Let's Talk Figures!: M.A.R.S. Heroes

I happened to get info about these figs just last year. I never really got to seeing them around until the last few days of 2010.

M.A.R.S. Heroes are a group of three kinds of figures, Aliens, MegaBot and Troopers. I managed to get and complete the Aliens. I also got one of the Troopers and didnt get the other two as they really didn't look pleasing to me. The MegaBots are a bit harder to find.

Anyhoo, I don't really know if there's any backstory about these figures but i'm thinking it's kinda like ala-Starcraft type of storyline. Oh you know, 3 races, killing each other?

Let's move on shall we?

These figures are all standing tall around 4 inches, have 13 pieces and  interchangeable parts[!]. They all have simple ball joints for articulation. It's not much but it's enough.

M.A.R.S. Heroes: Aliens


First off are the Aliens and the one I would like to call "Big Blue".

Why "Big Blue"? It's not because he's any bigger than any of the others. His blue color just really stand out and he's the only one who wields a melee weapon.

See what I mean? Other than the shoulder-mounted..uh..thing he has. He has got a big "energy" type Axe. It looks simple but effective. His Axe fits both his "claws"/hands well.

As mentioned before, the have 13 pieces/parts that can be easily removed and interchangeable [weapons and shoulder mounts included of course!]. Since they're ball joints and sockets, it's not hard to put them back together.

You can create an abomination like the one above or a more normal creation! It's up to you. Anyway, I like "Big Blue" best. Not only does he remind me of the aliens from Titan AE but he is really menacing with his Energy Axe.

Next is "Agent Orange"...

Why the name? He's so goddamned orange! LOL Aside from his blaster and almost "Predator" inspired shoulder mount, he has the same articulation as the rest.

He doesn't have a melee weapon but he has a very distinct Blaster weapon that fits snugly on both his hands. Why did I say that his Blaster was very "distinct"?

His blaster looks like a Xenomorph from the ALIENS movies. I don't know why it looks like it but for me it's a pretty weird thing to do and have for a weapon.


The last Alien is "The Rookie",

Why name him "The Rookie"? It's because he's GREEN! Get it? Oh..you don't..oh well..

He's the next Alien I like after Big Blue because he dual wields! He's the only Alien fig who has dual blasters and what looks like an actual Rocket shoulder mount.

Isn't dual-wielding so bad-ass? He's pretty much raring to go with guns/blasters blazing.

Moving on....

M.A.R.S. Heroes: Troopers


I managed to get only one of the three Trooper figures. Why? The other two had visible Humanoid heads and it felt like they wouldn't fit in among GI Joe and Marvel Universe figures I have. The one I bought seemed like it was the generic grunt, so let's name him that.

He looks more like a cyborg..maybe even a robot but he's part of the "Trooper" group. He is also the only one who has their helmet on.

Unlike the Aliens, the Troopers do not have Shoulder mounts. They do have two weapons. Unfortunately, their grip is a bit wide and the weapon handles are a bit thin. Hence they can't really hold the weapons well. One is a Blaster handgun while the other seems like a Laser weapon [which he is holding backwards OOPS!]. But I let them hold a few of the GI Joe vintage weapons I had [ones with wide handles] and they pretty much stayed put.

He looks pretty plain but he does offer a ton of customization. If I was any good at customizing, he'd be looking like Master Chief. Maybe do a few retouching or repaints on his helmet to add detail.

Since I didn't get the other two, I just bought three of the same figure instead. A squad of three is better than one [the 3rd fig is still inside its plastic prison though].

Wonder Gun powers...ACTIVATE!

OVERALL

I didn't grab a whole lot of them..yet. I collected all 3 types for the Aliens and 3 of the "Grunts" for the Troopers.

Articulation-wise, they're limited a bit but they can be moved and posed just enough for decent action shots. Accessory-wise, they don't have much but what they have is just enough.

 These Aliens are good as enemy fodder for GI Joe or Marvel Heroes if you troop build en masse. They can also be the main villains having a single Big Blue [as leader] and army build the rest. The "Grunts" are great army builders for a "Space Marine" type of army versus the Aliens. They can also be evil cyborgs versus GI Joe or Marvel Heroes.

