Favorite Figure: 020 ALICENT HIGHTOWER
Favorite Series: HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
First Figure: MELISANDRE (GAME OF THRONES)
Want List: 1454 LOTTIE MATTHEWS
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As much as I love Super7's Ultimates (well, most of the time), we can all agree they cost way too much. The $55 (now $65) price is mainly due to them being made-to-order figures, but with how the quality and effort ranges from "good" to "utter crap," and the fact that they show up often through online retailers and collectible and comic shops, they should really drop the price by $15. S7 seems to understand the issue with pricing, so last year they introduced their "Deluxe" line, which consists of Ultimate reissues, but with heavily trimmed-down accessories for a somewhat more reasonable $35 price. Out of all of them so far, Thundercats' Lion-O is one of the only new sculpts for the line (the other being the Iron Giant), so he'll be the one I'm looking at.

These Deluxe figures usually come in cardbacks, and the graphics here are very similar to the Ultimates. Same LJN-inspired background, same red and black motif, and same artwork that was present on the first wave. It works just as well for the license as the Ultimates packaging does, and there's only a single twist-tie in the tray for the figure. Not to mention it'll take up less space, since there's nowhere near as much here as their pricier counterparts.

Lion-O's Deluxe figure gets an all-new sculpt, also used for the LED Ultimate, and I presume Four Horsemen is still doing the sculpting, but he's more toon-accurate. The face isn't too much different from the original sculpt, but the hair is more simple in design to match how he looked on-screen. When this figure first hit stores, fans were mixed; some thought he looked fine, others thought it was off. In-hand, he looks just fine, with a softer material used for his flowing hair, and clean paint for the face.

Standing a bit over 7", Lion-O's new body doesn't have as much detail as before, but again, that's because Super7 was going for an animated look rather than making him fit in with MOTU Classics. Considering how the sculpts for the Ultimates line became more toon-like than Classics-like over time, the new Lion-O fits in well with the more recent TC releases as well as other cartoon lines, and the redone outfit looks more accurate. One issue I didn't notice until I was writing this review was that his biceps were on the wrong arms, but it's nothing some heat couldn't fix. The paint is clean for the most part, save for some bleed on the white parts, and the colors match the show well, but his skin is too pale. It should be a little darker in tone, and a bit orange too.

Doing an all-new sculpt meant Super7 was able to improve on Lion-O's articulation, and he moves surprisingly well. The Lord of the Thundercats gets a barbell head, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists (vertical movement), hips, knees, and ankles, swivel biceps and thighs, and ball-jointed chest and waist. Having pinless joints is already an improvement over before, but the ball-chest is certainly welcome. Not as much forward movement as an ab crunch, but it still has plenty of range, and the waist being a ball peg as well gives it more tilt. I would be mindful of tight joints here and there, especially in the knees, so I'd advise using some heat when you first get him out and moving.

As mentioned earlier, the Deluxe figures cut the accessories down to just the necessities, so Lion-O only gets his Sword of Omens and Claw Shield. The sword has less color to it and looks a bit cheaper, so that's a step back, but the Claw Shield looks just fine. It's scaled properly with the figure, and his left hand can be swapped out for it. That said, he feels too light for the $35 price. The earliest 7-inch figures by Super7 (coincidentally also called Deluxe) had the same price, but those were more outfitted, even including extra heads and/or hands on occasion. If Lion-O had an extra set of hands, as well as a Claw Shield that can plug into the belt, then the value would be better. Speaking of which, the lack of a Claw Shield for the belt means the peg on the side of his waist is pointless, and part of me just wants to chop it off for a more seamless look.

Having not gotten the initial Ultimate Lion-O (though a reissue seems to be coming out), being able to pick up this trimmed-down version for a lower price is a good option, especially with the new sculpt featuring more screen-accuracy and better articulation. I've seen Ultimates at mass retailers like Walmart and Best Buy, but I don't think they sold well due to their high prices, so offering something equal in cost to a NECA figure is a good solution, even if the value isn't as good. Hopefully, Super7 continues with these releases, but I also hope they use this new mold for a new standard Ultimate Lion-O. Maybe a Tygra with the elbow pad and full paint while they're at it (I saw the Deluxe, and it seems they can never do him right).

