u/Extra_Heart_268

I know this is largely dedicated to McFarlane's figures and his line. If mods feel it doesn't belong feel free to remove it. But I thought being directly inspired by the Toddfather himself...it might be ok?

Hasbro just reissued the 2018 Lizard BAF. To find this guy on the secondary market was/is a pricey proposition.

Now you can get him for about $40 as an Amazon exclusive. He comes with a new colorway and he has 2 all new heads. I like the more reptilian head which has a movable jaw..and tongue! But its the McFarlane head I will probably keep on him.

The Maximum Spider-man is clearly McFarlane inspired. I had got the Fahruhl custom head for him. I tried it on battle damaged Spidey and I kind of am really digging it.

The Torment Storyline was freaking brutal. And I like that they added the Doom Doom Doom on the packaging. Its surreal to have a representation of the lizard from a story I read as a kid. I think that that alwaysand McFarlane's art is one of the reasons the Lizard has always been one of my favorite Spidey villains.

Got the Fahuhl spidey head for Maximum Spidey. I wondered how it would look on the battle spidey. I think it turned out pretty well.

The Lizard has always been one of my favorite villians. Sure I like Green Goblin, Venom, Carnage, Doc Ock. They all are pretty iconic in their own right.

But I think even as a kid? I found it fascinating how Curt Connors was this tragic Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde type character. That concept always kind of stuck with me because more than many of the other villains? Curt is a close friend of Peter's. So even when Peter is getting his ass handed to him? He knows the guy inside is a good man.

Anyway, this is largely the same BAF figure. That said, he had a new color way I believe which I like. Its a bit of a brighter more saturated green.

Still pinned unfortunately. And his legs are a bit gummy. His ab crunch lets him get really low. But his legs are somewhat fiddly.

Now I have seen some criticisms over his knees. And while fair to note he really has little to no articulation in the knees. Ive seen people say they want to stretch his legs out.

This is just me personally, but most of the art I have seen of the lizard shows him a bit hunched over. He has digitigrade legs. The retro lizard does stand more upright. So I do think they could have reworked the knees. And its not that digitigrade characters cant stand up straighter. Recently bought a lazy monster Draenei. She stands up despite the added point of articulation.

The lab coat is the same and I do like they added some dirt to it. The ripped shirt and lab coat still look nice imo.

The updated heads I would argue almost make him worth picking up on their own. Consider a custom head can run you $20-$50 or even more if you get one painted. But he is also $40 versus having to buy an entire wave of figures or source parts. So yes he is a lot of reuse. But he is still a sought after figure many missed out on.

Now for what may be the most questionable decision. The tail is the same with a different colorway. I still think a recolor of the retro tail or the mcu tail would have been great. However, differenr peg system for both which probably would have meant more cost. I know people are not crazy about the segmented tail. And while I would have preferred something else? I dont think this tail is as bad as some would have you believe. Ive seen pics where someone fully bends the tail and then highlights it as looking garish. Well of course it does. I dont think that is what that articulation is for. I feel the tail is more subtle. And depending on angle you may not even notice if the tail is mostly behind him for example. I think its more for fine tuning.

But then the argument can be made if the joint is only so that you use a portion of it, is it worth adding it? Or doing something else entirely.

Hes a solid figure though not without a few flaws.

Red Sonja was at one time published by Marvel comics. Loosely inspired by Red Sonya of Rogantino introduced by Howard in Shadow of the Vulture. Unlike Robert E. Howard's creation, Marvel's Sonja resides in the same swords and sorcery environment as Conan the Barbarian. After initial success she received her own title in 1977 - Smithsonian.

Currently she is licensed to Dynamite comics.

That said I picked up this red and gold edition. And she comes loaded with accessories. All of her armor and paraphernalia are designed to be modulae. You can remove, swap and mix and match. Boss Fight Studios has blank male and female bodies. And yes they have a Conan too. So if you are looking for a few characters to pair with your Shuma Go...err sorry Gargantos...these are well suited.

But being 1/12 she scales well with legends. Maybe a bit larger so she would be ideal for taller female characters. I cant speak to their male bucks as this was my first figure in the line. I swapped some things around. Added the sword belt and the red sash overlay that she came with. She comes with another set of pauldrons. Put her dagger and sheath on her left leg so it wasnt hitting the sword scabbard. Her body is a bit glossy but a matte spray would solve that. The gloss kind of works for her being a fighter/barbarian.

But the three headsculpts alone I feel could be used for a number of marvel characters.

Heck a person could probably paint some of it brown and white if they wanted a custom Rogue head. Just thought she and these blank bucks seem to have a lot of mileage for legends customs. Also if you check out vitruvian armory. There are a ton of various accessories and options. I believe people also use Mythic legions stuff with these bodies.

Even if not kitbashing she does have history with Marvel and if you have Shuma. She would fit in. Though she never personally faced him. Hert Arch Enemy Kulan Gath did try to harness Shuma's power before beingg killed by him. So there is a bit of connection there.

Thoughts? Could you see use of these for any customs or kit bashing?

This is a pretty solid 2 pack. Two desireable characters. Colossus has great sculpt. He moves pretty well for a guy his size though I think the MCU Colossus has a bit more range especislly in the arms. The shoulders have thkde fake butterfly joints which dont move much at all. He doesn't have much range forward, can look up a decent amount.

Kitty is nice though its a shame she isnt on the super articulated body. I think the lower part is the old shriek body. Her top has a bit of new sculpting with her collar piece. Fortunately her chest/diaphragm cut has quite a bit of range. Her portraits are great.

Even if she has a reused buck. She is a nice update. More 2 packs like this Hasbro.

Short of a mafex goblin and ock iI think i will stop here. The suit is definitely a darker blue than the renders. But it still has a nice metllauc sheen. Despite a lot of texture it is one the cleaner suit designs i think.

Think all the various macex MCU spideys now. Mafex has the best likeness to tom, Andrew and Tobey

Thought I was all set. Gamestop was the only place I saw her available to preorder at the time. I used my $5 monthly coupon. Not sure if they refunded me the coupon.

Anyway I think I am done with Gamestop preorders for figures. Between having orders canceled and folks having their account charged with temporary holdings repeatedly.

I saw gamestop no longer had her for order for shipping. So I went to Best Buy (which also does pre authorization but not to the extent Gamestop does I believe.) And there she was on Best Buy. I wanted the deluxe with wired cape.

The last figure I got from Gamestop was Arthas. Surprised I even got that. See the photo above. The box was damaged. I mean that may sound nitpicky. But if I was a strictly in box collector I would probably be more irritated. And to be fair that could have happened any time between gamestop receiving it and it arriving at my place.

Anyway thanks for listening to my Ted Talk. Im thinking I may as well just order from McFarlane directly going forward if possible. But I imagine he probably sells out quick?

I made a post about a week or two discussing the lich king from McFarlane. Anyway i had the titan toys Arthas show up.

The sculpt and aesthetic are fine...mostly.

For starters i think his thigh greaves are too long. His left leg seems stuck imo. So in terms of accuracy I think McFarlane edges this other one out.

Unfortunately he is 1/12 and will not scale with third party offerings from Mety, etc.

I like the Sword being metal and like the block of ice. The plastic on him feels like it is brittle and could snap easily.

Madhatterreviews had his copy have its metal sword snap.

I like the gradient frosting of the cape on titan toys arthas. And the titans feet I would say look better.

But when you consider price? McFarlane is cheaper, larger, and has better articulation and accuracy. Not to mention he comes with two alternate portraits. I think McFarlane cooked on this one.