foxtrot-reviews-blog

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A Formal End

                            All good things come to a end.. 

Well. We’ve reached the inevitable: the end. I created the FoxTrot only a year ago, as a experiment for photography and writing, and had a absolute blast reviewing the tiny pieces of plastic I had a passion for. But in the end, writing these reviews has proven to be too much of a challenge, and time-consuming above all. I’d like to focus more on other hobbies, such as drawing, painting, and learning more keyboard. So suffice to say, a regularly updated photography blog has to be the cut. And it’s a dang shame. As a formal goodbye, I posted the original, first FoxTrot review that was never published, just yesterday. Originally I never planned the white-backdrop, and wanted each review to have its own unique setting, but the photographing alone took 2 hours! Add in the watermarking I did later on, plus the actual writing, give or take a few regular tumblr crashes, and you’ve got a 4-5 hour long process. The white backdrop cut time, but photography was always an issue, as I regular re-did entire reviews that didn’t meet my standards. The end result however was beyond impressive, resulting in a years’ worth of high quality reviews. Needless to say, I hope you enjoy the content that was made. and see this as the perfect goodbye to a interesting experience that was above all, pretty dang fun.

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World of Nintendo 4″ Fox Mcloud Review

Note: What follows is the first review I ever wrote for this blog, unedited, in all its amateur glory! 

                We need your help, Star Fox! Andross has declared war!

      Ah, Nintendo, the video game giant I have the softest spot for. But with such a rich history of games, the company has always been very secure on their IP. Nintendo games remain on Nintendo consoles, with very few PC typing games in the 1990s, and a few TV shows that died out long ago. But what about merchandising? It’s where the real money from the game is made! Unfortunately the company has been very secure on that too, up until recently when president Tatsumi Kimishima announced that the company needs to shift focus from games to all types of media, and expand their IP. The result is a deal with Universal Studios, an  Animated Movie studio, and Jakks Pacific’s fantastic line-up of Nintendo toys covering all their hit games. This line covers everything Nintendo, from Animal Crossing to Metroid.

     Star Fox 64 is a classic rail-shooter, with lovable characters, solid gameplay, and a unique charm that only a Star Fox game can accomplish. The game screamed for a TV Show, comics, and toys, but ultimately stayed in the realm of games. Toy-Site tried it once in 2000 with a proposed Fox figure and future Star Fox line-up, but it was ultimately cancelled before release. But Jakks Pacific has re-taken the throne to crank out Star Fox figures with the World Of Nintendo line-up. (The entire team is nearly out!) How does the anthropomorphic pilot hold up as plastic? Let’s find out!

      Fox Mcloud comes with 13 points of articulation, a colorful paint job, and an accessory. He’s based off his appearance from Star Fox 64 3D, which I feel was the best possible option. It’s his most iconic N64 look, but without the blocky graphics. It’s colorful and also can represent his SNES look or Smash Brothers look as it doesn’t fully dedicate himself to N64 visuals. It’s classic yet updated to a modern design.  I really appreciate that the design was kept to the chunky form as it’s timeless, versus Star Fox’s Zero’s new realistic look. But the figure isn’t all basic. Upon close inspection the figure has incredible detail.

The paint aps are fantastic. There isn’t a splotch of paint messed up anywhere on the figure! He even has his nicely printed “FOX” nametag. The quality on the paint is so high quality I’d say it looks like a sample you’d see at Toy Fair and say “Man, I wish the finished product would look like that!” (see: Neca’s TF2 line. But that’s another review...)

As a matter of fact, the prototype on the back looks worse! His undershirt is all-green on the mock-up, yet painted accurately in black in the final figure. This was a toy no doubt done by fans who wanted the highest quality product out there, to ensure such final accuracy. The detail is insane! 

The quality is some of the best I’ve seen on a normal retail figure in some time.  I really appreciate that each ridge into his headgear is sculpted. Fox’s legs, whether they’re robotic or just some heavy duty boots, are a very detailed sculpt, with a grey streamlined finish. It’s detail makes it pop out from the rest of the figure, which is done on purpose to replicate the game’s silver striking boots. 

in regards to Articulation, the figure has 13 points of movement, with a nice bonus tail-joint. This is just a great bonus I wasn’t expecting, especially in a world of cheap Hasbro and Mattel figures where all we get is 5 POA. There are however, drawbacks. His legs do not allow a sitting position, so he cannot sit in the ship cockpit he is destined for. So if you want to display Fox in a custom Arwing or re-used Star Wars cockpit, it ain’t happening. Ball Jointed articulation is wonderful, but I do feel the Star Fox figures should have legs that allow them to sit. Maybe I was too just hopeful for a giant Arwing for the figures, but it still would have been nice. But Fox here is clearly meant for some ground combat. 

     to the left, CZ-4 from Star Wars, and to the right a Pop Vinyl Robin.

    Fox measures up to 4″, so he’s a tad taller than the average Pop Vinyl and a 3.75″ Star Wars figure. He’s big and bulky though, so it makes him looks much bigger and more impressive. His proportions are short which are accurate to Fox. He’ll fit in any shelf and make it stand out.

Fox also came with a secret “Mystery item”, a fun gimmick for the WoN lineup. Now, if the box was based off the Supply Crate ROB sends you, it would have been a fantastic little touch, but I’m not complaining because what was inside was something I did not see coming.....a miniature Arwing! I was totally expecting a Smart Bomb or Gold Ring, but this? This is an awesome pack-in. It’s like a Micro Machine! It’s unique and feels like a 2nd item I would have bought alone, so it makes the figure even more worthwhile of purchase.

  Even after defeating Andross Fox could not handle the all powerful Tricky...

       Final verdict? 64/64. Fox Mcloud is beautifully done with phenomenal paint aps and accuracy, simplistic yet striking design, and average articulation that looks amazing compared to more modern toys. The Arwing is a rad bonus too!

     Star Fox doesn’t have a alot of available merchandise, so I highly recommend picking this up. It should be noted that this figure is in high demand, and rare at the time of writing this. I checked many Walgreens (best stocker of Nintendo product) and Targets yet I had to resort to Ebay. Fox runs for $15-25, and is well worth every penny. 

    Next up is Falco! Wait, he’s rare too?! Dang, alright time to pray Slippy becomes a peg warmer. Just kidding, he’ll be rare too. Seriously though, if you see any Star Fox figures from this line, buy them while you can and support this IP. I’d love Jakks to make more characters. Peppy is on the way, but could you imagine all of Star Wolf? A large scale Andross? Or even Krystal or Tricky? There’s a long line-up of characters to make, and I’m ready to continue pursuing these high quality figures. Thank you so much Jakks Pacific!  

Bonus Photography below!

                    The Pikmin are no match for Fox, Captain Olimar!

                            I’ve been waiting for you Star Fox!

                                    a challenger approaches!

That concludes the first review for Fox Trot! Thank you for reading!

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Toy Island/Jazwares- Sonic the Hedgehog

    Today we’re looking at a 1999 classic figure, for the release of Sonic Adventure for the Dreamca- wait. This was released for Sonic X? Alright, this is a alright 2003 release for the popular anime Soni-wait. This was released in 2008 for no real reason?! WELL, today we’re reviewing a figure that was released three, count ‘em 3 times, by different companies, for different tie-ins. Let’s critically look at a figure that was released in three eras, and decide if it stood the test of time. 

