Marcia Lucas, had passed away

 The ex wife of George Lucas has passed. Cancer did it.

My condolences to friends and family. Also, her style was what made the original trilogy feel special  she was key in reining in Lucas... her absence was obvious in the prequel trilogy. May the firce be with you.

Advent Calendar 06: Arturito

 Or as the yanks call him R2D2. I'm not a big Star Wars collector, but I had Threepio and for years he was all alone. It's like having Jay without Silent Bob, Robin without Batman, Rocksteady without Bebop, jelly with out peanut butter, Zack Snyder without mediocrity, Tomax without Xamot... you get the idea. So, against all logic I added an R2-D2 to my pile of loot at BBTS a long time ago. He shipped, he's here, now I review it. Do I need to explain who is R2D2? Star wars, white and blue dumpster looking Droid, talks in beeps and whistles, has served two Skywalkers, you get the idea...

Articulation

Artoo lacks normal articulation due to him being an Astromech. He has hinged heels (3) his third leg is a grower... way to go Nefty, low brow humor. His torso swings back and forth. Can look left and right. Also you can pull up his head to reveal a storage carousel for his accessories. Careful, as Artoo can be a bit testy and a mild bump can cause the items to fall off inside him and get stuck... I required using 2 pairs of tweezers to remove the stuck accessories and ended up putting them in a small plastic box.

Last but not least he has 2 hinged access panels on his torso to plug in 4 out of his 6 accessories.

He has all the articulation needed for an Astromech.

5.0

Paint and sculpt

It's R2-D2. Without access to the movies at the moment, I can't truly check how accurate he is. Especially from the backside. I mean, from the front side he looks pretty accurate and I've used different internet pics and stills from the movie to verify. There may be some slight details missing on his third leg, thats what she said...

I feel like something is off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

4.5

Threepio: Artoo! Old friend! Don't ask me about my red arm!
Artoo: *beeps and whistles*
Threepio: What do you mean you don't care? You're supposed to ask me about it.
Artoo: *beeps and boops*
Threepio: Goodness, no! My arm isn't red for using it to take the virginity of a Hutt!
Artoo: *whistles and boops*
Threepio: My word, you are one sick droid!

Accessories

4 arm attachments based on the movies.

Periscope

Antenna

2 removable head panels to plug in the antenna and periscope.

Hardcore Star Wars fans are going to kill me because I'm not using the proper names for the accessories but unfortunately I'm not super hardcore to Star Wars on the range of casual slightly above casual level of fandom. But it's way beneath hardcore fan level. I find the amount of accessories in the for R2 D2 but, I feel like there's something missing.

5.0

Threepio: Artoo, stop being perverted and put all your attachments inside of you now!
Artoo: *swoops and trills*
Threepio: "If you got it flaunt it"? What kind of perverted mindset is that! I feel bad for Master Luke having to so much time with a creep like you!

Overall

Arturito gets a 4.83 as his final score. Aside the possibility of a few possible missing paint details, he's as close as perfect as we'll get for Hasbro Pricing. Mentioning this because I know someone out there will say: "But SH Figuarts "

First he was Sonic now Urkel is Star Wars:

 I shit you not... we got Doc Brown, Lizzo, Nacho Libre, now we have weed Mogul Jaleel White in Star Wars...

Yes Sonic the Hedgehog...

He will be a cyborg in Star Wars Skeleton Crew... OK...

All we need is Reginald Vel Johnson playing a space cop to cover all the references. 

Hopefully the show won't be Acolyte bad, but if it is, we blame Urkel...

The Acolyte is canceled.

 Disney is taking another L with the Cancelation of Star Wars: The Acolyte. I tried to watch the series but I couldn't. It was bad. The moment the show lost me was when they killed Trinity by fucking kunai. I watched the rest of the episode but didn't feel invested... kinda like  the Ewoks movies. They exist, I'm not invested in them. I believe they have the honor of having the first swear word in Star Wars..

The Star Wars F-Bomb is brought you by Diabeetus man!

In any case Weinstein's Padawan had her show killed. I'm not going to talk about wokeness ruining Star Wars or how Weinstein's Padawan was hellbent on making Star Wars Gay. The moment they lost ME as a viewer was when they killed a Jedi Master with kunai.  That's like killing Goku with a normal bullet. Makes sense, right? The only sense it makes is nonsense...

