Thursday, December 25, 2014

LOOKIT MAH TREEEE


Merry Christmas and Hanukkah and anything else!  Or, if you don't celebrate any of that: Have a good day.  You know, have a good day, like, ALL the time.  Why save that just for Christmas?

Wait, nevermind that!  Take a look at MAH CURSHTMURSH TUURRRR!!



Yes, I did this last year.  I'ma keep doin' it until I realize that I only put the same things on the tree each year.  I'll try not to overlap some of them.

Speaking of overlap: I'll explain again that, when I was a kid, I used the tree for a big mountain base, or as an actual giant tree.  My figures would have their special episode with a massive battle on something giant that I only had access to once a year!  I keep that tradition alive by plastering the poor thing with toys.  Lets take a look!



First and foremost: Spider-Man and Spidey!  These two were my main characters in my old toy stories, with the normal Spider-Man and the black suited version being two separate characters (I explain it in the previous tree post).  I change up the toys from year to year, but these two will always be a constant.


I usually try to hide the hook that keeps the figures on the tree, but in this case, it's straight-up a T-800 hanging by the neck.


This one is a keychain of Tear, from Tales of the Abyss (a video game).  I toss up a lot of keychains, 'cause they're basically ready-made ornaments, but without the soft features of something made of glass or ceramic.


Gumby and an Alpaca plushy!  The Alpaca plushy came from Anime Central (convention) and is apparently all the rage in Japan right now.  Or right then.  Not sure if the craze is still going, but they had them in ALL SIZES.


This is a keychain of a Drake Slime, from the Dragon Quest series of video games.  Slimes are the basic first enemy that you fight, but that also makes them popular, so they come back in force with a million different versions.


Ah, there's a classic blue Slime!  Also Scare Glow.  I tossed up the MotU Mini figures this time, 'cause they work so well as ornaments.




Gotta have Moss Man.  He's supposed to smell like pine, for pete's sake!  The man was simply made for this gig.



Alright, they're not toys, but I couldn't pass up the little ornaments of Finn and Jake in their holiday sweaters.  Jake was sadly missing the black on his nose, but a black paint pen quickly remedied that situation.


And since we're on non-toys: Here's a Harry Potter ornament that lights up, showing how Harry sucks at potions class.  It captures the lovely scene of Hermione givin' Harry the sass for screwing up and being frightened of explosions.



Meta Knight and Kirby: Both favorites that will always be on the tree.  Neither of them are keychains, I just shoved things into them so they'll hang.  They're hollow, so it makes it easy to poke holes in them for the tortuous process of jamming things into their heads.


Playmobil Santa!  I like him because he carries a stick.





It was a Gundam year for the tree!  I got Assault Kingdom figures for the first time, this year, and their small size makes them perfect for the tree!


Up near the top I've got Amuro in the Nu Gundam facing off against Char in the Sazabi, as Char tries to drop the Christmas Colony on Earth, because he's a dick.  Hopefully the Turtwig is on Char's side, because, if not, he's got the drop on 'em.


Now here's something I haven't done in a few years: Do you notice anything out of the ordinary with this pic?

Why, the Holiday Sniper is at work this year!


That's right: Two strategically placed Holiday Snipers are protecting the presents with lethal force.  AWWW.



The Holiday Snipers are, of course, Jungle Vipers, from the totally awesome Pursuit of Cobra theme of G.I. Joe (back when G.I. Joe was cool).  The crazy ghillie suit they wear allows them to blend in to the point where finding them is actually tough!  I may try to make it a tradition to find the Holiday Snipers.


The presents aren't the only thing the snipers are protecting, though: There's also the Heart of the Tree!  Since I was a kid, I would pick a neat ornament to put DEEP into the center of the tree, as the heart.  Nowadays, I just use a solitary red ornament for The Heart.  Usually it's not obvious, but....I know it's there.  That's what counts.  Just don't let the Vic Viper get near it, 'cause it's really good at shooting the core.

