Hero World Mr. Freeze by Fisher-Price

I only picked up a handful of the now defunct Fisher-Price Hero World DC Superhero action figures when they were in stores. These guys basically amounted to large scale Imaginext figures in their design and target audience, and it appears Fisher-Price decided to put all their effort into that smaller scale line.

I snagged Mr. Freeze here when the line was being clearanced out at Toys R Us over a year ago. And by 'The Line' I mean the fifty Mr. Freezes, Penguins and Green Lanterns Toys R Us had let clog their shelves for what seemed like half a decade. Letting old product clog shelves until people got sick of them and never making space for new product may very well have been a factor in the line's death too.

Anyways, Mr. Freeze is fun in this basically articulated figural form. I like the white/light blue color scheme. He has a bit of an astronaut vibe to him.

All the Hero World figures had an 'action feature.' Mr. Freeze's makes little sense - roll a dial on his back and an ice shield pops up in front of his face. Maybe this emulates what happens when his containment suit is compromised, or...I can't imagine what else it could be. It would have been cooler (pun intended) if it had been some sort of robo-armor or even ice sculpted armor or something, instead of just an icy layer of nothingness. Oh well, at least it's an action feature that can easily be ignored if one so chooses.

Hero World figures also came with an accessory, often in the form of a separate figure. Mr. Freeze came with his companion...

...Ice Bear. Wait, what?

I don't remember Mr. Freeze ever hanging out with living ice in any form, let alone that of a bear. Again, this would have made much more sense if it had been an actual Polar Bear, or even a robotic bear of some sort. But I do have to admit that clear/ice/crystal action figures are pretty awesome, so the fact that this bear falls into that category makes up somewhat for the lack of logic in his existence.

Ice Bear also gets an action feature, one a bit less lame than his partner. Spin the dial on Ice Bear's back and his arm waves up and down. I mean claws and disembowels Batman. Yeah, that's much more exciting.

Bonus pic: Mr. Freeze is in scale and looks pretty good paired with the new TMNT Rocksteady action figure!

Imaginext Solomon Grundy Coming Soon!

Fisher-Price recently revealed their newest super-sized Imaginext figure: Solomon Grundy! Not sure the exact scale on this guy, but based on the kid's hand in the following picture...

...he looks to be quite large - even larger than the Imaginext Clayface! Solomon Grundy will retail for around $15.00. No sign of him at retail or at any online retailers yet, but I expect he'll be showing up any day now, perhaps as part of stores' after holiday toy resets.

I will have to see this one in person before I commit - he may be a bit too big, although that might mean he's in scale with another action figure line like Hero World or something. He doesn't look overly kiddy/cartoony, in fact he doesn't really scream 'Imaginext' at all to me, although standard Imaginext themselves have been around so long that some older figures don't even match up with the new ones.

I regret that I never was able to get the limited/exclusive JLU Solomon Grundy, nor was I able to complete the DCUC Collect and Connect Grundy (thanks Mattel!) so I might be unable to pass on this one if I do see it at retail just to satisfy that gaping hole in my soul. Thankfully I do have the Brave and the Bold Solomon Grundy, one of the best Grundy action figures ever made!

Preschool Week :: Gotham Girls

Just a pair of pictures featuring everyone you've seen this Preschool Week, together with their respective toyline teammates: Gotham Girls - Imaginext and Playmobil style!

Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, official members of the Imaginext DC Universe lineup, and custom members of the world of Playmobil.

I have yet to come up with a way to give Catwoman cat ears (without her looking like a cheap custom job that is.) I keep hoping Playmobil will make a cat ear headband or hood or something for some Halloween themed figure or somesuch. Like I said before, these are just kitbash customs, no paintwork or part modification whatsoever. Just parts swapping. Doing these customs is challenging and fun, and while I am sure I could do all sorts of paint work or craft custom parts, I like to keep these things simple yet creative. At least for now. Who knows what the future holds?!

Preschool Week :: Imaginext Poison Ivy and Scarecrow by Fisher Price

Another theme week!

This week, we look at a bunch of toys intended for toddlers! So stick your thumb in your mouth or your finger in your nose and take a nap or throw a tantrum and don't eat your peas and be in bed by seven, because Preschool Week begins NOW!

