Playmates' Simpsons line enjoyed a nice five-year run, and they managed to put out a ton of characters and sets within that timeframe. Near the line's end, they started to pull a bit from past the show's golden age (which is considered to have ended with Season 8, but I'm one of many who still enjoy the show beyond that point), with characters like Ol' Gil and Manjula and her octuplets being made, as well as a set from the tenth Treehouse of Horror special. Doing the Collector's (Comic Book Guy's supervillain persona) lair made sense for the final THOH release, since there's a bit of The Collector in all of us… except we're not deranged enough to collect actual people.

The Collector's Lair is bigger than the average World of Springfield set. Nowhere near the size of Main Street, but it is taller. The set spans about 9" long, 11 1/2" tall, and 5 1/2" wide, and the details are pretty nice for a lair set up in The Android's Dungeon's basement. The lower portion of the set has details such as a spiderweb on the balcony's post, a Bart-and-Lisa-shaped hole in the wall, with a small pile of rocks in front, and some candles mounted on the wall. There's also a boiling vat of Lucite, with the liquid cast in transparent red plastic (though it wasn't that color in the episode, and I love the look of it, even spilling out a bit. The details are simple but good, and paint where applied bears clean work and lines.

The Lair has the distinction of being the only two-story WOS set, with a balcony about halfway up the wall. The set has to be assembled out of the box, but the wall, balcony, and post connect together easily. I love the inclusion of the balcony, as it adds more space for figures on the set, but my favorite detail is the "near-mint" pop culture icons. Robby the Robot and Bob "Gilligan" Denver are depicted trapped in large mylar pouches, and while the two are sculpted as part of the wall, the pouches are separate pieces done in a softer material for a somewhat realistic feel. The paint on Gilligan is good, but Robby is only colored in two shades of gray. While we know Playmates' tendency to cheap out on paint at times, I wish they had fully painted the robot.

Following exposure to a malfunctioning X-ray machine's beams, Bart obtained the power of elasticity, turning him into the Plastic Man-esque Stretch Dude. Bart stands about 3 1/2" tall, and the pose chosen for him is pretty good, but I wish the arms were a bit better. The arms are where Bart's superpowers come into play, as his arms are made of rubber, and his head is attached to his torso with rubber as well. It's a fun gimmick, and besides, stretchy toys are somewhat popular with kids (just look at Moose with their Goojitzu line). Unfortunately, this gimmick means he loses the neck and shoulder joints, but he still has a waist swivel, and the head can turn side to side a bit (just be careful with the rubber attaching it, as it's sort of thin and there's a chance it could snap if you mess with it too much). The paint is good save for some uneven lines, such as on the eyes, and the Saturn on his shirt is cleanly printed.

The same X-ray machine turned Lisa into Clobber Girl, meaning she's both brains and brawn. She stands around the same height as Bart and has a stiffer pose, but the right arm is sculpted as if she's flexing her muscles or preparing to punch someone. Her superhero outfit is an altered Amelia Earhart costume, retaining her scarf as a semi-cape, and the colors on it are good, but her belt is unpainted (Playmates' laziness strikes again). At least the torn-off parts of her outfit have clean lines. The more serious expression fits this version of the character, but I will say her mouth looks a little odd.

Then we have our villain, The Collector, which is what happens when the Comic Book Guy takes his hobby too far. The Collector stands around 5 1/4" tall, and he's a rather hefty figure as well, and being the first Playmates CBG I got, his size was a bit surprising. His face sports an evil smile that looks pretty nice, and Playmates handled the costume well, though he suffers the most when it comes to paint, as he has various small areas of bleed and slop. Imperfections aside, the colors of his costume are nice and bold, and I'm impressed they were able to paint his tongue. It's not fully painted, but given his small mouth, they did fine. They also forget to paint the white of his shoes, but missing paint apps is something everyone here suffers from. He also has the only accessory of the set in his phaser (which was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album). It's solid black, so it doesn't match it in-show, but the sculpt is good, and he can hold it in either hand just fine.

