GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE SEPTEMEBER 2018 CONTEST !!!
Welcome everyone to Action Figure Imagery Toy Reviews. Enjoy anything or everything action figure related here!!! From toy reviews to articles. I hope everyone enjoys it here and may God bless you all.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
No winner for August 2018 Contest .
Unfortunately no one won the August 2018 Contest . Below is what was shown .
Below is the answer
A Justin Bieber mini figurine from a three-pack by Bridge Direct .
GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE SEPTEMEBER 2018 CONTEST !!!
GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE SEPTEMEBER 2018 CONTEST !!!
Saturday, September 29, 2018
September 2018 Contest !!! Win 10 Dollars !!!
Give the name of the character and the toy line .
You have until October 31, 2018, Halloween to have the correct answers . GOOD LUCK TO ALL !!!
Friday, September 28, 2018
Pros and Cons of Marvel Legends !!! Both Toybiz and Hasbro !!!
Since Marvel Legends is basically split up between two companies, first it was owned by Toybiz then when Toybiz folded the Marvel Legends franchise got sent to Hasbro . So because of this situation I've decided to review both Toybiz and Hasbro Marvel Legends together . The words " APPLIES TO " will be used to clarify rather a situation applies to Toybiz , Hasbro or both .
The Pros of Marvel Legends
( Both Toybiz and Hasbro )
The Positives
( 1 ) Applies only to Toybiz - ACTUAL REAL COMIC BOOK REPRINTS CAME WITH THE FIGURES -
Even though they are all re-prints , there were some re-prints of some classic Marvel Comics . Actual real comics by Marvel themselves, and not some made up stuff by the toy company . So not only did you get a cool figure , but also an actual comic book for your reading enjoyment . Once Hasbro took over the comics ended .
( 2 ) Applies to BOTH - EXCELLENT LIKENESS OF ACTORS AND ACTRESSES OF THE MARVEL MOTION PICTURE MOVIES -
From the Spider-Man films with Tobey Mcguire as Spidey to the most recent Guardians of the Galaxy figures based on the films , both Toybiz and Hasbro have done an excellent job of making the figures look like the actors .
( 3 ) Applies only to Hasbro - THE LUXURY OF HEAD SWAPPING IS FUN - With the most recent Marvel Legends by Hasbro , you can now remove the head of a figure and place it unto the body of another figure . Just think of the options being almost limitless . Lots of fun and creativity to explore with head swapping . The older Hasbro figures do not have this luxury, same with the Toybiz figures . However the most recent Hasbro Legends are making head swapping a fun trend .
( 4 ) Applies only to Toybiz - MORE ARTICULATION THAN ANY OTHER KNOWN SIX INCH SCALED TOY LINE -
With the Toybiz Legends , a lot of figures even have finger articulation . You can actually move all five fingers on some figures . When Hasbro took over quite a bit of the articulation that Toybiz gave the figures got cut out . Also with Toybiz the female figures have ab crunches whereas till this day the female figures still do not have an ab crunch .
( 5 ) Applies only to Toybiz - REALISTIC LOOKING FACES ON THE FIGURES - Even though today's Hasbro's figures are catching up to Toybiz in this department, however the Toybiz figures have more details in their faces so far . For example , compare the faces of the Toybiz version of the Absorbing Man to all of the Hasbro Absorbing Man figures, including the build-a-figure, and you will immediately notice the differences .
( 6 ) Applies only to Hasbro - MARVEL LEGENDS STILL GOING STRONG TODAY - However the reason the line still lives on is because of Hasbro and not Toybiz . Why is it that Hasbro can keep the line going and Toybiz could not ? Did Toybiz's business practices did them in ? They suffered the same fate as Toys R Us . However Hasbro has been around much longer than Toybiz ever was and has much more business experience . Lack of experience in the business could have been a factor in the demise of Toybiz .
( 7 ) Applies to BOTH - THE JOY OF BUILD - A - FIGURES - Once Marvel Legends started the build-a- figure idea , other toy companies have continued the trend by following in Legend's footsteps . Toybiz's BAFs ( Build-a- Figures ) were bigger , however this could be a negative too as well as a positive because the bigger the figure the more shelf space, among just space in general it takes up . Rather you prefer the bigger BAFs of Toybiz or the smaller Hasbro ones , the build-a-figure concept was and is a great idea to keep one from spending a lot of money all at once on over-sized characters . By purchasing individual body parts over time is a great way to keep from spending too much at one time . A situation very similar to lay-away .
( 8 ) Applies only to Hasbro - THE FIGURES COME OUT MORE FREQUENTLY NOW -
Since Toybiz is no longer in operation . Now there are no more long waits between waves . Hasbro has been on a ball keeping the figures rolling into the stores without the long waits .
( 9 ) Applies to BOTH - MARVEL LEGENDS ARE CHEAPER THAN OTHER MARVEL FIGURES -
The other companies that make six inch scaled Marvel figures such as Diamond Select Toys with their Marvel Select figures and the Mezco 1 /12 Marvel figures are doing a great job, however the figures are on the pricey side . Even though Marvel Legends are not as cheap as they used to be under Toybiz , twenty bucks per figure is still better than what Marvel figures from other companies are priced at . How does Toybiz apply you may ask ? Because you can still purchase loose Toybiz figures off of places like Ebay and Amazon for fair deals .
( 10 ) Applies only to Toybiz - THE FRESH STRONG NEW SCENT OF OPENING A NEW FIGURE -
How many of you remember opening a Toybiz figure and inhaling a strong scent afterward ? It's not a bad odor but it's not exactly roses neither . It's kind of hard to explain in words however I'm sure many of you have heard people mention " that new car smell " . That's the kind of feeling you get when you open a Toybiz figure of some characters . I remember my Toybiz Sasquatch had that scent when I removed him from the packaging .
