Bombshell Batwoman Cosplay by Lisa Lou Who

We've previously seen the incredible Lisa Lou Who here at Toyriffic cosplaying as Ballerina Harley Quinn.
Today we throw our peepers at Ms. Who all dolled up as 'Bombshell Batwoman':

Rarely is a cosplayer able to surpass the source material so absolutely...

I've literally looked at this picture a hundred times, and only just now realized that even the bat matches the source illustration. I suppose I should give myself some credit for even noticing that there was a bat in the picture to begin with.

Be sure to check out more of Lisa's incredible cosplay over at her Facebook page.

Random toy pic :: I'm Bat-Wiener!

Hero World Mr. Freeze by Fisher-Price

I only picked up a handful of the now defunct Fisher-Price Hero World DC Superhero action figures when they were in stores. These guys basically amounted to large scale Imaginext figures in their design and target audience, and it appears Fisher-Price decided to put all their effort into that smaller scale line.

I snagged Mr. Freeze here when the line was being clearanced out at Toys R Us over a year ago. And by 'The Line' I mean the fifty Mr. Freezes, Penguins and Green Lanterns Toys R Us had let clog their shelves for what seemed like half a decade. Letting old product clog shelves until people got sick of them and never making space for new product may very well have been a factor in the line's death too.

Anyways, Mr. Freeze is fun in this basically articulated figural form. I like the white/light blue color scheme. He has a bit of an astronaut vibe to him.

All the Hero World figures had an 'action feature.' Mr. Freeze's makes little sense - roll a dial on his back and an ice shield pops up in front of his face. Maybe this emulates what happens when his containment suit is compromised, or...I can't imagine what else it could be. It would have been cooler (pun intended) if it had been some sort of robo-armor or even ice sculpted armor or something, instead of just an icy layer of nothingness. Oh well, at least it's an action feature that can easily be ignored if one so chooses.

Hero World figures also came with an accessory, often in the form of a separate figure. Mr. Freeze came with his companion...

...Ice Bear. Wait, what?

I don't remember Mr. Freeze ever hanging out with living ice in any form, let alone that of a bear. Again, this would have made much more sense if it had been an actual Polar Bear, or even a robotic bear of some sort. But I do have to admit that clear/ice/crystal action figures are pretty awesome, so the fact that this bear falls into that category makes up somewhat for the lack of logic in his existence.

Ice Bear also gets an action feature, one a bit less lame than his partner. Spin the dial on Ice Bear's back and his arm waves up and down. I mean claws and disembowels Batman. Yeah, that's much more exciting.

Bonus pic: Mr. Freeze is in scale and looks pretty good paired with the new TMNT Rocksteady action figure!

Batman of Zur-En-Arrh LEGO Bootlegs

Left: Sheng Yuan. Right: Decool.

I was shocked and amazed that LEGO made a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh minifigure, albeit a super limited 2014 SDCC exclusive. I was equally shocked and amazed when Sheng Yuan made a bootleg of it later that year.

Then fellow LEGO bootlegger Decool made a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Honestly at this point the only thing that would shock me is if one of these bootleggers made a minfigure of me.

Anyways, I now own both bootleg versions, so why not a side-by-side comparison?

With th Sheng Yuan version, yo have to buy him with a silly Bat-vehicle. Decool's comes with a silver batarang.

Point: Decool.

Sheng Yuan has a better 5 o'clock shadow print, but Decoool's has a double printed face. BUT Decool's cowl is so tight, I cannot remove it to switch faces.

Not sure if this is across the board or just for my figure, but for my specific experience: Point: Sheng Yuan.

Cape color for Sheng Yuan is lighter than for Decool.

Point: Decool.

I personally like the dark lined print for the abs.

Point: Decool.

Left: Sheng Yuan. Right: Decool.

Finally, Decool's version includes the Bat-Radia printed on the back, while Sheng Yuan just reprinted their front belt print sans belt buckle details.

Point: Decool.

Bottom line, if you have the option, get the Decool version. Oh hell, just get both, They're damn cheap.

First Look :: LEGO Scooby Doo minifigures and playsets Coming Soon!

It has finally happened folks - LEGO landed the Scooby Doo license and here is your first look at a couple of the sets that will be available this Fall! The Mystery Machine, with Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Fred, the Zombie from the episode 'Which Witch is Which' and a haunted tree monster! Also revealed is a Haunted Castle full of the entire Mystery Inc. gang and more old men dressed up as monsters to scare away those meddling kids! I just hope LEGO didn't miss the golden opportunity to include civilian headswaps for the monsters-in -disguise.

