A Year of Toys

#3: K'Nex Mario Kart Wii - Luigi building set

2012-01-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

I got Mario, so I got Luigi so I could have both of the Mario Brothers. He's taller than Mario, and his overalls are a darker blue. There's not really much else to say, so have a comic to pad out this post:

#2: K'Nex Mario Kart Wii - Mario building set

2012-01-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

After I picked up Bowser, naturally I got Mario too. He's my namesake, after all. One thing that sets these apart from LEGO minifigures is that it's not the same base body used every time, so each character gets its own shape. I would totally buy a LEGO Mario minifigure too, but I do like this approach. He moves at the neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips. Unlike Bowser, there is no movement at all in the waist. He comes packaged in three pieces. Now I'm really hoping they come out with a second series of these. We need Peach and Toad!

#1: K'Nex Mario Kart Wii - Bowser building set

2012-01-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

So far I've been passing on all the K'Nex Mario Kart building sets because I don't have room for the tracks, and the cars that are sold by themselves don't interest me enough to want to buy them. Then I heard they were putting out individually packed minifigures, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to get just the characters I like (you see that Hasbro, this is how you should release the Kre-o minifigures!). I heard that Bowser was going to be shortpacked at only two to a case, (because K'Nex hates you, that's why) so I was worried I wouldn't be able to find one. As it turns out, I found both Bowsers. A few days before I found these, I noticed an empty spot on one of the shelves with a tag for the minifigures, so I was keeping an eye out for them. The case must have been put out not too long before I got there, because it looked pretty full. Both of the Bowsers were easy to find, one was right in the front, and the other was actually on top of all the other packages. Maybe someone picked them out and decided they didn't want them? Whatever happened, it worked out for me. It's definitely nice to be able to see which minifigure is in the packaging without having to resort to some mysterious bump codes or feeling through the packaging.

Bowser here is one of the largest minifigures I've seen. On the whole, these seem to be about the same size as Minimates, but Bowser is pretty massive due to his bulk. That's probably a factor in why he's shortpacked, he has so much more mass than the others and is thus less profitable. While Bowser is a minifigure, he is packaged as a building set, so there is some assembly required. He comes in six pieces which are easy enough to fit together, although instructions are included. He moves at the hips, shoulders, wrists, neck, and (kind of) at the waist–the shell kind of gets in the way of that. Of the minifigures I got from the series, this is definitely my favorite.

#146: LEGO Harry Potter - The Lab

2011-12-31T20:03:00.000-08:00

This set was in the stocking stuffer area at Target, but it was four bucks and I wasn't willing to pay that for basically just a Harry Potter minifigure. Then after Christmas, that whole section got marked down to half off, and two bucks sounded like a good deal. The set isn't named on the package, but there's a number, so I looked it up on Brickipedia, and this is the name they went with, so it's good enough for me. Basically I just got this set for the Harry minifigure. He's got a head with two expressions: one side is worried looking, and the other (pictured) has a kind of smirk. The wand seems a bit long, almost long enough to be a broomstick. The other part of the set is some sort of potions rack. There's a hollow space in the middle where a letter to Harry and a fang (I'm guessing it's a basilisk fang) are held. It seems kind of weird. Also, there's a spider!

#145: Minecraft - Foam Pickaxe

2011-12-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

It's all well and good to have a good idea what gifts you'll be receiving for Christmas, but when you get something that's a total surprise it's like being a kid again. This gift is from my brother and I wasn't expecting it at all. It's totally cool.

In case you aren't familiar with Minecraft, it's an independently produced game from Sweden that basically involves wandering around some mysterious landscape mining and building. And watching out for monsters, of course. This video is a nice introduction to the game, so you can go check it out. I'll wait.

Think Geek has a habit of coming up with really cool products (like the Tauntaun sleeping bag for a while back) and this is another great idea. Minecraft has a low-res look to it, and this pickaxe is an accurate reproduction of the in game item. I think I'm going to go mine for some diamonds...

#144: Batman The Brave And The Bold - Sea Spear Aquaman

2011-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas gift, this one is from AJ. The Brave and the Bold was a great cartoon, but I never bought into the toy line because with all my DCUC figures, I don't need more of the same characters in a different scale. For what it's worth, I do feel that the BatB version of Aquaman is my favorite take on the character, which of course is helped by the voice work of John Di Maggio. So even though I already have the DCUC Aquaman, this is a cool figure to have as well. Like all BatB figures, Aquaman has holes along his arms, legs, and on his back allowing different weapons to be plugged in. If you have a lot of figures from the line, you can come up with your own variations, which I imagine would be fun. Aquaman comes with a trident, and there is a certain amount of amusement to be had by plugging it into his arms or legs, which just looks absurd but is rather funny. I'm not going to start collecting this line, especially since it's on the way out now, but Aquaman is cool.

#143: Thor The Mighty Avenger - Ram Smash Volstagg

2011-12-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

Since I was unable to find a Volstagg figure, I was beginning to think I would have to use a Punisher figure to fill out my Warriors Three. Fortunately James had seen several of them and gave me one for Christmas. Thanks, James!

I think Volstagg officially is the winner of the facial hair contest of my collection with that awesome beard. It barely even gets in the way of moving his head, which is a nice bonus. Like all Thor toys, there's the standard oversized goofy weapon. In this case it's a spinning axe ram. So when you push in the piston, the axes spin. Okay. Fortunately, Volstagg includes a proper battle axe. All told, it's a good figure, even if the legs are a bit hindered by the armor. Now if I can find Sif...

#142: Mega Bloks Hello Kitty - Hello Kitty with lollipop

2011-12-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't say I'm a Hello Kitty fan, exactly. But it's something that's iconically cute, with an insane amount of branding. Have you seen the Hello Kitty microwave at Target? Yes, it's something that exists, and it is hardly the strangest officially licensed Hello Kitty product out there. So you combine that with the appeal of the LEGO blindpacked minifigure craze? Well, I caved. There's something compelling about having a LEGO compatible Hello Kitty minifigure. This is the first one I pulled from the display, I felt the packaging to see which accessory was included, and figured this would be a good one to have. I like that the lollipop is so ridiculously oversized, although I suppose it could also be interpreted as a table tennis paddle. Unlike the display plates for the LEGO minifigures, Hello Kitty has a brick to stand on. Only her neck and shoulders are articulated, but that's all that could really be expected of a character with such odd anatomy.

#141: Transformers Generations - Sergeant Kup

2011-12-26T20:35:00.000-08:00

Recently Target had Generations figures on sale for $6.99, which is almost half off the normal price. That's the kind of deal I can't resist, so I decided to pick up Kup. Overall, he's pretty cool, although the arms are a bit wonky. The articulation on them is kind of hard to deal with, there are just too many joints in the elbow area. Also, the huge panels hanging off the lower arms kind of get in the way. Otherwise, he's cool. I like how they incorporated the gun into the altmode, where it plugs into the bottom of the truck and the end of its barrel functions as an exhaust pipe. Neat!

#140: Star Wars The Vintage Collection - Boba Fett (Prototype Armor)

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

Another year, another mail away figure. Another mail away Boba Fett. As I've mentioned before, I'm a total sucker for this sort of thing, as mail away figures are a fond memory of childhood. Previously there has been a small subline of figures based on concept art, but this takes a slightly different approach. Basically, this is a white Boba Fett, like the concept art Boba Fett figure, but this is based on the actual prototype costume that was made. Black repaints have been a longstanding trend, maybe this will start a wave of white repaints. Since it is just a repaint, it's fortunate that they picked one of the better Boba Fett molds to work with, unlike the one that's currently available in the Saga Legends line.

Maybe next year, we'll get a clear plastic "stealth" Boba Fett as a mail away figure?

#139: Star Wars The Clone Wars - Stealth Ops Clone Trooper

2011-12-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

So a few months back a variation of this figure was a Toys R Us exclusive. I had no idea they were releasing a non-exclusive version until I saw one on the pegs at Target. Although lately I have been less enthusiastic about collecting ever more clones for my army (there are a couple I have passed on recently), the fact that Clone Wars figures were on sale and this clone looks markedly different from the rest moved me to buy it. The Vader-esque breathing apparatus on the chest is removable and indeed comes packaged separately. In order to put it on the figure, you have to remove the head and slide it over the neck peg, which is a bit odd. The ridiculous rocket launcher pack plugs into the back of the chest piece, and I'll be leaving it off for display purposes because it's so bulky and goofy looking. Also, he's got a totally weird helmet, with some sort of wrap around padding thing going on. Not sure what that's all about. But at least it's distinctive. It's definitely cool to have some variety in the ranks.

#138: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Jack Sparrow

2011-12-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

After I got the other two Pirates of Caribbean figures, I wanted to get a Jack Sparrow too, since I don't already have one. Ultimately, I was just too cheap to get one and figured I could wait until they went on clearance. Target is apparently eager to get a jump on the post-Christmas clearance season, so they recently marked their PotC figures. The first series didn't sell very well, so the second series only showed up when they put it on one of the clearance end caps. I opted for the second series version of Jack, which has the overcoat. Like all the other figures in the line, he has that black light gimmick, and Jack's light is a ring. He comes with two pistols and a sword, and can hold or store all of them at the same time. Nice! Also, the hat is removable. It's not the greatest likeness, but it's obvious who this is.

Johnny Depp has had many different action figures made based on his characters, so I'm kind of surprised that this is my first. Off the top of my head, there's been Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, Willy Wonka, whats-his-face from Corpse Bride, the Mad Hatter, and of course Jack Sparrow. Probably more that I'm forgetting.

#137: Star Wars The Clone Wars - Clone Commander Colt

2011-12-16T22:25:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago at the toy show I went to, Clone Commander Colt here is one of the figures I saw available for sale, but I passed because I wasn't willing to pay inflated prices for him. Fortunately, my patience paid off and I finally saw the figure at Target while Clone Wars figures were on sale. So basically, he's just another ARC trooper. I think the shins and feet are newly sculpted pieces. I dig the grey and red color scheme, and he's got a backpack that's similar to those that sandtroopers wear. One of these days I'm going to have to take a count of how many clone trooper figures I've got, I bet it's over 100 by now.

#136: LEGO Star Wars - Republic Attack Cruiser

2011-12-11T15:45:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been playing LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. Then I noticed this in the impulse area by the checkstands at Target. And I kept seeing it. And hey, it's a proto Star Destroyer, so eventually I just gave in and bought it. At this reduced scale, it's not the best likeness, but it's still neat looking. If they made a micro scaled Star Destroyer like this, I'd be all over it.

#135: Star Wars The Clone Wars - ARF Trooper

2011-11-30T20:32:00.001-08:00

Hoverboard! That's the only reason I got this figure. I've already got a couple of ARF troopers, and they are my favorite clone trooper figures, but I don't really need more. But the hoverboard is cool enough to make me get another one. This figure also oddly includes a gun rack. I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be until I checked out the photo gallery at Rebelscum.com. I thought it was some sort of flight stand for the hoverboard, but couldn't get them to connect in any way. A flight stand would have been a way cooler accessory than a gun rack. The back of the packaging says that these are useful on the ocean planet of Kamino, allowing troopers to get around. Now, as we all know, hoverboards don't work on water UNLESS YOU'VE GOT POWER, so it's good to know that the Republic is equipping the troopers with high powered equipment.

#134: LEGO Ninjago - Ninja Training Outpost

2011-11-30T16:40:00.001-08:00

As an 80s child, it's pretty much natural for me to think that ninjas are cool. Since I missed out on the first series of LEGO minifigures, I figured the Ninjago line would be a good way to get a ninja minifigure. Since I think of a ninja wearing a black outfit, it was fortunate that the black ninja minifigure was included in the smallest set, since I didn't want to buy a big set for just one minifigure. Even so, it always seemed a bit too pricy for my tastes, but the set was recently on sale, prompting me to buy it.

The ninja is pretty much what I would expect from a LEGO minifigure. One cool feature is that there is a c-clamp on the headpiece, so you can attach weapons back there. The set itself aside from the ninja is an archery target and some sort of weapon rack. The base is in the shape of a quarter circle, and it appears to be designed to interlock with other small sets. The rack itself looks like it might be a stylized animal face of some sort. A fox, maybe? I don't know anything about the Ninjago lore other than it's about ninjas vs skeletons. Also, there's a scorpion. Looking at the prices on Ebay, buying the series 1 minifigure would have cost more than this set, so this was a good deal. Now I need a pirate for him to fight!

#133: G.I. Joe - Sgt. Stalker

2011-11-29T18:40:00.001-08:00

This is probably a first, but I mainly was inspired to buy Stalker from a post I saw on Tumblr. Seeing a Stalker figure playing a video game made me realize that it was a good looking figure, and one of the fairly important Joes that I don't have a figure for yet. I might break down and buy one of those replica video game cabinets myself. They're more expensive than the Hallmark ornaments, but there is a better selection of games.

Anyway, Stalker is pretty cool as one of the more realistic looking Joes. He looks like he wouldn't be out of place in a line of figures based on real military members. It makes for a nice contrast with any random Cobra oddball. With a sub-machine gun, a pistol with a detachable silencer, a machete, a couple of knives, and another pistol (not pictured here because there's nowhere else for it to fit) Stalker is a well armed guy. If only there was another spot to stow a weapon so that he could hold everything! Oh well, I guess we're used to being spoiled with too many accessories in the current Joe lines these days. Overall, this is definitely a solid offering.

