Star Wars The Black Series Magnaguard & Imperial Guard review

It seems quite common for a higher figure in power to have guards of his own in the Star Wars universe. In Return of the Jedi, the Imperial Guards were undoubtedly in this position as they protected the Emperor on the second Death Star, and we even got to see them pop up briefly in Revenge of the Sith where Yoda swiped them off their feet with the Force. Speaking of the best Star Wars movie ever, the beginning of it showcased Grievous with bodyguards of his own, as very advanced droid units meant to give Jedi like Anakin and Obi-Wan a challenge, to the point where they still fought the heroic duo while decapitated. We've got both of them in Black Series form, so let's give them some proper spotlight!

Let's start off with the Magnaguard. These designs were quite unique amongst the Separatist's selection of droids, as these were different classes of IG droids that were far more advanced and combat-oriented than the traditional IG-88 model. Not to say that the other IG models are pathetically weak, but these were made to protect the likes of General Grievous, with the matching white armor and cloak. Not to mention that the more organic body frame makes this better suited for taking down stronger threats than the norm, a major contrast to the skeletal IG-88 and below models. And unlike the cloth goods on the Grievous I own, which is the 2003 Clone Wars version, this figure's cloth goods feel a little more appropriate for it, given how skinnier it is compared to Grievous, who should have a somewhat thicker cape meant for his imposing design. But, that being said, WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO KEEP THEIR LEGS WARPED THIS BADLY OUT OF THE BOX?!

Head sculpt is done mostly well, the proportions and movie-accurate details are all included for a higher-end figure. The paint apps are a mixed bag. One eye looks like it's not aligned properly while there are some actually nice details applied, such as the dry-brushing added to make the Magnaguards look a little dirty. I greatly appreciate that since it'd otherwise be flat plastic. The articulation consists of a double-ball neck, and shoulders that are on ball joints for butterfly movement and can move 360 degrees. The forearms swivel as well as the biceps, but the lower part of the forearms also swivel despite it not being needed. The wrists can hinge, there is a bit of a diaphragm joint that requires it to work differently from normal figures due to the droid design. The hips are on double ball joints, the knees bend, and the feet can hinge as well as the ankles at fairly higher-than-normal spots. Posing them is possible, but you're going to need a good amount of patience to tackle the right pose. And yes, you can remove the cloth goods and the PVC piece on the head if you want to depict them bare. They also have alternate staffs that can be used if you want to use them instead of the more cotton-swab-looking staff. Their electric pieces can stay in place, but they don't really stay on as well as they should unless you warp them somewhat.

For a comparison with their boss, here they are with General Grievous, who doesn't really have much synergy with them because this is the 2003 Clone Wars version of Grievous rather than the Revenge of the Sith version, explaining why the Tartakovsky colors are applied onto a live-action design. I feel General Grievous is a little undersized, so I'd like to see another company's take on the character with a more accurate scale since he's 7 feet tall. And yeah, the Magnaguard effect pieces suck at staying in place, and I hate how warped the left legs are. FOR BOTH COPIES. I was genuinely excited for these figures since I love Revenge of the Sith and the Magnaguards, but these two make one of the worst purchases of 2023 I ever made. Oh, and I hate how flexible parts of the figure are, especially the shoulder pads not being pinned in place.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Up next, here we have the Imperial Guards. Now, I know how much the Black Series line loves its cloth goods, but I will say the Imperial Guards are an example of overkill. Apart from an opening on the right arm, it's all red cloak. Underneath the cloth, however, is a wholly armored sculpt that I feel proves how plain the design is while concealing it. There's a nice level of sculpt work for the armor plates, the spandex material, and the boots that go high up on his knees. It makes me wonder how practical those robes were if they signify style over substance. With Darth Vader's cape, it gives him a sense of power and authority as a Sith Lord and one of the higher-ranking villains of the Empire. As for Palpatine, the robes represent his history as a Sith that spans even before the Prequel Trilogy. The Imperial Guards just feel rather basic, without their helmets.

