McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Gold Label Beast Boy (2023)

“I may not be smart enough to know everything, but I’m dumb enough to try anything.”

George Perez is, was, and always will be one of my favorite comic book artists. With that in mind, it was a no-brainer to pick up this classic Perez-era Beast Boy figure from McFarlane Toys. While Perez didn’t create the character, that honor belongs to Arnold Drake and Bob Brown, the version that he and Marv Wolfman built for The New Teen Titans is easily the most popular version of the character. This particular figure draws inspiration for its suit and overall look from Perez’ artwork. It is a Walmart Exclusive Gold Label McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse figure and is available now in stores.

Sadly, while the figure itself looks nice, it’s nothing more than a repaint of the recent Jon Kent/Superman figure with a different head sculpt and paint apps and the giant “S” logo removed. I understand that reusing molds saves the company and the consumer money, but if you’re going to do such things, at least pick a mold that fits the character better or add in a few more accessories. It felt like McFarlane just phoned it in with this figure. Again, I do like the overall look of the figure, I just wish that McFarlane would come up with a base mold to be used on figures that are essentially wearing tights instead of using other hero molds.

Note the similarities in these figures. The legs, arms, and torso are the same. The waist, or diaper, is different. The hands are the same but in the Jon Kent photo, he is featured with one of his alternate hands. Also note the flat chest on Beast Boy where the “S” logo would have been applied.

As far as accessories go, Beast Boy comes with the standard figure base and trading card. His lone additional accessory is Beast Boy in eagle form. Yep, Beast Boy‘s accessory is another Beast Boy. You can’t even attach the eagle to the arm of other McFarlane characters like Robin or Cyborg. It’s just a chunk of green plastic. For a Gold Label figure, that’s a big shame. You would expect an exclusive figure to have at the least a second set of hands but, nope, not for Beast Boy.

I do like the articulation on this figure as he’s very poseable despite what my photos show. The right arm on my specific figure is loose, so watch out for that if you do buy this figure. Other than the articulation and the overall look of the figure, there’s not much to like about this Beast Boy and that makes me sad. Maybe McFarlane decided to go cheap with this version of Beast Boy to boost sales for its Titans Build-A-Figure line featuring Arsenal, Nightwing, Donna Troy, and Raven. I actually want to purchase this line of figures if I can find them, but the beefed up Beast Boy isn’t my favorite version of the character. If I do manage to collect all of the figures in the line, I’ll definitely have my Perez Beast Boy on display with them.

Thanks for reading my post. I really am disappointed by this Beast Boy figure. It deserved a much better release. This will be my last McFarlane review for awhile unless I manage to get my hands on the Titans wave or any of the new figures from the upcoming The Flash movie. See you again real soon!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Gold Label Robin/Tim Drake (2022)

“What would he say if he saw my Robin gear?”

It’s been awhile since I last posted a McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse review. To be completely honest, I’ve slowed down on collecting action figures. It’s partially based on the fact that it can be a pretty pricey hobby, but it’s also due to the fact that I’m in a state of transition in my home and my office. I haven’t really been able to photograph figures like I normally do before reviewing them. This particular figure, Robin/Tim Drake, has actually been in my possession for a few months. I’ve had the photos on my laptop for basically the same amount of time. I finally decided to give all of you a glimpse at this figure.

The figure is an Amazon exclusive Gold Label figure. It features Tim Drake in his second Robin costume, the one that he creates in memory of his friend, Superboy. It’s essentially a red suit with black boots, gloves, and shorts over his full length pants. His mask is black and his cape is black with a yellow interior. While it isn’t the flashiest of Tim Drake’s costumes, it’s still a pretty good looking suit. Included with the figure is the standard black DC base, a collector card, a batarang, and Tim Drake’s bo staff.

My figure in particular has very stiff joints. This made the figure difficult to pose and even after trying numerous positions, I had to settle on Robin leaning back slightly for his final pose. The detailing is decent but you’ll notice that the mold looks more like an armored version of Robin’s costume that includes green coloring. On March 2nd of this year, McFarlane announced an upcoming Tim Drake: Robin Reborn figure with the more traditional Robin costume and the same mold as this figure, so if you’re a bigger fan of that particular suit, you may want to hold off until the Reborn figure is released. I’ll probably grab the figure for myself as I definitely prefer the paint apps in the prototype shown below.

