Update: Overhaul!

 So as I've been doing reviews the past year with the newer system of rating, I still like the categories, but I'm finding there are places where the difference on a five scale between one point and the next is still not very consequential. The biggest issue I've been thinking about is the Accessory system. There's still a case to be made for not penalizing a figure for low-to-no accessories. But, some wiggle room for having enough at the same time. To this end, I'm changing most of my ratings to a 3 point system, with the idea of handing out zero's for something that is otherwise a statue, poorly painted, lacking in what it should have, or just so difficult to pose it's frustrating. So here's a totally new system! 

Sculpt/Paint /3:  1. Not well painted, basic sculpt like a kids toy rather than a collector. Few                                             details

                            2. Painted well, attention to detail, crisp lines, and few blobs or missed parts. 

                            3. Masterfully painted with lots of great sculpted details and shading. 

Articulation /3:  1. Basic swivel joints from 5-15. All single joints with limited range.

                            2. Some double joints with a good range of motion in the 16-29 range.

                           3. Very mobile with joints that allow lots of motion. 30+ points. 

Accessories /1:  0. It should have some but doesn't OR missing some key accessories

                           1.The accessories are well done. It's either everything the figure needs or most                                    of the essentials. This might be extra hands, weapons or other pieces. 

Fun Factor /3:   0. Plastic garbage! 

                            1. Poorly balanced, limited posing, not a big favourite. Statue-like. 

                            2. Decent posing options, looks good on the shelf, dynamic options! 

                            3. A top figure in the collection, very cool with tons of options for display!

Verdict /10:       1-5 Poor. This figure isn't cutting it. Is there some reason it's in the collection??

                           6-7 Limited: It has some merit, but do you really need this one? 

                           8-9 Worthy: It's worth having! Have you considered getting this one? 

                           10 Amazing. Why don't you have this figure yet??

I think this latest update will just making writing the rating posts more seamless and then it's out of an easier to digest score out of 10 at the end of all of it. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Batman - Dark Knights: Metal

 Did I buy this whole line so I could complete the Merciless build-a-figure to complete my Dark Knights: Metal villains? Yes. But are they all good figures?? Also yes! 

This iteration of Batman uses his DC Rebirth suit of black and grey with yellow highlights around the bat symbol and utility belt, but with a rough Badlands-apocalypse type look. This represents the very first artwork Capullo released for the Dark Knights: Metal storyline: Batman holding two axes, bloodied, tattered cape set against a hellish background. That's pretty metal! 🤘

This is a cool version of Batman. He keeps his DC Rebirth suit but is all shredded. They sculpted in those details wonderfully, as well as the intense expression on Batman's face. The articulation is tight but not too tight, and the axes look great. One or two paint details I find are missing comparing it to the original artwork. I REALLY don't need any more Batmen (Except the Black version of Mafex Hush), but with the build a figure piece, and the sweet axes, I couldn't resist. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse : Infected Superman - Batman/Superman Vol 2 (2019)

Following parallel storylines with the Dark Knights: Metal stories, The Batman Who Laughs has created batarangs for some of DC's heroes with a Joker Toxin that creates corrupted versions of these heroes. These are for Blue Beetle, Jim Gordon (why), Donna Troy, Shazam, Supergirl, and Hawkman. The members infected, like King Shazam, soundly beat the snot out of Superman and Batman in a feat of cunning that is not usually Shazam in nature. In order to infiltrate these Secret Six, Superman purposely infects himself with the toxin to learn of The Batman-Who-Laughs plans. You can see how this isn't a great plan! 

The figure is great though. I don't know how close this is to the Superman #1000 from McFarlane produced at the beginning of this line, but I like it! It's got a very solid, bulky chest, and proportions that scream superman. The cape is plastic and pretty solid (oh well), but the look is awesome. I'm tempted to get the 1000 Superman just to compare notes and to have a non-Dark knights metal Superman for him to face off.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Murder Machine - Dark Knights: Metal

 Bruce Wayne of Earth -44 started out all well and dandy as any regular 'verse Batman: parents murdered, Alfred raises him, becomes Batman, joins the Justice League. Here though, Alfred is horribly murdered by the rogue's gallery. Bruce becomes obsessed with the video of Alfred's death and the void left by his passing. With Cyborg's help, he builds an AI using Cyborg's technologies to protect Bruce and fulfill a role left by Alfred's passing. This AI, Protocol, starts into full Ultron mode by taking over systems like a virus and pretty quickly kills all of Batman's Rogue Gallery. 

