CHANGE IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD.

Rude, cruel, and needlessly violent, the sixth Doctor was easily the most loathsome of the character’s incarnations. As such, it’s almost fitting that the exclusive sixth Doctor regeneration figure is so disappointing.  (11/18/09)

Today we take a look at the sixth Doctor regeneration figure currently appearing at Toys “R” Us stores across the United States. I’ve seen it in abundance at two out of three local TRUs, so I’m admittedly a bit skeptical about reports that it isn’t showing up at all in certain areas and even states — but if you happen to live in one of these dry areas (or in another country), LUCKY YOU. This figure is lazy and hateful, and so much the better if peculiar distribution prevents you from ever owning it.

I’ve said quite a bit about it in the article, but I feel compelled to write even more here. I mean, there have been Doctor Who figures with fairly restricted necks before — for instance, both the second and third Doctors’ necks don’t have great range. However, with them, you simply can’t turn them beyond a certain point, which is not the same as being able to do so easily but damaging the figure when you do. And while that would be bad enough, it’s even more infuriating due to the fact that the damage occurs because Character Options didn’t bother to test fit the parts… which even a novice customizer would do. Ugh.

And seriously, why the hell hasn’t anyone else mentioned this? NEWT?!? (Check out the super-duper Kaiju Week event currently taking place at Infinite Hollywood!) I mean, I can’t be the only person who tried to turn this damned figure’s neck, can I?! I hate it.

Anyway, in keeping with my promise last time, more Power Rangers toy reviews will be coming soon! In the meantime, you can check out this brief piece I wrote on some Power Rangers bootlegs over at Articulated Discussion. Like I say in that article, you should skip these guys and go for the legitimate Bandai wares, but as far as bootlegs go I’ve seen much, much worse. And since I’ll probably be handling Bootleg Tuesdays over at AD on at least a bi-weekly basis, perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to share some of those horrors with you!

All for now, then — seeya next time. 🙂

THROTTLE MAX RANGER GOLD!!!

We’ve been praising Power Rangers toys for over a year, but figures were largely absent from the site… until today! After reading our review of Throttle Max Ranger Gold, you too might become a Power Rangers fan.  (11/10/09)

FINALLY, the Power Rangers get some review love on the site with this in-depth look at Throttle Max Ranger Gold! I plan on having more Power Rangers reviews in the very near future — now that I’ve reviewed one, I’m confident I can get a few more up here without being too verbose.

I also picked up a laughable figure tonight that I’ll be reviewing very soon. This thing makes Best Friend Colton look like the Best. Toy. Ever. by comparison. Seriously, it’s awful. I’ve consistently looked at this line and just laughed every time I passed it at Dollar Tree, but then I suddenly started thinking the figures might get recalled because half of them have these giant flash tumors on them — not to mention shoddy screws and metal pins holding them together — that could probably choke a child. And that paint? Totally infused with delicious lead, and poorly applied at that. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Until next time!

WOLF BREATH REVISITED!!!

In February 2008, we reviewed the Madballs Series 2 Wolf Breath — along with the other ‘balls in the series — in an advance review. We didn’t like him. But now that the toys are finally on shelves, our tune has changed!  (11/2/09)

Okay, so we didn’t have any new content before Halloween — but here’s a late look at Madballs Series 2 Wolf Breath. You might remember that I wasn’t terribly pleased with this toy when I reviewed the advance version over a year ago, but I like the release version a whole lot better! While it’s not quite as cool as the original, the few paint changes Basic Fun has made are definitely for the better.

Plugs! I mentioned that I’d probably have some Halloween-themed guest content over at Articulated Discussion, and I did come through with an installment of Toy Haul and a review of The Mummy from Toy Island’s Universal Monsters line. So yeah, check those out! And if you happen to have a spare Frankenstein left leg around, please drop me a line. 😛

All for now, then — hopefully I’ll have more content soon. I’m planning to do a Power Ranger review next, though I’m not entirely sure how I want to do it. Theoretically I’d review the single figure… but since the basic figures all have pretty much the same sculpt, reviewing one would be kinda like reviewing them all. Hmmm. If you have any, I’m open to suggestions!

UPDATE: I got kinda annoyed by the boxed text around the floating Wolf Breath image, so I decided to try my hand at some makeshift image wrapping. Let me know how it looks on your end!