I really like the red and black suit but I have to admit that it’s a tad dull. I really like Tim Drake as Robin/Red Robin/Drake and hope that the upcoming figure will do him as much justice as his Red Robin figure did last year. I reviewed that figure and you can check that out here. I only recommend this Robin/Tim Drake figure to completionists and Tim Drake fans. Otherwise, hold out for the new figure coming later this year.

Thanks for checking out my review. I have one more McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse figure to review and it’s the Gold Label Beast Boy recently released exclusively at Walmart. I hope to complete that review very soon!

Throwback Thursday: 1997 Toy Biz Spiderman Web Force Tank Attack Daredevil

The Man Without Fear!

During the 1990’s I spent most of my time in college classes, at the movies, or hanging out with friends. While I did rediscover comic books, I pretty much stopped buying and collecting toys save for the random action figure, die cast car, or sports cards. Toy Biz was one of the few companies that managed to catch my eye during this time. One of the figures that I purchased and still have to this day is Toy Biz’ Spiderman Web Force Tank Attack Daredevil.

I don’t know what happened to the tank accessory over the years. I’m assuming that it was left behind in a dorm room, one of the many apartments that I lived in, or possibly in an old trailer that I lived in until I could afford a home of my own. In any case it is long gone. Apparently it could be broken up into multiple pieces that snapped onto the body of Daredevil. It also had a firing missile

The figure itself was and still is amazing. Daredevil is super articulated (especially for the 1990’s) and can be posed in all sorts of positions. He has no trouble doing the splits or hanging from a cabinet door (like he did in one of my apartments). The only thing that Daredevil can’t do (apart from using his eyes), is hold anything. His hands are molded in to perpetual fists, so he can only shake them in anger at a car that blows its horn at him.

My 1997 Daredevil action figure posing with my 2003 Opening Weekend ticket for the Ben Affleck Daredevil film.

I love this figure. He’s been with me through thick and thin and spent the last two years in storage thanks to Hurricane Laura. I now prominently display him in my office at work. Despite edging close to thirty years of age this figure’s joints are still great. Boy, Toy Biz knew how to build’em.

Do you have this figure or any other figures from this line? Let me know in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading my post. I’ll see you again real soon!

YouTube Wednesday: Funko DC Comics Bombshells Mystery Minis Valentine’s Day Walmart Exclusives

Hearts Of Heroes (And Villains)

Welcome to the first ever YouTube Wednesday review! This is a new feature that I’m trying out in which I’ll post one of my video reviews from YouTube (yeah, I have a YouTube channel). I am not a professional so I don’t have any bells or whistles in my videos. I keep it pretty straightforward. Click on the video below and then let me know what you think about it the comments!

Two notes on this review: I incorrectly called Mera “Merida” in the video (cuz I’m an idiot) and the figures are essentially re-releases of the latest Funko Mystery Minis DC Bombshells but with Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman, and Harley Quinn in Valentine’s Day paint.

Thanks for checking out my review. See you again real soon!

Mattel The Hammond Collection Dr. Ellie Sattler (2022)

“Look, we can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back.”

Dr. Ellie Sattler (as portrayed by Laura Dern) is one of my favorite characters from the Jurassic Park franchise. The character is great on the screen and in the books. Plus, having a massive crush on Laura Dern and seeing her in her field research outfit in the original film didn’t hurt my opinion of the character! Until recently I never acquired any collectible items featuring Dr. Sattler from the franchise but that all changed whenever I found Mattel’s The Hammond Collection Dr. Ellie Sattler 3.75″ Action Figure on clearance.

I personally loved the Mattel Amber Collection that featured 6″ action figures with excellent articulation and amazing likenesses to the characters from the films. I have the Owen Grady figure from that line as well as the second version of Dr. Ian Malcolm and the original dilophosaurus. I was unable to acquire the Dr. Sattler figure but she’s on my wish list. The Amber Collection was apparently not cost effective nor was it profitable for Mattel, as they ended that particular line for the Hammond Collection. The Hammond Collection arrived in 2022 in order to offer collectors and children alike the opportunity to acquire their favorite characters and dinosaurs at a slightly lower price point and on a smaller scale but with similar detail and accessories.

