I wasn't really planning on doing this, but I don't think I'll have the 2002 Grayskull pics done when I wanted to, so here's what I got for Christmas, as well as some more junk I got around and after Christmas.
First things first: That up there is Samus Aran relaxing on a fine dollhouse couch. Samus, if you weren't aware, is from the video game series Metroid. She came in December and I totally forgot about her! I had preordered her sometime earlier in the year and I knew she wouldn't come until later...but obviously that was in the back of my brain. Surprise! Pre-Christmas present from yours truly. Anyway, she's from the Figma line, and she ROCKS. If you ever wanted a good figure of Samus, this is it! Do not hesitate. Once she sells out, the price rises ridiculously, so get 'er while she's around fifty.
But lets start with the stuff I didn't get myself: Like that couch! That (and the rest of the stuff following this) is from my wife. It was a set with the couch and two chairs, and they're real friggin' slick. They should be useful for a number of things!
Yes....yes, a number of things. Just...have to think of something...
I'm sure I will sometime!
ANYWAY: Furniture! More of it! These'll be more useful for Joes, though I can't escape the fact that I don't really have a believable ROOM to put them in. Doesn't matter! I've wanted a nice TV for awhile now, so the Techno-Vipers have a thing to play video games on.
...also they can now rock out. WHAT? What do you want from me? It's a tiny stage with instruments! I'm sure I'll find a use for it at some point, and it even comes with a terrible boy band!
I'm not sure if that's a high point. Oh, and this thing has REAL speakers too! You can hook an MP3 player up to it and play your own music. So just imagine these guys are playing Jesus Built My Hotrod and it all becomes funnier.
And speaking of music: here's a Sonic figure with some light up Chaos Emeralds! What's that got to do with music? Well, the Emeralds light up brighter based on the severity of the impact, so if you put these one some speakers, one could watch them light up to the beat! They're really cool.
If there was ever any question about if my wife really knows me, then it is completely erased. Or maybe it was erased with the dollhouse furniture. Or any of this so far. I love you, babe.
Legos are always a given for me on gift-giving days, 'cause I don't buy much myself, but I STILL WANT THEM. So it's always a sure fire win! Also: if the current Ninjago theme happens to be cyborg ninjas, then go to town. Really. Buy anything.
I'm kinda getting into Imaginext right now. They're toddler toys, but they ROCK. So many different themes, simple little figures, and LOTS of awesome imaginative designs and playset ideas. This is a truck with a payload that turns into a robot! Case in point.
And to cap off the presents: D-Arts Bass! Bass is an enemy from the Mega Man series; sort of a rival who was built by Dr. Wily (the main antagonist) but he always ends up fighting against Dr. Wily anyway. 'Cause Bass is a dick like that. Anyway, he's posed with my D-Arts Mega Man right now, and you will certainly see him at some point when I go over the D-Arts Mega Man stuff. I dunno when, but I most certainly will!
Now that Christmas is done and over, it's time to start BUYING THINGS FOR MYSELF! Granted, I haven't gone nuts yet, but since I'm trying to buy some time before the 2002 Grayskull pics, I'll just post junk that I got around Christmas and afterward.
I don't think I've mentioned these on the blog yet, but these are Glyos figures. They pop apart into many tiny, buildable parts. These are un-customized, but they will be soon! Glyos is a massive line with new colors always coming out - AND - tons of other independent toy makers jumping in on the Glyos System and allowing their own creations to pop apart and work with Glyos.
Case in point:
Robo Force! You may remember these from back in the day, sort of. Toy Infinity brought them back in Glyos form. They look FANTASTIC on their own, but they also pop apart into all sorts of great items to continue to allow you to customize your Glyos figures.
Finally, lets wrap this up with some real recent grabs. I found the most recent Lego Minifigure blind bags. They're based on the movie that will be out soon, so I don't fully know what all these guys will be doing. I just bought based on what I figure will be funny characters (and the fact that there's a robot floozy).
Next, just yesterday I found this BIG BUFF Green Ranger in the 6 inch scale. I've also got a White Ranger and a Robo Ranger in this scale...they're okay, but we'll see how they feel with time. I may do a little focus on them, as they're pretty articulated, but a little crazy on the muscle side. Also the midsections seem a little thin...
And last, but....well, maybe least? It's no secret my Joe interest has fallen to the wayside a bit as of late, but I still find myself buying the new ones when I see them. And "when I see them" is at TRU. That's it. No one else has them (at least, in the places I regularly check). TRU only just recently put new ones out, and new stock seems to be the only way I can catch them - as in, RIGHT when they stocked, or soon after. It was all brand new in a wave of repeats, save for these (no Night Viper, sadly). I like them, but Hasbro just seems to treat these like they're ashamed of them, and it saps my excitement for the brand, even though my excitement has always been based on my own ideas. You can use Joes however you want, but I've got SO SO MANY. I'm a little overwhelmed by them right now, and I keep going back over new ways to refresh them in my mind so I can review them and get them off my goddamned floor.
BUT...these two are neat! In some ways. Jinx's hands are stretched out thanks to that old staple of putting weapons in hands in-package, but otherwise they work for the swords and staff. Blind Master is nuttin' to F with, but they give you a mask for him and *sigh*...well it's not like I'm not careful about this stuff, but I want to USE accessories they give me! So the mask is neat, but it peeled some paint off his forehead when I took it off. BAH. Otherwise he's got neat stuff and I like the look.
That's about it for another filler post! Still pluggin' away at the 2002 Grayskull pics, so they'll be done when they're done. Hope ya'll had some good hauls for Christmas (or whatever) and I'll be back with more whenever I'm back!
