Playmobil Catwoman 2.0

Until the official unofficial Playmobil Catwoman comes out in Fi?ures Series 9 I have to be content with my custom Playmobil Catwoman creations. But never content, I had to update my Catwoman from her previous version to this new version upon obtaining a few new pieces I borrowed from the Fi?ures Series 8 burgler.

I changed out her hair with a piece which (along with her legs) came from Aeon Flux. Her torso is from Lara Croft, and her head is the same as the one that came with the burgler (although this one came from a previous release - some sort of space superhero somesuch. I don't remember, but I try to nab domino masked Playmobil headed figures whenever I can for my Harley Quinn customs, which is why I nabbed this one) and I gave her the burgler's jacket and bag of stolen goods/robber tools. I also gave her the lasso from a recent Cowgirl to emulate her whip. Not sure which random figure the arms or gloves come from, but who can keep track anyways?

Although I still haven't solved the riddle of how to give her cat-ears, I haven't really given it much effort either. I'm sure construction paper or something like that would work just fine if I tried. As it stands, she's a solid kitbash custom, and with the addition of the official Catwoman mask when it's released along with Series 9 (painted black of course) she'll be phenomenal!

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 8 Gladiatrix

I found a box of Playmobil Fi?ures Series 8 at my local Toys R Us - a historically unreliable Playmobil source - and was able to squeeze (there is no 'code' or secret way to decipher what's inside) my way to the one figure I truly wanted: The Gladiatrix (or possibly Amazonian Warrior):

I would have originally argued that she's a Gladiatrix, but now that I have her in hand I have to lean more towards Amazonian Warrior. She just comes across as more of a seasoned battle veteran than an indentured fighter. But honestly she could go either way. She comes with that massive shield (I am pretty sure she's holding it correctly, that is how she's shown holding it in the packaging insert.) the style of which I have never seen in Playmobil form. Any weapons experts out there care to educate us as to this shield style's origins?

She also comes with a long sword and her Roman style helmet which reminds me of Marvin the Martian. Isn't that delightful, hmmm?

And in case things get real ugly, she comes with a dagger holstered to the back of her loin cloth.

Everything about this Amazonian Warrior is awesome - especially her tattoo and angry expression. This is not a woman you want to mess with!

LEGO Ninja Man-Bat Commando Army Invasion!

I am now up to a grand total of six Ninja Man-Bats (aka Vampire Bat) minifigures from Lego blind bagged Series 8. I'll probably stop actively looking for them now, but if I am standing around the Lego aisle and have squeeze time, I'm going to keep passively looking for more!

'Did you hear something, Alfred?'

'Just a bat, sir.'

I also built this mini Batcave and customized a Michael Cain Alfred to go along with the black costume Batman from the Batski polybag set.

I'll probably evolve and expand upon the mini Batcave as time goes by, and as my Ninja Man-Bat Commando Army grows!

Holy Diver!

This is the Lego Minifigures Series 8 Diver...slightly modified.

You see, when I first saw that this figure was coming, I thought it would be the perfect minifigure to have double faces, like many do. Lego has a sense of humor, you know! But sadly he only came with a (overly) happy face, which was a little disappointing to my wry sense of humor.

So once again I called upon the power of 'sweaty face' from Series 3's Gorilla Suit Guy to save the day!

Although in Diver's case, this is more likely a small leak than sweat. Or the two mixed...with tears!

MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Besides the lask of a 'drowning face,' this Diver is a pretty cool minifigure. His helmet is top notch, the glass being the same piece used for Series Five's Sherlock Holmes' magnifying glass, which gives a nice slightly skewed view into the face of death here. He also comes with a sweet harpoon and 'lead shoes' (a real nice touch!) and has painted details on his back as well.

Get him if you can, his helmet is easy to squeeze for (haw haw) and if you have an extra 'sweaty face' then all the better!

Lego Series 8 Man-Bat

Ninja Man-Bat, that is!

This is of course the Lego Minifigures Series 8 'Vampire Bat' slightly modified into a modern era Ninja Man-Bat via blue 'pants' and a Lego Katana.

This figure originally comes with black legs and no accessories, but that just wouldn't do, especially since he's the harbinger of my Lego Ninja Man-Bat Army which I will accumulate as I gather up as many of this figure as I can get my Lego-squeezing hands on!

