S.H. Figuarts Batman Ninja

I, along with many DC and Batman fans was really excited earlier this year when the new animated film Batman Ninja released. I mean it's hard to go wrong: a new storyline set in Japan, sword fights, and all your favourite Batman characters and villains

Boy, were we wrong. I won't spoil things, but suffice to say there's a bit more than that that takes over the show and makes it a bit too silly. I personally would watch it again to see, but I wasn't as fond of the 3D animation style. The character designs were really neat though, so I knew I was getting the action figures designed by S.H. Figuarts. It's interesting to note that Figma has also made a few characters, but their Batman seems to have far wackier proportions.

Like the movie, I've heard both decent things about the figure and not so great things. Overall, I really the figure, but it does have a few things that I would change if I could.

Bandai - Sasuke Uchiha (2003)

There's nothing more interesting to a collector than finding something in a store that you didn't even know you wanted -- but once you saw it, there was no turning back! I attended an anime convention where I found this figure. A set of 3 figures were made by Bandai in 2003 of the Naruto series: Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke. Now that I found mine at a very reasonable price (given its rarity), I'm pumped to get the other two.

Given that the highly articulated SH Figuarts line didn't debut until 2008, this figure is fairly well articulated and comes with a bunch of neat accessories. AND, it comes with an awesome art scroll of Sasuke with his name at the bottom (Uchiha Sasuke).
I was pleasantly surprised by how articulated this figure is given when it was made, but you can always trust a Japanese toy company to put their all into making figures and collectibles (especially these days).

It is not without flaws since some of the paint and sculpting isn't very clean. So let's dive into some ratings!

NECA Nathan Drake (Uncharted 4)

The Uncharted games were great. A part-time action/puzzler/platformer that had great charming dialogue, characters and while playing made you feel like you were really on an epic adventure of Indiana Jones' style proportions. The title character is Nathan Drake, supposed relation to the great explorer Sir Francis Drake. Using ancient manuscripts and relics, he travels the world with his trusty pilot and co-conspirator Sully, and other characters like Elena, Chloe pop in and out of the game.

This is a superbly well sculpted and painted representation of his appearance in the game. He stands at  7 inches tall, so he kinda fits more with my Arkham collection, but he's a stand-alone for me anyway. I'm not a huge fan of his yelling face for likeness, but the accessories he comes with are awesome.

Now, this is the first time I get a NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Association) figure. I have always heard warnings and rumours of being careful when removing from the package or handling since they are very susceptible to breaking. So far I've been lucky, no breaks from the grapple, hands or anything else. It is a collectible, and I've had enough experience with stuff breaking from DC Collectibles that this is not a new thing.

Tip 1: Never yard on the smaller parts when bringing them out of the package. Try to cut around the pack to remove it as seamlessly as possible.
Tip 2: Wash your figure when you first get it. It helps loosen up joints and it doesn't hurt the plastic or paint to have some mild soap and water before letting it dry.

DC Collectibles Multiverse - Killer Croc (Arkham Asylum)

Killer Croc has always been more of a fear villain rather than one that makes much sense. Supposedly afflicted with an over-keratinizing skin condition which gives him scaly skin, he suffered abuse and trauma that created a rage which led to..cannibalism! ok!

Eventually, he leads his criminal life into being a cannibal hitman for mobs and becomes one of the eight assassins hired to kill Batman in Arkham Origins. His battle there was a pretty sequential boss fight that requires some waiting and timing. Later he escapes Arkham Asylum and Batman has to race on floating rafts in the sewers to get to a goal while Killer Croc will suddenly rush and attack, forcing the player to throw a Batarang that activates his old shock collar to temporarily subdue him. 

Later he is captured, and in Arkham Knight is heavily experimented on to test his regenerative abilities but it has a negative effect that accelerates his mutation to the point where he grows a tale and becomes more croc like in every way.  If they had made a figure of THAT version I would have also bought it.

For me, my holy grail (read: Way Too Expensive for what they are) figures are the massive hulking figures from the Arkham games. One day, I want, in no particular order: Clayface, Killer Croc, Titan Joker, Solomon Grundy. Now, this figure isn't exactly the killer croc I wanted, but he's a nice stand-in for whenever the other figures aren't like a zillion dollars. He's technically for 4-inch scale figures from the Multiverse line, but he is actually about 7 inches tall, which makes him like a hulking human-sized version of Killer Croc, despite a small head.

The figure is pretty good considering Multiverse, except for recent history, uses DC Classic joints

and poseability. That paint is not bad, though the finish is very gloss-heavy. The articulation isn't anything to write home about, but it's good enough. The head sticks out from his massive shoulders, so it's not possible to turn it without giving him a rather unnatural look. I can say one thing though, despite his mediocrity, he was very cheap! Even compared to his original MRSP.  He's also still better than Suicide Squad Killer Croc by miles. 

S.H. Figuarts Injustice Harley Quinn

Saddened by the loss of Joker, Harley Quinn joins some of the other former villains and heroes to fight Superman's totalitarian regime. In honour of the man she lost, she creates the Joker clan to fight with the Insurgency led by Batman.

