Corporal Hy Ondahog
Barnyard Commandos (Premium DNA) - Basic Series
Rated 4.80 stars by RMaster007
Well, here he is, the last figure in Premium DNA's first wave of Barnyard Commandos, and quite possibly the best one. Corporal Hy Ondahog stands out from the others in the wave as he's the only one to come from Playmates' original second wave, meaning DNA is willing to mix things up a bit. Hy shows the horrors of the war with an eyepatch over his left eye, and I assume it got taken out by a chicken arrow. The expression is nice, being more disgruntled than angry, and isn't too much different from the original. Just like the other pig in this wave, Side O'Bacon, he's wearing a nose ring, displaying his toughness. The head is mostly smooth, save for a couple wrinkles. Standing 5" tall, Hy is appropriately fat for a pig, and he is pretty chunky, but he's not hefty like Side O'Bacon is. The...[See More]

Major Legger Mutton
Barnyard Commandos (Premium DNA) - Basic Series
Rated 4.50 stars by RMaster007
You think with the sheep's faction being called the R.A.M.S. and all, there'd be as much rams as there are sheep. Nope, there was only two, and this guy is one of them. Out of all four figures in the first wave, Major Legger Mutton's sculpt seems to have been upgraded the most from the original Playmates toy. The shape of his open mouth is more oval-like than round, and his eyes are much crazier-looking. But what isn't different from the original is that his horns are bigger than his head. The horns here are more of a off-white than solid white, and the fur is darker and more saturated than before. I believe these color changes were done to add some realism to an otherwise cartoony and exaggerated sculpt. As the other quadruped in wave one, Major Legger isn't as large or heavy as Side...[See More]

Bugman and Electrozapper
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Multi-Packs
Rated 4.75 stars by RMaster007
How do you know when a line runs deep? When it starts incorporating characters you don't recall ever hearing of. NECA's TMNT toon line has been doing that for a while now, putting out characters that only appeared once or twice in the show, alongside accessories nobody remembers. One of the latest releases is an example of such, with two very minor characters from the show, but one of which is at least remembered. The "remembered" character in this case is Brick Bradley, a.k.a. Bugman, who I've been wanting in the line for some time now. Unsurprisingly, they went with his half-insect form for the figure. Sculpted by Tim Miller, Bugman has a really freaky head sculpt, with big red eyes, antennae, and mandibles in place of a regular human mouth. The hair style is very funky-looking, due to...[See More]

Psycho
Go-Bots (Tonka) - Super Go-Bots
Rated 4.00 stars by Karl T. Face
Now this is an interesting design! Psycho was the stock "crazy guy" on the villain team, and it's said that only Cy-Kill can control him. Sort of a goofy trope, but apparently he disassembled Leader-1 at some point (he got better), so that's points in his favor. Who else has taken out a hero like that? Serpentor? Megatron? These are the big leagues, son! Speaking of big, Super Gobots are hefty and solid toys, and this one doesn't disappoint. I'd describe it as a "zeerust automobile", but I guess that's to be expected with this one: like most of the series, Psycho is a fundamentally unchanged release of a Machine Robo toy. No shame in that, Hasbro mined at least 2 companies. Anyway, this particular piece is the Psychoroid, which some of you may remember from Space Adventure Cobra. In fact,...[See More]

Private Side O'Bacon
Barnyard Commandos (Premium DNA) - Basic Series
Rated 4.70 stars by RMaster007
If you guys aren't reading Toycollectr, the third issue has a nice article on Barnyard Commandos, covering its conception, failure, unused ideas, and eventual revival by Premium DNA. Speaking of which, they also reveal the wave 2 line-up in said article, but there doesn't seem to be any plans to put it up for pre-order any time soon. For now, we have only the first wave and its Stealth Ops variants. Private Side O'Bacon, like everyone else in the line, is sculpted by Brodie Perkins using designs by Andrew Cramer and James Groman. He's also one pig you don't want to mess with, given his fierce grimace, tusks, and nose ring. His whole head is covered in mud, with some of it spreading onto his back and little spots on the rest of his body. Compared to the original, his skin isn't as pink,...[See More]

