HIYA Toys Exquisite Mini's AVP Predators Youngblood, Temple Guard, Warrior Review

    HIYA Toys Exquisite AVP Predators Review 

Predator is the best franchise out there, am I correct?  Ok, I know a lot of the latest movies and designs haven't been the best, but the designs from AVP have really translated well into action figures. This review covers the second tier Predators Youngblood, Temple Guard, Warrior and the Unmasked Scar all from Aliens vs Predator. Now that they are finally in my hands, let's take a closer look at just how good Hiya did with this wave! 

Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective Hellboy (2019) Review

Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective Hellboy Review 

There's been a few iterations of Hellboy with lots of debate over what's a good movie/bad movie and poor take on the character.  Lionsgate not long ago released their version of Hellboy and it didn't receive a lot of  great reviews which was a let down.  Mezco bought in to the new film and created the iconic Hellboy from this film, and even if you don't like the movie you have to say this is a great figure.  A few companies have recently released a version of the character, but Mezco's take on the character from the movie really looks and feels good in your hands. Let's take a closer look at Mezco's version of Hellboy and why he's worth adding to your collection. 

HIYA Toys Exquisite Mini's Predators Movie Figures Review

 HIYA Toys Exquisite Predators Movie Figures

I remember the first time I saw the trailer for "Predators" and it had me split. I really liked the plot of the movie and the idea of the Predators taking unique humans and hunting them on their own planet.  Upon watching the movie it was a little deflating with the choice of actors, and some of the human vs Predator battles, but it did give us fresh new designs of "Super" Predators.  So the movie wasn't the best but in the end the new designs caught people's attention and over the years a love has grown for the designs in the movie. I was very pleased to see HIYA was going to take on the challenge of this group and they did a great job executing.

Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective MDX John Wick Review

Mezco Toyz John Wick Review

John Wick blew up on the scene a few years ago and has been a total hit!  Keanu is really at his best in this role, and the gun play and action sequences are excellent.  Mezco has taken his character from John Wick 2 and put him into a sophisticated 1/12 scale.  The hype for this figure has been ongoing for over a year, but when I finally got him in my hands I really feel like it’s average at best.  Mezco had a lot of time and pushed back the release date, all raising our hopes that this would truly be an ultimate figure. I was let down, but let's take a closer look at the final John Wick from Mezco Toyz.   

Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective Spider-Man Far From Home Figure Review

Mezco Toyz Spider-Man Far From Home

The newest movie versions of Spider-Man have been a huge hit with Marvel fans. I believe this is the 4th Spider-Man version Mezco has released in the similar red with black or blue highlighted suits.  I'm not counting the black PX version as this is a different suit and look all together.  I've always been a fan of the classic Spider-Man look and it was the first version Mezco released and I purchased.  What drew me into purchasing this version is the black and red suit along with some amazing accessories and head sculpts.  I'm very pleased with the Tom Holland head sculpt, Tony Stark glasses, and the perfect effect of a web mask that covers a figures face.  Now its time to take a closer look at the pros and cons of the latest release from Mezco Toyz. 

Mezco Toyz One:12 The Warriors Furies Box Set Figure Review

Mezco Toyz 
The Warriors/Furies Box Set Review

The Warriors is a late 70's gang based movie that has become a cult classic.  All of the New York gangs are called to a large meeting to listen to the King talk a lot of gang things. As the King preaches "Can you dig it!" one of the other gangs shoots and kills him and in the process blames The Warriors for killing him. This is the point where The Warriors have to make back to their home turf, fighting every gang in the city.  The Furies are an excellent 70's type gang wearing baseball uniforms and each having distinct face paint.  All of this leads to a nice scene of chasing and fighting with The Warriors winning out and getting away.  I was ecstatic when Mezco first announced the release of this set, and its living up to the hype.  Let's take a closer look at this four figure box set and if it can hold out in a gang fight!

