Batgirl Unlimited

I picked up this Batman Unlimited Batgirl at Target a few weeks back. This is the New 52 version of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl.

Released in Batman Unlimited wave 1 along with the Superpowers deco Penguin and another Batman, this must be the 'to have' figure of the bunch, because I haven't seen her on shelves since.

While Barbara has always been my favorite Batgirl, I much prefer her as Oracle and really grew to love Stephanie Brown before she was wiped from DCU existence (for the time being.)

So I really like this costume, which is inspired in no small part by Steph's Batgirl costume.

I do wish Bab's hair was redder, it's too brown on this toy, but that's a minor quibble. And (knock wood) I've been lucky with Mattel QC recently, so I shouldn't complain! All in all this is a great looking Batgirl action figure and one I recommend highly!

Gonzo the Great

Gonzo is hands down one of the greatest of all Muppet creations! Blue nosed chicken loving daredevil extraordinaire, I always preferred the mystery of 'what is he?' which all changed when he was revealed to be from an alien race. Much like Boba Fett, the romance around Gonzo's origin is gone, but his coolness lives on!

This Gonzo plush was made in 1981. The family and I were at a local flea market recently, and a lady thought our lovable Toyriffic Intern was so cute she said 'she can have any toy she wants!' (This happens often.) Well of course I guided her towards Gonzo because I had been eyeing him myself - a good Dad needs to introduce his kids to the classics by gum!

Originally Gonzo's outfit was silver but this one has faded to an off-white over time. His cape is still as bright as ever though! His whole costume is removable (but that doesn't make him a dolly!) except for the shoes, and I believe you could buy alternate outfits for him back in 1981 (but that still doesn't make him a dolly!)

I've always loved Gonzo due to his mad blend of Evel Kenevel and...a choking flamingo...? His failed stunts were a highlight of every Muppet Show. Next to Kermit, Gonzo is probably my favorite Muppet of all time.

Harley Qwednesday :: Bombshell Harley Quinn

Coming soon from DC Collectibles, the greatest thing to happen to statuary since Michelangelo took chisel to granite:

Hubba mutherflippin' HUBBA!

The latest entry in the DC Collectibles 'Bombshells' line of gorgeous mid century American pin-up art inspired DC Universe Superheorines comes the one, the only...Harley Quinn!

Now there's just no way I can convince the wife to let me spend a hundred bucks to ogle this thing all day long. Fortunately, this Harley Quinn design will also be appearing on a T-Shirt!

At around $20, this I can get away with!

Here's a detailed look at the back of the statue and Harley's jacket. Cool stuff indeed!

I'm no statue collector, but this is one I'd gladly own...if I only could!

PS: A gentle plea to all the Harley Quinns out there...bring on the cosplay inspired by this statue ASAP!

LOEB :: For Screaming (Yellow Zonkers) Out Loud...WHY?!?!

This week's League of Extraordinary Bloggers assignment is simply 'Why? No really. WHY?'

My 'why' is a legitimate question, one that as yet has no resolution, but one that carries the weight of a million, nay a billion cries of 'WHY?!?!?!'. In fact, my 'why' brings forth a toy mystery so deep and wide that it may someday rival the legend of Wonderbread He-Man himself.

To wit: Why did Screaming Yellow Zonkers make their own version of the Galaxy Laser Team Lobstrosity? 

I will go so far as to say the Galaxy Laser Team Lobster/Turtle hybrid alien monster is one of the coolest unsung aliens of our generation. First appearing in the late seventies or early eighties, this turtle lobster alien has taken on legendary status with toy collectors, being the only original (read: not Star Wars or Star Trek knock-off) character to appear in Tim Mee's Galaxy Laser Team - a set of cheap monochromatic plastic figures who all had very obvious Star Wars (or in the case of the lady, Star Trek) analogues.

That alone would be enough to give the Lobstrosity legendary status for kids who grew up in the height of the original trilogy madness, but it didn't end there. Somehow the design also made it's way into a line of freebies released in the mid eighties inside the Cracker Jack wannabe Screaming Yellow Zonkers - in the form of an alien named 'Zip.'

(For those not saavy, the Galaxy Laser Team Lobstrocities are on the left and right, and the Screaming Yellow Zonkers' Zip is in the middle.)

I don't know how or why this design made it from GLT to SYZ, but I would really love to find out. Was the same toy designer involved in both productions? Was the Screaming Yellow Zonkers designer a closet fan of Galaxy Laser Team? Or was he a rip-off artist who had a deadline to meet and no fresh ideas? My money is on the same designer being involved in both, and figuring no one would ever notice or care that he used the same design twice. Well he was wrong, I CARE!

I wouldn't even know where to begin if I thought I could solve this mystery myself, but I would sure love to someday know why the GLT Lobstrocity ended up chibi-ized in the Screamin' Yellow Zonkers' line-up as a critter named 'Zip.'