Sergeant Woolly Pullover
Barnyard Commandos (Premium DNA) - Basic Series
Rated 4.35 stars by RMaster007
The early 90s were a time for many unusual and creative toy lines, such as Barnyard Commandos. Playmates' line of armed sheep and pigs seemingly attempted to branch out into a phenomenon, given that it got kid's meal toys and a cartoon (although only 1/3 of the show made it to the States). It looks like it finally paid off, because Premium DNA, the same company behind those awesome Madballs from last year, are bringing them back with a new line that meets modern standards. While I've been eyeing the figures for a bit, it wasn't until Big Bad Toy Store offered the whole first wave for half-price that I jumped on-board. The packaging is very similar to Madballs, as it's a big box with a slip cover over it. The cover has nice artwork, and it actually displays the character name, making them...[See More]

Shredder (Battle Damaged)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.55 stars by RMaster007
The Mirage version of Shredder has had quite a history with NECA. Initially shelved due to Playmates' refusal to share the TMNT license, he saw release in 2016 as part of a con-exclusive set, and then received a new version released as part of the Lootcrate series, and then that one was repainted for that AutoT thing Walmart's doing. Now, he's finally got a widespread release, and it's more than just a repaint! Much of the figure is recycled from the initial sculpt by Four Horsemen Studios, including the helmet. The paint work on it is very similar to the Lootcrate Shredder, with the black "shine." The exposed skin through the mask is pitch black, with blank white eyes, adding another layer of menace to the Foot Clan leader. This version of him gets a second portrait, which swaps at the...[See More]

Splinter
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Comics (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.85 stars by RMaster007
The Mirage Turtles line has given us plenty of unique characters in figure form, such as Renet and the Shredder clones, but it's still making sure to incorporate the characters everyone knows. One of those characters is the Turtles' sensei/father figure, Splinter. Splinter's design stayed pretty consistent for most of the comic's run; the only difference between him in the first and second issues was that he had pupils in the first issue. The figure stays true to his regular design, with his head sporting no pupils, but a calm, stern look. The sculpt, I assume, was done by Tim Miller, with Geoff Trapp and Mike Puzzo on paint duties like always. Said paint has very nice black wash mixed in with the brown fur, giving him both a realistic and comic-accurate look. So far, Splinter is the...[See More]

Deadpool
Marvel (Neca) - Epic
Rated 4.80 stars by RMaster007
I think I said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm not a Marvel superfan. While the 90s X-Men cartoon was pretty good, I just stopped watching it, though I'll have to pick it back up one of these days. Another thing I definitely need to watch at some point is the Deadpool movie; I caught a bit of it and it was a wild ride, but until then, I can live out all the crazy Deadpool mayhem with NECA's first - and only - 1/4 "Ultimate" figure of the merc with a mouth. The packaging graphics are simple, but effective. The sides showing the accessories can flip open to reveal various shots of the figure, and when you get all the tape and twist ties out of the way, you'll find everything is easy to take out. There's also a plastic sleeve that slips on over the box, and while it's not much, it...[See More]

April O 'Neil (Mutant Interest Storm)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Classic Cartoon (Neca) - Basic Series
Rated 4.65 stars by RMaster007
It's been a few years since we got a regular cartoon April from NECA. She was one of the first releases from the line, but at the time, the figures were hard to get ahold of, especially in MD. Now, NECA has listened to fans and brought her back, better than ever and easier to get! The original April came in a two-pack with a battle-damaged Foot Soldier, but the new version is a single release, coming in one of the FHE-inspired boxes. The artwork isn't anything too special, with April on the Turtles' TV on the front and her interviewing Aunt Aggie on the back, but it fits the character, and looks nice overall. As usual, there's a lot of plastic ties to cut out, so get your scissors ready. The main issue everyone had with the original April was that her head was way out of proportion with...[See More]