We know what to expect from LEGO so these sets are undoubtedly of higher quality than the recent Scooby Doo sets by LEGO knockoff company 'Character Building' - some of which are still available at places like Toys R Us - although I was rather fond of CB's Scooby Doo themed Micro-Figures.

I hope there will be a way to get a hold of the minifigures in a more budget conscious manner - perhaps a few smaller sets or polybagged sets - but only time will tell. I'd certainly love a LEGO Scooby Doo and Shaggy, and Velma and Daphne...ok, I'll take a Fred too. But I won't be buying the larger more expensive sets.

And if recent events in the LEGO bootleg world continue, expect to see plenty of bootleg versions of these minifigures hitting eBay by the end of the year.

These sets and a couple more should be available this August according to Variety magazine.

Imaginext Solomon Grundy Coming Soon!

Fisher-Price recently revealed their newest super-sized Imaginext figure: Solomon Grundy! Not sure the exact scale on this guy, but based on the kid's hand in the following picture...

...he looks to be quite large - even larger than the Imaginext Clayface! Solomon Grundy will retail for around $15.00. No sign of him at retail or at any online retailers yet, but I expect he'll be showing up any day now, perhaps as part of stores' after holiday toy resets.

I will have to see this one in person before I commit - he may be a bit too big, although that might mean he's in scale with another action figure line like Hero World or something. He doesn't look overly kiddy/cartoony, in fact he doesn't really scream 'Imaginext' at all to me, although standard Imaginext themselves have been around so long that some older figures don't even match up with the new ones.

I regret that I never was able to get the limited/exclusive JLU Solomon Grundy, nor was I able to complete the DCUC Collect and Connect Grundy (thanks Mattel!) so I might be unable to pass on this one if I do see it at retail just to satisfy that gaping hole in my soul. Thankfully I do have the Brave and the Bold Solomon Grundy, one of the best Grundy action figures ever made!

Waluigi :: K'Nex Super Mario Series 4

The other 'one per case' minifigure in the K'Nex Super Mario Series 4 is Waluigi. But I don't think he's as popular with collectors as Bowser Jr. He's certainly not as cute. I've actually found him a couple times, but only bought him because at the time I found Bowser Jr. there was a BOGO 40% off sale on these guys.

No respect, I tellya.

Waluigi is real easy to find via the squeeze method due to those long legs. In addition, his code begins with a double underlined 0. It's that simple.

Now that I have Waluigi, I regret not having picked up Wario from a previous K'Nex minifigure release. Oh well, I'm sure he'll be re-released in a later wave, as both Bowser and Donkey Kong have had multiple releases.

Playmobil Warrior Nun and Battle Angel

Playmobil's blind bagged 'Fi?ures' series ship to my area incredibly inconsistently. It can be frustrating when there is one specific figure I want for a custom, but can never find because the shelves are either bare or full of a different wave, or the wave I need has been skipped over entirely by the lone location I can find them nowadays.

But sometimes that lack of exactly what I want leads to innovation. Case in point, this Playmobil custom I cobbled together inspired by that incredibly ridiculous nineties comic creation: Warrior Nun Areala.

One of the figures in the Playmobil Fi?ures Series 7 blind bags is a Nun. I don't care if you are a religious person or not: you've got to hand it to Playmobil for making a Nun! Including a Nun in their blind bagged series is the perfect blending of 'ok, that makes sense' and 'wtf!' that Playmobil is famous for. I promise you LEGO will never make a Nun minifigure!

Regardless, I didn't really need a Nun, but I figured since it had been so long since I had copped a feel on the Playmobil blind bags that I might as well see if I can find one. Because: Nun. If nothing else I could stick a geisha head on her to make Sister Mary Harley of the Eternal Order of Chaos or something.

Then I got her home and it dawned on me: Warrior Nun! I have plenty of Knight components in my Playmobil bag, so a Warrior Nun is a unique and easy custom to cobble together. I added some armored Knight legs, a couple wrist guards reminiscent of Areala's leather and metal gloves, a sword, a belt/scabbard, and a chainmail headpiece. Then I gave her a sweet sword and a mean shield (which still needs a cross decal or painted on or something.)