Speaking of, it is sculpted pretty well and matches the character design from the movie. Which is basically expressionless given how it's a black slit for a visor. Not with the same personality that Vader's helmet or the Stormtroopers possess. The sculpt's articulation consists of a ball and neck hinge for the head, shoulder rotation, the combined elbow bend and bicep rotation signature of the Black Series line (and Hasbro lines in general), wrist swivels on uncomfortably thinner pegs than what Marvel Legends have somehow, hinges for either in and out or up and down movement, and a diaphragm joint. Hips are on ball joints, thighs swivel, kneed bend at two points (this has the pinned joints rather than the same kind of joint used for the arms), and there is both an ankle hinge and rocker. The Imperial Guard comes with the usual blade weapon that barely stays on the right hand because the Black Series team isn't really that good at swapping hands, while the tiny pistol that looks like a crumb of an Oreo cookie from a distance can be on the other hand. I think these added details are from the EU and such.

And here they are with Emperor Palpatine. They look better for a display like this rather than being used as action figures, but then again, that stems from how uninteresting they are in a vanilla pose, combined with how basic they are in terms of designs.

Overall, the Imperial Guard is slightly better in terms of quality, though the design isn't anywhere near as interesting as the Magnaguard. On top of that, this guy is a re-release of an existing mold, so if you don't want this, you can stick with what was previously made. Man, I wish Hasbro put in better effort with these guys since I always liked having two of each to go with Grievous and Palpatine. I bet the Senate Guard is better than the Imperial Guard.

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

Transformers Masterpiece Movie Bonecrusher review

Bonecrusher was previously covered in the past with the Studio Series figure, where he was generally better than the original Deluxe toy made back in 2007, but I feel there is still room for improvement after messing with him throughout the years. The sculptwork is better and so is the engineering, yes, but it feels like something I'd be alright with if it wasn't for how other figures eclipsed it since then. Thankfully, the Masterpiece Movie line is able to improve on these figures by providing more than what was already offered by the Studio Series version. So with today's review finally covering yet another end-of-the-year MPM, let's see if Bonecrusher will love becoming the must-by gift for the year or not!

Here we have Bonecrusher in his MPV Buffalo mode, well-known for its more abstract design amongst the land-based Decepticon trio from the first movie and the monstrous claw normally not found from the real-world vehicle. I always felt that past versions made the proportions look a little wonkier than they really are on the Buffalo, with the first movie Deluxe being the prime suspect of said discussion while the Voyager aimed to better perfect the accuracy of the vehicle. The MPM might win on that front, aiming to keep the details present while also making everything look clean without any gaps or discrepancies found on the prior toys. I don't find anything wrong with this alt mode, and the kibble management is handled properly here while the windows don't look undersized. This is one of those vehicle modes that you really need to get an up-close look at in order to understand the scale right. And hey, gotta love the paint apps he has on the windshield, vents, and tires. Speaking of, the branding on said tires reads "MEGATRON" with a Decepticon insignia.

His boom claw is able to separate in pieces, as it comes out of the box. It's able to swivel at the base, hinge at two points of the arm, and swivel at the fork. The arm having screws on one side does suck, especially when they don't blend in with the beige.

One detail that I do like is the decal representing all of the controls that the boom can do, though while the OUTER ARM text is in the middle, UP and DOWN are repeated on the top and bottom rows. The letters are a bit lopsided but it's decent otherwise.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is next to Barricade, the only other Decepticon who followed him in the highway (Brawl was somewhere else and he doesn't have an MPM yet). This size is more or less accurate to the actual vehicles, though Bonecrusher should be larger as seen when the they were on their way to the location of the Allspark.

Transformation is just as involved as Blackout and Starscream, with a much greater emphasis on nailing the robot mode better than his past 2007 Deluxe and Studio Series Voyager toys ever did. The arms have their panels fold onto each other more, the windows now wrap over the shoulders, and the legs feel more complete thanks to the added parts that connect to the prongs of his foot design. And while swapping the forks out for the robot mode is partsforming, it's not entirely mandatory if you want to keep the normal claw intact. The robot mode is the best we've ever had from Bonecrusher in not just an official HasTak toy, but also surpassing that of the Dream Factory offering from years ago. The figure nails the CG model perfectly, all without leaving any robot parts feeling under-engineered or omitted. Bonecrusher has the wide gap between the legs (har har), the lanky as hell arms, the hunchback physique, and the more dynamic claws on his back that were either too thick on the original Deluxe or undersized on his his now 5-year old Studio Series toy. This guy also feels huge thanks to the size he gains on top of his width being put in great consideration than with past toys.  You have a few rust or weathering paint apps on some of the robot parts to make him grimier than past versions of himself, which I greatly appreciate as much as I do the small but sharp Decepticon emblem below his chest. Best of all, he features die-cast parts on parts of him, notably the ball halves sandwiching a square that surround the area where his head is.