#132: Gremlins - Flasher Gremlin

2011-11-19T15:36:00.001-08:00

The original Gremlins came out in 1984 when I was four. I'm not sure when I first saw it, but I'm pretty sure it was before 1986, when we moved into a different home. I never really had a problem with "scary" movies, and it was one of my favorites. NECA made a line of Gremlins figures before, but I missed out on them. Now they're back with a new line of Gremlins, based on the second movie, so I figured it was a good time to pick one up. Currently, there are some mogwai and three gremlins available. Mogwai are cute and all, but the gremlins are the real stars, so that's what I wanted to go with. Of the three currently available, George, Daffy and the flasher, I felt the flasher best represents the humor of the series. Fortunately, the Toys R Us website was running a free shipping on all toys deal (which is still going on), so I was able to pick this up without a hassle.

Basically, this is a great looking figure. The sculpt is the typical high quality detailed work you would expect from NECA, full of texture and detail. Articulation is kind of hard to judge. Because of the coat, the arms don't really get much movement, but you can adjust them a bit. I think the only way to get the coat off would be to pop the arms out, and I'm not going to try that. Otherwise, the legs are articulated at the hips, knees, and ankles, so you can adjust his stance. The head isn't super mobile, but it can be adjusted as well. Since the coat isn't easily removable (if at all) I don't count it as an accessory, to the flasher gets two accessories: sunglasses and a cigarette. The sunglasses are easily held in place by the spikes around the eyes, and the cigarette fits between the teeth. The cigarette doesn't stay in place tightly, so it would be easy to lose.

Assuming the Gremlins line continues, I would like to get some more of them, pending character selection. They showed a spider gremlin recently, which would be really cool to have.

#131: DC Minimates - Batwoman (modern) and The Question (modern)

2011-11-16T21:21:00.001-08:00

I've been reading Batwoman's solo title that started with the recent new 52 reboot that DC did, and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. It's well written and it features some of the most beautiful artwork out there in comics right now, so it's definitely worth checking out next time you're in your local comic shop. Unsurprisingly, I began wondering if there were any Batwoman figures to be had, so I looked into it on the internet. There's a DC Direct version that's too pricy, and a DC Infinite Heroes version that I passed on because those aren't very good figures. Fortunately, there's a Minimate version that I was able to find for a decent price.

This set was made a couple years ago, so it's not entirely accurate to Batwoman's current appearance. Now her wig is the same bright red as the accents on her costume. Also, she's currently depicted as being super pale but the Minimate version has a more healthy looking skin tone. I guess back then her hair actually was exposed as part of her costume, because there is an alternate hairpiece (the same one that came with the Batgirl) for an unmasked Kate Kane that is the same shade and length. Don't let my complaining fool you, I'm glad to have a Batwoman for my collection.

Harley Quinn is probably the most notable character to be created for the classic Batman animated series who made it into the world of comics, but Renee Montoya is an important character as well. Before the new 52 reboot, she had taken on the role of The Question as seen in this set. This is a good themed set because the two characters had a romantic relationship. There is a face painted on the other side of her head, so you can choose whether to display her as faceless or not. Options are always nice!

#130: Hot Wheels - A Team Van

2011-11-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

I didn't even know a Hot Wheels A-Team van was available until James posted on his blog about finding it a couple weeks ago. Naturally, when I saw it, I started looking for it. After many fruitless trips to the Hot Wheels section, I finally found one. So far, it's the only one I've seen (which, to be fair, I stopped visiting the Hot Wheels section after I found it), so it's probably best to buy one as soon as you see it if you're at all considering it. It's a very nice, well detailed miniature version of the A-Team van. I think if they had put this out at the same time as the movie, I could have skipped the 1:18 scale version and saved myself 25 bucks (should have waited for clearance!). Mattel probably didn't have the rights at the time, though.

#129: Thor The Mighty Avenger - Harpoon Blade Fandral

2011-10-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, Fandral was also on the pegs. Beforehand, if I had only been able to pick one of the Warriors Three to get, this is the one I would have chosen. I dig the Errol Flynn, dashing sword fighter sort of character. When I was looking at it in the store, my first thought was to wonder what's up with his moustache. It's totally crooked, which I'm assuming is meant to be a roguish smirk, but it just doesn't work. Otherwise, it's a a cool figure. The cape is removable, which is nice. It just slips on over his shoulders and stays put pretty well. Then of course there is the ridiculous huge weapon. As his name suggests, this is apparently a harpoon. Why? In case he wants to engage in some Asgardian whaling? A display base would have been a way better pack in here. Also, the sword is bent from the packaging. If I ever find Volstagg, we'll see how he fares in my opinion, but for now Hogun is my favorite.

#128: Thor The Mighty Avenger - Blade Battle Marvel's Hogun

2011-10-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Let's celebrate by looking at some Thor toys. On a recent trip to Target, I happened to glance at the Thor toys and saw Hogun right on the end of one of the pegs. I haven't been paying much attention to the Thor toys lately because they never seem to put out any of the figures beyond the first wave. So that was a pretty big surprise. Hogun and Fandral were there, but no Volstagg. I'm assuming they're all packed one to a case, so I guess someone was a Volstagg fan, but didn't care about the rest of the Warriors Three. Personally, I'd rather have all three. I'm all for team building if there are so few members.

I haven't bought any of the movie Thor toys before because I already have a Thor, and I don't want unhelmeted versions of Loki or Odin. First off, because this is a Hasbro movie line, we get big goofy weapons for all the characters. So Hogun gets a giant axe with detachable blades which can in turn be held in his hands. As a giant axe, it doesn't look too bad, although it is clearly oversized. It's not too offensive, fortunately. For more proportionately sized armament, Hogun also includes a mace. He's a pretty good looking figure, and decently articulated. If there is a weak member of the Warriors Three, Hogun isn't it.

#127: Star Wars The Vintage Collection - Ponda Baba (Walrus Man)

2011-10-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

After literally months of waiting, my local Target FINALLY put out some new Vintage figures. I missed out on casemate Bastila Shan, but Ponda Baba was sitting right on the end of a peg, and I grabbed it immediately. Along with Dr Evazan, I've been waiting for the new Ponda Baba figure for a while, and I'm glad to finally have it, because it's pretty damn cool. The best part of this figure is the accessories. Apparently in the movie, he has some weird paddle hands up until the point Obi-Wan cuts his arm off, and in the close up of his severed limb, the hand is furry. Since that close up is the best look we get at his hands, that's what I consider the proper look, so those are the hands I'll be using for display (and it's the only set that can hold the glass). In addition to that, there are two swappable right arms. One is regular, and one has can be split in two for post Obi-Wan tussle action. They even added paint apps to the ends of the stubs to match the blood. It's true, lightsabers cauterize, but in the movie there is definitely a bit of blood present in the close up. So basically I really like this guy, and I think it makes a good addition to any collection, if you can find one.

#126: DC Universe Classics - Hawkgirl vs Gentleman Ghost

2011-10-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Also in the Wal-mart clearance aisle were toys that actually were on clearance. Since the single carded Gentleman Ghost wasn't something I ever came across in stores, this was a good set for me. The set was marked down to 19 bucks, which is way cheaper than the single carded Gentleman Ghost is going for these days. Now, I've already got a Hawkgirl figure, so I wasn't super excited about having a duplicate. Even so, I'm just glad to finally have the Gentleman Ghost figure. Hawkgirl is pretty great, those wings are badass. Gentleman Ghost I mostly know from his appearances on Batman: Brave and the Bold, but I really dig the look of the character, and I think he makes for a figure that stands out. I dig the way they gave him a high collar to rest the hat and monocle on, its very cool having a figure with an invisible body. I think I would have preferred if they had made him a solid white rather than having him fade to clear plastic, though. Either way, I'm glad to finally have Gentleman Ghost. Now to figure out what to do with a duplicate Hawkgirl...

#125: G.I. Joe - Hazard-Viper

2011-10-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

So I was checking out the toy section at Wal-Mart and the aisle right next to the toys has a big clearance banner on it. Naturally, that's where the G.I. Joe figures were, at normal price. And they were all new figures, from the new wave that includes the Renegades figures and some Cobra troop builders. I've been waiting to pick up the Hazard Viper for a while now, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it on the peg. Hasbro's still doing that thing where they give the Joe figures way too many accessories for them to be able to hold them all. So if you put all the canisters in the suitcase, and have him holding the suitcase and big spray gun, that leaves you with two pistols and the other weird pistol thing with nowhere to go. Alas, there aren't holsters. Basically, I'm into this figure for the look and the concept of a Cobra trooper that has to deal with hazardous materials. It's definitely a cool looking figure, so it's too bad he can't hold all his weapons.

#124: Star Wars The Clone Wars - Clone Commander Wolffe

2011-10-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's another clone commander! Even my clone mania has subsided a bit, I recently passed on a couple different clone figures that I don't already have. But commanders are always cool in my book. Aside from the cool dueling scarred right eye, he's basically Captain Rex with a different paint job and Cody's shoulder antenna. Like all Clone Wars figures, he comes with a stand and die, as well as a playing card (at least they're not worthless, I Ebayed all mine a while back and someone actually paid 5 bucks for them). And the requisite giant projectile launching weapon. The paint job is pretty cool, if not something that's super eye catching. Short of laterally moving hips, he's got all the articulation you can hope for in a Star Wars figures, including the wrist swivels.

#123: Marvel Universe - Magneto

2011-10-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

Lately my Target has been surprisingly frequent at putting out new Marvel Universe figures. Not too long after I picked up the last three Marvel Universe figures, I saw even more new ones and picked up this Magneto. I would have already had a Magneto, but he was previously released in the comic two pack, and I didn't want to pick up the black costumed Spider-Man he came with since I already have that one. They have been re-releasing some of the comic pack figures like Doctor Doom, so I figured I could wait. Granted, this is the Ultimate Alliance version of Magneto rather than the regular one I'm more familiar with, but I dig this costume too. I think my only complaint is the face. It's painted so as to appear covered in shadow, but I don't think it's 100% effective. You can see what they're going for, but it just ends up looking kind of weird. Otherwise, it's cool looking and the articulation is good.

#122: Doctor Who - The Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

2011-10-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to pick up a sonic screwdriver for a while now, but they're usually at least 25 bucks (plus shipping) so that has been holding me back. Fortunately, Thwipster was selling them briefly for a cheaper price than I'd seen anywhere else, so I figured it was time to finally order one. It's a nice looking replica of the prop used in the series. It lights up and makes appropriate noises, and the claw tip extends. Unfortunately, when the tip is extended, the regular activation button can no longer be used, and you have to use one hidden in the base which is kind of in an awkward position. It would have been a huge improvement if this problem had been avoided. Still though, this is loads of fun to wave around and point at things and just in general play Doctor. Plus, it's more portable than a lightsaber. Totally worth picking up for a Who fan, and if you don't like the design, there is a variety of models to choose from. Hopefully you can find one for a decent price.

#121: Star Wars - Republic Commando: Delta Squad

2011-10-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

So this was a Toys R Us Comic Con exclusive that immediately sold out when it was made available on the website. A couple months later, they finally got more in stock, and I was finally able to order it. I never played the Republic Commandos game for the original XBOX, but I'm a clone fan so this is a set I wanted to get. Plus it makes up for the fact that I never got my hands on a Scorch figure way back when it was originally released. Now I've got a better version, so it worked out.

The original Scorch figure had no knee or ankle articulation, but Delta Squad all have full leg articulation. They're all the same body, differentiated by paint, backpacks, and guns. Also, there's a Geonosian warrior. I've never had a Geonosian figure, so I'm not sure if it's a new sculpt or anything, but it's well articulated. Even the wings can fold out, so they can be spread or tucked behind the back. It's a good enough figure, but I'm not really into them, so something else could have been put in its place and I wouldn't miss it. Overall though, the set is pretty cool for clone collectors. Currently it's in stock at Toysrus.com, and it's a few bucks cheaper than when I got it. Geez. Thanks a lot, TRU.

#120: Marvel Universe - X-23

2011-10-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago, I played Marvel vs Capcom 3. I'm not really into fighting games, especially the kind that you have to learn long combos to do well in, so I played it for about 2 days and grew tired of it. I finished story mode a couple times, once with Deadpool, and once with X-23. I tend to favor female characters in fighting games, because they're usually faster and more agile which seems to be a fighting style that works for me, which is why I ended up playing as X-23 (usually with Chun Li on my team as well). I haven't seen any of the cartoons she's appeared in, and I haven't read any comics with her, so pretty much all of my exposure to X-23 is from the video game. I'm not sure if her costume in the game is typical for her comic appearances, but this figure is based on her X-Force uniform. It's totally weird to me that X-Force has a uniform because when I was reading the X-books, X-Force was a bunch of kids lead by Cable, and they just wore whatever.

