LEGO Obi-Wan Kenobi

My wife is far more fond of garage sales than the Flea Market, so yesterday I didn't go to my usual Saturday morning haunt and instead went with the Mrs on the garage sale route. I like garage sales too, don't get me wrong, it's just the constant attempt at parking, getting in and out of the car (and getting my intern in and out of the car), following weeks old signe etc etc that wears on me. Thankfully the morning wasn't a complete loss as I found a young Obi-Wan Kenobi minifgure as well as a couple Star Wars prequel/expanded universe troopers for a buck each!

I am not even going to try to figure out who or what these prequel troopers are. I know someone out there will tell me, at which time I'll update the blog post here:

Thanks to (YOUR NAME HERE) I now know that these guys are in fact .....

Now I have a young Obi-Wan to go along with my LEGO old Ben, which I found (lacking hair) a few weeks back at the flea market. Has LEGO made a spirit of Obi-Wan yet? If not, why the hell not?!?!

Hero World Cyborg from Fisher-Price

Scored this Fisher-Price Hero World Cyborg from the flea market last weekend. I love Cyborg, but never got too deep into the short-lived Fisher-Price Hero World series. When this figure was at retail (included in a set with an ATV which just didn't appeal to me at all) I passed him over.

I'm glad I was able to find him now, and for so cheap (and especially without the lame ATV) because this is one great looking Cyborg!

I love the classic armor Cyborg; he's cartoony enough to remind me of the latest version of the Teen Titans cartoon, which is absolutely hilarious.

Even though I never really got into the Hero World theme, this is actually my second Hero World Cyborg! The first, from the later Voice-Comm sub-line, I found at Marshall's long after the line had died. The Voice-Comm version is a more modern Cyborg, and while he's cool, I much prefer the classic look.

As you can see, standard Cyborg and Voice-Comm Cyborg are completely different, which is interesting considering how easy it would have been to re-use a part or two (like the head or hands). And since Fisher-Price is owned by Mattel, parts re-use kind of comes with the territory. But no, each is figure is completely unique.

Hero World was a great line, sort of an upscaled Imaginext for kids a little bit older than Imaginext's target audience. It would have been fun to see the line last, grow and evolve, but it was never meant to be.

Master Splinter

I see naked Master Splinters with various levels of wear at the flea market quite often. They vary from decent shape to chew-marked with missing limbs to everywhere in between. I generally pass them over if they're robeless, but found a real nice one the other day at the flea market and since I was already bundling a handful of figures together I decided to add him to the pile.

I was pretty sure I had a spare robe and was 100% sure I had a spare belt from a previous TMNT accessory acquisition, so I figured it was worth a shot to try and get him back to his non-HBO level nudity basics.

Fortunately I did in fact have an original robe, so here he is all dressed and ready to hang out at the Playboy mansion.

I didn't really look Splinter over too closely when I found him, beyond confirming he was in darn good shape. So I was really excited to discover he is the first-release 'soft-head' version! As you probably know, when the original TMNT toyline was first released waaay back in 1988, Playmates had manufactured the first wave of figures with cheaper rubber heads, not knowing if the line would succeed. Once they realized the hit they had on their three fingered hands, they started making the figures' heads out of a more solid plastic.

I already own a Master Splinter, but he's the 25th anniversary re-release, so I am overjoyed to now have a fully clothed original in my collection - and a soft-headed original to boot!

Ghost Rider LEGO minifigure MOC.

I pieced together this MOC Ghost Rider LEGO minifigure from parts and pieces we have lying around.

I'm not sure if there's a way to make the motorcycle tires flamey, but it would be perfect if LEGO made orange tires. All I have is a basic motorcycle for Ghost Rider to ride upon whilst doling out justice.

Penance Stare!

Ghost Rider in: Jurrasic Parking.

Flea Market Finds

Took my intern to the Flea Market yesterday, and even though the pickins were pretty slim (did everyone think it was going to rain or something? Because it didn't!) we came away with some fun stuff for CHEAP!