( 11 ) Applies only to Toybiz - STRONG DETAILED BIOS ON THE CARD BACKS -
I'm sorry but Hasbro's bios just do not cut it anymore . They started off similar to Toybiz but recently the bios are just too basic and seem more aimed at kid collectors than adults . For example , if you purchase any figure of the Hulk these days, the bio may say something similar to this " The Incredible Hulk uses his super strength to smash the enemy . " No bio has actually said those exact words, however those types of bios have been given to us recently by Hasbro . The bios are now basic and in my opinion are now also boring . They're not as fun to read as they used to be . The older Hasbro bios were good because they're similar to the Toybiz bios . The Toybiz bios provided a physical trait chart displaying a character's strength, speed, fighting skills and intelligence . You also got the character's origin story alongside the chart . I miss those old Toybiz bios .
( 12 ) Applies only to Hasbro - A LOT OF THE MOST RECENT FIGURES MAY COME WITH EXTRA HEADS AND HANDS -
Some Toybiz figures had alternate heads but not many came with alternate hands . This is where Hasbro has them beat . Extra heads come in handy for masked characters, such as a masked and unmasked head for multiple display options .
Before moving on to the Cons of Marvel Legends , let's see how both Toybiz and Hasbro compared with each other with the Pros .
TOYBIZ - Applies only to Toybiz - 5 out of 12
Applies to BOTH - 3 out of 12
FINAL TOYBIZ SCORE - 8 out of 12 for a total Score of 8
HASBRO - Applies only to Hasbro - 4 out of 12
Applies to BOTH - 3 out of 12
FINAL HASBRO SCORE - 7 out of 12 for a total Score of 7
Toybiz wins by only ONE point . Even though Toybiz has the winning score this by no means mean that Toybiz did a better job than Hasbro . Because there are some things not discussed in this article such as paint applications on figures . Categories like that vary from figure to figure so that situation alone makes paint apps a difficult category to judge . Now on to the Cons of Marvel Legends .
The Cons of Marvel Legends
( The Negatives ) - Both Toybiz and Hasbro
( 1 ) Applies to Toybiz - TOYBIZ WENT OUT OF BUSINESS - I sure miss Toybiz , but Hasbro has slowly caught up with them in the quality of the figures .
( 2 ) Applies to Hasbro - NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE TIGHTNESS OF JOINTS IN SOME FIGURES -
Some figures made today still have loose ab crunches , etc .
Well that;s it for now folks. I enjoyed writing this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it . Before I go let me leave you with some pics of Marvel Legends in action .
The Pros of Marvel Legends
( Both Toybiz and Hasbro )
The Positives
( 1 ) Applies only to Toybiz - ACTUAL REAL COMIC BOOK REPRINTS CAME WITH THE FIGURES -
Even though they are all re-prints , there were some re-prints of some classic Marvel Comics . Actual real comics by Marvel themselves, and not some made up stuff by the toy company . So not only did you get a cool figure , but also an actual comic book for your reading enjoyment . Once Hasbro took over the comics ended .
( 2 ) Applies to BOTH - EXCELLENT LIKENESS OF ACTORS AND ACTRESSES OF THE MARVEL MOTION PICTURE MOVIES -
From the Spider-Man films with Tobey Mcguire as Spidey to the most recent Guardians of the Galaxy figures based on the films , both Toybiz and Hasbro have done an excellent job of making the figures look like the actors .
( 3 ) Applies only to Hasbro - THE LUXURY OF HEAD SWAPPING IS FUN - With the most recent Marvel Legends by Hasbro , you can now remove the head of a figure and place it unto the body of another figure . Just think of the options being almost limitless . Lots of fun and creativity to explore with head swapping . The older Hasbro figures do not have this luxury, same with the Toybiz figures . However the most recent Hasbro Legends are making head swapping a fun trend .
( 4 ) Applies only to Toybiz - MORE ARTICULATION THAN ANY OTHER KNOWN SIX INCH SCALED TOY LINE -
With the Toybiz Legends , a lot of figures even have finger articulation . You can actually move all five fingers on some figures . When Hasbro took over quite a bit of the articulation that Toybiz gave the figures got cut out . Also with Toybiz the female figures have ab crunches whereas till this day the female figures still do not have an ab crunch .
( 5 ) Applies only to Toybiz - REALISTIC LOOKING FACES ON THE FIGURES - Even though today's Hasbro's figures are catching up to Toybiz in this department, however the Toybiz figures have more details in their faces so far . For example , compare the faces of the Toybiz version of the Absorbing Man to all of the Hasbro Absorbing Man figures, including the build-a-figure, and you will immediately notice the differences .
( 6 ) Applies only to Hasbro - MARVEL LEGENDS STILL GOING STRONG TODAY - However the reason the line still lives on is because of Hasbro and not Toybiz . Why is it that Hasbro can keep the line going and Toybiz could not ? Did Toybiz's business practices did them in ? They suffered the same fate as Toys R Us . However Hasbro has been around much longer than Toybiz ever was and has much more business experience . Lack of experience in the business could have been a factor in the demise of Toybiz .
( 7 ) Applies to BOTH - THE JOY OF BUILD - A - FIGURES - Once Marvel Legends started the build-a- figure idea , other toy companies have continued the trend by following in Legend's footsteps . Toybiz's BAFs ( Build-a- Figures ) were bigger , however this could be a negative too as well as a positive because the bigger the figure the more shelf space, among just space in general it takes up . Rather you prefer the bigger BAFs of Toybiz or the smaller Hasbro ones , the build-a-figure concept was and is a great idea to keep one from spending a lot of money all at once on over-sized characters . By purchasing individual body parts over time is a great way to keep from spending too much at one time . A situation very similar to lay-away .
( 8 ) Applies only to Hasbro - THE FIGURES COME OUT MORE FREQUENTLY NOW -
Since Toybiz is no longer in operation . Now there are no more long waits between waves . Hasbro has been on a ball keeping the figures rolling into the stores without the long waits .
( 9 ) Applies to BOTH - MARVEL LEGENDS ARE CHEAPER THAN OTHER MARVEL FIGURES -
The other companies that make six inch scaled Marvel figures such as Diamond Select Toys with their Marvel Select figures and the Mezco 1 /12 Marvel figures are doing a great job, however the figures are on the pricey side . Even though Marvel Legends are not as cheap as they used to be under Toybiz , twenty bucks per figure is still better than what Marvel figures from other companies are priced at . How does Toybiz apply you may ask ? Because you can still purchase loose Toybiz figures off of places like Ebay and Amazon for fair deals .
