#124: World of Nintendo - K.K. Slider

I was checking out Target to see if there were any good post-Christmas deals, and found some new World of Nintendo mini figures. I don't really keep close tabs on this line, so it was a nice surprise to find K.K. Slider from the Animal Crossing series. He moves at the neck and shoulders and has his guitar case on his back. Since K.K. Slider typically appears in game on Saturday nights, it's appropriate that my last post of the year is about him and is being posted on a Saturday night. Thanks for reading, everyone. See you next year, and I promise not to let myself get months behind on posting like I have the past two years.

#123: Marvel Legends - Heroes For Hire (Ghost Rider)

I should have bought this figure when it first came out a few months ago, because it ended up being pretty hard to find. Probably due to Ghost Rider appearing on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., although that is the Robbie Reyes version, and this figure is the classic Johnny Blaze. If nothing else, Ghost Rider is one of the coolest looking characters ever because his head is a skull on fire. Good luck finding a better look than that. Naturally, the best part of this figure is the head. It's translucent orange plastic, with the bone painted on. It catches the light and give Ghost Rider glowing eyes well. Also, the jaw is articulated, which is always a neat touch. There is a chain around his chest, but that's as close to an accessory that's included. Now I just need to find a 1/12 scale motorcycle for him.

#122: LEGO - Birthday Table Decoration (40153)

So this is kind of a weird little set. It's a birthday table decoration. Not a cake topper! The box specifically states that it is for "table decoration only." Basically it's a cake that a jester can pop out of, like you see strippers doing in movies. The jester is a half minifigure (no legs) that sits on one end of a lever. Pushing down on the other end causes the top of the cake and the jester to rise. There are pieces to customize the number corresponding to the age of the person whose birthday is being celebrated, with a range of one to ninety nine. Since it's nowhere near my birthday, I opted to go with 42 for display purposes.

#121: Marvel Legends - The Punisher

Here we go with another Walgreens exclusive, Marvel Legends Punisher. The timing of the release seemed close enough to be cashing in on his appearance in the second season of Daredevil, and he's a fairly prominent character, so why make him an exclusive? I'm guessing is's so that he wouldn't be packaged with a build-a-figure piece, and so more accessories could be budgeted in. They did the same for Deadpool, but included him in a standard retail series, so who knows. Either way, the accessories are where the Punisher really shines. He's got the same bazooka as Deadpool (but no boxing glove), a huge machine gun, an inexplicably white shotgun, and two heads. The head that is attached in the packaging is the Jim Lee style 80s head with a Rambo headband, while the other head makes it look like Frank had some bad seafood for lunch.  Oddly for a guy who mostly uses guns, this Punisher's hands don't have trigger fingers extended. He can still hold them, at least.

#120: Star Wars The Black Series - Imperial Hovertank Pilot

Another new Stormtrooper variant from Rogue One, the Imperial Hovertank Pilot is a Toys R Us exclusive. Except for the paint and the helmet, it's basically the same figure as the shoretrooper. I guess the Death Troopers are the only new Imperial forces that care about protecting their thighs with armor. Oddly, of the new Imperial figures so far, this is the only one with the standard Stormtrooper blaster. I think we only actually see one of these troopers in the movie, so that makes him unique.

#119: Ultimate Spider-Man Minimates - Jet-pack Spider-Man and Squirrel Girl

I've only watched the first season of the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, because that's all that was on Netflix at the time. Apparently, it has improved by including Squirrel Girl so I might have to go back and watch the rest of it. This set is a Walgreens exclusive, and it still continues to seem weird that Walgreens gets so many cool exclusives. While there has recently been a Squirrel Girl Funko Pop, this is the first actual action figure for her. In the show she wears her classic costume, so that's what she's wearing here, complete with weird eye makeup. The packaging calls out that it "includes squirrels!" and there are three of them. They have Minimates style cylindrical heads, even. There are a couple accessories (not pictured) that I am a bit mystified about. They kind of look like ice cream cones, but I really have no clue. Also included is Spider-Man, with a jet pack. It has a nice flame effects piece that doubles as a stand. He also has an alternate "thumbs up" hand and another head with larger eyes.

#118: Transformers Titans Return - Astrotrain & Darkmoon

Astrotrain is one of the Transformers toys I had as a kid, and I thought it was cool both because it was a triple changer as well as because one of its alt-modes was a space shuttle. I didn't get around to getting the Classics version from a while back, so I was glad that there's a new version. Getting this one was a bit convoluted, as at first it wasn't in stock in stores or online for a reasonable price. Then I found one on the Target website while there was a sale going on as well as a toys coupon, so I was able to order it for store pickup at a good price. Then I got an e-mail saying the order was delayed and would not arrive until early January. Then they started showing up in stores, but I had a much better price on the order so I didn't want to cancel it. Finally, it ended up arriving earlier than the original postponement warned. Astrotrain's robot mode is pretty cool. He's got a couple guns which can be combined into one as pictured. There's a definite resemblance to the original toy's robot mode.

Putting the "astro" in his name, one of the alt-modes is a space shuttle. This looks a lot more sci-fi and flattened than the original, but it's cool. There are a few options for how to attach the guns in this mode. There is a seat for Darkmoon in the back between the tail fins.

Less impressive is train mode. Rather than turning into an old fashioned train engine like the original, this version appears to be multiple cars long. It's basically some sort of sci-fi battle train with a big chunk of stuff in the middle. There are rolling wheels on the bottom that work for this mode.

#117: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures - King Tut

King Tut was one of the more memorable villains from the 1966 Batman TV series, and now he's back in Pog LEGO form. I'm guessing all these lower tier villains are there mostly as a Joker induced distraction for Batman rather than having any major role, but it is cool that some of them are getting what is probably their first and only toy. King Tut is probably most easily found by feeling for either his staff or the snake. Either one is distinctive enough and easy to feel for that he is easy to find through the packaging.

#116: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures - Orca

Orca is a repaint of the guy in a shark suit minifigure that was available recently. She's easy to feel for because she's the only minifigure with flippers for arms, and the big body piece has a dorsal fin and a tail. The "head" piece has the inside of a mouth painted on it, complete with uvula and tongue. If you swap that piece into the shark suit guy, you have just made a King Shark custom. A King Shark minifigure being made seems unlikely, so that might be your best bet.

#115: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures - Lobster Lovin' Batman

I'd heard the street date for LEGO Batman Movie minifigures was the first day of the upcoming year, but I found some at Target a few days before Christmas. There wasn't a whole display, so I wasn't able to get all of the minifigures that I want, but I did get some of them. I had to get Lobster Lovin' Batman (as seen in the trailers) because I just love that LEGO Batman keeps his mask on, even when he's home relaxing in Wayne Manor. And he's wearing a smoking jacket-esque robe. The easiest way to find this one is by feeling for the platter, which is particularly large. The lobster is also a good way to feel for it.