A look back at some toys of 2013 - A look ahead to toys in 2014 - HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE !!!!

What a year 2013 was in the toy world for several toy lines, especially for Masters of the Universe Classics. Mattel treated He-fans and She-ravers to some nice treats. 2013 was the year the Filmation Subs started. Some of the most popular, fan demanded Filmation characters were made. Icer, Strong-Arm AKA Strong-or, Fang-Man, Shokoti , etc. , just to name a few. But the biggest surprise, both literally and figuratively, was Castle Grayskull. The castle is so cool with so many features . If you want a video review of the castle, check out Pixel-Dan's over forty minutes review of the castle on Youtube or any toysite such as He-man.org or Toynewsi.com . Awesome review, awesome castle.

As for MOTU Classics in 2014 , some nice treats are on the way as well. Although she has not been confirmed at the time of me writing this article, Madame Razz is on her way. Even though she has not been seen at the time of this writing, we know she is on her way because we got a look at Broom from the last Toy Fair / Comic Con . As all you She-Ra fans know that Broom is her sidekick from the Filmation series. Be on the look out for Scorpia and Modulok as well.
                        I hate being negative, but on a down note, 2013 also saw what might perhaps be
the end of the DC Universe Classics line. While MOTU Classics successfully reached its goal for a 2014 subscription , the DC Universe Classics franchise did not achieve its goal of reaching a certain number of subscribers. The good news though is that Mattel at the time made it clear that more options are being explored. That they'll try to see what else they can do to save the line. Let's pray and hope they get something done. I want to see DCU Classics continue, and so do many others.
             2013 was a decent year for Marvel Legends. This was also the year that ( build-a-figures ) BAFs got smaller. No more large giants, as we were introduced to the Rocket Raccoon and Hit Monkey Series . I was not bothered by this change, because BAFs are fun to put together no matter what size they are.

As for that old saying "change is good ", perhaps there is some truth to that when it comes to the packaging of WWE Mattel figures. As you can see the red and white colors have been replaced with blue and white. Or have they? Judge for yourself on which look you like the best.

2013 was also the year we got to see Star Wars figures in a new height scale. For the first time ever, Star Wars action figures are introduced as 6" scaled figures in a toy line referred to as " The Black Series" . And the first wave did not disappoint, introducing fan favorites such as Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 .

There you have it folks. A look back at some of the toys / action figures of 2013 . Here's hoping and praying that 2014 ends up being a lot better too, not just for toys, but in your lives as well. May the good Lord bless you all for this new year. HAPPY 2014 EVERYONE !!!!

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CLASSICS - Kobra Khan

Kobra Khan was one of my favorite MOTU characters and figures growing up as a kid. And I'm still a fan of the character as an adult. He has some cool powers, such as venom spraying mist and surprising foes with his retractable ears/hood for surprising attacks. Kobra Khan also is an interesting character because he brings some drama to MOTU . By this I mean, where is his true allegiance to, Skeletor or King Hiss. It's hard to figure out what Khan is up to. Is he spying on King Hiss for Skeletor , or has he truly betrayed Skeletor in order to serve Hiss ? But that's Kobra Khan the character, now on to Kobra Khan the figure.

As for the MOTUC Kobra Khan figure, the only thing that is disappointing about him is the lack of his famous action feature, squirting water from his mouth. As you can see he still comes with that classic red gun of his that first belonged to the original Zodac figure. And as with all MOTUC figures, he stands at a shade slightly over six inches, not quite seven inches but close to it. Khan also comes with alternate heads , his normal head and hooded head . I'm comparing the two heads below so you can determine yourself which look better suites him.

If you're a fan of the old Filmation MOTU cartoon, then you should know that the first time we saw this hooded look was from the episode titled " Disappearing Dragons". The moment happened when Kobra Khan attacked Mekaneck. First Khan stretched his arms out grabbing Mekaneck, then extracting his hood to spray Meka with a red sleeping mist. For some reason, Filmation chose to have Khan's venom spraying action from his hood and not from his mouth like the vintage toy. Speaking of cartoons, Khan comes with his little green lizard like buddy from the Mike Young Productions MOTU series. This little guy only accomplished one task, but it was a large task non the less. He was able to get by security, freeing Kobra Khan from his prison cell. The following pic is a comparison of the creature with his cartoon version. Oh by the way the name of the episode this creature is from is titled " Snake Pit".

