Imaginext Space Ape :: Blind Bag Series 4

On an out-of-town trip I was finally able to find a box of Imaginext Blind Bag Series 4. I picked up three 'must-haves' from the wave, including the figure that is generally referred to as 'Space Ape'.

Dig that banana-gun!

I love the general sci-fi-ness of this guy. Obvious influences being history itself (and the use of chimps for space flight experiments) as well as Planet of the Apes, while possible less obvious influences could have been the movie 2001 and even Robot Monster.

This guy is a great figure individually, and also makes the perfect 'army builder' for any number of current Imaginext themes.

The Space Ape code on the Series 4 blind bags is 77. But as always I recommend you confirm your figure via the 'squeeze method.' Space Ape is really easy to 'feel' as he has that massive dome of a helmet. You can also feel for the conical shape of the banana gun.

Check my post on all the Series 4 codes for the rest!

LEGO Goodwill Find :: Traitor Transport

I made a great LEGO discovery at the Goodwill this weekend by getting my hands on this bag of 'LEGO Misc.'

You never can tell all of what you are getting in these types of bags, but there was enough good stuff visible to make it worth way more than the asking price of four bucks and twenty nine cents!

The bag turned out to include the entire LEGO set 6047 Traitor Transport (including instructions!)

This is a fun medieval set with a creepy prisoner transport cage. But what makes the set even more wonderful is...

...Basil the Bat Lord! I have wanted this minifigure for years due to his Knight/Batman look. I plan on using that helmet to make me a Medieval Batman minifigure.

The set also comes with this sweet dragon! I just love LEGO large figures and creatures, so it's great to finally add a dragon to my collection.

In addition to the complete Traitor Transport, the bag also had a complete moon rover in it's box, as well as these minifigures (dig that crazy red mask on the right!) and a bunch of other pieces that include spaceship parts, police car parts and some construction vehicle pieces.

Some of the traitor transport pieces are discolored due to age or sun or whatever, but none of them are terrible and all the minifigures are in excellent shape. Not a bad haul for under five bucks!

Playmobil 'Catwoman' Coming Soon!

Playmobil just released an official image of their upcoming blind bagged Fi?ures Series 9 Catwoman (and friend!)

Of course they don't officially call this gal Catwoman (Playmobil doesn't give official names to most of their figures anyways) but we're not blind and or stupid.

Even if her costume is mostly red.

Well, apparently Playmobil's lawyers had to draw the line somewhere.

Regardless, it's about time Playmobil started getting into the superhero game, even if it's not official. I'd love to see more masks from them in the future.

According to their Facebook page, Playmobil Fi?ures Series 9 is expected in stores this month. That must be for the non US overseas market however, because I don't think we've even seen series 8 in the US yet.

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 10 and 11 Revealed and...izzat you, Harley Quinn?!?!?!

UPDATE: These Playmobil Series 10 and 11 Fi?ures are customs and NOT actual upcoming Playmobil releases.

Ok so it's an official Playmobil Harlequin...but I have to believe Harley Quinn served as inspiration for this upcoming Playmobil blind bagged Fi?ure!

Toyriffic reader Dmitry sent a link to this image which appears to show the upcoming Playmobil Fi?ures Series 10 and 11. It looks real enough to me, and since the Harlequin is part of Series 11 I hope and pray it is because I need like fifty of them!

Let's take a closer look at the blind bagged F?ures offerings coming in 2016 from Playmobil:

Due for release (in Europe at least) February 2016:
Playmobil Fi?ures Series 10 'Boys:'

Wizard
Spy? Secret Service Agent?
Indiana Jones
Pharaoh
Plumber
Grave Digger? Slash from Guns and Roses?
Racecar Driver or probably Dirt Bike Rider
Apple Farmer
Gamer
Matador
Tin Man from Wizard of Oz
Mime

Lots of great klickys in this wave. Tin Man is a must-have. And note: the whitefaced grinning mime could easily be customized into a Joker with the addition of green hair!

