Points of Articulation - Back With an Onslaught!

First, an apology. When I said I intended to write a "semi-regular" column, I hoped to post more frequently than once every six weeks. However, in my defence, I'll say that I've been out of town for work - and it is really difficult to review action figures when you're in Calgary and your toys are in Toronto. I'm back home now, and I just picked up a bunch of new figures, so I should be able to crank out a few new articles in short order.

Let's kick things off with a look at all six regular figures from the Onslaught Series! They weren't hard to find, I walked into one of my favourite stores today and walked out with the whole set.



The all-villain roster consists of the Green Goblin, Lady Deathstrike, Pyro, Abomination, Loki and Blackheart. There are three variant figures: melted-face Abomination (same figure, different head), Crown of Lies Loki (same figure, different hat) and unmasked Green Goblin (same figure, Norman Osborn head). I might get the unmasked Goblin, if I ever see it at a reasonable price. Why is that, you ask?

Well, in my opinion, the Green Goblin is the best of the lot. Let's take a look.

The figure is nicely sculpted, with a look faithful to the comic book - and less cartoony than some other Goblin figures. Norman is holding a metallic-orange pumpkin bomb, although it won't seem to come loose from his hand. The base nicely approximates Norman's glider, and he has no difficulty posing on it. He also comes with his man-purse and a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #122, the issue that follows the death of Gwen Stacy - a great read!


Combined with a Spider-Man 2 movie figure, you can create a pretty neat fight scene. I'm using that pic as my current desktop.









Next, let's look at Lady Deathstrike.

Deathstrike is also a pretty cool figure, even though she comes with no accessories. As you can see, she makes a good opponent for Wolverine. Even with those long arms, Yuriko manages to maintain her balance quite a bit better than some of the other figures in this series.


















It would have been nice if she came with interchangeable arms, a normal set and her elongated metal arms - but I suppose that's just me being picky. You get a copy of Wolverine #77 with this figure.

Next up is Pyro.

I like the overall look of this figure, but the plastic seems really cheap. I'm not sure what exactly bothers me about this figure, but it doesn't seem to match the overall level of quality for the rest of the series. Plus, the paint scheme on this particular figure is a little sketchy, with some tan plastic bleeding through.



However, I think Pyro looks pretty keen with the addition of the flame accessory from the ML Iron Fist figure. All in all, a decent addition to my line-up of X-Men villains. Here's a shot of Pyro fighting Iceman. Pyro comes with a copy of Daredevil #355.















Now we'll examine Loki.

Loki is a good figure, but the heavy cape causes him to have some serious problems staying upright. Thankfully, you can remove the cape. He also comes with a sword. His face looks really, really old - I haven't read much Thor, but I didn't realize Loki looked worse than Dr. Doom!

As you can see, even taking the crown into account, Loki is pretty tall - here he is standing next to Captain America. I don't have a Thor figure, so you'll have to settle for this "Last Hero Standing"-inspired picture. Loki comes with a reprint of Thor #112, another great issue by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

















I really dig this Abomination figure, even though its fairly simple.

He's a serious brick o' plastic, really solid. I would have liked some articulation in the torso, perhaps a hinge at the ribs or some articulation in the biceps. Inexplicably, he also lacks a cut at the wrist, so you can't turn the hand. There is only a hinge at the base of the fist that allows you to angle the hand along the long axis of the arm. Also, is it just me, or does the head look just a bit too small for his body?

Abomination comes with a copy of The Incredible Hulk #25 (April 2001).

He looks like more than a match for my First Appearance green-skinned variant Hulk!
















Last, we've got the worst of the bunch, Blackheart.

My main quibble with this figure is the feet. He's designed to balance on his toes - a bit like the McFarlane Aliens figures, if you're familiar with that line. That wouldn't be so bad, but his tail is very stiff when it needs to be flexible - you need the tip of the tail to touch the ground and provide some extra stability. As a result, he has serious trouble standing up. Also, in terms of colour, I think he's too purple when he should be deep black. A blue wash might have looked better.

Blackheart is really tall, almost as tall as Abomination. Here he is fighting Ghost Rider. The chain comes from a different toy. Blackheart comes with an issue of "Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness" - a team-up I've never heard of before.














If you buy all six figures, you can build an Onslaught figure.


















