#36: G.I. Joe Para-Viper

Remember when I mentioned army building with G.I. Joe? Well, this is my next step in that direction. My roommate picked up one of these, and after seeing it I decided I had to get one too. What makes this guy so cool is that he is loaded with accessories. And they're all removable. The helmet, the goggles, the harness, the fins, the knife in his boot, those all come off. Then he's got two guns, and the sniper rifle has a removable magazine and bipod, and a folding stock. Neat! The only complaint I have is that it doesn't come with an actual working parachute. With all the accessories it does come with, that is probably asking too much.

#35: Transformers Animated Wreck-Gar

Put down that chainsaw and listen to me! Weird Al, in toy form! For a variety of reasons, I love this toy. It's Transformers Animated. It's Weird Al. Wreck-Gar has probably the best line of the entire Animated series: "I am Wreck-Gar. I dare to be stupid!" You see, the original Wreck-Gar was voiced by Eric Idle (who is also awesome), and when he was introduced, Weird Al's song "Dare To Be Stupid" was playing. So in Animated, he's voiced by Weird Al. And he says that line. Too cool.

Anyway, this toy is great too. The toys in the Animated line all seem to be. The transformation is pretty easy, his robot mode is mostly just folded up inside of the dumpster part of the garbage truck. Despite having a big backpack hanging off of him, he is actually pretty well balanced. His alt mode even has a cool action feature, you can flip switches on the loading arms to raise and lower them. My only complaint is that the head only has swivel articulation. A balljoint would have been cool, but it's not a big complaint.

This is definitely one of my favorite Transformers so far. Remember: mashed potatoes can be your friend!

#34: X-Men Origins Wolverine Comic Series Deadpool

Apparently, I am only interested in the comic book versions of characters from the upcoming Wolverine movie. I may pick up a movie version of Logan, but when it comes to Deadpool I am going to stick with the classic. The movie version of Deadpool is just... Well, he's three miles of bad road. It's along the same lines as the movie version of Cobra Commander. Bad news.

This Deadpool, however, is great. The Deadpool we all know and love is right here, loaded with weapons. Two swords, a giant sai, an AK-47, and a handgun. A couple complaints, though. I think that his swords look a little high up on his back while they're in their sheaths. Also, the ball/swivel hip articulation isn't my favorite style of articulation for hips. I'd prefer the DCUC style hip articulation.

Deadpool may not look like this in the movie, but if they give him that spinoff movie, maybe he'll look more true to his comic from then. Here's hoping!

Disassociated ramblings

My Crystal Skeleton still has not arrived. Maybe tomorrow! That is what I am saying every day.

Recently my friend James picked up a comic style Deadpool for me, so I will be posting about that after I see him next. I found out that there will be another wave of comic style figures in the Wolverine movie line, and Iceman will be part of it. I wonder if he'll be transparent like the Iceman I had back in the 90s.

I thought about getting the Marvel Universe Hulk, but I am really not a fan of his head. It's a little too angular for my tastes, and is kind of reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster. The upcoming Red Hulk has a much better looking head. So for now, I'll stick with my Marvel Legends Hulk. According to his profile on the Marvel website, he is 7 to 8 feet tall. This makes him a bit too tall to properly be in scale with the Marvel Universe figures, but I think I will be okay pretending he's grown a little.



The toy based on the movie version of Cobra Commander was revealed this week. Like almost every other nerd on the internet, I am not a fan. Supposedly, they didn't go with the classic hooded look because it looked too similar to a KKK member's hood. I call bullshit. Cobra Commander's hood is not white and pointy, it's blue and rounded. He looks more like one of the ghosts from Pac-Man. Why couldn't they have gone with his other iconic look of a helmet with a reflective face plate? That is inoffensive by itself, and it would have been a cool look. Bah.

#33: G.I. Joe Cobra Viper

Hey, everybody, it's Cobra Viper Week! Wait, that's already been done. Go check out the real thing at Dan's Toy Museum. Anyway, according to the file card on the back of the packaging, the Cobra Viper plays the role of cannon fodder in the Cobra army. I'm guessing that this is based on the comic, which I never read, because in the cartoon it seemed like the regular Cobra soldier in the blue outfit with the black face mask took the position of cannon fodder. I have been meaning to pick up one of these guys for a while, and I am glad that I finally did. As my fondness for clone troopers and Imperial troopers shows, I like army building. Cobra has such a wide variety of interesting minions, I think I might start getting more of them.