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 10 'Girls:'

Princess
Prisoner
Pizza Chef
Aztec Goddess
Business Woman? Author?
Boogie Boarder
Amazon Warrior
Chef
Water Girl
Princess (Snow White perhaps?)
Girl getting ready for bedtime
Medusa!

Yeah, I have to have Medusa. Multiples in fact. That hairpiece and snake body will be great for use on a Medusa army of klickys!

Due for release (in Europe at least) August 2016:
Playmobil Fi?ures Series 11 'Boys:'

Saxophone Player
Lumberjack
Hipster
Sherlock Holmes (modern?)
Prospector
Policeman
Jockey
Arabian Warrior
Safari Hunter
Crash Test Dummy
Skier
Hip Hop Kid

Note the green hair on the Hip-Hop kid - perfect for your Series 10 Mime to turn him into The Joker! I think I want the Crash Test Dummy for sure.

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 11 'Girls:'

Princess
Scientist
80s Girl
Fancy Lady
Businesswoman
Boxer
Painter
HARLEQUIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunbather
Lady Gangster
Viking
Fairy

Yeah, ok, I will simply have to own fifty Harley Quinns (I mean Harlequins) for Harley Quinn customs. I will of course also have to have at least one that I don't alter one single bit because she is a pretty awesome klicky in her own right.

Release dates are clearly for Europe, and usually the US is a few months behind. It's going to be a loooong wait, but some of these Fi?ures (Harlequin!!!) look to be worth it!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy father's day to all the dads out there! Enjoy your day. Enjoy your toys. Enjoy your kids. Enjoy your kids' toys.

Krypto the Superdog Imaginext Figure

I first picked up the Imaginext Krypto years ago in a two-pack along with the first Imaginext Superman (the one with the sculpted face.) I believe he's been released a few times since then, usually in multi-packs and maybe in a playset or two.

I found this specific Krypto at the flea market (for a  mere quarter!) and gave him to my intern.

I've waited years for Fisher-Price would release an Ace the Bathound to compliment Krypto. But when Fisher-Price finally did release an Ace recently...well...he's a little disappointing.

I take that back. He's not the iconic Ace the Bathound I'd prefer, but he's actually not too shabby and would probably look awesome next to Krypto. The mountain-skateboarding Batman he's included with, however, is pretty lame looking. Not that I'm even all that averse to a mountain-skateboarding Batman in theory. It's just that in execution he does nothing for me and I can't bring myself to buy the set just to have Ace. I'm hoping that at some future date Ace is again released in a different set or multi-pack, or perhaps I'll find him at the flea market for a quarter.

Krypto is simple but wonderfully cute and in perfect scale to human (or Kryptonian as the case may be) Imaginext figures. He only has articulation at the neck, but he does have a cloth cape (something ever Robin himself can't claim!)

It's surprising that Fisher-Price hasn't cashed in on the concept of super pets any more than with Krypto, Ace and B'dg. I guess you could argue that Aquaman's robo-shark and Penguins penguins count too. Regardless, they've not capitalized on the concept to the extent that they could and should - they'd re-sell every Imaginext superhero all over again if they slapped a small simple relevant super pet packed in!

We'd complain that we had to buy those guys all over again, but we'd do it!

Rubber Batduck, You're The One...

You make vengeance lots of fun! Rubber Batduck I'm awfully fond of yooooou! Vo-vo-vo-dee-oh!

During a recent excursion to Walgreens I spotted an assortment of JLA Rubber Duckies and couldn't leave the store without Batduck!

Batduck is around the size you'd expect a rubber ducky to be (or at least the size I expect a rubber ducky to be; if you don't know how big that is you're probably the weirdo.) He also lights up (LAME! How does that help with stealthy crimefighting, I ask you?) and probably floats (I don't see any reason to put mine in the tub for risk of him getting all soap-scummy.)

The assortment also included a Flashduck and a Superduck. It did not include a Wonderduck or the obvious Aquaduck. But here's hoping those appear in a later release.

Bendy Harley Quinn by NJ Croce :: Harley Qwednesday

After receiving the 66 Batman Bendy set by NJ Croce for Christmas last year, I started paying a little closer attention to the company and their bendable bat related offerings. I was overjoyed when I discovered the next series in their Batman themed collection was The New Batman Adventures, and even MORE excited to learn Harley Quinn was part of the first wave of figures available in the series!

