Minimate Monday: Officer Rick Grime and One-Armed Zombie

I find Rick Grimes minimates pretty boring, but when you add a crap loaf of accessories, include a bag that the minimate can carry the accessories in, and include enough alternate body parts to change the minimate's costume, then I can overlook the generic blandness of Rick Grimes facial design. Dude comes with a hatchet that can be carried by a loop in his belt, how can you say no to that?

His giant hat is weird though.

And the zombie comes with an extra arm in case you prefer a two armed

Zombie. That's the kind if customization that more minimates should feature since their design is perfectly suited to such interchangeability.

Minimate Monday: Carol and Pole Zombie

I have no idea who Carol is. Those chapters of the walking dead weren't available at my local library. Or if I did read the chapters she was in then the character just didn't leave an impression on me. But I like that she comes with alternate parts so you can take off her hat and jacket in case you want Winter Carol or Spring Carol.

Also, kinda neat that the zombie comes attached to a pole. That's a cool minimate feature. I wonder if the zombie is meant to be a boy or girl. I think I missed that issue. Was it when they were in the prison? I skimmed over a lot of those issues. Wait, was Carol the lady who got bit by the pole zombie? That would make sense.

Minimate Monday: Survivor Rick and Shot Zombie

I like to call this set: I can't believe they made a minimate of Rick after his hand was cut off . He doesn't even come packaged with an extra hand, just that bandage to represent his stump. He does come with an ax, in case you want to recreate the scene where his hand is cut off and holy crap that's sadistic of the toy makers.

As for the shot zombie, which is the real reason I got this set, they cast his torso, placed strategically under his shot up shirt, in transparent plastic, so you can see the light go through his bullet holes.

Minimate Monday: Prison Lori and Shoulder Zombie

One reason to get this set even if you don't like the Walking Dead is 1) it comes with a minimate swaddled baby and 2) the base body is of a woman in a tight fitting convict uniform and you one day hope to do a Babes Behind Bars minimate custom.

Also, I can't figure out a good way to get the shotgun to fit into her minimate hands and look like she is actually wielding it.

Incidentally, this set depresses me. Unlike the tv show, in the comic books that baby was killed in a gruesome way because Robert Kirkman... kinda a sadist.

Minimate Monday: Prison Hershel and Farmer Zombie

Okay, quick ground rule for Minimate Monday: The answer to Why Did I Buy This Toy ™ is always going to be because they're minimates and they're either of a property I have a minimal appreciation for or because I think the figure looks cool. That's all the thinking that usually goes into why I buy minimates. That said, if there's something of unique interest that made me REALLY want a minimate set then I will bring it up.

That said,

I sometime wonder if the reason they package Hershel with the Farm zombie is because they're both farmers. Seems like kinda the easy way to go, like maybe they're running out of steam. Not that I can blame them, when you're doing variants of the Hershel character your creativity reserves are probably exhausted and in desperate need of a break.

Aquaman

So I'm still checking Toys R Us for the clearance blast deals. This week I picked up one of the Mad Magazine based Just Us League of Stupid Heroes. Since Mad Magazine is published by DC Comics, this isn't really that huge of a deal.

But Alfred E Neuman Aquaman is a pretty neat figure. In addition to the accessories (The underwear on the pitchfork is removable although the tin of sardines has to be balanced or they fall out very easily.) the figure has ball jointed shoulder and a total of 14 points of articulation. Neat!

Phoenix capsule toys

Phoenix is the masterwork of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astroboy among other manga. It's an anthology series, with each volume following different characters as they either hunt (for immortality) or are influenced by the legendary Phoenix. stories range from mideival Japan, the far future, to an f-ed up story about a man who goes insane because he's forced to be immortal and live through a nuclear apocalypse and the billions of years until new humans evolve and appear on the earth. The loneliness is too much for him but he can do nothing but exist and wait.

Nobody does metaphysical torture fiction like the post-war Japanese.

So anyway I found some capsule toys of the series, although at the time I had no idea what they were. I just knew I was in a Japanese grocery store and my impulse buy compulsion made me want to get something from their toy section. Fortunately I found a toy with a space squid/octopus thing so I picked it up. It comes with a two headed woman/man. And the picture on the box shows them holding hands.

I took them home, did some research and I still have no idea what chapter these characters are from, who they are, or what the heck is going on. I just like the visual of space cephalopod. 

Hooded Michonne and Crawling Zombie

The Toys R Us version of Hooded Michonne is much better than the direct market version because of the Crawling Zombie's alternate legs. Actually I wasn't going to get this set until I found out what the outfit under Michonne's parka was.

I love the way the neon skirt and top make Michonne look like she's headed towards an 80's theme party. Also, the guts on the crawling zombie are awesome and a neat variation to the typical minimate design. And I really appreciate that they give you his legs in case you want a more traditional shambling zombie. They've really been doing great jobs with the zombie figures in this line, giving you enough spare parts to customize the zombies any way you want (so if you don't like armless figures you don't feel cheated out of an arm) or letting people use them as variable army builders

Buyer's Remorse: minimate addiction edition

So many minimates were discounted at Toys R Us this week. For some reason the newest wave of Marvel minimates are $3.99 each. I only wanted one set, but the Walking Dead and previous Marvel wave minimates were available at comparable prices. 

So my buyer's remorse is based more on my rational mind telling me not to buy even more minimates.

Sailor Zombie and Leg Bite Zombie

From the Walking Dead minimates line, I think wave 3, this is the zombie 2-pack. The zombie packs are my favorite ones from this line, because I don't really care about getting minimates of the humans, but hey, minimate zombies are cool.