At least he finally got a name.

Other LOEBers ask why? Why? WHY?!?!?!

Iron Man 3 Assemblers

Part of my recent Iron Man 3 win from ActionFigurePics.com were these two 'Assemblers:' War Machine and the Mark 42 Iron Man armor. The first thing I noticed when I got these two next to each other was that War Machine is much bulkier than Mark 42. I'm surprised they did that, especially since interchangeability is the theme for this line.

They're both neat basic action figures with limited articulation and basic paint but good detailing in the sculpts.

The 'Assemblers' gimmick is that you pop off and re-attach or swap limbs for armor modification. Each figure comes with extra arms and an action shooter of some sort. While this feature does nothing for me as an adult I think it would have been pretty neat as a kid; it's well executed with the arms snapping in securely and not feeling loose or wobbly or like they'll just fall right off.

War Machine looks great, although the shoulder cannon piece he comes with looks lame when attached, it's just too tiny and barely peeks over his shoulder. I didn't bother attaching it for the photos.

War Machine's extra parts are even less exciting then Mark 42's. There's no added paint apps, and the plastic color doesn't even match up.

Of course you can add one figure's parts to another, which might be fun for kids but in this case ends up looking a bit odd, especially since Mark 42 is more svelte than War Machine.

The Assemblers gimmick is clever and well executed, but I don't think they are making enough armors in this line to make it truly worthwhile. If there were ten or more armors you could make zillions of cool creations, but to my knowledge there are only three: War Machine, Mark 42 and Iron Patriot.

But I'm not complaining, free toys are free toys, and if you're an Iron Man fan you could have been treated a lot worse by the toy companies. In my experience the third film in a trilogy usually gets the worst of it when it comes to toys, be it through repaints or rushed, lazy product. At least these are new and nice representations of the on film armors!

Splinter Taught Them To Be...Garden Greens?

Out Garage Sale-ing today and came across this statue cemented into a home's landscaping:

Master Splinter? I was tempted to ask the homeowners if they were Ninja Turtle fans but decided against it. They probably would have looked at me as if I were crazy. Yeah, I'm not the one with a Ninja Rat in my driveway! (But I totally would be if the wife let me.)

Iron Man 3 Swag!

I just won a pile of Iron Man 3 swag from ActionFigurePics.com!

A helmet, a shooting hand thingy, two action figures and two Micro Muggs!

My intern is impressed!

The helmet fires missiles from the side. Looks like I'll be Iron Man for Halloween this year!

These Assemblers are pretty neat with their interchangeable parts. I'll be opening them up and looking at them more closely soon.

I got the Mark 42 and War Machine.

The Micro Muggs are blind packed, I ended up with Maskless Iron Man and Ironless Iron Man, aka Tony Stark. Fun!

'I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. BubbaShelby.'

'I said CLOSE-UP!'

Interns...you get what you pay for!

Thanks to AFP for this fun Iron Man 3 prize package!

Random Toy Pic :: I love the smell of kibble in the morning...

Cue 'Ride of the Valkyries'

I pick up classic Fisher-Price Little People and accessories for my daughter from the flea market whenever I find them cheap and in good condition.The Helicopter and Dog came from two separate trips, but each cost me a quarter. The Dog has a yellow collar so I felt he matched the helicopter nicely and makes for a good pilot.

Star Trek Kre-O Blind Bag Minifigures and Codes!

In anticipation of Star Trek: Into Darkness, Hasbro via their Kre-O line has already released multiple building block sets - as well as a series of Blind Bagged minifigures!

I used the 'squeeze method' to find the two I needed: A Klingon and a Gorn (or is it just Gorn? Mr. Gorn perhaps? Maybe Ms. Gorn? I don't know.)

Gorn is pretty impressive. He has the 'Alien'  build that makes him a great extraterrestrial minifigure, as well as great custom fodder.

He also has a very cool weapon.

'Bring it on, Captain Jerk!'

Of course I also had to have the Klingon. He has that ubiquitous Klingon weapon that I don't feel like looking up right now, as well as a cool jacket.

He's apparently also wearing a helmet, which may be the new Star Trek's way of bridging the smooth headed Klingons of the original series with the lumpy headed Klingons of TNG.

FIGHT!

Each package has a unique set of two numbers on the back upper right of the package, which leads with '30711' on all of them.

The Klingon was 30711 08 and Gorn was 30711 09. Or maybe it was the other way around, I got the packages mixed up when I opened them. Regardless, you will be able to tell because Gorn has those massive legs, and their weapons are unique too. So you might have to squeeze a little bit, but not too much ;)

May the 4th Be With You!

Hope everyone enjoyed May the 4th as much as I did. Saw Iron-Man 3 (great end to the trilogy!), went to my LCS for Free Comic Book Day, and watched some Star Wars movies at home into the evening.