The Marvel Universe line has kind of a spotty record with female figures, but I think X-23 is one of the better females so far. I think what really helps is that there is some unique tooling for the gauntlets, the boots, and the belt. And the claws, of course. There's a bit of a paint splatter on the front of the thigh, but otherwise the paint works pretty well. The base body is the newer one, so the articulation is pretty nice, although the hips don't have as much lateral movement as I'd like. I think it would have been cooler if her foot blades were extended too, as they're one of the things that really set her apart from Wolverine.

#119: Marvel Universe - Sub-Mariner

2011-10-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

At the same time that I bought Ultron, I also found Sub-Mariner and picked him up. He had a previous single carded release, but it wasn't in his classic Speedo look, so I passed. Fortunately, he's a much better figure than Ultron. Articulation is improved, and none of the joints are super loose. It's nice that they didn't cheap out and paint everything on Namor. His gauntlets are sculpted on, and his trunks are textured. His head looks good, they got his crazy eyebrows and widow's peak down, and his expression has a great pissed off, regal look to it. He even gets an accessory in a crazily ornate trident. Apparently there is a variant of his display base. Either it says Sub-Mariner like mine, or it says Imperius Rex, which is pretty cool. The Sub-Mariner is a good figure, and an important part of Marvel's history, so I'd say he's definitely worth adding to your collection.

#118: Marvel Universe - Ultron

2011-10-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

It seems like Marvel Universe is the only line I'm keeping an eye on that my local Target seems to stock lately. It seems like they have been putting out new stock with some regularity, so a week or so back the pegs were well filled, with some new figures. From series three, Ultron was one of the figures I wanted. I had always passed on the two pack that included Ultron and Mister Fantastic, and it hasn't been in stores for a while. So even though I've never read any comics with Ultron (I'm pretty sure I've never read any Avengers comics, unless you count the Ultimates), I'm always a fan of killer robots. Although it looks cool, the articulation is a bit of a let down. Since it is a repaint of an older figure, it does have the older style of MU articulation. Also, the arms won't go down any further than you see in the picture. It's good for megalomaniacal gesturing, but they won't be hanging down at his sides. The torso on mine is kind of loose, but that may just be an individual problem. The green highlights in Ultron's seams look pretty cool, like he's glowing from internal power. Ultron's not the best figure to play with, but might be worth it if you like the way he looks enough.

#117: Batman: Arkham Asylum - Poison Ivy

2011-10-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the release of the new game Arkham City, here's Poison Ivy from its predecessor Arkham Asylum. With all the brouhaha about Mattel's Club Infinite Earths and its pre-orders, I thought that I might have to end up getting one of the DC Direct versions of Poison Ivy to fill that hole in my Batman rogues gallery. Then as luck would have it, I won the monthly comment contest at Action Figure Blues and was able to choose Poison Ivy as my prize. I would have posted sooner, buthad all those LEGO minifigures to get through first, and the timing worked out well to coincide with the game's release.

So as I mentioned, this is a DC Direct figure, and true to form it looks great but has lower levels of articulation. Seven joints total: neck, shoulders, elbows, and hips. The figure does a good job of capturing the look of Ivy from in the game, down to the intricate pattern of vines growing on her skin with leaves sprouting here and there. It really emphasizes her plant powers. In the game, her hair seems to defy gravity and sort of floats along behind her, and for the figure this is represented by having her hair basically sticking straight backwards. It's kind of odd and makes her look rather windswept, but it does mean the hair doesn't get in the way of her head's movement.

Overall this is a good figure, but I will still be getting the Mattel version of Poison Ivy whenever they release it, due mainly to the issues of articulation and scale. This Poison Ivy is too tall to fit in with my DCUC figures. I'm not planning on getting any more DC Direct Arkham figures, so for now this is going to stay on my desk by itself rather than going on the shelves with my DCUC figures.

#116: LEGO Minifigures - Gangster

2011-10-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Finally, we get to the last of the minifigures I bought from series 5 (I couldn't find any of the evil dwarves, oddly enough), the gangster. What really sold me on this one is the violin case. Too bad he comes with a pistol instead of a tommy gun that could fit inside the case, because that would have been way cooler. I thought that the violin case would be the easiest piece to identify the gangster by, but it ended up being the pistol.

#115: LEGO Minifigures - Boxer

2011-10-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

The boxer was the first of the series 5 minifigures I found. It was the lonely one sitting in the action figure aisle that alerted me to the presence of the rest of the wave at my Target. Figuring out which minifigure it was turned out to be pretty easy due to the boxing gloves. Instead of regular hand pieces, the boxer has the boxing glove pieces attached to the arms. I've heard that some people have found the boxer with the gloves unattached, but all the boxers I found while searching through the display had the gloves attached. One of the cool things about the boxer is that there are two faces painted onto the head piece, allowing for different display options. The face not displayed in my picture has a cocky grin. So if you have two boxers, you can make one winner and one loser.

#114: LEGO Minifigures - Detective

2011-10-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

The detective seems to be one of the most popular minifigures from this series, and was one that I most wanted. As I guessed, he was easy to detect in the packaging due to his magnifying glass's distinct shape. A tiny functioning magnifying glass is a pretty cool accessory. With his deerstalker hat and long sideburns, he has a very Holmes-ian feel. Although my favorite detective dresses up like a bat, Sherlock is right up there with him.

#113: LEGO Minifigures - Zookeeper

2011-10-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

A LEGO minifigure that comes with a baby chimp? Of course I'm going to get that. You can tell she's a zookeeper and not an anthropologist in the field because her shirt says "ZOO" right above the pocket on her shirt. I assumed that the chimp would be the easiest piece to identify this set by, but it turned out to be the banana for me. At first I had actually confused the banana with the gangster's pistol, so I thought I had found that instead. Also, that's the same banana piece that came with the gorilla suit guy a while back. The LEGO monkeys have articulated limbs and hands, so it is a little disappointing that the chimp is just a solid piece of plastic. At least it gets some paint apps. It's certainly the cutest accessory from this series.

#112: LEGO Minifigures - Lizard Man

2011-10-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Since Series 5 doesn't have a monster like the last few have, the Lizard Man is the next best thing. Or maybe the clown is meant to be the monster, like Pennywise from It? Either way, I passed on the clown, so Lizard Man is my monster figure for this wave. Of course, he's actually a guy in a costume, like the gorilla suit guy from a previous wave, so maybe that will be an ongoing theme. I suppose you could pretend all of the LEGO minifigures are people in costumes and make costume party dioramas. If I had some more general purpose building blocks, I would totally do that. Anyway, Lizard Man was one of my must haves from this series. He's pretty easy to identify in packaging due to his pointy tail piece which works like a cape. I'm not sure what the expression on the face beneath the mask is, but it has a sort of good natured embarrassment feel to it. Hm, if you had a blank red or pink head to go beneath the mask, it might like an actual lizard monster rather than a guy in a suit.

#111: LEGO Minifigures - Ice Fisherman

2011-10-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

Apparently if you include a fishing rod with a LEGO minifigure, I will buy it as I already have the previous fisherman and the dwarf. The rod is always easy to find in the blind packaging, so it is an easy figure to identify.

#110: LEGO Minifigures - Royal Guard

2011-10-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

As an American, the concept of those British royal guards that supposedly aren't allowed to react to anything has always proven fascinating as an example of something bizarre and quintessentially British. So naturally I wanted to pick up the LEGO version. With that giant helmet, it's pretty easy to find this one in the blind packaging. I dig the dour expression on his face. It's too bad that the chinstrap mostly prevents his head from being swapped onto another body. I thought that he should be wearing gloves, but my quick image search of actual Queen's Guards seems to indicate they don't wear them. If you're so inclined, this would be a good army builder.

#109: LEGO Minifigure - Gladiator

2011-10-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

The gladiator is pretty easy to find because of his huge and oddly shaped helmet. He's got a nice scowly face with stubble underneath the helmet. The paint for the armor goes around to the sides of the legs, and even on one of the arms. I decided to get this guy mainly because he looks cool. The sword is different from the one they used to include with all the pirates, knights, and anyone else that included a sword. This one is actually pointy. Maybe it's more historically accurate, I have no idea.

#108: LEGO Minifigures - Graduate

2011-10-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

So I finally found the fifth LEGO minifigure series! I was beginning to lose hope that they would ever show up at my Target. I only actually found them accidentally. I've been checking the LEGO section and the Halloween section lately keeping an eye out for these, with no success. Then I happened to see one of the minifigure bags sitting on the shelf by the GI Joes. I checked the LEGO and Halloween sections with no sign of the minifigures. So I did an aisle by aisle sweep of the entire toy section. Finally, I found the display box. Next to the Littlest Pet Shop toys. Yeah, they were on an aisle where basically everything else was packaged in bright pink. What the hell, Target?

So like the last couple times, I spent way too much time standing around feeling minifigure pieces through the packaging to find the figures I wanted. The graduate was pretty easy to find due to the diploma, which is the only flat square shaped piece in the series. I like the idea of having a LEGO guy in a mortarboard which is the main reason I picked this one up. The robe works well enough, as a stiff cloth piece that fits on the neck peg and has to be folded into shape.

Articulated Monster, episode 17

2011-09-26T21:29:00.001-07:00

Hey all, the latest episode of Articulated Monster is up! Check it out!

#107: Transformers Reveal the Shield - Lugnut

2011-09-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

I happened to be up late one night, so at midnight I checked on the new figure at Figureoftheday.com, and saw that it was the Reveal the Shield version of Lugnut. Since it was released in one of those waves that most people never see on the shelves, I figured it was my best chance to own one without paying ridiculous online prices or shipping. It's a good thing I acted fast, because as I later found out via a Twitter exchange between FOTD and OAFE, there were only six in stock. Good timing!

Lugnut started out as an Animated character, but the original toy was way too short in bot mode, which held me off from ever buying one. Fortunately, Hasbro has been willing to re-make Animated characters in the more "realistic" style, so I was looking forward to getting this version of the character. As in the original Animated toy, Lugnut's alt mode is a World War II-esque bomber. Now the color scheme is a bit more realistic, with a mostly olive green all over the body. The wingspan on Lugnut is pretty massive, about a foot from the tip of one wing to the other. The ID numbers painted on the tail fin are LU-6 NU-7, in case anyone forgets who this is. It's also got the cool open mouth paint job along the sides of the nose cone. There's a missile launcher that when in alt mode fires backwards from the rear of the fuselage.

As I mentioned earlier, the Animated toy was way too short in bot mode, but this one makes up for it by being at least a good seven inches tall. It keeps to the same general appearance of Animated Lugnut, but with longer legs. It's pretty cool looking, and it's got pretty decent articulation. They even kept the appearance of his head largely the same, which is cool. The jaw mouth can even be opened and closed. The rear section of the plane hangs off his back, but he is well balanced enough that it doesn't make him back heavy. It might have been cool if that detached and became a weapon like in the Animated toy, since there aren't any other weapons included here. The arms do have an action feature that when you push a button they extend via a spring loaded mechanism. Super punch! It's cool enough and doesn't detract from the toy otherwise, so it works as an action feature in my book.

#106: Predators - Classic Predator

2011-09-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Figureoftheday.com was doing one of their occasional themed days, where they offer different figures from a single property throughout the day. Since they were doing a Predator theme, I hoped that they would have the classic Predator available, and towards the end of the day they did, so I ordered one. There are also two different unmasked versions of the classic Predator, but I like the masked look best, so I'm glad it's the one that was available. I haven't had any sort of Predator figure since the 90s Kenner line, when I had the Alien vs Predator two pack. Although I still have that xenomorph, the Predator figure has since disappeared. For whatever reason, I never got the more recent NECA Alien vs Predator two pack, but I figured it would be cool to have a modern take on the Predator.

At nearly 8 inches tall, this is a pretty imposing figure. It's in that weird scale NECA uses for movie figures, so a normal person would be around 7 inches. I don't have a lot of NECA figures, so that means Harry Potter vs Predator! Overall the classic Predator is pretty damn cool looking. The sculpt is very detailed, all the way down to the fishnet bodysuit (what's up with the fishnets, do Predators hang out in goth clubs when they're not hunting?). All the armor bits have mechanical details and signs of wear, and the bare skin has some nice texture to it. For the most part, the paint looks pretty great, although it's not 100% perfect on the fishnetting. There is a pretty good amount of articulation for a NECA figure. Aside from the hips, which are a v-crotch, everything else is a ball or ball-like joint. Even the shoulder cannon has articulation, so it can be aimed. The shoulder cannon is detachable, and the other weapon for the Predator is the dual blades on the right gauntlet. The blades can be extended, which is a nice touch. There are a couple of bone bandoliers, although the string on the skull one was broken on mine. Fortunately, I was able to hang it in a way that still looks pretty natural, but I may go back and glue it later on.

#105: Batman Legacy - Batgirl

2011-09-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

Finally, Batgirl! Mattel originally released Babs as a two pack in DCSH, before I was collecting. Then they re-released her in a two pack with Azrael which I never saw. Both versions are currently way too pricy on the secondary market. So, of course when Batgirl is released in the second wave of Batman Legacy, it's hard to find, showing up at K-Mart first. I still haven't seen one in stores, but I was able to order one from Amazon for the same price as retail (and combined with something else to get free shipping), so no complaints there.

