Pretty much sums up why these could be found at Ollies. Also encapsulates the entire problem with D&D Marketing; the toys and the films never had cross pollination.
12.50 is twice a 1990 price of 7.00, a 1984 price would be about 5.50 or 6.00. for a six inch fig, not bad, IF THE JOINTS WERE NOT A FRAUD. But at 25 bucks it's a rip off. Only at 9llies is it close to actual price. Except it's not, because THE JOINTS ARE A FRAUD.
Well there was some cross pollination between the video gaming world and the tabletops between 2nd edition and early 3rd, but after the initial implosion of TSR they never got that synergy working again.
I'm sick of hearing about all the awesome toys at Ollies.....WE DON'T HAVE AN OLLIES AND ALL THE SHIT I CANT FIND GOES TO THEM....FFFFUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!!!!!
@@joshuachristian5443 Most of the toys at Ollies AREN'T awesome. It's all the crap Wal Mart, Target, and other major chains couldn't sell. That's the whole point of Ollies -- selling crap and overstock! Ollies buys this junk for pennies on the dollar. Books in stock at Ollies generally sell for 75% off, most other things in the store are 25-50% off so the deals aren't all fantastic but still much better on average IF you can find anything good among piles of junk in the store. I like Ollies but face it -- 85% of anything in the store is junk. I only find fantastic/semi-fantastic discoveries in that store maybe 3 times a year. The last half of this year has NOT been good for finds signaling to me that companies are slowing production on many things and not overproducing like they did over the last 3-4 years. Of course, with the "popularity" of Disney now, there are TONS of Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney toys even Ollies can't get rid of! People don't want reminders of films and TV shows they didn't enjoy and many Disney and Marvel fans have left FOR GOOD! They/Disney won't get these customers back. Oh, and most toy collectors while they like deals will not buy poorly made goods. People have their limits especially when toy companies behave like Hasbro and skimp on quality while overpricing almost everything. Hasbro is committing corporate suicide on multiple fronts. Hasbro is arrogant and dismissive of its customers, the CEO and general management of Hasbro is out of touch with reality, and they are neglecting their core traditional toymaking business in favor of chasing fields Hasbro DOESN'T understand = film production, videogames. Hasbro already sold their film studio. How many years and hundreds of millions do you think Hasbro will lose before the Board realizes its management doesn't know what the hell they're doing with videogames?!? The reason Ollies has HALF the D&D animated figures in stock is because word spread quickly that the quality control on these "deluxe, exclusive" action figures is NONEXISTENT! The figures were DUMPED by nearly every major chain. These figures literally break in your hands once you take them out of the box!
@@cyrusq5999I somewhat agree, though I prefer slightly more articulation like the 80s GI Joe Real American Hero figures and the recent Masters of the Universe Origins figures. But yeah, 30 points of articulation makes toys very hard to play with, and often makes them hard to pose as well.
@@cyrusq5999Then people would complain about lack of articulation. The fact is jointed things that are flexed a lot wear and break. Even most living people have some joint problems after they get 40 or so, and those are made by God. People expect a bunch of plastic joints to be durable? 🙂
Even before clicking on the video, my first thought was, "I wonder how many of those were either already broken or broken within seconds of taking them out of the box."
"Overpriced, under-engineered, and not properly quality controlled correctly..." I feel that this is the best description of Hasbro action figures from the past five years easy...
I was honestly excited for this line at first because i loved the 80s cartoon. But what basically killed my excitement mostly had to do with the plasticless boxes, the dodgy QC and Venger being an exclusive.
Thank you for nice summary of this toy line. This is what happens when toy companies no longer make toys for kids and now produce them for 30+ who have salaries that can afford the high prices. I’ll pass and stick to collecting my childhood stuff from the 80’s because fun fact they are still durable and designed for play (my 11 year old can testify to that since he plays with 40 year old toys!)
I got them just because there was a childhood dream, the only one with problems was Hank. I put them in posses, got them in place and walked away forever
Your review echoes my thoughts almost entirely (I got Venger and Dungeon Master). I bought these at full price, through gritted teeth. I felt these were the best figures we'd ever get of one of my all time favorite shows. Those Hasbro S-O-Bs got me.
I loved this cartoon as a kid in the 80s. At the time I was heavily into D&D and Tolkien and medieval fantasy, so the cartoon really captured my imagination. I had a lot of the D&D action figures and was frustrated at the lack of the adventuring party from the animation. At first glance these figures look wonderful but as you say they're not gonna get us home. Great video as always.
Excellent video Michael French! It looks like they kitbashed and re-painted a Star Wars: A New Hope Princess Leia's body into the Presto figure! Hasbro seems to be doing more and more kitbashing, but thought that was exclusively with their Star Wars action figures! I didn't know until now a 6 inch A New Hope Leia's body was partially kitbashed and repainted into being Presto's body!
Thanks Michael for your video on these figures. I only saw these figures at my local Target, but they were not there for very long. I did order two sets of these, so that I could have one set sealed, since we have waited so long for this line to come out for us fans. The packaging is absolutely beautiful, and I love the collage photo along the sides. I do agree with you that Hasbro was asleep at the wheel when it came to their design choices. If they had gone along the lines of these figures being made like their GI Joe classified line, with a much better build quality, and better articulation, I think this set could have been amazing. It’s really a shame that this line has suffered from such poor design, and lack of enthusiasm for this wonderful property. I’m glad you took the time to share this video with your fans. I would recommend you pick up the Venger and Dungeon Master to complete the set. While more expensive than the regular figures, those two do add to the overall nostalgia experience, and if you can get them for a reasonable price, I’d recommend getting them.
In the Black Series collecting circle there’s a meme at this point about Hasbro’s figures being “Ollie’s Exclusive.” The majority of the Hasbro figures I’ve purchased this year have been clearance buys or purchases from Ollie’s. Great video as always, Michael! I’d like to think that the recent failures with plastic-free packaging would wake Hasbro up to consumer desires, although I know that’s wishful thinking and won’t realistically happen.
Same I saw some Gi joe figs (6inch line) at a clearance store and Im tempted here in Canada they are like 35$ while at that clearance store they are between 15$-20$
I did enjoy this line and collected them as well as the Dungeon Master and Venger two pack. These were obviously aimed at adult collectors who grew up in that era and really wanted these characters in figure form. Adult collectors don’t play with figures. Rather they simply display them on a shelf and for that they do a good job. Also they are almost the same scale as the recent NECA Dungeons and Dragons figures which allows one to expand their adventures in the realm. My secret dream is a set of these characters scaled to the size of the vintage LJN figures but I know that’s very unlikely to ever happen.
Great video Michael! I gotta say they do look good as a standing group. If hasbro had any sense, they would re-release all the plastic-less figures with new plastic carded versions.
The 2nd line is now on the Target app for $17 so I said WTH, I got the first wave on clearance and happened to find a Dungeon Master/Venger pack for $12 at Target and couldn't pass it up. Like most, I wanted these as a kid so bad so had to get them BUT not at full price. LOL. So I said to hell with it. And yeah, here in Knoxville, my Ollie's has a TON of the first wave figures!!
