Weird Al

Remember when we all thought that the Transformers Animated Wreck-Gar figure would be the closest we would ever get to a Weird Al Yankovic figure?

Well that's no longer the case. Continuing my pattern of only getting one figure per wave, it's the Weird Al figure of the Simpsons 25 greatest guest star line. I considered the Buzz Aldrin figure, but like every time, I decided that I couldn't justify paying for more than one figure so I had to go with the one I wanted most.

Collectobot

I love Playmobil. Today I went to an Educational toy store and in their Playmobil section I finally found the Olympic sets. Unfortunatley they didn't have the ones I wanted, so instead I had to "Settle" for a Playmobil mech suit.

Playmobil made a mech suit. Also a flying car, but whatever, a mech suit! Sure they call it Collectobot but it's a fricking mech suit. And also:

ELVIS HAS DEMOLISHED THE BUILDING!

Thankyaverymuch.

So this is a thing then?

KISS and the Beatles K'Nex minifigures. I had no idea this was a thing, or if I did then I forgot about it. One sec, I'm gonna waste $10.

Update 10:21 PM

1. That's $10 per set. I only picked up the Beatles set. Because psychedelic hippies of the world's greatest pop/rock band.

"Payton the Senior Secretary"

I might have to come up with a new Tag to describe 1:6 scale figures who are designed to look like a celebrity but aren't officially sold as being a figure of that celebrity. It's actually a pretty popular trend thanks to the large number of 1:6 scale figures coming out in Asia. Usually it's a figure billed as a generic cop or  soldier, but really it's based on actor X's character in that movie.

Which leads us to ZCWO's figure "Payton the Senior Secretary," but really it's Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts from the Iron Man movies. Originally the figure comes with a huge mess of accessories and outfits, including an offfice chair, 1:6 scale laptop & iPhone, and other stuff. But I didn't feel like paying the full cost for the figure so I ended up getting a bare version of the figure for much less.

Since the figure was nude, I figured I would employ some 1:6 scale clothes I picked up to fill out one of those "get free shipping for x" type of offers. The clothes actually have the greatest packaging concept I've ever seen. (This is hyperbole.)

They come in a stocking. That's the packaging. Genius. Oh yeah, it's genius because the clothing is Christmas based. And that's why this figure is on my shelf. I don't know why I find it hilarious, but I do. Probably because the terms "Gwyneth Paltrow" and "cheesecake photo" don't feel like they belong together.

She looks ready to give out patronizing holiday themed advice. (If you don't get the reference, Paltrow has an online newsletter where she give out tips on how to raise kids or do household stuff. Supposedly the tone is of a slightly superior Martha Stewart, except it's coming from Gwyneth Paltrow who isn't really renowned for her domestic acumen.)

Michael Jackson: Thriller version

I really thought I'd have to pay a lot of money for this.

Hot Toys figures are already really expensive, so what happens when you release a figure depicting one of America's most celebrated singers as he appeared during his most popular/successful periods of his career? Oh, wait, one more. Let's add another morbid element to this. What if just after that, he dies while relatively youthful? Yup, it suddenly becomes an in demand item among collectors, speculators and people with an ironic sense of appreciation. Because humanity is horrible.

I wonder how many people picked up this figure because it came with an zombie alternate head and costume to depict the Thriller sequence everyone loves. Because somehow buying a figure of a celebrity as a zombie right after he dies seems like it's in bad taste. Or is it hilarious? This age of cynical irony makes it really hard to tell. Yeah, that's right, I'm blaming the times we live in. Not my own morbid sense of humor.

Or... Is it because as a kid that Thriller video really freaked me out? Am I trying to somehow control my fears by owning that which as a child scared me? What do you think "in poor taste" variant of Michael Jackson?

Too soon?

(Incidentally, it was a huge pain in the ass switching heads. I can see why some people just opted to buy a second body and display them next to each other. Every moment I was trying to pull one head off and then push the other head on I felt like I was going to damage the plastic chest cavity with my grip. To prove that is a good idea, Hot Toys even included an extra set of pants and shirt, so you don't rustle up more to cover up your 2nd figure on the internet.)

Justin Bieber Concert Tour Onstage Playset

Before you go and get the wrong idea, let me explain that I bought this playset for the accessories because it turns out, perfect for 1:6 scale action figures. As far as I'm concerned the part where I end up buying a Justin Bieber doll is a necessary evil. But for a cheap fashion doll it's pretty well constructed. It has rooted hair with enough paste/glue in it to hold its shape while giving it a natural appearance. It's surprisingly well articulated too, not great, 12 points of articulation, but much better than some Mattel figures. Hell, the hips, ankles and shoulders are ball and lever joints. If there were wrist joints of any sort I'd call this a success in the 1:6 scale, but as it is, the figure is just pretty good..

But enough about Bieber. (And holy crap I wrote more about him than I thought I would.) Let's talk about the accessories. You get the microphone and heart shaped scaffolding seat, which I guess is from his concert show, but more importantly you get a bunch of 1:6 scale instruments.

A Keyboard! A acoustic guitar! A drum set! with chair! Okay, sure the drums display a Justin Bieber logo, but that's easily fixed with a piece of construction paper. Besides, the drums even feature a kick pedal. You can't see it because it's on the back. But the point is, now any of my 1:6 scale figures can be musicians! And that's great!