THEN I remembered the Playmobil Angel from Series 4 that I picked up a few months back. Every good Knight needs a Squire, right?

Battle Angel! I just gave the Angel figure a helmet, a different hairpiece (she's a ginger now, so she's probably an angel of Nordic lineage. Also if she's a ginger and an angel perhaps gingers do have souls after all, but don't take my word for it. I'm no theologian.), a wooden shield and a brutal battle axe.

"We came to kick ass and sing hymnals, and we're all out of hymnals."

Although there are still many Playmobil figures I am searching for (and may never find due to the poor local distribution) I am very glad I decided to hunt down the Nun figure. Warrior Nun is one of my proudest Playmobil customs thus far. The concept is so utterly ridiculous, and the dichotomy of the concept in Playmobil form just makes me smile!

Oh yeah, and Battle Angel is cool too!

Bowser Jr. :: Super Mario K'Nex Series 4

One per case. That's how this Bowser Jr. minifigure is packed in with the K'Nex Super Mario Series 4. So unless no one in your area is paying attention to these, you better get tot he fresh case first if you want him! That's what I had to do - I saw many cases over the past few months but all were missing their Bowser Jr. I found a fresh case shortly before Christmas and was able to squeeze almost every figure in the case (so you don't have to!) and I can confirm his code is 05(underlined 1)4150.

I've had Bowser since one of the earliest blind bagged waves. When I heard a Bowser Jr. was being released, I knew I'd have to get to searching! He's just too cute to pass up!

Bowser Jr. isn't as sturdy as his elder counterpart. His shell is held on with a soft rubber tab, so it falls off easily. The spikes on his shell and his ponytail are also soft rubber. If a kid plays with this guy that ponytail isn't going to last long.

Otherwise he's a great minifigure, albeit difficult to obtain.

Total Heroes Ultra Batman Beyond

First: this is not 'Batman Beyond.' There is no individual named 'Batman Beyond'.

This is Batman.

Or 'future Batman' if you must.

But never 'Batman Beyond.' 'Batman Beyond' is the name of the show he appeared on. And maybe the top secret Cadmus project that created him - but more about that later.

Now wrap your head around this one: Batman Beyond began airing in 1999. This future version of the Batman mythos put a teenager under the cowl and aged Bruce Wayne 40 years; which means the show originally took place in 2039. Batman had been retired 20 years by this time, meaning Bruce Wayne retired the role of Batman in 2019.

Think about that for a second.

2019.

That is only four years from now! It stands to reason that if Batman retired in 2019 he was probably already in his red-on -black get-up by 2015.

2015. Aka 'now.'

Which means this version of Bruce Wayne/Batman...

...is the Batman of today, according to the Batman Beyond timeline.

Whoah! Heavy!

Batman Beyond was a good show which wasn't perfect but should have lasted longer. Many concepts, like his tech saavy friend Max or his little brother Matt, never matured to their logical conclusions (ie future Batgirl and future Robin respectively.) Many more original rogues (or their heirs) could have been introduced, the future Justice League had tons of promise, and none of the villains created specifically for the Batman of Batman Beyond had enough time to develop and become icons in their own rights.

Fortunately the episode of Justice League called 'Epilogue' wrapped up Terry and Bruce's stories, revealing that Terry was actually Bruce's genetic offspring. (And here's something I only just realized the other day: Matt McGuinness is also Bruce's genetic offspring! Further cementing my regret that he never got the chance to become future Robin. Maybe it will happen in a comic someday.)

Not only did the show never get the chance to mature, but Batman Beyond action figures also never got the respectful line they deserve. During the initial cartoon run there was literally ONE figure that represented Batman from the cartoon. It was a good one for sure, but the rest of the line was total crap.

Seriously, after that one good Batman figure, you had a better chance of getting cool Batman Beyond toys from Burger King than from Kenner.

After that, DC Direct released a Batman Beyond Batman (actually, Tim Drake as Batman if you read the comic it was based on) which was pretty cool but was in the style of Ed McGuinness. A cool figure, but too buff to be the Batman we knew and loved from Batman Beyond.

Then Mattel released a Batman Beyond Batman as part of their DC Universe Classic line. There was a maskless (Terry McGuinness) version as well as a masked version. Thanks to Mattel's brilliant distribution strategies, I never found either at retail. And I really wanted the masked version. I'm pretty sure both will run you more than they are worth on the secondary market today.

