McFarlane DC Multiverse CW Supergirl & Superman Returns review

A decade ago, we had a Supergirl show air initially on CBS before uniting with other Arrowverse shows on The CW. While it suffered from the social commentary issues that were a rising trend for media since the late 2010s, it is still the best kind of live action rep for Kara Zor-El compared to what we got in 1984 as well as what little we got with The Flush and now the seemingly barely promoted Supergirl flick for this year. A decade earlier than that, we got Superman Returns, the first movie for the DC mascot since the abysmal Quest for Peace after Warner Bros failed to come up with a new film between for nearly 20 years. Unlike CW Supergirl, Superman Returns came and went as it didn't do too well in the box office, and it was too early to join the trend where Hollywood would retcon specific sequels and try to go "no wait this is the TRUE sequel to the last successful movie in this series" (looking at you, Terminator) while retreading plot points for nostalgia points (Farce Awakens anyone?). Both characters may now be replaced by their DOA DCU counterparts, but we at least get some recognition from them via McFarlane Toys. Lets see how well these two turned out.

Here we have Supergirl in-hand. Near as I can tell, this is either a wholly new sculpt or uses one of the prior Supergirls as a basis (either the Gold Label version from Target or the Page Punchers one based on the awful Woman of Tomorrow story). Accurate to this costume is the navy blue and blood red that honestly makes her appear somewhat regal, and that also goes for the blue background in the chest emblem unlike the usual yellow found. I honestly prefer the gold trim around the logo rather than the yellow some media are using nowadays since it technically makes use of the yellow-like color without a redundant border that doesn't look as nice as a black border on some merch. The proportions seem accurate to the actress's build, though some may say she should have a bit more muscle. As for the cape, it's much thinner in width than the usual Superman cape dimensions, but it is accurate to the way it appeared in the series, and, more importantly, it's wired!

The likeness to actress Melissa Benoist is a pretty good one, even if she looks like she's brainwashed or something with that slightly uncanny smile. It looks better than the smile Christopher Reeve Superman head, but it does look slightly weird for the mouth region. Articulation is the same as usual, though I'll need to make a disclaimer that the flight stand is not included with her. For the price you're getting with her, she should at least come with that if we're not doing the mini poster thing this time. Yeah, we're back to not including the double sided mini poster like we did with only the Nolanverse Joker & Bane wave that had SuperReeve. Sure, the Returns wave not the Gunn Superslop movie didn't have mini posters, but at least he consistent with including or excluding them rather than make them a one off thing, Todd!

Some of her alternate hands include a right hand either suitable for karate or saluting as well as a left pointing hand, though she also comes with accessory holding hands presumably to showcase how her alternate head looks when shaved completely bald. Seriously, at least replace these hands with another head for a neutral expression. Also, the hands have blue paint to better go with the sleeves on the costume design. 

One issue that arises with this figure is the hair doesn't really go in all the way whenever you switch between heads as this picture kind of shows, so you need to make sure that the head is not attached into the body yet. That way, it's easier to attach the piece onto her. The heat vision eyes are decently conveyed on this face, though I can't help but find it funny she looks like she's in the middle of an exorcism. Oh and she also has fists. While she turned out better than I was initially expecting, I still question why she was made a Theatrical Deluxe; maybe it's to have that synergy with the barley marketed Supergirl movie that'll probably come and go, but the accessory count is lesser than the Christopher Reeve Superman figure. Both versions, in fact. I'm not sure if you can get her for sale, but if the CW stuff isn't as popular as it once was, maybe it's possible to do just that. In the meantime, I will look for the titular Green Arrow of the same universe and Grant Gustin Flash.

As for Superman Returns, this figure is logically a retool of the Reeve body. Given Returns was supposed to be connected to the old quadrilogy (or at least the first two movies), why not go this route? New to.the sculpt are a head sculpt that looks better in hand than initial photos made it appear, a chest logo that is slightly larger than it was on the film suit, a set of trunks with the accurate logo on the belt (which is not from the Page Punchers version based on Lee Bermejo's art), and a pair of boots with texturing applied...that the rest of the suit could really use given that's how it appeared in the movie. Even the old action figures had that texturing, or at least most of them did. Not only that, but ignoring the flight stand (once again), what you see is what you get. Despite being a reuse of the Reeve body, we have no alternate hands for him, nor do the ones that come with Reeve even color match the skin tone on this figure. Worst of all, his cape has no bendy wire implemented! And it doesn't help that the Heat Vision BVS Superman retains his! What's going on with the selective choices between Todd and pals?!

