Why Did I Buy That Toy?

AMP Episode 26: The Wrath of Kahn

2012-01-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

The latest episode of the Articulated Monster is up, and this is a very special episode where it's basically an audio commentary for the movie "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn." So you should probably find that movie on DVD or get it some other way. Then follow along!

Boomboxer and Catsette

2012-01-30T03:46:00.000-08:00

I have no idea how I'm going to tag this. But pretty much, the Polly Pocket Cutants are on clearance at Target, so I finally broke down and bought a set. For those of you who don't know, which might be all of you, the Polly Pocket Cutant line consists of creatures who are the amalgamation of an adorable animal and a inanimate object.

So in other words, Polly Pocket now has pets that are the horrific result of genetic engineering gone wrong. Damn you Polly Pocket, why must you remind us of the horrors of science run amok?! Look no further than the entire subset of Cutants which are adorable creatures combined with tasty treats. One of them is Pigwhich, the Pig who has been combined with a cheeseburger. EAT HIM!

But let's talk about Catsette, the Cat crossed with a cassette tape, something the target demographic might be completely unfamiliar with, and Boomboxer, a boxer dog combined with boom box... a boom box that plays cassette tapes... So explain to me why Soundwave needs to be a jet? They feature almost no articulation, and at their original asking price of $4-$5, completely not worth it. But discount it to $1.50 and you've got yourself a deal. Especially once I found out Boom Boxer has an action feature. Press his handle down and his jaw moves.

Ultimate Construct Collection.

2012-01-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Toys R Us had this set, and all Green Lantern toys, on sale, do I picked it up. I'm doing what had always been my, and most people's plan, ever since it was revealed that the 4" Green Lantern movie toys constructs could be attached to the DCUC Green Lanterns by using the blast piece that came with larger Green Lantern 4" figures like Kilowog. Which means i could get rid of the Hal Jordan figure. Because screw Hal Jordan. It's pretty representative of the entire 4" DC figures. 6 points of articulation, weak plastic, boring sculpt, boring paint, very meh.

As for the constructs themselves, they're fairly solid. But when you connect them with the connector piece, they stick far out there. It's like the Green Lanterns only wanted to affect things far away from them. Like they don't want anything to violate their personal space. I'm also a little disappointed by the variety. I know there were only eight constructs, but three of them are essentially claws and two of them are spinning blades. That leaves shield, rocket launcher, and bow/arrow.

Fearless Fotog, as played by Mark

2012-01-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

As I considered purchasing the Fearless Fotog today, I realized that his character profile which indicates that his MO of humiliating his enemies by showing their defeat repeatedly on his chest means he is essentially the car from the Kids In the Hall sketch about the smart car alarm.

White Tiger and Hand Ninja

2012-01-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

The box profile completely ignores the part where White Tiger dies, gets resurrected, and is made evil by magic and demons. Instead it presents her as a hero from a poorly received Tamora Pierce miniseries and legacy character for a hero no one really remembers.

And the Hand Ninja is an over the top ninja! With all the bits you need to army build an army of red ninjas that aren't identical, even though that's kind of the Hand's thing.

Why'd I get them? I'm something of a completist and wanted the Hand Ninja, so I picked it up during a Black Friday sale a couple months ago. As for the White Tiger, I don't know the character, but I sort of like the design of the costume, so I didn't feel to bad about getting her. Still, star of the show here is the Hand Ninja.

Young Justice Robin

2012-01-23T00:02:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I didn't have a 6 inch Robin figure, but the real reason I got this was it was $10 on clearance and I really wanted that rooftop diorama. The Robin figure is just a nice afterthought, although I don't watch Young Justice so I don't know which Robin this is. I'm just going to pretend it's Drake and pose him next to Azrael Batman.

But yeah, that diorama is awesome.

Muppet Orange Whatnot Kit

2012-01-20T01:13:00.000-08:00

So after seeing a couple interesting blog entries about Muppet Whatnots I realized that I wanted one hardcore. I'm a huge Muppet fan, and of course I've wanted a Muppet since I was a kid. And one that can be customized? Hell yeah. So I used some giftcards and BAM!

Orange Muppet Whatnot Kit from the FAO Schwarz collection at Toys R Us. I got this before they were jacked up another $10. The hoodie cost another $20, which is a little bit much for what is essentially toddler clothing. Seriously, I ended up returning this one and just buying a hoodie from the Toddler Section at Target.

Because the Muppet is naked, and no clothes are included. What are included are extra eyes, hair and noses which connect via gravity and/or Velcro. It's pretty damn cool. Seriously, I love it.

There's a blue one too, but that one's eyes were more feminine and most importantly, the blue one did not have a mustache and beard. So I went with the orange one. Because mustache.

Pepper Potts and Hammer Drone

2012-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's the Iron Man 2 Gwyneth Paltrow minimate! and a giant robot! I haven't seen the movie yet but I think it's a bad guy!

But yeah, I was never really planning to get this set since, again, I haven't seen the movie and Pepper Potts minimate looks nothing like Gwyneth Paltrow. Maybe if she came with a acoustic guitar so she could do a bad cover of "Forget You." Oh, that was mean. Sorry.

But the set was $3 on Amazon, which makes it the perfect little item to push orders over $25 to get free S/H. The figures are okay, but neither can move their head very far due to restrictions caused by the hair or giant robot collar. Although the Pepper Potts figure could do a decent job doubling as a Namora figure.

Announcement

2012-01-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

So, let me just say that I'm not going to be buying any Doctor Who toys for the next month (Unless there's an unbeatable sale, like all figures $1 or something) so I can save up all my toy buying for the Gallifrey One Convention in February. So any Doctor Who Toys I review in this period were bought a while ago and I'm just getting around to them now.

So when I get back from the convention? Cybermen Week. That's right, Cybermen Week coming February 27th or sometime after that. Whenever I get around to it. I'm busy, okay?

AMP Episode 25: Ice Cream Trooper

2012-01-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Newest episode of the Articulated Monster Podcast is now up.

Hopefully I've made it easier to follow along the news segment by actually describing what the news is in the episodes.

And remember, next episode will be our special audio commentary to Star Trek 2: Wrath of Kahn. So get your own copy of the movie so you can follow along!

Jeff Gorvette

2012-01-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Man, I was thinking they would never release any new Lego Cars 2 single figures. Glad to see I was wrong. now I just wish they could be more like this. I've come to the conclusion that I really prefer the Cars 2 figures when they're race cars. Something about the design is awesome. Unfortunately most of the Cars 2 figures aren't race cars, and for some reason that disappoints me. Who knew I had a thing for Lego race cars... although considering that's what got me back into Lego in the first place, I should have had an inkling.

This is Jeff Gorvette. I didn't see the movie, but I've seen the Wikipedia page, so I know he was voiced by Jeff Gordon in the American version of Cars 2, but his character and voice was replaced with region appropriate cars/racers in other countries. And now you know that too.

Superman vs. Power Armor Lex

2012-01-11T02:37:00.000-08:00

You know how there's complaints out there about Lego lines being too male oriented and disenfranchises girls? Considering this set is about how Superman needs to rescue Wonder Woman from Lex Luthor, they might have a point. Especially since Lex is in a Kryptonite suit. It seems like if anything, Wonder Woman should be rescuing Superman. Hell, the mini-comic that comes with the set includes a "hilarious" bit where Superman tries to free Wonder Woman with his heat vision and instead blows her up on accident, which he plays off with an embarrassed shrug.

Superman is an excellent Lego minifig, but I'm a bit disappointed by Wonder Woman.The way her torso is painted makes her look like she's wearing a red tank top.

And I've got to say, even though I bough this set for the minifigures, the Lex Luthor Robot Suit is one of the best Lego giant robot suits I've had the pleasure to build and then play with. It has a solid design but the articulation is top notch, not something I usually experience with Lego Robot suits.

Horn Head

2012-01-09T02:36:00.000-08:00

You know what, it was on clearance for under $1.50. The real question is Why wouldn't I buy That Toy?

Luigi!

2012-01-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

I won't go into this one very much. I got it because I needed a Luigi and didn't want to buy any of the sets that Luigi comes with. The other James has been doing a pretty good look at the single bagged Mario Kart k'nex minifigures that can be found on toy shelves, but I've still got one question.

Why do they need to be packaged wrapped in tissue paper? It's the first bagged minifigures that I've seen like this, and it makes very little sense to me.

Mater's Spy Zone

2012-01-05T01:50:00.000-08:00

Despite loving the Lightning McQueen version of a Lego Racers car, I never really picked up any of the other Cars 2 sets. Mostly because of how much they cost, fortunately there's a thing called Christmas. And Mario got me this.