His head sculpt is even better than the Studio Series version, as it features a sharper set of eyebrows/lids than previous toys did, and a set of mandibles are even sculpted in his mouth! It's something they didn't need to include yet they did. As for Bonecrusher's articulation, his head is in a more expressive ball joint, shoulders ratchet 360°, they move in and out if you move a panel out of the way, the biceps swivel, the elbows are double-jointed, his wrists swivel, and there is a bit of finger articulation present for the thumbs and somewhat for the outer-facing digits. He has a waist swivel for the first time ever, his hips ratchet front and back and hinge in and out, his thighs swivel, his knees bend, and the ankles can untab so you can pivot them. Combine the enhanced range with the more dynamic design and it makes his poses more alive than with prior toys.

His boom claw is decently articulated in bot mode as it was in Buffalo MPV mode, and the alternate claw makes it look even more impressive for an attack in fan photos. Annoyingly, it does unclip easily than it does clip in place. 

To replicate the scene where he rams through a bus and has some flames on him, 6 uniquely-sculpted flame effect pieces are included: two for the shoulders, one for a hip piece, one for the crotch, one for the right forearm, and one for the right foot. Now you can pose him plowing through buses if you have any in this scale. As for the normal claws, they can be stored on his back so you won't lose them if you plan to display him only in bot mode.

If you swap his face, you are left with a decently-detailed inner "skull" of sorts that reminds me of when The Fallen and Scourge lost their masks in their respective movies, only this feels more incomplete than theirs did. His alternate faceplate depicts him with his left optic dangling after a severe upper cut from Optimus seconds before his decapitation. Cool, mom!

For a robot mode size comparison, here he is next to Blackout. Their robot mode heights are accurate if you remember Blackout being 29 feet if you only count his head while Bonecrusher is 25. They never stood side by side, but if official references are anything to go by, then this is perfect.

Interestingly, one of the flame pieces goes on Bonecrusher's crotch, a body part that lit up after Lennox shot Blackout in his robo jewels. Bonecrusher doesn't seem to mind as much as his partner in crime.

Here he is next to Starscream. Both of them possess unusual body designs that make them unique from one another, something that we probably won't get from future movies if we see more Decepticons on the big screen after Rise of the Beasts.

And here he is next to Barricade, a Decepticon who is obviously much shorter than him. Barry should be a lot shorter but it works for the most part. No Megatron pic because he'd obviously tower over him.

And here he is next to the Autobot who took his face and with good reason. This scale is pretty close to how they stack up in the movie, though in some shots, Bonecrusher was either as tall as Prime or taller than him overall. It depends on the perspective of the scenes they share together. 

No other truck is included in this shot, but you can get a sense of how menacing Bonecrusher felt the moment he got all animalistic towards Optimus in their battle.

With the alternate face, Prime can punch Bonecrusher's eye out before resorting to the iconic Energon blade, stabbing the evil Decepticon after getting his "NO-!" cut off.

And while Prime remains victorious once more, that doesn't stop Bonecrusher from being a great Masterpiece figure overall. And in a way, he beats Optimus when it comes to movie-accuracy! Overall, Bonecrusher, like Blackout and MV1 Bumblebee before him, is an immediate slam dunk with very minor issues that do not detract his overall quality. I know some fans have issues with their ratchets not being assembled right out of the box, so do check on that. So far, it's not a widespread issue so I wouldn't be paranoid over it. Beyond that, I am happy with how he turned out, and I hope Brawl keeps the streak unbroken in 2024.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Star Wars The Black Series Comic Princess Leia & Archive Grand Moff Tarkin review

While brief, the interaction between Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin is very well-known due to the cold nature of the Imperial man himself contrasting that of the somewhat more emotive and human side of the Rebels' leader. And of course, who can forget the eventual demise of every living being on Alderaan thanks to the unexpected might of the Death Star. Of course, Tarkin died at the end of A New Hope while Leia got to live on throughout the rest of the Original Trilogy, they both had their actor likenesses used in Rogue One, both of which looked pretty fake and almost like a lead balloon courtesy from the House of Mouse's use of nostalgia to project over cynicism against the company's handling of Star Wars. Anyways, let's review these two figures.