( 10 ) Applies only to Toybiz - THE FRESH STRONG NEW SCENT OF OPENING A NEW FIGURE -
How many of you remember opening a Toybiz figure and inhaling a strong scent afterward ? It's not a bad odor but it's not exactly roses neither . It's kind of hard to explain in words however I'm sure many of you have heard people mention " that new car smell " . That's the kind of feeling you get when you open a Toybiz figure of some characters . I remember my Toybiz Sasquatch had that scent when I removed him from the packaging .
( 11 ) Applies only to Toybiz - STRONG DETAILED BIOS ON THE CARD BACKS -
I'm sorry but Hasbro's bios just do not cut it anymore . They started off similar to Toybiz but recently the bios are just too basic and seem more aimed at kid collectors than adults . For example , if you purchase any figure of the Hulk these days, the bio may say something similar to this " The Incredible Hulk uses his super strength to smash the enemy . " No bio has actually said those exact words, however those types of bios have been given to us recently by Hasbro . The bios are now basic and in my opinion are now also boring . They're not as fun to read as they used to be . The older Hasbro bios were good because they're similar to the Toybiz bios . The Toybiz bios provided a physical trait chart displaying a character's strength, speed, fighting skills and intelligence . You also got the character's origin story alongside the chart . I miss those old Toybiz bios .
( 12 ) Applies only to Hasbro - A LOT OF THE MOST RECENT FIGURES MAY COME WITH EXTRA HEADS AND HANDS -
Some Toybiz figures had alternate heads but not many came with alternate hands . This is where Hasbro has them beat . Extra heads come in handy for masked characters, such as a masked and unmasked head for multiple display options .
Before moving on to the Cons of Marvel Legends , let's see how both Toybiz and Hasbro compared with each other with the Pros .
TOYBIZ - Applies only to Toybiz - 5 out of 12
Applies to BOTH - 3 out of 12
FINAL TOYBIZ SCORE - 8 out of 12 for a total Score of 8
HASBRO - Applies only to Hasbro - 4 out of 12
Applies to BOTH - 3 out of 12
FINAL HASBRO SCORE - 7 out of 12 for a total Score of 7
Toybiz wins by only ONE point . Even though Toybiz has the winning score this by no means mean that Toybiz did a better job than Hasbro . Because there are some things not discussed in this article such as paint applications on figures . Categories like that vary from figure to figure so that situation alone makes paint apps a difficult category to judge . Now on to the Cons of Marvel Legends .
The Cons of Marvel Legends
( The Negatives ) - Both Toybiz and Hasbro
( 1 ) Applies to Toybiz - TOYBIZ WENT OUT OF BUSINESS - I sure miss Toybiz , but Hasbro has slowly caught up with them in the quality of the figures .
( 2 ) Applies to Hasbro - NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE TIGHTNESS OF JOINTS IN SOME FIGURES -
Some figures made today still have loose ab crunches , etc .
Well that;s it for now folks. I enjoyed writing this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it . Before I go let me leave you with some pics of Marvel Legends in action .
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Pros and Cons of the Vintage 1980s Masters of the Universe line !!!
The Pros and Cons series looks back at an old popular toy line from the nineteen eighties , the original Masters of the Universe toy line . A Pros and Cons Review was also done for the current Masters of the Universe Classics line, and in case you missed that review here's the link to it - http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-pros-and-cons-of-masters-of.html . Now on to the old 1980s vintage Masters of the Universe toy line.
The Pros and Cons of the original MOTU
Masters of the Universe
( The Positives )
( 1 ) EVERY FIGURE CAME WITH A MINI-COMIC - Plus the mini - comics were awesome. The comics themselves were among the features that made the toys popular . I remember as a kid wanting a second figure of Teela even though I already had her in my collection . The reason being was that this time around Teela came with a new mini-comic, so I wanted that same figure just for that comic, and not for the figure .
( 2 ) THERE WERE SOME NICE PLAY-SETS IN THE LINE - The play sets are Castle Grayskull , Snake Mountain , Point Dread , The Slime Pit , The Fright Zone and The Eternia Towers Play-set, which allows the connection of Grayskull and Snake Mountain to attach to it to create a super size play set .
( 3 ) PLENTY OF COOL VEHICLES WITH NICE FEATURES SUCH AS BEING BATTERY OPERATED, ALSO SOME COOL ANIMAL CHARACTERS - Among the battery operated vehicles are Attak Trak , Spydor , Dragon-Walker , and Beam-Blaster and Artillery . Some of the ones with nice action features are the Wind Raider with its rescuing rope and the Battle-Ram with missile launching action . As for the beasts, the creators of these characters really let their imagination run wild with a green tiger with yellow stripes and a purple panther , thus turning into Battle-Cat and Panthor . Also don't forget about Zoar and Screech , along with Strydor and Night Stalker . As for Battle Bones, many may debate rather he should be considered a vehicle or animal ? I say he belongs in the animal category because he once was an actual living dinosaur with flesh, brought back to life with magic .
( 4 ) THEY STAND BETTER THAN A LOT OF TODAY'S FIGURES - Another great thing about the vintage MOTU is that they can stand very well without falling . The " bent knees " on every figure not only are great for battle and fight poses , the " bent knees " on the figures also help maintain balance .
( 5 ) LOTS OF FIGURES COME WITH COOL UNIQUE WEAPONS - One thing I like about the vintage MOTU is that there are all sorts of weapons characters / figures come with . It's not just all swords and guns . Plus the weapons are unique . Beast-Man's bullwhip, Webstor's grappling hook, Clamp-Champ's clamp , etc. I could go on and on , are among my favorite weapons in the line .