Harley Quinn has a couple of skins in this one, and the word skin here is appropriate since, like many incarnations of the character after her creation in the Batman Animated Series by Bruce Timm, she's a bit scantily clad. This Insurgency version shows her with some kick-ass boots, leggings chock full of knives, barest of undershirts, jacket, mask and tied up pig-tails. It's colourful, still uses her theme, and comes with great accessories.

She's got a slim build, and while this would normally make her range of motion greater, there are some limitations in her range on the figure, especially below the waist.

S.H. Figuarts - Injustice Joker

Given that I've missed quite a few weeks due to summer break, here's a second post of the week!

Joker is the starter for the entire Injustice storyline. He begins by drugging Superman to believe that a pregnant Lois Lane is Doomsday. He kills her, and when the haze clears, finds out Joker was behind it. In a very "Man of Steel" grim-dark, kills Joker and realizes that humanity can't take care of itself. This begins the regime of Superman in which Injustice is set.

This Joker is kind of a mix in design from several places. His lapels and coat are a bit longer like the older cartoon Joker or the Arkham version. He uses knives, chattering teeth, a crowbar (a la Red Hood storyline), gas bombs and a very long handgun (inspired by the '89 Batman movie no doubt!).

I am a fan of redesigns of beloved characters because it shows a creativity and a desire to breathe some new life into them, and I think this one works well. He's got the gangly, sharp-edged, colourful villainous look any Joker fan loves. The joints work well, even if some of them are vaguely Figma looking. The figure is pretty great, as is to be expected by S.H. Figuarts, and each detail is super well painted.

S.H. Figuarts - Injustice Batman

Injustice: Gods Among Us is hands down the best story in a fighting game I wasn't looking for. When I initially bought the game, I basically just wanted to match up fights with big-time DC villains and heroes because hey, fighting games are a fun way to pass time without needing a big time commitment to enjoy. What I got instead was an interesting story that was interesting enough to spawn several ongoing comic series and a second game (which I will definitely buy at some point!).

S.H. Figuarts made 4 figures of characters from their appearance: Superman, Batman, Harley Quinn and Joker. I like how each of these characters is a unique take in the game. In fact, the game has two versions of many of the characters: original versions and the alternate reality ones under Superman's One Earth regime, where he is High Councilor and is a pretty hardcore dictator/tyrant. 

In this universe, Batman and many others are sent to an alternate reality (I won't tell you how, no spoilers!), and find themselves under Superman's regime. Some heroes (and villains) have allied themselves with Superman (who is looking kinda sickly!) while other heroes (and former villains?) have joined Batman's Insurgency group. This version of Batman is a bit more ruthless. He's got a bit more obvious armour plating to his suit, but it adds to the more unique world and takes on the characters. He's voiced by Kevin Conroy, so that makes most other things good in my books!

S.H. Figuarts - Gaara

Gaara's first appearance in Naruto is as a very disturbed kid who can manipulate sand imbued with his chakra. His character has many parallels to Naruto's if Naruto had never had friends, became a psychopath, and tried to destroy the Leaf village!

Gaara's tragic past includes having had the One-tailed Shukaku beast put into him, in the same way, that Naruto had the Nine-tailed fox sealed into himself. Upon being defeated by Naruto, he comes to realize a little about others and himself and basically becomes rehabilitated.

He is from the Hidden Sand Village and his father was also a pretty cold-hearted psycho himself. He has a brother and sister how also featured quite a bit in the show. He has the power to manipulate any sand around him, and so he also carries sand imbued with his chakra on his back that instantly protects him from harm. The only one who was able to beat the speed of his protective sand was Rock Lee (see the previous review!).  

S.H. Figuarts - Rock Lee

I absolutely love Lee. He's got the massive bushy brows, an inferiority complex, and one of the best fights ever in the entire Part 1 of 300 some odd episodes (not to mention the most outrageous eyes) As you may have guessed, he's a humorous homage to Bruce Lee. In Japanese, his name sounds like "Blues Lee", so both Rock Lee and his son in the Borut series, Metal Lee, are musical variants of that same pronunciation. He also has a similar hairstyle and jumpsuit to Bruce Lee, as well as the same birthday (yes, in Anime characters have a birthday, even if it is never once mentioned, is always put into their profiles). He's goofy looking but optimistic, and his biggest character trait is his gruelling hard work in the face of tough adversity, which I think we can all admire as a trait. His fight against Gaara and Kimmimaro are easily the best fights in all of Part 1 (300 episodes or so).

In the Ninja world of using chakra (aka magic), there are three primary types of chakra use: Taijutsu (hand-to-hand combat techniques), Genjutsu (Illusion techniques) and Ninjutsu (External mostly, and basically everything else like using the five Natures, etc). Unfortunately for Lee, he is near skillless in Genjutsu and Ninjutsu (which you'd think would mean he'd never pass basics to become a ninja...) however, his martial arts combat skills is so great, alongside his ability to unlock some pretty crazy internal chakra "gates", that he became a ninja on taijutsu alone. I also really like Lee's sensei, Might Guy, who is also a hilarious parody type character that is very endearing and incredibly powerful.

S.H. Figuarts - Madara Uchiha

One of the prime big bad guys of the Naruto Shippuden series: Madara Uchiha, a former co-founder of the Ninja village Hidden in the Leaves. Like Sasuke in the first part, the history is a bit back and forth. At first, Madara and Hashirama, the first Hokage, are friends, then enemies, then they form a truce and bring an end to the violence from their respective clans. When they founded the village, Madara and Hashirama had very different visions of how this would work. Madara's version of peace between the ninja clans was to control others through laws and regulations, where Hashirama's was cooperation between the various nations and villages. Eventually, Madara left with an ominous promise.