Knowing how much we love Harley Quinn here at Toyriffic, NJ Croce was kind enough to send us a sample bendy Harley Quinn figure, and she's absolutely retro-gorgeous on card.

It's a shame I had to open her for this review. The card is nice heavy stock and is reminiscent of the Kenner action figures released when The New Batman Adventures was on air in the late nineties, and the black and red colors perfectly compliment Harley Quinn's costume.

The cardback is equally beautiful. Simple but effective, it includes a brief character bio along with images of all the characters available in this series. Notice how Harley makes an appearance in wave one, and the Joker doesn't! Mr. J isn't going to be happy about that! In fact, Harley is the ONLy villain in series 1. That's pretty incredible and quite a testament to the girl's popularity.

Thankfully we do get the teaser 'stay tuned for more' which has me excited for more villains to come. Obviously we'll probably see The Joker next, and Poison Ivy and Catwoman are both shoe-ins for early inclusion, but if anyone is asking my opinion I say a bendy Clayface would be pretty darn great.

The Harley Quinn figure is a bendy-beautiful representation of her Bruce Timm animated design. Of course the cartoon designs are very simplified so they aren't difficult to translate into this rubbery format, but it is nice to see the costume components, color transition lines and diamond elements sculpted and not simply painted on/color transitions.

I have to say it feels odd (in a good way) to get this figure new in 2015. I know Harley is at the height of her popularity these days, but most of the toys bearing her grinning visage are either completely different takes on her classic costume or are stylized in some fashion, or both (ie Funko POPs). Even figures like the Imaginext Harley Quinn, while wearing her iconic costume, are stylized to represent that toyline's running design aesthetic.

This figure, so perfectly representing Harley's TNBA appearances, as well as the retro packaging, seem like something that should have been hanging around on toystore shelves back in 1997.

Her thin limbs allow her to bend nicely. If I had the bendy TNBA (or the inevitable bendy TNBA Joker for that matter) I might be tempted to wrap Harley around them in a death (or love) grip accordingly.

The New Batman Adventure single carded bendy figures available now are Batman, Robin, Harley Quinn, and Batgirl. Available as part of a five figure set are Alfred and Commissioner Gordon (along with Batman, Robin, and Batgirl). Order online or look for these at your favorite novelty toy store.

"Later skaters!"

Imaginext Evolution

This is by no means a comprehensive look at how Imaginext figures have evloved over the 13 years they've been in production. In fact, this is merely a look at two Imaginext figures I've picked up at the flea market over the past couple months, next to a modern Imaginext figure.

Regardless, it's neat to see how this line has changed over the years.

This odd looking lizard-man is dated 2005. Imaginext debuted in 2002, and this guy isreflective of the figures of that time. Other than a lack of a rotating head, he's articulated just like the Imaginext figures of today (both legs rotate together, shoulder ball joints). He's a bit less cartoony in design and smaller in scale, but you can see the Imaginext aesthetic that still runs through the line today.

This Troll (or perhaps a Ferengi) is also dated 2005. But as you can see, this is when Imaginext evolution took a bog leap forward. More cartoony and a little larger than his predecessor, Fisher-Price eliminated the leg articulation for a short time before they settled on today's design, although his 'footprint' is about the same as modern figures and he works just fine in the 'power pads' that trigger the action features of the playsets and some vehicles.

Finally here's the Alien Emperor from the blind bagged Series 1. I was disappointed that his brain inside the clear dome is just painted on the top inside and isn't a separate piece, but I got this guy for FOUR CENTS recently because my local Toys R Us must have swept behind a shelf or something and found two Series 1 blind bags. I checked the price scanner and they popped up at four cents each, probably the least I have ever purchased anything at retail for in my life. Sadly they only had the two, and sadly the other one was a lame racecar driver, but at four cents each who am I to complain?

LEGO Great White Shark (and Aquaman too!)

