Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Review: Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Aljaylo Burst Action Figure


Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Aljaylo Burst Action FigureThey're here, they're clear, and people didn't get used to it. Aljaylo Burst is part of the third and final series of blind-boxed figures from this line, and he came at three per shipping case of 24 figures. He's a lot like regular Aljaylo, minus paint and opacity. The weapons and plastic form are virtually identical.
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Friday, December 11, 2015

Review: Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Bunikis Action Figure


Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Bunikis Action FigureThe 1980s and 1990s were packed with toys remembered fondly by today's adults thanks to a large amount of marketing and a ton of print. Things like Bunikis and Beast Saga are probably going to be remembered by a few Japanese kids and American toy bloggers - nobody else seems to have much memory of this line already. I was hoping for a huge line that eclipsed the original Battle Beasts. While we got a few awesome figures, it fizzled out quickly - but hey, we got a rabbit!
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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Review: Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Buffam Action Figure


Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Buffam Action FigureI can't believe it, but Buffam has been sitting on the edge of my photo studio waiting for me to review him for over two years. I bought the entire figure line - blind boxes and all - because man, was I excited about Battle Beasts. Diamond Select's new line petered out after a wave, the Armorvor has had only one beast head added since its introduction, and Beast Saga died in about a year. It didn't get ported to the USA, and it didn't really achieve much of an impact - it's doomed to obscurity, so it's time to write about this bull.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Monday, November 16, 2015

Review: Hasbro Battle Beasts Bodacious Bovine


Hasbro Battle Beasts Bodacious Bovine Action FigureHave a cow, man! The Bodacious Bovine came out as part of an eight-pack. It's a cow, but udder-ly devoid of feminine characteristics. You're going to love this.
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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Review: Hasbro Battle Beasts Eager Beaver

Hasbro Battle Beasts Eager Beaver Action FigureMost of the figures I tracked down as a kid were aquatic in nature - so Eager Beaver was another no-brainer. The figure shows that whole quasi futuristic vibe you've come to love from Takara and Hasbro, with big armor and not much in the way of pants. This unique style was largely cribbed in Beast Saga, and it's not too dissimilar from Masters of the Universe. The outfit is unique in that it doesn't feel slavish to the creature's habitat, and also shows off some of the more distinctive features of the anatomy.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Monday, October 5, 2015

Review: Hasbro Battle Beasts Tanglin Pangolin


Hasbro Battle Beasts Tanglin Pangolin Action FigureSince American toymakers tended to have (and still have) an allergy to really cheap toys, Tanglin Pangolin came out as part of an eight-pack. In the USA, series 3 was sold only in boxes of eight while the other series were two-packs or packaged with vehicles. This is one I didn't have as a kid and tracked down a few years ago. I didn't even really know what a pangolin was, but I dug armadillos and penguins and other creatures so why the heck not? These are tree-dwelling insect-eating armored mammals, and they're endangered which means kids of the 1980s probably were super into them. (I was a manatee fanatic myself.)
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Friday, May 8, 2015

Review: TheGodBeast Kabuto Mushi Hunter Mushi Action Figure

TheGodBeast Kabuto Mushi Hunter Mushi Action FigureMarty delivers his figures fast. I placed an order on April 25 for Kabuto Mushi Hunter Mushi - it was in my hands April 30. He is amazing. His figures are really good too - since most are new colorways of a pretty good mold, and I've been trying to cut back on armies, I only get these very rarely... this Boba Fett-inspired figure came out in a batch resembling Skeletor and other familiar faces. How could I refuse?
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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Review: Onell Design Glyos Neo Granthan Pyrotellica Action Figure

Onell Design Glyos Neo Granthan Pyrotellica Action FigureClear with more paint! The Neo Granthan Pyrotellica is an orange release that looks like it probably owes a little bit - OK, a lot - to Micronauts. The previous Armorvor toys have rarely been clear, and those that have only had a tiny bit of paint. This is the first one to have painted faces on clear plastic, making it unique for a variety of reasons beyond merely being a new color with a newish head sculpt. Seemingly fans didn't jump on this one, because it didn't sell out quickly and actually stuck around along with his brothers beyond the point that the orders actually began to show up. It's still available as of my writing this, which is odd for a generally popular mold.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Cerula - Green Scorpion with Grey Paint

Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Cerula - Green Scorpion with Grey Paint Action FiguresHe's green! The Glyos-powered Rise of the Beasts line is pretty fantastic, although it's hard to view them purely as wholly their own thing. I keep expecting to see squat little guys, but Cerula - Green Scorpion with Grey Paint is more of what a small figure of the 1990s might look like, rather than the 1980s. The overly-muscular creature is fundamentally the same as Cahriv except for the coloration.
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Monday, March 23, 2015

Review: Onell Design Glyos Neo Granthan Cliffstalker Action Figure

Onell Design Glyos Neo Granthan Cliffstalker Action FigureThe name is evocative! The Neo Granthan Cliffstalker is a brown, chocolate-flavored take on the Battle Beasts-inspired Glyos figure. With an orange skin and a red Black Core, this feels like many of the popular 1980s robotic toys out of Tomy. While not a perfect match, it immediately reminded me of Robostrux mixed with a little bit of the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing. He is orange with blue eyes, after all.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Review: Onell Design Glyos Neo Granthan Vrylless Action Figure

Onell Design Glyos Neo Granthan Vrylless Action FigureWhile the name (and an unhelmeted hand-molded head) existed for a while, the mass-produced mold is new here! One of three releases, the Neo Granthan Vrylless marks the replacement of the wolf headed Armorvor in favor of a dinosaur-headed Granthan. Two other figures hit at the same time, each of which use the classic Armorvor body with a new head. The wolf helmet head is still here, and you get 18 total parts as always.
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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Bal Kharn - Green Rhino with Grey Paint


Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Bal Kharn - Green Rhino with Grey Paint Action FiguresHe's different! Or at least, mine is. I was lucky to get an early sample of Rise of the Beasts Bal Kharn - Green Rhino with Grey Paint is pretty fantastic. If you bought the first version, this is basically an improvement in terms of color - the quality of that painted black plastic release is impossible to match, but this one is still quite good.
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Thursday, January 29, 2015

New Rise of the Beasts Live Now - Green Drop

http://littlerubberguys.storenvy.com/It's live!  The Little Rubber Guys store has a new drop of 4 Rise of the Beasts figures!

Unpainted figures are $4.00, painted (pictured) are $7.00.  The drop is earlier than planned, as I managed to request/beg for early samples and let me tell you - they're great.  You'll see a review here next week but if you can't wait, go ahead and grab some painted guys while you can.   They're pretty fantastic!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Meet the New Armorvors: Neo Granthans

http://onelldesign.blogspot.com/2015/01/neo-granthans-strike.html
The Onell Design Armorvor - previously a wolf figure inspired by the Battle Beasts - has been redesigned!  A new trio of figures are live now at their store called Neo Granthans

Black, Brown, and silver armored figures are on sale right now at $10.00 a piece, but most of the run has already sold through.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Rise of the Beasts: Four New Figures Coming

http://instagram.com/littlerubberguys
Good news, everyone! Over on Instagram, New Rise of the Beasts 3D printouts are there for the seeing.

A horned lizard (shown) looks incredible alongside an ant, a lion, and an ape.  No release date has been listed, but fear not - a new, green drop of the rhino and scorpion are due soon and they're pretty dang fantastic. (Also, sitting on my desk.)   Stay tuned for more, including weapons!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Rhinoceros - Silver Mail-Away Redemption

Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Rhinoceros - Silver Mail-Away Redemption Action FigureO nameless beast, from you we can know the great secret of the universe! Maybe not - but I will say that the Rhinoceros - Silver Mail-Away Redemption is a low-run mail-in freebie cast in metallic black PVC and painted exceptionally well. He has no name of his own, and the figure itself is basically the grey painted one with silver swapped out - and man, is it pretty. I work mostly in a basement so it's darker down here and the silver positively glows. The reflective paint looks sharp.
 [ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Meet the Ghoatbusters Combat Creatures

http://www.shapeways.com/model/2990368/ghoatbusters-set-of-all-four-sandstone.html
Who ya gonna call?  These guys!  Combat Creatures continues the 80s parody creature figures with a new entry over on Shapeways.  You're going to dig the Ghoatbusters - a four-pack with Bray, Bleater, Angon, and Winshorn.

The four-pack is surprisingly cheap - only $50 for the set.