I like how Kobra Khan is very well detailed, as you can see he has blackish grey fingernails. His little buddy on the other hand is not as detailed as his cartoon counterpart, but it's nice to have him anyway as an extra accessory / figure . As I mentioned earlier , it is sometimes difficult to determine where Khan's true allegiance lies, to Skeletor or King Hiss. Depending on the various forms of media you go by, such as comic books and cartoons. However Khan's bio seems to put emphasis that his true allegiance is to King Hiss.

                                                 FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - Khan has the basic standard articulation you see in every MOTUC figure.
(2) STANDING  ABILITY - There are no balance issues with this figure.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MOTUC KOBRA KHAN ? Alternate heads, his little lizard like friend packaged with him.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MOTUC KOBRA KHAN ? Missing his classic water squirting action feature.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THE FIGURE ? Add his classic action feature.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this figure a 9.5. The minus is for the missing action feature that he was well known for.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - Overall I am pleased with how MOTUC Kobra Khan turned out despite missing his famous action feature. I love the alternate heads and his little partner. And the figure is nicely sculpted and very well detailed, hence the fingernails.The only debate that one may have when acquiring Khan is to decide if you want to pose him with Skeletor or King Hiss . That's up for you to decide as I've decided to pose my Khan figure with Hiss and his gang. I mean Skeletor has enough warriors already whereas there are not quite as many Snake Men figures.

2013 CHRISTMAS TRIBUTE - A look back at a few Christmas toys from the past . MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!!

Here's Action Figure Imagery's Toy Reviews tribute to Christmas day. Since this is an action figure related site, what better way to celebrate Christmas on an action figure site than with Christmas themed action figures ? Here' s a look back at just a few ( but not all ) Christmas themed action figures from years past. First here's an ad from an old issue of Toyfare magazine, for the movie titled " A Christmas Story".

As you can see NECA is the company responsible for these figures. Randy is the only action figure I can think of that comes with an nonremovable scarf and skull cap. I don't own these figures yet but plan on buying them all someday. They look like real people, nicely sculpted with some cool accessories.
Next up Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

If you watched the Peanuts Christmas Special then you already know that small poor tree is directly from that episode. These figures are listed at five inches tall. Pretty big for action figures of children characters don't you think ? While I think these figures are cool I am still waiting for the day to see three inch Peanut figures. This ad too is from another old issue of Toyfare magazine, and the company that made these figures is called Round 2 .
Next up are the figures from the motion picture of Dr. Seuss' The Grinch.

From the same company known for Ninja Turtles, Playmates introduced four different toy sets of characters based on the motion picture movie. As you can see all four sets have nice figures and come with some very neat accessories, especially the two bikes in my opinion. ( NOTE ) The Grinch's look is based on Jim Carrey's likeness from the movie and not the actual Dr. Seuss drawing of the character. As you can see this time I have the cover displayed of the exact issue of Toyfare this ad/article is from.
Next up is an ad for " The Nightmare before Christmas ".

There were several of these figures made. I actually have a figure of Sally, not the one you see in the ad but another version. Below are pics of Sally and her neat but odd accessory, a picnic basket with what looks like a bottle of whine and a skeleton of an eaten fish.

The figure of Sally is in the six inch scale. The following is an ad from an old issue of Toyfare of a character that many people are familiar with , not just action figure fans. Frosty the Snowman .

Made by the same company that made the Peanuts figures, Round 2 . Not only did they make Frosty but other characters from the series as well.
Finally , a Christmas tribute from Toyfare magazine themselves. In this ad, it compares a normally wrapped present to what looks like a wrapped up Godzilla figure. I'm not sure what it is but it looks like Godzilla to me.

