Rustin's Spoils of the Week #158

Work has gotten the better of me once again, but this time I came prepared - here's a bunch of stuff I either forgot to review or just didn't have the energy to write up back when I opened it. So, as much as I hate to admit, prepare yourselves for a comparably low energy affair. A big chunk of this Spoils is dedicated to Super7's first series of Alien figure from their ReAction (and honestly the line is blurry here on if this is Super7 or Funko but the former did all the leg-work on these so I'll give them the credit) and that series is really a classic example of "diminishing enthusiasm." I was over the moon when they announced but by the time they were in my hands about two and half years later I was remarkably less enthused. Well, anyways... here we go!

Hasbro: Wolverine - Silver Samurai
Silver SamuraiPicked this sucker up in the post-holiday clearance sale at Target. As this first this character has had a toy since the '90s he's been the one to get, but due to an odd design (not from the comics?) and the super bizarre bald head - oh, and only five points of articulation - there was certainly no rush to pick him up. He is actually a very good sculpt and I like the simple paint, an off gray lining the shoulder pads. However, the fact that there is nothing silver about him is a big detriment not to mention that really weird head (mouth guard sculpted on but bald head to allow for the helmet to be removable). I appreciate that the helmet is removable but (1) why would you EVER have this figure without it and (b) it pops off too easily. He also gets a very lackluster katana considering the style of his armor. This is just a bizarre figure but a decent one for clearance prices.

Lego: City - Police ATV
police carI also just opened up this polybag. I wouldn't have bought it on my own but it came "free" with a purchase at the Lego store back in January. This is just another simple, generic cop vehicle. It does have a better look to it than other polybag vehicles so I appreciate that they actually tried this time out. Sadly, there's just not much that's exciting about the build or the bricks included.

Mattel - DC Universe Classics: Dove
DoveI only know Hawk & Dove because of the JLU show (well, figures really) so while I understand that they did the "Brightest Night" versions, so did DC Direct so I really wish Mattel would have emphasized the "classics" part of the line-name and done the male version of Dove here. Everything is what we came to expect from the line with the figure getting only a new head and shawl. The head is nice, though it reminds me a lot of Spider-Woman. We also get Nekron's crotch and skirt, which is the main reason to get this anyway.

Mattel - DC Universe Classics: Hawk
HawkModern Hawk is, as far as I can tell, indistinguishable from Classic Hawk so there ya go. I can't imagine many people were clamoring for this pair, but kudos to those who were. They are, at the least, a decent pair and visually unique so for whatever reason I'm not quite as butt-hurt that we have them instead of a classic Kyle Raynor, et al, as I am with many of the later DCUC/DCSC figure. Hawk comes with Nekron's chest, which looks awesome with its free floating heart in the empty chasm of the ribcage.

Mattel - DC Universe Classics: White Gray Lantern Flash
Grey FlashThis figure is garbage. What? Garbage. Huh? Garbage. Well, I mean as a toy it's total trash, and hell it's even kinda fun to see the return of the Red/Blue Electro-Supermen energy bits, but (a) this is a figure no one really wanted and (b) HE'S GULDARNED GRAY!!!! Not white with gray highlights or gray with white highlights, just gray! His name is freaking WHITE Lantern! Ugh... such a Mattel. If you want this costume/character just track down the DCD version. The figure does come with Nekron's right leg which is nice. Oddly, the leg has a double-hinged knee and while normally that be welcomed... it's Nekron we're talking about here. Since double-jointing was so uncommon on this line I really wish they'd stayed consistent, done a single hinge and spent that extra money on tooling up his scythe-battery. But, "Mattel."

Mattel - Green Lantern (Movie): Gaius Zed
Mr. Potato HeadThis weirdo may actually be the best figure in that entire line. The sculpt is very ice and the paint is excellent, particularly for a Mattel product. I absolutely adore the semi-darker beige highlights on the face - they pull so much more detail and character in the figure. Unlike most of the toys in the line this guy's balljoints work really well and it's actually not too tough at all to get him balanced on his finger tips. He only gets eight points of articulation but they're all balljoints (shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees) but it would have been nice to get his joints at his little dinky ankles or possibly even an articulated jaw. Regardless, he's still one of, if not the best looking figure in the line. He also comes with yet another tendril for Parallax.

