Finally caught up on my reviews for the moment.
Darth Nihl, Blue, GI Joe POC Quick Kick and Skrull are looked at this time, Enjoy.
Not a theme this time, but a bunch of figures who fit nowhere else in a theme of reviews; So a non theme as it were.
Quick Kick is quite possibly one of my favorite GI Joe characters. He actually was the main reason I got involved in martial arts. I know lots of people on the internet lay claim to martial arts, in my case I have studied off and on with several teachers over the years and never achieved any significant belt' as it were, I only wanted to learn more to help me take care of myself in a given situation.
Anyway when I saw a new Quick Kick was on the way I was happy. Unlike many characters like Duke, Cobra Commander, ect, Quick Kick has not been reissued to death over the last few years. There is some debate that Quick Kick was intended to be Nunchuck in the GI Joe vs. Cobra line but was renamed due to Quick Kick having been dead in the comics, and that is all I will mention of that debate.
Overall he is a pretty cool figure, he has a removable top that is intended to be a gee top. This was swiped and repainted from the resolute pack Storm Shadow. Actually much of Quick Kick is swiped from Storm Shadow which brings me to the issue that brings this character here. Many reviews have failed to mention the fact that the head is a repainted head from his 25th anniversary figure.
Quick Kick has many accessories including a sword and scabbard that fit on his back, gloves, nunchuck and an Uzi. The gun has thrown people off a bit for some reason but I always armed Quick Kick with something and an Uzi seems as good as anything, I mean it works for Snake Eyes, right?
Overall I would say if you are a fan of Quick Kick's or just want a figure to train your figures in hand-to-hand, this one is one to pick up. If you compare Quick Kick's 3 versions to the 54 of Snake Eyes or 40 of Duke or 40-odd of Cobra Commander then he is worth getting for being a breath of fresh air alone. If not that just simply because he has those neat gloves and sword along with a decently made figure even if he is totally redone.
I got this guy for Christmas, and one of the reasons I wanted to do a review of him is to show a picture of the Skrull that clearly shows his face. Seriously everywhere I look it is like the face was covered in coal or something.
I actually think the Skrulls are kind of lame, with the exception of the Super-Skrull. are just lame villains. That iswhat hurts this figure in my mind. Add to the fact all the figures lookthe same even though (most) artists do draw them with some differences and it is hard to justify this figure as a huge army builder. I mean aren't they supposed to be individuals too.
The guns are ok but not spectacular, the pistol kind of resembles the one that was packed with the 25th anniversary version of the Iron Grenader.
I have seen several sites going off about "OHH Skrull" or scrambling for the Variant with "Skrull Writing" on the stand. really not much of a variant when you think about it. In the way some have gotten overly excited which makes me realize he is a bit overrated.
Personally I think one Skrull is worth it somewhat, but an army I don't think would be really right. Maybe it's me but more often than not I noticed some differences with the Skrull faces so making them all the same seems to be not where the figures need to go, if that makes any sense.
Is it very apparent this figure is a massive disappointment. She is the only one of the Wave 2 Tron figures I was remotely interested in. I have no desire for a David Bowie wannabe nor a whiney suck up character. But with Quorra (which is a made up word I am probably spelling wrong again, oh well), there was a kind of cool character. She wasn't too dynamic but she was interesting and I really wanted a representation of her. I knew before I got here I was disappointed though and having her in hand did nothing to change that. I assume this is intended to be her appearance when she breaks Sam out of the arena. I will say one of the few qualities I like about this figure is that she is obviously feminine but not overly endowed (which is a huge problem of late with female figures and having HUGE funbags, look at Marvel Universe for examples).
MINOR SPOILER ALERT!On the character herself, I read many people who had problems with Quorra coming to the "real world" at the end of the movie. What I don't get about this is it seems people have no problem at all with a world in which computer programs look and act just like human beings, with many of the physical laws and qualities of our world (with some exaggeration) and humans can be transported to and can interact with these programs. Yet somehow one of these programs "getting out" and retaining all of it's physical qualities is a problem? OK I don't get why people would have a problem with that. Maybe it's me but the way I see it if you can travel one way the opposite should be true. In fact it is the major premise of the film if you notice (That was the master plan of Clu after all).
