#34: LEGO Minifigures Series 7 - Aztec Warrior

When the latest series of LEGO minfigures started showing up in stores, I figured that meant they would be showing up here in a few weeks, as seems to be the pattern. After keeping a closer eye on the parts of the toy section at Target I don't usually pay attention to, a display of series 7 finally showed up. For the first time, they were actually in the LEGO aisle! As is the routine, I started feeling the packages, looking for the minifigures I wanted. It went a bit faster this time, mostly because I didn't intend to get as many of them. Which is fortunate, because I'm apparently getting less patient with standing around feeling blindpacked packaging. I would be perfectly happy if they spaced out the waves more.

Anyway! The Aztec Warrior was pretty easy to find, thanks to the giant headpiece. I actually found the spear first, but that headpiece is impossible to miss. The Aztec Warrior fits into the categories of cool historical warriors, and national stereotypes that represent part of my ancestry, so it was a must get. Also, it's a cool looking minifigure anyway.

Here's the bump code if you prefer that method. Happy hunting!

#33: Avengers Minimates - Loki and Nick Fury

And now, the final (and most important?) Minimates set from the Avengers movie. Like Black Widow and Hawkeye, this is a Toys R Us exclusive set. Because of course the villain and Samuel L Jackson should be more limited releases. Aside from completing the set, I would have to get this set anyway because it's Loki rocking his awesome helmet and Samuel L Jackson. There are no spare accessories in this set, aside from a stand. I think it would have been nice to have a hair piece for Loki, because although that helmet is so badass, he was frequently without it during the movie. He does include his staff, and Nick Fury gets a rocket launcher as well as a pistol that holsters on his leg. His coat is drawn back for easy access to the pistol, so hooray for functionality.

Thanks to Hasbro never releasing Nick Fury in the 3.75 inch scale (outside of that box set that I have yet to see cheap enough to justify solely for that figure), Mace Windu will have to stand in for Nick Fury here. What if Mace Windu were in charge of SHIELD?

#32: Avengers Minimates - Hawkeye and Black Widow

Wow, Hawkeye is short. He looks like a hunched little dwarf next to Black Widow. Weird. Visually, Hawkeye suffered the most in his translation to the big screen. Obviously, his comic costume is way too garish to do a straight adaptation of, but I wish the final product was a little more reminiscent of the comics. Oh well. Hawkeye does get an alternate head, featuring the sunglasses that I think he only wears at the very end of the movie while not in costume. Naturally, he comes with a bow, and three removable arrows which can be stowed in the quiver on his back.

Black Widow is definitely the stronger half of this set. She's as good a Minimate adaptation as one could expect. I'm always a fan of functional holsters, and Black Widow gets two, one for each of her pistols. Also included is a single stand. This is one of the Toys R Us exclusive sets, so if you want to complete your Minimate Avengers movie line up, you'll have to go there. 

I don't have any other Hawkeye toys, so here's a ninja, which is the only other archer figure I have. Also, I totally forgot just how lackluster the Marvel Universe Black Widow figure is. Here's hoping the upcoming Avengers movie line Black Widow is an improvement. 

#31: Avengers Minimates - Captain America and Thor

Continuing from yesterday's Avengers Minimates post (which you really should have watched by now), here are Captain America and Thor. I've heard a lot of complaining online about Captain America's costume for the movie, but I dig it. It does seem very comic book, but I think one of the strengths of the Marvel cinematic universe is that it doesn't go out of the way to be too realistic, so something like this works. There is an alternate hair piece for Steve to go around with his mask off. Because of course he spends a lot of time like that in the movie. I do wish superheroes could keep their masks on more often in the movies.

Thor is in his casual "hanging out on the helicarrier" outfit, so there's no cape to make it hard for him to balance. Visually, I do prefer the cape, but from a practical standpoint, I can appreciate this version of Thor's costume will help keep him upright. Thor doesn't get any accessories, not even a helmet, because he didn't wear his helmet even once during the movie. I really hate to sound nitpicky about the costumes, because they don't really bother me that much, and I loved the movie. There is an included stand, so I suppose that is something for Cap and Thor to fight over.

I don't have six inch versions of both Cap and Thor, so here are a couple of Marvel Universe counterparts.

#30: Avengers Minimates - Iron Man and Hulk

After watching The Avengers (which if you haven't watched yet you should go do now. It's okay, I'll wait) I decided that I wanted a movie Avengers line up. Since I already have most of the characters in the 4 inch scale from Marvel Universe and the Iron Man 2 lines, I didn't want to replicate them in that scale again (and besides those Avengers figures are overpriced and under-articulated). The six inch figures are also going to be more expensive, and most likely hard to find. So I figured that Minimates would be the best way to go. Unfortunately, a couple of key sets are Toys R Us exclusives, and not in stock online. I asked James to keep an eye out for them, and he was able to find them all the day after I asked.

Iron Man has a few added on pieces to bulk up his armor, as well as an alternate open helmet, and a hair piece for when the helmet is off. He also gets a cool little flight stand so that he can be displayed in flight. His helmet seems a bit oversized (unavoidable when making a removable helmet at this scale), and it kind of reminds me of a kid in an Iron Man costume. Hulk has even more pieces bulking him up. Interestingly, he has four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot. I'm used to the standard Minimate clamp hands, so I wasn't aware that characters in the Minimate style only have four digits.

I have three Hulk figures in my collection, and quite a few Iron Man figures. Here are a couple of six inch versions for comparison.

#29: Transformers Prime - Arcee

Now that I've actually watched Transformers Prime, I will actually know about the characters I'm buying toys of. I bought Soundwave previously mainly because it was Soundwave. Arcee is a figure I wanted to get because I liked her character on the show. Fortunately, my Target has made it past the choking point of the heavily packed Bumblebees from the first wave, so we are able to get some newer figures on the pegs.