About the Cobra Viper specifically, this guy exhibits the quality I have come to expect from the resurgent G.I. Joe line. He looks cool, and is poseable. My only complaint is that the goggles on his helmet don't stay in place very well. Why does he have goggles, anyway? They seem redundant with that faceplate. The insanity of the Cobra method of warfare is what makes you so charming, Cobra Viper.

#32: X-Men Origins Wolverine Comic Series Wolverine

Currently, there are three Marvel lines running right now that are in the same scale, and two of them have Wolverine in the name. If there was any doubt about how popular this little Canadian is, that should put it to rest. This Wolverine is from the movie line, which is divided into a comic series (which this figure is from), and a movie series. This is the costume I was first familiar with for Wolverine, and it has stayed my favorite. Unlike more recent Wolverine figures, his claws aren't each a separate piece of plastic. Instead they are one piece that is sculpted and painted to give the illusion of being three claws. He also comes with the red Muramasa sword, which isn't the most exciting accessory he could come with, but at least it is something that makes sense for him. This is the first Wolverine figure I've had since I was a kid, and I'm glad to have it.

#31: Marvel Universe Spider-Man

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! Of course I had to get the Spider-Man figure (and I will again, when the release the black costumed version), he has always been my favorite non-mutant Marvel superhero. He comes with a shooting web accessory that doesn't really work well at all. There is a spot for it to clamp on to his wrist, but there is also a bunch of extraneous webbing loops that end up behind his hand, ruining the illusion that he is shooting the webbing from his wrist. I like the figure itself, although the hip joints seem a little loose. Good thing he doesn't weigh a lot. I'm amused that his web shooting hand looks more like he is showing that he is a heavy metal enthusiast.

Tony vs Tony

Poor MU Iron Man can't catch a break in his fight with movie Iron Man.

I think my blog needs an image header, but I haven't come up with a satisfactory idea what to use yet. Hrm.

Although I hadn't mentioned it in any of my posts yesterday, there were a couple comments about the cost of the Marvel Universe figures. I agree, they are too expensive. I remember a couple years ago when you could get a Marvel Legends figure with a piece of a build-a-figure for the same price. Alas, there's inflation, oil price fluctuations, etc. I am glad that I have never been the type of collector that has to get a complete collection. If you're here in the States, be sure to pick up your MU figures at Target instead of Wal-Mart, if you can. Currently, Wal-Mart is selling them for fifty cents more than Target.

Last week, I complained about waiting on my Joker Squad to ship. This week, I will complain about waiting for my crystal skeleton to arrive. I sent out the order form and check at the beginning of January, and the check was cashed on the 2oth of February. It should be here any day now! Unfortunately, there is no way to check on its status, and no shipping confirmation e-mail. I am a fan of mail in offers like this, last year I got Captain Rex, and they are going to do another one later this year for Qui-Gon Jinn on an eopie.

I still have a couple toys left to post about from yesterday's haul, those should be up soon.

#30: Marvel Universe Iron Man

Nobody loves him! This version of Iron Man is his Extremis armor, which the armor in the movie was heavily influenced by. Aside from the movie, I've never been particularly interested in Iron Man, and I suspect that is true of the general public, so making this the first Iron Man figure in the line is a good idea. Later they are releasing a version based on his more classic suit, which I don't really like as it looks too muscular and not enough like armor. Anyway, this figure looks great and is articulated well. His accessory is a repulsor ray blast which is removable. This may not be the classic look for Iron Man, but I think it is his best, and this figure is definitely worth picking up.

#29: Marvel Universe Green Goblin

Insanity! This is the one and only original Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. One of Spider-Man's oldest and most dangerous foes, there is a reason he was picked to be the villain in the first Spidey movie. As I am coming to expect from Marvel Universe figures, he has a very well done sculpt. His arms and legs are textured well, and his clothing has some good wrinkles and stitching on it. His mask has a great maniacal grin on it. He also is well articulated, and can ride his glider easily. So far, he has the most accessories of my MU figures, leading the pack with three. He has his glider, a satchel, and one of his trademark pumpkin bombs. The pumpkin bomb plugs into his hand, although it doesn't stick too well on mine, as the peg is a little large for the hole. There's not too much to say other than this is an all around great figure.

