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!

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Catcycle

I'm not currently reading Catwoman comics but this cover from Issue #17 (Feb. 2013) has me tempted. I love superhero and supervillain themed vehicles and if Catwoman is now riding around Gotham City on a cat-faced motorcycle then sign me up!

Cover art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarrogona

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.

Open the door, get on the floor...

...Everyone do the DON-a-saur!

This is just an oddball variant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Variant Ninja Turtles were all over the place in their heeyday - a staple of Playmate's toy marketing strategy. But few were as odd as prehistoric turtles! Because the oddness didn't stop at cavemen themed outfits- originally, each prehistoric turtle came with a dinosaur ride/pet too!

Sadly all I have is Donatello in a sabretooth skin.

But I have to admit he's pretty darn cool!

One could imagine a storyline that throws Donatello out of time and into pre-history. Forced to survive with only his wits to aid him, he eventually battles and subsequently carves up and eats a sabretooth cat ; later using the skin to keep warm at night.

Cowabunga.

Poisunday Ivy :: Poison Ivy and Baby Harley

via Fashionably Geek

Lego Batmobile and Target Holiday Batman

Thanksgiving is over and, if you haven't already been thinking about it since Halloween ended, it is time to start planning for Christmas (or your yuletide holiday of choice.)

Target has swept out the literal and figurative cobwebs of Halloween 2012 and now has their Christmas stuff all bunched up in the corner of their stores, including some great new stocking stuffers:

Up first is Lego set 30161 which is a polybagged mini-kit Batmobile!

Consisting of 45 pieces, this is a cute little Batmobile that sadly does not include a mini-figure.

You will just have to be content with a Batmobile.

And if you aren't content with a small Lego Batmobile that cost you $3.99 you have no soul.

It is interesting that there is no Bat indicia on this vehicle at all. That's rare for such a marketing juggernaut as Batman!

And speaking of marketing juggernaut:

Target has again released a holiday themed Dark Knight Rises Batman (just in time for us all to get the DVD or BluRay for Christmas!)

Like the Halloween Batman, this Holiday or Christmas or Winter Batman comes packaged to theme. Batman appears to be in a snow-globe and although more subtle than the pumpkin bubble of the previous Target exclusive, the look is both effective and fun.

Batman is garbed in his standard Dark Knight Rises costume but is cast in winter camouflage - white plastic with sparkly silver/grey splotches. Batman also sports a white cloth cape. I'll open him up when I start decorating the house for Christmas but until then he remains safely ensconced in his faux snow globe. In the meantime, he's $4.99 at Target and hopefully not too hard to find for those of you interested in this neat Target Exclusive variant!

Deep Thoughts :: Masters of the Universe

I can still remember the first time I laid eyes upon the Masters of the Universe.

The year was 1982.

For some reason I received a present from an aunt out in California. It was early in 1982, or perhaps some time in the summer. It was definitely before Fall; I know because I wanted (and got) Beastman for my birthday that year, so by November '82 I was certainly well aware of the Masters of the Universe...well...universe. Well enough to know what baddies I needed to add to my collection anyways.

The present I received early in 1982 was the He-Man and Wind Raider gift set. At first I honestly didn't know what to make of it. Was this a doll? I certainly wasn't used to such large action figures (Star Wars dominated my toy collection up until that point, and having completely missed the Mego boat but having an older sister into Barbies, I knew clearly the distinction between dolls and action figures. This 'He-Man' was nearly nude, am I expected to provide pants?) Was it a baby toy? (He-Man's simplistic construction, rubber head and wobbly leg joints, coupled with the fact that my aunt was notorious for sending me toys much more suited for toddlers even though I was about to turn eight had me wondering...)

But the packaging showed some pretty fantastical stuff; warriors and monsters with massive bladed weapons couldn't possibly be for babies, or girls, right? I don't recall if the set came with a mini-comic but if it did that hauntingly beautiful Alcala imagery certainly hit me full force too (I know the comics swept me away eventually, I just don't remember if it started here or later.)

And by gum, the vehicle was pretty darn neat, with it's wind-up winch and stickers and such. And He-Man...okay he was a hugely muscled nearly naked nordic specimen of manhood...an odd choice for a child's plaything indeed...but boy was he armed to the furry-shorts-wearin' teeth!