Alright, that's about it for this year!  Hope all ya'll have a good holiday or what have you.  If there's no tree in your house, then get out some figures and use the largest thing in the house as a base for the bad guys.  Do it for me!  DO IT FOR THE ANNUAL SPECIAL EPISODE!


11 comments:

  1. "Back when GI Joe was cool". I feel that pain. RoC had a lot of surprisingly fun figures that too many people snubbed over because they didn't like the movie. And PoC was pure plastic awesomeness. Those Jungle Vipers remain one of My fave Joe figures of all time. Way I figure, they carry those big rifles through the jungles because they need the power to shoot through the foliage- or tree trunks. I also use them as urban snipers, able to fire their shots through building walls.

    Them Assault Kingdom Gundam figures are great too. It's funny, I was browsing TRU for the new Transformers, and they had the new Legion figures for $7.99. I passed them over, but then found the AK figures at Barnes and Nobles for $10- and bought all four of the wave.

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    1. Yeah, RoC was what got me to start the Alexx Shorts! So may people were like "THIS AIN'T G.I.JOE!" and completely ignoring that they were still cool toys, the same size as G.I. Joe, and none of them looked like existing characters! Which means you have ALL NEW FODDER! All of it! By the end, I saw so many people making simple customs, so I think people got the idea eventually. And yeah, PoC felt like they had finally perfected new ideas mixed with classics ones (and great accessories). Quite a ride, before it all ended.

      Love them Jungle Viper rifles. I looked it up one time; it's a WWII era anti-tank rifle

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahti_L-39

      There are skis on it because it's usually towed to the battlefield by horses. Now, granted, this is make-believe and this gun was just chosen because it looks cool....but I like to think the Jungle Vipers are genetically modified to carry that big SOB themselves. But yeah: I think it totally CAN shoot through walls and heavy foliage.

      I don't know why I'm obsessed with the Assault Kingdom figures. I've got them all in other sizes, but I just LOVE how tiny they are, while still having a ton of articulation! I'm so glad Barnes and Noble began stocking them, because now I'm nearly up to date! I'ma have to do a post on them at some point.

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  2. Christmas Colony. Oh man. You probably didn't even have to make that up. There probably is a Christmas Colony. Somewhere near Texas Colony.

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    1. Christmas Colony is somewhere in the corporate colonies - next to Target Colony and Wal-Mart Colony.

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  3. Is the Greyskull review under the tree?

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  4. Moss Man is made for this! You should use the bigger one next year too. And man, those Jungle Vipers really do blend in, don't they? I can still only see the one in that "Is something out of the ordinary" pic.

    I've never put figures on my tree for the whole season, but I do like to momentarily sit them on there or even just touch them to the tree. Feels like a special little moment to me. I don't know why. I'm super sentimental though. Maybe that's why...

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    1. I actually DID shove the regular Moss Man in the tree, back when we were in the apartment. I may have posted the pics at Joebattleines, back then. Perhaps I should do a flashback post with some of the older tree setups.

      And yeah, the Jungle Vipers are AWESOME in there. I still can't get over how well they blend in. I'm glad it works out in the pics, too! They seriously are nearly the exact color of the tree, and the spines in their armor panels are great for blending in with pine needles.

      The toys belong in the tree! It's the spirit of Christmas! TOYS! Forget the rest! Whatever the rest may be. Shopping, probably.

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  5. I never reply, but I'm always reading your blog, yo. Very nice to see a Joe cameo. Jungle Vipers = Most Inexplicable Pegwarmers Ever.

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    1. Oh yeah, I forgot those warmed the pegs for a bit! I chalk it up to the declining Joe interest, by that point. They were still trying to give us a few interesting things when the next movie came out, but those suckers were out and GONE in no time. *Sigh* Oh well, I guess we'll see where we go from here. I'm not terribly impressed with the current stuff.

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