Throwback Thursday: CHiPs (1977-83)

“7-Mary-3 and 7-Mary-4, responding”

I was only one year old when the first season of CHiPs debuted on NBC in September of 1977. Despite this, and due the fact that my family, especially my sister, loved the series, I became a fan of the show in its later seasons. It lasted for six seasons from 1977 to 1983, and has been in syndication since 1982, when NBC began showing reruns of the first seasons in 1982. Since last year I’ve been revisiting the series on the Charge! network and have fallen back in love with it.

The show primarily focused on straight-laced good guy Jon Baker (Larry Wilcox) and his rule-bending but well-meaning partner, Francis “Ponch” Poncherello (Erik Estrada) as they navigated the highways of Los Angeles, CA under the guidance of Sgt. Joseph Getraer (Robert Pine). While they were the stars of the show, a number of regulars appeared throughout the series that often had their own subplots in episodes. Some of the most frequently appearing officers on the show included Arthur “Grossie” Grossman (Paul Linke), Barry “Bear” Baricza (Brodie Greer), Sindy Cahill (Brianne Leary), Gene Fritz (Lew Saunders), and Harlan Arliss (Lou Wagner), as the patrol’s mechanic. Later seasons would see stars such as Michael Dorn, Randi Oakes, and Clarence Gilyar, Jr. added to the cast as others left the show. Bruce Jenner replaced Erik Estrada for three episodes as Officer Steve McLeish in the fifth season and Larry Wilcox exited the series in its final season and was replaced by Tom Reilly as Bobby “Hot Dog” Nelson. Despite the revolving cast, the series held up quite well across all of its seasons.

One particular highlight of the series was the many popular and soon-to-be popular guest stars that appeared on the show, some in multiple episode angles. Leif Garrett, Cindy Williams, Robbie Rist, Jim Backus, Edward James Olmos, Heather Locklear, Moon Unit Zappa, and Richard Simmons are just a few of the guest stars on the show. Danny Bonaduce appeared in four episodes as three different characters. Milton Berle, Cassandra Peterson, Heather O’Rourke, Bryan Cranston, Jay Silverheels, Tom Villard, and Amy Steel also had guest appearances on the show. There are literally too many other to list.

The series often featured ridiculous pileups on California highways. In most cases, there were almost zero casualties despite vehicles flipping multiple times, exploding, or being busted to pieces. The show featured a ton of humor and most of the dramatic moments in the show were resolved rather easily. Episodes often featured young kids that are befriended by Jon and Ponch. They also usually ended on a lighter note.

After the series ended in 1983, a made-for-TV reunion film, CHiPS ’99, was released. In 2017, the CHiPs film was released starring Dax Shepard as Jon Baker and Michael Pena as Ponch. The film, which greatly altered the backstories for Jon and Ponch and omitted almost all of the other regular series characters including Getraer, failed to win over audiences. Larry Wilcox openly derided the film and refused to make a cameo appearance. Erik Estrada did have a brief cameo as a paramedic but wasn’t enough to bring in fans of the classic series. There are no plans for a sequel nor has there been mention of a reboot. Thankfully we have the classic series available on Charge! to watch and relive the cheesy goodness of the show.

I highly recommend checking out this classic series. It’s available on home media and it’s also available on the Charge! network. Give it a look and you, too, can be as cool as Ponch!

Thanks for joining me on memory lane. See you again real soon!

Spin Master The Flash 2023 Action Figures

“Run, Barry, Run.”

Let me be completely upfront about this review. I purchased two of the available five figures in this new line from Spin Master. One of the reasons is that I really only wanted the Michael Keaton Batman figure but decided to pick up the Ezra Miller Flash figure strictly for comparison. The second reason is the pure fact that the Supergirl, Dark Flash, and Young Barry figures all look pretty terrible. Honestly, none of these figures impressed me on the peg, but I had to get the Keaton. I even passed on the action set that featured Batman, Flash, and the ’89 Batmobile. I just couldn’t bring myself to plunk down thirty+ dollars on the set. It wasn’t worth it.