That's Holly Shiftwell, the female secret agent from England, and Mater, Larry the Cable Guy in a less racist truck form. Well, it's Agent Mater, which you can tell because he has rocket boosters and a gun. Because why the hell not. It also comes with a nifty computer, but the impressive bits are all stickers.

I like expanding my Lego Cars collection a little more, if nothing else than I feel like they're not actually Lego cars but Lego Minifigures... Because aren't they really? I mean, they don't use stickers on the Cars characters, they're all printed on, which these days only happens on minifigs.

AJ got me a potentially racist toy. Samurai

2012-01-04T01:40:00.000-08:00

Oh Samurai, your powers didn't even have anything to do with the Samurai and yet that's what you called yourself. Should I be offended that you didn't wear a shirt, basically making yourself insanely vulnerable? Is it because of your wind powers? Or the ancient arts of superpowers that you learned somehow despite being a mild mannered History Professor?

I dunno, whenever I hear about an Asian Superhero who has ancient magic that he uses in battle, I always cringe. Even if he did get additional superpowers from a New Genesis ray from space.

I think this movie by YOU SAID YOUR DAMN NINJA COULD TAKE CARE OF ROBOCOP PRODUCTIONS, says it best...

AMP Episode 24: Pinball Machine Wife

2012-01-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

Episode 24 of the Articulated Monster Podcast is now up. It's the 2011 Year end wrap up.

Buyer's remorse: DC Universe Edition

2012-01-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

You know, one of my New Years resolutions was going to be to not buy toys through January unless they were from a convention or special toy show. Then I went to a Target that had some good clearance deals and a selection of DC Superheroes Legos. And that resolution ended in less than 24 hours.

But since this is about my Buyer's Remorse, let's go over why I bought each item and why I might want to return them. Because the name of this blog is WHY DID I BUY THAT TOY?

1. Fisher Price Little People: Batman & Joker
I got this for my young cousin who is going to get hand me downs of his sisters Little People toys, so I thought I'd give him a boys toy update. Then if he gets into Batman I'll always know what to get him for Christmas and Birthdays. Also, it was on clearance, so I got a little bit off an otherwise expensive toy. I'm not set to see my cousin for a while, so I might return this if I find a better present for him.

2. Catwoman's Catcycle City Chase Lego set.
Even though they were hard to find at Toys R Us at Christmas, the prediction that these DC Superheroes Legos would be plentifully available at Target after the holidays has proven correct even sooner than anticipated. This is one of the basic sets, and I've wanted a Batman Lego ever since I got into Legos (which was long after they put out the Batman Lego toys.) But I'm still on the fence about keeping this set. I feel I'll make my decision after I see/get the big Joker's Carnival set which comes with Batman, Robin, Joker, Harley, Riddler, and thug. After that if I think $12 is worth a Catwoman/catcyle then I'll hold onto this.

3. Young Justice Aqua Lad and Robin 6 inch figures
I got these because they were half off. I don't have either character in this scale, but they're animated style faces are a sharp difference from the rest of my DCUC collection. That said, $10 for the Robin Rooftop base seems like it might be sorta worth it. And I'm pretty sure this may be the only 6" DCUC figure of this Aqualad ever made. And even if it's not, this one was $10, came with insane accessories and a cool looking diorama base.

On the other hand, $20 for figures I'm not even sure I really want just because I like the diorama bases? I need to think on this one.

Explain it to me.

2012-01-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

So if Toys R Us owns Fao Scwarz and that's why they sell FAO Schwarz merch in Toys R Us stores, why are they insistent that their coupons not count toward FAO Schwarz merchandise?

I'm just pissed because this means I can't use coupons for Muppet Whatnot accessories. Also because for some reason they upped the price $10 right after Christmas, so after I played with one for a while and decided I wanted another I ended up paying $10 than the last one. What the hell Toys R Us. What the hell?

Let's start the New Year off with a bang!

2012-01-01T01:30:00.000-08:00

Get it, because Megatron turns into a gun. A tiny, tiny gun. Because it's a legend class figure that's smaller than 4 inches high.

Secret War Captain America and Crossbones

2011-12-30T01:50:00.000-08:00

Crossbones is Red Skull's protege, so he's a mass murdering neo-Nazi. He's also one of the few Captain America villains they've made a minimate for. I think Crossbones brings the total number up to three.

To be fair there aren't that many memorable Captain America villains period.

Meanwhile, to get Crossbones I had to also get this Secret War Captain America. Not Secret Wars, the groundbreaking miniseries from Marvel. No, this was Secret War, Brian Michael Bendis' masturbatory spy thriller where a bunch of superheroes went to Latveria because it was revealed all the super villains got their super technology from the same place and not from the way shown in their actual origin stories. Oh, and Captain America wore a darker version of his costume because he was going into Latveria secretly. And that makes sense to someone somewhere.

Thanos (Marvel Universe)

2011-12-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I visited a collectible toy store in Sacramento that was having a sidewalk sale featuring independent vendors. I scored some sweet DC Universe Classics and McFarlane NFL deals for my brother, but I wavered quite a bit when it came time for me to pick out my purchases. I ultimately settled on this Marvel Universe figure of the cosmic villain Thanos, which was available for a pretty favorable seven dollars, about a buck cheaper than at retail. This was quite a catch, given the figure has been particularly difficult to track down in stores during the year or so it's been out.

I'm very glad I chose Thanos, as it's a superb figure. Sharing a basic sculpt with the earlier Juggernaut figure from the line, the Mad Titan is a very hefty offering for the price point, coming in at around twice the size of my Tony Stark Iron Man, the only other Marvel Universe toy I own. He's very well-articulated, though his hips are difficult to pose. In addition to the standard display base (he really doesn't need it--he has no trouble standing fine on his own), Thanos comes with a proper accessory: an interchangeable Infinity Gauntlet! It's easy to swap out with the standard gloved fist, and given the figure's size, its inclusion makes this purchase all the more satisfying. I'm not hankering to collect Marvel Universe beyond a few standout items (I've already got enough Marvel toys in 5" and 6" scales), but this well-sculpted and totally fun Thanos is definitely one of those. Track it down if you can find it.

Guess what came in the mail!

2011-12-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

It's the Palisade's Animal figure I ordered! Yay! He comes with growing pills, like from the movie. The first one, not the one that just came out and all the veteran Muppet performers are disavowing.

Oh, and he's got corporate branding because he's an exclusive figure with a drum featuring the sponsor's logo on it! Because CAPITALISM!

Thor and Lady Loki

2011-12-28T01:36:00.000-08:00

So there was a short period where Loki was reincarnated but accidentally ended up in Sif's body. For that short period in the comics Loki went around as a sexy woman. So, yes, for a while Loki was a transexual, but of course because it's comic books, they ignored this aspect of the character and Loki just went around as a femme fatale until he got his original body back.

And now I have a minimate to commemorate that time.

He has a hat.

2011-12-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

I bought another 11th Doctor figure! This one has a cowboy hat! That's it. That's the only different thing.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 24

2011-12-24T02:32:00.000-08:00

Day 24:
So apparently the gestation period of the Bensaurus is about a day. Which is why this morning we were awoken to the sounds of a baby Bensaurus cracking through its shell and being born. It's certainly an adorable little guy. No idea if its a boy or a girl, since apparently I'm really bad at guessing that. Either way it is adorable. And large.

It is a very large baby dinosaur, especially in relation to the parent. And that egg looks bigger than the ones from yesterday.

I really hope this is really a Bensaur baby and Ben Jr didn't steal another dinosaur's egg. It's hard to tell at this stage. Charlene says we'll love it either way, but really? What if it turns out to be a dinosaur that spits acid at people. Well, as long as Ben Jr. can keep it under control, I guess it should be fine.

Hmm, no more holes left to dig up. I guess Ben Jr. dug up the last ones. Is that where this baby came from? This is so confusing. I'm going to have to get Charlene to start doling out answers. Otherwise I'm going to have to just guess my way through my weird existence with my dinosaur family. Actually, that doesn't sound too bad when I put it that way.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 23

2011-12-23T03:16:00.000-08:00

Day 23:
Well, now I know why Ben Jr. was so excited. It turns out Ben Jr. isn't a "he." Also, she's got some eggs now. She was really proud of them too, she kept showing them off to me and Charlene. Fortunately Ben Jr. trusted us enough to let us get close to her nest. It was fascinating. Charlene might be even more excited than Ben Jr. She kept saying that we were going to be grandparents.

You know, this is all pretty weird, but I really hope she means we'll be grandparents in a proud pet owner kind of way. If it turns out that we're actually Ben Jr.'s real biological parents I'm going to just stop trying to understand how any of this works anymore.