Lastly, there's Lucy Lawless, and she's in costume as well as Xena: Warrior Princess. She's not the first real-life celebrity in the line (the late Stephen Hawking, who came out just a few months before, holds that honor), but she is the only character to be from another property; between her, Robby, and Gilligan, a lot of licensing must've gone into making this release happen. She stands just under 5" tall, and they recreated her appearance from the episode very well, even with the lack of paint apps compared to the prototype seen on the box. The shoulders move fine, but the waist is a bit limited, and the neck has even less rotation due to the hair. Given that she's in her Xena getup, I feel a more dynamic pose would work better.

Then there's the talking feature. As per usual, there are three pegs on the set, with one being located right on the front left-hand corner. Lisa's the only one who can properly accompany this space, but the others fit on the remaining two pegs well. They won't always work, so you'll have to shift them around or disconnect and reconnect them to get them to talk. The basic sound is a laser blast, which fits given the Collector's weapon. Each figure has three-four lines each, which isn't a lot, but they fit them well and come in loud and clear.

Stretch Dude: "Wait a minute, I can stretch! Look at me!"; "I must only use this power to annoy."; "What do you think I've been trying to do?!"
Clobber Girl: "I don't think the real Radioactive Man wears a plastic smock with a picture of himself on it."; "Bart, with these powers, we can become superheroes!"; "Your collecting days are over, Collector!"; "Bart, just let me drop and save yourself!"
Collector: "Behold, I am the Collector! And I'm here to add you to my collection!"; "I'm not insane, I simply wish to take you back to my lair and make you my bride."; "Good night, Wretch Dude and Slobber Girl. Sweet screams."
Xena: "Alright, Collector, stick this in your tweezers!"; "*battle cry*"; "You removed it from its original packaging!"

Unlike the previous Treehouse of Horror sets, no other figures besides the ones included work with it, and the figures only work with this set. Since I don't think anyone else would make sense with this set, the limitations are understandable. All that extra space thanks to the balcony is still good, as you can put a few of the celebrity figures NECA made on it (though they'll clash with everything else paint-wise).

For what ended up being the final Treehouse of Horror release, Playmates did a pretty good job with it, and it feels like they were trying to go all out with it. Taller set with a balcony, other licensed characters, stretchy Bart… Overall, it's a fun and unique set recreating one of the more iconic THOH segments, and looking over it kinda makes me wish Jakks Pacific would do a new Collector figure. Only time will tell, I suppose.

- 7/2/25...[See More]

Want List: [2001 - Bandai Digimon Tamers Rapidmon 6" Action Figure], [2015 Hallmark Star Wars Yoda Christmas Ornament], [2015 Lego Doctor Who]
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Current Projects: Atlas & P-Body - portal 2
Finn the Human - adventure time
Family Guy Peter Griffin - Fortnite
The immortal - invincible
Angstrom Levy - invincible
Honorable Mentions: My reddit is U/moe_100 if you would like to keep up to date on my customs and projects
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Super7's TMNT Ultimates line has been one of their most recognizable and more enjoyable lines they've done. Granted, they aren't perfect, suffering from things like odd aesthetic choices, articulation issues, and high prices (and they're getting worse), but for the most part, their work has been solid. However, Playmates at some point seemingly got cold feet about letting S7 copy their designs (probably because of all the reissues they're doing now), and they've been forced to do fewer OG designs. They've gotten around this issue by doing in-house designs, but they're now including figures from the 2003 cartoon in the line. 4Kids Turtles figures aimed towards collectors is something I've been wanting for a while, and I'm glad Super7 is delivering. Ever better is that the first wave has all four brothers, so no waiting years to get them all!

A notable change to the Ultimates packaging is that they've stopped doing slip covers (or at least less than before), and it's allowed for them to do more unique stuff with the window boxes. The motif is very similar to the original Playmates figures, with a bit of a turtle shell look combined with a city byline on the bottom. There are no character bios like before, but the artwork chosen for each character is great. They're easy to open, too, with only a single twist tie for each, along with some tape.