I’m not exactly sure what Spin Master was thinking when they decided on the molds for these figures. Yes, they do feature the same articulation that is available in Spin Master’s other DC lines, however, they are not scaled for play with the other DC figures. They are considerably smaller than other figures released by Spin Master. They also come with fewer accessories. I know that I’ve been very vocal about Spin Master’s ridiculously oversized accessories in the past, but one of the best things about the Spin Master figures was the fact that they came with at least three accessories hidden in “secret” compartments. The Flash line has the accessories out in the open and they are pretty lackluster. They are at least scaled correctly (although the grapnel gun is a tad large in my opinion).

Notice how much smaller the Flash figures are in comparison to the recent The Batman figures.

The Keaton Batman figure looks pretty nice. The cape was pinched in the packaging but came out fairly unscathed. The batarang is scaled accurately for the figure but as I mentioned, the grapnel gun appears a tad bit large. The figure features the standard points of articulation included with other figures in this line. The face features a decent grimace look and at least reminds me of Michael Keaton. Although my poor photos don’t really show it, the paint apps on the face are very well done. Overall, this is a very good, basic figure.

The Ezra Miller Flash figure features the same articulation as the rest of Spin Master’s DC figures. His paint applications are okay although I’m not a fan of the pain on his chest. The bolt on his chest isn’t completely painted. The accessories are speed force lightning bursts that can be attached on the figure’s arms or legs. You can tell that it’s supposed to be Miller’s face under the cowl as well.

If I were a kid wanting these figures, I’d be disappointed. Two dinky speed force bursts aren’t enough for a Flash figure. If nothing else, throw in a Flash ring or some stickers. While the Batman figure definitely looks cool, it would have been nice if the grapnel had a rope connected to it so that kids could pretend that Batman was scaling a wall. In my opinion this has to be the laziest release by Spin Master in a long time. I didn’t purchase any of the Black Adam line due to the terrible paint apps and lackluster accessories, and I probably wouldn’t have purchased any of the Flash line had it not been for the fact that there’s a Keaton figure. Keep your money, folks, and hope that you can find some of the McFarlane Toys 6″ line on store shelves before the scalpers gobble them up and sell them for ridiculous prices.

You should be ashamed of yourself, Spin Master.

Thanks for reading my post. These figures really aren’t worth your time or money.

Throwback Thursday: Critters (1986)

“Food!”

A spaceship loaded with little furry balls of teeth crash lands on Earth and attacks the Brown family farm in 1986’s Critters. While I didn’t get to see it in theaters, I did watch it multiple times on VHS and eventually saw its first sequel, Critters 2: The Main Course, on the big screen because I loved the original film so much. Three more sequels and a web series would follow, cementing the Krites (the vicious little critters in the film) as cult classic monsters.

In the film, a pack of Krites escape from a prison ship in outer space and crash land on Earth near the Brown farm in Kansas. Brad Brown, the youngest member of the family, spots the ship and mistakes it for a meteorite. When he and his dad go to investigate the wreckage, they discover the evil Krites. Two bounty hunters are sent to the planet to kill the Krites, but they land in a nearby town and spend much of the film unintentionally scaring the locals as they try to find the escaped prisoners. Meanwhile, back on the farm, the Brown family goes to war with the Krites, who have eaten some of the family’s livestock, a local deputy, and April Brown’s boyfriend. As the battle between the Browns and the Krites rages on, the local sheriff, the town drunk/mechanic named Charlie, and the bounty hunters, named Ug and Lee, finally arrive on the scene and try to help the family defeat the very, very hungry Krites. You’ll have to watch the film to find out who wins!