Many years later, he later returns and brings the Nine-tail fox to destroy the village. Many die in the attack, including Naruto's mother (Kushina) and father (Minato - see the previous review!). However, his parents manage to seal half of the Nine-Tails inside Minato, and a half into their just-then-born son, Naruto. He possesses powers mostly from his eye, which allows all kinds of space and time manipulation, as well as being a super skilled martial artist and fire technique user.

It's a very long storyline and plot as to the why's and hows, but basically, Madara becomes resurrected into a somewhat obedient zombie form. SH Figuarts included both a cracked/reanimated face and a regular one though, so that's pretty nice!

Speaking of which, the figure is pretty amazing, with only one gripe. The sculpt is fantastic, and most all the armour pieces for the legs and shoulders move freely on their hinges and can detach without damaging parts. The scythe and giant fan connected by real chain pieces are fantastic. The weapons have a nice lightweight that doesn't turn his hand over and looks super impressive given their size.

S.H. Figuarts - Jiraiya

An old man mentor figure is exactly what the Naruto show needed, and he was brought in at just the right time. Every Shonen anime has several teachers that help the main character progress to their next level of power in order to overcome their obstacles in battle. Jiraiya is no different! By the time he meets Naruto, he is in his early 50s. He is funny, if a somewhat perverted character who travels the world doing research for his romantic novels, and spies for the Village Hidden in the Leaves to gather intel about threats. As an aside, his name translates to "Young Thunder".

He meets a young Naruto and teaches him how to summon battle toads, unlock Sage mode, and control the Nine-tailed fox inside. It is implied for a long while that he is a very powerful ninja, one of the legendary Sanin who defeated the warlord Hanzo. It is not until his final battle that you see how incredible his ability is using summons and Sage mode is. The character of Jiraiya is inspired by a Japanese tale called "The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant". In the original tale, he is a shapeshifter who takes the form of a giant toad who falls in love with the Slug princess, Tsunade. He is rivalled by the snake shifter, Orochimaru, all of whom are powerful shinobi in the show. He was also the sensei to Naruto's father, Minato!

This figure does quite a few things very well. For one, likeness, paint and sculpt is totally spot on. Though it would've been cool to get a deluxe figure where he has the Sage mode face and his the two elder summon frogs on his shoulders, he's pretty great for his standard version. They used their formula in making baggy pant knee joints from the DB figures and it works well here. They include the vest and scroll at his back, and his hair does have some articulation at the ponytail, which is quite in keeping with how he'd toss his hair when going for a dramatic, over-the-top stance.
He's got the usual hands and faces as well as a few other nice accessories.

S.H. Figuarts - Itachi Uchiha

The dastardly, seemingly cold-hearted brother to Sasuke and S-Rank criminal of the Village Hidden in the Leaves is Itachi Uchiha. At the beginning of the show it is made clear he is the culprit in the mass murder of the entire Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan the Senju clan were long ago enemies that fought constantly, and eventually, the two leaders, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju put aside their differences for the common good and built the first Ninja Village cooperatively. This became the Village Hidden in the Leaves, but not all sat well with all the Uchiha. As both a way of keeping them close and allowing them some power, the Senju appointed the Uchiha as the village police.

S.H. Figuarts - Boruto Uzumaki

I just-just got this figure! Released earlier this month, he is probably the least desired figure by fans, but one of the best lower-body engineered Figuarts I have seen for this line! That may be weird praise, but it's a fantastic figure in many ways.

Boruto, as is implied by the last name, is the son of Naruto. He has his own show called Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The writer of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto, has ended his career writing Naruto and passed on the art and writing of the sequel series to Ukyo Kodachi, someone who worked with him creating some of the writing in Naruto and the Boruto movie that preceded the Boruto series.

The Boruto show is still young in anime terms, with the very first episode hinting at a pretty dark future, while the rest of the anime is super bright, colorful and generally optimistic. The show has the children of all the Naruto characters everyone loves, many easily identifiable by a mix of anime traits of their parents. I quite enjoy the show, even though it has a bit of a slow start. Boruto doesn't seem like a super likable character to me like Naruto was, but his personality is distinct from his father's, and the show actually tackles some fairly real-life issues (like a suicidal game designer...wow).

S.H. Figuarts - Minato Namikaze

One thing that was very absent from the first part of the Naruto anime was: Where in the world are his parents?!? Basically, no one talked about it, including Naruto. Based on inference, the audience deduces that Naruto was somewhat raised and provided for as a baby by the Third Hokage (See Kakashi post for what that means), but by the time he's 12ish he's basically completely on his own, down to living in a studio apartment and using mission money to buy food and the like. At that point, we only knew that his parents both sacrificed themselves to seal the Nine-tails Demon Fox inside him. Naruto grows up not knowing the identity of his parents, with the (somewhat weak) explanation that no one is allowed to talk about that particular time given how many died fighting off the attack. In a pretty clear instance of dramatic irony, we definitely know that Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, is his father. The Shippuden series later clears up a lot of details of that attack, and how Minato died.

