Lets start simple, shall we? When I think Easter, my brain jumps straight to this guy sticking out of my basket some odd years ago. You may recognize this as having a good section of my favorite things all in one figure: Robot, glow-in-the-dark, and skeleton.
If you didn't know, Terminator 2 (that awesome violence fest that my eight year old self most certainly shouldn't have been watching) got a toyline! I dunno how that happens, but I'm glad it did, 'cause there is a serious dearth of robot skeleton toys. This one is a repaint of the standard endoskeleton in black 'n glow that is labeled as "Endoglow Skeleton." I agree.
It's one of those toys I made sure not to lose track of through the years, because it's just so dang awesome. From whatever Easter that was on to today, this toy has stood strong in the face of modern fancy toys by being a robot skeleton that glows in the dark.
Another toy springs to mind when I think of Easter, though it is but a simple one:
It's a little Hotwheels car on a keychain. Simple plastic and very light (wheels still roll). It's all scratched 'cause it did actually spend a good amount of time in my pocket at one point. I eventually removed it 'cause the car came unattached more easily through the years.
This one was kinda hinted at by my Mom following up to whatever Easter in which it was given. Just a unique little item she knew I'd like! Of course many of us understand that children are jerks and idiots without understanding what it means to be a jerk, and when I had originally gotten the item I had responded with "That's it?"
Yes I'm admitting that to you because it haunts me to this day and is a testament to the point in which I grew up and understood how to appreciate awesome things and not break your Mom's heart. 'Course she doesn't remember that even when I mentioned it one time, but IT WILL BE FOREVER BURNED IN MY MEMORY.
Mostly because this IS awesome and I still love the little thing. I'd go back and slap my little jerk mouth if I could, but I've spent all this time doing just that to the memory of it all the same.
So guess what this thing can do?
Yeah the top is totally open and you can put tiny figures in it.
This is still one of my favorite little toys, and even if you don't remember me bein' a jerk Mom: I love you and you always knew the stuff I would like. Because this.
And now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish this off by breaking away from Easter memories an showing you some of my favorite eggs and a rabbit!
That monstrosity is a Toybiz Marvel Legends Ultron. I guess he looked like a rabbit around that time, who knows? He is fantastic, though it really is amazing how much he resembles a rabbit. I wonder if it was on purpose? Or perhaps it's just the sculpting...I've never seen this look in the comics. Anyway, I don't think he was ever very sought-after. I had heard the rabbit resemblance as an insult most of the time, but I like the goofy bastard.
Now the eggs are just classic! I'm sure you ran into them before. The dinosaurs are just knock offs of some distant original. Save for the longneck.
The Tiger one is directly from Master of the Universe, however! They did a little sub-line called Meteorbs that was ripped from a Japanese line...like every other transforming toyline in the US. Hey, when the bandwagon comes around you jump on it while it's still handing out cash! And heck, I love these little guys so I'm glad Mattel jumped on. Thankfully random companies are still putting these things out in various ways, so you may come across them at dollar stores or those little toy shops that pass themselves off as educational.
I'm always on the lookout for these, but sadly they're all recently buys save for the Tiger, of whom has been with me since childhood. I'd really like to run into some more skeleton ones in bone colors!
Anyway, this has just been a little Easter interlude with toys, eggs, and rabbits. Here's some more eggs to send you off!
Thanks for stopping by!
Could this be your best post ever? Maybe. Probably. Cool toys? Check. Touching childhood memories? Check. Humor? Fuggin' check. Good work, old bean!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite Easter toys over the years were Mutagen Man from TMNT, Baron Dark from Skeleton Warriors, and various Kinder Surprise things. I remember my Dad asking what Skeleton Warriors had to do with Easter, but Baron Dark is obviously a guy who died and came back to life... So... Totally fits!
And your T-Rex egg looks like a baked potato. He's mostly one color with a lighter color on top, and covered in chives. Baked potato!
Thank you! I think this is the first post I've done that really embodies what I wanted to do with this blog.
DeleteAnyway, I dunno why I can't remember many toys that came from Easter! I know I got plenty of cool stuff, but for some reason the only ones that are RIGHT there in the front of my memory are the Endoskeleton and the little car (the little car mostly because of the story that I'll always remember). Funny how we both got skeletons at some point for Easter! And now I'm imagining Mutagen Man with colored water and Easter grass inside him.
OH MAN he DOES look like a baked potato! I'ma call him Potatosaurus Baked.
