For Q4, let's go back to Jurassic World and Jurassic Park every Thursday! Today, it's the Mattel Jurassic World Reimagined Roarin' Real Feel Carnotaurus Action Figure. This remake of the hard-to-get (and expensive) Kenner Demon dinosaur came out a couple of years ago and until very recently, could be had pretty cheaply. Mine cost me about $17.60 on eBay and a blowout seller had them for quite some time... until suddenly running out. Get one while they're still cheap, it's a nice toy and a heck of a lot more affordable than the Kenner original. The Q4 reviews will be focusing mostly in the Reimagined and '93 Collection from over the past three years, and I'll probably just keep doing these every Thursday until I run out at some point next year. So far there are 16 of those with an additional three known-to-the-public sets for next year.

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The deco is similar to Kenner's original Death Star Droid (and remakes), so you're in for a treat. It's not the same as the Hasbro molds, so it stands out with having more articulation and a softer sculpt. I don't love the mouth, but I do like the colors and joints. But you probably can't easily find this one, so go ahead and grab one of these.

Read the whole review.

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The core of a combiner! Blokees Transformers Defender Version 05 Traitor to Tyranny Onslaught Action Figure is a figure I've used to partially build a Bruticus, which is turning out rather well. I just need a few more parts. The little truck is cute enough, and I would've loved having it as a kid. As an adult, well, it's basically parts to make a bigger robot. You'll probably dig it. Read on, and come back Monday for more!

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October 3: The Wizard of Oz, The Invisible Man Returns
October 10: Munster Go Home, Berserk
October 17: Invasion of the Body Snatchers, This Island Earth
October 24: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Revenge of the Creature
October 31: The Wizard of Oz, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

While it's disappointing Halloween night are repeats, it makes sense. You're probably handing out, taking, or pilfering candy. It's not a bad batch of episodes.

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An exclusive prequel set! Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Rise of Evil Keldor and Kronis Action Figure was sold at Target and, for some reason, was not a massive hit. Maybe if they packaged Skeletor's head on his body rather than off to the side, it would have been a hit. I got it at a record store for a few bucks, and I think it's great - you get some decent gear and sharp colors. The articulation is good, and they're both characters that don't exist in other Origins items. This is it - and it's pretty cheap, so get one. Read on!

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Posted 10 years ago! Funko Pop! Movies 239 Atomic Breath Godzilla Pop! Vinyl Figure doesn't glow particularly well, but it looks cool. The glow blue plastic just has a nice vibe, and the green skin looks fine. There are hundreds of other good Godzilla toys, but sometimes you just like what you like. It's not too zany, it's not too normal - it's just weird. I like it. It's cute. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for a new one!

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They actually posted the size of the download - 3 gigs for Switch up to 6 gigs for PS5 - so check your space and give it a whirl. I found it to be short, with a very challenging boss, and the Switch had sort of choppy graphics and controls that felt less precise than I would like. But of course I'm going to buy this when it comes out in a few weeks.

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Classic! The Takara-Tomy Transformers Missing Link Grimlock (Toy Colors) Action Figure gives us a remake of the original Japanese Grimlock toy with some extras. The tooling for the 1980s toy is presumed lost or damaged, as we never got a reissue of it since those have been in vogue for nearly 27 years. This one takes the original Grimlock design and adds ankle tilts, opening fingers, a head that can sit closer to the front of the chest, and shoulder joints galore. There's a lot going on here, and that's why it was $120. Read on!

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Old! The Hasbro G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero G.I. Joe Action Figure is one of the final figures from Hasbro's winding down of the G.I. Joe brand in the 1990s, before it became Sgt. Savage. He has a ridiculously large non-firing machine gun and just looks like a guy - the perfect addition to any monster movie diorama you're building. Read on!

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Operation: Recall Salvo 2 has 12 days to go, and hasn't yet hit the halfway point. A number of lower-dollar, not-all-in options are up and some are in stock right now.

If you want to get your stuff first, you've still got time on both.