( 6 ) THE CARD-BACKS HAVE NICE ART ON THEM ALONG WITH THE PACKAGING FOR THE VEHICLES, PLAY SETS AND ANIMAL FIGURES -
The first few card backs of the original eight figures just displayed drawn images of those figures . Later on characters would be displayed in action plus you would get mini instructions on how to make their action features work . Also there is plenty of great artwork with the characters in action with everything from Castle Grayskull to the vehicles and beast characters .
( 7 ) THE ACTION FEATURES IS WHAT REALLY MADE THE FIGURES FUN - The original eight figures just had the " twist waist for power punch " feature . Then later in the line Mattel took things a step further by giving individual action features to characters rather than have everyone do the same thing . Sy-Klone spins, Kobra Khan and Snout Spout squirt water, etc .
( 8 ) THE VINTAGE MOTU ALSO HELPED SPIN-OFF OTHER GREAT MOTU-RELATED MERCHANDISE AND PRODUCTS -
If not for the original MOTU figures, there would be no cartoons, no She-Ra , and not even MOTU Classics . A lot of fans that were born after the release of the line may think that the Filmation cartoon came before the toys, however we all know that the toys came before all of the toons including She-Ra and the New Adventures of He-Man. Also other great MOTU -related products such as comics, magazines , etc . would not exist if not for the original vintage line .
( 9 ) SUPER 7 ARE MAKING VINTAGE STYLED FIGURES TODAY JUST IN CASE YOU MAY WANT TO ADD ON TO YOUR ORIGINAL VINTAGE MOTU COLLECTION - Have you always wanted those non produced He-Ro and Eldor figures from that Powers of Grayskull line ? Thanks to Super 7 they can now be yours along with other vintage styled figures . I think this is very cool that Super 7 is doing this. So not only are they just focusing on adding to the MOTU Classics , but they also want to keep fans of the vintage toys happy too . You can visit the Super 7 store at this link - https://super7.com/ .
( 10 ) TODAY THERE ARE OTHER FRANCHISES AND TOY LINES MAKING FIGURES IN THE SAME DESIGN AND STYLE AS THE VINTAGE MOTU - For example , the Mortal Kombat and Thunder-Cat figures that are designed in the same fashion as the vintage MOTU . So if you want to have a vintage MOTU crossover with some Mortal Kombat figures on your display shelves, now you can . Plus other toy lines have also produced vintage MOTU style figures in the 1980s , such as the Sun-Man series by Olmec Toys .
Now for the negatives , the Cons .
The Cons of the vintage Masters of the Universe line
( The Negatives )
( 1 ) SOME OF THE RARE FIGURES FROM THE VINTAGE LINE ARE SUPER EXPENSIVE TODAY - You may have to save two or three full time paychecks from your job in order to purchase vintage versions of Megator , Tytus , the Eternia Playset and Wonder Bread He-Man . For those not familiar with the mysterious Wonder-Bread He-Man figure, rumors has it that this brown haired He-Man figure was involved in a prize give-away by none other than who else, the Wonder Bread company . A complete Eternia Playset at the time of this writing , while still inside the box may now cost you above the thousand dollar mark .
( 2 ) THE FIGURES WERE NOT MADE FOR ROUGH PLAY - This situation is not a problem now as an adult but it was as a kid . This was my only gripe about the vintage line not related to the pricing of the rare figures . A lot of my old He-Man figures lost their legs when I was a child playing with them. The rubber bands that hold the legs together just were not strong enough in a lot of figures . Especially in the older figures . As the line aged the newer figures did not have the same type of problem, despite using the same rubber bands to hold the legs together . However now as an adult I'm not bothered by the rubber bands being used to hold the legs together.
Well that's it for now folks. I hope you all enjoyed the article . Below the vintage He-Man figure and The Meteorbs .
The Pros and Cons of the original MOTU
Masters of the Universe
( The Positives )
( 1 ) EVERY FIGURE CAME WITH A MINI-COMIC - Plus the mini - comics were awesome. The comics themselves were among the features that made the toys popular . I remember as a kid wanting a second figure of Teela even though I already had her in my collection . The reason being was that this time around Teela came with a new mini-comic, so I wanted that same figure just for that comic, and not for the figure .
( 2 ) THERE WERE SOME NICE PLAY-SETS IN THE LINE - The play sets are Castle Grayskull , Snake Mountain , Point Dread , The Slime Pit , The Fright Zone and The Eternia Towers Play-set, which allows the connection of Grayskull and Snake Mountain to attach to it to create a super size play set .
( 3 ) PLENTY OF COOL VEHICLES WITH NICE FEATURES SUCH AS BEING BATTERY OPERATED, ALSO SOME COOL ANIMAL CHARACTERS - Among the battery operated vehicles are Attak Trak , Spydor , Dragon-Walker , and Beam-Blaster and Artillery . Some of the ones with nice action features are the Wind Raider with its rescuing rope and the Battle-Ram with missile launching action . As for the beasts, the creators of these characters really let their imagination run wild with a green tiger with yellow stripes and a purple panther , thus turning into Battle-Cat and Panthor . Also don't forget about Zoar and Screech , along with Strydor and Night Stalker . As for Battle Bones, many may debate rather he should be considered a vehicle or animal ? I say he belongs in the animal category because he once was an actual living dinosaur with flesh, brought back to life with magic .
( 4 ) THEY STAND BETTER THAN A LOT OF TODAY'S FIGURES - Another great thing about the vintage MOTU is that they can stand very well without falling . The " bent knees " on every figure not only are great for battle and fight poses , the " bent knees " on the figures also help maintain balance .
( 5 ) LOTS OF FIGURES COME WITH COOL UNIQUE WEAPONS - One thing I like about the vintage MOTU is that there are all sorts of weapons characters / figures come with . It's not just all swords and guns . Plus the weapons are unique . Beast-Man's bullwhip, Webstor's grappling hook, Clamp-Champ's clamp , etc. I could go on and on , are among my favorite weapons in the line .
