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Saturday, June 30, 2018

Congrats to Bro Midnight for winning the June 2018 Contest !!! Also no winner for the May 2018 Contest .

Congratulations Bro Midnight. Now here is what was shown in the May 2018 Contest .
Below is the answer .
WWE Mattel Nia Jax figure . GOOD  LUCK  TO  EVERYONE  IN  THE  NEXT  CONTEST !!!

Friday, June 29, 2018

JUNE 2018 CONTEST !!! WIN 10 DOLLARS VIA PAYPAL !!!

Identify the figures with the white question marks . Pic courtesy again of Squared Circle Photography on Facebook .
The three figures (1) lady in background with pink and white striped shirt (2) the tattooed arm guy and the (3) open mouth orange shirt guy .  Contest ends July 31, 2018 . GOOD  LUCK  TO  EVERYONE  !!!

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Kingdom Hearts - Series 2 Donald and Goofy Review !!!

Courtesy of Diamond Select Toys , here's something different from the usual super hero action figures normally reviewed on here. Some famous cartoon characters, Donald Duck and Goofy . Although not in their original attire, the clothes they're wearing is based on the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise . I purchased this set at a local GameStop for around the $ 19.99 price range .

On the back you can see the other figures in the series. Also this packaging is old school style as you can see . Nothing on the sides or edges, just front and back .
 Here they are Donald and Goofy out of the packaging . As cartoon characters, both of these guys are known for their distinctive speaking and laughter . Donald is known for sounding exactly like a real duck as he talks, and Goofy is known (well for his goofy laugh and personality ) no pun intended . So these guys are well loved as cartoon characters. Will you have the same type of love for them as six inched scaled action figures ? Just like their cartoon selves , their action figures do not disappoint . I love the bright vivid colors on both figures and their perfect cartoon likeness , even though the overall look of these figures is video game based and not cartoon based . Donald and Goofy come with two accessories based on the Kingdom Hearts video game series . First a look at Donald .
 As you can see Donald is still sporting the hat that he always wears , this time the shirt is different . As for the articulation , the head moves up ad down and side to side. Both of his arms move outward and can rotate in a circular motion . His legs rotate outward.
To make Donald hold the shield without dropping it, I recommend using the strap on the shield in either open hand with the arm raised. By the way is it just me or does the shield look as it could also belong in the world of Masters of the Universe ?  Let's have a look at a couple of MOTU Classics with the shield .
 I think Stratos looks pretty cool with the shield, even though he never came with any weapons of his own throughout the history of the MOTU franchise . Now let's see how it looks with a female character .
Since Huntara is naturally a fighter anyway, it makes sense for her to have a shield . It may not match her swords however you can always customize the shield if you want to make the colors match .
The magic wand like item can also be held two handed . Just have it laying in one hand as shown and use the other hand to hold the end tip . Now to compare Donald scale wise to figures from other toy lines .
 Since Disney has rights to Star Wars now , you may as well say there are two Disney characters in the above pic as Donald stands next to a Stormtrooper .
 I could not believe it until I compared the two . Donald Duck standing next to Dr . Psycho from the DC Comics Multiverse line . Donald is even shorter than this guy .
As you can see Donald is barely at three inches tall . If not for his hat , he'd be just a little over two inches tall . Now on to Goofy .
I always wondered as a kid what kind of specimen / creature is Goofy supposed to be ? Donald is a duck, so what is Goofy? I always was thinking he resembled a dog with the floppy ears, and after viewing a Wikipedia profile on him that's exactly what he is mentioned as, a dog . Both Donald and Goofy are cool figures but I think I like the Goofy figure better because he has more articulation than Donald . Speaking of articulation , Goofy's head can move side to side and slightly up and down . His arms move outward and rotate in a circular motion . Goofy's wrists rotate in a circular motion . Both of his legs move outwards . Ankle articulation allows him to stand on his tip toes or raise his feet up to his knees. The area of his ankles located below his rolled up pants can rotate in a circular motion . Goofy's vest is removable also .