Only the fourth female character to have made it to the DC Super Heroes Imaginext toyline line-up (behind Catwoman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn) - I present to you the chlorophyll cutie herself: Poison Ivy.

The detail on Poison Ivy is incredible. Her bodice and shoes are sculpted with all sorts of little details that could have been ignored in the design phase. Fisher-Price could have just given her a flat green oufit and called it a day. Her hair is nicely sculpted too, and the little plant details painted on her help her stand out as something more than just a green skinned gal. Of note: her arms are also much skinnier than the previous female Imaginext figures. It makes sense in a way because Ivy is not wearing sleeves/gloves like Catwoman or Harley, but I hope it doesn't mean female Imaginext figures are going to have a different body type moving forward. The line has lasted so long there are already design changes that make them a bit inconsistent when put together as a group (for instance, the previous sculpted faces vs. the latest painted-on faces.) And with the about-once-a-year female character releases Fisher Price seems to be keeping to, there will be massive design differences by the time we even get a handful of gals in our DC Imaginext collections!

Although Imaginext has been going strong for many years now, it's hard to believe Poison Ivy is only the fourth female character from the DC Comics line-up to make an appearance. More surprising, all three Batman themed females that they have made are villains! Sure, they made Wonder Woman, but considering other such no-brainers as Batgirl and Supergirl have yet to make the Imaginext roster of female characters, Poison Ivy is a welcome addition indeed, but does leave one wondering what goes on behind closed doors at the Fisher-Price offices!

Actually, as odd as it sounds, I honestly believe the primary gauge used for Batman themed character selection are the Arkham video games of recent years. Crazy, because this toyline is aimed at a fanbase much younger than that of the video games, but it makes sense considering that the Arkham video games have introduced Batman and his rogue gallery to a much larger audience than the comics and movies alone. It also makes sense because these toys are aimed at a young audience not familiar with the archaic mediums of entertainment their parents grew up enjoying. Like, basically, anything that doesn't have a screen!

When you consider the Arkham video games as a template for the Imaginext toyline, it makes sense to have Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Poison Ivy, who all make prominent appearances in the games and not, say, Batgirl, who does not appear in the video games (okay, she appears as Barbara Gordon/Oracle, but that is different, especially for the non-comicbook geek.)

Anyways, that's my theory, and I am sure there are many other factors that play into Fisher-Price's character selection. But I think my theory is pretty solid, and may also be reinforced by the character Poison Ivy is packed with: Scarecrow!

Scarecrow also plays an important part in the Arkham series, and is apparently lined up to play an even bigger part in the upcoming Arkham Knight game set for release later this year.

Scarecrow is incredibly detailed, you can tell a lot of love and attention went into his design. He even has a noose sculpted around his neck - or at least a rope with a knot in it - I'd love to talk to the designers and hear if they are ever asked to tone their designs down or if they are given any specific 'no-nos' when making these kiddy toys.

Scarecrow comes with a scythe that I do not believe has made a previous appearance anywhere in the Imaginext toyline, and Poison Ivy comes with a vine that seems designed to hook on other Imaginext figures' necks or heads or whatever.

Fun for the whole family!

Poisunday Ivy :: Imaginext Poison Ivy and More Coming Soon!

Action Figure Insider recently revealed some exciting upcoming Imaginext DC Super Friends sets, and the biggest highlight was this two-figure set that includes Poison Ivy! In a series with only three females so far (Catwoman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn) another female is BIG NEWS, and Poison Ivy is a welcome (if surprising) fourth female choice to add to the line-up. The set also includes Scarecrow, both brand new figures and both figures I will buy the second I see them available!

Also revealed is a new Batmobile with an all new Batman figure included. This new Imaginext Batmobile joins the roster as the fourth or possibly fifth Imaginext Batmobile design, and is clearly influenced by the Batmobile from the Arkham Asylum/Arkham City video games. I need this one!

Batman's Batpod Batcycle is also all new, as is the New 52 influenced Batman included with it. Geez, I need this too!

A Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle and Beetle-Mobile was also revealed...

