In-Pack Peek: Jazwares Mortal Kombat Johnny Cage

 

I found this at a local Toys R Us on Friday afternoon. I haven't seen any new shipments of Mortal Kombat figures beyond the initial release over the summer. Those sold out pretty quickly, and haven't been re-stocked...until now. The new release seems to include the same Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Rayden, but there was 1 Johnny Cage on the pegs, as well, so I was fortunate to snag him. The packaging is identical to the previous releases for Johnny. I find it pretty eye-catching and it shows off the figure well, but there are too many bendable edges for a MIP collector to appreciate. There's also a tendency for the package to develop creases in the back. Luckily, this one didn't have any.

There's a pretty detailed bio on the back, and a very cool in-game shot, just like with the other figures. Unfortunately, the great shot of the digital model makes the finished figure look silly in comparison. I tried to figure out exactly where the look went wrong- Jazwares included all of the major and necessary details. The "Johnny" tattoo is crisp and centered. The arms are wrapped, and the "Cage" belt is where it should be, as are the shinguards. The shoes look huge and somewhat "clownish" to me. But I think my major disappointment is with the face. The digital model hasn't got any eyebrows showing, while the figure itself has a VERY pronounced pair. Rather than looking tough, Johnny looks surprised. VERY surprised. If the eyebrows were more hidden under the sunglasses, and if they were more curved, like a wraparound pair, I think he'd look a whole lot better. As it stands, he's ok. The rest of the sculpt is pretty good (shoes notwithstanding), torso-wise, though I just noticed a distinct lack of wrinkles in the pants.

You'll also see in the pics that Johnny's hips are misaligned, with the left SIGNIFICANTLY higher than the right where they plug into the crotch. It may be that there's a weird tilt in the package, making them look "off", and it would even out once opened, but I have my doubts. Johnny will be staying in-package, mostly because, even though he's got 16 POA, like his mates, these figures are hard for me to get a decent pose from. The articulation doesn't work well to get natural fighting stances for me. Johnny comes with 2 alternate, open "karate-chop" hands, and nothing else. Toys R Us sells these figures for $15.99, which is highway robbery. I used a coupon to save about 30%. Your willingness to be ripped off will depend on your passion for the license, I suppose.

 

Razor & Fighter Ferret Action Figure Review

Here's an absolute gem of an action figure that I'd wager many people don't know about. He was made by a company that no longer exists, over a decade ago, without any kind of media tie-in or support. Yet, he's one of the most impressive and unique figures in my extensive collection. Read on to find out about Razor and his pal, Fighter Ferret, and you may just decide he's worth adding to your own collection!

Razor was made by the now-defunct Resaurus toy company about a decade ago. Resaurus was what NECA now is: a company dedicated to making an awesome looking figure at a reasonable price. They worked with properties no one else looked at, which (at the time) meant lots of video game titles. Yup, these are the guys who made Duke Nukem, Quake, Crash Bandicoot and Street Fighter figures to a 7" scale before NECA took over the gameplan. Resaurus took chances- some worked better than others- but their stuff was almost always top-notch. The only consistent complaint I ever had was that the articulation of their figures was pretty limited to cut joints, but that was part in parcel for the day. I'd love to see what they could do with today's technology! In any event, Razor here is special because of where he comes from.

As the box explains in great detail, Razor was designed by an 11-year-old named Jeff Luttrell, as his Make-A-Wish Foundation "last wish" (Luttrell was fighting Luekemia). Resaurus took on his wish, invited him to their studios and the result is an awesome action figure legacy!

Razor comes packaged in a really nice window box with lots of details about Make-A-Wish on the back, and Jeff's story inside the front flap. The cardboard is super-thick and colorful, and makes note that this was a KB Toys exclusive, and that half of each sale ($5) went to Make-a-Wish Foundation (so Resaurus only made $5 off each sale? No wonder they went under!).

The inner flap tells all about Jeff Luttrell and his "origin story" for Razor. Included his is own artwork, the Resaurus team's design, and concept art for the sidekick. Again, it's really well-done, and gives a nice picture of how Resaurus took the imagination of an 11-year-old and turned it into something amazing.

 So, how did the figure turn out? As you'll (hopefully) see from the pictures, Razor is impressive, even by today's standards. He's a mutated "eagle-man", standing a little over 6" tall. The sculpt is highly detailed, with plenty of feathers, layers, and wrinkles in the jeans. Buckles and ropes provide some neat contrast in textures, and the lighter colors have a slight wash to bring out the highlights. His wings are right up there alongside Hawkman's for breadth and detail.

Razor has a cut-neck joint, cut shoulders, a swivel waist and swivel wrists. That's it above the waistline. Down below, he's got a T-crotch, single-pin knees, and swivel ankles. That's 12 points, in case you are counting, but not the kind that could actually get much in terms of dynamic poses. Add the weight of his wings in there, and I'm sure he'd be stuck standing straight ahead in a vanilla pose, probably in need of some assistance from a display stand. Therefore, he's staying MIB for me- his package is part of what makes him so unique, after all. And he's displayed so well in it, that I don't feel any need to remove him. By the way, I'm going to guess that the wings feature at least one pose-able joint, probably where they meet his back, but without opening I can't be positive. Rounding out the sculpt and look are a cool "R" detail on his right kneecap and wild "bird feet" which are large and should help in the standing department, should I ever opt to remove him.