MOTU Revolution trailer out

 Granamyr is fucking Discord.

See this? It wasn't on the trailer, but I'm excited for Granamyr, because he's Q.

Shatner might be GWILDOR... and Skeletor is Mark Hamill... i hope Kevin Smith didn't fuck this up like Revelation...

Hack Snydurr might have a good movie for once...

 The teaser for his edgelord take on Star Wars has been released. Rebel Moon part 1 only on Netflix, December 22, 2023.

Not going to lie, but the trailer looks decent. It shows a lot while revealing too little, due to the lack of context. While the colors are washed out, this is a Hack Snydurr movie, afterall; it's the most colorful movie I've seen him do in the past decade. Also, another good thing:

Thwre was zero trace of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah on the trailer. Why do i say it might be good, because I actually want to see it, not in a: "Let's mock the shit out of Third Rate Michael Bay" way that I normally watch his movies. I want to see it in a: "This movie looks interesting" kind of way.

Of course, I must remember this is a Zack Snyder movie, so I should expect the storytelling be its weakest point. 4 months until we find out of he can raise the bar that Jar Jar Abrams dropped.

MANDALORIAN News that surprises no one

 Pedro Pascal is just a Voice Actor. This past Season, the Titular character took a back seat to Bo Katan's story and hos bathing on the waters of Mandalore to recover THE WAY, seal the deal on Din Djarrin not needing to ever take off his helmet again, therefore releasing Pedro Pascal from being in the suit a lot.

This was what allowed Pascal to have enough freedom to work on both The Mandalorian and on The Last of Us. Of course, we hope that Pascal doesn't get too attached to his role on The Last of Us, because of the golfing incident. This Is Us Star Wars as you can get, since the last time and the first time we saw something like this was with Darth Vader. James Earl Jones voiced the character while David Prowse was the main actor. Maybe that could be the way to make Boba Fett great again. It allows a new actor for the action scenes and for the parts that require Boba to take off his helmet we can use Temuera Morrison. That works for one Mandalorian could work for another.

Odds and ends Sept.25 2022: Spider-verse, Little Mermaid, and stuff

 Read the Edge of the Spider-verse issue 4... the one with the handicapped Spider-lesbian... it was absolute cringe. Like most of the receny Edge of the Spider-verse stories, we get a small story that introduces the current Spider and then they get recruited by a Female Spider. Her personality is literally Lesbian stereotype with a disability twist. I'm dreading the Gay golden Orb Weaver Spider-Man. Betting he'll be a 1 dimensional gay stereotype.

Daddy is calling it quits. I'm talking about

James Earl Jones retiring as Darth Vader's voice. From now on it seems that an AI will take over. So now Vader will be less man and more machine...

Damn... I'm going to spend most of my vacation doing post-hurricane cleanup. Stupid Fiona, ruining my plans. I'm mostly OK, but pissed at losing the perishables inside the fridge... I had VENISON, which is hard to get by in PR. I had a couple of cheese wedges. My plan was to make a mac and cheese with cubed pan seared venison. Well, Mother Nature decided that I ain't ready for venison.

So I cleaned my PS4 today

 Whoever says that cleaning your own consoles is easy, fuck you! I mean it's not hard, you just remove sone screws, remove some plastic covers, remove the power supply, and dust off the inside and outside... If I, who am not mechanically inclined can do it, it can't be that hard. But man, that lower cover was a BITCH to remove. A few days ago, I bought online a kit with the screwdrivers needed to disassemble the PS4 (mostly for the special security screws that use a non common for casuals like myself bit). It also included a brush to remove dust, and the plastic "pry bar" to well, pry the covers open. I need to buy a replacement prybar, cause mine got screwed by opening the ps4.

After 145 minutes of cursing and bitching about the YT videos making it look simpler than it really is, my PS4 is now clean. MacGyver probably can open it with a red bull can and a dildo, but I'm a mere mortal. What's the point of all this? When one pays $40 to have a professional do it for you, you're paying for their expertise of doing something in a few minutes that it took me nearly 2 ½ hours to complete. That's not adding the $13 I had to use to get the tools shipped, the $9 for the compressed air can (basically a 1 time use, since I used most of it on the PS4.) Then there's all the pain and torture that I went through to get that bottom cover off. If it wasn't for that bottom cover, I'd say the process is a piece of cake.

