Today's Review: X-Men: Apocalypse

Still behind on all the stuff I wrote, but slowly gaining.

X-Men: Apocalypse - Recensie

'Third one is always the worst' says Jean Grey when leaving the theater after watching Return of the Jedi back in '83. She was right about that one, and conscious or unconscious (I doubt the writer intended for this movie to be the weakest in the second X-trilogy), she's also correct about X-Men: Apocalypse. However, also like Return of the Jedi, Apocalypse still is a whole lot of mutant fun for those who didn't expect the franchise to reach new heights anyway.

Granted, it's not the story that provides the mirth, since it's the stuff of repetition, variations on themes and lack of narrative evolution. Basically, another all-powerful mutant rears his head and threatens to destroy the world for mankind so that its stronger successors can take over. And once again, the X-Men, fighting for peace between man and mutant, must get together to stop this megalomaniacal scheme from becoming reality. This time, it's not Magneto who has hatched the diabolical plan, but rather a 5,000 year old ideological predecessor, an ancient Egyptian once worshiped as a god, with the modern moniker Apocalypse. Magneto, once more masterfully performed by Michael Fassbender, merely provides some muscle to help Oscar Isaac's semi-god with his evil shenanigans. Isaac does a decent job playing an age old villain, but he's no Fassbender and his Apocalypse is nowhere near as intimidating or intriguing as the much more relatable Magneto.

Still, the villain suffices for the cause of bringing together two generations of X-Men, the First Class lot and the new batch of young recruits, including novel takes on classic X-characters Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler. Their performances and their chemistry make us hopeful for the future of the franchise, should the studio feel like using them for the next installment Apocalypse seems to be building up to. For although it's meant as a conclusion to a trilogy, the ground work is amply laid for more to come and these young stars succeed in making us curious about what lies ahead. The new additions to the cast are aided by snappy dialogue and light humour, making the shortcomings in the plot not nearly as blatant as they would have been in lesser hands. Nevertheless, it's clear director Bryan Singer, who has made his fourth X-movie with this title, has run out of ideas for the X-universe. Though we appreciate his work on both trilogies, new blood would be equally welcome in the creative room as it proved in the cast.

Today's News: Turtle power!

Here's a recent news flash I posted online just yesterday:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156312/nieuwe_trailer_ninja_turtles

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156308/character_posters_ninja_turtles_online

These are not my turtles. What else can I say? They don't look like the turtles I grew up with, they don't sound like the turtles I grew up with. However, upon rewatching last year, the turtles I grew up with didn't seem that great as I remembered them. It was a painful tete-a-tete with my cherished childhood memories that suddenly left sort of a sour aftertaste. The early Nineties' cartoon was definitely targeted at kids, and just didn't seem so awesome as once it did as an adult. (At least the action figures still do, but that's a different thing.) As for these new Turtles, the phrase 'the more things change, the more they stay the same' immediately comes to (my) mind. If the trailer is any indication, this movies offers everything the cartoon used to offer in a (half) nutshell. All the core ingredients are there, including the hokey humour telling us we should not take any of these ludicrous situations involving mutated animal/human hybrids at all seriously. Like we were going to. The characters are largely identical, except Shredder doesn't seem Japanese (or at least the actor who portrays him, William Fichtner, doesn't). The quartet of reptiles and their rodent sensei, as well as dashing star reporter April O'Neil (Megan Fox, take it or leave it) seem pretty much unchanged in nature.

More so in look, obviously. I can't deny giving the four titular protagonists more divergent styles of clothing instead of having them all dress the same except for their colours (and their signature choice of weaponry) isn't such a bad idea as it gives the characters more distinct personalities. Too bad these characters seem written around such overly archetypal lines. They always were of course, but you never noticed it that much because they all looked so similar, making one team of characters seem more dynamic than it actually was. I'll admit to the kids in the street these Ninja Turtles might very well seem like the next cool thing, as the studio and its partner-in-profits Hasbro get ready to groom them for buying movie tie-ins they don't really need, just like the cartoon made me do back in the days. I won't go in the typical cynical, whiney state of complaining Michael Bay (the producer, if you didn't know yet) raped my childhood, since voluntarily revisiting my childhood heroes, or at least their audiovisual equivalents, caused some emotional trauma in itself by my own hand. I do regret the choice of director in this case though, as Jonathan Liebesman has so far mostly made very bad movies driven by expensive but bland visual effects coupled with an abundance of American patriottism. It's likely this movie will therefore prove to have been just his cup of tea, then.

No evil transdimensional disembodied brain in this one? I guess they're saving that for the sequel.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Mobile Command Center

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Missile launcher (including three missiles)

-Dino damage cab area

-Telescoping crane

-Detachable computer with electronic sounds and lights

-Fold out observation lab

-Eight fence pieces

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on vehicles like these, so any incorrect terms, or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: this play set basically consists of two trailers, which can be attached to one another via the black leathery thingy (what exactly do you call it?). The overall colour pattern of the trailers is bright green on the lower parts and underside of both trailers (as well as all on the inside, most notably on the fold out lab of the second trailer), while it's light blue on the top parts, with a big black stripe running between both colours in an edgy and triangular pattern, seemingly random (but largely symmetrical if you compare both sides of the trailers). All eight wheels are black with bright yellow hub caps. Together, the MCC (standard abbreviation for Mobile Command Center in the JP toys community) measures a good 80 centimetres in length. Each trailer comes with its own action features.

The front trailer is the largest of the two and has two pairs of wheels. The front cab area, with the transparent orange window and grey bumpers and windshields, can be removed as if being torn off by a dinosaur (though the damage doesn’t really appear to be caused by some ferocious creature, it looks too clean for that). On top of this cab area there’s some yellow detailing, including radar dish and antenna, adding a bit of a technologically sophisticated look to the trailer. The front trailer comes with a door on each side: a small door on the right (for people to enter and exit), and a larger rectangular door on the left side (for loading cargo and stuff like that). The front trailer is more or less empty on the inside, except for the grey drivers’ seats in the cab area. (with a yellow steering wheel) It’s very handy to store equipment in, such as the fence pieces when they're not in use. On the right top side of the front trailer there’s a large grey telescoping crane on an equally grey base. This crane can rotate in a full circle, and can be extended to cover more ground. On the right end of the crane there’s a pair of yellow claws, used to clamp equipment or dinosaurs on, in order to move them around. On the left end of this crane there’s a grey basket, basically a lookout station, with the capacity of carrying a single human figure. Next to it there’s a large green missile launcher, capable of full rotation like the crane itself. It fires grey missiles and comes with three of these (at least, it should when the set is complete).

On the left top side of the front trailer, right next to the cargo door, there’s a hole which can store the computer unit. It’s basically a beige box, with a lights section on top that can move in a 90 degree angle. It comes with a pair of lights and produces three different sounds: an alarm caused by pulling on the fences when they’re attached to the trailer, a damage noise produced when removing the cab area, and a third noise made when pressing the button on the left side of the computer. The lights are activated when producing any of these sounds.