For five bucks we came away with an original '88 soft-head Splinter (fortunately I have his robe and belt from a previous flea market TMNT accessory haul), a Space Usagi that will be going to a fellow toy blogger in a trade, Masters of the Universe Roboto, Hero World Cyborg, a TOMY wind-up Donald Duck, a traveling Smurf with bindle, a DUPLO goat and an Imaginext ankylosaurus.

A silly assortment of bits and bobs that made for a day full of fun for my intern and I!

Imaginext Series 5 Ghost

At first blush, the Imaginext blind bag series 5 ghost is a little dull. I mean, he's a white sheet. Yipee. He doesn't even come with an additional accessory like most other blind bagged figures. But then you discover his sheet glows in the dark, and that's a handful of points right there because glowing toys are awesome. Also, if you look closely at his 'face' he kind of looks like ghostface from Scream. I'm pretty sure that's intentional, since Fisher-Price could have just as easily left the face flat and lacking in detail.

And then you remove the sheet...

... the ghost is suddenly a ghostly translucent green skeleton and YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS GUY! He's suddenly TWO awesome toys in one! My only gripe is that the sheet doesn't stand on it's own which would have made for a literal double-whammy.

Imaginext has released many skeletons over the years, but this is the first Kryptonite skeleton! he reminds me of Blight from Batman Beyond, and makes an incredibly versatile addition to any Imaginext sub-theme.

Even though the ghost sheet doesn't stand on it's own, it is a solid sculpt and can still pass as a ghostly apparition on it's own. It will also fit over many standard Imaginext figures. So you can consider this figure a 'two-in-one' if you wish, but even if he's just a one-in-one he's awesome and how can you possibly pass him up?

Here are the codes for Series 5, which is most likely a Wal-Mart exclusive wave:

63 - Chinese Warrior
66 - Genie
65 - Fly-Man
68 - Crash Test Dummy
70 - Cyclops
71 - Warrior Queen
74 - Werewolf
75 - Ghost

Imaginext Blind Bag Series 5 Werewolf (Plus Imaginext Blind Bag Series 5 Codes!)

On an out-of-town excursion I finally found the Imaginext Blind Bag Series 5 figures (at Wal-Mart). I'm about 99% positive the Imaginext Blind Bag Series 5 is a Wal-Mart exclusive series. No one has found them anywhere else (myself included.) If you can prove me wrong, let me know!

Anyways, I picked up my three absolute must-haves from this wave, and at the top of the list was The Wolfman!

Wolfman (or Werewolf) comes with a chain accessory to bind him, but you just know the villagers didn't take into consideration his increased strength once the moon is full! LUNCH TIIIIME! Yum, villagers!

Wolfman has a more sleek and hunched physique than the standard Imaginext figures, and canine-esque legs and feet too. He's simple but fun and while his expression isn't terribly sinister (perhaps he was just kicked in the nards?) he's hard to resist if you're an Imaginext fan.

Fans are in love with the classic horror figures Imaginext has released thus far; I'm on that bandwagon even though I never set out to do so. I didn't pick up Dracula when I had the chance and never found Frankenstein's Monster, so my squad is a bit lean, but I do have the Witch, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Zombie,and Mummy, not to mention a couple more from Series 5 to be reviewed soon!

If you're looking for Series 5 figures yourself, first off, you need to find a Wal-Mart. Then, you need the following codes. The numbers are embossed on the upper left back of the bags, so you have to look closely, but they're reliable and save you time over the tried-and-true squeeze method!

63 - Chinese Warrior
66 - Genie
65 - Fly-Man
68 - Crash Test Dummy
70 - Cyclops
71 - Warrior Queen
74 - Werewolf
75 - Ghost

R.I.P. Yvonne Craig :: May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015

I just learned that Yvonne Craig passed away yesterday, August 17th 2015. Very sad news, especially considering the fact that Yvonne's Batgirl likeness is again seeing a resurgence in popularity. I'm glad my daughter and I had the opportunity to meet her (and get a signed photo) back in 2012.