S.H. Figuarts - Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Sensei. The copy cat ninja. Hero of the Sharingan and Sixth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He is the ultimate cool-headed teacher and team leader to a young Naruto Uzumaki and Team 7 before the time skip. He has a bit of a tragic past with his father having committed suicide, and both his teammates dying (at separate times) as a young Jonin (senior level ninja). As a side note, in the Ninja village system in the show, the rank of shinobi goes as follows:

Academy student (ninja-in-training)

Genin (Low ranking ninja, qualify for D level missions under a supervising ninja)

Chunin (Mid-ranking ninja, can guide genin and take on C or B level missions)

Jonin (High-level ninja, can lead a team, take on A and S rank missions)

Special Jonin (High-level ninja that Jonin-like specialty in a single field. ex: Info extraction)

Kage (an Exceptionally powerful ninja who is a leader of a given Ninja village)

There are other classes and specialty of Ninja, but in terms of official ranks, those are it. A side note to this side note is that Naruto and Sasuke, the most powerful Ninja in the show, were Genin rank for most of it due to circumstances not permitting testing. OK, back to the main post!

Playmates Toys' April O'Neil - TMNT 2012

April O'Neil has undergone probably the most changes throughout the entirety of the TMNT Universe. See below!

In the 2012 cartoon, she is a half-human, half-Kraang 16-year-old girl who starts as the turtles' friend but quickly develops into a badass telekinetic powered, fan-wielding shinobi of her own.
I like that they give her more of a prominent role in the series, as they did with the 2003 version of April. I have to say though, while I did love the show and most of the animation used, the way human bodies and faces were done was probably the least appealing part of the show for me. Something about the aesthetic never sat well with me.

While most parts are fairly spot on for sculpt and paint, she is fairly disappointing as a figure in a few ways. First, the face sculpt is really overly glossy and poorly defined. Next, while the accessories are mostly fine, there isn't a war fan or two in there. Her hands are quite small and soft and do not hold onto weapons well, and finally, her articulation is much worse than all the others figures I had collected up to this point.

1st Annual Top 10 Most Viewed Action figures!

As of April 23rd, 2018, this blog has officially been running for a year! It's funny to think I've been writing this little hobby blog for *slightly* over a year. Anyway, I figure I'd celebrate that by starting a Top 10 Most viewed action figures. I figure *pun intended* I'd show off the blog posts that were of most interest to my readership. Here goes from 10th to 1st!



#10. DC Icons Aquaman
I did not expect him on this list, but it is --1. Nice that he made it and 2. Painfully funny that he is once again last on a list. I do actually like the figure, even with the gimmicky telepathy effect! He's simple, sleek and I like the glossy green parts of his suit.

Amazing-that-it-got-a-place Award!

"Willy's in trouble at the aquarium!"

#9. DC Icons Nightwing
He's always had a simple design in costume but Nightwing is my favorite in DC comics and this figure is my favorite Nightwing of the ones I own. I love the idea of a sidekick evolving to be his own thing. It's a natural progression that isn't often taken advantage of in comics. His kali sticks could be less plain but I'll be damned if I don't find his face sculpt one of the best of any Arkham or DC Classics I've seen.

Author's Favourite Award!

DC Icons line really should've made their
staves and sticks more interesting...basically
that's a metal bar with no features

#8 DC Icons Batgirl
Such a great Rebirth version of Batgirl. The fact this came with her big motorcycle is SWEET. With skid effects on the platform that comes with it! And a bunch of great accessories. She's a bit tricky to balance given the very light weight of the figure but is so great.

Punch pose! (for Instagram!)

Best Accessory Award!

#7 DC Collectibles Nightwing - Arkham Knight
He's only been in two of the four games, but his appearance in Arkham Knight was very pleasing. He had speaking parts, awesome dual play fights, and even some of his own missions and challenge maps. The character has a bit to be desired though. I don't particularly like his head and mask design. His articulation from his ab is just bad. His legs and body proportions also seem kinda weird. Oh well!

Playmates Toys' Foot Soldier - TMNT 2012 series

The Footsoldier or ninja is the classic backbone of any evil leader army! The Empire had storm troopers, Bowser had koppa troopers, and The Shredder has the Foot Clan.  By definition, a foot soldier is an infantryman who fights on foot, though in this case, the foot is also a symbol of the criminal organization that attempts to control NYC.

At first, the Foot clan is mostly human ninjas that do all the wet work, then later they are replaced with robot Foot ninjas that are basically Swiss army robot ninjas with a bazillion weapons. Either one is no real trouble for the turtles, but rule #1 of minion club is that the heroes have to have some weak enemies to beat up and show off their awesome moves!

The figure is one of the first releases and is of a pretty basic design. I have to say they are much improved compared to the 80s cartoon. The purple uniforms and oddly shaped heads didn't do it for me so much! The black costumes with red bandannas and eye mesh masks remind me a bit of the live action movies from the 90s. A nice feature on these guys is the crossed dual sheaths that hold both the shorter blade and longer ninja sword. They also come with two four-point shurikens and a comparable amount of posability as that of any of the villain character figures.