I think I dig this thing!

Masters of the Universe consumed my toy collecting for only a couple short years. I had Greyskull and Skeletor and Panthor and Zoar and Clawful and Man-At-Arms and what seemed like a ton more. I played with them outside in the dirt and in the snow and at my cousin's house and with friends; and once I even duct taped old Castle Greyskull shut and checked it as my luggage on a plane trip to Grandma's (you should have seen the people at the luggage turnstyle when a green skull-faced castle popped out and began rotating past them.)

But as fleeting as childhood is, those moments of toy-obsession can be all the more fleeting; by 1984 my interest in MOTU was waning and I was moving away from such 'childish' toys and into more mature themed toys like Transformers and Go-Bots.

I believe Clawful was the last new MOTU figure I ever received, and some time in 1985 I was offered a bunch of money for my 'toys I wasn't playing with anymore' and sold my whole MOTU lot to Dad's coworker's kid.

I don't regret it at all. I wouldn't have changed my mind at the time (I was too young for nostalgia) and I'm glad the toys went to a kid who got to enjoy them. And hey, I made some money which I turned right back into more toys at the time anyways - many of which I do still own.

Yet somehow something that my 7 to 9 year old mind mused over daily, be it during playtime or afternoon toon time or during school with erasers-not-toys; somehow those two years of direct almost daily contact have turned into a lifetime of fandom even though all those original toys left for new adventures long ago.

A Psychologist could have a field day culling the reasons that period in my life cut such a deep groove in my psyche. All I know is that the toys and themes present in the Masters of the Universe left a mark on me in ways not even Star Wars (a pre and post MOTU obsession) or Transformers (post MOTU) or even Batman (still to this day) can truly contend with.

Of course I have since gathered together more original MOTU toys in my adulthood than I originally owned as a kid (in retrospect I realize I did not really own that many - it just seemed that way to me at the time,) and I have a handful of Masters of the Universe Classics (mostly favorite childhood characters, plus one or two oddballs.) I also have hundreds (maybe thousands) of toys of different genres and from different eras, and something shiny and new or retro will invariably pop-up tomorrow or the next day to catch my wandering attention.

But all others will always pale in comparison to the Sci-Barbarian He-Man and his Future cum Medieval ilk and the lasting effect they had on my impressionable young mind.

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving Day with lots of food and family!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Harley Qwednesday...

...to bring you THIS!!!!!

Imaginext DC Superfriends HARLEY QUINN and The Joker

AAAAAAHHHHHHRRRRGGGGHHHHH they are SO ADORABLE!!!!

They are currently available at the Fisher-Price Store linked above (I bought two!) but you better move fast...

...and...oh yeah...THERE'S ALSO THIS:

Imaginext DC Superfriends WONDER WOMAN and Superman

That's right I said WONDER WOMAN!!!!

Also available at the link above and also I bought two because HOLY HANNA-BARBERA FISHER-PRICE FINALLY MADE NOT ONLY MORE FEMALE IMAGINEXT FIGURES BUT HARLEY FLIPPIN QUINN RIGHT OUT THE GATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. I'm hyperventilating over here.

Oh and a huge thanks to the Phantom of the Dolly Aisles Chunky B who sent me this info from his secluded dolly dungeon located somewhere deepinahearta Texas.

Thanks Chunky B! This is the best Harley Qwednesday news ever!

And massive thanks to Fisher-Price who have just proven unequivocally that they indeed have been listening to their fans and customers!

Harley Qwednesday :: Random Cosplay Pics

Suicide Squad DCnU New 52 inspired Harley Quinn cosplay:

via http://tesazombie.tumblr.com/

Ran-dumb toys :: Turbo Jab Street Shark

I found this at the local thrift store and could not leave such a ridiculous toy behind:

This is 'Turbo Jab' and he is a Street Shark.

Apparently there were a few versions of a 'regular' Jab (as regular as an anthropomorphic Hammerhead can be that is) and this 'Turbo' version.

What makes him Turbo?

He transform...lays down and becomes a racecar!

And apparently a street cleaner. Lick it good, Turbo Jab!

Yeah, this is a pretty lame toy.

