2 in 1 Showcase Episode 126: Toy Talk

It’s one more Chase-less episode, so Blake, Mike, and Kenny spend this week discussing their favorite toy lines! From classics of our youth to hits of today, the guys chat about TransFormers, DC Direct, Marvel Universe, McFarlane, Voltron, Mini-Mates and everything in between! Blake even weaves the tale of how a review of the Marvel Zombies Mini-Mates got away from him. In the picks this week, Kenny chooses the first two issues of Killer of Demons, Blake chooses Detective Comics #854, Mike goes with Booster Gold #21, and the graphic novel pick is The Pro! Contact us with comments, suggestions, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 126: Toy Talk
Inside This Episode:

Toy Stories: American Heroes for an American Holiday

With the July 4th holiday coming up this weekend, things will be hectic. My family always has a ginormous barbecue on Independence Day, and my online time will probably be brief tomorrow as well. So this is going to be my big post for the weekend. Independence Day is important to me, and to my family. Yeah, we have fun, but more than that, we respect it as a day to commemorate those who have fought, bled, suffered, and died so that we can get together and burn massive quantities of meat once a year.

Some people love their country only when it’s convenient. We love our country especially when it’s not.

Anyway, enough preaching. Let’s look at some toys. In honor of the U.S. of A., I thought I would wheel out some more G.I. Joe figures today, including the new incarnations of old favorites.

Yo Joe!

As I mentioned in an earlier Toy Stories feature, I often forgot that General Hawk was the actual leader of the G.I. Joe team. He’d often take a backseat to the field leader, Duke, when the spotlight came around. As I got more into the comic books, though, the ones written by the creator of this Joe team, Larry Hama, I started to realize just how great a character Hawk is. Tough, strong, proud — a leader in every sense of the word. The Joes may have looked to Duke in battle, but they got their courage from Hawk.

You dont even remember me, do you?

Even though Sgt. Flash here was one of the first Joes, he faded into the background quickly, never becoming as popular as Duke, Stalker, Scarlett, or Snake-Eyes. Honestly, the only reason I even remember him is because I distinctly recall having the original figure back in the day. I really got this figure mostly for nostalgia’s sake, rather than a love for the character like the rest of these figures.

I'm number three! I'm number three!

I have much fonder recollection of Flint here. Flint was third in command of the Joes, after Duke. He was a good soldier, but not quite as uptight as Duke could be. This was the leader more likely to crack a joke. This particular Flint figure is a reproduction from the character’s “Tiger Force” days. Tiger Force was a total effort by Hasbro to release more toys at a minimal expense, and damn them if it didn’t work. Flint and his Tiger Force teammates (each a repainted version of the older figure with tiger stripes added) used captured and re-decoed Cobra weapons against them. Basically, Hasbro took pre-existing G.I. Joe toys and Cobra vehicles, repainted them, and released them as a whole new line. We ate it up.

I'm totally freakin' outnumbered, aren't I?

The opposite number of Tiger Force? Cobra’s “Python Patrol.” G.I. Joe vehicles repainted in a snake motif, paired up with Cobra toys in a slightly different snake motif. It also worked like a charm. I got this guy because, let’s face it, you can never have too many henchmen.

Nemesis Immortal: Co-bra-LALALALALALALALA Falcon: I swear, I'll pay you a million dollars to stop saying that.

Finally, this two-pack of figures was based on the animated G.I. Joe: The Movie — a film that, while not nearly as awesome as TransFormers: The Movie, will probably turn out to be about a trillion times better than the live-action monstrosity rolling our way. Like the TransFormers film, the cartoon producers were instructed by Hasbro to introduce a slew of new characters to coincide with the new toys. This pack includes Lt. Falcon, younger half-brother of Duke who needs to Learn a Valuable Lesson, and the maniacal Nemesis Immortal, brutal warrior from the kingdom of Cobra-La, which is evidently where Cobra Commander really came from, which the comic book and everybody who has touched the G.I. Joe franchise since then has blissfully ignored. The figure was still kind of cool, though. I’m not sure why the name is changed, through — in the cartoon, he was “Nemesis Enforcer.” Now he’s “Immortal.” Which kind of sucks, because I always liked to imagine the beat-down Sgt. Slaughter gave him in the movie was permanent.