Mezco Toyz 2019 SDCC Moon Knight Crescent Edition Review

Mezco Toyz 
SDCC Moon Knight Crescent Edition 

There are so many unique characters in the Marvel universe and Moon Knight is no exception.  He always comes with an asterisk saying "He's Marvel's version of Batman" but I don't see him that way. I will say I prefer Batman's suit over Moon Knight's suit and probably prefer Batman's back story over his.  During a full moon, Moon Knight is at his strongest with super speed, invisibility and allowing Marc Spector to do his thing.

Mezco Toyz 2019 Toy Fair Press Event

Mezco Toyz 2019 Toy Fair Press Event

This past weekend we had the pleasure of going to the 2019 New York Toy Fair. This was our fifth year in a row covering the event. Every year the Mezco Toyz press event is the highlight of Toy Fair. Not only do they pump out an exorbitant amount of new characters, but nobody takes better care of their guests than Mezco. Mezco gave out goody bags to all of the press in attendance. They included TWO new One:12 figures and other items as well. The new figures were Mezco's mascot, Gomez, and a Toy Fair exclusive Blade. More on those later!

CSJ Week In Review

Here is a look at some of the most interesting and exciting news about toys, movies, and pop culture from this past week.

CSJ Week In Review

Here is a look at some of the most interesting news about toys, movies, and pop culture from this past week.

CSJ Week in Review

We are starting a new feature here every Friday where we will share some of the most interesting topics and news of the week. This week we cover some toys, movie, and video game news. We are very excited about NECA's new TMNT information!

Mezco Toyz One:12 DC Deathstroke Figure Review

Mezco Toyz Deathstroke

Deathstroke the assassin has been around since 1980, and a lot of people describe him as DC's version of Marvel's Deadpool. Over time, Deathstroke has taken on the Teen Titans, Batman and Green Arrow with his story always evolving.  Deathstroke was originally introduced as the Terminator, taking contracts and eliminating targets.  He was chosen for a secret military experiment that gave him enhanced abilities he would later put to use. Deathstroke has the strength of ten men, and also has the ability to use up to 90% of his brain power.  Considering these two things alone, Deathstroke has a strong advantage against you.
 Let's take a closer look at this superhuman Terminator and see how well Mezco did.

NECA TOYS Pacific Rim Kaiju Hardship Review

Pacific Rim Kaiju 

HARDSHIP

Pacific Rim is all about Kaiju monsters attacking earth through a portal in the sea.  It starts off with some great action sequences in the beginning of the movie. He is shown in night vision in the prologue of the movie fighting Romeo Blue.  The kaijus from the movie are awesome and we get to see the epic size of these monsters the jaegers have to fight.

NECA TOYS Cinemachines Series 1 Review

NECA Cinemachines

Finally, we are getting highly detailed versions of great vehicles from iconic action movies of the past.  Who else but NECA would be the ones to come through for all of us fans!  The first series of Cinemachines is based off the movies ALIEN and ALIENS. This series brings us four different vehicles.  When we spoke to Randy Falk last summer I asked about the possibility of doing large vehicles for Aliens, Terminator, etc since they had already done the Predator Blade Fighter.  He responded with it being a possibility but in a smaller scale.  I wasn't too sure how I felt about the idea of vehicles in a smaller scale, but I was certainly curious about what NECA could do with it.  

Fast forward to this February when we were able to meet with Randy at NY Toy Fair. That is when we actually got to hold these awesome vehicles in hand.   Yes, we all saw the pictures of what was to come, but pictures just don't do these justice. Once I had the Dropship in my hand and shot out the APC I knew they were cooler than any type of line like this before.  The detail of each piece was evident, and the weight/build of each was equally impressive.  Let's take a closer look at these amazing pieces so you can decide where you want to display them!