   Sonic suffers from 1990′s articulation. He’s got the typical 5 Points-of-movement, all being swivel joints. The Joyride Studios release a few years later had bendable arms and legs, which was a much smarter idea for Sonic’s noodle-style extremities. But this figure was tooled in 1998 and released in ‘99, back when the collector market was young and high expectations weren’t set. The 2003 release however pales in comparison to the higher-quality Joyride figure from 2001, but considering this was the cheaper option at the time, the lack of articulation is forgiven. But by 2008 Jazwares was putting out super-articulated Sonic figures, and this mold re-used for the third time was a terrible release compared to the rest of the line, and to other 2008 toylines. It was outdated and a poor fill-in. 

   Redeeming features include the nice Sonic Adventure sculpt and sturdy plastic. The shoes and arms particularly look cartoon-ish and polished, but the eyes are a bit dead looking. The plastic is also pretty tough, and this figure could withstand more than a few falls. Jazware’s other Sonic figures may have been super-articulated figures, but they snapped at any given moment. (I remember the leg of my older sibling’s Super Shadow snapping out of package.) and felt brittle. 

  From this angle it’s noticeable that the body is given a shiny finish that mimics the Dreamcast-era graphics. It’s vibrant and very accurate to the in-game model. The head however is cast in a very thick...I want to say vinyl? rubber? It’s hollow but very heavy and thick. I’m not sure why they went with this as it gets musty real quick and ruins the bright shiny paint. Why go to such effort to make the body look nice and go cheap on the head? Frankly it looks awful, almost like a bath toy head glued onto a statue. 

  Measuring 5 1/2″, Sonic is a hefty figure that towers over my other figures. This size was pretty common in the late 1990′s, and a few other lines that include large figures with limited articulation and clunky design include Starship Troopers by Galoob, and the figures for the original Mummy, which fittingly were made by Toy Island, the same company that crafted this fine masterpiece. If anything redeems our ‘99 Sonic, it’s the obvious dated design and look that does give it a few nostalgia points today. But those nostalgia points are immediately taken away if you bought this in 2008 expecting a quality Sonic figure. 

             The great SEGA, beaten by a mere Wendy’s Kid’s Meal toy

   By all means this actually isn’t a bad figure for 1999. It represents the character well and is aimed at collectors who won’t need much articulation because they’re too busy playing Sonic games to play with Sonic toys. Fully articulated figures hadn’t become a standard yet. Toy Biz’s own line of Nintendo figures had the same low-level articulation and clunky sculpts, and this one is arguably better than any of Nintendo’s offerings because of it’s shiny finish. What kills this figure though is ultimately the test of time, and that it was embarrassingly re-released in the era of modern action figures. 

                           Sonic, Sonic & Knuckles, but no Knuckles

    Is this Sonic worth picking up in a time where the 1990′s are only coveted memories of playing Sonic R and enjoying it’s cheesey music and sloppy controls? If you want a Sonic figure that represents Dreamcast era Sonic, then this isn’t a bad choice. Jazware’s fully-pose-able figures are still miles better, but this one works for those looking for a shelf filler and don’t care about posing him into different displays. It fits well on a shelf with a Dreamcast or some Genesis cartridges due to his large noticeable size and doesn’t look too awful if you can get around the vinyl/rubber bath-toy head. However if you’re just looking for a nice Sonic figure of modern Sonic (that isn’t wearing that god-awful Knight armour or wearing the genie ring) do yourself a favor and check out Jazwares’ later offerings, as this is nothing more than a time capsule of what the standards of the toy industry used to be.

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Playmates Star Trek- 12″ Gorn

   Playmates was the king of the toy jungle in the early 1990′s with their massive Star Trek line-up, covering every alien and extra on-set in the form of action figures and dolls in every scale you can imagine. And with a iconic character like the Gorn, it was expected our rubber-costumed lizard captain would get the toy treatment in every nook and cranny they possibly could sell him. But out of all the Gorn figures and nicknacks I own, because I totally don’t have an obsession with the strange captain from the classic episode “Arena”, this 12″ takes the cake as the scaled-man’s greatest doll, and one of Playmates’ best.

    Getting a full body shot was quite difficult...

   Measuring at 13″, Gorn is a towering figure that imposes fear. His sharp claws, teeth, and well-built body would show true terror to his foe, if he weren’t wearing that 60′s mod cheetah tunic. Hey, I’ve got to give them credit, they toned down the colors to make it aesthetically pleasing, but still kept the 1960′s turtleneck and fashion. This is one instance where the toy being inaccurate is simply for the better. It’s a improvement to a design that was otherwise dated. I love the classic mod-deco fashion of Star Trek, but since this doll was supposed to sit alongside a series of mostly Next Generation characters, I approve of the tunic change.

 One impressive feat is the deco across the entire body. Since the Gorn is mostly naked, there’s a need to make the doll look more than just a GI Joe-body with a lizard for a head. Luckily there’s a almost dirt-like quality to the gross, grimy, paint job that surrounds the green body. The turtleneck also blends the head to the body flawlessly, whereas most of Kenner’s Star Wars dolls from the late 1990′s have a buff body with a alien head with a Joe body just slapped together. Go ahead, take Greedo’s vest off, and see how his detailed head ends and his bright ugly green 6-pack below blinds your eyes.

  The feet are actually non-jointed, and are sculpted onto the entire knee piece. So of course, the doll has trouble standing. Figures. But what is good is that they’re Gorn feet! Not just regular feet, or boots, but actually the feet the Gorn has. It’s this type of dedication that gives the doll a high quality, even if the poor lizard topples from standing.

  The head is without a doubt the shining feature of the figure. The sculpt is a bit basic, but the paint applications, my god, are stellar! Bug-eyed eyes are done without a slip of paint and look flawless, and the teeth feature two-tones of gross rotten yellow. The different shades of gray and black gives the skin a even more greasy vibe than the body’s tones.  The mug of the Gorn is ultimately menacing and chilling, and the fantastic paint job is what pulls this off. It’s by far one of the best paint job’s I’ve seen on a 12″ doll that isn’t Sideshow or Medicom. 

 The detail here reminds us of an era before we knew the likes of Medicom and Sideshow, and detailed dolls of classic pop culture figures were ground-breaking. But with the new cutting-edge Hot Toys dolls going for around $500 a pop, I miss the era of cheap collectible 12″ figures that had love and detail thrown in. Sure, the Gorn Captain has visible joints and lacks proper articulation in the feet, but the paint job is so incredible I don’t mind the little mistakes at all. And he isn’t 500 bucks. Today he fetches around $30-50 in the secondary market, which is absurdly high for a Playmates Star Trek item. What, did Gorn demand explode in the past few years due to that awful Star Trek video game from a few years back? If you want a excellent piece of Star Trek merch though, he’s worth picking up.

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Mario Kart DS Gashapon- Wario

  Wah-ha-ha, it’s Wario, rival of the our favorite red plumber and now driver of a tiny kart. In his mascot kart-racer form, Wario makes for a adorable blind-bagged capsule toy. (That is, as adorable as Wario can be.) Before the modern age of $6.99 overpriced backpack clips on the trading card aisle, blind-bagged figures were a rarity in the West. They were always flourishing in Japan, but here in the West it was assumed Americans wouldn’t pay a large price for a toy they didn’t know they were getting. Oh, how “they” were wrong. Today, everyone’s a sucker for $6.99 cheap plastic figures that now hardly even resemble our favorite characters. But in the Pre-Funko age, Nintendo and Gashapon decided to take a gamble by bringing their series of Mario Kart DS mystery-capsule toys to the US. They were expensive, hard to find, and were hardly on shelves. But if you were lucky enough to pick one up you’d realize by now it’s one of the best Mario Kart lines ever produced. 

