Dreadmon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) - Adventures
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
While inspired by the TMNT cartoon going on at the time, Archie's Adventures comic didn't take long to stray away from merely adapting cartoon episodes and start making new stories, which also led to new characters. Sure, Man Ray was already in the toy line as Ray Fillet, but names such as Dreadmon were created specifically for the Archie universe. Another team-up between Tony Cipriano and Kushwara Studios, Dreadmon's sculpt is based off the issues penciled by Ken Mitchroney. He has some pretty wild hair going on, with a few small skulls for accessories, and he has an earring on his left ear, but mine has some excess plastic on it, though I got if off using some small scissors. The expression looks great, with cartoony eyes and a hinged jaw. Standing around the 6 1/2" mark, Dreadman is...[See More]

Man Ray
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) - Adventures
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
In case you haven't heard or your Targets haven't gotten any new NECA stock in a while, Haul-a-thon has recently returned. The event went down pretty well last year, though this time around, I haven't seen too much stock as of late. I've still gotten pretty lucky, having recently scored some new TMNT figures, including the next figure in the Adventures line: Man Ray. Man Ray's sculptors (and fabricators) are credited as Tony Cipriano and Kushwara Studios, but they don't specify who did what. What is clear, however, is that they were aiming to replicate Ken Mitchroney's art style. The default portrait, sporting an angry shouting expression, looks great, though I will say the pupils are too big. If they were a little smaller, and shifted towards each other a little bit more, the head would...[See More]

No Limits Trashin' Pumpkin
Madballs (Premium DNA) - Basic Series
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
Early last year, we saw the release of Premium DNA's Madballs line, the first line by a new company. I got one during the initial pre-order out of curiosity, and I was so impressed by it, I went ahead and got the rest of the figures. Some time ago, another figure was released in the line, and it's a rather unique one; this "Trashin' Pumpkin" character was created for a promotion crossing over the franchise with the mobile game Need for Speed: No Limits. The packaging is a lot like the previous Madballs figures, making use of a slip cover over a window box that uses no plastic strips or twist-ties, just trays. The graphics are different, however. There's a mixture of black and purple all around, and the slip cover gets some really nice graphics. The main box doesn't have the cross-sell...[See More]

Optimus Prime
Transformers - R.E.D. (Hasbro) - Basic Series
Rated 4.45 stars by RMaster007
Even though the whole gimmick with Transformers is that they, well, transform, there's been plenty of figures that don't. Super7's Ultimates line comes to mind, but there's another ongoing line of non-transforming Transformers, and it's straight from the co-creators of the franchise: Hasbro's Robot Enhanced Design, or R.E.D., series. It's been around a little longer than what Super7's been doing, and it covers not just G1, but Beast Wars and Prime. While I've gotten a handful of these so far, it's best to start my reviews with THE transformer - Optimus Prime. The figure comes in a trapezoidal window box that's fittingly red, with a great illustration on the front. There's actually two plastic trays - one in the front for the figure, and another on the side for the accessories. There's...[See More]

Brain
Animaniacs (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
As I've stated, you can't keep Pinky and the Brain apart, so I had to get the genius part of the pair next. Befitting his name, the Brain has a really big head. Super7 managed to convert his appearance to three dimensions very well, with all the proper details. It's solid plastic as well, making it one heavy cranium. The head is the standard grumpy Brain look, but it can be swapped out for a more expressive head, with the right eye and mouth wide open. Looking at it, you can just hear Brain's trademark "Yes!". Both heads have consistent paint work, but suffer from uneven edges. In contrast to Pinky's tall and slender build, the Brain is short and chubby. Standing around 4 1/2" inches, the proportions of the body fit with the head, and his tail, unlike Pinky's, isn't designed to lay on...[See More]

Pinky
Animaniacs (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
Super7 has been starting the year off strong with the release of many long-awaited Ultimate lines, ranging from Simpsons to Power Ranger to Silverhawks, and many, including me, are glad to finally have them in-hand. Amongst these releases are Animaniacs, including both the Warner siblings and the lab mouse duo: Pinky and the Brain. Since I love those two more, I figured I'd start with them, namely Pinky. The packaging is the same as all Ultimates, being a trapezoidal box with a slip cover. The cover is very simple, sporting the logo with characters on the front and nothing on the back. The main box has a pattern resembling the mice's cage, with the window looking as if it's tearing through. The back is also simple, with a picture and name of the character and nothing more. As usual, the...[See More]

Moe
Simpsons (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
As I said before, Super7 is giving us a lot of variety in their Simpsons line. From regulars like Krusty and Mr. Burns, to one-shots and lesser-known characters such as Hank Scorpio and Drederick Tatum, there's a lot to choose from. So far, there's only one "normal" character out now: the surly bartender Moe Szyslak. Sporting a large brow, monkey-like nose, and overbite, Moe is far from a pretty face, but Super7 did a great job translating his crude design into three dimensions, far better than what Playmates did over twenty years ago. He includes two other portraits: one sports a big grin, and he's trying his best to hold it, and the other is a ticked-off yelling expression, a fitting reaction to Bart's prank calls. The yelling head looks a little odd, as the way the mouth is shaped...[See More]

Starscream
Transformers - Retro (Hasbro) - Movie
Rated 4.10 stars by RMaster007
While a lot has happened with the Transformers franchise over the years, its never forgotten its roots. Case in point, there's been a number of rereleases and variants of the original G1 figures, with the most recent being the "Retro" series. We've gotten two so far, Hot Rod and Starscream, and the latter has been popping up at Walmart for a little while now. The packaging appears to be inspired by original toys, and I say "appears" because its similarity comes not in design, but in shape. Because of Hasbro's current dedication to plastic-free packaging, there's no windows or trays, but there is some very nice artwork on the front. The back has "Tech Specs" which I believe were with G1 figures, but I'm not too sure. A few twisties hold the figure to cardboard inside, and those are easy...[See More]

Robot Itchy
Simpsons (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
Super7 sure has given us a pretty varied line-up for their Simpsons Ultimates so far. We're getting everything from B-listers to one-shots, and there's still no sign of Marge or Lisa in any form. Some many not like it, but I'm more than happy to get everyone, like this mechanical version of the murderous mouse Itchy. The most the robot mascot looks like Itchy is in the head, and the sculptor (whoever that/they is) did a good job translating it into plastic. The bot has a blank stare, as to be expected out of theme park mascots, artificial or costumed. In the show, the three "hairs" on its head tended to be drawn from the side, but here, since they're doing the character in three dimensions, the hairs are right in the middle of the forehead. A second head is included, and at first, it...[See More]

Miner
My Bloody Valentine (Neca) - Clothed Retro
Rated 4.60 stars by RMaster007
Valentine's Day may have come and gone, but I'm still feeling the love… for action figures. One of many horror films released in 1981, the Canadian slasher My Bloody Valentine took place on the holiday, focusing on a deranged miner going after those wanting to celebrate the holiday. Coinciding with the film's 40th anniversary a while back, NECA produced a figure of the miner as part of their Mego-inspired line, but with one catch: you could only buy it from Shout! Factory. While he came and went there, I was surprised to learn that months later, he would be getting a mass release. Hooray for second chances! The Shout! release of the Miner gave him a traditional window box, but the mass release gives him different packaging. This release gives him a clamshell that is somewhat similar to...[See More]