Now my PS4 doesn't sound like it has the need for speed or that it could be my wingman any time... what I'm trying to say is: if you are not a mechanically inclined person like I am, are a bit of a klutz like I am, and don't have enough patience to deal where stubborn plastic pieces that could break easily, consider pay paying for getting it done. Saving $18 wasn't worth it.

Revolution is the name of the sequel to Kevin Smith's bastardization of He-Man... still bastardized by Kevin Smith. Apparently it's only 5 episodes this time. Maybe it won't suck and actually HAVE He-Man in it, but I'm keeping my expectations low.

I still don't know how to feel about Kenobi. It isn't awful, but it lost me rather quickly... I mean, it didn't lose me lose me like Hawkeye, but it's more like: "oh yeah, they uploaded an episode of Obi-Wan yesterday" and not: "Holy shit, must get home now to watch Obi-Wan!!1!" The third sister isn't an intimidating foe. I blame Moses Ingram for that. She just doesn't look EVIL like Darth Vader, Palpatine, or Commander Holdo. At least the guy from Jumper had a chance to redeem himself. Also, Luke might be getting himself killed or anally violated by Sandpeople, but Obama Obi-Wan was too busy babysitting Leia. (My Autocorrect calls Obi-Wan Obama for some reason.) At least Ms. Marvel seems fun... Aside the hamfisted way they're making Kamala worship bRiEEEEE Larson. 

Odds and ends May 20th 2022: ay-yi-yi! ROCKY is now the best Red MMPR

 At least he is not accussed of fraud, unlike OTHER Red Rangers... yes, Austin st. John, aka Jason, the original Mighty Morphin Red Ranger, was charged of fraud.  18 people were involved in this fraud scheme and among them was the OG Red Ranger... Tommy might be a douchebag, but at least he's an honest douchebag. Ay-yi-yi! I guess when Zordon asked for teenagers with attitude, he didn't mean this.

Seems like Daredevil is getting a new Series on Disney+. Will Charlie Cox reprise his role as Matt Murdock? I hope so, but with him being in No Way Home and D'Onoffrio as Kingpin, there is a chance that The Devil from Hell's Kitchen will be back. The only thing that worries me is that Disney might tone down the violence for Daredevil, because Disney.

Seems like Kathleen Kennedy learned ALL the wrong lessons from the failures of the Sequel Trilogy and Solo.  Recasting Iconic charactera on prequels is NOT a bad idea... if it was, we wouldn't have Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. The problem was that the kid playing Solo didn't FEEL like a young Solo. Also, the movie being mostly fluff to start a TV series about a young Smuggler named Solo. 

The Disney sequels... I've already stated that lack of clear direction, forcing "girl power" and overreliance on Jar Jar Abrams was what screwed the sequels. Because, as much as people disliked The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson was paving the way for Star Wars without Skywalkers. The Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett proved that you can do side stories with Star Wars. The issues lie on choosing WHAT TO TELL and WHERE IN THE TIMELINE DOES IT GO.

Most of you know the song Chariots of Fire, from the movie of the same name... or is it from the nightmarish computer game QWOP? Well, the composer of said song, passed away. Insert Haley Joel Osment Necrosight remark here.

Apparently, COVID-19 was the Cause of death 

Hello there! Obi Wan Kenobi Trailer

 This May, Ewan McGregor returns as General Kenobi.

The teaser looks pretty interesting. We have inquisitors, we had Kenobi, child Skywalker, and things happening outside of Tatooine. There was also a teaser pic of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. I got to say that this has spiked my interest in this mini-series. At the same time I'm not getting my hopes up because it's Disney. 

While the book of Boba Fett wasn't bad, it was badly paced for a 7 episode series. Hell, halfway through the series it became the Mandalorian season 2 .5 that's not good for Boba Fett. But unlike the book of Boba Fett, the Obi-Wan Series has no other shows to hijack it.

Hopefully the Obi-Wan series will be able to deliver something that the fans want, a kick-ass Star Wars series that Bridges the prequels with the main trilogy.

BlackChewbaccagate: a Parts reuse rant

 At times, I'm an advocate for creative parts reuse on figures, but there are times where even I can't defend parts being reused. This is the case of Black Croissantan, the Black Furred Wookie from The book of Boba Fett.