Razor comes with some pretty nifty accessories, as well. He's got an "R" shield to clip onto his arm/hand. It's sculpted with an eagle-head look, and includes 4 different colors in the paint apps. He's got 2 "throwing stars", as well, and Resaurus certainly didn't cheap out here, either. They've got some thickness to them, and they've got the R to complement their cool design. Finally, and certainly not to be forgotten, is Razor's sideckick, Gizmo the Fighter Ferret. This was apparently part of Jeff's story, in that he's mentioned, but there's no "Jeff-done" artwork for him. The concept are by Resaurus shows him as a ninja-type with a katana sword or something. The final version varies slightly.

Gizmo stands just under 3" tall, and he is not articulated, but he's been given a pretty cute pose, and I like the bomber jacket they've given him. There's some neat paintwork done on him, with excellent shading (hey, Bandai, next time you want to shade a Comic Con exclusive, check this guy out to see how it's done!). Fighter Ferret is a great pack-in that almost certainly wouldn't even get considered nowadays, with prices and costs as they are.

Razor was a solid action figure back in his day, and I personally think he stands up really well even by today's standards. At his original price of $9.99, he was an outstanding deal. Because he's so obscure, you can find him relatively cheap in online auctions. I sold my original, regretted it a couple of years later, and just recently re-added him to my collection for a very reasonable price. My hunch is that you won't be disappointed. Resaurus did a terrific job of bringing an 11-year-old's design to life. It's a great story, put together in a super package and a wonderful figure- a fitting tribute for a last wish.

Gears of War 3: Marcus Fenix action figure review

With NECA's announcement that their Gears of War 3 Wave 1 figures are ready to ship, I thought it was time to crack open my Marcus Fenix & Locust Grunt 2-Pack and see how the figures stacked up. This review focuses on Marcus, and I'll do a second one of the Locust Grunt once I've recovered. I say "recovered", because this is probably going to be a very "split" review - some good, and some bad. Read on, and see what I mean.

I generally like the packaging that NECA uses. To me, a figure package is supposed to show off the figure while being sturdy enough to take some punishment. The clamshells generally accomplish both of these functions. That said, it seems to me that NECA has 2 different kind of clamshell plastics that they use- one is thinner and more brittle. I've come across these mostly on their Player Select re-issues (the ones priced at $9.99 at Toys R Us), and I figured it was to save a little money on the figures with a lower price point. The Marcus/Grunt pack use that same plastic, though. And these are heavy figures. As a result, all three packages I saw on the shelf had the same problem: a large crack along the lower corner of the bubble. Not a big deal if you're planning to open the package, but certainly an issue for anyone planning to keep them MIP, and a definite problem with QC.

I love the look and design of the package, but there are a couple of things you may want to know: 1 good, and 1 not so much. First, the good. I originally passed on this pack because I didn't like the look of the "flameburst" weapons, or whatever they are called. Having never played the game, I don't know their history, but to me they look silly and just way too orange. Upon a later examination of the package, I saw that a regular version of the Hammerburst and a regular version of some other kind of Lancer ARE included- they're just shoved way down low in the bubble, and are hidden by the graphics. On to the bad: Marcus's head is shoved way over to the right in my particular package. Looked fine in-pack, but once he was out of the bubble and his head was straightened, I noticed a huge black smudge on the right jawline- must have been that the paint stuck at the shoulder point, so he's going to need some touching up. Oh, if that was my only gripe! Remember my comment about a "split" review? Here it comes.

Let's just get this out of the way: Marcus Fenix looks absolutely incredible. He's flat-out amazing. The detail and paint are simply astounding. I like the face-sculpt much more than on the earlier version, though he seems to have a bit of a pin-head (either that or the last Marcus from Gears 2 had a humongous noggin). The washes and textures are brilliant. His belt is so full of accouterments that it puts anything Batman could boast to shame. The skull designs and tattoos are perfect, he's full of scrapes and scratches, and everything works together in perfect harmony. NECA even used a range of materials to make Marcus work: softer plastic (almost rubbery) in places where the articulation would have been hindered. I say "would have" because, Holy Cow, is this guy articulated! The articulation is brilliant. Not only is there plenty of it, but it is so well hidden and thought-out that I couldn't imagine it being done in any better way. I usually don't bother spending much time on articulation, but Marcus here deserves some coverage.

