Another Set of Random Reviews: Now With Evangelion

Franchises made in the 80s and 90s have been prominent on this website, huh? Transformers Generation One has the CHUG lines and occasional G1 release while Power Rangers, despite only having Hasbro-focused reviews, did begin in the 90s with MMPR. And of course, there are occasional franchise pop-ups every once in a while, including Pac-Man and a small increase of anime franchises (and it's the good ones right now), but instead of a Sailor Scout, we got another blue hair character in the form of Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame! Let's get into today's Random Review with a decade theme!

Let's first take a look at G1 Frenzy. This guy is a rectangle with holes in it, which is an uninteresting mode. I'm only kidding, this is his cassette mode, which is depicted with plenty of stickers on the front of it in order to convey the mode he possesses. The blue on this guy is toy-based, with some fiction rolling with this deco while it is more light blue/lavender for the cartoon, where the character is called Rumble instead of Frenzy. On the back, there are a few chrome accents that have been roughed up from previous use, but it doesn't look too out of place with the front section of the altmode. Certainly better than a lot of recent takes on this type of Mini-Con Deployer, such as the Siege version and even the Masterpiece version to an extent. That does come down to the old G1 toys prioritizing vehicle modes more often than robot modes.

He, like every other G1 cassette, can fit inside Soundwave's compartment, and the blue is a different shade from his master (which I appreciate).

With Laserbeak and Ravage, we get a nice variety of colors between cassette members, and I reckon the same could be said if Rumble, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat were added (and by extension, the other cassettes past RB).

His transformation is pretty basic, as the arms and legs fold down while they rotate in place. The head springs up and the weapons go on the back. The resulting robot mode has low-hanging arms and is very flat from the aide, but it isn't a bad job for a first attempt at turning a rectangle into a humanoid form. It should be mentioned that half of his details are stickers, and he isn't light blue & lavender ss the cartoon Rumble is.  

His articulation only consists of arm swivels, double-elbows, and maybe knees that are higher than normal. Next to his partners and his big boss, Frenzy makes for a cool addition to any G1 display if you want to have a humanoid partner in a collection.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Up next, we have the Auto Morphin White Ranger. This is Hasbro's interpretation of Bandai's old toy design rather than a straight reissue like what 2018 had. This guy was in the second wave along with Yellow, Green, and Ranger Slayer. The Auto Morphins were known for their blockier proportions, but the Hasbro versions feel a little more rounded for better or worse (especially at thd hips). Fans probably wondered why the old molds weren't used, it could be due to Hasbro not having access to Bandai molds the same way they did Kenner Star Wars and ToyBiz Marvel (because they bought out both companies and licenses) or because they wanted to do their own spin on the concept while keeping things faithfully retro like the screws on his head and butt. He, like the old toys, inaccurately came with a Blade Blaster in the holster. You could put Saba in there but it's too snug.

His helmet looks incomplete due to the missing paint apps but the sculpt is otherwise good. Just paint in those lines! Anyways the articulation is only present for the shoulders as well as for the elbow swivels & bends; the hips now move outwards in addition to front and back (different from the old hips), and the lower legs can swivel in as well as bend at the knees. The lack of neck articulation is annoying since the 2018 reissues have done that for the civilian heads. And none of the weapons use peg holes.

The chest armor is removable for the gimmick to work properly, though it is a single, flexible piece rather than having it be solid and split apart. The actor likeness to Tommy Oliver in Season 2 is stronger than on the old one, and you can see the molding for the white diamonds! No gold like on the Super Megaforce & Super Legends 5/6 through 8-inch scale versions. He may not be as desirable as the Lightning Collection version, but he makes for a neat novelty regardless. And hey, he has the proper belt buckle instead of the Press-Stop-For-Emergency button Power Morpher.

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

Up next, we got Pac-Man's model kit made for beginners. This Entry Grade piece is made for those who are interested in getting into the hobby without the fear of tackling any assembly or detailing elements found in Gundam or Mini-Pla. Almost everything that is yellow, red, orange, or black requires no stickering or paint beyond the eyebrows. 