Here he is along with Reeve and Cavill Supermen for an idea of what the Holy Trinity of actors who played the character was, is, and always will and should be. While I would love to have George Reeves to go with Adam West or maybe either Nicolas Cage for a deep lore cut (probably not so deep anymore given The Flush exists) and maybe Tyler Hoelchin so CW Supergirl won't be alone, this is a good selection of iterations to have on my display. Still, I can't help but feel bad that even in figure form, Routh gets the short end of the stick compared to Reeve and Cavill, especially with the wired cape situation.

Here he is with Christian Bale Batman in the Begins suit so we can get a bit of a "what could have been" in regards to a World's Finest match up if the DCEU castings didn't happen. I chose the Begins suit because it's closer to a comic aesthetic while retaining some realism and because it's the one Baleman from McFarlane I still have. Apparently, a Kingdom Come version of Routh is possible as a Platinum, but that should have been a thing to go alongside the regular Returns one. Also, even though I am happy to own A version of SuperRouth, I always say there is more room for improvement; the retooling could have gone further than it currently is, and even though he isn't a Deluxe Theatrical release, why can't he have alternate hands or a flight stand? And how many times am I going to bring up the cape. I would only recommend him if you're super into the movie, because while I have a soft spot for Returns and will easily prefer it over the 2025 scream fest from Gunn, I still find it out of place compared to other CBMs from the 2000s. While just about every title had either a present-day setting or was set in a specific time period for plot reasons, Superman Returns was said to take place 5 years after the second Reeve movie yet there is a jump in technology released during 2006. And most damning was that while the average 2000s CBM had the perfect balance of action, story, and kept things modern for new audiences being introduced to these characters, SR ends up feeling dour in aesthetics, was quieter for most of the movie, and was a mix between a vague hint of nostalgia and an awkward story of romance given Supes basically left Lois behind after a memory wipe...and pregnant no less while her husband had no idea of his superpowers. Maybe it holds up better in retrospect, but it's not a movie I would revisit immediately. And while many point out the pedophilic tweets Gunn made or some of the actions implied to paint him in that light prior to 2014 (not to mention associating himself with some sick freaks and poorly disassociating himself from them), we don't know if he's actually diddled kids the same way director Bryan Singer and Lex Luthor actor Kevin Spacey...but back on topic with the review, I can only recommend SuperRouth if you're a completionist or a diehard fan of the actor's portrayal. Now to see how he'll look on the Kingdom Come body.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (CW Supergirl)

⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Superman Returns)

Yolopark Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Megatron review

The AMK Pro series of reviews continues as we go a bit out of order and take a look back at Revenge of the Fallen's version of Megatron. I've already reviewed the Studio Series version of the design waaaaay back in 2018, but my hunger for more Bayverse merch in an era where we Hasbro wants us to dick ride G1 nostalgia bait has made me explore for any options beyond the Studio Series and MPM lines. You already saw how much I loved Yolopark's TLK and ROTB versions of Optimus Prime as well as Mirage, but now we're about to go a bit bigger and better with a beefcake who will remind you all that there is no command but his. We've been held back in reviewing this because other things popped up to review, and now we will finally give it the spotlight it deserves!

Here we have Megatron fully assembled. The level of detail put in this thing is through the roof. We already have it looking super accurate to the CG model, but boy is he loaded with even greater detail to match it better than even the Studio Series figure. From the asymmetry found in the arms to the lesser utilized details like the pistons between the tank treads and the inner mechanisms we can only look up close for, this could easily be mistaken for the ThreeZero or Prime 1 Studio statues, yet one big pro for this is you're paying for a premium quality figure for the price of a modern Leader Class Transformer and it looks much better than what HasTak puts out. Sure, one transforms and the other doesn't, but given the nearly comparable price tags, this is an easier comparison to make (Hasbro vs a licensee) than whatever Baltmatrix thought of (a $15 Warrior vs a nearly $200 unofficial MP-like figure). And hey, the fact you're assembling this figure makes it feel like you're technically creating the CG model like the ILM crew did, albeit in tangible form. The paint alone sells the accuracy by not just being shiny silver, but there's the addition of weathering and rust paint apps to further convey his bare metal's exposure to slight corrosion from being underwater for so long. The rust spots here and there could look a little more naturalistic, but for the price, I am a bit more forgiving towards a figure with this level of quality selling for a good price. Best part is the height combined with the die cast frame results in a heavy ass model kit, with the feet's treads likely made of rubber rather than plastic.