I never said anything when I was a kid, but I was always suspicious of Easter. It was this sort of fake Christmas in springtime. I never complained, because hey, more toys, but still...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I only have two easter present memories. When I was about four or five, my parents and I were living with my grandmother. I got a bunch of Thundercats toys. I really liked the old Mumm-Ra and Lion-O figures. I think they stayed at Grandma's as one of those "stay at grandparents toys" and got taken by a cousin or two.
The other one was years later when I got the panther alien from the Aliens toys. If there is one single toyline that was my favorite, it was those Kenner Aliens. Alien 3 is my favorite of the movies, and the panther was the closest to the dog alien.
I don't think I ever questioned Easter - I loved finding things, and my parents always hid eggs and squeeze-its all over the place, so I just went nuts. (Later on in the year we'd sometimes find eggs that were missed). Perhaps that's why I don't remember what toys came from Easter save for a few; I just loved finding stuff so much!
DeleteHa! I had some "stay at grandparents" toys as well, which my Grandma JUST recently found and gave to me. They're friggin' PRISTINE. I should take some pics of those...
I do wish I would have had more from the Aliens line. I had a standard Alien that came in a two pack with a standard Predator, and then some oddball ones like the...queen facehugger (like there needs to be one of those?) and this badass walker armor for a normal dude that looked like a queen alien. LOVED that thing. If I'm not mistaken, I believe I had the panther Alien as well - did it shoot a little flying guy out of it's back when you bent it's head down?
Yeah, the panther had the flying "face hugger" shoot from it's back. ATAX was friggin' sweet- one hand was a beat-down ball, the other was a grabbing pincer, and the queen helmet had a hidden missile. He was so cool. The Kenner Aliens and Predators were just all sorts of awesome, and they actually hold up pretty well today. NECA is making some 'modern remakes' of the classic Kenner Predators with hints that if they do well, NECA will look to do some Kenner Aliens too.
DeleteYeah, Atax! Now I remember. And yeah, I had the same panther alien. I didn't know NECA was remaking some of the old toys. I liked the looks of thier predators so far, but remakes of the old toys really interests me! Did they do the simple one that was in a two pack with a standard Alien?
DeleteRight now they got some odd choices.
DeleteSo, wave 1 of the Predators was that 2pack you remember, then a green predator with a giant bola gun (and a staff with a human skull on it-kids stuff!), and an old broken tusk orange predator with a giant articulated shoulder gun. Near the end of the Predator line, they repainted the green bola predator as a black and gold "night predator" and the broken tusk in a translucent red plastic "lava predator".
These crazy end of line repaints are what NECA are making. It's crazy. But I'm gonna get them anyway.
I highly recommend getting Big Red. He's a recent Predator with armor that looks like WWE's Kane old gear, a pair of samurai swords, and showed up at the end of the Batman/Aliens/Predator fan film "Dead End" from about 10 years ago. He fits in with the Horde. I have a gif floating around that I made of Big Red fighting off Battleground Teela.
Neat! I just got that "lava" one last year from a friend. He let me have the old guy 'cause I'm a sucker for translucent plastic (that and I always wanted 'em). I always thought the crazy repaints at the end were neat.
DeleteSo is there a nice and easy list of what they've made so far? I've seen a bunch in various reviews so far, but they've all looked like they were from specific movies.
So far everything NECA has made has been from the movies. I believe OAFE has most if not all the figures reviewed. I myself have only just started picking up NECA from their amazing Prometheus figures.
DeleteHe does sorta look like a Rabbit, sorta.
ReplyDeletePicard and Rocksteady aren't as distant as one may think, as they are both made by Playmates! (Probably!) Yeah, hey, remember when Playmates was really awesome and cool?
ReplyDeleteHey, they ain't so bad now! Their figures ACTUALLY have useable articulation recently! It's not perfect, but it's the first step forward they've taken since 2003. It's like someone over there actually got up and bought a few toys that are on the market now to see what has been going on, rather than just reinventing the wheel and making up thier own useless articulation.
DeleteGranted, I think they're still behind with the classics figures. Just a TAD too late to the "more articulation is better" party that Toy Biz started. WAY too many points of articulation on thier classics figures. Ah well. They are still Playmates.
Dude, how did I miss this post? Very nice work! I still have my glow in the Dark Terminator, also. What a weirdly,awesome figure. Remember the glow in the dark Robocop and Predator? Thoise guys made a killer team!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got that Robocop! Love that one. Didn't know about the Predator, though. I'ma have to get me that sometime. I'm thinking of doing a post about glowin' stuff now..hmmmm...
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