The second trailer is a bit shorter but also comes with two pairs of wheels. Additionally, it sports a pair of big green antennae on the left back end, both identical though one of them positioned somewhat lower so it seems it’s shorter than the other (but both are about 20 centimetres in length). At the very back end of this trailer there’s another cargo door, similar to the one on the left side of the front trailer. The main feature of this trailer is the observation lab: the right side of the trailer including a part of the roof section can fold out to form the observation lab, complete with a pair of little green legs to support it on the ground. When folded out the interior of the trailer is revealed, which is adorned with a large grey table with details like computers and cups on top. Additionally, a grey operating bench is located right above the right wheel, with room enough for a human figure or a smaller dinosaur. Both the bench and the computers inside the lab sport various computer console stickers and other equipment stickers for detail.

This play set comes with a total of eight fence pieces, all of them painted in a bright orange paint job. They can be attached to one another, and the smaller piece of fence can also be attached to the left side of the front trailer, in which case it makes contact with the computer so an alarm is activated when any reptilian vermin tries to break through the fences. The fences can form a protective barrier around one side of the MCC, most logically the right side to protect the observation lab. However, there’s no point on the back end of the second trailer to attach the fences too. Of course, the fences can also be used by themselves, so you can imprison animals.

Analysis: though this is “only a repaint”, it's one you wouldn't want to miss out on if you haven't got the original TLWS1 Mobile Command Center. It’s very cool and quite detailed, though its paint job is hardly appealing, considering the weird colour combinations that would certainly draw attention to hungry dinosaurs roaming the vicinity. However, it fits right in with the rest of the colourful Chaos Effect line, and at least doesn't sport the most appalling paint job in that line (though the bright orange fences certainly are more irritatingly coloured than they should be). If you look past its weird paint job, you'll find this play set is as good as ever, loaded with a variety of cool action features, definitely making this set worth any JP fan's while. Though most of these features aren’t particularly new, they make for some fine overall playability altogether. I’ll describe them separately for a general overview of this wonderful play set.

-Missile launcher (including three missiles): the typical missile launcher seems an obligatory action feature of any vehicle or play set, and the MCC is basically both so naturally it can’t miss one of these. The launcher works properly and has a decent firing range (about a metre); missiles have enough impact force to knock most smaller dinosaurs over. It’s also neat to see this particular gun being fully rotatable. And since it comes with no less than three missiles, there's spares in case you lose one.

-Dino damage cab area: also an often used action feature. The dino damage of this set isn’t very convincing though: it looks far too artificial, like it’s caused by mechanic disassembly instead of an attack by a nasty predator. However, the fact it’s hooked up to the computer so it produces noises when being removed makes it more original and a decent action option after all. It's also quite extensive: carnivores can basically chunk most of the front part of the trailer off, leaving the driver's seat fully exposed for attack.

-Telescoping crane: though the poseability of the crane is fine (it can swivel in a full circle, tilt up and down in a 180 degree radius and be extended by some 15 centimetres), it doesn't work very well, mostly because of the poor design of the grappling claws which are meant to carry stuff: they just can’t support things at all, dinosaurs or otherwise. Nothing can really be clasped between the claws without coming loose and falling down. Though the rotating and telescoping aspects of the crane are good, and the armed extra station for a human figure comes in handy, these few nuisances make it a disappointment.

-Detachable computer with electronic sounds and lights: very fun feature, though it’s a shame only three different sounds can be produced, and one of them is quite annoying. However, they enhance the realism of the action features they’re attached too, and add another level of playability. The lights are quite strong, especially in the dark: you could use them as a decent flash light if you needed to. It's an excellent idea to make the computer removable, so you can take it out if you're going to play wild with your MCC, instead of risking damage.

-Fold out observation lab: a great option, giving us a good look of the inside of the second trailer. The inside could have used some more detail though, but the various computer equipment and the few details that are there, like the mouse and key board are very neat, and overall the folding out of the lab is a useful feature which hugely advances playability and leaves more space for figures and action options.

-Eight fence pieces: easy to assemble and attach to the trailer. It’s a bit odd they can only be attached to one end of the set though, because now dinosaurs won’t have such a hard time sneaking inside the perimeter on the other end. However, the alarm that goes off when the fence is compromised provides for a good warning, as well as a fun action option.

Playability: this play set scores quite high on any playability scale. It has loads of good action features, providing for hours of fun in combination with human figures and dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, and it comes with an abundance of neat accessories. It also has funky sounds and fine lights (when in proper working order of course). Another thing that adds to the playability is the fact the electronics are easily removable, so when you feel like playing rough with it you can do so without risking damage to the sounds and lights.

Realism: this trailer play set looks very similar to the trailers seen in the TLW movie in overall shape and size (some of the details are off though – the trailers seen in the movie did not feature a crane, missile launcher or even fences – but this was obviously done for playability options: it’s a toy after all). The colouring is of course very different since this is the Chaos Effect version of the TLW trailers and has been painted to fit in with the rest of that line: bright, unrealistic colours, hinting at the absurdity and fantasy of this particular toy line.

Repaint: yes. This Mobile Command Center is a repaint of the play set of the same name from the TLWS1 toy line. It comes with all the parts of that original set, except for the Kelly Malcolm figure (nor does it come with any other human figures as replacement). This set would not be repainted for later toy lines.

Overall rating: 9/10. Though the new paint scheme of this play set is certainly less successful than the colours of the original MCC, it's still a grand toy loaded with lots of sweet action features, and it comes highly recommended (particularly if you can't get the TLWS1 MCC). It's a shame there's no bonus figure attached to this set, but given the quality of the other Chaos Effect human figures, that's hardly a loss. The Chaos Effect Mobile Command Center is very hard to find, even more difficult to obtain than its TLWS1 predecessor. It almost always goes for high prices, both loose and MIB, so be warned if you're out to get one yourself.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Omega T-Rex

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Survival Pod

Description: this dinosaur is a repaint of the largest of all JP dinosaur toys ever produced, namely the TLWS1 Bull T-Rex. The sculpt has not been changed in any way. It still measures a good 70 centimetres in length and stands about 20 centimetres tall. This Rex stands in an active pose, with its left leg moved forward and its right leg backward, as if walking. Its head is quite large, almost as big as its belly, to accommodate its action feature, which is to swallow figures. About every human figure and most smaller dinosaurs can fit in its mouth and through the throat, like it appears the monster is eating them. Afterwards such figures can be retrieved via a slit in its belly. Most of this Rex sculpt is composed of a thick flexible material, to give it a hint of realistic dinosaur skin. Omega Rex also features the same three electronic sounds as its TLWS1 predecessor: a roar, a snarl and chomping sounds. There’s a button, located under the skin on its back just at the base of the legs: pressing it produces either one of these sounds, always in the same order, though when the button is pressed only briefly just the roar is heard.

The Omega T-Rex sports an unmistakably Chaos Effect paint job, making it easy to distinguish from the Bull Rex. Its predominant and most notable colour is bright orange: most of the creature’s body and tail is painted in this colour, as well as all of the legs and on two places on its back. The huge claws on the legs are also orange. Most of the head and neck/throat is black with large black spots, including triangular stripes running out of these, on the back and tail. The last seven centimetres of the tail is entirely black. The neck is adorned with additional blue colouring which continues on lines starting above the arms (also blue, including claws) and running along the edges of the black spots on its back and tail in a largely symmetrical pattern. The upper jaw features pink spots and stripes, especially around the eyes. Also, on its back a pink spot is found, with the button hidden underneath the skin right under it, so you know where to push to make the figure roar. Omega has huge white teeth and the same eyes as the Bull Rex, not painted like other figures, but small transparent spheres, green on the inside with black pupils. A blue JP Chaos Effect logo is located on the upper right leg, along with the number .28 (the same number as the Bull T-Rex interestingly enough).