I don't think all that much of this build-a-figure. Truth be told, I wasn't reading comics during the Onslaught saga, so I don't really have a clear understanding of who Onslaught is or his significance in the Marvel Universe.

Even if I was a rabid Onslaught fanboy, I suspect I'd be a little disappointed. Most of the major joints - ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and elbows - are ball joints, which in theory should allow for a wider range of motion. Unfortunately, several of these joints are frozen or very stiff, and they seem likely to break if forced.

Also, the Onslaught BAF isn't very big, certainly no comparison to the Galactus, Sentinel or Apocalypse build-a-figures. In fact, he isn't much taller than Abomination or Blackheart. Here, take a look.

Somewhat mysteriously, each figure comes with a little stand for a diorama. However, no diorama picture is included with the figures other than the standard plain blue card, which it appears you are supposed to trim and use as a background. Maybe for Namor swimming underwater, otherwise its a pretty stupid idea if you ask me.

My overall take on the series? I like an all-villain wave but the Onslaught BAF leaves me cold. I think I would have preferred this series as originally conceived - a "Bring On The Bad Guys" wave, where each figure would have been a two-pack, with lackey soldiers like Hydra terrorists or Brood aliens.

That's all for now. I hope to be back with another column soon, hopefully one that answers where Ghost Rider's chain came from. As always, you can post your questions or you can email me at notoriousuli@yahoo.ca. Look for more Points of Articulation right here at Waiting for Wednesday!

Points of Articulation: Apocalypse Variants

I've got a short column for you, a supplement to almeister's great review of the ML Apocalypse series. I promised I'd put up some pictures of three variant figures from that series, so here you go. First up, red costume Iron Fist.

As you can see, the main difference is the red costume and angry face. Danny's mask is ripped, and his hair peeks through in a few spots. If you click on the picture you should be able to make out how the flame accessories wrap around the hands.

My knowledge of Iron Fist dates back to some old issues of Power Man & Iron Fist, so I can't tell you anything about red-costume IF, except that I understand its from Byrne's run on Iron Fist vol. 2. Apparently, Danny wore red during a period of time when he had done something dishonourable.

I really like the Iron Fist figures, they're very poseable!
















Next we'll take a look a Bishop.

Variant Bishop is bald and is not wearing a red scarf. There are a few other minor colour differences as well. I like the variant figure a little better because the head has a greater range of motion, what with the scarf and all that hair out of the way. I don't really like Bishop and I had no intention of getting this variant but the hips on my Apocalypse build-a-figure broke on the first day out of the package, so I needed to get a replacement.

And let me tell you, it was a ***** to take Apocalypse apart. The head and upper torso locks onto the waist with some kind of ratchet-type mechanism, and once I put it together I could not pull it apart. I had to use a hacksaw to cut through the waist and up into the body, all the while trying to not cut the upper torso.

Last, take a look at white variant Sasquatch!

The only difference is the paint job but that's fine by me - unlike the Bishop figure, I had my eye on this variant from Day One. It fills the role of Wendigo in my collection. Plus, many Maestro figures failed to include the arm cable for the BAF, so by getting Wendigo I got that missing cable.

My only complaint about this figure is the "loincloth" of hair that covers the groin area. As it is attached to the upper torso - above the waist cut instead of below - it can restrict the ability of the figure to twist to the left or right when in a crouching pose. Click on the picture and you should be able to see what I mean.

Finally, although I generally don't think much of the typical "who'd win in a fight" topic, I can't help but ask: who would win, Wendigo or Ant-Man?

I'm gonna say Wendigo.

There are two more variants in this variant-heavy series, unmasked Wolverine and black-costume X-23. If I saw Wolvie at a good price, I might get him but there's no way in hell I need another X-23 figure.

Well, that's pretty much all there is to say. Post your comments here or email me at notoriousuli@yahoo.ca and I'll respond right here at Waiting for Wednesday.

Points of Articulation - Green Lantern Part Two!

Yeah, okay, I know, I just can't let certain things go.

Anyway, I wanted to get another column up pronto before the Marvel Legends Onslaught series arrives in stores later this month. This week, for your edification, Points of Articulation reviews DC Direct's JLA Classified Series 1 Green Lantern John Stewart - although I'd like to point out that it actually says "Jon" on the back of the card. No kidding. Hal, Guy, Kyle - heck, even G'nort gets more respect than John. Sheesh.