According to Toyfare, they seem to think the regular looking gift is boring looking and that the Godzilla like wrapped gift is awesome. If you ask me I see nothing wrong with the regular present. It is neatly wrapped with a gold bow placed on top. But since this is an action figure magazine, one can understand why Toyfare chose the Godzilla one. LOL ( laugh out loud ) . I love Toyfare magazine and miss it. It was very informative on action figures but it was also a very funny hilarious magazine. If you do not own any of the above mentioned figures I suggest you head right on over to E-bay or Amazon.com to purchase any of them.
There you have it folks. Action Figure Imagery Toy Reviews 2013 Christmas tribute. Expect another Christmas tribute in 2014 and other holiday tributes also in future posts. Again , MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU ALL !!!!

WWE BATTLE PACK - Naomi & Cameron

I'm very much sure many of you if not all have heard of the old saying " looks can be deceiving" . This old saying applies to this Battle Pack, but I mean that in a good way. When observing the figures when inside of the packaging, it looks like Naomi and Cameron are the same height. However, when you take them out they are not. Naomi is taller than Cameron. I was surprised but also glad that Mattel tries to stay true to real life with these figures. For those of you whom may not know, Naomi is the taller dark skin tone lady and Cameron is the brighter skin tone, shorter other lady. Also, the Disco Ball had me fooled for a moment. What I mean is, when I first saw the package, I thought there was two disco balls, not one. It was not until later that I discovered that these were two pieces of the disco ball that need to be snapped together. However this was somewhat of a small minor disappointment, two disco balls would have been better than one. But I'm not complaining the disco ball is still a cool accessory to go along with the two figures. Also while they are in the packaging I got the impression that they were flat footed with no heels, but when removing the figures you'll discover that they both are in high heels.

Another surprise about the packaging itself is there is no mention of the team name Naomi and Cameron were given , "The Funkadactyls". For those of you that watch WWE I'm sure you pretty much know that Naomi and Cameron were called the Funkadactyls when they first teamed up . This is not a complaint from me however, just a notable mention. I'm not sure why the name "Funkadactyls" was not mentioned, you'll probably have to ask Mattel . Now on to the figures.
I love these figures. They are very well done and do not share the same bodies. Naomi has taller longer legs. Look at their midsections closely and you'll discover that Cameron has more muscle definition in her abs than Naomi. Whereas Naomi has almost no abdominal muscle definition. Cameron is also flatter chested and has more muscle definition than Naomi in the upper body also. The hair on both of these ladies is very well sculpted and does not restrict head movement, as the hair on both is made out of a soft, rubbery plastic. It seems like the only body parts they share are arms. But even they look slightly different in scale, same mold but different scale as it is very logical that a taller person would have longer arms than the shorter one. Naomi's arms look slightly longer than Cameron. Very good job Mattel in the attention to detail department.

As you can see Naomi is slightly over six inches whereas Cameron is slightly under six inches. The figures come with three accessories, or two depending on how you look at it. Two of the accessories combine together to make one, the disco ball. Whereas the other accessory is the handle for the disco ball . The instruction sheet on how to put the ball together makes mention that the surface that you adhere the suction cup of the handle to may have to be cleaned with warm water. I tested this advice by adhering the disco ball and handle to an old CD jewel case. As you can see I was successfully able to make this happen as it sticks to a clear CD jewel case holding a Microsoft Windows 95 CD inside. However the theory about applying warm water to whatever surface you apply the suction cup to has some truth to it. I did not wash the CD case with warm water before sticking the suction cup to it. This resulted in the disco ball along with the handle falling off the CD jewel case only after a few seconds of attachment.
Also, before I snapped the disco ball together , I put a LED flashlight behind one of the pieces to see what kind of special effect look it may give. As we know disco balls are known for the light they emit.

The above pic is the one with the LED flashlight behind one of the disco ball pieces. I think it is a cool effect, kind of reminds me of an eclipse.
Even though he did not come with Naomi and Cameron, how can I mention these two without mentioning Brodus Clay . On the WWE show Clay would dance in the ring with Naomi and Cameron. It was here that Naomi and Cameron become known as the Funkadactyls. I've made some pictures below posing the women with Brodus. Also I tried to do my best positioning the two female figures into dancing poses.

