Author Archive: Errex
I've been collecting action figures since the original Kenner Star Wars days. Nowadays, I still collect pretty much anything that catches my eye.
Battle Droid
If there ever was a character or from The Phantom Menace nobody really wanted another figure made of, it must be the lowly Trade Federation Battle Droid. I know that the first wave of 2012 was an assortment designed to appeal to the people who would go and watch the 3D release of the movie, but it still makes little sense to have included this figure in the mix
Skirmisher Murmillo
Unlike the rest of the alien species that conform the Covenant in the Halo Universe, the Kig-yar (the species Jackals and Skirmishers belong to) are different in the sense that they didn’t join the fight against Humanity because of their religious beliefs, but rather because they were at first bullied into the conflict and afterwards because they found it to be very profitable.
Ratts Tyerell & Pit Droid
Back when Episode I was released, a lot of praise was heaped upon the pod racing scenes in Tatooine but I wasn’t that much impressed, to be honest. The extended scenes included for the latest releases of the film in DVD and BR formats actually add to the rhythm of the whole sequence, but it kind of took about 13 years for them to tweak it.
Tomar-Re (Battle Shifters)
Well, after seeing them on clearance for a few weeks, I eventually got to buy one of the “Deluxe” figures from Mattel’s Green Lantern 4-inch action figure line. Only they are not really Deluxe, neither in name nor value. This version of Tomar-Re was released as part of the Battle Shifters sub-line. In this format, you get one action figure and one big transforming accessory.
Queen Amidala
Well, it’s another year, and once again, Hasbro treats us to another rendition of Padmé Amidala in the 2012 Star Wars Vintage Collection, right in time to promote the 3D launch of The Phantom Menace in 3D. This time it is Padmé as Queen Amidala (VC84), dressed in the black gown she wore after her plea to the
Green Man
Well, one of the reasons that pulled me towards Mattel’s Green Lantern 4-inch figures was the varied alien characters in the initial assortments. One thing I’ve learned after years of collecting several 1/18-scale figures is that you can never have too many aliens (or monsters), and once these figures started getting on clearance, I didn’t hesitate to pick up some of them.
Ben Quadrinaros & Otoga-222
Many people may not realize this, but the creation of Jar Jar pretty much paved the way for a lot of characters with questionable designs which by virtue of having very little to do or say in the movie, were kind of accepted by the viewers with comparatively less criticism. Take, for instance, Ben Quadrinaros.
Hal Jordan (Maximum Charge)
In some of my other Green Lantern reviews, I commented on how glad I was that Mattel had developed unique sculptures for each of the characters made into 4-inch action figures for their Green Lantern movie line. However, there is one instance where this statement does not apply.
Hal Jordan
Well, one thing about clearance sales is that usually, what you find there are the obscure secondary characters that no one really cares about. However, with the way Mattel handled the Green Lantern 4 inch figure line, it is actually very feasible to score even the main protagonist at rock-bottom prices.
Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear)
One thing that struck me recently, is that the costume used by the Kenner vintage Hoth Rebel Trooper was something of a combination of the two outfits actually seen in the movie The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, then we’d have to assume that the more recent cold weather Rebel Troopers made by Hasbro are truly screen-accurate
Sinestro
It is hard to understand the reasoning behind Mattel’s Green Lantern 4 inch line design. The first thing that comes to mind is that they are cheap and they wanted to maximize their earnings by developing a line that was clearly a throwback to a time were consumers were more naive and toys were just for children.
Brute Chieftain
Let me start with the obvious: This is one beast of a figure. Brutes are usually massive, but this guy is even more bulky and heavy than any other figure I have in this scale. The Chieftain is almost too big to be packaged in a blister card, as the weight alone will tear off from the blister from the backing card over a relatively short time. Not that this is a figure that would stay on the pegs for long, anyways.
Captain America (Heroic Age)
After the “death” of the original Captain America in the comics, there were more than a few candidates to occupy his place, but ultimately the mask and shield ended up in the care of another comic book character that has had some experience returning from death, James Buchanan Barnes, a.k.a. Bucky, a.k.a. Winter Soldier.
Brute Minor
The rank selected for the debut of the species in the Halo: Reac line is that of Brute Minor. Not unlike the rank designation seen on other Covenant species, the Brute Minors are the less experienced warriors in the pack, but that doesn’t make them less formidable as opponents, since the average Brute is well over 7 feet tall and incredibly strong and resilient.
UNSC Troopers (Halo: Reach)
Back when McFarlane Toys debuted the Halo: Reach line, alongside the single-carded Spartans and Covenant figures they also released a few 2-Packs, one of which consisted of two UNSC Marines.
Elite Officer
In the Halo Universe, other than the Grunt aliens, the next more common enemy is the species known as Elites or Sangheili. These are roughly the equivalent of the UNSC Spartan soldiers, although they are not nearly as scarce as their human counterparts.
Han Solo (Bespin Outfit)
My very first General-Purpose Han Solo was precisely the Bespin Outfit version, and while it lacked the iconic feel of the ANH scoundrel, at least it did fit in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon alongside Chewbacca, which was something the Hoth Gear Han could not do. Hasbro decided to release a Han Solo (Bespin Outfit) as part of their Star Wars Vintage Collection (VC50) and it is a pretty good figure, although not precisely a groundbreaking release.
Grunt Minor (Halo: Reach)
In the Halo games, Grunts are a type of enemy you’ll see a lot of. Individually, they are not much of a challenge, but in the presence of a leader-class character and in sufficient numbers, they can be quite a challenge. Following the covenant rank system, most of the Grunt troops are labeled as Minors and are easily identifiable in the field by the color of their gear.
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