Harley Qwednesday :: Six Pack

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Legoland Mos Eisley

My favorite part of my recent visit to Legoland was 'Mini-Land;' a bunch of displays of cities and people and vehicles (both real and fictional) made out of Legos! But as fun as it is to see New Orleans or New York laid out in little colored bricks, it's a ton more fun to see Star Wars cities and people and vehicles!

Where better to start than Mos Eisley Space Port. You will not find a more wretched hive of scum and brickery!

Sandpeople ride single file to hide their Legos.

My favorite part of all these were the characters, which were larger scale than mere Lego mini-figures, and super cool yet relatively simple looking, tempting me to try and build some of them myself! C3-PO and R2-D2 are particularly fun looking Lego creations.

The Cantina came to life via the touch of a button, with music and motion from the Potatohead Band!

And of course any tour of Mos Eisley is worthless without seeing the Millennium Falcon. This thing was HUGE! These displays weren't your off-the-shelf Lego sets, all this stuff was custom designed and LARGE!

Even baby Darla got in on the act. "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope!"

Legoland Preview

I was lucky enough to get over to Legoland this past Thanksgiving week and took a ton of pictures. I will post more soon, but for now marvel at the awesome massive Lego AT-ATs and Rebel forces on the ice planet Hoth:

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Hello, Newmar

The first Catwoman to ever steal my heart (and I am sure I'm not alone in that,) Julie Newmar:

"Happy Thanksgiving, Batman...would you prefer a thigh or a breast?"

Harley Qwednesday :: Tales of the Uncomfortable

An awesome commentary on Harley Quinn's DCnU redesign (and comic book females in general) comes to us by the awesome artist Aaron Diaz

The Captain and Tennille Wolverine

"Hey Wolvie, check it out...I'm wearing America's hat...aka Canada! HAHAHA!"

Another set of figures I bought myself for my birthday are these Playskool Captain America and Wolverine figures. These figures are Hasbro/Playskool's answer to Mattel/Fisher-Price's Imaginext line, and sadly they just don't live up to Imaginext.

I really wanted Cap and Wolvie here after picking up Spidey and Gobby a while back. While I'm glad I have them, Imaginext has set the bar high enough for me to be mildly disappointed too. First off: scale. Cap is much smaller, proportionally, than Wolverine. That ain't right! I could get over the height issue, though, if it weren't for the fact that Wolvie's head and feet are also scaled differently than Cap's. It's like they were sculpted by different people in different rooms.

Wolverine is the best of the two, although the paint apps are slightly shoddy. Minor issues, but Imaginext figures are so clean and shiny, so it's pretty obvious these Playskool heroes are a little sub par in comparison.

Cap is really bad, paint-wise. His cheeks and right eye are just plain sloppy. None of the lines/breaks in paint/plastic are clean or straight. He is a cute little figure though, and the fact that Playskool has sculpted details like his chain-mail and stripes etc is cool, as some of these details could have just been painted on or ignored entirely. His shield is sculpted on, which is okay and understandable for a pre-school action figure.

I'm loving all the Imaginext super hero themed figures, and will gladly chase after third and fourth tier characters and costume re-paints of guys like Batman if they keep it up. But I doubt I'll get too excited about more Playskool Heroes now that I have the big guns (Cap, Wolvie and Spidey) if the QC doesn't improve immensely.

"Nice claws."

Despite all my rage I am still just a cat roaming space...

I love/hate having a birthday a month before Christmas. I love it because all sorts of cool new toys hit the shelves in anticipation of the holiday season. I hate it because mad hordes of crazy people are out and about; making your way through any toy aisle/toy store this time of year is an exercise in patience...or more accurately an exercise in futility, because there's no way to maintain patience within the throngs of clueless parents and screaming kids sullying the toy aisles that were, mere weeks ago, places of peace and tranquility.