Snowmiser

2011-12-22T04:10:00.000-08:00

I never watched the special that Snowmiser was in (The Year without a Santa Claus... where Mrs. Claus and the elves try and grant a Florida kid's Christmas wish to see it snow in Florida.) but I've seen the youtube clips of his big song and dance number, and it's been stuck in my head since 2002.

It's a fun little song. So when I saw the vinyl figure I passed because I'm not a huge fan of vinyl figures.

But then I saw it sold out and I realized I was a little disappointed. I mean, a little decoration of Snowmiser to remind me of how much the song has stuck with me over the last decade wouldn't be a horrible thing.

And then I saw it on sale so I figured what the hell. So I bought it. I think I'll keep it in the box and display it that way. Somehow it feels like it would be a little more tacky to display it out of the box. The box adds a touch of class... or structure... or something.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 22

2011-12-22T03:13:00.000-08:00

Day 22:
When we got back to the land mass, we found that Ben Jr. had already dug up one of the remaining pits and pulled out a large straw nest of some sort. He's very excited about it. It's understandable, now he has some bedding to sleep on.

Man, I hope one of the other pits has a sleeping bag or a cot or something. Even a pillow would be nice.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 21

2011-12-21T05:04:00.000-08:00

Day 21:

Charlene found her magnifying glass, which for some reason she kept separate from her other tools. She says this is the last thing she remembers having on her before she blacked out. There's only a few pits left, so I'm not entirely sure what else we're going to find. So far everything has been so vague. I guess I'm a Paleontologist... either that or a game warden in a Dinosaur Park where they have living Dinosaurs. Would those two things be considered the same field of study? I'm so confused.

Charlene isn't very helpful. She's being coy and guarded with her answers. She says it's adorable to watch me stumble around like this. That makes me think we knew each other before this whole mess started.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 20

2011-12-20T01:28:00.000-08:00

Day 20:
Charlene captured a turtle. I like turtles, so that was kind of cool. Charlene even agreed not to cut it open and kill it. I really hope that means she isn't going to cut it open and keep it alive. Charlene says she has some suspicions about wherever it is we are, but she wants to wait to make sure she's absolutely certain before she tells me.

Could it be that Charlene is a better scientist than me? Probably, I'm betting that remembering science is necessary to be good at science. I really hope I can get my memories back.

Articulated Monster, Episode 23: Apologies to Vince Guarardi

2011-12-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

Episode 23 of the Articulated Monster is now up.

It's our Christmas episode. If you want to follow along during the news segment, here are the links.

2012 MOTUC updates
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/mattel-pours-on-the-motuc-updates

Internal Devastation Mortal Kombat 6"
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=141&itemid=18064

GI JOE retaliation trailer
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=9&itemid=18062

dc direct arkham city
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=10&itemid=18066

Minimates Classics
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/kickstart-your-minimates-collection-with-marvel-minimates-classics

Men In Black Figures
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=137&itemid=18082

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 19

2011-12-19T01:25:00.000-08:00

Day 19:
Yup, Charlene's really good at this. She found her tools right away, including a scalpel which I suppose means she's going to cut the lizards open. She saw that I was looking a little squeamish at the prospect and promised to do it somewhere I couldn't see. That was nice of her. She also thanked me for digging up her things, even though she chose the spot to dig. She might have just been trying to flatter me, but it was still a pleasant day of hard labor.

If I'm that squeamish then I think we can safely assume I wasn't a biologist.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 18

2011-12-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

Day 18:
Charlene dug up another pit and wow, two lizards came out. Two! That makes the one lizard I found a couple weeks ago seem rather lame. Charlene decided to trap the lizards. She thinks that maybe the pits served some sort of purpose that might have affected us in some way. She wants to study the lizards.

She says that she had a set of tools before she was taken, so she wants to dig around and try to find them. She's a lot better at finding relevant things than I am, so I'm going to let her pick where to dig next. She seemed to appreciate that.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 17

2011-12-17T01:15:00.000-08:00

Day 17:
Charlene used my shovel to uncover her animal trap. She suspects the pits are filled with all of the things we had with use when we were taken. If that's true she was travelling with an animal trap and I was travelling with a motorcycle, dinosaur, and dinosaur skeleton. I'm not sure if I fully accept Charlene's theory, but it's better than anything I've come up with so I'll hold my tongue for now.

I admit I was afraid that Ben Jr. would get jealous of Charlene, but he seems to like her. I like her too, although for all I know I could be married to someone in the world. Or she could. She doesn't recognize me so we never knew each other before this world of holes, so what possible reason is there for us to be buried in the same area?

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 16

2011-12-16T01:30:00.000-08:00

Day 16:
Big news, we dug up another pit and it was a woman! I'm shocked that she was buried for 16 days. If I had known I would have dug her up earlier. Her name is Charlene and she says she's a biologist. I was surprised to find that she wasn't at all put off be Ben Jr. In fact she seemed to take it in stride. What kind of world is this? Are dinosaurs commonplace?

Charlene is experiencing some memory loss too, but not as much as I am. She remembers her name, most of her life. In fact the only missing piece seems to be how she got buried in a hole. The last thing she remembers was trying to catch some small lizards to run some tests on and then- nothing. I asked if she knew me, but she said she didn't. She did say I was kind of cute and that she liked my hat. That pleased me even more than I would have thought.

She did wonder where her equipment had gone. I showed her the items I had already uncovered, but she didn't recognize them. She did seem interested in the lizard and snake I mentioned, but we couldn't find them. Me and Ben Jr. showed her our bit of land and she thought it made a lovely home. I hope she decides to stay with us.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 15

2011-12-15T01:08:00.000-08:00

Day 15:
We found some tree branches so we jammed them into the stump we already had. Now our land is a little more green. Ben Jr. really likes this. Now we can truly consider our patch of land a home. I think I'll hold off on putting up the skeleton I found earlier. I'm afraid it might spook Ben Jr. He's not old enough to confront his own mortality.

And I shudder to think what kind of trauma he would experience if it turns out the skeleton is his mother or something like that. (The dead one is a fair shot better than Ben Jr. Although maybe female Bensaurs are always bigger.)

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 14

2011-12-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Day 14:
After a day of digging, Ben Jr. and I were overjoyed to find a tree for our area of land. The hardest part was bringing it back and planting it, but we both feel it adds something to our home. I noticed that it seems like the tree has the possibility for growth, so hopefully it will grow or we'll find something to jam in there.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 13

2011-12-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

Day 13:
We found a lizard. A tiny, small lizard. Compared to everything else I've found this has proven a bit disappointing. Hell, even the scorpion was found with a video camera.

Fortunately Ben Jr. didn't seem to mind. He was fascinated by the little creature. I think he might step on it and eat it later.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 12

2011-12-12T01:17:00.000-08:00

After some careful digging, Ben Jr and I were able to find a rather nice bit of land. It even had various fauna growing out of it. Ben Jr. was very excited by it and I must admit to admiring the beauty of it myself. So far the landscape has been rather dry and garrish. The holes I've been making in the ground hasn't helped matters. I think Ben Jr. and I will call this place home for now. We'll set up a base camp... or would if we had any supplies to create a shelter. As it is, we'll just return here repeatedly to sleep.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 11

2011-12-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

Day 11:
I uncovered another dinosaur today. But this time it was alive! My memory may be spotty, but I'm pretty sure that there shouldn't be anymore living dinosaurs. Where the hell am I?

I think I must be a paleontologist, because right away I realized that based on the bone structure of the dinosaur I encountered, he must be a Bensaurus. I have decided to name him Ben Jr. Despite being a clear carnivore, Ben Jr. seems rather placid. Almost friendly. I believe he is a carrion eater. How do I know this? I suppose the science is still in my head somewhere.

Also I saw him eating an animal we found dead in the ground. Yes, I was with him. He has taken to following me around. At first I was worried, but I am glad for the company and he is very effective at scaring away the snakes, scorpions, and other dangers in the jungle. (I'm pretty sure I'm in a jungle.)

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 10

2011-12-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

Day 10:
I don't know who buried these things, but why would you bury a video camera with a scorpion. It makes no sense. Were they just not paying attention, or did they think this was clever? Did someone film scorpion fights? Was it me?

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 09

2011-12-09T02:07:00.000-08:00

Day 9:
Today was rather harrowing. As I began to dig into the ground, what should emerge but a snake! I will need to be more careful in the future. I don't know what dangerous creatures might be dwelling beneath the surface of this strange place. I have no weapons to defend myself, except perhaps the ax.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 08

2011-12-08T01:35:00.000-08:00

Day 8:
While testing out my new shovel, I happened to dig up some dinosaur bones. The ease at which I did it supports my theory that I am a paleontologist. Based on what I dug up, I realized that I had enough bones to construct a complete skeleton. I quickly went about this (again, supporting my paleontologist theory).