Quality issues aside, 10 year old me would have never forgiven myself if I didn’t get these, so yes, I have the full set. (Except for DM / Venger, I’ll wait for them to go on clearance)
Spot on review! I would only add something that is generally not mentioned (or at least I haven't heard anywhere), which is that Eric's gray paint in his arms and legs should be blue. Even the cardboard image they used show them in blue color. That is a huge let down for me because I feel it makes him look very weird. Also, I would have liked that Bobby had a removable helmet. I know he comes with Uni, and that is cool, but still... All in all I feel the designers did a good job overall regarding their looks (Hank's white lipstick apart), but they didn't pay attention to very basic things like the articulations or the fact that my Bobby, for example, can not properly hold his weapon. It feels to me as if the designers made a better product than the one we got... but then someone came and cheapened the final result. It is a shame they made such a flimsy product that most likely ended the line. I would have loved to see the cartoon Tiamat dragon and Venger's shadow releases to complete what I consider the basics of this series. But no... they had to create a Tiamat toy based on its appearance in a movie that no one really cared about. Kudos for finally producing D&D cartoon figures, though.
I wanted to thank you so much for this video. I never would’ve thought to look for these figures at Ollies. I was so psyched whenever I first saw these at Walmart, but as you mentioned, the price point was way out of reach. But I’ve always been a big fan of Bobby and Zuni and I really really really wanted that figure so when I found it Ollies for that price, I couldn’t pass it up. Thank you for sharing. Perhaps one day we’ll get another set that might be worthy of the legacy and at a decent price point
Was enthralled with this show way back in the 80's and it was a highlight of my Saturday afternoons. As soon as I saw these on the shelves that child-like wonder faded quickly. Thanks a lot Hasbro.
they were actually discounted in Target for half the price including the 2 pack..the last 3 I bought also in target during the Target circle sale at 30% less.. agreed articulations not the best, but that has always been my expectation, like they're nintendo figures, representing game characters..maybe we'd get better ones in the future, just glad we got these now.
I hate that non plastic packaging , hate the price even more, and after hearing about QC problems they were a hard pass until I found Ollie's, I have no love for Hasbro, but love the show so I was reluctant to get them..yes the sculpts are good but not fantastic, but there isn't anything else for these characters and it is a shame...great Video as always.
Yeah the lack of double jointed elbows on several of these figures is a real shame because they gave them double jointed knees all around. I could live with the sculpt and all, but the articulation kills these for me. I might get Sheila because I had a crush on her as a kid and she is a red head and we all know how much current pop culture has it in for red heads, lol.
Yeah, like why only do single-jointed arms but double-jointed legs? I mean maybe if they had the range for it perhaps more people could live with it, but again, the legs are double jointed, so why aren't the arms? For that matter, where are the butterfly shoulder joints? It's one thing when you do a single-jointed arm for a Transformer figure or a Lightning Collection monster figure since some of those are by design (and even some of those manage an articulation point like a butterfly joint). But it's another when you do that shit to human or more humanoid figures like this. Especially with characters who are supposed to have some form of dynamic posing options like Hank or Diana. It's obvious this feels lees like a loving tribute to a show from the 80s and more Hasbro throwing up their hands and going "Fine, we'll do it, but not because WE want to". Hell the Transformers RED line, as bad as it was, had better articulation than this. This is why I called them Super7 rejects; because this feels so much like Hasbro just farmed it off to Super7's guys instead of getting the ML/Lightning Collection team to do this. If it weren't for the logo on the package, I honestly would have thought these were sub-licensed to S7 from Hasbro like their figures for Transformers Ultimates (another can of worms in and of itself, imo)
@@Newsystuffs When I had first seen these on the shelves I had almost thought they were a different company and I had some hopes they would be Marvel Legends leval figures but seeing that they didn't try to five some better articulation to the arms here or there really made me not want to buy them...that and the $25 price. Wish we had Ollies where I live because that sharp price cut is about the only reason to get them now.
Can not agree more and in fact I only have 1/2 the set with Venger due to Target having them at half price. I never even saw wave 2 in stores. I am going to keep an eye on Ollies and even my target still. Hope to finish it out without paying 25 dollars for figs that are worth 8. Thanks for sharing
I loved the cartoon as a child and watched it each week, I remember watching your detailed review on the cartoon that you did 7 years ago and loved it. Thanks for the follow-up, now the figures are released. Hasbro just doesn't make the toys like they did in the 80s, probably because the people back then were from a different generation.
Regardless of what people think of plastic, the bubbles allow buyers to see the full condition of the product before the buy. Everything that happened due to this is an argument to why boxes SHOULD have transparent bubbles because people got fucked over. My biggest issue since 2010 when things really started to roll in this so called nerd wave was companies making figures like this with the expectation that they'd never leave the box which may explain a lot of the quality issues. They forgot that collector toys back in the day were still TOYS and as such were made to be roughed with, leading to the durability of many of them. Going back to my first point, figured like this seem to be made without that thought in mind and with the expectation of they're going to sit in the back of some influencer's room on the wall to work as free advertising in a video rather than something that people actually want because they LIKE it. And I was able to find them at my Target in Indianapolis (the one near the Speedway for context) but they were tossed near the last end of the toy section. They weren't even in the section where figures based on movies/shows were.
When I was searching eBay last year for these I came across solid rubber/PVC figures from back then, so there were sort of D&D cartoon figures in the 80s. I didn't get any from eBay as the prices were ridiculous.
Excelllent review and thanks! We bought two of the NECA figures, Strongheart and Grimsword, pricy but they’re the kids’ favorite in terms of playability. They really put those figures through the paces; the only thing I had to glue back on was Grimsword’s foot.
I'm kind of pissed when it comes to action figures in my country: in Mexico the dollar is cheaper nowadays that it was the last two years, and in some instances prices has been adjusted for some imports, but for action figures they actually went up like 20-30%, which considering the reviews about how quality has suffered with some, it's kind of an injustice. Thanks for a great video, I was waiting for you to review these. Always great to watch you! P.S. Eric's face looks like a Ken from Barbie.
Thank you validating and expanding on all the reasons I didn’t pick these up when I saw them. Definitely hit my Gen X nostalgia button hard but Hasbro doesn’t get my money if I can help it.
Oh man, this was a great Review análisis video, i just bought the entire collection for 50 bucks, well the only one missing was presto but i already got it full price on line just to have the complete set. I'm glad i got the figures at that price
They look great in front of the amusement park background that comes w/ Venger and DM. Now I wonder if Ollie's will get any of the Indiana Jones waves?
