In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle...

...the lion transforms tonight!

The birthday train keeps rolling (think I can drag this one all the way to Christmas?) with this groovy Leo Prime I got from my little sister. See, sisters are good for something!

This Transformers Universe Voyager Class Leo Prime is a new repaint and a Target exclusive.

He's a repainted Transformers: Cybertron Leobreaker with a new robot head sculpt and the paint scheme of Beast Wars' Leo Prime.

I like Primes in all the versions they come in, so I really wanted this Leo Prime for my Transformers collection.

There is also a non Target exclusive version out recently that comes in the reds and blues more in tune with Optimus Prime's color scheme, which makes this version seem a little more like Ultra Magnus in lion form. I'd like to get that version someday too, but I haven't seen it in stores yet.

Leo Prime comes with a cyber-key to activate his claws. They can be popped out in both lion and robot form.

SNIKT!

"One shall stand, and one shall lick himself."

Like many animal based Transformers, Leo Prime's tail becomes his weapon.

And since Leo Prime is a repaint from a Transformer first released many years ago, he is not a shellformer, and instead is pretty solid in both modes with a basic transformation that makes him a cool toy that is fun to play with, and not a chore to convert.

The original Leobreaker had some electronics and made sounds or something, but they have been removed from Leo Prime. No big deal. Apparently he also transforms into an arm/claw for the Transformers Cybertron Optimus Prime to wield, which is pretty cool. But since I don't have that guy he'll just have to settle for lion and robot modes in my house.

Since Leo Prime is easy to transform and makes a neat lion and robot form, (and since he's a Prime,) he's a great transformer to give to a kid who should know the glory of Transformers without the frustration of recent Bayformer offerings.

Plastic Fantastic

Seeing more family at Thanksgiving meant more birthday presents for me! Wow, talk about stretching it out!

And speaking of stretching, my older sister (and when I say "older" I mean it ;) ) got me the Batman: the Brave and the Bold Plastic Man action figure!

Plastic Man is awesome, and kudos to my sister for knowing an awesome super hero when she sees one. She bought me Plastic Man before I had even asked for him!

There are at least two versions of this figure available, one "Deluxe" version that comes with a giant saw accessory, and this single pack version. I assume the only difference is the accessories, but I am not certain.

I couldn't wait to open up old Plas, and when I did I was surprised to learn Eel O'Brian did this:

Haha that is so cool! His neck extends (it's not really stretchy) and the coolest part about it is that his head can still turn when his neck is extended. Take THAT Meck-A-Neck!

This basic assortment Plastic Man comes with a rubbery hand accessory that attaches to his forearm for baddy-grabbing good times. If you collect the Brave and the Bold figures, Plastic Man is a must have!

Even if you don't collect the Brave and the Bold action figures, how can you pass up Plastic Man?

Enterprise, I'll pick you up.

As most folks who read this blog have probably figured out, I am a swap meet and garage sale junkie.

A Junkin' junkie, if you will.

It's genetic. I get it from my mom. So it should come as no surprise to discover that the Saturday after Thanksgiving led to a car load of family members seeking out swap meets and yard sales.

The pickings were slim, like the bones of a turkey two days after Thanksgiving. In fact, we only found two garage sales in the whole town.

But I still did good.

Because at the second garage sale I found this Dinky beauty for a buck:

I never even knew this cool U.S.S. Enterprise existed until last year, when fellow toy blogger Charles of Eclectorama blogged about his childhood Dinky Starship Enterprise.

Thanks to Charles, I knew exactly what I was looking at when I saw this Enterprise laying in a pile of toys , clothes and other miscellaneous castaways. It was pretty filthy (I've cleaned it up) and clearly missing some decals and a warp nacelle tip. I also knew it fired disks from the saucer section (also missing) but otherwise it is quite an unexpected gem and, having been manufactured in 1976 by Dinky toys, not a very common garage sale find.

The satellite dish in the front points upwards a tiny bit but is in excellent shape. In fact, the whole ship is in really good condition, all things considered. This is one solid toy, and it was built to last. There's a lot of metal in it's make-up, probably more than the current Mattel releases (which likely have no metal) and the "action" feature is really cool without detracting from the ship's design (even if I don't have any disks to shoot!)

One of the nacelle arms was pretty (...wait for it...) warped, but all it required to straighten it out was a blast from a hair dryer.