The result is an impressive specimen. Larger than a man, this bi pedal dinosaur resembles a bird in so many ways that it seems obvious that dinosaurs are the ancestor to our avian contemporaries. I have decided to name this dinosaur the Bensaurus.

7th Doctor (Again)

2011-12-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

I've already purchased two figures of the 7th Doctor, (one I mentioned here and the other was part of the 11 Doctor set) but they both had his darker jacket, the one he wore during the last season of the show when he was trying to give off a vibe of being more mysterious and manipulative. But when the 7th Doctor first showed up he was more clownish, and his suit was cream colored, reflecting his lighter approach.

So if you're going to do a figure of a smiling Doctor, I prefer that it be one of him the cream colored suit. That's why the one that came with the Electronic TARDIS never sat right with me. Also, I didn't like how badly his hat clashed with his jacket. I don't know why.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 07

2011-12-07T01:03:00.000-08:00

Day 7:
I have found what appears to be a set of tools that have been fused together. These are digging tools, although ironically I had to dig them up. If I can figure out how to separate these tools then digging should prove much easier. That would be nice.

If these are my tools then why would I fuse them together? How would I fuse them together? Maybe they were struck by lightning.

I don't know if I'm a scientist, but if I am, I wonder what field of study would require a pick ax, a shovel, and an ax. Do I study mining and lumberjacks?

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 06

2011-12-06T01:08:00.000-08:00

Day 6:
I have found two radios and a flashlight. The flashlight affixes to the front of the motorcycle, which is convenient but odd. As to the radios, why are there two? Am I meant to be partnered with someone? If so, then where are they? The questions continue to mount.

Episode 22: Hulk Dong

2011-12-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

Aaaand, Episode 22 of the Articulated Monster Podcast is now up. Go download it from Talkshoe, your RSS feed, or iTunes. Or you could use this handy embedded audio player.

To follow along with us as we go over the news segments, look to the links below!

Reign of the Superman figures
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=10&itemid=18020

QEE USB drives
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/new-from-toy2r-qee-usb-drives

Marvel Select Avengers Movie figures
http://www.toymania.com/news/messages/13278.shtml

Doctor Who Vinyl Figures
https://www.bigchiefstudios.co.uk/big-chief-announce-dynamix-vinyl-figurines/

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 05

2011-12-05T01:15:00.000-08:00

Day 5:
Oh thank god. In the next pit I found some cases that fit perfectly on the motorcycle. Why they didn't bury them together, I'll never know. The tracker and binoculars fit fine in the cases, but the map has proven a bit large. It will go in, but the case will not close. It doesn't matter, I'm glad to have these things.

The dinosaur printed on both cases makes me wonder, am I a paleontologist? I could be. Or I could just be someone who likes Triceratops and puts pictures of them on his vehicle. If I had the chance to do it over, I'd emblazon the cases with big bold letters that say the name "BEN" or whatever my name really is.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 04

2011-12-04T01:13:00.000-08:00

Day 4:
Some celebration is in order. Today I found a motorcycle in one of the holes. Hooray! I do not know why anyone would need to bury a motorcycle, but very little of this burying strategy makes any sense. If there is a strategy. Unfortunately there is nowhere to put my map and tracking device. But regardless, my ability to travel among this strange land should now be much quicker and less exhausting.

Ben's got himself some wheels.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 03

2011-12-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

Day 3:
Since I do not know my own name, I have begun calling myself Ben, after Benjamin Franklin. He too was a scientist, although I assume he was never buried in a pit. I can't be certain though, my memory is still gone.

I dug open another pit today. It was difficult with my bare hands, but I was able to unearth a map and an electronic tracking device. I hope that both prove useful, although I have no idea what the device is tracking. For all I know it could be something in one of these holes, or even me! That's an unsettling thought.

Cyclotron

2011-12-02T01:50:00.000-08:00

Because sometimes when you see a DCUC robot with removable chest plate that reveals the metal workings underneath and it cost under $4 new in box, you just have to say, why not?

Also, his eye visor makes him look like he's wearing sunglasses from a dystopian future.

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 02

2011-12-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

Day 2:
I have opened one of the pits and have found a pair of binoculars and a hat. The hat fits me and its general style seems to indicate that I was correct, I am some sort of Indiana Jones-esque explorer. I probably study a science of some type that leads to adventures. Or I am a scientist who desperately wishes he were a scientist like Indiana Jones. Either one is possible. I continue on...

Playmobil Advent Calendar Day 01

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Day 1:
I awoke and found myself in darkness. I had to force my way out of what turned out to be a pit in the ground. Now that I had more time to reflect, I realized that I had no idea who I was or what events had transpired that had resulted in my burial. From my dress I appear to be a suburban adventurer or a park ranger of some sort.

All around me are pits similar to the one I had to pull myself out of. I will endeavor to dig them up. Perhaps they will give me clues as to my identity.

Playmobil Nativity Scene

2011-11-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about buying a Playmobil nativity scene for years. So why now?

I resisted buying the last Playmobil set (which came with Wise Men) because the manger was made completely out of cardboard. My plan had always been to include new and wacky characters into the Nativity scene, so the manger was the primary reason I wanted to pick up a Playmobil Nativity. (Playmobil baby Jesus in his crib was the second reason.) If the manger was just cardboard... well I could do that at home so why would I buy a playset?

Then this new version came out with plastic manger and ground. No wise men (you can buy them separately) but the major players are still there. Sure the backdrop is cardboard, but I can live with that. The important bit is solid plastic. It gives it a more tangible quality.

DC Superfriends Pack

2011-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

I wonder why they called this the Superfriends pack even though Batman is the only Superfriend to be featured on it. Really, they should have called it the "Batman's Rogue Gallery" pack or something to that effect. Although I guess Batman isn't a rogue, but it still makes more sense.

I've been meaning to pick up a few more Batman Imaginext figures, but haven't because the prices have been a tiny bit more than I was willing to pay, espeically since I didn't really like the accessories that they came with. (Although I was really tempted by the Riddler Biplane.) However since I got this set with a gift card, it only cost me about $1. THAT IS WELL WORTH IT.

Especially since I can now show you what Batman looks riding a dinosaur.

AND THEY GAVE HIM A CLOTH CAPE!!!!!

Featuring Mike Haggar in the role of Galactus.

2011-11-29T01:48:00.000-08:00

Heralds of Galactus

2011-11-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Of the actual Heralds in this set, also known as the guys who find Galactus planets that he can eat, I'm only familiar with Frankie Nova and Terrax. Frankie Nova was pretty much the "nice" herald of Galactus. All the others have been very much "DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY!" Hell, Terrax's full title is Terrax the Terrible.

But this is a pretty awesome set. Terrax doesn't just get a rock to stand on, it's a flying rock. (Yeah, he has Earth Bending powers.) Frankie Nova's fire hair can be altered so it fits on a fire base that simulates her flying trail of flame hair. The other guy gets an axe. Screw him. Let's focus on Galactus.

So definately not to scale. Since the Marvel license restricts Art Asylum to producing minimate figures that are 2 inches or smaller, Galactus has to be 2 inches tall. I dunno, maybe he's been exposed to Pym Particles. But Who cares.

2 INCH MINIMATE GALACTUS WITH TINY IN SCALE SILVER SURFER!

'nuff said.

Infinity Gauntlet box set

2011-11-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

I already have a minimate Thanos with Infinity Gauntlet. Sure it's one of the older, less detailed minimates, but I kinda prefer those ones. It's more cartooney, which is what you wouldn't expect an action figure of a madman who is in love with Death so he assembles a glove that gives him godlike powers that he then uses to kill half of all life in the Universe.

But when they announced this set I knew I would have to get it one day. Because of Mephisto. They made a minimate of the Marvel Universe's substitute for the Devil. You know the guy Spider-Man made a deal with to save his aunt at the cost of his marriage. That guy. THEY MADE A MINIMATE OF THE DEVIL.

Don't get me wrong, I also like that they included Drax and Adam Warlock. I loved Infinity Watch. (It was a 90's comic about the guardians of the Infinity gems, the bits that powered the Infinity Gauntlet. It's a comic book. Live with it.) But comeon - MINIMATE DEVIL!

Oh wait, when I pulled it out of the package and tested out the joints, the ball snapped off the hip and embedded itself into the socket of the peg. It took me an hour to get it out. THE DEVIL IS BAD!

