Transformers Studio Series Wheeljack (Que) review

Que, aka the Dark of the Moon version of Wheeljack, is probably better known for his toy's mostly worldwide release being canceled than most other facts about him. Not that there is an issue with him being less involved with the action, but many fans were annoyed with how most characters didn't get their toys released in the US, and it hurt even more for characters without ANY proper figures at the time like Dino. Que was lucky to have a Deluxe made in physical form, but he, along with a Deluxe Leadfoot, and both Deluxe as well as Human Alliance versions of Soundwave were only released in Asian countries. Nearly 15 years since the movie's release, we FINALLY get a new mold for the often-neglected Einsteinbot so we no longer have to use Jolt for our stop motions. Let's give Que a review!

Here we have Que in his vehicle mode, a Mercedes-Benz E550. Though it's shade of blue is on the more standard side, it is accurate to the on-screen prop like a lot of Movie figures are (aside from Dino), though it should have some missing details around the front bumper. At least the rims are given a trim around them, something Jazz didn't have. The seamlines for transformation how I expected them to be given where the parts split, though they look worse in the front than the other side. On the plus side, the windows are tinted in a black shade to hide any robot parts.

The weapons can combine and attach to on the side if you want some MechTech levels of ridiculous weapon storage.

Here he is with Bumblebee and Dino, two Autobots who were led by him during a sneak attack on an Iranian nuclear weapon plant. I bet you could add some tiny flags on Que for that effect.

Transformation is somewhat simpler than the DOTM Deluxe from what I can gather (since I don't have that version in my collection). It's thankfully smooth to go from one mode to another apart from the concerns on clear plastic that should hopefully be sturdier than SS86 Jazz. Some parts could be pinned, though. The robot mode looks much more proportionate to the CGI model, and we even get some kibble to represent the lab cost he somewhat had without it being made from the vehicle. While the vehicle parts on the back of the altmode and the bulkier legs are fine, I wish this figure was coated in silver paint. Okay, he has some paint apps on the torso, but the lighter gray plastic just makes the sculpted details washed out somewhat. Some would argue that it'd be fine for a Deluxe to not have that treatment, but we have to remember that prior Deluxes in this line and older toy lines had coats of silver paint applied; if I were to agree with that excuse, however, then there is another figure who should have been painted with more silver.

What I can say, however, is that the head should have been painted silver if they didn't want to do the same for the rest of the body. There is a great level of sculpted detail like his glasses and the mechanical "wrinkles" to show his age. Sure, he has blue for the eyes and hair along with his golden mustache, but where is the money really going? Oh and he can have the weapon peg on his back like in the movie. 

Articulation consists of ball joints for the head, shoulders, elbows, and hips, while swivels are used for the thighs and hinges for the knees. Thanks to transformation, you can fake some ankle pivots. As for the weapons, while the gun looks fine on his hand, the way the hand works means that he can barely hold the start past the tip. Sadly, there appears to be no other way for him to fake holding it in the middle.

Here we have him with the other Autobots minus the Wreckers because they're assholes stuck at the Xantium while Sentinel is a traitor. Either way, the DOTM Autobot cast is finally complete unless you want to count the Twins, and we know Hasbro would rather make an SS86 Concept Art lame ass than give love to the misunderstood duo (though their absence in the movie beyond can justify them not making their Spark altmodes). It's great to have a Que that I don't have to go out and buy at the same price I could get another Buster Prime for, though he isn't 100% perfect. I'm sure many would think Dino is overhyped yet is held back by his altmode and back kibble, but I think he turned out much better than people give credit for. Que is a similar story, though I just wish he had a bit more paint to make him pop better as well as a better way for him to hold his weapon. I still recommend you get him either way, just don't get your hopes too high if you really want this to be a slam dunk.

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

Marvel Legends Headpool (w/Logan) & Colossus review

We already know Wolverine at this point, especially the version portrayed by Hugh Jackman. Colossus is a long-overdue addition for the Marvel Legends line, unless you count the 2007 X3: The Last Stand figure back when Hasbro first got the license. That version, however, is not quite the same character we saw in the Deadpool movies. With a fairly prominent role and a Russian ethnicity, I'm amazed it took Hasbro long enough to finally make this version of the character for the Deadpool Legacy Collection...which only features reissues of the titular mutants of last year's MCU movie and this Titan. We won't soon see Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Cable, or Domino, sadly. With all that said, here is my look at the two figures meant to fill in for more Fox X-Men characters, even if one is a variant and not the real Logan.