But I have to admit, he also has some ran-dumb charm. I suppose it helps that he's a hammerhead shark, which science has proven to be the coolest sharks around. He's also dressed like the X-Men, which is fashion mockery at it's finest but does affiliate him with Wolverine.

What do you think? Did I waste a dollar or not?

This Dorke's Horde...Trooper

Okay let's get one thing straight: Skeletor is a badass and Hordak is a ninny. Also, growing up I always considered Hordak and his minions to be girl's toys because they were featured predominantly on the She-Ra cartoon.

But since this Horde Trooper is hard to find, sort of awesome in a Stormtrooper kind of way, and is not a dolly (pants = not removeable) he has earned the right to be featured on Toyriffic.

"I renounce Hordak for the ninny he is and join Team Skeletor!"

Horde Troopers came out near the end of the Masters of the Universe line (he's marked 1985) so they are generally harder to come by than figures released during the line's peak. In fact, before seeing this guy at the flea market, I don't believe I've ever seen one in person.

Therefore I was willing to shell out a whopping five dollars for this guy. That's a lot in flea market dollars!

As with all Masters of the Universe toys, the Horde Trooper has an action feature. As with all Hordak minions, the action feature reflects his uselessness - basically any good guy or door knob hits the center of the Trooper's Horde symbol and poof, he falls apart!

Horde Trooper originally came with a staff (also useless) but mine does not have it.

I do admit I'm a bit jealous that Skeletor's robot minions never made it to plastic while Hordak's junkyard heaps did. But I'm not bitter.

Poisunday Ivy :: MAKEUP!

Here's a great video tutorial on how to do up your face like Poison Ivy!

Via Color me inspired.

Undercover Donatello, Midnight Fantasy

That's right - the mystery weapon in yesterday's Tokka post belongs to none other than Undercover Donatello.

Here's my assistant returning the weapon to it's rightful owner. And running off with said rightful owner in the process.

Undercover Donatello is one of those figures that is utterly ridiculous yet makes perfect sense and fits right in to the Turtle's continuity. The trenchcoat and hat are reminiscent of the first TMNT film when Raphael goes to the movies, and I believe a similar mask was worn by the Turtles in the cartoon.

It's a shame Playmates didn't just repaint four of these guys because this is a variant that should be available on all four turtles. Alas, we only got an Undercover Don.

Undercover Don came with a briefcase, a slice of pizza, and a gun with a 'bang' flag, as well as his mask and a strap to hold it in place. U.D. is also unique in that his hip articulation is not the ball joint of previous/later incarnations, but is merely a single hinge ala Kenner Star Wars figures. I suppose Playmates were still in the experimental stage back then.

The dagger and mic are a nice touch. I suppose Don was on some covert spy mission and not just out ordering a pizza or watching 'Critters.'

What's new for TMNT in 2013?

Toy News International has released a bunch of press images for new Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures and vehicles to be released some time in 2013:

Although not a Ghostbuster / TMNT mash-up, Leonardo here really looks the part as one of the Mutagen Ooze Turtle series.

The rest of the turtles round out the set. I doubt I'll need any of these variants, but if I get any it'll be Leo due to his Ghostbuster vibe.

Baxter Stockman adds to the villain roster...

...as does Snakeweed. I'll have to see these in person before I commit - neither one is feeling like a 'must-have' but they are both very cool regardless.

Up next are all four turtles as Deluxe 'Flinger' Figures.

More variant turtles I can live without, but I am sure kids and collectors will have fun with them.

Up next, something I will need a lot of...

Mutagen Ooze canisters with four turtle mini-figures! You of course will have to buy four canisters to get all four turtles...and I am perfectly fine with that. I just hope they aren't blind packed. I doubt the squeeze-method works on vials of slime!

This vehicle - the Sewer Cruiser - is tempting...I love it's DIY nature with the cooler and lawn chair!

And this mini-chopper - the Drop-Copter - sure looks fun.

Finally, neat little pop-up/portable/travel playsets. Called Pop-Up Pizza Playsets, this specific one is 'Anchovy Alley.' This is a brilliant idea for kids on long car trips and looks like it will make a beautiful display! I imagine more are planned and hope they all interconnect for a larger display!