Your Daily Dose of Toys from Adam Pawlus http://www.16bit.com/fotd Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 In all of Transformers lore, or at least the toy box, Optimus Prime with Autobot Roller is an increasingly uncommon pairing. Were it not for the incessant remakes of the original 1984 toy (like Hybrid Style and Masterpiece) this is a unique release. Heck, the only other time that Roller got a licensed, transforming toy was in the 2011 Dark of the Moon line. The little guy doesn't get a lot of love, and his pairing with a new small Optimus Prime is actually a fun little package for the price that's worth the ten bucks. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130517-optimus-generations-legends-30th.asp Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 When Kickback was announced for this line, I probably couldn't have been less excited. This isn't because the toy itself is bad - it's actually pretty good, it's just that I have no real nostalgic connection to the Insecticons. In the era of increasingly expensive deluxe toys I grumble more, but so far Generations has been largely good particularly because some of the toys are feeling a little meatier. Kickback feels like a refugee from Transformers Prime with his head resembling a Vehicon, but his accessories feel like they came from a different line entirely. Two small purple "wing" weapons look like leftovers from Transformers Energon, and a disc launcher is a real surprise in a line targeted at least a little bit at older customers. The important thing here is that it looks good and is fun. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130516-generations-kickback.asp Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Despite his being one of the main characters from one of the more fun chunks of Transformers lore, Autobot Springer is the first toy I had the pleasure of owning based on the movie-era G1 character. I passed on the BotCon exclusives and the recent China release, and uh, well, sometimes you have your ear to the ground that better things are coming. The results for most triple-changer toys are a mixed bag, with 1 or 2 modes being pretty good and mode #3 being wonky, or in the case of poor Octane/Tankor in 2008, you get 3 wonky modes. The 2013 Springer has a decent car mode, a good (but tall) robot mode, and a helicopter mode that feels like it needs more time in the oven - it doesn't like to stay together too well. Overall I would say it's better decorated and better executed than his casemate Autobot Springer. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130515-springer-generations-30th-transformers.asp Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I really don't know why the Gendrone Legion Gobon didn't sell out immediately. It took a while. I had no idea this color scheme was coming, but I had incorporated it into the Glyos News Dump header [archival ] because I thought it looked cool. Who knew that I would have a figure of it in a few months? http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130514-glyos-gendrone-gobon.asp Tue, 14 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 When Jitsu came up as a possible future candidate among a conversation with other collectors last year, I think the first thing that came up with "that's totally racist." As I didn't have the figure as a kid (nor do I remember seeing him as a cartoon character as a child, but I did see him more recently) I was kind of taken aback because I'd never given the fact that most of the 1980s toy lines in the USA ran on archetypes, stereotypes, and ridiculously unoriginal nicknames. Got a giant fist? Your name is Fisto. Do you look like a pile of molecules? Then you shall be known as Mo-Lec-U-Lar. And what if you're the commander of an organization called Cobra? You see where this is going. Jitsu is sort of an Asian-ish Eternian character that received one appearance on the cartoon long before the release of the toy because, if I'm reading this right, Filmation was tiptoeing around this as well, one I don't know if it would be helped or hurt had Mattel went with a preproduction name of "Chopper" for this guy. (This is listed as his real name on the bio.) Diversity in male action toys has never been subtle, and I don't envy anyone tasked with addressing this issue at a toy company. Does Eternia have Asians? If so, why are they a pastiche of kung fu, samurai, and ninja tropes? Or did this guy raid Quentin Tarintino's 1970s martial arts exploitation film collection? I have no idea. I'm rambling. Let me say that I dig the figure, but I do think Mattel and the Four Horsemen put more work into him than necessary. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130513-motuc-jitsu.asp Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I don't know the exact name of the cybernetic Battle Beasts-esque Rhinoceros head as the package didn't have one, so I'm calling it a CyberRhino head here. As with other releases in this hand-made series, the head was sculpted by Jason Frailey (the guy who sculpted the Armorvor) and was molded by the GodBeast, debuting at C2E2 last month. Most of his heads debut online and are ordered through the October Toys forums, cast in resin so you'll need to be careful with them. Sadly these heads have yet to be cast in PVC, the kind of plastic used for most Glyos figures. If I could, I'd love to invest in getting these cranked out on a larger scale just so I could have more of them. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130510-tgb-rhinoceros-head-armorvor.asp Fri, 10 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 There's a prolific sculptor, molder, and maker of toys known as "TheGodBeast" who is best known for making very small runs of very impressive things. He's prototyped numerous designer toys, created fully-realized figures based on sketches from years earlier, and lately he's become particularly well-known in Glyos circles with custom heads and other parts. The Armorvor Infection has some nifty history behind it. Mr. Beast (also known as Marty Hansen) worked on the creation of this mold as the molder, with Jason Frailey having sculpted it and Matt Doughty having designed it. The "Infection" color has been used for numerous special-edition figures in the past as well as hand-cast resin pieces, plus the red just happens to match clear red Outer Space Men figures and a pair of recently released figures at Onell Design: a Crayboth, and an Exellis. Wow, that's a lot of exposition. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130509-glyos-infection-armorvor.asp Thu, 09 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Over the years I've had the fortune to review thousands of toys, action figures, and collectibles ranging from art pieces to high-end collectibles for adults to colorful plastic meant for children. Generally these items are best when they are designed for one specific purpose, and with toys like Blitzwing I assume most people will tell me I'm wrong, but my first impressions were "ugh." Some pieces don't fit together too well, the instructions are incomplete (robot to tank, robot to jet, no "back to robot") and in some cases unhelpful. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130508-blitzwing-generations-30th-transformers.asp Wed, 08 May 2013 08:00:00 -0800 One of the unfortunate thing about the Outer Space Men line is that we get unpainted exclusives of each figure roughly six months prior to the official painted releases, and in that time expectations can start to go up. Gemini, with his high piece count, looked like he was going to be fantastic, and the truth is he turned out quite well. The only real drawback I found was sort of nitpicky, and that's with the deco. Molded in white plastic (like the rest of this series) the figure's yellow paint seems a little rougher than the rest of the line, which tends to be pretty clean and glossy. For all I know, it's just my sample, but it definitely lacks the sort of polish that the other dozen or more painted figures have received so far. Thankfully the silver face paint and clear helmets turned out perfectly, so the end result is a very good action figure that, in nearly any other line, would be spectacular. With wave mates like Cyclops it's hard to look awesome, but the sculpting makes this a fairly weighty release. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130507-osm-infinity-gemini.asp Tue, 07 May 2013 07:00:00 -0700 I was immediately delighted at the idea of King He-Man, because I (like many) love the idea of knowing that my childhood heroes grew up to do something with their lives rather than fade away, die, or be killed as a part of some unimportant skirmish. King He-Man comes labeled as a "He-Ro Son of He-Man" figure, which means that this is an era in which The Mighty Spector, Sir Laser-Lot, and Queen Teela which calls into question just who all is the Sorceress and what is her role in future Eternia. Well, we'll find out eventually probably. Mattel described King He-Man as the "Dark Knight Returns" He-Man, the old, haggard last-battle version of the character. His battle-damaged sword has tape wrapped around the handle, rist, and dents while a scarred eye and greying hair indicate that while he may be ruler of Eternia, his best days may be behind him. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130506-motuc-king-he-man.asp Mon, 06 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I like Iron Patriot figures, even though I've read exactly zero comics starring the character. Coincidentally, the movie is opening today and as such I have not yet seen it. I'm told this "Iron Patriot" is James "Rhodey" Rhodes, better (and previously) known as War Machine. But that's not why I'm interested in this figure, which was given to me by a buddy who got it for freesies in New York over Toy Fair. (Thanks, Mike!) The reason it's interesting is that it can be dismembered and reassembled, which I think is a feature many adult collectors say they want, few benefit from, and looks terrible in the packaging. Seriously, look at the box. It's a dismembered hero. That's not appealing. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130503-iron-patriot-iron-man-3-assemblers.asp Fri, 03 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Everybody has their favorite dinosaurs, and the Allosaurus Assault set brings a fan favorite to life. I didn't really get that this guy had so many supporters given how few toys he's had, although in the last year this guy has popped up in Imaginext plus has had recent releases from Schleich and Papo. You've got a lot of options when you buy an Allosaurus, so why buy this one? His hunter, the amusingly named "Ash Skullstriker." Seriously, who the Hell names these things? Give them a raise. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130502-jurassic-park-allosaurus-ash-skullstriker.asp Thu, 02 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 While not a figure, the Red Swing Joint Set is another way to expand the functionality of your figures from Onell Design. While creator Matt Doughty is already using these parts to make all-new creations, most of us will be using them to add knee and elbow articulation to new and existing figures. For $4 (or $3 if you took advantage of the black ones) you get enough parts to upgrade half of one figure - so if you want to give a Glyan knees and elbows, be sure to order two sets. The good news is that the resulting figure is quite impressive, but unfortunately Swing Joints effectively double the cost of the figure. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130501-glyos-red-swing-joints.asp Wed, 01 May 2013 06:00:00 -0600 It has no name, and you couldn't buy it, and I guess as of now there's no "official" record that it exists. The Gold Crayboth is another in the ongoing series of these little guys, clocking in under 2-inches tall with 4 points of articulation. Its promotional nature means you flat-out could not buy one, it was in orders as a freebie if you were to get one at all. If you didn't order stuff on December 12, 2012 you probably had to go to the secondary market, and as far as I can tell Onell Design has made no posting on its own site indicating the item was produced. If you don't read reviews like this, or aren't engaged in the Glyos community, you probably won't even be aware it exists. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130430-glyos-gold-crayboth.asp Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I personally do not aspire to collect clear colorless action figures (or white plastic ones) due to how they sometimes age, so I got Gemini as part of a set. And it's really pretty, so I'm keeping it out of the sunlight in hopes it'll stay clear and colorless for years to come. Sometimes these plastics discolor, although it seems my few Glyos figures are crystal clear so far. I've also only been buying them since 2010. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130429-osm-holiday-gemini-clear.asp Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 As part of a 5-figure series, Jawbreaker was one of those rare instances of a fast foot eatery putting real toys in the kids meals. McDonald's did this a few times (Playmobil, LEGO, Popoids) but more often than not, what you got was a cheap replica of a toy, rather than a toy that would actually fit with the rest of the line sold in real toy stores. Also, this is good because there's a chance that by 1994 you may be too old to convince your parents to front you a few bucks for a small robot toy, but lobbying for dinner at Burger King was fairly doable. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130426-burger-king-z-bots-Jawbreaker.asp Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Giant Squid Deep Sea Adventure Set feels like a modernized (and encheapened) 3 3/4-inch scale action figure set in the vocabulary of Fisher-Price Adventure People. The quality is, on the whole, OK - the human figure is the weakest part, the squid isn't bad, and the suit is what makes it particularly interesting (and I believe is currently unique to this set, as the squid can be had separately and more cheaply and in different colors, too.) I would say this is how you should take the set: it's good, not great, and ideal if you're going to use the creatures and suit as accessories for your other toys that you already own. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130425-animal-planet-deep-sea-adventure-squid.asp Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The phrase "Made in the USA" is incredibly rare in toys today, particularly when it comes to the items covered here. Plastic things are usually made in China, so this Battle Mountain being "made in the USA" is something of a surprise. Tim Mee Toys is the brand name on this large, injection-molded mountain face which is itself a reissue of a very old toy from roughly 50 years ago. The mountain mold has been used for many releases over the years, and frequently shows up on eBay in red after having come in a big box with cheap plastic dinosaurs in the not-too-distant past. A few people tell me this is a Marx mold, which it may well be, but I'm not finding the original toy online from my hunting so far. (There are a lot of similar, but different, Marx mountains though.) This frequently turns up in a boxed "Battle Mountain" playset or a "Dinosaur Mountain" playset, so check eBay for those boxes. The funny thing is the sets with the dinosaurs are roughly the same price (after shipping) as this newer release on Amazon which, by itself, has been moving from $22-$25 since I started keeping an eye on the pricing. When it hit $21.80 a few weeks ago, I pulled the trigger. It's neat, but not for the asking price - a similarly sized rock formation came with the Playmobil Dragon Rock set (4147) which was sold at Kmart, Target, and elsewhere for a while before spiraling down the clearance drain. Before it did, though, it was $20 for a dragon, 2 men, a big rock, and a catapult so there's a real question of "value" here. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130424-time-mee-battle-mountain.asp Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Arguably one of the best disc packs is Eject and Ramhorn started popping up in February, with one of the better overall pairings as transformation goes. Neither of the toys really closely match the CG models on the packaging, and as such it seems like a bad idea to compare them too closely. I still very much would like a Ramhorn modeled after the box art, although I suspect this is very unlikely to happen as Hasbro opted to not include snap-on gold accessories while aiming for the spring-loaded gimmick rather than the best-possible toys. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130423-generations-ramhorn-eject.asp Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 "What are you?" As a kid, the alien creature from the Alpha Star playset was a confusing beast. What was it? It was this weird frog dinosaur thing with teeth that looked like Darth Vader's mask. I found it to be a ton of fun and it went on many adventures with me, until I was forced to sell it at a garage sale at some point around the time I started trying to find old Star Wars toys at other garage sales. (I grew up during the period where Star Wars was dead and hit up kids at school's older brothers to buy their old toys with my dollar or two.) Prior to that, this was my stand-in for the Millennium Falcon as it was the only toy I had where Han Solo and Chewbacca could sit side-by-side. (I didn't get a Falcon of my own until the line was dead for almost half a decade, I think I got mine around 1990.) http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130422-alpha-star-adventure-people-alien-test-shot.asp Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 After a few gators in the Minimates range I didn't expect to have much interest in the regular version, let alone the clear Aldyle Burst which showed up at my house in January. Packed 3 to a case of 24 random blind clear figures, this figure is cast in both green and blue plastic with golden eyes as his only painted detail. Well, not counting his dice anyway. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130419-beast-saga-clear-aldyle-burst.asp Fri, 19 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 As a wee lad I was not keen on King Hssss or the Snake Men as a whole. The 2002-era show didn't help much, either, and this figure is OK but I don't much love it. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130418-motuc-king-hssss-hiss.asp Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 There have been many ups and downs in this line, from the amazing first year of figures which were top-notch toys to some later releases which are, well, less toy-y. Orbitron finally got his painted modern action figure release in March of 2013, but there's a catch: the figure is all-white plastic painted in the right colors. The good news is that he looks absolutely stunning, but it does beg the question as to how the figure will look if it gets a little dinged up over time. Right now? Awesome. Later? Who knows. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130417-osm-infinity-orbitron.asp Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Battle Beasts Triple Threat Snake came from a collection I bought in either late 2011 or early 2012. He didn't have his weapon, so I had to trade around for that. It was surprisingly cheap and didn't take long to assemble, and it was fun to actually get a figure I've had on my mind for a couple of decades. Along with King Cobra, he's one of two snakes in the original line of roughly 2-inch tall figures. I swore off collecting "vintage" (read: defunct) action figure lines in the early 1990s, with a couple of lapses here and there. I made an exception for this line, and one other, solely because (at press time) nobody has yet decided to bootleg them. Knock-offs ruin toy collecting for me, I want originals, 100%-new remakes, or nothing. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130416-battle-beasts-6-triple-threat-snake.asp Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 In 2013 we saw Glyos (especially Onell Design) meet and raise expectations of what you can do, often just with deco. Callgrim's Fragrarian figure manages to Out-Strawberry a certain Ms. Shortcake, while the Mordireus Sarvos out-pinks Barbie. If you've ever wondered if it were possible to make a figure so pink it goes around and becomes manly again, yeah, this is that figure. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130415-glyos-mordireus-sarvos.asp Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I did not anticipate owning four versions of the Liorga mold. Particularly when 3 of them, including this version, are essentially the same color. The GachaBooster release of the figure is much cheaper, but while he lacks the accessories of his full-priced counterpart I would argue that the head sculpt is actually a little better, as is the harder, less-rubbery plastic. The shoulder blades are a little more defined, separated and of course articulated on the other release. This one is basically a dice-launching statue with unpainted fur arms - except for the head, it's all red plastic with some gold highlighting. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130412-beast-saga-capsule-lion-liorga-raioga.asp Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The tallest Glyos-compatible figure yet, Cylcops debuted in the summer of 2012 in this swell blue color. It matches similar Inferno, Alpha 7, Electron+, and Astro-Nautilus figures sold since 2010 and is part of a 3-figure, $50 set. That's a bit of an increase, but well, that's life. New tooling costs money and rising costs in China are going to make a lot of people remember the good old days when companies only charged six bucks for a figure. Towering over the other Outer Space Men, Cyclops also has the most gear with removable armor, a giant helmet, and swappable hands. This time around, the character had open hands or closed fists to carry his twin ray guns. It's an impressive specimen, although one that almost feels like it might collapse under its own weight. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130411-osm-alpha-cyclops-blue.asp Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The mute and put-upen hero of Portal 2 is Chell, who much like Samus Aran has to compete in a world with bizarre technology and incredible odds against her while the player really doesn't need to ever get a good look at who's controlling the action. The game series, for the uninitiated, allows the player to shoot "portals" at the wall so you can basically walk into a hole in the wall and come out in another location. Since the game was written with a sense of humor, it can be favorably compared to the hypothetical offspring of Wile E. Coyote cartoons, Monty Python, and the guy who shouts "Science!" in that Thomas Dolby video. You know the one. If the meme-tastic nature of the game hasn't got you down, odds are you want this, and it's since it's a good figure you'll probably be glad you bought it. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130410-portal-2-chell.asp Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I've written a lot of toy reviews, and I've got dozens if not hundreds that never got published - one of which, Skull Jack, I dug out. Here's the opening bit from the review I wrote in 2004. Oh, and these pictures are from back then too. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130409-xevoz-skull-jack.asp Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 As the line moved along, figures like the Galaxy Patrol managed to provide more bang for the buck. Not only did he include new bulky space marine armor, but he had the added benefit of having extra head deco. On one side was a normal yellow face, and on the other was an orange-tinted "helmeted" fighter. Neat! He reminds me of Starcraft. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130408-lego-8831-bounty-hunter.asp Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 There aren't many straight repaints that fans will not only request, but demand. Faker is on the short list, along with Thundercracker and Skywarp, of figures fans really do expect when a new line kicks off. Faker was an easy-to-develop deco-only exclusive which sold first at New York Comic Con and also sold online after the fact. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130405-motuc-faker.asp Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 An update of the long sold out Nebula Pheyden, Neo Nebula Pheyden is different enough to, hopefully, not make you mad. I missed Nebula Pheyden so I had to consult the archives at Onell Design for this, and this update makes sure that you can't easily pass it off as one of the originals. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130404-neo-nebula-pheyden.asp Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I'm a big fan of dinosaur toys, particularly since they seem to be underserved in the marketplace as a whole outside Fisher Price's Imaginext toys and the occasional Grimlock from Hasbro. A company called Chap Mei Toys has been cranking out various action toys (some of which may well be Jurassic Park III knock-offs) for sale at Big Lots and elsewhere plus Toys R Us' exclusive Animal Planet range for nearly a decade now, under names like "Dino Quest" and "Dino Valley." The main beast from the Liopleurodon Deep Sea Adventure Set was a Dino Valley toy from roughly 2005-2006, which was released and rebranded a few years ago as a $9 Animal Planet set and now appears here for a few bucks more, with more gear. As of early 2013 the previous release went for as much as $60 on eBay, although now you know it was rereleased in early 2013 for $15. So don't overpay for it. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130403-animal-planet-deep-sea-adventure-liopleurodon.asp Wed, 03 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I was so excited to hear Ultra Magnus was hitting that I changed my usual "toy hunting" to "toy stalking." That is, hitting the same store every day for several consecutive days, and it paid off after about a week in early January 2013. I was a big fan of the Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime, so getting a retooled version as Ultra Magnus seemed pretty exciting. After all, I love Cybertronian vehicles, big weapons, and anything based on the 1987 Transformers movie. You know, the one that actually has robots in it for pretty much the entire running time. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130402-generations-ultra-magnus.asp Tue, 02 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 For the 8-Pack Avengers Figure Collection, the Nick Fury redeco looks pretty good. He has but one weapon, a pistol, and slightly changed deco. For this loss, the average price per figure of this box starts at $6.25, which ain't bad and it's even better if you got it on one of the few sales during the Christmas shopping season on 2012. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130401-avengers-movie-8pack-nick-fury.asp Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600 From the The Council of Travelers comes Neo Legion Pheyden, a metallic blue redeco with a scarf accessory. As the name may hint, it's very similar to an older toy called Legion Pheyden which (the pictures tell me) was a metallic blue figure with purple arms and legs. This one is a single color throughout. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130329-glyos-neo-legion-pheyden.asp Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 So it's come to this. Killer Shark #3 is a new sculpt, simplified and improved from the Kingdom of Sea Death 3-Pack last year. As a toy, it's way worse. As a sculpt, or raw materials for a custom? Way cooler. The capsule toys come to you in pieces. Killer Shark's legs are separate, so you plug those on and then you realize none of his four limbs are articulated. This isn't a big problem for me as the figure, oddly, is improved over the 3-pack release in the head. The rest of the figure, not so much, but the pose is solid and you can tell that the separate pieces used to assemble the head are now a single part. So there's no unslightly line where the pieces are fused together on his head now. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130328-beast-saga-white-capsule-killer-shark.asp Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Price increases are an unfortunate twist of fate, but when looking at Ripclaw it's impossible not to feel as if you're looking at a big evolution here, over the last couple of decades. Some of you may be old enough to remember not only when Beast Wars was brand-new, but insanely impressive with toys featuring then-unheard-of levels of articulation. I remember getting that first Cheetor, marveling at swivel (and bending) knees, ball-jointed shoulders, and some really clever movement that gave the head an added bonus "mutant" transformation. Of course, the cheetah mode was basically a brick and the whole thing was pretty lumpy. Today Ripclaw is an amazing, super-articulated figure with giant wings, a decent look in both molds, an articulated beast head, and rather fantastic deco and color layout. We've come a long way over the last few years, even since "classics" and the movie toys, but unfortunately now we're going to have to pay for it. Simple deluxe toys at ten bucks a whack are no longer on Hasbro's menu, now you can either get pocket-sized Cyberverse toys, or increasingly complex deluxes which have gone from $10 to $12 to $13 to about $16 or even more these days. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130327-transformers-ripclaw.asp Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I have a hard time saying no to deluxe Starscream toys. Well, the ones that aren't from the movie, anyway. For years Hasbro has been approaching the tetra fighter seen on Cybertron from the very first episode of the very first cartoon, and they got pretty close with the Cybertron/Galaxy Force incarnation around 2005. This new release builds on that (and other) concepts, giving us a pretty impressive toy which mixes modern Transformers-iness with a little G1 mixed in for good measure. For $10, you would punch your own grandmother in the jaw to get this toy. Unfortunately it's $16, so maybe you'd just punch a friend you don't much care for. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130326-generations-foc-starscream.asp Tue, 26 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 One good (or bad) thing about a toy line sticking around for a long time is that previously off-limits characters, like this Filmation-inspired Eternos Palace King Randor can get made. It's good because a few loud fans have been asking for a Filmation Randor for years, and it's bad for that exact reason. The figure didn't sell out, and while it looks supremely cool it's a big step back from previous MOTUC toys in terms of articulation. Compared to the rest of the line, this one is a statue due to the incredibly stiff (I didn't get mine to move) ankles, the coat which keeps the hip joints from moving at all, and the newly-tooled arms (good) that no longer has a bicep swivel joint (bad). http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130325-motuc-eternos-randor.asp Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 An initial glance at Bamet is a little confusing, if you don't know your birds. I don't. He's purple with a little gold in the feathers, and off-white armor. I have no idea what kind of real-world bird he's supposed to be. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130322-bs09-beast-saga-bamet-bird.asp Fri, 22 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 It's pretty interesting to watch Onell Design's marketing, as they put out some pretty gorgeous comics that promote toys which have already sold out. It's brilliant but also frustrating, as you read something like The Council of Travelers which tells you that the figures you ordered were the wrong ones and what you really wanted was Naspoth Sarvos. Who knew? http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130321-glyos-naspoth-sarvos.asp Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Pachyrhinosaurus Clash set has been in development for years. Leaked prototypes and a very telling 2010 copyright date on its foot tell some of the tale, and (of course) Jurassic Joe samples have been popping up on eBay over the last few years... so the pairing of Jurassic Park dinosaurs with G.I. Joe-based action figures is not only highly anticipated, it's a long time coming. This set includes a Pachyrhinosaurus dinosaur as well as Gunner Gordon, a new character with a brand-new head on an existing 2009 G.I. Joe Resolute Cobra Trooper body completely devoid of copyright markings. Score one for Hasbro being clever... I actually half-expected them to reuse Joe bodies for figures for Battleship but well, obviously, that didn't happen. But this is totally cool. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130320-jurassic-park-pachyrhinosaurus-gunner-gordon.asp Wed, 20 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Here's a good one. Debuting at New York Comic Con, Orbitron was a fairly quick sell-through online. Given the price it's somewhat surprising, as the New York trio was $15 more than the San Diego versions. Perhaps this is because the colors were way cooler? I think so. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130319-osm-beta-orbitron-purple.asp Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I bet Air Raid is feeling really lucky. Retooled from Shockwave, Air Raid was called Fireflight early in his development and since most people don't care which part of Superion inspired him, well, does it matter? It's a space jet Aerialbot thing. He doesn't look a thing like Air Raid from Fall of Cybertron and I assume Fireflight (or, this toy) never appeared in either of the games. So basically you're going to need to decide if it's a cool toy in and of itself, and the answer is "sorta." http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130318-generations-foc-air-raid.asp Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Not every figure is big, nor painted, nor impressive. Some are merely good. I've got dozens of these critters in various colors, but Crayboth Nuldireus will knock you on your butt due to the insane brightness of the pink. What's that you ask? "Didn't these guys just do a pink one?" Why yes, they did. A promo figure (read: free, not for sale) was given away with orders in May of 2012, with a paler, darker, and more glittery plastic. Neither is superior, both are good in different ways. However the Nuldireus flavor is bright, crazy bright, and looks fantastic in a slightly darker environment. In sunlight, it's just insane how it looks. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130315-glyos-Crayboth-Nuldireus.asp Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Because I'm a chump, I have Long Giraf Burst. Well, that's not entirely true - the boxed assortment of figures was originally shown with illustrations of unique molds like the walrus, so it was sort of not entirely known what I was ordering when I put in the pre-order. It gives new meaning to blind-boxed, no? http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130314-beast-saga-clear-giraffe-burst.asp Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I saw designs for the Mechawhales figure which is, uh, named Mechawhales a few years ago on the October Toys forums while looking at various OMFG designs, if memory serves. I thought it was really cool and I wanted to get one, although I was expecting something smaller and cheaper. The figure is about 3 1/2-inches tall and 5 1/2-inches long, so it's significantly larger than Battle Beasts figures but won't tower over your average Marvel super hero. It ain't bad. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130313-mechawhales-original.asp Wed, 13 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Here's a fun fact. In 1996, a Star Wars comic book had a character called "Spiker" who is very similarly colored and styled with Masters of the Universe's Spikor. The sci-fi character was a blue-skinned, armored biker while the Eternian villain has a very spiky head with armor and a pitchfork arm of sorts. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130312-motuc-spikor.asp Tue, 12 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Weaponeers of Monkaa line was well-received by the toy snob press, and at 5 1/2-inches tall the hefty Palidar is compatible with your many other Glyos toys. If you own a Pheyden or care about Crayboth, this alone makes buying a figure from this line necessary. They're interesting to fidget with, but of the many PVC releases in 2012 this is one that grew on me the least. I thought Palidar was the best-looking figure of the batch (and still do) but the design is a larger departure in terms of size and dimensions from the other Glyos-compatible toys and as such has to be taken on its own terms. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130311-monkaa-palidar.asp Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Fire Eaters (Red Army Men) bring back the nifty design for another go-round, as one of three new colors in last December's launch. The 1.3-inch figures debuted in the fall with black and green figures, and followed-up with white, red, and silver in December. The first launch sold out in a few days, the second batch lasted a while. Why? I'm not sure. They're still good figures and the unique red plastic with the yellow, black, and/or white plastic on each piece is pretty impressive. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130308-banimon-fire-eater-glyos.asp Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Do you know why he's blue? His home is no longer a planet! There were some pretty big price changes in 2012, and this version of Orbitron came out at the lower end of the wave near the end of the year. Heck, you could even get free shipping if you ordered at the right time! As the third clear Orbitron figure, one would think the mold was getting a little played out but one would be wrong. The figure sizzles in blue, and the opaque accessories look way better than the clear ones we're always getting. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130307-osm-holiday-orbitron-blue.asp Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 There are few lines I was anticipating as much as the Battle Beasts revival, particularly after the long wait. My readers know I love Battle Beasts and was on board with the Minimates concept since day 1. Gruntos the Walrus and Tate Reynolds were a long time coming, and I nagged the ever-living daylights out of the very nice and patient people at Diamond Select Toys pretty much since that Gator came out 3 years ago last month. This set is almost a thing of beauty, but a good factory can make something great, and sometimes the end result is what you asked for, sort of, but just a tiny bit off enough to cause play problems. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130306-battle-beasts-gruntos-tate.asp Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 With a limit of 2 per customer, the Syclodoc Neutralizer sold out in about 4 minutes. This doesn't seem to be too abnormal, as any new pieces from Onell Design tend to fly off the digital shelves pretty dang fast. This one builds on the classic vinyl Armodoc and adds a new color with a new head sculpt, inspired at least a little bit by Gundam's Zaku. The Armodoc now comes with a default Syclodoc noggin, which has a big black eye with a white dot in the center. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130305-glyos-syclodoc.asp Tue, 05 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I was positively surprised and elated when Rumble and Ravage showed up last December (which is when I wrote this review... hey, I work ahead) and that evaporated into "eh" in about ten minutes. An update of one of the few Transformers items I had back in the G1 days, the disc Rumble is now blue (like the TV show) while Ravage remains his black and silver self. Rumble is as good as Frenzy, which is to say, acceptable. Ravage is more of a mess. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130304-generations-ravage-rumble.asp Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 With a limit of 1 per customer, the Neo Nebula Armorvor sold out in minutes last year. These little buggers seem to be some of the most popular things Onell Design has cranked out, and with good cause: they're fun! 2012 was a big year for toys in the key of Battle Beasts with each having their own unique benefits. I like the Armorvors because they feel like a weird mix of 1980s toys and hyper-modern stuff. The decision to keep these with swivel joints gives them a retro feel you just don't get in the US toy market all that much. http://16bit.com/fotd/130301-glyos-neo-nebula-armorvor.asp Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Never-before-made as a toy, Granamyr is the result of a long-in-development process where Mattel announced their intent to make the dragon, let fans vote on if he'd be red like the cartoons or green like the mini-comics, and then... well, they had to make it. A hair under two feet tall, this figure is one of the biggest things Mattel made in 2012. Of course, they made a lot of big things in 2012, many of which had some assembly required. (I read there were some issues with assembly, which you may want to research prior to assembling yours. I just put mine together and had no problems.) http://16bit.com/fotd/130228-motuc-granamyr.asp Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Expectations and context are hard nuts to crack, so a figure like Night Mission Spider-Man is unique in its capacity to both delight and infuriate all at once. Many of you have already voiced your concerns on the Twitter as to how much you hate this figure, while I find it to be stunningly charming. Part of the problem may be how it was sold. As a $6 mass-market action figure of a superhero aimed largely at young (very young) boys, a translucent blue figure like this one has more in common with Fisher-Price Adventure People or the Four Horsemen convention exclusive Outer Space Men figures than anything your average Marvel figure collector would deem acceptable. It's weird, it's strange, but it's also very familiar to a small sliver of toy collectors. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130227-night-mission-spider-man.asp Wed, 27 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Thousands of years ago, series creator Mel Birnkrant posted on a forum that the original Metamorpho did not quite meet his expectations. He was hoping the figure's helmet would be cast in a translucent white color and suggested you swap the painted figure's helm with a glow-in-the-dark one to achieve the desired effect to allow more light in to help the face glow while inside the helmet. A tricky innovation, to be sure, but Mr. Birnkrant is quite the lightsmith when it comes to his toys. He knows what light can do to make them look better. http://16bit.com/fotd/130226-osm-2.0-metamorpho.asp Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Iron Man in the 8-Pack Avengers Figure Collection is a redeco of a retool of a figure that was pretty common. If that makes sense. So it's a re-remake, and it's OK. It ain't great. http://16bit.com/fotd/130225-avengers-movie-8pack-iron-man.asp Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Based on an overseas exclusive, this Megator came out surprisingly early in the new line's run. It's about 12-inches tall, which puts it below the original 1980s toy which you couldn't afford anyway. It was $40 (similarly sized toys are $44 or so lately) which means that, at the time, it costs double a regular figure. I don't know that it's as good as two figures, but it's certainly novel and the "here's a rare 1980s toy remade for less" is the real reason why I was pretty jazzed to get one of these. A replica of a legendary toy is still a legendary toy... replica. http://16bit.com/fotd/130222-motuc-megator.asp Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I don't know what Bamet Burst is. I'm no ornithologist, and since he doesn't even have wings I might be missing some larger point. This clear version (as well as the painted version) are awesome-looking figures but as to authenticity, I'm too bird-ignorant to know what it is I'm looking at here. http://16bit.com/fotd/130221-beast-saga-clear-bird-burst.asp Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Welcome to day #600! Let's look at the Glyan Squad Verihex figure, which is an edition size of (I believe) five. In a series of back-and-forthings and trades, this nifty release found its way into my toy shelves and stands next to my other Glyos figures. The creator's blog is here if you want to read that. The creator has done numerous Glyos customs, including a matching Armodoc and several light-up pieces. Neat stuff. If you have the chance, grab one. Matt Doughty's Glyos line is unique in that it's super-limited and a big chunk of it is sacrificed to provide the canvas to the creativity of others, which is what makes some of these guys even more special. Something really awesome ceased to be so that this could happen. http://16bit.com/fotd/130220-glyos-custom-verihex-glyan.asp Wed, 20 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 If shiny does it for you, the 2.0 edition of Astro-Nautilus is worth your while. The staff is more vibrant and bluer than blue, while the figure itself has slightly purple-r skin and a shiny coating to his bronze space suit. http://16bit.com/fotd/130219-osm-2.0-astro-nautilus.asp Tue, 19 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Frenzy and Ratbat ain't bad, but they aren't great. For $11 I'm not complaining too much. Stores want a higher entry-level price point, so a $6 Legends toy isn't going to cut it. Now they want the buy-in closer to $10, but at least they're giving you more toy for your money here. $10 or $11 for two of these guys isn't terrible, although I assume one might take issue with the entire assortment having the same exact alt mode in different colors and, when you get right down to it, 6 different discs with 3 different transformations. Having said that, this is the best 2-pack to get as of launch. http://16bit.com/fotd/130218-generations-ratbat-frenzy.asp Mon, 18 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I'm a big fan of small toys, and I loves me some Mini-Cons and Targetmasters. Takara-Tomy did a really bang-up job reviving these under the Micron Arms banner, with Zad in the first series of capsule toys. He comes in black or a hot pink color, and depending on your imagination, has up to three modes. He's a lizard, a sort of double-saw weapon... and if another figure holds it right, sort of a blaster. Not bad for a Decepticon with few moving parts! http://16bit.com/fotd/130215-prime-arms-micron-black-zad.asp Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 When I saw Dekker at Comic-Con 2012, my initial reaction was "who is this?" I've only seen the 2002 cartoon all the way through once, so I didn't recognize Man-at-Arms' mentor. He was just some guy in Mattel's booth, one of many new figures that looked good but struck no emotional chord. I'm sure there are fans that saw him and went "Wow, cool! Finally!" but all I thought was "Wait, if he wasn't cool enough to do in 2002 and nobody asked for him, why is he here now?" The figure is peppered with new parts, like both heads, his "skirt," the "armor," and (unless I missed something) the boots. The boots are fantastic, easily the best new footwear we've seen in a while and probably a sign that El-dor is on the way, I'd guess. His only weapon is an orange reuse of Man-at-Arms' club, which gives us all an excuse to dig into our Weapons Pak reserves and dole out some gear to the new guy. http://16bit.com/fotd/130214-motuc-dekker.asp Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 When I had initially pre-ordered Beast Saga figures in 2012, Seylas the walrus was pictured as a "blind box" figure. He didn't come in the blind boxes... clear guys did. I wasn't too thrilled about that. The original Wolfgang Walrus is one of my favorite toys and the new Gruntos toy (review to come) is a delight. As creatures go they're big, tubby, cold-loving, and mean. What's not to love? http://16bit.com/fotd/130213-bs34-seylas-walrus.asp Wed, 13 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Part of the New York Comic Con Cyclops cost a lot more than the San Diego counterparts. That set was $50. This set? $65. No idea why. The figures were sold at New York Comic Con, and the remaining stock was split between Action Figure Xpress and Store Horsemen. They were $65 there too. There's nothing in the product to warrant the $15 increase over the Alpha and Galactic Holiday editions, but well, that's life. It costs more. Of the three figures in this set, Cyclops is the meatiest and provides the most options. http://16bit.com/fotd/130212-osm-beta-cyclops-smoke.asp Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 When seeing Rynas, it was pretty obvious he was going to be great. He is! He has big bulky armor, a huge head with a chunk of Rhino body sitting on his neck, and repurposed Bamet (the series 1 bird) weapons. He's hard not to like. The blood-red horn is an interesting touch, a rare whimsical coloration in an otherwise fairly realistic series of creature heads... which happen to be planted on anthropomorphic cyborg bodies. http://16bit.com/fotd/130211-bs18-beast-saga-rhino.asp Mon, 11 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Part of the charm with Glyos is that it covers a lot of fannish bases, from little cartoons to minigames to customizable, construction pieces. The Task Force Volkriun Core Block is, on the surface, just a recolor of a block used to make other, larger creations but it was also shown in one of the animated shorts as a character unto itself, a snotty computer interacting with Glyans and other beings from the edge of space. http://16bit.com/fotd/130208-glyos-volkriun-core-block.asp Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 When I first saw pictures of this Wheelie I went from confused to delighted and back again a few times. The body had just been released as Jazz (and subsequently a few other figures) so it was a little strange seeing one of the larger recent deluxe Autobot molds done as one of the tiniest Autobots to appear in the original cartoons. Of course, this