   Besides being a fun little nik-nak with wheels, this is a pull-back toy. A dang good one too, as it I can’t pull it back and let it go without poor Wario crashing into a wall. Serves the greedy thing right. Its roughly an inch wide and a inch tall, and minimalist in execution. But given the simplified look of Mario Kart DS due to system limitations of 2004, it looks fine. I’d even argue that the almost polygonal aesthetic of the figure makes it more authentic. 

  I compared this Wario to a more “modern” Mario kart design, given Mario kart Wii isn’t exactly a “modern” game (Which...is a decade? Christ.) and its clear the small 1″ scale benefits the simple design of Mario Kart’s DS more. The Wii kart looks nice as a tiny toy, but all the tiny gears and engine pieces make for a noisy design. I also love the Mario Kart DS “Kart” more, from a design perspective. It looks much more like a authentic Go-Kart you’d ride around in a mini-golf course. 

    The engine is just a block, unlike the giant Quad-tube generator seen on Wii’s design, and I can only assume this is what powers the pull-back tech. It’s a brilliant way of hiding the mechanism without touching the original source’s design. 

   The side angle gives us a good view of the Wario-man himself, and he’s looking pretty polygonal here, almost like a Lego figure. The proportions may look off, because Wario’s been given some very tiny legs crammed on the pedals, but Wario actually does have some stubby legs. One minor complaint is the almost mitten-like large hands, which wouldn’t be a noticeable issue had the steering wheel been sculpted a tad larger.

                                        Dude, GTA VI looks so sick

   Despite Mario Kart’s endless supply of cheap plastic and die-cast toys, few hold much quality given their expensive pricepoint. The Mario Kart Wii die-casts were neat, but expensive, and the designs for that game weren’t too outstanding. But Mario Kart DS had iconic geometric designs that suit Nintendo’s classic cast of characters. and the small Gashapon toy line we got was pretty sweet. The Wario figure has some nice detail, and the kart doesn’t look too cluttered. It’s a also a pretty good pull-back car, on top of that. This kart may have been off putting at its high blind-bagged pricepoint, but now it doesn’t go as high as its original price. Wario himself can be a bit tough to track down, given the limited quantity of this line, but if you see any of these at a secondhand store or find them somewhere in the wild, they’re worth it.

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McDonald’s World of Mario- Yoshi

    It’s Mario’s green dinosaur pal, you know, the one everyone forgets is a dinosaur and Mario’s pal. Nowadays all he’s good for is tennis and go-karting, and as a Mcdonald’s Happy Meal toy. One crap meal later, you’ll find yourself in the possession of a rather large (3″ wide and 3″ tall) figure. A figure that is without a doubt not nearly as a crappy as meal it came with. If anything it should be advertised as a high-quality toy that comes with a low-quality meal.

    From orange boot to bulbous cranium this is indeed, Yoshi. the tired drooped eyes give him that classic Nintendo character charm, arms are pumped and ready for action, and his boots keep him flat on the ground for perfect display. Sculpt wise, Yoshi does look a tad awkward, with his tongue out-stretched and hunched-over, but this actually makes him characteristic of what he does in the original Super Mario World. Before he was a bi-pedal tennis-playing mascot, he served as a ride for Mario and could use his tongue to re-charge on that precious, sweet, healthy fruit energy that isn’t Mcdonalds. 

  So why not have Mario ride his steed, 1990 style? The Wendy’s 2002 Mario Advance Mario figure has the classic Mario look, before he went a bit childish in design, and to my surprise can ride Yoshi perfectly! His legs spread to the saddle and it balances perfectly. Who knew two kid’s meal pack-ins could look so great together? Not a bad display for a chicken nugget pack-in.

  The toy’s real gimmick is a stretch-able tongue, that can be extended by pressing down the saddle. Unlike the cannon-launching Luigi, this actually makes sense as it’s what Yoshi does in-game. This is one action feature that adds good play value to the toy, as every kid who wants a Yoshi figure would want to use the tongue attack. And as a collectible it doesn’t affect the figure, there’s no giant button or feature that takes away from the detail. This is a perfect gimmick as it’s accurate and doesn’t effect the visual display of the toy. It’s very creative, fun for kids, and doesn’t hinder collectors. 

                Anyone want to make ‘randomly licking Yoshi’ a meme?

   Yoshi is one happy meal I can’t recommend enough if you’re looking for a Mario display. The pose may be awkward for those wanting a nice modern Yoshi figure, but if you want a more classic Yoshi for your Super Mario World love, then this one makes a perfect steed for any Mario figure. The Wendy’s Mario is also another happy meal I previously reviewed and already recommend, but despite both its and Yoshi’s flaws they make a stellar pair when put together. It’s amazing sometimes what a company can do with kid’s meal toys when it puts its foot down and demands a high quality toyline for the sake of their brand. Nintendo’s harsh rule has had many downsides over the company’s lifespan, but when it comes to the cheap plastic novelties that come with our fast food, they really go out of their way to shine.

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Logo Revamp + End of Hiatus

                                to the left: old, to the right: new

  Hey, hey, hey! Apologies for the lack updates, things just got to busy with errands, a trip out of town, and the general end-of-schoolyear hubbub. However, now we enter a new era of FoxTrot hubbub, as new reviews should be posted weekly with no end in sight of ironic bubbling as I carefully photograph Lobot from Star Wars, as if he was a male model. Just kidding, we all know Lobot is a beauty to behold, especially when he inevitably shows up in the Han Solo prequel film and loses his hair in some freak accident because Disney can’t let that nostalgia change go. We love you, Lobot.

  Now where was I? Ah yes, a new logo. That’s a thing that exists now. Isn’t it beautiful? Well if it isn’t please message me because I’ll totally switch it back. I’m still quite mixed on its ultra-smooth buttery vibe, but I promise it will look very crisp when serving its purpose as a watermark. Maybe someday I’ll get as famous as those Star Wars news sites and some ebay reseller charging $5,000 for a Slippy Toad World of Nintendo figure (When the slippy’s inevitably sky-rocket to holy grail status) will use my photo, then my butter-smooth corporate identity will be seen to the world of smucks we live in. Onto the new reviews! 

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Disney Tsum Tsum- Rocket Raccoon

    Another day, another chibi rendition of a Guardians of the Galaxy character. Our favorite ragtag team of space mercenaries have truly made it to every form of big headed and disproportionate toy out there, and yes, we’ll be reviewing another. Why review another? Because it makes up most of the toy aisle now, and this is all we got for Guardians toys. The first Guardians film actually lacked a main line of figures. Up until now you’re only option was Hasbro mini-figures that were hardly painted and overpriced, Funko’s many offerings, or Disney’s own in-house line of Tsum Tsum plush: tiny 3-inch plush that are suppose to look like sushi rolls, and suppose to replicate the success of Funko. Disney wants a piece of that juicy Funko pie.

   It’s a cute plush. Unlike the pop vinyl, this is made of soft material that would be hard to make into a detailed representation of a character without spending in the cash for fur material. Considering it’s restricted to look simple and cheap, it pulls it off well. He has his orange jumpsuit, tail, and ears. All the raccoon features a raccoon needs: Ears, tail, and eye-mask. This however is also the plush’s major gripe, as it makes Rocket Raccoon look like a Raccoon without the rocket.