R.I.P. Batgirl, you will be missed.

Her obituary, from her official website:

May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015

Yvonne Craig passed away at her home in Pacific Palisades, surrounded by her immediate family and comforted by Hospice yesterday night. She died from complications brought about from breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver. She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Aldrich, her sister Meridel Carson and nephews Christopher and Todd Carson. A private service is being planned with no date set at the present time. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: The Angeles Clinic Foundation by mail at 2001 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404 or by going into their website at www.theangelesclinicfoundation.organd following the “Donate” link.

Yvonne Craig began her theatrical career as the youngest member of The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and toured for three years when she was accidentally discovered by John Ford’s son Patrick and cast for the lead in the movie The Young Land.

This was quickly followed by many years of film and television including two movies with Elvis Presley (It Happened at the World’s Fair and Kissin Cousins). However, she is probably best known for originating the role as Batgirl in the 1966 TV series of Batman, or for her character “Marta” from the third season of Star Trek in the episode Whom God’s Destroy where she played the well remembered insane green Orion Slave Girl who wanted to kill Captain Kirk.

Over a span of years she appeared as a guest star in many television series, including The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Six Million Dollar Man,Land of the Giants, Mod Squad, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Love American Style, Emergency, and Courtship of Eddie’s Father just to name a few and worked opposite Bing Crosby, Sal Mineo, Don Knotts, George Hamilton, Dwayne Hickman, Dennis Hopper as well as Elvis Presley and James Coburn.

Her next career was that of a real estate broker where she was involved not only in commercial real estate, but also residential income properties for a period of years and still held a real estate license.

Yvonne and her sister, Meridel went into the prepaid phone card business at its inception producing phone cards for charitable events as well as promotional phone cards for the Paramount film Clueless and both Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny cards for Warner Bros. stores, as well as many charitable organizations for fundraisers.

In 2000, Ms. Craig wrote a book of anecdotal memoirs, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, which covered some of her years in the ballet and her theatrical career.

She actively did voice over work including voicing the role of Grandma in the 2009 Olivia cartoon series for Nickelodeon, and she was recently Executive Producer for the documentary feature film BIRTH.

She and her husband have traveled extensively all over the world, preferring adventure type travel, which has taken them to many countries through the years, and back to Africa seven times.

Yvonne has been involved with social work as well as philanthropic work through the years, and was a public voice to support worker unions and equal pay for woman, as well as supporting free mammograms for women who cannot afford them.

She and her husband have also been advocates of education and long time supporters of education on all levels. They are actively involved with the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, two different charter schools, and the Liberal Education for Arts Professionals out of St. Mary’s College of California better known as LEAP. She also volunteered time and tutored and mentored disadvantaged students.

Condorman Novelization (and The Traveler in Black too)

I can't believe Disney owns Marvel now and there still hasn't been an update to the Condorman movie, or a Condorman/Captain America team-up special, or a cartoon on Disney XD or a special appearance by Condorman on The Amazing Spider-Man or an ABC weekly series or SOMETHING! The closest Condorman has come to the 21st century is a brief cameo in a Toy Story short (as a fast-food premium toy.)

Anyways, I picked up this Condorman novelization (as well as The Traveler in Black because DIG THAT COVER ART!) at the flea market the other day from a vendor selling old books like these at 3 for a dollar (my daughter picked out the third book for herself.) I haven't seen Condorman since the mid eighties, so I can't speak for it's ability to stand the test of time, but I am looking forward to reading this simple little novelization (with pics from the film!) and re-familiarizing myself with 'America's zaniest secret agent!'

I don't even care if The Traveler in Black is a good read or not. That cover is just gorgeous and I'll probably frame it.