Like most adaptations before it, the '03 cartoon gave all of the turtles the same design, just different colors, though their skin color is different as well to make them more distinct. All four brothers are sculpted by Brandon Gash (who previously did S7's Ultimate Biggie), and each has two heads matching their personalities. Leonardo has a confident smile and a grin, Donatello has an equally confident smile and an irked expression, Raphael has grimacing and shouting heads, and Michelangelo has an excited expression and a calmer, but still happy, head. All of the portraits adapt the show's art style very well, and even feature different mask tails; the default heads have relaxed tails, while the extra ones have dynamic, flowing tails. They move on swivel pegs, and can be swapped between heads, but just be careful with the thin pegs; I broke the one on Raph's main head getting him out of the tray.

The four stand about 5 3/4" tall, making them a bit smaller than the Playmates-inspired turtles, but I feel they'll scale better with other 7" figures. The benefit of sharing the same basic design meant Super7 was able to cut down on tooling, with the only unique parts being the heads, weapons, and the belts on Leo and Donnie. Don just has a loop on the back of his belt for his staff, but Leo has a chest strap and scabbards, and the belts are all a soft rubber (as are the plastrons), allowing for easy storage with the other two brothers. There were some nitpicks about how the legs looked too short in the initial renders, but in person the proportions are just fine. Paint is great as while the colors are simple, there's some wash here and there to really make them pop. The work is clean too, though my Donatello has a small yellow speck on his right thigh.

We all know Ultimates have pretty basic articulation that is occasionally rather poor, but Super7 knew these were something special, so they went beyond their usual articulation scheme for something that feels more like NECA. All four bros have a barbell head, ball-jointed neck and chest, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows (double-jointed!), wrists, hips, knees (also double-jointed!) and ankles, and swivel biceps, thighs and mask knot. These figures are the first time S7's doing double-jointed elbows and knees, and they work great whilst blending in with the sculpt, and are arguably the best example of this type of joint I've seen. While much of the hinges can be tight at first, everything moves and poses well, and the heads and hands swap easily. Now why can't Super7 put this much effort into the articulation with the rest of their figures?

The accessories are pretty basic - no deep-cut or toy-inspired extras - but the necessary goodies are here. Each turtle has an extra head, three sets of hands (vertically-hinged gripping, closed, and splayed), a communicator, and their signature weapons. Most of the weapons look great, with Mikey's nunchucks having metal chains like before, but Raphael's sai are a bit too small. They'll fit well in his hands, being able to hold them both ways, but their small size becomes clear when equipped. Leo and Raph don't have much, but Don and Mike get some unique stuff. Donatello has a pair of goggles, and they fit on his head easily thanks to the rubbery material, while Mikey gets a pair of spinning nunchuck effects. The 'chucks can pop off at both ends to fit the effects, and they add a whole lot more fun to him. I wish these figures had a few more extra parts, like horizontally-hinged gripping hands and a third head with each. Leo could really use a more serious portrait.

Speaking of extra heads, direct pre-orders of the whole wave gave you a "Super Pack" with a separate third head for each brother. Leo has another smiling head, and I think it looks better than the default portrait he has. Donatello gets a wild grin that reminds me a bit of Playmates' style for them, and it's a pretty cool expression. Raphael has another gritted teeth head, and he looks more pissed off here, and Mikey has a winking expression that's my favorite of the four here. I love the option of additional portraits, but getting them meant having to pay full price upfront for the wave. Good thing Super7 offered free shipping with them!

Having gotten tons of Ultimates, I can tell when and when Super7 doesn't put effort into them, but these? These have far more effort put into them, so much so they're actually worth $55 each. The sculpts and paint are great, and the articulation is far better than what we usually get. The accessories could've been handled better, but what's included works very well for these four. If you're a fan of the 4Kids show, you'll definitely want to get these figures, and I already pre-ordered the next wave, so hopefully that comes out by year's end like it's slated to.

- 7/2/25...[See More]

As I mentioned in my previous review of a Michael Myers figure, the Halloween franchise has gone through a short-lived attempt to change to an anthology series, a retool rendering three prior movies non-canon, a rebooted pair of films by Rob Zombie, and another retool that made everything but the first non-canon. The 2018 movie by Blumhouse was the first one in like nine years, and it was great and brutal. I haven't seen Kills or Ends yet, and I need to scout out DVDs for them, but I did get NECA's take of this version of Myers not too long ago.