The film featured an amazing cast including the legendary Dee Wallace (The Howling, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Cujo), M. Emmet Walsh (Bladerunner, The Jerk, Cannery Row), Billy Green Bush (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, The River), and Lin Shaye (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Insidious, There’s Something About Mary). It’s also the second film appearance of Billy Zane (Titanic, The Phantom), the film debut of Scott Grimes (The Orville, American Dad), and one of Nadine van der Velde’s earliest appearances on the big screen. The film focused on Grimes’ character of Bradley and his best friend, the town drunk named Charlie, portrayed by Don Keith Opper. The film also starred Ethan Phillips (Star Trek: Voyager) as a deputy and Terence Mann (Solarbabies, Big Top Peewee, Sense8) as Ug/Johnny Steele. Mann also performed the song Power Of Night in the movie while portraying Johnny Steele. Both Opper and Mann reprised their roles in the first three sequels. Grimes returned for the second film and Wallace returned for Critters Attack!.

The film was the directorial debut of Stephen Herek (who co-wrote the screenplay with Domonic Muir). Herek would go on to much bigger and better things as the director of a number of popular films including Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, The Mighty Ducks, 101 Dalmations (live action), and Rock Star. He also directed and/or produced episodes of MacGyver (2016-2018), Hawaii Five-0 (2015-2016), and a number of other television shows and made-for-TV movies. Not to be outdone by her director, Nadine van der Velde became a producer, writer, and story editor for numerous children’s shows including Rolie Polie Olie and Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends. She also co-created and executive produced The Fresh Beat Band. She’s won three Emmy Awards for her work.

This film really struck a chord with me. I was just a few years younger than Scott Grimes and instantly connected with his character, Brad. I loved the Krites, who could bounce around, grow in size, and fire paralyzing spikes from their backs. I also loved Charlie and the bounty hunters, Ug and Lee. As I’ve gotten older, I realize that this film can be pretty cheesy at times, but I still love it. I still laugh when the two Krites are talking on the Brown family porch when one says, “They have weapons,” and the other replies “So what?” and is promptly blown up by Helen Brown (Wallace). The surviving Krite lets out an expletive and I giggle every time. It’s a really fun film and it’s also an excellent “introductory horror” flick for tweens who are becoming interested in horror movies as it isn’t too scary but isn’t too silly, either.

Critters may not be for everyone but it’s definitely a cool film to check out at least one time. The first sequel was very good, but each one after that declined in quality. I haven’t seen the series yet, but I’ll probably check it out eventually. Until then, I just want to say thanks for reading my post. I’ll see you again real soon!

See You Soon In Fouke, Arkansas!

Fouke Monster Festival Is Coming In Less Than Two Weeks!

I’ll be heading to the Mecca of the Southern Bigfoot, Fouke, Arkansas, on April 29th as part of Filmsquatch at the Fouke Monster Festival! Myself and Patrick Bennett will be podcasting live throughout the day and handing out free swag, having contests, and interviewing folks that want to tell us about their favorite cryptid creature features!

Join us at this amazing, family-friendly event featuring guests such as Lyle Blackburn, Chester Moore, Jerry Hestand, Jeff Stewart, Fouke Mayor Terry Purvis, and County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison! There will also be tons of vendors selling Bigfoot and Fouke-related items that will please even the most skeptical visitors to the festival. All proceeds from the festival will go to the Fouke School District. It will be a great time and I hope to see you there!

I’ll be heading to the beautiful cities of Jefferson and Marshall, Texas on Friday, April 28th, to spend a little time in the Bigfoot Capital Of Texas and the home of the Texas Bigfoot Film Festival, respectively. I plan on taking a little hike along the Port Jefferson History and Nature Center Trails. I’ll also try to stop at Caddo Lake if I have time. I’ll definitely post photos as I make my way through the squatchiest parts of East Texas once I end my day in Texarkana, home of the host hotel for the Fouke Monster Festival. If you’re in the area, let me know and maybe we can hang out for a bit!

