#73: Star Wars The Black Series - Chirrut Imwe

Chirrut Imwe was one of the great new character additions from Rogue One. So of course this figure was impossible to find. Presumably some of them must have made it to stores, but I never saw one. I was only able to finally get one by paying slightly above retail and ordering online. And even that took a lot of patience. Chirrut turned out pretty well in action figure form. He's armed with his staff and bowcaster (?), and the lower parts of his robes are soft goods, which allows for more leg mobility than plastic robes would.

#72: Marvel Legends Series (12 inch) - Spider-Man

I guess I just can't resist these 12 inch Marvel Legends figures Hasbro has been putting out, because here's Spider-Man. As part of Amazon's Prime Day sale, this figure was marked down to the price of a standard ML figure, which was exactly the incentive I needed to go ahead and buy it. These figures continue to be cool, so I'm happy to go on buying them. Spidey gets the assortment of swappable hands that include fists, open hands, and "thwip" hands, and a couple extra heads including one that's unmasked and one with the mask lifted partially up exposing the lower half of his face. Interestingly, the tips of his webshooters can be seen peaking out from the gloves, which I think is a detail that's never been on a figure before. There's an intriguing paint touch where the eyes aren't just flat white paint, but seem to be slightly pearlescent. It makes for an unusual visual effect, and I dig it.

#71: Friday The 13th (The Final Chapter) - Jason Voorhees

Friday the 13th The Final Chapter is the last movie in which Jason isn't a supernatural creature. Sure, he's ridiculously resilient and should have been dead a couple times over, but he's not yet a reanimated corpse. It's also one of the best movies in the series, and also happens to star Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover. So that's the version of Jason that this figure represents. Since NECA figures are more of a 7 inch scale, Jason is pretty huge. He features his mother's tombstone as an accessory as well as a small arsenal. There's a machete, an axe, a meat cleaver, a knife, a hacksaw, and even a corkscrew. He also has a swappable alternate head, and two removable masks. One head is regular levels of messed up, and the other has damage that's inflicted on him throughout the movie.

#70: Marvel Legends (Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2) - Nebula (Daughters of Thanos)

Finally, the figure I've been waiting years for. There was no Nebula figure for the first Guardians movie. I think Nebula would have been a much better use of the slot in the first series than space Iron Man, but we can't have nice things, so here we are. Maybe Hasbro will even release a Ronan figure at some point. I'm not holding my breath. Anyway. Nebula turned out well. She's got a pistol and a swappable left forearm depending on whether you want to display her with her normal arm or her kind of sad looking robotic replacement arm. Now the number of Karen Gillan figures in my collection has doubled.

#69: Marvel Legends (Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2) - Gamora (Daughters of Thanos)

Following Rocket's lead of improved versions of figures from Guardians of the Galaxy, here's the new Gamora figure. This new version can stand much more easily, and can actually reliably hold her sword. Plus, I generally like the design of the costume better. I think it's even a better likeness of Zoe Saldana. There are two versions of her sword, regular and folded up. The folded up version fits into a holder on her side. There's also a big space gun.

#68: Marvel Legends (Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2) - Rocket Raccoon & Groot

While I was excited for figures of new characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, I wasn't thrilled with new versions of old figures. But I want the Mantis build a figure. Fortunately, most of the re-hashed characters are better figures than the older versions. Rocket here has improved articulation (his legs are posable now!) and has better balance thanks to having two small pistols rather than a large gun. He also has swappable heads. Technically, this is a two pack, as baby Groot is included. Groot is naturally adorable and tiny, and is sporting the Ravagers jumpsuit from the movie. Unfortunately, mine won't stand unsupported. Rocket's never going to be the best value, but it's a definite improvement over the first movie version, so depending on how you feel about these things, he may or may not be worth picking up. I'm okay with having bought him.

#67: Marvel Legends (Spider-Man Homecoming) - Spider-Man (homemade costume)

According to the packaging, this is just Spider-Man, with no mention of which costume this is. I never thought I'd see the Ben Reilly costume in a movie, but making a color inverted version of it Spidey's original homemade costume was a stroke of genius. I like that it's basically just a sweatsuit. Like the other movie Spidey, this has swappable fists and "thwip" hands. There's only one head, but there are two hood pieces, so it can be worn up or down. And that should be it for Spider-Man figures, for a while. Oh, there's the big one...