Michael's return to killing saw him donning his iconic mask once more, but since 40 years had passed, it's rather worn out. The various creases and wash on it represent its aged look well, as the material for it is close to falling apart, but the hair remains clean, and the detail and paint on it is pretty good. It even still has the punctured hole from when Laurie jabbed him with a clothes hanger, a nice little detail to sneak in. His eyes are visible from behind the mask, and while the right eye is cleanly painted, the left eye is near-blank, having lost some of his vision due to his age. The second head is the same sculpt-wise, but there's nothing but black behind the eyeholes, making for a creepier appearance. The paint of the mask is just as good on it, though.

Michael is rather tall, standing just around 7 3/4", making him a more imposing figure. Everything to this release was sculpted by Kyle Windrix, and some of the tooling would later see reuse with the 1981 version of the character, namely the arms, thighs, and some of the hands. The coveralls, yet again stolen from a murdered gas station attendant, look great, with plenty of creases and folds for a baggy appearance. They're a very dark blue as well, but there's a bit of wash to bring out some of the details. His hands have an aged look to them, since he's at least 60 by this point, and they're stained with blood as well, fitting for a serial killer like him. The design of the wrist joints creates a seamless look for the hands, and the rest of the articulation blends in well with the sculpt.

As for the articulation, Michael moves no differently from the '81 version I got prior. He has a peg and ball head, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows (double-jointed), hips, knees, and ankles, swivel/hinge wrists with swivels going into both the forearms and the hands, swivel thighs and calves, and a ball-jointed chest. Everything moves with no issues, and the heads and hands swap with little difficulty. I like how the wrist joints are done as they allow for various good poses with the accessories, but the sleeve cuffs restrict their range a bit. This figure got reissued recently, and this one (or at least an earlier reissue) changes the hips to ball joints, and I'm glad NECA is doing this to some of their pre-2020 Ultimates, as these joints work better than swivel/hinge ones, but have the same range, if not more, than the older joints.

There's plenty of accessories here, both for Michael to make use of and for neat displays. Aside from the extra head, six hands are included: two open/semi-relaxed, two gripping, a reaching left hand, and another left hand with the ring and pinky fingers blown off by Laurie. The wounded hand is a cool option, and the sculpt and paint on the exposed flesh is good. Michael comes with his favorite weapon, a kitchen knife, as well as a hammer and fireplace poker, and the arm articulation works great with them. He also comes with the head of one of his victims, whose face has been carved out to look like a jack-o’-lantern. It's not as grisly in appearance as the quarter-scale version, but the detail on it is pretty good, and it shows how all that time in the asylum made Michael much more brutal. Speaking of jack-o’-lanterns, a regular one is included with a unique gimmick: push down on the stem, and the light inside flickers, just like a candle. NECA doesn't do LEDs often, but they always work great and add to the fun. Lastly, there's the tombstone of Judith Myers, Michael's sister and his first victim. It's great for a Halloween-themed display if you want to set one up, and Michael can even hold it.

Although the 2018 Michael was the first Ultimate of him NECA did, it wasn't after I got his II and Curse counterparts (as well as the 2018 Laurie) that I picked him up. That said, he's a very solid figure that does one of the most iconic slashers justice, and it's good NECA is keeping him out there. Since they're done with the Blumhouse movies, and are starting to go back to older films, I'm hoping we get something new announced at SDCC later this month, and you probably know what I'm hoping to see.

- 7/1/25...[See More]

When Street Fighter comes to mind, you don't think about two aggressive drunks going at it in the middle of the road; you think about heroes and villains duking it out with super strength, energy blasts, fire, electricity, and other abilities that no real-life person can do. The second game brought one of the series' most outlandish characters in Dhalsim, an Indian yoga master… who has elastic limbs. And breathes fire. And is the first Jada figure I'm reviewing in a long while.