                                                         FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - Both figures have the same basic articulation as most WWE female figures, with no ab crunch. Hair does not restrict head movement.
(2) STANDABILITY - In my opinion I think Cameron is a little bit easier to stand than Naomi. Probably because she's shorter with shorter legs and Naomi is slightly more top heavy. Just position their legs a certain way to keep them from falling with their high heels.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THESE FIGURES ? Just about everything. Different bodies, the outfits with the lime green color along with the shredded elbow sleeves provide a decorative look to the figures.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THESE FIGURES ? Nothing. I can't think of anything that bothers me about neither figure.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THESE FIGURES ? Add an ab crunch. This applies to all WWE Mattel figures however, not just these two. However no ab crunch does not take anything away from these high quality action figures, but having an ab crunch would make them better.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of one to ten , I give both figures a 9.5. The minus is for no ab crunch. Combining both figures with the disco ball accessory gives the whole set a perfect 10. Nice accessory, nice figures.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - I have been wanting action figures of these two before the figures were made and was pleased when Mattel finally made them. I am not a huge wrestling fan but I love a lot of the WWE Mattel figures. However if you are a huge wrestling fan with a Brodus Clay action figure in your collection, adding these two standing next to him on your display shelf would give you the satisfaction of completing a small team. Since Brodus was made into an action figure before these two. Plus it's always great to add more WWE divas to your collection.
                                       

Morphbot - The Mutator Collection - Ford Mustang GT

For those of you whom may not know bootleg action figures are action figures imitating big name franchises.
The noticeable differences are much cheaper prices but also downgraded quality in bootleg figures. Bootleg figures are perfect for lower income families or individuals whom may not be able to afford the big names. Transformers seem to have more bootleg competition than any other major boy toy franchise, and Morphbot The Mutator Collection is one of those bootleg competitors. You can purchase these figures at Family Dollar stores or any discount stores. This guy which looks a lot like Bumble Bee , is the first bootleg figure to be reviewed on this site.

As you can see on the back of the packaging there are other Morphbot figures available for purchase. These guys look a lot like autobots, but of course they're not. Thus hence the term "bootleg". As with almost all bootleg figures, the characters usually have no names, as it is with this guy. This particular Morphbot comes with three accessories. They are two guns and a sword that lights up emitting a red glowing light. This light up sword is my favorite accessory of the three as the action feature is activated by simply pressing a button on the handle.

As you can see this Morphbot stands at round six inches tall when in robot mode. And when you transform him into a car you have the option of leaving him without a hood like a convertible, or with his hood with black paint mimicking tinted windows. The figure comes with two sheets of paper. One is an instruction sheet on how to transform the figure. Not only does it show you how to transform this particular figure but the others in the line as well. The other sheet has information on where to go for product assistance. At the edge of the packaging there are instructions for replacing the batteries of the light up sword. These special type of batteries can be purchased at any Radio Shack or local electronic stores.

Below I've decided to make a comparison pic. In the pic I compare this figure with a Cyberfire Bumblebee. Notice how Bumblebee is a mixture of die cast metal mixed with high quality plastic. Whereas the Morphbot is made of all plastic, no die cast parts. Also he is made of a much cheaper plastic than the Transformer.

                                                          FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - Head moves up and down, no side to side movement. Arms and elbows move up and down. Wrists move up and down. Upper thighs bend up and down and knees bend up and down.
(2) STANDABILITY - There are no balance issues when standing in robot mode.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS FIGURE ?- I think I like him better in car mode than I do in robot mode. His clear sword that lights up.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THIS FIGURE ? - You have to be super careful when posing him moving some parts such as his arms. If you put too much pressure transitioning joints some pieces may or will fall off. However do not worry they can easily be snapped back together.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THIS FIGURE ? Use higher quality plastic along with some die cast parts, making him an exact clone of any Transformer. However this is highly unlikely to happen since this is a bootleg figure.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this figure a 7.7. Not a bad figure for a bootleg. The minuses are for low quality plastic, the figure is somewhat fragile, the windows are painted on rather than using clear plastic for glass, and no die cast parts. However I think die cast metal parts do not make or break the figure, but since he is a robot just like the Transformers die cast parts would have made him even cooler.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - I do not recommend this figure for adult collectors but do recommend it for kids. Since it is a bootleg , the downgraded quality may scare some adult collectors away. Small kids may enjoy playing with these Morphbot figures, as they are a perfect replacements for those who can't afford Transformers. The figure is pretty decent despite the flaws I mentioned in the Grading Scale category. If you are interested in purchasing Morphbots the name of the company that make them is called Variety Wholesalers Inc. Just in case if you can't find them in person and need to go to E-bay, some extra words in the search bar may help locate them better.

