Accessory Set
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Accessories
Rated 4.85 stars by RMaster007
Everyone knows action figures are more fun when they have stuff to play with, and NECA certainly knows too, hence why they've put out plenty of accessory sets for their various lines. In the realm of Ninja Turtles, they've done really fun accessory sets for the first two live-action films, and following those is one related to the retro cartoon. It was sold as part of Target's Haul-a-thon event last year, but I had no luck finding it in-store. Good thing NECA sold it through their online store, or I'd be out of luck. Befitting the toon line, we have Dan Elson's illustrations again, based off the old VHS tapes. The art works great, showing off some of the stuff you'll find in the set, and there's a couple photos on the back. Like past accessory sets, this is a windowless box, and...[See More]

Shogun Godzilla
Godzilla (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.45 stars by RMaster007
In the 70s and 80s, kids didn't have the fancy, high-quality action figures we have nowadays, but they had plenty of fun with toys back then, such as Mattel's Shogun Warriors. Created to bring iconic Japanese robots to America, the line was most known for massive figures with firing fists and other action figures. The legacy has been kept alive a bit by various companies, including Super7, who has not only made their own Shoguns, but brought the old designs to smaller scales. There's been a couple ReActions, but it's king of the monsters himself, Godzilla, who serves as the first "Ultimate" Shogun figure, in both regular and glow-in-the-dark versions. Godzilla comes in the usual Ultimates packaging, with colors and graphics clearly inspired by the original toy. The flame backdrop inside...[See More]

Megatron (G2)
Transformers (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.30 stars by RMaster007
It was the mid-90s, a few years before Beast Wars, and Hasbro needed a way to keep their Transformers brand relevant. So they created "Generation 2," characterized by bold, colorful toys and an edgy, action-packed comic. While not many talk about it, it's been a guilty pleasure for some fans, including me. And Super7 covering all bases of G1 for their Ultimates line meant they needed at least one G2 thing, so they did Megatron, a wave after his G1 counterpart. G2 Megs looked drastically different from his predecessor, starting with the head. His helmet was flatter on the top and wider on the sides, and his face was blockier. This is how the toy looked, and Super7 (with Four Horsemen's help) did a pretty accurate recreation of it. He gets two other heads with different designs, such as a...[See More]

Savanti Romero
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
The TMNT universe has been home to all sorts of unique, unusual characters, including the original Mirage comics that were more serious and realistic. After the first few issues involving a tyrannical leader, a mad scientist, and common crooks, we had stories involving dinosaur aliens and time travel. The latest release in the NECA Mirage line is another character from said time travel story, the evil sorcerer Savanti Romero. Savanti has a rather inhuman look, with giant curved horns, pointed ears, red eyes, and a big jaw and nose. His beastly appearance was caused by Lord Simultaneous, and while nobody knows how he looked beforehand, Gurjeet Singh and Kushwara Studios did a good job bringing his design to plastic form. The head looks nearly spot-on to the comic, with clean paint lines...[See More]

Creature from the Black Lagoon (Color)
Universal Monsters (Neca) - Ultimate Collection
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
The late 1920s and early 1930s saw Universal putting out various monster movies featuring iconic characters such as Frankenstein and Dracula, and NECA's been tackling them with as much heart put into them as possible. One of their more recent monsters is one originating from the 1950s: the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The packaging style is no different from the other Universal Monsters, with the original poster art on front and figure shots on the sides and back. Same old, same old, but it works for these figures. There's still a handful of plastic ties on the figure, but all the accessories are secured in the tray thanks to additional plastic. Designed by Milicent Patrick (and not that jealous hack Bud Westmore), the Gill-Man has a lot of fish-like attributes to his appearance. The...[See More]

Wolverine
Marvel (Mondo) - X-Men Animated
Rated 4.35 stars by RMaster007
I said a while back that I wasn’t too big into Marvel, but I can say for sure that my favorite from them right now is X-Men. I’ve been watching the animated series on Disney+ and I’ve fallen in love with it. It hits all the right marks, and knowing that it’s getting a revival due out next year has me excited. Mondo got the license to it last year, and after two special versions of him, we finally got the regular Wolverine. Mondo tends to do pretty nice packaging, and they peppered Wolverine’s box with storyboard drawings from various episodes. The flap on the front opens to show some text on the back, written by two of the show’s crew members. There’s a few plastic ties to cut out for the figure and one of the accessories, and an extra head tying the plastic tray to the cardboard. Once...[See More]

Mon*Star (Red)
SilverHawks (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.15 stars by RMaster007
Having been created following the success of Thundercats, it's worth noting Silverhawks took cues from it. A group of semi-humans going up against a group of funky villain designs, including a leader that can transform into a stronger version of himself. Unlike Mumm-Ra, though, Mon*Star looked pretty strong pre-transformation, but his bulked-up form is a true beast. While the Hawks have a blue box, the Mob gets a red one. It's pretty shiny, and gets Mon*Star's face on the front, and other than that, it's not too much different from the good guys. There's some tape and ties to get rid of, but it shouldn't be too hard. Oh, one more thing about the box: it's huge, and that's because the figure itself is huge. Mon*Star stands about 11" tall up to the tip of the spike on the top of his head,...[See More]

Snake Eyes
G.I. Joe (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
If you're familiar with G.I. Joe, then you'd know that there are a lot of characters in it. In the Sunbow cartoon, each of the tens, if not hundreds, of Joe members got at least one episode with them as a major player, but arguably one of the most well-known characters in the franchise as a whole is Snake Eyes, his popularity most likely attributed to the fact that he's a speechless ninja. In the "M.A.S.S. Device) five-part mini series that would ultimately serve as the pilot for the cartoon, Snake Eyes had a completely different look. As opposed to his usual get-up, he wore a bodysuit that had a less "ninja" aesthetic. Since Super7's G.I. Joe Ultimates line is based more off the cartoon than anything else, it's no surprise that they'd do this design of the silent commando before his...[See More]

Snoopy's Contest Winning Display
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Memory Lane) - Box Sets
Rated 4.25 stars by RMaster007
It's Christmas once again, which means it's time to watch plenty of holiday specials, including the ever-beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas. The most well-known animated special featuring the Peanuts cast, it was a television tradition for years until Apple got the rights to it, but as long as you can watch it yearly, that's no issue. Back in the early 2000s, a company known as Playing Mantis nabbed the Peanuts license for their "Memory Lane" brand, and they put out plenty of great figures with a lot of heart put into them. I'll admit I don't have much of them, but I'd be more than happy to build up a big collection. My personal favorite of the few I own is related to the aforementioned Christmas special, featuring Snoopy and his decorated doghouse. The set actually received two...[See More]

Genghis Frog
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Super7) - Ultimates!
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
Considering how the 80s TMNT cartoon was made to get kids (and adults) interested in the toy line, it's a bit of a surprise some characters didn't make it to figure form. Take the Punk Frogs, for instance; Genghis and Napoleon got made (with different designs), but Rasputin and Attila were not, and eventually vanished from the show. I'm 99% sure NECA was the first to do all four frogs, while Super7 only did the two that got the original Playmates treatment. Napoleon got a ReAction, while Genghis gets to join the Ultimates line. Unlike Napoleon, Genghis' toy design wasn't too much different from his toon appearance, but a bit more detailed. His head is covered in warts, and Super7 (with Four Horsemen's help) proceeded to take that design and modernize it. The head seems to have more warts...[See More]