#28: Marvel Universe Captain America

Captain America is a classic. Sort of! Although the packaging identifies him as Captain America, this is actually the Ultimate version of Captain America. He lacks the goofy buccaneer boots and the little wings on his head, and has more pouches than the original. I prefer the Ultimate look to the original, so I'm glad they went with this version for the figure. I'm really not a fan of the buccaneer boots.

The sculpt on this figure is well done, he even has the scale textured chest, and it works well on this small figure. Even the vertical white and red stripes around his midsection are sculpted elements. He is also articulated well, I'm not missing any joints on him. In addition to the Fury Files he comes with, his only real accessory is his shield. As with the Silver Surfer, that's all he needs. Captain America is one of Marvel's earliest characters and an icon, and I'd say this figure does him justice.

#27: Marvel Universe Silver Surfer

It's Marvel Universe day! When I heard about the upcoming Marvel Universe line and apparent demise of the Marvel Legends line, I was of mixed feelings. I love the smaller scale, especially since it means that the figures are compatible with my Star Wars and G.I. Joes, but I also have grown used to the six inch scale for my comic book figures. Fortunately, I was not too heavily into the Marvel Legends line, so although there will be some overlap in the two Marvel lines for me, it won't be too terrible. So far I am digging these Marvel Universe figures.

Here we have Silver Surfer, in all his naked silver glory. Overall, I like how this figure looks. His muscles are even more defined than the other figures I have, befitting his nudity. Rather than being a flat silver, he has an interesting iridescence that pictures of him don't seem to pick up. If you see one in person, you'll notice it. He is well articulated, although not to the degree that my Marvel Legends version of him is. I think he could have been improved by having ball ankles, instead of hinges, so that he could get into some wider stances, and maybe even use both foot pegs on his board.

Speaking of his board, that is the sole accessory he comes with, and it is the only one a Silver Surfer figure needs. As part of the Marvel Universe line, he also comes with "Fury Files" which include a sort of trading card with vitals on the character, a little letter to Nick Fury about the Surfer's disappearance from the galaxy, and a code that can be entered online to unlock more information on the Fury Files website.

Overall I like this figure, and my only real complaint are the hinge ankles.

#26: Star Wars Legacy Collection Joker Squad

Finally! Going by my rules of counting a set as one entry, here at last is the Joker Squadron, an Entertainment Earth exclusive (although Big Bad Toy Store is also selling it, oddly enough). Because six figures would be hard to photograph clearly all at once, this is a special double sized entry. These figures are all from the Legacy comic series, which I am not familiar with. I got this set because I love troopers, and this set is 83 percent trooper.

I have never heard of Lord Maleval, and he was the figure I was least excited about. In the Legacy era, it seems like all the Sith are red with black markings. In the promotional pictures, it looked like his whip was made of blue plastic, so I thought it would be a lightwhip. It turned out to be a piece of string which works for me. He's actually a pretty cool figure. Underneath his robe is some interesting looking armor with a big spooky eye on the chest. The robe itself has a bendable wire along the bottom, and one near the top to hold it on. This is a gimmick I've seen before, and I like how it helps the robes keep their shape. I probably wouldn't buy this figure if it was a single carded figure, but I think it is a good addition to this set.

The Stormtrooper on the left is Sergeant Harkas (or Sgt McBeardy, as I think of him) and to the right is Vax Potor (I think of him as "the bald one"). They are both based on the VOTC Stormtrooper mold, with a wider stance to the legs. They both have removable helmets and blasters. There is nothing remarkable about Vax Potor, he is just a regular Stormtrooper, which is good. Harkas has rank markings on his arms, which help him to stand out a little. He also has big hair and a beard which conspire to make his helmet a tight fit, and they distort its shape a little while he's wearing it.

From left to right, we have Anson Trask, Jes Gistang, and Hondo Karr. Again, Trask and Karr are the same body as their male comrades in this set. Trask has a terrible haircut. Karr has a mullet, the party end of which hilariously sticks out from under his helmet. He also has a knife (since this is Star Wars, I suppose it is a vibroblade). He WILL cut you if you make any cracks about his mullet.

