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!

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!

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!!!!!

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.

One Tow Over the Line

The birthday "haul" turns literal with this guy:

This is Hoist. He comes from the Toys R Us exclusive "Back Road Brawl" set (along with a G1 recolored Revenge of the Fallen Mixmaster - more on him later.)

Hoist is a repaint of an earlier movie based release called Longarm. I believe this figure was always intended to be Hoist, and was supposed to be released in the Transformers Classics (later Universe) lineup. But the movie toys have been surprisingly popular and long lived, so Hasbro is sticking with them for as long as they can. Sadly the Classics/Universe line has pretty much fallen into limbo.

So although it made no sense at all from a fan perspective, Hasbro released this figure originally as "Longarm" and painted him to look like a (non-transforming) tow truck that appeared (briefly) in the movie. It didn't make sense, and I (literally) didn't buy it.

Thankfully Hasbro finally wised up and wedged a G1 accurate Hoist into their movie line of toys (albeit packed in a TRU exclusive set with a Bayformer repaint. Sheesh!)

Anyways, Hoist looks exactly like he should - a nice update on his original tow truck vehicle mode, complete in green with gold accents and sporting a light bar and yellow/black "caution" tape on his side. There's no mistaking this Transformer.

Hoist's robot mode is also a great update on his original look. All the right colors in all the right places (although some chrome accents would be nice.) His hook also transforms into a gun which can launch a plastic missile. It is permanently attached to his hand, but word on the street is that if it bothers you it can be unscrewed. It doesn't bother me though, as for now I display Hoist in tow truck mode, so I don't have to worry about balance or tipping or anything. That said, his feet are nice, large and steady, so he stands very well.

UPDATE: After transforming Hoist back into truck mode I noticed that you can not only discreetly leave the missile in the gun when he's in truck mode (great to avoid lost/misplaced parts) but it even fires from underneath his front bumper! Now THAT'S a cool feature!

For me, often the thing that makes or breaks a Transformer is his face. Which is why, for the most part, I dislike Bayformers. Hoist however has a very nice and accurate update to his G1 look (which is another reason I believe the original release of Longarm was meant to be Hoist all along.) He looks tough and cool, and the "corrugated metal" of his chest really brings out his utilitarian role. There's a ton of articulation too ("ton" being a perspective using original Transformers as the ruler from which we measure these things,) so his arms and legs and head and even his torso can move into many different poses. It's amazing what they can do with ball joints these days.

I love these G1 Transformer updates, and I hope once the ROTF dust settles we'll see many more of them. There were a couple I was looking for as the Classics/Universe line ended (Ironhide, Ratchet, and Hound) and they never popped up for me, so I am glad Hoist appeared on my birthday. Although I never had him as a kid, I have fond memories of him from the comics and cartoons.

Death Race to Oblivion

The next episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold is titled "Death Race to Oblivion." Apparently Mongul has teleported a ton of superheroes and villains to some planet for a race to the death. Check out the clips, courtesy of our pal Tommy of The Bat Blog:


(Yes, kids - that's Woozy Winks "driving" old Plas!)


And check out Guy's "Green Machine!"


This episode looks like a total blast!


You can see more publicity stills at The Batman: Brave and the Bold's Facebook Fan Page.


According to the Bat Blog, this episode is set to air on November 20th on Cartoon Network. Sometimes these things change, and sometimes they re-air episodes, so be sure to check your local listings.


Personally I think this episode should air on SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY! (a little Monster Truck humor for you there ;) )