Cocaine Bear (2023)

Bear Scat

Cocaine Bear should have been an outrageous, silly comedy film. It should have accepted the fact that it is a film loosely based upon an already insane true story and expanded that insanity to the Nth degree. It should have been full of practical effects that had audiences roll their eyes with joy. Instead, Cocaine Bear is a drawn out, boring, healthy budgeted film that missed every opportunity thrown at it. Yeah, as you can tell already, I didn’t care for this flick.

The film’s pencil-thin plot is split between a mother, portrayed by Keri Russell, trying to find her daughter and her daughter’s friend, and a duo of drug dealers, played by O’Shea Jackson, Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich, hunting down their missing cocaine which was tossed out of a plane over the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest by the pilot, Andrew Thornton (Matthew Rhys), before the plane crashes in Tennessee. There are also about fifty subplots including a horny ranger (Margo Martindale) that wants to bed a local wildlife activist named Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the same ranger’s ongoing battle with a band of National Forest ruffians (yes, you read that correctly) known as the Duchamps, a policed detective named Bob (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) and his hunt for the perfect dog and the missing cocaine, and a ton of other somehow intertwining subplots that are absolutely not necessary. Along for the ride is a black bear with a penchant for cocaine that will kill anybody that gets in the way of its blow.

The film is pieced together in amateur fashion by Elizabeth Banks. Banks, who has two other directorial runs under her belt (the decent Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and the wretched Charlie’s Angels (2019)) doesn’t seem to understand what to do with the movie written by Jimmy Warden. At times it plays out as it should, with tons of silly violence featuring a bear amped up on cocaine, and at others it’s loaded with dull sequences full of dialogue and bad acting. The bear isn’t on the screen enough and even when it does appear it has to take a backseat to terrible performances by TikTok stars and futile attempts at humor. It’s just boring and bad.

Alden Ehrenreich and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. do turn in some pretty decent performances and actually have a few funny moments. The rest of the acting is just bad. It’s a shame that Ray Liotta passed away after the making of this film as he deserves a much better swansong than this pile of bear scat. Keri Russell is wasted as is Margo Martindale and everyone else in the film. It’s terrible. Seriously!

Do yourself a favor and skip this movie. It’s not so-terrible-it’s-funny nor is it scary enough to be a horror film. It’s a dud. If you want a better bear film I recommend 1976’s Grizzly. It’s terrible as well but at least the bear gets more screen time.

Thanks for reading my post. I promise I’ll be in a better mood next time I post!

Thirtieth Anniversary Triple Threat!

“Alright, alright, alright!”

Everybody loves a good movie. This year, 2023, marks the thirtieth anniversary of three of my favorite films. Those three films are Jurassic Park, Dazed And Confused, and Tombstone. Jurassic Park is arguably my favorite film of all time. Dazed And Confused is my favorite coming-of-age film. I consider Tombstone to be the greatest western of the modern film era. All three of these films have stuck with me since I first watched them. This year I will be revisiting all three of these films via reminiscent posts, action figure or music reviews, behind the scenes looks, and a few in-depth looks at some of the actors, directors, and crew that worked on these films.

I vividly remember seeing Jurassic Park at the old Prien Lake Mall Cinema I, II, & III (torn down in the late 1990’s and replaced by a Cinemark fourteen screen theater). I remember the cinema being packed and being pinned into my chair by the morbidly obese lady that sat next to me. I also remember how it was raining when I left the theater and now any time it rains on a warm day, I get the itch to watch Jurassic Park. At the time, collecting action figures or other toys wasn’t very important to me. For that reason, I completely skipped over collecting any toys from the film release. Since then, however, I’ve become a fan of the Hammond Collection and the Amber Collection from Mattel and have posted a few reviews on toys in those collections over the years and a few this year with more to come. I love this film. It’s perfect in every way.