Once he is assembled, he is on-model as expected, capturing the slightly tweaked look he sported since his Smash debut. I love the colors on this guy, being perfect for how his character model looked in the 2000s. There's not much else to say beyond him having ball jointed shoulders and wrists. He's meant to be in his signature thumbs up/wink combo.

For a comparison with his other recent figurines, here he is with the Capchara and Figuarts versions along with the tiny figurine that came with the Chogokin mecha of Pac-Man. He does the thumbs-up pose the best and is one I recommend if you want more Pac-Man in your life. The Figuart is one I recommend more.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And going from a simpler arcade series to a batshit insane anime, we have a debut review for Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is Rei Ayanami in her plugsuit, which is what she and other Eva pilots wear in order to better synergize with their Eva-Units. This figure measures around the same height as a G.I.Joe figure from the past, or the late-2000s era Marvel Universe & Star Wars figures that were in the 3 3/4 inch scale. A surprising level of detail is present in this figure, from the sculpting to the paint apps added throughout the pearlescent white plastic. The proportions of Rei (and by extension, Asuka), look more adult when wearing the skin-tight plug suits, though the wider than normal hips, skinnier midriff, and weird butt detailing likely come from scale limitations when designing the figures, something that might be true for most Microman designs.

Her head sculpt is small yet equally surprising in terms of how it nails the emotionless face of Rei in the anime. The eyes are what sell it, representing this unusual mystery behind the kind of character that seems quiet and reserved from the outside yet has a darker backstory from the inside as is seen with numerous flashbacks in the anime (and I guess End of Evangelion but I didn't see that movie). Also if you think this is going to turn into a dumb MatPat fan theory then shove your modern anime merch up your ass. Anyways, the articulation is impressive for a smaller-scale figure yet it can also be a detriment due to the tolerances it'd get overtime. The head, the shoulders, diaphragm, and hips are on ball joints, the outward-range parts of the shoulders, double-elbows, double-knees, wrists, and ankles are on hinges, the hands and feet can rotate at the pegs they connect to, and there is a rocker joint for the midriff. She can hold her rifle decently and has plenty of alternate hands (one is missing), though I kind of wish she had that spear weapon. This figure is neat for the history of Microman and Evangelion merch, but not one I'd recommend you go out and get. Maybe we'll see her again with Asuka?

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And finally, going from characters that debuted in the past (mixed with either vintage toys or modern recreations), this is Battle Changer Mirage from Rise of the Beasts! Yes, he isn't a classic character (by that I mean a classic rendition of Mirage), but he pop up in the 90s where the movie takes place so he gets a pass. I meant to get this guy reviewed before the mainline Deluxe, but you can see here how much worse he looks than the other toy given how flat the gray plastic looks in addition to the lack of paint apps. At least the wheels are solid gray.

The lack of details is especially prominent on the sides, and the shoulders attach doesn't match the rest of the car. I do not, however, fault this car for not being a licensed Porsche 911 Carrera. 

Transforming him is simple though a bit inaccurate given how he actually transforms in the movie. The front being the legs and the back as the upper body really isn't how he works, but we can forgive him. The bot mode is much chunkier than the CG model, though. It reminds me of how the 2014 AOE toys for kids looked, being much chunkier than their Generations counterparts. And he still looks so dull with the gray combined with gunmetal gray, contrasting the silver and blue that popped on Mirage. At least paint his body silver! And yes, he has some junk from the back of the trunk.