...as well as a New 52 version of Martian Manhunter and a bendable Plastic Man! This set is also very tempting. Looks like I'll be adding a handful of new Imaginext toys to my (and my daughter's) collection very soon. Some of these are labeled as Target exclusives in the images, and although the Poison Ivy/Scarecrow set isn't labeled as such, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being a Target exclusive as well. I'll be sure to post as soon as I find it and let everyone know!

Via ActionFigureInsider.com

Hero World Voice Comm Cyborg by Fisher Price

I found this Fisher-Price Hero World Voice Comm Cyborg at Marshalls a couple weeks ago.

Even though my Hero World collecting has been very selective, I wanted this Teen Titan teammate to go along with my Hero World Robin. And discovering this figure came as quite a surprise, as I've seen no mention of his existence anywhere online! Not even as a 'look what they won't be releasing because they canceled the line!' post in some random chat room ('chat room' hahaha I'm showing my age!)

This Cyborg is completely off everyone's radar. He's stealth Cyborg!

There is a non Voice Comm version that was released with an ATV near the end of the standard Hero World line, but that figure is a completely different sculpt from this one, not to mention that this Voice Comm version speaks with the push of a button and interacts with other Voice Comm figures and vehicles.

Like with the Hero World Robin, I don't believe this Cyborg ever hit regular retail. Marshalls, like Ross and Big Lots, is a closeout retailer that pushes stuff at discount prices after picking up unsold product from mainstream retailers and manufacturers. Big Lots has recently stocked Hero World and Voice Comm figures, so Marshalls must have gotten their hands on some as well. That being said, I've seen no sign of Cyborg at Big Lots (where I found Robin) and at Marshalls there was no sign of any other figure besides Cyborg (of which they had two.)

The DC Super Friends Hero World line (and it's Voice Comm sequel) should have been much more of a success, but suffered a bit of retail mishandling and bad luck. Also, the shift from Hero World to Voice Comm was ill timed and helped lead to the premature death of the line. There was also the Imaginext 'redundancy' - two pre-school hero lines in different scales may have been too much for parents - which is why I believe the Voice Comm angle was brought on to begin with, to give greater delineation between lines.

That said I personally believe the biggest hiccup was Hero World's focus on Green Lantern characters. The movie was expected to be huge but flopped (and the cartoon never got it's rightful footing either), causing dozens of Hero World Hals, Kilowogs and Tomar Res to languish on Toys R Us shelves to this day. Ironically the Atrocitus / Dexx-Star and Sinestro / B'Dg sets disappeared from shelves fast due to fan popularity, but were never given the chance to be restocked because retailer shelves were choked with Hals that no one wanted. There is also speculation that these figures (or at least the Atrocitus/Dexx-Stars) were pulled by Fisher-Price because of their violent nature, but I don't think that happened. I just think collectors grabbed them up and production halted when the retailer orders didn't come back for more. These might have also been Toys R Us exclusive and made in lesser quantities, but I've never met anyone else who has one of them so I can't ask them where they bought theirs!

In addition, the other retailers that carried the line were subsequently cautious when Hero World released characters like Hawkman, Aquaman, Flash and the first release of Cyborg, and those characters didn't have the chance to hit stores in very large quantities or get the advantage of being restocked once they sold out. To add insult to injury, all of these characters were being shipped to retailers when Hero World 'ended' and evolved into Voice Comm, which retailers didn't order much of either due to their languishing Hero Worlders.

This type of thing really fascinates me. It's like the end of the Muppet movie where (if memory serves me) Kermit and Fozzie are reading the credits, and Fozzie (or maybe it's Gonzo?) says 'Who cares' and Kermit says something like 'They all have mothers.' I know I'm way off but I think you get the gist. The fact is, someone designed this toy, someone recorded their voice for this toy, etc. etc., and someone has to care that it exists, dammit!

I also just like Cyborg. The Teen Titans cartoon version is my favorite (even though I was never a huge fan of the cartoon) and I have a few of his Bandai likenesses too.

This Fisher-Price Cyborg comes with a cool energy blaster type gun...

...and maybe these are  handcuffs, or some sort of wrench or mechanical grabbers like you see on UHF after midnight or if you aren't reading this in 1983, maybe at an 'As Seen on TV' store.

Voice Comm Cyborg is copyright 2012, but like I said before I don't think he has seen the light of retail until now. Good luck finding him if you're interested. He may be an anomoly, or he may suddenly clog pegs everywhere. Who knows?