Actually this set has been out of stock for ages, and on the secondary market it goes for like $50, but there are a few stores on the internet that haven't marked it up, and thank heavens I found one. Because nothing is so ridiculous as a minimate Mephisto that I can use to try and tempt minimate Spider-man to sell his marriage.

Hey, Free Legos at Target.

2011-11-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

Oh look, it's a book. No wait, it's a deceptive envelope-slash-box thing to hide a giftcard.

Remember last year Target had those Lego gift cards, where in addition to a gift card you got a Lego version of the Target mascot? Well they're back this year, but even better. Because now they've added additional bricks. So now you can make either the Target dog, a snowman, or a Polar Bear. And it's all technically free, since the only thing you pay is the amount you put on the gift card, which you can then later redeem at Target. You lose no money, you get a bunch of Legos. How is this not awesome?

WAIT! It's even awesomer. Last year the gift card you brought in to redeem the credit was the plastic box the Legos came packed in. This year it's a much bigger box... so the gift card is an actual card that detaches from the plastic case. It's now incredibly convenient to bring the cards with you. Which is great for someone like me who will put the bare minimum on each card ($5) so I can get as many Legos as I feel is not abusing the system. The card even says "Building Permit" on it.

Is there a downside? I guess the Polar Bear looks rather suspicious. But that's about it.

I got another TARDIS

2011-11-23T00:47:00.000-08:00

So that makes the fourth TARDIS I own in the 5" line. And I've got another one on order, so man, I'm collecting a lot of these things. But let's take a look at my latest TARDIS.

Yup, it's Idris. Or the TARDIS in Idris' body after HOUSE transferred her soul to a human body. So as far as I'm concerned, this is a TARDIS figure. It is noticeably different than past TARDIS figures in that it is not a big Blue Police Box. Thank you for reading completely Obvious things, the blog.

Hey, a row of TARDIS... how do you spell the plural of TARDIS?

So, interesting side note, while the dress makes it hard to pose the TARDIS's legs, you can twist the waist around and because the way the bustle is designed the TARDIS can look pregnant.

And I'm going to stop writing now before I start making inappropriate jokes. Because the TARDIS is a woman and it can be assumed that the Doctor has genitals.

The Bizarros

2011-11-22T01:25:00.000-08:00

So, continuing my new trend of not opening figures that can't be posed and as such are better suited to be displayed only... I'm not going to open these guys...

The Bizarros! Evil, bizarro versions of the Space Lab 2021 crewmembers Debbie and Quinn from the Bizarro episode. Why is Quinn a bird thing? No one knows. It's Bizarro.

You are Bizarroed out.

So yeah, unlike many variants these guys aren't just repaints of the originals. We're seeing a whole new figure for Bizarro Quinn and while Debbie's mostly a repaint, there's some new sculpting for Bizarro Debbie's arm.

I'm HELPING!

Sorry, whenever I think of these guys I just keep imagining Bizarro Quinn shouting, "Bizarro!"

It's hilarious and you can't get it out of your mind. That reason is the only reason I bought this set. Well that and the fact that it was on sale for $3.

Accessories are the same from the Normal Quinn & Debbie set: Debbie's biological clock from the episode where she wanted a baby, the dolphin she was forced to hysterically mother when she realized she didn't want a kid with any of the other Sea Lab characters, some toy booze, and a few futuristic computer screens. All-in-all, this is a pretty damned awesome set.

Episode 21: Cobra M.U.L.E.

2011-11-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

The new The Articulated Monster Podcast episode is up.

If you want to follow along with the news, check out these links as we talk about them.

DC All-Stars DCUC replacement figures
http://thefwoosh.com/2011/11/2012-dc-universe-all-stars-sneak-peek

Celebrity Cabage Patch Kids for Charity
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=137&itemid=17921

GI Joe Collector's Club
http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/11/behold_the_beautiful_bounty_of_big_boa_bitches.php

Battleship Kree-os
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=278&itemid=17930

2011 Toy Hall of Fame inductees
http://www.toyhalloffame.org/

Blox
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/funko-release-blox-vinyl-toy-line

Animated/Live Action Lego movie
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=176&itemid=17945

Toys R Us open at 9PM Thanksgiving Night, Black Friday deals online at 9PM too
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/tru-stores-open-at-9pm-thanksgiving-night

Wal-Mart at 10PM
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/walmart-kicks-off-three-black-friday-events-starting-at-10-p-m-on-thanksgiving

Amelia Pond

2011-11-21T01:10:00.000-08:00

They finally made an Amelia Pond figure about a year after she first showed up in the show. Still no Rory figure, even though he's a main character whose actor's name appears in the opening credits. He's been in more episodes than River Song, and she's got 4 figures. Also, he's her daddy.

Um, yeah, but Amelia Pond. Considering she's Amy Pond as a child, they use Amelia Pond a lot in the show. Most likely they only planned to use her once but then they realized how good the actress is (and hey, she's the cousin of the actress who plays Amy, but they had never met until they filmed the show) and how popular the little girl version of Amy Pond turned out to be.

Incidentally, I like the character. I'm always thrilled when Amelia Pond shows up, although I hope they don't have to pull a Walt from Lost when she grows up. So when they announced a figure of Amelia Pond I was down for it. Although the fact that it doesn't come with any accessories and is smaller than other figures is kind of a kick in the pants. Would it have killed them to include... I dunno, a bowl of fish fingers and custard. Or an apple with a smiley face on it? Or a crack in a wall? Oh man, yes. I want them to make a crack in the wall as an accessory. No idea how, but DO IT CHARACTER OPTIONS! AND THEN RELEASE IT IN THE UNITED STATES UNDERGROUND TOYS!

There's a variant of this figure only available at a Doctor Who exhibit in England, so I'll never get that, but this is a good version too. The likeness isn't great, but it gets the idea across. I really dig the rain boots. The nightgown sort of acts like a dress, restricting the leg movements. But since this is a smaller figure its a lot easier to keep the figure balanced so that's good. All around a good figure.

Listener Question Post

2011-11-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

We're recording the next episode of the Articulated Monster Podcast on Sunday. If you've got a listener question, please let me know by replying to this post or e-mailing it to articulatedmonster@yahoo.com

The Tick (not the cartoon)

2011-11-18T01:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, let's get this out of the way first. This is an action figure of the Tick from the comic book, not the Tick from the cartoon or the live action series. This is supposed to be pure comic book Tick. Personally I've never been a huge fan of the comics. I, like most of America, was more familiar with the cartoon. I loved that show. So great was that love that I tried the comic books, but it was missing some of the insanity and wall-to-wall humor of the cartoon so I never really got into the comics the way I did the cartoon. (Although bits like the Clark Kent character making glasses with his fingers when his real ones get broken are gold.)

This figure is from the Shocker Toys Indie Spotlight line that I've written about before. This is from the Wave 2 preview run of that line. Which is good because the actual Wave 2 never got released. Apparently Shocker Toys is pretty good at not releasing announced toys, so make of that what you will.

But hey, onto the figure. As I've mentioned before, I really love the Indie Spotlight packaging since it's designed to let you pull out the plastic tray with the figure, play with the figure, and then put it all back into the packaging in a way that makes it look as good as new. I love that feature.

The Tick has an alternate confused head, a stop sign that's been pulled from the ground, and alternate hands that will let him hold the sign. Otherwise you can use his default happy head and fist hands. Both options work well.

Silent with Closed Mouth

2011-11-17T01:01:00.000-08:00

Good figure. Tallest Doctor Who figure I own. The Silent towers above the other figures in this line and is just as tall as the Sontaran ship... and almost as tall as the motion control TARDIS. Articulation is standard for a Doctor Who figure, featuring all the cut biceps and thigh joints that are surprising to see in a 5 inch figure. And it balances surprising well for a tall thin figure.

Okay, enough about the toy. Fanboy ranting now!

So the Silent aren't a species, they're a religion, with worshippers from multiple races. Which is fine except every time one of these species shows up, they're the Silent and nothing else. It's like how all the members of the people from Raxacoricofallapatorius are referred to as the Slitheen even though it's clearly established that the Slitheen are the name of one family on that planet. The Doctor should know better. It'd be like referring to all the people of Earth as a Rodriguez. (You thought I was going to pick a Euro-centric name, didn't you. Racists.)

Another thing I'm kinda weirded out about is the concept that you can't remember the Silence and can only realize they exist if you're looking right at them. It's like the Stone Angels, the only time you can do about them is when you're looking at them, the rest of the time you're f-ed.

Okay, ranting over.