Here we have Logan, who is mostly a reuse of the 2020 version from the older movies, though with new arms, a new waist with a different belt, and a new piece meant for the jacket. This represents the variant Deadpool encountered at the bar, the same one who was a sore loser and regretted letting the X-Men die in his world. Hence why he has the boots peeking through the pants and the gloves in one of his pockets. If you thought this was going to be a straight repaint of that original figure, it technically isn't, though a lot of the paintwork mostly stays reserved for the shirt, jacket buttons, and belt. I wish we had some shading for the arms and legs, especially to highlight the texturing better, though I guess some of the lighting does help that well enough. Plus, gray and sandy beige don't look as cheap as yellow, seen from the simultaneously released Wolverine figure. This look also works fine for the character, though I wish the arms would go down a bit more, and I also question why we have another case of pinless joints for one set of limbs while the other still has them pinned. One or the other, please.

His head sculpt is a reuse of the Wolverine figure I recently looked at, though slightly different in paint apps. I don't have any complaints with that since this is meant to be the same Logan that Deadpool recruited in the movie, and you can always swap this head with the other versions for regular Fox-canon Logan. The articulation is the same as with that other figure, with a double ball neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist articulation, inward hinges, limited butterfly joints, an ab crunch, waist rotation, ball jointed hips, thigh rotation, double-jointed knees, and ankles that swivle, hinge, and pivot with slight hinderence. He comes with alternate clawless fists that he can shake at the Headpool accessory, which is not only getting top billing for some reason, but the stand is too short for it. Unless he's going to be staring at people's crotches, why make his altitude that low with such a mediocre stand? And no, he can't be on other figures' bodies.

For a Hugh Jackman Wolverine comparison, here are the other two versions of characters that this Logan reuses parts from. The torso, legs, and maybe the arms are reused, though I generally appreciate that the new parts and deco at least help distinguish him from the 2020 Logan decently well. Meanwhile, the head and feet come from the costumed version, which is fine for anyone who really likes that head sculpt and the fact that the costumed Wolverine kind of sucks. Scratch that, it really sucks. I'll take reused parts over an overhyped yet poorly proportioned new sculpt any day.

And here we have Colossus, who is a new sculpt and is thankfully painted for his metal flesh. I appreciate that the red is still dark without looking transparent, and the other paint apps on his clothes are also crisp and lined up properly. The silver on his arms and head is especially needed, which is something I complemented on the reissued Silver Surfer after getting the 2023 Quantumania-wave Ultron and the Infinity Saga Mark II Iron Man. I also appreciate that there is linework applied in the crevices of the figure, making this feel more premium than other figures. Now while I compliment the paintwork greatly, I have to admit that his proportions are not 1:1. The legs generally look fine, but the torso needs to be bulkier then it currently is, especially since it looks under sized than the rest of him. There's more to say about the torso so in short, sculpt and paint are good, torso proportions suck.

His head sculpt is done more competently than the comic versions that came with Juggernaut, especially since the eyes are aligned this time. Also appreciate that the eyeliner and lips aren't too dark. His articulation is the same as Logan's, though he has washer joints comparable to McFarlane's DC figures at the shoulders (albeit with louder clicks). He also has boot rotation and some of the worst range for an ab crunch that I have ever seen in a Marvel Legends figure, especially in recent memory. Was it hard to sacrifice a bit of the sculpt to add more range??? It's another reason why the torso sucks ass. He can even show his frustration with his alternate angry head.

He comes with a rule book that he tried using on Deadpool, and even with some printing imperfections, it looks better than the photo that cel shaded Wolverine had. He can use that on the a Deadpool figure shown for a size comparison. I'll get NSTW out again someday just wait.

Overall, these two figures are a case where they're alright but far from perfect. They both look fine but the range on some of their joints can be very questionable at best. While it's cool to have another Hugh Jackman Logan and a long-overdue Colossus, there is still a lot of room for improvement. You may want for them on clearance, but at least they don't suck like the costumed Wolverine does.

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

McFarlane Digital Silver Age Joker review

The Joker needs no introduction, I assume. You know his history of being Batman's greatest nemesis, the many live-action actors and voice actors who played him, his rivalry with the Dark Knight, and the fact that he has a hot girlfriend in the form of Harley Quinn. At this rate, it's like describing how blinking works. While plenty of McFarlane Joker figures were made in the past, none of them really won me over; not even the Heath Ledger version won me over because it felt lacking in terms of accessories and likeness. So now we have the Silver Age version for a standard DC display, and I'm happy to have it be reviewed after covering other Batman villains.