Playmobil: Promotional Figure - Pirate
PirateSo apparently Toys R Us used to do this thing called "Playtember" wherein these polybagged Playmobil figures were given away in some capacity. It's the worst advertised premium ever because I never even heard of the damn thing until my buddy bought this guy for a buck in the late fall and gave him to me. The figure is nice but nothing terribly special, being "just another" one of the octopus tattoo guys that they seemingly released a bunch of a couple years back.

Super 7: Alien - Alien
AlienThe Alien is, unsurprisingly, one of the better figures in the line. The sculpt is pretty great for the aesthetic and paint is very minimal, though I'm not crazy about about the ovals on the skull. Unsurprisingly and unfortunately the dome doesn't stay on the head too well but is the gray coloring of the figure that bugs me the most. It's not too un-dark to feel right for the Alien.

Super 7: Alien - Alien (Exclusive)
clear AlienWhen Super7 announced their partnership with Funko (which then became a weird "maybe they bought them" sort of situation) they also revealed they were knocking down the price from $20 to $15 per figure. Of course those of us who had pre-ordered the set at SDCC were a little miffed but Super7 was sure to throw a mystery, bonus sixth figure for us! It turned out to be this... an Alien cast in translucent, smoky-gray plastic. Better than nothing, but certainly not exciting. I decided to leave it carded since it came with the pre-order exclusive blue rimmed card art.

Super 7: Alien - Ash
AshThe plan had been to find and release the original prototypes but it turned out that Super7 just ended resculpting all or most of the figures based on the few photos or prototypes they could secure. It's most noticeable with Ash and Ripley (particularly the head) and though it's a bummer, and lessens the charm it's not a major deal-breaker. This is what the prototype pretty much looked like so it's not Super7's fault it turned out so bland. Ash comes with a motion sensor accessory just like he would have if the original line weren't cancelled.

Super 7: Alien - Dallas
DallasThis is kind of a weird costume choice because it's on-screen so briefly but it is interesting to look at, at least. The thing that really bugs me the most on these figures is the skintone paint. First off, I don't remember any of my old Star Wars figure having the skin painted on but more over, the paint is SOOOO chalky on these figures! It looks like it'll just scratch off in the breeze. It's so just bad looking, and just conspires together with everything about these figures to leave me in a resounding "ho-hum" feeling about them...

Super 7: Alien - Kane
KaneThis guy is the absolute rockstar of the line. I love that spacesuit design so much and it actually does work well in this style. I think the bulk and the different splashes of color help a lot too since the rest of the figures are just a single, dominant color. Kane's only accessory is his helmet it's bulky, has transparent sections and is gorgeous. I absolutely would have picked up a second of this guy were they not so expensive and I not so burnt out by the line in general.

Super 7: Alien - Ripley
RipleyAnd finally we have Ripley. Another bland, boring figure. At first glance the only difference between she and Dallas is his beard, which is not a good thing when it comes to toy design and differentiating your product on shelf. They even come with the same flame thrower accessory. These aren't expressly "bad" figures; they're just not that well done, and then you add in the long wait and the result is broad underwhelm-ment.

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10 Responses to Rustin's Spoils of the Week #158

  1. Wolf says:

    Not massively exciting haul in this week's installment, but I do like the Super7/ReAction Xenomorph and the Playmobil Pirate promo figure looks so cool!
    I've never been a huge Playmobil buyer but a few of their lines really make me wish I'd spent more time with them as a kid.

  2. Onslaught says:

    Oh god I had completely forgotten about the GL line. Jeez, it's like Matty tried to mess that one up.

  3. Bolingbroke says:

    man, why do you still bother? is the pay at oafe THAT good? 🙂

  4. Stormtrooper53 says:

    Of course Star Wars figures had painted flesh. I still remember my Jedi Luke's nose being the same color as his blonde hair.

    • monkey boy says:

      Truth. Many figure most definitely had painted skin. The noses were quite notorious for the paint chipping off the tip.

      Jedi Luke, AT-AT Commander, Hoth Rebel Trooper, Hoth Han….lots of characters who were wearing some kind of head covering that only let their face show through.

  5. yo go re says:

    If Mattel had made the boy version of Dove, people would have rioted. Dawn is much more "classic" than Don (in that people like her, not that she was around longer)...

  6. Friginator says:

    I'm gonna totally be that guy and point out that it was Brightest DAY and not Brightest Night. As in, "In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night..."

  7. Boot Hill says:

    I just heard that Golden Girls is getting Reactiion figures. You'll be picking those up and Spoilsing them, yes?

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