Having seen Charles' Starship a year ago, I knew this Enterprise (potentially) held a neat little bonus. But I wanted to act casual, so I didn't bother checking before I made the transaction.

I happily paid the dollar the lady asked for the ship (it was hers since childhood - how do people let go of these things?!?!) - I didn't even try to talk her down in price ;) - and returned to the car after shuffling through some more toys (found some old school Little People, including Bert and Ernie, for a quarter each.)

Once we started driving away I popped open the bay doors beneath the Enterprise, and there it was:

The little bitty shuttle craft! I did not expect to find it in there! But there it safely hung from it's little metal peg. So cool.

I found it kind of ironic that Eclectorama was just wrapping up it's Batmobile theme week as I found this puppy, seeing as how the Enterprise lost to the Batmobile in Charles' theme week poll. While it's no surprise that the Batmobile won, because it is so awesome, this Dinky Starship does prove that the U.S.S. Enterprise is one cool space ship, and there probably hasn't been a better toy version made.

I think I'll try to track down a new nacelle tip, or maybe even make one somehow. I dig this Dinky ship!

Stargirl on Smallville revealed!

Here's a first look at Stargirl (and a nice clear look at Dr. Fate) from the upcoming Smallville mini-movie event Absolute Justice.




And a nice shot of Hawkman giving Ollie what-for!



Thanks to Jamdin of Moongem Comics for the heads up!

Muppets and Queen

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for this:

Little Green Army Men...movers

Matchbox just released a slew of military vehicles that had me standing in the toy aisles knowing full well that an Indiana Jones adventure in my living room was inevitable.

In the back left is the Sahara Survivor, a 2009 Matchbox release and part of the Desert Adventure subset. Some research has proven it to be based on a Gulf War era British Special Forces Land Rover. In the back and to the right is the Jungle Crawler, another 2009 Desert Adventure series release. It is based on a 40s era Dodge WC-53 Carryall. Finally up front is the granddaddy of military people movers, the Jeep Willys, which is a 2010 Matchbox release and part of the Jungle Explorers series. Each of these cars will set you back about a buck, so I totally plan on army building when I see more!

In my opinion the Jungle Crawler is the coolest of the bunch. It just screams WW2 and I only wish Matchbox would release some WW2 era military Mercedes so it can kick some Nazi butt!

There is plenty of detail to see on this vehicle, even though it has a simple one color military paint job. You can see the engine through the sides of the hood and even the benches that go lengthwise down the back interior to hold the troops.

The Jungle Crawler is a fun and unexpected WW2 military vehicle to pop up in the Matchbox line-up, and a must have in Army green. I can see them popping out more colors in the future, both relevant (grey, tan) and ridiculous (neon pink,) so I plan on amassing an army of these when I see them.

Up next is the Jeep Willys. Although clearly military in it's green paint, this Jeep has a triangle on it's hood and not a US Army star, so it isn't directly pushed as a military themed vehicle, but we all know the truth. It's part of the 2010 lineup, a surprising early release as it is billed as #96 of 100 on the card.

This Jeep is also one that I plan on amassing an army of while it's sold in military paint schemes. But since the Jeep has been so versatile and long lived, you know this one will show up in playsets and single packs in every color of the rainbow for years to come.

Again, the detail is amazing, and this Jeep Willys is sure to be a fan favorite among kids and adults alike.

Finally we have the Sahara Survivor. This vehicle is British military and Gulf War era, so it doesn't really fit in with the other two, but I still had to have it in case some freak time warp brings them all together, which happens a lot in die-cast toy military adventures.

Boasting lots and lots of detail, the Sahara Survivor has canisters and bags and boxes molded all over it.

I hadn't realized the Clampetts originated in Baghdad, but I guess it does explain their oil money. The bullet holes on the side are a nice touch.

A gun turret would have been nice on this one, but it probably would have bumped production costs up. Otherwise it's a great unique desert warfare vehicle and still allows for plenty of sandbox adventures.

Okay Matchbox, time to start making some German WW2 vehicles!

Buy stuff by me at Zazzle!

Smallville JSA painting line-up - straight from the artist himself!

When I discovered that the artists who painted the JSA mural for Smallville was the amazing Rodolfo Migliari, I went straight to the source (via his blog) and asked him if he could tell us who was featured in the painting. (I also asked if a print would be made available - I sure hope so, because I can SO see that painting hanging above the fireplace.)

Rodolfo is unsure about a print, but he was kind enough to respond to my query with the line-up! WOW! How cool is that?! Thanks Rodolfo! And now there's no question who we see.

