#106: Hot Wheels James Bond 007 Goldfinger - Aston Martin 1963 DB5 (HW Workshop 200/250)

I'm usually down for Hot Wheels cars when they are based on vehicles from pop culture sources. I have recently seen the car based on the Lotus from the Roger Moore era "For Your Eyes Only," but the Aston Martin from "Goldfinger" was a must buy. "Goldfinger" is perhaps the best Bond movie starring Sean Connery, and the Aston Martin is the coolest car Bond has ever driven. Unfortunately, this is the first instance I've ever run into of a QC issue with a Hot Wheels car. The right front wheel is bent on the axle, so it won't rotate and sticks out at an angle. It's not like this was an easy to find car, so exchanging it isn't a likely option. I'll just have to live without being able to roll it around. Other than that, it's very nice looking, with a silvery metallic finish.

#105: World of Nintendo - Link

For the longest time, there weren't Legend of Zelda toys. There were a couple Ocarina of Time figures, and statues. Then there's a Figma Link, a Real Action Hero Link, a Nendoroid Link, and now a World of Nintendo Link. We are apparently living in the golden age of Link action figures. Like the Figma, this Link figure is based on his appearance in Skyward Sword. Of course, this is a smaller, cheaper figure. He's got a pretty good amount of articulation. For accessories, there's the Master Sword, and a scabbard which attaches to Link's back. There's also a Hylian shield, which is packaged as a mystery accessory. I guess that's just this line's gimmick. I'm curious to see where this line goes from here.

#104: The New Batman Adventures - Batman

For me, the Platonic ideal of Batman will always be Kevin Conroy's animated Batman. When DC Collectibles announced that they would be making animated style Batman figures, I was sold on at least a Batman figure. Even though this is the version of the costume from New Batman Adventures, I went for it. Naturally, right after I got this figure they announced an Animated Series version. So I'll probably get that too. But this Batman is very cool. It looks just like the cartoon, faithfully recreating the Bruce Timm top-heavy style. Unlike previous toys made from the cartoons, this line has so much more articulation. The shoulders, elbows, and wrists are all swivel-hinge joints, while the knees and ankles are hinged, the waist and shins get swivels, and the neck is on a ball.

The coolest feature of the Batman figure is that it includes two capes. In the top picture is the cape that drapes over the front of the shoulders, somewhat restricting arm movement. For standing around poses, it's my favored option, as most figures don't have a cape that hangs that way. The other cape hangs behind the shoulders and is flared out a bit, giving an impression of movement. Batman's other accessories include a few extra pairs of hands, ranging from fists, to slightly open hands, to more open hands, and one that is molded holding Batman's grapnel line launcher. There is also a loose grapnel line launcher, and a batarang. Also include is a stand with turnarounds of the animation model for Batman printed on the base. A stand is pretty useful for such a small footed Batman. This isn't a line I'm going to get every release from, but I will definitely be getting more.

#103: Transformers 4 Age of Extinction - Snarl

Finally, with Snarl, my movie Dinobots collection is complete! Snarl continues the trend of dodgy looking robot modes with odd proportions and kibble. But I really like all the crazy translucent yellow for some reason. Plus, green and purple always go well together.

Getting Snarl back and forth between bot and dino modes is easy enough, and he holds together well enough in either mode. Snarl is one of the better Dinobots that were released for the movie line.

#102: Assassin's Creed - Altair Ibn-La'ahad

I played the Assassin's Creed series all out of order, and the first game (not counting the two that were just released) was the last one that I played. So I suppose it's fitting that Altair, the protagonist from the first game, should be the last of the Assassin figures that I get (not counting the upcoming Shay). Altair is armed with a sword, four throwing knives, and a retracted and extended version of the hidden blade. The blade fits through the gap where his missing ring finger would be, which is a nice touch.

#101: Nendoroid 413 - Link The Wind Waker Ver.

Not really being into chibi/super-deformed versions of characters, I am not really into the Nendoroid line. But when the character is chibi to begin with, a Nendoroid version looks pretty accurate. The cel-shaded toon Link from Wind Waker is one of those characters that makes a perfect fit. Although it's now regarded as a great entry to the series, when Wind Waker was new the graphic style caused a lot of controversy.