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Star Trek: Scouts looks somewhat similar, and I don't if it is doing what the show was intended to do or not. Obviously this is not a show for people with mortgages, but it's generally good to see these long-running franchises jump in another direction just to see something new. And if it works, great. And if it doesn't, you can probably count on another installment in this and literally every 40+-year-old franchise doing something new every few years. Star Trek, Doctor Who, Alien, Predator, and/or anything crossing over with Magic the Gathering is probably guaranteed to outlive all of us.

If nothing else, it looks like there's a chance to expect some Dalek figures with a goofy cartoon eyeball and that's probably going to appeal to a large audience.

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A fake classic! Mattel Jurassic Park '93 Classic Dr. Alan Grant Tactical Claw Pack is a Mattel item, in packaging that copies Kenner's 1993 style, with toy concepts that would have been at home in 1993 or 1994. Grant has a new costume with a removable vest. The Gallimimus matches the Kenner toy and concept art. There are claws. There is a baby raptor. Surely you want this, because fake nostalgia is a potent drug.

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The deco is similar to every R2-D2 ever... but Hasbro has not been putting out nearly as many toys of that droid. This figure is unique in that it has the power-up stripes on his arms from The Clone Wars D-Squad arc, which I thoroughly enjoyed. As a toy, it doesn't look very different and honestly, is probably not going to stand out unless you have a D-Squad shelf. Since BZ and Meebur are coming, you'll probably want to get the set. I dig it, but I've definitely got plenty of R2-D2 toys.

Read the whole review.

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No Armada, but he's pretty great! Blokees Transformers Defender Version 05 Traitor to Tyranny Cyclonus Action Figure is a fun, small reinterpretation of the movie character - and he's great. He has a little blaster, he has pointy wings and horns. I have no real complaints. Read on, and come back Monday for more!

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The same guy has a roof and helipad for the roof of the Firehouse, which I don't think I can print on my tiny beginner printer. But boy howdy, do I want to.

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A rerun of a remake from two years ago! Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Zodac Action Figure was a figure I had to get, because I like weirdo figures. I would have loved a "Cartoon Collection" Filmation version, but that seems unlikely - so I'll play with this guy. The armor isn't a precise match for the original, but the colorful buff person who has a helmet but eschews pants stands out on any shelf. He's certainly good enough to fill a slot, and if you're not a fan of the character you might this guy who seeks out cosmic balance as a nice addition to your collection. Or, since he's more of a "guest star," maybe you can skip him. I'll be keeping this one until a better replacement comes along, Mattel did a nice job and that helmet is kind of unforgettable. Read on!

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Posted 10 years ago! Hasbro Jurassic World Hybrid Carnoraptor Action Figure was a nifty addition to the world of Jurassic, slapping a weird head and horns on a Raptor body with crazy colors. It's an amazing piece, but it's a bizarre freak of a toy. Everybody won't want or need one of these, but it's a fantastically exciting change of pace for a line that was meandering a bit before getting a new home at a competitor on the other side of the country. And I wouldn't mind seeing this kind of paint on more toys. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for a new one!

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The existing figures are very good, and the price isn't terrible given the nature of indie toys what what you get for your money.

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If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs - the bill is due this month. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for reading!

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Underappreciated! The Hasbro Transformers x G.I. Joe Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine with Zarana and Zartan was something I bought at Ross for a few bucks. It was cheap, so why not get a box with 2 carded Joes, a Masterpiece-ish blue Ravage, and a giant Soundwave that can seat your 3 3/4-inch figures? It's a great toy, but sticker shock is real and it can be hard to buy yet another new toy set for $100 even when its components are well worth it. It's much more expensive now. I paid $25, with the thinking of "well, $25 for Zartan and Zarana alone is a steal." It certainly was. Read on!

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I am personally not fond of the light-up features, but they're pretty charming. With no clear parts, that Sinraptor does look pretty great. I wasn't expecting a new brand to appear before Halloween, so dinosaur fans should probably go looking. It's nice that the shelves were a little less empty today.

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Newish! The Locomotion Media Group Operation: Recall General Mortifero is a retro-style o-ring figure, made with ex-Hasbro guys, but with some modern niceties like swivel wrists or a wire in his cape. He's taller than a 3 3/4-inch figure - but only by a bit - so he'll go pretty well with your older action figures. Also their next Kickstarter ends in a few days so give that a look. Read on!