If you don't know by now, with DC Direct figures, what you see is pretty much what you get. Most figures have a limited number of points of articulation and a similarly limited range of motion. That's the case here - exacerbated by a muscular sculpt, although faithful to Ed McGuinness' design.

John has 13 total points of articulation, which isn't too bad for DC Direct. I can't really fault the figure for not having more, since I'm more than familiar with other DC Direct offerings - I knew what to expect. Still, I always hold up the 21-poa Superman as the gold standard for DC figs and I don't really understand why more figures couldn't strive to equal that number.

The neck is a straight cut, meaning John can look left and right, but not up and down. Personally, I prefer when the head sits on a peg as that allows a good range of movement. See the Hush Series 1 Batman for an example of this, or the recent Green Lantern Series 1 Hal Jordan.

The shoulder is the standard ball-and-socket peg construction seen on most DC figures. John's biceps are so bulky that he can barely bend his arms 90 degrees at the elbows.

John comes with no accessories other than a translucent JLA: Classified base, not even a power battery. Good thing too, since his hands are clenched fists, he wouldn't be able to hold one. Hmmm, now where have I heard that before . . .

So, why oh why, dear readers, would yours truly fork over $14.99 CDN for this figure? You already know I'm a big Green Lantern fan, so that's the main reason right there. Plus, I like Ed McGuinness' design and his art - so John will look right at home standing next to my Superman/Batman Series 1 Shazam! figure. I also like the look of the Aquaman figure in this series, but I already have the Alex Ross Aquaman figure and I see no need to get another. Maybe if there were some accessories, interchangeable hands, anything!

Despite my complaints, this figure is a damn sight better than John in his original GL costume. That figure is just horrible. Although he does have a power battery. That he can hold.


That's all for now. If you have comments or questions that you don't want to post here, feel free to email me at notoriousuli@yahoo.ca - I'll do my level best to respond right here at Waiting For Wednesday!

Points of Articulation - 13" Deluxe Collector Green Lantern!

Wow, our first non-Marvel Legends review! Hal Jordan certainly is in the spotlight these days, what with Rebirth and the upcoming 52, so he's more than suitable for a write-up in Points of Articulation!



Okay, here's the story. I don't usually buy action figures that come with real clothes. Somehow, in my mind, that tips the scales towards "doll" rather than "action figure". Nevertheless, as a slobbering Green Lantern fan, I've had my eyes open for one of these figures ever since I first heard that DC Direct would be releasing this line-up. However, Hal did not come cheap. I picked him up for $64.99 CDN at The Silver Snail in Toronto, and that's about $10.00 cheaper than at any of the other stores I frequent.

The first two figures in the deluxe 13-inch series were Superman and Batman, from the movie Batman Begins. I've seen lots of Batman figures on store shelves, and the occasional Superman figure - but selling for as much as $100 CDN! According to the GL box, we can expect to see more 13-inch figures, including Lex Luthor, a Superman Returns figure, Batman and Two-Face!

And what a box! Normally I don't get too jazzed about the package, but the box art is really nice, with a gatefold panel that reveals the figure through a display window. I tried to take some pics of the box, but it has a glossy surface that reflects the flash of the camera. I could certainly understand some collectors keeping Hal in the box for display purposes, although that's not my style. Besides, you'll notice that one of Hal's hands fell off in the package, so I set to work opening that sucker up!

Freed from the box, I set about trying to find all the joints. I didn't want to go the bother of removing all the clothes, although I could do so. The boots unzip and so does the back of the costume. I counted 25 points of articulation, although the box says there are 28. There's no doubt, however, that this figure has a far-greater range of movement than the standard offering from DC Direct. Hal comes with different hands (fists or open palms), and a removable mask, as well as a flight-stand and a light-up power battery!

The battery is really cool, shining with a brilliant green LED light, which you turn on and off by twisting the base of the lantern. Unfortunately, Hal can't actually hold it! His left fist is closed, so he can't grasp the handle of the lantern. If you click on the pictures, you'll see that I lashed the lantern to Hal's wrist with a clear twist-tie. This is one of my two big gripes with the figure, especially since the box art (cover and rear) specifcally shows Hal holding the power battery by the handle! At best, you could use the left open-palm hand, but that looks a little stupid. This omission really, REALLY bugs me, especially since the light-up lantern is so darn cool - it would look awesome if Hal could actually hold the darn thing.