Anyway, folks, hope you dug this walk down memory lane. If I don’t talk to you before then, have a great Independence Day, and God Bless America!

Toy Stories: The Many Faces of Bumblebee

I am an old-school TransFormers fan, and I’ve been mostly satisfied with the Michael Bay revamp of the franchise, so it was only a matter of time before I took at look at the toys from that line. Optimus Prime, naturally, has always been my favorite character, but a close second is the ever-popular ex-VW Beetle, Bumblebee, and it’s him that we’re going to look at today.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

I’ve got three different Bumblebees I’m going to show you today. The first two are from the current film, TransFormers: Revenge of the Fallen, and the third is a retro toy that I got a couple of years ago. The current movie line has several levels of TransFormers based on the size and complexity. The largest toys are “Leader” figures, next largest are “Voyager Class,” third is the “Deluxe Class” — the larger car here is part of that line — then “Scout Class,” and finally “Legend Class,” which is the smaller Camero. Why the “Legends” are the smallest toys, I don’t know. But let’s start with old-school Bumblebee.

Stick me in your pocket

This chain hurts my shoulder...

The original Bumblebee was a Volkswagon Beetle, and this clearly isn’t the original toy. This is a keychain replica that I got a few years ago. I think it’s a little smaller than the original toy, but functionally, it’s exactly the same. Transforming this figure was remarkably simple — the hood pulled out into legs, the tires pulled out into arms, and the head just popped right out of the top. Classic. Old-school. I’ve never put him on my keychain because I know it’d get destroyed in my pocket, and I couldn’t live with that.

New School

I talk through the radio

The “Legends-Class” Bumblebee is a pretty simple transformation as well. This time, you pull out the back of the car to form the legs, the tires out for the arms, and the hood swivels down to form the chestplate. The head stays in place. TransFormers toys, these days, are ranked on a scale of 1 to 4 in complexity of transformation. This is a level two. It took me about 12 seconds.

Transformed to roll out!

Bumblebee the guardian

The Deluxe-class Bumblebee is a level 3 transformation. He took me about 20 minutes. When I was a kid I could switch these things around in no time flat, but this nearly drove me insane. While the others transform just by pulling out a couple of pieces and snapping another part over, this one is transformed by traveling across the brutal pits of despair through the depths of Mount Doom and sacrificing a wild mountain goat to the demon-god Set. Heh — I’m just kidding. That would have been far simpler. Considering how vast the gap is between levels 2 and 3, I can only assume that any attempt to transform a level 4 toy would take me the better part of a week, while a level 1 would actually cause me to travel backwards in time.

We are family! I've got my transistors and me!

There have been many, many other Bumblebee toys over the years, of course. There are, in fact, several others available right now, and part of me wants to go out and get them all. Then the smart part of me smacks the stupid part and reminds me not to go overboard with this thing.

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 124: TransFormers-Revenge of the Fallen

Mike bails on the guys to take an impromptu trip to Philadelphia, leaving Blake and Chase to record their thoughts on the upcoming TransFormers: Revenge of the Fallen. The guys discuss the franchise, the TV show, the toys, the comics, the previous movies, and their thoughts and expectations for the new film! In the picks this week, Blake selects Invincible #63, while Chase cheats and picks both Batman #687 and Batman and Robin #1. This week’s graphic novel pick: House of Mystery Vol. 2: Love Stories For Dead People! Contact us with comments, suggestions, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 124: TransFormers-Revenge of the Fallen
Inside This Episode:

Toy Stories: More Real American Heroes (and Villains)

As we get closer and closer to the premiere of the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie, it’s important to remind ourselves that there was a time when G.I. Joe didn’t suck. Fortunately, Hasbro is making this pretty easy with a ton of toys that wonderfully recreate the Joes of my youth. While these toys look almost identical to my childhood action figures, the better production values of today’s toy lines make these even cooler than what I played with as a lad.