His head sculpt is sort of accurate compared to the Deluxe figure's unusual mouthplated face, but would it have hurt them to make it blue? And the gunmetal gray doesn't really help that much on the detailing for the face. His articulation gives him ball joints for the shoulders and hips along with hinge knees. His left arm can flip around to reveal an arm cannon that is compatible with blast effects, which is neat. I find it odd how this guy was the first piece of merch for Mirage back when the movie was coming out, and he was not as seen as a prominent release until after it came out, especially since he was one of the main faces of the movie in addition to the Porsche licensing that went into the Autobot. I don't hate this figure, but after getting the Deluxe and later the Studio Series figure, he will be mostly used for the illusion trick Mirage did on the Golden Gate bridge to trick the cops or when he was going "ONE! TWO!! THREE!!!" when he was about to fight Scourge.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Select Vision review

Back in 2018, I bought my first and, at the time, only Marvel Select figure, that being Venom. It was a good figure, despite the limited articulation for the wrists and ankles. I loved the sculptwork and paint apps that captured a high level of detail that Hasbro's Marvel Legends couldn't really reach, and it also proves the same with stuff like the Legends Venom figures made since then being smoother than the norm or being a repaint of a movie figure. But who else deserves a Marvel Select release that can do him justice better than most figures? I'd argue that would be Vision! Between how hard it is to get the classic comic version from the retro-carded line, and said figure basically being another Bucky Cap reuse with nothing interesting other than an Ultron head, it was about time I look into getting A Marvel Select Vision after seeing him on discount, and perhaps you won't need that dumb Legends figure anymore after seeing this guy in-hand. Let's explore the review!

Here we have Marvel Select Vision in-hand, standing in a vanilla pose with a sculpt that gives him a bit more identity than if he were to reuse the Bucky Cap body once more. While yes, the character design is very simple for someone like him, with the upper body and legs being green while his midriff, waist, boots, gloves, and cape are yellow, the effort put into this guy feels very unmatched in comparison to the average Marvel Legends figure. The yellow midriff has lines sculpted in rather than painted on, the orange diamond on the chest is sculpted, raised in relief rather than transferred on as a tampograph, and the cape itself is entirely new, having its own unique creases and paintwork to make this as specifically for Vision as possible. The proportions are generally good, though some may find his torso to be a bit odd, but it is fine to me given how he is an android and not a real human. So yes, Marvel Select proves that they're able to make a worthwhile figure at a good price with as much articulation as a Legends, though they excel with an original sculpt.

His head sculpt is simple with its coloring yet it manages to have everything feel layered enough thanks to the subtle linework where the green and red portions of the face meet. And going along with that, the orange forehead gem is also raised in relief, proving how even the smallest of details don't get missed out on. His articulation gives him a double ball-neck, shoulders that tightly rotate as well as hinge in and out with decent range, bicep swivels, single-jointed elbows, wrist swivels along with hinges, a diaphragm joint with a waist swivel, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, thigh swivels, single-jointed knees, and ankle hinges as well as pivots.

His accessories include an alternate head with gritted teeth, a shield energy piece for the right hand, and a blast hand meant for the left hand. You could theoretically swap them, but it'll require decent photo manipulation. The gritted teeth face has its forehead gem removable (and easy to lose if you're not careful) so you can give him the blast effect piece meant for his head to generate.

And here he is with his creator Ultron, his creator's creator, Ant-Man, and his love interest, Scarlet Witch. Being a Select means that Vision is taller than everyone in the Marvel Legends line; while he was a tall character in the series, he wasn't necessarily that tall. Regardless, he will fit in a collection with not that big of an issue, especially considering how the styles match well enough.

Overall, Vision makes for a great Marvel Select purchase after not buying from the line in 5 years. The attention to detail put in this guy makes him worth it, and he easily beats any Legends figure in the past, be it ToyBiz or Hasbro. He is hitting clearance so you shouldn't miss out on him.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Legends Ant-Man & Ultron review

The MCU has really changed the way people see characters, to the point that Disney would basically make them seem like a new character is the biggest deal ever since the last Marvel hero as the flavor of the week MFs they are. It can't be further from the truth than with Ant-Man and Ultron, the former being Scott Lang who's basically seen as just a second-tier Avenger even in Endgame with funny gags (sorry Paul Rudd you're a cool guy but you deserve better) and the latter is a creation of Tony Stark rather than Hank Pym. Ultron in the comics was the result of Hank Pym trying to make a robot with his own brain patterns, resulting in the damn thing basically turning against his creator and attempting to make Vision, who turns against the guy and joins the Avengers while also banging Scarlet Witch. Marvel's history is very complicated, but let's see what our Legends iterations of...father and son?...have in store for us!