#66: Marvel Legends (Spider-Man Homecoming) - Spider-Man

So, inevitably, there is a movie Spider-Man figure for the recent movie. Which renders the Civil War version moot, especially given the earlier figure's inaccuracies. Ah well. This version is generally improved, and includes a piece of Vulture's wings. Spidey has swappable fists and "thwip-ing" hands, as well as two different heads. One with larger eyes and one with squinty eyes. If nothing else, incorporating Spidey's shifting eye size into movie canon is pretty damn cool. This version also uses the underarm webbing, which I think is a first for Marvel Legends figures, since the first appearance Spider-Man figure from years ago. Here, they are plastic pieces that plug into the undersides of the arms. They look cool enough, but only when the arms are in a set position. They're also not super secure. I'm sure there will be more Spider-Man figures in the upcoming years, but unless they do something radically different (symbiote suit?), this will probably be good enough for me.

#65: Star Wars The Black Series - Death Squad Commander

For the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, Hasbro started releasing the six inch Black Series figures on vintage style card backs. I saw the first series, which were mostly re-releases of figures I already had, then didn't see any more, except for this guy. Supposedly there is a Jawa and C-3PO out there. Somewhere. Basically they were a victim of being stuck between all the leftover Rogue One stuff, and when stores stopped ordering in anticipation for the upcoming Last Jedi stuff. Since this guy was one of the original 12 Star Wars figures, it got an update for the 40th anniversary line. I was thinking about how goofy his helmet looks, but now I'm wondering if it's modeled after samurai helmets. That's completely possible given the various influences that went into Star Wars. Either way, this is a good figure of a generic Imperial. He's got a blaster and his helmet is removable.

#64: LEGO Minifigures Series 17 - Connoisseur

I think my local Target ordered way too many cases of the LEGO Batman Movie series of minifigures, because series 17 never showed up there. While visiting a Target in a different town, I was able to find some of the series 17 minifigures still in stock. The stereotypical French guy is officially known as "Connoisseur" which I guess is a better name than stereotypical French guy. It's French, even. I mostly wanted this minifigure because it comes with a baguette and a French bulldog, which is way too cute. Why a French bulldog and not a poodle? I don't know. Poodles seem more stereotypically French to me. He's pretty easy to find through the bag by feeling for the baguette.

#63: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Usagi Yojimbo

Here we are, the last of my birthday gifts for the year. This Usagi Yojimbo figure is one I've been waiting nearly 30 years for. The original Usagi figure was wearing armor, and the more recent version was in an awkward pose due to an action feature. At last, there is an Usagi Yojimbo figure that is articulated and is wearing his standard outfit. I haven't been keeping up with the Ninja Turtles cartoon, but now that it's been responsible for this figure, it has achieved its purpose and can now be rebooted.

#62: Transformers Titans Return - Perceptor and Convex

I am in general a Transformers fan, and I have a keen appreciation for absurdity. So I'm always pleased by Transformers with somewhat ridiculous alt-modes. A microscope alt-mode fits under that category, so I wanted to get Perceptor. I never had one as a kid, and the previous version turned into a vehicle, so I skipped it. I thought this was going to be the last series of toys before the movie stuff hit, and that they would be impossible to find. But I lucked out and found Perceptor on the shelf. In robot mode he looks reminiscent of the original version, with the distinctive red and blue color scheme.

The alt microscope mode isn't exactly going to fool anyone that it's an actual microscope, but it gets the idea across. There's a neat feature where the dial on the scope can be used to adjust the focal length of the lenses in the scope. There are two actual lenses in the scope, but they don't function to magnify anything. Still, a neat feature. Perceptor's head, Convex, can sit in the rifle.

#61: Star Wars The Black Series - Royal Guard

Long time blog readers may recall that I am always down for a Royal Guard figure. There's a online exclusive four pack that features a Senate Guard, a Royal Guard, a Shadow Guard, and a Praetorian Guard that I am super tempted to get. But for now here is the Royal Guard. Like most Royal Guard figures from the last few years, the robe conceals a fully sculpted set of armor, and the figure is armed with the typical force pike and holdout blaster. I think this figure is unique in that the cloak is only split along the right side, whereas previous versions have basically had a "cape" for the front and the back that kind of close around each other. It's too bad that we never got to see these guys in action during their appearance in Return of the Jedi, but maybe the Praetorian Guard will get to show off their moves during The Last Jedi.