The base and flight-stand are nice and sturdy. Since Hal wears a real costume, it doesn't use a Marvel Legends style peg to slot into a hole in his back. It uses a little clamp around his waist to hold the figure.

However, the flight stand is about two inches too short. With the clamp around Hal's waist, his feet still touch the base. As a result, the flying pose looks a little weak, with his feet barely clearing the ground. That's my second complaint.

Look, this isn't a figure for the casual collector. When I spend this kind of money on a single toy, I expect greatness. As a result, little things like Hal not being able to hold the lantern and a too-short flight-stand can really compromise the overall "wow" factor. Despite those shortcomings, it is still a great figure, with lots of articulation. The only part of the scuplt that matters (the head) looks good and the removable mask is a nice touch. The costume, representing the current version of Hal's get-up, is made from a stretchy spandex or lycra-like material, and the logo feels like a T-shirt iron on transfer. It looks great, even with the obvious zippers and a few tiny threads that need to snipped.

So what's the verdict? If you're the kind of serious collector who doesn't open the box, then this figure makes for an incredible display piece. If you like to play with your toys, like I do, then even the raving Green Lantern fanboys should temper their excitement. Although it is a really neat figure, I can't help but feel a bit let down by the short flight-stand and Hal's inability to carry the power battery. Those gripes aside, I'm still happy to add this guy to my collection.

Now, if only there was a Mogo figure . . . can you say zero points of articulation?

That's all for now. Kudos to Almeister112 for a great guest column, I'll try and throw up a few additional pics of the variant Iron Fist, Sasquatch and Bishop figures soon!

The Lucky Streak Continues!

In my last column, I took a look at the recalled Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch figure. You may remember that I stumbled across Wanda on the shelf at a newly-opened toy store near my office. I hadn't planned on reviewing another Marvel Legends figure right away, but I seem to be on some kind of roll lately - see, I just found this Marvel Legends Series 1 Iron Man.



I was on my way back to the office after a meeting downtown. I decided to pop into the Eaton Centre to check out a toy store. I don't check that particular store too often, but every now and then they have something great on the shelf. This was one of those times. Tucked away behind three Series 3 movie Daredevil figures and covered in dust, there hid Tony Stark. Even at the sticker price of $22.99 CDN, this was a no-brainer. I grabbed it.

One word of warning here. When you find something out of the ordinary, give the package a close look. You're looking for any sign that the package may have been opened and resealed. Sometimes there may be a fine slit at the bottom of the clamshell, or the seams may have been heated and will look melted or "globby". I've heard of unscupulous retailers and collectors repackaging loose or altered ML figures, so be forewarned. In this case, Tony looked fine.

Personally, I think the flying characters look better when you can get them into an airborne pose. I rigged up a little harness using the clear twist-ties that were in the package to lash Iron Man to a flight-stand. If you're going to jury-rig or balance a figure on a flight-stand, I recommend you use the stands from the Sentinel series. They're nice and sturdy, a much better design than the early stands. Just to be clear though, this figure does not come with a flight-stand.

The only accessory is a base on which you can pose the figure. I'm not really sure what the heck the base is supposed to be - maybe a sign on the top of one of Tony's buildings? Truth be told, I haven't read much solo Iron Man, so if anyone recognizes this . . . thing . . . from the comics, let me know what it is! There are two foot pegs on either side of the base. A flight-stand would have been nice, but I guess I can forgive Toy Biz for not including an accessory that they didn't introduce until the Series 6 Deadpool figure.

This is a solid figure, a nice sculpt that has been used as the base (especially the legs and pelvis) for the Series 7 Silver Centurion Iron Man and the Series 9 War Machine. The biceps have an odd hinge that allow the shoulders to swing forward so that Iron Man can extend his arms straight out in front of him. It works fine, it just looks a bit weird - if you extend both arms, you can look through one "shoulder hole" and see out the other side.

Here's all my Marvel Legends Iron Man figures - the only ones I haven't got are the gold and blue (stealth) variants of the Series 1 figure. Personally, I like the Silver Centurion Iron Man best - I've got him balanced on a flight-stand too, he didn't come with one. Also pictured: War Machine, Hulkbuster Iron Man and Modern Armor Iron Man. I'm looking forward to the upcoming First Appearance Iron Man with the gray armor, and also Iron Lad in the Young Avengers box set. I probably won't get the House of M box set, even though I would like to get the HoM Iron Man figure. By the way, that U.S. flag came with DC Direct's JLA Series 1 Superman.