Thanks for the video Michael, I completely agree 👍 I'm one of the "can't let go" GenX/Xennial for this group. I had some of the rare 3" PVC Figirines released in 1985 by Comics Spain but always wanted action figures of them and planned to eventually custom make them because I honestly never expected to actually see a mass production for them. I was amazedwhen I found out and I pre-ordered the Dungeon Master and Venger set. The backdrop which comes with it provides an additional option for their mostly static display. I couldn't get myself to pay full price for the rest. Just a few months after release, series 1 including the exclusive set were already discounted at 50% off, that's when I bought them and get a price adjustment on the exclusive set as well. Series 2 I was able to get at 25% discount with Target's buy for $100 get $25 off deal. I still have the main team sealed due to the knowingly annoyance of having to deal with the quality control. I am however happy to have some form of action figure representation of this beloved team and wouldn't have wanted to miss them regardless of many disappointments and frustration that come with them. I am hoping an affordable Tiamat will be released down the line as I feel that Tiamat is such an iconic addition to the display, maybe by NECA might as they are releasing the classic LJN lineup.
I saw a couple of these at Target and I was tempted to get some, but I talked myself out of it. I am glad I didn't. They look really good at first glance but after hearing your review I am glad I steered clear. Hasbro loves to disappoint us.
They look like the higher-end Happy Meal toys from yesteryear. And that's not a big slam on these figures; as long as they cost no more than $12 a piece. If the figures were fully (matte/satin) painted, that'd up the aesthetics x10.
You nailed it. I passed on these because of the price, the non-plastic packaging, and the QC issues. I did buy the Dungeon Master and Venger on clearance for 16 bucks. It was barely worth that price. I would like to see if someone made a cloth goods robe for Venger and then I can pose him with my 80's bad guys. As for Dungeon Master, in my head canon, he's was a young Yoda looked like before he was 900 years old and green. I like how all he does is point so I just have him taunting my wife's collectables like Nelson Muntz. HA ha!
I happened upon a few of the figures at a Walmart and was instantly put off by the packaging. I think the back photo even showed the figure which looked like it was touched up and didn’t have articulation. I was pretty torn and still pined over them for a while and eventually noticed i had attracted the attention of loss prevention. So i bought my motu origins figure i was going to use to kitbash and left them on the pegs.
@@francoisregis2155 unfortunately yes. All we got is Wal-mart and TRU, and they rarely, if ever slash their prices down. Almost every figure I've seen on the former's shelves are from 1-2 years ago, that's how bad it can get. The distribution and prices are basically a shared responsibility between supplier and retailer. And both of them don't give a shit about the consumer (or their employees) and never will. Even if something is done about it, they'll find a loophole or some way around it until people get arrested and put on trial.
As a kid I was the biggest D&D cartoon fan. I remember being mad when the show just disappeared and I kept trying to find it to no avail. I have been waiting for these figures for a long time. I initially passed on them for $25 and after hearing all of the QC problems. But I found the first wave at 50% off including Dungeon Master & Venger. I recently found the second wave at 50% off. Articulation, "fragilness" and "Disneyfaction" are big issues with this line. They are going on my display shelf they are okay but at least I didn't pay full price.
One other thing that I didn't hear you talk about- along with the difficulty to pose them is the difficulty in getting them to stand up without falling over. I had a really hard time finding a pose that looked decent where they would actually stay standing. Fortunately I found that each one of them had a sprue hole in one foot, so I designed and 3D printed some stands that would fit into the sprue holes and keep them from toppling over. They look decent on the shelf, but ultimately pretty disappointing close up, and really frustrating that you cannot do good action poses with them
@@retroblasting Interesting! I had a really hard time getting their joints to move into positions where they could stand. I wonder if I had some of the early releases you mentioned with quality control problems (I preordered them, so maybe).
I got Bobby, Shiela, Eric and Presto for about $10 each. I would have gotten the rest but I could tell from pictures and reviews that they were crap even if the QC was good. The first Bobby had to be returned because his right elbow was messed up. The first Eric's left leg snapped off and luckily when I asked for a mailing label for the return, they said keep it and shipped a new one because the side of the right jawline on the second copy was jagged so I had to headswap from the one with the broken leg. Shiela and Presto seem fine.
They do look nice as a group. I think Presto’s magic cast looks good. I put off buying these until I saw your review and I’m glad I waited. MIGHT get them if they go a little cheaper, but I can wait.
@@SunnyDiegoProduction well, obviously, they’re not going to get played with by most adults, myself included. I figure I’ll do one pose, put it on the shelf and that’ll be it for 10 years.
Just had a realization with the dice. The characters match their hit dice. Bobbie is a barbarian is a d12 Presto is a d4 So that tracks for character classes if i track correctly. The thief is a d6 I’d have to double check to see if the hit dice line up. Too bad they didn’t integrate stuff with D&D beyond and give you official D&D character sheets or an official adventure from D&D beyond Probably thinking WAY too hard lol
I found that switching the bow to the other hand pulls off the shooting the arrow pose better.. it requires a little balance but it still gives a more convincing Archer pose
Nearly there, but not quite. A Hasbro D&D mission statement (and me being very generous). I noticed some simple things wrong with colour scheme, too. Eric's armour is wrong. That, plus the softened facial molds and poseability issues ... sheesh! 15 minutes more thought at design could have made these figures infinitely better. A great review Michael. Thank you.
A solid review. You don't pull punches or lets nostalgia lead you around. One question I have: Are they worth the discounted price? $25 was steep (especially for an action figure that doesn't transform) But at the $10-$12 range would it be worth it? We don't have Ollies out in CO, but Ross and TJ Maxx have been known to stock clearance aisle rejects.
Great video! Hey, i saw truckloads of these at ollies! I didn't get them though! I loaded 3 car trunks worth of gi joe classifieds, snake eyes the movie figures, transformers, star wars, and many more toys from ollies! Some for me, but the rest for my 5 yr old! I've been giving her some of these toys and she loves them! But of course only at these clearance prices, no way I'd get them otherwise!
I wish I lived closer to an Ollie's. The nearest one in California is 6 hours away, 12 hours round trip. Not worth going that far just to buy figures. Ollie's is a life saver because they allow folks who live close enough to one to get around the overpricing that we are seeing in the figure industry. Even so it seems that not even Ollie's can move toy merchandise specifically Disney/Marvel stuff which is often marked down at 75% off. They have essentially become a toy dumping ground, the place unsellable toys go to rot on shelves.
I agree with everything you said, except for one thing: the movie was awesome. Of course, it wasn't based on the cartoon, but on the original RPG. But I enjoyed it A LOT. I actually thought it was sad that it flopped so hard.
There were the comics Spain PVC figures of the kids, DM, and Venger as well as another set sold in baggies at cons and came with the kids board game Fantasy Forest.
I wanted them too(cause like you said had always wanted toon version toys) but also felt they were too expensive. I need to check Ollie’s. But I definitely want Venger cause he’s one of my favorites
I can agree with you on some of your points. Such as the articulation and not being able to get certain poses. Other than what we already know about these figures. I'm just glad to have them because at least there is now a toyline that has some sort of representation to the cartoon of the 80's.
