Spray, iGear Mini Warriors MW-01 action figure Review

While some 3rd Party companies focus on add-ons to existing figures, iGear is producing brand new complete action figures of our favorite Transformers. Spray here is of course Autobot Seaspray from the pocket-sized minibot G1 figures. He's the first of iGear's Mini Warrior line and stands 4" which is taller than Rager whom I reviewed earlier, but mainly because of his fan mounts. Head to head he's basically the same height.

Spray's articulation is loads of awesome. Everything is ball jointed including his waist and ankles. Tho his head is tiny you can move it easily and the props on his back spin. Every bit of him is sculpted nicely with tight edges and neat tech design. There's even a space on his chest to affix your own Autobot logo you can pick up at ReproLabels. He's molded in a sparkly matte plastic which doesn't shine like the rest of your Transformers but at least you can see the detail with the darker blue and solid white making him look far less knockoff-ish.

Spray is packed in a nice box similar to Rager and comes with his own sparkly hard plastic collector card and a tiny harpoon gun which unfortunately doesn't store in vehicle mode. No instructions are included but a bit of unfolding and extending his legs will transform him easily. The only paint are his eyes and windows on his feet which are crisp and clean. His face is a separate piece of plastic and unlike the G1version the faceplate isn't yellow, but all grey.

The altmode for Seaspray is a hovercraft type that's almost as big as a scout vehicle. It looks sleek and updated with all sorts of panels and window cuts on it. Unfortunately there are no wheels underneath so Spray can't roll anywhere, just sit. I would have loved to see spherical mouse-ball type wheels that would allow you to spin him like a real hovercraft but it wasn't in iGear's design.

So what's the verdict? He's more articulated and designed better than Rager, also appearing taller because of the back props. The matte plastic and lack of wheels is a bit disappointing but aren't a dealbreaker. I really like the range of articulation he has in all his limbs and the spinning props are nice. Keep in mind he's an unlicensed product of a licensed character so weigh that internally as you will. You can pick him up at our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store or wait till he's back in stock at iGear's web store. I'd suggest BBTS because it's based in the USA. iGear's store ships from Hong Kong so it will take a while to reach you.

Rager, iGear Mini Warriors MW-02 Review

Unless you've been under a rock for the last few years you're aware of 3rd party companies, specifically ones that deal in the Transformers fandom. Some offer add-on weapon kits, completely new headsculpts, and in iGear's case, completely new figures. He's called Rager but no mistake this character is the autobot Huffer. Normally I'm not a fan of mass-producing a licensed character. It would be like Universal copying Micky Mouse's design and calling him 'Mister Mousey'. I'm not sure why this is allowed here in the Transformers world but this was a free figure given to me to review so I don't feel like I've contributed to anything shady.

He's molded in a slightly sparkly yellow, blue, and silver plastic. The sparkle flecks are apparent in good lighting and hopefully he won't suffer from crumbly gold-plastic-syndrome as older figures do, degrading over time. His sculpt is well done with nice angles and a nice design to it. He's just over 3" tall which puts him under Scout class but over Legends class. Basically he was meant to mimic the pocket scale of the G1 figure.

Along with Rager you get a nice box with graphics, his bio, two pistols and included inside is a hard plastic sparkly collector's card with his tech-specs. Mine didn't come with instructions but he's simple to transform anyone can do it. Transformation is a breeze, just unfold some parts, turn his waist, flip his shoulders and you're done. The pistols are tiny and don't store on him in vehicle mode so you'll lose these in the carpet right away if you're not careful.

Rager's articulation is very good, ball joints everywhere, toes, a waist, but no thigh swivels. He can pose just about any way except cross one leg over another which isn't a big deal. His paint apps are clean but here's where we start going downhill. He's missing the silver on the hubcaps and black roof-lights. The G1 figure had both painted and if you're not even matching the character's color standards 25+ years ago then something is amiss.

Someone also forgot to topcoat Rager before molding him. Every bit of him is cast in matte plastic, not shiny like all other Transformers so while very sturdy with tight joints he feels and appears like a Biglots knock-off toy. His wheels turn, but don't spin freely. Almost all vehicle wheels spin freely around a metal axle. Here the pin head is on the inside of the leg and the rod glued inside the tire. Everything is tight and poor Rager won't roll anywhere.