His head sculpt looks great as they generally do, even if the eyes are slightly inaccurate given there is supposed to be a line between his eyes to represent the alien nature of the Decepticons. It's also interesting seeing those fins in the back since they would normally not be that visible given they blend in with the silver throughout his body and the overall bulk he gained. With the same light up eyes we normally see in these model kits, Megatron's articulation consists of a double neck joint, jaw-ticulation, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, a rotary joint for the further arm/butterfly range, bicep rotation, double jointed elbows, individually articulated fingers, ball jointed wrists, a double jointed system for the torso, double hip joints (one for normal front and back movement, another for an even higher kick due to the bulk of the design), outward leg movement, thigh rotation, nearly double jointed knees, and ankles that hinge somewhat with a bit of pivots to boot.

His sole accessory beyond the same base and magnet (that might be weighted down by him yet at least uses the updated peg system rather than a cradle) is his fusion cannon. It, too, can light up with a dedicated blue LED for it, though you could theoretically swap them if you want to give Megs blue eyes. The fusion cannon does articulate at the two digits of the claw, though the blade does not retract. It would be nice to see this figure with a damaged right arm & face option for the final battle between him and Prime, but the height, paint quality, and articulation for his claws, he does more than enough with a design like this. I'd argue we should expect more for the 2007 and DOTM designs when we get to them!

For a size comparison, here he is next to two Voyager versions of himself, though the former isa KO of the Studio Series version latter is his G1 counterpart from the Henkei line. He is closer to the Leader scale we got from the Weaponizer days to some of the WFC Trilogy era dudes, meaning he's going to naturally tower over some of his AMK brethren.

And here he is between Mirage and Prime, proving my point by being a metallic beefcake in comparison to the Autobot duo. I'm super happy I finally assembled this thing after my backlog got in my way, and with more AMK Pros coming soon, what better time to get to this Megatron than now? If you already loved what they brought with their live action designs, then you should not skip out on this figure. And believe me when I say the weight of the completed kit will impress you more than Hasbro's handling of the current Studio Series line-up.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legends LG-EX Super Ginrai (Magnus Prime) review

I'm sure every Transformers fan knows who Optimus Prime is by now, on top of having so many different iterations since 1984. It would be criminal to not know who he is, but there is one character that hacky YouTubers would make shitty video essays on: Ginrai. A human taking on a visage or the Autobot leader we all know and love, this 80's style Mamoru Chiba was thrust in a new life fighting against Decepticons of both fully robotic and Transtector variety. Hearing about this story already makes him feels more like the TF equivalent of Supaidaman, but fear not, he eventually splits apart from the non-sentient truck and trailer so the human can live on his own while the robot moved on continuing the good fight. Eventually he would become Victory Leo after dying in battle, serving as an upgrade for Star Saber. While I would love to get my hands on that HasLab Victory Saber set someday, I at least have the slightly more accessible version of this character in the form of Legends Super Ginrai...or Magnus Prime as the Hasbro version is called; for simplicity sake, I will name him Ginrai.

Here we have Ginrai in his vehicle mode. Like most modern Ultra Magnus toys, this is an all in one set up where the cab cannot separate from the trailer without disassembly. As far as matching the old toy is concerned, the general design is faithful yet the cab is much more stylized in addition to using an extra set of rear wheels not normally found on the Powermaster cab. Then again, this was made from the era where HasTak weren't going on the realm of super cartoon accuracy, so this is meant to be closer to the older CHUG aesthetics. Still, it is Ble to capture the look of the old design with a few liberties taken from being a CW Magnus retool. That being said, don't expect it to carry any Deluxes inside despite reusing the same mold we had with the City Commander; the new chest gets in the way for any cars, and the ramps for the trailer barely work since the tabs break easily. I may have to glue them in without compromising the transformation.

The Titan Master can pilot inside the cab, something Minimus Ambus couldn't do with the Ultra Magnus head taking up space. Looking closer at it, and the colors are less Hi-Q/Ginrai exosuit and closer to the usual Optimus Prime palette. His head mode matches one of the ways Prime's face is depicted in some G1 media.

Transforming him into his base mode is sort of like doing the same with the trailer, only what were the ramps on Magnus now serve as loose equivalents of towers while the cab stays in place. At least it has a ramp on the bottom. It's about as comparable to a base mode like the old one, but with fewer ramps and no regular bot mode for Ginrai. I always wondered if this was planned right when Hasbro was working on the Combiner Wars line, especially knowing how forward thinking they grew to become with what figures to retool after messing around with the base mold. Maybe Magnus had his own base mode done for fun and the team thought it would make sense to retool him into Optimus Prime for Titans Return. Oh and he can combine with other Leaders and Titan Trypticon for further play pattern fun.