(And if you’re really looking for pictures of the movie toys, Action Figure Insider recently got their hands on shots of ‘em.)

Let’s start with everyone’s favorite speechless Real American Hero…

"... ... ..."

Snake Eyes here was easily the breakout star of the G.I. Joe line of the 80s. This stoic ninja warrior, a man whose vocal cords were destroyed in the same accident that left him so horribly scarred he always wears a mask, was a favorite in the comic books, a favorite action figure, and a favorite for the TV show producers, because they didn’t have to pay a voice actor for the part. Now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure Ray Park in the upcoming movie will be the first actor ever credited as Snake Eyes. Anyway, the figure is awesome, but he actually may be a little over-accessorized. It’s great that he comes with a base, and the machine gun is cool. The sword isn’t bad. The battle sticks are getting a little too much. The knives across his chest and the goggles on his head, which pop out with the slightest provocation, should have been re-thought. The knives should have been attached, and the goggles are just unnecessary. But he’s still Snake-Eyes, so he’s still cool.

"Imagine what I look like WITHOUT the helmet..."

I showed the G.I. Joe: Resolute version of Cobra Commander in my previous Toy Stories piece, but I like this version too. You may ask why Cobra Commander, who is one of the coolest-looking villains in TV history, is wearing this armor. Well, in the TV show it stablized his body after the ruler of Cobra-La transformed him into a snake. In the comic book, this armor was used by a usurper who killed the original Cobra Commander and took his place. (Don’t worry, he got better.) Death was probably the more dignified of these two fates.

While some fans despite it, I’ve never actually thought the armor was that bad. I mean, it’s nowhere near as cool as the mirror helmet or even the hood, but it’s probably more practical in battle. Armored Cobra Commander comes with a base, gun, and backpack which contains nothing because it’s made of plastic.

"Sometimes, ladies, you've got to look past the mask for true love."

Next up is Snake Eyes’ main squeeze (at least in the comics), Shanna O’Hara, a.k.a. Scarlett. This is part of the 25th anniversary toy line, and is based on the original figure design. This is the first G.I. Joe figure I’ve been a little disappointed with. Scarlett comes with her trademark crossbow, but either her hands are too wide or the grip is too small, because there’s just no way for her to hold it. Okay, so she has a pistol too, but Scarlett’s crossbow is downright iconic.

"Tell me about it, Sugar."

Finally, let’s all say hello to the Baroness, sometimes gal-pal of Cobra Commander’s sometimes-ally Destro. Whom I have not yet found a figure of in a single pack. I’m working on it. Anyway, the Baroness is based specifically on the cartoon line, and I think that’s obvious when you look at the color scheme. Her paint is brighter than the other figures I’ve displayed and gives her a more animated look. She comes with a rifle and a base, and wishes Destro was there.

As skeptical as I am about the movie, I don’t know if I would have found my way back to the toys without it there to garner attention, so I should be grateful. There are some cool figures in this assortment, and I look forward to getting more.

Toy Stories: New Star Trek is Old-School Cool

Hey, guys. First of all, thanks to everyone who’s been reading and replying to the little impromptu Kanye West rant I posted yesterday. Less than 24 hours later, it’s already the fourth-highest viewed blog post on the whole site. It’s nice to know there are so many of you out there you actually… y’know… read things.

For this week’s Toy Stories post, I’m going back to the new Star Trek movie, which I’m still rather dazzled by. I looked before at some of the stars of the film. This time, I’m looking at some of the more classic creations that made this movie so awesome.

Don't forget, Shatner, this was my ship first!

