#50: K'Nex Super Mario Series 2 - Dry Bones

In my original attempt to buy the Dry Bones, I inadvertently ended up with another Mario (I'm not planning to keep it, as it's a duplicate, and thus gets no entry on the blog). If I remember correctly, the Dry Bones was first introduced in Super Mario World, the first 16 bit Mario game. As members of the undead, you couldn't kill them. You could jump on them and make their bodies fall apart, but they'd pull together and come back for more after a bit of downtime. Does the Mushroom Kingdom have some sort of zombie problem? I can't really think of any other undead characters Mario has had to face. There were also those Koopa wizards in the game, did they create the zombified Koopa Troopas? What is really going on in the Mushroom Kingdom?

Anyway, the packaging has an easy way to identify which figure is which. There is a number printed on the back, with one digit underline. Dry Bones has the fourth digit underlined. For example: 0513119.

#49: Batman Classic TV Series - Batman & Robin

The classic 60s Batman TV series seems to be undergoing a bit of a revival lately. With a new comic series based on the show, as well as a new toy line, can a long awaited home media release of the series be far behind? I certainly hope so, but for now, we're here to talk toys. At long last, we finally have Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. This set is the only way to get Robin, so it was a no brainer to get it rather than missing out on half of the dynamic duo. They are basically DCUC figures, but with more realistic proportions. So no big surprises here. Unfortunately, Mattel cannot resist "exciting" posing in packages, leading poor Robin to deal with a case of seriously bent legs. And for some reason, there are ridiculously large paper tags affixed to the capes. What gives? Hasbro releases figures with soft goods all the time, and they never have big stupid tags attached. Oh well, a snip of the scissors will take care of that. For accessories, Batman has a batarang. And of course, there is the display base...

This is probably one of the best, if not the best, display bases that has been created for an action figure. One of the trademarks of the Batman series was the scenes of Batman and Robin climbing up the side of a building, which was accomplished by the actors walking along a floor designed to look like a building and turning the camera on its side. That's exactly what this base represents. What's really cool is that not only can you lay it out flat on the shelf as if it were the actors shooting a scene, but you can also mount it on the wall as if Batman and Robin were actually climbing the side of a building. There is fortunately a rope included, which can be tied to the base. Frequently guest stars would appear on the show by popping out of the window to express shock or have some sort of conversation with Batman and Robin as they were climbing. That can be replicated with the base, which has windows that can be opened. They are perhaps a bit narrow, but it is a cool feature. Both of the figures have bendable wires in their capes so that they can be posed as if they were falling down due to gravity.

I'm hoping the rest of the figures from the line have more neutral positions in the packaging to avoid being bent out of shape before they are even opened. Since they are getting all the major villains out of the way with this first series, I wonder if there will be any more figures in the future. I'll be bummed if they don't make a Batgirl figure, that's for sure.

#48: Man of Steel - Movie Masters Faora

Since posting about the Man of Steel Superman figure, I've had a chance to watch the movie itself. It had its good points, but there were some questionable choices in the way it was handled. Fortunately for the presence of the DC universe on the big screen, it did well enough that there will be a sequel expanding on the universe. Marvel is way ahead of them with a cohesive cinematic universe, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens. In any case, one of the parts of the movie I liked was Faora. Remember in Superman II, when Zod had Ursa and Non henching for him? Again, he has a badass lady and large mute Kryptonian henching for him, but this time around they are different characters. Nam-Ek's only figure comes in a multipack in a smaller scale, but Faora gets the Movie Masters treatment. Being hip to Mattel's tricks, I assumed that I would never find a Faora in stores, so I kept an eye on her price online. Eventually, I was able to order her for retail price.

Faora is a pretty standard Movie Masters figure, including what I suppose is the new standard of lacking an ab crunch. Her head looks a little too big, but otherwise, it's a cool figure. The giant armor shoulder pads are a softer plastic, so they don't get in the way of her arm movement too much.

Faora's only accessory is the stand depicting the symbol for her family. It kind of looks like an F. If you squint really hard. Okay, it looks more like a 35 to me. Kryptonian fashion is kind of weird. Imagine if we all went around with our family names on the chest of our undershirts. There is a knife attached to her leg, but it's not removable. It's also made of really soft plastic, so even if she had an open hand to hold it with, it probably wouldn't be very good.

"We can't fight here, there's not enough potential property damage!"

#47: Masters of the Universe Classics - Man-E-Faces

Big Lots strikes again! At a different Big Lots from the one where I found Megator, I found Man-E-Faces. For 10 bucks, I was more than happy to pick up the figure, which is one that I had as a child. I always liked the gimmick of spinning the knob on top of the helmet to reveal three different faces. While Mattel has generally shied away from reproducing the gimmicks for the Classics line, they fortunately stuck with it for Man-E-Faces. Without it, he'd just be a guy in a weird helmet! Not only did they update the gimmick, they went one better and gave him even more faces to switch between. If I remember correctly, the second head of faces was a secret accessory that wasn't revealed until the figure showed up in the mail. To facilitate three extra faces, the helmet and rotating knob are removable, and then you swap heads. The three new faces are Orko, Skeletor, and He-Man.

The many faces of... Man-E-Faces.