Here we have The Joker in hand, who is a retool of a Three Jokers version of himself from an earlier wave (possibly the Clown); this means he has the appropriate shade of purple, he has a distinct flower, as his colors are fresh out of the laundromat. The proportions fit the character, making him somewhat spindly but still human somewhat if that makes sense. In other words, the build for his shoulders make more sense on him than on most Hasbro Marvel Legends. The coattails are also a nice touch, and even if they're not going to be poseable, at least that beats having them be cloth. The two big issues mostly revolve around the lack of pinstripes for the pants and the miscolored joints. The former is somewhat annoying, but the latter is baffling since I thought painless joints from some Hasbro Marvel Legends (like She Hulk) would have that issue. Though this was an issue with some pinned joints, it wasn't as commonplace.

His head sculpt is perfect, even if he could be a little whiter from the makeup. Maybe a closed grin would be great for an alternate display but it still works. His articulation includes a double-ball neck joints, front and back movement at the shoulders, hinges for outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, and double-purpose wrists that can rotate at two pegs, with the connection at the forearm allowing the hands to hinge either vertically or horizontally. The torso includes a diaphragm joint and dumbbell waist, hips can move front and back as well as in and out, slight thigh rotation is included, knees bend with double-joints, and the feet can rotate, hinge, and pivot. Finally, the toes can bend for natural walking poses. One of his alternate right hands is meant to hold his cane, with an almost The Mask-esque head on the tip.

He also has a pair of alternate right hands with accessories molded in place, from an evil fish he meant to sell as part of an old comic story (which was expected from the Silver Age) and a set of index cards...oh wait, are those supposed to be playing cards? Where are the paint apps, Todd?! Even the cards that came with the Cowboy Logan/Sabertooth set had those painted!

His chase variant features him in a black suit reminiscent of the Alex Ross art, and I almost want to get that version since it compliments him so well. He looks like he's attending the funeral of the Batman. Crime has no punchline without him, after all.

For a comparison with a version of Batman in black and gray, which is my preferred version of the character for how well it matches the BTAS look. They make for quite the perfect design and personality contrast, huh? Overall, the Joker makes for a solid figure; though I hate that he has the off colored joints and has no details on his cards, it is still a reuse that I recommend given more effort was put into recreating that Silver Age look than any Jokerized repaint.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series TFOne B-127 review

I'll be honest and say that never has a version of Bumblebee made me wish he would have his voice box removed sooner than Transformers One's B-127. While I love Keagan Michael Key, I never liked how his character is another trope where they try to repeat Benny's mannerisms and lines that DESPERATELY try to be the hottest meme for a few days, from "BADASSATRON" trying to be the next "SPACESHIP" to his comments on his battle mask and knife hands being comparable to the dialogue in Forspoken and Viewfinder and their shitty Joss Whedon writing styles. I know people would say he's comparable to Donkey from Shrek, but he worked since he was written by people who knew how to be comedic rather than corporate millennial writers who probably agree with anything their followers in Tumblr or BluSky would say. You could say Bee is to me what G1 Wheelie was to the horribly aging manbabies of the 80s, but I don't hate him 100% since he has a cool design apart from his Cabbage Patch Kids looking ass face (the helmet is fine, and the box art looks better). With all that said, here is my review on Studio Series B-127, aka Bumblebee. Their names will be interchanged.

Here we have B-127 in his vehicle mode. It's a variation of his altmode shown in the opening of the Bumblebee movie, which was itself inspired by his design in the War for Cybertron games. I was always a fan of this design in those prior TF media entries, and I appreciate seeing it in a smoother aesthetic as a blend between him being a hatchback like in G1 and Animated and a sports car like in the movies and Prime. Apart from how gappy it is around the middle section, at least it is minor and there aren't any obvious robot parts visible (Prime's forearms and Megatron's entire chest). I especially appreciate the pinned wheels, which almost looks like futuristic cymbals in a way. The shade of yellow is more on the golden side, which is somewhat accurate to how he appeared in the movie; that being said, for a smaller Deluxe, I was hoping he would either be painted gold or at least have be painted like the Buzzworthy version of B-127 was.