Jump to today: finally we have this figure you see here. Arguably the best Batman Beyond Batman ever made. And again Mattel tried their damndest to keep him out of the hands of the general public - releasing him as part of their Total Heroes Ultra online only MattyCollector shipping-is-gonna-costya-plenty line. I intentionally do not follow Mattel's online store shenanigans, therefore I didn't even know this guy had been released until he was sold out. FOILED AGAIN! Or was I?

Hey, it's Mattel! Suddenly and without fanfare he was back in stock! Just in time for me to put him on my Christmas list and send it over to my big sister, who is a sucker for buying me toys. Seriously, when we were younger she would take me along to go shopping, and I would sit around in the 'boyfriend seat' outside the fitting rooms so she wouldn't be forced to shop alone. In return she'd buy me something - almost always a toy. Later in life when I worked at Target and would find a cool toy that I could not buy on company time I'd just hide it and call her to tell her where it was hidden, so she could buy it for me.

Anyways, thanks to my big sister who came through again I now own this wonderful Batman Beyond Batman!

The Total Heroes line is one of Mattel's currently running retail lines -  it thus far includes about six or eight figures. It's not certain whether the line will continue, but it seems to be petering out. There have been a couple 'Ultra' figures for the line, released as online or Con exclusives, and these 'Ultra' figures include bonus parts and interchangeable pieces and other extra bits that would apparently keep them from being sold at retail because no one wants to walk into a store and buy cool stuff, right?

One of the best bits here is that Batman comes with a small figurine of Micron, one of his future Justice League compadres. A real cool add-in - I really have to give Mattel credit here. He's tiny, sure, but you are getting two figures in one set. That's cool!

Batman also comes with multiple interchangeable hands, multiple batarangs, and a removeable set of extended wings. Finally, to go along with the removed mask accessory, he has three interchangeable heads: Bruce Wayne, Terry McGuinness and the Batman masked head.

This was really the selling point for me: A young-old Bruce Wayne head pushed this figure from cool looking to MUST HAVE and will be how I keep mine displayed. Because we've seen Batmans and Bruce Waynes and even old old Bruce Wayne action figures. But never has there been a 'mere moments before retirement' Bruce Wayne action figure.

At press time Batman is still available on MattyCollector.com. I highly recommend this figure if you have been waiting for a good Batman Beyond themed Batman; if you have a big sister who will buy it for you, all the better.

Sewer Heroes Super Don :: When Fandoms Collide

"Back off man, I'm a scientist!"

Way back in 1993 Playmates released Donatello and Michelangelo as superheroes (and Rocksteady and Bebop as supervillains) in their Sewer Heroes subline. Why no Super Leo or Super Raph? Only the Shadow knows!

Even though he's called 'Super Don', this version of Donatello was clearly inspired by Batman. The dark colors, grimacing features and pointy 'ears' all point towards the Dark Knight Dona-tective. Which is of course why I have been jonesing for this guy for years. I am a huge fan of Batman and TMNT (surprise!), so anything that combines the two is a-ok by me!

I've owned both Super Mike and Mighty Bebop of this subline, but until this past weekend I've never come across a Super Don in my second-hand toy hunting. Also, neither of the other figures I owned from this subline were in as good condition as this Super Don, who is in great good condition and is super-clean (ok, maybe he needs a little dusting, but otherwise...).

Plus, he only cost me a dollar! Patience pays off once again as I am now the proud owner of Super Don thanks to my local flea market.

Batman Bendable Figures by NJCroce

This set of '66 Television Batman Bendable Figures came to me this past Christmas. It's the perfect set for me and my intern to play with together - in fact, right after this photo shoot they were all riding around on Dumbo, looking for Dumbo's mom. Sounds like a Grant Morrison story.

All the figures are pretty good representations of the actors they portray, especially considering the fact that they are soft rubber bendies.

The paint applications are basic, but Batman and Robin do have nice cloth capes. These guys feel pretty sturdy for rubber bendies, I think they will withstand a lot of intern-time.

Joker and Penguin have thicker upper legs due to their coattails, so their legs don't have as much bendy motion as the others.

But that doesn't make these guys any less fun. They are what they are, you pretty much know what to expect if you've ever had a bendy figure in your life.