To make matters more extreme, the machine starts taking over Bruce's mind, replacing him piece by piece with cybernetics. He succumbs, and the League tries to intervene. He kills all of them, ending with Cyborg. AT this point, The Batman Who Laughs recruits him, letting him know his universe is slated to die just like all the others in the Dark multiverses. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: The Flash - DC Rebirth

 

I'll be honest, I only got the Flash as it was part of the two-pack with Red Death. I wanted to complete my Dark Knights: Metal villain team of Batman-Who-Laughs, The Merciless, Dawnbreaker, Red Death, Infected Superman, Crow Robin(s), Devastator, The Drowned, and Murder Machine. All of those have been released in figure form, except for the Drowned. I have high hopes! 

That said, he's a nice-looking Flash! I like the longer lightning pieces, and how you can plug in lightning effects to him (sadly, they didn't include them in the two-pack...why?!?). He is based on the DC Rebirth design of Flash (translation: Lets and MORE lightning to his suit). Some notable differences are the background of the Flash symbol on his chest is just the red of his suit, and the symbol itself is bigger and bolder. There are four lightning lines emanating from his symbol and the figure has more ribbed texturing on the sides of the torso, legs, and triceps. The crowning glory is the angry face sculpt. So well done! 

I can appreciate this figure, and it's got some good points and is in keeping with McFarlane toys recent quality and articulation. I also appreciate that the Flash is a workhorse character of the DC multiverse. He's always bailing people out and resetting the timeline some comic book artists and writers can do something new haha! Go Flash! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Red Death - Dark Knights: Metal

 

So you're Batman AKA Bruce Wayne in the Dark Multiverse of Earth - 52. You've apparently lost a lot of Robins (what the heck), and your world is about t end via some of your Rogues gallery. You need the Flash's power of the speed force (why)! He refuses! So you chain him to the Batmobile, modifying it into a cosmic treadmill and somehow force him to use the speed force! (This is so wacky). He fuses into you, so now you're Batman but also the Flash, renaming yourself the Red Death. You end up killing a ton of your rogues' gallery but find a tempting offer from The Batman Who Laughs the only way to stop the eternal destructive cycle of these Dark multiverses is to ascend to the regular Multiverses! So you join forces. 

I love reading the Dark Knights: Metal for the crazy characters and this is definitely one of them. Red Death looks like he has a Batmanesque mask with a dark crimson body design similar to the Flash. The figure is spot on. I found out though he had a disconnected hip joint out of the box and the swivel was so stiff I had to boil and refit it to get it to work. That aside, it's a pretty nice figure! Very comic accurate, not much for accessories and came in a two-pack alongside the Flash himself! 

In my goal to collect the Secret Six, this was a must-have, and needless to say, most posts from now on will be McFarlane and will be Dark Knights Metal related! 

DC Collectibles Killer Croc - Arkham Origins

Killer Croc, Aka Waylon Jones is a character created in 1983 to add to Batman's rogues' gallery. He has a rare disorder responsible for his condition aided by a kind of metagene; this allows him very tough skin, incredible strength and a keen sense of smell among others. In most comics, he is taller than the average person, but in the Arkham game series, he is MASSIVE, standing at about 11 feet tall. To add to that, in Arkham Knight's Most Wanted DLC, he is experimented on to further exaggerate his reptilian traits to make him even more monstrous and crocodile-like. 

The Arkham games also make him far more cannibalistic and vicious (not that he ever wasn't these things per se). He sports teeth that grow beyond his mouth, a massive frame, and has is basically singularly focused on eating and killing. He must use money for something though because in Arkham Origins he is part of the 8 assassins that seek to collect 50 million dollars for Batman's head. 

This figure is the craziest, largest 7-inch scale figure I own and unless I get Clayface, Solomon Grundy or Titan Joker, likely the largest I will ever own. He is glorious.

DC Collectibles Deadshot - Arkham Origins

 After seeing some very reasonable sales on Amazon I've managed to acquire more of the 8 assassins from the Arkham Origins video game. Was it as good as any other in the Arkham series? No, but it still had some great fights and cutscenes that were motion captured by stunt people and gave me a tideover snack, if you will, before the Arkham Knight game. 

This look for Deadshot is a lot closer to his comic book look than the Arkham City game. In the game, he actually saves Batman a few times for the selfish purpose of being the one to kill him personally and collect the 50 million dollar bounty. He is eventually defeated via Batman breaking both his arms and leaving him for the police! 

As was DC Collectibles way further into the line of Arkham figures, this one has improved articulation compared to Arkham City and Arkham Asylum figures, but like the others was barebones on accessories. Masterful painting, shading and sculpting though! 