Here we have the Astonishing Ant-Man in-hand. Using the Sunfire mold, this figure does not have pinless joints and sticks with them being pinned on instead. I don't mind either way since as we've seen in other reviewers' criticisms of the pinless joints, Hasbro isn't exactly the best with stuff like QC. The Sunfire mold is still great for Ant-Man, and while the character isn't always known to be a super strong character, the bulkier proportions fit well for the comic book aesthetic that Marvel has in the past. Now it should be mentioned that the character wearing this costume is Scott Lang, who we either know as a former criminal who turned his life around after being the next Ant-Man, or yet another MCU funny man if you think Quantumania or any of the other Ant-Man films are somehow good. It could be Hank Pym under the helmet if you want, since there's nothing that really dictates who is who despite Hasbro going with Scott since he's more recognizable in the MCU.

His head sculpt is a marked improvement from the past version, giving him a much more classic comic design that hadn't been seen on the character since the Toy Biz version from long ago, and it's great to see the silver dome, respirator, and the thin but iconic antennae for this guy. The face of Hank Pym underneath the helmet also looks well done, capturing the appearance of a living, breathing person wearing the suit. Sadly, the helmet is not removable, but the articulation, using the Sunfire mold, gives him the same range of articulation that was on my comic Black Panther review from earlier in the year. His sole accessories are an alternate pair of fists, and that's it.

For a comparison with his past self, it's a marked improvement for him to use the Sunfire mold compared to Pizza Spidey as seen with the Retro-Carded version. Pizza Spidey's proportions and articulation are both dated and a bit lacking, respectively; while the Sunfire mold's shoulders do hang down a bit, the physique is much better for a comic character overall. The heads are where things really make an impact in quality difference. The old one reused the Walgreens-exclusive Ant-Man head (the one that was sort of meant to look like the MCU design in terms of coloring), and while it captured the more modern design traits well for that specific look, its aesthetics clashed with the classic costume's simplicity on this version. I also appreciate the trunks looking more like trunks on the new version instead of short shorts. So not worth the full asking price for the lack of accessories (a Hank Pym head, a mini Ant-Man, and/or a labcoat with some alternate hands meant for some laboratory glassware would be appreciative), but a step in the right direction.

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

And here we have his creation, Ultron. This figure is a near-identical reuse of the 2021 Ursa Major wave, best known for having Modular Iron Man and Titanium Man. This figure is made from the ground up yet has a major difference in how the coloring is handled: the original was painted silver while this new one leaves it as a marbly silver plastic. It could have been done better, but I guess penny pinching is back this year. While I like the subtle yet effective sculptwork implemented (even without the needed paint or drybrush to accentuate it), I kind of wish he'd be a little broader in the upper body.

His head sculpt is the most distinct aspect of the toy, being a little closer to the old design (or not, depends on the artist). The chromedome is glued over a blank head, and I kind of wish he'd have an extra level of paintwork for the eyes to make them piercing, sort of like that 2015 Disney Store Ultron from the Avengers 5-pack where he originally had the Titanium Man tooling. His articulation gives him a ball-and-hinge combo, shoulders that rotate with the pads attached from the inside as well as hinge in and out, bicep swivels, double-elbow bends, wrist swivels along with hinges, a diaphragm joint with a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, double-knee bends, rotation above the ankles, and the feet can hinge as well as rock side to side. He has two Kirby Krackle-holding hands and and only one evil left hand; said Kirby Krackle accessory (which now has black paint) gives him that energy-manipulating look as he threatens his foes, but he cannot put it in his mouth. 

