Baxter Fly TMNT Half Shell Heroes

Baxter Stockman existed for quite some time in the modern Nickelodeon TMNT series as his regular human mad-scientist self. He even received action figure treatment in one of his robot suits, and also appeared as such in LEGO form I believe. But what he is best known for is being the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's answer to 'The Fly', and he's finally been mutated both on the show and on toy store shelves!

This is the Half Shell Heroes version of Baxter Fly that comes paired with yesterday's Slash. He is also currently available in fly form in the standard TMNT action figure line.

Dig that hipster 'stache!

This modern take on Baxter's fly mutation looks little like the original TMNT version, for one thing Baxter is back to his comic-book correct ethnicity, and while ethnicity is not really evident in either version because he's a mutant fly, the hair-color at least has gone from orange to black. This version is also a bit more loyal to the homaged 1958 movie 'The Fly', down to Baxter's single mutated hand.

In Half Shell Heroes form he's a fun small size, and reminds me of the end scene in the original The Fly. Probably around Halloween I will string him up in some fake spider-web and draw a word balloon for him that says 'Helllp meeee!'

Baxter Fly has the standard 'double leg' articulation at the hips and swivel shoulders, as well as a moveable head. He's a little top heavy and mine has loose hips (like Elvis) so he's prone to toppling over.

I only really picked Baxter up because I was jonesing for Slash, but he's a great figure in his own right. What's not to love about a human/fly mutant hybrid?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half Shell Heroes Slash

Slash has long been a favorite TMNT character of mine. When I heard he would be appearing as part of the Half Shell Heroes line I knew I had to track him down!

This is of course the modern Nickelodeon cartoon version of Slash - he's quite a bit different from the original version, but still retains enough of the Bizarro Ninja Turtle vibe to be cool!

Slash comes in a two-figure set with Baxter Fly (more on him later this week). True to Half Shell Heroes form, any figure with a weapon has it permanently molded into the hand. I understand the safety regulations that probably make this a necessity, and not including weapons (at least for the 'big four') is out of the question as each Ninja Turtle is defined by his ninja weapon of choice, but it's a little disappointing in execution. In fact, I have avoided getting my favorite Ninja Turtle (Raphael) in Half Shell Hero form because his sai are molded with plastic between the barbs. Safety shmafety, just give him rounded sai and be done with it! Or make Raph without his sai. I'd rather have him sai-less than with weird webbed sai. Besides, kids have been playing with ninja turtles for years and I have not heard of a single instance of anyone poking their eye out on a plastic sai.

*climbs down from soapbox.

In Slash's instance, to hold the permanent mace his right arm has been sculpted at a weird angle. It limits posing to some extent, but then again he does look pretty brutal with that spiked mace!

Designed to compete with Fisher-Price's Imaginext and Playskool's Marvel Super Hero Adventures lines, Half Shell Heroes are Playmate's entry in the pre-school geared action figure game. Scale-wise he looks just right standing next to Batman and Spider-Man, although he may be a little shorter than he is in the current cartoon. Obviously these guys will all fit just fine into each others' playsets and vehicles, which is pretty awesome when you think about a kid having Batman, Spider-Man and the Ninja Turtles team up to battle Shredder, Joker and Green Goblin. It warms my heart!

The prototype pics showed a little more paint on this guy (par for the Playmates course) but he's painted well enough and basic enough in design to not feel too plain or drab. His shoulders swivel and his legs both rotate up and down together - just like Imaginext figures. I'm not sure if his head is supposed to turn or not but mine doesn't and I don't want to force it and break it.

One final observation - it's hilarious to me that this tiny guy's head is so much larger than the head of the standard pin-headed Nickelodeon Slash action figure. Someone needs to do a head-swap!

Action League Brave and the Bold Batmobile

We awoke to go garage sale-ing the other day, only to find the sky full of foggy wet drizzle. But knowing at least one of our planned stops was an indoor rummage sale, we went anyways. Thankfully we did, because there actually were a few people having garage sales, and they were as surprised by the weather as we were - so much so, they just wanted their wet stuff gone. That's how I got this Action League Batmobile for free!

Well technically it might have cost me a nickel or so, the guy just said to take whatever we wanted for a dollar, and we ended up loading a couple bags of toys for my intern and her cousin.

When I returned home I tossed in my own Imaginext Batman to see how well he'd work in it, and he fits quite well; although now it's a one-seater instead of two! Also, I only have one or two Action League figures and they never really did anything for me. I'm not a big fan of the style their aesthetic.

