Joker (Batman)
DC Multiverse (McFarlane Toys) - Collector Edition
Rated 4.45 stars by Toasted Brains
Since 2020, McFarlane Toys has been putting out a decent DC "Multiverse" line, featuring all sorts of characters from comics, movies, and a few TV shows, and although I haven't gotten much of them, they did a pretty good job with them, and the good prices certainly help. As I've said before, this is their last year with DC, and I have gotten a few of the new Mattel figures, which are super fun, but Todd's still got a few more figures to put out for the license. One of the more recent releases is a much-wanted character in the 1989 Batman movie version of the Joker. There's noticeably not a lot of '89 Joker figures, and I think the reason is because Jack Nicholson's likeness costs a ton to license. I don't know if McF was able to afford it, but their likeness game with DC is usually...[See More]

Donatello
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - 2012 Cartoon
Rated 4.55 stars by Toasted Brains
In every adaptation of TMNT, Donatello serves as the inventor of the group, just like how Leo's the leader, Raph's the tough guy, and Mikey's the fun-loving one. In the 2012 series, he was nerdier than previous versions, but he and his brothers all shared the same love for old cartoons, video games, comic books… the usual stuff teenagers and nerds like. Plus, he was voiced by Rob Paulsen, the voice of Raphael from the original cartoon (inevitably leading to a same-voice joke when both generations of Turtles met). Although he's number #1 in NECA's 2012 line, he's the fourth figure I got, and the third I'll be reviewing. Again, May Thamtarana sculpted these versions of the turtles, and Donatello looks just as good as Leo and Mikey. His default portrait is a serious one, with blank white...[See More]

Beetlejuice (Wedding Tuxedo)
Beetlejuice (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 4.45 stars by Toasted Brains
One of Tim Burton's most iconic works, Beetlejuice, was a hilarious film that combined heart, horror, and comedy in one memorable movie, but nobody was expecting a sequel to it. Warner Bros. likes to ride that nostalgia wave, and said sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, proved just as good as the original. Of course, there's merch for it, and NECA has put out more than a few figures already, including two "ultimate" versions of the ghost with the most, one in his iconic striped suit and another in his wedding tuxedo from the near end of the film. The packaging is pretty much the same with both figures, just with different pictures. The boxes are an off-white color with plenty of rectangles, and they bear the real Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton, on the front. It's pretty simple, but it fits the...[See More]

Scare Glow
Masters of the Universe - Chronicles (Mattel) - Basic Series
Rated 4.45 stars by Toasted Brains
Even years after its launch, Masters of the Universe is still popular, especially with the new movie hitting theaters in just a few days. With it, Mattel has been putting out some new toys, specifically new sub-lines, such as Chronicles, yet another highly articulated, collector-focused line, and is said to be taking the place of Masterverse. As much as I enjoy Masterverse, I'm open to a new line, and the figures have been well received. The first figure in the line is Scare Glow, who stands out as he's the only one so far not from the movie, and is also a Walmart exclusive. The packaging takes on a slightly different shape from Masterverse, but we're still getting great artwork depicting not just Scare Glow, but Prince Adam and Cringer as well. You still get figure photos and a bio on...[See More]

Robot Tokka and Robo Rahzar
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.30 stars by Toasted Brains
For a line that's been going on for a few years now, NECA's TMNT '87 line has included plenty of characters and outfits from the show, and some that aren't. We got made-up outfits for existing characters (like Space Usagi and Samurai Michelangelo), a character from post-series material (Dark Leonardo from the IDW Saturday Morning Adventures comics), a character that wasn't in the show (Panda Khan), and now robotic versions of characters. Bebop and Rocksteady's robotic doppelgängers were released as part of Target's first Haulathon, and the latest event gives Tokka and Rahzar the cybernetic treatment. The pair here were designed by Sylvain Plantier, a.k.a. SNZ Toys, and sculpted by Tomasz Rozejowski (with Jay Kushwara tooling articulation, I believe). Their designs are based more off the...[See More]

