Star Wars The Black Series Rebel Trooper and Stormtrooper review

While Clone Troopers and Battle Droids share a level of iconography in the overall Star Wars fan base, super casual fans who jerk off to the Original Trilogy would only give a fuck about the Stormtroopers while Rebel Troopers and the like get jack shit. Of course, one faction has armor that was unique at the time, and the other set of troop builders were literal blue collars. Regardless, we have both to review as part of a 2-pack.

Here we have the Rebel Trooper in hand and helmetless. Surprised to say that he isn't a retool of Han Solo, even though he looks like he could have been one given Hasbro's tendency to reuse sculpts. The outfit at least is accurate to the movie, with the budget for A New Hope being smaller than the other movies. Still, the belt+holster, vest, and shiny boots are decently convincing for troops that are not in the same tier as Stormtroopers. Though the arm articulation is consistent with Black Series figures today, the knees are double jointed and have pins in them. The original Rebel Trooper run was part of a 2018 wave of figures.

His head sculpt is meant to look like one of the more prominent Rebel Troopers at the beginning of the movie, though their names are unidentified. For how similar he looks to Harrison Ford, I'm calling this dude Hamilton Fred. Articulation consists of standard neck movement, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, rotation and bend at the elbows, wrist rotation and hinges, butterfly joints, a diaphragm joint, ball jointed hips, thigh rotation, double jointed knees, and ankles that hinge and pivot. In addition to his blaster, he comes with the Death Star plans, specifically the ones shaped more like how they appeared in Rogue One. I don't know how different the prop is between the one in ANH and the one in R1, but that's nothing to worry about compared to how much the ending of that movie doesn't line up with the Rebel Blockade Runner scene the more you think about it. But hey, it has callbacks to the Original Trilogy and that's all that matters. 

As for the Stormtrooper, the only other version I have is the one used for a commemorative George Lucas version. While the sculpts or tooling may be the same, the biggest difference has to be the helmet on the non-George Stormtrooper not being removable. Makes sense since we never see Stormtroopers take their helmets off apart from the disguises Luke and Han wore in the Death Star.

Overall, this set is fine if you want to spend a specific amount of money on some troops without needing to find a certain variant in the aftermarket. Even though the Stormtroopers are done repeatedly, the Rebel Trooper, however uneventful he may look, at least adds a sense of completion to your OT display. I have this before the Phase 1 Clone vs Super Battle Droid but after the Phase 2 Clone vs B1 Battle Droid, so expect me to only get the sets from George's 6 movies lol.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Legends Black Widow and Warbird review

I'm sure you might not need to know who Black Widow is if the MCU version was the only one you saw, but the comic version had a much longer career as a spy, was initially a villain, and had her own super soldier serum. These elements were altered heavily likely because the MCU writers wanted an easier-to-understand character, though there is a chance her quickly forgotten solo movie added some backstory. Warbird, meanwhile, was well known for having a very rough life as a heroine due to her brainwashing via Marcus as well as her powers getting taken away by Rogue. With all that said, these two are now set to take the spotlight with a Target-exclusive Legends review!

Here we have Black Widow in-hand. The figure reuses the limbs from Shriek, but the torso and the head are new. The black leather suit remains a signature part of the character as always, and I like seeing a figure come with not just pinless joints, but improved torso articulation overall. The wrist guards and belt appear to be reused as well, but that is mostly expected. Not much else to say about deco, but I like that the zipper and buckle are picked out.

Her first head sculpt is perfect, though that is a compliment given to most Legends figures (even the crappy ones unless you're Tarantula). With her guns going bang bang, her articulation consists of a ball and neck hinge for the head, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, inward wrist hinges, butterfly joints, a diaphragm joint, a reverse ab-crunch joint, ball-jointed hips, thigh rotation, double-jointed knees, ankle hinges, and pivots.

She also has swappable gauntlets to simulate her either shooting or having them smoking from rapid fire. Side note, I am missing the smoke effect parts for the guns, apologies. On a side note, her alternate heads consists of her with a more uneven hairdo than the standard one as well as a shorter cut comparable to her more recent appearances, albeit with a few strands of hair covering one of her eyes. She also comes with hands that are more open and gestural.

This normally isn't something I bring up, but I feel that both this BW and Maximum Spider-Man have a lot in common with their high accessory count and new tooling. Granted, Spidey has more accessories, and new ones, but most of them are previously used, and while the proportions on Black Widow fit her as they are, Spider-Man has a lot more room for improvement overall. If the quality is the same as an import or if a display base and comic were included, maybe the Maximum would be worth its price tag. As it stands, the price difference is ludicrous. 