But the Brave and the Bold Batmobile is one of my all time favorite Batmobile designs! This version is slightly stylized - there's an open cockpit instead of the double-bubbles as it appeared in the cartoon, plus it's a little bit stumpy. But it still looks great with an Imaginext Batman on board!

It's a little dusty and has a few scrapes and dings from being played with, but that just means I will have no problem letting my intern play with it, or me playing with it when we have adventures together! Vroom vroom!

Harley Quinn Vinyl Cubed :: Harley Qwednesday

This blocky gal right here is the Funko Vinyl Cubed Harley Quinn.

The Vinyl Cubed figures are designed to be interchangeable. Their heads and feet are held on to their torsos via magnets.

It's a really cute concept and almost forces you to buy more than one, because once you open one up you want to start swapping parts between them.

I much prefer the more rounded, organic look of your standard Funko POP! figure over the squares of these little Vinyl Cubed figures, but the magnetic gimmick makes up for their blockiness. Now that I have Harley I am tempted to get another, possibly Batman, in order to do a head-swap and give Harley a bat costume.

Grundybuster Iron-Robin! :: Imaginext Robin Mechanical Suit Playset

"Side-Kick SMASH!"

Imaginext re-colored their Lex Luthor Mechanical Suit in red and black and released it as the Robin Mechanical Suit. The set is a Toys R Us exclusive, and comes with an exclusive Tim Drake post Death-of-Superboy red/black garbed Robin!

First things first: I hate hate HATE that Robins in the Imaginext world are capeless. A capeless Robin is absolutely absurd, an abomination, a blight upon human decency and good taste and beyond unacceptable; no caped Robin in the Imaginext line has prevented me from bothering with any of them even though I am a big fan of Robin.

Until now.

Don't get me wrong, I am still bothered by Robin's lack of a cape. BUT this is a gorgeously sculpted Robin. Imaginext's most recent Robin effort, the details in the costume are incredible. Just look at those gloves! Plus: the domino mask is a sculpted element, not just painted on a blank face (ala Harley Quinn.)

The coloration here is beautiful too - this specific black/red Robin is only available with this set. The sculpt is available in the most recent Imaginext Batcave, but in a more 90s era red/green coloration.

Not to mention this sweet Robin Mech Suit. I can justify the lack of a cape because Robin is in his Mech Suit and therefore probably retracted his cape or something. I know, it's a thin excuse for Robin not having his cape, but a neurotic's gotta do what a neurotic's gotta do!

Robin fist snugly in the cockpit of his Mechanical Suit.

Not being big into the Superman themed Imaginext stuff, I don't already own the Lex Mech Suit, so this guy is all new to me. I can imagine it being a piece of Wayne Enterprises/Luthor Corp. tech that Luthor commandeered for nefarious purposes, and Robin getting in on the action with his own to help Batman and Superman stop him. Or something from the Batcave trophy room that Robin re-painted in order to keep up with the Batmobile.

"Who needs a sidecar?"

"Get away from her you BITCH!"

The Robin Mech Suit has an operable claw for a right hand, and a missile firing feature above the left. I forgot the missile during the photoshoot as I display this piece without it anyways. Articulation is simple - hips, knees, and shoulders. But it's a giant Mech Suit, so what do you expect it to move like, Jack LaLanne?

I absolutely love this thing. It's fun and absurd, just like comic book adventures should be.

As mentioned before, this is a Toys R Us exclusive; part of their Gotham City line-up. Not sure how easy it might be for folks to find, but I have only seen it the time I bought it a couple weeks ago. I suggest if you want it you nab it when you see it.

Amanda Waller (lack of) Action Figure

Not sure how I feel about this Amanda Waller action figure. I mean, as an action figure aficionado, I get how people really want to complete their collections. And they really want those obscure or background characters. Not to say Amanda Waller was 'obscure' or 'background' in any way. She was actually a very pivotal character in the JLU animated universe.

But she is not a superhero. She's not a dude. She's not white.

She is: a lady in a business coat, skirt and sensible pumps. She's also overweight. And African American. 

Honestly, the chances that a modern day action figure line would include her at all were astronomical. Let's face it - I saw her at retail. I own her now. And yet I could still be convinced that she doesn't exist. Because she shouldn't exist based on all the 'rules' I know about the toy world.

Not to mention the fact that she was available as one third of a retail available three pack. That still blows my mind. She wasn't the lone new release in a twenty pack of Batman repaints. She wasn't a retailer exclusive (that I recall). She wasn't only available as an online exclusive (although she pre-dates Mattycollector.com and their insane merchandising decisions).

She is a gem for all those reasons and more.

But...but...she's BORING!

like I said, I saw her at retail when she was on the shelves, and passed. Not that I was ever a JLU completist. Far from it. But I owned a few and grabbed exclusives when I could. I just couldn't muster the need to buy her back then.