$28 and he's supposed to ship on February 2023... One entire year of waiting for a Chewbacca repaint with a new head and unpainted Harness.

This is like making a Captain America out of the Spider-Man body. It won't look good... especially when displayed next to a picture of the character, showcasing the differebt body type.

Honestly, it would have been better to wait for the release of Black Krrsantan and instead do a Black series Jodo Kast as a "lazy repaint" exclusive. Also, would it kill anyone to give the metallic parts of the harness some Gold paint and maybe a slight wash on the "leather parts" of the harness? As it is right now, the harness looks like it came from one of those bootleg lines that "play well with Masters of the Universe" toys. It's disappointing.

The Book of Boba Meh...

 I am a bit... take it away, Jerkules!

Yes, I am a bit disappointed about the book of Boba Fett... sure, the season or series finale was decent. Yes I said series finale as a possibility, since herr Maus hasn't said if there even will be a Season 2 of Fett. The show tied up everything with a bow and setting up The Mandalorian's third Season. Boba fought Cad Bane, the "Teenagers with Attitude" were useful. The fight scenes were OK, but it felt like a Scoh freett Neitlich story. Slow meandering bullshit for 80% of the season then wrapping it up on the last episode.

It feels like the show was meant to last a lot longer than it did. This is made worse with the 2 Boba Fett-less episodes leading up to this one. Then we had TOO MANY PLAYERS ON THE BOARD, which meant limited screetime for the characters. All this setting up The Pike Syndicate as this big bad boss, it was defeated rather swiftly. The saddest thing was how swiftly Cad Bane was dealt with. Has this show been 13 episodes, we could've gotten more of Cad Bane thwarting Boba's efforts to unite Tatooine against the Syndicate, but it is what it is. Now it feels like Din Djarin is the True Mandalorian and Boba Fett was made into the new Jodo Kast. But we know who the MVP of this show was... No, not Peli Motto, not Mando...

Not even Whiny Bitchboy Skywalker, but Baby Yoda. I have a feeling Mulan might dishonor her space ancestors in Mando season 3.

The Book of Boba Fett another rant

 Last week's episode was problematic. Not in a social justice kind of way problematic but a storytelling way. The series is 6 or 7 episodes long and as of the moment I started writing this, only 3 have come out with the 4th a few hours away. "What's the problem?" You might ask. The answer is "Pacing". Personally, I'm enjoying the show for what it is: a strange redemption arc for Boba Fett after his pathetic brush with  "death" at the Maw of the Sarlaac. By becoming the Master of his own Destiny he's striving to change Tatooine for the better as the new Crime Boss replacing Jabba and Bib Fortuna. 

So, what happens on the show... Politics... Boba heads to town... More Politics... Oh look! An assassination attempt. Easily avoidable fight had Boba used the Jetpack. More Politics... flashbacks to Boba's time as Kevin Costner in Dances with Banthas. The Hutts show up and they show a Black Wookie... guess what happens:

Yup, more talk about Politics. Later at night we see Boba Fett in a diaper getting his ass kicked by the Black Wookie... there's also something about Boba Fett hiring Cyborg Teenagers with Attitude after he scolds a scamming water vendor... Can you see the issue yet? 3 out of 6 or 7 episodes and most of them have been talking about Politics, Spice Trading, Water Scalping... pretty much the worst part of the Prequels. Wait, I forgot Machete in Space who is the new Rancor Keeper! There was a speeder bike chase but it was forgettable...

The show can be a bit on the duller side and mostly forgettable... there is no Baby Yoda to keep you hooked. Even Boba Fett is dull and boring, which destroys the "Mysterious Badass" Image that he had built for nearly 40 years of "Legends" lore. 

Now don't get me wrong, but I like The Book of Boba Fett. My issue is that the writing is being made for a 26 episode season, but we're getting only 6 or 7 episodes... it worries me, because we might end up with a Hideo Kojima situation, where the second half of the season will be a suoer long info dump before the conclusion on episode 6 or 7.

Update

Episode 4 just dropped and it's a flashback episode... here we have Boba and Ming-Na Wen infiltrating the enemy fortress to obtain the Slave-1 ship. But halfway through the episode we have a Looney Tunes/ Tom & Jerry type chase in a Kitchen. UGH!! At least there's a bit of action as Ming-Na Wen and Boba take the Slave-1... then we're back at this show's favorite pastime: Politics! Holy shit! Implied dismemberment!! Now  it's Politics time...