  Without the mean eyes that are donned on the Pop Vinyl, he just looks like a friendly raccoon, and by no means a cussing-killing comedic sidekick. His eyes also blend into his raccoon-mask so much you can hardly see them. And when he’s pitted against the Pop it’s also pretty obvious that the fur color is very inaccurate. I get that the fur can’t look good without bumping up the price but at least make it the same brown that we saw in the film. If anything, this just looks like a raccoon dressed like Rocket, like all those Yoda costumes they sell for dogs that look so pathetic. 

 To remind you this Halloween-dressed pet is actually a super hero, Marvel put their nice tag on the bottom. It’s bright red and has ‘Marvel’ etched into it. Huh. I bet this tag cost more to make than the actual plush; resources that easily could have been put into getting brown fur instead of grey. This tag is made to be seen from every angle, to remind you this a Marvel product. But since Tsum Tsum are supposed to be stacked atop one another like sushi, this tag will hardly been seen or noticed. 

 Here’s how they’re supposed to be displayed. What’s odd is that the Judy Hopps one doesn’t have a large tag like the Marvel ones. Maybe Marvel simply wanted their brand to be noticeable, and distinguishable from Disney. Judy however is much nicer in execution, with much nicer fuzzy material, a felt hat, and larger ears. I’m going to pin the blame of cheapness on Marvel. These two plush cost exactly the same, yet one was made for much, much cheaper. I can only assume Marvel charges extra for their character, to protect its brand. But if it really wanted to protect it’s brand, it should have known Rocket should look as nice as everyone else in the line. He’s cute and cheap, but a eyesore on a shelf with other characters. When you see him next to Mickey Mouse and Nick Wilde on your local Target display, it’s obvious he was made for the cheap to cash in on the character. This one is a pass, even if you collect Tsum Tsum. I never thought I’d say this, but grab the pop vinyl instead. 

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Mega Bloks Ninja Turtles- Stealth Leo

      Once Lego started their series of signature blind-bagged minifigures years back, Mega Bloks was as always, determined to cut into a slice at that market, at any cost. I mean any cost. Even the cost of tricking customers into buying garbage. Mega Blocks have been known for producing low-quality blocks and figures at significantly lower prices to counter-attack it’s Danish opponent. Once sales swooped in licensees were also swooped in, allowing them to produce low quality products of high quality beloved properties, case in point, the Ninja Turtles. Leo here is in “stealth form” meaning he’s trying to sneak around unnoticed, in bright hideous green. Brilliant.  

 There isn’t a light way to put it. Today we’re going to review a piece of crap. 

  Translucent figures are complete hit or miss. Sometimes you get a nice shiny figure that really shows how good a scuplt can be when it’s lacking paint. But at times like this you wish your eyes could see any color than the bright garish green that’s attacking your pupils. It’s  hideous color, and the only color. The gear is blue,(so we know that this is Leo) but by the time you’ve noticed that you’re already blinded by the green. God it is an awful choice. Who thought this was a good idea? 

     Unlike Lego figures, Mega Blocks have some sculpting to them. Here we have a basic generic buff body. It’s much more advanced then a lego figure, so if you’re in it for the details Mega Bloks has always been the way to go. Of course this is counter indicative of that idea since one hoping for detailed figures and sculpts would stray as far away as they possibly could from a building block line of deformed figures. 

    The paint apps are non-existent. I wish could review paint, because that would mean this figure would be any color other than bright neon green, but alas Mega Bloks was too cheap to bother with literally any paint. The eyes aren’t even given a bit of white to stand out. The mask is blue, but is a separate piece, cast in blue plastic. Literally no paint was applied to this figure at any point. 

   I didn’t even mention the building process. Oh, the building process. Putting this thing together is as painful as walking across a half-mile straight line of Lego bricks, barefoot. The figures was a ton of tiny pieces that would not stick together, and still won’t. You’re bound to have another arm or limb pop off every time you fiddle with the figure. His left arm specifically would not stay on for the life of me. If you want a child to play with this, tough luck. Leo simply won’t hold together.

    I also could not get this blue chestpiece on because I was lost in how to assemble it. The “instructions” included were simply one picture of all the pieces, with arrows showing where to assemble it. And when you have a piece like this, that requires to be put on before other pieces are attached, knowing when to slam it on becomes complicated. 

   At the very, very, tiny least, there’s some neat accessories. The two katakanas are nice, even though they are hardly visible due to their translucent nature. But hey, they aren’t neon green. And that’s wonderful. There’s also a base. It’s half as big as the ones included with Lego’s figures, but it does work. 

                  Think you could get me a portal back to Legoland?

  This figure is nothing but a reminder of what greedy toy companies can pull off and expect of its customers. At $4.99 this is actually $1 more then Lego’s line of minifigures. Mega Bloks, the budgeted cheaper alternative, actually believes their line of non-painted figures is better then Lego’s well built quality figures. Unbelievable.

  Oh, and this line also bombed. Thankfully. Many Walmarts cleared out this line at .97 cents a pop. Don’t support Megabloks and buy this crud. Simply pass and buy some quality Legos.  

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Young lad is a weird way to put it but the no face bank is really nice. Remember don't take the gold though because taking good from no face is bad luck

Excuse you, No Face is my one true “Young Lad”!  And it’s a bank, you’re supposed to take coins from it. Here, let me reach and get a penny and--OH GOD HE’S ALIVE AND EATING MEEEEEEE

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Friendly reminder (incase u haven't seen guardians yet) that's there's FIVE after credit scenes- DONT LEAVE UNTIL YOUVE COUNTED ALL FIVE

Jesus, Marvel movies have gone too far! I plan on seeing it very soon, so thanks for the heads up!

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Funko Pops Double Whammy- Starlord and Rocket Raccoon

   Hey, we’re on the verge of a new Guardians of the Galaxy film, and the verge of another 100+ Funko Pops. While I am tired of more Marvel films and Funko Pops- actually, scratch that, I’m on the ground, passed out from all this big-headed chibi-figure and super hero movie fatigue, I did enjoy the original Guardians of the Galaxy. I’d go as far to say it’s one of the most enjoyable films I have seen in years. Naturally, it’s fun characters and story led me to doing what I do best: Buying tiny figures. 

   You’ll notice from the image at the top though that among a line of bland, boring, and lifeless figures, these Pops do indeed look rather nice. Guardians of the Galaxy does us a favor with excellent character designs that are hard to screw up in plastic form, even for Funko Pops. 

  We’ll start with Peter Quill, our unconventional pop of the duo. Pops normally are designed around simplicity and lack of detail to match it’s rudimentary design philosophy, but Starlord is an exception, with exceptional detail. 

  Unlike other pop vinyl figures that have completely out of place realistic parts of plastic mush, Starlord has a detailed mask that covers his entire head, 360 degrees, making the detail a constant theme of the figure. The Funko classic beady eyes and lack of mouth is thankfully far from sight. The chibi look is quite fine when the suit, bag, mask, and guns all look very crisp and sharp in  sculpting. 

  The guns are a bit too complex, as the hands start to meld into them in a indistinguishable shape, but I’ll let it slide given the mask and coat are very sharp looking, with a solid chrome finish on the mask. A smudge more of paint on the guns would have made them a bit more noticeable, and could have cleared up the noisier parts of the design, but it’s not a big loss. Overall, a nicely done figure. 