Hello Kitty

2011-11-16T00:56:00.000-08:00

Let me just say that the blind packed Mega Bloks Hello Kitty figures are a step down from the Marvel and Halo blind packed Mega Bloks figures. Mostly because the Mega Blok minifigures usually have 7 or more points of articulation and Hello Kitty minfigures have three, their shoulders and head. Although, to be fair, that's pretty much keeping in step with the character design.

Meanwhile the figures are easy to find in their blind packs. The feel and squeeze method works amazingly well since the figures all come with easy to differentiate base blocks and accessories. So when I wanted the basic Hello Kitty without a hat and traditional coloring, I found it in less than two minutes.

HOORAY.

But it cost $3.49.

BOO!

No Playskool, just no.

2011-11-15T01:45:00.000-08:00

So I got a giftcard from Kohls, or maybe it was a coupon, basically $10 off anything over $10. So I went over there on my lunch break and looked around. They had a pretty good sale on the toys (40% off certain items) so I ended up buying the mildly racist Potato Head set.

That's Karate Chips Potato Head, complete with butter knife sword and peeler-chucks. And a headband with a Japanese Caligraphy-esque design styled on it. That's not racist in and of itself, although it certainly is on the edge of it. But there are plenty of non-Asians who practice Karate and wear stuff like that. No, what gets me playing the race card is that on the packaging the figure is placed in front of a digital backdrop of bamboo. That is definitely playing up the Asian-ness of this figure and whatthehell? As I've mentioned before, I'm disappointedly frustrated when the only depictions of Asians in a toyline are Martial Artists.

So yeah, I bought it because stereotypical depictions of Asians in toylines is fairly hilarious to me because of how lame and sad they are, while at the same time exposing the possible ignorance of the manufacturer.

Oh well, at least the face pieces didn't include squinty eyes or buckteeth. Also not included: A Potato head. This is just the pieces to expand whatever Potato head you already have. That's perhaps the most disappointing part of all. (Although it's also probably why I was able to buy this for less than $10.)

Oh what hell, Character Building?

2011-11-14T02:14:00.000-08:00

Character Building is Character Options line of lego-like block toys. They're most prominent for their Doctor Who figures, but they've begun making the leap into generic building toys. They have their own design for minifigures, as all building block toys usually do, and based on the strength of Doctor Who license they were able to do a series of blind packed Doctor Who minifigures. Since it's a Doctor Who Line, there's not a huge call for Character Building stuff in the mass market retail chains.

Which is why I was shocked to find Character Building minifigures blind packed figures at Target in their trading card section. For $2 you could get a blind packed generic Character Building minifigure. Which would be neat if the reason most Americans gave a damn about Character Building was anything other than Doctor Who toys. They don't even look like great figures, but whatever. I searched around for one of the UNCOMMON figures, the zombie with an exposed brain, and picked one up so I could ascertain whether the figures were good enough to be worth my while to seek out the Doctor Who figures.

And for $2 I can happily say, no, no they're not. Let's not even get into the part where the RARE figures are repainted versions of the COMMON figures so the ol' squeeze and feel method won't help you find a RARE figure. The things are not very detailed, the paint's a little sloppy, and hey, some of them don't come with any accessories. Like the zombie. I mean, sure, I think the Lego minifigures are over-priced, but at least they come with cool accessories and amazing paint decals. I dunno man, do I really want Cybermen if they're just versions of these figures.

Yes, but only because they're Cybermen. And I don't want to pay the going rate for them.

Choose wisely...

2011-11-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

So if you've listened to the Articulated Monster Podcast, then you know that in December I'm going to open up a 1990's vintage style Lego Advent Calendar.

I've decided that as a narrative conceit, I'm going to have the calendar results be explored by some minimates. But I'm going to give you a chance to help out, by deciding which minimates will explore the Calendar. Your choices are most noble explorers: The Silver Surfer (with possible help by the rest of the Defenders) or the Enterprise Away Team (with possible help by other Star Trek characters.)

Vote in the comments below.

Just a thing.

2011-11-11T23:24:00.001-08:00

Thanks to pre-ordering, I think I've purchased 90% of the toys I'm going to buy for the next 3 months. Lord, it's going to cost so much...

So on Black Friday, I will not be looking for toys.

Mongoose

2011-11-10T02:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know about Halo. Played part of the first game, watched the Rooster Teeth series Red vs. Blue, and that was about it. I'm also not a huge fan of Mega Bloks. So why would I buy this set?

2 reasons. 1) buildable turret and 2) ATV that is also a miniversion of the Warthog. Also, it was on sale. Mostly that last part, since I've been passing this in the toy aisle for a year without picking it up. I'm sorry, but I was burned on the Mega Bloks Warthog when they left out important blocks and I had to stop about halfway into the build. Ever since then, I haven't been too eager to get Halo Megabloks.

But this is a nice set. The Mongoose is pleasantly solid and looks a lot nicer than I thought it would while I was building it. It looks like a real toy vehicle. The Turret is kinda weird, because it's an alien turret and thus the gun looks... well it looks really fake. Really, really fake. The alien minifigure is kind of nice though, and I like his alien energy sword. But that doesn't redeem the fakieness of the turret. Still, at least the turret spins. Like a turret should.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, wave 1, Toys R Us Exclusives

2011-11-08T02:21:00.000-08:00

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 minimates are awesome because it allows never before Marvel figures to be released and ensure the expansion of the Street Fighter Minimate line from like a decade ago. Now the way Diamond is distributing these is a bit weird. For Each wave 6 box sets of two figure will be released. 2 of these sets are sold wherever Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 minimates are being sold. 2 of these sets are available only through Direct retailers (comic book stores and collectible toy stores). 2 sets are only available through Toys R Us. I've already pre-ordered the 4 sets only available through direct retail, so I knew I'd have to wait and snatch up the Toys R Us Exclusive figures when they became available.

And that would be last weekend. So BAM!

Hulk vs Mike Haggar:

Because shirts are for puny wussy men. This set pretty much establishes the complete lack of character connection in choosing these packs. Do they have a similar design scheme? Good enough! Which explains why other packs include the guys wearing suits of armor (Iron Man vs Arthur the Knight) or guys with swords (Deadpool vs. Dante) or even girls with wings (Phoenix vs Morrigan) Based on the way these things were packaged, I'm not entirely sure which accessories are meant to go with which characters. Who gets the cloud of dust/smoke. Who gets the clear base? I'm assuming Hulk gets the base because the new arms and legs he gets to make him appear bulked up include a larger than normal hole on the bottom of his foot and the peg on the base seems a little larger than usual.

Meanwhile, Haggar obviously get the pipe. Because he's a mayor and mayors need pipes. To beat up street gangs that kidnap their daughters. And he gets the dust cloud because I had to put it somewhere.

Magneto vs Zero

See, it's two guys with metal helmets. I wish Zero were Mega Man, but since the game designers though Zero had the more interesting move set, I get him instead. He's still got a blaster arm, which is of small comfort. Although I notice there's no alternate hand for the blaster arm. So he's always going to have a blaster arm... is that how it's supposed to be? I stopped playing Megaman games at Megaman 3, and even then I never really finished the games, so I don't know about Zero at all. I only know about Tron Bonne and Roll from Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Dude's got a ponytail for cripes sake. MEGA MAN DIDN'T HAVE NO PONYTAIL. Zero does have a laser sword though, so that's nice. I guess.

And look, another Magneto figure. Sure. Why not. At least he gets a new flying base and a helmet that was previously released in a 2-pack I never picked up. So those are welcome accessories. The glowing purple "magnetism" works well, but I've already got a few of those. Other than that, this is a standard Magneto minimate release.

Articulated Monster Episode 20

2011-11-07T03:27:00.000-08:00

And BAKOW! Episode 20 of the Articulated Monster Podcast is now up.

There's a short news segment this week, if you want to follow along here's the links we looked at

Mez Itz Dark Knight figures & accessories
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/mezco-toyz-releases-details-on-four-new-the-dark-night-mez-itz-items

Lego Universe Closing
http://www.toymania.com/news/messages/13227.shtml

Changes to Halo Wave 6
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=14&itemid=17917

We're always looking for potential guests. If you think you'd like to join us and you can connect via Skype, let one of us know. As the guest you'll get to pick the topic of the week/episode.

Buyer's Remorse returns

2011-11-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

So this weekend the only item I picked up which spurred the Buyer's Remorse is this guy. I'm not certain if I'm going to keep this Jack Knight DCUC figure, but I've never seen one before so I figured I should pick it up... just in case. So should I keep it? I don't know. That it has less articulation that most DCUC figures is kinda weird. But really, how much am I going to pose it?

And I love the character and I like that they printed the astrology star from the back of his figure.

This year's 300th post!