This Tyrannosaurus comes with a survival pod, a repaint of the same accessory the Bull Rex came with. It’s basically a sort of cage, though not to lock vicious creatures up, but to provide shelter for a single person. Inside, there’s a human figure (not removable), with a look of horror on his face. He wears a purple shirt, along with short black pants, purple socks and black boots. He also has blond hair. The pod itself sports a silvery metallic paint job. On the back there’s a pair of purple “wings”, which can fold out, to prevent the Bull Rex from swallowing it. As with the Omega Rex itself, no changes have been made to the survival pod.

Analysis: this stupendously huge Rex sculpt is still very impressive. It towers over human figures, and dwarfs most other dinosaurs of this toy line (except for its mate, the Thrasher T-Rex). Its ability to “eat” figures makes it the undisputed Chaos King of Dinosaurs. The standard Rex act of eating stuff is carried on in this repaint with its gulp-down-prey feature. Almost all human figures of the various Kenner toy lines fit through its mouth. The same goes for a lot of the smaller dinosaur figures, though not the new Chaos Effect sculpts with their abundance of protrusions. The figures can be retrieved through the slit in its belly. It’s a bit of a shame this slit can’t be closed, since now this Rex basically walks around with a huge hole in its belly. However, it’s designed pretty tightly, so it’s not noticeable in an overly annoying way. It might as well be a black stripe running across its stomach.

The Rex has three different electronic sounds at its disposal. The button is hidden under the skin on its back, but is easy to press. This Rex roars, growls and makes chomping noises (like it’s chewing on metal, which in the case of the survival pod is true). The roar and growl are somewhat similar, adding consistency. One thing that is a bit of a nuisance: the battery holder of this animal is located right under the back, and is only accessible through the slit in its belly. However, it’s not easy to reach, making it real difficult to replace the batteries. It may be the quality of my Bull T-Rex, but the sounds on my Omega are very loud and imposing, as if their quality has been enhanced somehow.

The paint job this T-Rex features is very odd, and on first sight, quite ugly (though one gets used to it over time). Black and blue don’t really mix with bright orange (and I do mean bright, as in colour blindness causing bright). It’s a real shame the claws on the arms and especially the legs aren’t painted in different colours. The paint job of the head is quite good though, the pink mixes well with the black. The pink spot on the back indicating where the button can be pushed may serve a useful function, but it does look very out of place. The paint job may not be very appealing, but that’s largely the Chaos Effect way. Another thing which makes this otherwise great sculpt look a bit funny is the disproportionably big head. Granted, this was done to accommodate the swallowing, but it would have been preferable to make the Rex’s body even bigger by comparison. Though it’s quite large already, so it would probably get too big to play with then.

The survival pod looks a bit like a coffin, which isn’t far off, since it fits perfectly through the Rex’s mouth, most likely killing the poor soul trapped inside. However, the “wings” on the back create a method of rescue, since the Rex can’t swallow the pod when these are folded out. The pod can be opened, but sadly the figure inside can’t be removed, so you can’t put other figures in. 

 

Playability: disappointing, unfortunately. The only poseable parts of this Rex are its arms. It also doesn’t stand in a neutral pose, which combined with its size makes it hard to handle, especially for kids. Though the eating option is a great and imaginative action feature, it’s probably the only additional playability option. It’s a good thing this Rex comes with no less than three different sounds and a survival pod as extra accessory, stimulating overall possibilities. However, it would have been cooler if the figure in the survival pod could be taken out, so that other figures could take its place. Another negative point: once taken out of its box, the legs of this figure have a habit of slowly shifting inwards, making it hard for this figure to stand up straight (though its enormous feet are helpful in that matter). Since this Rex is electronic, you can’t go around playing too rough with it if you want to keep it in working order. Basically, it comes down to this: for playability, get the Thrasher T-Rex; for sheer impressiveness, sounds and eating figures, get this Omega T-Rex.

Realism: this figure is recognizable as a Tyrannosaurus, mostly because of the two fingered claws and the fact it’s a huge bipedal predator. However, the disproportionate head and feet make it a bit unrealistic. Of course, for a Chaos Effect creature realism isn’t a priority, which also explains the… unusual colour scheme. Still, this creature can eat figures, just like the Rexes in the JP movies did on a regular basis. Additionally, the sounds (particularly the roar), are more or less movie accurate.

Repaint: yes. This Rex is a repaint of the TLWS1 Bull T-Rex (including the survival pod), which in itself was a repaint of the unreleased JPS2 Gulper T-Rex. It has not been repainted again.

Overall rating: 7/10. Okay, so it’s not really original, lacks playability and has a very dubious paint job to say the least. It’s still a great and awe inspiring sculpt, with good sounds and a fun action feature, making it a must have for any serious JP collector and a good alternative for people lacking a Bull Rex. It’s one of the rarest Chaos Effect figures though and not very easy to find. Ebay is usually your best bet, though not at low cost. Also, because of the size of this monster, shipping costs tend to be high.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Thrasher T-Rex

Year of release: 1998

Description: being one of the largest dinosaur figures of all toy lines (though not as stupendously huge as the other big Rex of this line, the Omega T-Rex) this toy measures a good 50 centimetres in length. It stands in a totally neutral pose, though its tail may be bent somewhat due to the way this figure is packaged in its box. Like the good old large JPS1/2 dinosaur figures, this animal has soft skin, giving it a more realistic feel (at least, insofar as there is realism to the Chaos Effect line). This dinosaur has two different attack options. First, a thrashing action: moving the tail left and right makes the head move in the same directions. Second, a biting action: when the mouth is opened wide, pressing the tongue makes the jaws close in a snapping way, as if biting down on an unfortunate victim.

The Chaos Effect Thrasher T-Rex has a very intricate and colourful paint job, even more so that some of the outrageous schemes seen on other dinosaur figures of this toy line. “Chaos” not withstanding, this paint job is actually largely symmetrical. The underside of this monster (lower jaw, throat, belly, lower part of the tail, inner part of both upper legs), as well as the very upper part of the legs, is bright green, which gradually shifts into bright yellow, which is found on the rest of the legs, the arms, the middle part of the tail, the flanks and the sides of the neck, and also on its head near the eyes. The upper parts of this animal (most of the upper jaw, the neck, back, and upper part of the tail) is black, while various black stripes run out of it, mostly in edgy triangular patterns, most notably on the neck and tail. Additionally, a large black stripe runs from the lower jaw via the throat and flanks all the way to the end of the tail, on both sides of the creature. A trio of black stripes is found on both upper legs. As if the combination of black, yellow and green wasn't striking enough, the dinosaur was adorned with a row of blue spots running from the back of the head (and including the eye sockets) over the neck and back to the end of the tail. Like the black stripes, these spots too are much too neatly and edgily shaped, giving them an unnatural design. Furthermore, the head sports a big red stripe running from the snout to half way across the neck, while various spots, most of them small and triangularly shaped, are found on the sides of the upper jaw. The insides of the mouth and coloured pink, with white teeth, and most notably a big purple tongue. The creature’s eyes are yellow with cat like black pupils, while the beast has black claws on both hands and feet (including the small claws at the back of the feet, which are usually not painted). On its right upper leg, a big blue JP Chaos Effect logo is found (the regular JP logo with a stylized DNA string symbol under it), with the number .29 next to it.