When I first started seeing trailers for Tombstone, I had my doubts about the film. It was a western being released in a time when new western movies were relegated to TBS and the classics were available on AMC or TMC. The western was dying a slow death in cinemas during the late 1980s and early 90s, and Tombstone just didn’t seem like it would work. Thankfully, I was wrong. The film was loosely based on Wyatt Earp’s time in the town of Tombstone, AZ, with his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, and his friend, John “Doc” Holliday and the events leading up to and including the Earp Vendetta Ride. I remember sitting in the old Oak Park Cinema VI with my entire family watching the film. It rekindled my interest in the American West and would ultimately lead to a family trip to Arizona to not only visit the historical town of Tombstone, but to see sites where the film was shot and other areas of the state as well. I’ll review the film itself (the only one of the three that I haven’t reviewed yet) later this year and I’ll also take a look at locations, behind the scenes information, and the actual events that the film is inspired by throughout the year.

While I have vivid memories of watching Jurassic Park and Tombstone in the theater, Dazed And Confused was a much stranger beast. Unlike the other films, I didn’t see Dazed And Confused until I was in college. I watched it alone on VHS in my dorm room and then multiple times on cable television after that while attending college. It didn’t grab me initially. In fact, it sort of bugged me. Some of the film’s characters, specifically Mike, Tony, and Cynthia, annoyed me to a certain degree. As the years went by, however, I came to realize that the reason these characters got on my nerves was because I was so much like them. The film’s soundtrack is amazing and includes some of my favorite tracks and artists of all time. I also fell in love with Austin, TX as a result of this film. As far as what I’ll be looking at this year for the film, my biggest plan is to visit Austin again for the sole purpose of checking out a few of the actual locations where the film was shot and grab a burger from Top Notch (and to hang out with family). I’ll also take a look at the film’s soundtrack as well. Other than that, I will probably do a few posts about the careers of some of the actors after the film’s release.

I hope that you will join me this year on this trip down memory lane. I appreciate each and every one of you for checking out my posts. Let me your favorite films from 1993 in the comments section. See you soon!

Mattel The Hammond Collection Concavenator (2022)

Background Dino Gets To Shine!

Fans of the Jurassic Park/World franchise might scratch their heads when first laying eyes on the Concavenator figure recently added to the Hammond Collection from Mattel. The reason for that is because they might not have even noticed the dinosaur in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It appears briefly in the Lockwood Manor sequence during the film as a statue. It’s still nice that Mattel decided to add it to the Hammond Collection, however, and it looks great.

The figure features a wired tail that can be positioned in a number of ways and multiple points of articulation. Including the tail I counted nineteen points of articulation. This allows for some amazing poses and thanks to the tail, the figure doesn’t topple over easily. I’ve seen other reviews that state that the figure only has seventeen points of articulation, but I’m pretty sure that most of them aren’t counting the tail and are probably missing the fact that the top of the head is moveable. I didn’t notice it at first but after checking, the top portion of the head does indeed move.

The paint applications are amazing. They are both bright and earthy and give the figure life. The figure is scaled to compliment the 3 3/4″ Hammond Collection human figures. With the tail fully extended, the figure is just over one foot long. It’s a really nice figure that displays well.

This is a beautiful addition to the Hammond Collection and if you are a fan of Jurassic Park/World, I definitely recommend it.

Thanks for checking out my review. See you again real soon!

Mattel The Hammond Collection Robert Muldoon (2023)

“Clever girl….”

Game Warden Robert Muldoon (portrayed by the late Bob Peck) is the one character in the original Jurassic Park (1993) film that I hated to see die. If you’ve read the novel you are aware that the character survived the incident at Jurassic Park. He was one of my favorite characters in both the film and the book, so it was aggravating to know that his death was apparently added to the film to make up for the fact that John Hammond would live. Hammond died in the novel but as the script developed, he became a much more sympathetic character. It was decided that he would live and another character would have to take the fall. That character was Muldoon. Muldoon was an experienced hunter and tracker and knew more about the raptors than anyone else on Isla Nublar, so it made little sense that he would be tricked by the raptors.

Anyway, enough of my soapbox. Let’s talk about the figure.