So without further ado, here's his response:

"Bubbashelby, Thank you! I don't know about the print. But I can give you a list of the JSA members in the painting :) from left to right : The Golden Age Star Spangled Kid, Wildcat, The Golden Age Atom, The Golden Age Sandman, The Spectre, The Golden Age Flash, Hawkman & Hawkgirl, Doctor Fate, The Golden Age Green Lantern, The Golden Age Hourman, The Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite, the Golden Age Black Canary and the Golden Age Mr. Terrific."

Thanks again Rodolfo!

Reading is Fun-damental!

In addition to toys, I got a bunch of comic books for my birthday.

I won't cover all the comics in the pile here, but I did want to go over the monthly titles I am following, and to give a brief "why" to go along with each.

I'm sure it won't surprise anyone to discover the titles I follow regularly are all Bat Family titles ;)

So here they are in no particular order:

(Detective Comics #857)

Detective Comics - ever since Bruce Wayne "died," the Detective Comics title has been held by Batwoman Kate Kane. This series is BEAUTIFULLY rendered by J.H. Williams III and is literally the best looking comic book on the market today. The story has recently taken a huge twist in regards to Batwoman's recent foe Alice, and has begun delving into Kate's life history, which is proving to be very intriguing. I'm loving this title.

(Red Robin #5)

Red Robin - I like Tim Drake, but hadn't followed his solo adventures for years. When word came out that he had taken up the mantle of Red Robin after Damian became Robin, and that he was getting a new series, I was skeptical, but figured I'd at least check out an issue or two. the series is proving to be very good, as Drake is on a mission to prove that Bruce Wayne is alive...somehow, somewhere. Drake is traveling the globe seeking proof, and is getting tangled up with Ra's Al Ghul's League of Assassins, which makes for some exciting adventures. But the best part about this series is the revelations that Bruce is in fact trapped somewhere in time, and the devotion Drake shows to this cause.

(Streets of Gotham #5)

Streets of Gotham - This series is a little more straight forward, and feels more like your basic Bat Family adventure tale. We see a lot of what's going on with the villain power struggle in this series, as well as the fun storyline following HUSH posing as Bruce Wayne - HUSH has apparently gotten plastic surgery to look like Bruce, and with Bruce gone, he has taken over for him in the public eye. His goal: to ruin the Wayne foundation (and Batman) by giving away billions of dollars to charity. In a real cool twist, a team of superheroes (disguised by the magic of Zatanna) have been planted as his advisors and associates, and are watching his every move to be sure HUSH doesn't bankrupt the Wayne Foundation.

(Batgirl #3)

Batgirl - I like Batgirl as a character, and I love Barbara Gordon, but I never liked Cassandra Cain, so I jumped into this new title to see where it went. So far I am enjoying it and the direction it is taking it's major players. As you all know by now, Stephanie Brown (aka The Spoiler) is the new Batgirl, so there are sure to be some interesting dynamics between her and Tim Drake in the future. Barbara plays a major role here too, and her potential interactions with Grayson/Batman are also something to look forward to.

(Batman #691)

Batman - The Bat title that got me back into Bat titles a couple years back. Batman got me into comics to begin with, but I had fallen out of regular reading for a few years. When I decided to get back into the Bat family, I jumped into Grant Morrison's run on Batman, and have been staying with it ever since. A good look at Grayson's time as the Bat, this title is good Bat fun and issue #691 ends with a little twist that could affect Dick Grayson's future (due to a discovery about his past.)

Beyond just the cover, Two Face's role in Batman is really deep. There are a couple relevations in this issue that are sure to lead to a strong role for him in Batman's, and Gotham's future.

(Batman and Robin #5)

Batman and Robin - Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly are creating an interesting viewpoint in the world of Batman with the title Batman and Robin. This is the comic that focuses on Dick Grayson Batman and Damian Wayne Robin as Batman ttries to train (and keep in check) Bruce's assassin son.

The story and art in this series are pretty distinct and I could even say disturbing. Grant Morrison is a madman, and Frank Quietly draws the stuff of nightmares. I can't say I am entirely sure at any given moment what the hell is going on in Batman and Robin, and to be perfectly honest, I like that. It's disturbing on a grand scale; Morrison does not write for a single issue, he writes for a big picture.