- 7/23/25...[See More]

Favorite Figure: Figuarts 2016 Flash - 2002 Spiderman Super Articulated
Favorite Series: Mafex
Currently Collecting: Mafex, Figuarts
Want List: All Mafex
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I don't do many customs and when I do its more mods than a totally new fig, I was wondering if there was an easier way to get a six inch spawn without making a whole new custom. Thank you!...[See More]

Favorite Series: Gi Joe Classified
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Favorite Figure: Juggernaut Marvel Select
Favorite Series: Marvel Legends
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First Figure: A Jazwares P1 Akuma & Resaurus P2 Cammy bought together from a car bootsale table around 2008
Collection Size: fairly large, i'd have to count (it's taking up a single bedroom atm)
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Street Fighter isn't just about people duking it out all over the world; the fight between good and evil is also a prevalent factor. Most of the characters we've gotten in Jada's SFII line are good or at least neutral, but there are some villains as well. There's the Evil Ryu and Violent Ken exclusives (who didn't appear in the original SFII and its updates), as well as Sagat and more recently Vega. But the true big bad of the game and series is M. Bison (called Vega in Japan, while Vega is called Balrog, and Balrog is called Bison. Not sure why that is).

Bison embraces his role as II's main villain with his design, dressed in a military uniform with a peaked cap bearing a winged skull pin. His face alone is intimidating, with an unamused expression on a head with a prominent chin and cheekbones, as well as blank white eyes, likely a result of him purging all of his goodness to obtain what's known as "Psycho Power." His alternate head matches the sprite art seen on the box, with an angrier expression and small orange pupils. Both heads bear good paint and detail, including some dark wash around the eyes.

Standing about 6 1/2" tall, Master Bison's uniform is mostly red, though with blue around the middle and collar. He's quite muscular, as any Street Fighter would be, and his clothes bear a similar texture to Ryu and Ken's. The lower part of the top from the belt downwards is rubber, so that it doesn't get in the way of leg movement. The parts of his outfit that would be steel, such as the shinguards, are given a metallic silver coat, and the paint work is pretty good, though there's some bleed and other issues on areas like the bracers and belt. The cape is a leather-like material held in place by pins on the shoulder pads, and it's wired as well, so you can pose it however you like.

Bison bears most of the same articulation as the rest of the line, with the usual joints for the head, neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, chest, waist, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles. He lacks the shin swivels these figures usually get due to the shinguards, but the shoulder pads can move, as they're separate pieces sandwiched between the pectoral hinges and shoulder pegs, so their positions can be shifted. My main nit with the design is the back of the knee joints, as the lower parts aren't painted to match the boots, so you have an obvious red disk showing up on gray and black areas. Aside from the extra head, Bison has the option of closed or grasping hands, a Psycho Power effect that can go over the fists, and an alternate pair of shoulder pads without the cape. They're easy to get on and off, with instructions being included on how to do so, but it takes a bit of force getting the right pads to clip on.

Like Dhalsim, Bison is getting an SDCC-exclusive variant, depicting him with a green and red outfit, a bold orange instead of silver colors, and dark maroon boots, belt, and other black areas. He's also far more accessorized, with new smiling and grinning heads (both for this variant and the regular Bison), a pair of thumbs-up hands, a blue Psycho Power effect, a Psycho Crusher effect that goes over the entire figure (and includes a stand), and a burning opponent piece same as Dhalsim's, but blue. Not sure why Jada holds off more of the desirable parts for exclusives, but it gives us more of a reason to get the alternate palettes. Speaking of, there's a BBTS-exclusive Bison with a blue and red outfit that looks pretty cool.

Paint issues aside, M. Bison is pretty cool and fun, and it never hurts to have villains for your other figures to fight. The reason I don't get these more often is because I usually prefer to buy in-store, and Target is the main brick-and-mortar retailer for these, but mine rarely get them. Now that GameStop is carrying this line (Walmart too, but they only have the first wave so far), I'm more likely to get these more often.

- 7/21/25...[See More]

Favorite Figure: my autographed 1995 Boba Fett POTF MOC
Favorite Series: Star Wars from 77-85
First Figure: 1977 Darth Vader
Collection Size: been collecting since 77.
Currently Collecting: star wars all years
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I don't go to movie theaters often, but Godzilla Minus One was the first movie I was willing to see there in a long time. I was already prepared for it having seen the Showa- and Heisei-era films, and I enjoyed it a lot because of the story, characters, action, Godzilla returning to his portrayal as a destructive monster, not an ally... just about everything. Having the Godzilla license meant Super7 was quick to do him in Ultimates form, and thanks to a recent BBTS sale, I got him for a somewhat better price.

Super7 already ditched the packaging slip covers with Toho wave four, so Minus One Goji doesn't have one either. The box is more simplistic than the other Godzilla Ultimates, but the graphics fit this specific version of the character well, and no slip cover means you can see right away what's inside. There are more twist ties than usual here, so that's a little bothersome, but it's easy to snip them out.

