#103: Star Wars Spirit of Obi-Wan

One of the first mail-away figures during Kenner's revival of the Star Wars line was this spirit version of Obi-Wan. Unlike the fancy carded mail-away figures of today, Obi-Wan arrived in a little plain white box. These days when Hasbro does a figure in clear blue plastic, it's billed as a holographic figure, while Jedi spirits have a bit more color to them. This version is mainly a clear blue brick, with the arms and head stuck in position. People ordered tons of these things at the time, hoping they would appreciate in value, but these days they are super cheap (you can get one for about a buck on Ebay), as are many of the figures from that time. I received this one as a party favor, which is actually a pretty cool idea. Go load up on cheap mid-90s Star Wars figures and give them out as party favors at your next gathering. The spirit of Obi-Wan in particular makes a nice desk decoration.

#102: Star Wars Electronic Boba Fett Helmet

I guess I'm ready for Halloween now. I'm kind of surprised it took this long after the Vader and clone trooper electronic helmets Hasbro has put out. But with this being the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back, I suppose the timing was right for a Boba Fett electronic helmet. Personally, I could have down without the electronics (and a presumably lower price) since they are kind of lame. When you push one of the buttons, it says a line of dialogue. These aren't lines from the movies, or from anywhere else that I know of. And it's the Jango voice, not the original movie version. Of course. But whatever, I can ignore all that, because it's a Boba Fett helmet! What I can't ignore is that it is ridiculously oversized. It looks huge on me, so I can only imagine how comically huge it looks an a kid. Also the slot for the eyes is way too tall in comparison to the actual real thing, but that is beneficial for being able to see, so it is excusable.

#101: Iron Man 2 Hulkbuster Iron Man

About three months after the movie was in theaters (just in time for the DVD release!) I finally got the Hulkbuster figure. As a figure that's actually based on the comics, as well as one that's pretty big, this was a must get for me. It's not quite as tall as the Iron Monger figure, but it's pretty bulky in all three dimensions. I always feel like I'm getting my money's worth with such an oversized figure. Now I'll have someone to keep my Hulks in line.

#100: Star Wars Vintage Collection Rocket-Firing Boba Fett

And here he is, the Boba Fett that can fire a rocket from his back. With his odd coloration and minimal articulation, he is very old school. This version comes with two different rockets. One can actually be fired, but it has that long tail to it, so if you leave it in his backpack it doesn't look so good. The other one is shorter and looks good, but doesn't fire. He does indeed come with an old school Stormtrooper blaster. Unfortunately, his hands aren't sculpted to hold it very well, so I used one of the clear rubber bands to keep it in place. Even though this is a mail-away figure, the card has a proof of purchase on the back. I suppose that means if you're crazy, you could send away for a Boba Fett using nothing but proofs of purchase from mail-away Boba Fett figures. You'd have to buy a lot of figures for that, since it takes five proofs of purchase to get one Boba Fett. I hope Hasbro keeps up the cool retro theme for its mail-away offers, this has been one of the better offers.

#99: Star Wars Vintage Collection Rocket-Firing Boba Fett

So the main schtick for the current Vintage Collection is the retro packaging. The current mail away promotion takes the retro appeal even further, with this reproduction of the legendary first Boba Fett figure. In case you don't know, the first Boba Fett figure was available as a mail away figure, a sneak preview from The Empire Strikes Back. He was originally meant to have a rocket firing backpack, but due to child safety issues that feature was removed before the figure was released. Some people claim to remember receiving a figure with the rocket firing feature intact, but that is supposedly wishful thinking. There are some extant prototypes out there with the rocket firing feature fully functional, but I imagine they cost quite the pretty penny. Enough with the history lesson! You may have noticed that this picture is of the toy still in its packaging. For the first time I can think of, I specifically got a toy to keep unopened. This isn't as crazy as it sounds. I actually got two: one to open, and one to leave in the packaging. Okay, maybe that is as crazy as it sounds.

#98: G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Jungle Viper

When I first saw pictures of the Jungle Viper from Comic Con or whatever I thought he had wings. Given that he's a Cobra trooper, that sort of insanity doesn't bother me, and is in fact exactly what I have come to expect. It's the kind of insanity that just goes past stupidity and loops back again to brilliance. Although it turns out that this isn't some sort of flying trooper, it still looks pretty ridiculous in that way I dig. So of course I picked up the Jungle Viper as soon as I saw one hanging from a peg. It's actually a pretty cool figure, too. The pieces of the "wings" are adjustable, and attached to a backpack frame which is removable. Aside from the ridiculously long gun he carries, there are two pistols with corresponding holsters included. The crazy long eye scope is also removable. Oddly enough, the Jungle Viper has spooky zombie eyes. I don't get it, but whatever. This figure is totally cool in my book.

#97: Star Wars Vintage Collection Clone Trooper

Unlike the magnaguard, Hasbro has not been shy about making many clone trooper figures. I have a bunch of clones, and almost all of them are variations of some kind, rather than exactly the same figure over and over again. Going back to basics for the Vintage Collection, this is a slightly different clone than the one that's been readily available in the Saga Legends sub-line. For starters, this version doesn't have the antenna on the back that so many clone troopers have. Also, this one has a removable helmet. As far as I know, this is the first time an all white armored trooper has been released with a removable helmet singly carded. Finally! The other big feature setting this clone apart is the addition of the ball jointed hips. I hope this becomes a standard feature of future figures, but it seems to only slowly be working its way into the Star Wars line. If GI Joe can have them, why can't Star Wars? Either way, this is definitely a good standard clone trooper figure to have if you don't already have one. If you want to army build, this would be a good figure to bulk up your ranks with.

