Gorn

Found this dude at the Dollar Tree. I've been hovering around these Kre-o Star Trek single figures in the past but never felt that it was worth $3. But for $1? Sure.

The Gorn never appeared in the Star Trek movies, so I'm assuming this design is based on the horrible cgi version from the Entrrprise tv show.

I like the uniqueness of their legs and the ball jointed hips. Otherwise.... Meh. The tail piece prevents the torso from staying steady on its peg and the head looks nothing like the dinosaur lizard from the classic tv series.

Minimate Monday: Captain Kirk and Khan

It was on sale for a ridiculously low rate and I never got the Khan minimate from the Star Trek minimates they made last decade. So easy buying choice.

It's young Khan Noonien Singh. Although I have too many young Kirk's to appreciate this minimate. 

Fun fact: on Enterprise it was revealed that Data's creator, Noonien Soong was named after Khan because his ancestor was a loyal follower of Khan's teachings.

Minimate Monday: Captain Sisko and Jem'Hadar

I love Sisko and enjoy the Jem'Hadar, so this was a no brainer.

I love how Sisko minimates always come with great army builders so if you want a Jem'Hadar squad you end up with a squad of Siskos.

Minimate Mondays: Captain Archer and Dolim

I stopped watching Enterprise before they got to the Xindi story arc about a planet where evolution has resulted in 8 dominant species from different animal types (birds, lizards, mammals, etc) that work together to blow up South America with a super laser. So I don't know who this Dolim is. But this set came with the rest so now I have a Scott Bacula minimate and that's not a bad thing.

Clearance Blast

Hey, the Toys R Us Clearance Blast is now at the stage where everything in the blast is at least 80% off. So a lot of things are under $2, which is a magic price where I realize it's cheaper than me buying a hamburger so why not. The downside is that what's leftover isn't very good. But here's some stuff I picked up this weekend.

Heroclix from those app games which also come with figures. Final price: $0.60. I pretty much just wanted these for the X-Men HeroClix, especially 90's Cyclops. Hell, I don't even play HeroClix, I just like them as tiny vinyl statues.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. K'Nex figure. I feel like I knew they made Nascar K'Nex, but they never appealed to me. But the chance to get a minifigure for under $0.50 was too strong a pull. I have no idea if this actually looks like Dale, but I doubt it. Meanwhile this minifigure sucks. The Pac-Man, Super Mario, and Angry Birds K'Nex figures are much better. I guess they need a video game license to make a good minifigure.

A $0.40 pez dispenser? Sure! That's how much 3 columns of Pex normally cost. So I'm basically getting a free Pez Dispenser. And it's a Muppet. Even better!

$0.80 for minimates? I already have two of this set, and I'm totally going to get it. That's like $0.80 for a Cardassian army builder. Score.

Hey, BattleBeast minimates! Better known as the minimate property that made me realize I don't need every minimate property because the more intricate with unique pieces the figure gets, the less like a minimate it looks like and the less I want it. But for under $2 I wouldn't mind seeing how they do a four legged minimate.

I've been thinking of getting this Kre-O Cityville set for a while, and now that it's under $1 I have no reason to not get it. I'm really impressed by the mechanics of the claw. I'm also really impressed by how well this building set works. I'd totally be up for buying more mechs in this scale, but they don't make them.

It's a World of Warcraft Pandarian on a mount. The Pandarians are a race in the game who have a mystical Far East kung-fu society which is why this post is getting a Toys Depicting Asian tag. I'm actually pretty impressed by the mount, especially since it's a giant turtle and you can take the shell off and put other bricks in its place. It's like a hermit crab, but with a horned turtle instead of a crab.

Oh, and I also picked up some Muppet Whatnot kits because at 80% off they're now $13. Well, the blue ones are. They're keeping the other colors the same price, and I think I know why. They're re-releasing them but with new accessories and new UPC codes. I saw one of the new one, instead of a black goatee you get a brown Magnum PI mustache. Instead of the black wig and green wig you get a white wig and rainbow wig. Stuff like that. Weirdly, based on the cost of individual eye and hair parts ala carte, it's still a better bargain to get the new set rather than the individual parts separately (parts that are near impossible to find online since FAO Schwartz doesn't like selling Whatnot stuff unless you buy a $100 custom made job from their New York Whatnot shop) since you get a free body with them.