I don't remember who sculpted Godzilla, nor am I sure if I ever saw who did, but what I do know is that Super7 was able to work with the film's director and models directly to ensure he came out as accurate as possible. It certainly paid off, as this figure looks better than their previous Godzilla Ultimates. The portrait is accurate to the film, with plenty of detail and good paint highlights. It's not a perfect output, but the benefits of being able to use the movie's model as a reference can be seen with it. Godzilla has two head sculpts, one with the mouth slightly open and one with the mouth wide open and roaring. The paint on the roaring head isn't as good as the default one, but both look good on the rest of the figure, and swap with little difficulty.

Godzilla stands about 8 1/4" tall, but his tail is a lot longer at 10". Because of this, it's a separate piece like usual, this time with the ball peg being on it rather than his posterior. It pops on fine, but I'd recommend some heat to ensure a better fit. The rest of the figure has all the details his model does, although the sculpt is rather soft appearance-wise, but it's not the first S7 Goji to suffer that issue. To be honest, he feels a little cheap around the torso, with the hollow plastic reminding me of a Happy Meal toy, and that's not how you want to hear an $85 figure described. The scales look nice, but tend to get warped inside the package, so be mindful of that. The deco looks better than the renders, as he doesn't look like he's covered in sand, and the colors are mostly clean and do a good job highlighting his scaly body.

The articulation is an improvement over the BioGoji mold, as I found most of the joints having more range and better movement. Godzilla has a barbell head, ball-jointed neck, chest, hips, and tail, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles, swivel biceps, and six extra ball joints in the tail. The head, neck, and chest have tons of range, allowing for plenty of dynamic poses. The tail can go a little straighter now, but still doesn't have enough tilt in the joints for more bend. The arms and legs work great, and it helps the elbow joints are on the forearms like they should be, but it would've been nice if the hips had more outward motion. The extra head is his only accessory; no extra hands or anything. I feel that's all he really needs, but a few more extras would've helped with the value.

Minus One Goji has had more than his fair share of variants already, getting nearly as much reuse as the BioGoji sculpt. The first was a "Minus Color" variant to tie in with the black-and-white version of the movie, and that one was really limited, being a weekend-only direct pre-order with a limited amount, and he sold out in, I think, under 24 hours. Then he got a "charging" variant that was a general release, and it featured Godzilla with larger, blue spikes covered in glow-in-the-dark paint, with the mouth being similarly blue, showing him preparing to fire his atomic breath. It's similar to the NYCC Heat Ray BioGoji, but unlike that one, he lacked the breath effect itself (lame!). The packaging on both of those looked cooler than the regular version, and it makes me wonder why the base Goji didn't have a similar box. And now we're getting a clear orange-red "burning" variant for an SDCC pop-up! Hopefully, the recent price increase for Ultimates doesn't mean he'll end up being $100; these were already overpriced enough.

It's a good thing I held off on this figure for a bit, since I was able to get a reasonable discount on him, though he really should be a $50-60 figure at most. While there's still room for improvement, he still looks and poses just fine, and I think he's better than what came out before him (then again, I only got three other Godzilla Ultimates). If you're not interested in the high price, Target has a "Super Kaiju" Godzilla that's smaller and carries a $37 price tag. Still overpriced, but he still looks good and saves you quite a bit of cash.

- 7/17/25...[See More]

Want List: [1996 - McDonald's Disney Hercules Megara], [1996 - McDonald's Disney Hercules Phil PVC Figure], [1997 - McDonald's Disney Hercules Hades], [1998 - Comedy Central South Park Eric Cartman Collectible Figure], [2001 - Bandai Digimon Tamers Rapidmon 6" Action Figure], [2002 - LEGO Harry Potter 4729: Dumbledore's Office], [2012 - Thunder Bison Burst Bison (B-Daman) Product Code: CB-41], [2015 - Hallmark Star Wars Yoda Christmas Ornament]
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eBay User Name: OdysseyGamingCenter
Favorite Figure: Spider-Man Toy Biz
Favorite Series: Total Justice Kenner
First Figure: Leonardo TMNT
Collection Size: Small to Moderate
Currently Collecting: 80's & 90's
Want List: Retro & Vintage
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Collection Size: Over 400 that include wrestling figures, Marvel Legends & counting
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Current Projects: Thraggs Thraxan Army
Comments: https://www.tiktok.com/@ike_viz?is_from ... _device=pc

On my TikTok, I post vids of my custom figures, while on Figure Realm, I will highlight the process and details behind each one-of-a-kind creation. 💪💪💪
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Can it be done here?...[See More]