Only the Shadow knows!

Booyah!

Hero World Robin The Boy Wonder

I didn't even know this figure existed before finding him today - the DC Super Friends Hero World Robin by Fisher-Price:

This Tim Drake Robin came out in 2012, at about the same time as the hard to find Hero World Hawkman and Flash - right at the end of the standard Hero World line, before it changed from standard action figures over to the electronic Comm-Tech versions (that didn't appear to do all that well at retail.)

The strange thing is, I knew there had been a Hawkman and a Flash and an Aquaman and a Cyborg, but I had no idea there was a Robin! To paraphrase The Joker: 'Why didn't anyone tell me they had one of these...things!'

These Hero World figures have been fading out of retail for a while now - I found this one at Big Lots, who appear to have picked up the last of them from retail establishments who have now phased them out completely. I also saw Flash and Hawkman but (as I have mentioned before) I am not collecting this line (at least I thought I wasn't!) so I left them behind.

I still don't even have a Hero World Batman, for heaven's sake! But I do now have Dex-Starr, The Joker, The Bat-Copter, and now Robin. So it's now officially a 'collection' whether I like it or not.

Robin is a beautiful figure. He comes with a bo staff and his wrist rotates 360 degrees so he can spin it around helicopter style!

And unlike his Imaginext counterpart, Hero World Robin has a cape! A cloth one to boot. And it has a nifty split at the bottom - that's some cool attention to detail; they could have just as easily went with a flat bottom to the cape and no one would have really cared. But to quote Luke Skywalker: 'I care.'

Hero World Robin's sculpt and costume design are just awesome - lots of armored details and the areas of silver really make his gloves and boots pop!

Robin of course comes with a massive lame accessory, but I won't complain because Fisher-Price included the perfect and simple bo staff too.

The massive accessory will just sit in a drawer here, but it does shoot a couple discs (and shoots them well) in addition to clipping to Robin's back into a couple relatively unobtrusive holes WITHOUT making him topple over! I don't like the accessory, but I applaud the engineering of the whole package.

I love this Robin, and am glad to not have known about him before finding him because I might have gone crazy looking for him! And at only $8 at Big Lots grabbing him was a no-brainer.

Now, go crazy looking for him yourself!

League of Extraordinary Bloggers :: Seeing Red

This week's League of Extraordinary Bloggers assignment was a simple one: 'I'm Seeing Red.'

What better way to represent Red than with one of my favorite action figures: Dex-Starr from Fisher-Price's Hero World line!

Dex-Starr originally came with Atrocitus, he was actually more of an accessory than a companion figure, but I got the set specifically for Dex-Starr and therefore I got rid of Atrocitus long ago, as I had no emotional attachment to him. I kind of regret doing so, because I never saw this set on shelves more than once and never see them pop up on eBay or anywhere else. They appear to be a bit rare. It's like they made a handful of them and POOF they dissapeared from toy shelves never to be seen again. Weird.Oh well, at least I still have Dex-Starr, the star (haw haw) of the pair!

Are your corneas burned out yet? If not, look around elsewhere in the League for more crimson coolness...
Flashlights Are Something to Eat sees something Redd AND Foxxy
Nemesis Complex ist shpeaking uf der Red Shkull's kinderhood, ja!
Henchgirl gives us Dex-Starr's origin, in case you were wondering
and least but not last, The 30ish Year Old Boy sees red EVERYWHERE!

Harley Qwednesday :: NEW Imaginext Harley Quinn (and Joker too!)

"Hammer envy much? Maybe we should call you 'jelly'-face instead? HAW HAW HAW! Now get lost, ya' big turd, this is MY show!"

I officially declare the new Fisher-Price Imaginext Harley Quinn as the best Imaginext toy ever. She's only been with me a week and she's already terrorizing all my other toys, showing them who's boss and not taking anyone's crapola!

"Who the hell are you supposed ta' be, ya' cubist nightmare?"

Aww, but who can stay mad at that face?!?! And although a painted-on face at that, it is super cute and the rest of Harley's figure is nicely detailed and specifically sculpted (again - no parts re-use except maybe the hands.) Her arms and legs have diamonds sculpted on them (a little paint would make them pop!) her pixie shoes are in the (fun) house, and even her collar is a sculpted element.