Deanna Troi

Oh man, the Playmates 1:6 scale Star Trek figures. I wish I had been into 1:6 scale when they originally made these. Depending on when in the production line you got them, they could be pretty good or ridiculously crap. (I remember rumors of a 1:6 scale Mugato which was just a giant plush figure with no internal plastic to let it hold a pose.)

What's even better, is that the 1:6 series were based on themes rather than series. So Troi here is from the "Women of Star Trek" wave. The back of the box doesn't talk about Troi at all, just about the history of the Star Trek franchise. So weird.

The figure itself is pretty impressive for something I assume cost $20 when it originally was released. The uniform is pretty amazing for a cheap 1:6 scale figure, certainly much better than the one on the Dragon figure of Data I looked at earlier this week.

The articulation is pretty basic, but serviceable. Ball shoulders, hips and waist; Knee and elbow joints; Cut wrist and neck. The neck joint is made moot by the hair though.

Sculpting is good, with a decent likeness and sculpted hair (which, as I said, prevents the neck joint from doing anything). Her boots are sculpted onto her legs, but I don't care. It's not like I'm going to dress this up in anything other than this uniform. For a basic 1:6 scale figure this is great. I really want more like this. But for that I'd either have to scour e-bay or have a time machine to take me to 10 years ago.

Oh, and here's a look at the difference between Dragon's Star Trek accessories and Playmate's, keep in mind these were both made for 1:6 scale Star Trek figures.

Data

So Dragon made some Star Trek The Next Generation figures a while back. For $35, they look pretty good, although these days you'd be lucky to find them for that much. And for $60 the likenesses look horrible.

Except for Data, so I picked him up for about $30. Data's pretty simple to get down, a blank expression, and if you make him less detailed, it works for a character that isn't supposed to look quite human. Unfortunately as a 1:6 scale figure this thing kinda sucks.

Let's start with the accessories. The holsters for the tricorder and phaser, as well as the comm badge, all are meant to be placed on the uniform using adhesive backing. Basically these are stickers. At this scale I don't mind if you sew them on, but nope, you better hope the adhesive is strong enough and won't wear away. And holy crap is it difficult to get the sticker back off the tiny comm badge. I dropped it and thought I lost it a couple dozen times.

Also, what's with the horrific 1:6 scale version of Data's pet cat Spot?

Onwards! The uniform is ill fitting, and if you raise his arms it causes the mid-drift to be exposed because this  isn't a poorly fitting 1:6 scale jumpsuit, but a poorly fitting shirt and pants.

The articulation is pretty good, with plenty of joints, but the figure seems predisposed to this weird slumped over pose. And the plastic feels pretty flimsy. I'm afraid its going to snap on me.

Overall, not a bad 1:6 scale Data figure for cheap, but you better be willing to live with the downsides.

Kirk and Khan

Why did I buy this toy?

It comes with an alternate head of Kirk shouting "Khaaaaaan!"

Big movie chest Khan minimate.

Either of those would have made this set a must buy. Both are here.

Easy decision.

Captain Janeway and 7 of 9

Toys R Us exclusive in the Star Trek Minimate wave knows as "Captains."

I thought they had neglected Voyager, but I can happily say they did not. So I get a Janeway minimate, although she does not come with an iconic Voyager villain, probably because that was not a thing that existed.

Picards

Big bad Toy store is sold out of clearance picards. That means this is about as many Picards as I'm probably ever going to get. 5 of them... Now then, what to do with them? 

Kre-o star trek

Ungh. I think the only reason I might get one is the lego scale batleth... Or however Klingons spell it.

Choose wisely...

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.

Fun with 3 inch figures

Jack Osborne puts on a sad little puppet show

Kirk and Bones have a heist

Spock rides a Dinosaur

Toy Show Haul (pt. 2)

Let's continue on our little tour of what I picked up at the San Jose toy show on Saturday.

Another thing I forgot to bring up in the gashapon box was a Green Lantern miniature. It's Hal Jordan and his arm falls off fairly easily but it's a build a kit, so an easy fix. What's most interesting about the figure is the angry grimace the figure has. Almost like he's pissed off that he's constipated or something. My animosity towards Hal Jordan means I find this hilarious.