Analysis: 'you can't keep a good Rex down', is undoubtedly the thought that went through the minds of the designers of the Chaos Effect line. Therefore, both of the big and awesome TLWS1 T-Rexes got a makeover for this new toy line, though it mostly consisted of a new paint job to match the style of the new sculpts made for this line. In the case of the Bull T-Rex, the new paint job wasn't very appealing, not to mention hideous because of the outrageous colour scheme, which consisted mostly of bright orange causing instantaneous colour-blindness. The Thrasher T-Rex also got a very colourful new paint job, which is elaborate and daring to say the least, but not actually all that bad. The combination of black and yellow clearly signals the danger behind this brute carnivore with its genetically enhanced predatory senses, like an overly large wasp. The green on the underside is of lesser quality, but hidden well enough under the black and yellow to not be a hugely disturbing factor. The red ornamentation on the head works well, giving this creature a sort of 'blood-lust' feel, though the blue spots are a bit overkill, but not really annoying. Fortunately the claws of this Rex are painted, unlike those of the Omega Rex: it's good to see they didn't forget the small claws on the back of the feet this time. The only thing about this figure's paint job which is really too bizarre is its purple tongue, which looks just goofy.

Aside from the paint job, nothing has changed about this T-Rex sculpt. It still comes with two sweet action features, the first being the thrashing action, which of course gave this figure it’s nickname ‘Thrasher’. Gripping the tail and moving it back and right makes the upper body, particularly the head, move as well, as if the animal is violently shaking its ferocious body about.

The second action feature concerns the head. Opening the mouth while pressing the back of the head causes a spring to be set and the tongue to raise itself somewhat. The mouth is now opened wider, making the monster look pretty butch (mostly because of the great design of the head and even the inner part of the mouth). Pressing the tongue makes the jaws close with a snap. The general idea is the Rex can clamp figures between its jaws and bite them. Even though there’s not that much room between the jaws, it fits most human figures, as well as parts of smaller dinosaur figures (like tails or limbs).

Apart from these two fun action options, this Rex also has other positive aspects which remain intact on this repaint. Most of its skin, except for the arms and legs, is composed of a soft and flexible material, giving the creature a more realistic feeling skin. This is the only dinosaur sculpt in the Chaos Effect line that can boast this particular feature, bringing up fond memories of the large dinosaurs in the original JP lines which also featured skin like this. Another positive attribute is the poseability of the legs, which is something Kenner usually ignored on big sculpts like this, but gives this creature extra playability.

Despite this being a brilliant sculpt, it too has some minor problems. First of all, due to the material of which the skin is made, this figure is more susceptible to paint wear (even more so that the TLWS1 Thrasher T-Rex), which is a real shame because damage to the paint job is all too easily noticed on a colourful figure like this. So even though it’s supposed to be a more playable Rex, you better keep this in mind if you want to go tough on it. Second, the Rex is often out of balance: the front part of the creature is just too heavy and the tail isn’t enough to keep it standing up straight. It usually falls over, unless supported by something or standing up with its head high in the air. These downsides are a shame, but not enough to spoil the great fun this fantastic dinosaur delivers.

Playability: quite high, especially for a large Rex. This big sculpt doesn’t have poseable arms only, but legs as well, despite the softer material used for the skin of the creature (the legs are made out of hard plastic instead). Additionally, the neutral position, the biting feature and the thrashing action provide for more options, making this Rex undoubtedly the most playable large figure around. However, it's quite sensitive to paint wear. Also, both the thrashing and biting action get damaged quite easily sometimes (this tends to vary), so even though this toy is designed for rougher play, it still has its limits in this regard.

Realism: it's a Chaos Effect figure, so it surely isn't the most realistic figure around. Though the overall shape and size of this Rex are quite close to the real deal, as well as the look of the Rexes seen in the movies, the paint job is totally absurd. A paint scheme like this would surely make it stand out in a natural environment, making it easy to spot for its prey, and thus harder for the Rex itself to catch its prey, even with genetically enhanced senses. However, this colour scheme fits right into the rest of the Chaos Effect line, where realism is replaced by... well, chaos.

Repaint: yes. This is a repaint of the TLWS1 Thrasher T-Rex figure. It does not come with the capture gear that came with that particular figure though (since it doesn't come with any capture gear at all). This sculpt would not be repainted again.

Overall rating: 8/10. Still one of the best Tyrannosaurus sculpts ever made, this Chaos Effect Rex doesn't suffer much from its colourful new paint job. It's nothing like the original paint job, nor is it realistic, but it's nowhere near bad, it's just different. This Rex is well worth getting, but it's quite rare and usually fetches high prices, both loose and MIB. If you can find it for a decent price (or if you can afford spending a lot of cash on it) be sure to get it for yourself, but otherwise you might want to stick to the TLWS1 Thrasher T-Rex (which also isn't that easy to get, not because it's rare, but because it's popular).

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Trike Dozer

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-detachable lights section

-rotating capture crane pole with noose

-giant grappling claw

Description: this medium sized vehicle sports a total of four huge black wheels (like airplane size) between a bright green “platform”, which is enriched with protrusions and detailing to make it seem more elaborate and technical than it actually is. In the middle of the space between the wheels, there’s a white cockpit capable of holding one figure (including foot space, which may not fit all figures though). The inside of this cockpit, including the driver’s seat, is coloured in the same green as most of the vehicle. On top of the cockpit there’s a black framework with grids on each side and on the topside, to protect the human inside from any potential dinosaur attacks. At the back end of this “roof section”, there’s another black frame which supports a large lights section on the top of the vehicle. It consists of a network of a total of 18 round lamps supported by a frame, and two rectangular lights on top; the entire lights section is made of a transparent orange plastic.

On both the front part and the back part of the Trike Dozer an arm is attached, each with a different function. The one on the front is the vehicle’s main weapon and defence: it’s labelled a ‘giant grappling claw’. A green arm, held together by grey highlights including a button at the end which makes the whole contraption rotatable in a full circle, sticks out of the front, ending in a white “hand” with two grey “fingers” sticking out on either side. Pushing the red button in the middle of the white part, or better yet have a dinosaur figure push it, makes the “fingers” snap towards each other with force, closing the claw and trapping any creature unfortunate enough to get caught between it. The green arm on the back end of the vehicle is actually a crane, standing on a small green pole which is also rotatable 360 degrees. On first glance the crane is only about ten centimetres in length, but two smaller parts can be pulled out of it, making the total length about 30 centimetres. In this way it’s adjustable to various heights, making it easier to lift things over obstacles and keep them at safe enough distance from humans. At the end of the crane there’s a black hook, which holds a light green strip. This strip has holes on either side, making it form a noose when both ends are attached to the hook (adjusting to various sizes of whatever it needs to carry). In this way it’s easier to move dinosaurs around.

