Rick

Best figure of the set. I just wish his expression was more apathetic. But the look of the figure, the level of articulation and the accessories are all totally boss. Hooray!

God, I love this show.

Mr. Poopybutthole & Snowball

Mr. Poopybutthole is a good representation of the character, although I am saddened by the lack of joints. There are only 5 and they're the most basic, but I suppose for the size of the character that is to be expected. 

However I really like the Build A Figure (BAF) for this wave, Snowball in his walking suit. It looks great, although the movement of the joints is limited due to where they are blacked. You get a couple of degrees of movement, but these ball joints might as well be cut joints.

Also, while I was trying to attach one of the arms, it broke apart where the forearm connects to the bicep via the tiny plastic plug. Fortunately it isn't glued to the bicep, but inserted into a small hole, so I can kind of fix things without glue by reinserting the plug, but it's something to worry about since it can fall out again. It's those little things that prevent me from singing the praises of this line. These small quality control issues that you wish didn't happen or wonder if it's just your figure.

Mr. Meeseeks

I am shocked how well the Mr Meeseeks figure turned out. These simpler figures are pretty awesome. I'm not totally sold on Funko as a maker of straight out action figures, but something like Mr. Meeseeks makes me feel better about the possibilities. There's a good number of joints, the price point is reasonable and the figures are good representations of the source material.

Although his hands have trouble holding his gun and golf club accessories. 

Birdperson

Out of all the Rick and Morty figures the one I'm angry at is Birdperson. It's a great looking figure and the articulation is what I like, but the hip joints are so loose that I can't get him to stand properly 95% of the time. 

When the X-men movie came out they released a Professor X figure that had leg articulation but the joints were intentionally so loose that it was impossible for him to stand. It was a clever joke. Here it's just super annoying and makes me angry at a figure I otherwise would have loved. 

Boooo!

Morty

The character from the Rick and Morty figures that is the most affected by the translation into three dimensions is Morty. His character design in the show, which needs to be simple enough for animation, is fine, but when realized into an action figure he has no neck. And his whole torso is a single boring tube. And his bulbous eyes.

It's just weird to hold in your hand. I just realized that the picture, from the right angle, don't look that bad. So just in REALITY is it weird.

Kra'ang

I only seek out a Kmart these days for exclusive toys I really want. That isn't very often since, y'know, it's Kmart. That place imploded in the mid90s when it suddenly found its niche taken over by WalMart and realized it couldn't compete on price, customer service, or store design so they alienated their existing customer base to try and capture the upmarket Target crowd which didn't want anything to do with Kmart's stigma as a store for poor people.

But hey, minimate Kra'ang! Kmart is the only non-specialty store to carry the blind bags and Kra'ang is only available in the non-specialty store sets. He comes as giant brain in the torso of a robot, but the pack also comes with a minimate version of the disembodied giant brain version. You can pretend he's 80's cartoon Krang!

Minimate Monday: Peter Pan set

For the Peter Pan anniversary a few years back they released Peter Pan minimates in 3 different sets. One was the Smee/Wendy pirate ship set I discussed earlier and another was this set of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.

First things first, the Lost Boys suck. Not the toys, just the characters in the Disney movie. They completely failed to make an impact and I barely remember they're in the movie. Sure that might be because I've never watched the movie start to finish but I think I've got the gist of things. I wouldn't have gotten this set if it was just made up of Lost Boys, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment.

But then I think they knew that and that's why they put the Peter Pan minimate in this set. Because if you're going to be the type of person that gets Peter Pan minimates then you are damn well going to get the set that includes Peter Pan. And at least he comes with some cool accessories, like a flying stand and a Tinkerbell mini-minifigure he can hold to simulate her obsessive need to be at least 1 foot or closer to him. (A personality trait that does not at all gel with her characterization in the Disney Fairy straight to DVD movies of which she is the star. In those she's a sweet natured eccentric inventor.) although Peter Pan has his dagger so he can straight up murder the dude Peter goes out of his way to antagonize.

I'm not a fan of what I've seen of the Disney  movie. But damn do I love minimates.

Beast Boy

Teen Titans Go is a great comedy series that play upon the already humorous and deep mythology established by the original Teen Titans cartoon. By making the characters broader it made them even more fun to watch.

Which is why fan favorite Beast Boy is now hilarious and why I'm so happy they released a toy of him depicting his Teen Titans Go look. And bonus! It comes with a version of him as a tiny pig, which is what he turns into in order to eat mass amounts and underline what a horrible slob he can be. EXTRA BONUS He comes with a fridge that opens and has many empty shelves for you to put things on.

Seriously, this is a great set. And the figure has a surprising amount of articulation for a 2.25 inch figure. Which is to say it has articulation. Yes, the legs are connected and must be moved together, yes the head is heavy making it difficult to stand some times, yes none of this matters and this figure is still great.