As is unfortunately common, QC isn't to as high a quality as one might hope. The right leg is bent from the packaging, but at least it's not so horrible that Batgirl can't stand. Also, her right bicep swivel was stuck in place, but I was able to take care of it with some time in the freezer. Since this is an old sculpt it reveals that the problem of skinny arms goes all the way back to DCSH days. It's as ridiculous as ever.

Aside from those complaints, if you're at all familiar with DCUC figures, you know what you're getting. There aren't any real accessories aside from the stand and mini-poster, but Batgirl's hands aren't sculpted to hold anything, so a Batarang would have been useless anyway. I'm glad to finally have Batgirl as a six inch figure for my collection, so I'm pretty stoked.

#104: Transformers Reveal the Shield - Megatron

2011-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Although my original plans to acquire this tiny version of Megatron were thwarted when Entertainment Earth was out of stock, then later cancelled my backorder because Hasbro wasn't sending them any more, I eventually picked one up from Amazon. True, it was a few dollars overpriced, but since it was a part of an order with free shipping, I was willing to pay a little bit extra. So aside from its adorable size, the main reason I wanted this is because it's the first Megatron in a while that turns into a gun!

I never had Megatron as a kid, and I unfortunately passed up on the Classics version of Megatron a few years ago. Also, I'm too cheap to buy the Masterpiece Megatron. So this is a good opportunity to have a Megatron that turns into a gun. Naturally, the conversion is pretty simple, and the gun totally looks like it's got a chunk missing from the handgrip, but it's still pretty cool in my book. What's the deal with the orange tip on the barrel? There's no way somebody's going to mistake this for a real gun! Stupid safety laws.

#103: Big O - R. Dorothy Waynewright

2011-09-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

So remember a few months ago when I found out about the Figma R. Dorothy figure? After some thought and some searching around to find the best price, I did end up pre-ordering the figure, and now it's finally here! This is my first fancy import Japanese toy purchase, and while that means it's not cheap, I'm pretty impressed. Dorothy is made by Figma, which as far as I can tell is pretty similar to Revoltech in style.

Dorothy comes packaged in a nice window box that shows her and her accessories off pretty well. Most of the text is in Japanese, so I have no idea what it says. The back of the box has a few pictures of Dorothy, a lot more text I can't read, and a sticker from the importer. Dorothy and her accessories are all packaged in a plastic tray and held in place by a cover rather than rubber bands or ties. She comes with a nice range of accessories. There is an alternate face, so she can either be looking straight ahead or to the side, either way with her trademark dour expression. There is an alternate hair piece that has the hairband/disk drive extended like in the show. There is a broom (because she works as Roger's maid?) with articulated bristles. There are five interchangeable sets of hands: fists, pointing, open, holding, and open with fingers splayed. So the extra hands don't get lost, there is a plastic holder for all of them for when they're not attached to Dorothy. Also included is a non-articulated version of Dorothy's ill-fated pet cat, Pero. There is also a stand with a segmented, articulated rod that can plug into her back (I had her in a flying pose for a while just for the humor of it). Unfortunately, the plug is a little too large to use with GI Joe figures. Also, there is a plastic zip bag included to store all the accessories.

The Dorothy figure itself its pretty cool. It is a good representation of her appearance onscreen, capturing her look well. There's not a lot of paint, but what there is all looks good. I would think that the lines beneath her eyes could be slightly thicker, but that is being picky. Dorothy is no statue, and she has plenty of useful articulation. Her points of articulation aren't all perfectly hidden, but they are integrated into the sculpt better than on some other figures. All her joints move well, none were stuck, and it doesn't feel like she's going to fall apart. I'm not exactly sure what scale she is in, but I think it is somewhere in the six inch range. She isn't a tall character, and I think she looks appropriately sized next to Batman (probably the closest I'll get to a Roger Smith figure). All in all, this is a very nice figure. A bit pricy, but I think it was worth it for something that's never likely to be released stateside, and of high quality.

#102: Alice: Madness Returns Minimates - Alice

2011-09-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

American McGee's Alice was a computer game featuring a twisted, more "mature" take on the further adventures of Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. I think it was a better Tim Burton style take on the story than Tim Burton's actual film turned out to be. As a life long console gamer, I found the controls somewhat clunky and annoying, so I never got around to finishing the game. Earlier this Summer, a sequel to the game, Alice: Madess Returns, was released for consoles and computers. I got the XBOX 360 version for my birthday and enjoyed it. To commemorate this, Alice was released as a Minimate, but only as an exclusive for San Diego Comic-Con. Fortunately, a friend of a friend was going and willing to pick one up for me, which is how I ended up with mine (they are ridiculously overpriced on Ebay now, but you can buy one for five bucks at Diamond Select's webshop). Incidentally, mine is labelled 321 out of 1,000 on the box.

As far as I can tell, this is the only Minimate based on the property that will be made, although there is an upcoming line of larger scale action figures that will be released in the future. So depending on how that turns out, this may be my only Alice toy. This is a good adaptation of Alice's in game look to Minimate form. Perhaps since it's an exclusive rather than a normal release it has a nice amount of paint apps, which includes the back of her dress as well. The only complaint is that she doesn't have any accessories. At least a Vorpal Blade (it goes snicker-snack!) should have been included, as it's her main weapon throughout the game. I'm kind of surprised they're only doing this one version of Alice in Minimate form. Maybe the character designs in the game didn't seem like a good fit for Minimate bodies (which is pretty reasonable), but they probably could milk the license a little more with variants on Alice, since she wears a few different costumes during the game.

#101: TRON Legacy - Light Cycle: Kevin Flynn

2011-08-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

For a while, I've been meaning to get the classic light cycle from the TRON Legacy line, but they've always been priced higher than I was willing to pay. Despite the clearance prices on most of the toys in the line, this one never went on clearance. Finally, they dropped the price at Target, so I was willing to buy one. The light cycle sequence from the original TRON is one of its most iconic scenes. Since the newer (and more expensive) versions of the light cycle look different, this is the one I wanted. It does what I need it to do, so it rolls and you can put a figure in the cockpit. It's too bad the figure line didn't include any classic styled figures, because it would be cool to have a young Kevin Flynn to pilot it. It also lights up when there is a figure inside, or the lights can be activated by a button on the side. Now if only it left a light trail, too.

#100: Marvel Universe - Cable

2011-08-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said I finally found Thanos at Target after buying him at the toy show? Well, I saw a few Cables at the toy show too, but didn't want one enough to pay inflated prices, so I passed on them. When I saw Thanos at Target, I also saw Cable, and picked it up then. Fortunately, that $6.99 sale was still going on, so it was a decent price as well. Now, there is a variant of Cable that comes with a baby in a harness. I find that incredibly amusing as an accessory, so I would have preferred that version. As it goes, this was the only Cable on the pegs, so I went with it. The accessory wasn't a big enough deal to make me hold off. The accessories Cable does come with are naturally all weapons. There's his requisite giant gun which pegs on to his back, a pistol which has a holster, and for some reason a spear. I'm not sure what that's about, as I associate Cable more with giant guns and vaguely defined telekinetic mutant powers rather than hand to hand combat. He's also a pretty tall figure, right up there with Colossus. It's good to have another mutant to help fight off the Sentinel, so Cable was a good find.

#99: Batman Legacy - Batman (Modern Age)

2011-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

When I first saw images of the modern age Batman figure, I thought that the grimacing face was a bit much, and that I would skip the figure, even though I have been wanting a black and grey Batman without a yellow bat symbol on his chest. Thinking about it more, I decided that I can actually dig the face. Since this is a modern Batman, in my mind that means he is The Goddamn Batman, so it works for him to look really pissed off.

I believe this mold was originally used for one of the DC Super Heroes Batman figures, and there are certain details that help set it apart from the standard DCUC body, so that's cool. There are even bat symbols on the soles of his boots! He comes with a bat symbol base and a mini poster of Batman swooping around in a cave with bats flying around him. I think this is one of the better Batman figures that Mattel has made in the past few years, so for now I am considering it the definitive Batman in my collection.

#98: Doctor Who - The Master and Axon

2011-08-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

When this set came out, it was the only way to get the original version of the Master, and it still is. Since it cost 40 bucks, I wasn't willing to pay that much because the Axon didn't interest me enough to justify the price. But Figureoftheday had it a couple weeks ago for 25 dollars, which was low enough to get me to spring for it.

The Axon figure pretty accurately represents the guy in a suit look of its TV appearance. It's my tallest Who figure, and definitely the bulkiest. The sculpt is pretty intricate, capturing all the somewhat disgusting texture of the Axon's body, with appropriate paintwork. Without elbows or knees, articulation is somewhat lacking. It's a big, weird looking alien, so it's cool to have around.

This Master is the first one to appear, played by Roger Delgado. I think this is one of the better likenesses on a Who figure, which is cool since the John Simm Master figure was a bit lacking in that department. All the standard Who figure articulation is here. He also comes with his tissue compression eliminator. He's pretty cool, and I'm glad I was able to get this set for a more reasonable price than it's original one. Last I checked, there are figures for three different incarnations of the Master, so it raises the question of how long it will be until an Eric Roberts version of the Master will be released.

#97: Batman - Ice Cannon Mr. Freeze

2011-08-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

So when I went to that toy show a couple weeks ago, I saw some DC Super Heroes figures that were priced higher than I was willing to pay, including Mr. Freeze. Now, I don't want the current Batman Legacy release because I think the color scheme is pretty garish. So I checked on Ebay and found this guy for a reasonable price. What I realized after the auction had ended was that I had bid on the wrong figure. I was looking for the DC Super Heroes Mr. Freeze, but by not paying close enough attention, I had actually bid on the earlier release from the Batman line. Truly, there is a lesson there to not be so distracted by a low price that you don't realize you're not bidding on exactly the toy you want.

The main reason I wanted the DCSH version is due to its improved articulation. This version has no elbow, wrist, or ankle articulation, and the hips and knees are only swivels. Aside from articulation gripes, this is actually a pretty cool figure. One cool piece of articulation is that when you swivel the waist, the head swivels with it beneath the dome. That's a really cool way to have the head be poseable without removing the dome. Also, that huge gun? It squirts water. Yeah, an action feature. In this case, it doesn't really interfere with the aesthetics of the toy, because the hose is well integrated into the design.

Now that I have this Mr. Freeze in my collection, I probably won't be willing to shell out for the DCSH version, but if they re-release him again with a decent color scheme, I may end up with a replacement. For now, it's always good to have another member of Batman's rogues gallery.

#96: Star Wars The Vintage Collection - Han Solo (Yavin Ceremony)

2011-08-29T23:46:00.000-07:00

I bought this Han to fill another hole in my collection: a regular, classic Han Solo. The Han that came with the Millennium Falcon is similar, but has piloting gloves and a headset. This one has a scene specific touch with the medal, but it can be removed, so it is otherwise the classic Han Solo look. Most of the figures I've been getting in this scale lately have been from the Marvel Universe line, so it is interesting to get a figure with a more realistic physique. I think he may be slightly too thin, or perhaps his head is slightly too large. Either way, I'm just glad to have the classic Han Solo look for my collection.

#95: Star Wars The Vintage Collection - Luke Skywalker (Death Star Escape)

2011-08-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Looking back, it's been about four whole months since my last new Star Wars toy. Damn that mid-year Star Wars toy drought! This Luke isn't even from one of the newest waves, but I never saw it in stores until I was visiting my home town a couple weeks ago.

Mainly I got this figure because I don't have a farm boy Luke yet. This one has the Stormtrooper belt, so he is kind of scene specific, but that's fine by me. The weirdest thing about him is that he doesn't come with a lightsaber. It's weird, because the only other Luke figure I can think of that doesn't include a lightsaber is the Luke in Stormtrooper armor. There's even one Luke figure that totally should not include a lightsaber which does anyway. They made a figure based on the final scene of The Empire Strikes Back, where Luke is on the medical frigate, having just lost his hand (and lightsaber), and yet it still comes with one. But not this Luke! Instead, he comes with a grappling hook for chasm crossing, a blaster, and a comm-link that clips to his belt. Also, he's appropriately too short to be a Stormtrooper.

#94: Batman Legacy - Catman

2011-08-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that K-Mart is getting the second wave of Batman Legacy earlier than other stores for some reason, but there have been reports of this wave showing up at Wal-Marts as well. Why K-Mart? Because Mattel, that's why. Whatever the reason, I found Catman at a K-Mart, the only Batman Legacy figure in the store.

The Catman figure is pretty cool, and I think it has some unique parts. The gloves and boots seem to be new, and the cape has added arm straps which I think are unique. It's a different look for a caped figure, and I think it's cool. The head is of course new, and it has something cool: sculpted in stubble. For accessories, there are a couple of knuckleduster claw things. Instead of a build a figure piece, Batman Legacy figures get stands and a mini poster. The stands are oval with the Bat logo and have the character's name along the side. Catman's poster is an image of him exchanging blows with Batman in midair high above the city.

Now here's hoping I can find Batgirl!