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Still available! Today, it's the Mattel Jurassic World Reimagined Indominus Rex Action Figure. This was an exclusive from last year, but Target took another run of it after it sold through - that's kind of unusual. It also means it's a pretty good toy. While not as good as the much more playful versions Mattel put out earlier, she does recall Hasbro's Dino Hybrid deco with new squishy plastic skin. Also very small quills. She's fun, she looks cool, and I'd recommend giving it a look.

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The deco is different from Disney's smaller take on the droid, but this one has arms. And is bigger. And can't really move. But it came with a huge ship... and I got mine for far under SRP, thank you Ross. I like the set. It's proof that Hasbro can make truly excellent and fairly-priced (and satisfying) vehicles when they aim young rather than for the collector dollars and price points. If you can get the set cheap, I think you'll be impressed with the quality and engineering. There's even a little seat for RJ-83 in the cockpit. It's a great set, and this is a perfectly nice droid if you like toys-as-toys.

Read the whole review.

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Clear... and pushes itself apart? Blokees Transformers Blokees Wheels C01 Roll Out! Optimus Prime - Hologram Edition Vehicle is a neat car but I noticed a couple of parts slowly push away from one another over time. Odd. But the colors are great, the size is nice, and it looks pretty cool - and has a tiny driver. Read on, and come back Monday for more!

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Fan Favorite! Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins Mer-Man Action Figure does what more toys should do - bring back a thing people want, in new packaging. There are other versions, but this one looks the most like the classic toy - which is admittedly a little goofy. I still like it, as a 1980s toy it seems to retain a mid-century sense of goofiness and barbarianism that more toy lines should deploy. Read on!

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Posted 10 years ago! Bit Figs Mega Bit Pheyden Standard Set took the pixel designs into the third dimension with jointed limbs and a tiny painted sidekick for $10. It was a good deal. His arms swivel, and the design seems like one that can never go out of style since 8-bit figures are increasingly the norm. It's not like toolmasters in China can improve pixels by inventing a right angle that's even more 90 degrees than this one. Maybe they can change the colors, but this is as good as this kind of figure is likely to get at this size and price. I hope you got one. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for a new one!

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The new editions are a surprisingly not-marked-up price at $219.99 each. I think that's pretty close to what I paid for the originals. They'll also probably all sell out in an hour. I like my old ones a lot, but also have mostly been playing dumps of the cartridges on a MiSTer lately. Still, I keep meaning to hook them up to play the old cartridges some more - it's a good experience if kept your old games.

Each console's page has a list of new features which all seem like improvements, but aren't enough to make me think I want to pay to get new versions. They'll be a lot cheaper than what the old ones were selling for on eBay.

Also interesting in this space, Taki Udon seems to have a GameBoy Advance SP clone coming for $100 which sounds incredible. I haven't picked up his SuperStation but I hear great things, and this can play Nintendo cartridges. For $100 it might be a good travel system. Mr. Udon seems to be working on a Super Nintendo clone as well.

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I guess lights and spikes are the future.

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The existing figures are very good, and the price isn't terrible given the nature of indie toys what what you get for your money.

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Become a Patron!

If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs - the bill is due this month. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for reading!

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New, but not obviously new! The Hasbro Transformers Studio Series 86 Cliffjumper Action Figure is a retool of a Bumblebee in great colors with a nice noggin and a distinctive blaster. If you're happy with the old one, maybe you don't need this one - it's certainly shaken me a bit as I try to determine if I want to keep replacing figures where I had previously wrote "I'm happy with this one." (I skipped New Prowl so far.) But I like it, I think if you're inclined to buy it you might actually enjoy this one even if the colors aren't quite right. Read on!

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New last year! The Super7 Micronauts Emperor ReAction+ Figure had chrome and a vinyl cape. Will they last? I hope so, chrome kind of spooks me in this day and age - but it does look great. There's even a backpack you can attach through a hole in the cape. Otherwise, it's basically Baron Karza with a new head. Read on!

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