Naturally, Link includes the Wind Waker itself, as well as a pair of alternate arms and hands to help him conduct the wind.

Link's sword and shield are also of course included. There's a swoosh effect piece that fits on the sword to make it look as if Link is swinging it really fast. He also has an alternate bent pair of legs, and has different facial expressions, like the yelling one above.

Link's other main accessory is a heart container piece, which has its own separate stand so that it can hover.

Link's final face is giving someone side-eyes. One of the cool features of the game is that Link's eyes would look towards secrets in an area, providing a subtle clue on how to find things. Link wasn't making quite this expression in the game when he was doing that, but that's what this face reminded me of.

#100: Transformers Generations - Windblade

A while back Hasbro asked for fan feedback, allowing voting to help create a new character. Windblade was the result, and they put out a toy version of her pretty quickly. So far she's only appeared in the comics (the comic included briefly involves her), even carrying her own series. Windblade's altmode is a VTOL jet. It's mostly black, with some red, and a yellow canopy. The turbines can rotate up and down to whichever angle you'd like. It's pretty cool looking, although if you look at it from the top down, there is a little gap in the middle. The transformation scheme is different from the typical seeker style, so that is a nice touch of difference.

Robot mode is pretty cool, with a lot more red showing. Windblade is armed with a sword that has a translucent blade that fades from purple to clear. There's a scabbard that can plug into her hip. In jet mode, it does stow along the bottom, helping to mostly plug the gap in the middle. According to the instructions, the golden fan in the back of Windblade's hair is removable, but I couldn't get it to come out and didn't want to break something by forcing it. Given how rare female Transformers are, it's cool to get a toy of one.

#99: Transformers 4 Age of Extinction - Slog

Slog is the second voyager class Dinobot, after Grimlock. For whatever reason, Amazon has been selling this figure for the price of a deluxe Transformers toy. I'm really glad that I didn't pay MSRP, because this is a pretty disappointing figure. Let's start off with dinosaur mode. According to the packaging, Slog is an apatosaurus, but I would say that it looks more like a brachiosaurus. There are ridiculous movie style spikes on either side of his back, as well as a couple different weapons, two mount on the shoulder, and the other two go on the neck. They're both removable, but the weapons that attach on the neck attach via a couple of non-removable pegs. So if you take those weapons off, there are a couple of Frankenstein's monster style neck bolts.

Slog has a particularly unhelpful instruction sheet, making the transformation even less fun than it would have been otherwise. Robot mode is just weird looking. He's got odd proportions with ridiculously large lower legs. There's this flap that sticks up behind his head which can't be re-positioned anywhere else, and it just looks bad. In both modes, it doesn't feel like Slog is very solidly holding together. If not for my stated goal of getting all the movie Dinobots, I would have skipped him.

#98: Assassin's Creed - Arno Dorian

Arno Dorian is the star of the newest Assassin's Creed game, solely for next-gen consoles and PC. I have the game, but haven't played it yet because I don't have a next-gen console yet. So all I know about him is that he's French and his story is centered on the French Revolution. The protagonist from the other AC game released this year (AC: Rogue), will be getting a figure in the next wave. Arno is armed with a sword, a pistol, and the Assassin's signature hidden blade. Only, this isn't the standard hidden blade. In addition to the interchangeable regular retracted and extended blades, there is also a little crossbow. I'm curious to see how playing with the new version of the weapon will play. His long coat is a fairly stiff plastic, so it can get in the way of the legs somewhat. Fortunately it's a cool enough looking figure.

#97: Assassin's Creed - Ezio Auditore

Ezio is the most well known protagonist from the Assassin's Creed series, starring in three games. There are a variety of looks McFarlane could have gone for, and for this figure they went with the version of Ezio that appears in Revelations. This is an older Ezio, who has adventures in Constantinople. Ezio is armed with a sword, a dagger, and his trusty hidden blades. The blades can be swapped out for retracted or extended versions. Also, Ezio includes two sets of hands. One set is sculpted to hold weapons, while the other has open hands. Presumably this is meant to replicate the widely used promotional image of Ezio with his arms held out to his sides with blades extended. Although, that's a younger Ezio. The hood is easily removable, but it sits a little too high on the head. So far, there haven't been many variants in this line (Connor has a couple), but I wouldn't be surprised if there are different versions of Ezio down the line.