Being from India, Dhalsim has a darker complexion than the figures before him, as well as face and head paint that fits his culture. He's also outfitted with large earrings (actual metal, mind you, since that's what Jada likes most) and what seems to be a bead in his forearm, but more unusual than that are his blank, white eyes. He comes with two portraits, the default one being a stern expression while the extra one is shouting, and both bear the same great likeness and paint, with clean work all around. Below his head is a necklace of skulls, apparently those of children from his village who died from famine. The skulls are way too small, even for a human child, so I guess the youth in his village are smaller than average.

Standing right around the 6" mark, Dhalsim has more slender proportions than the other men, but he's just as muscular, thanks to all the yoga and fighting he does. His body isn't as covered up either, wearing shorts with a rope belt, forearm and shin wraps, and large bracelets. The bracelets are made out of a stiff plastic, rather than metal like the earrings, and they aren't attached to anything, with the hands being what keeps them from falling off his arms. The few articles of clothing he has look great, with his shorts meaning the thigh joints can be concealed well, and they bear both texturing and paint wash. The belt is sculpted as part of the shorts, and the paint is good on it save for some off edges.

Being a fighting game license means these figures need plenty of articulation, and Dhalsim moves no differently than the others. He has a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, and ankles, ball-jointed neck, chest, waist, and hips, double-hinged elbows and knees, swivel biceps, thighs, and shins, and pectoral hinges. The joints move well and offer plenty of range, with the waist joint being designed to allow plenty of forward lean, and the interchangeable parts swap easily. Aside from the different heads, he has flat and grasping pairs of hands, as well as different limbs to represent his stretchiness. The extra arms have the hands curled up into fists (unfortunately there are no fists for the regular arms), while the legs have the feet arched for a proper kick. It gets easier to swap the limbs the more you do it, and yes, they're bendable, allowing for plenty of fun poses. There's also a stand with support arm for the legs to keep Dhalsim standing up, though I'd recommend using a dynamic stand for the figure itself to help with certain poses.

Jada likes doing exclusive repaints for this line, and Dhalsim is no exception. Recently, someone leaked a purple and orange version of him for SDCC, but that's not the only difference. This version features a fire-breathing head with two different Yoga Flame effects, and the much-needed fists, in both default and purple colors! Even cooler than that is a recreation of the SFII burned sprite, rendering his opponent engulfed in flames, and meant to be held in mid-air by a stand. I haven't gotten any of these "deluxe" releases yet, but Dhalsim may be my first thanks to the inclusion of necessary pieces.

Jada has done some great stuff with Street Fighter, but Dhalsim is a standout in how unique he is. The bendy elongated limbs are what make him special, and there are enough swappable parts here for tons of display options. Chun-Li may be my favorite character, but Dhalsim is my favorite figure in the line so far.

- 6/30/25...[See More]

eBay User Name: homeinstead343
Current Projects: At Home Instead of South Bend, Granger, and Mishawaka, IN, we’re proud to be part of a compassionate and award-winning team committed to making the aging journey better every day.
Honorable Mentions: At Home Instead of South Bend, Granger, and Mishawaka, IN, we’re proud to be part of a compassionate and award-winning team committed to making the aging journey better every day.
Comments: At Home Instead of South Bend, Granger, and Mishawaka, IN, we’re proud to be part of a compassionate and award-winning team committed to making the aging journey better every day.
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Favorite Figure: Daredevil Mafex
Favorite Series: Black Series
First Figure: Toybiz Spiderman
Currently Collecting: Black Series, Marvel, Dc, Hot Wheels, Hammond Collection, MicroGalaxy Squiadron
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Current Projects: Mcfarlane/Mattel Dc Multiverse: currently none

Star Wars The Black Series:
Kyle Katarn

Marvel Legends:
Daisy Johnson AKA Quake (Agents S.H.I.E.L.D TV show version)


Power Rangers Lightning Collection: currently none

Fallout:
None

Pokemon: Shiny Pokémon (ongoing)
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Want List: X-Men: Evolution, Marvel Legends (Spider-man, Fantastic 4 & X-Men Universe), Star Wars Black Series
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Throughout the history of the franchise, the Halloween series has been retooled and rebooted a lot, with the Blumhouse trilogy notably ignoring everything after the first. One of the now-non-canonical timelines took place over three movies, with the last of them (and sixth overall), The Curse of Michael Myers, revealing that his bloodlust was the result of a cult. Not many fans liked that explanation, and it's commonly agreed Michael's just the walking embodiment of evil, but it hasn't made the film any less of a guilty pleasure. Now that NECA's done figures of all three modern Michaels, they're going back to 1995 and giving us his aforementioned Curse appearance.