They have like 8 venger and dungen master 2 packs at my mountain view goodwill for 20 bucks. I got them and am happy. I wish id bought bobby and uni at target for 10
I found this very much a video of two halves. On the negative side, the QC point is over-laboured - I've had to unfreeze joints on MoTU:Origins just as often as I have these; the packaging is unfairly placed at the door of this specific toyline when it was a function of a wider Hasbro policy (if, for example, they had been released now, they would have a hollow window showing the figure but without plastic - to be clear, not advocating for either packaging decision, just pointing out that it isn't a failure in the way it was reported to be); the price point is, again, a wider situtation - they seem to be priced about right compared to similar action figures but I would certainly prefer them at around the £15 mark (moreover, if the individual releases are worth $25 then the Venger/DM two-pack is certainly worth $50); the assertion that the film should have focussed on the cartoon is wildly nostalgic - this cartoon doesn't have the cultural penetration that the RPG has, even among Gen-X-ers. On the positive side, you do recognise the quality of the sculpting (I wouldn't use the term "Disney" but I do agree that there's a nearly-but-not-quite aspect to the face sculpts - especially Eric's very exaggerated expression); I agree about the quality of the original cartoon, how much of a shame it is that they never made the final episode and how satisfying it is to get an action figure representation of these; most pertinently, I think you are quite right about the poseability - whilst I wouldn't want them prancing around like Spiderman on my shelf (some variation of "just standing around" is about right for these characters), I can't quite get them where I would want them. The best I can do with Hank is to swing his arrow-pulling hand away from the non-energy bow as if he has just fired an arrow; Presto looks pretty good but I can't quite shake the feeling that that is only because I've put him in the intended pose rather than any success of the articulation; I do also find the accessories a bit of a faff - especially the need to swap hair pieces/remove heads to use hats/hoods. Overall, I think what we are seeing here is Hasbro's sculptors (who really are pretty good) applying their skills to their current standard approach to articulation - rather than something designed from the ground up (being representations of cartoon characters, rather than the more realistic Marvel/StarWars stuff, I think, would have opened the door to different approaches to the joints) - and the functionality of the poseability pays the price. I would add that I find them a little floppy in places and that they don't stand well (a simple peg-on display stand would have been appreciated - whilst I would have taken this over the dice, I can see that the dice were the right choice for this theme); I would also add that the paint operations are excellent - the attention given to the figures' eyes is something I particularly appreciate. Lastly, I would add that making the two-pack an exclusive was very frustrating - this was hard-to-find in the UK and initially caused me to be 'out' on the toyline. I was very pleased when one turned up on ebay at a reasonable price and immediately followed up by getting wave 1 and, subsequently, wave 2. I think, ultimately, I'm happy to have them.
Some of these are at Ollie's now for $10. I was tempted to pick them up but something about them seemed off. Sounds like I made the right choice. Maybe if they go down to $5.
Bought all these when the waves came out, paid full price 😞 now 10 bucks at Ollie’s. Still love to get you on my livestream as a special guest sometime if possible
Hey kids , be patient in 40 years we will make you some collectible action figures , , oh and thats only AFTER we let a team of fans make an actual final episode 😭🤣😭
I Just Got them on Discount, The Figures cost aprox 8 dollars, and the Venger with the Dungeon Master was like 12 Bucks, So for the price that i got for them, ith wasn't a bad deal
I wonder if those new "plastics" PVC deteriorate overtime like the old 80's plastics. I'm guessing... yes. IF we manage to keep them in one piece that long. Thanks for the review Michael! I've been waiting to hear your thoughts about those figures.
I found it on the pictures on Diana's box art (not sure about the others). But the figures are posed in ways the joints can't allow for. With Diana you can see an extra cut on her thigh that looks partially photo shopped away. That would allow her leg to be turned to that angle in the shot. It's almost as if parts of the toy photos on the box were either photoshopped into place, or the prototypes (used) actually had more joints and range of motion than the produced figure. Thus, they would need to digitally remove it from the final box art. Otherwise, I've been wondering if this was some kind of way to renew copyright on the design and characters.
I only saw Hank, Bobby, and Diana at my local department store. Never saw the others. I did buy Hank for $8. Too good a deal to pass up. I think it looks pretty good, but I agree about the lack of posing. I tried to bend his drawing hand and was really worried about it breaking. It didn’t, thankfully.
Im in the UK. I've got all 6 of these at work. I've not sold any since the first wave came in, months gathering dust. I might get them if they go clearance, but your review confirmed my instincts. I'm so glad i ignored them.
Yep! These were a hard pass for me based on no bubble and price alone, I thought they looked nice enough, and after watching im even happier with my decision, like you Michael they’ll only hit my shelf if I see them on a crazy discount 👍
Pretty much sums up why these could be found at Ollies. Also encapsulates the entire problem with D&D Marketing; the toys and the films never had cross pollination.
I've Hank, Diana, and Bobby from there, still in the box. I might get another set to open and hope they don't break.
12.50 is twice a 1990 price of 7.00, a 1984 price would be about 5.50 or 6.00. for a six inch fig, not bad, IF THE JOINTS WERE NOT A FRAUD. But at 25 bucks it's a rip off. Only at 9llies is it close to actual price. Except it's not, because THE JOINTS ARE A FRAUD.
Well there was some cross pollination between the video gaming world and the tabletops between 2nd edition and early 3rd, but after the initial implosion of TSR they never got that synergy working again.
I'm sick of hearing about all the awesome toys at Ollies.....WE DON'T HAVE AN OLLIES AND ALL THE SHIT I CANT FIND GOES TO THEM....FFFFUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!!!!!
@@joshuachristian5443 Most of the toys at Ollies AREN'T awesome.
It's all the crap Wal Mart, Target, and other major chains couldn't sell.
That's the whole point of Ollies -- selling crap and overstock! Ollies buys this junk for pennies on the dollar. Books in stock at Ollies generally sell for 75% off, most other things in the store are 25-50% off so the deals aren't all fantastic but still much better on average IF you can find anything good among piles of junk in the store. I like Ollies but face it -- 85% of anything in the store is junk. I only find fantastic/semi-fantastic discoveries in that store maybe 3 times a year. The last half of this year has NOT been good for finds signaling to me that companies are slowing production on many things and not overproducing like they did over the last 3-4 years.
Of course, with the "popularity" of Disney now, there are TONS of Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney toys even Ollies can't get rid of! People don't want reminders of films and TV shows they didn't enjoy and many Disney and Marvel fans have left FOR GOOD! They/Disney won't get these customers back. Oh, and most toy collectors while they like deals will not buy poorly made goods. People have their limits especially when toy companies behave like Hasbro and skimp on quality while overpricing almost everything.
Hasbro is committing corporate suicide on multiple fronts. Hasbro is arrogant and dismissive of its customers, the CEO and general management of Hasbro is out of touch with reality, and they are neglecting their core traditional toymaking business in favor of chasing fields Hasbro DOESN'T understand = film production, videogames. Hasbro already sold their film studio. How many years and hundreds of millions do you think Hasbro will lose before the Board realizes its management doesn't know what the hell they're doing with videogames?!?
The reason Ollies has HALF the D&D animated figures in stock is because word spread quickly that the quality control on these "deluxe, exclusive" action figures is NONEXISTENT! The figures were DUMPED by nearly every major chain. These figures literally break in your hands once you take them out of the box!