I get that COVID-19 kinda ruined the filming, but my word, how much exposition can you cram on a miniseries!? I get that Temuera Morrison was 60 when this was filmed, but Boba Fett is covered from Head to Toe in Mandalorian Armor... USE A YOUNGER STUNT DOUBLE TO FILM ACTION SCENES AND THEN HAVE TEMUERA MORRISON DUB THE VOICE!!

But the answer will probably be that they didn't have as much budget as they did with Mando...

The Book of Wobbuffet wasn't that great.

 But on the other hand, the Book of Boba Fett is looking pretty neat. It takes a lot of cues from The Mandalorian. That is a good thing, since Filoni and Favreau have an understanding of what makes Star Wars tick. Now they added Robert Rodriguez to complete the Book of Boba Fett team. Unlike say. Kathleen Kennedy who is only a producer, Filoni has been a writer and director, not to mention showrunner in variois Star Wars projects. This puts him in a position of greater connection with The Force, metaphorically speaking. This shows with hos track record vs, say The Disney sequels.

It seems that Filoni's projects are fully thought out and not winging it like it happened woth the sequels. I know that Lucas was winging it at the beginning, but just because Lucas was winging it 40-something years ago,  doesn't mean that we had to wing it now. Letting Jar Jar wing it put us in the uncomfortable position that led to The Last Jedi. (I still stand by it being the best of the Disney Sequels)...

Now if Filoni and Faverau are winging it, then Damn!! They are making it look like they have a coherent master plan...

Odds and ends Sept. 21 21... No idea with whatever is happening here.

 Marcia Lucas, the woman behind the success of the Original Star Wars Trilogy, hates the Mouse Trilogy. I must say that I agree with her statements. This is the part where some Avid readers try to have a gotcha! moment and point out that I did like the Last Jedi. I'm not trying to change history like a certain disgruntled Mattel ex-employee. I still stand by that. I believe that the Last Jedi is the best movie out of the Disney trilogy. Sure, Rian Johnson is an asshole and a doiche, but he's far more competent than Jar Jar Abrams as a Star Wars director. I liked some things he did and I hated others... BUT he was the only one trying to push the story forward AND to ensure that Star Wars wasn't all about the dysfunctional Palpatine Family.  

With all that said, I still agree with Marcia Lucas on how Disney mismanaged Star Wars... seriously, Rogue One was a fluke and Lucasfilm was LUCKY that Fillioni and Favreau were able to show that Star Wars, when done correctly, can be a success.

I NEED to see Pokémon Heroes... Apparently, Ash makes out with a Pokémon disguised as a girl and becomes a father... This makes sense since in Japan, people used to marry Pokémon... All that Gardevoir porn is now canon... Jessie's happy fin time with Lickitung, Canon. Mr. Mime being Ash's Step-dad, CANON!! Basically, Ash and friends save Venice from Team Rocket's somewhat competent members and this girl, called Bianca, not to be confused with the OTHER Bianca... wait, I'm starting to feel like someone in the Localization team for Pokémon has a thing for a Bianca... since there's TWO OF THEM!? Where was I? Bianca!! As I was saying Bianca II is a girl, but there is a Latias that transforms into Bianca and does Bianca things... one of those was apparently kiss Ash... and in the end Latias has 2 baby Latias... Quick! CALL MAURY POVICH!!

While not "Jurassic Park" levels of "What where they thinking!?" Bad, there's a Company interested in "resurrecting" the Wooly Mammoth. Seriously, there's 2 books, 5-6 movies, tons of videogames that show WHY THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA!! but this also reminds me of a song... it's in Spanish and it's about a 🦣 who wants to try new things and his friends, 🕊,🐕,🐻,🐈, and Donkey decide to help him. Let's just say that things don't go well for our Wooly friend.

 Wait, they made an English version!? They cut the Pigeon and flying part... but seriously, DON'T DO THIS!! Worst case scenario isn't Jurassic Park...

Don't play with my feelings like this... a Remaster of Marvel vs Capcom 2? Not gonna lie, This gave me a boner. Thinking of something like Ultra Street Fighter 2 but with MVC 2!?

Hell, right now I'll even take a vanilla port...