While I personally prefer the 6″ Amber Collection of figures, Mattel decided to dump that series and focus on the 3.75″ Hammond Collection. This is apparently more cost effective for the company and also allows for the creation of more dinosaur figures at a reasonable price point. Muldoon looks pretty good in his 3.75″ form. The figure comes with two heads (one with and one without his hat), two pairs of hands, and Muldoon’s trusty SPAS-12 shotgun. The shotgun can be held with both sets of hands and can also be fitted across Muldoon’s shoulder. Muldoon features sixteen points of articulation and a removable vest. The head mold is a fairly close reproduction of Bob Peck’s face in the film. I also appreciate the detail in Muldoon’s clothes, especially his JP badge. His pistol and holster are molded over his right rear butt cheek and cannot be removed.

I’m not quite sure why Mattel packaged the figure with the hatless head on the body. Looking at the packaging, the head with the hat is in all of the photos. It’s definitely the better looking head as well. Also talking about the packaging, this one features the “30th Anniversary” tag for the original film’s release. All of the figures in the Hammond Collection released in 2023 will feature this logo. What’s sad is the fact that I found this figure already on clearance with a number of other Hammond Collection and Jurassic World: Dominion figures (humans and dinosaurs) at my local Target. Does this mean that this line isn’t selling well or does it just mean that these specific figures are underperforming? Hopefully it is the latter as I’d hate to see this line end like the Amber Collection.

Since the Hammond Collection is Mattel’s choice for figures for the foreseeable future, I guess that I’ll have to collect them. While I won’t purchase as many of these figures as I would have in the Amber collection, I’ll still grab my favorites. I missed out on Dr. Alan Grant but I did get Dr. Ellie Sattler (and reviewed here) and will soon have the 6″ Amber Collection versions of both Dr. Sattler and Muldoon in hand in a week or so! I already reviewed the second release of the 6″ Dr. Ian Malcolm so I’m excited to get the opportunity to add two more classic figures to my collection! If you’re interested, I also reviewed the Amber Collection Dilophosaurus and Owen Grady. Click the links on each one to read those reviews.

Thanks for checking out my review. I’ve been longing to get a Muldoon figure for awhile, so it’s nice to finally have one. Keep an eye out for another Amber Collection review and a Jurassic World: Dominion figure set review coming soon!

Throwback Thursday: Laserblast (1978)

“Billy, why can’t you be more ordinary?”

A teenage loner stumbles upon a powerful laser cannon in the desert and becomes possessed by it in 1978’s Laserblast. The film was directed by Michael Rae and produced by Charles Band. It starred Kim Milford as Billy, Cheryl Smith as Kathy, Roddy McDowall in a small role as Dr. Mellon and a ton of strong character actors at different stages in their career. It also featured makeup by Steve Neill and stop-motion animation by David W. Allen, a longtime effects man for Charles Band.

In the film, an unnamed man is being hunted by a pair of aliens. He is in possession of a laser cannon and has taken on a monstrous appearance. The man is killed by the aliens when they catch up to him in the desert. After killing him, the aliens leave the planet. They also leave behind the laser cannon. After having a really bad day, Billy stumbles upon the cannon in the desert, places it on his arm, and begins to pretend firing it. He also finds an amulet that when worn by the person holding the cannon, he discovers, fires strong laser blasts. From there, Billy slowly begins to transform into a monstrous being like the man at the beginning of the film and he and the laser go on a rampage of revenge against those that have done Billy wrong. The aliens return to Earth to stop Billy and collect the cannon and a federal agent and Billy’s girlfriend also go on the hunt. Can Billy be stopped? Watch Laserblast to find out!