Finally, we get to the real reason I (and probably most other people) got this set. Jes Gistang, the first ever female Stormtrooper figure. As far as I can tell, she is an entirely new sculpt. She's just like the other Stormtroopers, but more svelte. She also comes with a ridiculously large gun. Now that Hasbro has gone through the trouble to make this sculpt, I wonder if there will be more female Stormtroopers in the future. This figure is really cool, and definitely worth picking up the set for.

Overall, I am pleased with this set. I get a squidhead - excuse me, Quarren - Sith, a bunch of Stormies, and a so far unique female Stormie.

A look to the future

Entertainment Earth, you are on notice! As I alluded to last week, I pre-ordered the Joker Squad set from Entertainment Earth, and I am waiting for them to send it, still. My order's status has been "processing" since last Friday, and my credit card has been charged. It has been listed as in stock since Monday, supposedly shipping after 1-2 business days. I sent an e-mail to their customer service to see if I could get any information on when it will actually be shipped, but haven't heard back from them yet. I have never pre-ordered anything from Entertainment Earth before, so I don't know if this is standard. Annoying!

EDIT: Guess what arrived in the mail today. Normally, they send an e-mail when they ship things, so I was a bit surprised. They should have at least changed the status of my order on the website to reflect that it had been shipped. Oh well. I'll open this up and post about it soon. /EDIT

Looking ahead, there aren't too many toys coming out soon that I am planning on buying, which will be good for saving money.

The next wave of Legacy figures from Star Wars isn't coming out for a few months. That's the Empire Strikes Back wave, and I think if I get anything, it will be Captain Needa. Then I plan to get the entire Attack of the Clones wave, because I want to build HK-47.

For Clone Wars, there is supposed to be another wave next month that I want one figure from (a clone trooper, of course) and then nothing until August. Then there will apparently be a few waves out in a short amount of time, and I basically just want the clones. I am definitely skipping on the Turbo Tank due to size, price, and general disinterest. I might pick up the Y-Wing and the new Vulture Droid.

I want to get the comic pack that comes with the female Imperial Knight, although I don't care about Darth Krayt. Wal-Mart has another exclusive wave of Droid Factory figures, and I want to get the Corran Horn and Whistler set. More Wal-Mart exclusives that I want are the commando evolutions set, and the second Imperial pilots evolution set.

This is just what I already know about, I'm sure there will be more.

As for Transformers, I am looking forward to getting Wreck-Gar. I will most likely be skipping the movie line entirely. I'm not sure what's coming up in the Universe line, but there will probably be something I will want. Oh, and that Masterpiece Grimlock, if I can convince myself to spend so much.

There are a few figures from the new Marvel Universe line I will probably pick up. From the Wolverine line, I definitely want the comic book Deadpool, and the brown suited Wolverine.

In DC Universe Classics, I kind of want Gentleman Ghost and Hawkgirl. I definitely want the green/yellow Parademon. If the Movie Masters Two-Face ever makes it out, I want to get one.

Apparently, Mezco is coming out with a 3 3/4 inch version of its Cinema of Fear line, and will have a boxed set of Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface. Slashers in scale with my Star Wars figures? Yes, please!

What are you looking forward to in the upcoming months?

Weekly Updates

Given that finding and buying new toys can be a fairly erratic event, I have decided to start doing weekly posts in addition to my new toy entries. So every Friday I will make a post about anything and everything toy related. Maybe I'll talk about my adventures looking for new toys, or upcoming toys that I'm excited about, or funny pictures. This way I'll be able to avoid the possibility of going weeks without any posts.

For the past few years, during February I have been doing a project where I take a picture every day, and upload it to Flickr and my blog. Last year I did a theme of clone troopers, and this year, I did a theme of one clone trooper, Captain Rex. Here are this year's pictures.



My next acquisition (unless I go shopping and find something first) should be arriving sometime next week. Currently, the order is processing with Entertainment Earth. It's something I pre-ordered way back in October, so I am looking forward to finally having it in my hands.

I had an odd toy run this week. When I arrived at Target, the power had recently gone out. Some lights and the registers were still on, so they were allowing shoppers in the store. They started escorting customers around the store, but I didn't have an escort until I was already done in the toy aisles. Wal-Mart's power was also out, but they were closed.

My Legacy Collection Grievous was on my bed's headboard and somehow ended up under my pillow last night, and now its leg is bent. D'oh!

