapsible staff.

She is often seen wearing a long black coat, red shirt and tan slacks with boots. The Origins game they give her a unique look that makes it different from other iterations of the character. The dominant colour is black, short hair and her shirt/vest have some interesting Chinese clothing inspired style. 

This figure matches the game really well, her sword accessory is quite well done PLUS it fit into the sheath. Once again though, for a martial arts character she's got some pretty bad articulation when compared with Copperhead (see HERE for that review) or Deathstroke. I really don't get it DC collectibles! Did you run out of money? There's no real excuse to not give this character good articulation. Anyways, here's the rundown! 

DC Collectibles Dr. Harleen Quinzel - Arkham Origins

Harley Quinn's story in Arkham Origins stays true to the source material. She begins as a psychiatrist in Arkham Asylum, having always had a morbid fascination with the mentally insane. She meets Joker and falls in love, beginning her transformation from Dr. Harleen Quinzel into the sidekick lover/villain who eventually turns into an anti-hero.

I think one of the greatest things about the character is how she became part of Batman comic book canon from Batman The Animated Series by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. This particular look for Harley Quinn only turns up for a few scenes in the game.

To be honest, this is the MOST unappealing action figure out of any Arkham line of action figures I've seen. The paint and look is good, but the articulation is so very awful, it's not really a necessary figure...I mean, did anyone want this look for Harley from the game? The only reason I own it at this point is that it came super cheap in the three pack that consists of Harley, Shiva and Electrocutioner (reviews to follow!)

DC Collectibles Commissioner Gordon - Arkham Knight

Commissioner Gordon has always been a mainstay in the Batman universe as Batman's staunch ally within the GCPD. Tough, fair and incorruptible. I have enjoyed nearly every portrayal in comics, tv and film of Gordon with perhaps exception of the more doofus-like Gordon from the 1966 Batman show.

There aren't a ton of Jim Gordon action figures out there, and this one is kind of a mixed bag. He's got some decent articulation for a figure that doesn't necessarily need it, but also some really limiting articulation that shouldn't have passed muster. They did a pretty good job of the sculpting and paint and his accessories are pretty so-so. I find the figure a bit on the lean side, but on the other hand, I'm generally used to seeing him look bulkier with the help of his signature trenchcoat. I would've liked a removable trenchcoat, come to think of it! All in all, they matched him with the game just enough to make him presentable from afar!

Mafex Justice League Batman

As I said previously I've begun posting content on Gemr, a great website for collectors of all things that you might collect!
My review of that is here: https://gemr.com/blog/action-figure-review-mafex-justice-league-batman/
On occassion, I will do this type of "linked review" to bring some much-deserved traffic to Gemr and showcase some of the guest blog work.

Please check it out if you haven't already! The folks there helped edit some of the photos and layout and it turned out pretty great!

The only thing I didn't include is the Jaystoyshelf rating which I will do below.

2nd Annual Top 10 Most Viewed Action Figures!

It's the 2nd anniversary of the blog and we've been making a few steps since last year! More S.H. Figuarts, the discovery of the wonder that is Mafex and a guest blog on the Gemr.com website!

With that, here are the most viewed figures from April 23rd of 2018 to the same date as this year.

 10: S.H. Figuarts Rock Lee.

Such a zany character with crazy eyes and even crazier taijutsu skills, Rock Lee is a great support character in the Naruto universe and has had some of the best battles in Naruto show. Styled after the likes of Bruce Lee (sounds like "Blues Lee", so the writer made it "Rock Lee" to follow the unintentional musical genre theme). The fact he came with all the parts to change him into Gate released form is just all the better. 

His Konoha Senpuu is better than yours

Best Transformation award! Also, most involved
parts swapping

9. Hasbro Spiderman (Gameverse): One of my favourite games of this year, Hasbro did a pretty good job of using their spiderman parts and new paint to make this a pretty good copy of the game version. It may be the only spiderman figure I own, so I'm glad I own it! 

Easiest to Photograph in a Hanging Pose
Award! 

I was excited to find out that S.H. Figuarts is making this!
They're definitely getting more of my money.

8. S.H. Figuarts Kakashi Hatake: He is easily one of the most popular characters in Naruto. He's got a great story, awesome jutsu, and is just an all around great character. A few things I wished they had done was to make a better Chidori effect and make his crotch a lot less diaper-y! Other than that this is a great figure. 

Best Winky Face! Also, best
Protagonist award!

Had to add some lightning pieces, but it mostly works!