#93: Transformers Animated - Shockwave and Bumblebee

2011-08-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

When I went to the toy show with the Jameses, this was my only other purchase. I already have Animated Shockwave, but it's the standard release that isn't purple. Later, Hasbro released this Target exclusive version, which showed up and quickly went into clearance mode. Unfortunately I never got my hands on one at the time, and now it's pricier than I'm willing to pay in the secondary market. So when I saw it at the toy show for a very reasonable price, I bought it.

Included with Shockwave is a small Activators version of Bumblebee. I never bought any of the Activators toys, but it is pretty fun. When you push the button on Bumblebee's roof (I think it's a siren bubble) it automatically unfolds thanks to a spring loaded mechanism. You unfold his arms and legs a little, and you've got Bumblebee in bot mode. Pretty cool. I'm considering it a free bonus with Shockwave, so I've got no complaints.

As I mentioned before, I already have the non-purple version of this Shockwave, so I knew exactly what I was getting here. A rare quadruple-changer, Shockwave is pretty great. The old one is on top of my shelves, so I had forgotten how insanely tall he is for a Voyager class toy. He's almost nine inches tall, which is a good two or three inches taller than most Voyagers. He's pretty badass, and I'm glad I was finally able to get my hands on one without overpaying.

#92: Marvel Universe - Thanos

2011-08-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago I went to a toy show in San Jose with my Articulated Monster co-hosts, James and James. A couple days beforehand, I was thinking about the Thanos figure and how unlikely I would be to find one in stores. So I did a bit of research into how much it would cost me to get it from an online source and decided that if I could find one cheaper at the show, I would pick it up. At one of the first booths we visited, I saw Thanos, and since the price was slightly lower than online prices, I went for it. Moments later, I was struck by a couple doubts. First I was worried that I would find one cheaper elsewhere at the show, which I fortunately did not. Second I was worried that I was supporting scalpers by buying a fairly current product. This may or may not be true, and the seller may just be someone that orders full cases of figures from online. He certainly did have a wide selection of hard to find and easy to find figures.

So anyway, as a big cosmic villain (AKA Marvel's version of Darkseid) Thanos was a figure I definitely wanted to add to my collection. Sharing a base body with Juggernaut, he's appropriately bulky, with a good amount of articulation. There's a nice wash to bring out the details of his muscles. He comes packaged with the Infinity Gauntlet on, and if you want a regular version of Thanos, there's an alternate normal gloved left hand. Also, a stand which he really doesn't need.

True facts: The other day, I found Thanos at Target. Which is currently having a $6.99 sale on Marvel Universe figures. As Liz Lemon would say: Blerg!

#91: Transformers Generations - Scourge

2011-08-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

With the toy reset at Target came new stock of Transformers Reveal the Shield and Generations toys. Naturally this includes, Thundercracker, Warpath, and Wheeljack, which I had previously purchased online. Some times patience pays off, but I tend to think it'll lead to missing out. Also that includes Scourge which I decided to get mostly as a companion for my Cyclonus. The recent Galvatron they made is reportedly not very good, so I will wait for a new version to be released if I want to complete the trio.

This version of Scourge turns into a pretty cool looking flying wing jet thing. It's pretty massively wide, barely fitting in the bubble. I like the way it looks, although it would be an improvement if the blue stripe continued along the edges of the wings rather than abruptly ending as it does.

Robot mode is pretty good, too. The feet are pretty huge, so that's good for stability. Also, he is rocking some great facial hair. Poseability is decent enough, although the shoulders are a bit restricted. He comes with two guns which can be connected to form a bigger gun. A neat feature that I didn't notice until after I had taken the pictures is that the wings open up, giving a cooler appearance in robot mode. Also, the inside of the wings can be used to store the guns, which is something I wondered about when I first opened the toy, as there's no place on the plane's body for them to plug in otherwise.

#90: Batman Legacy - Prototype Suit Batman and Lt. Jim Gordon

2011-08-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

As I was waiting for Target to finish its toy aisle reset, I was pondering how much I wanted the Jim Gordon figure. Since it comes in a two pack with the prototype suit Batman which I wasn't interested in, I tried to decide if I wanted it enough to effectively pay double price for one figure. The only alternative would be to find a Gordon loose online, but I try to avoid loose figures when possible, as I'm somewhat picky about that sort of thing, and part of the fun of toys for me is getting them out of the packaging. So the second time that I saw the set on the shelves, I decided that I would cave and buy the set.

The prototype suit Batman was originally released in the Movie Masters line. It's actually a pretty good figure, although not the most exciting choice. Has there ever been some sort of proto-Batman figure from the comics made? Thanks to the typical Mattel packaging, the left leg is a bit warped, but I am hoping to to fix that by giving it some time with a rubber band. The ski mask is made of a soft rubber, and is fortunately removable. It looks a bit too bulky while on the head, and the likeness of Christian Bale is pretty good. A stapler would have been a cool accessory for this figure.

I'm digging the Gordon figure, partly because it is free of packaging deformation, partly just because it's a Gary Oldman figure, partly because he's got a gun, and in general it's just good. The likeness is maybe not as good as the Christian Bale, but it gets the job done. So, the gun. In the Movie Masters line, there weren't any proper accessories, just bits of "evidence" included with the figures. Joker came with a joker card, Harvey and Two-Face each came with a full scale replica of his coin. The rest were junk, like an oversized Batman cowl, or an oversized Scarecrow mask. So ultimately I suppose it is a good thing that Gordon wasn't part of the Movie Masters line, because a gun is a much better accessory than whatever he might have come with otherwise.

I definitely feel like I overpaid for the set, but the prototype Batman isn't too terrible. If you don't mind loose figures, it's probably a better idea to just get Gordon online instead of buying the set.

#89: Marvel Universe - Doctor Strange

2011-08-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago I had to go in for jury duty. Fortunately, I wasn't selected to end up on the jury, and I was out of there by lunch time. Since I was out of town anyway, I decided to check out the Wal-Mart and Target, in hope of finding some new stock. The only thing I found while I was out was Doctor Strange, which I've been looking for a while now. I thought this was a pretty good find, but then I saw a couple in my local Target the very next day. But then they were gone two days later. Either way, I'm glad I found one, as I haven't seen any more in stores since.

I don't think I've ever actually read any comics with Doctor Strange in them. But he's got a cool cape, is rocking a cool 'stache, and at least partially inspired Dr Orpheus on The Venture Brothers, and I just dig his look enough to want the figure. Also, he's totally metal, look at him flashing those horns... Wait. That's actually the sign for "I love you." Not so metal after all, I guess. Still though, pretty cool figure.

#88: Transformers Dark of the Moon - Powerglide

2011-08-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned yesterday, I took advantage of the sale at Target to pick up Powerglide, which I've been thinking of getting for a while now. I don't think this is a toy I had back in the 80s, but I dig that it turns into a sort of A-10, similarly to the COBRA Rattler. Hey, with that Sky Striker/Starscream repaint from Comic Con, how about a Powerglide repaint in COBRA colors? That would be a pretty cool custom. Anyway, the altmode is pretty cool, and loaded with missiles. Unfortunately, it's a bit back heavy, so when it's resting on the ground, it tends to tip backwards.

Bot mode is decent enough. All those missiles combine into a kind of goofy looking gun, although they can also be used as two separate guns. Powerglide may be a little guy, but he's got enough weapons to take care of himself at least. The wings hang off his arms, so they kind of get in the way. I basically got this guy for half price, so I'm pretty happy with the purchase.

#87: Spider-Man - Power Charge Rhino

2011-08-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

So currently, Target has this sale going on where you can buy one figure and get one free, choosing from the Spider-Man line, Marvel Universe, commander class Transformers, and I think some other line. I've been meaning to pick up a Powerglide, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. The Rhino figure is one I've been kind of thinking about picking up for a while now, and since it was basically half-price, I figured that now would be the best time for it.

This is my first figure from the current Spider-Man line, which is mostly filled with goofy Spidey variants and the occasional villain figure mixed in. So let's get the main complaint out of the way first: articulation. There's no waist, knee, ankle, or wrist articulation at all. I know this is the "kids" line, but I think that at the very least they should have added knee articulation. The shoulders and waist articulation is that ball-hinge with immediately adjacent swivel that can be difficult to work with. The head is on a swivel-hinge, so it can spin around or look straight up. His accessories are pieces of armor that snap on. I've heard they have a tendency to pop off, and since they are held on by clear bands in the packaging, I'm leaving them that way. The paint is minimal, and it gets the job done well enough. Where this figure really stands out is the sculpt. It's got great detail, with every available surface covered in texture, from bumps to ridges to overlapping plates of armor. Rhino's sculpted with his mouth wide open, and although I generally prefer a bit more neutral expressions on figures, I think it works well here. It helps make him look like he's right about to charge. So overall I think it's a pretty cool figure. It doesn't seem to be super hard to find, and I'm guessing Hasbro is mostly skipping over Spidey's rogues gallery in Marvel Universe, so this might be the only way to get a Rhino in this scale.

#86: Iron Man 2 - Air Assault Drone

2011-08-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

Given how the Iron Man 2 figures have been sitting on pegs for a long time, I pretty much figured I would never see any of the Hammer drone figures. Imagine my surprise to see the Air Assault Drone hanging from the end of a peg in one of my hometown Targets. Intrigued, I looked through the pegs and saw a couple of weirdo Iron Man and War Machine variants that I didn't even know existed. I skipped those and bought this guy. Unfortunately, it's kind of a mixed bag. For the most part, it's pretty cool looking, and it's pretty tall so it looks imposing next to other figures. The articulation is a bit wonky, with that annoyingly high thigh swivel that's way too close to the hips. That's the sort of thing that makes it hard to pose the legs. Also, the wrists look like they are ball joints, but they are both stuck. I'll probably give it some freezer time, but for now they're stuck where they are. There's a removable jet pack as the sole accessory aside from the stand and cards. Why is it removable? Modular design for easy repair? I guess that makes sense. I don't know if I would recommend this, but that may be a moot point given how uncommon it is. At least it's a killer robot!

#85: Back to the Future 2 Minimates - Mini-time Machine with Marty McFly

2011-08-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

I'm away from my apartment for a few days, so although I have other toys to blog about first, I will be posting these out of order since I won't have them in front of me until I get back. So I stopped at a Toys R Us and they had a few of these on the pegs. If you've been following this blog long enough, you may have noticed that I'm a fan of Back to the Future in general, and DeLoreans particularly. I don't have any BttF Minimate sets, so I figured this would be a good one to pick up.

There are a few different versions of the DeLorean, and they each come with a different Minimate. This one comes with 1985 Marty, in what I consider his standard outfit. The colors are a bit off from the standard release, and the vest is more red than orange. So it doesn't look quite as authentic. Most of the BttF Minimate sets are harder to find these days, so while this Marty isn't perfect, it's good enough for me.

The DeLorean itself is super-deformed, so while it's still recognizably a DeLorean, at the same time it looks really weird. The doors open, so Marty can sit inside. Also, there was a sticker sheet. On the outside there were headlights, taillights, and a license plate. No big deal. But on the inside, there are stickers for the flux capacitor, the time circuits, some for the dashboard, and an instrument panel. These are pretty evil because they are small, as is the space available in the car's interior. Unless you have the fingers of a child, you'll have a difficult time getting the stickers in place. I've been to four different Toys R Us stores in the past few days, and I've only seen this at one, so it may not be easy to find.

#84: Marvel Universe - SDCC 2011 exclusive Sentinel

2011-08-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

Way back when the Marvel Universe Sentinel was announced, I assumed it would be coming out sooner than it did. But I suppose they are keeping their super sized figures at one a year, which is a good idea for keeping things spaced out. Naturally, I wanted one, as I didn't really get into Marvel figures until after the Marvel Legends build-a-figure Sentinel was long gone from store shelves. When the Sentinel was finally given a release date, I pre-ordered mine online. The normal retail release comes in a purple and silver color scheme (I guess that's something more modern?) rather than the classic blue and purple like the exclusive version. Although I prefer the classic color scheme I didn't think I'd be able to get my hands on the exclusive, so I ordered it anyway. Then during one of the panels, the news came out that the better color scheme would probably be finding its way to retail at some point, so I cancelled my pre-order. Then Hasbrotoyshop.com put all the Hasbro exclusives up for sale while I was at work. Apparently they were dealing with Mattycollector.com style problems on their website due to all the crazy toy ordering traffic. By the time I got to check the site, I was on lunch, and using my phone, so ordering was a slower process than normal. The final confirmation page never fully loaded, so I wasn't sure if my order had gone through. About twenty minutes later, I did get the order confirmation e-mail, but since my Paypal account hadn't been fully charged yet (they had done the authorization charge, but hadn't actually taken the money), I still wasn't sure if it had gone through. Finally, a few days later I hadn't heard anything about the order shipping, so I e-mailed, and it turns out the Sentinel had shipped that very day. Finally!

So, because this is a Comic-Con exclusive, the packaging is actually something interesting to talk about. First, it's huge. The box it came in is about three feet square. Opening that up, there's the actual box the Sentinel comes in, featuring some cool Joe Quesada artwork. That box opens up suitcase style to reveal the carded Sentinel within.