   A notable exception to the Guardians Pops is that they’re actually bobble-heads, much like the original DC and Star Wars line-ups from the beginning of Pop’s lifespan. I assume Hasbro threw a huge fit over Guardians specifically because they knew the action figures they produced would make bank, so Funko kept the peace and made them bobble. It’s not too bad though as the guardians already have plenty of figures and having these as bobble heads and not just more figures makes them have their own identity. 

    Onto our lovable wise-cracking Rocket Raccoon, we have a figure more tuned to the Funko Style. He has the beady eyes and more obvious proportions as he lacks a coat and mask, but still has some quality detail that isn’t usually on Pop Vinyls. And while the beady eyes blind my own eyes, they do work quite well for Rocket. He’s a generally cute animal character with a brash personality, so having the large cute eyes, angry brows, and large gun sum up his character in plastic. 

   Once again, the only distracting feature is his blob-ish gun that could have really used some more paint. There’s a large seam down the middle that’s noticeable to the eye, and it’s generally a ugly design that is hardly even in the film. It isn’t needed. But as you see his suit is painted pretty nice. The orange jumper features orange paint, as water is wet. But the dark brown colors mixed in give it more life and detail. A big highlight of the figure is that his fur is sculpted on and not painted. It could have easily been ruined by some cheap “detail” in the form of weathered fur that looks like he was vomited on or a terrible “flocked” feature, but it was left blank. 

    On the back we see his tail, and a plastic blob that looks like a satchel. It’s too similar to the fur though, so it blends into a bit of a mess. Thankfully this figure doesn’t have any reason to be displayed from the back. The tail is sculpted in a curve so it’s visible from a front, a good design choice. 

 And finally Rocket also has that bobbly head. It’s awkward when put next to other non-bobble pops, but when displayed with the guardians makes for a nice set. 

     So despite my distaste in  Pop Vinyl as a whole, I recommend picking the Guardians Pops. I only own these two but the rest of the set looks very slick, and I wouldn’t be shocked to find myself picking up more if the price drops a bit. These two overcome most of the flaws present within a majority of the Pop line-up, and they’re much nicer than Hasbro’s cheap figures and Hot Toy’s un-affordable dolls, so if you have Guardians itch, and you should because the fiilm’s still fantastic, then this a Funko exception you’ll want to grab before they skyrocket raccoon in price. 

[foxtrot-reviews-blog]

Mcdonald’s World of Mario- Pipe Blastin’ Luigi

                               im in a tube, blockin you internets 

     If you can’t afford World of Nintendo, then there’s World of Mario, McDonald's current happy meal line that covers the Mario universe in the form of cheap free toys that accompany food you’re honestly only eating to get a toy from. We’ll be looking at the entire line, or as many of these things I can get before the Teenie Baby scalpers rise from their day-glow 1990′s tombstones and storm Mickey D’s for highly coveted Nintendo product. Because beyond Mcdonald's stale food is actually a not-so-stale toy, but rather a very nice Luigi. Oh, and he shoots out of a very nice yellow pipe. 

    I’d just like to say that most fast food companies have ditched the fun pack-in for a themed paper cup or paper toy, due a decrease in the toy market and major companies not backing “unhealthy” lifestyles. (Says Disney, who sells some of the most unhealthy food on the planet at their parks.) So,  Nintendo, thank you for supporting terrible food so I can get a good Luigi. 

    Let’s look at Luigi. Happy Meals are give or take, usually made of cheap plastic. But this Luigi is actually made of sturdy thick plastic. He’s also shiny. No, that’s not food grease, he’s actually a shimmering figure, which fits the bright colorful attitude of the Mario world. Luigi has extremely high quality paint and decals on the eyes and face, which is awesome for a Happy Meal toy. His eyes are spot-on, with thin eyebrows underneath that match the new HD render’s we’ve seen of our green-clad sidekick. His hat also has the matching L Emblem. There’s no splotches anywhere on the figure; everything is crisp and neatly decal’d and painted. How come this Luigi has better paint applications than most modern toys? Oh sweet, glamorous Nintendo quality control, how I love you so. 

    There’s nothing from the back but a awkward pose. This isn’t meant to be displayed as a figure, unless he’s a distant cousin to Taco Bell Boba Fett. You can see the part where he slides into the “cannon” pipe and a big screw. The front is what matters, especially for a toy based on a action feature and not the quality of paint. 

   From the bottom, we can see Luigi’s deep dark secret: that he left Mario for  Rocket:Robot on Wheels for the N64 when he was supposed to be playable in Mario 64. Figures. This is how the ‘Weegee slides after his glorious cannon launch, so he can have a sliding finish to his move. Yes, even when put flat on a surface the cannon’s launch sends him flying, so these wheels are purely to break the fall, and to keep the figure itself from breaking. Oh, and you can see the basic sculpt from here. It’s not much but the paint is a saving grace. His blobby shoes are even painted on the bottom, which is unusual for a toy you aren’t ever supposed to see the bottom of.

   Now I know this toy is the real star of the show: Mr. Pipe. Luigi is nothing more than a missile to a Star Wars gun as this Pipe does all the real work. It’s much bigger than you would expect, measuring 3″x 3″. You could easily slip some miniature Mario  figures in here.

     It makes for a great display piece for any Mushroom Kingdom set-up. I know it’s only a hollow pipe but Mario playset pieces are hard to come by, especially since Jakk’s discontinued those Micro-Land playsetsa few years back. This one’s free and can be a perfect canvas behind some Bowser baddies. 

                                           MARIOOOOOOOooooooo

   Then there’s the Pipe’s true purpose in life: Sending Luigi to oblivion. Why does this feature exist? Luigi never flew out of a yellow pipe, only Mario in  his Luigi-less 64 classic , and even then it was out of a green one. But who cares? It’s unique and fun. And boy it is fun. Normally these happy meal features are a complete flop; they never work as intended and break the toy in process. But here we have a cannon that sends the figure quite far, and as previously stated Luigi’s wheels usually break the fall. It’s never been so much fun to send flying plumber to their impending doom. I love it when the designers clearly have fun when making these toys, it gives me a beautiful image in my head of mysterious men in labcoats in Nintendo's secret testing fault, all taking turns launching a small Luigi out of a colorful pipe and simultaneously giggling.   

                    WEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegeee

  Overall this is a great Happy Meal. I actually can’t think of a single excuse for you, right now, yes you, the reader of this very review on April 27th of 2017, to get off your caboose and order some garbage food for a quality Luigi. Rarely nowadays do we get a fun Happy Meal that makes no sense, is absolutely weird, and strangely enough, is made to look exactly like the source character.

[foxtrot-reviews-blog]

Jakks Pacific’s Wondercon panel (and Concerns regarding the future of World of Nintendo)

   The World of Nintendo product line has played a pretty large part in The FoxTrot. I’ve always dreamed of a line of fully articulated Nintendo action figures, and this line fulfilled all of my hopes and dreams. It’s a collection of fantastic figures with high quality detail that spans across a variety of Nintendo games. So when Jakks Pacific announced a panel for Wondercon that promised discussion on the WoN line, I was pretty eager to go. Needless to say, the final result was medicore. I enjoyed the show’s presentation but news regarding the World of Nintendo line was concerning.

