Tamashii Effects Series - Effect Thunder Green Ver. fir S.H. Figuarts

These have been sitting on the back burner for a while now, so this week will be all about the effects pieces! The Effect Thunder is a set of three clip-on lightning pieces, including a large base lightning piece, an attaching columnar lighting piece that plugs into the base, and a single straight lightning piece that plugs into the top of all three. They did a good job here, making the lightning erratic in direction. I love the clear green on it, though sometimes I feel the white translucent plastic highlighting might take away a little too much in some cases. The pieces are very pokey! The figure attachment pieces are a little more difficult to put on than the fire ones, but overall, this is very cool! If you have a Deku figure or anyone else with a greenish lightning effect, this is a solid must-have! It does work for some of my Blue Lightning users, but I will probably get that specific set in the future anyway.

Tamashii Effects Series - Burning Flame RED Version for S.H. Figuarts

 I recently acquired quite a few Tamashii Nations effects pieces as well as the new Ichiraku Ramen diorama so this week I'll be trying to review them all! That said it may not all happen at once. Anyone who knows anything about action figure photography knows that with diorama or effects you can have multiple figures, using multiple accessories with a variety of poses to get some good range of shots, so it takes quite a bit of time to set up everything! 

This time I'll be doing the Red version of the Burning flame effects. These are honestly so cool and work well with all the flame based heroes. The reflection and translucency of the fire parts is awesome. With four smaller flame parts that can fit around figure limbs and three larger aura-like fire effects, these pieces work well on many levels. 

I realized I had to make an all new system to review effect parts and dioramas because the model for figures doesn't quite fit the bill. 

S.H. Figuarts Itachi Uchiha - NARUTOP99 Edition

 I won't harp on too much again about Itachi Uchiha, I've already done one detailed SH Figuarts review from his older figure here. He is Sasuke's brother and a prominent drive for Sasuke's character throughout the two series. This particular figure is the result of re-releasing Itachi to celebrate the top 20 characters chosen in the Narutop99 poll taken a while back. As the 20th anniversary of the series, they took a fan poll of the top 99 most popular characters. Itachi came in 2nd (the first being Minato, who, as a result, got to have a one-shot manga written by the original writer). 

Anyway! This figure is a huge improvement on the previous figure in nearly every way. The secret here has been including not just a cloth goods Akatsuki cloak to allow fun poses with clothing Itachi normally wears, but having it bendy-wired. This allows so many good options. Typically at this scale cloth goods look bulky and a bit silly but despite the lower than Mezco price point, they've managed to do a good job here. Add that to the improved articulation scheme and some fun accessories make this a great release! 

The only thing the original takes from this one is having a couple of final battle face plates that allow a bit more dramatic expression for the character. Also technically I think the clothes under are supposed to be blue, not black, but that's more of a nitpicky thing. 

S.H. Figuarts Kid Sasuke Uchiha - Ninja Prodigy of the Uchiha Clan Bloodline

 The way Sasuke is written in Shippudden leaves a lot to be desired. I understood his character a lot more in Part 1. He wants vengeance on his brother, he's an emo kid who doesn't want anyone to truly understand him or be his friend. I get it! Despite that, Naruto perseveres in trying to make him part of the ninja family that Naruto has built up over the series. 

This figure is once again very well executed. The sculpt and engineering are great, allowing a wide range of flexibility. The accessories are almost everything you would want from his combat in Part 1minus his transformation into Curse Marks 1 and 2.  To get that done though it feels like you'd need a fully different sculpt for the wing hands, and a distinct head and face plate. Even if you wanted to execute Curse Mark 1, the arms legs and face would also need a switch. This figure definitely covers his moves including and past the Chunin exams. 

S.H. Figuarts Kid Naruto Uzumaki - Unexpected No. 1 Slapstick Ninja

 

Ever since they restarted the Naruto line for S.H. Figuarts, I have been more or less all in! I missed out on some web exclusives like Jiraiya, but they are doing so well at releasing new figures for this line, I am preordering things left, right, and center. I got this version of Naruto a while back, and am finally ready to review it. 