And now for the robot mode, which transforms more like an Ultra Magnus would thanks to the aforementioned retooling. It still fits this figure somewhat, just in a slightly different context. While this is lighter and cheaper feeling than the likes of SS86 Magnus, I can at least defend this and say the size makes him slightly easier to transform. However, those trailer ramps tuned shins barely like to peg in place with everything else. The resulting robot mode looks awesome, especially with this feeling more like a souped up take on the Powermaster Prime/Ginrai look. Super Ginrai wears it even better since I always imagined this would have made more sense of a design due to the extra flares compared to the slightly more conservative aesthetics on Powermaster Prime (at least the non-Titans Return one). One of the other telltale signs that this is "Magnus Prime", however, is the blue waist piece rather than a red and white one like on the proper Takara version. Not the end of the world, but it should be worth mentioning if you want to get this figure in the aftermarket. The only issue I have with this figure is that the ramps from the top of the trailer kind of look bad under his arms, but I know many will have issues with the feet looking wonky as hell. The heels are arguably the worst part, but tightening the screws has made it easier to work with.

All Titans Return Leaders have their heads covered by helmets to bulk up and better fit with the proportions of the body. Unlike the Voyagers, who use spring loaded ears or shitty masks, these actually look much better. That being said, the eyes are sunken in more. I'd argue it works better with Soundwave from the same line, or anyone who has their Titan Master faceplates more visible underneath. 

Articulation consists of a neck swivel, ratchets for the shoulders for front and back movement as well as in and out, bicep rotation, ratcheted elbows, wrist rotation, ratcheted hips, thigh rotation, ratcheted knees, and ankle pivots. Ginrai's guns are newly made rather than reusing the Combiner Wars Magnus guns, and they better match the ones found on the original toy. You can sandwich them together to make a double barrel cannon for a Titan Master to sit in, but I can't seem to find a good spot for it, and given the bulk of this figure, I don't think he can easily hold it with both handles at once.

For prior reuses, we will go backwards with each version of this figure before Magnus Prime was released. This is the proper version of Super Ginrai, who has grayer windows, a red and white crotch, and smaller Autobot insignia pushed closer to the front of the trailer. The Ginrai Titan Master, or Head Stage figure, looks closer to what we saw with Masterforce or Hi-Q in American media thanks to the proper color break up and the face being painted.

This is the 2-pack version, which came with see through windows and chromed parts, though the latter is mostly used for Godbomber. The ankles are remolded as a single hinge for better stability.

The original Hasbro version had a more stylized cab (similar to but not exactly) like Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus as well as for the chest, but the retooling wasn't as extensive as on Ginrai given he retains the same feet with no ankle pivots as well as guns with articulated hands that can't really grip them. The wheels are unpainted, the colors look like they're based on an aged copy from the 80s instead of a fresh copy, and Apex, a renamed Hi-Q, comes with worse color break up yet has a faceplate based on Orion Pax.

We got a black and gold repaint as part of a collab with Primitive Skateboarding. The colors are closer to Dark Guard Optimus Prime than Nemesis Prime, and the Titan Master is named Shreddicus Maximus. The little guy even comes with a railgun ramp to skate on with his board based on Daniel Witwicky's!

And finally, we reach Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus. Before Siegedom and SS86, this was seen as pretty close to what fans could get to an all-in-one Magnus without spending too much on MP money. The colors are sort of like Sky Lynx from the same line where they look a bit zestless and washed out, but they kind of fit the pseudo-grunge aesthetic of the IDW comics he is based on. He even has Minimus Ambus to represent the time when this tiny dude took on the visage of the big Wrecker himself. The rocket hammer is the best part of this set.

Takara's version of Magnus has more saturated colors to match the cartoon, which makes the figure feel slightly less cheap than it already is. Those rims help it even further. Minimus is repainted as Alpha Trion as the Legends mini comic showcased.

And finally, a 5-pack including Thrilling 30 Arcee and Springer as well as original Generations Kup and Blurr gives us an Ultra Magnus to lead the whole set with metallic paint jobs. I'd say this version is second best between the very nice Legends version and the drab Combiner Wars one.

