Steel Brigade continues to be one of my favorite figures in the Action Force line. I’ve had many text message conversations with the creator of the line, the name sake of the brand, Bobby Vala, with regards to the fact that I will take a Steel Brigade in legitimately any color he wants to make them. This particular Desert version though leaves me with a quandary that I continue to mull. I ordered a Vanguard in grey / black, but man…this dude with the Desert Squad loading up in the tan one? I know, I should just buy two, but for real I don’t even know where I’m putting these figures, let alone a second Vanguard. My own food for thought, I’ll get it sorted sooner than later. Desert Steel Brigade!
For this figure, we will just address what’s different
…the paint!
He goes from his traditional color scheme, to a desert proper palate and he looks great for the change
We all tend to think of modern war time frequently taking place in a desert setting, many of us grew up with the Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan, etc. Anything Desert in this line really feeds that …nostalgia? Is that the right word? We see our troops in these colors a lot, so maybe it’s that it brings it closer to home for us
Weapons and accessories also match the new paint scheme, as does the figure stand
That’s it, the paint, it’s what’s different and it looks freakin’ awesome, and you need to get one!
It should be noted, this Steel Brigade does not come with a patch, or blank dossier to fill out
The Bad
There isn’t presently a buy one, get 8 free sale going on…so that sucks.
The Rest
Buy this figure before he sells out. This paint scheme takes Steel Brigade in a present day feeling, fantastic direction, and you should have him in your Desert Squad, or you should have him AS your Desert Squad. Love this version!!
During litlholiday 2023, we got to celebrate with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtle Blimp Deluxe Minimates Box Set. We love it, it’s on our shelves still! We even kept the box because it’s awesome. And today, phase 2 of 3 comes to fruition, with the Technodrome Deluxe Box Set, featuring Leo, Splinter, Kang, Rocksteady, and another Foot Clan Soldier. Loving the fact that these sets are helping us army build Foot Soldiers! And giving us all of the must haves, in the most amazing way possible, original cartoon accurate! Let’s watch the litlgeeks unbox!
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MUReview received this product for free for review purposes. These toys are meant for ages 3 and up. This video and post are for entertainment purposes only.
This will be only the second time in my whole life I have ever had a look at a Ghillie Suit. It almost makes me feel uncomfortable to type the word. But the Ghillie Suit does look cool, and it’s included with the Sniper Deluxe version of Blowback! This sick, deluxe pack features a ton of value, Blowback with an all new look, a really cool head sculpt, and tons of reasons to buy it! Allow me to take you through this crack shot marksman bullet…by…bullet!
Tactical headgear with comms ear pieces and standard ear pieces
Headset with microphone
Standard Rifle
Holstered handgun
Sheathed chest knife
3 total ammo clips for the standard rifle, two can be stowed on Blowback’s vest
Green color figure stand
Blowback features the same on figure gear as his single card release, the Comms Vest, holster belt combo
His outfit is a little different, he goes from the clip up boots to laced boots, and has long sleeves vs the rolled up
The paint here is wild, it is absolute peak camo paint. I feel like I could put this dude next to my white refrigerator and he’d still disappear!
The Sniper Gear here is top notch, really well thought out, and all seats really well in the rifle case
Case holds well in the Blowback hand
I love that the Range Finder has it’s own tri-pod
All pieces are color scheme appropriate, though the range finder could use a little more green
The Ghillie Suit goes on and comes off easily, but follow the directions, you don’t want to pull at it too much or get it hung on a joint and pull too hard, it’s soft goods and you don’t want to damage it
The Ghillie Suit really works to hide the figure in the right background, very cool effect, very well put together
You really can line Blowback up for some outstanding sniper poses, his neck when adjusted allows for a solid tilt back
The Bad
As with the Arctic Sniper Gear, I did have a tough time finding the right hand hold position for the rifle with the trigger hand
The Rest
This figure really kicks Blowback up a notch. We all knew he was cool and a heck of a marksman, but I can’t wait to see the places he’ll go decked out like this. Really one of the most beautiful camo applications I’ve ever seen on a figure, for what he intends to be, he is entirely perfect, and the box is bursting with value. For $54.99 you get a truly premium package with everything you need for Sniper Operations. Go buy this now!
We just spent the last few weeks going over the absolutely outstanding toy line for Invincible from Diamond Select Toys. Atom Eve, Robot, Allen, Dupli-Kate, Monster Girl, Omni-Man…and now, we go back to number one…well kinda anyway, with Mark Grayson, the title of the show himself, Invincible! Timing is an incredible thing. The original 001 figure is pretty untouchable for a reasonable price out in the wild. It’s been out, and sold out for some time, so the secondary market is …aggressive. But! Diamond Select Toys does the universe a solid here, and gives us all another way to get the main character of the show we all love, by packing him in with the Invincible Volume 1 soft cover trade paperback (TPB). It’s an exceptional set, and a wonderful way to celebrate 20 years of Invincible! Let’s see how the litlgeeks celebrate one of their faves! Invincible!
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Includes 1 figure, 1 flight stand with 20th anniversary stand base, and INVINCIBLE VOL 1 TPB (18 and up / mature audiences only)
Figure features 18 points of articulation
Mark Grayson looks sharp as a tack, with clean paint, sharp lines, and perfect, comic accurate detail
The TPB features one of the best stories in the history of comics, paired with some of the most beautiful art you will ever see!