Playmates Toys' Dogpound - TMNT 2012 series

Dogpound is one of the many mutant minions that is original to the TMNT 2012 show. Originally Chris Bradford, a martial artist celebrity and secret servant to Shredder, he encounters the turtles and accidentally becomes exposed to the mutagen that turns him into Dogpound. Given he was last bitten by Shredder's akita dog, he becomes a monstrous dog creature covered in bony spikes along with a monstrous left arm with spiked knuckles.

He later mutates even further into Razhar, definitely a more sinister version, but I actually prefer his character as the smarmy, sarcastic, celebrity human self.  This is perhaps because he is modeled a bit after an evil type of Chuck Norris, which is hilarious.I bought this figure cause the sheer bulk of him compared to the turtles seemed like it was a neat difference that I hadn't really seen in the original toys from the 1980s. 

Despite the fact the figure is extremely top heavy, the legs and tail keep him satisfyingly upright. Like the other figures I'd discover in the line, he isn't super poseable, but is just generally neat to look at and have on the shelf. Paint and sculpt was ok as well, though you can't argue with the cheap price I got him at (11 CAD). He's actually not as easy to find cheap anymore, except on eBay and even there, shipping won't be kind to you unless you live in the continental U.S. 

DC Icons Batman (Rebirth)

The DC Rebirth universe has been a bit of a softer restart. It doesn't erase the events of the previous New 52 series, but simply puts on a fresh coat of paint to some characters backgrounds/looks and adds some new, interesting conflicts and events. The new Batman definitely has an updated look and life. He continues in his role to try to raise Damien Wayne as his son, while also finding himself trying to form a real relationship with Selina Kyle (Catwoman).

She said yes!

His look has changed a bit as well. He's still got the black and grey (my preferred), but the inside of his cape is purple (not my favourite for him, but interesting when you paralell the Joker). Add to that, his gloves are a bit bigger, and his boots have more pronounced ridges on the treads. I think this gives him a more work-out-tough-guy look. The other thing I'm torn about aside the cape is the knee pads. They are the same colour as the suit, but in a strange H shape. I don't quite get it?

The Batman here represents all those elements really well though. The articulation is pretty good, and this Batman has the newer drop down hinge hips. He is a bit bulkier, so his double joints don't work as effectively. One sore point for me about the DC Rebirth figures from the 7 pack is the lack of accessories or even alternate hands. I can stand not having another batarang, but there's not much choice for alternate hands. All in all though, he's a really nice figure and the design is very cleanly painted and sculpted.

Playmates Toys' Shredder (Customization) - TMNT 2012 series

Oh Shredder, always trying to stop those dang turtles!
In the 2012 show, Shredder is the typical obsessed, megalomanic, arrogant, cold-hearted villain although most of his rage and vengeance is directed towards Splinter. In the show, they both loved the same woman, Tang-Shen, but in a heated battle, she died and Shredder has blamed Splinter (though it's pretty clear Shredder --aka Oroku Saki-- killed her). He's a pretty generic villain in terms of personality and motivation, but the turtles have to have someone to fight!

There's a story about buying this shredder, and it goes like this:
I was buying the turtles, excited by the show and my re-introduction to collecting the toys. I bought the four turtles, then went to order Shredder at the same time. I wasn't really paying attention, and accidentally ordered the 8 inch tall Sound FX shredder. To the figure's credit, the look was pretty spot on, but the articulation was garbage since it was mostly meant as a sound effects toy. So I kept the figure and ordered the first release of the shredder.

Like the first release of the turtles, it was not quite like the cartoon. For one, the face plate wasn't completely painted, and the head sculpt in general was poor. The shredder gauntlet blades were far too short, even if they were meant to be in their retracted state. Last, there was no purple cape! Though he does remove it sometimes, he is mostly seen with the cape.

Customization steps:

Playmates Toys' Michelangelo - TMNT 2012 series

Mikey is and always has been, my favourite turtle. He is the liveliest of the bunch, he uses a fairly unconventional fighting weapon, and he is just downright hilarious. He is super-improved by the 2012 series treatment. Whereas before Mikey was more of a slight prankster and joker, he is off-the-wall funny in this. His antics between the brothers probably made me want to watch the show more than any other single character. I dare you to watch the episode "The Gauntlet" from season 1 and not laugh. This series also makes him more emotionally immature, but loving, than previous iterations.
He is, after all, the youngest of the turtle brothers.

This figure is the shortest of the four turtles, and his lime green skin tone is pretty close to the show colours. One thing they didn't add to the paint --and I wouldn't expect in a Playmates toy-- is the darker green freckles, which add to his more teenager-innocent look.

Playmates Toys' Donatello - TMNT 2012 series

Donatello is the classic, socially awkward, gadget brainiac/science nerd. As a science and science fiction nerd myself, I really enjoy his character. Compared to other series, Donatello's character is more or less the same, with the addition of being romantically attracted to April. He is involved more in the group than just being their tech and weapons/arsenal designer, which is nice. They really drive his character home as a bit hyper-logical, for example when a piece of Splinter wisdom goes right over his head.

He's a bit taller and leaner physically than the other turtles, and this figure shows that most especially in the head/neck. They gave his regular bo staff a bit of a kick by having him design a naginata type blade that folds out of one end. His accessories include his staff, bladed staff, two saw disc-type shurikens and a three section staff (sansetsu kun). I am a little bit disappointed that the staff is a bit too short. When he grips it with both hands, there's barely any left on each end.