2011-11-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

And the 300th post this year is the regular: ASK US A QUESTION thread for the Articulated Monster Podcast. Just reply to this post below and leave your question. We'll answer it, absolutely.

We're recording on Sunday so you have until then to leave your question.

2011-11-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Whelp, got the new Lego Club magazine in the mail. There's some pretty heavy handed foreshadowing of the Lego Dinosaur releases. It's the tail end of a comic that ties the Atlantis, Pharaohs Quest, and Alien Conquest lines together. Personally I'm looking forward to it. And I love the idea that all the non-licensed Lego lines are part of one uber-line.

Also, a free DVD with Lego commercials and animated bits. It's the coollest free thing I've gotten in the mail that I'll probably never watch!

Scarlet Spider

2011-11-02T04:47:00.000-07:00

Everything I said about the character here is still applicable. Oh, but they're bringing the character back although it might be a different clone.

Who cares, I'm pretending this is 90's Clone Ben Reilly, the guy who fought Superboy. It's fun to play pretend.

Halloween Harley... I am ashamed of myself for this title

2011-10-31T04:38:00.000-07:00

I finally opened the Harley Quinn figure I've been sitting on for the last couple years. I got it since I never saw it on the shelf and then BAM, there it was. Then I never opened it.

Then I picked up the Mad Love 2 pack with the alternate Harley with a face that had less blue. But then I realized that it wasn't worth the extra cost when I've got a perfectly fine Harley at home. And so I returned the two pack and still didn't open my Harley figure.

Until last week when I figured, what the hell, my villains shelf is looking a little bare. I should spruce it up with something new. And since I'm not going to be buying a new villain figure for a while, I finally opened the Harley figure to put next to the Joker and Riddler figures I've already got on the shelf... And I got to say... It wasn't worth the wait. It's a good figure, but I really probably should have opened it years ago. The blue face isn't really an issue, just imagine that she's choking victim Harley and suddenly it all makes sense... Except why is she choking? Does the Riddler know the Heimlich maneuver and will he do it even if Harley doesn't answer a riddle?

The only serious beef I've got with the figure is that the holes on the pegs of her feet don't fit with the Super Power stands I got from Mattell. Instead I had to put her on one of the clear stands that come with the All Star DCUC figures.

Real Ghostbusters Minimates Wave 2

2011-10-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

They did a cool little hair flip thing with Peter to better represent the way his hair looked in the cartoon. It actually helps make him look hip. Which is great because to me Peter Venkman is the best of the Real Ghostbusters, until voice actor Lorenzo Music was replaced by Joey from Full House because Bill Murray complained that Music didn't sound like him.

Winston is Winston. He is cool. His figure is cool. He alone was able to stand up against the Sandman.

I guess there's some controversey about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He's supposed to be happy, not angry. It's the variant for the Toys R Us line. He's supposed to be angry in the 4 packs and some people are complaining that this angry eyebrows version robs them of the happy, friendly Stay Puft they were promised in this wave. I guess I can see that, but I'm not that big a fan of Stay Puft myself. Besides, I already have a happy smiling Stay Puft minimate from another Ghostbuster pack. I got this for the Louis Tulley as Ghostbuster figure. In the cartoon he donned the uniform a couple times. Usually when the real Ghostbusters got kidnapped by ghosts.

The Sandman. The figure is bulky but they made the Sandman into a toy and that is AMAAAAAZING! Every time I look at it I keep, hearing the Sandman calling in his raspy voice.

Evil Slimer is big and evil, and Killerwatt is likewise cumbersome. Both figures keep threatening to topple over. It's just too much weight balanced unevenly for those little clear floaty stands to handle.

Finally the Logo Ghost. I never even knew this was a real character. And he comes with a handsaw because the back of the box says he's trying to saw his way out of the logo. Genius.

Namor

2011-10-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

My thought process went like this: Hey, it's Namor wearing a Speedo. I guess I'll buy it.

Bonus: he has hip and chest articulation. He's actually got 21 points of articulation. It's like they just used the Marvel Legends Superhero Showdown mold... Is that what they did?

Cyborg Superman

2011-10-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

Say what you will about the character or how he's been used, Cyborg Superman has a great design. When he first showed up in Reign of the Supermen he was one of the horses I was betting on to be the return of Superman. I was wrong, and he turned out to be evil, and then used in increasingly stupid stories. And at some point someone decided he should be a Green Lantern villain.

Which is silly because look at him, he should always be a Superman villain. He's part Superman, part robot. ALL EVIL!

The figure is everything I could have hoped for, save for the fact that his hip joints are stiff and thus he has standing up. Also, plastic cape, which always suck. But the way they implemented the Cyborg face is great. You get the sense that his head really is a chunk of metal with a small flap of flesh stuck on top of it.

Oh and he came with Mongul.

Articulated Monster ep 19

2011-10-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

Episode 19 is up! Hooray.

Oh let's face it, I got it for the Bowser Minifigure

2011-10-21T02:25:00.000-07:00

I've lately gotten pretty into the Mario Kart K'NEX Toys. I picked up the Bowser track set and was shocked to learn that there are two types of Mario Kart toys. One consists of the stand alone Karts that are constructed using Lego like bricks and feature a pull back motor. The other is the Mario Kart toys that come with tracks. These are actually just a few model pieces that snap together, feature battery powered motors, and have no brick parts (although the engines do allow for some bricks to be connected to the Kart.) Shocking. So while I kind of liked the Brick cars, I've found that I rather enjoy the track pieces and the battery powered cars.

The minifigures are a bonus, but so far there's only been four minifigures released, so if you collect all the playsets you'll end up with a dozen minifigures of Mario alone. They're of amazingly high quality and designed so that you can place only their upper torsos on the appropriate vehicle peg to simulate the look of them driving from a cockpit.

The track pieces are a little flimsy, and I'm not putting on the stickers that come with the set that you put over the grid to simulated road textures like stone or gravel. Instead I'm leaving them neon pure. Oh, an awesome inclusion is that the track pieces come with peg pieces so you can lock the pieces tightly together and then easily remove the pegs to take them apart again.

The track versality allows you to create your own track layouts. Although the type of track pieces are sorely limited. I had to pick up a track extension pack, and even that only came with three normal straight track pieces. So many freaking curves. I get it. Curvy tracks, but sometimes I just want the damn Karts to go straight.

Then there's the obstacles. Like these Fire balls that came with Bowser and attach to the track border via K'NEX technology. So now you can temporarily knock a kart off the track, or just delay it. That is if you're willing to let your $25 Karts get banged up.

Buying the Tripod just for the Brain Slug

2011-10-20T03:32:00.000-07:00

Sure it's on sale, sure the saucer which can detach from the legs is pretty nifty, but the sole reason I wanted this Tripod Invader (from the Alien Conquest Lego line) was for the head clinger.

It's an alien that drops onto and envelops Lego minifigure heads. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!

Answer: SO AWESOME!

In fact its so awesome that I decided to try it on some of my favorite Series 1 minifigures.

Sixth Doctor in Regeneration clothing

2011-10-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

I've been passing on this figure by for a while now. Every now and then I'll see one in a Toys R Us and think "Cool, Doctor Who toys are in a Toys R Us," consider buying it, and then put it back on the shelf. Partially because I already have a 6th Doctor figure and partially because I've never been a huge fan of these regeneration figures that show the Doctor wearing the previous Doctor's clothes. They're clearly just a head swap with a body they've already got...

But this time something was different. Specifically, this time the figure only cost $3. And also its the tail end of my favorite Regeneration sequence ever on Doctor Who. Actually, the Sixth Doctor's first words post regeneration ranks as one of my favorite moments in the show. So I guess this figure is a testament to that.

And a testament to the idea that I like paying low prices for toys.

Eleventh doctor with beard and straightjacket

2011-10-18T02:53:00.000-07:00

One advantage that the new series of Doctor Who has over the classic series is that it is mor comfortable with the Doctor dressing up in clothes other than his "costume." The old series would occasionally have the Doctor wear a kilt or something, but mostly his clothes would be variations of his classic costume. The new series had The new series on the other hand would often place The 10th Doctor in a space suit or a tuxedo and not really make a fuss about it. This meant that when Character Options put out new figures of the Doctor in each wave they could offer more variations than simple color swaps, something they don't really do when releasing all their variations of the classic Doctors. There's about a half dozen variants of the Fifth Doctor and most of the variants focus on the pattern on his pants or whether he has celery on his lapel.