"Articulation as a simulation" is perhaps the perfect phrase to describe the overall ethos of Hasbro's releases.
You could argue that to be the ethos of almost all toy companies that aren't from Japan. And even then those can be debatable at times.
That's why the classic five-points of articulation will always be the best option for action figures. Modern toys are over-articulated imo.
@@cyrusq5999I somewhat agree, though I prefer slightly more articulation like the 80s GI Joe Real American Hero figures and the recent Masters of the Universe Origins figures. But yeah, 30 points of articulation makes toys very hard to play with, and often makes them hard to pose as well.
@@cyrusq5999Then people would complain about lack of articulation. The fact is jointed things that are flexed a lot wear and break. Even most living people have some joint problems after they get 40 or so, and those are made by God. People expect a bunch of plastic joints to be durable? 🙂
Toys that break the minute you move them....such a genius idea!
Even before clicking on the video, my first thought was, "I wonder how many of those were either already broken or broken within seconds of taking them out of the box."
"Wait a minute... this isn't NECA!"
"Overpriced, under-engineered, and not properly quality controlled correctly..."
I feel that this is the best description of Hasbro action figures from the past five years easy...
There is something about the cartoon that has really stuck with me through the years.
I was honestly excited for this line at first because i loved the 80s cartoon. But what basically killed my excitement mostly had to do with the plasticless boxes, the dodgy QC and Venger being an exclusive.
Thank you for nice summary of this toy line. This is what happens when toy companies no longer make toys for kids and now produce them for 30+ who have salaries that can afford the high prices. I’ll pass and stick to collecting my childhood stuff from the 80’s because fun fact they are still durable and designed for play (my 11 year old can testify to that since he plays with 40 year old toys!)
finally somebody who actually enjoys playing with stuff !!
compliments !!
exactly what the stuff was made for in the first place .
enjoy !
I got them just because there was a childhood dream, the only one with problems was Hank. I put them in posses, got them in place and walked away forever
Your review echoes my thoughts almost entirely (I got Venger and Dungeon Master).
I bought these at full price, through gritted teeth. I felt these were the best figures we'd ever get of one of my all time favorite shows.
Those Hasbro S-O-Bs got me.
You nailed the evaluation perfectly! I myself was of the same mindset. Hasbro did as little as possible to justify the release.
I loved this cartoon as a kid in the 80s. At the time I was heavily into D&D and Tolkien and medieval fantasy, so the cartoon really captured my imagination. I had a lot of the D&D action figures and was frustrated at the lack of the adventuring party from the animation. At first glance these figures look wonderful but as you say they're not gonna get us home. Great video as always.
Excellent video Michael French! It looks like they kitbashed and re-painted a Star Wars: A New Hope Princess Leia's body into the Presto figure! Hasbro seems to be doing more and more kitbashing, but thought that was exclusively with their Star Wars action figures! I didn't know until now a 6 inch A New Hope Leia's body was partially kitbashed and repainted into being Presto's body!
It's a shame because I was looking forward to these figures. Makes me fearful of other attempts Hasbro may make in the future.
Thanks for this. Passed on them when I saw them in Forbidden Planet after hearing about the quality issues. What a shame. Hasbro lets us down again.
Thanks Michael for your video on these figures.
I only saw these figures at my local Target, but they were not there for very long.
I did order two sets of these, so that I could have one set sealed, since we have waited so long for this line to come out for us fans. The packaging is absolutely beautiful, and I love the collage photo along the sides.
I do agree with you that Hasbro was asleep at the wheel when it came to their design choices. If they had gone along the lines of these figures being made like their GI Joe classified line, with a much better build quality, and better articulation, I think this set could have been amazing.
It’s really a shame that this line has suffered from such poor design, and lack of enthusiasm for this wonderful property.
I’m glad you took the time to share this video with your fans.
I would recommend you pick up the Venger and Dungeon Master to complete the set. While more expensive than the regular figures, those two do add to the overall nostalgia experience, and if you can get them for a reasonable price, I’d recommend getting them.
In the Black Series collecting circle there’s a meme at this point about Hasbro’s figures being “Ollie’s Exclusive.” The majority of the Hasbro figures I’ve purchased this year have been clearance buys or purchases from Ollie’s.
Great video as always, Michael! I’d like to think that the recent failures with plastic-free packaging would wake Hasbro up to consumer desires, although I know that’s wishful thinking and won’t realistically happen.
Same I saw some Gi joe figs (6inch line) at a clearance store and Im tempted here in Canada they are like 35$ while at that clearance store they are between 15$-20$
5 below and Ollie's are my go to for black series and the Marvel equivalent. You can get all the parts for a build a figure for less than $50.
“Here are the figures you always wanted”
“Awesome!”
“They’re from Hasbro.”
“Ah dammit”.
It’s like some cruel O. Henry story.
Me too. I found three members of the team at Ollie's too. I don't know if the other three are at Ollie's too, but I'll be keeping a look out.
I did enjoy this line and collected them as well as the Dungeon Master and Venger two pack. These were obviously aimed at adult collectors who grew up in that era and really wanted these characters in figure form. Adult collectors don’t play with figures. Rather they simply display them on a shelf and for that they do a good job. Also they are almost the same scale as the recent NECA Dungeons and Dragons figures which allows one to expand their adventures in the realm. My secret dream is a set of these characters scaled to the size of the vintage LJN figures but I know that’s very unlikely to ever happen.
Great video Michael! I gotta say they do look good as a standing group. If hasbro had any sense, they would re-release all the plastic-less figures with new plastic carded versions.
So Hasbro should re issue toys that didn’t sell the first time. Great idea.
The 2nd line is now on the Target app for $17 so I said WTH, I got the first wave on clearance and happened to find a Dungeon Master/Venger pack for $12 at Target and couldn't pass it up. Like most, I wanted these as a kid so bad so had to get them BUT not at full price. LOL. So I said to hell with it. And yeah, here in Knoxville, my Ollie's has a TON of the first wave figures!!
Great video. Can't say I wasn't tempted when I saw these at Ollies but I'm glad i decided to pass.
These figures are beautiful altogether and are definitely worthy of prime shelf space! Great review Michael.
Another clear and concise review from you Michael. Thanks very much.
Quality issues aside, 10 year old me would have never forgiven myself if I didn’t get these, so yes, I have the full set. (Except for DM / Venger, I’ll wait for them to go on clearance)
Spot on review! I would only add something that is generally not mentioned (or at least I haven't heard anywhere), which is that Eric's gray paint in his arms and legs should be blue. Even the cardboard image they used show them in blue color. That is a huge let down for me because I feel it makes him look very weird. Also, I would have liked that Bobby had a removable helmet. I know he comes with Uni, and that is cool, but still... All in all I feel the designers did a good job overall regarding their looks (Hank's white lipstick apart), but they didn't pay attention to very basic things like the articulations or the fact that my Bobby, for example, can not properly hold his weapon. It feels to me as if the designers made a better product than the one we got... but then someone came and cheapened the final result. It is a shame they made such a flimsy product that most likely ended the line. I would have loved to see the cartoon Tiamat dragon and Venger's shadow releases to complete what I consider the basics of this series. But no... they had to create a Tiamat toy based on its appearance in a movie that no one really cared about. Kudos for finally producing D&D cartoon figures, though.