I did buy her for a buck at the flea market. I almost didn't because...well,...a buck is a lot of money at the flea market! I could get two, maybe three or even four toys for that price! But I thought to myself again how impossible her existence is...she's like the platypus of toy evolution...so I bought her.

She shouldn't exist. She's like holding anti-matter. Like glimpsing through a keyhole in timespace into an alternate universe.

And sadly, she's boring.

Unless...

BODYSLAM!

Hold me closer, tiny Raphael

I've admired these tiny TMNT figures for years. I see them occasionally online and always think 'how cute!' Their smaller stature (and iconic sculpts) open the possibilities for a lot of fun with scale. Is everything else larger? Or did Donatello invent a shrinking-ray?

Thanks to the flea market and my pathological need to eliminate change from my pockets, I now own Raphael. Or perhaps any turtle in an original red bandanna. I suppose it will depend on if I ever find any others, especially if three more of them are redundant Raphaels.

Not much to say about him - he's basic. And small.

"Donnnnyyyyyyy!!!!!"

Wacky Wobbler Harley Quinn Bobble-Head :: Harley Qwednesday

The best thing about this Funko Harley Quinn Wacky Wobbler Bobblehead? Harley Quinn in her classic costume.

As much fun as all the modern takes on Harley Quinn are, there is absolutely nothing that beats her classic look.

Harley Quinn's classic costume is absolutely perfect. As much as she deserves her current popularity, it is a bit of a Catch-22. She's all over the place, but often it's with images of her in her latest duds. Some are fun and some are just plain lame. But it's hard to complain, especially when I can remember a time when there was literally one piece of Harley Quinn merchandise in existence (her first action figure) and I can remember how difficult it was to track down during the pre-internet 'dark ages.'

Today she's everywhere and on everything. Including bobbleheads.

Viva la Harley Quinn!

TMNT Mousers

I've had one of these Mousers for years. Originally released as accessories with April O'Neil in 2003, these little Mouser robots are excellent representations of the iconic mindless TMNT foes.

I never owned the 2003 version of April O'Neil, but found my first Mouser at a garage sale years ago for around a quarter. Last week I found a second one for fifty cents at the flea market. Inflation!

They have spring-loaded jaws that clamp down on whatever you can fit within their metallic maw. Their heads turn from side-to-side, and each leg has a single point of articulation at the hip.

These guys are very simple but a lot of fun. And better representations of Mousers than the recent Nickelodeon versions.

Hopefully I'll find more as time marches endlessly forward.

Shell Slammin' Michelangelo

'Oh YEEEEAHHHH!'

I found this silly Michelangelo variant at the flea market a few weeks ago. Impossible to pass up for fifty cents, this is Michelangelo dressed like an eighties WWF pro wrestler. What's not to love?!?!

Originally he came with a cape and a championship belt and a themed weapon of some sort. Mine is accessory-less, but it doesn't detract from his ringside charm!

I assume the 'MTW' stands for 'Mutant Turtle Wrestling.' The hot-pink onesie is hilarious, and the sweet wrestling converse style shoes are just awesome. He has spring-loaded legs for high-flying 'rasslin moves. A silly variant to be sure, but one that could easily be canonical given Michelangelo's personality. Heck, even Spider-Man got his start this way!

BODY-SLAM!!!!

LEGO Simpsons Blind Bagged Minifigures Series 2

LEGO just announced a second series of blind bagged Simpsons minifigures, due out May 2015. This series continues with iconic Springfield residents that didn't make the cut for the first release, but enough about them because...BARTMAN!

Of course including Bartman makes perfect sense - a simple and cost effective 're-paint' of the Bart Simpson from Series 1 - but I don't care if he's a re-hash. I have to have him! Fallout-Boy is also a must-have for me, as well as Santa's Little Helper and Snowball 2.

I'm looking forward to finding these guys in stores some time around May 2015!

Harley Quinn Pocket POP! Keychain :: Harley Qwednesday

At first glance, I thought this Harley Quinn Pocket POP! Keychain figure was just a shrunken-down version of the Harley Quinn with mallet Funko POP! figure.

But upon closer inspection Harley is holding her mallet out front, as opposed to the off-to-the-side mallet of the larger version. I am sure this is due to the logistics of making such a tiny figure and keeping it from breaking too easily, but I appreciate it from the perspective of a Harley Quinn collector, since it makes this figure a little more unique.

I certainly won't be using her as an actual keychain, as that will cause her to get all scuffed up. I'm just going to place her on a shelf (or hang her from her key ring) and appreciate her tiny POP!ness.

