#17: Doctor Who - Rory Williams

I've been meaning to pick up the Rory figure for a while now. It took them so long to make a figure of such an important character, but I never got around to ordering one. Earlier this month, I attended my first Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey One. There was of course a dealers' room, and some of the vendors were selling toys, so I was able to pick one up at about what I would have paid online, minus shipping. Rory has the same basic articulation as all the other figures in the line. The likeness of Arthur Darvill isn't perfect, but it is recognizable as him. I don't know if Rory's penchant for vests is a deliberate nod to Marty McFly, but I'd like to think that it is.

"Sorry, we've already got one vest enthusiast traveling with the Doctor."

#16: The LEGO Movie - Cloud Cuckoo Palace (70803)

Cloud Cuckoo Palace is the most pink and pastel thing in my collection, so it really stands out. The set looks like it is made out of clouds and candy, which is pretty accurate. It's not the most complicated build, but there's enough to keep it fun, with several pieces I've never seen before. There is an action feature that links one of the "candy" pieces with the round green piece by gears, so that rotating one rotates the other. There's no real reason for it, but it's there. The other action feature is the flower launcher. It doesn't really launch the flower very far. It's a nice set, but I mostly got it for the minifigures.

There's a snail and an Executron. But the stars of the set are Wyldstyle, Emmet, and Unikitty. Wyldstyle and Emmet are both available in a cheaper set, and individually in the blindpacked series, but this set features the versions of the characters that I wanted most. This is also the least expensive set with a version of Unikitty, although I would also like the Biznis Kitty version.

Wyldstyle and Emmet both have double sided heads, with two expressions. Wyldstyle has a serious expression, and a slightly less serious expression with one eyebrow raised. Emmet has a smiling face and a worried face. I wanted this version of Emmet because he comes with the Piece of Resistance [SPOILERS from here on out], which in the movie is a Krazy Glue cap, but here is a brick. In the movie, it's clearly glued onto his back where here it's held on be a bib piece. It seems like it would be an easy enough custom to have a more screen accurate Piece of Resistance, so I may do that. The set also includes the tracking device on the back of his leg.

#15: The LEGO Movie - Pyjamas Emmet

The day before The LEGO Movie opened, I received an e-mail from the Regal Cinemas club that buying a ticket to a 3-D showing to the movie would include an exclusive minifigure. With the dreaded phrase "at participating theaters." Usually my local theaters are not participating in cool promotions, but I asked at the box office just in case, and it turned out that I was in luck. This is Emmet as he is first introduced in the movie, in his pajamas and waking up to greet a new day. The package uses the alternate spelling "pyjamas" which is oddly British. He doesn't include any accessories or a stand, but he's a freebie, so there's not really any reason to complain. He has two faces on his head, one winking and the other yawning.

#14: Bioshock Infinite - Motorized Patriot

The Motorized Patriot is basically Bioshock Infinite's equivalent of the Big Daddies from the previous Bioshock games in that they are very large enemies who are difficult to defeat. A big robot version of George Washington with flags hanging off his back and wielding a huge gun makes for a great visual, so I was pretty hyped when NECA announced they would be making an action figure version of it. I pre-ordered it along with the Spider Gremlin, and they both arrived at the same time. Unfortunately, one of the shoulder pauldrons was missing, but Bigbadtoystore.com was able to send a replacement figure (unpackaged, and sans accessories). Basically, their return/replacement policy is pretty great.

NECA did a great job as usual in making a really good looking figure. There is appropriate detail all over the place, with exposed robot bits, and the paint is all good. The flags on the back are soft goods and pretty massive. The knees and the right elbow are the exposed mechanical joints, where the attached limbs are pretty thin, so it feels a bit worrisome working the joints, but they seem to be sturdy enough. What's not sturdy is the gun. The handles fit into the hands way too tightly, and the main handle broke off when I was trying to put it into the hand. I didn't want to have to bother customer service a second time for another issue with the same figure, so I just super glued the handle back on. The crank handle is designed to pop off, which is good, as it would probably break off otherwise. A cool feature is that the crank on the gun functions and rotates the barrels. The other accessory is an alternate head, showing off what's underneath the mask. Interestingly, the nose and lower jaw have a wooden texture.

This is a figure that definitely falls under the category of an adult collectible, because a kid would probably break it.

#13: Hot Wheels - Volkswagen Beetle (HW Workshop 191/250)

I'm still looking for The Homer, but although I haven't found it yet, I did find something unexpected. Herbie, the Love Bug. I have vague memories of watching some of the movies on The Disney Channel as a kid, and I had no idea Hot Wheels was making this. I generally only go for pop culture versions of Hot Wheels toys, so I decided to pick this up. According to the date stamp on the bottom, this mold has been around since 1988, which makes me wonder if Mattel has ever released a yellow Beetle...