Analysis: this is an okay vehicle, but nothing special compared to most of Kenner’s earlier vehicles. However, it is more original qua design since it differs a lot from most other vehicles. The grappling claw is a new action feature and the bulldozer like look of the Trike Dozer also makes it stand out. The same goes for the odd combination of colours this truck sports, consisting of green, white and grey. It’s not the most appealing colour scheme, but certainly restrained by Chaos Effect standards.

The grappling claw is an interesting new option and makes for a very powerful weapon. It’s easy to picture: a dangerous hybrid monster prowls about, the Trike Dozer thunders out of the bushes and rams the monster, thus springing the claw’s mechanism and trapping the beast. In come the humans with their guns and stun sticks (or whatever they use to kill or sedate the animal), after which the crane arm lifts it up and transports it to its enclosure, or grave. It may seem a bit silly, such a weird arm sticking out of the vehicle, but it’s certainly a handy tool. Does it work though? For the most part. When the button is pushed the claw closes with force. However, because the “fingers” aren’t that big, it’s easy for dinosaur figures to slip away. It’s also not strong enough to lift larger dinosaurs off the ground. So the humans better sedate any animal the vehicle catches quickly, before it breaks loose…

The crane is a fine addition to this set, though less original. It’s basically the same thing we saw on the Mobile Command Center (of both this toy line and TLWS1), being both fully rotatable and extendable. However, the MCC used a small claw to carry its loads, while the Trike Dozer uses a noose. In both cases it doesn’t work all that well, since here too any creatures being transported easily slip loose. Still, the rotation and extension parts of the Trike Dozers’ crane work well, though the mechanism which is used to left the crane to various heights isn’t smooth to operate.

Overall, this is a fun addition to the toy line and Kenner’s range of vehicles, though not all of it’s action features work as well as one would hope. The vehicle’s look is decent enough, particularly the funky lights on top, but not overly appealing. 

 

Playability: adequate. The trapping arm mechanism works fine, though it’s only useful for smaller dinosaur figures, which slip through its grasp easily enough unfortunately. The same goes for the noose which can hold a dinosaur while it’s being moved around by the crane. The crane itself, being both rotatable and extendable (though neither very smoothly) works fine. Though it’s not specified as such, the removable lights can be called dino damage, adding to the range of playability options. The fact there’s room for only one figure takes something away though.

Realism: as a rather odd, almost over the top, dinosaur catching instrument this vehicle fits in perfectly with the rest of the bizarreness which makes up the Chaos Effect toy line. Its colours aren’t even all that extravagant, unlike most of the dinosaurs. Needless to say the Trike Dozer was never featured in any of the JP movies. However, as a maintenance bulldozer unit this vehicle doesn’t seem all that out of place with non Chaos Effect figures. It’s not hard to imagine this vehicle riding around the Command Compound closing fences and moving dinosaurs about.

Repaint: no. This vehicle was designed specifically for this toy line, and as such, it would not be repainted for any following lines either.

Overall rating: 6/10. It’s an adequate addition to the range of JP vehicles, but doesn’t offer anything really noteworthy. The colour scheme and action features aren’t remarkable, despite the strong grappling claw, but it’s still a welcome change from the usual variety of ‘track & trap’ jeeps seen in the previous toy lines. It’s one of the more common items in the Chaos Effect line, and shouldn’t prove all that hard to find, though in areas where this toy line wasn’t released it’s usually somewhat harder to get your hands on.

Today's Trailer: a very X-citing final X-trailer

As promised, here's the latest and apparently last trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155150/laatste_trailer_x-men_days_of_future_past_online

Any doubts I had about this film when watching the previous few trailers have disappeared: this film looks like a total blast! What it relays the most pressingly, compared to its predecessors, is the sense of a coherent story line; always welcome in a movie involving time travel. Even though it does kinda feel like a gratuitous set-up to have the original X-Men's X-Men and their recent First Class past counterparts hook up. It's definitely a step away from the original comic book story, wherein there was no past, only the present and the abysmal future that would have occurred if the X-Men hadn't halted certain events in said present. This time it's the past that needs to be altered for the good of both mankind and mutantkind, while the future serves as an alternate present, considering the characters from previous X-films do not appear all that much older (okay, so Iceman grew a beard: whoop-dee-doo!). Despite all the techie stuff involved, this grizzly future seems to takes place around the same time as our present (roughly stated, 2015-2020), making it a future only for the past.

More intriguing is what happened to the 'first class' of X-Men, who seem to have disbanded, making for a rather disheveled and depressed Xavier. There's definitely some explaining that needs to be done there. As happened in First Class, the need to form a new team is imminent, and this time it's Wolverine (Hugh Jackman playing that part for the seventh time, and still he's up for more: that's loyalty!) who must do the job. Question is: is this the actual future Wolverine transported in time, or has the older Xavier somehow mentally instructed the past Wolverine to do so through time? As seen in the marketing campaign, though not something easily picked up in this trailer, both the boney claw Wolverine and his adamantium wielding equivalent will be spotted in this movie, but will they share the screen, thus making for two different Wolverines in one film? This is still left a little vague, as can be expected from a film involving temporal mechanics. In the original story, Kitty Pride (Shadowcat) was the one doing the time travelling, but she didn't do so physically, as her present counterpart was mentally picking up future events sent to aid her in forcing a change that should prevent that bleak future from ever happening. Shadowcat makes an appearance in this movie, but since Wolverine is still the most popular X-Man, he now has taken over her role, and apparently reduced her character to mere cannon fodder. The notion of seeing two Wolverines onscreen simultaneously is a wonderful concept and I wouldn't mind exploring that avenue. But then, there's still plenty of fascinating character moments bound to pass, judging from the trailer, as Wolverine is confronted with past versions of fellow mutants he has come to know and love, or in other cases, hate.

And of course there's mindblowing action with Sentinels and all kinds of mutants and crashing football stadiums and stuff. Good to know, but in this case more than ever there's a great opportunity for getting to know these characters, some of them established is two different ways, from fresh and unexpected angles. Bryan Singer has previously proven to work well with large ensembles, giving everyone their appropriate due and I have full confidence he won't let us down in that regard once more. I was somewhat sceptical about this film thanks to the first two trailers - and the fact this movie deals with what is arguably the most classic and well loved X-tale of them all - but this trailer has gotten me X-cessively hyped for this latest X-travaganza. And those to follow, since Days of Future Past will have great consequences for various X-projects to follow, like X-Force and X-Men: Apocalypse. Seems the X-future will be at least as X-citing as the X-past!