SO CUTE!

TMNT Groundchuck

My favorite original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters are the ones that parody actual comic book superheroes and villains. Slash (the Bizarro of the TMNT line), Wingnut (a clear Batman parody) and this guy, Groundchuck.

It may not be immediately obvious that Groundchuck parodies a mainstream comicbook character, because he's based on the relatively obscure Deathlok. Even their names sound the same: 'Deathlok', 'Groundchuck'. I am also of the mind that there's a little Deadshot thrown in for good measure.

This is the second Groundchuck that I have owned. The first was a bit beat-up, and I ended up giving it away. This guy is near minty - even the tips of his horns are still painted and show no wear whatsoever! Best part? I got him for fifty cents! He was at a second-hand store in a bin of mostly McDonald's toys that I nearly skipped over completely. He was the only TMNT toy in there, so I either lucked out or missed out and some other guy got the rest. But either way, I am glad to finally have him in my collection in good shape.

I might even have his weapons in a nag of TMNT accessories I picked up at the flea market a few weeks ago, but I need to dig into the closet to find them.

Groundchuck is a munitions expert (see the Deadshot connection?) in the employ of The Shredder. He was generally paired up with Dirtbag when he appeared in the original cartoon. He does not give you wings.

Justice League Batman Action Figure :: Post 'Brave and the Bold' Batman

The Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon was incredible. One of my favorite iterations of Batman and his pals of all time. The action figure line had a lot of potential, and even the silly 'hex hole' action feature, in retrospect, isn't as bad as some action features throughout toy history. Like the current movement of appendage-swapping that Hasbro and Playmates both seem to have picked up on.

Regardless, the cartoon only lasted three seasons. Which meant the toyline also didn't run for very long. A few promised characters never made it to the toy aisles, and I'm still bitter about that.

But wait...the toyline still lives...of a sort. As a Target exclusive, and re-branded as simply 'Justice League', there have been a handful of figures released over the past couple years - mostly 'New 52' re-colored versions of Batman, Superman, Flash etc...but also original releases like Hawkman and Wonder Woman. And all of them have been re-sculpted to remove the hex-hole feature that so divided the toy collecting community.

Anyways, being bitter about the end of the Batman: the Brave and the Bold line proper and the loss of promised characters like Gentleman Ghost, I have pretty much ignored the re-branded line at retail. It helps that Wonder Woman was only available in a multi figure set that cost around fifty dollars, and that Hawkman is impossible to find on the shelves. Sometimes ridiculous toy company marketing decisions save me a lot of money.

But I found this New-52 version of Batman at the flea market and couldn't pass him up for under a buck. His belt is a little off center, and that appears to be a common problem with these guys, so...whatever. I'm no fan of the costume lines and lack of outer-underwear either, but I just see this as a Brave and the Bold costume variant with some sort of story relevant reasoning, so I can accept it.

I do love the Brave and the Bold aesthetic and the head-sculpt is just perfect fifties Dick Sprang Batman made real, so the figure is great even if I am still sad that the cartoon is no longer on the air.

LEGO Batzarro Minifigure

I recently picked up a copy of the LEGO: DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League movie on DVD, and it came with this exclusive Batzarro minifigure!

Let's face it, I bought the movie to get the minifigure. But the movie is actually very entertaining. The whole Bizarro League that appears in the film (Bizarro, Bizarra, Greenzarro, Cyzarro in addition to Batzarro) needs to be released in minifigure form, not to mention the giant sized Giganta that appears in the film (do you hear me, bootLEGO makers?!?!)

I find it funny that the movie is primarily about Bizarro, and LEGO has only released an official Bizarro minifigure as one of their super limited SDCC exclusive. Yet they included Batzarro as an exclusive for this move, and Batzarro only plays a small part in the film. We all know Batman is a big draw, but it's still sort of a silly move on LEGO's part.

Meanwhile if you do want a LEGO Bizarro, you can find the bootleg version on eBay for pretty cheap.

I suppose I shouldn't complain, though, as Batzarro is definitely the member of the Bizarro league that I dig the most. And had the movie included Bizarro, I might not have gotten it at all. Although if the movie had included Bizarra I would probably have bought two copies.

The Batzarro minifigure is wonderful. His cape is all 'ragged' with holes randomly cut into it, which is a real nice touch considering the fact that LEGO could have just given him a regular Batman cape to cut costs.

He shouldn't have eyes, as Batzarro's mask doesn't have eye holes...

...but I suppose that's a small gripe, especially since the Batzarro in the movie does have eyes/eye holes. So it's screen accurate if not comicbook accurate.