Goofy can hold the items a little better than Donald because he has hands that were posed in more of a gripping function than Donald.
Goofy next to a Marvel Legends Jessica Jones figure .
Goofy next to a WWE Mattel Kurt Angle figure .
Goofy next to a Star Wars Black Series StormTrooper .
As you can see Goofy is not as tall as he seems or looks.  He's even shorter than the Marvel Legend Jessica Jones figure. As you can see the figure measures right at six inches, however that is with the hat. Without the hat it looks as if he would be barely over five inches tall .
                                                           FINAL  THOUGHTS   
(1) ARTICULATION  LIMITS  -  Donald  - his legs can only rotate in a circular motion . No bending for knees or ankles. However I'm okay with this , he does not have to bend his knees because of him being so short. Goofy - No elbow or knee articulation however I'm not bothered by it. Also there's no articulation in Goofy's waist.

(2) STANDING  ABILITY - Donald stands well mainly because he is flat footed . Goofy stands well because he is both flat footed and has big feet .

(3) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THESE  FIGURES ? -  Their perfect likeness to the two Disney famous characters, and the luxury of them being in scale with six inch scaled figures .

(4) WHAT  I  LIKE  LEAST  ABOUT  THESE  FIGURES ? - No dislikes .

(5) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURES ? - Some elbow and knee articulation would be nice for Goofy, however I'm not bothered by it as mentioned before .

(6) GRADING  SCALE -  I give them both a Perfect 10 because I could find no flaws or dislike anything about them . Even though neither one of them can hold the weapons very well , I'm use to seeing these guys without anything in their hands anyway . ( NOTE ) I'm not giving them a Perfect 10 because I think they're cool figures, they're receiving that score because of no flaws or dislikes.

(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS  -  Rather you prefer Walt Disney styled original attire Donald and Goofy figures or these two video game themed figures , adding these two guys to your action figure collection is worth it . I also wonder will these figures catch the attention more of fans of Donald and Goofy as Disney cartoon characters, or the attention of the Kingdom Hearts video game fans ?

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Star Wars The Black Series - Dewback and SandTrooper Review !!!

Even though the title of this review says " Dewback and Sand Trooper Review" , the overall toy set itself is simply referred to as Dewback, as you can see on the outer packaging . Speaking of Packaging, this box set is very huge, literally. It is bigger than a lot of computer monitors . I purchased this Dewback set at a local Walmart for around the $ 59.99 price range .

 This side of the packaging displays instructions for the Dewback. This side of the packaging also makes me think of the Dragon Walker vehicle from the Masters of the Universe franchise. With the similar graphics and by both the Dewback and Dragon Walker being basically the same color but not the same shade of green. The main difference between the two being that one is a machine and the other is an animal .
 The back of the packaging . I love how it's done, it's got an old school feel to it with all of the extra pictures. Just like the backs of packaging of old toys from the 1970s and 1980s . By the way this box is so big that I could not fit it into my scanner and scan the back of it. So I literally just took a picture of the back with my camera, just like I did with the front .
 As previously mentioned, this box set is too big to fit into most scanners . So if you're having trouble seeing the words in the bios clearly , here they are . For the Sand Trooper it says " Stormtroopers dispatched to desert worlds wear specialized gear and are nicknamed sandtroopers . Sandtroopers wear standard Stormtrooper armor augmented with cooling units, a helmet sand filter, and a survival backpack with extra rations and water . While hunting for the Death Star plans on Tatooine , sandtroopers use native dewbacks as mounts .
For the Dewback bio it says " Rugged reptiles with thick hides, dewbacks are plodding but reliable mounts. When prodded by their riders, they are capable of brief bursts of surprising speed . In analysis of the bios, I like the fact that the Dewback may look slow but can be surprising fast. Imagine being charged at by something that big in real life, it can be a very scary situation .

 A drawing on this side of the packaging of the Sandtrooper, which as mentioned in his bio is just a modified version of a Stormtrooper . Now for a look at the interior of the packaging .


Notice that the Dewback is only revealed only when the contents of the packaging have been removed from within. Notice that you can not see the Dewback when you purchase this set, it is hidden inside. Only the Sandtrooper can be seen when purchased . I by the way love this " element of surprise" by Hasbro . The toy is almost a complete mystery when purchased at a store, however when you arrive home the mystery is no longer there when you open the packaging . This situation gives the luxury of " surprise Christmas gifts" which is a fun experience . Now for a look at the Sandtrooper . 