First up, let’s look at Captain Christopher Pike, as portrayed by the awesome Bruce Greenwood. Pike, for those of you not familiar with the original Star Trek series, was the character originally conceived as the captain of the Enterprise by creator Gene Roddenberry. He was featured in the original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” and played by Jeffrey Hunter before the network asked for changes to the show. Roddenberry’s second try eliminated the entire cast except for Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, but Pike was brought back in an episode that used the scenes from the original pilot in a flashback sequence, and thus his place in true Trek canon was assured.

Bruce Greenwood’s Pike took on a much larger role than I would have expected for this film, becoming part mentor and part inspiration for Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk. In terms of his importance to Trek lore, I thought the character would be little more than a cameo, but he was a significant supporting player.

As an action figure, he got pretty good treatment. Although he came with the same accessories as every other Trek figure, the head sculpt is okay and at least bears a passing resemblance to Greenwood. I don’t know if there was ever a Pike figure before (it seems like there would have been, with all the years they’ve been making Star Trek figures), but Greenwood should be pleased with this.

I am, and have always been, made of plastic.

Next up, I hope it’s not a spoiler at this point to mention the fact that Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance in the film. Although the movie credits list the character as “Spock Prime” (which, depending on your preferred fandom, either brings to mind an image of a transforming 18-wheeler or a petulant teenager trying to destroy the universe), the toy packaging calls him “Original Spock.” So we’re going with the O.S. I am so freaking white.

Original Spock here is one of the better-looking figures in the line. The sculpt of Nimoy is pretty impressive. The problem is one of articulation. With the long, stiff robe he wears, this Spock has even less motion than the rest of the Trek figures — really, only his neck, shoulders, and elbows have any movement at all, and not much there. These figures really are for display more than play, which is kind of a shame considering that this is a movie that’s bound to have a new generation of kids wanting to get their hands on these toys.

As for accessories, Spock here gets a bit less than the Starfleet officers (remember, he’s a Federation ambassador now): a different base, an alternate set of hands in the classic “Live long and prosper” salute, and a piece of the transporter room, as opposed to the bridge playset pieces most of the figures include.

The figures are okay, and I think I’m still more in love with the idea of this line than the toys themselves. Still, there’s some good here.

Toy Stories: Another Marvel Mob

What’s that, you say? You want to see pictures of more Marvel action figures? And my inimitable commentary? And, if at all possible, you’d like three figures from the Marvel Universe line and one from Wolverine and the X-Men?

Well… if that’s what you really want, okay.

Nightcrawler: Swashbuckler and Extremely Popular Dude at Sorority Rush Week

First up, from Wolverine and the X-Men, let me introduce you to Nightcrawler. In truth, I’m not really a huge fan of the X-Men characters. Outside of the original five, the only ones I’ve ever really liked are Shadowcat, Colossus, and our boy Kurt Wagner here. The animated figure is nicely articulated, but his funky feet make him difficult to pose. For a moment, I entertained the thought that I could use the tail to help prop him up, but it doesn’t really rotate enough to be practical. They included the sword, though, which is awesome.

These next three are from the Marvel Universe line, and i’ll present them in increasing order of awesometude.

Don't mess with Ms. Marvel. She burns gloves.

Ms. Marvel is the first female Marvel Universe figure I got, and honestly, I wasn’t wild about it. The paint at the top of the boots is bad — the lines are messed up and not clean at all. The head almost looks like a wig was glued on, and the face sculpt isn’t so hot. The actual body sculpt is pretty good, though. The torso joint is much better than in the male figures, and unlike the female DC Universe Infinite Heroes toys, Ms. Marvel is very easy to stand up and pose. There are two Ms. Marvel figures — this one features her current costume, but you can also get her in her original costume. I just prefer this one.

The ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing

I was really excited to get this figure. Benjamin J. Grimm, the Thing, is my favorite Marvel superhero and my second-favorite hero of all (right after Superman). The figure is pretty good too. Like the oversized Hulk figure from the same line, Ben’s sculpt is more stable than your standard Marvel Universe torso. I wish he wasn’t hunched over quite so much — Ben is a big dude, but he does have decent posture — but other than that this is a sharp-looking figure that does Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s greatest creation justice.

Much as I love Benjy, though, his figure just isn’t as cool as this next guy…

I! AM! I-RON MAN!

This is the third Iron Man figure in the Marvel Universe series, and like the first two, it’s one of the best toys in the line. This armor design isn’t Tony Stark’s current armor, nor is it his first, nor is it even my favorite, but it’s arguably the most classic version of Iron Man and inarguably the armor that he wore the longest. The entire figure looks like a unique sculpt, especially the great helmet, gloves, and boots. He comes with the same energy-burst accessory as the first two figures, but I can forgive that because it looks that cool. With the sequel to last year’s hit movie scheduled to come out next year, I hope they keep producing his armors, especially his original, the Silver Centurion outfit, and my personal favorite, the Neo-Classic armor.

Toy Stories: A New Trek

I’m trying not to get over excited about the new Star Trek movie, I really am, but I’m totally failing in this effort. Every little thing I see gets me more excited, more confident that the film is going to deliver. I really hope I don’t wind up eating those words after I see it Saturday. But for now, I’m so excited that I’ve even started to pick up some of the 3.75-inch toys based on the new movie. The movie looks great. The toys? Well, they’re so-so.

James Tiberius Kirk

Here we see James T. Kirk, — not William Shatner, but portrayed by Chris Pine. But really, who could tell if they didn’t know better? Honestly it’s really hard to do a decent sculpt of an actor’s face in this small a scale. What bothers me about this figure — and in fact all of the figures in the line — are the legs. The knees bend in weird directions and the hip joints aren’t very good. Without the Starfleet insignia base he comes with, I doubt I would have been able to stand him up at all.

Playmates doesn’t skimp on the accessories, at least. Kirk — and all four of the figures I got — came with a phaser, utility belt, chair, and one piece of the Enterprise bridge. If you get every toy in the line, you can put the pieces together to make the bridge of the ship and the transporter room. It’s not that different, conceptually, than the build-a-figures you get in the Marvel Legends and DC Universe Classics lines, but it does bother me that you need upwards of two dozen figures to get the whole thing.

Spock (Young Version)

The casting of Zachary Quinto as the young version of Leonard Nimoy’s Spock was inspired, and I think this is probably the figure that looks most like the actor upon which he’s based. He gets an extra accessory — a hand making the classic Vulcan “Live long and prosper” sign. I didn’t try it out though, because frankly, I was afraid if I pulled hard enough to pop out the hand that came installed I would rip the arm out of the socket.

Montgomery Scott, Miracle Worker

Simon Pegg got the blessing from Jimmy Doohan’s family to take over the role of Scotty, and he was an excellent choice as well. The figure? Well… it doesn’t look a thing like him. But at least I’ve got a Scotty in my collection.

"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a plastic miniature!"

Finally, we’ve got Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, whose toy is labelled as “Cadet McCoy,” interestingly enough. One thing that bugged me about the toy line is how the packaging claims the figures have “unique” accessories. Sure, if you define “unique” as “exactly the same as everyone else.” McCoy, and every other figure, has an almost-identical chair, stand, phaser, utility belt, and console. As the doctor, McCoy gets two other toys — a device that I assume is the new tricorder design, and a more classic Star Trek PADD, which I now recognize as the direct descendant of the Amazon Kindle. This figure also gives me a chance to offer some advice to Playmates, the toy company that produced these bad boys. If you make an accessory that has a paper decal, don’t hold that accessory in place with tape. You see that white patch in the corner of McCoy’s PADD? It wasn’t white in the package.