( 6 ) THE CARD-BACKS HAVE NICE ART ON THEM ALONG WITH THE PACKAGING FOR THE VEHICLES, PLAY SETS AND ANIMAL FIGURES -
The first few card backs of the original eight figures just displayed drawn images of those figures . Later on characters would be displayed in action plus you would get mini instructions on how to make their action features work . Also there is plenty of great artwork with the characters in action with everything from Castle Grayskull to the vehicles and beast characters .
( 7 ) THE ACTION FEATURES IS WHAT REALLY MADE THE FIGURES FUN - The original eight figures just had the " twist waist for power punch " feature . Then later in the line Mattel took things a step further by giving individual action features to characters rather than have everyone do the same thing . Sy-Klone spins, Kobra Khan and Snout Spout squirt water, etc .
( 8 ) THE VINTAGE MOTU ALSO HELPED SPIN-OFF OTHER GREAT MOTU-RELATED MERCHANDISE AND PRODUCTS -
If not for the original MOTU figures, there would be no cartoons, no She-Ra , and not even MOTU Classics . A lot of fans that were born after the release of the line may think that the Filmation cartoon came before the toys, however we all know that the toys came before all of the toons including She-Ra and the New Adventures of He-Man. Also other great MOTU -related products such as comics, magazines , etc . would not exist if not for the original vintage line .
( 9 ) SUPER 7 ARE MAKING VINTAGE STYLED FIGURES TODAY JUST IN CASE YOU MAY WANT TO ADD ON TO YOUR ORIGINAL VINTAGE MOTU COLLECTION - Have you always wanted those non produced He-Ro and Eldor figures from that Powers of Grayskull line ? Thanks to Super 7 they can now be yours along with other vintage styled figures . I think this is very cool that Super 7 is doing this. So not only are they just focusing on adding to the MOTU Classics , but they also want to keep fans of the vintage toys happy too . You can visit the Super 7 store at this link - https://super7.com/ .
( 10 ) TODAY THERE ARE OTHER FRANCHISES AND TOY LINES MAKING FIGURES IN THE SAME DESIGN AND STYLE AS THE VINTAGE MOTU - For example , the Mortal Kombat and Thunder-Cat figures that are designed in the same fashion as the vintage MOTU . So if you want to have a vintage MOTU crossover with some Mortal Kombat figures on your display shelves, now you can . Plus other toy lines have also produced vintage MOTU style figures in the 1980s , such as the Sun-Man series by Olmec Toys .
Now for the negatives , the Cons .
The Cons of the vintage Masters of the Universe line
( The Negatives )
( 1 ) SOME OF THE RARE FIGURES FROM THE VINTAGE LINE ARE SUPER EXPENSIVE TODAY - You may have to save two or three full time paychecks from your job in order to purchase vintage versions of Megator , Tytus , the Eternia Playset and Wonder Bread He-Man . For those not familiar with the mysterious Wonder-Bread He-Man figure, rumors has it that this brown haired He-Man figure was involved in a prize give-away by none other than who else, the Wonder Bread company . A complete Eternia Playset at the time of this writing , while still inside the box may now cost you above the thousand dollar mark .
( 2 ) THE FIGURES WERE NOT MADE FOR ROUGH PLAY - This situation is not a problem now as an adult but it was as a kid . This was my only gripe about the vintage line not related to the pricing of the rare figures . A lot of my old He-Man figures lost their legs when I was a child playing with them. The rubber bands that hold the legs together just were not strong enough in a lot of figures . Especially in the older figures . As the line aged the newer figures did not have the same type of problem, despite using the same rubber bands to hold the legs together . However now as an adult I'm not bothered by the rubber bands being used to hold the legs together.
Well that's it for now folks. I hope you all enjoyed the article . Below the vintage He-Man figure and The Meteorbs .
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Pros and Cons of the SOTA Street Fighter figures !!!
The Pros and Cons series continues with another toy line that is discontinued. The Street Fighter Sota Toys series . There are quite a few companies that have made or are currently making six inch scaled Street Fighter figures . Among them are Neca , S. H. Figuarts , Storm Collectibles , and Sota . Out of all of the companies to make Street Fighter figures in six inch scale I think that Sota has done the best job and I'll explain why as of now.
The Pros of Sota Street Fighter figures
( The Positives )
( 1 ) THE FIGURES COME WITH EXTRA HEADS AND EXTRA HANDS - I know a lot of today's toy lines do this same thing . However when it comes to an extra head , nine times out of ten the pair is almost always a masked head and an unmasked head . Whereas with the Street Fighter Sota figures you get different facial expressions with the alternate heads. For example , Balrog comes with one head where it seems that he is displaying a sinister grin , and the other head looks as if he is angry . This is a nice luxury for toy photography, just in case you want the figures displayed with a variety of emotions .
( 2 ) THE FIGURES COME WITH SOME COOL ACCESSORIES - Lots of today's figures do also. However with the Street Fighter Sota figures , for example, Guile . Not only did Guile come with his dog tag and a comb for his hair, but he also came with his famous " sonic boom " attack beams. So not only do you get a character's regular accessories, but also some of their powers in plastic form also . Not to mention animals too, because Ibuki comes with her pet raccoon and Thunder Hawk with his eagle. Also not considered an accessory , but the figures also come with a poster like sheet showing other toy lines and figures that are not Street Fighter made by Sota Toys . So overall some nice bonus goodies to go along with the alternate heads and hands .
( 3 ) SEVERAL CHARACTERS / FIGURES HAVE VARIANTS OF THEMSELVES - Although I'm not a big fan of variants myself , this is good for those that are . For example you can purchase three different versions of Cammy . Not only can you get her in her original green outfit, but also in pink and blue .
( 4 ) NO SHARED BODY PARTS OR BODY MOLDS - In most toy lines, both old and current there will be characters / figures that share the same torso, the same arms , etc . However this is not the case with the Street Fighter Sota figures . Each figure is designed with their own original parts .
( 5 ) EVERYONE IS IN SCALE HEIGHT WISE AND STATURE WISE - All of the figures are proportioned correctly just like they are in the famous video game franchise .
