I'm a serious fan of Toy Story, particularly Buzz Lightyear. My collection of Buzz figures was recently the subject of another hub. Normally I wouldn't make one so similar, especially so soon after the first. But in the previous hub, I mentioned a newer Buzz Lightyear designed directly from Pixar's digital data files.

I didn't yet have one, so my description was limited to bare bones, and the statement that "This was going to be my next Buzz!"

I have one now. (Actually, I have an even newer one, with the Utility Belt!) Fanfare, please. Found him in Wal-mart while cruising the toy section. There were 3, right down on the floor shelf. I bought all three. Would have gladly kept them all, but at the price, it was more than I should have spent. So I kept one, and listed the other two on eBay. Now that I have him, it seems only right to give a real review. The good, bad, and spectacular.

The first thing I've noticed, the new movie-accurate design is not just one single model, but a series of newer Buzz Lightyears with differing features.  That means there are plenty more great Buzz Lightyears out there for me to collect!

Also,  the best ones are pretty hard to get.  Like the original Buzz action figure, stores just aren't stocking enough.  And a lot of places online that claim to stock them, are temporarily out when you place an order.  Especially when you want a very specific model.  Quoting Tour Guide Barbie… "And this is the Buzz Lightyear aisle. Back in 1995, short-sighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand! " 

History repeats itself.

• Highly Poseable
• Deluxe Film Replica
• Glow-in-the-dark Trim
• Pop-out Space Wings with Light-Up Tips
• Laser button w/LED Laser light
• Buttons for Space Ranger mode, Toy Buzz mode, and Microphone On/Off.
• Interactive Retractable Helmet
• Wing Release Button with Sound Effects
• Interactive Flip-Up Communicator
• Rubberized Waist
• Interactive Utility Belt with Light and Sound Effects
• Movie-Inspired Rocket Storage Box
• Includes Certificate of Authenticity
• Dual Interactive Space Ranger and Toy Buzz Modes
• Over 60 sayings in Tim Allen's original voice
• Three Batteries included for demo purposes... they may need to be replaced for full strength.

I'll give him 4.9 out of 5 stars here.  The poseability is better than any Buzz Lightyear I own.  He has all the usual joints, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, and waist.  The fingers can be moved separately, though the thumbs are fixed in place.  The ankles and waist hinge back and forth with 'click-stops', which makes it much better for holding poses.  Less likely to 'lean' off balance over time.

The waist is a fabulous improvement over previous models.  Looks the same, but is a rubberized flexible surface covering the joint.  Along with the very firm 'click-stop' motion back and forth, it also rotates smoothly left and right, with a lot more range than the older Buzz Lightyear models.

My only (minor) complaint is the shoulder joint.  Construction quality is fine, but doesn't flex as far as I'd like.  You can still get him into plenty of classic Buzz poses though, so I'm not really counting this against him.

This is the part I most enjoy.  The deluxe film replica Buzz Lightyears have been lovingly crafted using Pixar's original digital data files.  It's the body design that should have been in use all along, and I have to applaud Disney, Pixar, and Thinkway for making a great toy even better.

There's no documentation to prove it, but obviously this particular Buzz is modeled from Toy Story 2, with the Anti-Gravity belt.  It's integrated into the figure, and can't be removed.  Push the blue belt buckle and it lights up with a soft blue glow while Buzz reacts.  

The green trim now glows in the dark.  The attention to detail just goes on and on!

For me, the best part is the wings. They are awesomely TRUE TO THE MOVIE! In all the time I've collected Buzz Lightyear action figures, my one real complaint has been the wings.

In the movie, Buzz gets these great swivel-release streamlined wings, with a green and red light alternating from one wing to the other. Until now, no larger Buzz Lightyear has ever looked as cool as the one in the movies. They all had stubby, short, pop-straight-out wings. And no lights!