That's right, like last year's exclusive version of Galactus, the Sentinel comes packaged in a ridiculously oversized version of the regular Marvel Universe cards. I really appreciate Hasbro's dedication to this gimmick, because nothing's as amusing as an object that's a giant version of an everyday object (like the artwork of Claes Oldenburg!). I liked this giant oversized card so much that I hung it on my wall after I took out the Sentinel. The artwork on the main box would be cool to hang on the wall, too.

Sooooo. It's pretty damn cool. It's appropriately huge and has a very nice heft to it. There's a button on its chest that makes it speak various phrases, as well as making its eyes light up. There's actually a certain amount of parts reuse from Galactus. The torso and the upper arms and legs are the same. There is a softer plastic chest piece that makes their chests look different. So the lower legs and forearms, as well as the head are different. This reuse of pieces leads to my biggest complaint about the figure: no palm blasters! Whenever I think of Sentinels, they're always blasting away at mutants with their palms, so that omission is kind of disappointing. Overall, I think it's really cool and definitely worth adding to the collection.

HALT, MUTANT!

Articulated Monster, episode 13!

2011-08-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

New episode of Articulated Monster is up!

Articulated Monster: Got a question?

2011-08-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

We're recording the next episode of Articulated Monster later today. Do you have any questions you'd like us to answer? Leave a comment here, or e-mail articulatedmonster@yahoo.com. We'll have the new episode up within a few days for your listening pleasure.

#83: DC Minimates - Batgirl and Bane

2011-08-03T00:13:00.000-07:00

Although the original Batgirl is one of my favorite members of the Bat-family, my collection is sorely lacking in toys based on her. Mattel is finally putting out a repaint of the DC Superheroes version soon, but I've always liked the Minimates version. I'm not the biggest Minimates collector, so I wasn't even aware of these when they were being produced, and this set seems to be going for ridiculously marked up prices on Ebay. Then one late night recently, the brilliant idea of using Google's shopping search hit me, and I found a reasonably priced set online.

Since Minimates usually come in two packs, there is always the danger of being forced to buy a figure you're not at all interested in to get the one you want, but fortunately this one came with Bane. Since he's one of Batman's rogues gallery, I'm cool with it. A neat bonus is that he's pretty huge. Originally Minimates were all this larger size. He's pretty well done, with all the painted detail necessary. The spot where his Venom delivery tube plugs into the back of his head has all the little tubes sculpted on. Even the zipper on his mask is sculpted in!

Of course, Batgirl is the star of the set for me. She's even got the scalloped gloves and bat-satchel hanging from her utility belt. If you want an unmasked Barbara Gordon, you're in luck, because her cowl/hair piece is removable, and there is an alternate hair piece. I think I would have preferred if the cowl didn't completely cover the face underneath and rather had holes for her eyes and mouth to show through, but it works. I'm glad I was finally able to add Minimates Batgirl to my collection, now to wait for Mattel to release theirs.

Contest

2011-08-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the contest is over, and the winner is Novelty Nostalgia of Toy A Day! It turns out that he was the only entrant, so he wins by default. Fortunately I quite like the design, and it would have been a strong contender if there had been any competition.

So here it is, the winning banner which will be gracing the top of this blog from now on:

Congrats, Novelty, your DeLorean will be on its way soon!

#82: G.I. Joe - Combat Jet Sky Striker XP-21F

2011-07-31T23:46:00.000-07:00

The original Sky Striker (the original was actually the Skystriker) was one of my favorite toys. I think I was four or five when I got it, and it was almost as big as I was. It's actually still at my parents' place, although all the removable parts have been long since lost to playtime. Legend has it that the molds broke, so there hasn't been a re-release of the Sky Striker since 1989. Since the recent G.I. Joe revival began, a lot of the vehicles have been slightly retooled versions of the original molds, but especially since the movie there have been more and more vehicles with completely new molds. When this new version of the Sky Striker was announced, getting one was a no brainer for me.

A few weeks ago, word was out that Sky Strikers were showing up on shelves in a few places. Naturally my Target didn't have them out yet. The DCPI number was available online, so I had them check if there were any in the back room, and there were. But they wouldn't be out on the shelves until today, July 31st. So this morning I went to Target bright and early, only to find the shelves completely devoid of any new G.I. Joe toys. Once again, I had an employee check in the back. There were three in stock, and he brought one out for me. Triumph! This is the first time I've successfully been able to get something out of the back room at Target (trying to find a Gentleman Ghost this way never worked).

The box is actually smaller than I was expecting, but the plane comes in pieces and you get to put it together. Then you have to put on the stickers. This will take you a while, I spent at least an hour putting all of them on. There are even some customizing options with the stickers. On the tail fins, you can stick with the traditional eagle, or go with images meant to represent other characters, like Snake Eyes, Duke, Shipwreck, or Flint. Instead of the red, white, and blue stripes along the edges of the wings, you can opt for yellow and black stripes (I'm not sure what the significance of that color scheme is).

Once it's all together and stickered up, the Sky Striker looks great. It looks almost exactly like the original, although the plastic is more grey, and the tail fins are inexplicably black. Also, the cockpit has been reduced in size to only fit one figure. The original cockpit featured an ejection seat with attached parachute which this updated version omits. I think this version is substantially smaller than the original, although I don't have the original handy to compare. As I mentioned, the original is at my parents' house, so I have seen it as an adult, and it is pretty huge. It's still a good size, so I don't mind.

A Sky Striker isn't going anywhere without a pilot, and Ace is included. While the Sky Striker is very faithful to its original incarnation, Ace is completely revamped. The original had a white flight suit that almost looked suitable for space exploration. I'm not too hip to what an actual fighter pilot's flight suit would look like, but this new version certainly looks like what I would expect. He includes a stand and a pistol that can holster on his ankle. Most importantly, he can sit in the cockpit properly.

I really dig this toy. Although nostalgia plays a large part of my appreciation for it, I think it stands on its own merits, and any kid that gets one a Sky Striker will grow up with fond memories of it. This is a must have for a G.I. Joe fan.

#81: Marvel Universe - Archangel

2011-07-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been visiting Target more frequently, in expectations of the toy aisle reset that's supposed to be finished today. There have been tales online of people finding things put out weeks early, but there hasn't been too much of that at mine. Fortunately, there has been some new stock put out from the Marvel Universe line. I've been looking for Archangel a long time, and when I got to the Marvel Universe section, I was surprised to see him on the very end of the peg, in front of all the other toys. Naturally, I immediately grabbed it, checking to see if there were any more out of curiosity. There weren't any others, so I'm glad I had good timing and was able to find one.

I generally think action figures with big wings are pretty cool, and Archangel was appearing in X-Men comics back in the 90s when I read them, so this figure was a must get for me. Fortunately, it turned out pretty well. The paint on mine seems pretty good, and the articulation is the basic stuff. The wings are pretty damn cool looking, though. They even included the weird little secondary wings behind the main ones that I always wondered about. What are they there for? I don't know if more Archangel figures are being shipped out, or my Target was finally putting out stock that's been sitting in the back room. So maybe more are showing up all over the place. If you're into Marvel Universe figures, I'd say this is one worth hunting down to add to your collection.

#80: Transformers Reveal the Shield - Starscream

2011-07-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Naturally, one of the other legend class toys that I wanted to get was Starscream since he is one of my favorite Decepticons. The alt mode is a bit chunky on the undercarriage, something that many larger jet Transformers have a problem with as well. Like Optimus, the change from bot to alt mode is pretty similar to what you would expect, with some slight tweaks due to the decreased size.

Due to the wings, Starscream is a bit taller in bot mode than Optimus. It's pretty cool, and it's too bad that this series was so hard to find. Hopefully Hasbro re-releases them later on, so more people can get their hands on them.

#79: Transformers Reveal the Shield - Optimus Prime

2011-07-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

Like the last wave of Generations that included Wheeljack and Warpath, the last wave of Reveal the Shield legends class toys featured cool G1 characters and was difficult to find in stores. I happened to be browsing Entertainment Earth's site, and noticed they had the three I wanted, with only one Megatron left in stock. So I ordered them on the spot. Unfortunately, someone else must have ordered a split second before me, because Megatron is currently backordered. But I got the other two! So here's Optimus Prime, legends class style. If you're unaware, the legends class is the smallest and simplest class of Transformers toys that actually transform. In Japan, there has been a line of even smaller Transformers, but they're expensive, so I'll do without.

Optimus Prime here has his classic original alt mode, a red truck.

The conversion process is pretty similar to the original toy, and results in a pretty decent looking bot mode which is about 3 inches tall. For its size, it's pretty well articulated, and it looks cool too. It's so small, you can take it anywhere without too much hassle. I'm sure kids would love this, but due to its scarcity, I'm guessing it has mostly ended up in the hands of adult collectors.

Don't forget, there is about a day left in my contest. For all you last minute entrants, it's the last minute! So get your entries in!

#78: TRON Legacy - Rinzler and Quorra

2011-07-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

I rather enjoyed TRON Legacy, so I was disappointed that the toys weren't so great. But now, a lot of them are on clearance at Target (except the light cycle that I want), so for a buck fifty I decided to pick up one of these little sets. Each set comes with two figures, two bases, and two connectors. The bases have multiple holes, so you can customize how you want to position the figures. I went with this set based on the character selection. My first choice was the set with the TRON arcade game booth, but there weren't any that I could find. So I went with this one because it has Rinzler who (SPOILER!) is actually TRON. And even though Quorra has a helmet on here, I'm going to pretend it's Thirteen from House MD. Dear Diamond Select: please secure the House MD license for Minimates. I would buy the hell out of those. So this isn't the most exciting toy, but it is pretty neat looking, and for its price I'm happy with it.

#77: Transformers Dark of The Moon - Roadbuster

2011-07-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

The final purchase from my Hasbrotoyshop order was another movie-verse Autobot, Roadbuster. Before the movie came out, there was some worry that the NASCAR bots would be redneck stereotypes. With their robo-mullets and NASCAR alt modes, it didn't seem too unreasonable a worry after the previous movie's Skids and Mudflap. Fortunately, this turned out to not be the case, and at least one of them has a Scottish accent, which is way cooler. Interestingly, the toys are officially licensed NASCAR collectibles (there's a fancy holographic sticker on the back), which is something I never expected would be in my collection.

Like most deluxe class figures these days, Roadbuster comes packaged in vehicle mode, a Chevy Impala. Being a NASCAR racer, you would expect the car to be covered in advertisements. While there is a big hood ad, and some smaller ones along the sides by the large numbers, there is still unfortunately a lot of empty space. If it bugs you enough, Reprolabels makes a sticker set that an more properly cover the car in ads, although it's a bit pricy. I'm not sure yet if I need to buy that. The mechtech weapon can plug into three spots on the car in a pretty clever way. Instead of just being holes that mar the car's looks, the pegs have a little panel that the weapon pushes in to fit in the hole. When the weapon is removed, the panels move back in place, preserving the surface. Neat! The mechtech weapon is the same chainsaw thing that Thundercracker came with.

Going from car mode to robot mode is a pretty nice process, and a welcome change from the typical car Transformer. It is certainly a nice improvement from yesterday's Bumblebee. Although the car mode isn't covered in ads, it's obvious that almost all of the paint budget went to those parts. Most of the robot parts are plain grey plastic which makes it look a bit dull. A nice wash or some touch ups would be cool, but I don't plan to get into painting my figures, so I'll live with it. I think the shoulder rocket launchers look a bit goofy sticking out like that, but they can be repositioned into different positions. They can even be deployed in vehicle mode.

Roadbuster is part of Autobot group the Wreckers, and I think I like him enough that I may want to get the other two movieverse Wreckers, Topspin and Leadfoot. Topspin is readily available already and Leadfoot is an upcoming Target exclusive (appropriately, he has a bit Target logo on his hood).

#76: Transformers Hunt For the Decepticons - Battle Blade Bumblebee

2011-07-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

The next part of my Transformers order is Battle Blade Bumblebee. It was also on sale, for $6.99, so it was a pretty good deal. Bot mode looks pretty accurate to the onscreen version, as far as I can remember off the top of my head. Better than yesterday's Optimus, for sure. His battle mask can flip down, although it's really tight so I haven't moved it yet. The right arm gets a cannon, and the left arm gets an axe that folds into the arm and can be released with the push of a button.

Getting Bumblebee into car mode is kind of a hassle in parts. Getting the roof/hood piece in place and getting all the side pieces to hold together is difficult to get right. Not all the pieces want to work together, and sometimes they want to occupy space where another piece already is. The packaging lists the difficulty as 4 (out of 5), and it certainly is a fiddly conversion. I could see a kid breaking this one while trying to get it into car mode.

#75: Transformers Hunt For the Decepticons - Battle Blades Optimus Prime

2011-07-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago, Groupon had a deal offering $30 worth of merchandise from Hasbrotoyshop.com for only $15. Now that's a bargain I can't resist. At the same time, Hasbrotoyshop.com had an offer of free shipping on Transformers orders over $25. On top of that, this Optimus was on clearance for $9.99. I've never had a movie version of Optimus, so I figured this would be a good time to get one.