( 6 ) THE PACKAGING OF THE FIGURES - Other than different colored packaging for different figures , there are some that display drawn arcade buttons on the front , and on the back there are some with what resembles a character selection menu . I think this is a nice nod and sort of like a tribute to the video game franchise itself . This is great since Street Fighter's true roots are video games , and not toys and action figures .
( 7 ) THE FIGURES SEEM TO BE MADE OUT OF A NICE HARD PLASTIC WITH TIGHT JOINTS - Although not all figures have " super " tight joints but at least you don't have to worry about " bobblehead type looseness" with ab crunches , knee joints , etc . Plus is it just me or does the plastic seems like a nice hard plastic that feels different from other toy lines ? The plastic feels right and the figures have a nice sturdy feel to them without any signs of being fragile .
( 8 ) THE FIGURES HAVE BETTER ARTICULATION THAN A LOT OF TODAY'S FIGURES - Including Hasbro's Marvel Legends . Excellent all around articulation exists in these figures .
( 9 ) THEY FIT IN WELL WITH MARVEL LEGENDS AND OTHER SIX INCH SCALED LINES - However I'm putting more emphasis on the Sota Street Fighter figures fitting in well with Marvel Legends more than I am any other toy line . The reason why is because of the " MARVEL . VS . CAPCOM " video game series . Thanks to a combination of Sota Street Fighter figures and Marvel Legends collectors can now display half of the characters from that popular video game series upon their display shelves .
( 10 ) TONS OF MULTIPLE DISPLAY OPTIONS - Because of all of the extra heads and hands, along with the accessories allow for various multiple display options .
That's it for the Pros. And now for the Cons .
The Cons of the Sota Street Fighter figures
( The Negatives )
( 1 ) NOT EVERY STREET FIGHTER CHARACTER GOT MADE - Unfortunately Sota did not get around to every single character . Hopefully one day soon all of the characters will have six inch scaled figures of themselves if not by Sota than maybe by some other company .
( 2 ) A LOT OF THE FIGURES ARE NOW VERY EXPENSIVE - This occurrence however happens with all toy lines as they age, especially a discontinued one .
Alright folks that's it for the article . But before I go let me leave you with some Street Fighter Sota figures in fighting action . Thunder Hawk versus Balrog . For your entertainment .
The Pros of Sota Street Fighter figures
( The Positives )
( 1 ) THE FIGURES COME WITH EXTRA HEADS AND EXTRA HANDS - I know a lot of today's toy lines do this same thing . However when it comes to an extra head , nine times out of ten the pair is almost always a masked head and an unmasked head . Whereas with the Street Fighter Sota figures you get different facial expressions with the alternate heads. For example , Balrog comes with one head where it seems that he is displaying a sinister grin , and the other head looks as if he is angry . This is a nice luxury for toy photography, just in case you want the figures displayed with a variety of emotions .
( 2 ) THE FIGURES COME WITH SOME COOL ACCESSORIES - Lots of today's figures do also. However with the Street Fighter Sota figures , for example, Guile . Not only did Guile come with his dog tag and a comb for his hair, but he also came with his famous " sonic boom " attack beams. So not only do you get a character's regular accessories, but also some of their powers in plastic form also . Not to mention animals too, because Ibuki comes with her pet raccoon and Thunder Hawk with his eagle. Also not considered an accessory , but the figures also come with a poster like sheet showing other toy lines and figures that are not Street Fighter made by Sota Toys . So overall some nice bonus goodies to go along with the alternate heads and hands .
( 3 ) SEVERAL CHARACTERS / FIGURES HAVE VARIANTS OF THEMSELVES - Although I'm not a big fan of variants myself , this is good for those that are . For example you can purchase three different versions of Cammy . Not only can you get her in her original green outfit, but also in pink and blue .
( 4 ) NO SHARED BODY PARTS OR BODY MOLDS - In most toy lines, both old and current there will be characters / figures that share the same torso, the same arms , etc . However this is not the case with the Street Fighter Sota figures . Each figure is designed with their own original parts .
( 5 ) EVERYONE IS IN SCALE HEIGHT WISE AND STATURE WISE - All of the figures are proportioned correctly just like they are in the famous video game franchise .
( 6 ) THE PACKAGING OF THE FIGURES - Other than different colored packaging for different figures , there are some that display drawn arcade buttons on the front , and on the back there are some with what resembles a character selection menu . I think this is a nice nod and sort of like a tribute to the video game franchise itself . This is great since Street Fighter's true roots are video games , and not toys and action figures .
( 7 ) THE FIGURES SEEM TO BE MADE OUT OF A NICE HARD PLASTIC WITH TIGHT JOINTS - Although not all figures have " super " tight joints but at least you don't have to worry about " bobblehead type looseness" with ab crunches , knee joints , etc . Plus is it just me or does the plastic seems like a nice hard plastic that feels different from other toy lines ? The plastic feels right and the figures have a nice sturdy feel to them without any signs of being fragile .
( 8 ) THE FIGURES HAVE BETTER ARTICULATION THAN A LOT OF TODAY'S FIGURES - Including Hasbro's Marvel Legends . Excellent all around articulation exists in these figures .
( 9 ) THEY FIT IN WELL WITH MARVEL LEGENDS AND OTHER SIX INCH SCALED LINES - However I'm putting more emphasis on the Sota Street Fighter figures fitting in well with Marvel Legends more than I am any other toy line . The reason why is because of the " MARVEL . VS . CAPCOM " video game series . Thanks to a combination of Sota Street Fighter figures and Marvel Legends collectors can now display half of the characters from that popular video game series upon their display shelves .
( 10 ) TONS OF MULTIPLE DISPLAY OPTIONS - Because of all of the extra heads and hands, along with the accessories allow for various multiple display options .
That's it for the Pros. And now for the Cons .
The Cons of the Sota Street Fighter figures
( The Negatives )
( 1 ) NOT EVERY STREET FIGHTER CHARACTER GOT MADE - Unfortunately Sota did not get around to every single character . Hopefully one day soon all of the characters will have six inch scaled figures of themselves if not by Sota than maybe by some other company .