Ever since I got a hold of this LEGO Aquaman minifigure I've wanted to get my hands on the extra large LEGO shark. I've accumulated a handful of standard LEGO sharks over the past few years, but they're guppies in comparison to this guy.

Why LEGO didn't package these two together is beyond me. In fact, I'm tempted to create a mini box for these two recreating the classic MEGO Aquaman vs. the Great White Shark set.

In addition to having pegs on his back so your minifigures have a place to stand, you can clip your minifigures hands to the shark's dorsal fin so they can go for the ride of their lives!

According to Brickipedia, this large shark has only appeared in two sets since his debut: LEGO Agents Speedboat Rescue in 2008 and Brickbeard's Bounty in 2009. Suffice it to say due to these limited and long ago releases, the large LEGO shark goes for around 25 bucks or more on the secondary market. Which is why I didn't own him until this past weekend, when I found him at the flea market for a dollar. Pro tip: sometimes it pays to look in those baggies and bins of cheap McDonald's toys. In fact, if you want something for less than expected prices those are the best places to look, because that's where a seller will toss all the stuff they assume is worthless. Truth be told I almost didn't take my own advice, and only found this guy because I made a second run-through that day.

"Who you callin' lame?"

I have now amassed an impressive undersea army for Aquaman to command, including the sawfish, a white Great White, an octopus and a crab. Evil-doers beware!

As you can see there's really no comparison between the standard LEGO shark and this massive beast.

And as if his other interactive features weren't enough to make this guy the funnest finny friend your LEGO minifigures could possibly want...

...his mouth opens extra wide...

...and he can gulp down an entire minifigure!

Not only that, but you can completely close his mouth while the minifigure is inside.

Literal HOURS of fun right there, boys and girls. Hours of fun.

Funko POP! Metaluna Mutant

No sooner do I go and make a post about the only non Harley Quinn POP! figure I own and I win a contest over at GeekHash and receive not only a non Harley Quinn POP! but a completely non DC related POP! figure.

And he's awesome!

The Metaluna Mutant is a classic fifties sci-fi alien from the movie 'This Island Earth.'

I don't believe I've ever seen This Island Earth, but the iconic big brained Metaluna Mutant is certainly a character I have been familiar with for as long as I can remember.

In fact, I actually own one other piece of Metaluna Mutant merchandise: 'The Mutant Raphael'.

Something tells me these two are going to become inseparable pals!

Thanks again to GeekHash for this sweet addition to my Funkollection!

Bootleg 'Karate Turtles Warriors' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo

Thanks to the intellect of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle collecting community at The Technodrome and Google and Youtube I was able to learn that this bootleg Leonardo is a 'Karate Turtles Warrior' - sans robe and weapons:

Regardless of his missing accessories, this is one sweet bootleg Leonardo and for a dollar I could not pass him up!

Obviously this bootleg TMNT is based on the original Playmates TMNT toyline. What wasn't immediately obvious until I set him next to the original Playmates TMNT figures is that he's a bit smaller in scale. In addition...

...even though he's Leonardo, his head sculpt is a direct (if shrunken down) rip-off of Donatello!

That seemed weird initially, but then again I only had one of the four bootlegs, and as my research confirmed, all four turtles heads use the exact same sculpt with only their bandanna/wrist gauntlets and belt letters being different.

Speaking of wrist gauntlets - yes, wrist gauntlets. Also: three fingers (plus thumb) and four toes. If it weren't evident that the bootleggers directly ripped the head sculpt from an original Ninja Turtle you might think they had never seen a Ninja Turtle!

Leonardo's legs are more plasticy, while the rest of this guy seems more hard rubbery. And yes, 'plasticy' and 'hard rubbery' are officially sanctioned scientific terms.

His back reminds me of the bottom of a rubber-duckie. I'm not an expert on hard rubber toy manufacturing, but I have to believe the same process was involved here.

This guy is just the right combination of weird and wonderful. I'm glad I found him at the flea market, original turtle bootlegs don't pop up all that often anymore these days. I'm also glad to have found out some legitimate details about this guy. Thanks to the Technodrome forums!