Out of the various 3.75-inch lines that have popped up in the last year, this is actually the line that I like the least, purely from a physical standpoint. There are still cool bits, though, and while I don’t anticipate getting every toy so I can build the whole damn ship, I’ll probably get a few more figures depending on what I think of the characters in the film, especially “Original Spock.” The Nimoy rocks.

Toy Stories: Haven’t I Seen You Somewhere Before?

As I’ve mentioned in assorted Toy Stories features, I do like variant figures. What do I mean, though, by a “variant”? Well, it could mean a lot of things — different, related characters with similar designs, redesigns of an existing figure to match a different uniform or look, an “energized” version of a character with such powers… pretty much anything that’s a “real” version of the character as has appeared in the comic books or TV show. And since the last few figures I have that I haven’t shared with you guys yet all fall into this category, I thought I’d give you guys the side-by-sides of several variants in my possession.

Monorail Mickey and Vinylmation Fireworks

The entire point of Urban Vinyl figures is to use different designs on the same body mold, so I guess technically any of these fits the criteria. Here we see the Vinylmation “Monorail Mickey” next to the “Fireworks” mouse I showed you guys a couple of weeks ago. Side-by-site, you can really tell that the figures themselves are identical, and it’s just the paint job that’s different.

Let’s go to a far more extreme example, shall we?

Alex Luthor and Lex Luthor: Together Again

If you recognize either of this pair, it’s probably the bald guy in the green armor with major overcompensation issues going on with his shoulder pads. This is Lex Luthor, arch-enemy of Superman, and (in the DC Universe, at least) former President of the United States. To his left, in the gold with the red hair, is Alex Luthor, sole survivor of the alternate universe called Earth-3. On Alex’s world, the heroes were villains, and the only superhero left was his father, Lex Luthor. So Alex is kinda Lex’s son from another dimension. If you’re a comic book geek like me, you have no problem understanding that.

Animated Wonder Woman vs. Comic Book Wonder Woman

On the left here is the Wonder Woman figure that came with the recent direct-to-DVD movie in which she starred, and designed to look like that version. On the right is the basic Infinite Heroes Wonder Woman figure, based on a more iconic comic book version. The body molds of these two figures is exactly the same, but the faces and hair are drastically different. Personally, I prefer the animated version. The lines on the comic version’s W-symbol are too heavy, and actually look more like a “cartoon” than the one that’s actually based on a cartoon. Plus, for some reason she has an expression that makes her look like she’s sniffing something vaguely unpleasant.

Flash Legacy: Wally West, Jay Garrick, and Zoom

Next up we’ve got three different, related characters. In the center is Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash who’s been kicking butt and taking names since World War II. I was particularly happy to find this guy in a single pack, because for a while there the only place I saw him was as a variant figure in the Flash three-pack I’d already got, and I really don’t need extras of Mirror Master or Weather Wizard. Plus he’s just a great character. To the left, the gentleman in red is Wally West, Flash III and the guy many of us reading comics today grew up with as THE Flash. On the left is his former friend Hunter Zolomon, alias Zoom, now a particularly interesting madman who believes that the way to make the Flash a better superhero is by causing great tragedies in his life to overcome. Now that the second Flash, Barry Allen, has returned from the dead, I rather hope that means we’ll have two new figures coming soon — one of Barry, and one of Wally in the new costume that’s supposedly being designed by artist Ethan Van Sciver.

Now for a few figures that didn’t require much modification at all…

"Pardon me, I'm here to drop my brothers off for repairs."

Billions of years ago, the Guardians of the Universe created a legion of robotic agents to protect innocent sentients from the evil one of their number unleashed. The Manhunters turned out to be psycho, though, so they canned them and got some living agents, the Green Lantern Corps. The Manhunters have never been really happy about this arrangement, though, and lately have been known to hang around with members of the Sinestro Corps. The guy in the middle came in a single pack, but the two fellas flanking him were a third of a Green Lantern Corps six-pack. They’re in serious need of some Turtle Wax.

Speaking of Green Lantern…

"Green Lantern 2814.1 reporting for duty! Twice!"