"It's like looking into a mirror!"

#46: Masters of the Universe Classics - Megator

Lately reports have been surfacing of Mattycollector exclusives showing up on the cheap at Big Lots. I am glad to report that this is absolutely true. Aside from Megator, there were the SDCC exclusive Skeletor and Mo-Lar sets as well as the 12 inch Egon and Ray Ghostbusters sets. Megator and Mo-Lar sets were 10 bucks apiece, while the Ghostbusters set was 30 bucks. 10 dollars! Megator was originally 40 dollars, plus shipping, which probably came out to over 50 dollars. So this is one hell of a deal. When Megator originally was released, I had no interest in it, because I had no idea who the character is, but when I saw them on the shelf for so cheap, it was impossible to resist. Having read the bio on the back, I'm still not particularly invested in the character (was he even in the cartoon?), but whatever. He's a giant green figure with a ridiculously oversized ball and chain weapon. What's not to like? Well, due to typical Mattel cost saving measures, Megator has a lot of rotocast pieces, which make him feel really lightweight for his size, and lead to reduced articulation from the MOTUC standard. If I'd paid full price for him, I would feel disappointed. But I only paid 10 bucks, so I'm totally satisfied with the value of my purchase.

The other accessory Megator comes packaged with is a zombie head. It has rooted hair, which is cool. But the expression on the face is really goofy looking, so I'll definitely be sticking with the standard head for display.



Here's a quick size comparison, guest starring the Fearless Photog.

#45: K'Nex Super Mario Series 2 - Shy Guy

First appearing in Super Mario Bros. 2, the Shy Guy has proven popular enough to transcend Mario's dreams and make it into the wider Super Mario universe. There's something I really like about the design of tiny guys in cloaks with slightly shocked looking masks. There's also a certain ridiculousness to the Shy Guy, he'll just keep walking back and forth, even if you're standing on his head. Finding him in the package is easy, as his lower torso is a separate piece, so you just have to feel for a perfectly round piece. His arms and feet are also packaged separately, so feeling for small loose pieces will help as well. The packaging has an easy way to identify which figure is which. There is a number printed on the back, with one digit underline. Shy Guy has the sixth digit underlined. For example: 0513119.

#44: K'Nex Super Mario Series 2 - Koopa Paratroopa

Next in the batch of Super Mario K'Nex figures is the Koopa Paratroopa, one of the classic enemies of Mario. Befitting a character that does nothing more than floating back and forth in a tightly proscribed pattern, the Koopa Paratroopa has a rather vacant expression on his face. The wings aren't articulated, but they are a fairly soft plastic, so I suppose you could put the shell in boiling water and reset their position if you were so inclined. The wings are what makes the Koopa Paratroopa rather easy to find by touch alone. The packaging has an easy way to identify which figure is which. There is a number printed on the back, with one digit underline. Koopa Paratroopa has the fifth digit underlined. For example: 0513119.

#43: K'Nex Super Mario Series 2 - Wario

K'Nex has done another series of blind packed minifigures, and they finally released one of the characters I've been waiting for: Wario. With his extra wide physique, he's completely new parts. Thanks to the parts being wrapped in tissue in the packaging, using the touch method to find what you want is a bit more iffy than with the LEGO series. His body being extra wide helps. Fortunately, there is a very easily determined number code on the back of the packaging that indicates what inside, if you know how to read it. There is a number printed on the back, with one digit underline. Wario has the second digit underlined. For example: 0513119.

#42: Hot Wheels - Batmobile

Finally! I've been keeping an eye out for the Tim Burton Batman '89 style Batmobile for a while now, and it finally showed up at Target. It was the only one on the pegs, so I'm guessing it's shortpacked. Because Mattel hates you, that's why. There is a recent release called the Ratmobile, which always threw me off when I was looking through the pegs due to its all too similar name. I saw the front end of the Batmobile first and instantly recognized it. The Batmobile is in the Imagination sub-line, which has the green section on the right hand side of the card, and it is numbered 61/250. I've always been a fan of this version of the Batmobile, and I think it still looks cool even today. It's a good addition to my Batmobile collection, and if I can ever find the Bat and the Tumbler, I'll be done until the next cool design gets made.

#41: Mythbusters - Buster

A week or so ago, I someone mention on Twitter that the Discovery Channel store was having a clearance on Buster figures, and there was free shipping. I had no idea that a Buster figure had ever been made, so I went to check it out. At 75% off, this was a deal I could not refuse. In case you don't know who Buster is, go check out the TV show Mythbusters. It's entertaining, educational, and they blow up a lot of stuff. Buster is the dummy they often use in set ups when it's unsafe to use a living person. The toy version is much more brightly colored, and lacks the various burn marks and overall beaten up appearance of the original. Buster is all swivels and hinge joints. The swivels are all pretty loose (particularly on the hips), but he will hold a pose fairly well. Unfortunately, the ankles are only swivels, so it can be a bit hard to get him in a balanced position for standing. He's in an odd scale, oversized for a six or seven inch figure, but pretty much the same height as the buildable DCUC Bane (who is himself oversized). If I'd paid full price, with shipping, I'd probably be disappointed. But for less than five bucks, Buster is pretty cool.

MYTH BUSTED