I found this Lego Tauntaun last weekend at a flea market for a quarter. I figure the Empire would use them too in cold climates, so I added a Lego Snowtrooper.

Loot!

Made a blind trade with Chris of Stunt Zombie fame, and his half arrived before I mailed mine (because I'm a parent of a toddler - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

We had previously discussed his Super Powers Robin (who still has the cardback/bubble, which my toddler tried to smash to hell immediately - she's an 'opener' you see) but Chris surprised me and threw in a ton of other goodies from past posts of his, as well as some great new stuff too! The Action League figures are great, especially in light of the upcoming Flashpoint animated movie. I held tight to Batman but allowed my intern to play with the others. Also included are Young Justice Kid Flash and Speedy - now I really need to get a YJ Robin! Plus, Playskool Yoda and Darth Vader, Mega Bloks Venom and movie Captain America, a little green breakdance man (and boombox and 'cardboard' pad), and a very cool early Toy Biz attempt at a superarticulated Spider-Man! The 'jack-in-the-box' and comb belong to my intern.

Speaking of...take it away, 'Vanna!'

'This early Toy Biz Spider-Man from 1990 sports 'multi jointed action poses' and was a pre-cursor to the now famous 'Marvel Legends' line and the current super articulated action figure movement. He has about seventy bazillion points of articulation I think but I can't count so I'm not positive. Back to you, Daddy.'

Thanks, intern, and thanks again Chris! I'll be looking at some of this stuff more closely as time wears on!

Attack in the Box Joker

This is the 'Attack in the Box Joker' from the current Mattel in-house Batman action figure line.

When I saw this guy at Target recently I knew I had to have him. His design is pretty far off from your typical Joker, with elements of a prisoner Joker, a para-military Joker, and even Joker from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker thrown in for good measure.

He could also pass as a good Joker Goon from Batman: Arkham City.

The cartoon on the packaging suggests a prison-type striped shirt, but the toy doesn't have the black striped elements painted. Regardless, like Swamp Raider Killer Croc before him, this Joker appears to be an escaped inmate with the orange pants/shirt and I like the consistency of design between the two.

I assume the purple vest is supposed to be a bullet-proof vest, and of course there's no denying the bullet belt across his shoulder.

I have to admit, a huge component of the appeal of this figure for me and why I had to have him is that he is either A) a reflection of our times or B) a poorly timed design variation that ironically reflects our times. Is art imitating life or vice versa here? Either way, a machine-gun toting urban terrorist Joker is what we got.

The machine-gun in question is pretty cool for a simple accessory. The plastic is bendable but not too soft so you can attach it to Joker's arm easily.

The gun barrel rotates out so the Jack in the Box can stand on it's own or reveal it's hidden gun barrel. Here's where the only real disappointment comes in...

The end of the barrel looks like it's missing a piece. Based on the packaging's cartoon, there should be multiple barrels at the end. Did Mattel try to white-wash the design and make it less realistic-gun-like or did they cut costs and remove a single component? We may never know, but my guess is they cut costs.

As for Joker himself, in addition to the overall design aesthetic, there are a couple of fun little design elements that really make him pop.

For instance, Joker's vest includes a dead/frowny face on the back.

And his guano-kickers have smile-tipped toes!

And last but not least, I really like the buzz cut. I can imagine Joker being pretty pissed about having to get a prison issue haircut, and letting that raw testosterone driven anger come out in his personality for a little while until it grows out. He gets all Rambo/GI Joker until his beloved locks grow back. Not sure what that ninja star logo is supposed to represent, maybe a mean, sharp, bad-ass flower? A MANLY flower! That's it!

See, that's the thing about this Joker, as much as he is non-canon, he's pretty canon if you think about how the Joker might approach a certain situation. I can imagine him doing some bad Stallone, Schwarzenneger and Van Damme impressions during whatever military strike he's making which necessitated this silly garb in the first place.

Also, this figure would make the perfect base to customize the 'Return of the Joker' version of our favorite Clown Prince of Crime.

I like the design of the Rockabilly Joker that is also a part of this line, but prefer this version since he lacks the action feature of that other Joker. Although a head swap, giving this Joker the Elvis-do, might look pretty neat!

"I heard a joke once..."

"Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life is harsh and cruel.

Says he feels all alone in a threatening world.

Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go see him. That should pick you up."

Man bursts into tears.

Says, "But doctor... I am Pagliacci."

Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains."

I swung into Toys R Us only to find another extremely picked over box of Lego Minifigures Series 10. Happily I was able to find the sad clown himself...Pagliacci!

Now other than the super rare gold minifigure, I have all the ones I need from this series. In the mean time Pagliacci will be joining Lego Harley Quinn's goon gang!

I of course found him via the super reliable squeeze method, but for those of you into the bump codes:

And if you are curious about more Lego Series 10 bump codes, check out my post that includes Medusa, Xena and the Bee Girl!