Arcee's alt-mode is a cool motorcycle, which has the advantage of being sized approximately in the same scale as 3 3/4 or 4 inch figures. It's a bit too wide to be a great fit, but with some futzing around, you can make it work. Aside from being a little wide, it's a cool looking bike. The weapons can plug into the front wheel, although they look kind of goofy.

The bot mode mostly does a pretty good job or replicating Arcee's onscreen appearance. The main problem is that she's a little back heavy due to her front tire just sort of hanging off her back. Interestingly, her rear wheel splits in two and each half ends up in one of her legs. If you want to make her taller, you can position the wheels as sort of skates and she'll balance. For some reason the pink parts of her paint job on the show have been rendered in silver for the toy. I get that this is meant as a "boys" toy, but why change the pink? Soundwave's toy has pink accents, why can't Arcee? Otherwise, she's a pretty cool robot. Her gun and blade can plug into each other in a way that actually turns out looking cool as far as these things go.

#28: Star Wars Vintage Collection - Barriss Offee

I've been wanting a Barriss Offee figure for years now, mainly due to her appearance in the original Clone Wars cartoon. Unfortunately, the only figure Hasbro made was from Attack of the Clones, and it was from that weird period where many figures were in pre-posed positions, and so were only good in that one position. Then they finally released a new Barriss figure last year. Two, in fact. A realistic Vintage figure and an animated figure. I wanted the realistic one, but I never saw either of them in stores. I kept an eye on Ebay in hopes of finding one for a reasonable price, and with the recent news that she would be appearing again in an upcoming wave, prices for her started getting down to a reasonable level. Given my luck finding new Star Wars figures that I want lately, I went ahead and got her from Ebay.

It's a very nice looking figure, and I'm glad they finally got around to re-making her. With the plastic cape being so long, it helps with her stability, which can be an issue when soft skirts and high heels are involved on a figure. I think at this point, I've got all the Jedi figures I want, except Bastila Shan (who is still in the outrageous price range). Okay, I would buy the librarian Jedi figure if they made one. I'm sure there are some Jedi that haven't been made into figures yet, and I by no means have all the different Jedi that have been made, but I'm good with what I've got now. I've mostly got all the Star Wars figures I want, really.

#27: G.I. Joe Renegades - Law and Order

A few weeks ago, I went to an outdoor toy sale where there were a bunch of vendors with tables set up. They were selling all sorts of things, from the new mint in package, to the old and beat up from sitting in a  garage for the past few years. One of the vendors had a Law and Order on sale for less than the going price at my local Target. For some unfathomable reason, I didn't buy it then. I almost immediately began suffering from non-buyer's remorse. Since my Target hasn't put out any new Joe figures in a very long time, my best shot was Ebay.

I think I've mentioned before that I always like the Joe figures that come with animal companions. They're great accessories, so it adds value. And animal companions are just a cool concept for figures. Law and Order are also a nice counterpoint to the Cobra shock trooper. Law showed up in Renegades as a prison guard, but they made the figure an MP. Law comes with a good amount of accessories. Too many for him to hold, but it's not as excessive as some other figures. He's got a couple pistols that fit in holsters (one has a silencer), a shotgun, a machine pistol, handcuffs, and a billy club. The face shield is a separate piece from the helmet, which is removable.

Order is wearing a doggy bullet proof vest, and his head is on a swivel. Although the coloring seems a bit weird for a German shepherd, Order is probably the cutest of the various animal companions in my collection.

A visit to the dog park. Who let that wolf in?!

#26: G.I. Joe Renegades - Tunnel Rat

A few weeks ago, Netflix added G.I. Joe Renegades to its streaming service, so right after I watched the entire first season of Transformers Prime, I watched the first (and only, sadly) season of Renegades. Although it was way less goofy than the classic cartoon, and very A-Team-esque, I really liked it. I'm disappointed that it won't be coming back for a second season, especially since it left us hanging on the crucial question of just what is up with Cobra Commander's partial face concealing mask. Tunnel Rat was one of the regular cast members, which I believe is the first time he's been so prominently featured, and his sarcastic Brooklynite persona made him one of the best characters on the show. Since I didn't have a Tunnel Rat figure yet, I figured it was time to get one.

Like Scarlett and the other Renegades figures, Tunnel Rat looks like a more realistic version of the animated character, so he fits in with the rest of the Joes in my collection. Hasbro has been on a nice roll with the Joe line for a while, and Tunnel Rat keeps that tradition going. He also continues the tradition of the mixed blessing of including a bunch of accessories. He's got a big rifle, a revolver, a shovel, a laptop, a flashlight, a portable stove, a pan (the handle on mine is a little bent), a Leatherman, and coolest of all: a bomb disposal robot. The arm on the robot can move, and the wheels roll. Neat! Unfortunately, he doesn't have a way to carry anything other than what fits in his hands.

"You won't believe what I found down here, Scarlett!"

I'm still here!

It's been a while since I last posted, so I just wanted to make sure everyone knows I'm still around. It's been almost a full month since I last got a new toy, so there hasn't been anything to post about. I'm expecting a couple things in the mail in the next week or so, keep an eye out. In the mean time, here's a picture of part of my collection.

I mentioned in a comment on one of Dan's posts that I should take a group picture of my clone troopers. At this point, I have so many (I haven't counted, but it's got to be at least 100), and they are spread out over a few different shelves, moving them all into one spot for a picture would be a huge hassle. So here's a small selection of my clone troopers. Looks like I need to do some dusting.