The last couple issues have been drawn by Philip Tan, whose art just doesn't capture the disturbing nature of Frank Quietly, which is necessary to get the full effect of a character like Scarlet. He does a good job, and maybe our sleep patterns can thank him for giving us a break, but I look forward to Quietly's return.

Issue #6 ends with quite a bang, so I am really looking forward to next month to see how our Dynamic Duo fares!

Smallville JSA "Society" screencaps

I captured a few of the screen shots from the Smallville trailer I posted yesterday. Some of these images are seriously too good to be true, so prepare to have your eyes melt out of your head!

Dr. Fate!!!!

Fate had been announced as appearing in this episode before (along with Hawkman and Stargirl,) but the rest really blew my mind, and this episode (a two hour special no less!) is sure to have me grinning from geek ear to geek ear!


The JSA round table! Swoon!

Sandman!!! Drool!

Alan Scott's Green Lantern Ring! Gasp!

And the painting that has me totally flipping my lid. (UPDATE: The artist who painted this fine piece is none other than Rodolfo Migliari!) Even if all these guys don't appear in this episode beyond the painting, just acknowledging their existence in the Smallville universe is so so so very cool. The verdict on who is shown so far is:

Star Spangled Kid
Wildcat
Atom
Sandman
Spectre
Flash
Hawkman
Hawkwoman
Dr. Fate
Green Lantern
Hourman
Dr. Mid-nite
Black Canary (this is the one I question, as Dinah Lance has already appeared in Smallville - but it could be her mother maybe?)
Mr. Terrific

I'm still totally geeking out about this clip, and have watched it a few dozen times. I can't wait for Jan. 22nd!!!!!

JSA on Smallville Jan. 22nd!

Oh DAMN that's a long wait...especially now that I have seen THIS:



Hoe, Lee, Sheeit!

Yes folks, you do see:

The JSA meeting table.

Green Lantern (Alan Scott's) ring!

Dr. Fate!!!

SANDMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

And a painting ala the last supper that includes (as far as I can tell:)

Star Spangled Kid, Wildcat, Atom, unknown, Spectre, Flash, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Dr. Fate, unknown, Hourman, Dr. Midnite, unknown, and Mr. Terrific!

I'm geeking out here kids!

Any ideas on the "unknowns" in the painting?

GAUWD! I have to wait until Jan. 22nd!!!!

Back Road Brawl Mixmaster

Today we take a look at the Toys R Us exclusive Revenge of the Fallen Mixmaster that came in the Back Road Brawl set.


Clever name on the fender, considering Mixmaster was the left foot of the G1 Constructicon gestalt Devastator.

This Mixmaster is from the Revenge of the Fallen movie line. What makes this one special is that he is colored in the same neon green, purple and black color scheme as his G1 inspiration.

Mixmaster is very detailed in vehicle mode, and he even has movable cement truck components like chutes and ladders. Ironically, that's also his favorite board game.

I'm not a big fan of Bayformers (Transformers from the recent movies) or Shellformers (Transformers that are merely scrunched up robots inside an outer shell,) so I wouldn't have gotten Mixmaster if he didn't come with Hoist, but he looks real cool in vehicle mode and his coloration leaves no doubt to his Constructicon affiliation, so I'm glad I have him.

Like most Shellformers, his Transformation is pretty complex. He's like a robo-accordion.

3 hours later.

6 hours later.
Not a bad looking robot, all things considered. The purple and green help. He is a bit floppy, though, with those long limbs that are designed to accordion into his truck shaped outer shell.

Sadly Mixmaster still has his goofy movie face. A new head sculpt would have been cool, but he's not one of the worst looking Bayformers either, so the simple black and silver (and red piping for the eyes) work for him. The silver face paint is already showing some wear due to the tightness of the transformation and the parts rubbing together.

"I'm lonely."

This version of Mixmaster is the only Constructicon from ROTF to be detailed in his G1 colors (as far as I know,) and these deluxe versions don't combine anyways. So my Mixmaster will be flying solo forever.

Mixmaster doesn't combine with his pals, but he is billed as a triple-changer.

8 hours later.

Here he is in Battle Mode. He kind of looks like a scorpion or something.

His gun fires a missile, but unlike Hoist, he cannot fire it in cement truck mode.

All in all a cool Transformer, but very frustrating to transform. I can't see kids playing transformers and taking the fifteen minute breaks between sentences to change guys like these back and forth. Although it does get easier the more times you do it, I think playability suffers when transformations become too complex; which is one reason the earlier Transformers are superior in my opinion.