Next up was a Superhero Showdown Doctor Doom. This is essentially Marvel Legends in the 4-inch scale, which is awesome because 1) I'm not so enamored with the Marvel Universe 4-inch figures, and 2) it's cheaper. It even comes with better accessories than the Marvel Universe figures. That's a real firing cannon strapped to Doom's wrist. And a stand that holds him up by plugging into a hold in his back.

And of course the reason I'd want a 4-inch doom? Because of all the ridiculous accessories that are available in this scale.

Moving on, I was shocked to find a couple 3-inch minimates in a vendor's clearance box at the price of 3 for $5. Well there were two of them anyway, so I had to get a regular sized action figure to fill out the quota. But that does mean I was able to get a Dr. McCoy 3-inch minimate to round out my big 3 of the Star Trek crew. I didn't know that they came with Star Trek puzzle piece bases, but cool!

The other 3-inch minimate was an Ozzy Osbourne werewolf, which is awesome because it's both a minimate of Ozzy and of a classic monster! I haven't even opened it because of... well it's actually pretty awesome but it's also something I might consider giving to someone as a gift or possibly to hold onto in its new status. I expect this to last maybe a month.

And last, for this installment anyway, is a... is it a Marvel Legends toy? I'm not sure. But it is a Marvel toy of Movie Spider-Man. I picked this up loose, but it came with the original diorama and a billboard that doesn't fit with the base but I think I could nail to a wall. Meanwhile this figure is pretty awesome, featuring the full articulation of the best Spider-Man toys from the Legends line. It also has some pretty damn awesome accessories. A newspaper machine! Street signs! Traffic lights! A sewer grating!

Seriously, it's pretty damned awesome.

School Cafeteria

When I saw the accessories that came in this set I knew it must be mine. I mean look at all that stuff, a counter! A cash register! A vending machine! That cash register actually has an opening drawer with a sticker of money in it!

Also you get some food and drink stuff.

All items you could expect to buy at a European lunch counter, or an IKEA. Healthy fruit, rolls, milk, and some generic shortbread cookies. Also a plunger. Which leads to the weird fact that this school cafeteria set comes with a janitor/handyman. I guess cafeterias need a guy to sweep up and fix plumbing. Although how many times have you seen a handyman working on the plumbing when you're buying a sandwich? Seems like something that the administration might not want eaters to see.

Of course the real gem in this set is the vending machine. It dispenses bottles when you push the wheel. It's kinda cool. And its perectly in scale with the 2 or 3 inch minifigures.

.Aww, Gollum wants a soda. A precious, precious soda. Unless those are bottles filled with wine. Actually that's the main reason I picked up this set. I loved the potential uses of the accessories with my minifigures. The comedy potential is just too great.

Red Ranger has to explain to Jeff Goldblum that he can't be the new Black Ranger

This picture is in direct response to Dan's challenge. Of course I only have 2 Power Rangers, so I had to improvise and create my own Power Rangers team. Action Ranger's Power Rangers?

Either way, ball's in your court now Dan.

Oh snap! If I had the crappy Comissioner Gordon figure from the Infinite Heroes line I could have made him... COMMISSIONER ZORDON!

Dollar Store Visit

I always browse the aisles of the Dollar store for toys, because hey, they're a dollar. As long as you don't get too much you can usually absorb the impact of a couple purchases. On my last visit I picked up the following: Star Trek Trading Card Game Booster Pack: I used to love these in high school. In fact this is from the same edition that was available back then. I never got any rare cards, just generic crew dudes. And that streak did not end now. I love that Youth is considered a skill. Uh oh, this challenege can only be defeated by someone under the age of 30. Guess they're dealing with a lot of late night partying issues on Away Team missions. Also, how weird is it that the espionage guys all have skills in regular professions. I guess that was what they studied in Undergrad before deciding to enroll in the world of espionage. I also picked up this punching Frog Pen. It's a pen with a punching frog puppet on it, you know, like the punching Nun puppet that's so insinuated itself into pop culture. Kinda cool. Although I don't know why they put a pen on it. Who is actually going to use it for that?

Tricorder

I had one of these when they first came out. I found it recently hidden in some corner of my old room when I visited my parents' house. It had a horrible case of battery crust on it, so I had to toss it.