( 2 ) A LOT OF THE FIGURES ARE NOW VERY EXPENSIVE - This occurrence however happens with all toy lines as they age, especially a discontinued one .
Alright folks that's it for the article . But before I go let me leave you with some Street Fighter Sota figures in fighting action . Thunder Hawk versus Balrog . For your entertainment .
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
The Pros and Cons of DC Universe Classics !!!
Continuing with the Pros and Cons series, this is the first pros and cons article of a discontinued toy line . Even though DC Universe Classics are no more, the DC Multiverse line is like a continuation of the Classics line with the same type of figure molds and articulation . However the Multi-verse line will be analyzed at a later time for now the focus is on the Classics .
The Pros of DC Universe Classics
( The Positives )
( 1 ) IF YOU'RE A FAN OF THE SUPER-FRIENDS CARTOON , YOU GOT LUCKY - Because almost all of the main characters from that cartoon series got made into an action figure in this line . They're even some characters to have their first ever figure made of them . Characters such as The Wonder Twins, Apache Chief , etc . Every member of the Legion of Doom has a figure in this line, and almost all of the Super Friends with only Marvin , Wendy and Wonder-Dog missing in the line .
( 2 ) THEY WERE SOLD IN STORES AND EASY TO FIND - Although the " Sold in Stores " luxury is now a former luxury and a thing of the past , however you can still maybe catch a few at your local comic book stores . However the " Easy to Find " luxury is still good today, as you can browse Ebay , Amazon and other online toy stores in search of them .
( 3 ) THE DCU CLASSICS LINE DID " NOT " MAKE TOO MANY VARIANTS OF A- LIST CHARACTERS -
Unlike a lot of other six inch scaled toy lines , one thing I really liked about the DCU Classics line is that it did not over-flood us with multiple different versions of the same character . For example there were no such thing as 20 different Batmen , 20 different Supermen, etc . Although the line did have variants of a few characters however they were kept to a minimum . This was a great luxury because it allowed for B- list and C-list characters to be made into figures and not forgotten about because of the big names .
( 4 ) DIFFERENT BODY MOLDS FOR DIFFERENT CHARACTERS - This is great also because you do not want for example , - " Superman and the Flash sharing the same body mold . Also the teenage characters were shorter with a smaller body mold than the older characters which is another nice luxury .
( 5 ) THE JOY AND FUN OF BUILD - A - FIGURES - Although the DCU Classics referred to build-a-figures as " Collect & Connect " . Just like Marvel Legends , it was always fun collecting a piece with a figure to build that series BAF .
( 6 ) THE LINE HAD SOME VERY COOL EXCLUSIVES - Still does, I'm just speaking in " past tense " since the line has been discontinued . Plastic Man , The Wonder Twins , etc . to name a few . Plus the exclusives came with some nice extra accessories .
( 7 ) THE BIOS WERE INFORMATIVE - On the back of the packaging of the figures we got details such as real names , first appearances , occupation , base of operations and special abilities - referring to a character's powers and skills .
( 8 ) THE FEMALE FIGURES HAVE AB-CRUNCHES JUST LIKE THE MALES - Since most of today's six inch scale toy lines have eliminated ab crunches in female figures , DCU Classics continued that trend until the line got discontinued . Just like the old Toybiz Marvel Legends , all of the DCU Classics female figures have ab crunches . This also depends on what us collectors like too I understand that some of us now like the female figures with no ab crunches, whereas the rest of us wants the ab crunches . However in today's figures , just like the dinosaurs it appears that ab crunches in female action figures is a thing of the past .
( 9 ) DCU CLASSICS HAD SOME NICE MINIATURE SUB - LINES / SPIN-OFF LINES - The great thing about the DCU Classics line is that it does not just consist of only waves one through twenty, but also accumulated some nice spin-off lines such as Bat-Man Legacy , Bat-Man Unlimited , Club Infinite Earths and DC Unlimited . These sub-lines allowed for a lot more characters to be made into figures . Plus don't forget about the Movie Masters line which is also compatible with the Classics .
( 10 ) SEVERAL HERO AND VILLAIN TEAMS WERE COMPLETED OR NEAR COMPLETION UNDER THE DCU CLASSICS LINE - The Legion of Doom, The Crime Syndicate , The Metal Men , Legion of Superheroes among others such as The Green Lantern Corps, etc . are among the teams that you can have complete or near completion in your collection .
( 11 ) DCU CLASSICS FITS IN PERFECTLY WITH ITS PREDECESSOR - THE DC SUPERHEROES LINE - Also they fit in nicely with the older Marvel Legend series, just in case you want to have Cross Overs with your figures like in the comics .
( 12 ) OLD SCHOOL DC FANS THAT COLLECT FIGURES SHOULD BE PLEASED WITH THIS LINE -
Especially the ones that hate the New 52 Era and prefer old school DC instead . There are lots of classic characters in their original classic outfits in this line .
That's it for the Pros . Unlike the previous Pros and Cons articles I was able to come up with twelve positives instead of ten . This does not mean that I think that DC Classics are better than those lines, I do not think that . It's just that I was able to think of more positives than the others to write about. Now on to the Cons of the DC Classics .
The Cons of DC Universe Classics
( The Negatives )
( 1 ) MATTEL DISCONTINUED THE LINE PREMATURELY - I'm sure I'm not the only fan that was angry at Mattel for doing this , however the DC Multiverse line makes up for losing Classics , so I'm no longer angry at Mattel however not sure about the other Classics fans .
( 2 ) A LOT OF POPULAR CHARACTERS STILL DID NOT MAKE THE CUT - I'm still waiting on Marvin , Wendy and Wonder Dog from the Super Friends cartoon . Also waiting on a Granny Goodness figure. May be one day the Multiverse line can finally bring us these characters into figure form .
( 3 ) SOME OF THE EXCLUSIVES ARE NOW SUPER EXPENSIVE - Make sure you try to save some money if you work only part -time if there are some exclusives you've missed . If you work full-time make sure the exclusives don't get in the way of paying bills . Prices will more than likely continue to be this way as time moves on .