DC Collectibles Bane - Arkham Origins

 

I am usually not on the lookout for much when it comes to action figures. The only collection I really look at completing is my Arkhamverse one on a 7-inch scale. The deluxe or larger figures in this scale on the second-hand market are usually INSANELY expensive. Despite that, I continue to monitor sites like Amazon, eBay, and FB Marketplace for deals. When I noticed this figure and the Killer Croc from the Arkham Origins at near original MSRP, I had to snatch them up (about 70 CAD for each). 

This is the first appearance of Bane in the Arkham games, so while he is super muscled, he's not bulked up by the Titan formula yet. He is one of the 8 assassins hired by Black Mask (Joker, in reality), to kill Batman for 50 million dollars. Needless to say, he doesn't succeed but does manage to beat the snot out of him initially. He has many of the classic looks of Bane: black and white mask, insanely bulky body, giant in stature, tubes of green running from a device to various ports on his body. Unlike cartoon or some comic book appearances, he doesn't have red eye lenses, but just holes for his eyes and mouth. He also is wearing more of a tactical gear type look, strapping on a few extras like grenades and the like. 

He plays his classic role in the game as he does in many comics and shows: smart tactical leader, a former inmate who basically grew up in a prison, ruthless brigand who can easily tear a regular person's arms off! Despite all this, he's still designed with all these very vulnerable tubes sticking out! 

The figure here is superbly painted and sculpted. So many details in it are top-notch. The articulation is fairly abysmal, however, even by early DC Direct/Collectibles standards. Definitely, some of this is a product of his bulk, but as you'll see with the Killer Croc figure review later, that can't be the only reason. He also doesn't come with much for accessories. Given how large the package was that he came in, I wouldn't have minded an alternate head or hands for punching. 

McFarlane Toys Batmobile - DC Rebirth

 

There are so many Batmobiles. Every new comic artist, movie and tv show has their own. Video games like Arkham series and the Telltale Batman games have also had their own versions that are fairly unique. The DC Rebirth Batmobile is kind of inspired by a few items, namely the Batman 1989 Keaton Batmobile/1992 Animated Batman series. Like those, it has a long sleek design. At the front, it has a large, bat-inspired head that was taken from many of the very first Batmobiles in DC. 

Now, the scale and such of this batmobile is fairly small. For size comparison, you can see that it's pretty small. Basically only a Lego figure or perhaps slightly larger could even conceive of driving it, and since it is only one solid piece, no one can! That said, it's super well dry-brushed and looks great. It has working wheels and rolls pretty smooth! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batgirl (DC Rebirth: The Art of the Crime)

So when this one was released I was a bit surprised "When did Batgirl get a suit change?!? I thought she got one already in DC Rebirth? (Purple and yellow biker suit). As it turns out, during an encounter with Grotesque, the microchip that circumvents her spinal injury --inflicted by Joker--  has begun short-circuiting. She is suitless at the time and she has to make an emergency stop at a hideout to retrieve an old prototype suit, which is actually inspired by her very first suit as Batgirl; the grey and yellow. The original had a blue cowl/mask, where this new version has a black mask that has the ears pointing through the hair. This change all takes place in the DC Rebirth comic The Art of the Crime where Batgirl is investigating a bunch of art thefts and murders all over Burnside. 

This is definitely not my favourite suit. Like with Batman, I prefer Batgirl, and subsequently everyone in the Bat-family to have some solid black clothes and masks. This looks pretty good but is a big departure from her original DC Rebirth appearance. It seems fans or maybe the artists didn't want to keep Batgirl as young and hip with her phone and Instagramming and switched to a more mature look. It's just not my favourite colour scheme, ok?!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Nightwing (DC Rebirth: Better Than Batman)

 

Hey! Look! A new Nightwing! 

Still one of my favourite characters in the DC Universe, and Best Boy of the Bat-Family. He's still the same Nightwing you know and love from the New 52 and most other comic books lines, with very minor changes to his suit. Instead of mostly all black with a blue chest symbol, he now has blue for his boot tops, hands and mask. Woo! I guess! 

Basic pros of this figure: great head sculpt with details put in between hair parts, really good range of movement, and you can clip his escrima sticks to his back. He's also, like all McFarlane figures, reasonable in price with nice paint and details (Is McFarlane trying to do for DC what Classics and Hasbro is doing? If so, consider making more characters outside the Batman comics! I'm not complaining, just a suggestion!)