This version of Naruto is featured in Part 1 of the anime, preceding Shippudden and running for roughly 220 episodes. It had some missable filler, but I did enjoy it when it featured other members of the 12 main Konoha kid ninjas. This Naruto is 12-13 years old here, and is still coming into his own, learning from his teachers and trying to reckon with the demon fox creature sealed inside of him by his parents before their death. 

He is a lot more comedic in this part, pulling pranks, being loud and boisterous, and really letting out his feelings! This is well represented in this action figure. He comes with tons of hands, his rasengan energy effect, a kunai knife, and the best face plates featuring expressions and includes his fox cloak face form and hands. As per the other figures in this renewed line, Naruto has amazing articulation aided by hollow caps and waist areas to allow a lot more posing and flexibility. Also, they've managed to hide the jarring hip swivels a bit better here. 

S.H. Figuarts Naruto Uzumaki - Naruto Shippuden

 Naruto is the title character, so here's the best for last! I love the character, and even though the latest show is about Boruto, his son, they put so much of him in it anyway cause they know what the fans want! If you don't know about Naruto, he had one of the most powerful chakra creatures in the world sealed inside of him as a baby, was ostracized by his village and yet kept under watch at the same time. Through trials and the irresistible power of his friendship, he managed to overcome and rise to become a hero of the village. 

 This version is the base form of the Shippudden character: the teenage, pre-Kurama and pre-Sage mode versions. Don't let that deter you though, this is my current favourite Naruto figure and the best engineered and proportioned in my collection! This one comes with a lot of great options and does so many things very well. Believe it! 

S.H. Figuarts Kakashi Hatake - Naruto Shippuden

 Kakashi is definitely one of my top 5 favourite Naruto characters. He's cool, extremely knowledgable, calm to the point of seeming catatonic, and has some interesting parts to his backstory. Add to that that he became Hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Ninja village for a period of time. He's capable of taking down nearly any character in the Naruto universe with the exception of Moon people and Tailed beasts, though I reckon at the height of his power he could give them a pretty good run for their money solo. Here I though the previous SH Figuarts Kakashi was super well done, this one is better in most every way! 

He's got superior articulation and range as well as some more interesting face swaps. I have one minor issue with the articulation and one major one with the accessories. I love that they extended the shoulder pads out and gave you more posing options here. 

S.H. Figuarts Sasuke Uchiha - Naruto Shippuden

 I didn't love Sasuke's character in Shippuden. He seemed more irrational and less relatable than ever before. In Part 1 you could understand his motivation and really get it even though he wasn't particularly likeable. He had episodes where he showed a more childlike or human side to himself that made you understand, even in the battle at the end. 

Shippuden's writing needs to make more sense. That said, the character grows and he does get some pretty sweet lighting and doujutusu (eye) abilities that make him an intense force to be reconned with. This figure is of him post-Itachi fight, in his gray collared shirt, armbands, blue robe and purple obi rope belt. 

They did kind of an amazing job with all this clothing junk he has on his outfit. First of all, amazing range for the arms, neck, diaphragm and legs, especially when you consider how the robe restricts movement. The belt bows move independently which is nice! He has a very clean place to put his sheath, with or without the sword in it. His chidori effect is pretty good, though not any better or worse than the previous release. There's quite a few differences between this release and the last Sasuke release they had (Itachi Battle ver.). He comes with a lot more face options, and some nice sword options to go along with his chidori (lightning). I'll be comparing the other Sasuke by SHF which I'll refer to herein as SFB (Sasuke final battle). 

S.H. Figuarts Sakura Haruno - Naruto Shippuden

 

I'm super excited to reintroduce new figures for the Naruto line! I didn't know this would ever happen, so thanks to one of my readers for alerting me to this earlier last year. To be fair, most of them are figures we've seen before, but with entirely new engineering, facial expressions, and prices. They initially released Shippuden versions of Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and FINALLY SAKURA. It only took forever to release female character. With this, I finally complete an original team 7. I don't know why it took so long to make a female figure, especially considering how easy it is for some of their builds and accessories, but here we are. SH Figuarts ALSO is making kid versions of Naruto and Sasuke, which I have preordered out of Japan. 