As mentioned before, there are at least two Harley variants, and of the two I got both are the 'incorrect' arm/hand coloration. Not a HUGE deal, and my daughter won't care when she gets hers for Christmas, but I will need a 'correct' version someday. Fortunately Fisher-Price likes to push vehicles and playsets so I will hope for a future correct Harley in a neat themed vehicle set in the near future to be my excuse to get another!

"Ooh Mistah J, I know what THAT look means. MAYHEM!"

Harley Quinn comes with a hammer that has been released previously with older versions of the Joker as well as an all newly sculpted Joker too!

And I have to admit this new Joker is far superior to the previous version. Way more detail in the sculpt (down to the stitching on his shoes) as well as a mischievous smirk, this all new Mr. J is the perfect companion piece to the star of the show, Miss Quinzel herself! Also, Joker's hands are unique to his sculpt (they have those three 'lines' on them ala Mickey Mouse/Bugs Bunny that all good cartoon gloves have) making him 100% new! Nice!

Thanks Fisher-Price for making Harley Quinn! I thank you, my daughter thanks you, and society thanks you!

Imaginext Wonder Woman and Superman have landed!

My (daughter's) Imaginext DC Super Friends Wonder Woman and Superman arrived this week!

Thank Hera too! I was worried about my order after a few hiccups (which I won't bore you with again) and as of this writing this specific set is listed as 'sold out' on the Fisher-Price webstore!

I was worried I wouldn't get this set in time for it to fill a much needed slot in my littlest daughter's Christmas presents cornucopia. She has already amassed a good collection of Imaginext figures (thanks to her dear old dad) and has more playsets in store for her Christmastime fun, but she absolutely needs Wonder Woman to head up her little superhero army!

And here's the Princess of the Amazons herself in all her Imaginext glory! I still can't believe how easily Fisher-Price was able to slip this (and Harley Quinn) under our radars until it was already available online, (no leaked pre-prodcution pics, no Toy Fair previews...nothing!) and I can't thank Chunky B enough for letting me know about it in time to get the set before they sold out!

Wonder Woman is a beautiful little figure. Not a single part of her is designed with future kit-bash character re-use in mind. Ok, maybe the hands aren't unique, but that's it. Her tiara makes her head sculpt WW specific, her bracelets have stars sculpted on them, and the torso could be no one else. In a world of parts re-use action figures, it's nice to see so much attention to detail and specificity go into a toy aimed at the pre-school set. Let's face it, this is exactly the type of toy one expects a toy company to scrimp on. And to FP's credit, they didn't. And that's important, because these toys literally have the power to forge a geek's path for the rest of their lives, and I can't thank Fisher-Price enough for helping me to raise my daughter right!

Plus, the mere fact that Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn exist in Imaginext form now means you can't count out any female character in the future of this line. Because 1) these characters' inclusion proves that Fisher-Price is listening to fans and 2) their unquestionable success (see Catwoman - the first female Imaginext figure and a huge sucess) will further prove the value of female characters in toylines like Imaginext which appeal to both boys and girls (and let's face it, nutty adult collectors too!) who all want both boy and girl figures in their collections! Boy oh boy do I hope we get a Batgirl and a Poison Ivy next!

But back to 'now.' In addition to Wonder Woman's lasso accessory, the set comes with a brand new Superman in his DCnU costume!

Nice, value-wise, that Fisher-Price included an all new Superman for anyone who already has the previous version (which is still worth tracking down because he comes with Krypto!) This new Superman also has a 'painted' face as opposed to the previous version's sculpted face. Painted-on faces seems to be an across-the-board style change as Imaginext moves forward, with most new figures coming this way as opposed to previous fully sculpted faces being the norm (at least in the DC Super Friends branch of Imaginext.)

When I first got Aquaman I felt the 'painted' face cheapened the figure a bit, but the more I look at the stylistically the more I like them. They allow for more cartoony expressions and it would be nice to see the expressions changed for future/new pack-in releases (like an angry face Wonder Woman packed in with the inevitable Invisible Jet playset!) I also like how the head/hair for guys like Aquaman and Superman are sculpted specific to character, which also leads me to believe the painted faces are more a style choice then an attempt to cheapen the product.