Basic cons: His sticks have nice detail but a little plain, the chest to leg proportions are kinda off. Reminds me of the Arkham Knight Nightwing figure. I'll add to that by saying I think 7 inches is a proportional ratio that many figures don't seem to have quite right. It's like they are either making the legs too long and thing, or the arms not reaching far enough past the waistline. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - The Batman Who Laughs

The mother of the Anti-Monitor, Over-Monitor, and World Forger is kind of the villain of the Omniverse. Perpetua is a highly feared super celestial being, and not to be trifled with! She is responsible for creating the "Dark Multiverse", a set of multiverses made of all the bad decisions and nightmares conjured up by every other multiverse. Unlike other Multiverses, which see the light of day, the Dark Multiverses are constantly deteriorating and dying. It is out of these that we get the stories of the Dark Knights: Metal storylines. In one of these many nightmarish worlds, an amalgam of Batman and the Joker has created The Batman Who Laughs; a nightmarish tall ghoul dressed in black leather strips, a spiked collar covering his eyes, and controlling several "Robins" kept on chains. He is one of the Scions of Perpetua. He combines the tactical prowess of Batman and the nihilism of the Joker, along with his dark metal "collar" which acts as a visor into future events. He also has a weakness to Nth metal. 

The figure is one I had to have because...well it's the first Batman Who Laughs action figure. Reading the comics and seeing how McFarlane Toys is pretty much making every Dark Multiverse villain character required that I start collecting them all now! 

The figure is pretty great. It has really good poseability limited only slightly in the shoulders due to the sharp shoulder pads, and the neck due to the collar. These are design elements though, so no biggie. The psychotic look is so cool, and I can't wait for the version with wings and "Robin" figures that will be released. He comes with a few weapons which is always a welcome addition. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batman (Arkham Asylum)

 

Of course, you can't have a Joker without a Batman  (except the Joaquin Phoenix movie of course which I really enjoyed!). In this case, we've got the Arkham Asylum Batman. If they had only ever made this character, I would've been happy. Loved the Arkham series to bits, and really excited for both the Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad game coming out in the next couple of years. 

I feel like we've nearly come full circle here! I started this blog with a post using the Arkham City Batman and here we are with an Asylum version, one of the first figures I started collecting years ago. This Batman is super true to form for Arkham Asylum. He's got the extra tall pointy bat-ears, lines through the suit, oversized bracers and boots, and shoulder draped cape. I love that the bat symbol is a large separately sculpted piece as it makes it pop out more. The articulation can't be beat if you compare it to the Arkham Asylum or even the City version of this figure from DC Direct/Collectibles. I like how clean the eyes and headpiece are, even if it is missing some shading. This is definitely a new favorite of mine for the Arkham Collection and I can't wait until they release the Arkham Knight Batman and the Arkham Origins Deathstroke. I definitely am loving what McFarlane is putting out. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Joker (Arkham Asylum)

I've previously revied the DC Direct version of the Arkham Asylum Joker here, so I won't go over his role in the game. Suffice to say he's pretty true to form Joker who leans a bit more into the gritty world of the Arkham games.

The previous Joker figure was really good. It had fantastic shading and paint throughout the suit and skin portions. It had a look that felt like it jumped out of the game. It came with minimal accessories (at least the 4 pack version), and the articulation was pretty basic. 

This figure does better in a lot of ways! First of all, it is still in 7-inch scale but stands slightly ______. I really appreciate that to scale in with the other Arkham figures. That's a nice gesture, Mcfarlane! 

Second, the articulation blows the DC Direct version out of the water. It's up to date with double joints and those classic McFarlane ball joints for the end joints. This version also comes with a couple of snapping teeth as well as a nice, hefty pistol. The paint is a bit cleaner than you'd see from the game and I'm not 100% sold on the face accuracy either but overall it's a great improvement in many ways. 

DC Icons - Blue Beetle

Just like many characters in the comic book universe, there have been a few different Blue Beetles. This one is the latest, first appearing in comics in February of 2006. Previously, the Blue Beetle scarab has a magical artifact discovered by the first Blue Beetle, an archaeologist by the name of Dan Garrett. They have retconned all this and now the Beetle scarab is alien tech from the Reach, a group of marauders who themselves have gone through a few changes over the timeline. Oh wait, they retconned that in the DC Rebirth and Ted Kord, formerly a Blue Beetle in other timelines, has investigated the Scarab and determines that it is once again magical in nature. Oh, comics. 

Jaime Reyes is a young teenager who quickly bonds with the Scarab and over the course of the first year learns to control its powers. From this, the Scarab acts a lot like Cyborg's tech in that it can create a lot of different items to help Jaimie fight villains: energy weapons, a sword, wings, communication satellite etc. 

