2 MINUTE TOY BREAK !

That techno riff at the very beginning of stage 1 in Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega Genesis will forever be etched in my aging and dilapidated memory. The game was pretty epic. Of the many installments, part 2 was my favorite.  Streets of Rage 2 Stage 1 Music Of all the Jaaks Pacific Sega themed figures, Axel is the most underwhelming. This has nothing to do with functionality or quality, it's just that Axel is a pretty ho-hum character as far as design goes. 90 percent of every beatem' up or fighting game in the late 80s, early 90s had a bandana, jean and t-shirt wearing character.  You can get Axel into some decent poses. Every figure comes with at least one accessory, Axel comes with his flaming grand upper cut effect.  For reference, here's Axel next to DC McFarlane Superpowers Superman and Batman figures. 

My first memories of Altered Beast are mostly  arcade related. I remember not caring about beating the game as much as I did turning into the main characters alternate beast mode. "POWER UP!"  😆 Weredragon was pretty indestructible, using his Blanka-esque body enveloping electricity move to fend off evil hordes of ogre zombies, blobs and wasp-men.  Weredragon feels solid and heavy in hand. What toy collectors would refer to as a  "chunky" action figure. The electric bolt accessory fits snug in Weredragon's mouth, looks organic and flows with the head sculpt. You can almost hear the 16-bit crackling effect ⚡ The wings move up and down for outstretched or closed display. Weredragon's tail, while limited , is also articulated.  And just for reference, here's Weredragon next to a couple of larger Marvel Universe figures. 

The first ever martial arts themed video game I played was Kung - Fu on an arcade machine. I have vague memories of playing Ninja Gaiden on my friends NES but it wasn't until I owned a Sega Genesis that I would be introduced to Shinobi! The Revenge of Shinobi on the Genesis was a nicely balanced, hack and slash/shmup with addicting gameplay. Walking around, dishing out ninja ass whippings with Joe Musashi was epic! Now, thanks to Jaaks Pacific, we can own the figure!  I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this figure. It's pretty solid and has a good amount of articulation. 28 points to be exact. I was able to get Musashi into some decent poses.  I love the scowl on Musashis's face. The flowing scarf is also a nice touch.  At 5 inches tall, you're not gonna find many lines that scale well with these Jaaks figures. I don't mind tha...

My last Christmas gift to myself was fueled by my love for the Sega Genesis. Jaaks Pacific has been releasing these figures sporadically at my local Walmart. I was able to hunt down Axel, Roo and the  Altered Beast dragon figure but needed eBay to help me fill out the set. I passed on the Monkey Ball figure because it doesn't really have ties to any 16 bit Sega Genesis games that I actively played or have any memories of.  I'm still undecided as to what I want to do with these figures. To open, or not to open, that is the question ❓ ❓ ❓ 

 I remember playing The Punisher Sega Genesis game and wondering why Nick Fury was dressed differently than in the comics. Did he look like this at any point in the marvel comic universe? I'll have to look that up. Either way, it's still a bad ass look for S.H.I.E.L.D. commander, Nick Fury!