 As you can see the Sand Trooper comes with three accessories, maybe four if you count the Dewback's harness as a product of his . I love all three of the accessories by the way . A long spear like weapon , which also can be used to tame the animal , along with the laser rifle and backpack . I love the realism of desert sand covering the Sandtrooper's body . That's what the brown stains represent which makes sense since he's traveling in a desert . For you customizers out there, you can easily modify this into a regular Stormtrooper by removing the shoulder pad and painting over the brown stains. However I would not recommend this because of the cost of this set, unless you can find some loose Sandtroopers on Ebay for a good price. However there is no need to customize in my opinion as the Sandtrooper is already a very cool figure with no need to make modifications to it by customizing . Now for a look at the Sandtrooper compared to a normal Stormtrooper.
When compared I'm somewhat surprised to see just as many differences than similarities . Plus notice how much whiter the suit is of the regular Stormtooper . Now for a look at the main prize of this set, the Dewback .



 There's no doubt about it that the Dewback is the star of this package. Don't get me wrong however, the Sand Trooper is a cool figure too, but the Dewback is the main reason I purchased this set . Plus this is my first animal figure from any major franchise that I have purchased in quite some time. Even though the Dewback is not a real animal in real life , it looks as if it could be real thanks to not only the movie makers but to Hasbro also . Since this is supposed to be a reptile like creature, it looks every bit reptilian in every way. From the scaly green skin, the clawed feet, the reptile like eyes, etc . It kind of reminds me of komodo dragon, which unlike the Dewback is in fact a real animal .  I also love how weighty this Dewback toy is. It's big, sturdy and fun to hold in your hands.
Good articulation points makes the Dewback fun to have too. The head can move slightly up and down and slightly to the sides. The tail can move side to side, slightly downward but not upward . The Dewback also has articulation points in it's clawed feet, which you can see above, in it's ankles and also whee the knees are supposedly . The Dewback is a very big toy, hence the big box that it comes packaged in. When measuring the length of the creature on all fours, it measures slightly past the twelve inch mark when measuring from the tip of the nose to the middle of the tail .
 The Dewback's mouth can easily open and close .
 Here's a surprise. Did you knew that the Dewback's tongue can move up and down ? Yes the tongue moves which is a nice feature . I also love the detail on the tongue with the realistic look of striations, etc.
 Notice how scaly the skin looks. Very similar to an alligator, crocodile or any reptile . Great job Hasbro !!! I love the realism !!!
 The slot in the Dewback's upper back is where the harness snaps into place . Plus is it just me, because looking at the above pic reminds me of Stridor and Knight Stalker from the Masters of the Universe franchise . That the rider's legs would just fit into that slot, just like with those toys.
 Closeup look of the Dewback's harness.
Above, a pic of the SandTrooper holding onto the harness strap with both hands . The luxury of this situation is the multiple display options. If you wish you could also pose the Sand Trooper to hold one of his weapons in one hand and hold the strap in the other , or vice versa.
                                                                    FINAL   THOUGHTS   
(1) ARTICULATION  LIMITS - The Dewback - the tail has no upward movement. No outward movement in the limbs. The Sandtrooper - Excellent all around articulation .

(2) STANDING   ABILITY -  When positioned properly they both stand well without balance issues .

(3) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THESE  FIGURES ? - The Dewback - it's fun to hold and display. I love it's realistic reptilian looking skin with the scales, along with the opening and closing of the mouth along with tongue movement. These luxuries allow for multiple display options . The Sandtrooper - The illusion of his body being covered with desert sand along with excellent all around articulation . Plus like with any Stormtrooper figure in any variation , I love the fact the the body armor is a hard plastic, giving the true feel of these figures actually wearing armor .

(4) WHAT  I  LIKE  THE  LEAST  ABOUT  THESE  FIGURES ? - No dislikes ,

(5) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURES ? - No improvements needed .

(6) GRADING  SCALE  -  A Perfect 10 for both the Dewback and Sandtrooper . No flaws .