Let's first cover Princess Leia, who is in a comic appearance that still has a live-action look because it'd fit in better with the standard Black Series line. This figure is a retool of the Hoth version of the character, giving her the same jumpsuit she had on the snow planet. The comic is that of the titular series where Leia would go on her own adventures after the events of ANH. The gloves and boots are retooled, while a cape originally used by her mother, Padme, is now in a darker shade to match the gloves. This works well for a combat suit that Leia would use while going against the Empire, as she has proven to fight against bad guys very well like her male counterparts (something Disney seems to forget). The knees are pinned and double-jointed because this figure is an older buck compared to recent releases. She also comes with a cool belt/harness that includes a holster meant for her signature gun. While there could be a wash to make the details stand out more, the sculpt is at least good. The cape does make her head sit up high, though it depends on the angles on top of her being a petite character.

Her head sculpt is done very well like with most recent Leia figures. It's nice to see how much we've progressed in terms of likenesses ever since we had the previous version of her with a so-so take on resembling Carrie Fisher. Her articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulders that swivel as well as move in and out, elbows that bend and swivel as with many female Hasbro figures/Black Series in general, the wrists swivel but the right hand can hinge up and down while the left hand can hinge in and out. She has a diaphragm joint, hips that are on ball joints, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, boot swivels, and ankle pivots. Her guns can be held with varying degrees of success in her hands, though the flexibility of the right hand and the lack of a trigger finger in the left hand makes it difficult to have her hold them right.

The cape is removable if you remove the head, a task easier compared to the Black Series Padme figure I covered earlier. And comparing her to the ANH version, you can definitely see how much more adventurous of a character she became when we transitioned from that movie to The Empire Strikes Back.

And here she is with some other Black Series figures to represent a post-Return of the Jedi display that I'm going for as I wanted to homage to the EU better than Disney could. Granted, this Leia is based on the appearance of an intermediate outfit she had before Empire, but I never read the Marvel relaunch comics from 2015 so I am pretending this is Leia after the Empire is over. If you got this figure for a cheap price because Star Wars stuff has been warming shelves and is getting mostly cheaper to get thanks to Disney's mismanagement, I recommend it. I got her for $10! Oh, and remember when I said she looked too petite? It's still better than the height she had as Slave Leia, so I hope Hasbro makes a new version of her, though IDK if either she'll be made because of Disney's PC nature or because of the name change being Huttslayer (they stopped calling it Slave 1).

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Up next, we have Grand Moff Tarkin, who is seen here with his signature gray military outfit with a mini skirt and baggy thighs to contrast the black boots. He has a badge on his chest as well as a belt of some sort, His proportions are kind of weird. Admittedly, this outfit may result in some weird looks to the anatomy of anyone wearing it, but maybe his hands look a little too skinny or his hands are a little too big. The rest of the anatomy seems generally fine for the most part, though once again, no paint for the outfit even though it doesn't need a wash as much as Leia does.

The head sculpt is not as strong as the likeness that the Leia figure has, in fact, it looks rather similar to the appearance he had in Rogue One with the fake CGI design that reminds me of how artificial Disney made Star Wars feel (a weird phrase to say but you may get what I mean). In fact, he looks a bit stylized with the side profile! Anyways, the articulation is the same as Leia's more or less. The interrogation droid is at least nicely detailed and has some non-articulated tools. That still doesn't make up for his lack of guns despite having trigger-finger hands.

For a size comparison, here he is in-between Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper. The height appears to be the same for both of them. That being said, I don't think a character like Tarkin, iconic as he is, doesn't justify the original price tag he went for. I got him for $10 like with Leia, and he is worth that price much more than he normally would be

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