Gonna say that if it is a remaster AND they redo all the sprites, then they could add secret characters or alternate looks:

Spider-Man could get a "clone" if you catch my drift.

War Machine could be a Different looking character from Iron Man.

Mega Man could get Proto Man as a "clone"

Bone Claw Wolverine can be remade into his FERAL Look. Or giving Ken his SFV outfit and keeping the Alpha Hair... they can do so many things...

Yes I know that Sprite based games are harder to add additional looks, but if we got bone claw Wolverine, then let's make him look different enough from Normal Wolverine. 

Kinda feeling the urge for a MVC style list...

2020 has taken the least popular half of Darth Vader.

 Only the Hardcore Star Wars Fans remember and respect David Prowse, who sadly was recently seen by Haley Joel Osment.  Aside Star Wars he was known as a Body Builder... back when Lou Ferrigno and Arnold Schwarzenegger were Body Builders.

Sadly Mr Prowse has passed away. As always my condolences to the surviving members of his family and his closest friends.  He was 85 years old.

It's not much, but I want to use this post as a small way to remember Mr. Prowse, because his imposing figure was what made Darth Vader a terrifying figure. Sure, James Earl Jones delivered an amazing voice performance, that cemented Darth Vader as the most imposing villainous presence this side of Doctor Doom, but it was Prowse who interacted with the actors.

The Child has a name and

 It's Stupid! The episode was really cool with Rosario Dawson playing Ahsoka Tano. This got me so excited that when she first appeared I started screaming Ahsoka and may have angered the ghost of Celia Cruz. The only downside to the episode was the Reveal of Baby Yoda's name. It sounds like the onomatopoeia of a belch. It doesn't even have a Y for crying out loud! We had Yoda, Yaddle, and now Belch Sound.  I'm not using the real name for the sake of avoiding spoilers for those who haven't seen it. I'm using a descriptor which is belch sound, because that's what it sounds like.

But we all know the real reason for the name reveal:

Double dipping on the Merchandise!!!

Think about it, Star Wars fans collect MOC, so they already own "The Child" merchandise and now they must rebuy the same stuff with "Stupid Belch Sound Real Name". Hasbro is loving this!!

It came from the Toy Chest: Ripped off, I was?

I went to Wal-Mart yesterday to buy some clothes. I came out with a $12 Figure:

It's, The Child, or Baby Yoda as he's colloquially known.
The breakout character from Disney+'s The Mandalorian.
What started as a MacGuffin on the first season of the Mandalorian quickly became the most endearing character of the series.
 take Yoda turn him into a baby and then make him a million times cuter... that's the child in a nutshell

Nefty: Part of me wants to call him Ike.

Articulation
Would you believe that the child is decently articulated. For I figured that size I barely expected head and  arm articulation.
The child has a pseudo ball joint on the head shoulders wrists and feet.
Sadly the arms pop out quite easily. For what I expected to be a chunk of plastic, the little guy can move.
4.5

Nefty: Look at it's widdle toes!

Paint and sculpt 
It looks like the child but incredibly tiny. Only the head has some shading, everything else is molded in appropriate colors.
4.5

Nefty: Nope, not feeling the "Paternal instincts" at all!

Accessories
Hospital knows you're going to lose these. That's why they went japanese Collector Style and put them in a Nice Little Clear case.
He has:
Mando's knob
Bone broth cup
Frog

The Child has found a frog.
Don't lick them!

The Child has found a Bowl of Bone Broth!

The Child has found Mando's knob!
I would make a joke about polishing it, but
FBI!!

You can display them in a Link just found an item pose. Other than that they're completely useless.
Here is where alternate arms would have been a much better thing.
Picture a set of arms for holding the cup, a set of arms holding a half eaten Frog, Anna maybe alternate head with the eyes closed for the using the force poses.
3.5

Nants igonyama bagithi baba and all that 

Overall
I can't believe that The Child got a 4.17 as his final score.  I got to be honest things are a bit more expensive in Puerto Rico. the $12 I paid feel like a  rip-off.  Heck! Even the Mainland US $10 price feels like a rip-off. On the other hand it's good that it got a single release because that means I can get multiples and hide them at props four other displays. Everybody gets a stuffed toy of the child without having to buy an additional Mandalorian.