NECA TOYS AVP Grid and Warrior Alien Review

AVP 

Grid and Warrior Aliens

When you think about an Alien fighting a Predator most people will think that the Predator wins hands down.  In a true one on one battle this could be the case, but the Aliens in AVP show nothing is certain.  In the movie, one of the last things you start to see are the Aliens attacking humans and Predators.  At this point in the movie it looks as if the Xenos are truly the best.  The GRID Alien picks apart two Predators before finally being taken out by the Scar Predator.  We will cut the Predators some slack as this was their chance to prove themselves by defeating a Xenomorph.  Let's take a closer look at NECA's GRID and Warrior Aliens from the movie Alien vs Predator.

NECA TOYS Pacific Rim Ultimate Striker Eureka Review

Pacific Rim 

Ultimate Striker Eureka 

     The Pacific Rim line may be coming to a close after 2 1/2 years, but NECA has made sure that we receive Ultimate versions from the icons of the movie.  The Ultimate Striker is a very nice upgrade from the first version NECA released.  The Striker is the strongest and fastest of all the Jaegers, and he really knows how to brawl. The Ultimate version comes with a lot of updates that make it worth buying even if you have the original.

NECA TOYS Ultimate T-1000 Terminator Review

NECA Ultimate T-1000 Terminator

"Have you seen this boy?", a line Robert Patrick laid out with conviction as a T-1000.  I actually believe Robert Patrick was just as good as any of the other characters in Terminator 2.  He really gives a performance that makes you believe he is literally a liquid machine with one job...TERMINATE!  I could almost make a case that he stole the movie from the entire cast...only because of his kills and demeanor throughout the movie. OK, enough about the movie, let's jump into this awesome figure!

NECA TOYS Ultimate Sarah Connor Review

NECA Toys Ultimate Sarah Connor

Sarah Connor, the mother of the free world.  Sarah may be the best female action character of all time, even better than Lt. Ripley.  OK, you can frown and shout at the screen after reading that sentence, but it's my honest opinion.  The evolution of Sarah through Terminator 1 and 2 really shows how strong and relentless she is.  Terminator 2 has four main characters, and all of them bring their own unique back story to the movie.  Sarah shows she can break out of a prison, outsmart guards and even kick some ass when needed.  Her character is of equal importance to that of the T-800, and to see the two of them work together and the evolution of Sarah throughout the movie is awesome.  By the time Sarah has met up with her friends and geared up to take out Miles Dyson and Cyberdyne, she is one bad ass bitch! This figure created by NECA captures her from that moment on in the movie, fighting for what she believes is freedom and to change the future.  One of my favorite lines… "There's no fate but what we make for ourselves."

NECA TOYS Aliens Power Loader Review

NECA TOYS Aliens Power Loader

Hi everyone, I just received the Kenner Aliens Power Loader, and man this thing is just a hunk of plastic.  Oh wait, I actually got the NECA Toys version of the Aliens Power Loader and this thing is much more than some plastic!  Classic, a perfect word to describe the NECA Power Loader.  It's truly something pulled right out of the Aliens movie, and not just to fight the Queen, but to also help me move things around in my room.  It comes in a smaller box than you would think, but wait until you take it out you and get a feel of how cool and in scale it is with all of your NECA Aliens collection!

NECA TOYS Terminator Genisys T-1000 Review

NECA Terminator Genisys T-1000

If you have already watched Terminator Genesis you have an idea of all the characters that star in this movie.  I wasn't a huge fan of the entire movie, but there was some great parts that you can't overlook.  Some of the things I actually did like about the movie were the additional characters that were introduced. Genisys brought us a new/different T-1000. This isn't the iconic Robert Patrick version that we all know and love from T2. However, since T-1000's are shapeshifters it does make sense for them to have the forms of a different people. The T-1000 from Genisys is played by Byung-hun Lee. This character is pretty freaking awesome. The only downside is that the creators of the movie teased us big time and the character is hardly even in the movie. With that said, I won't let my gripes with the movie interfere with my review of this kickass figure.