              Full pictures of the presentation can be found on my Instagram.

      I’ll start by saying it was a very professional and kind-hearted show. It was done with good moderation and the staff was very kind and understanding. To even have a con panel now is a major feat, as Hasbro, whom was famously known for their large interactions with the Star Wars fanbase, including large convention panels and Q&As, has completely alienated their fanbase and provides zero feedback to their now-poor product line. So huge kudos to Jakks for listening to their fans. They even gave out free toys! (Little Marvel blind-bagged figures. They’re cute.) The actual panel was done on a “Discussion” basis, where rather than host a traditional Q&A viewers would raise their hand to comment while Jakks showed slides on their products. 

   But there were obvious flaws. First of all and most obvious, no new product was shown. Instead we were given clear images of what should be currently hitting shelves. It felt like a giant commercial for toys I can never find. This is where the real issue kicks in: Distribution. It’s the elephant in the room the entire time. 

       Walmart is the only store in my area with more than 1 figure on the shelf,         and they’ve all been Peppy and Villager for months ....                                               

    Originally I had planned on directly asking about distribution. (and most importantly about Falco. Where’s Falco?) But I clearly wasn’t alone because multiple Nintendo fans in cosplay asked this question right at the start. The pressure was on Jakks, and the lead designer explained that finding World of Nintendo product is a struggle, and they plan to remedy the situation with TRU’s new Nintendo aisle. I will agree that a entire aisle of product is certainly a way to fix distribution, but only for TRU? I myself asked about Falco and was simply told “he should have already shipped to TRU”. But he wasn’t! He’s an old figure that was never shipped to my local Toys R’ Us, at least not for more than a short few minutes before the one or two available were snatched by the re-sellers that lurked on the very Exhibit hall below the panel.

   And what if there’s no TRU in my area? (Plot twist: there isn’t. It’s a twenty+ minute drive every time...) What about TRU’s upcharge? They charge 6.99 for the 3″ figures that retail for $3 at Walmart and Target. Don’t forget the 4″ figures for 13.99 plus tax, which are normally $8 at Target. That’s reaching the scalper prices, especially when TRU inevitably raises the prices like they did with the 3″ scale.

          Slippy Toad has been only figure at my Target since December.

  I further asked about Target specifically, and was told a solution to the Target drought was the new pop-up displays filled with 4″ figures that appeared nation wide. And to an extent, they were right. I headed to Target at 10AM the morning those went out, and was greeted by a new shiny wave, except for the one figure I was looking for. (Inkling boy. For a character that popular, he should have had more than 2 figures per case.) I went back the next day expecting a new shipment. No dice. But even worse, the new display was gone. And it never appeared again. Jakks, a one-day shipment of figures with a fancy display is still not a huge improvement. That said, it was refreshing to see effort being put towards the line. Perhaps it will improve, but with a “official partnership” with TRU, it seems we might be stuck with the high mark-ups from our giraffe-headed toy giant. 

Another large issue is Nintendo themselves. In case it wasn’t obvious, Nintendo has a massive grip on this toyline. Much more than any other company. It was made clear that every figure in the line is approved by Nintendo, as one fan asked about the Bowser Jr. with Blue-bib. (They stated that the Bowser Jr. was a prototype and not approved by Nintendo.) They reiterated that Nintendo ensures that every wave has a number of “core characters” and that older, more obscure characters simply won’t sale. Makes sense from a business standpoint. Kids will buy Mario, but not Vivian or Tricky the dinosaur. But things get odd when Jakks talks about what a “obscure, older character” is.

     Credit to IdleHands for the pic. They’re an awesome blog, go check it out! 

   Remember that Ocarina of Time Ganondorf shown at Toy Fair years ago and then never showed up again? I always assumed it was canned for quality, since it looks like a rough mold. But once a fan asked about this prototype at the panel, a Jakks designer said “Yes, and Ocarina was...how many years ago? 20? He’s a older more obscure character.” Wait, what? Ganondorf is obscure? He’s one of Nintendo’s most iconic villains. Scrap that, he’s one of the most iconic video game villains of all time. He was also recently in Ocarina of Time 3D, Super Smash Brothers WiiU/3DS, and Hyrule Warriors. 

   Nintendo put the can on this figure, but..why? They made the Amiibo line-up in-house, which featured a Ganondorf figure. One that was pretty dang popular too. He sold out everywhere, and now fetches a high scalped price on ebay. Nintendo also loves to bring out that Zelda merch. Ocarine of Time is well represented in merchandise: There’s puzzles, costumes, and even figures. Yes, the actual World of Nintendo line features “obscure” Zelda characters. I’d argue that Deku Link is more obscure and old than Ganondorf any day.

  My own theory on why Ganondorf was cancelled was because this original figure was crafted before the actually-released Wind Waker Ganondorf Figure. But that shouldn’t be an excuse to cancel a older figure without telling fans previously.

 Jakks re-iterated that they are targeting both casual and hardcore fans. For the hardcore fans, Metroid is a primary focus. They even hinted at a 18″ Big-Fig Samus with removeable helmet, which I would love to see. But what’s concerning is that for casual fans, they said that they are proud to offer many variations of Mario. No, I’m not putting words in Jakk’s mouth, everyone there was very proud to that they made so many different Marios. From a business standpoint, this sounds great: plenty of versions of the star icon of the Nintendo. But at a convention for the fans? It feels like a slap in the face. I do not think the Mario fans want another Mario after the ten we’ve already been given. I think we would agree new characters such as the Koopalings would be nice, or even a re-ship of the older characters like Peach and Luigi. Jakks, we live in a world where Luigi is the rarest figure in the line. We don’t need more Mario’s.

  So, what good came of this presentation? Communication. I want to re-state that the fact that this very panel existed is a miracle in today’s toy world. It may have been off-putting for fans in the audience but it shows how dedicated Jakks is. They even offered to take down our emails to help us all with tracking down particular figures, but I understand that only benefits the few of us at the panel who signed up, not the thousands of collectors looking for a dang Falco.

  Oh, and here’s a rundown of what was new in terms of news:

    -Bowser Jr. in Blue Bib and OoT Ganondorf are officially canned. Nintendo did not approve them.

    -Tape Racers will continue, and Mario Kart 8 deluxe characters will appear by wave 4-5. 

    -Fan asked about Samus with removeable Helmet, Jakks in return hinted at a large scale “Big Fig” Samus that will have a removeable helmet.”

    - For those looking for more obscure characters, “Look for Gamestop in 2018. That’s all we can say” Well, if it’s worth playing the waiting game.

    -For those having a need for a line of Breath of the Wild figures, they are coming. Give it time and there will be multiple BoTW figures.

   I truly do think by 2018 this line will be in better shape. But for now the distribution is hell, and we should let Jakks now. I want to support this fantastic line and be a happy customer, if it’s possible. There’s a lot of new product coming in 2018 that sounds exciting, and I can only hope Nintendo gives Jakks a break once a while and let’s them take a risk. At the very least I will look forward to buying some Inkling Mario Kart Tape Racers, because my Target loves to stock those.

[foxtrot-reviews-blog]

World of Nintendo- Inkling Boy

                                                So. Fresh.

