Poisunday Ivy :: Batman Animated Poison Ivy

Swing on over to Batman: The Animated Toys for a detailed look at my Batman the Animated Series Poison Ivy action figure!

"I said GO!"

Random Cosplay Pic :: DAT BAT(WOMAN!)

This is the best Kate Kane Batwoman cosplay I have seen to date. The stance, the sneer, the hair, of course the costume...and especially the white facepaint. LOVE IT!

 I love it so much I CROPPED OUT HARLEY!!! GASP!

Pic courtesy Birghita 13 on DeviantArt of cosplayers at Emerald City Comic Con.
Batwoman portrayed by cosplayer Kixet.

Skullgirls

Skullgirls is a crazy-cool old-school 2D arcade style fighting game available for download on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Okay I admit,what first caught my eye and prompted me to check out this game was the sexy character designs. Cute cartoony girls with big thighs are kind of my thing, you see. Hell, cute real girls with big thighs are pretty hot too nowthatithinkaboutit...but I digress.

Cute designs aren't quite enough to reel me in, though. What really prompted me to take the leap and download this game to my Xbox was two-fold: 1) this game clearly understands and loves classic 2D hand drawn animation. As a classically trained animator myself, I can spot good animation (and bad) a mile away, and this game has all the right stuff: squash and stretch, secondary motion, exaggeration etc. etc.

Frank and Ollie would be proud.

And 2) this game plays just like those fighting games I used to love in the arcade: Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom...a joystick and six buttons making countless move variations -

- one player against another, tagging in a teammate when things got rough -

- light, middle and heavy hits and kicks - hit combos - and surprise moves - it's all here!

I also soon discovered that the character designs are cute and sexy...and CRAZY! There's Filia, whose hair is some sort of monster symbiote ala Venom. There's Cerebella, who wears a living weapon hat...

...Ms. Fortune, a cat girl by way of Frankenstein's monster and my favorite...

...Peacock, whose character design truly reveals the game designers' love for classic animation.

Skullgirls is no simple fighting game - I am still working my way through the tutorials (I tried fighting without having done so and got my butt handed to me in no time on the simplest of difficulty settings!) - And I would love to play it on a more 'traditional' joystick/six button layout over the Xbox controller - But I plan on studying the character guide and continuing with the practice levels until I can sufficiently hand back some heavy damage!

In the meantime, check out what one could do were one a little more agile than myself at the moment:

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Robin cops a feel!

At least it appears so in this screen grab from 'The Nine Lives of Batman' as spotted over at Superhero Shows.

Heads up! :: Lego Bat Jetski available now!

I spotted this great polybagged Batman Lego minifigure (in Keaton colors!) on a Bat Jetski (30160) at Toys R Us today! Apparently there is also a mini Batmobile (30161) available soon, but I did not see it and it appears that it does not include a minifigure like the Bat Jetski does.

At around five dollars there's no better way to add a Batman Lego minifigure to your collection!

Harley Qwednesday :: Killing Joke Homage

I found this wonderful Killing Joke inspired Harley Quinn cosplay pic on DeviantArt. I love it!

Artist and cosplayer (and probably a whole lot of other cool things) Jackolyn had this to say about the image:


"I would have to say that this was honestly a really lucky shot. 

I was just doing a costume test about a week before Halloween, and I wanted to make sure that it would all pull together once I had the makeup on. I took a bunch of photos, and this one came to me spontaneously. 

I just stood in front of the mirror and took 2 shots of my reflection. This was the second shot, as the first one was blurry. 

It never even came to me that it looked like the cover from The Killing Joke until I was going through all of them at the end, I just so happened to have a devilish grin on my face, and I managed to crop it just right considering I put no planning into it whatsoever.

As far as my hair is concerned, I've had it like this for 4 years now. I've always been a fan of Harley, and I'm much like Harley myself so my hair is reflective of that. It has nothing to do with Suicide Squad Harley, and I was a little bit upset that her new hairstyle is what I've had mine like for years now. Most people assume that I'm copying that when that's not the truth at all."

Check out Jackolyn's DeviantArt page for more awesomeness!

Random Toy Pic :: Can he really do worse than THIS?!?!

Listen, I love the Ninja Turtles (and Transformers for that matter) as much, if not more, than the next geek. And I am not a huge fan of Michael Bay by any stretch (I never even bothered to see 'Dork of the Moon' and have no intentions to do so ever.)

But seriously, can he really do any worse with the TMNT than has already been done? Case in point...THIS:

Oh, and in my defense, I got this fellow for free. So I can still sleep at night. That is, if Troll doll Raphael doesn't come to life and KILL ME!

He does have two sweet bent-up sai like the one that came with Slash, so there is that.