Anyways, I picked up a couple toys for myself for my birthday this week, (it's what I do,) and was lucky to find some new things I've been anticipating...including this Fisher-Price Hero World DC Super Friends Atrocitus and Dex-Starr set!

I'm not a massive Green Lantern fan, and although I followed along with all the rainbow lanterns storylines, I don't really have a personal affinity for Atrocitus.

I bought the set for Dex-Starr, whom I do think is a brilliant character.

Regardless, this is a pretty neat Atrocitus figure:

Atrocitus was the first Red Lantern, so he's pretty important in current Green Lantern mythos. I believe he was also (maybe retroactively) Abin Sur's prisoner back before Abin Sur died and his ring went to Hal Jordan, and he may have played a part in Abin Sur's self-doubt that led to his death. Again, I don't follow the Green Lantern tales all that closely, so I may be way off mark.

Whatever; Atrocitus is ugly and mean and red and full of rage. What's not to love?

Fisher-Price even painted his ring which is a nice touch, although it's way more black and white than red.

These Hero World figures are like giant sized Imaginext figures, and that's a compliment. They are solid and well designed and fun to look at. Atrocitus has an 'action feature' similar to the Hero World Green Lantern; you spin a dial on his back and his staff-holding hand rotates to spin his weapon. The best part though is that Atrocitus has a unique weapon with his Red Lantern symbol branded on it - it isn't just a re-color of the GL staff, which would have been an easy way for Fisher-Price to save a couple pennies and few kids would have noticed anyways. In a world of toy parts re-use, that's a nice touch as well.

Now on to Dex-Starr. He's the real reason I wanted this set, and he doesn't disappoint. He's technically Atrocitus' 'accessory' here, but he makes a great stand-alone action figure; they didn't skimp just to make him an add-on to the pack.

Dex-Starr is an Earth cat who watched as his owner was murdered, and was then subject to near-death cruelty before a Red Lantern ring found him, harnessing his rage and making him into one mean pussy.

Dex-Starr doesn't have an action feature and has pretty basic articulation at the head shoulders, tail and hips (although his legs move as a pair, not separately.) But again, the basic-ness of toys like this is a huge part of their appeal to me.

On the packaging his shoulder pads are colored red, but here they are black. I don't know if that's a mistake or if they will all be released like this, but it's a minor issue and would not have dissuaded me from buying him either way.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. Yay me!

Normally as my birthday approacheth, I hit up every family member and tell them exactly what I want, at exactly what store to find it, on exactly which aisle to find it, on exactly which shelf to find it...you get the picture.

But having a baby changes you. No, I'm not giving up on needing more toys that my children. I just haven't been focused on my needs lately. For instance: sleep. Apparently I don't need that as much as I previously thought.

Anyways, other than my beautiful baby girl, I did receive a gift from my woman back on October 18th: Batman Arkham City. And again, other than my beautiful baby girl, Arkham City has consumed most of my attention since it's debut.

I got the Robin DLC version, so there are challenge maps where you can play as Robin in his Arkham City costume, his Batman: Animated costume, and my favorite, Red Robin:

Robin is a real badass in this game; he moves lightning quick and wields a mean bo staff. While Batman is pretty much a pummeler, and Catwoman is super fast but not very strong, I find Robin to be the perfect blend of speed and power.

I'm tempted to get the Nightwing DLC but I think I'll wait until the game starts to bore me. There's so much to Arkham City, with all the side missions, combat maps, challenge maps, etc etc...not to mention Catwoman...that it's keeping me well entertained a month into it. Happy birthday to me indeed!

Transformers Prime Cliffjumper

I am not watching Transformers Prime and I have no intention to. I didn't see the last Transformers film and have no intention to.