After the first two and the fourth films used a modified Captain Kirk mask for Michael, the next two used all-new masks, with the Curse mask being a large improvement over what was used in Revenge. Trevor Grove sculpted the head/mask, and it's very accurate to the film. It has the same creepy, emotionless expression these masks usually have, with his eyes barely visible behind it, and the look and texture of the hair is good. The mask also has a grainy look for the paint, as if it was spray painted, while the hair uses different shades of brown for a realistic look. The alternate head is the same sculpt, but with green ooze pouring down on the mask. This comes from near the end when Paul Rudd beats the crap out of him, and I'm guessing this ooze is his evil-tainted blood, with a great look to it.

Standing tall at 7 1/2", Michael utilizes an all-new sculpt for the body, done by Kyle Windrix and Anthony Minichino (who also did the fabrication). The Thorn trilogy coveralls are a lighter, somewhat faded blue, and the color here is more accurate than the larger figure Trick or Treat Studios did (though those were fabric, whereas these are just sculpted). The details on the sculpt are great, and the paint on the outfit is more solid than washy, but it makes for a clean look that matches the film. Given that Michael was set ablaze at the end of Halloween II, his hands have a scarred look and bear a pinkish hue resembling burned flesh. The sculpt on the hands is fine, but there are some seam lines and small bits of excess plastic here and there.

Despite being a new sculpt, the Shape's articulation isn't too much different from previous Ultimates. He has a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows (double-jointed), wrists, knees, and ankles, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs and calves, and a ball-jointed/barbell chest hidden under the coveralls. The joints move very well, with enough range for various slashing poses, and the extra heads and hands swap easily. Since the chest is hidden under a thick rubber outfit, don't expect it to have much movement. The hips are pretty tight, making a creaking noise when posed, but still move fine enough that you won't have to worry about anything breaking.

This is one of the most "Ultimate" feeling Michaels NECA's done, as he's loaded with accessories. There are plenty of weapons for him to use, with two knives, an axe, a crowbar, a syringe bundle, and the surgical machete he uses on the Cult of Thorn at the end (serves them right). There are also various hands to go with them, as aside from a pair of relaxed hands, there are also two pairs of gripping hands - one vertically-hinged and one horizontally-hinged - and a wide right for the syringes. Doing hands with different types of joints is better than the semi-revolver joints previous Michaels had, as they allow for more range, and work with plenty of weapon poses. For non-killer accessories, Michael also comes with a trio of candles, a bag of runes designed to rest on the floor, the pumpkin and lone mask (also designed to lay on the floor) from the final shots of the film, and a Strode Realty sign with a Michael cutout that clips onto it. I wouldn't call the sign and cutout necessary, but they're a neat inclusion that makes for good displays.

Although Curse was one of the least-liked Halloween movies, I thought it was pretty good, and NECA put out a figure that's even better. Michael does well in every category, save for a few issues, and despite not being the most memorable appearance of the Shape, the number of accessories here combined with a great appearance and poseability makes him worth getting. Hope this means we're closer to NECA doing an Ultimate '78 Myers.

- 6/24/25...[See More]

Current Projects: SickHead from 31
Comments: Horror customs are my favorite right now. Any twisted and evil
Favorite Figure: It's a custom I made for myself
Favorite Series: Horror
First Figure: Can't say
Collection Size: Maybe 300 to 400 figures
Currently Collecting: Mostly I create my own but I do collect neca horror and Mezco
Want List: Parts pieces and accessories for fodder
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eBay User Name: Heinzaut
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eBay User Name: copperpotcustoms
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Am was a Force-sensitive human female clone who, like her twin brother Karre, was created through advanced cloning technology and the dark side of the Force. The two were raised from birth to become Dark Lords of a remnant of the Galactic Empire known as the T-Empire....[See More]