(7) FINAL   ANALYSIS  -  The price tag of this set may make many of you grimace when you see it in the stores, however when you arrive home you'll notice that it is worth the money .

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

MARVEL LEGENDS - Movie Wasp Review !!!


Even though the title says movie Wasp Review, that is not the wording on the packaging . This series is referred to as Ant-Man and the Wasp, in light of the motion picture movie that this character is featured in . This version of the Wasp is supposed to be Hope Van  Dyne , the daughter of the original Ant-Man and Wasp known as Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne . You can read more about this character in this Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Pym . Comic book companies in general confuse a lot of people by having multiple characters using the same code name . For a moment I thought all of the Wasps were the same character, but apparently they are not . I purchased this figure of the Wasp at a local Walmart for around the $ 19.99 price range . 




If you're having trouble seeing the words in the bio it says " Hope Van Dyne gears up with signature stingers and high-tech wings as the buzzworthy hero, Wasp .

As you can see the Wasp comes with quite a few accessories . Two extra pairs of hands. An alternate unmasked head . Two versions of her back pack which contains the wings. One version the wings are spread out and the other pack is supposed to be where the wings are tucked in . And finally she comes with the head of the build-a-figure Cull Obisdian formerly known as Black Dwarf .
The wings are packaged in a separate clear plastic located behind the Wasp .

I love the helmeted head. I like how you can see her eyes through it and the realistic look of clear plastic for the visor . Too bad a part of the face is sculpted with the helmet. The helmet can not be removed, and because of this there is no mouth or the other unseen facial features underneath the helmet .
Look closely and you'll see a hole in the upper back. That's where the insert for the wings are .
Glad she's not too tall . As you can see she is just a shade under six inches tall .  The previous Wasp Marvel Legend figures, from both Toybiz and Hasbro had a little too much height.



There's a lot to like about this Wasp figure . I really love how the movie stays very close to her comic book look, with not too many alterations to the costume . I really love the gold trimming and how it sort of shines under good light . The realistic face scan / sculpt is like an added bonus in itself . No cartoonish or comic look for this figure' s face . The wings look great too . Speaking of the wings, the upper wings can overlap the lower wings just a little . Now for some comparisons of Hope to the older Marvel Legend Wasp figures .
A look at Hope next to the old Toybiz Wasp .
A look at the two Hasbro Wasp figures along with the old Toybiz one . ( NOTE ) There are also variations of the Toybiz Wasp .

Hope's head on the body of the first Marvel Legend Wasp figure by Hasbro .

Hope next to Hasbro's first Wasp figure . By the way I reviewed the first Hasbro Wasp figure on this site back in 2015 . and just in case you missed the review here's the link to it - http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/marvel-legends-infinite-series-wasp.html .
Above is a look at the Wasp's backpack with the wings tucked in .

The multiple pair of hands allow the luxury of various display options .
One of the best features of today's Marvel Legends , not just this one, is the ability to change a figure's head to another figure's body . Thanks to the ball jointed swivels used on the necks of all figures . Take a look at how Hope/ Wasp looks on the body of the Jessica Jones figure . I reviewed the Jessica Jones figure on this site as well and just in case you missed that review here's the link - http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2017/10/marvel-legends-jessica-jones-review.html .
Another look at that realistic face sculpt. Notice how realistic looking those green eyes are compared to the older Wasp figures . Great job Hasbro !!! 
                                                                 FINAL    THOUGHTS  
(1) ARTICULATION  LIMITS - Excellent all around articulation .

(2) STANDING  ABILITY -  Stands well once you position her ankles at a proper stance.

(3) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - Multiple hands for various display options .  The realistic looking face sculpt.  The gold in her costume. The helmeted head. The wings, and finally the luxury of exchanging either head to other female Marvel Legend bodies .

(4) WHAT  I  LIKE  THE  LEAST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - No dislikes .

(5) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THIS  FIGURE ? -  No improvements needed .

(6) GRADING  SCALE -  A Perfect 10 !!! No flaws .

(7)  FINAL  ANALYSIS -  At first when I purchased this figure, I was thinking of using the extra head as a random unnamed civilian character. That is until I discovered that she is not the same Wasp as the previous two figures . However this figure is still a great add to your Marvel Legend collection.