With the 11th Doctor the stories have gone back to the model of not having him stray too far out of his chosen outfit. The pattern on his tweed coat changes, the color of his shirt or bowtie, but it's pretty interchangeable. However what they've done differently is have the Doctor experiment with accessories. Hence the popularization of fezs in nerd culture. What this means for the toys is that the 11th Doctor can be released multiple time in the same wave but they can legitimately claim the variations might be wanted by fans. Which is why wave 6 of the Doctor Who figures includes the Doctor with beard variant.

I'm still uncertain why I love 11th Doctor variants when I couldn't give a damn about the 10th Doctor ones. Maybe it's that they have better articulation. Or maybe it's because when the 10th Doctor changed his clothes they didn't make a big deal of it. A passing aside to how he looks in a tux, but it never affected how he acted. But the 11th Doctor takes great joy with every costume variation. (this is apparently a result of actor Matt Smith being similarly exuberant. The costume designer, upon hearing that the 11th Doctor would get a fez for a few minutes in an episode, groaned because she knew Matt Smith would be so delighted he would never take it off and probably try wearing it off the set.) So each variation is associated with moments of whimsy or joy rather than the utilitarian boredom of the Tenth Doctor. It's like the 11th Doctor likes playing dress up and so the toys have more of a play time feel to them.

Which really is a long way for me to explain that the variant I seriously wanted ion Wave 6 was the Doctor in a straight jacket. And holy crap did other go all out on this. Seriously. THEY GAVE HIM DOUBLE JOINTED ELBOWS SO THAT YOU CAN TIE THE STRAIGHT JACKET ARMS BEHIND HIS BACK. And yes, they include a way to affix the arm belts to his back. It's a toy with realistic Straightjacket features.

How freaking awesome is that? Screw you 4th Doctor figure with slightly different colored jacket, this is how a good variant is made.

A-team van but smaller

2011-10-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Well here's something that I was surprised to see on a shelf at Target. I'm really loving Hot Wheels increased regularity at releasing pop culture vehicles. I wonder if they're just more attuned to the way that our culture hS become increasingly saturated with nostalgia for cultural artifacts or they just accidentally hired a huge geek who is slipping these under the radar. Or maybe their reps who go to Comiccon are coming back with skewed views about what the people want.

Either way it means I have a die cast representation of B.A. Bartacus's van. The back of the package downplays their mercenary nature, but has to keep pointing out that B.A. Would have to constNtly strip the van and put it back together due to all the crazy times they had to turn it into a death car... Because of all those greedy businessmen with their own private armies who were harassing poor small town people with hot daughters.

Minimate MAX scuba guys

2011-10-12T01:54:00.000-07:00

I usually don't like picking up minimates of generic dudes... but hey: SCUBA DIVERS! With so many accessories and extra parts that this is essentially 2.8 figures instead of just two. And they're some damn neat looking accessories. So really, I didn't buy this set for the figures, it's just a glorified accessory pack.

Which means I pretty much just bought this set to cobble together shit like this...

Scuba Spider-Man. Just like the overly indulgent action figures from the 90's.

Articulated Monster, Episode 18: Halloween... sorta

2011-10-11T03:10:00.000-07:00

New episode of Articulated Monster is up now. Download it with iTunes or whatnot.

Card Shrine

2011-10-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

Why would I buy a Lego Card Shrine? I mean you get it for free if you buy certain sets from Toys R Us. Why would I be willing to spend $10 on a promo set.

It sure as hell wasn't for the card. It's a cool lenticular 3-D card, but I don't collect Ninja Go so I'm not really digging the card... Oh wait, that's right. I got this set because it can be a shrine for any card. Any trading card at all. So suddenly it's a shrine to Sunfire...

Or a shrine to Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

Or a shrine to anything you have a trading card of. And that is pretty neat. And hilarious.

Spartan Air Assault (female)

2011-10-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

Since I like the web series "Red vs. Blue" I've been vaguely interested in The Macfarlane Toys Halo figures for years. Not so much for the Halo games. I've not been a fan. But love that "Red Vs. Blue." One day they'll make figures that will double for the characters I know and love, but when they do will I actually want to buy them? I don't know if the figures are any good.

So I picked up this Halo figure when I found it for $4. It's pink, so it's a girl! I'm assuming in the games this isn't as sexist as it seems. Or maybe it is, I don't know. The only pink armored character I know is Private Donut who is a dude because that's the joke. But hey, this figure is pretty good. The sculpting is as good as you'd expect from Macfarlane and the articulation is pretty extensive, if not a little confusing at times. There's so many joints that I have trouble keeping them aligned properly. But this does mean that the poses you can make are pretty extensive. It almost makes me want to go out and get some more, but I'm gonna wait for the figures that resemble characters I know. Unless they come out with a hilarious version of a spartan that I can't resist picking up. Like if they make a Spartan that's colored so it resembles a panda.

Articulated Monster Episode 18 questions post.

2011-10-08T01:49:00.000-07:00

We're recording an episode of The Articulated Monster Podcast on Sunday. If you have any listener questions, leave a comment here.

Statler and Waldorf

2011-10-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

Technically these two figures are sold separately, but c'mon, you know they were designed to be sold as a duo. They come with the same chairs for cripes sake.

It's a shame there's no balcony playset. Because what two figures would be better to place atop your entertainment center and criticize everything you're watching. Or maybe they're criticizing you, with their unyeilding plastic stares! OH NO!!!!

They come with a few odd accessories. The score cards and the Muppet Theater programs are fine, but they also come with Muppet vegetables! As seen in the Cosby Show episode where they had Muppets. Actually I think Statler was in that episode too.

Fun with 3 inch figures

2011-10-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jack Osborne puts on a sad little puppet show

Kirk and Bones have a heist

Spock rides a Dinosaur

Imaginext Dinosaur

2011-10-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Once it was established that these were essentially an Imaginext version of the Dino Riders I knew I had to buy one. And I went with the cheapest one, which fortunately was still pretty awesome because, hell, it's a dinosaur. With robot parts.

Awesome.

Charlie Brown

2011-10-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

I bought this a few years ago, but clearly it' from "It's te Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." The figure come with Charlie Brown and his two accessories. A sheet depicting Charlie Brown's attempt at a ghost costume (which can stand on its own and thus serve as a second figure! Score!) and a bag of rocks.

Because Charlie Brown, he got a rock.

God, that's an awesome accessory. They packaged the figure with a constant reminder of the horrible life that Charlie Brown has, but which he ultimately doesn't let get him down, because Charlie Brown has an inner strength and tranquility that most of us can only dream about. He may hate his own blockheadedness, but he knows that in the grand scheme of things, he has peace.

So yes, give him his rocks. Even in as a toy. So as far as Peanuts toys go, this is A-number 1 super awesome.

Guess I'm not getting a giant attacking Bowser statue

2011-10-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

After opening and being impressed by the Bowser Mario Kart set I looked into the Stone Bowser set and holy hell... $90?

Sure it comes with a Mario, Yoshi and Bowser minifigures, two battery powered karts, and a Bowser statue that shoots fireballs and moves its arms about, but $90? When I've already gotten all the minifigures? And when buying sets to get all three dudes with karts would still only cost me $75...

They really need to release some variant minifigures in this line or new characters, because I want so many of the playsets but can't justify buying them if I'm getting the same karts and minifigures with each set.

BUT DAMNNNNNN that's a sweet ass race track. It has a Bowser statue.

Universal Monsters Minimates, Wave 2

2011-09-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

So last year they release minimates based on the Universal Monster movies the Wolfman and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. This year it's Dracula and Frankenstein, so they're pretty much blowing their big load right now. As with last year there are direct market releases (Comic book stores) and Toys R Us releases. The Direct Market gets two sets, each devoted to a different movie and containing four figures each. Toys R Us gets four 2-packs, including the black and white variants of the main monsters. I got the other three packs.

Dracula and Van Helsing: Van Helsing looks a little dull, like an old man who wants it to be warmer. Fortunately Dracula is looking rather iconic. He will seduce your fiance and drink her blood. Because, you know, swarthy foreigners... man... historical xenophobia. Am I right, folks?

Frankenstein's Monster and Doctor Frankenstein: The doc's surgical gown is surprising detailed, but other than that, he doesn't look like anything but a generic dude. Sadly he's also taller than the Frankenstein's monster minimate. How does that work? They even gave the monster bigger shoes to match the movie design. Dang. I hope they make Munster toys and get it right.

Bride of Frankenstein and a Villager: The villager is the exclusive in this wave. Sadly, no hunchback was released this time around. But on the upside they gave the villager a pitchfork AND a torch! Everything you need to build up an unruly mob. Of one guy. A mob of one guy. Igor could have taken him out. Actually because of the hair, I think the Frankenstein's Bride might be my favorite character in the set. You can't beat that hair.