4-Pack Action Figure & Dracula's Coffin
Universal Monsters (Neca) - LootCrate Crypt Club
Rated 4.55 stars by RMaster007
NECA's done a wide variety of Universal Monsters figures, the number made large by all the different variants. Almost everyone's each gotten a color version, a grayscale version, and a Remco-inspired GITD version. Four of them - Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy - received Loot Crate-exclusive versions based off the 90s Burger King toys, and as cool as they looked, the problems suffered with the TMNT crate series made me hold off. Fortunately, NECA gave fans another way to get them in the form of a direct-exclusive four-pack. One of those times where holding off is actually a good thing! As opposed to plastic baggies like the LC releases, the "Crypt Club" figures are packaged here in a huge box, one of the biggest NECA's done. The motif is pretty nice, with art...[See More]

Reptile
Mortal Kombat (Jazwares) - Series 3 - Shaolin Monks
Rated 3.25 stars by RMaster007
Mortal Kombat is one of those licenses that seemed tailor-made for action figures, given that it's an uber-violent fighting game with a wide cast of characters sporting unique designs and weaponry. Jazwares is one of the many companies who took on the license, having quite a long run with it. The MK9 figures were the ones I most knew, but they started with Deception and Shaolin Monks, and the figure I got here comes from the latter in their first Reptile. The cardback doesn't have too much to it, as it just has the logo, character and game name, and a cross-sell on the back. The graphics fit the license well, and the green motif is pretty nice, and somehow fits Reptile for obvious reasons. It's also easy to open, with no ties to worry about, and just a single piece of tape needed to hold...[See More]

Ken Kaneki
Total Anime (Jazwares) - Tokyo Ghoul
Rated 4.85 stars by RMaster007
While most anime collectibles come from their home in Japan, there's been plenty of western toy companies who have tried their hand at figures, with varying results. Nowadays, Bandai and McFarlane are doing a few anime icons, and while they could look much better (with some looking worse than others), they serve as good alternatives for those who don't want to pay import prices. Jazwares announced last year they're getting into the anime figure game with their "Total Anime" line, and they're tackling today's most popular series first, alongside a less popular series in Tokyo Ghoul, with Ken Kaneki being their first work with the license. All of the packaging across the figures is the same, with official artwork and a cross-sell and figure photo on the back, but the colors vary between...[See More]

Mario (Super Mario)
World of Nintendo (Jakks Pacific) - Series 1-1
Rated 3.80 stars by RMaster007
In addition to Sonic, Jakks Pacific has been putting out a good Super Mario line, with great sculpts in two different scales, and plenty of accessories. The line started off as a general "World of Nintendo" line, focusing on various series, until Jakks realized Mario was the biggest seller and prioritized that. The figures drew me and my brother in from day one, and we got a few of them in its first year or so, and we've held onto most of them. The World of Nintendo line followed a mostly uniform motif, but with different colors and stock art for each property. Mario had a red cardback motif, but the back was the same across figures, showing off the figure and articulation, alongside the figure's height (something we don't see on post-WoN release). The figure is easy to open and out, and...[See More]

Shadow (with Rings)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Jakks Pacific) - Basic Series
Rated 3.90 stars by RMaster007
Anyone remember Sonic Heroes? I've played a bit of it, and reviewing these Jakks figures has made me want to pick it up again. I've already talked about Team Sonic, and next is Team Dark: Shadow, Rouge, and E-123 Omega. Shadow is meant to be the "dark" counterpart to Sonic, except it didn't take long for him to go from bad to good, and the only dark part about him is his appearance. He has a more stern expression, with a frown that looks like a thin smile from some angles. The paint for the face is fine, but there's some bleed from the muzzle onto the eyes, and it's quite noticeable. The quills on the sides curve up rather than down, and there's also various red highlights on the head, all of which sports clean edges. At the usual height of 4" tall, Shadow's black fur is complemented by...[See More]

Daria & Jane
Squads (Mondo) - Basic Series
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
Unlike the dumpster fire it is now, MTV was the home to plenty of music videos and iconic series. Beavis and Butt-Head is one everybody remembers, but it also managed to spawn a spin-off in Daria, revolving around one of the few sane people in Highland moving out and experiencing the usual struggles of adolescence. While different in tone from its successor, it's relatable topics and well-written stories made it just as popular, but it hasn't gotten much in the way of merchandise. Last year, Mondo sought to change that with a two-pack of figures, as part of their new "Squads" line. Mondo figures tend to have attractive box art, and Daria is no exception. Done by Pam Wishbow, the front flap has a very pop art-esque illustration of Daria and Jane, surrounded by all sorts of junk. The style...[See More]

Sonic (with Star Spring)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Jakks Pacific) - Basic Series
Rated 4.00 stars by RMaster007
For someone who rarely plays Sonic games, I've been a big fan of the merchandise the franchise has gotten. Hell, I even own a bubble bath bottle (it's amazing what you can find at thrift stores), but the action figures are what I most enjoy. I've grown up with the Toy Island, Jazwares, and Tomy lines, but I got very few of them when they were out. Then we got Jakks Pacific, who has been putting out an expansive and well-made line for a few years now. Rather than cover each wave, since I don't think I've completed any of them, I'll be covering them in batches, starting with the main three heroes: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Jakks has kept the packaging motif pretty uniform for the line, with the cardbacks featuring a blue background, a yellow ring behind the bubble, and a render of Sonic...[See More]

Tatsu
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 1990 Movie (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.90 stars by RMaster007
The NECA TMNT movie line has become a slow burn as of late, as they've been going through all the key characters at a steady rate. The main cast of the first movie has been made into figures, with the exception of Tatsu. There were many requests for Shredder's second-in-command, but supposed issues in securing the actor's likeness prevented it. Eventually, NECA was able to sort things out, and at long last, he's joined the line. Unlike the two-packs, the single-packed movie figures have made use of some unique packaging art, and Tatsu's has a sketchy red motif, with his portrait on the front. Out of all the movie Ultimates, this one is the best one, with a more menacing-looking box that stands out from the rest of the singles. There's only a single tie in the tray, thankfully, and...[See More]

Punk Rock Donatello
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Super7) - Ultimates!
Rated 4.40 stars by RMaster007
First they did the regular turtles, then they did the "Disguise" sub-line variants, so what was Super7's next step? Rock 'N Rollin' Turtles. The originals had the turtles each representing a different genre of rock (and one of them rap), and since Super7 loves their music figures, it's not much of a surprise they'd do them. What was surprising was that instead of Undercover Don, S7 jumped right to Punker Don. Was it because they were already doing a turtle in a trenchcoat (Raphael) or they just found the punk getup more visually appealing? I guess we'll never know. Donatello must've been working on a hair growth formula, or at least a wig, because this version of him's sporting a rockin' mohawk. The original prototype for the figure (read Rad Plastic to see it) had a thinner and wilder...[See More]

Robotic Bebop
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Super7) - Ultimates!
Rated 4.55 stars by RMaster007
It's been over a year since Super7 integrated Robotic Rocksteady into their TMNT Ultimates line, bringing back an unexpected deep-cut that was originally released around the time the OG Turtles line shifted away from new characters and started doing variants. Before him, wave 7 was slated to include Bebop's metal doppelgänger, but for some reason (likely having three huge figures), the wave was pushed back, by a lot. It finally came out a few months ago, and now it's time to see if it was worth the wait. Like Robosteady, Robobop's head is a blockier version of the regular Bebop, and Four Horsemen recreated it in a larger scale near perfectly. The eyes on the original were cast in a translucent red plastic, either encased in the back of the head or sharing a piece with the mohawk. That...[See More]