The Bad
Leg and forearm swap for us required a little warm water bath, but after that parts swapped nice and easy
The Rest
Invincible is for ages 18 and up, definitely for this figure, because it includes the incredible Volume 1 story…which is pretty bloody and mature themed. Once again, expertly sculpted by Chris Dahlberg. I can’t recommend enough, go get this. If you missed Invincible the first go round, now is your chance! You need him on your shelf, because you need the whole cast on your shelf! And be on the look out for more great Diamond Select Toys Invincible figures in 2024, we’ve got the Mauler Twins (sold separately…buy two…because you must), and Rex Splode! And that’s only what we know so far! We are hoping for more! …wait…do we need to buy two Rex’s to? Because Robot??!?
Availability
The original Invincible Deluxe figure is no longer available for purchase…but…
MUReview received this product for free for review purposes. This product is for ages 8 and up. This video and post are for entertainment purposes only.
Moving right along, and writing these posts in the order that I shot photos of them, it helps me to keep parts memory in the right order. You don’t care about that though, you care about the Urban Commando! This pack is a bundle of the Urban Trooper with all his original fixins, along with the Urban Trooper Gear Pack. Add in the Urban Gas Mask Head, and for $29.99, you have a ton of value on a single card! It’s also a great way to get some of the Series 1 Troopers back out into the wild. If you remember me talking about the Tactical Gear Head Pack, you’ll know….we need that! I’m hopeful for more re-issues / bundles for the Troopers to come, for now, I’m excited about the Urban Commando, and you should be too!
What we will look at here, a quick run down of what’s included, and a focus on what’s different
Included:
Urban Trooper
Light skin masked head / dark skin masked head
4 sets of hands, trigger, grasp, cradle, fist
Thigh holster with handgun
Thigh ammo clip holster
Urban Gear vest with knife holster / knife on back
Helmet with NVG / Ear flaps
Backpack
Machine Gun with undercarriage grenade launcher
3 ammo clips that fit the machine gun
and…
The Urban Trooper Gas Mask Head! The Gas Mask is in the same color palate as the Urban Trooper / Urban Gear Pack, and it looks outstanding, just as fun as the other heads that are found in the Tactical Head Gear Pack
The Bad
The only thing it doesn’t include is the Urban Ski Mask Head…I kinda want that
The Rest
If you missed out on the Urban Trooper, this is an easy recommend. If you didn’t get enough the first go round, this is an easy recommend. If you are a completist, and you need that Urban Gas Mask, this is an easy recommend. Trying to think of a situation where you don’t need the Urban Commando, and I’m coming up with nothing. You should go grab a few while you still can!
Action Force is flush with outstanding options for all of it’s soldiers. Weapons Pack after Weapons Pack, Gear Packs, and today, a first for any line I can think of, a Tactical Head Gear Pack! This pack features 10 different head options, each color matching one of five Troopers, Riot, Spec Ops, Delta, Desert, and Garrison Cavalry. 2 heads per color scheme are included, one Ski Mask / Goggles, and one Gas Mask with helmet (one piece). This is an outstanding move from a sales driver perspective, because man, I am itching like an addict to make sure that I have enough bodies to display these heads, along with the stock Trooper heads, all at once, and I’m not going to be the only one. The way this set leads to the extensibility, and customizability of this line is pretty insane, and well…I’m insane, and I took pictures of them all for you! I’ll give it here, and again at the end, my ringing endorsement. Any Action Force collector needs to pick this set up, as well as, likely more Troopers to use them with.
As mentioned, 5 Ski Mask / Goggled Heads and 5 Helmeted Gas Masked Heads
Each pair matches the color of an existing Trooper perfectly, Delta, Desert, Spec Ops, Riot, Garrison Cavalry
The knit on the Ski Mask heads looks amazing, sculpt detail is top notch
The gas masks feature an opening for the eyes of the wearer, with a clear plastic cover, allowing you to see the eyes through. The effect is beautifully executed, and I feel like this is going to be a favorite way to display as many Action Force figures as possible, really adds so much depth, and allows collectors to play out one of the scariest war time scenarios
Heads swap really easily. I suggest warm soaking the current figure / head, before removing the old head to put these on, once on, they go on, come off, with ease
The Bad
Speaking of warm soaking, do not soak the Gas Mask head, because condensation will get behind the eye plastic
Yeaaaahhhh….seems like we are missing some heads. Urban Ski Mask Head, Snow Gas Mask Head…wonder where / when those’ll pop up?
I need, you need, we need more figures for these heads, and at the moment, some of the matching wearers are tough to come by, going to leave a lot of folks wishing for a soon coming re-issue of lots
The Garrison Cavalry Ski Mask Head is a bit of a tease. You can fit the helmet on over the head, but the shield won’t go down…not so much a bad as a just letting you know
The Rest
If you collect Action Force, you need this set. No question. And you need enough bodies to use it. That said, if you don’t have the default Troopers to match, nothing stopping you from doing some mix / match, Condor, Kerak, Duster, everyone gets a fun new head option! Not to mention the custom work you can get up to with these. Go get them, you must!