It all boils down to your own perspective and imagination.

I'm still trying to look for any of the MegaBots and will prolly get a few more Grunts and Aliens. They're pretty much a nice addition to any 3.75/4inch collection. So it's a definite buy if you're into a little diversity and into sci-fi/futuristic figures.

Let's Talk Figures!: Marvel Universe X-23

Seems like Crossbones is unaware of things to come...

They've almost done everything to Wolverine and I think one of the best was introducing Laura Kinney, X-23, as a clone of his.

The recent wave gave use X-23 in her X-force regalia. Her time with X-force was prolly the most brutal we've ever seen of her. A calculated yet sometimes feral killing machine. Ol' Logan disapproved but there's no stopping X-23.

Calm before the storm..

First off, I'm glad and thankful that my girlfriend got to reserve and get me this figure at GreattoysOnline. I thought I won't be able to have this fig but she surprised me and got me one.

Anyway...

Unlike the previous MU women that came out, X-23 has a much better mold. Swivel elbows, thighs and ankles are what separates and gives her an edge. Black Widow and Ms. Marvel would've used at least swivel elbows. Other than that, she has the same articulation as most recent MU figures.

Just look at that figure! Perfection! ..more or less. Her face has some nice paint apps and her hair is bendy/rubbery enough to allow a few nice poses. Her face seems a bit older than what she looks like in the comics but its still a great mold.

She only comes with the typical stand. Hasbro really needs to up the ante on accessorizing MU figs. For example, X-23 could've used another pair of feet that has claws and another pair of un-clawed hands. maybe an extra unmasked head while you're at it. Now that would've made this figure truly awesome.

Yep, you can tip her head like so...and now we have our obligatory "brooding" pose.

X-23 is a tall smexy glass of water. A bit taller than most MU women and almost the same hieght as other figures from other 3.75/4" toyline. She really does stand out among the rest.

Over-all she's an awesome addition to your Marvel Universe collection. Especially with the X-force Boxset that's out in stores. 

Now for some fun! Till next figure!

Let's Talk Figures!: Revoltech War Machine

When the news of an IronMan Revoltech came out, alot of people clamored and assumed that a Revoltech War Machine would be next. I was one of them. I was also one of the dozens who went *squeeee* and went giddy like a little girl when Revoltech War Machine was announced and the preview shots went online.


My girflfriend is actually a bigger fan of War Machine than I am so I told her about the news. She pre-ordered one as soon as possible. We were both excited when it arrived. Since its hers, she got first crack at it then she lent it to me for a review.

DAT ASS

He looks so awesome! And the Revo joints hide so well. He's what you expect from Revoltech. All in all the details are top notch. Scale-wise, he's close to 6 inches. I don't have any 6inch figs but I saw a comparison pic of this to the Hasbro WM and Initiative WM and he's just right.


The back isn't as much exciting as the front and those Revo joints seem like inflamed knee joints but it still looks ok. As you can prolly see at the front, his shoulders seem like not level to where shoulders should be. Adjusting it would be ok but it's not really a big deal. His shoulder pads can be moved and adjusted as it is also uses a small Revo joint to freely move. That's a good thing as it doesn't restrict arm movement.


As you have noticed, the upper part of this fig seems a big clunky and heavy. You're actually right, this fig is top heavy but can stand on its own. Unfortunately, when it's time from some posing, you'll need a stand. Preferably the ones for 6 inchers [which I didn't have], all the stands I have wasn't stable enough to support him. And other Revo stands weren't a help since this fig didn't have a while at the back and the holes under his feet is small and can't fit on the stand pegs unless you force it.

A closer inspection on the face shows that the eyes seems to have some quality control problems with the paint. I guess someone didn't use a finer brush..or whatever. The reactor on the chest really just looks so bland. I just wish hat they added a little blue or red to add a little pizzaz. It just looks like an out of place white hole.