#25: Star Wars Legacy Collection Obi-Wan Kenobi

More powerful than you can imagine! For a while, it seems like classic Obi-Wan was out of fashion, and you could only buy Ewan McGregor versions of him. Recently, there was an Alec Guinness version in a battle pack, and now this one as a single carded figure. This is the classic Obi-Wan we were first introduced to, with his truth bending ways, and I am glad to finally get one in a modern update. He looks great, and is well articulated, although his neck is a bit weird. Instead of the head and neck being one piece, the neck is its own piece of plastic, so it is articulated on both ends, and it doesn't work super well. His right hand is sculpted in the classic Jedi mind trick position, which is a nice touch. His robe doesn't fit as well as one might hope, but they never do at this scale. For accessories, he comes with the required lightsaber, as well as a table with a little holographic Leia. Neat! If you don't already have an Alec Guinness Obi-Wan, this is the figure you're looking for.

#24: Star Wars Legacy Collection Luke Skywalker

A little short for a stormtrooper? Luke in stormtrooper armor is, not surprisingly, almost entirely the same as Han in stormtrooper armor. One less obvious difference is that they have different belts. On the rear of Han's belt, there is a small protrusion that is missing on Luke's. Perhaps it is the cable he used to cross the chasm with Leia. I think that Luke's legs attach a little higher on the torso than Han, making him look slightly shorter. Also, his helmet seems to fit lower on his head, also adding to his lesser height. It's a very subtle difference in overall height, but it is there. In fact, the helmet is a slightly different one than Han's. The most obvious difference from Han is the head. Unfortunately, Luke doesn't fare as well in the likeness department. I believe it is the same headsculpt as the Luke in X-wing pilot gear that I got in the C-3PX Wal-Mart wave last year, with a different paint job for the hair. Aside from those differences, everything thing that I said about the Han figure applies to this one. If you're going to pick up a Han, you might as well pick up a Luke to go with him.

#23: Star Wars Legacy Collection Han Solo

Han shot first! I have been looking forward to getting this figure since I learned it was coming out. One of the first figures I got from the Star Wars line of the 90s was the mail-away Han in Stormtrooper armor, so I was looking forward to having a modern update. Han is another figure based on the VOTC stormtrooper, and like the spacetrooper, has a wider stance. So basically, it looks good and is well articulated. Much has been made about the new, thicker holsters for the blasters, but I don't think that it is a huge improvement. My troops are all holding their blasters anyway, so it's not a big deal. I think this is one of the better Harrison Ford likenesses I've seen on any recent figures. In addition to his blaster and removable helmet, there is another piece of a droid included with Han. This figure is a great update, and a good addition to any collection.

#22: Star Wars Legacy Collection Spacetrooper

A new Stormie! This is the spacetrooper, which you have probably never noticed. Apparently, they show up for a very brief shot of the Millennium Falcon being docked in the Death Star. As with most recent stormtroopers, this figure is based on the very good VOTC sculpt, although the legs have been updated so the figure has a wider stance. He has a pack on his back, with a tube leading to his helmet. Both are removable, so you can have a standard stormtrooper as well. His helmet is also removable, and this trooper is not a Jango clone. He comes with a standard stormtrooper blaster and some other crazy looking gun with the Imperial logo on the stock. Also in the package is part of some random droid. As a unique trooper, or just another addition to your Imperial ranks, this is a cool figure.

#21: DC Universe Classics Killer Moth

Holy eyesore, Batman! This is my first comic based figure of the year. Okay, yes, there were some Star Wars comic pack figures, but they are not characters that were created for comics, so I'm not counting them. One of the cool things about the DC Universe Classics toys, aside from being sculpted by the Four Horsemen, and the complementary and generous articulation, is that the line is willing to use obscure characters. Most waves have one or two big names, and a few lesser known names. Killer Moth here is one of the more obscure characters. Honestly, I had never heard of him before learning about this figure. The main reason I wanted to get this figure is how he looks. That color scheme is just so absurd that I can't help but love it. He certainly makes an interesting addition to my collection of Batman's rogues gallery. There are some small paint issues, but nothing major, and there weren't any of the breakage problems I've been hearing about for this line. All the figures in this line come with a Collect-and-Connect piece so that if you buy every figure in a wave, you can combine the pieces to build a figure. Killer Moth comes with the head and torso of Kalibak, which is not pictured here, as I let my friend have it. This may end up being one of my favorite toys of the year.