Yeah Eric's lack of blue paint is the worst offence. It's even correct on the card art 🤦♂
I wanted to thank you so much for this video. I never would’ve thought to look for these figures at Ollies. I was so psyched whenever I first saw these at Walmart, but as you mentioned, the price point was way out of reach. But I’ve always been a big fan of Bobby and Zuni and I really really really wanted that figure so when I found it Ollies for that price, I couldn’t pass it up. Thank you for sharing. Perhaps one day we’ll get another set that might be worthy of the legacy and at a decent price point
Was enthralled with this show way back in the 80's and it was a highlight of my Saturday afternoons. As soon as I saw these on the shelves that child-like wonder faded quickly. Thanks a lot Hasbro.
they were actually discounted in Target for half the price including the 2 pack..the last 3 I bought also in target during the Target circle sale at 30% less.. agreed articulations not the best, but that has always been my expectation, like they're nintendo figures, representing game characters..maybe we'd get better ones in the future, just glad we got these now.
I hate that non plastic packaging , hate the price even more, and after hearing about QC problems they were a hard pass until I found Ollie's, I have no love for Hasbro, but love the show so I was reluctant to get them..yes the sculpts are good but not fantastic, but there isn't anything else for these characters and it is a shame...great Video as always.
Yeah the lack of double jointed elbows on several of these figures is a real shame because they gave them double jointed knees all around. I could live with the sculpt and all, but the articulation kills these for me. I might get Sheila because I had a crush on her as a kid and she is a red head and we all know how much current pop culture has it in for red heads, lol.
Yeah, like why only do single-jointed arms but double-jointed legs? I mean maybe if they had the range for it perhaps more people could live with it, but again, the legs are double jointed, so why aren't the arms? For that matter, where are the butterfly shoulder joints?
It's one thing when you do a single-jointed arm for a Transformer figure or a Lightning Collection monster figure since some of those are by design (and even some of those manage an articulation point like a butterfly joint). But it's another when you do that shit to human or more humanoid figures like this. Especially with characters who are supposed to have some form of dynamic posing options like Hank or Diana. It's obvious this feels lees like a loving tribute to a show from the 80s and more Hasbro throwing up their hands and going "Fine, we'll do it, but not because WE want to". Hell the Transformers RED line, as bad as it was, had better articulation than this. This is why I called them Super7 rejects; because this feels so much like Hasbro just farmed it off to Super7's guys instead of getting the ML/Lightning Collection team to do this. If it weren't for the logo on the package, I honestly would have thought these were sub-licensed to S7 from Hasbro like their figures for Transformers Ultimates (another can of worms in and of itself, imo)
@@Newsystuffs When I had first seen these on the shelves I had almost thought they were a different company and I had some hopes they would be Marvel Legends leval figures but seeing that they didn't try to five some better articulation to the arms here or there really made me not want to buy them...that and the $25 price. Wish we had Ollies where I live because that sharp price cut is about the only reason to get them now.
Anyone else notice Hasbro got the color of Eric's chainmail wrong? Should be blue but looks like silver on the figure.
Can not agree more and in fact I only have 1/2 the set with Venger due to Target having them at half price. I never even saw wave 2 in stores. I am going to keep an eye on Ollies and even my target still. Hope to finish it out without paying 25 dollars for figs that are worth 8. Thanks for sharing
I loved the cartoon as a child and watched it each week, I remember watching your detailed review on the cartoon that you did 7 years ago and loved it. Thanks for the follow-up, now the figures are released. Hasbro just doesn't make the toys like they did in the 80s, probably because the people back then were from a different generation.
M's review of few yrs ago was excellent.
Regardless of what people think of plastic, the bubbles allow buyers to see the full condition of the product before the buy. Everything that happened due to this is an argument to why boxes SHOULD have transparent bubbles because people got fucked over.
My biggest issue since 2010 when things really started to roll in this so called nerd wave was companies making figures like this with the expectation that they'd never leave the box which may explain a lot of the quality issues. They forgot that collector toys back in the day were still TOYS and as such were made to be roughed with, leading to the durability of many of them.
Going back to my first point, figured like this seem to be made without that thought in mind and with the expectation of they're going to sit in the back of some influencer's room on the wall to work as free advertising in a video rather than something that people actually want because they LIKE it.
And I was able to find them at my Target in Indianapolis (the one near the Speedway for context) but they were tossed near the last end of the toy section. They weren't even in the section where figures based on movies/shows were.
And wow that Renault commercial was great! I didn’t know about that, thanks again.
When I was searching eBay last year for these I came across solid rubber/PVC figures from back then, so there were sort of D&D cartoon figures in the 80s. I didn't get any from eBay as the prices were ridiculous.
Excelllent review and thanks! We bought two of the NECA figures, Strongheart and Grimsword, pricy but they’re the kids’ favorite in terms of playability. They really put those figures through the paces; the only thing I had to glue back on was Grimsword’s foot.
These have been in stock at Game Stop and there was one run at Walmart and Target but very little movement on them from what I saw.
I'm kind of pissed when it comes to action figures in my country: in Mexico the dollar is cheaper nowadays that it was the last two years, and in some instances prices has been adjusted for some imports, but for action figures they actually went up like 20-30%, which considering the reviews about how quality has suffered with some, it's kind of an injustice.
Thanks for a great video, I was waiting for you to review these. Always great to watch you!
P.S. Eric's face looks like a Ken from Barbie.
I feel the same here in Canada
Thank you validating and expanding on all the reasons I didn’t pick these up when I saw them. Definitely hit my Gen X nostalgia button hard but Hasbro doesn’t get my money if I can help it.
Oh man, this was a great Review análisis video, i just bought the entire collection for 50 bucks, well the only one missing was presto but i already got it full price on line just to have the complete set. I'm glad i got the figures at that price
They look great in front of the amusement park background that comes w/ Venger and DM. Now I wonder if Ollie's will get any of the Indiana Jones waves?
I got the Dungeon Master pack for $14 at Target, they went on clearance pretty quick.
😲 Wow, that's amazing! Wonder if any are still out there, at clearance prices? 👍
Thanks for the video Michael, I completely agree 👍
I'm one of the "can't let go" GenX/Xennial for this group. I had some of the rare 3" PVC Figirines released in 1985 by Comics Spain but always wanted action figures of them and planned to eventually custom make them because I honestly never expected to actually see a mass production for them.
I was amazedwhen I found out and I pre-ordered the Dungeon Master and Venger set. The backdrop which comes with it provides an additional option for their mostly static display.
I couldn't get myself to pay full price for the rest.
Just a few months after release, series 1 including the exclusive set were already discounted at 50% off, that's when I bought them and get a price adjustment on the exclusive set as well.