Up next, we have Warbird, the original form of Carol Danvers. Long before the red replaced the black and long before she covered up most of her skin apart from her face and maybe hands. The skin tones are natural in this figure, though that's mostly because there is no new sculptwork to the torso. I guess that isn't much of a necessity, though it does mean that the details of her costume are tampographs. On the plus side, her boots are raised in relief around the thighs, making the need to paint the body parts unnecessary. Her sash is a separate piece, though it flops around on her waist. 

The articulation is the same as before, though she comes with two heads: one with a stern expression with her hair flowing and another with more neutral hair with a fitting expression showing (and a bit of her teeth showing, too). I kind of wish the faces were swappable or they had the same thickness for the domino mask. Oh, and there are reused effect parts that wrap around the hands.

A variant exists as the Dark Warbird, a form used by the character Moonstone as a member of the Dark Avengers led by Norman Osborn. This costume could also be used for regular Carol, and it matches her appearance in Earth's Mightiest Heroes for anyone wanting to make a collection for that show instead of regular Marvel continuity. While Warbird isn't as great as Black Widow, especially with her accessory count, she is still a figure I would recommend if it wasn't for her being scalped. Thankfully, she is a figure that isn't overly expensive, but you are better off getting the Dark Warbird version of you can't get the classic look. Just be sure to keep either figure away from Rogue if you happen to have that mutant.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for Black Widow)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for Warbird)

Jada Toys Street Fighter M. Bison review

Whether you know him as M. Bison or Vega, how else would you introduce him? You could go for the "YES! YES!" meme from the DiC cartoon, though there is the underrated performance in the original live-action movie by Rául Julia. He is best known for being a megalomaniac with the vision of a dictatorship under the Shadowlaw. Some of the characters, such as Chun Li and Guile, have vendettas against M. Bison, while Ryu is often in the villain's sights in hopes of recruiting him. Now we have a mass retail version of the character to review.

Here we have M. Bison in hand, and he is quite the whooper when it comes to his girth! Befitting his stature in the games, he gets a bulky sculpt purpose built specifically for him. If this was a Hasbro line, they would have use the Hyperion body or something for M. Bison, which would not work in the slightest. Though he has red take up most of the suit, the blue for the zipper line as well as the silver and black on the forearm gauntlets, boots, and belt. Some gold is applied to the buckle and the hat, resulting in a power-hungry look that befits a character like M. Bison. The suit itself also has some texturing applied to give it a sense of looking like fabric. Speaking of, though the cape isn't the same materials as on a McFarlane or MAFEX figure (presumably), it's great seeing a 1/12 scale figure come with one at the same price more or less as the McFarlane offerings; even better is that unlike either the Gold Label version of Action Comics 1000 Superman or Armored Batfleck, the bottom of the cape is also wired for even better display potential. All around success in the looks department.

His head sculpt, though stern and somewhat uncanny with the white eyes, at least manages to fit the artwork associated with the character, and Jada made sure not to add any denser paint apps for the lips while also adding some black outline to the whited out eyes to make them feel more dimensional. His articulation consists of the standard affair for the Jada Toys line, with the neck on double ball pegs, the shoulders swiveling front and back as well as hinge in and out, rotation at the biceps, double jointed elbows, wrist rotation, and inward hinges for all of the hands. There are butterfly joints, two joints for the torso (one for the diaphragm and one connecting the lower torso to the waist). The hips move front and back, in and out (with the skirt being flexible PVC), thighs swivel, knees bend at two points (which are pinless along with the elbows), and the ankles can hinge and pivot. He comes with a punch effect piece as well as a set of alternate hands for some of his more gestural poses. He also has an alternate head with a snarling expression and a hint of pupils to showcase what little humanity remains within him. He also has the option to be displayed careless that via a set of shoulder pads that go over the assembly pieces between the torso and the shoulders. Very ingenious method without heavy modifications. 

As far as variants are concerned, a Player 2 skin is also available for anyone who wants to recreate the days of wanting to play as the same character but with a different color scheme. The resulting appearance makes him look more heroic in a way, though he could almost look comparable to Highlander. These repaints are generally easier to get than the McFarlane variants. 

For a comparison with some other Jada SFII figures, here he is with fellow staples Chun Li and Ryu. I love seeing a character like M. Bison stand above his line mates as well as remain bulky. Makes me want to get Zangeif soon. 