Bendy figures were a part of my youth as much as little green army men and die cast cars and regular action figures. Not sure when they fell out of favor but you don't really see much of them much these days.

So it's fun to see them again, and to see them representing characters (or versions of characters) that represent the timeframe of the bendy renaissance. Well, I can't speak for 1966, but the Batman tv show was certainly a part of 70s and 80s childhoods, at least in reruns.

All of these characters are also sold as singles, in case you aren't in the market for the whole quintet.

And so far this is everyone from the '66 TV show in bendy form. Which is a shame, as I really think they need Batgirl's help! Three villains and two heroes? That's just not fair.

Plus: Batman and Robin are way too chivalrous to punch Catwoman.

I don't know if you can find these guys at basic retail, but I have seen them at local novelty shops. You know, those stores that sell, well, stuff like bendy figures.

'Wah wah wah wah waaaaaah!'

Random Toy Pic :: Who Is That Masked Wiener?

"I shall avenge my parents' murder. But how? Just then a wiener crashed through the window of my study and I knew...yes father, I shall become a Wiener!"

I found the newest LEGO minifigures series 13 at Target tonight, and although there are a couple fun figures in this wave I decided I really only needed to return home with the Hot Dog Suit Guy. Because the comedic possibilities are endless, as evident in this pic with the hot dog suit on Robin.

He's super easy to find, just feel for that massive wien...umm..err...costume of his.

Roller Derby Harley Quinn Funko POP! PopCultcha / Hot Topic Exclusive :: Harley Qwednesday

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to wherever it is you find Funko POP! vinyl - Funko just pinned this picture of this exclusive New Harley Quinn Roller Derby POP Vinyl figure!

UPDATE: Funko just posted on their Facebook page that this is a Hot Topic exclusive. Specifically, they said 'Fan of the new Hot Topic exclusive Roller Derby Harley Quinn?' and posted a pic of her with their local Roller derby team. So...I don't know. Look for her in the U.S. at Hot Topic. And LMK if you find her!

Otherwise, as previously reported: The Roller Derby Harley POP is (as of press time) exclusively on sale at Australian website PopCultcha.com.au. Harley is listed at $13.71 and shipping looks to be about $9 to get her to the U.S. (not too shabby considering how much MattyCollector charges for shipping within the U.S.) so if you are in the U.S. of A. like me and you want her she's going to run you around twenty three bucks and you are going to have to wait a bunch of weeks for her to arrive via airmail.

A long wait and a tad bit spendy for a POP! vinyl figure, but it's Harley Quinn so you know she's worth it.

Sheng Yuan Heroes Assemble BootLEGOs: Beast, Red Robin, Galactus, Ant-Man and MORE!

Check out some incredible and unexpected bootleg LEGO minifigures - Heroes Assemble by Sheng Yuan - coming soon to eBay for cheap (or if you can't wait and want to pay a little more or buy in bulk, available now on AliExpress.)

This first batch may seem a little 'meh', until you get to the lower right hand corner. Yes, kids, that's Red Robin in BootLEGO minifigure form! Also shown is movie Hawkeye, yellow Deadpool, and Phoenix. Not sure how these will be bundled when they come to eBay, but I'll take any Marvel also-ran to get my hands on that Red Robin!

This next batch shows Beast and Ant-Man, along with Green Arrow and a masked brown costume Wolverine! None of these are 'must-haves' for me (I already have the Decool brown costume Wolverine) but I wouldn't mind owning all of them, so I'll wait and see how I feel or how they are bundled when they hit eBay.

Here's a batch that I will definitely try to get: Comic book Hawkeye, Galactus (!!!), Cyborg and Nova. That Galactus is just incredible and probably will never be seen in an official LEGO set.

Finally, Sheng Yuan has bootlegged the recent GameStop exclusive Plastic Man, a minifigure I would love to own. This batch also includes Daredevil, Loki and Magneto. If bundled in this manner, I may pass and just try to get an official LEGO Plastic Man, since none of the others really appeal to me (and since I already own a Decool version of that Magneto.) EDIT: I just noticed Plastic Man has elongated arms and legs, unlike the LEGO version. Looks like I will have to pick this one up after all!

These should be popping up on eBay really soon, so keep your eyes peeled. In my experience Sheng Yuan makes some top quality bootleg LEGO minifigures, and while many of these may be available in official LEGO form, some aren't and probably never will be.