Stephen King

Series 3 of the Simpsons 25 Greatest Guest Stars is out. I've been waiting for this wave since they announced the line-up, and while I'm tempted by Penn & Teller and Leonard Nimoy, it was the Stephen King figure that originally got me excited and so of course that was the one I purchased today.

Making an action figure of an author is rare, usually it's done ironically. (I'm looking at you Accoutrement Toys.) Potentially it's done for a very small but dedicated collector's market. But you know what never happens: releasing the figure of the author in a mass market line. But the most popular and prolific storyteller of the modern age changes that. And I am glad.

Also, he comes with a book. Which is meaningless to me since I have no plans of opening this thing. It goes on the wall with my other 2 figures from this line, which is really setting up an odd trend for me. I wonder if I'll buy a single figure from Wave 4 not because I want it but out of habit.

Sleepy Bear

Target had these miniatures for under $1. They're blind packed but they have a hole on the package that lets you see what color the figure is. I found that one of them was Sleep Bear and Sleepy Bear has become my favorite Care Bear due to a combination of childhood nostalgia (I liked the blue colored bears) and my newly found appreciation of naps. So easy choice to get this and set it up near my desk.

The figures aren't too impressive, really they're all recolored versions of the same mold with a different tummy symbol. (There are 3 possible poses and each bear gets 2 figures based on some of those poses. The difference is pretty much which hand they have raised: left, right or both.) I might be annoyed if I got this at full price, but for under $1, it's fine.

Follow Up

I'm a slave to my collector's impulse.

Simpsons Lego Blind bags suck and why do they do this to us?

So, since the Simpsons Lego minifigures cost more than other Lego minifigures, are still blind packed, and have unique headsculpts that make them look not less like Lego minifigures and more like knock off block-figures, I am not excited about the Lego minifigures. (The sets I'm on the fence about.)

My problem is the same that I have with some of the newer minimate propeties, where they change the head sculpts so much that they lose some of the characteristics that are intrinsically unique to the minifigure design. If all Lego minifigures have certain elements that define them as a minifigure, then changes to that could drive away people who are attracted to those elements. (And apparently I am one of those people.)

And while the Legoized versions of the Simpsons from the Simpsons Lego special may not look as nice or accurate as the figures that were actually made, I sort of respect them more as being more representative of what a Simpson Lego figure should look like.

And that's my really long way of explaining that I'll probably skip over most of the Simpsons minifigures, although I will pick up a Homer and a Bart out of curiosity and Grandpa Simpson because I mistook the bags when I was trying to identify the figures while squeezing them. But heck, I'll take him if it means I have three generations of Simpson men.

I'm torn on whether I'll get any of the other minifigures (although I kinda want a marge for the sheer batshit insanity of the design) but I may have to wait for them to be on sale. (Although, Toys R Us charges the same $4 they've always charged for minifigures, Target has upped the price from the previous $3. But Toys R Us does buy 1 get 1 40% sometimes. Bleh. Numbers.)

Lady Jaye

I swear I always thought her name was Lady Jaye until the internet corrected me about a decade ago. So anyway, I picked up this figure because 1) it was on sale and 2) I was wondering how Kre-O would handle a female Kreon. And now I have my answer: NOT WELL.

Whereas other block figures usually heavily emphasize painted curves or try to feminize the face, Kre-O has instead decided to pull back and apply those more subtlety, which is a problem on a tiny block figure. With no long hair piece (or any hair piece at all, which means Kre-o's Lady Jaye is meant to be rocking a bald head) this figure very much looks like "guy with really red lips."

Also, this is the first time I noticed the expanded ends of the arms to allow for the insertion of the hand pegs. It makes it look like the figure has flesh colored wrist bands... or a swollen wrist that really should be looked at by a medical professional.

Also: Why the hell do I keep getting Kreons? They're never satisfactory.

Lucy Lawless

I found the second series of Simpsons celebrity figures today. I was tempted to get the Roger Daltry, but ultimately webt for the standout: Lucy Lawless in her Xena costume. I owned a Xena figure back in the 90's, but I got this figure not out of nostalgia, but because I really liked Lucy Lawless' appearance on the Simpsons. Especially the way she had to keep reminding people that even though she was dressed like Xena, Xena was a character she played on television.

It resulted in two great lines: "A wizard did it." And of course:

"Xena can't fly!"

"I told you, I'm not Xena. I'm Lucy Lawless."

That second line alone is pretty much why I bought this figure.

Dino

Whelp, looks like the Toys R Us Clearance Blast has gotten to the point where I'm picking up toys I've been interested in but not enough to pay for. Now it's Dino, from the Flintstones. An animated dinosaur with surprising articulation...for under $1.25.