The Hammond Collection 3.75″ Dr. Ellie Sattler figure is pretty decent. The likeness to Laura Dern is okay but not great. They nailed her suit from the film. I counted seventeen points of articulation on the character and she comes with peg holes in her feet for stands. As far as accessories go, Dr. Sattler comes with a massive leaf from a veriforman plant (the one she nabs while riding in the Jeep after initially arriving at Jurassic Park) and a second set of arms that allow you to recreate the “That is one big pile of sh!t,” scene featuring Dr. Sattler digging deep into the poop of a sick triceratops. The arms feature the poo-covered rubber gloves that Dr. Sattler puts on before doo-doo diving to find out that the dino’s illness is a result of consuming West Indian lilac and, yes, I initially believed that the leaf that comes with the figure was West Indian lilac. I totally forgot about the early leaf grabbing scene. In case you are wondering, Dr. Sattler can’t hold anything with the poo hands but her standard clean hands can hold the included leaf.

Overall she is a pretty decent smaller scale figure. I’ve just been collecting six and seven inch figures for so long that I’ve become a bit spoiled. While I probably won’t collect many more figures in the Hammond Collection, I’ll definitely keep an eye out for figures of Muldoon (which arrives on store shelves this month) and Dr. Alan Grant (already available). Not surprisingly, tons of Jurassic World Dominion figures are available on shelves at the moment. I may or may not grab some of them.

Thanks for checking out my post. I’m starting the year off a little slow but I promise to post more soon. I’ve already lined up two conventions and plan on attending at least two more this year. I’m also helping out with the Lake Charles Film Festival, Calcasieu Short Film Festival, and Calcasieu SerialFest this year. Keep an eye out for posts on those events as they draw closer. Oh, and here’s a shot of the lovely Uncanny Megan cosplaying as Dr. Sattler. It appears that Uncanny Megan has stepped away from cosplay and convention life for the time being. Hopefully she’ll return as she has been one of my favorite cosplayers over the years. See you all real soon!

Uncanny Megan as Dr. Ellie Sattler. Photo by Dallas Nagata White.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Infinite Frontier Grifter (2022)

“People who don’t like me call me Grifter.”

Whether you first heard of Grifter when he was part of the WildC.A.T.s of Image comics as I did or didn’t discover him until DC Comics eventually acquired WildStorm and put him at odds with Batman, one thing is for certain, he’s an irresistibly cool character. Armed to the teeth and ready to fight at the drop of a hat, Grifter has been one of my favorite characters to read over the years. McFarlane Toys gave us a figure of Cole Cash/Grifter in 2022. Despite one obviously terrible misfire, the figure is awesome.

The figure is surprisingly hefty. It’s one of the most solid figures from the DC Multiverse line in my opinion. He’s also a tad bit taller than most of the other McFarlane figures that I own. The articulation is great and Grifter pretty much has all of his range of motion. The only exception is his head, which is pretty much rendered immobile by Grifter’s mask and his high collar. The paint apps on the figure are excellent as well. I did notice that the figure photo on the packaging and collector card features black gloves. My figure came with red gloves.

Grifter comes with a base, collector card, a dagger with a serrated side and a katana blade. This of course brings up the biggest miscue with this figure. Grifter is known for his guns. This figure comes with ZERO guns. Sure, I know that McFarlane doesn’t have control over this due to Warner and DC clauses on toys, but it really stinks that Cole Cash arrives without firepower. I won’t take off any points for this, but be ready to purchase a separate accessory pack from McFarlane if you want to pose Grifter with a firearm.

This is an excellent figure overall. Even with the limited head articulation and the lack of guns, Grifter looks amazing on my shelf. I definitely recommend picking him up and I also recommend snagging an accessory pack to allow Cash to carry some heat. This is a must-buy figure for WildC.A.T.s fans and/or those who miss the good ol’ Wildstorm days.

Thanks for checking out my first post of 2023! I’ve already got a few more posts planned for January, so keep your eyes peeled!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Gold Label DC Rebirth Shazam (2022)

“Holy Moley!”

Just say the word, right? Well, apparently the folks at McFarlane Toys decided to say the word and produced a beautiful figure in 2022’s DC Rebirth Shazam. The figure was released late this year as a Gold Label action figure. It is exclusively sold at Walmart and has already been spotted on Ebay for two and three times its retail price. It’s an amazing figure but it isn’t worth more than its retail price of around twenty bucks.