DUPLO Elephants: Old vs. new

I recently picked up an older DUPLO elephant from the flea market for my intern, and decided to do a comparison with a modern version she also owns. As you can see, the original DUPLO elephant has more of an old-school LEGO feel to him, while the brand new elephant is much smoother in design. The new version, while slick, lacks the LEGO styling cues of the original, and looks like he could be part of any modern kiddie toy line.

Additionally, the older DUPLO elephant's head rotates up and down. His nose is designed to grip, well, anything a DUPLO figure can grip, but it also has the added bonus of the ability to rotate 360 degrees.

The new DUPLO elephant looks fun and cartoony, and his pose is less static than his elder cousin, but without the pegs on his back you might not even guess he's DUPLO. He does have tusks and a circus themed blanket painted on his side, but his head doesn't move and while his nose will hold objects just the same as his older counterpart, it doesn't rotate at all.

The newer elephant does have four pegs on his back, however, while the older version only has one. So larger items can be pegged to his back, while the older elephant really only holds a single figure. You can also really see the seam on the old elephant where the two halves come together.

Bot elephants are a lot of fun for my intern, but from a design and aesthetic perspective, I prefer the older one. He looks and feels much more like a LEGO animal, and he can even be used alongside LEGO minifigures and not seem out-of-place (if a bit large, even for an elephant.)

Catwoman Purrrsday :: Custom LEGO Catmobile

The modern LEGO Catwoman minifigure originally came with a motorcycle. DULLSVILLE! Catwoman needs a car, so I made her one!

I wanted to make the Catmobile carry some Batmobile aesthetics, but with a Cat theme instead of a Bat theme (natch.) I gave it a tail, some claws/fangs, and...

...a cat face up front that rotates to a 90 degree angle or slides back for high speed pursuits (or more apt: escapes.)

'Ramming speed!'

The cockpit is a removable piece, with Catwoman fitting snugly inside.

I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with my custom Catmobile, as I tend to work on and update stuff like this over and over again for months on end. But at this juncture I think it's pretty neat.

Random Toy Pic :: Bullseye

My intern just discovered Toy Story (via Toy Story 3) and she has not only watched it a dozen times already, but she has been setting up little picnics with her toys like the little girl does in the movie.

So when I found a Duplo Bullseye at the flea market a few weeks back I had to nab him. Duplo Bullseye originally came with Duplo Jesse, but sadly the seller didn't have her. So I'll be on the lookout for Jesse, but in the meantime my intern is going to love having a little Bullseye - he'll be waiting for her (with a 'Welcome Back'note) when she comes back from her vacation at Grandma's house!

Arkham City Mr. Freeze

John from Robot Monster Space Superhero sent me this DC Multiverse Mr. Freeze a few months ago. Mr. Freeze is incredibly detailed for this 3.75" scale.

The DC Multiverse line can be a little inconsistent - some figures have accessories, some don't. Some are pretty plain, while some are beautifully sculpted. Mr. Freeze has got to be one of the line's best so far!

This is of course Mr. Freeze as he appears in the Arkham City video game. It's incredible how iconic the video game series and designs have become. They are now a deeply ingrained aspect of the greater Batman mythos.

Thanks again to John for this cool (get it? haw haw haw) Mr. Freeze!

Imaginext Arkham Asylum Batmobile

This Arkham Asylum inspired Imaginext Batmobile has been around for a couple years now, but I only recently added it to my collection. You can see how similar it is to the video game Batmobile (in Hot Wheel form) but they've also added a few elements to make the vehicle a little more unique.

Up front is the stereotypical bat-face, and the Batmobile also shoots a disk from under the grille with the flip of a switch on the car's side. It flies out with some decent force and will take the legs right out from under any villainous Imaginext figure sorry enough to fall in it's crosshairs.

When the Batmobile rolls, the motor rocks back and forth.

When you push the gas tank lid, the motor pops up Go-Go-Gadget style, and the flame rotates when the car rolls (but only when the engine is up). At first I thought this action feature was ridiculous, but the more I do it the more I like it. It's excessive and over the top but not too excessive and over the top, if that makes any sense.

