Action Figure Review: Logan vs Sabretooth from Marvel Legends Series: Wolverine by Hasbro

 

   If there's one of the four new Wolverine 50th anniversary 2-packs that everyone seems to be going nuts over, it's this one: Logan vs Sabretooth. Who doesn't love these two guys? In this set you get Logan in his casual duds, looking like he's hanging out in some country road dive bar or a smoky old pool hall, and Sabretooth at his biggest and baddest. Seriously, he's a pretty big dude! I didn't collect many Toy Biz Marvel Legends back in the day (and I only own one or two of the ones I did collect), but Sabretooth was one of them. Having grown up with the X-Men Sabretooth with the "healing" wound, the Toy Biz Marvel Legends Sabretooth was an insane upgrade! This new version of Victor Creed just makes the guy even more menacing. This is an excellent set and I'm excited to review it in what is definitely one of the best years for the X-Men to date. Let's check out Logan vs Sabretoooth after the break...

Action Figure Review: Mekaneck from Masterverse: Masters of the Universe New Eternia by Mattel

 

   It's been a couple weeks since I last reviewed a Masters of the Universe action figure and since I failed to put anything up for Masters of the Universe Day this year (oops!), consider this look at the Masterverse: New Eternia Mekaneck a belated Masters of the Universe Day review. I love Mekaneck and I've always been obsessed with doodling him. For some reason in middle school and high school I just got pretty good at doodling Mekaneck. Well, at least his head and helmet. I'd often give him different bodies, but I'd usually stick with his classic and cool helmet. Why? I don't know. Mekaneck is one of the New Eternia themed figures, so he's somewhat of a classic Masterverse take on Mekaneck with some new accessories and features that help him stand out a bit more. Ready to sneak a peak at Mekaneck, the Heroic Human Periscope? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Angel from Marvel Legends Series: X-Men by Hasbro

 

  Over the past couple years I've largely focused my Marvel Legends collecting on just the X-Men and I tend to grab them as quickly as I can. While most of Hasbro's product has been easier to come by in recent years with reliable online retailers and Hasbro Pulse itself, I still try not to snooze on X-Men releases. You never know what's going to disappear quickly and skyrocket in price when it comes to mutants. Today I'm looking at the new "deluxe" Angel figure, who is priced about $10 dollars higher than your average Marvel Legends figure because of his wings. I managed to bundle a GameStop sale with my Pro discount and some reward points, so I decided to go ahead and snag him. It's been a long time since this costume was made in Marvel Legends (all the way back in series 10 of the Toy Biz era!), so it's definitely time for it to be revisited. This is the costume Warren wore during his time with The Defenders/ The New Defenders in the early to mid 1980s, before his return alongside the original five X-Men in X-factor. Hasbro could easily turn this into the blue costume Magneto gave him after Angel was attacked by Sauron's minions (which this costume is inspired by) or his X-Factor costume, though the question remains if we need multiple variants of a deluxe figure. If X-Men '97 continues to be as well received as it is now and the Marvel Cinematic Universe starts to lean fully in to the mutant side of Marvel, odds are we'll see many more versions of one of the X-Men's original team. Let's check out this version of Warren Worthington III, better know a the highflying Angel, after the break...

Action Figure Review: Count Orlok from Nosferatu by NECA

 

   I'm really loving how NECA is going further and further back into the history of horror cinema and Count Orlok from F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is an iconic character who is truly deserving of a figure of this quality. I don't exactly remember when I first watched Nosferatu, but I'm pretty sure I was in high school. My dad received a DVD player as a Christmas gift in 1999 and shortly afterwards I found a boxed set of silent horror films while out browsing for bargains. I think I was first introduced to Count Orlok and the film by the Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode. Looking back, it was probably "The Tale of the Midnight Madness" from 1993, an episode featuring a fictional film take on Nosferatu which has Count Orlok coming out of the screen. NECA has had a very solid run of the Universal Monsters, and while there are still plenty to do, I'm really excited that they're branching out more. Count Orlok isn't a Universal Monster but he'll display well with them. Of course he'll display well with the Phantom of the Opera and Lon Chaney from London After Midnight. I rewatched Nosferatu a few nights ago in preparation for this review and I'm still of the opinion that Max Schreck's Count Orlok is still one of the creepiest film characters ever to appear on screen. Over 100 years later and he's still just so incredibly disturbing and frightening. He's obviously the best part of the film and the reason it's still remembered today. Ready to check out NECA's Count Orlok? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Batgirl (Batman: Three Jokers) Jokerized from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   The other day I had the opportunity to get this Jokerized Batgirl figure in the wild at Target and decided to jump on it. I don't own all of them but I have quite a few of the Jokerized DC Multiverse figures and I like them quite a bit. They definitely aren't everyone's cup of tea for sure, but I love the color schemes on these and how well they fit within my collection of Joker action figures. There have been plenty of Jokerized Batman figures along with the Jokerized Dark Knight Trilogy series and Jokerized Red Robin (who I skipped), but this is the first Batgirl. There has been quite a bit of Jokerized Batgirl art and cosplay over the years, but as far as I can recall, this is the first official Jokerized figure of Babs out there (though there was a Harley Quinn POP! dressed like Batgirl). This one is a straight up repaint which uses the Batgirl figure from Batman: Three Jokers. Ready to check out a Jokerized Batgirl? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   McFarlane continues to release figures based on Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and in 2024 we've so far received two different versions of Anne Hathaway's Catwoman. The first version was a McFarlane Toy Store exclusive and came with the Batpod while this second version is a Platinum chase exclusive that shipped in a case with some other versions of Batman from The Dark Knight and Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Anne Hathaway was a great Selina Kyle, though she's not my favorite Catwoman. I really liked Zoë Kravitz in The Batman but I'm not sure anyone can top Michelle Pfeiffer for me. Ever. Listen, I know she's a weirdly and wildly comic inaccurate Catwoman, but her performance is absolutely in a league of its own. Meow, indeed. I hope McFarlane gets around to releasing some figures from the Burton films. Those could be incredible. I don't even like Batman & Robin but the figures were really cool, and now we've got Batman Forever figures on the way (which is, in my opinion, the worst Batman movie). Of course, let's turn our attention back to the Dark Knight Trilogy and to Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman. Let's check her out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Wolverine & Lilandra Neramani from Marvel Legends Series: Wolverine by Hasbro

 

   2024 is the 50th anniversary of Wolverine and it's going to be a big year for the guy. Besides costarring in a movie with Deadpool, Hasbro also has some four packs to celebrate the most popular X-Man of them all. Each of the 4-packs has some version of Wolverine paired with another character and some of them are a bit odd. I'd argue that the only slam dunk of a set is the Logan and Sabretooth set as the others don't always quite make sense or definitely come with a less desirable figure. In this set, Brood infected Wolverine is the less desirable figure. Don't get me wrong, it does come from the comics and is a look for the character featured on a pretty well know cover, but Empress Lilandra Neramani is clearly the star of the set. This is the first of the four packs I found and I picked it up at Needless Toys and Collectibles in Lincolnton, NC (an incredible toy store). Ready to check out this set? Then let's dive in after the break...