That's one G.I Joe figure of a Wu-Tang Clan member to strike off the check list.
ReplyDeleteThat couch and comfy chair are to die for. I cannot wait to see your new stuff show in pictures through out the year.
Yeah, the only problems that come with new couches is the lack of TVs and stuff to go with them! And the "room" they could go in. But as you can see with Geldor up there, I certainly don't NEED those things...
DeleteMore stuff to get, because what's Geldor gonna do when he wants to watch the game at his home?
DeleteGod damn, I need that Samus, even if the design is based on the only Metroid game I didn't like. I actually had her pre-ordered last year but cancelled it when it ended up getting released around the same time as Grayskull.
ReplyDeleteYes god dammit, you DO need that Samus! It's pretty much a basic Samus anyway - no idea what details are different in Other M (and while I hated her characterization, I actually enjoyed the gameplay of that one). Get her as soon as you got the money, she's amazing! I've never had a collectors figure that felt so heavy and sturdy for that price. I was expecting something like the Figma Tekkaman that I have: he's nice, but standard light and thin, and makes you want to be careful with him. Samus is SOLID. Way more solid than those figures usually are! The quality and her general lack of good figures make her an absolute must-buy.
DeleteGood stuff! I should do a post of my own Christmas haul. I tok the pictures, I just never got around to it.
ReplyDeleteIs that Treble in there with Bass? He doesn't get a mention?
There is indeed a Treble, but he's pretty much a show piece. His head moves slightly and I think his legs move back and forth, but I haven't been able to get them un-stuck yet. He's neat, but I would have liked something that came apart and allowed you to build the Treble armor getup he used in 7 and 8.
DeleteAs another note, I'm surprised you've been able to find new GI Joe figures at all. I've been to a few TRUs that still have the Kre-O stuff (I was even lucky enough to find some of the series 2 Kreons), but the figures are vanishingly rare, and when I do see them, they're usually the earlier Retaliation figures that nobody really wants.
ReplyDeleteJinx looks pretty great, though. I like her old pajama-ninja style as much as the tracksuit upgrade she got for Retaliation. Frankly I'm glad she was brightly colored...it makes little practical sense but I always prefer when GI Joe embraces its toy soul. Otherwise it might as well be Call of Duty figures!
Oh I totally agree on bright joes! That's my jam, yo. I just take pics and then shove jokes in like a square peg in a round hole. I wanted to say "Bananinja" and mention that he was blind. Boom! Jokes!
Delete...so yeah, I don't always feel the way the jokes play out.
But yeah, TRU has been it, and it has been a lucky break each time. They didn't stock any all Christmas, and I just so happened to check the other day when they put out some "new" ones. New, as in Jinx and Blind Master. Otherwise, their wave was all old stuff that I'll probably see for the next half of the year. I really hope I can at least find a Night Viper so...I dunno, I can place it to the side with the rest. I HAVE A PROBLEM.
I feel bad for you when I see you going off the Joes, since up here in Toronto we've actually had a couple of very good months, especially for cheappasses like myself. Target put the Wave 3 stuff on clearance (finally got my Crimson Guards! And a spare Storm Shadow and CC for the backpacks, plus a couple of Data-Vipers that I like less in practice than I did in theory. But still, $5.48 each!)
ReplyDeleteThen Marshall's and Winners (our version of TJ Maxx) put the Retaliation Wave 1 vehicles on clearance, so I grabbed a buncha HISS tanks for $12.
THEN the Retaliation Wave 1 figures showed up at the dollar store! Well, $3 in this case, but I grabbed a couple more Joe Troopers and a buncha Zartans because those heads are great for partswapping purposes once you give them a coat of paint.
So, for under a hundred fifty bucks, I wound up with probably fifteen figures and five or so new vehicles. There hasn't been a Joe period this good for me at retail... well, maybe ever, given how sparse they were up here. I guess the last great period was when all those Vipers and IGs showed up at Marshall's, but Marshall's aren't nearly as widespread as Dollarama.
Those are some NICE hauls! I would have liked another Crimson Guard or two, but I'll have to settle for him being a leader to my previous 25th ones, I guess. I pretty much found the new stuff ONE time - once for whatever wave the Guards and Data-Vipers were in, and again for the two I found above. (Still REALLY want that Night Viper...).
DeleteI'm not totally off Joes...I'm just at a low point, I guess. I do want to get back to reviewing them, but so much time has passed that I feel silly and I want to get back at them in such a way that it speeds through my GIANT PILE and allows me to feel less swamped by them and more like I have toys to play with.
Yeah, that's how I set up my Retaliation CGs - the sword makes them look (even) more ornamental than the usual CG, even if the vest makes it seem like they're front-line guys. I guess they're the only Cobra leaders smart enough to think "you know, a bit of extra protection wouldn't be a bad thing?"
DeleteAnyway, with all the CGs that have been flooding Ebay of late, I suddenly have enough guys for them to be the squad leaders. I could do with some more backpacks, but it's no big deal.
Honestly, while Night-Viper is cool, it's almost not worth the trouble unless you stumble onto it by accident. It's... well, really great-looking, with incredible accessories, but I hate whenever the holster gets screwed up and I don't have the same holster-fu that you have whenever that happens (Taurus).
Ah, did they screw up the holster on the Night Viper? Haven't seen many reviews, yet. I just always wanted them to get back to the classic design in some way where I could BUY it (the last one was a Club exclusive, I think? Or was it Direct to Consumer?). I mean I still consider the Jungle Viper to be a subset of the Night Viper, but I want the classic look as well.
DeleteStill, like you say, I'm probably not gona break my back trying to find it. If I run into it, cool. If not, I don't really NEED any more joes taking up floor space.