So onto e-bay we go to pick up a new one! Hooray for e-bay. This sucker is awesome. I love the sounds it makes. Just like the tricorders on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whee!

Nostalgia!

Kirk & Spock

While you're reading this, assuming you're reading this on Thursday, February 17, 2011, then I'm on my way to a Doctor Who convention. So let me give you some Star Trek stuff to read about. I picked these guys up on e-bay, and before you protest that you've seen Star Trek minimates on this blog in the past, let me assure you, you haven't.

These are the 3-inch minimates, the kind Art Asylum used to make before they realized that the 2-inch figures were more popular and needed less plastic. They're much more sturdier and don't feel like they'll snap in half when you pose them.

They're also damn hard to find considering they haven't been in production for almost a decade. I got mine on e-bay, mostly so I can place then in 3-inch designed playsets. Because Kirk+Spock in cubicles=Hilarious.

Or something like that. Look, I just like the damn figures, okay. The only gripe I've got against them is that Spock's paint job is kind of weird. There's flesh covered paint around his shoulder joint, so it looks like Spock has this huge hole in the armpit of his uniform.

Not cool Spock. Not cool.

Birthday haul

Yesterday was my birthday and I got a pretty good haul of action figures. As they're all gifts and not purchases I made myself, I figured I'd cover them all at once.

I'm going to start off with a number of figures my brother picked up for me over the last few months, but only got around to sending me with my birthday gifts, so I might as well in include them in this post.



First up is the Jawa & WED Treadwell Droid. I always like adding Jawas to my collection. The Treadwell Droid is a nice addition to justify the cost, since Jawa figures are so small. The Jawa comes with one accessory--a tiny canister--that is meant to fit in its hand (and apparently did quite easily for the original release of the figure last year), but the right hand has since been resculpted so it can no longer hold it. That especially sucks because it's one of those accessories that can get lost easily if one is not careful.



Action Ranger Timmy previously posted about his General Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy figure from the GI Joe: Rise of Cobra line. Now I've finally got one of my own. It's a great figure, and possibly the best I've gotten in a long time. The only flaw is there's an odd disparity between the two halves of the head sculpt. The left side is a dead-on likeness of actor Dennis Quaid. The right side looks oddly more like Harrison Ford.



Now to make many of you jealous. Yes, that is Man-Bat from the Wal-Mart exclusive wave 10 of DC Universe Classics, the wave that many collectors are going insane trying to track down. I've been waiting for this figure back when it was supposed to be released as part of the DC Superheroes line over two years ago. It's always great to get a new Four Horsemen DC character sculpt, and this figure really demonstrates how hampered the toy-making team is by having to rely on reusable base bodies as much as possible for the line.



Yeah, Playmates' toys for Star Trek weren't all that great, but I figured I'd at least get the 6-inch scale Spock. Above the waist the figure is fine; the head has a good Zachary Quinto likeness and the arm articulation is pretty good. However, is seems as if rest of the figure was designed to replicate a straight vertical line as much as possible, which robs the figure of character.



Now onto actual birthday presents. My brother got me the Toys 'R Us reissue Insecticons set. I love Generation One Transformers figures, and I've wanted these forever. They were reissued in Japan a few years ago and I could've got them back in for import prices, but I figured they'd eventually get a domestic release. I was right. These are great figures: they are fun to transform back and forth, and they contain more articulation than the average 1980s Transformers. I was also struck by how shiny these things looked out of the box (both the chrome and the plastic). I was almost afraid to touch them.



Mario got me Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars Legacy Collection. Prequel Obi-Wan is one of my favorite Star Wars characters, and as a result I own five figures of the character as portrayed by Ewan McGregor, the most versions of any Star Wars character in my collection. On the other hand, none of those were the classic Alec Guiness portrayal. I had no interest in getting that version in plastic form . . . until I saw this figure. Originally intended for an Obi-Wan-themed Evolutions set that got cancelled, it's one of the best Star Wars figures in recent years, and the best version of the character from the original trilogy. The only problem I have is that the head balljoint on my figure is really loose.



Finally, my friends Janie and Francesca decided to combine two of my favorite things in the world (cats and Transformers) when choosing my gift. The result? Ravage from Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. This is actually the first figure I've gotten from Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. Sure, the alternate mode is crap (it didn't even appear in the movie), but who gets this for that? It's a robot cat!