This figure is a super well-styled and looks a ton like the comics. He's got the standard first-generation wave of DC Icons articulation but comes with a few really nice accessories. Overall, I really like this figure and got him for a steal on Amazon. 

DC Icons - Mister Miracle

First created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s, Mister Miracle is an escape artist by the name of Thaddeus Brown who actually trains Bruce Wayne in the same skill. Upon being killed by Darkseid's earthly Intergang force, Scott Free (ha...ha!) takes up the mantle and Thaddeus' old costume. 

That said, Mister Miracle's typical incarnation is that of the son of the ruler of New Genesis. He is exchanged as a child with Darkseid's second-born, Orion, in order to force a peace treaty between Apokolips and New Genesis. In this case, he is a fully-realized New God individual with immortality, super-strength, reflexes, speed, and all that. He also has the power to use energy to generate Aero discs to fly with and is a genius-level inventor. He later becomes free (eh, eh?) of Darkseid's oppressive regime and joins the Justice League International. In all incarnations, he is also husband to one of Darkseid's former warriors, Big Barda, who also joints the League at times. 

This figure is part of the very first wave of DC Icons that included Batman (previously reviewed here), Green Arrow, and Deadman. The figure looks great, despite being the lesser-known name of the wave. He's got great shiny metallic paint, some neat accessories, and good poseabilitiy (minus some of the neck and diaphragm features, but that has been true for the entire line till the end). I also like how his cape is very soft and isn't so heavy that it hinders posing. 

Mafex - Wonder Woman (Justice League Movie)

Don't get me wrong, I'm a DC fan for sure, but Justice League wasn't a great movie. I liked parts of it, sure. I enjoyed the lighter tone (I don't really care about the Zack Snyder "cut" or whatever it is, but I'll probably watch it anyway). It wasn't DCEUs best or worst movie. Gal Gadot though I enjoyed as Wonder Woman. She appears to be Bruce's first ally in forming a team to find the other Mother Boxes sought after by Steppenwolf, who is a terrible villain. 

This figure scales well with the other DC Mafex film figures, and is decent, though not a great likeness to the actress. The paint and sculpt are great so that helps it out a lot! The accessories are also great even if they have a missed opportunity with the extra head - it has hair in a different style but the expression is more or less the same! Odd. 

The articulation has some odd gapping in the shoulder but is otherwise very good as well. You can get her in tons of poses and as an added plus they made her hair out of very soft material so that she can actually turn her head and has some decent range! What?! A female figure with long hair that allows head movement? Yes! It's true. 

S.H. Figuarts Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)

Vicious was part of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate of which Spike also was part of. He, Spike and Julia used to be friends while all working in the Syndicate. Spike convinced Julia to leave it all behind, triggering feelings of betrayal in Vicious and inevitable descent into being a primary antagonist for the series. The series portrays him as a clever, conniving, bloodthirsty opportunist who is willing to do anything to get to where he needs to. 

He doesn't change during the series but instead serves as a foil to Spike. 

The figure is another spot-on representation by S.H. Figuarts. They've got the proportions, evil grin, clothes, sword, and bird down to perfection. On any scale I think this is superior, even compared with the Play Arts Kai version. I'm glad they made an antagonist for Spike in figure form before anything else, but I would still love to see Faye and the rest of the team. 

DC Collectibles Harley Quinn (Arkham Knight)

By the time Arkham Knight rolls around, Harley Quinn has been on kind of a wild ride. In Origins she lives her classic story from a psychiatrist in training under Hugo Strange. In Asylum, she is the assistant to Joker's plan to turn the Asylum into his own funhouse. In City, she goes between being the assistant to the mourning girlfriend who manages to capture Batman, leading a fun play as Robin in the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC. In Arkham Knight, she takes control of Joker's gang and joins Scarecrow, not for the big overall plan, but simply to destroy Batman.

This appearance and look for Harley Quinn definitely is more in line with the Arkham City version. She has the two-tone leggings with diamonds, hair in two side ponytails, and her baseball bat. One thing added was the puffed shoulders more in line with her Asylum appearance. She does still have the white makeup, but not as much else typical of her previous appearances. For a figure I wasn't sure DC Collectibles was going to give a good treatment of, I'm pleasantly surprised. It has decent articulation and quite a few fun accessories.

DC Collectibles Red Hood (Arkham Knight)

Jason Todd aka Red Hood plays a big role in the Arkham Knight series because, spoiler alert...

...he is the Arkham Knight!