TOP ITEMS that could be Hasbro Pulse Exclusives: (Marbel Legends, SW: Black series, Power Rangers Lightning Collection, GI Joe Classified)

Boredom during Quarantine can make me a dull boy...
I have a couple of Legends to photograph and review, but life has thrown a couple of curveballs in my direction.

As an Essential Employee, I haven't been able to be at home as much as non-essentials. Local laws and curfew have forced me to do chores and errands in my downtime, and let's be honest: I've been watching a bit more anime than I used to... well not just Anime but TV in general. Also Super Mario Maker 2 and Final Fantasy 7 (the real one) aren't going to play themselves.

Also to celebrate the Putties, I'm going to make a list of items that could be considered as Hasbro pulse exclusives.
It could be single figures, multipacks, vehicles, or even an entire wave of characters. Some of the items mentioned on the list could work as retail release others are a bit too weird or Niche to have a retail release.

Star Wars: The Black Series:
I'm starting with Star Wars, since it's the smallest of lists.

-Luke with Tauntaun display base:
Well, I know the Black Series already released a Han Solo with Tauntaun 2 pack. Please notice I mentioned the words display base and not 2 pack.
From a tooling point of view, if they still have the Wampa and Luke molds, then only the Tauntaun display base is the only part that requires new molds.  Since they already have made a Tauntaun, they would need to scan their existing Tauntaun and modify the sculpt to accommodate the Luke Figure slipping inside of it.

-Jar Jar Binks:
 I know everyone hates Jar Jar Binks. I do too but we kind of need it a black series Jar Jar Binks... especially since the sh figuarts Jar Jar Binks is still missing in action. And let's face it not everybody wants a Jar Jar Binks. So while he's important for prequel displays he's not a must-have character for everyone, hence his spot on this list.

-Phantom Menace Queen Amidala:
I know we got an attack of the Clones Padme Amidala but I'm talking about The Phantom Menace Padme Amidala. While she could sell at stores, making her a pulse exclusive can allow Hasbro to Spruce her up a bit and not be stuck with "wave limitatioms".

-Rise and Fall of Anakin Skywalker 3 pack:
My original plan was a Darth Vader vs younglings multi pack. But apparently, that would be a controversial set.
 I took that idea and tinkered around with it until I ended up with little Annie from Phantom Menace they're young Anakin Skywalker from episodes 2 and 3. To complete the set a Darth Vader figure from the end of episode 3 to episode 6.

Well Anakin sported different hairstyles in episode 2 episode 3 they're closing remain pretty much the same so having three heads for the adult Anakin Works rather easily. Also the only new tooling required would be on the child Anakin because the other two figures already exist.

GI Joe Classified:
The items here are mostly reduced to VARIANTS that the main releases haven't touched.
In reality this list is literally shorter than the Star Wars Black Series because we only have a single wave of releases.

-A V1 inspired Roadblock: (or Sunbow ARAH s1 look)
The upcoming roadblock from wave 1 is based on the second version of the roadblock figure... white shirt, green vest, carrying the Once a Man Cobra Commander.





I would apply the same logic for most characters that end up getting non- ARAH looks.  Like say for example Shipwreck: the main retail release is very likely to get the Navy SEAL Shipwreck with his beanie and looking badass.
Hasbro pulse could give us the Village People reject Shipwreck.

-Commando Snake Eyes with Timber:
I'm well aware that a snake eyes figure would easily sell. Also a commando-style snake eyes would not be that much of a difference from the ninja snake eyes, aside the Head. I chose to add Timber as a special accessory in order to entice people to get this Snake Eyes as well.

-Spirit Ironknife:
He is a bit of a controversial figure. While he was made to add diversity, this was done in the 1980s, when 2020 sensibilities didn't apply. he borders the line between okay representation and a stereotype. Soul to avoid issues with him being a retail release having a massage pulse exclusive would bypass most of the complaints, since to order the figure online you'd have to be an adult with a credit card to make the purchase.

-Sgt. Slaughter:
While I hate the idea of him being a website exclusive, I believe this might be the only way to get one without conflicting with Mattel's WWE line. This would be similar to NECA selling Retail 7 inch TMNT while Super7 does their 7 inch TMNT as online exclusives. Sure there are some slight caveat to the art style choices with NECA being based on the 1980s cartoon, 1990s movies and video games while super7 is based on their vintage 1980s-1990s toys. I suppose the GI joe stylized stylr wouldn't interfere with Mattel's Realistic and Vintage MOTU styles... after going through the WWE and Sgt. SLAUGHTER  legal red tape

-Trouble Bubbles:
 it's a small one-person vehicle and very iconic in ARAH imagery. Why it might be harder to get a larger vehicle for the Joe's the iconic Cobra trouble bubble would be manageable. Toss in a Cobra Trooper and people can buy multiples without any issue.