This Batmobile comes with one of the modern style Batman figures in racing gear. I'm fine with him but he's not my favorite Imaginext Batman design. I think it's silly when Batman wears a helmet in his own car. For a Batcycle it makes sense, but he's in the car for heaven's sake! Oh well, maybe it's just a H.U.D. he slips over his cowl for sensory enhancement when he's hauling ass at jet-like speeds through the city streets.

And on rooftops.

I do still prefer the original Batman figure style, but all things must change.

Fortunately the old Batman fits just the same as the new.

Plus, he don't need no stinking helmet!

TMNT Murakami Gennosuke aka 'Gen'

Stan Sakai's beloved Usagi Yojimbo has had a long relationship with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which included both an original Usagi Yojimbo action figure in the '89 series and an updated, more comic accurate version from the early 2000s toyline.

Although I picked up the 2000s Usagi off the shelves when new, I still only vaguely understood his universe and wasn't 'officially' collecting TMNT toys anyways. I later acquired the original Usagi action figure and even Space Usagi, and finally began reading the entire collected series in graphic novel form.

That's where I learned about the rhino samurai Murakami Gennosuke aka 'Gen', and later discovered he too had an action figure!

I remember seeing this guy on the shelves but not knowing anything about him I assumed he was a 'modern' take on Rocksteady or something. By the time I realized he was from Usagi Yojimbo's universe it was too late to add him to my collection via basic retail means. Thankfully the flea market came through for me and now I have him...as well as his lame action feature:

For some reason Playmates thought to themselves 'hey, action figures are fun, but floppy action figures are funner!' You push a button on his chest and then - you know those toy wooden animals which you push a button on the base and they flop down? - yeah, Gen does that.

As if kids hadn't just pretended to knock out their action figures for years, now they had the added bonus of playing like they were dragging a real limp body out to the dumpster.

To cinch him up again, you tighten this dial on his back. You know, once tightened, the figure actually stands and displays well. But I can imagine the strings holding him together breaking over time. I suppose if that ever happens I'll just glue his limbs back on.

My Gen didn't have the twin katana he was originally released with, but I can probably dig up at least one out my random accessories bag.

Marvel Legends Spiral

What I know about Spiral can be counted on six hands. Just kidding - more like six fingers! Let's see:
1) I think she has some sort of association with the X-Men. What that association is, I do not know. But I seem to recall her appearing in the cartoon at some point.
2) She was a playable character in the arcade fighter 'Marvel Vs. Capcom 2' - this was probably my first exposure to her.
3) She has six arms.
4) She likes swords.
5) Umm, I think she's an alien?

Yeah, that's about it. I made it to five.

But honestly, what do you need to know? Spiral has six arms, likes swords, and was sporting the grey hair look before your hipster neighbor did it.

She also has like ten million points of articulation and is a surprisingly attractive sculpt for a figure with six arms. I am certain pulling off such a design was no easy feat, so kudos to whatever Marvel Legends designer pulled the short straw on this assignment.

So when Marvel Legends released her in action figure form way back in 2008, I had to have her regardless of my lack of familiarity with the character. As is generally par for the course for retailer exclusive action figures like Spiral (she was a Target exclusive), I couldn't find her at retail back then, but lucked out on finding her at the flea market in 2010 for a mere five bucks.

Not long after that Spiral appeared in the Super Hero Squad line-up, and this one I did pick up at retail because she is just so incredibly cute. I think she came with a Wolverine because in any given Marvel toyline there are like seventy thousand Wolverines.

I don't know why she has ninja-turtle hands in this form when her hands are human in her ML form.

Her mini version is little more than a figurine with no articulation whatsoever. But she has a different sword in each hand so your argument is invalid!

Marvel Legend Spiral came with three swords, one sheath, and a removable helmet. She looks pretty goofy without her helmet and I am surprised it didn't just end up being a glued-on piece, but at least this way it isn't glued on crooked.