#96: Star Wars Vintage Collection Magnaguard

The last time the released a movie version of the magnaguard was when Revenge of the Sith was in theaters. I have that one, and it's not very great. It's not very well articulated, especially on the lower half, where the hips are the only articulation for the legs. Also the cape is plastic, which limits the movement of the right arm, and the weapon is deactivated, missing the purple energy beams. Since then, there has been an animated version, which I skipped. Five years after the original version, the Vintage toy is a huge improvement. The legs are fully articulated this time around, as is the torso. The electrostaff has the purple energy beams, which are removable. A blaster is also included, although I don't think I ever saw one of the magnaguards use one. The cape is soft goods, so it doesn't limit the movement of the arm, although it is kind of hard to get it to hang in the right way. I'd still take it over the plastic one. This is probably the best version of the magnaguard that Hasbro is going to be make, and will go well with the new Grievous (which I haven't found yet). You don't expect your Grievous to fight all his fights for himself, do you?

#95: LEGO Minifigure Karate Master

At last, we get to the final LEGO minifigure from Series 2 that I wanted and have been able to find. Oddly enough, he has the same hair piece as the vampire. The coolest part of this figure is that he comes with two tiny LEGO guy trophies.

#94: LEGO Minifigure Vampire

Continuing with the Halloween theme, I got the vampire. Vampires that don't sparkle in the sun have always been cool in my book. And this is no regular vampire, it's a Dracula! I am actually a little surprised to realize that this is the only vampire in my collection.

#93: LEGO Minifigure Mime

Now how could I resist a LEGO mime? I can't! So I bought one. He comes with three heads, so you could have a three headed mutant mime. Or you can change his mood at will. Or you can have a psycho killer mime that likes displaying trophies from his victims. For now, I have gone with the latter option. Or you could buy three and have a troupe of mimes with different expressions. But then you'd have six extra heads.

#92: LEGO Minifigure Pharaoh

As far as I know, LEGO never made any Egyptian themed sets. That is too bad, because I think a LEGO pyramid or Sphinx would be really cool. The hole on the front of his headdress is the right size to plug onto LEGO studs, so you could make it crazy elaborate. Or add a laser gun or something. Laser pharaoh!

#91: LEGO Minifigure Maraca Man

With his giant hat, colorful poncho, set of maracas, and killer 'stache how could I resist this little LEGO ethnic stereotype? Of the minifigures from this series that I was able to find, I think this is the one I wanted the most. It's so charmingly ridiculous that I can't help but like it.

#90: LEGO Minifigure Disco Dude

I ended up getting the disco dude kind of accidentally. As I was sorting through the box of minifigures, I set his package aside in the maybe pile, next to my keeper pile. When I was finished looking through the box, I forgot that the disco dude was a maybe and I picked up all the packages I had set aside. It wasn't until I opened all the packages that I realized I had bought this one. In spite of that, I'm kind of glad I ended up taking him home. How many other LEGO figures will have an afro piece? I dig his retro schtick. He even has a record sleeve, which could come in handy if they make a hipster minifigure.

#89: LEGO Minifigure Witch

After I got home and opened my first two LEGO minifigures, I looked to the internet so I could learn to distinguish which figure was which based on the packaging. Naturally, I found what I was looking for. Unfortunately, my printer is out of ink and has been since my final quarter in college when it ran out. My apartment complex has a computer room with a printer, so I attempted to print out the .pdf chart there, but the computers were basically useless, refusing to even properly load the internet. Unable to print, I used my digital camera to snap pictures of the barcodes I needed, and brought it with me to Target. It worked, and I was able to find all the minifigures I want, except for the Spartan. So here's the witch. I mainly wanted this one because I am already getting into the Halloween spirit.

#88: LEGO Minifigure Ringmaster

The other figure I got from the mystery LEGO box was the ringmaster, which I think is way cooler than the skier. This is for sure the first LEGO figure I've ever had that is wearing a top hat, and he has possibly the best moustache of any of them as well. He looks really freaked out, maybe the lions are out of control.

#87: LEGO Minifigure Skier

I was at Target, checking out the Halloween section which is in the process of being put together. I noticed two boxes of the second series of blind-boxed LEGO minifigures. I never saw the first series in stores at all, so I decided to pick up a couple in hopes of getting one of the cooler figures. The first one I opened was this skier. My level of excitement for this particular figure is pretty low. It's a guy with skis, yay. I guess that means Snow Job is no longer the only figure in my collection with skis. Time for a fight to the death grudge match between the two?

#86: G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Dusty

As a kid, I had the original Dusty figure. The little flap hanging out of the back of his helmet really set him apart for me. Since he was one of my favorites, I hoped to get a new version of him during the 25th Anniversary Collection, but they only released him in one of the DVD battle packs that I never saw in stores. Now with the new Pursuit of Cobra line, I'm able to add a modern Dusty to my collection. He may not have the flap of cloth hanging from his helmet, but this is still a very cool upgrade. Although the trend seems to be towards a ridiculous amount of accessories for the Joe figures these days, Dusty has a reasonable amount. He's got two guns, an extra head, a stand, and a coil of barbed wire. The bio on the back of the card mentions Dusty making barbed wire traps, so it's not totally random. Also, his helmet and goggles are both removable. Hasbro is doing a great job with the Pursuit of Cobra figures, and Dusty is no exception.