 The ball-jointed head works pretty well, though the range is a bit limited by Marcus's tree-trunk-like neck. The torso has a ball just under the armor that has some excellent forward and backwards tilt and side-to-side swivel. There's also a swivel joint right at the waist that was initially stuck, then once unstuck became pretty loose. Loose joints are a pet peeve of mine, but as long as it isn't the ankles, I can live with it. Now, here's where things get fun. The shoulder joints feature a ball joint within a sleeve. The sleeve allows some inward motion (kind of like their Street Fighter IV figures, without the unsightly hinges), though not as much as, say, the Crysis Nanosuit figure. Awesome idea, but here's the catch. The swivel is held in by 2 pins, one on top and another at the bottom, which are made of the rubbery plastic. As a result, when the factory worker shoves the sleeve into place, the pin bends and doesn't pop in to the fairly shallow indents that hold it in place. So, needless to say, my Marcus's entire left arm and shoulder came out while posing!

I was able to pop it back into place, precariously, for the time-being, but he's never going to be up to any heavy-duty posing. Ugh. Another strike in the quality control department. And that's really where my beefs with this figure come into play. In theory, he's just about perfect. In terms of the execution, he's good but a little frustrating: brittle packaging, giant paint defect on the face, loose torso joint, left arm that falls out- you get the idea.

Back to the articulation: besides the shoulder joints, Fenix sports double-pin elbows and a ball-jointed wrist with an in-out swivel. The right hand holds the weapon perfectly tightly and the left hand is open in a loose-grip to hold the stock of the rifle (and, no, I can't get the arms across the chest to be able to have a two-handed hold, but I'm also worried about breaking his other arm, so a more daring poser may have better luck).

The legs are full of intriguing articulation, as well. The crotch pieces include swivels for forward/backward as well as side-to-side movement (think Bulletstorm Grayson Hunt figure style). Then the top of the thigh is a case that fits around an inner piece (maybe it's a ball?), which allows it to rotate, a little like a hidden bicep joint would on the arm (why doesn't he have a bicep swivel, I keep wondering? It's like the only joint he's missing!). The knee ball hinge is well-hidden, and he's got a nicely hidden ball-jointed ankle that works well under the soft rubbery shin-guards. Finally, he's got pin-jointed toes to finish out his feet in case you'd like to pose him leaning forward or running or something. The joints are generally tight, and the elbows even seem to feature a little in the way of clicking joints.

Marcus is a little bit of a mixed-bag for me with a heavier lean towards the positive. He looks awesome, and he's got plenty of articulation, but I'm a little nervous to fully test it: the joints seem to loosen pretty quickly with my NECA figures, and I don't want his arms falling out on me any more. As a result, he'll end up in a pretty "vanilla pose" on the shelf, so I may have been better off displaying him in-package. I'll have to wait and see how the Locust Grunt turns out. The giant face smudge is a huge disappointment, as well. I'll definitely be picking up the other Wave 1 figures when they come out: Marcus Fenix, Clayton Carmine and Anya Stroud, in the middle of November, but I'm leaning more towards keeping them MIP for display as a result of the problems I've had with this 2-pack version of Marcus.

Ben 10 Ultimate Humungousaur Figure

 

Ultimate Humungousaur comes from the Bandai 4" line of Ben 10 action figures, and (just like the previously review Rath and Ultimate Spider Monkey) he's a durable, cool-looking creature with vibrant colors and very limited pose-ability. 

Ultimate Humungousaur sports 10 points of articulation, though they are pretty limited in terms of the poses you can get out of them: swivel shoulders, neck, tail and hips, with single pin elbows and knees. That's it- like I said, pretty limited.

He comes with a miniature translucent green version of himself for the Ultramatrix toy, and it's a pretty nifty sculpt, though there isn't much to do with it.

The overall sculpt and look (just like with the other figures in the line), are Humungousaur's strengths. He looks like he just stepped out of the cartoon, and the shiny plastic and deep greens really make him stand out on the display shelf.

His turtle-shell (I know, it's a dinosaur Ankylosaur thingy) looks good from the back, as well.

Ultimate Humungousar is another great-looking Ben 10 figure (ignore the screws in his back), with some nice play value at a decent price. I'm happy with him in my collection, and don't really have much in the way of complaints- with this line, I know what I'm getting for the cost, and I'm willing to accept the limited articulation as the trade-off.

Quick-Shot: Ben 10 Ultimate Spider-Monkey

 

What I Love: This guy looks awesome! The sculpt is great- especially the face- and the matte black and deep purple work so well with the vibrant greens to make this figure really stand out on the shelf. He's got such a unique look, what with the giant purple spider legs and potbellied gorilla body and all...

What's Not to Love: My only major problem with Ultimate Spider Monkey is the heavily restricted articulation. The large rear spider legs plug in right below his gorilla armpits, making it impossible for him to lower his arms past about 45 degrees.

I can fiddle with the spider legs a little to give the spider arms a tiny bit more mobility, but he doesn't really look right with the spider legs splayed out too far. His tiny gorilla legs are articulated with swivels at the torso, but they don't really do much. So his arms are the only things that give the figure any "life".

 So, in short, he looks terrific but there's not much range in how Ultimate Spider Monkey will be posed. He's built pretty solidly (even the spider legs), so I'm pretty sure he could be well played-with, and his look is really accurate to the show. At the Wal-mart price of $7, he's about right, while the Toys R Us option at $9 is enough to be irritating...