7. S.H. Figuarts Boruto Uzumaki: There are a lot of people who heavily criticize the Boruto show, but while I hear and understand that people don't like some of the departures from Naruto, I find it very entertaining and in many ways better written. This figure has one of the best leg joints made by S.H. figuarts and I think one of the best Rasengan effects. I only wish they had made Sarada and Mitsuki as well!

Best Articulation Award!

6. Mattel Multiverse Killer Croc: One of my wishes is to always get the rest of the Arkham big figures (Titan Joker, Clayface, Solomon Grundy, Killer Croc) but they are so expensive that it makes it nigh impossible to justify. This figure, however, is easily justifiable! It is meant for a 4" scale figure of Nightwing to see imposing and huge as he is in the game. However, his size matches him up as a man-sized version when compared to regular 7" scale Arkham figures. He's not perfect, but he's a good stand-in for now!

Best Alternative to a Very Expensive Figure Award!

He just wishes he had an ankle joint!

5. S.H. Figuarts Minato Namikaze: Naruto's father, 4th Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and inventor of the Rasengan makes Minato a force to be reckoned with. He sealed half of the Nine-tailed best in his son to protect his village and sacrificed his life but he does come back every once in a while for some great appearances and even a few fights! Super well designed even if the cloak isn't removable and can get in the way sometimes.

Best Ghost Father Award!

Flyin' Lightnin' Yellow Flash

4. S.H. Figuarts Itachi Uchiha: Only one of two major villains from the Naruto series made in action figure form, Itachi proved to be a complex character with many a mysterious motive. His mastery over his Uchiha bloodline and various jutsu made him a formidable antagonist. He is the main plot drive for Sasuke in the show. The figure is pretty good but would've been better with a cloth cloak in my opinion!

Most Tragic Backstory Award!

Also angriest yelly face!

3. Sasuke Uchiha (Bandai):  This was an amazing find and discovery. I had no idea a figure of that level of articulation and special accessories was made. He's not as well sculpted or painted as an S.H. Figuarts but he looks pretty great for a 2003 figure! I would love to get the Kakashi and Naruto ones as well.

Rarest and Most Surprising
Action Figure Find of the year!

Demon Wind Shuriken action!

2.Playmates Toys April O'Neil: This is easily the worst figure in my collection. Maybe the horrible bashing I gave it caused more of a crowd! Either way, the 2nd spot goes to the worst!

Worst Figure of All Time Award!

Whatever!

1. S.H. Figuarts Madara Uchiha: So glad they had finally made another villain in the show. Not the most impressive way to handle the ab crunch, but the accessories and the rest of the figure is solid!
He received the most views (135 and climbing) and although I've said this many times, I wish they had made Tobirama and more Akatsuki!

Best Hair Award!

Also Coolest in the Summertime Award

Well, there you have it folks, another year of the blog done. I don't know what the next year is going to hold, I have a few figures, and plans to get some anime themed ones as well as more Mafex.
Happy Collecting!

Uchiha family

In rank order 1 to 10, front to back!

Faceoff! I think the bad guys would win this one

Or maybe Madara just take them all out!

Dance off bros! Noe that young Sasuke is too "cool" to show appreciation of dance or music. 

Mafex The Dark Knight: Joker 2.0

In The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan, one thing stood out above all the rest in the film regardless of whether you are a superhero/Batman fan or not: the performance by the late Heath Ledger.  He was amazing as the Joker because he put such a unique take on the character's personality and appearance while also keeping to the essentials of what Joker's motivational psychopathy from the comics.

Mafex Medicom The Dark Knight Rises Batman 3.0

I really thought that Christopher Nolan did a great job of his Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises set of films. They were meant to be his own universe and his own slightly more realistic (as realistic as you can get with a superhero) take on Batman. There have been a few releases of Mafex Batmen from these movies, and out of the few I've seen, this one from The Dark Knight Rises seems to be one of the best all around. I much preferred the second film, but I enjoyed them all in their own way.

This and the Joker are my first Mafex figures, so I was really excited to have them and see what Mafex has been doing. They didn't disappoint. The details in sculpting and paint seem often superior to what S.H. Figuarts does, the articulation is top notch and the accessories are plentiful.
Also, this is my first figure that has a bendy-wire cape! So much fun what you can do with this guy!
This one has definitely become a top figure in my collection.