  Splatoon is Nintendo’s newest shooter, my newest addiction. The intuitive controls, stylize graphics and visual style, and beautifully balanced gameplay has made me a fan of Nintendo’s newest star-studded IP. Of course with success of a game comes the most important part of a game: Merchandising. Where the real money from the game is made. It’s the one thing Nintendo has ignored for the past eternity, but their new president, Tatsumi Kimishima, seems intent on marketing their games. Splatoon is the first Nintendo game to launch with a toyline, which is actually quite ink-redible. Puns aside, let’s look at this fresh new figure.

 Standing 5 inches tall, the Inkling Boy is shockingly the tallest WoN figure I own. Who knew the Squid Kid was so tall? If anything this figure is out of place in the “World of Nintendo line and should really be put in a seperate “Splatoon” line. But I suppose Nintendo doesn’t have the faith to promote a Splatoon line on its own, and still wants it to be next to Mario for that brand-recognition. We do however have a great figure. From top to bottom he’s got everything a basic Inkling boy needs: a Ponytail and scrunchie, a Ink-canister, a Splattershot gun, and those classic Tenatek shoes. Every detail here is tackled with high quality, and we’ll be looking at each.

 Shoes play a pretty big role in Splatoon, giving the player stats in battle. What shoes you equip are up to you, but the “Tenta-tek” brand shoes, with an arrow at the side, are arguably the most iconic. World of Nintendo has paint quality all over the place, so seeing these tiny shoes have such detail is a step in the right direction. It also look pretty dang good! I love the look of the shoes in Splatoon, and here we have a small detailed set of tenta-teks. There’s tiny brand marks with little white tinier arrows at the top of each shoe. The laces are however one big blob, but this isn’t a Sideshow collectible, I’m not expecting anything like laces that look like string. The tiny arrow decals and paint make the shoe look like it comes from a high quality line, and takes the World of Nintendo in a bright new direction. The level of detail is improving and it’s fantastic. Of course, this could all be because Jakks has been covering older Nintendo designs, and now as they move into the HD era, they get to make characters like the Inklings, that were designed with much more detail than say, Mario.

 At first I was ecstatic to see the production markings on the bottom of the shoe, rather than on the back of the figure. They hid the markings somewhere no will look! Finally! Then I noticed that the bottom of the shoes has more arrows etched into them, and even a bunch of little indents like the bottom of real shoes have. (How cute.) This figure really is taking detail to another level. No one’s even going to look here! Well, now we can have our Inklings jumping and kicking, and the detail won’t be washed away by the usual flat shoes Hasbro figures are cursed to have.

  The shirt also has a arrow on it, and some writing in squid-gibberish. The basic white tee with logo and black sleeves is also a staple of Splatoon, being in all the official art and promotional material, despite being a game filled with tons of clothing. Ironically I’ve played the game nearly 100 hours and just yesterday was able to obtain this shirt in-game. Figures. But what really matters is figures. This figure, specifically. The shirt is excellently done with a proper decal applied to the chest. Frankly paint takes a back seat here though for articulation. The Inkling has swivel hands and chest with ball-jointed arms, which makes for a variety of poses holding his trusty Splattershot gun. (Which we will cover momentarily.) 

 The head sculpt looks as if the Inkling was 3D printed. However, it sort of a mixed bag. When I initially found this figure, there were two on the rack. The other one has a eyebrow off. It was painted in the wrong spot, away from where the plastic was sculpted. So be wary of this figure’s head details when you pick it up. The paint here still didn’t fully match up, as the left eyebrow is ever so slightly off. However this is clearly a OCD nit-pick and  doesn’t hamper the figure. What really shines is the eyes. Originally this figure with derpy eyes that frankly, looked terrible. However this is the second batch of Inkling, and the eyes are completely different. They really look like the game, looking eager to battle and masked by that super-hero-esque...mask. Be sure to double-check the Inkling if you ever find one (Though unlikely due to poor distribution. Did I mention this one is a paint in the squid-end to find?) because if the eyes don’t look this good then it’s the original version. 

  To top it all off is the Splattershot. It’s very small compared to the game’s massive guns, but this is a budget figure and that fact that a detailed accessory was included is a gift in the world of toys today. I think it’s adorable, and will display the Inkling with it since it fits perfectly into the gripped left hand. As a whole this figure is all-around highly accurate to the game. 

 On the back we have the Ink-tank, which is where the Inking gets the Ink to spray with. It...it comes from his body? It’s best not to ask and just go with it. It does however look very nice. The top in particular has some excellent detail, which contrasts from the simple tube design.

 Plot twist: It’s removable! I’m actually not sure why, but it is! Now the Inkling can fit snugly into your Batmobile or X-Wing. Thank god. When the inevitable World of Nintendo vehicles arrive I can’t wait to pop the Inkling in a an Arwing. Or inevitable face the facts that I’m lying and World of Nintendo vehicles will simply never be a actual thing.

                                He’s doing the Randall Dance from Clerks

In the end we have a figure where everything comes together. The articulation makes for some great poses and the paint applications make this visually a great toy to see. Toys are ultimately eye-candy for kids and collectors, to remind us of our favorite designs and characters, and the Inkling certainly reminds us of why Splatoon artistically is a stunning game. It simply looks good. 

                                        I’m such a consumer.

 Splatoon is a pretty toyetic game, but unlike Star Fox, gets its figures right from the get-go. Thankfully the World of Nintendo Inkling delivers. With fantastic details and paint this figure looks as if it jumped right of the TV, and was actually improved. It’s Splatoon without the jaggies! (For those unaware, Splatoon does not have proper anti-aliasing. It’s a pretty rough-looking game from a technical standpoint.) I cannot recommend this figure enough, that is, if the dang thing was actually available to purchase. If you ever see the correct version of this figure, buy it and treasure it in your collection, or else you’ll have to pay up to scalpers like the rest of the Splatoon fans. Hopefully Jakks will reship this figure later on, and not repeat the same mistake with the upcoming Inkling Girl I can’t wait to buy. They really knocked it out of the park with this Inkling, and I look forward to all their future Splatoon toys. 

[foxtrot-reviews-blog]

Lego Dimensions- Portal 2 Pack

   Shall we call this a Portal 2 “Pack”, or a Portal 2-Pack? Hm. I’m going to count the companion cube as another figure, so our count is technically up to 3. Therefore, it’s a Portal 2-themed pack. Good? Good. Onto our reviewing. 

   Lego Dimensions is the Lego Company and Traveler Tale’s answer to the popular “Toys to Life” idea from the early 2010′s. Each pack come with a Lego minifigure and buildable pieces, that in this case, make more characters come to life. To truly make these toys come to living form, you scan them onto a plastic base and unlock them in Lego Dimensions, a multi-platform video game by Traveler Tale’s that is the core of this brand. It takes the usual Lego series of video games gameplay and pits it against unique crossovers we normally wouldn’t see, such as the Valve company’s Portal series. Here we have three figures from the puzzle-solving FPS classic, being our main protagonist Chell, the pathetic Turrets of Aperture, and the internet-famous inanimate buddy, the companion cube. 

  Being a Lego set however, we can’t jump directly into the completed figures! They must be built. Here are the pieces. Not much for $30, but you’re paying for the game content anyways. You should really just use these to build what is required for the game. 

  But what’s this? The instructions only tell us to boot up the game?? Yes, the bloody Lego Company had the brilliant idea of putting the instructions on the game, digitally. This locks out anyone who wants to buy this just for the set, and wants to ignore the game. What a lame way to lock out potential buyers and screw anyone who just wants a Portal lego set. 