Bumblebee's weapons can store on the top and sides of the altmode, with the weapons meant to come out of his forearms almost looking as if they were transformed out of his body.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is with Optimus Prime and Megatron. Seeing all three as Deluxes almost reminds me of the 2010s Deluxes for the WFC game, though in a somewhat better scale this time. 

Transformation is mostly similar to what the Prime Changer was like in the mainline. Though not exactly 1:1, but it does work given the character designs. They both end up chunkier than the CG model, though it isn't too bad for the limbs compared to the torso. Though not as bad as the chest on Gamer Edition WFC Bee, the front section could either be smaller or more compact so as not to look like it's mistransformed (even if it isn't). Otherwise, the rest of the figure does a respectable job at looking like the design in the movie.

His head sculpt is a lot more in-line with the usual Generations aesthetics rather than the TFOne-specific facial details you'd expect from something either comparable to the TFP/RID15 faces or Cabbage Patch Kids. And thank God for that since I don't like his face that much out of the cast. I do, however, like that he has a bit of a movie influence to his head. With his allegedly inaccurate Tracker blaster in-hand, Bumblebee's articulation includes ball joints at the neck, shoulders, and hips, swivels at the biceps, thighs, and waist, and hinges at the elbows, knees, and ankles. Be warned that the hips can bump into the upper body due to the way they're sculpted.

This Bumblebee also comes with his knife hands, which attach to a pair of inaccurate yet still character-specific blasters that replace the hands. I bet he would have said "OH YO WHAT THATS SICK A GOT GUN HANDS THAT I JUST SUMMONED WITH MY KNIFE HANDS AND BATTLE MASK WITH MY FRICKIN MIND" before Orion Pax goes to his volume settings and muted his dialogue. Oh and he has no battle mask, which kind of sucks since I do like the design even if the last time a Deluxe did that was so-so (2018 VW Bumblebee, specifically).

For a size comparison, B-127 of course is shorter than both faction leaders. This makes me wonder how Elita-1 and Sentinel will scale given how Hasbro chose to make the main quartet all Deluxes. Bee is an A-Level figure like his G1 counterpart, meaning that he should be easier for fans to get than other Deluxes for the year. Will that be as problematic as SS86 Bee warming pegs and getting discounted? Who knows, especially with the future that toys will be facing thanks to both Hasbro raising prices to combat tariffs and focusing less on toys because of wannabe gamer Chris Cucks. At least it's better than Devastation Prime.

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

Jada Toys Street Fighter II Cammy review

Cammy's history goes as far back as being the clone assassin created by Shadaloo as a replacement body for M. Bison; she grew to hate the man she shares DNA with and eventually left her past behind. She became more willing to assist others, even Chun-Li, the woman she was designed to be the opposite of. Admittedly, she struggles to avoid her aggressions as well as close the gap between childhood and adulthood, but she can accomplish that in a way. She takes the spotlight for this next Street Fighter review!

Here we have Cammy in-hand, with a green leotard and a few camo paint apps on her thighs. Though there is no separate etching to separate the one thing covering her busty thicc torso, it is sculpted in green while the flesh tones are painted on. There is thankfully more consistency between those areas and the limbs. She does have the red triangle sculpted raised in relief, so the chances of making this figure nude are much more difficult. Not like that would stop people because the musculature of her abs and arms, combined with the cup size and how thicc her thighs are, will be more than enough to keep people happy. No, she will not go into the jar so shut the fuck up and don't even think about doing that. At least the bare body parts don't look disjointed, which is a common complaint that Glenn Webb RIP said before on female action figures when they get more joints. That being said, we do have some cake competition between her and Doomsday with such defined booty cheeks. And I just had cake last week for my birthday (the food cake, fyi).

Her head sculpt is on the doll side, though that's mostly to do with the way her character was designed. It does look a little funny, but most of the faces can be off at times. With her alternate screaming head, alternate hands, kicking effect part, and butt on display, her articulation consists of double-ball neck, twin pigtails, shoulder rotation, bicep swivels, double-jointed elbows, wrist swivels and hinges, a double-ball diaphragm joint, ball-jointed hip movement, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, boot swivels, ankle hinges, and pivot rockers.

For a size comparison, here she is with M. Bison. They will have an awful reunion, I'm sure. Like with all other Street Fighter figures I reviewed, this is a good one, even if I kind of wish the face would look a little less weird and the leotard would have some separate sculpting from the bare skin. I hope we get a blue turtleneck variant. Until then, HANDS OFF THAT JAR

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