Hal Jordan is one of two Green Lanterns of Space Sector 2814. The second figure in this picture isn’t his partner, John Stewart, it’s an “energized” version of Hal. While the basic Hal figure came in a three-pack with his pals Green Arrow and Black Canary, the energy version was part of the same six-pack that included the two Manhunters, plus John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and a Qwardian Weaponer. Very few of the Infinite Heroes toys have come with accessories, and Hal is one that really should have one. Why have none of the various Green Lanterns who’ve got figures in this line come with a Power Battery?

"FLAME OFF!" "FLAME ON!"

Last, but not least, we’ve got the two renditions of Johnny Storm, alias the Human Torch, courtesy of the Marvel Universe line. One is Johnny with a little bit a fire atop his noggin. The other is Johnny in full “Flame on!” mode. Can you guess which is which?

I’ve showed you guys a couple of other side-by-sides before, so just for the sake of completeness, I’m going to show those pictures to you here too. Click on each picture to go to the corresponding article:

Stealth Iron Man and Daywear Iron Man. This is what the inside of Tony Stark's closet looks like.

Kingdom Come Superman and Classic Superman

And that’s all the toys I’ve got, folks. So this may be the last Toy Stories for a while, unless this weekend’s Nola Comic-Con brings me across some swag I’ve been looking for. Don’t worry, it’ll be back, I just don’t know when. In the meantime, in-between time, how about reading and commenting on Lost in Silver? Or the various reviews and other blogs I post here almost daily? I thrive on feedback, folks, so let’s hear some! Take it easy.

Toy Stories: Johnny, James, and Bruce

Time once again for a Toy Stories feature, friends. This week I’ve got three more Marvel heroes for you, two from the Marvel Universe line, the third from the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine toys. Let’s shall, shall we?

First up is Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. As you may remember, I featured Johnny once before, in his “Flame On” form. Like I’ve said before, I do like variant action figures, as long as the variant makes sense. We’ve seen blazing Johnny. Here he is in his Fantastic Four uniform:

Flaming on... a little.

The FF Johnny isn’t a bad figure, but it does point out the two major problems I have with the basic Marvel Universe male body figure. The posing is awkward in the torso, with no waist articulation and a weird sort of ball socket around the ribcage. Also, the head (as I’ve mentioned before) really is too small for the neck. The only other problem I’ve got here is Johnny’s hair. Clearly, they wanted to used the same head for both figures, but as this is a “normal” Johnny, I would much rather have just had his hair instead of a superfluous burst of flame. Still, I assume the line will eventually put out all four members of the team, and I’d like to get them all in their basic togs.

Next, two guys who were both members of the Fantastic Four for a whopping total of three issues:

Wolverine "Brown"

As you may expect, the X-Men Origins: Wolverineline has about a trillion figures of James Howlett, a.k.a. Logan, a.k.a. Patch, a.k.a. the World’s Hairiest Canadian, a.k.a. Wolverine. This particular version features Wolverine in the costume he wore through much of the 80s and early 90s, which remains a fan favorite. And let’s be honest, this is a more natural look for him than the more frequent yellow-and-blues he wears. This is a pretty good figure, although the torso has the same problems as the standard Marvel Universefigures. And what’s with the sword? I know they want to give him an accessory, and I’ve been told this particular sword comes from a story in the craptacular Wolverine: Origins series, but if you have six blades coming out of your forearms, do you really need another sword?

Hulk smash puny 3.75-inch figures!

Rounding out this group is the man who keeps the Purple Pants Company of Patterson, New Jersey in business, the Incredible Hulk! Clearly, they couldn’ use the basic body for Bruce Banner’s alter-ego, but the basic working is the same. However, the larger size of the body makes the socket ribcage much less awkward than on the usual figures. The sculpt is good too, although I think they could have tried to make him a tad bit angrier. Pound for pound, though, this is my favorite toy of the bunch.