Today's News: introducing a new breed of X-Men

Here's a bit of news I posted on MovieScene earlier this week. Related news soon to follow, but not yet posted on that site.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155100/openingsscene_x-men_days_of_future_past_online_geplaatst

This is a common occurrence for big budget blockbuster movies, to post finished clips of the actual movie in the few months leading up to its theatrical release. They usually stick to material from the film's opening to intrigue the audience as to the exact cause of events (which is left in the dark well enough for them to be enticed) and to prohibit giving too much away from the actual plot, which the studio prefer to keep to itself until the movie hits theaters. I recently posted a clip of Captain America: The Winter Soldier on MS that adhered to the same marketing strategy. Of course, some movies go even further and post way more than just a few scenes from the movie's first half: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 currently has so many clips up online you might puzzle together the whole movie from those. That's no fun for the nerds that actually attempt to do just that and end up spoiling the final viewing experience for themselves completely. Fortunately I'm not that determined.

This one minute scene begins and ends in medias res; you might accuse it of missing context, but then, the context is provided by the rest of the film this early released clip wants you to go and see soon. There's a lot of characters in this dynamic scene, half of whom fans will recognize from previous X-movies (Colossus, Shadowcat, Iceman). The other half consists of new characters, who appropriately get to show off their powers which define them. Even though we don't get much on their character background here as yet, we learn what they can do and how well they act as a team in a dire situation like this. We're also introduced to the nightmarish future world wherein these mutants have become the hunted, as well as their enemy, the ominous and ruthless future Sentinels. We learn little about those genocidal robots from this clip, which also pushes us to want to see the movie to learn just how dangerous they are to our heroes and what role they played in bringing about this Apocalypse. Deducing from this scene, Bryan Singer once again revels in his craftsmanship when it comes to making the audience acquainted with lots of characters, while not sacrificing the pace of the movie. It helps that the spectator is already familiar with many of the personas present in this movie, but there are many characters left to explore and all need ample screentime. If needs be, established characters are pushed to the background, as happened to Anna Paquin's Rogue, who was almost cut from the movie entirely, though word has now reached us that she will at least make a cameo appearance. Singer knows that in a movie with so many characters as this one, there is a serious risk of the story getting padded to the detriment of the film as a whole, so sacrifices have to be made. I expect these mutants to serve as canon fodder in their attempt to escort Wolverine to the past where most of the story takes place though. No problem, as long as Singer makes us care about their demise. If there's one person who excels at bringing together large ensembles without confusing the audience needlessly and making them empathic about all of them, it's Singer.

Tomorrow: final trailer for this same movie. X-celsior!

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Velocirapteryx

Year of release: 1998

Description: this larger Chaos Effect monster assumes a largely neutral posture, with its thin arms stretched forward showing off it’s fearsome claws. Thin and slender is the trend with this figure: it has a small and skinny body, clearly showing muscles. It also features long and slender arms and legs, large thin claws on both hands and legs, an elongated snout with large jaws armed with many sharp teeth, and a long tail which ends in a club like “tail wing”. Most noticeably it features a very long third finger on each arm, adorned with feather like protrusions, giving the impression this animal sports wings (though it’s very improbable the creature would be able to fly with these). The figure also has similar feathers sticking out of the back of its head and on its back, and on the tail club.

Velocirapteryx sports a very modest paint job by Chaos Effect standards. It’s mostly beige, with the exception of a thick red stripe running from the tip of the nose all the way over the back to the very end of the tail. This stripe is accompanied by three thin black lines, one on each side of the red stripe, and one running exactly over its centre. The area around the eyes is also black, the small eyes themselves being red with minuscule black irises. The claws on the arms and legs and black as well, including the ones on the third finger holding the “wings”. The feathers are all light pink with black tips. Velocirapteryx has white teeth and a long red tongue. This beast is marked by a black JP Chaos Effect logo along with the number .53 on its upper right leg.

Velocirapteryx is equipped with thrashing wings and snapping fangs! Or so says the box. Pulling its right leg back makes the arms move up and the head down, as if clawing and biting at an opponent. The jaws however don’t snap since the jaws aren’t poseable. Interestingly enough, this figure produces three different sounds instead of one like the Paradeinonychus. The sounds are combinations of screeches and shrieks and are hard to describe beyond that.

Analysis: Velocirapteryx may be the best new sculpt of the Chaos Effect toy line, though it too has some downsides. The design is plain brilliant and makes for an eerie, unpleasant critter, no doubt a deadly carnivore you don’t want to mess with, especially when noticing the huge claws. Its whitish colour and skinny appearance give it a skeletal look, as if it’s not only deadly but also a messenger of death. The paint job isn’t detailed or overly bizarre but still effective and different enough.

Velocirapteryx comes with a neat attack action feature, combining large claws moving up to strike anything unfortunate enough to get in the way with a nasty head butt as if the monster moves its terrible jaws down on potential prey. Such an attack certainly knocks most human and smaller dinosaur figures over, as well as being a fun way to attack larger beasts. It may not be totally original, but it’s effective and imposing enough. The sounds the creature produces are quite cool, especially because there are three instead of only one, adding some diversity. The shrieks and screeches fit with the attack action, though they’re higher pitched than one would expect from such a large beast, but the rattling purr is less appealing in combination with its strike features. It doesn’t hurt the overall action of this figure though.

Though it’s a great sculpt, there are a few minor issues which could have been done better. The Velocirapteryx occasionally has trouble standing because of the system interconnecting the attack action with the right leg. Maybe a button, or another way to activate the attacks (like pulling the tail in the Paradeinonychus’ case) might have helped. Also, it’s a shame the upper feathers on the wings are attached to the arms. It helps the wings be less fragile, but it looks a bit silly. Other than that, this creature is kick-ass.

Playability: decent, though with downsides. All limbs are poseable, but since the right leg and both arms are part of the attack system their poseability is interconnected, meaning they all move when you move one of them. The same goes for the head movement. Also, the size of the “wings” and the way they’re held closely to the body hinder playability to some extent. Unfortunately the Rapteryx’s mouth can’t be closed, some snapping jaw movement would have been a welcome addition. Still, the creature’s neutral pose helps overall playability and the attack option works fine and looks bitchin’. Keep in mind this is an electronic figure, so if you want to keep it intact you should not go around doing wild things with it.

Realism: once again the designers had a ball with this monster, no matter the realism of the beast. However, compared to the other new sculpts of this toy line, Velocirapteryx is probably the most likely and plausible animal of the bunch. It doesn’t look much unlike the looks attributed to many small agile bird like hunters, with its slender body, wing like arms and feathery protrusions. However, considering the wild and bizarre paint jobs of the other Chaos Effect creatures, Velocirapteryx’s colour scheme is very bland by comparison. Looking at the diverse and colourful patterns of birds and their early ancestors (or what scientists think they looked like) this creature sports rather dull colouring. Another thing, given the creature’s origins, it’s unlikely a Velociraptor/Archaeopteryx hybrid would turn out a 15 feet, 1.5 ton, hulk of a beast. Let’s call it the “Godzilla effect”: mutations make any small animal turn out a towering behemoth, never mind reality. It also seems unlikely a creature of this size endowed with such small wings would feature ‘flight capability’ as the behavioural description on the back of the box boasts.

Repaint: no. This figure was specifically designed for and remains unique to the Chaos Effect line.

Overall rating: 8/10. Even though the Rapteryx’s paint job is somewhat dull, it’s at least not as absurd as the other Chaos Effect beasties. That, combined with a great design and a neat attack option make this figure one of the most interesting additions to the realm of JP toys. It’s on the rare side, though not impossible to find. You may have too look for it some time and it may not be the cheapest creature, but it’s definitely worth a try.