The voice acting is awesome and I do love how they handled him in the game. His DLC was waaaaaaay too short and I felt they could have added his origin story from the time he was awoken after dying at the Joker's hands. He is super fun to play though and I wish developers had allowed you the option to free-roam as Red Hood. Apparently, there is some cheat to do that?

 Anyway the point is, I finally got it! Red Hood has been on my holy grail list of Arkham figures for quite a while. After over a year or so of looking at eBay, I found one and bit the bullet on the price. It was ridiculously high for that particular figure but to be fair it was only sold at Gamestops. Some scalpers charged an insane amount for what is essentially the same moulding and plastics process that created the other 40 dollars CAD Arkham figures. I discovered my holy grail limit is about 100 considering the original price. Learn something new every day!

Now to make matters confusing, this is NOT the Red Hood that is basically the Arkham knight with this head minus the hood. This is much rarer and harder to find. He's a really cool figure and I dig the aesthetic they went with to create this version of Red Hood. The voice acting for him in the game was great, and I enjoyed the (all too brief) side mission where you play as this version of the character.

This officially completes the Arkham figures I wanted for the Bat-family in the game. I think one of the neatest, though really impossible, things I like is the two massive pistols he has. They combine and link to transform into his sniper rifle, and while they didn't do that here, you can imagine with the Arkham Knight's sniper rifle. His range of movement is pretty good and he has a good weight to him like the Azrael figure. The hood I would've preferred to be removable and the jacket a little softer to allow his ab crunch to move him backwards. Otherwise, his paint and sculpt is great, and am having tons of fun with him in various two gun poses.

3rd Annual Top 10 (11!) Most Viewed Action Figures!

It's that time again! I first posted on this blog on April 27th of 2017, so here's to year three!
I've bee admittedly far less active this year for blogging, though this time has given me more chances to do so recently. This year I've been branching out more into collecting some less mainstream toy lines as well as diving heavily into the Mafex Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy figures. I did mention the last year that I'd be buying the S.H. Figuarts version of PS4 Spiderman but that never happened (it is really hard to find and ridiculously expensive now)

Honourable mention also goes out to the Do you Even Bootleg Mafex Batman Justice league post that actually garnered the most views out of anything else, but isn't technically one figure! Also, note one entry has two figures because it came in a two-pack I reviewed together, so technically this is 11!

Without further ado, here are your most viewed of 2019-2020!

McFarlane Toys - Superman Unchained (DC Multiverse)

Superman, despite various toys, never usually needs anything resembling a suit of armour. He's nigh-invulnerable to everything except to a few things writers later created for him like kryptonite, magic etc. He meets his match in a very similar alien being named Wraith, who is generally an anti-hero who is loyal to America. Unlike Superman, Wraith has no problem killing to protect America and its interests. Like Superman, he draws his power from the Sun and is far more experienced and stronger using it. For example, he can use his entire body to manipulate energy blasts where Superman can only use his eyes.

As circumstances would have it they butt heads and Superman is defeated. He is forced to don a suit of armour containing an unnamed mineral that Wraith is vulnerable to (a little TOO similar now!). 

He defeats Wraith and generally this suit was only seen in a few panels of the comics, so it's interesting to me that this was picked to be an action figure. Definitely one of the first fully realized forms I've ever seen in a figure. Interesting pick, McFarlane! 

McFarlane Toys - Hellbat (DC Multiverse)

The Hellbat suit is a set of advanced armor designed by the Justice League to help Batman in encounters that require meta-human powers as he is one of the few that do not have any. Forged with the help of Superman, Aquaman, Wonderwoman, Cyborg, Green Lantern and The Flash, it is made of nanoparticles that can reassemble as pieces on voice command of the user. Batman first uses it in Batman and Robin Vol 2 #33 (Sept 2014) to retrieve Damian's sarcophagus from Darkseid on the planet Apokolips. The suit was also worn later on by Lois Lane to protect her son, Johnathan Kent.

Now this is my first McFarlane toys so before the full review, a few general impressions I get from interviews with McFarlane and other figures in his new DC Multiverse line:
- He's testing out many corners of the DC figure market to see what sticks thus why he's made animated versions, Arkham versions, DCEU film versions, and comic book appearance ones (no matter how obscure!)
- He's really trying to emphasize better articulation with his figures as he's done with the Fortnite line.
- He's not like 100% sure of his game plan

Now for this figure, I think it's just AWESOME. I mean if it was a 30 CAD statue, I probably still would have bought it. It's got amazing aesthetics, pretty decent articulation, few accessories but such a good shelf appeal. I bought both this figure and the Superman Unchained figure for that shelf appeal alone.