  One Youtube video later, our set is built. And here is our adorable sad Turret. (These guys always mutter on and on about their sad lives as a machine.) But now they’re bricks! And the presentation is pretty accurate. The legs are the tiny claws they stand on. The lone eye is a single red stud, and is perfect scale. More studs represents the guns, and to complete the package is some beveled edge pieces to smoothen out the figure, to give it that accurate circular shape.

    It’s pretty difficult to pull off the allusion of a circle in a toy line of square bricks, so it’s nice that the Turret here actually looks like an oval. The shape and design was very well thought out, and is simultaneously lego-esque and smooth. The legs as little claws in the front are Bionicle pieces from way back, and the robotic look gives them a machine-like feel. 

  The back is much more complex, with some lazers stringing out to the legs and 1x1 black oval-pieces for more detail. None of this is actually from the game though. The back of the actual turret is just more circular shell. But here we have some clutter to avoid a confusing oval design. I would have loved the back to be more circular, rather then this new noisy design, but it’s not bad. It’s pretty polished despite looking so complicated and doesn’t take away from the overall figure. It’s a solid figure with a excellent design. 

  Next up is the Companion Cube! As iconic as this design is, it’s literally just a box. So to make up for value, since customers would be pretty confused if they were paying so much or a cube, the Lego Company decided to design and add...a stand? It’s pretty odd actually. Large and covered by Episode 1 Gungan shields, this new addition ultimately feels useless.

 I understand why it was designed in the first place, but I don’t understand why it was design this way. It’s weird and translucent, and doesn’t look like anything from Portal or any sort of normal pedestal.  The upside-down heart on the back also is weird. 

   But if you ignore the base thingy you actually get a pretty dang snazzy Companion Cube. Covered by small smooth decals printed onto each side, this is a highly accurate and iconic cube. It will fit perfectly into any lego scene and turn it into a Valve branded moment. Just forget the base, because the Cube is fantastic. It’s almost a shame the base was included, as it takes away from the small brilliance of this item. 

   Last but not least is Chell, our third character yet only minifigure of the set! Chell is the lone human of the game, and as a minifigure the execution is alright. Being a first person game, our heroine is only seen when viewed through the portal mechanic. Chell doesn’t have to be 100% accurate to remain iconic, as we never see her fully for a long period of time. Thankfully Chell here is pretty accurate. She has her ponytail hair style, Aperture branded tank-top and blue undershirt, and orange jumpsuit. 

 If there’s one thing I wish would have wished for, it’s the long-fall boots. Chell is missing her futuristic boots with metal underneath, to catch her falls. Instead, the “boots” are a white bottom half of the legs. It almost makes it look like she’s wearing orange shorts and white leggings rather then a jumpsuit and boots. I understand that Lego figures have to be simple. A orange jumpsuit simply isn’t possible. But I feel some small decals would have helped the long-fall boots appear more then blank white legs. 

 On the flipside, that base is pretty snazzy. I love the orange and white color scheme, and Aperture Science logo on top. Unlike the Companion Cube, this is one figure worth keeping on the included base. 

   This set is pretty neat. For Valve fans it’s a gift from the heavens, being three lego characters and a virtual level pack for $30. For lego fans it’s asking quite a bit, because if you’re not a consumer of Lego Dimensions then you’re paying triple the price of a regular small set for a handful of pieces, no instructions, and one exclusive minifigure. But if you do own the game, the physical content here makes it worth the purchase, especially if you can score one for a sale price. 

 Note: This set has recently been dumped out to 99-Cent stores in the Southern California area. I’m not sure if this is a widespread dump, but be sure to check your local 99′ because this set is worth a buck. Special thanks to Carl Smith for hunting this down, and long live Lego Dimensions. May you take your place next to Disney Infinity and Skylanders in the land of defunct Toys to Life brands. 

[foxtrot-reviews-blog]

Amiibo- Solid Snake

   Solid Snake’s inclusion in Super Smash Brothers Brawl was a pretty big deal back in the day. Having a third party character from a M-Rated game was shocking to see in Nintendo’s all-star fighter, and having the critically acclaimed love child of Hideo Kojima be the first 3rd party rep was very pleasing to fans. Naturally, as the Amiibo line of toys rolled out, it was only a matter of time before our favorite stealth operative become a “Toys to Life” figure.

   And who knew the result would be so fantastic! From detail to paint applications, Snake is a treat to Amiibo, Smash Brothers, and Kojima fans. The figure, unlike most Amiibo, is packed with an accessory, being his box. But if anything, Snake is the actual accessory since the Box has the NFC chip in it. Snake can easily be removed, and is ready for action! 

   He’s never looked better too! The head scuplt here is truly fantastic, getting down every detail. The headband folds are just a piece of the phenomenal detail, love, and care put into this face. His stubble is identical to the virtual figure of Snake. No one could have ever guessed that Snake was a digital figure and physical figure, and not actually a real actor. He looks like he walked straight from human flesh! 

 While Snake could have easily been glued to his box, and only had his top half made, we’re actually treated to a full body figure. Once you remove Snake from the crate you can see the gorgeous jumpsuit Snake is wearing. The thin gray paint jobs and black-ash marks makes it clear that Snake has seen some damage. He’s been through combat, and it’s obvious. He’ll be perfect next to any military or stormtrooper set-up as a battle-damaged spy that’s got some scars. 

 Another view from the side shows the detail in the paint. The sculpt isn’t really anything special, being merely a muscular bodied jumpsuit, but the paint sets this figure apart from the pack. Look at the dust marks! Look at all the painted pockets and flaps! I’ve never seen this much love and value put into an Amiibo. Finally, Amiibo justifies its new $75 pricepoint.

  Enough about the accessory, let’s talk about the real star of the show: his box. This is Snake’s iconic piece, and now it’s been done justice. The moment I opened up that cardback and saw this box, it was as if Gentle Giant and Sideshow Collectibles collaborated on the most real piece of plastic I have ever seen, 

   The “Smash Bros.” font on the side is in its rightful place, just like in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. The !” mark is also there, being a staple of the MGS series. It’s perfect for Smash Brothers fans and for Metal Gear fans. The font is printed very nicely, and is no cheap decal, very much like Pac-Man’s fantastic amount of decals and paint. But get out Pac-Man, we have a new king of paint apps: Solid Snake’s box.

      It takes another angle to see the artistic vision of this box: How each crease was meant to tell a story. How each centimeter of paint is to emulate the likes of Hot Toys or Kotobukiya. It’s unlike anything I ever seen on any piece of plastic ever manufactured by a major company. 

                                              Third Parties Unite!

  Snake is right at home with the other 3rd Party Amiibo, making him the perfect end to the Smash Amiibo line. It was quite a shame that Nintendo cancelled Cloud, Bayonette, and Corrin, but we did get the best consolation prize to ever grace mankind. From beautiful paint applications fantastic sculpting, Snake is a must-buy. He’s fetched a high price on the secondary market, but is worth the dozen Benjamins.

APRIL FOOLS, SUCKAS! Ah alright, the gig’s up. I ranted a long time on a plastic snake and cardboard box. But believe it or not, this cute item is actually a legitimate product I bought from www.etsy.com/shop/Kaztie|Krafts, which I cannot locate. What a shame. If anyone does actually know who made this cute item I bought for only $1, tell them it’s adorable and I keep it at my desk. As for an actual Snake Amiibo....tough luck. You’re better off waiting for Cloud and Bayonette. Just kidding.