Other than official bat themed Lego minifigures, this guy is pretty much the coolest minifigure to date. Previously only available in the Monster Fighters Vampire Castle, I never thought I'd get one so I am more than stoked that he's been released as a single. Even if I have to squeeze every package to get him. ;)

'Say 'hello' to my little friend!'

'I'm Man-Bat, so you have to be Pennyworth Alfred now.'
'Very good, sir.'

Lego minifigures series 8: The Squeeze Method

Until I can get proper pics up of my Lego Minifigure Series 8 finds, here's a look at the pack-in pamphlet showing you all the figures and accessories (so you know what to squeeze for!)

It's always tough being the first to find these, because you have no idea beyond a few scant online images and those on the packages of what you need to focus on in your squeezing endeavours.

In my case, I really only wanted the Vampire Bat (or as I have officially dubbed him: 'Man-Bat,' especially now that mine has blue 'pants.' More on that later.) so for him I focused on his unique winged arms. I squeezed for a torso, then felt for those specific-to-him bat wings. Success. In the whole box (of which I am sure I was the first to dig in) I only identified two Man-Bats. And I squeezed every one. Your mileage may vary.

Man-Bat is also the only figure with zero accessories, so his pack is pretty thin, but then so was the DJ kid's pack, so use that as a guideline. To be honest I was surprised that there were only two Man-Bats because, since he has no accessories, you'd think they'd want to sell more of him because he's 'cheaper;' but then again, his arms are absolutely unique and he's only been released in the Monster Fighters Vampyre Castle set thus far (but in brown,) so his tooling costs on average may be higher. Regardless, he's a brilliant cross marketing piece, hitting the fans of the Monster Fighter sets and Superhero sets, so expect him to be the hardest to find and super popular (my prediction.) Also - with that hair/ear piece he's just SCREAMING to be made into a custom Eddie Munster (I'm already planning mine,) so there's that attraction as well.

Of course I was shopping with my daughter, who immediately stated she wanted the fairy and cowgirl. Damn. Okay, I'll squeeze for those too. The cowgirl has a unique hat with built in/sculpted in hair, so feel for that, and the lasso. For the fairy, it is her high bangs that led me to her, but I was able to confirm with her wings (or you could squeeze for that wand of hers.)

Unscientifically speaking, I think that lame Bavarian gent is the most plentiful. I felt a lot of him and his pointy hat. The diver and robot are super easy to find, just feel for those huge helmets. The same can be said for the Alien Queen, as she has a huge head and that ubiquitous 'dress' wedge.

Other items to search for to make identification easy: pom-poms, skis, Santa's sack, round record, conquistador helmet, football helmet (and pads) bowler hat and newspaper, pirate hat. I actually never specifically identified the Hamlet thespian, but at first I was so focused on Man-Bat that I moved on when I didn't feel those wings. But I imagine his collar may be easy to identify, and of course there are essentially two heads in that one, so you could try for that clue.

Good luck!

Lego Minifigures Series 8 available NOW!!!

I moseyed into Toys R Us today and they had one single box of Lego Minifigures Series 8. I squeezed and squeezed and picked up my absolute must have ('Vampire Bat' aka Man-Bat) as well as a Diver and a Robot, and my daughter got a Cowgirl and Fairy.

Keep your eyes peeled, they are out there!

Lego Minifigures Series 8 Due Out September 2012

Here they are folks! Lego Minifigures series 8 - due out September 2012.

The robot is awesome, but I will be squeezing packages and buying every damn Bat dude (aka Vampire) I can get my hands on! You put blue legs on that badboy (or is it Bat boy?) and you've got a perfect Man-Bat Lego Minifigure!

Here's the official roster:

• Ancient Thespis with skull (Hamlet and Yorick, methinks)
• Bavarian boy with pretzel
• Conquistador with rapier
• Cowgirl with brown lasso
• Diver with harpoon
• DJ with record and case
• Enemy Robot with laser gun
• Evil Female Alien Queen with laser gun
• Fairy with wings and wand
• Football Player with gold trophy
• Pirate Captain with gold cutlass and hook
• Red Cheerleader with red pom poms
• Santa Claus with sack
• Skier with skies
• Trader with newspaper and suitcase
• Vampire

Yeah, I really only need that Vampire. But I need about ten of him!

Thanks to Fully Jointed Play Figures for the info!