The figure comes with a collector card, DC figure base, an extra set of hands, and lightning accessories that can be attached to his arms. The figure arrives in box with closed fists that can be swapped out for the open hands that are in what I would call a “so what?” position. The lightning accessories are the exact same ones you can find with the recent Endless Winter Black Adam figure. Those bolts aren’t the only things that Shazam shares with Black Adam and I’ll get into that in the next paragraph.

Shazam’s body is the same mold as the one used for the Endless Winter Black Adam. The closed fists are also the same ones used on Black Adam. The only differences body-wise in the two figures are the additional open hands included with Shazam, the different colors on the two suits, the head sculpts, and the lightning bolt across the chests of the figures. On Black Adam, the bolt is essentially a neck piece. On Captain Marvel, the bolt is attached to a cape. The similarities shouldn’t shock anyone due to the fact that the two characters are essentially drawn the same on the page as well.

Captain Marvel, ughhh, Shazam, has fairly decent articulation. He isn’t as poseable as many other figures in McFarlane line, but he can be placed into some excellent poses. The biggest issue that I see most people having with this figure is getting him to stand up without a base. The cape makes Shazam very, very top heavy and he has a tendency to fall back as a result. While the included figure base works well enough, I will probably upgrade this figure to a waist-supporting base. It would have been great for Shazam to come with a flying base, but McFarlane Toys seems content with only providing that type of base with Superman figures.

It’s really cool to have this figure in advance of the upcoming Shazam! Fury Of The Gods film. There’s actually going to be at least one McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Shazam figure released for the film based upon Zachary Levi’s likeness, so I’m most likely going to get that figure as well. Until then, have a look at one of the Shazam figures from the first film compared with the DC Rebirth Shazam and the Endless Winter Black Adam in the photo below.

Thanks for checking out my post. We’re in the homestretch for Christmas and New Year’s Day, so get ready for my End of the Year post, the final The Year Of KISS posts, and at least one more action figure review.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse New 52 Red Robin (2022)

“Time Drake….a.k.a. Red Robin.”

The first three “core” Robins in DC Comics have carved out their own paths as superheroes after retiring as the Boy Wonder. Dick Grayson became Nightwing, who has gained his own fan following over the years. Jason Todd, despite being beaten to death by the Joker in a fan-voted poll, reemerged as the antihero, Red Hood. Tim Drake, the third Robin, has always been treated, at least in my opinion, as the third wheel of the bunch. It’s as if the Bat Family is introduced as Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin (Damian Wayne), Batgirl, Batwoman, Alfred, Batwing, a few other people, and that other guy, Red Robin. Maybe it’s just my own perception, but Time just doesn’t seem to get the respect that many of the other Bat characters. That being said, he has managed to get a pretty sweet action figure from McFarlane Toys.

Please note that the back of the box and the collector card images make it appear that Red Robin has “dragonfly” styled wings. He does not. The image only shows the wings in both the opened and closed positions.

The figure is based upon Tim Drake’s New 52 look as Red Robin. I know that it isn’t necessarily his most popular look but I personally love it and wish that he would have kept some version of it with DC Rebirth. The figure comes with the standard collector card and a DC figure base and one lone accessory, Red Robin’s bo staff.

The detailing on the figure is great. The numerous belts (so many belts) all have amazing textures. Specifically, Tim’s utility belt looks great and you can actually see the clasps on the pockets. The suit also features Red Robin’s insignia on his chest, belt, and shoulders. The propulsion pack and wings also look amazing. The wings can be opened up or tucked under the propulsion pack. Tim’s bo staff is pretty plain but it does come with a few minor details on it. The coloring on the figure is primarily deep red and black with yellow on Red Robin’s cross-chest double belt and flesh tones on Tim’s face. His articulation is excellent and is only hindered if the wings are open.

I have zero complaints about this figure. He looks amazing, is easy to pose, and looks almost exactly like the character in the comics. He’s almost the perfect action figure and he looks great on the shelf with the rest of the Bat Family.

Thanks for reading my review. I highly recommend this figure to not only Tim Drake/Red Robin fans, but to DC Comics fans in general and anybody that can appreciate a beautiful action figure. McFarlane outdid themselves with this figure and I love it!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse The Flash Wally West (2022)

“My name is Wally West. I’m the fastest man alive.”