I am not a TF hater, mind you. Quite the opposite. I have loved Transformers from day one. And while a storyline or cartoon or movie(s) may not be to my liking on occasion, I know and am a fan of a good Transformer when I see it, and this is a good looking Transformer right here:

G1 Cliffjumper was my first Transformer ever, so I am quite fond of the character and a little protective of his portrayal. And while a souped up Boss Hoss accessorized Plymouth is in no way reflective of a Porsche 924 (which is what G1 Cliffjumper transformed into) this car is pretty damn badass and the horns DO reflect Cliffjumper's horned head which is a genius move from a design perspective. Give whoever came up with that idea a raise!

Also, he's not a repainted Bumblebee and for that I say IT'S ABOUT GODDAMNED TIME!!!!!!

G1 Cliffjumper and Bumblebee were different in every single way except the engineering of their transformation. How they ever became 'twins' is beyond me and angers me to no end. Especially since Cliffjumper always got the shaft and ended up being the repainted Bumblebee in nearly every toyline for the past twenty years (if he showed up at all.)

Anyways, I think I'll grab this Transformer when he hits the shelves (if he hits...cough cough Windcharger cough cough)

Go to Bilibala Hobbies to see more awesome pics of Cliffjumper!

Thundercats Week :: Mumm-Ra

Thundercats Week wraps up (haha get it?) with Mumm-Ra!

Mumm-Ra, a mummy with the power to not be a mummy sometimes, is the sworn enemy of the Thundercats. Why would a mummy be an enemy of cats, you ask? Have you ever seen what a cat can do to a roll of toilet paper? Now imagine being wrapped inside that roll of toilet paper!

As a child, Mumm-Ra watched as his parents (his daddy and...wait for it...his MOTHER...) were brutally torn apart by a pack of wild Siamese, and swore from that day forth to get angry and buff every time cats were around.

This Mumm-Ra action figure originally came with some weapons, a flashlight type thingamajig that lit up his eyes and his pet doggy named Mumm-Rover or Ma-Mutt or Ravage or something like that. I don't know, I barely remember that part of the cartoon either, but I know as well as Mr. Cool that every cartoon character of the eighties needed a pet sidekick. And since dogs hate cats (hey, they were finally on to something!) Mumm-Ra got a dog.

Well that does it for Thundercats Week. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together, which wasn't all that much to be honest.

Just kidding! It was good for me too.

Thundercats Week :: Wileykit and Wileykat

 

As a 'thank you' for posting about his awesome custom Feline Hero Stands (Go buy some now,) Soundwave810 sent me Wileykit and Wileykat from the new Thundercats action figure toyline by Bandai!

Even though I have yet to see an episode of the new Thundercats cartoon, I fell in love with these cute kitties when I saw them appearing on toy store shelves. So I am super stoked to now have them; thanks again Soundwave810!

These new Thundercats action figures are cute and simple and well designed. Articulation is limited (that is a good thing!) and both 'kit and 'kat come with some cool accessories.

Wileykat comes with grapple-type claws that fit into each hand, and his hover/skate/surfboard in blue, which is apparently armed with machine guns. Kids and machine guns, always a winning combination.

Wileykit comes with a halo, or maybe it's a frisbee, or possibly some bladed death weapon. I'll leave the final decision in your hands. She too comes with a hover/surf/skateboard with retractable armament.

Both of these toys are super cute in their own right, even without following the cartoon. I hope I don't watch it and find out these two are annoying little $#!($, or else I may not like them as much.

Thundercats Week ain't over yet; see ya' tomorrow for the finale!

Thundercats Week :: Cheetara

Somewhat appropriate for Catwoman Purrrsday, today's Thundercats Week entry is none other than the genuine cat woman herself: Cheetara!

Cheetara is the real reason I picked up the Thundercats lot I've been reviewing this week, because I've never actually seen a Cheetara action figure in person. And because they were cheap and gave me an excuse to create a themed week of entries on this here blog.

She's a little roughed up, and appears to have had her head re-attached with glue at some point in her illustrious career, or maybe it's just a little cracked. But hey, she's a leotard clad cheetah chick, so we can overlook the flaws, right?

Tune in tomorrow - same Thundercats Week time, same Thundercats Week channel.