Today's Triple News: a teenage game of Goonies

Posting here, posting there, posting movie news everywhere:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154984/teaserposters_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_online

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154985/game_of_thrones_met_twee_seizoenen_verlengd

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154931/goonies_ii_bevestigd

More Game of Thrones? I'm game. *insert smiley emoticon* Merriment aside, this is a logical step for HBO at this junction. Game of Thrones' ratings continue to go up, profits continue to come in, and to ensure viewers cancellation isn't looming around the corner - which is always something the audience fears tremendously, and the thought of it might discourage new viewers to start viewing - they renew the show not just for one but for multiple seasons, to send a strong signal the series will remain very much alive for a while longer. At this rate the series might very well make it to that total of 'seven or eight' seasons the showrunners expect to crank out of it. Considering the quality of this series coupled with the fact how much I love it (doesn't everyone?), this is nothing but good news for me. Better news of course would be HBO's commitment to see the series through to its very end without pulling the plug prematurely should ratings go down after all, but that's more or less unheard of. This way you can still keep the audience in suspense somewhat as to the ultimate fate of the show. Remember, all shows must die.

A franchise that does not seem to want to stay dead is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The concept is currently up to its third cinematic incarnation. Previously we had guys in suits and a fully animated film, this time both approaches will be mixed to make for digital characters interacting with flesh and blood counterparts. I care naught, for me the one and only Turtles will always be the old early Nineties cartoon. And even that isn't as good as I remember it to be upon rewatching. This current reboot feels too much like an excuse to sell more toys, much like Transformers and G.I. Joe (same studio too). Michael Bay's involvement wasn't something that made me clamour for renewed turtle power either. It seems those early rumours about turtles from space has fortunately been debunked in favour of a more traditional look though. These teaser posters effectively reaffirm that position, considering they first and foremost throw the fanbase a bone by revealing what hasn't been changed about their Turtles: their signature colour scheme and assorted weaponry. Unless these armaments and colours end up belonging to different turtle characters that we currently assume, but who in Hollywood would be dickish enough to pull off such a disrespectable prank?

Speaking of needlessly readressing past franchises, how's about The Goonies? If it wasn't for this rumoured semi-confirmed sequel, you would not even call it a franchise, but apparently the 1985 movie made enough of an impact that (some) people are still talking about in 30 odd years later. That's not enough to warrant such a late sequel though. In fact, you'd think a reboot would make more sense at this point, considering the original cast has all grown up big time by now (physically at least). If the original involved kids looking for subterranean treasure (that's as much as I know since I honestly haven't seen this film: shame on me, true...), a sequel that serves us adults looking for the same thing doesn't sound in line with the predecessor much. More likely it will be about their own offspring repeating their parents' shenanigans, with the original cast added for nostalgic flavour. That's the only way I could see a sequel work. But I still don't think they ought to make a sequel (or reboot, or re-imaging) to every old success story. Better find some new cinematic treasure in the subconscious cave instead, Hollywood.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Paradeinonychus

Year of release: 1998

Description: this medium sized electronic figure stands in a largely neutral posture, with its right leg slightly posed backwards. It features a rather small muscular body with a pair of huge legs sticking out, ending in stupendously large feet. It also has thin slender arms with long fingers. Its head is about half the size of its body and carries a distinctive short crest and a somewhat duck like mouth with large nostrils above. On either feet a toe stands upright, sporting a large sickle shaped claw. Its tail is quite short, mostly due to the fact that it’s incomplete. Part of it has been bitten off, so the tail ends in a dino damage wound, revealing red blood. The tail is also the basis of the attack option this creature is equipped with. Pulling it makes the arms move up as if clawing at prey, while the mouth opens, showing a large dark pink tongue and white teeth. Additionally, twisting the tail around makes the neck (and thus the head) do likewise. When the tail is pulled back, a gnarly attack scream, reminiscent of both dogs and birds, is heard.

Triangles seem to be the fashion in this creature’s case. Triangular shapes can be found in various body parts, including the claws, hands and head. Most obviously it is seen in the paint job. The beast’s primary colour is bright yellow, which is found on the entire underside of the figure (arms, legs, belly, flanks, tail, lower jaw/lower part of the upper jaw, throat, feet). A large purple spot runs from the neck all the way over the back to the end of the tail (at least, the end as it is now because of the wound), with a total of 12 triangular broad stripes running from this spot over the flanks, tail, neck and legs on either side of the body. The purple spot is entirely surrounded by a thin black line, which ends right above the wound on the tail and starts at the back of the head. The head itself is mostly black but for a few stretches of yellow and one blue spot (again triangular) around each orange eye, and a third on the underside of the crest. Two black spots can be found on either flank and both upper legs. The claws on both hands and feet are also black. A blue JP Chaos Effect logo is located on the left upper leg, with the number .54 alongside it.

This figure does not come with any accessories.

Analysis: this figure is not at all bad, but has several minor problems which make it less of a success. Aside from that, the paint job is just plain ugly. There’s an abundance of yellow and combined with triangular purple colouring this makes for an abominable colour scheme. The head, sporting a somewhat darker and grittier paint job, is more appealing.

The design of this monster is fifty-fifty. The bizarre carnivorous duck billed dinosaur’s head and the long slender arms and skinny body are quite effective in establishing this creature being a hybrid of herbivorous and carnivorous DNA, but the overly large legs and feet (which also make the figure rather heavy), in combination with the colourful paint scheme, make it look somewhat silly. Also, the dino damage on the tail is inventive, but it’s a shame it can’t be covered up (foreshadowing Hasbro’s reign of terror on the dino damage wound front).

The attack option is quite diverse, causing motion in the arms, mouth and even neck while producing eerie and aggressive screams. It’s interesting to see an action feature work on various levels like this, but it also has a downside in this figure’s case. The arms can only be posed in a limited range of positions. When they’re moved too far upwards, they hit the mouth when the tail is pulled, making it look like the Paradeinonychus is making funny faces to people. When the arms are moved downwards, it looks like they make swimming motions (which isn’t too unlikely considering the webbed fingers it features, as if it’s an aquatic animal). The most appealing way to position the arms for me is to keep one arm lifted up and the other one down. Twisting the head then makes the upward claw barely miss the mouth.

All in all, this figure suffers from several small design flaws, next to the horrific paint job of course. It could have been better, but now it’s at least adequate.

Playability: quite good. Paradeinonychus has poseable arms and legs. The arms are part of the attack option so they can only be positioned in a limited range of postures. The mouth, also part of the action feature, can be opened though it snaps right back. The neck can be twisted around by pulling the tail, adding additional poseability. The dino damage on the tail can’t be covered up unfortunately, but it’s not a huge nuisance. Keep in mind this is an electronic figure, so don’t play too rough with it if you want the neat sounds and attack options to stay in working order.