Playmates Toys' Raphael - TMNT 2012 series

Raphael the rage machine! He still keeps that mantle, but in the 2012 series he is pretty hilarious himself, and razzes his brothers pretty well. I find along with all the other turtle personalities, I found this series really made me like each one more, whereas the older series I was more ambivalent about most with the exception of Mikey. I've always thought Raph had the most unique/neatest weapons since he uses them for all kinds of purposes in fights, where the sword, staff and nunchaku's have always been pretty one dimensional as a weapon in most iterations of the shows and movies.

This figure has a very dark forest green skin tone, and a pretty similar sculpt to the others. He's about the same height as Leo and comes with his sais, two "half" sais, two tiger head hook swords, and two four-pointed shurikens.

Playmates Toys' Leonardo - TMNT 2012 series

Leo is the classic leader. He tries to get everyone to work together, mediates Raph's temper, Mikey's impulse and Donny's haywired gadgets. He's got a tough job! The Leonardo in this series is a little bit more dynamic than others. He's a little less serious, and is made fun of by the other brothers to some good comedic effect. He is a bit more naive in his ideas than other iterations of Leo, and even enjoys a hilarious mock-Star-Trek space TV series.

I have to say, this is my favourite version of Leo, and he is one of my least favourite turtles.
This figure has more of a emerald green cast, and unlike the old line of TMNT figures, each turtle has a unique mold. They are even different heights, with Donny being the tallest, and Mikey the shortest of the turtles.

Update: TMNT Tuesdays!

Starting tomorrow, I decided I'd mix it up a little bit with reviewing some TMNT figures every Tuesday for the next little while. They're pretty basic figures mostly meant for kids, which makes it not so much work to write and shoot.

The TMNT Line has been owned by Playmates Toys, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong toy company, Playmates holdings, for many many years (since 1966).  Playmates actually sort of hovers for me between the area of too-bright, bulky, unarticulated Vs. adult collectible toy for this line.
The turtle brothers actually have a decent amount of articulation and range for their price point as well as the typical unpainted sprue accessories. The other characters look fairly close to the show but don't really have as many posing options, which is a shame.

Back in the day (oh yes I did), the older TMNT line had the characters in every kind of style and outfit imaginable, such as:

Wind up toys:


to "disguised" turtles (I had Mikey, but really was jealous of my friends' leonardo)



to some REALLY bizarre stuff:


*All images courtesy of tmnttoys.com

There have been quite a few lines since the first line based on movies and other tv shows.
I have a soft spot for TMNT toys because they were the very first action figures I remember having as a kid since I was so inundated at the time by the 1980s TV cartoon. I didn't have most of the crazy versions, but I do distinctly remember owning the basic four, krang, a mouser, foot soldier, and maybe some random versions like the turtle transforming Raph.

The TMNT toys are what actually got me first into collecting as an adult, ironically enough a few years ago. I had seen a friend get a few nice figures that looked great on his shelf and reminded me how much I missed the cartoons and make-believe pastimes of my youth, then I was introduced by the same friend to the newer TMNT (2012) series. I was kinda blown away! It was CG, but it was, what I considered, to be pretty good. The humour was great, and they even added in many japanese terms, something I think the other series --including the original--were missing.

I am kinda sad to see the series end! I'm not a big fan of the aesthetic look of the new upcoming series: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I was willing to give the 2012 series a chance, so as a fan I'll do the same for this series.

DC Collectibles Manbat - Arkham Knight

Kirk Langstrom is a successful scientist and loving husband who is quickly developing chronic deafness. So what does he do? What any comic book good guy turned-villain would do. Splices DNA with that of a bat in order to counteract his disorder. Now, this is the part where you ignore science, because he ends up turning himself into an animalistic, superhuman strong bat creature.

As an opponent to Batman, he's a little bit limited in what is done story-wise with the character, in that he's more of a tragic villain. A bit of a Jekyll and Hyde type, rather than a malicious, evil psychopath that is typical of Batman's rogue gallery.
In the game, unlike some of the comics, he kills his wife during his transformation, then pretty much just flies around the city until you discover and try to cure him. Now, I was actually expecting his appearance, as it is a bit of a jump-scare, and he still scared the CRAP outta me when the scene came. His role is a side mission called Creature of the Night, which isn't particularly long.

SH Figuarts- Sasuke Uchiha (Itachi Battle Version)

Sasuke has always been a cold-hearted rival to Naruto who hailed from the same Ninja village, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. At least, he started out that way, then became a deserter/traitor, full blown villain and then other things! His character is always portrayed as an angry, competitive and very powerful shinobi.

Unlike Naruto, whose powers mostly focus on the Rasengan, Shadow clones and Wind powers, Sasuke's are mostly those of fire, lightning and his eye-powers of the Sharingan, which can do a variety of things from creating illusions, summoning unquenchable black fire, and precognition of movements in battle. Pretty useful!

DC Direct - Martian Manhunter

How do you top a Kryptonian with super strength, speed, stamina, flight, heat vision, freezing breath and nigh invulnerability? Easy! A martian who can do all those things, and more!