I think the robot mode looks kind of oddly proportioned. The way the head sits on the body seems a little weird. But it's a pretty decent representation of the movie Optimus. Getting him between modes is a big change from the standard Optimus transformation I'm used to. It's really weird that his feet are the grille of the truck mode. It is definitely different, and that makes it interesting. Another amusing aspect of the transformation is that due to the way the legs work, you can give Optimus super long legs making him almost twice as tall. Optimus also has a removable Matrix of Leadership in his chest, a feature that I think improves any Optimus Prime toy. For accessories, there are a couple of cannons that fold into the tanks on the side of the truck mode. I don't think they can be shared with any other Transformers toy, because the hands have narrow slots instead of the standard round peg to hold them. Also, true to his name, Optimus has a blade attached to each arm. They rotate back during the change to truck mode, but while in bot mode, they are too long to rotate back without being in the way. So they're pretty much always extended in bot mode. It seems like I'm complaining a lot, but for 10 bucks, I'm not too bothered. The alt mode is pretty cool, though:

I think the best part of this toy is that the shades or whatever above the windows are articulated. They look like eyebrows, so truck Optimus can be given different expressions. Now that is play value!

#74: Transformers Generations - Warpath

2011-07-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Warpath isn't a character I even remembered, but when I saw the toy it looked cool enough that I really wanted to get one. Due to his placement in the final wave of Generations, he has been in high demand and consequently difficult to find. Fortunately, he was in stock at the same time as Wheeljack, so I was able to order both of them at the same time. Bot mode is the star of the show here, it's very well articulated and posable. My only complaints would be that the forearms and lower legs are a bit oversized looking. Other than that, I really like it. True to the original toy, the turret becomes Warpath's chest, with the main cannon sticking out. The cannon can be fully extended in this mode, which is pretty ridiculous looking and is probably exactly why you would want to do so.

His altmode is a tank. Like Animated Shockwave, it's an "H-tank"so the treads are separated into four sections. Some people don't like that sort of thing, but I keep my Transformers mostly in bot mode, so it doesn't bother me. One of the cannons on the side of the turret launches a missile, which is a cool feature that Transformers unfortunately seem to be missing out on lately. If you can find Warpath, he will make a great addition to your Transformers collection. Happy hunting!

ALSO: My contest is still going on! You could win a Hot Wheels Back to the Future DeLorean, all you need to do is make a new banner for my site.

#566 DC Universe Classics - B'Dg

2011-07-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all. If you haven't figured out by the numbering in the title, that this isn't Mario that's posting, well, it isn't. It's a guest post, and I'm Novelty from Toy a Day blog. I'm doing this crazy thing today of reviewing a three pack on three different blogs, two of which are guest blogs - this one, and another one on Killer B Hive. The anchor to everything is on my own blog.

B'dg is a green lantern sentient squirrel creature, and he comes in a three pack with Despotellis and Dex-Starr. He's recently created (comic-wise) and hails from a planet of sentient squirrels.

The sculpt is brand new and I think it's amazing. The face actually looks furry eventhough it's hard plastic. Ditto with the tail. The paintwork on the critter is good, and there are even splotches on the tail that resembles that found in real life squirrels. Even the small Green Lantern ring on his white fist is well painted. For such a small figure, B'Dg has six points of articulations at the neck, tail, hips and shoudlers. And the plus here is that one doesn't have to worry about catching rabies from B'Dg.

Despite his short stature, B'Dg fits in nicely with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, and he adds another non-human face to my GLC display.

#73: Transformers Generations - Wheeljack

2011-07-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

During the transition from the Generations/ Reveal the Shield/whatever Transformers lines to the movie line, the last wave of toys inevitably got lost in the shuffle. In some areas it's been available for months, while in others it hasn't shown up at all. Since there were a couple figures from the last Generations wave that I wanted, naturally they were nowhere to be found. Fortunately, I have been fairly obsessive about checking Hasbrotoyshop.com frequently in case they showed up in stock again. After a while, Wheeljack finally showed up. Mainly I wanted him because he was a prominent G1 character. He is pretty distinctive in that he has a covered mouth like Optimus Prime, and the two flashing lights on the side of his head. I'm not sure what their purpose was other than to visually demonstrate that he was speaking, but they look cool and are very memorable. Also, he created the Dinobots! One of the recent trends of Transformers toys has been engineering vehicle modes to be changed into two slightly different robots with some modifications between molds. So this version of Wheeljack is the twin of Tracks. Basically, his legs are shorter and face the other direction.

His vehicle mode is cool, and looks very sporty. With the green, white, and red color scheme the Italian flag comes to mind. Bot mode is pretty solid too. His legs are retooled to not extend as far as Tracks, so their lack of length combined with their width make him look a bit stumpy. There are three accessories, one gun, and two guns/tools. The instructions show them in the positions pictured, but they are all attachable by the little c-clamps so they can be moved around. So the gun can be mounted over the shoulder for the proper G1 look. The other tools when mounted on the shoulders look like guns, but when held in the hands look more like giant robo wrenches. In addition to being held in the hands, they can be mounted in the backside of the legs, like holsters. Neat! I'd say Wheeljack is a solid toy, and if you're able to find one, definitely worth picking up. Maybe the final wave he's a part of will start showing up more plentifully, but you may have to go the online route to find one.

#72: DC Universe Classics - Blue Beetle

2011-07-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

So, this is my first purchase from figureoftheday.com. If you haven't heard of it, you can probably figure out what it's all about based on the name. They've had a few interesting items for sale, but so far nothing that moved me to actually order one. Then last week, they put up the DCUC version of the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle, which is the oh so rare uniquely sculpted figure in that line. According to OAFE.net, he is the best 6 inch figure by Mattel ever. So the price was decent, and shipping was free, so I went for it.

I haven't read any comics that feature this version of Blue Beetle, so I am mostly familiar with him from his appearances in the Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon. From that, I do like the character, so it is good to have a figure of him.This is definitely one of Mattel's strongest efforts in the DCUC line. As mentioned before, it's a completely new sculpt, with very little chance of reuse. There's plenty of detail in the sculpt rather than the typical practice of details being made through the use of paint alone. Articulation is a step above the standard DCUC as well, featuring double hinged knees and elbows, with swivel/hinge wrists. Even the head has a better range of motion, being able to look up and down easily as well as tilting side to side. As for accessories, there is a blade attachment that is made of soft plastic so it doesn't necessarily hold on to the arm as well as you might hope. Also the wings are detachable.

So I think I will have to agree, this is Mattel's finest effort in the DCUC line. Definitely worth picking up. Even if you aren't familiar with the character, the toy is strong enough on its own merits, and the design is pretty damn cool too.

A Year of Toys needs YOU! aka CONTEST TIME!

2011-07-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Hey all, it's time for my first ever contest here at A Year of Toys! You may have noticed that I still have the banner from April Fool's Day up in slightly edited form. I've been meaning to replace it with a new one, but so far inspiration hasn't struck. Now, that's where you come in. The contest is simple: design a new banner for A Year of Toys, and you could be the winner!

So what's at stake in this contest, you ask? Well, the winning entry will be used as the banner for A Year of Toys at least through the end of the year (maybe longer!). If the satisfaction of a job well done isn't enough for you, then how about a time machine? More specifically, how about the Hot Wheels Back to the Future Time Machine?

That's right, this hard to find Hot Wheels DeLorean can be yours!

So, now the rules:

1) Make a banner, and send it to me as an attachment at marioshoku gmail com with the subject line "A Year of Toys Banner Contest Submission."

2) Deadline is midnight July 31st (California time).

3) You must be a follower of A Year of Toys. Not a follower already? Just click the "follow" button up at the top of the blog!

4) Be creative and have fun! I am the sole judge of this contest, so the criteria are completely subjective. There is nothing in particular I'm looking for, but I'm more likely to pick a winner that creates a banner with a theme I enjoy (Bakugan themed banners probably won't win, unless they are based on a really awesome idea).

5) You must agree to allow me to post your submission in an upcoming blog post, and to be used as A Year of Toy's banner if it is chosen as the winner.

6) Only one submission per participant will be allowed. If you're feeling really inspired and come up with many banners, feel free to send them along, but be sure to specify which one is your official entry to the contest.

I look forward to seeing your submissions! Within a day or so of the contest's conclusion, I will post all of the submissions and announce the winner.

#71: Marvel Universe - Doctor Doom

2011-07-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

So last week, I was checking out the toy area at Target, hoping there would finally be something new in the Star Wars section, when I was shocked to see the Marve Universe pegs completely full. I was even more surprised to find that there were new figures on the pegs, including Doctor Doom. Sadly, there was no Doctor Strange, so my Marvel Doctors collection is yet incomplete.

As far as I can tell, this is a re-release of the Doctor Doom figure from the Secret Wars comic pack with a slightly different color scheme. The comic pack version is a more bright green, while this one is more subdued. It's a very cool looking figure, which is helped by the body parts all being newly sculpted pieces for Doom. Even the ridges in the armor are sculpted in, which is a nice touch. There's not a lot of paintwork on the figure, and mostly it's good. The paint on the cloak's chain looks a bit sloppy, and it looked that way on all three of the figures that were available to look at. I don't know if it's just my figure, but the joints on this Doom feel a little loose. Given that the figure was originally released in the line's history, that may be normal. Marvel Universe figures have generally been improving as the line goes along. Overall though, it's definitely a cool figure and worth picking up if you find one.

#70: Transformers Dark of the Moon - Megatron

2011-07-13T20:27:00.001-07:00

So far I have passed on movie versions of Megatron, due both to the aesthetics of the robot mode, and what I consider to be lackluster Cybertronian altmodes. But now Megatron finally has an earthly altmode, a Mack truck. And a cape! I'm not going to lie, the cape is probably the biggest selling point for me here. Something about it just really hits my sense of humor about it the right way. When I decided it was time to buy Megatron, Target was having a sale on voyager class figures for three bucks or so off the normal price. Naturally, my local Target only had Optimus, Shockwave, and that other one (a helicopter?). So I tried checking out Target's website, where Megatron was out of stock. Then I tried Amazon, and they had it in stock for slightly less than normal retail, and even better with free shipping.

Megatron in bot mode is pretty cool, it isn't too much a mishmash of pointy metal bits that I think of as the movie style. Having an earth-based altmode helps in that there are recognizable vehicle pieces on his body. The cape (and attached hood) is removable, which reveals Megatron's heavily damaged face underneath. Or if you want to move his left arm around, because it kind of restricts the arm's movement while it's in place. The Mechtech weapon is a pretty sizable cannon/claw thing that can be attached to either arm, as well as stowed on his back. Pretty cool.

Megaton's altmode is a Mack tanker truck, and it's definitely one of my favorites as a toy. The coolest thing about it is that the trailer part can actually be moved back and forth like a real truck even though it's not detachable. It's a really nice piece of engineering, and it adds a lot of fun to the toy. There is an odd detail that I thought was a mistake, but as far as I can tell from looking at other people's pictures of the toy, seems to be part of the design. The left side of the windshield sticks out from the cab a little, while the right side is level with it. I'm not sure if this reflects an oddity of the design on the real truck, or if it's a weird quirk of Megatron in the movie or what.

Overall, this is for sure one of my favorite toys of the any of the movie lines so far. I'm not sure if they're going to release a leader class version of Megatron, so for now I am calling the best version of movie Megatron.

#69: Superman/Batman: Vengeance - Batzarro

2011-07-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

So a little while ago, I randomly decided that I should get the Batzarro figure. He's the wavemate of that Bizarro figure I have, so I thought they would make a nice pairing. Batzarro is hardly a major character, so it's not very likely that another figure will be made of him. Basically a Bizarro version of Batman, he is the world's worst detective. The batsymbol is upside down because reversing it like Bizarro's S-shield wouldn't work. Correspondingly, the utility belt is upside down, with all the flaps open. Since Batman is stealthy, Batzarro wears chains so that he can never sneak up on anybody. And he apparently has no eyes. The articulation isn't the greatest since it's a DC Direct product from a couple years ago. But it does look cool, especially as it is based on the artwork of Ed McGuinness, who has a distinctly cartoony style that I dig. Maybe Batzarro will make a comeback in the upcoming DC reboot. Okay, probably not. But I would buy a Batzarro comic. Maybe.

#68: Calico Jack's Pirate Raiders - Charles Vanes and "Old Dad the Cooper"

2011-06-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

My other toy birthday gift was this set of Calico Jack Minimates, the line which is conveniently being released around the same time as that pirate movie. I wasn't planning on picking up any of the sets from this line, but if I had intended to this is the set I would have gone with. Charles Vanes has risen from the dead to seek revenge, so he's a zombie pirate. A zompirate? He's got a lot of unique sculpting, so he really stands out. His companion in the set is Old Dad the Cooper (which I think is a pretty great pirate name), who has a harpoon leg. A regular old peg leg would be too boring for a member of Charles Vanes's crew, so he gets a harpoon leg. It's longer than his other leg, so it has to be bent so he can stand. He's armed with a rifle and a Wolverine claw gauntlet. Also, the skin of his head can be removed, revealing the skull beneath:

That's kind of my favorite thing about this set.