Series 2 I was able to get at 25% discount with Target's buy for $100 get $25 off deal.
I still have the main team sealed due to the knowingly annoyance of having to deal with the quality control. I am however happy to have some form of action figure representation of this beloved team and wouldn't have wanted to miss them regardless of many disappointments and frustration that come with them.
I am hoping an affordable Tiamat will be released down the line as I feel that Tiamat is such an iconic addition to the display, maybe by NECA might as they are releasing the classic LJN lineup.
4:03 A LOT of the stuff at Ollie's and Ross these days are figures that never hit the floor in regular retail.
I saw a couple of these at Target and I was tempted to get some, but I talked myself out of it. I am glad I didn't. They look really good at first glance but after hearing your review I am glad I steered clear. Hasbro loves to disappoint us.
They look like the higher-end Happy Meal toys from yesteryear. And that's not a big slam on these figures; as long as they cost no more than $12 a piece. If the figures were fully (matte/satin) painted, that'd up the aesthetics x10.
I feel even better that I passed on these after watching this. Thanks for the peace of mind.
You nailed it. I passed on these because of the price, the non-plastic packaging, and the QC issues. I did buy the Dungeon Master and Venger on clearance for 16 bucks. It was barely worth that price. I would like to see if someone made a cloth goods robe for Venger and then I can pose him with my 80's bad guys. As for Dungeon Master, in my head canon, he's was a young Yoda looked like before he was 900 years old and green. I like how all he does is point so I just have him taunting my wife's collectables like Nelson Muntz. HA ha!
I am upset about the lack of quality, and also the lack of an Ollie's near me 😢
After I took mine out of the box it became apparent Hasbro assumed no one WOULD take them out of the box.
If these were bubble packaged I would have gotten the whole set. As they are, I can't bring myself to purchase them.
I happened upon a few of the figures at a Walmart and was instantly put off by the packaging. I think the back photo even showed the figure which looked like it was touched up and didn’t have articulation. I was pretty torn and still pined over them for a while and eventually noticed i had attracted the attention of loss prevention. So i bought my motu origins figure i was going to use to kitbash and left them on the pegs.
They look like Happy Meal toys
I hope you picked them up at Ollies. All of them on sale for like 9 bucks.
Damn shame we don’t have Olies here in Canada
@@francoisregis2155 unfortunately yes. All we got is Wal-mart and TRU, and they rarely, if ever slash their prices down. Almost every figure I've seen on the former's shelves are from 1-2 years ago, that's how bad it can get.
The distribution and prices are basically a shared responsibility between supplier and retailer. And both of them don't give a shit about the consumer (or their employees) and never will. Even if something is done about it, they'll find a loophole or some way around it until people get arrested and put on trial.
As a kid I was the biggest D&D cartoon fan. I remember being mad when the show just disappeared and I kept trying to find it to no avail. I have been waiting for these figures for a long time. I initially passed on them for $25 and after hearing all of the QC problems. But I found the first wave at 50% off including Dungeon Master & Venger. I recently found the second wave at 50% off. Articulation, "fragilness" and "Disneyfaction" are big issues with this line. They are going on my display shelf they are okay but at least I didn't pay full price.
One other thing that I didn't hear you talk about- along with the difficulty to pose them is the difficulty in getting them to stand up without falling over. I had a really hard time finding a pose that looked decent where they would actually stay standing. Fortunately I found that each one of them had a sprue hole in one foot, so I designed and 3D printed some stands that would fit into the sprue holes and keep them from toppling over.
They look decent on the shelf, but ultimately pretty disappointing close up, and really frustrating that you cannot do good action poses with them
You didn't hear me talk about it.... because it wasn't a problem for me.
@@retroblasting Interesting! I had a really hard time getting their joints to move into positions where they could stand. I wonder if I had some of the early releases you mentioned with quality control problems (I preordered them, so maybe).
I got Bobby, Shiela, Eric and Presto for about $10 each. I would have gotten the rest but I could tell from pictures and reviews that they were crap even if the QC was good.
The first Bobby had to be returned because his right elbow was messed up. The first Eric's left leg snapped off and luckily when I asked for a mailing label for the return, they said keep it and shipped a new one because the side of the right jawline on the second copy was jagged so I had to headswap from the one with the broken leg.
Shiela and Presto seem fine.
I just saw these figures at my local Ollie's for discount. (Ollie's is a discount store chain) I think they were priced at $7
They do look nice as a group. I think Presto’s magic cast looks good. I put off buying these until I saw your review and I’m glad I waited. MIGHT get them if they go a little cheaper, but I can wait.
@@SunnyDiegoProduction well, obviously, they’re not going to get played with by most adults, myself included. I figure I’ll do one pose, put it on the shelf and that’ll be it for 10 years.
Just had a realization with the dice.
The characters match their hit dice.
Bobbie is a barbarian is a d12
Presto is a d4
So that tracks for character classes if i track correctly.
The thief is a d6
I’d have to double check to see if the hit dice line up.
Too bad they didn’t integrate stuff with D&D beyond and give you official D&D character sheets or an official adventure from D&D beyond
Probably thinking WAY too hard lol
I found that switching the bow to the other hand pulls off the shooting the arrow pose better.. it requires a little balance but it still gives a more convincing Archer pose
Minimates has versions of these figures. Throw your money into those.
Hasbro: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must beeeeeee....?
Consumer: ... someone waterproofed a chicken and gave it a kazoo?
Exactly
Nearly there, but not quite. A Hasbro D&D mission statement (and me being very generous). I noticed some simple things wrong with colour scheme, too. Eric's armour is wrong. That, plus the softened facial molds and poseability issues ... sheesh! 15 minutes more thought at design could have made these figures infinitely better. A great review Michael. Thank you.
Any stores besides Ollies have these on discount? There aren't any Ollies in my area.
A solid review. You don't pull punches or lets nostalgia lead you around.
One question I have: Are they worth the discounted price? $25 was steep (especially for an action figure that doesn't transform) But at the $10-$12 range would it be worth it?
We don't have Ollies out in CO, but Ross and TJ Maxx have been known to stock clearance aisle rejects.
If you love the cartoon, despite their flaws, these figures are definitely worth picking up at clearance.
I totally agree I loved Saturday mornings and D and D was definitely one of my favorites!
Hasbro now makes ‘figures’ (that look capable of action)
Great video! Hey, i saw truckloads of these at ollies! I didn't get them though! I loaded 3 car trunks worth of gi joe classifieds, snake eyes the movie figures, transformers, star wars, and many more toys from ollies! Some for me, but the rest for my 5 yr old! I've been giving her some of these toys and she loves them! But of course only at these clearance prices, no way I'd get them otherwise!
I wish I lived closer to an Ollie's. The nearest one in California is 6 hours away, 12 hours round trip. Not worth going that far just to buy figures. Ollie's is a life saver because they allow folks who live close enough to one to get around the overpricing that we are seeing in the figure industry. Even so it seems that not even Ollie's can move toy merchandise specifically Disney/Marvel stuff which is often marked down at 75% off. They have essentially become a toy dumping ground, the place unsellable toys go to rot on shelves.