J'onn J'onzz is Martian Manhunter, a being who even Superman said: "He is the most powerful being on the face of the Earth".  - JLA #80

I really like the character of Martian Manhunter. He's got a gentle, compassionate personality as well as being very badass in his ability to do...just about anything! Super-everything, invisibility, shape-changing are just a few of his powers. Like Supes, they had to sneak in ONE weakness, which is fire...because! Later on, writers created this as a built-in psychosomatic effect to J'onn's race in order to prevent them from regressing to a more domineering, aggressive, conquest-type of race. They later removed this weakness completely. Oh, writers! 

DC Icons - Robin (Super Sons pack)

Damian Wayne is the 13 year old progeny of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul. Raised by his mother and his grandfather, Ra's Al Ghul, he is dropped at Batman's door. He starts out very self-important, lacking in empathy and an extremely deadly fighter.

Even though he can act like a real dick (pun intended), I have a soft-spot for Damian. He's got a very distinct personality, and he experiences real character growth in the comics. He also is pretty good at kicking butt and executing a very independent version of Robin.

DC Icons - Superboy (Super Sons pack)

Johnathan Samuel Kent is the latest and greatest version of Superboy from the DC Rebirth comics. He is the 10 year old half-Kryptonian child of Superman and Lois Lane who has begun to gradually gain his powers. They are inconsistent powers, and fluctuate with his emotional state, but are impressive nonetheless!

He joins Robin (Damien Wayne) in the comic series Super Sons to fight various foes alongside allies like the Teen Titans. Super sons was actually a comic series created long before Rebirth in 1973. In that older series, it was Clark Kent Jr. (Of Clark and Lois) and Bruce Wayne Jr.(Of Bruce and Talia), who were basically young versions of their fathers.

DC Icons - Supergirl (Rebirth)

Kara-Zor El is the cousin of Superman and has undergone a death, retcon and many redesigns over the years. She has the fully matured powers of Superman but with less of the fine control he has had from years living under a yellow sun.

This is the Rebirth version of Supergirl which means she is primarily based off the TV show Supergirl starring Melissa Benoist. Her costume design is a mix of some previous costume elements from other comics. I am really not big into the Superman/Kryptonian storylines but this figure and the Super Sons comics caused my figure-addicted brain to DEMAND I buy this figure.

I really like the proportions and look of this figure. I try on occasion to buy female figures that aren't overly sexualized, which can be quite difficult! Now she does have a skirt but consider for a moment that she doesn't have an exposed midriff, cleavage and isn't wearing actual red underwear with nothing else (unlike the other iterations of Supergirl). This version has a strong facial expression and comes with a few nice accessories. The cape that overhands the shoulders is a tiny big annoying if you want to get her shoulders up, but the material is very thin plastic that does have give to it.

Funko - Batman '66

Funko has existed since 1998 (wow) but didn't really get big into the game until 2005 when they signed a TON of licensing deals with other companies like Marvel, DC Comics and Lucasfilm, to name a few! Funko is most well known for their bobble-headed POP figures, but they have increasingly made lines of nostalgia toys for some iconic movies and films.

A wave of figures was released for the 1966 Batman tv show starring Adam West (R.I.P.) as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. This included Batgirl, Batman, Robin, King Tut, Bookworm, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze and the Batmobile! I haven't watched a ton of the 1966 Batman tv show, but I have seen enough to know it was campy, funny, ridiculous and fantastic all at the same time.

This figure and other Funkos are certainly not designed for their wide range of articulation or playability. They more serve as a static collector's pieces to be remembered fondly.
That said, the head has surprising articulation, and his little batradar is a neatly made and painted accessory that fits fairly well in his hand. This is not a typical figure to my collection, as it was a gift, but a welcome addition nonetheless!

DC Icons - Green Lantern (Dark Days)

There are a lot of Green Lanterns, and I like them all, except maybe Guy Gardner...he's kind of a jerk! I enjoy the whole theme of the emotional electromagnetic spectrum, the emotions that manifest the powers, and all the other associated lore. It's neat seeing artists and writers get creative with the kinds of aliens and people that join the various Lantern corps as well.

This particular Lantern is Hal Jordan, maverick air pilot turned Lantern who reminds me a bit of Tom Cruise in Top Gun in personality. They take the design and accessories from his stint in "Dark Days", an 8 issue series that sees Hal Jordan become the leader of the Green Lantern Corps to figure out why the power rings from every colour of the rainbow are dying out.

I'm generally pretty happy with this figure*. It comes in a deluxe set, and unlike Cyborg, I feel there are actually enough parts and pieces that make for a lot of fun photography and display options.
He is an earlier creation in the DC Icons line though, so while his articulation is decent, he doesn't have the drop down hips, and for whatever reason, the ball peg to the head is difficult to turn.
He is painted fairly well, though the ring lacks detail.

*Note: I had a hard time deciding between the Jon Stewart, Hal Jordan and 7 pack Green Lantern figures..but in the end, decided to go with more accessories! 

Update: Rating System Upheaval!

So remember how I mentioned how I wasn't completely satisfied with the rating system and it would be subject to change? Well, here is another subject to change!

Problem #1: Even though a particular figure is actually very good, the verdict often ends up being quite a bit lower than I feel it deserves given how high it scores in most areas. 

Problem #2: The system is unbalanced since the last update, since now a good Accessory and Fun Factor rating can be swamped by a bad Price/Availability score. 