You're not called War Machine without some ordinance but since this fig is based from the IronMan 2 Movie version of War Machine, all it has are the gun-arms and that single chain gun on his back. The gun-arms are greatly detailed. It looks as if they can be taken off [I do believe that they can, didn't try though] and WM can hold them and use them as regular guns. The chain gun can be independently moved. It has Revo joints as well and it can be moved from left to right, front and back. Just like how it moved during the last battle with the drones in the movie. It does seem lacking in firepower but since its based from the movie, I can't complain.

Accessory - wise, I found it a bit lacking. Sure the extra hands for posing and the "gun fire" effects are nice but it lacks a figure stand. I know the Iron Man Revo didn't have a stand per se but it did have that "lift-off" effect, that kinda counts as a stand. I'm glad it did have that orange box to keep all the little accessories from being lost but the fact that they didn't include a figure stand was a negative for me [as mentioned above, the fig is top heavy].


Anyway, time for some action!

Wanna know a secret? I did all those action shots while the fig was kneeling. LOL

Anyway, it's a hit and miss for this particular kind of figure. While it's a definite buy for WM fans, it's not as much a buy for Revoltech and Marvel fans alike. The 6inch Hasbro version would still be ideal for a 6inch WM...or so i've read. So unless you're a fan and/or has extra cash, its a good buy.

Tony, draw me like one of your French girls.....

Captain America: The First Avenger = Red Skull

Hullo guys!

This will be my first [hopefully not last :D] figure review and it will be Red Skull from the Captain America Movie toyline. I've had him in "storage" and have just opened and played around with him a few hours ago :D

Red Skull is Captain America's most fearsome enemy. There are actually three people who had been named "Red Skull" but the most renowned is Johannes Schmidt [long time enemy of Cap].

Red Skull is shown wearing a green uniform unlike the black one he wore in the movie [he wears the black version in the new Cap and Red Skull 2 pack]. He is bundled with a Luger, a blue Cosmic Cube and [whoop-dee-doo] a rocket firing big gun.

Unfortunately, as seen in the pic above...they didn't include a holster for his Luger :[ The rocket firing gun look's a bit weird and it's handles are very rubbery, I didn't even bother trying to let the figure hold it :/

Red Skull's right hand is a bit constricted but you can still fit in his Luger and some guns from the Joeverse.

The Red Skull's left hand is open enough to hold the Cosmic Cube....but not enough to hold it in place. If it's held other than the position above, it'll definitely fall from his hand.

Red Skull with both the Luger and Cosmic Cube.

The details on this figure is great. The face details are notably just like Hugo Weaving's. Articulation is pretty much decent. My only beef is that he doesn't have swivel/hinge ankles and he doesn't have a chest pivot unlike the rest of the Cap Am figs. Also the lower part of his uniform pretty much nulls any movement of his legs. What's the point of giving him thigh cuts if he cant move his legs up and down? :/

His scale is a bit off as well. He's pretty much on par with his fellow figures from the Cap toyline and seems the same height as MU Bucky. However, he falls short standing beside SDCC Captain America [well, that fig is actually a bit tall anyways LOL]. the same goes when he's side-by-side with MU Dr. Doom [2pack version] and Mail-away Cobra Commander.

But still, that doesn't take away the fact that other than the Red Skull from the MU Invader's Set and the new 2 pack, this is a great figure. This is even better than the variant version [what's the deal with the white gloves anyway?]. The articulation may be lacking but you can still pose him a couple number of ways. Also, he can be wonderfully modded to make this fig even better. It's a bit rare to find him on the pegs these days but he's a great addition to your Joeverse and MU collection.

And now....for a bit of FUN  :D

Simple headswap but Red Skull's head is too big for CC's ball joint. So it's a bit of a loose fit. 

Presenting....the Villains United Lady Gaga fanclub members! Monsters, put your claws up!

The ever present "I'll look menacingly at my left hand" pose for villains everywhere!

Marvel Comics presents: WHAT IF...Red Skull became Captain America?! [which actually did kinda happen during the last parts of Captrain America REBORN Arc]

That's all guys! Thank you for reading up on my first figure review. Hope you liked it. :D