This is fantastic stuff, and the very first I want to go over is Sakura Haruno. Sakura's parents and origins aren't featured much in the original two parts, and this is mostly because Kishimoto is 1) Bad at writing female characters and 2) Thinks they are secondary to males, so they never get as much screen time or good fights. Sakura DOES get one or two good fights in Shippuden, but mostly she's around to beat up Naruto, have interrelational conflicts with Ino, and swoon over Sasuke. Gross! This is a shame because as one of the new Sanin, Sakura is absolutely a powerhouse. 

Early in the series, she is a genjutsu sensory expert and learns early on from Tsunade the art of healing and concentrating chakra so pointedly she can break through the earth with her punches and kicks. Later on, in the Boruto series and the light novels, it becomes clear Sakura is even stronger than that, and can completely regenerate using the same principles as Tsunade by banking chakra into a diamond seal on her forehead. They definitely do female characters dirty in Shippuden and Part 1, but at least Sakura is featured more than most, what with being a crush on Naruto and a main team member of Team 7. 

The figure is fairly simple, but very well done. The proportions are nice, and the articulation they've put on all these figures is also very well done. Sakura has some good engineering, and while she doesn't have a ton of accessories, it's enough for her character and what she does in the show. 

SH Figuarts Batman - Batman 1989

 

I missed out on the NECA version way back when, and never got into Mezco for their version, so this SH Figuarts one is something I had desired ever since I saw photos last year in March. The 1989 Micheal Keaton Batman is my go-to favourite live-action Batman above all others. I'm not crazy critical when it comes to who plays Batman in film. Even rewatching the Clooney and Val Kilmer, while cringey, isn't so bad when you consider a Batman role really doesn't need a ton of acting chops or flair. I'm sure I'll even enjoy Battison as Batman even though my initial reaction was "really?" to his casting in the solo film. 

What is your favourite live-action Batman? I rank mine like this:

1. Micheal Keaton

2. Christian Bale

3. Ben Affleck

4. Adam West 

5. Val Kilmer

6. George Clooney

7. I haven't seen Robert Lowry, or Pattison yet, but I'm sure when I watch they'll make it in my rankings someday. If this was an animated/cg'ed Batman list, Kevin Conroy would be #1 here. 

The point is, this is top for me! And because it's SH Figuarts, he comes with a ton of good accessories, and I really like all the details. His articulation and balance is great, as are most SH Figuarts I find. The likeness isn't as bad as I thought, and mostly I attribute it to how they did his eyes. It's got a weird shine that makes it look like both eyes aren't looking in the same direction. The other main criticism I have for the figure is the cape. It's a super thick leathery material that doesn't want to do too much. Even how it drapes is kinda off. It does allow some plastic pieces to insert to create his gliding scene, so it's not all bad, but probably the least useful cape aside from hard plastic ones that don't move. 

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. 

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!

S.H. Figuarts Spike Spiegel - Cowboy Bebop

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

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

2nd Annual Top 10 Most Viewed Action Figures!

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

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

 10: S.H. Figuarts Rock Lee.

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

His Konoha Senpuu is better than yours

Best Transformation award! Also, most involved
parts swapping

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

Easiest to Photograph in a Hanging Pose
Award! 

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

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

Best Winky Face! Also, best
Protagonist award!

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

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

Best Articulation Award!

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

Best Alternative to a Very Expensive Figure Award!

He just wishes he had an ankle joint!

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

Best Ghost Father Award!

Flyin' Lightnin' Yellow Flash

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

Most Tragic Backstory Award!

Also angriest yelly face!

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

Rarest and Most Surprising
Action Figure Find of the year!

Demon Wind Shuriken action!

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

Worst Figure of All Time Award!

Whatever!

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

Best Hair Award!

Also Coolest in the Summertime Award

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

Uchiha family

In rank order 1 to 10, front to back!

Faceoff! I think the bad guys would win this one

Or maybe Madara just take them all out!

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

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

DING DING!

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

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

S.H. Figuarts - Naruto (Sage Mode)

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

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

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

S.H. Figuarts Joker - Batman Ninja

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

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

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.

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.