Mattel Multiverse - Batman (Batman Forever)

Batman Forever and its sequel, Batman & Robin, are not the fan favourites. In fact, most fans soundly denounce them. I recently rewatched Batman Forever for the sake of this review, mostly to compare scenes and likeness to the figure. I was a bit surprised that Forever does, in fact, do something better than the other films, such as a much longer romance and dialogue between Bruce and Dr. Meridian. His combat scenes are a bit more interesting to watch, though this may be mostly due to the improvement in the bat suit for the actor. Keaton couldn't turn his head in the cowl, so they had to use less dynamic fight scenes.

Regardless given that this is a 30 dollar figure, his likeness isn't too bad. They captured most of the look in the mask, even if the paint is a bit thick and lacking any shading/highlights to bring out the rest of the facial features. The general shape is pretty good, though I find the neck is a bit too thin. This may be mostly to allow some (albeit very limited) head movement.  I've held off on buying many Mattel figures for DC but I'm finding lately they have quite improved on the articulation and sculpt for their figures. This one has actually a ton of articulation points and even (a bit of a flimsy) toe hinge! Wow. The accessories are extensive enough and the best part (in my collector mind) is that the storage for all the pieces can fit in the stand he comes with. Bravo! That's classy, Mattel.

Marvel Legends - Spiderman (PS4 Game Version)

I absolutely loved the PS4 exclusive Spiderman game. It did everything I want out of a superhero game since the Arkham game series. Fun, action-packed combat sequences, fun story, hints of the comic book storylines so the fans can go "aha! That's from x when x does so and so!" and lots of good voice acting. I really enjoyed how fun it was just to web swing and wall crawl around the city. Unlike the Arkham games, you can sort of interact with people on the street and explore. The reflections they have in the game are crazy good as well. The game's spider suit is unique in that they designed some of the features to be less like super hero spandex and a bit more like athletic gear.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I don't collect Marvel Legends...per se!
I have a couple I had planned on using for customizing parts, though at this point those figures are still on the shelf.

THIS figure though was bought because of how much I loved the game and wanted a game representation of the suit. It's a pretty good figure, not perfect, but well done and they did a good job of the white paint apps. They did fine for including a few accessories. The head sculpt isn't preferred for me when viewed straight on, but here's the breakdown!

S.H. Figuarts Naruto Vs. S.H. Figuarts Naruto (Sage Mode)

DING DING!

Although I was originally going to do the full comparison in the post, I realized there's enough to talk about that I'd make a separate post comparing these two figures. This may be a rare thing, but here are your categories to evaluate

Here are our categories!     Sculpt and Paint
                                            Overall Accuracy
                                            Accessories
                                            Articulation
                                            Price
                                   
I will credit this layout to ToyGalaxy's channel where he does Versus videos of two figures. Check him out here! Toy Galaxy's Youtube Channel

S.H. Figuarts - Naruto (Sage Mode)

If it hasn't been apparent from this blog yet, I am a Naruto fan in the same way I'm a Batman fan.
Love the franchise, am still watching the next generation show, Boruto, and love the figures that S.H. Figuarts has released. I wish they would release as many as they do Dragonball Z figures, but unfortunately, it seems it's not their priority right now since they haven't really released any since the Boruto figure (March 2018) and this figure (April 2018). That's nearly a full year now. Sorry if you're a fan of this line like I am, but I think the line is officially dead. They are still producing new statues, but that's just not my cup of tea!

Onto the fun stuff! This figure is great in so many ways. Earlier, they released an identical figure to this one without the robe, scroll or interchangeable arms (what were they thinking?). I held off on buying it, and am glad I did. Not only can you capture the scene where he fights Pain, but you can switch him to his regular figure as well as the face that shows the Sage mode (where he gets POWER MASCARA! Just kidding...)

His accessories also include a stand to hold up the large Rasen shuriken effect. So great!
And like the previously released figure, his colours are much brighter compared with the one originally released (which is still one of my favourites and have already reviewed here: Naruto Review

S.H. Figuarts Joker - Batman Ninja

In a world where Grodd has opened up a time portal to feudal Japan, Joker ha become one of the daimyo's, ruling from a giant mechanized Arkahm Castle against the other Batman villains, who ALSO have crazy castles.  If this isn't jumping the shark, I don't know what is! If you listen to the English dub, he is voiced by Tony Hale, famous for playing Buster Booth in Arrested Development. 

Joker appears with his hair grown out into a large bun/ponytail, wearing his classic colours in a mixture of western and Japanese style clothing. This is a pretty dead-on representation of his appearance in the animated movie. They've got every detail down with the small exception that his inner vest (purple edging) has a geometric pattern in the movie that isn't on the figure. We can forgive this!