Realism: another dinosaur specifically made up for this particular toy line, it obviously never existed for real. Its design clearly betrays the origins of its DNA mixture, showing features of both the large herbivorous Parasaurolophus and the smaller agile predator Deinonychus. The animal’s size, and particularly the crest on its head reveal the Parasaurolophus part of this hybrid, while the slender body, thin arms, aggressive look and large claws (especially the sickle shaped ones on the feet) make it very clear there’s some small pack hunting predator involved. In the latter case the features don’t solely point to Deinonychus, since they apply to a range of smaller carnivores, including various Dromaeosaurids like the infamous Velociraptor. Still, it’s obvious this creature combines features of a large herbivore and a small and agile carnivore.

Repaint: no. Being an original sculpt made for this toy line, it would not be repainted for following toy lines either.

Overall rating: 7/10. It’s a good new sculpt, but it suffers from minor downsides, including attack action problems, overly cumbersome legs and a horrible paint job. Still, the funky sounds, fine playability and diverse attack options make this figure good enough. It’s not always easy to find, especially in areas where it wasn’t released, but can be found fairly easily on eBay.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Air S.A.B.R.E.

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Rocket Launcher with rocket

-Exclusive Dieter Stark figure

Description: this small aerial vehicle basically consists of a flying cockpit with overly big landing feet and rather short heli-blades. The bulk of the chopper is coloured dark green, while the remaining parts (blades, landing feet, windshield, rocket and lights) are all black. On the vehicle's underside there is a small rocket launcher which comes with a single rocket. The tail section of this helicopter ends in a rather big joystick like appendage which sports a large grey button: pushing this button launches the rocket. The cockpit, which sports an all black interior and has little detail by itself, holds a single figure: the windshield section (no windows, so the cockpit is partially exposed to the elements) can be opened so the figure can get in. Right above the cockpit the chopper blades are found (two, not four like the JPS1 Capture Copter had): giving them a push makes them spin around in a decent fashion. On the front part of the cockpit a set of lights sticks out of either side, while a smaller contraption, presumably also a light, is located on the very nose of the chopper; this piece can be tilted up and down in about a 120 degree radius, but this serves no particular purpose. The Air S.A.B.R.E. is equipped with huge landing gear which is attached to the vehicle at the bottom part of the cockpit. Large protrusions stick out of this gear in a rectangular shape, with teeth like serrations at the edges, so the landing gear can hook on to vicious dinosaurs to take them out. This vehicle comes with various stickers for decoration, most notably some with the familiar black and yellow striped pattern carrying the texts 'caution' and 'step', as well as stickers with the InGen and Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect logos on them. There's also a sticker carrying a serial number for this vehicle (G961TJ-12) and two stickers saying 'warning!missile'.

The Air S.A.B.R.E. comes with an exclusive Dieter Stark figure. He looks rather thin, with overly long legs and a rather small head by comparison. He has black eyes and eye brows, white hair in a rather 'flat' hair style and shows an evil grinning expression on his face, exposing his teeth. He's also quite muscular and has both lower arms raised upwards as if holding something, clearly showing off his biceps. He wears a tight beige suit with red highlights around the torso and sides of the legs. He sports big black boots and gloves of the same colour, while carrying orange elbow patches on both arms and a big orange shoulder patch over his right shoulder. Additionally, he sports a red utility belt around his waist and black knee patches on both legs, as well as beige gun holsters on the sides of both upper legs and a console like communication device (if that's what it is) on his left upper leg. Most of these attributes are strapped around his legs with black straps. He also carries three more black wires on his chest though it's unclear what they're intended for. Dieter has some slight tears on his suit, closed with stitches.

Analysis: out of the few helicopters of the various JP toy lines, this is definitely the least appealing chopper. It looks rather odd, more like something out of G.I. Joe than from Jurassic Park. It has a sombre paint job, with a rather military style to it thanks to the dark green colouring. It's not the most successful paint job, but it suffices. The paint job isn't the problem though, it's mostly the design of this chopper. It just looks silly, with the big appendage on the tail and the annoying little lights sticking out on the sides which keep getting in the way of the action, not to mention the huge landing feet it carries around. This chopper could have used a slicker and tougher design to make it look more appealing.

Also, there's the lack of action features on this vehicle. The package boasts a 'heli-blade' action but what's actually meant by that is left vague. You can swivel the blades around, but if that's all, it's one hell of a lousy, cheap action feature. The blades are pretty short and have little impact force when something gets in their path. A similar problem comes with the rocket launcher, which by itself is a rather overused and predictable feature, especially on aerial vehicles. Though the joystick mechanism is pretty neat and not only makes the chopper easy to hold but also delivers an efficient firing mechanism, the range and impact force of the rocket itself leave much to be desired. The rocket can be fired over little more than half a metre, and isn't strong enough to knock over most figures, except the really small ones (like hatchlings) which are not the easiest targets to hit. The landing feet may look odd, but at least they can grab on to various smaller or medium sized dinosaur figures, and can even transport them (though for a light weight vehicle like this most figures are already on the heavy side). It's not sure whether this is their actual purpose, since no mention is made of it on the vehicle's box, but the picture on the front of the box, showing this helicopter grabbing a Velocirapteryx with its landing gear, hints at this particular function. The landing gear and the adequate paint job are basically the Air S.A.B.R.E.'s only redeeming features.

The same can't be said for the hideous Dieter Stark figure that completes this set, and has got to be one of the ugliest JP figures ever produced. It has a totally ridiculous outfit (though not unusual by Chaos Effects standards), being overly elaborate with all kinds of superficial detailing and an awkward colour scheme, and sports a bizarre head sculpt, with a silly hair style and stupid facial expression (for a JP figure at least). This human figure looks more like some anime cartoon figure than being recognizable as a Jurassic Park character. Also, its head and legs are out of proportion with the rest of its body, which also doesn't help. This is definitely one of the worst JP human figures around and makes the Air S.A.B.R.E. set even more of a failure.

Playability: half decent. The Dieter Stark figure has the usual range of poseable body parts, head, arms and legs only (though the way he holds his arms doesn't help playability). The chopper is equipped with a disappointing rocket launcher but at least comes with extra options in its landing gear (though because of the size of the feet this could also hinder playability because it might get in the way of the action). The joystick style of its tail section may look odd, but it does make this vehicle easy to hold. The Air S.A.B.R.E. only comes with a single missile so if it gets lost there's no back-up, but because of its small firing range the chances of it being lost are reduced to some extent.

Realism: realism isn't something to look for in the Chaos Effect line and the Air S.A.B.R.E. forms no exception on this rule. In fact the Dieter Stark figure is one of the least realistic and most cartoonish figures of them all. He also doesn't resemble the Dieter Stark character from the Lost World movie in any way, not to mention Dieter got mauled by Compies in that film so he shouldn't even be alive at all. Compared to the other Chaos Effect figures this chopper isn't actually all that deterring. It at least sports a moderate paint job without flashy bright colours. However, the overall shape and size, even for a single manned type of aircraft, is quite unlikely.

Repaint: no. This vehicle was designed specifically for the Chaos Effect toy line, and would not be repainted for any later lines.

Overall rating: 4/10. The chopper itself is of little interest though there are some good qualities to it, but it's the ridiculous Dieter Stark figure which really makes this set a largely unappealing addition to any JP toy collection. Though it didn't get a worldwide release, the Air S.A.B.R.E. isn't a rare set and can often be found for rather low prices, even MIB, mostly because it isn't particularly sought after, unsurprisingly.