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!)