Lost in the Speed Force for ten years, Wally West made his triumphant return to the pages of DC Comics in the DC Rebirth universe. His return came with a new suit as well, and McFarlane Toys has given the world a new DC Multiverse figure of that version of Wally West. I honestly don’t know a whole lot about Wally, but I do know that his Rebirth costume is one of my favorites, so I decided to pick him up and see just how cool this figure really is.

The figure looks great. It features a ton of details including texture changes in the suit, Wally’s wavy red hair, and a raised silver bolt across his chest. Wally technically comes with six accessories, although all of them are Speed Force bolts that can be attached on Wally’s back, calves, heels, and forearms. One drawback of having these bolts is that there are peg holes on Wally’s arms, calves, and back that are extremely noticeable when you don’t have the bolts in place. Wally also comes with a collector card and a base.

The figure’s articulation isn’t hindered at all. You can move and pose Wally all sorts of ways. The only problem that I find is that his ankles are a bit loose, so posing him in a running position can be a bit tough unless you have a second base to support his lifted leg while he is in “motion.” I had a similar issue with my CW’s The Flash Barry Allen figure but that figure’s ankles were stronger. My Barry Allen from the Snyderverse Justice League Film has been standing on one foot since February and has only collapsed on one occasion due to the fact that one of my co-workers slammed his hand against his counter and shook my display shelf.

Other than the peg holes in the arms, legs, and back, I don’t have much to complain about for this figure. I was a tad leery of the Speed Force bolts but they’ve grown on me and I actually really love how they look on Wally. He looks great on my shelf and he’s got me thinking that I may need to dedicate one entire space on my shelves just to Flash figures. Of course, if I’m being honest with myself, I could easily have a Batman shelf, a Superman shelf, and a Robin shelf at the rate that I’m acquiring these figures.

Thanks for checking out my post. I have three more McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse figures that I plan on reviewing before the year ends, so be on the look out for them. See you again real soon!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Hawkman (Black Adam Movie, 2022)

“We’re here to negotiate your peaceful surrender.”

I still haven’t been able to see the recent Black Adam film despite absolutely wanting to check it out. I’ve been extremely busy lately with auto repairs (saved over four hundred bucks doing a job by myself), my son’s soccer games and practices, extended hours at work, and a whole host of other things. Thankfully the film has arrived on streaming services so I might finally see it this weekend. Until then, I’ve been looking at all of the toys produced for the movie. I’m not terribly impressed by the Spin Master line which, in all honesty, is a bit sad, but the McFarlane line has been much better overall. I’ve seen all of the McFarlane Black Adam figures in the wild with the exception of Cyclone and Sabbac. With so many decent figures to choose from, I threw down a little money on Hawkman since he’s one of my favorite characters from the comics.

Hawkman looks pretty nice. The figure’s color palette is a tad dull for my tastes as Hawkman’s costume is made up of gold, deep maroon, and what I see as dark olive. The detailing on the figure is amazing. His helmet is attached to his head but looks as if it can be taken off (believe me, I tried). The wings are detachable and can be expanded to varying lengths. The figure is also very heavy for a McFarlane figure. Hawkman’s articulation is pretty limited, especially by his armor. He does look great on display, however, and that’s pretty much all he’ll ever do as long as he’s in my collection.

Hawkman comes with the standard collector card and a DC base. Not counting the wings, Hawkman comes with only his mace as an accessory. The mace is very top heavy and will actually bend over time unless Hawkman holds it near the spiked ball. With his wings in place, Hawkman is also top heavy. You can use the mace to balance him out a bit, but you’ll definitely want to keep him on his base. The wings on his helmet also bend quite easily. As you can see in some of the photos above, one of the wings on his helmet was jutted way out of position. I’m displaying the figure with the wings on his back in a position that will hopefully fix the helmet. One other major thing that really bothers me about this figure (and a few others) is that McFarlane did not supply a flight base for the figure! Hawkman literally has wings! Why doesn’t he come with a flight base like Superman?!?!?!?

Hawkman is a pretty good figure. He’s a much better hero, however, and I hope to see McFarlane take another shot at this character, be it based upon a film, TV series, or comic, in the near future.

Thanks for checking out my post. I have quite a few other toy reviews coming so be prepared!