A fan demanded figure since day 1, Wonder Woman doesn't fail to delight, and the all new Superman at least means you don't get something you already have to get her. Either way, at around $6.99 retail you can't go wrong with this set at all!

Harley Qwednesday :: Imaginext Harley Quinn Variants

While waiting for my Imaginext Harley Quinn to arrive I noticed something odd on the pics I've been seeing of 'in hand' examples:

On the left is a Harley Quinn currently listed on eBay (PS don't buy these on eBay - they're still in stock on F-P's website!) and on the right is the one Chunky B has in hand.

Anyways, lighting notwithstanding, the major difference between these two Harley Quinns are her arms and hands - note that in the pic on the left her arms/hands are correctly colored to Harley Quinn's original costume design and on the right (Chunky B's version) the red and black are inverted! This isn't a simple case of mismatched parts either - Chunky B reports that his arms hands are anatomically correct (and so are Harley's HAW HAW!) There are also more examples of each variation on eBay.

So it appears there is a variant out there. Why? Maybe she was 'fixed' early on in production and 'corrected' for the rest of her manufacture run. Or maybe there are just two different versions (possibly from two factories?) It is odd that they made both arms and both hands in both colors, yet did not mismatch the colors (ex: black arm black hand.) which makes me believe that it wasn't an assembly mistake.

I do hope when (IF!) I get mine she is the correct version. Sure, this isn't nearly as ugly a design faux-pas as Aquaman's yellow boots, but it would be nice to have Harley looking right.

Harley Qwednesday :: Imaginext Harley Quinn in hand!

Unfortunately it isn't my hand - but the hand of the Howard Hughes-esque Chunky B (who clipped his 6" thumbnail before taking this shot:)

So if you ordered your Harley Quinn or Wonder Woman Imaginext sets off Fisher-Price last week after seeing my original post on the subject, you can expect them to arrive any day now...

...unless their website decided not to ship your order, to prevent you access to your online account, and to stop processing your credit card.

Yeah, all that happened to me.

I called Customer Service. Supposedly I will get my order by next week, but with Wonder Woman already listed as 'sold out' on the site I daren't hold my breath for a happy ending.

And if you ordered and haven't gotten yours yet I suggest you do a little investigating yourself.

Happy Happy Hawkman Flappy

I'm pretty sure this is the happiest Hawkman you will ever see.

Released back in 2007/2008, this Hawkman was a rather tough catch at the time.

The DC Superfriends line was coming to an end when Hawkman was announced, and Target had acquired exclusive rights to their distribution.

Well it seems someone at Target took exception to Hawkman's mace. They felt it didn't pass certain safety guidelines and was too likely to cause a kid to choke (even though the mace did pass government safety guidelines.)

This was all happening around the time Mattel was getting major flack for lead paint and other safety issues, so I'm sure there was a lot of extra nervousness floating around.

Anyways, Target decided not to sell Hawkman, and other figures in the set even had their packaging modified to show Hawkman was unavailable or canceled or however they termed it.

Here's the mace attached to this claw-grabber shield/jet sled type thingy Hawkman came with. The mace launches when you push that button up top there, and the claw grab mechanism on the flip-side grabs as you push the lever on the bottom left.

So anyways, a year or so went by and Target dropped the DC Superfriends line. Rite-Aid (in my area - maybe other stores in other areas) ended up with the line. And apparently Rite-Aid aren't as big a bunch of safety Nazis as Target, because they had no problem selling Hawkman. I don't know if there was a limited production run on Hawkman due to the original refusal to sell him, but he did make it into my hands - ironically as the only DC Superfriends figure I own! I don't even have a Batman from the line!

Here's that claw-grabbing part I mentioned earlier.

Hawkman was later released as a MattyCollector.com exclusive in a different color scheme (more Hawkworld-like) and without the mace.

But this JSA/JLA looking Hawkman is absolutely the superior of the two.

'An airshow AND a gun show! Don't ever let it be said that Hawkman doesn't deliver the goods!'

'And remember kids, a mace is a terrible thing to shove down your own throat. Now shoving it down the throats of your enemies...well that's a whole different story!'