#60 LEGO Star Wars Microfighters - Wookiee Gunship (75129)

This was another birthday gift. Since this is a Wookiee who isn't Chewbacca (you can tell because he's completely nude), this is a set based on Revenge of the Sith. But it turns out there is a larger Wookiee Gunship set that's based on Rebels, so maybe not. My Shyriiwook is terrible, I can't come up with an appropriate name for him, so I'll just go with Frank. Frank's bowcaster looks suspiciously like a regular crossbow. I've never had a Chewbacca minifigure before, is this "crossbow as bowcaster" treatment standard for Wookiees in LEGO form? The gunship itself is a fun little build, with adjustable wings and flick out missiles.

#59: Power Rangers Legacy Collection - Green Ranger

My birthday was about two and a half months ago. This was a birthday gift. That's how far behind I am currently. Anyway, Bandai has been putting out these Power Ranger Legacy figures for a while. They're basically the Marvel Legends of Power Rangers, as they're in a six inch scale and well articulated. They even have a build a figure, which for the first couple of series is the original Megazord. The movie reboot wasn't out yet when the Green Ranger was in stores, so I missed out. Fortunately, I was given this figure for my birthday. My only experience with Bandai figures recently has been the Figuarts toys, and while this figure isn't as nice, this does feel like it's by the same company. There is plentiful articulation, and overall the figure feels well made. There are a few accessories: the Sword of Death, the infamous dagger/flute, and a spare set of hands posed for flute playing. If the first series of figures was still readily available, I'd feel very tempted to assemble the classic MMPR team.

#58: Star Wars The Black Series- Tusken Raider

The Tusken Raiders are one of the iconic alien groups from Star Wars. Completely covered from head to toe, and speaking in unintelligible grunts, there's something unnerving and mysterious about them. If someone wanted to make a horror movie in the Star Wars universe, they would be great antagonists. The first six inch figure turned out pretty well, fortunately. The soft goods robe has a nice rough look to it, although it does hang somewhat oddly. Hopefully gravity will sort that out with time. The other accessories are a long blaster rifle and a gaffi stick. Well, three gaffi sticks, sort of. There are three different interchangeable ends for the gaffi stick. Why so many? I'm assuming it's meant to reflect different onscreen props, so you can choose which specific Sandperson you want the figure to reflect. I just opted for the one that I think looks best.

#57: Star Wars The Black Series - Qui-Gon Jinn

Next up from Star Wars is Qui-Gon Jinn. As a Jedi who wasn't particularly concerned with the rules of the Order, he was probably responsible for Obi-Wan's loose interpretation of honesty. I just realized that this is only the second Phantom Menace figure in the six inch line. I mean, Artoo technically could be a Phantom Menace figure, but his accessories are specific to later movies in the series. I'm not too surprised, given the film's notoriety. I will be very impressed if Hasbro ever makes a six inch Jar-Jar figure.  Anyway, Qui-Gon has the usual level of articulation for six inch Star Wars figures, and mostly looks pretty good. The face looks better in person than in this picture. Naturally, he includes his lightsaber, which has a removable blade, and an alternate Force gesture left hand. So far, none of the Jedi in this scale have included robes. I hope at some point in the future they start making them, although I wouldn't want to have to re-buy figures just for robes.

#56: Star Wars The Black Series - Lando Calrissian

Force Friday II was a couple days ago, but I'm still super far behind with my blogging. So here's a Star Wars figure I got a couple months ago! I think this is the last series in the regular packaging before the 40th anniversary stuff was supposed to hit. So if you're anything like me, you haven't seen it in a store. I got mine online. But yeah, Lando! Lando's always been cool, so I'm glad to get his figure in this scale. He's got a blaster, a commlink, and his cape is removable. I wonder if they'll make a Lando figure for the upcoming untitled (still!) Han Solo movie. Then I could have Billy Dee Williams standing next to Donald Glover on my shelf.