Rager's head while ball-jointed is set so far back under his hood that you can't turn it without a toothpick or something thinner than your finger. I found this terribly annoying because the most important joint on a figure is the head/neck joint for personality and direction. So what's the verdict? Unless you're a die-hard fan of the minibots he's a pass. The dollar-store look, missing paint apps, lack of rolling wheels, and the fact you're buying an unlicensed product of a licensed character makes him kinda iffy. If you want him head over to our sponsor BBTS and snag him because he's already sold out at iGear's online store.

Lego Hero Factory Toxic Reapa Review

I'll be blunt and break it to you that I'm not a huge fan of lego. I much preferred the Construx building toys when I was a kid for their I-beam and panel designs that allowed you to use less pieces to build bases for my toys. But when Lego entered the action figure-esq market with Bionicle, then Hero Factory, I was impressed. Toxic Reapa is one of the baddies from series, well, I don't think they're actually numbered or marketed  series in that way.

Wait a second, why is Lego making Capri Sun drinks? Nope, that's the new packaging for this line. Gone are the containers and for this series you get a resealable, more eco-friendly pouch. It honestly doesn't matter to me but some of you may like the containment-pod-like packaging the others series came in. Here it's just discardable once you build the figure. It did seem to lower the cost however, these figures at $8.99 instead of $10.

Uh, there's no paint on the figure. With Lego there usually isn't and this is no surprise. Everything is molded in bright green or black plastic that looks nice and shiny. The hoses that run from his arms to his back tanks are clear with a green plastic stripe embedded in them. Same with the hand flames, a swirl of two plastics to make the effect pop. The eyes aren't light-piped this time which is a shame, the red would have looked neat glowing in the light like shown on the bag art.

Articulation gets five stars, Hero Factory figures finally have full range of motion because everything is ball-jointed. He's missing a waist joint but you won't even notice because of how well everything else moves. Crouching, leaping, arms crossed, head tilted, Toxic Reapa can do it all. Even his pecs and stomach armor plates adjust and you can get some great emotive poses from him.


Toxic Reapa's sculpt is, well, a Legoish skeletal being covered with armor like all the Bionicle/Hero Factory figures before him. The mask is really neat looking, almost Predator-like with the for mouth spikes. The teeth aren't symmetrical and there's cuts and dings in his forehead like he's been in battle. He stands a little under 6" tall but you can attach his head to the upper ball joint for a taller, less hunched-look.

What's the verdict on this toxic fellow? Well if you know Hero Factory you know what you're getting into. This is just a fun, posable, nifty looking figure. Our sponsor Big Bad Toy Store has him (or will have him) and you can find this series anywhere Lego is sold. There's some other neat looking characters in the set, especially a half red, half black larger fellow. Keep an eye out.

DC Direct Flashpoint Cyborg Review

DC Direct is know for it's ability to pump out a lot of different characters sculpted in a particular artist's style very quickly, usually right after a series has hit the newsstands. I'm not sure if this is the case since I haven't read any of the Flashpoint arc but Cyborg is looking pretty spiffy in his new duds. There's three other characters in the line, all with different looks than their classic ones. Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman.

Cyborg looks really, really nice. His armored body is perhaps one of the nicer sculpts I've seen with all sorts of panel detail, portholes, and overlapping plates. His facial sculpt is by far one of the better Cyborg likenesses I've seen. His arm blaster is really well done and there's a red grating inside the barrel. Some bulky shoulderpads adorn his shoulders and his oversized feet remind me of, well, Megaman. Probably why I bought a few to customize with.

Now let's address the elephant in the room. This will sound like a gripe and by all means it really is. Cyborg's articulation is virtually non-existent. His ball shoulders barely move because of the hard plastic shoulderpads. He has no waist joint. His hips are T-joints and the leg raises up maybe 30 deg. The pic left is the maximum range of movement he has. Only his head is decently articulated and it's kinda stuck hunched over.

Paint apps fare quite a bit better and are the saving grace here. As a statue he looks excellent. The silver is a deep metallic with a wash and shading blended in. The red ports are bright, the black suit parts matte, and they gave his lips and eyes a gloss that adds an extra bit of realism. If only DC Universe figures were painted like this. The only color molded in plastic is his skin tone and that's how it should be.

So what's the verdict? He's a 6" tall robot brick that looks cool. Honestly, DC Direct could make amazing figures if they just took the time to add a few more moving bits. But they still maintain they're 'collector oriented' and don't realize collectors pose their figures too. It's a real shame because this figure fits in with so many different playstyles, a half-man half-machine. Pick him up at our sponsor BBTS and customize some joints into him, make the shoulderpads move up and down. Or take him apart for customs. I of course did the latter.