With this new release, finally, Buzz Lightyear toys look as cool as the movie Buzz. His wings are kept stored at half-length under the jetpack. When you push the big red button, they swivel up and extend to full length with a fast snap. Their proportions are long and sleek, with alternating lights at the ends!

This may not seem like such a big deal to some, but I would have bought this Buzz just because of the wings. After all these years, someone finally got the wings right.

The laser, control buttons, and much of the minor trim details, have been touched up.  Not a huge difference, but all those minor improvements add up.

The interactive flip-up communicator works very well.  It clicks shut extremely firmly.  Takes a deliberate effort to open.  When you open or close it, the communicator chirps, and Buzz will often respond with an appropriate comment, depending on his current play mode.  Inside is an adhesive sticker, just like in the movie.

When his helmet is opened or closed, it makes "that whooshing noise!"  Buzz will make a comment if he's in Space Ranger mode.

He's got 2 operating modes.  In "Toy" mode, Buzz knows he's a toy, and that's exactly how he acts… like "a child's plaything!"  He's quite fun in this mode, but limited compared to Space Ranger mode.

Put Buzz in Space Ranger mode, and look out… he's Buzz Lightyear and he's ALWAYS RIGHT!  In Space Ranger mode he's super-interactive.  Responds to you in a variety of ways, knows when you're talking, and even WHEN YOU YELL!  (Yell at him, and he'll get a bit panicky himself, or try to calm you down.)  I'm soft-spoken; to get his attention, I have to really raise my voice.  When tilted as if in flight, he makes a number of swooshing, flying, and landing sounds.

While talking, his head moves back and forth.  Ignore him, and he goes into hyper-sleep.  He's got over 60 different sayings, and speaks in Tim Allen's voice.  Many of his responses are cued by specific actions.  There's hours of playtime making him do all his tricks.

Here's a very important tip - When first unpacked, Buzz is in demo mode. Just under his chest and above the waistline, on the back side  there's a switch. For all the features to work, he needs to be switched from "demo" mode, to "On." It took me a while to realize what was wrong… I had to stop playing and read the instructions.

With most toys, once you've described the toy, that's enough.  Not the Film Replica Buzz Lightyear:

This box is a great collector's item, makes a wonderful display.  Specially cut and shaped to look like the 'space ship' box from Toy Story 1, with two cardboard wings inside.  You can mount the wings for the complete look.  The inside art is designed to be Buzz's Hyper-Sleep chamber. 

When I opened my Buzz Lightyear, I learned he is exceedingly secure in the box.  First there's a form-fitting interior box that has to be pulled completely out.  Then there's multiple layers of tape thoroughly sealing him into the custom-molded clear plastic. He's not moving even a little bit until you work through all of that.  His last line of defense is the metal ties and plastic stoppers holding him in place.  So be careful while taking Buzz out of his ship, and you'll have an excellent background display piece to go with your collection (unless you just bought him to play with!)

I've heard it's hard to find a box in perfect condition.  If the box is a bit crumpled, no big deal... just re-enact Buzz when he first sees the damage to his box... "My Ship - This will take weeks to repair!"

Word of warning -  When putting batteries in, the wing backpack has to be removed.  In all my previous Buzz figures, that involved unscrewing it from his back.  On this Buzz, the backpack pops on and off.  The battery cover itself needs a small screwdriver to open.  THE SCREWS ON BUZZ'S BACKPACK ARE ONLY FOR SHOW, MADE OF PLASTIC!  I misunderstood the instructions, and tried to unscrew the backpack.  Wound up 'stripping' the slots.  If that wasn't dumb enough, I did it to BOTH screws on the backpack, before I realized they were form-molded pieces of the backpack and not really screws.  

It was my own fault.  It's not that noticeable, and doesn't really bother me since my collection of Buzz Lightyears is for my own pleasure.  But something to be careful of.

Browse current best discounts - click here

Buzz stays on top of my computer.  We fly missions now and then.  Where do you keep yours?