Panda Mony Toys - Sabotage (Alter Nation)

Sabotage is your ultimate disgruntled ex-employee. His team was decommissioned because of the investment in the new animal hybrid team, GK Special forces. As far as I can tell he's a cybernetically armored and enhanced human whose main job seems to just be a pain in the ass of the GK because he's real cranky! That said he's got an impressive body armor suit all decked out in blue and purple (the color of villainy!).

The figure is nice and heavy with some impressive firepower,  an intense eye light-up feature and an action punch arm that puts older 90s toys to shame! For this figure, in particular, I don't mind the lack of upper body articulation since it fits with the bulky design. The feet do a get a bit floppy sometimes but that, and the bad stickers, are my only true complaint!

Panda Mony Toys - Sham (Alter Nation)

Sham's name is pretty apt for two reasons: you can't quite tell what his true motivations are since he is both a saviour in his mini-comic and yet is somewhat cold-blooded (yes! I went there!) and frees the main villain, Sabotage (yes, he is a member of the GK Special forces). The second reason is the most obvious and that is that he is a chameleon man!

I absolutely love his look and his accessories which do make him very much the covert spy and saboteur of the team. The figure has a really nice translucent green and yellow throughout the skin. He's pretty snappy in his bow tie and has pretty good lower limb articulation although the upper body leaves a lot to be desired. His action feature is pretty neat, and the end of that tongue is really quite sticky!

Panda Mony Toys - Albert VII (Alter Nation)

He's a monkey/bull hybrid. What. I mean it's just the horns but interesting enough! I would think a highly agile practical joker character who leaps and climbs would be at a slight disadvantage having clunky horns to watch out for all the time, but clearly, I wouldn't qualify for GK Special forces! According to his store bio, he does have legs strong enough for both leaping and charging!

He's one of the most articulated and fun to pose characters of the six and has the most 90s practical joke accessories: boxing glove hammer, whoopie cushion (yes, it works, folks), and (I assume) banana cream pie!  Even his two weapons have joke pieces to them. I'm not sure why his name is Albert VII, but interestingly enough on some parts of the website, his name is Little Bighorn. I actually find that one a bit more fitting, since there's no real explanation as to why Alberta VII.

Panda Mony Toys - Daart (Alter Nation)

A young and naive operative of the team, Daart is the most teenager out of the lot. He is the largest member of the team (at least by the action figure standard!). He's the most singular in his hybrid form, being a very unambiguous giant poisonous frog. His powers include jumping a ridiculous amount, super agile, paralyzing skin poison, and some mean martial arts skills. He's my favourite in terms of character design. He's got the cool gloves, gear and headset at all times, as well as the flashy red poison dart frog colours. Admittedly he's one of the most restricted in terms of poseability, but he still looks great on the shelf and comes with some cool items.

Panda Mony Toys - El Ray (Alter Nation)

Number 2 in our Panda Mony Toys entry, El Ray is a fish-man hybrid member of the GK Delta Team. He's the water-based archetype hero of the group with a few powers including glowing, an electric touch attack, and tail-whapping! In the mini-comics, he is an explorer and higher standing member of the team who is also one of the better fighters alongside Quillroy.

I like its design because it mixes a lot of different elements: catfish whiskers, clawed appendages, nice proportions and most importantly an abundance of fins. He has better articulation than Quillroy and also comes with a decent number of extra weapons (all ocean/diver themed of course!)
His action figure gimmick is two-fold: a floppy gel material tail you can whip about and if you press the symbol on his belt his shoulders light up with LEDs! (demo video at the end!)

Panda Mony Toys - Quillroy (Alter Nation)

Panda Mony Toys is a very recent toy company to the scene. They sell (at this time) a limited line of action figures based on their own created lore and min comics (a graphic novel is due out this summer though!). Their marketing is to focus on kids' toys that aren't repeats of the older generation of collectors have (GI Joe, Transformers, etc). To that end, they succeed really well in marketing something interesting with play features, accessories and enough posing to make it a fun toy.

The setting of the Alter Nation toyline is that of a team that has been created on a remote island called GK Delta Special forces by mixing traits of both animal and human genetics. They fight against the Kymera conspiracy while also trying to deal with a society that fears them.

Mafex Batpod - The Dark Knight

Ok so in keeping with The Dark Knight trilogy I couldn't pass up a slight discount on Hobby Link Japan for a 1/12th scale Batpod. The crazy motorbike-ish design first featured in The Dark Knight. The idea of the front two wheels of the Batmobile turning into a motorbike was apparently so complicated that it was computer-rendered when it emerges, despite Nolan's desire to have things as natural as possible.