Harley Qwmonda..aw who cares this news just couldn't wait!

Harley is BACK and with a whole new look to boot!

Harley Quinn is back in a whole new Arkham City DLC - Harley Quinn's Revenge!

The DLC will be included in the 'Game of the Year' Edition and I am sure as a standalone DLC (it better be!)
Oh boy oh boy oh boy I am looking forward to this!

You got your Harley Qwednesday and Catwoman Purrrsday in my Poisunday Ivy!

...what...day...today...brain...not...work...too...much...yum...

...via Cherry Plucker

This Lego is pure Evel!

Evel Knievel that is!

Any boy who grew up in the late seventies/early eighties (I dare say every boy) had a fascination with Evel Knievel. Who didn't jump their big wheel off the curb and imagine they were rocketing across the Snake River?

This new Lego minifigure from Series 7 captures those bygone days of daring-do beautifully. Evel also comes with a helmet and a 'scared' face.

But right now he's popping a wheelie like a boss.

Now THIS is how you bring the Battle Beasts in 2012

I am wholly unimpressed by the current Minimate Battle Beasts; probably because I don't care about Minimates, but also because Battle Beasts were never buildable figures like Lego minifigures. They were little action figures with a silly 'game' gimmick and weapons. The minimate Battle Beasts just don't look like Battle Beasts to me.

If I want new Battle Beasts to fill a nostalgic hole in my heart, little limited-articulation action figures of cute animals with badass armor and tech is what I want, and Takara, the creators of the original Battle Beasts appear to be doing just that:

Now these...THESE are Battle Beasts, and if I can find somewhere that sells them near me I will totally buy them (especially that Bat and DAT HAMSTER!) These are Battle Beasts done right!

images via RobotKingdom and spotted at Topless Robot

Tiger the Kid

I picked up this Halloween two-pack of Playmobil children recently. I wanted it for this kid dressed as a Tiger because the tiger mask is pretty keen, and I figured he'd make a grrreat (haha get it?) superhero sidekick type character to go along with some of the other masked Playmobil I have.

He is currently handling Lara Croft's handguns and has been dubbed, for the time being, 'Tiger the Kid'

I love that his mask actually looks like a Playmobil tiger. It's not just a tiger mask,but a Playmobil tiger mask! He also has a cape - like any good tiger. Which adds to his superheroish aesthetic.

Here's Tiger the Kid in an epic sidekick battle against Dr. Mask's protege, Devil Boy (who came with Tiger the Kid in the Halloween two-pack.)

Another fun aspect of this guy is his scale. He's a tiny Playmobil person and is awful cute next to your standard sized Playmobil folk.

'Harley's daycare is open for bizzness!'

Lego Minifigures Series 7 Available NOW!

 I was at Toys R Us today and they had a ton of the brand new Lego Series 7 minifigures!

I grabbed four, the squeeze test only failed me on one of the selections, but I did end up with the one I wanted the most...Tarzan (and his trusty Chimp companion Cheetah!)

I'll post more soon, but for now, be on the lookout!

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Catgirl

I liked the direction DC was going with Catgirl a few years back. Catwoman's sidekick Kitrina Falcone (of the famous Gotham crime Falcones.)

I'm sure they wiped her out in the new 52.

Harley Qwednesday :: Harley Tattoo

I'm going to get another tattoo someday and it'll be a Harley Quinn drawn by me. In the meantime, here's some nice ink someone else got of Harley Quinn:

Apparently the tattoo is visible somewhere in the picture on the right, but for the life of me I just don't see it.

via Fashionably Geek

League of Extraordinary Bloggers :: Prized Posessions

This week's League of Extraordinary Bloggers Assignment: "What is the one item in your collection you would save if your house was being swallowed by a sink hole, carried off in a tornado, and then swept away in a flood."

I've said it before here on Toyriffic and I'll say it again: If I could only hang on to one toy/collectible/piece of childhood ephemera in my collection as the world opened up and tried to swallow me whole I would hop on my bad motor(less) scooter and ride!

The Silver Bullet. My steed. My sidekick. My ride. My Batmobile. My Enterprise. My 'Last of the Interceptors.'

My '78 Schwinn Mag Competition Scrambler. My first bike ever, I got this beauty for Christmas 1980. My Dad worked with a guy who's teenager was selling it, Dad bought it off him and tinkered and polished it up better than new.

I remember peeking down the stairs Christmas Eve night and seeing it by the fireplace.

I remember Christmas day; my first attempt to ride a two-wheeler - Dad letting go of the seat as I drifted straight into his work truck and SLAM! I bounced off and onto the street, leaving a massive dent in the truck's fender...and Dad didn't get mad at me!

