#29: Transformers Prime - Arcee

Now that I've actually watched Transformers Prime, I will actually know about the characters I'm buying toys of. I bought Soundwave previously mainly because it was Soundwave. Arcee is a figure I wanted to get because I liked her character on the show. Fortunately, my Target has made it past the choking point of the heavily packed Bumblebees from the first wave, so we are able to get some newer figures on the pegs.

Arcee's alt-mode is a cool motorcycle, which has the advantage of being sized approximately in the same scale as 3 3/4 or 4 inch figures. It's a bit too wide to be a great fit, but with some futzing around, you can make it work. Aside from being a little wide, it's a cool looking bike. The weapons can plug into the front wheel, although they look kind of goofy.

The bot mode mostly does a pretty good job or replicating Arcee's onscreen appearance. The main problem is that she's a little back heavy due to her front tire just sort of hanging off her back. Interestingly, her rear wheel splits in two and each half ends up in one of her legs. If you want to make her taller, you can position the wheels as sort of skates and she'll balance. For some reason the pink parts of her paint job on the show have been rendered in silver for the toy. I get that this is meant as a "boys" toy, but why change the pink? Soundwave's toy has pink accents, why can't Arcee? Otherwise, she's a pretty cool robot. Her gun and blade can plug into each other in a way that actually turns out looking cool as far as these things go.

#28: Star Wars Vintage Collection - Barriss Offee

I've been wanting a Barriss Offee figure for years now, mainly due to her appearance in the original Clone Wars cartoon. Unfortunately, the only figure Hasbro made was from Attack of the Clones, and it was from that weird period where many figures were in pre-posed positions, and so were only good in that one position. Then they finally released a new Barriss figure last year. Two, in fact. A realistic Vintage figure and an animated figure. I wanted the realistic one, but I never saw either of them in stores. I kept an eye on Ebay in hopes of finding one for a reasonable price, and with the recent news that she would be appearing again in an upcoming wave, prices for her started getting down to a reasonable level. Given my luck finding new Star Wars figures that I want lately, I went ahead and got her from Ebay.

It's a very nice looking figure, and I'm glad they finally got around to re-making her. With the plastic cape being so long, it helps with her stability, which can be an issue when soft skirts and high heels are involved on a figure. I think at this point, I've got all the Jedi figures I want, except Bastila Shan (who is still in the outrageous price range). Okay, I would buy the librarian Jedi figure if they made one. I'm sure there are some Jedi that haven't been made into figures yet, and I by no means have all the different Jedi that have been made, but I'm good with what I've got now. I've mostly got all the Star Wars figures I want, really.

#27: G.I. Joe Renegades - Law and Order

A few weeks ago, I went to an outdoor toy sale where there were a bunch of vendors with tables set up. They were selling all sorts of things, from the new mint in package, to the old and beat up from sitting in a  garage for the past few years. One of the vendors had a Law and Order on sale for less than the going price at my local Target. For some unfathomable reason, I didn't buy it then. I almost immediately began suffering from non-buyer's remorse. Since my Target hasn't put out any new Joe figures in a very long time, my best shot was Ebay.

I think I've mentioned before that I always like the Joe figures that come with animal companions. They're great accessories, so it adds value. And animal companions are just a cool concept for figures. Law and Order are also a nice counterpoint to the Cobra shock trooper. Law showed up in Renegades as a prison guard, but they made the figure an MP. Law comes with a good amount of accessories. Too many for him to hold, but it's not as excessive as some other figures. He's got a couple pistols that fit in holsters (one has a silencer), a shotgun, a machine pistol, handcuffs, and a billy club. The face shield is a separate piece from the helmet, which is removable.

Order is wearing a doggy bullet proof vest, and his head is on a swivel. Although the coloring seems a bit weird for a German shepherd, Order is probably the cutest of the various animal companions in my collection.

A visit to the dog park. Who let that wolf in?!

#26: G.I. Joe Renegades - Tunnel Rat

A few weeks ago, Netflix added G.I. Joe Renegades to its streaming service, so right after I watched the entire first season of Transformers Prime, I watched the first (and only, sadly) season of Renegades. Although it was way less goofy than the classic cartoon, and very A-Team-esque, I really liked it. I'm disappointed that it won't be coming back for a second season, especially since it left us hanging on the crucial question of just what is up with Cobra Commander's partial face concealing mask. Tunnel Rat was one of the regular cast members, which I believe is the first time he's been so prominently featured, and his sarcastic Brooklynite persona made him one of the best characters on the show. Since I didn't have a Tunnel Rat figure yet, I figured it was time to get one.

Like Scarlett and the other Renegades figures, Tunnel Rat looks like a more realistic version of the animated character, so he fits in with the rest of the Joes in my collection. Hasbro has been on a nice roll with the Joe line for a while, and Tunnel Rat keeps that tradition going. He also continues the tradition of the mixed blessing of including a bunch of accessories. He's got a big rifle, a revolver, a shovel, a laptop, a flashlight, a portable stove, a pan (the handle on mine is a little bent), a Leatherman, and coolest of all: a bomb disposal robot. The arm on the robot can move, and the wheels roll. Neat! Unfortunately, he doesn't have a way to carry anything other than what fits in his hands.

"You won't believe what I found down here, Scarlett!"

I'm still here!

It's been a while since I last posted, so I just wanted to make sure everyone knows I'm still around. It's been almost a full month since I last got a new toy, so there hasn't been anything to post about. I'm expecting a couple things in the mail in the next week or so, keep an eye out. In the mean time, here's a picture of part of my collection.

I mentioned in a comment on one of Dan's posts that I should take a group picture of my clone troopers. At this point, I have so many (I haven't counted, but it's got to be at least 100), and they are spread out over a few different shelves, moving them all into one spot for a picture would be a huge hassle. So here's a small selection of my clone troopers. Looks like I need to do some dusting.