MAX STEEL - Blade Attack Dredd

Like I mentioned with the previous figure I reviewed for this franchise, I am not familiar with these characters but I assume that this guy is Max Steel's main arch enemy . He looks wicked and menacing and comes with two cool action features. Blade Attack Dredd comes with no accessories but his action features make up for that. Dredd's action features are (1) his right arm emits a red light and (2) make the blades / propeller attached to his right wrist spin. You can get him at places like Wal-Mart for around a 9-10 dollar price range.

Once you remove Dredd from the package, you'll discover that he has very little articulation. The legs move up and down, his left wrist rotates in a 360 degree circular motion. His head can do the same yet it somewhat restricted a little due to these edges on the tips of his shoulder blades. Both arms can move up and down and his right elbow spins / rotates for the spinning action feature.
Speaking of his right arm, there is a real treat for those of us that are curious as to how things work. If you look real closely at Dredd's right arm , you can see the gears and circuitry inside that make his action features function . You can really see them well when his red light is on. The camera really does not do my claim much justice but hopefully you can see some of the gears and even a circuit chip inside his arm in the pics below.

Can you see the micro chip in the above pic? It's right where you see the black button. Speaking of the black button, this is what you press to activate the light up feature. To activate his spinning action, you just press downward on his right shoulder attachment, the one you see in the pic above the one above.
The spinning action is not a continuous long spin. Instead it is a very short spin for a few seconds after pressing the button once. For multiple and continuous spins you must constantly keep pressing the button. Dredd is slightly taller than 6" inches. As you can see in the pics below, the 6" mark is right at his shoulder blade and that he is slightly taller than Max Steel .

On the packaging there is notice of locking up the blades for a power punch. I assume the power punch is referring to the spinning action. Mattel does a nice job of providing detailed instructions on operating the toy. Not to mention explaining how to remove and replace the batteries if you use up the power on his light feature. You can purchase these special batteries at any local Radio Shack or electronic specialty stores.

Of Dredd's two action features, I can not make up my mind which one I like the best. The spinning blades or the red light. The following comparison pic between Dredd's light and Max Steel's light may help you decide who's light feature is the coolest. If you ask me, I like Max's blue light the best. It is very bright and almost blinding . Whereas Dredd's light is more dim, more reminiscent of a forest wood fire at night . I say the brighter the better in my opinion.

                                                 FINAL   THOUGHTS
(1) ARTICULATION - Very limited. Since I have already mentioned what parts are articulated in the article, I'll mention a few non-articulated parts here. There are no knee, ankle, or elbow articulate points. No outward movement in the arms and legs.
(2) STANDABILITY - To get my figure to stand well without balance issues, I simply pushed out his left foot ahead of his right. You can also use his blades to balance him by having his right arm downward toward the ground.
(3) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT BLADE ATTACK DREDD ? His action features. They both are very cool.. Looks like the perfect villain. Mean with an emotionless expressionless look.
(4) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT BLADE ATTACK DREDD ? The limited articulation , however this does not bother me much I still think he's a cool action figure.
(5) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THE FIGURE ? More articulation but as I already mentioned this really is not much of an issue to complain about.
(6) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1-10 I give this figure a 9.5. Almost a 10 but the small minus is for the articulation that is not there. Similar to what I already mentioned, extra articulation or lack thereof does not necessarily make or break a figure but it does help.
(7) FINAL  ANALYSIS - I am pleased with my purchase of Blade Attack Dredd. He is a pretty decent action figure with cool features. As I mentioned earlier, he comes with no accessories but his action features are so neat he does not need any. Plus I like how he is kind of somewhat of a bulky figure. This bulkiness gives him somewhat of an imposing threatening presence against his enemy Max Steel. It is always excellent when the main villain is physically larger than the main hero. No matter what media or canon, be it comic books, action figures, cartoons, etc. The larger a hero's rival is, the more physically threatening is his/her presence . Popeye and Bluto are a perfect example of what I'm talking about. And Dredd does look physically imposing standing next to Max Steel.