I remember riding it to school a mile in the snow - not uphill both ways but close enough to be a badass by today's sissy kid standards.

I remember all the dirt tracks and trails and jumps and curbs and scrapes and scars (still have one or two) from going over the handlebars.

I remember wanting dice valve stem caps and not being able to find any in stores, so Dad took a pair of dice to his drill and voila - and they're still on the bike to this day!

I remember my Dad always saying "Use the kickstand; Don't lay your bike on the ground; take care of your bike and your bike will last you your whole life." And he was right, it has.

I remember hanging my bike up in the rafters when I got my first car, and not taking it down until over a decade later when I needed a project, something good for my body and mind and soul after my first divorce. Dad and I together in the garage, repacking the bearings and replacing the tires and tubes. Polished it up to a beautiful shine. New pedals and a new seat.

Just a little maintenance and the Silver Bullet, like my soul, were good as new once more.

Yeah, things can be replaced. Toys and action figures, no matter how rare or hard to find, are not one of a kind. If they all burned up or melted or were stolen by some thief with awesome taste, I'd get over it. Eventually.

But my Silver Bullet is a part of me. My trusty steed. My friend. And I wouldn't give her up for anything.

And check out a few more from the League:

Lefty Limbo talks about his old school BMX ride too!
Life with Fandom talks about the (and his own) one and only He-Man!
and Branded in the Eighties talks about a very well loved Wicket!

Poisunday Ivy :: Super Best Friends Forever

Now THIS is a Poison Ivy design I can dig. (I was going to say 'get behind' but I don't need your filthy filthy minds sullying the comments section!)

Too cute!

Poison Ivy makes an all too brief appearance on last week's Super Best Friends Forever animated short.



via Superhero Shows

Random Toy Pic :: Koopa's Angels

King Koopa on a Hotwheels Harley Davidson. Your argument is invalid.

League of Extraordinary Bloggers :: Holy Grail

I've been remiss in my League duties of late, having skipped over quite a few topics over the past weeks. But this is one I couldn't pass on:

"What is a holy grail item you hope to find at a flea market, toy show, or comic convention?"

My current 'holy grail' is a toy I owned and loved as a kid and sadly let go many years ago: the Shogun Warriors (or World's Greatest Monsters) Rodan!

This toy was epic. It was HUGE - it could gobble up anyone from Transformers to Star Wars characters to Masters of the Universe. NO ONE COULD STOP RODAN! At least not in my toy collection. This guy was invincible.

He's super hard to find nowadays and probably pretty expensive if you do, but I've found both Blue Snaggletooth and Wonderbread He-Man in my adult life for way cheaper than I can admit and still retain your respect, and of course there was my now legendary pursuit and re-acquisition of the mythical Rabbagator, so I am sure I'll stumble onto this guy someday, and hopefully for a good price too!

Read more from the League via this handy dandy guide by Reis of Lair of the Dork Horde.

Pics via Collectiondx.com and Plaid Stallions

Captain Action plays Captain America dress-up. Frilly underpants sold seperately.

I know many Toyriffic readers are rabid dolly lovers (like Reis and Jboy and Colin and even the M.I.A. Chunky B who was probably buried under a Barbie Corvette avalanche.)

Let's face it, if these gentlemen lived in the same state they'd have tea parties and play dress-up and do each others' hair...I mean each others' dollies hair...and the like. And we all know Reis' Conan dolly could use some work on its hair!

So as a service to these fine feminine fellows I make this report:

I was at my local Toys R Us today buying manly toys like the Hotwheels K.I.T.T. when, as I glanced at manly action figures (this thing must have been mis-shelved - I wasn't in the Barbie aisle!) I stumbled upon the new Captain Action along with his Captain America dress-up kit.

Don't trip over the hem of your dresses running out to Toys R Us to get yours, guys, and be sure to change out of those heels before you go; on my way out I passed a gaggle of fourth grade girls heading in, so you've got some competition!

Catwoman Purrrsday Bonus :: Dark Knight Rises Catwoman

I just LOVE this costume.

It's funny, but it seems like only yesterday that fanboys were crying 'waaah waaah Hathatway's Catwoman won't be wearing a Catwoman costume.'

Now we're starting to get images from actual scenes, the movie has gotten a PG-13 rating (which means someone has actually seen the final cut!) and Entertainment Weekly has Batman and Catwoman on their Summer Movie Preview issue (and I'm talking about THIS summer, people!)

So get on over to your local dentist or pediatrician's office so you too can read this issue...or I suppose you could just buy one too.

Set for release July 20th 2012; The Dark Knight Rises is JUST AROUND THE CORNER!