I very nearly called this column "In Praise of Your Local Toy Store" - after all, I've had two lucky finds that netted me two hard-to-find figures at a good price. When you consider what shipping is likely to cost you on eBay, buying from a real bricks-and-mortar store will often net you a better price.

Now if you'll excuse us, Tony and I are going to go get 'faced.

Points of Articulation - Getting Lucky With the Scarlet Witch!

In my first column, I said I wanted to try to review figures that I actually have in hand, and that tie in to what's currently going on in comics, when possible. Well, we get the ball rolling with a review of the hard-to-find Marvel Legends Scarlet Witch! After all, Wanda's mental instability led to Avengers Disassembled, the House of M and Decimation - and may have a key connection to Young Avengers - and the after-effects will surely continue to resonate throughout the Marvel U for some time to come!



Clearly Wanda's hex powers were working full blast last week. See, I normally step out of the office around 10:30 am for a short walk around the block, get some fresh air, you know? Well, I walked a different route, and spied a newly-opened toy store. I returned at lunch and discovered this rare Legendary Rider on the shelf for a mere $15.00 CDN.

According to the store owner, he received one figure of Wanda in one of his cases of Legendary Riders. So it seems this figure is continuing to make its way into the stores, despite the fact that it was supposed to have been pulled from distribution.

Several weeks ago, I emailed Toy Biz customer service and asked if the ML Scarlet Witch would be re-released. Here's part of the response:

The Scarlet Witch was recalled from Series 11, the designers were not satisfied with the sculping [sic] results. Several of the figures were released to the public before the recall, which is why some are being sold for such high prices in the secondary market. Currently, we do not know what the line-up for 2006 is, so we cannot confirm or deny any information on when, or even if, the Scarlet Witch will be re-released.

However, Toy Biz has since announced the next four series of ML figures and Wanda Maximoff is not included. Her brother, Quicksilver, was supposed to be part of the M.O.D.O.K. series but apparently now will also not be included.

Prices have come down quite a bit on eBay in the past two to three months. In the past, I saw a Scarlet Witch figure with a price of $80.00 U.S. - today the most expensive figure on offer has a first bid asking price of $24.99 U.S. and a Buy-It-Now price of $34.99, before shipping and handling. There are lots of others listed at a more reasonable price.

So, should you buy one? If you're a serious collector or a big Wanda fan, and you can find one at a good price, then I say go for it! Otherwise, the poor quality of this figure is pretty off-putting, especially if you have to fork over the big bucks.

As you can see, the basic sculpt is nearly identical to Mystique. The pelvis and hips have a peculiar diaper-like look, the limbs are thin and feel fragile. The paint on the Scarlet Witch is slopped on, leading to some fused joints. There are several paint flaws - including a brown smear on the bottom of her cape and a brown mark on her face. Although it is difficult to see in these pictures, her face also has a light "freckled" look, which I understand is common to this figure. The red paint for her headdress is slopped through her hair, brown paint for the hair is smeared on the helmet, and the helmet is bumpy and rough.

Although the sculpt is different, Wanda is similar in size and proportion to X-23. Personally, I prefer the slightly more-curvaceous female figures from earlier sets, with Storm being a fave.

I used Red Son: Wonder Woman and The Long Halloween: Catwoman figures for comparison purposes. Gah! Diana truly is an Amazon, while Selina is tiny.

In order to fit in with the contrived Legendary Riders theme of this series, she comes with a nice little hovercycle that sort of looks like her hat. I guess that's intentional, since Wonder Man's hovercycle looks like a big "W" - although I would have preferred something with a more traditonal look from the comics, like the hoverbike that Hawkeye and Mockingbird used to scoot around in West Coast Avengers.

So, what's the final verdict? You could pay a lot for this figure on the secondary market - but frankly, I don't think its worth it. If I hadn't stumbled into that toy store, if she hadn't been priced like any other figure - if I hadn't got lucky, in other words - then I wouldn't have her, plain and simple. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to add her to my ML collection, but I'd be pretty cheesed off if I had paid any more than $20.00 U.S. She just isn't worth it, no matter how neat it would be to see her standing next to Pietro some day.

Now, would it be wrong of me to try and re-create the puppet sex-scene from Team America: World Police with my Wanda, Vision and Wonder Man figures?