Family Couch Gag (Homer / Marge / Bart / Maggie / Lisa)
Simpsons (McFarlane) (McFarlane Toys) - Box Sets
Rated 3.80 stars by Toasted Brains
The Simpsons has gotten plenty of great figures over the years, from the long-running and inclusive Playmates line to newer, more articulated figures by Super7 and Jakks Pacific, but in between those stood out a pretty unique line by McFarlane Toys. It was different as their products were less action figures and more "semi-poseable dioramas" like they were doing in the 2000s, but they did a great job representing select episodes and even the movie. I've gotten a few of their releases, both as a kid and as an adult, and my most recent purchase from said line is the Couch Gag deluxe boxed set, one of my most desired releases from the line (second only to the Itchy and Scratchy "Spay Anything" set). While most of McFarlane's Simpsons releases were in those annoying clamshells, this set came...[See More]

Classic Batman
Batman - Animated Series (McFarlane) (McFarlane Toys) - Basic Series
Rated 4.10 stars by Toasted Brains
I'm not sure if everybody knows by now, but this is the last year McFarlane Toys has with the DC license. Since around 2020, they've put out a ton of figures, mostly in their 7" Multiverse line, and although I haven't gotten too much of those, they still did a pretty good job. Recent years have seen them reissuing select DC Direct/Collectibles Batman TAS figures, mostly as Target exclusives, and I've had a love-hate relationship with them; love how you can get these figures for better prices than aftermarket now, hate the omission of certain accessories, unnecessary shading, and the price going up last year. Still, it's great to see them back out there, and with the newest wave out now, I may as well look at wave five. Batman leads the wave once again, and this one is more unique. Being...[See More]

Super Grover
Sesame Street (Neca) - Ultimate
Rated 4.70 stars by Toasted Brains
In the mid-2000s, a company known as Palisades Toys put out a line of Muppets action figures that even today stands out with how much effort was put into it, featuring high amounts of detail and plenty of fun, creative accessories. Although the line only ran for three years, Palisades went ahead and moved on to Sesame Street after losing that license, but they were only able to get one figure out - a convention-exclusive Super Grover - before bankruptcy killed both the company and the line before it could begin. Years later, NECA got the license to give it the quality figures it deserves, and are now working on Muppets, but in the meantime, they've done their own take on Palisades' sole Sesame figure. Grover has a simple design, being a thin, furry, blue monster with a big, pink nose....[See More]

Grammy April, Baby Yi & Moja
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Neca) - Last Ronin
Rated 4.50 stars by Toasted Brains
Although only five issues long, TMNT's The Last Ronin told a dark and unique story about Michelangelo, the last of his brothers, seeking to avenge his family in a foot-controlled New York. It managed to get two sequels: Lost Years, which displays events before and after the first installment, and Re-Evolution, which follows a new generation of Ninja Turtles. I haven't re-read any of them in a while, but NECA's been doing a good job with figures from the Roninverse, including April and her daughter Casey Marie Jones as they appeared in Lost Years. April was already up in her years in the first Last Ronin, but she gets older over the course of Lost Years, which takes place over the years as the next-gen turtles grow into teenagers. This version is lifted from the first issue, where the new...[See More]

April O'Neil (Version 2)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.65 stars by Toasted Brains
NECA's initial TMNT Mirage line put out the best figures the license had at the time, but it ended up cut short due to what I assume was Playmates' unwillingness to share, so all we got until a couple of years later were the four bros, an SDCC-exclusive set of Mousers, and another exclusive in April O'Neil. Many more years later, the Turtles received all-new figures, and there’s been a new Mouser here and there, so that left April to get remade, fittingly billed as "version 2." The first NECA April, sculpted by Four Horsemen Studios, was based off how she appeared in her debut in issue #2, but Richard Force's sculpt reflects her subsequent appearances, and it's quite the improvement. The Mirage run had an inconsistent style due to its variety of illustrators, though April here resembles...[See More]