I won't be reviewing this the same way as I do an action figure since it is, in fact, a vehicle! You can't evaluate points of articulation the same way (especially since it barely has anything that moves when manipulated).

Mafex Joker (Police ver.) - The Dark Knight

I've already reviewed the Joker here before, and that figure was fantastic. The actor was also obviously fantastic in the film! He did have several costume changes throughout that made him appear disturbing in each and every one! He begins appearing as a bank robber with an angry clown mask then in his standard wear, then as a police officer (no makeup) and then a nurse. Mafex and SH Figuarts has released quite a few of these versions.

I normally am not a big fan of variants or versions of the character that appear so briefly in a film or comic. They are a bit unnecessary and a bit of a money grab usually. THAT SAID....I definitely bought this figure for the alternate arms and head for the original Joker from the interrogation scene. Two for one!!

Mafex Selina Kyle 2.0 - The Dark Knight Rises

A lot of people didn't necessarily love The Dark Knight Rises. It had its share of good moments, and while I certainly enjoyed it, it didn't feel as new (at the time) as Batman Begins nor did it feel the high stakes and amazing Joker appearance as The Dark Knight had. It did tie up some loose ends from the last film and added some interesting characters. Tom Hardy as Bane was well done. I might be one of the few that enjoyed Selina Kyle's character (and she is never called Catwoman outright, but that's fine since that might've taken more time to work in in a way that kept with Nolan's vision of a realistic-ish Batman franchise).

Some people compared her too much with the other more beloved Selina Kyla (no, not Halle Berry), Michelle Pheiffer from Batman Returns. I feel that both Catwomen are drastically different in their character approach. I did love Pheiffer's unhinged, seductive and dangerous Catwoman with a handmade costume. Anne Hathaway did a respectable job though, had some good fight scenes, and I enjoyed that she became more of an ally at the end. I also liked the new look and costume they designed, it was neat (though I still don't get why everyone in film, media, and comics still puts a cat burglar character wearing very high heeled shoes...seems super impractical). It was unfortunate there was quite a bit of jumping between characters like Bane and others so you didn't get the best grasp of them all.

Mafex Ra's al Ghul - Batman Begins

Ra's al Ghul is the leader of the League of Shadows, a secret organization that seeks to cleanse the world of its crime and impurities. Ras himself has appeared in many comics and notably as the main villain in Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan's first Batman film of the trilogy. I enjoyed Liam Neeson's performance as Ras, and to be honest there are days when his ideology doesn't seem too radical! That said, he doesn't concern himself too much with innocents vs criminals in the movie, so naturally, he has to be stopped!

This figure, in particular, is the outfit he wears while training Bruce Wayne in the art of Ninjutsu. He has his black padded armour, back hooked bracers, ninja sword, and you can alternate between his masked head and unmasked face. The unmasked head is a great look-alike to the actor! And the sculpt and paint is also pretty on point, though granted they didn't have to do anything much with that given it is mostly black with mixes of matte and shiny finishes. The biggest disappointment here isn't the number of joints exactly but how very limited the range of motion is in this figure compared to nearly every other Mafex I've collected so far. It's kind of bizarre, to be honest! Not the worst figure but far, but probably the least posable import figure I've seen.

DC Essentials - Red Hood (Rebirth)

Though I don't particularly like his personality, Red Hood comes by it honestly as both a character that was kicked to the curb both in the real world and forgotten by his family. Jason Todd is the youth delinquent that managed to steal off the Batmobile and consequently became the second Robin.

From '83 until '88 he was just that. He wasn't particularly popular with fans though, and there was an actual phone-in poll to decide by fans whether to scrap him or keep him alive. In the storyline "A Death in the Family" he was killed off by a narrow margin of votes. He was later resurrected as the Red Hood, a vigilante willing to do just about anything in the name of Justice. He is definitely lawful to his own code rather than a strictly moral one.

What I like most about Red Hood is his character design. Awesome shiny red motorcycle helmet, leather jacket, his own symbol based on the intensification of his mentor's and dual pistols. He's a crafty fighter and the best example of this I've seen is through the Arkham Knight game, as well as the DC animated film, Under the Red Hood. This figure is AWESOME especially for the price of about 30ish CAD dollars. He is a DC Essentials which means very few accessories but here it's enough. His paint and design are great, and aside from some limits in ankle movement, he's got good articulation and is a spot-on representation of the Red Hood from the newer Rebirth continuity.