Neo-Otyugh
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (LJN) - Bendable
Rated 4.50 stars by Karl T. Face
For what often amounts to a sentient waste processor, this is a pretty cool monster. Otyughs are a staple of D&D, a nice mid-level monster that slots in pretty easily wherever large monsters or large towns exist: any big enough concentration of filth can attract one. And what a sight they are! These things have a roundish body, dominated by a puckered, lamprey-esque mouth and supported by three stumpy, shaggy-looking legs. Two large, vicious-looking tentacles and a vaguely leaf-shaped eyestalk add to the strangeness of the design. The sculpting here is as good as any in the line: everything is textured, whether it's the leathery skin, thorny-looking arms, matted fringes/fleshy folds, or the rivulets of thick fluid all over. Eewww. Now, I will say they made the right call going the bendy...[See More]

Junkyard
Toxic Crusaders (Super7) - Ultimate
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
After reviewing the other two figures in Super7's first wave of Toxic Crusader Ultimates that wasn't just Toxie, it's time to let the dog out. Like the others, Junkyard's toy design differed from the cartoon he originated from, but not as much as say, Radiation Ranger. The toy looked more menacing than the softer show design, with visible gums and a lot of jagged sharp teeth. His fur is also a dark brown, rather than a light tan. Super7's update of the original keeps the same design, but gives him a different expression. The Playmates figure had an action feature in which the mouth could be opened and his tongue would flip on out, but S7 opted for a closed mouth sculpt. That said, their's gets an extra head more directly based off the original, with a long tongue made of a softer...[See More]

Synja Patrol Bot
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) - Last Ronin
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
When NECA first announced they'd be doing figures from The Last Ronin, I didn't expect them to go beyond the titular character, but now it's clear they're doing as much as possible with the license. Recently, we saw the release of the next figure in the line, the Synja, which is basically TLR's version of the robotic Foot Soldier from animated media. The packaging illustration was done by Ben Bishop, and it certainly looks nice, depicting three Synjas with different heads. The bio on the back is the same text from prior releases, and I would've preferred something unique for each character. This is the third figure in the line (fourth if you count the Target-exclusive Ronin repaint), but is numbered sixth on the spine. The art on the other side is meant to go with the mural began by the...[See More]

Mighty Morphin Pudgy Pig
Power Rangers Lightning Collection (Hasbro) - Mighty Morphin
Rated 5.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Animal heads where they don't belong have always been creepy. Artists have been milking it since Bosch at least. And that's why I own this. I somehow missed out on Power Rangers as a kid, despite a love of fun Kaiju. I'd never seen tokusatsu before, and it seemed silly and overblown. Which was the point, of course. Anyway, the livestock legionnaire here was created to devour all the world's food in the US version, while the original series had Witch Bandora specifically starving out one family with a bespoke pig head creature. She was cranky on account of her new diet, you see. None of that matters to me, as this thing looks to have crawled right out of a Breugel print. The pig head is exactly a normal one, with good skin texture and slightly overgrown tusks. The arms (which,...[See More]

Napoleon Bonafrog (Colossus of the Swamp)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
The 1987 TMNT series has not only provided NECA a wide character selection, but plenty of potential for character variants. We've seen a few already, with Catwoman April, Dark Turtle Donatello, and a few different versions of Bebop and Rocksteady, and there's a couple more in the pipeline now. We're even getting ones that weren't in the show! For now, the latest variant is of Napoleon Bonafrog, based off his hulked-up form from "Napoleon Bonafrog: Colossus of the Swamps." As usual, Dan Elson is doing the packaging art for the single releases, and it looks just as great as always. It resembles the old FHE tapes well, and I'm now wanting those get-ups for B&R as figures. The box is also huge, as to house the size of this figure. The "colossus" version of Napoleon is sculpted by Brodie...[See More]

Poochie
Simpsons (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.25 stars by RMaster007
Poochie is a rather interesting Simpsons character. In his debut episode, "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show," he was meant to be a character that nobody in the show liked, but fans of the show consider him one of the most memorable one-shots, enough to let make a few cameos here and there. It also led to Super7 incorporating the character into their Ultimates line, his first figure since the Kidrobot vinyl. The concept of Poochie's character in-universe was that he was supposed to be a cool dog everyone would love. That failed, but he was designed to look "cool." He's got a backwards cap, sunglasses, and a goatee (since when was that last thing cool?), all on an orange dog with floppy ears and a long snout. The transition of his likeness from 2D to 3D was handled as well, as he...[See More]

Bluto (Yellow Pants)
Popeye (Boss Fight Studio) - Basic Series
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
After getting Boss Fight Studio's excellent Popeye and Olive Oyl figures a few months ago, I felt it was time to get another figure from their Popeye Classics line. And who better to get than Popeye's long-time rival Bluto? Starting right off the bat, I'll point out that Bluto, unlike Popeye or Olive, has no interchangeable heads; just the one portrait. However, it looks great. His eyes are shut tight, and he's got a sinister grin on his face. His hair and beard bear great detail, and unlike the glossy skin, they and the teeth are painted. The nose has a stray mark on it, unfortunately, and there is a bit of missing paint for the facial hair. The hat is a separate piece held onto Bluto's head by a magnet, but said magnet isn't very strong. As with the others, Bluto is sculpted by Paul...[See More]

Robot Scratchy
Simpsons (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
It's been a good long while since I covered one of Super7's Simpsons Ultimates, and with the next few waves showing up early next year, it's about time I got the last figures from wave one I needed, including the Robot Scratchy to my Itchy. Originating from season 6's "Itchy and Scratchy Land," the Scratchy bot's design is executed much like Itchy's. The head is a blockier version of the cartoon cat it's based off of, with a protruding brow and tongue hanging out. The head is fully painted, which is a surprise for Super7, but the work is mostly clean aside from a bit of clumping on its lower jaw. There is an alternate head that looks the same, but the face can be removed to reveal the inner workings underneath. There isn't a ton of wiring, but what's there is neatly painted. Robot...[See More]

Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
Disney (Super7) - Ultimates
Rated 3.50 stars by RMaster007
As with Pinocchio, the story of Alice in Wonderland existed well before the animated Disney movie, but it's that version that people remember most. They did a great job capturing the strangeness of Wonderland, thanks to great animation and humor, along with memorable characters. It's no surprise Super7 decided to bring some of the characters to the world of Ultimates, including Alice herself. Alice is the only figure in the second wave to get normal-sized packaging, compared to how wide and deep the other figures' boxes are. The slipcover has a blue checkered pattern, and the box underneath has painted graphics based off Wonderland itself. It's all nice and attractive, but we're here to open it up. There's only two ties holding the figure in, and they can be cut out easily. The renders...[See More]

Tyrannocon Rex / Autobot JP93
Transformers - Collaborative (Hasbro) - Jurassic Park
Rated 3.75 stars by Karl T. Face
Jurassic Park was a hell of a movie. It's seen a lot of toys, but never like this. I finally bit the bullet, so here we are. Right off the bat, I must address the packaging here. It'd be an amazing display backdrop if it didn't have those slots cut into it for the plastic tray, but it's still a nice diorama, with the paddock in the rain and the flipped car and whatnot. Also, they snuck Mr. DNA onto one of the inner flaps. It's almost enough to make me ignore the weirdly unimaginative names. Unlike Gigawatt and Ectotron, this one's a micro-continuity all its own, a simple dino-hunt story with no comic tie-in. It's good enough for my multiversal display. Beginning with JP, this is a really good altmode. Licensed car design, impeccable paint apart from a few odd spaces in the lettering...[See More]