That's it for now folks, I hope you enjoyed the article . But before leaving. below are some pics of some DCU Classics figures in action , along with a few DC Super Heroes figures , for your entertainment .
The Pros of DC Universe Classics
( The Positives )
( 1 ) IF YOU'RE A FAN OF THE SUPER-FRIENDS CARTOON , YOU GOT LUCKY - Because almost all of the main characters from that cartoon series got made into an action figure in this line . They're even some characters to have their first ever figure made of them . Characters such as The Wonder Twins, Apache Chief , etc . Every member of the Legion of Doom has a figure in this line, and almost all of the Super Friends with only Marvin , Wendy and Wonder-Dog missing in the line .
( 2 ) THEY WERE SOLD IN STORES AND EASY TO FIND - Although the " Sold in Stores " luxury is now a former luxury and a thing of the past , however you can still maybe catch a few at your local comic book stores . However the " Easy to Find " luxury is still good today, as you can browse Ebay , Amazon and other online toy stores in search of them .
( 3 ) THE DCU CLASSICS LINE DID " NOT " MAKE TOO MANY VARIANTS OF A- LIST CHARACTERS -
Unlike a lot of other six inch scaled toy lines , one thing I really liked about the DCU Classics line is that it did not over-flood us with multiple different versions of the same character . For example there were no such thing as 20 different Batmen , 20 different Supermen, etc . Although the line did have variants of a few characters however they were kept to a minimum . This was a great luxury because it allowed for B- list and C-list characters to be made into figures and not forgotten about because of the big names .
( 4 ) DIFFERENT BODY MOLDS FOR DIFFERENT CHARACTERS - This is great also because you do not want for example , - " Superman and the Flash sharing the same body mold . Also the teenage characters were shorter with a smaller body mold than the older characters which is another nice luxury .
( 5 ) THE JOY AND FUN OF BUILD - A - FIGURES - Although the DCU Classics referred to build-a-figures as " Collect & Connect " . Just like Marvel Legends , it was always fun collecting a piece with a figure to build that series BAF .
( 6 ) THE LINE HAD SOME VERY COOL EXCLUSIVES - Still does, I'm just speaking in " past tense " since the line has been discontinued . Plastic Man , The Wonder Twins , etc . to name a few . Plus the exclusives came with some nice extra accessories .
( 7 ) THE BIOS WERE INFORMATIVE - On the back of the packaging of the figures we got details such as real names , first appearances , occupation , base of operations and special abilities - referring to a character's powers and skills .
( 8 ) THE FEMALE FIGURES HAVE AB-CRUNCHES JUST LIKE THE MALES - Since most of today's six inch scale toy lines have eliminated ab crunches in female figures , DCU Classics continued that trend until the line got discontinued . Just like the old Toybiz Marvel Legends , all of the DCU Classics female figures have ab crunches . This also depends on what us collectors like too I understand that some of us now like the female figures with no ab crunches, whereas the rest of us wants the ab crunches . However in today's figures , just like the dinosaurs it appears that ab crunches in female action figures is a thing of the past .
( 9 ) DCU CLASSICS HAD SOME NICE MINIATURE SUB - LINES / SPIN-OFF LINES - The great thing about the DCU Classics line is that it does not just consist of only waves one through twenty, but also accumulated some nice spin-off lines such as Bat-Man Legacy , Bat-Man Unlimited , Club Infinite Earths and DC Unlimited . These sub-lines allowed for a lot more characters to be made into figures . Plus don't forget about the Movie Masters line which is also compatible with the Classics .
( 10 ) SEVERAL HERO AND VILLAIN TEAMS WERE COMPLETED OR NEAR COMPLETION UNDER THE DCU CLASSICS LINE - The Legion of Doom, The Crime Syndicate , The Metal Men , Legion of Superheroes among others such as The Green Lantern Corps, etc . are among the teams that you can have complete or near completion in your collection .
( 11 ) DCU CLASSICS FITS IN PERFECTLY WITH ITS PREDECESSOR - THE DC SUPERHEROES LINE - Also they fit in nicely with the older Marvel Legend series, just in case you want to have Cross Overs with your figures like in the comics .
( 12 ) OLD SCHOOL DC FANS THAT COLLECT FIGURES SHOULD BE PLEASED WITH THIS LINE -
Especially the ones that hate the New 52 Era and prefer old school DC instead . There are lots of classic characters in their original classic outfits in this line .
That's it for the Pros . Unlike the previous Pros and Cons articles I was able to come up with twelve positives instead of ten . This does not mean that I think that DC Classics are better than those lines, I do not think that . It's just that I was able to think of more positives than the others to write about. Now on to the Cons of the DC Classics .
The Cons of DC Universe Classics
( The Negatives )
( 1 ) MATTEL DISCONTINUED THE LINE PREMATURELY - I'm sure I'm not the only fan that was angry at Mattel for doing this , however the DC Multiverse line makes up for losing Classics , so I'm no longer angry at Mattel however not sure about the other Classics fans .
( 2 ) A LOT OF POPULAR CHARACTERS STILL DID NOT MAKE THE CUT - I'm still waiting on Marvin , Wendy and Wonder Dog from the Super Friends cartoon . Also waiting on a Granny Goodness figure. May be one day the Multiverse line can finally bring us these characters into figure form .
( 3 ) SOME OF THE EXCLUSIVES ARE NOW SUPER EXPENSIVE - Make sure you try to save some money if you work only part -time if there are some exclusives you've missed . If you work full-time make sure the exclusives don't get in the way of paying bills . Prices will more than likely continue to be this way as time moves on .
That's it for now folks, I hope you enjoyed the article . But before leaving. below are some pics of some DCU Classics figures in action , along with a few DC Super Heroes figures , for your entertainment .
Sunday, September 2, 2018
A Look back at a past Labor Day Tribute. HAPPY LABOR DAY 2018 !!!
Happy Labor Day everyone !!!.lHere's a link to an old Labor Day Tribute, action figure style - http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2014/09/happy-labor-day-2014-tribute-to-suit.html
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