For a size comparison, here is Super Ginrai/Magnus Prime/Powermaster Optimus Prime next to SS86's versions of Optimus and Ultra. It's ironic how a figure that was cheaper than two Commanders in terms of engineering yet is taller than both of them (in addition to costing less depending on where you get him). Size class heights since Siege are a funny thing to think about. While I have issues with this figure when it comes to both the issues this mold has to begin with as well as the new ones introduced, I still think this is the best version of the mold we have. The Takara version in the 2-pack with Godbomber is slightly nicer, but if you wanted to get this mold and hope to combine him with the apex drone, then you can do much worse. I'd argue we're not done yet with this figure because said apex drone will get the review spotlight very soon...

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

Nendoroid Ranma 1/2 Akane & Shampoo review

The original Ranma series got attention last year, and now we have the reboot to take a look at. Near as I can tell, it's like the original manga run where there was less filler and more faithfulness to the manga. Also much like the Urusei Yatsura remake, it more focused on light censorship while trying to retain any fan service or basic nudity. However, despite being the titular character and having more merch potential with either gender, Ranma Saotome did not arrive at my doorstep. Both versions were bought at Amazon with preorders still waiting to be fulfilled while blue hair babe Akane Tendo and part-time cat Shampoo came directly from BigBadToyStore. While I wait to think of something for the protagonist of this series to make his and her way home, I will instead be reviewing the two gals who try to win his heart. Let's see how well Good Smile translated them as Nendoroids.

Let's start with Akane Tendo, the girl who has a conflicting crush towards Ranma. Between their rocky first meeting and the way Ranma sucked at socializing. This figure generally matches the shorter haircut style she's normally given, though the new anime sometimes shows her with slightly longer hair. I always preferred this style more since it makes me think of Ami, Bulma, and Rei. The dress remains consistent with what she normally wears in the series, and thankfully everything has been painted nicely with no mistakes at all. Even the eyes and the small smile have no QC issues. I always appreciate that the bare skin is left unpainted so it can look more naturalistic while the clothes and hair are painted to make them feel more premium.

As far as her accessories are concerned, she comes with alternate arms that attach to the rolled up sleeves so she can hold a very tiny P-Chan, who attaches onto a small peg for one of the alternate open palm hands. Those same bent forearms can be displayed with her having her hands on her back so she can be displayed with an alternate blushing expression with one of the legs replaced with an alternate knee-bent piece. And of course, she can be displayed with a yelling face since that is normally what she does to people. I'm surprised she doesn't come with a hammer but then again, it would be difficult for her to hold.

As for Shampoo, she comes with her Chinese dress, which stems from her ethnicity and country of origin compared to most of the other characters. Also, the new anime dub uses an actual Asian VA instead of a Caucasian mimicking how the Chinese sound, and with all the debates going on with the standards of the past versus now, I can at least say it sounds better than the replacement VAs we got with most Fox cartoon characters or Phil LaMarr no longer voicing Samurai Jack. From having the Figuart as the sole version of the character on my collection (for a while until this arrived), I was used to her having an apron on or maybe wear one of the outfits that has pink. At least she doesn't come with beef against Ranma. Also, while the bangs and the twin buns seem new, the back of the hair seems too similar to what Good Smile has done before with many long hair characters. Kagome and Misato come to mind in my collection, and I don't know if GSC uses CAD files for reference material, but maybe they don't want to deal with constantly making new sculpts for every anime character with hair that long.

As for display options, she comes with an alternate face looking to the right with a look of either seduction or straight up going "whatcha doin'?"; that or she wants to offer you some food. She also comes with bent forearms so she can either offer said meal or prance around all happy with an alternate bent leg. However, it appear that she has new articulation different from the others; her neck joint is cut at an angle compared to the more symmetrical rotation found on other figures, and it makes having her look up and down wonkier than the old hip joints on Toy Biz Marvel Legends. Not only that, but the hips are on unique double ball joints that are fairly new to me...and sadly, one of them broke. Now it could just be my luck failing me in this instance to have poor quality control, but with how delicate these parts can be, especially if they come from a poor batch of double ball pegs, GSC should look into better check-ups before shipping them. Either that or the paint dries up and froze the joint. Honestly, using normal pegs would have worked better, even if you have to shrink them because of the dress's size. Also, she doesn't have her car for., which may be saved for a Ryoga or Gendo Saotome, but who knows. So while Akane manages to be free of any issues, be careful with Shampoo or else you'll get tears in your eyes from breaking your copy the same way people get teary eyed from shampoo suds reaching their eyes.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for both)