#143: Star Wars Mon Calamari Officer

Next up in my gifts for this Christmas is the Mon Calamari Officer from A.J. This is from the simpler time when Star Wars figures weren't expected to be articulated up the wazoo. This is my third Mon Cal figure, so it's nice to have someone for Admiral Ackbar to boss around. And to warn about traps. Unlike some of the modern figures, the gun fits securely in the hand, which is a nice bonus. Also, that hat thing is removable.

#142: G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Alley Viper

Another gift from James is the Alley Viper, which I've been looking for a while now. I originally saw it at a Target once a few months ago, but I was buying the AT-AT at the same time, so I didn't really feel up to spending even more money then. Unfortunately, I never saw it on the pegs again. I already have the Defense of Cobra Island Alley Viper from last year, which is the classic insane bright orange and blue color scheme, but I like them enough that I wanted to pick up this more sensibly colored version as well. This version is pretty heavily armed as well. There's a grappling gun (which plugs into the backpack), a sub-machine gun, and a tonfa which can be stored on the backside of the shield. In addition to the standard Alley Viper helmet (how do they see out of it when the visor is down?) there is another helmet with goggles and a gas mask.

#141: G.I. Joe Cobra Flight Pod with Elite-Viper

A while back, they released the Cobra Flight Pod, I mean Trubble Bubble, in a two pack with the Ram Cycle, and I foolishly passed it up. Then the movie line came along, and they were to re-release it with a different color scheme as a Target exclusive. But for whatever reason, they never made it to Target, and that assortment of toys seemed to be lost. Then recently they started showing up at Ross stores, which has a history of picking up wayward exclusives. A couple days after I heard about these appearances, I happened to be in a Ross and saw one. Having learned my lesson passing over the previous release, I picked it up. At seven bucks, it's a bargain, since I doubt Target would have charged such a low price for it.

So this Elite-Viper is nothing exciting, but it does the job of being a pilot. It would have been cool if they had made a movie-styled version of the Tele-Viper that the Trubble Bubble traditionally comes with. The Trubble Bubble itself is pretty cool, and the new darker color scheme gives it a slightly more menacing look. There's a Cobra logo sticker that goes on the canopy, but it's red so it sort of blends in. Like I said, this set is being sold for a very good price, so it's totally worth picking up if you're at all interested in goofy Cobra battle technology.

#140: Doctor Who Davros

Christmas is over, so it's time to start blogging about the toys I received as gifts! The first here is from James, and it's Davros, creator of the Daleks. As is fitting the character, there is minimal articulation on the figure. The only thing that can move is his arm, and there are wheels in the base. This is a figure I've been wanting to pick up for a while, so it's cool to finally add him to my collection.

#139: Doctor Who Ironsides Dalek

The episode "Victory of the Daleks" from the first series starring Matt Smith as the Doctor featured brand new re-designs of the Daleks. Naturally they have been made into toys, but I'm skipping those, as I don't like the newer versions as much. Also in that episode was this Dalek, the Ironsides Dalek. Apparently created to defend England during the Blitz, this Dalek has a military green paint job, its "ears" are wrapped in cloth, and is carrying some sort of utility belt. There's even a canteen on the back, presumably for other soldiers to use. There is even a tiny Union Jack right below the eye stalk, a bit of design that I really dig for some reason.

#138: Star Wars The Clone Wars R4-P17

I have the Revenge of the Sith version of Obi-Wan's Jedi starfighter, which includes the upper half of R4-P17 to plug into the droid socket, and since then I've been meaning to pick up an actual droid to put in it. Unfortunately I've missed out on both of the realistic releases of the figure. The Clone Wars version has proven easier to find, but it turns out to not fit very well in the droid socket. Oh well! Since this is a repaint of the Clone Wars R2-D2, there are a few gimmicks. There are a couple of arms that are hidden behind panels on the front of the body, and on the back there is a tow cable that can be retracted by spinning the droid's dome. Also, the third leg is removable. Since it's based on the animated version, it looks kind of wonky next to other realistic astromechs, but not so much that it looks completely out of place.

#137: DC Universe Classics Wonder Woman

I decided to get the seven main members of the JLA after Wonder Woman's original run in stores, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to find her without paying ridiculous secondary market prices. Fortunately, Mattel put her out again in one of the World's Greatest Super Heroes waves. Now all I need is that fishy guy.

Time to complain about QC issues! The right hip won't allow the left leg to positioned fully inward, so as you can see in the picture, Wonder Woman's stance is leaning a little to the right. And like every other female DCUC figure, the arms are woefully thin. Aside from that, it's a good figure. The axe and shield seem pretty non-essential, I think a detachable (or maybe a couple of different versions of the) lasso would have been a better accessory.

#136: Star Wars Vintage Collection Sandtrooper

Target was having a sale for $6 Vintage figures, and I can't resist an Imperial trooper, so that is the third sandtrooper in my collection. My others have a black or orange shoulder pauldron, so as least none of them look too much alike. This guy has the standard big rifle with a strap, as well as some other crazy looking rifle I've never seen before. What really sets this version apart are his hips. They are the ball hips, so I suspect this may be a re-release of the sandtrooper that was packaged with the dewback they put out last year. I passed on buying one of those, but this figure is cool.

#135: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat

So, a funny thing happened. Mattycollector was having its Cyber Monday sale, and Battle Cat was one of the items up for sale. I thought it would be cool to get one, but assumed that it would sell out pretty quickly. I had to be at work, so I figured there was no way I would get one. Shockingly, I got home something like seven hours after the sale started, and Battle Cat was still in stock. Even more surprisingly, I had no problems placing my order. No White Screen Of Death! Ragging on Mattel is quite fun, but I will give credit when its due. Congratulations, Mattycollector.com, you have finally achieved adequacy! I don't know if they upped the production numbers, or if most people that wanted a Battle Cat already had one from the first time it was on sale or what, but whatever it was it worked.

Anyway, Battle Cat is pretty cool. Pretty damn cool. When Mattel isn't messing around, they are capable of doing great work, and Battle Cat is an example of that. The original was completely unarticulated, while this one has all the articulation you could ask for. Even the jaw is articulated, which is always a cool touch. The sculpt on Battle Cat is great, with detail all over. Even the bottom of his paws are sculpted. Another improvement over the original is the paint, with even the armor getting some subtle touches which really save it from looking flat and boring. The helmet fits on the head somewhat loosely (it arrived askew in the package), but that's no big deal.

Of course, the best part of this all is that my gimpy He-Man figure (he can't stand on his left ankle) will have a Battle Cat to sit on.

#134: Pop! Heroes Batman

So a while ago, I ordered this Batman on a whim when I placed a pre-order at Entertainment Earth. When it showed up, I had received the chase variant which featured a metallic paint on the parts of the costume that are normally grey. I wasn't digging that, so I sent it back for a replacement, and fortunately this time received the normal version. I'm not really into the whole super-deformed vinyl toy thing (I do have a couple Mighty Muggs) for the most part, but this is Batman, and it's totally cute so I decided to go for it. Since this is a vinyl figure and not an action figure, there's almost no articulation at all. The head swivels back and forth a little, but that is it. It's about four inches tall, so it won't take up a lot of room on your desk or your shelf or whatever.

I kind of wish I'd ordered the Batgirl too. And the Joker...