I was always kinda interested in these Hanna Barbara figures, but they all had weird paint or bad sculpts or all the reviews online said they had any number of issues. It basically put me off them, but at this insane price, sure, I'll get a dinosaur.

I remember when these first came out I was interested in Dino because of all his articulation. I count 9 and there might be more! I mean he has ball jointed shoulders and a tail with two points of articulations! (Cut legs though, what?) I wondered if he could be posed both on his hindquarters and all fours while actually looking natural.

The answer: kinda.

The bone is kinda a lame accessory considering he can't hold it. Although I guess you can pose him in close proximity to it? 

Things I want that were shown as a thing at Toy Fair 2014

4" Twilight Zone figures

 (picture via Toyark.com)

1 Big Bang Theory figure with it's apartment diorama

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Skeletor's staff as a plush toy

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Jay and Silent Bob minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Kill Bill  minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Sin City Minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Booker Dewitt figure from Bioshock Infinite

  (picture via Toyark.com)

six inch scale Jabba the Hutt

  (picture via Toyark.com)

talking Strax plush toy

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Also... LEGO SIMPSSONS MINIFIGURES ARE BLINDPACKED GODDAMNIT!

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Neca Simpsons figures

So now that I've seen the Neca 25th Anniversary Simpsons figures, the Celebrity Guest wave 1... I gotta  say, not impressed. For $11 (which seems oddly affordable due to the ever increasing cost of action figures... sadly) I wanted more. And I certainly wanted better sculpts.

The only figure I wanted from this wave was Tom Hanks, but now seeing the figure... it doesn't look like Tom Hanks... it doesn't even look like the Simpsons version of Tom Hanks. It looks like generic background Simpsons character in suit. Here's both the 5" version and the minifigure version.

I thought the Yao Ming figure was better done, even if you can only really tell who he is because of the basketball and the fact his sweater says "YAO."

Actually, the best sculpted figure was the James Brown figure, which I'm not talking about here because I actually bought it and might go over it at a later date. But knowing me, probably not.

Ultimately, I think these figures are a step down from the Playmates Simpsons figures. The Neca versions are too angular and sharp, losing some of the cartoon feel. Also, it's really only of interest if you want an action figure of a celebrity done in the Simpsons style, which seems like a really niche market. But these are nicer than the Macfarlane Simpsons, since these are actual action figures and not stationary dioramas with no play value.

The Flintmobile

The picture pretty much says it all. It's a Hot Wheels car of the Flinstones car. It has 4 wheels hidden in the stone wheels and there is an empty space in the floor where feet would go through.

Lego Movie sets

I bought some Lego Movie stuff yesterday because when you see a sign that says "$15 off any Lego Purchase of $60 or more" and you've already decided you're buying $48 in Legos you accept it as a sign that you need to buy at least $12 more in Legos. If you don't understand why that is, give it a moment, or learn basic math. (This was at Toys R Us, so if you really want $15 off Lego Movie stuff, that's the place to go.)

First off: Lego Ice Cream truck. I don't know how I feel about this "transforming" element some of the Lego Movie sets have, but whatever, I GET A LEGO ICE CREAM TRUCK! I'm a huge fan of Lego trucks, so any new variation really gets my attention.

Then there's the basic sets. Which are still pretty costly. Which makes sense because they're a licensed set... but is also really weird because that license is owned by Lego. Anyway, I went with the one that has Robot cowboys and some a hang-glider made out of Old West signage. Because I'm sure the Old West Signage can be reused somehow.

Then there's the minifigures. OH GOOD LORD THE MINIFIGURES!

Minifigure Lincoln!

Minifigure Shakespeare!

Minifigure Robot Secretary!

Minifigure whoever the hell this is! Just kidding! It's a robot Saloon Girl!

Minifigure Crazy Cat Lady who I only got for the cat and the fanny pack!

Minifigure Man in Panda Suit Who has Kidnapped a Panda Child

Minifigure Lincoln in front of  a Stargate!

Jokey Smurf

From the Mega Bloks blind packed Smurf figures. I wanted one ever since I saw these guys on the All Things Fett blog. At about $2 a pop they're overpriced but at market value. I went with Jokey because I liked the character when I was a kid since his gimmick was exploding presents. Everyone knew the prank but they still fell for it, proving that Smurfs are stupid. I think there was a great episode where Jokey was cursed by magic so all his gifts were exactly what the person wanted and that made Jokey depressed.

Which kinda means Jokey is a dick. And they made a minifigure of him before Handy, Hefty, or Baker. Good for him.

Like all the blind packed Smurfs he comes with a character specific accessory, in this case an exploding present. Good call. It also makes him pretty easy to find using the squeeze and feel method.