Plus, minimate sailor with a striped shirt and bandanna. What sailors still wear that? Maybe he's actually from a community theater that was doing a play and he was a background character sailor when the zombies attacked!

Undressing Dr. Manhattan.

13" high and out of scale with most other 1:6 scale figures, this is the DC Direct 13" Classic Dr. Manhattan figure, the figure that has me realizing that I'm not going to buy another DC Direct 13" Classic figure unless I see one for $5 or something ridiculous like that.

Manhattan comes dressed in his suit, but underneath he's wearing his superhero duds and that's how I want to display him. Which means I had to spend about an hour undressing him. Why an hour? Because his fricking shoes are stuck on there pretty tight. If it weren't a piece of plastic I'd use a shoe horn. Instead I used my finger. The tip of my finger was numb for five days after. So let's go over the process of undressing Dr. Manhattan.

1. Fully dressed.

 Step 2. Remove the jacket to create Steampunk Manhattan.

Step 3. Remove vest to create Office Job Manhattan.

Step 4. Remove shirt and tie to create Romance Cover Manhattan... Actually I'm shocked that they've actually tied the tie onto him, no elastic band or clip on tie here. An actual Four in Hand knot. It made me a little reluctant to take it off, afraid I might undo the knot, which I wouldn't be able to retie without a lot of time, patience, and tweezers.

 5. And here's where it got to be a pain in the ass. Removing those shoes. I had to go online and look at what other frustrated collectors did. They recommended heating the shoes with a hair dryer and then pulling them off. Still difficult but at least there was some give after doing that. I had to reheat them a few times before I could finally get the blasted things off. Had to untie the shoes too.

6. All so I could get him in the Superhero Dr. Manhattan style.

I admit that I ordered this guy online before I was fully informed about Alan Moore's complaint about DC and the Watchmen liscense. Now that I know, I feel kind of bad buying this guy and being part of the problem. So I'm never going to buy another bit of Watchmen merchandise ever again, unless it's super low discount. That way I know the retailer is losing money on it and won't be likely to buy Watchmen merch from DC again.

Femme Fatales Series 1

I love how ridiculous it is that they finally release figures that follow up the IndiMates line, but they can only do so under a new line. That might explain why the set includes figures from the 90's IndieComics boom like DarkChylde or Lady Death. The only figure in this line-up that is currently being published is Tarot, and I'm pretty sure they made her because they had a figure already sculpted from another Tarot line that was cancelled due to low pre-orders.

Combine this with the other ridiculous part of trying to make figures of buxom ladies using the square bodied minimate design and you just have to admire the "Who gives a crap" attitude of Diamond. They like the idea and they're going to run with it. So kudos for that.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed the IndiMates line, so a continuation of it, regardless of the name they're called is something I'd be willing to support. I just hope eventually we can get some minimates of male characters from 90's Indie Comics, even if no one remembers them because they weren't sexy women... (You think it's a coincidence that the only figure in this set that isn't walking around in her underwear is wearing Daisy Dukes? That was considered modest dress in 90's indie comics. So sad.) Seriously, the only ones I can think of are Mage and Bone... Wait, SCUD. Do a SCUD minimate, it would be cool!

The Tick (not the cartoon)

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.

Charlie Brown

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.

Katchoo

I've only skimmed through Strangers in Paradise, the acclaimed indie comic series by Terry Moore, but my understanding is that Katchoo was an molested teen who ran away from home and became a prostitute and then body guard/abused girlfriend for a mafia queen. She eventually left her life of crim and tried to make it as an artist, although her past would repeatedly come back to haunt her. She also dealt with her feelings for her best friend Francine and for David, the pacifist born-again brother of the crime boss she used to be in a relationship with but who was living under a new identity to escape the fact that his family wanted him to run their criminal empire.

It was a very melodramatic series. But the thing is, Katchoo pretty much just looked like a pissed off blonde woman. She didn't have any unique costume or look aside from Terry Moore's signature style. Although the figure does capture that look pretty damn well. I guess there's a bigger fan base for this series than I thought, because personally it was always a property on the fringe of my comic book consumption.

Katchoo comes with a pink girl Itz. Just like all the figures from this wave. I'm really regretting not picking up that Maxx figure. Not enough to try and find another one, but enough to feel a slight pang when I think about it.

I've got to admit, the articulation on this figure is amazing. Seriously, the combination of joints allows from some amazing flexibility. The torso joint pretty much allows for a full arch, even when the character's legs are completely straight.

And if you want to take advantage of the double joint knees the figure can do a full arch. It's freaking amazing. Hell, even the ponytail is articulated.

Scud the Disposable Assassin

It's Scud the Disposable Assassin. I enjoyed the comic book a little back in the 90's, but I really ended up loving the creator's later works, so I just enjoy having an action figure of one of his creations. This is a pretty neat toy too.

All the major joints are represented, allowing for some great posing. The ball joints attaching the arms and legs to the torso are a little loose, but they easily pop back in with minimal problems. The only thing I'm concerned about is that the feet are awkward to balance on, so the figure has troubles standing freely.

The packaging is awesome though. It's designed to be reusable, so you can always stick the figure back in after you're done playing with it.

Johann Kraus

So I never thought I'd buy Hellboy toys. I don't read the comic book, didn't watch the first movie and had no plans to watch the second.

Then someone offered me a free ticket to Hellboy 2.

It was a pretty good movie. But what I really loved was the design of Johann Kraus. So hey! 3.75" inch, high detailed, action figure featuring heavy articulation! He looks amazing and has every joint I want in a toy. (Neck, shoulder, elbow, torso, hips, knees.)

SOLD!

I'm really getting way into this scale. Considering 4" toys cost $8 now, it's not as good a deal as it once was. Still, you gotta love the number of different lines they're making in this scale.