is all dispelled pretty quickly since the toy looks great and the character fits with the mold quite nicely. http://16bit.com/fotd/130207-transformers-generations-wheelie.asp Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 It's two bucks. Of course you need to pick up Baby Deadbeet, as the figure is sculpted by and released by the same people (and factory) that brought the world the consistently delightful (and increasingly populous) OMFG figure line. Unquestionably worth the asking price (with shipping cheap to the point that it will make you mad), I bought three. One's going to a buddy. One's going to me. #3, I don't know yet. As far as I can tell this is the first figure in the "OTMF" series, whatever that series expands to be. http://16bit.com/fotd/130206-otmf-baby-deadbeet.asp Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 It's basically just Faker in a new shirt. But that's OK. Sure he's just called "Faker" on the box, but it's obvious this is Battle Armor Faker. A new outfit unseen in the original lines, this Faker slaps Battle Armor Skeletor's armor on He-Man's body and makes the whole thing blue and orange. It's ugly and bulky and I love it. Since it was sold at Comic-Con 2011 at the Entertainment Earth booth (as Toys R Us sells their wares there) I assumed, incorrectly, that it would be sold at retail stores later. Nope! ("Well, folks, when you're right 52% of the time, you're wrong 48% of the time.") I overpaid for this bad boy in a loose figure lot on eBay and I can honestly say I don't regret it. It's a great figure and it's a shame that this isn't the kind of weirdness/fun we saw at Toys R Us for their DC Universe vs. Masters of the Universe 2-packs. Superman vs. He-Man? Snooze. Bizarro vs. Faker? YES! http://16bit.com/fotd/130205-motuc-battle-armor-faker.asp Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 If you can't get enough of Inferno, 2012 was a pretty good year for you! Not only was there a 2.0 redeco with transparent pieces, but this new one dubbed "Phospherno" is to action figures what the back of a Spencer's Gifts was in the 1980s. And presumably now, I don't think I can go in there without feeling creepy... not that it didn't feel creepy then. Where was I? Right, neon crazy alien man made of fire. http://16bit.com/fotd/130204-osm-4h-inferno-phospherno.asp Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The debut (and only) part of his line, Movie Trilogy Series Optimus Prime is a nicely decorated and unarmed action figure. Looking at it, I can't help but wonder if it's Hasbro responding to the fandom, as many have been vocal about their disapproval of the trailer's absence in most Optimus Prime toys since, roughly, 2005. The trailer has been historically iffy as a toy, but we've seen some pretty nifty executions of that piece in lines like Armada and Energon. This one... this one is basically a container for weapons. Weapons, I should reiterate, that are not included. http://16bit.com/fotd/130201-dotm-transformers-all-stars-optimus-prime.asp Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I don't see Killer Shark Burst as an essential figure, but it's neat. Oh, and there's a chase version too! The trading card comes with either an etched foil border, or a standard border. The foil version ships 1 per case, and each BS-03 case has 3 sharks in it. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130131-beast-saga-clear-shark-burst.asp Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Let me start with a little secret: I don't know what this Beast Machines Sky Darling is supposed to be called but that's what I translated it as from Amazon. I pre-ordering it not knowing what it was (because that works out so well for me), and let me tell you that it's small. It's a cube which unfolds exactly like Starcom toys, and the motors have the same satisfying sound. In cube mode, it's shorter than a Beast Saga figure at 2-inches tall. Let me reiterate: it's small. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130130-bs28-beast-saga-sky-darling-Jipuroto-Bikuru-gyro.asp Wed, 30 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 So the 8-Pack Avengers Figure Collection had a Thor in it, and that worked out pretty well for me as I just wanted a Thor figure on the cheap. This particular version is a tweaked Shock Strike Thor, minus his spring-loaded hammer accessory and with different paint applications. I think this figure looks better, personally. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130129-avengers-movie-8pack-thor.asp Tue, 29 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Here's a good one. One of the better-known Snake Men, Rattlor was another figure updated in the 2003 line with the awesome neck-striking mechanism which, in the current range, is just not permitted. So, Mattel came up with a clever workaround by giving him a "neck extender" piece just like we saw on Mekaneck and Tallstar which pops right in between the torso and head, allowing him to look really tall. It's not a bad idea, and helps give the figure some added personality. Since Rattlor was released late in the game during the original Masters of the Universe series, his TV appearances were limited to She-Ra episodes which a lot of the target demographic may have skipped. He had a much larger role (and swell body armor) in the 2002 animated series. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130128-motuc-rattlor.asp Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Originally released in 2011 in a different paint job, Combat Hero Optimus Prime pulls double-duty as an update of a never-released toy of the same name and as a redeco of the resculpt of Laser Optimus Prime, arguably the most beloved toy of anyone who bought Transformers in the 1990s. Have I lost you yet? I hope not. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130125-transformers-generations-g2-combat-hero-optimus-prime.asp Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The original Astro-Nautilus is a big part of why I was so fascinated by these figures, and this new "Neonautilus" works well to remind me why. While not cheap, it's much cheaper than the previous Cosmic Creators incarnation and vastly different in appearance. It keeps the same mold, but by applying green skin and a purple suit, it feels like it came from a completely different era. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130124-osm-4h-cc-astro-nautilus-neonautilus.asp Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I found one name translation of this figure as General Hawk Knight. He's from Beast Saga GachaBooster Volume 1, a series of capsule figures which, according to some reports, was produced in a very low quantity so far. I have no idea if there will be subsequent runs, or if it's true, but I shelled out about $30 for the set of 6 (4 figures + 2 dice packs) on eBay. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130123-beast-saga-white-capsule-hawk-knight.asp Wed, 23 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I wasn't too excited about Garrison G, and while I can say I honestly like it, it does fall short on a few accounts. Like height. He seems shorter than his brothers and (so far) sister, although he has massive arms with big, silver shoulder pads. The sculpt is great, and he looks a lot like a gorilla. He doesn't really look like the original Battle Beasts Gargantuan Gorilla, and from the earlier pictures I thought he had purple armor like in the old Planet of the Apes movies. Nope! It's a light brown, which isn't bad but it in no way amuses or delights me. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130122-bs16-beast-saga-gorilla.asp Tue, 22 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 I've been itching to get a Hulk figure that was entirely green, so when the 8-Pack Avengers Figure Collection came along I happily picked it up for Hulk and friends. The single figure has brown pants, but this one? Purple. The way it should be! Well, or at least that's the way I prefer it. Brown pants are for Target employees. I need purple! http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130121-avengers-movie-8pack-hulk.asp Mon, 21 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Another Battle Beasts I've had since it was first in stores, Slasher Seahorse is my buddy. It looks like we'll get at least one semi-updated version of this sea creature in Beast Saga eventually, but he ain't out yet. Let's look at an original! http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130118-battle-beasts-45-slasher-seahorse.asp Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Here's a good one. Mekaneck was one of the first figures discussed to the public when this line was announced, as Scott "ToyGuru" Neitlich let fans know how the line would be moving in regards to action features. Mechaneck's once-geared neck is now a piece which you can pop in between the head and the torso, and this time around you have a few options. There's a short neck, a long neck, and you can pop both together for a very long neck. Gravity may start to be a problem at this point, but it's a clever workaround for a line whose selling point and primary shortcoming is "no action features." They did a great job fudging the feature but I do miss having it. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130117-motuc-mekaneck.asp Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Not as crappy as you might think! Remolded from the questionable Jazz, Sideswipe is effectively the same toy with a new head, a new gun, and a new card body kit. Oh, and a terrible head paint job. (They left the eyes unpainted.) The toy manages to be interesting because it defies expectations and is something most Hasbro toys rarely are these days: fun. The large gun, dubbed the Path Blaster, adds a surprising amount of play to the otherwise ho-hum transforming toy which is probably the most extensive redeco we've seen on a deluxe mold. But let's be clear here... the reason you want this toy is for his gun. If that sounds insane, $15.99 for a deluxe toy and a giant weapon is a far cry from what you probably paid for your third party guns and axes over the last several years. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130116-transformers-gen-2012-sideswipe.asp Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The 2010 debut of this mold was a really awesome figure, and the new Autobot Jazz is loosely inspired by the Generation 2 release of the figure. The 1993 release of Jazz had numerous brightly-colored musical notes and the number one everywhere, while the new one has blue and orange, as well as a musical scale and random notes. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130115-transformers-generations-g2-jazz.asp Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Depending on which Beast Saga translation you go with, Long Giraf is about a good of a name as any. It's pretty similar to "Longrack" which was a Transformers character from the late 1990s and was also a giraffe. This figure is a more realistic take on an armored giraffe figure, and the funny thing is that the name from the manga makes me think it might be the original Battle Beasts Rubberneck Giraffe character. It's tough to say, but he does have a new swell helmet this time around. If Toys R Us doesn't get this as some sort of US exclusive, then they have failed. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130114-beast-saga-giraffe.asp Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Small and green, the Neo Voss Crayboth is another in the ongoing deluge of the little guys. For a few years, there were only about 10 flavors to speak of. I think it's close to 20 now after a hefty run of promo and other versions in the last year. This one is a delightful bright green color based on what has been referred to by those in the know as "sea glass," which is pretty foreign to me in the desert as we don't have the sea anywhere near here. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130111-glyos-crayboth-neo-voss.asp Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Whoa, Bluestreak? Previous modern incarnations of this toy have had names like "Streak" or "Silverstreak," so seeing one under the original G1 toy's name "Bluestreak" is more than a little surprise. A retooled 2011 Reveal the Shield Prowl, this figure has new holes to carry his new gun and a tweaked roof. It's a good one. Japan had a blind-boxed version of this character as well, but this one being cheaper makes it an obvious winner to me, the lazy and cheap American. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130110-transformers-generations-bluestreak.asp Thu, 10 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 About a year ago we got series 1 of this line, and now we've got Outlandish Mini Figure Guys Series 2. Five all-new figure sculpts are here, and mine just showed up last Friday. Last time the line kicked off with about five or six colors, and series 2 (so far) has something like 13 colors. Right now. You've got options. I decided to kick off with "flesh" and went ahead and got black through Kickstarter, the latter of which will likely remain packaged. http://16bit.com/fotd/130109-omfg-s2-flesh.asp Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The Werewolf continues LEGO's bright idea to make classic monsters in its blind-bagged line, prior to putting out other (and sometimes better) versions in the Monster Fighters line which is due to end in about six weeks. It's not the first werewolf either, as LEGO had a wolfman in its LEGO Studios line roughly 10 years ago. Oddly, each version is quite different as the original Werewolf had a sculpted head, this one merely has a pointy ear hairpiece over a painted regular head, and the new Monster Fighters one has a new sculpted head. Oh, and this very werewolf we're reviewing shares the same hair/ear piece as the LEGO Minifigures Series 3 Elf. (LEGOlas, get it?) http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130108-lego-8804-werewolf.asp Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 In case there was any doubt, Tarlock is indeed turtley enough for the Turtle Club. Fans dubbed the figure "Captain Turtle" or "Admiral Turtle" after the first pictures debuted, which showed the figure with an entirely black hat. The final figure has a black visor, with the hat molded in green color, just like its skin. I think the black would have looked better, but it's still pretty great and it includes the same accessories as the dolphin from September. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130107-beast-saga-turtle.asp Mon, 07 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 There are now two Create a Character Contest winner action figures. One is Fearless Photog, designed about 25 years ago and released in February of 2012. The other, Castle Grayskullman, was designed in (I believe) 2011 and made it out pretty damn fast-- he was announced in July 2012 and was here in my office before the end of November 2012, which isn't a bad turnaround time. Fan Daniel Benedict beat out thousands of entries, and came up with a design that's so mind-bogglingly obvious and awesome that it's a wonder Mattel never came up with it. http://16bit.com/fotd/130104-motuc-cgm.asp Fri, 04 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 At first I was a little flummoxed why Soundwave was getting a toy upgrade when the 2010 version was pretty great. Now much larger, Soundwave towers over all the other Cybertron-games figures save for Bruticus. Also, he's made better and is packed with ratcheting joints. http://16bit.com/fotd/130103-generations-voyager-soundwave.asp Thu, 03 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 The fact that Masters of the Universe got new figures like Cy-Chop is pretty astounding, but it shows there's a real interest from a very loyal fanbase. When revealed at Comic-Con in 2012, I immediately got it-- blue fur, Micronauts-esque head, and big scissor hands? Awesome. I'm not sure if the face is meant to be someone (Ron Perlman comes to mind) but with the added silver Jano, horns, and cybernetic enhancements it feels like somebody put a little Acroyear DNA in there, plus a figure which can run with sciessors. A plus. http://16bit.com/fotd/130102-motuc-cy-chop.asp Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 Just buy this set. (Also: Happy New Year!) I wanted to get the DX Starter Set up immediately, but these damn things take forever to shoot, plus I had a bunch of completed reviews in the queue already. (Due to the awkward way I design sites, it's a lot of work to bump stuff.) So hey, it's a few weeks "late" but at least that gives me time to shoot the six buggers for one of many too-many-image reviews you'll see here. This batch of Beast Saga figures is an incredible variety pack which dumps 6 all-new figures with 6 all-new weapons in your lap. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130101-beast-saga-bs20-6-pack.asp Tue, 01 Jan 2013 06:00:00 -0600 As Masters of the Universe trudges along, the desire to introduce new characters like Sir Laser-Lot bubbles up and gives fans an excuse to argue once the toy is announced. 2012 was packed with never-before-a-toy figures, from the fairly obscure cartoon character Dekker to completely new (and newly-invented) familiar faces like Castle Grayskullman. Sir Laser-Lot was designed by DC Comics talent Geoff Johns, and was probably one of the most polarizing figures in the 30th Anniversary sub-line. (This is the batch that included Fearless Photogg, Draego-Man, Castle Grayskullman, The Mighty Spector, Cy-Chop, and this guy.) Sir Laser-Lot took 12 days to sell through, the slowest of the 30th Anniversary figures. (The second-slowest was Cy-Chop at 6 days.) http://16bit.com/fotd/121231-motuc-sir-laser-lot.asp Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 Of all the versions of this mold, Generation 2 Bruticus got me the most excited. Based on an alternate skin from Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, this takes the new toys from Transformers Generations and puts them in what may be the most retro box in the entire modern era of Transformers. The coloring is bright and ugly, the bursts are just like you saw in the 1990s, plus it has the old-school Hasbro logo right on the box! And old tech specs! I was almost ashamed of myself to open the toy, the box was just that nice! But we have reviews to write, and you have to know just how freakishly colorful this dude is. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121228-transformers-generations-g2-bruticus.asp Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 Good, but not remarkable, is Brawl. The robot mode is acceptable, the tank mode is also acceptable, and the limb is pretty good. The figure is a bright green, while the SDCC version is a darker green, and the G2 version is practically the same green with some purple splatter camo on it. Each is good for different reasons, although no one really seems superior or inferior to the rest. It's green, it's Brawl, it's basically fun. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121227-tf-gen-foc-brawl.asp Thu, 27 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 If I have a favorite toy in this subset, it's definitely Vortex. He may not be worth $15, but he's more fun to play with than the rest and feels much more substantial. The bright red and purple makes him look like he could've been a G2 toy, or a Vehicon from Beast Machines, rather than an alternative deco on an existing Fall of Cybertron character. It really is amazing if you think of it, this entire time got 3 complete redecoes in the USA over the course of 5 months, with another coming to Japan, and a retool/redeco coming to the USA in 2013 based on the Wreckers. The figure is pretty great, and eagle-eyed fans will note that the swords are actually colored differently on the package. The photography shows yellow blades with red handles, while the toy has yellow blades with purple handles. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121226-tf-gen-foc-vortex.asp Wed, 26 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 While a little fiddly, the individual Swindle is probably worth your while. A bright yellow toy, it stands out more nicely than the brown SDCC version and pops about as well as the G2 red release. Each version of the Cybertronian Swindle is good for different reasons, which is incredibly frustrating if you, like me, were trying to just pick 1 version of Bruticus to stick to. This one's yellow coloring is really slick, which, if that's not a selling point for you, makes this one easier to skip. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121225-tf-gen-foc-swindle.asp Tue, 25 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 While I don't entirely get why you need a Rocket Plane on Cybertron, Blast Off looks pretty cool in purple. Originally a G1 Space Shuttle, this toy is now an intergalactic vehicle in purple (for this release), brown (for SDCC), and also white with purple camo (for the G2 version). You've got lots of choices, and purple with lots of bright yellow is actually a very attractive color scheme if not entirely how the game seems to present it. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121224-tf-gen-foc-blast-off.asp Mon, 24 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 The Combaticons have had a fair amount of toys made of them in the last 10 years, with Onslaught getting some of the most love. He was made as a combiner torso in Energon and repainted in Universe (and rereleased for Revenge of the Fallen), there's a Legends-sized Universe toy bearing his name, and he got a jumbo $30ish Universe figure as well. It's only fitting that he got another Combiner release, this time based on the Fall of Cybertron video game. From the renderings I found online, it seems this individually-packaged Onslaught looks more like the game colors than the one in the SDCC-exclusive boxed set, which has been reported as a G1 deco and as a game-specific deco. As far as I can tell, it's neither, and this single release is as colorful as it is nifty. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121221-tf-gen-foc-onslaught.asp Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 I dragged my feet looking at SDCC Exclusive Bruticus mostly due to the sheer confusion of wonder just how the heck I review it. Is it one toy to be done on one day, five toys, or even six with a bonus day for the combined mode? One thing's for sure, it's going to be a huge pain in the neck and to make things worse, there are three versions of Bruticus in the US market alone with a fourth metallic deco coming in Japan. So here's what we're gonna do: seven days of Bruticus. There will be a day for this set (the game-themed SDCC exclusive), another for the shared Amazon/BBTS G2-themed set, and five days for each individually packaged robot, so we'll just do it like they're sold. Easy! http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121220-transformers-generations-sdcc-bruticus.asp Thu, 20 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 This is a cool one. The Glyos-Compatible Skull Head was another hand-forged accessory by The GodBeast, a dude who just basically wills toys into being through raw fury and, I assume, skill. I got this one at New York Comic Con 2011, and I wasn't quite sure when he made it. I'm assuming before then, as I did not see a factory. This was one of the better heads I've got from him in terms of play action, while some heads have larger pegs and need some gentle massaging to go into a body, this one just fits right in. It's perfect. And it looks awesome. http://16bit.com/fotd/121219-tgb-skull.asp Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 It's sort of funny to see that the driving force of bringing attention to 1980s girl toy brands to adult collectors is dudes selling to dudes. (See: She-Ra, some of My Little Pony.) Callgrim Fragarian is a fancy redeco of Callgrim colored and scented to resemble the original Kenner Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Really! The figure carries a hefty price tag because of the added deco, plastic colors, and scent, but... c'mon. And you get a trading card! The only way this figure could be any cooler was if the pale red/pink segments were that glow-in-the-dark "Solaris" plastic. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121218-glyos-callgrim-Fragarian.asp Tue, 18 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 Our pal the Verexxan Armorvor seems to be built off the same basic color layout as the Venjorun Armorvor from earlier this year, except it's grey rather than red... with a few other changes. His eyes are red, his accent color is still a grey, and the furry part of his head is a pale orange rather than a bright white. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121217-glyos-armorvor-verexxan.asp Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 A wise man (OK, Oingo Boingo) once said "All I really want are all those things that I can't have" and an actual, honest-to-goodness Hoverboard has been at the top of that list for a lot of us. Because of its prominent Mattel logos, there's really only one company who can make it, and supposedly their ability to do so is tied with a collector's line license that hasn't borne much fruit. There was talk of Movie Masters figures, or so I seem to remember, but other than die-cast vehicles (and nice ones, at that) it seems that this artifact may be the sole creation that isn't a DeLorean. It fits the bill of being somewhere in between pretty good/good enough, and the pricing seems to be in line for similarly sized and similarly featured plastic collector toys in this day and age. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121214-bttf-ii-hoverboard.asp Fri, 14 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 Since I can't read Japanese and there aren't many fan sites yet, the Beast Saga name I see for the elephant is Eledram. So let's go with that. A distant cousin of Sledgehammer Elephant of Battle Beasts fame, this new guy has tons of sculpted personality but loses the nifty, dedicated arm weapon. Oddly, it has an upgrade lance/spear weapon similar to the old 1980s toy, which I don't think is a coincidence. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121213-beast-saga-elephant.asp Thu, 13 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 One of the many G1 characters left un-remade, Hoist got a really slick mini-figure release late in 2012. By building off the existing 2011 Reveal the Shield Trailcutter (a good and obvious choice), Hasbro gave us the green guy with a retooled gun rack, revised hands, and... that's about it, really. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121212-transformers-generations-hoist.asp Wed, 12 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 The first wave of Beast Saga can probably put Dorfan (if that is his real name) as the single-carded winner. This is the one that seemed to show up on Japanese blogs and photo sites the most in those early days, with lots of customs, tributes, and galleries focusing on what we all call the dolphin. Heck, they probably do too, as "Dorfan" is just one name I saw around and I have no idea if this is really the character name. It's pretty dopey if it is. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121211-beast-saga-dolphin.asp Tue, 11 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 As Masters of the Universe variants go, I'd say Battleground Evil-Lyn is as exciting if not more so than her original release. She sold out in about 4 days, much slower than the 6 minutes of her yellow-skinned counterpart but still nothing to sneeze at for a glorified repaint. While the original figure aspired to capture the look of the original toy, this one aims to give her the color palette of the 2002 animated series. It does a great job, too, considering it's basically just the Teela body with a cape, a new head, and tweaked arms. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121210-motuc-battleground-evil-lyn.asp Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 By virtue of having one extra exclusive figure, Xodiac rules the roost as most-repainted Outer Space Man. Oddly, there's still room for more. As "Glowdiac," this metallic green version sports a purple head under his helmet, leaving the door wide open for more colors should anyone have the good sense to do banana yellow at some point. (Well, beyond customs, I saw an awesome yellow custom at Futuretro last February.) Like the others in this set, I appreciate that I can just look at the Four Horsemen Cosmic Creators series and go "Oh, these things are screamingly different." (Not that the Mel Birnkrant ones aren't nice, but nuance doesn't always translate in JPEGs. There's no nuance with neon.) http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121207-osm-4h-cc-xodiac-glowdiac.asp Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:00:00 -0700 Everybody hates Swerve! The figure is pretty good, but the name may be the one associated with the most abuse. There's a Universe Swerve made from a Chevrolet Aveo that's preposterously tough to find and is officially sort of not talked about. A great number of red repaints are named Swerve. But this one? This one is pretty cool, but it also had the misfortune of being yet another weirdo exclusive that became yet another mini-controversy after it and about a dozen other figures were announced as Asia-only, Hasbro-made exclusives. Thankfully Hasbro decided it would be stupid not to tack on to the run and sell them at Toys R Us, because free money. The heavy lifting was already done and Swerve is notable in that it's basically 2011 Generations Kup with a new head. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121206-transformers-generations-swerve.asp Thu, 06 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600 Surprise, Christmas S.L.U.G. Zombies! The M.U.S.C.L.E.-inspired undead creatures got 4 new 3-packs (and as far as I can tell, 0 12-packs) for a one-off assortment that showed up just after Thanksgiving, along with series 4. This particular pack includes two new zombies inspired by A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker, along with a repack of what seems to be a Snake Plissken-inspried quasi-Rambo human hero. http://www.16bit.com/fotd/121205-xmas-slug-zombies-humbug.asp Wed, 05 Dec 2012 06:00:00 -0600