Lightning collection:
Before I start this list: it's VERY Likely that Mighty Morphin era will dominate:

-Bulk and Skull:
 despite being mighty morphin era characters these two wouldn't do well on retail. But they would go well with the next idea.

- teenagers with attitude:
 I'm a sucker for secret identity figures. And let's face it, Power Rangers NEEDS the civilian counterparts... especially if you bought multiple putties.
This would allow Hasbro to give us a true Green Tommy Head. Best part is that some outfits that certain rangers have used are similar to clothes other rangers have used as well.  Jason, Zack, and Tommy have used Tanktops. And T-shirts...
Rocky, Adam, and Billy have used buttoned shirts. So, you can get creative with part reuse. Like say:
Green Tommy uses the tank top. So does Zack, but he gets a jacket/hoodie overlay.

While the Female Rangers are slightly more difficult, most of the limbs could get part reuse.

 The hardest part would be picking show / movie accurate outfits that could have mix and match parts with other characters.

Ninjetti 2 packs:
 this would be in 1990s movie Rangers looks.  and it would be basically that 1990s armored movie look and their ninja outfit counterparts. Since the movie Russians didn't use their power weapons that's less accessories than the other standard figures.

"Human-looking" or Silly looking villains:
Not all villains have this Toyetic look, like Goldar, Lord Zedd, Mesogog.  they are villains like Elsa, Finster, The royal family of the Machine Empire, Divatox  that may or may not be pegwarmers If released on retail.

- a Ninja Turtles Next Mutation 5 pack:
Once they go over all the red tape regarding these guest characters. Neither NECA, nor Super7  are likely to do Next Mutation versions of the TMNT, so if we were to get a single chance to have Next Mutation versions of the turtles having them compatible with Power Rangers would be a nice touch.

-Ryu and Chun Li Ranger form:
Legacy Wars has Ryu and Chun Li as Power Rangers. Hasbro made them Transformers for crying out loud.

Marvel Legends:
This is the big one, the main focus for The House of Rants... This was the line that got me back into collecting for real. Heck, I came back to Legends long before MOTUC was over... also Hasbro had improved their 6 inch figures compared to their first offerings.

-New New Warriors set:
Whether you hate them or you loathe them, they are a (horrible) piece of Marvel History.
Since they would be horrible pegwarmers at retail, a Pulse release makes sense for them.

-Dan Ketch Ghost Rider (Legendary Rider):
The ToyBiz Dan Ketch has a decent Bike, but I know Hasbro could surpass that bike.

-Amazing Spider-Friends 3 pack:
Like the ye' olde TRU Marvel Universe set, where Firestar was the brand new character, this set would be similar.

-Clone Saga multi pack:
I know the Clone Saga is not exactly popular, but there are some characters that could benefit from being made.
The set would be Ben Reilly: Spider-Man (based on the superior octopus body to match the retro series Spidey),
Kaine in his 90s look, Judas Traveller, Chakra, Scrier (with extra Norman Osborn head)

-Stark Armory displayset:
Basically, a boxset with 3 Ironman figures that looks like Stark's armory. If you open the box set and pull out the figures, you'll find inside enough pieces to assemble a larger Armory to display more arnors in an armory diorama.
The 3 armors to include in the set would be Extremis, Silver Centurion and Modular armors.

-Great Lakes Avengers set:
Mr Immortal, Dinah Soar, Big Bertha, Flatman, and Doorman. While Big Bertha may be a "BAF type", Flatman is an "accessory type" also, Bertha's lower torso and limbs could be reused on Blob.

-Blob:
A nice chance to fix an "early Hasbro ML mistake". A guy named the Blob because he's fat is "offensive" in 2020... according to idiots Social Justice Slacktivists.

-Blackheart and Shuma Gorath 2 pack:
A Demon and a Lovecraftian Abomination that were made popular by a 24 year old fighting game do not scream Retail release.