SPOILER DONE!
For some inexplicable reason, Quorra has a sword, in fact it is Clu's Sword repainted. It's not a bad accessory but I know that she didn't have one in the movie. I had to step out mid way to use the restroom but I kind of doubt she wouldn't have used the sword when she was attacked if she was able (and I am pretty sure I went in the slow part of the film).
Thus, I am lead to believe this is added just for play value which isn't a terrible thing but something to make note of.
Another noteworthy flaw is the "skirt" as it inhibits the range of motion on the leg, sometimes figures can get away with this but in Quorra's case I think it is important to note as she already has some articulation issues that I have mentioned when I reviewed the other Tron figures.
So my ultimate verdict here is maybe, If you are like me and want a representation of Quorra this is your option. I doubt we will see an unmasked version and even if we do I doubt it will be very good (Look at the Flynn head for an example of how badly this line has handled head sculpts). What I saw of the other two of this wave didn't make me think the likeness issues were any better.
LEGACY, yes I love (ed) that series and I am unabashed in saying how much I loved it. As I have said it took the similar Star Wars Universe and changed it around to something new and interesting. Apparently, I am one of the few who thought this as it has been cancelled, but there is a mini intended to wrap up the dangling story lines to look forward to.
Darth Nihl is a character I didn't think much of though, a very valid point about Kyrat's idea of multiple Sith is that there were a ton of them and very few stuck out in the crowd. Nihl did but I am not sure in a good way. I didn't hate him but I wasn't too enamored when he appeared either. I think this figure is making me revaluate that stance though. I like him overall. The headsculpt does make him look like a pumped up Vulcan or Elf, but maybe that was purposeful.
One major difference with Nihl and the rest of the Legacy Sith is he doesn't have the typical red tattoos most of the Sith in Legacy have. I do kind of like that since I thought the Sith needed to be less regimented and more individualized despite Kyrat's conjoining of the Sith. I think he looks great with the other Legacy Sith as he sticks out just a little bit but he is obviously part of the crew.
His extra long handle for his lightsaber is kind of odd at first. When I got the figure I realized this could be used to get a broader grip and thus more leverage against an opponent, not sure why this never occurred to me before. Still for a long time I thought it was odd but now I see a practical reason for it so it works after that revelation.
As I said he has a unique look in comparison to the other Sith and he looks great in all honestly. The only odd thing is he has the same frilly trunks that Darth Talon wears. In that respect he looks a bit girlly.
So worst case is you get another Sith for your collection. This seems like a no-brainer to me. He is cool and can be adapted to just about any Sith idea. Basically there is no reason not to buy him, except maybe the figure he comes with...
To be blunt, Blue is a disappointment. She does not have the dynamic colors that makes her so exotic in the comic book as can be seen in the upper corner below.
However, she does appear to be based on a concept drawing in the lower corner. The fact that the outfit is nearly identical lends credence to the idea. But personally I would have liked the deeper and richer colors that makes her so dynamic in the comic.
I wouldn't say she is horrible though, her form is very feminine and shapely without the over endowments seen in other lines like Marvel Universe. I wouldn't say she is sexy as saying such things would be kind of creepy, but still she is attractive as he is in the comic. In that respect she accomplishes some goals.
Her face sculpt is way off though and combined with the color makes her a bit off from what I expected at least. Oddly she has some pink in her hair as well, again adding to the lack of deep rich color reflected in the comic.
Overall she is a bit of a disappointment, unless you are a Legacy junkie like myself she is easily avoided. However she is packed with the excellent Nihl which means se isn't so easily avoided. In the end it depends on the point of view. Still I wouldn't blame anyone for avoiding her.
http://www.zedsjoesite.com/review/odds2/odds2.htmlJust a notice, I am restructureing the quick links page so no update there yet. Just bare with me as I hope to simplify it.