As part of the Cassie Lang BAF wave, Ultron comes with her left arm and an alternate open hand. I have no plans to complete her as I don't care about almost everything MCU since Phase 3, so I shall pretend he cut her arm off.

Overall, Ultron is the stronger of the two even in spite of being a reuse of an existing version of himself. I wish he kept the silver paint of the previous release, but I am happy to have myself a display where he can kill his human father before his android son goes up against him. This is a good figure, but you can skip it if you got the Ursa Major version.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Power Rangers Lightning Collection Alien Rangers 5-pack review

The Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, or the Aquitar Rangers as I usually call them, were a part of what made the early Zordon-era so unique amongst other eras in the history of Power Rangers; not only were they an entirely new team of Rangers rather than new characters wearing the same MMPR suits, but they also hailed from another planet, showcasing the world-building that felt more genuine than the upteen-million Sentai/Rider/Metal Hero crossovers that only happen in bloated movies. They were brief replacements to the MMPR crew before they turned into the Zeo Rangers, but they had quite a bit of significance in their history, with Aurico getting to be in Forever Red and their suits being used in Super Megaforce at times. Sadly, apart from the old 4-inch figures, we barely got any merch representing the team outside of a 5-inch Action Hero back in Super Megaforce, a Bandai scale incompatible with Hasbro's current lines. Thankfully, the Lightning Collection gives fans a 5-pack that gives fans a chance to get them in one swoop. Let's review these guys, shall we?

Since they're all mostly the same in terms of aesthetics, I'll cover Delphine in detail first due to her using the female mold, then go over the guys briefly. Delphine, the White Alien Ranger, has a pretty simple suit design along with the rest of the team, from the the chest details to the silver and black shin guards on the boots, and gold on his belt and helmet. This figure uses the new female tooling, which means she has double-jointed elbows, double ball-jointed necks, and drop-down hips, which are thankfully not wobbly. With how simple these suit designs are, there is no room for error, and Hasbro nailed them, thankfully.

Her helmet is simplistic like all of the other Alien Rangers in this set. With this one having a V-shape to the visor and the gold headband above it containing a right-facing Star Trek logo, denoting these details helps distinguish the otherwise nearly similar Alien Rangers suit designs. Her articulation is basically the same as the guys as we have seen before, though the older bucks do not come with any drop-down hips for both genders, and her weapon-holding hands can hinge up and down. The Aquitian Laser comes in both pistol and blaster modes for every Alien Ranger, and the same goes for the Aquitian Saber originally sheathed on her back. Her saber comes with a red swirl effect piece and has one of her two karate hands.

We'll quickly cover the other Alien Rangers in the set as well since they're all the same in terms of suit details apart from Yellow's triangle. All male Alien Rangers have the older buck with pinned elbows and knees as well as a neck hinge and no drop-down hips In terms of specific details: 

-Black has a pentagon on his forehead, a 5-sided visor, alternate fisted hands, and a green swirl effect for his saber

-Blue has a square on his forehead, a 4-sided visor, alternate splayed open hands, and a purple blast effect

-Yellow has a triangle on his forehead, a 3-sided visor, alternate fisted hands, and a blue blast effect

-Red has a circle on his forehead, a more rounded version of Blue's visor, alternate open hands also sculpted differently from Blue, and a yellow blast effect.

And that covers a fairly quick review on the Alien Rangers set. Overall, it is a fairly straightforward idea Hasbro has in mind: getting a simpler team out of the way, especially since much like the Psycho Rangers and A-Squad, they probably won't sell as well in a normal retail wave as someone more marketable like Dino Thunder Black or Beast Morphers Red. Hasbro thankfully didn't mess up anything in terms of suit design, and I am happy to report my figures don't suffer any QC issues aside from slightly bent joints or weapons because of the shitty packaging. I know fans will complain about the lack of Ranger-specific weapons or alternate heads, but one can argue that the weapons were Kakuranger-only and they never took their helmets off. This is a good set but maybe wait for a sale.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