I agree with everything you said, except for one thing: the movie was awesome. Of course, it wasn't based on the cartoon, but on the original RPG. But I enjoyed it A LOT. I actually thought it was sad that it flopped so hard.
There were the comics Spain PVC figures of the kids, DM, and Venger as well as another set sold in baggies at cons and came with the kids board game Fantasy Forest.
I wanted them too(cause like you said had always wanted toon version toys) but also felt they were too expensive. I need to check Ollie’s. But I definitely want Venger cause he’s one of my favorites
I can agree with you on some of your points. Such as the articulation and not being able to get certain poses. Other than what we already know about these figures. I'm just glad to have them because at least there is now a toyline that has some sort of representation to the cartoon of the 80's.
Dungeon master is at Ross, Marshall’s& Tjmax, for $11.99
"Wibbly wobbly" ..... I need to use this phrase more in my life & also sums up the joints on these figures perfectly.
Yeah, I was hoping these would be made like the Power Rangers/Legends figures, but they're wibbly-wobbly, too.
They have like 8 venger and dungen master 2 packs at my mountain view goodwill for 20 bucks. I got them and am happy. I wish id bought bobby and uni at target for 10
I found this very much a video of two halves.
On the negative side, the QC point is over-laboured - I've had to unfreeze joints on MoTU:Origins just as often as I have these; the packaging is unfairly placed at the door of this specific toyline when it was a function of a wider Hasbro policy (if, for example, they had been released now, they would have a hollow window showing the figure but without plastic - to be clear, not advocating for either packaging decision, just pointing out that it isn't a failure in the way it was reported to be); the price point is, again, a wider situtation - they seem to be priced about right compared to similar action figures but I would certainly prefer them at around the £15 mark (moreover, if the individual releases are worth $25 then the Venger/DM two-pack is certainly worth $50); the assertion that the film should have focussed on the cartoon is wildly nostalgic - this cartoon doesn't have the cultural penetration that the RPG has, even among Gen-X-ers.
On the positive side, you do recognise the quality of the sculpting (I wouldn't use the term "Disney" but I do agree that there's a nearly-but-not-quite aspect to the face sculpts - especially Eric's very exaggerated expression); I agree about the quality of the original cartoon, how much of a shame it is that they never made the final episode and how satisfying it is to get an action figure representation of these; most pertinently, I think you are quite right about the poseability - whilst I wouldn't want them prancing around like Spiderman on my shelf (some variation of "just standing around" is about right for these characters), I can't quite get them where I would want them. The best I can do with Hank is to swing his arrow-pulling hand away from the non-energy bow as if he has just fired an arrow; Presto looks pretty good but I can't quite shake the feeling that that is only because I've put him in the intended pose rather than any success of the articulation; I do also find the accessories a bit of a faff - especially the need to swap hair pieces/remove heads to use hats/hoods.
Overall, I think what we are seeing here is Hasbro's sculptors (who really are pretty good) applying their skills to their current standard approach to articulation - rather than something designed from the ground up (being representations of cartoon characters, rather than the more realistic Marvel/StarWars stuff, I think, would have opened the door to different approaches to the joints) - and the functionality of the poseability pays the price. I would add that I find them a little floppy in places and that they don't stand well (a simple peg-on display stand would have been appreciated - whilst I would have taken this over the dice, I can see that the dice were the right choice for this theme); I would also add that the paint operations are excellent - the attention given to the figures' eyes is something I particularly appreciate. Lastly, I would add that making the two-pack an exclusive was very frustrating - this was hard-to-find in the UK and initially caused me to be 'out' on the toyline. I was very pleased when one turned up on ebay at a reasonable price and immediately followed up by getting wave 1 and, subsequently, wave 2. I think, ultimately, I'm happy to have them.
Some of these are at Ollie's now for $10. I was tempted to pick them up but something about them seemed off. Sounds like I made the right choice. Maybe if they go down to $5.
I been iffy on these even though I was a fan of the show as a kid.
I haven't seen these in ridiculous discounts.
Thanks for another awesome review Michael
I’d be curious to see what you think of the Neca line or their Lost Wave pack
Yeah the lost wave are excellent.and they even feel like they were made back then in the 80's
Bought all these when the waves came out, paid full price 😞 now 10 bucks at Ollie’s. Still love to get you on my livestream as a special guest sometime if possible
I'm in SC . Our ollies has the entire line for $5.99 each
Didnt know these were at Ollies. Sad I missed them.
My Diana's elbow broke the first time I bent it.
Hey kids , be patient in 40 years we will make you some collectible action figures , , oh and thats only AFTER we let a team of fans make an actual final episode 😭🤣😭
Thes look great. Imagine if the came out in early 80s from Kenner. These are dynamic in comparison.
Just bought all 8 figures for $84 on ebay. Super stoked to get these, ill be sure to treat their wrists gently.
Hasbro is truly everywhere - even the Happy Meal toys here in South Africa are Hasbro ones... it really a massive company.
I Just Got them on Discount, The Figures cost aprox 8 dollars, and the Venger with the Dungeon Master was like 12 Bucks, So for the price that i got for them, ith wasn't a bad deal
I wonder if those new "plastics" PVC deteriorate overtime like the old 80's plastics. I'm guessing... yes. IF we manage to keep them in one piece that long. Thanks for the review Michael! I've been waiting to hear your thoughts about those figures.
I found it on the pictures on Diana's box art (not sure about the others). But the figures are posed in ways the joints can't allow for. With Diana you can see an extra cut on her thigh that looks partially photo shopped away. That would allow her leg to be turned to that angle in the shot. It's almost as if parts of the toy photos on the box were either photoshopped into place, or the prototypes (used) actually had more joints and range of motion than the produced figure. Thus, they would need to digitally remove it from the final box art. Otherwise, I've been wondering if this was some kind of way to renew copyright on the design and characters.
I'm still thinking of buying them, they have been in discount and they would look really nice next to He-man and Thundercats
I only saw Hank, Bobby, and Diana at my local department store. Never saw the others. I did buy Hank for $8. Too good a deal to pass up. I think it looks pretty good, but I agree about the lack of posing. I tried to bend his drawing hand and was really worried about it breaking. It didn’t, thankfully.
I got the whole set 1/2 off at Target and The dungeon, master exclusive, 2Pac at half off as well.
Im in the UK. I've got all 6 of these at work. I've not sold any since the first wave came in, months gathering dust. I might get them if they go clearance, but your review confirmed my instincts. I'm so glad i ignored them.
Yep! These were a hard pass for me based on no bubble and price alone, I thought they looked nice enough, and after watching im even happier with my decision, like you Michael they’ll only hit my shelf if I see them on a crazy discount 👍
This is how my homies and I dress at the club. We get kicked out a lot I’m not sure why
6 ft tall dude's gonna have a hard time passing himself off as a baby unicorn.
@@texasbeast239naw we glue an ice cream cone on Eddie’s dog’s head
@@patrickholt8782 Guni! (Goonie!)