I wasn’t aware of this film until I heard about it on a recent episode of the Pop Ninja Podcast. I decided to give it a shot. It’s not completely terrible but it won’t win any major awards, either. Kim Milford seems to be going through the motions in the film. As he spirals into insanity, his behavior becomes more erratic. He also likes to shake his fists and growl at the sky for some odd reason. As far as the rest of the cast is concerned, they aren’t all that bad. Cheryl Smith does a decent job as Billy’s girlfriend, Kathy. Gianni Russo plays the federal agent, Tony Craig, straight and to the point. Roddy McDowall does just fine as the doctor. The rest of the cast is stacked with amazing characters actors. The film is Eddie Deezen’s screen debut. Most people will know him from films like Grease, Critters 2: The Main Course, and WarGames. Keenan Wynn portrayed Colonel Farley. He was a prolific character actor with over 250 acting credits. Of the rest of the supporting cast, Dennis Burkley is perhaps the most recognizable. He’s appeared in over 135 films and television shows. He primarily appeared as mechanics, bikers, bartenders, dirty cops, and blue collar workers.

The special effects are television movie quality at best. The makeup is okay. The real gem is the stop-motion animation by David W. Allen. The alien creatures look like tortoises without their shells. They move about a bit sluggishly and aren’t the brightest beings in the galaxy, but they look great. The direction by Rae is sufficient. He wouldn’t direct again until 2005, when he would helm two films, Imago and Aliens Gone Wild. Charles Band has produced over 350 films, directed over eighty films, and written over sixty films. Some of the best known projects that he has been a part of include Trancers, Puppet Master, Fists Of Fury, and Mandroid. While he and Rae definitely made the film with a minimal budget, Allen lifted it up to another level.

Is Laserblast worth checking out at least one time? Sure. Some folks will appreciate the stop-motion animation and others will love seeing so many brilliant character actors in the same film. Overall, however, Laserblast is just okay.

Thanks for checking out my post. See you again real soon!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Mister Freeze (2023)

“Everybody chill!”

Okay, in my last action figure post I stated that it was my last McFarlane review for awhile. Well, I lied. I completely forgot about the fact that I pre-ordered the McFarlane Toys DC Mulitverse Mister Freeze figure. I debated on whether or not I should hold off on reviewing the figure, but the truth is that this action figure is too “cool” to ignore. McFarlane has made up for their many recent miscues with this frigid figure!

Normally I would start my review with images of the box, but the box I received had a massive shipping sticker across the front of it so I had to nab an image from the web to give you a look at the figure in box. Mister Freeze comes with the standard base and one lone accessory, his freeze gun. Please note that the ice blast coming out of the freeze gun DOES NOT detach! It’s meant to stay in the gun and, if I’m being completely honest, it’s the only drawback of the figure. Mister Freeze also comes with the standard collector card that comes with all of McFarlane’s figures.

The first thing I noticed about this figure is the bulk of it. Mister Freeze is a heavy figure. That’s a great change from some of my recent acquisitions such as the John Stewart Green Lantern and the Endless Winter Black Adam. Mister Freeze is also fairly easy to pose despite having the elongated gun and his freeze tank attached to his back. The pauldrons on his shoulders lift out of the way to give him very good shoulder articulation and if you look closely, you’ll notice that many of his hinge points are hidden, especially in his arms. The rest of his POAs are very good as well.

Of special note is the fact that Mister Freeze‘s cryo-dome is removable. It pops off with relative ease and allows you to pose the figure with or without the dome. With it removed, Mister Freeze‘s head as a decent range of motion. Some positions will not allow the dome to be placed back on but you can basically turn the head left or right and then put the dome back on with little to no trouble. The paint apps are also very well done. They do appear to be heavy in some spots, but they look nice overall.

There is a platinum edition of this figure on the market but it honestly does not look as good as the standard figure. I highly recommend picking up the standard figure and save the money you would have burned on the platinum edition for a better figure.

Thanks for checking out my review. This figure is awesome! He’s literally and figuratively the coolest figure McFarlane has released in a long time. On top of that, he’s one of the rare villains that McFarlane decided to make a figure of instead of releasing another Batman or Superman. You’ve got to get this figure. It’s right up there with the Rebirth Batman as one of my favorite figures.