#146: LEGO Harry Potter - The Lab

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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)

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.