And here he is with Marvel Legends Magneto, showcasing not just how much they have in common aesthetically but also a reminder as to how a smaller toy company somehow does a character with bulky proportions better justice than a major conglomerate. Seriously, Hasbro deserves to be bashed for constantly screwing over Magneto. Not that he needs to be the same as M. Bison, but how is the current buck he uses acceptable?! Let this be a reminder that if Jada Toys can do it, why can't Hasbro? This is their best Street Fighter 2 figure yet, and I don't know how else Jada can top themselves unless we get a sculpt far more impressive than M. Bison. Get this figure no matter the circumstances. Just remember that for you, the day Bison graced your review, was the most important day of your life. But for me and him, it was Tuesday...or the very Wednesday this review was posted.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Retro Insecticons review

The G1 Insecticons normally don't have a lot to offer as a set unless you were to get them in a single unit. They aren't significant in terms of character beyond Shrapnel's tick or Bombshell's cerebro gimmick. I doubt I'd need Masterpiece versions of them, but the Legacy line made figures that were more than acceptable for the trio. That being said, when I saw that the G1 Insecticons were fairly cheap to afford online, starting with the recent Bombshell at $12 before the others were less than $30 each, I thought it'd make for a better value than spending nearly $90 for all 3 at retail. Let's see how these bugs fare.

Here we have the Insecticons in their bug modes. We have Shrapnel the stag beetle, Bombshell the rhinoceros beetle, and Kickback the grasshopper. These three are mechanical bugs, so they don't need to conform with being organic. That being said, they have wheels and are more vehicular than normal given their Diaclone history. The chrome normally looks the best on G1 toys, but the silver paint at least looks better than had they stuck with bare gray like with Shrapnel's legs.

The cockpits could open for any Diaclone pilots you somehow have lying around, but Bombshell's barely budges unless you slightly move the legs back.

The transformation for each of them is very simple, with Bombshell's being the easiest followed by Kickback and then Shrapnel. Bomb and Shrap do have some decent tricks with the head reveals via their bug appendages, but Kickback has a basic neck swivel. Side note, his antennae are far too loose in some areas. The resulting robots modes are decently consistent with yellow chests, black legs, and silver bits, but Bombshell stand out for his chest being gray in addition to having no purple whatsoever. This was done to make him cartoon accurate, but I think the purple looked better on him. I guess this should make him the leader of this trio. Shrapnel, meanwhile, lacks yellow on his back. Articulation is about the same for all three, with shoulder rotation and slight leg movement, while Shrapnel has waist rotation, Bombshell has slight knee movement, and Kickback has neck rotation. Only Bombshell has normal fist holes for his gun while everyone else wears theirs on their forearms.

The torsos can store Energon cubes, 6 included per con. Shrapnel can store two with his barrel chest. He must have a bigger appetite.

Oh and Bombshell has a random Ramhorn to go with the toom-accurate Blaster. This figure has barely any paint apps beyond the black lines and Autobot insignias. He looks better in bot mode with the gold cannons and on top of having articulation and width comparable to Ravage, but he looks like a chocolate bar!

If you want, you can have a scenario where Ramhorn eats the Energon stash of the Insecticons before they shoot him down. 

As far as reuses are concerned, the Insecticons in the original line had darker colors, clear cockpits, and chrome. No energon cubes were included, of course. Differences may also include rounded areas, face paint, or slightly different sculptwork for rubsigns.

They also had reissues in packs of 3 for the Collection, Universe 2008, and Platinum Edition lines. They remain faithful to the originals with varying sticker quality. The Platinums came with Energon cubes.

They also had a set exclusive to eHobby representing clones named (from top to bottom) Salvo, Shothole, and Zaptrap. These rare repaints match the Diaclone colors they used to have, and they also came with Energon cubes.

As for Ramhorn, the original had either chromed silver or gold guns as well as cassette details that were either stickers or paint apps.

Ramhorn also had a Shattered Glass repaint that homages Rumble as he appeared in the IDW Bayverse comics. Gee, wouldn't THAT be the more enticing Studio Series Rumble, Hasbro???

For a size comparison, here are all 3 Insecticons with their Legacy counterparts. Though I never cared about the trio as characters, I still find these three charming as a set if you can get them for cheap. The Legacy versions are the highest I can get, but these three are otherwise still fine as they are. At least they have silver paint unlike Hound.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