Solution #1: Set the Price/Availability down to a 5 point system (which is easily manageable). 
Problem #3: A 35 point Verdict system seems clunky and not very translatable into a %, or equal part system.

Solution #2: Re-balance EVERYTHING by changing all categories to a 5 point system, thereby making a Verdict rating of 25 points. Seems like this would work while allowing for a bad Price/Availability score not to ruin a whole verdict score. It also is perhaps true that the amount of variance in the sculpt and articulation doesn't really need a 10 point range for evaluation purposes.

Ok, so here is the revamped system!

Sculpt&Paint:  /5
1 - Little /No paint. Sculpt work is very basic molding and is missing details in many places. 
2- Some paint work. May have shading. Sculpt is passable but missing details.
3 -Decent sculpt work, decent painted parts, some decent shading. 
4 -Very well done sculpt and paint work, many eye-catching details, very character accurate. 
5- Excellently done paint and sculpt, spot on to the character represented. 

Articulation:  /5
1 - 5-10 points of articulation: No special joints, primarily swivels
2- 11-15 PoA. Some ball joints. Limited range. No or few doubled joints.
3 - 16-20 PoA. Improved range. Ab joints and ankle articulation present. 
4 - 21-29 PoA. Doubled wrist, ankle, knee and elbow articulation. May include toe and butterfly joints. Good range of movement in most joints.
5 -30+ Joints. Amazing poseability and range. May include extras (eyes, clothing items). 

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. 

Accessories:  /5
1 = No accessories, or 1 accessory. It may be lacking in some detail or paint. 
2 = 1-3 Accessories, usually extra weapons. Decent detail and/or paint. 
3 = 2-5 accessories. This may include extra hands or effects/swap-able pieces. 
4 = 5+: Extra hands, maybe a head, weapons and other good pieces.
5 = Nearly everything you could want given the character! All well done. 

Fun Factor: /5
1 = Figure is poorly balanced, many QC issues, difficult to pose in anything other than the standard standing "vanilla" pose. Likely to break with "over-play"
2 = Figure can balance, has some variety in poses. Solid, and unlikely to break with play. 
3 = Figure can balance in a variety of poses. looks good on the shelf, compares well to other figures in its line or universe. Very good aesthetic look and mix of glossy and matte.  
4 = Lots of fun, the way the sculpt and paint work out create a dynamic, solid figure that balances in tons of poses. May even be able to balance on one foot! 
5 = This is a top 10 figure. Tons of fun, great poseability. You'll probably never get rid of this figure, according to me anyway! 


Verdict:  /25
1-5: Poor: Not a good figure, even if you like collecting this particular type or line of figures. 
6-10: Limited: Fine for the completionist/hardcore collector, but basically you got a statue.
11-15: Okay: Some decent poseability or paint/sculpt and accessories. Limited options. 
16-20: Good: Pretty nice figure on its own merits, even if you lack interest in the line/character.
20-23: Great: Great aesthetic with lots of play, options and more. Get it right meow! 
24-25: Amazing: Is this what action figure Nirvana feels like?

This makes more sense and maybe my readers can more easily translate this into a % figure and/or something that is easier to think about than out of 40! 

SH Figuarts - Naruto Uzumaki

I love anime. I don't love ALL anime, and certainly not all mainstream anime but I have invested a lot of time and money into the Naruto anime series. For those of you that don't know, that's 300 some episodes in the first series, and 500 episodes in the Shippuden series!

The thing I enjoy about Naruto is the show has some colorful characters, there are lots of great fights to watch, and the main character, Naruto Uzumaki, has a charm that really rubs off on you. You just want him to succeed! If you know nothing about Naruto, he starts out in the series as a young boy raised in a Ninja village. He has been given an unusual burden upon the death of his parents: his body holds part of a beast called the Nine-Tails, a massive and destructive chakra monster. He grows up over the course of the series, seeking to prove himself and make lasting bonds along the way.

This particular figure is the very first figure in the Naruto line released by SH Figuarts and was my first Japanese import figure. No matter how many newer versions SH Figuarts releases (they've already got another one plus another Sage Mode Naruto up for pre-order), this one will always hold a special place in my collection! As is the way with Japanese import figures of any kind, whether they be Figma, SH Figuarts or Revoltech, he comes with a LOT of accessories. His articulation is pretty great. There are complaints that his likeness isn't accurate to the show, but with the exception of one of the faces, it looks close enough to me! The paint and sculpt of the figure is pretty good, and unlike many other SH Figuarts, he actually does have some darker shading in the folds of his orange clothes. Ok, down to brass tacks!

Update: New Set up and Return!

Sorry readers that it has been so long (months!) since my last post. I recently moved to a new house and have finally got a fully dedicated hobby room! With some new shelves and a new lighting set up, I give you the new and improved Jay's Toy Shelf (Shelves even!). Expect some more regular posts to follow! 

Not one, but two Detolf shelves! 

SH Figuarts Naruto Collection (Minus Naruto as he is under review!)

DC Icons Shelf

Arkham Rogues Gallery shelf!

All the Batmen..plus allies!

First figures I started collecting after a few Arkham ones! 

Some random DC Collectibles and DC SH Figuarts!

My tiny tiny weensy Marvel Legends shelf!