#67: Captain America The First Avenger - Captain America Paratrooper Dive

2011-06-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

My birthday was a few days ago, and this was a gift from A.J. This was one of the figures I wanted, but not quite enough to actually buy, so it makes for a good gift. I don't have a classic comic version of Captain America, which this figure is, and figures with functional parachutes are always cool, so this is a good combination. The Cap figure is pretty decent (and he has articulated wrists, which some of the figures in the regular line are oddly lacking). I'm not sure if the harness is removable, as I haven't tried too hard to get it off, but I suspect that it is. Naturally, his shield is included as is a machine gun. The parachute itself can disconnect from the harness. And of course, the parachute is round and decorated like the Captain's shield. It's very James Bond from The Spy Who Loved Me. I haven't yet taken it out for a test in the open, but I definitely intend to, as parachuting figures are naturally loads of fun. When else do you get to throw your toys around without worrying (as much) about breaking them?

#66: Marvel Universe - Apocalypse

2011-06-25T12:37:00.001-07:00

Last week or so, I saw it mentioned on Twitter that Wheeljack and Warpath were in stock on Hasbroytoyshop.com, but by the time I got home they were both out of stock. But the newer wave of Marvel Universe had also been added to the cart and was mostly in stock! I have been trying to find the Apocalypse figure for a while, and since finding newly released figures from the line is a dicey proposition, I took the first chance I got that didn't involve ridiculous gray market prices. As one of the X-Men's big villains, Apocalypse was one of the figures I wanted to have in my collection. Back when I was reading X-Men comics, he played a big part during the X-Ecutioner's song crossover, and of course the Age of Apocalypse event (which was also cool for bringing back Blink).

Appropriately, Apocalypse is one of the largest Marvel Universe figures. He's taller and way bulkier than Colossus. In fact, I don't remember him being quite so muscular, but one of his many vaguely defined powers is shape shifting, so I'll let it slide. I'm assuming that this is how he looks in more recent comics, because I haven't seen him in any comics since the 90s. So I do miss the big goofy A-shaped belt buckle. I think the head is the best part of the figure, it's pretty spot on, and the expression on his face is great. It makes him look like someone you really don't want to mess with. Because his limbs are so thick, they are not quite as mobile as a thinner figure with the same articulation would be. A nice touch is that they included the mysterious cables that attach to his arms, but unfortunately they also hinder movement a bit. The cables are attached to the shoulder armor, and they're all made of softer plastic. But the cables are a bit too short to allow the arms to move forward, which is unfortunate. Overall though, I think that it's a cool enough looking figure that I can overlook the shortcomings of it.

#65: LEGO - Space Moon Buggy

2011-06-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to get this set, mainly for the astronaut minifigure. But since my Target is sometimes a little behind on putting out new products, the only space themed set that they had on the shelves for a while was the space shuttle. While that has an astronaut minifigure, I didn't want to spend 30 bucks on a set that I don't have room for, even though the shuttle is pretty cool. I had the shuttle launch set when I was a kid, which was really cool, but I think I can skip it for now. But Target finally put out the rest of the space exploration sets, along with the alien invasion sets, so I was able to get the buggy.

I really dig the astronaut minifigure. The helmet/spacesuit piece is apparently reused from a diver minifigure, but cast in white with a gold visor, it looks good for an astronaut. He looks ready to take one small step for a minifigure. If your astronaut is feeling casual, there's a baseball cap included as well. Who has time for casual Friday when there's the moon to explore? The moon buggy is pretty cool, too. It's a simple build, but it works. It doesn't look like it at much (they both have six wheels), but it reminds me of the car from the old game Moon Patrol. There's a cool looking radar dish, and an arm on the back with a saw attachment. Presumably it's for taking lunar samples, but if any monsters show up it could probably be used to help fight them off.

#64: Transformers Dark of the Moon - Thundercracker

2011-06-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Despite Starscream being one of my favorite Decepticons, I haven't bought any of the many toys based on the movie version. Partly because I'm not a big fan of the design, partly because the colors are completely different, and partly because the only decent toys have been the larger and more expensive versions (such as the Leader or Voyager class toys). For Dark of the Moon, they have re-done the Deluxe class toy, but I'm not digging the color scheme (they did a G1-inspired repaint of the first movie's Deluxe class toy, but the toy itself isn't very good). Fortunately, Thundercracker solves that problem with a G1 inspired paint job. So I'm convinced, it's time to get my second Thundercracker of the year.

The robot mode is pretty cool, and the arms in particular are loaded with articulation. They do a lot of folding up to get into the alt-mode, so they need all that articulation. There are two weapons, a bladed something or other, and the Mechtech weapon which looks like some sort of chainsaw. Since his hands aren't made for holding weapons, they can plug into his arms, his back, or (oddly) his sides. While I still think the design of the robot mode is a bit funky, I do like the toy. Since it has an earthly alt-mode, unlike Shockwave, it is somewhat recognizable as something that can turn into a jet. I'm glad they kept the cockpit chest like the original Seekers. There is even some bit of wing sticking out behind the shoulders like the originals. Once you get the hang of how his arms fold up, the transformation is pretty easy.

The alt-mode is a pretty good representation of the F-22, for the most part. The bottom does suffer a little from folded up robot pieces, but it looks a lot better than previous versions did. It's within the limits of what I consider acceptable for a toy of this size. The weapons only plug into one place on the jet, the underside of the wings. The landing gear can be folded up, and in bot mode, the rear landing gear becomes the heels of the feet.

I'd say this is a figure worth picking up. It's a nice throwback to G1, and both bot and alt-modes are pretty solid. Now if they re-release this mold as Starscream in G1 colors and as Skywarp (apparently that already has a confirmed Japanese release) I may find myself with a second set of Seekers.

#63: Transformers Dark of the Moon - Shockwave

2011-06-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the movie version of Shockwave, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get the toy. On one hand, Shockwave is one of my favorite Decepticons. And even if it looks like he is grey in the movie, Hasbro knows which side their bread is buttered on so the toy is purple. On the other hand, it's a movie-verse design, so it's and oddly proportioned mish-mash of pointy bits with a questionable alt-mode. In the end, my fondness for the character won out, so I bought him.

While this isn't my favorite version of the character (of the toys I have, I like Animated Shockwave best), it is still pretty cool. I'll get my more specific complaints out of the way: that is a weird looking torso. It's almost a heart shape, and the shoulders are kind of too high. If it had looked more like the classic Shockwave torso, that would have been cool. Aside from the torso, I think it's a pretty good adaptation of Shockwave. The purple really sells it, of course. The cannon can be attached to either arm, and there is a hose that connects it to his back which is a cool throwback. Unfortunately, the spot it plugs into on his back is at an angle, so it doesn't work to have the gun on his left arm. Since the original Shockwave had a gun instead of a left hand, I would have preferred to put the gun there. In lieu of that, there is a blade that attaches to the left arm instead.

And here's the alt-mode. It's a Cybertronian tank. Is that supposed to be a cow catcher on the front? I'm keeping him in robot mode.

Oh yeah, the gimmick for the movie line is Mech Tech. So basically the weapons have a lever that you can push which rearranges it a bit, then it goes back to normal when you let go. For display purposes, it's useless, but it is a bit of fun to play with.

Articulated Monster, episode 9: Hobo Superman!

2011-06-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

The latest episode of Articulated Monster is up. Check it out, and as always, be sure to send in some listener questions! You can e-mail articulatedmonster@yahoo.com, or leave a question here, and we'll answer it in the next episode.

#62: Captain America The First Avenger Comic Series - Crossbones

2011-06-11T20:53:00.001-07:00

While I was surprised to find the Red Skull on the pegs, I was also surprised to see Crossbones directly behind him. I can't say that I'm familiar with the character at all, but I figured it might be my only chance to pick up the figure. Also, he looks pretty damn cool, so I went for it. Note to self: I should finally get around to buying a luchador mask.

Even though I've only got two other figures from this line, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is probably the best figure for the line. He even has ankle articulation! He's got a cool look, and what I consider to be the necessary articulation, and he feels well put together. I think the biggest complaint I could make is that he can't hold all his guns. There's a machine gun and a couple of machine pistols, but nowhere to store them, so there's always one extra. They also look kind of plain since they're just unpainted green plastic.

It's not often that I pick up the toy of a character I'm not familiar with, but I am definitely glad that I did in this case.

#61: Captain America The First Avenger Movie Series - Red Skull

2011-06-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Having finally made up my mind that I do in fact want to buy the movie Shockwave, I went to Target, and noticed a Captain America figure sitting in the Transformers section. I noticed that it was a figure from the second wave, so I immediately went over to the Captain America section of the aisle on the off chance that the Red Skull figure would be there. From checking out the case assortments online beforehand, I knew that Red Skull is inexplicably shortpacked, there being only one per case. Because the kids and collectors don't want the main villain of the movie, right? They all just want various versions of Captain America (at least most of them make sense), of course. Fortunately, there actually was a Red Skull on the pegs. Naturally it was the only one.

So he's pretty cool looking. I'm not really sure what he looks like in the movie, having only glimpsed him in the trailer, so I'll assume that's what he looks like. It looks like something the Red Skull would wear, there is a definite military feel to it. He feels like he's more solidly put together than my other figure from the line, so that is good. His leg articulation is a bit hindered by the lower portion of his jacket, and he lacks ankle articulation. For accessories, there is the big goofy rocket launcher, a pistol, and the Cosmic Cube. The Cube is pretty cool, it's translucent and has energy streaming out of it. Neat.

Articulated Monster episode 8!

2011-05-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

The latest episode of Articulated Monster is up. Be sure to send in listener questions to articulatedmonster@yahoo.com!

#60: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Angelica

2011-05-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

At the same time I got Blackbeard, I picked up the figure for his daughter Angelica. Yeah, the Penelope Cruz figure. The likeness could be better, but the resemblance is there. While there were multiples of the other figures on the pegs, there was only one of these, so I decided to pick it up then rather than wait and possibly miss my chance later. As a figure, she has the same articulation as Blackbeard and essentially the same accessories. The flintlock pistol is exactly the same, and she has her own versions of sword, hat, and black light accessory. The black light is a ring (I'm not sure if it's meant to be one that she wears, or one that Jack Sparrow wears) which is too small to wear. Well, I did manage to slip it on my little finger, but then it got stuck and pulling it off wasn't exactly fun. Her legs are a bit skewed, so the lesser articulation is particularly a bummer in this case. At least she is capable of standing.

#59: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Blackbeard

2011-05-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

Last week, I watched the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. If you enjoyed the previous Pirates movies, you ought to enjoy this one. As a bonus, its plot is less needlessly convoluted. Also, I'll take Penelope Cruz over Keira Kneightley any day. Anyway, the day before I saw the movie, I decided to pick up a couple of the figures from the movie. Naturally, I went with Blackbeard because he's based on an actual historical figure, one of the most well known pirates of the time.

The gimmick for this line is that each figure includes a little blacklight that reveals some sort of skeletal features on each figure. I'm assuming it's a callback to the first film, because it makes no sense in the context of the new film. It's not that exciting of a gimmick after the first couple of seconds, and I think it would have been a good idea to have left it out, possibly keeping the price lower at the same time. The good thing is that the extra paint is entirely unnoticeable in normal light. Blackbeard's light is a ship in a bottle which does make sense for him, but you'll have to watch the movie to find out why.

The figure itself is pretty cool. It looks good, although the articulation could definitely be improved. The shoulders are merely swivels, and the elbows are hinges. Ball shoulders would have been good for more fighting poses. The legs are somewhat hindered by the coats, but he stands easily enough. The joints seem a little on the loose side. The flintlock pistol he comes with doesn't exactly have a holster, but it does tuck into a hole in his coat, so that works. His sword has a scabbard, so all his weapons have a place if you want him empty handed. Unfortunately, he can't hold both at the same time as the left hand isn't sculpted to hold anything. Also, the hat is removable. It is a slightly loose fit, but his head manages to look good with it on or off.

I don't think these are the best figures, but neither are they the worst. But they are, like all figures in the scale these days, a bit pricy. So how you feel about pirates in general, or the movies and characters specifically, will help you decide whether they're worth it for you.

WANT: Figma R. Dorothy Wayneright

2011-05-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, there was a big to-do about two different upcoming versions of Robocop. One is from NECA and one is from Figma, which as far as I can tell makes toys along the same lines as Revoltech: highly articulated toys from various licenses. But I'm not posting today to talk about Robocop, although if I were to get one, it would be the NECA version because it's cheaper. That's right, Figma figures aren't cheap. They run around 40 dollars or so, depending where you get them from. As I was browsing the Robocop gallery, I noticed links to other figures in the wave, and one of them is Dorothy.

I'm not a big anime fan, so most of the anime I've seen was what Cartoon Network showed on its Toonami and Adult Swim programming blocks. Big O is set in a noir-ish future in which some unknown cataclysm has left people without memories and the technology of the past keeps resurfacing to cause problems. There's also a healthy dose of influence from Batman: The Animated Series. R. Dorothy Wayneright is one of the main characters in the show, sort of a sidekick to the protagonist Roger Smith. The robot version of an inventor's daughter, she's disaffected and snarky. She's basically my favorite character from the series. So yeah, I'm really trying to decide if I want this figure enough to cough up its asking price. There's not exactly much in the way of Big O toys out there (there's a cool toy of Big O itself, but it's ridiculously expensive), so this is a good opportunity to get a figure from one of my favorite anime series.