Schwag Brag: G.I. Joe is a Thing Again, Another Doom on the Pile, and SO MUCH MORE

I've amassed more THINGS, so it's time for another Schwag Brag!

So it's time for G.I. Joe again!  Honestly though, my energy for the toyline still hasn't picked back up, and these 50th Anniversary figures aren't helping much.  There's some new stuff here, but by "new" I mean yet more rehashes of older designs.  The days of redesigning old favorites appears to be over.  So, cool stuff like Spytroops Detsro will stay in that time period, and nobody is gona try anything new.

But hey, who am I to complain?  I bought the set with Destro BECAUSE of his rehash status!  I have to say, it is kinda neat that his helmet is based on the artwork on the front of his package.  And the above set with Porkchop Sandwiches Barbecue and a H.E.A.T. Viper was bought because of the Viper!  Another rehash, but at least he hasn't been done yet.

I guess I don't really have a good reason for the Joe slump I've been in; especially since I'm obviously still buying them.

....so, moving on!

WWWWIZARD DON!  Yes, that's Donatello dressed as a wizard.  It's from an episode of the toon where they all LARP it up.  I bought this guy for one purpose, and that purpose is this:

Well...okay, so not that specific thing, but the hat and beard are removable and I NEEDED THAT.  For things like this.  This brilliance.

Anyway, speaking of them Ninja Turts:

This is what Rahzar looks like in the new toon.  Quite different from the baby in Secret of the Ooze.  This guy is more of an...undead horror?  The filecard says who he is, but just in case you watch the toon and aren't caught up, I won't say.  He's neat, has the classic Playmates mid-walk pose so he falls over all the time, and his big claw hand is a flick-missile (in that it just loads in his arm and you flick the back of the missile to launch it).  The gist is this: All of Playmates monstrous figures are way too small, and this one is no exception, but he's still a fun toy.  He's a zombie wolf man!  What's not to love?

Oh boy, Imaginext.  You have a hold on me, I'll tell you h'what.  This is the third series of blind bagged Imaginext figures, which are so impressive that the Lego ones are interesting me less and less (even if they're still coming up with new ideas).  I just love the simplicity of these guys, but how they're still so TOY.  The arms move just enough to keep things action-figure-like, and they have tons of accessories to mix and match across any theme imaginable.  LOVE IT.

Also these guys are a Mattel joint, so they do cool shizz like this:

That's the bat Dracula is holding, and it's TOTALLY the bat that comes with MotUC Hordak.  I love their little homages to MotU!  You can find 'em all over the place in Imaginext.

Anyway, I got 'em all but one, after these two:

I'm still looking for this badass warrior Santa with two scimitars.

Another Doom for the Doom Collection!  I you aren't aware: I have a collection of Dr. Doom (mentioned in this post).  This one is from Hasbro's current line of what I like to call Inaction Figures, in that they are ready for no action whatsoever.  You can see Doom is quite ready to....stand.  If you put his arms out, then he's ready to, I dunno, look like a zombie?  Then you can push his legs out and make him look like a child pantomiming "driving a car".  His wrists turn as well, but that does nothing.  I mean, unless you want him to thrust out his fist for some fist-bump action.  Nevermind holding out his open palm.

I don't really understand the appeal of a standing toy that is too big to work with anything else, but EH, what do I know?  I'm just a 30 year old playin' with toys.

Ah, didn't think I was done with Tenkai Knights, did ya?  Found two more Titans (arguably my favorite things in this toyline) and some more single packed small guys in the form of a golden, super Bravenwolf and this rhino guy with an awesome axe/hammer.  I cannot stress enough how much I LOVE the team designing the look of these figures.  It's just great to see this japanese-like toyline make it here in the states.  At least, I hope it is.  I mean, I'm seeing enough new product!  I can only hope that means these are selling well enough.

Anyway, if you're buying nothing else in the Tenkai Knights line; at least get some Titans!  These ones are just as fun as the last.

Speaking of robots: Transformer!  This one is Tailgate, and I bought him because his color scheme is neat and he looks like he's sporting a CD player on his chest. 90's!

The Knights of the Budget Table!  These are from a Toys R Us exclusive toyline called True Legends.  It's their cheapo line, but the stuff has always been impressive even in it's simplicity.  The figures are usually only limited to shoulder, hip, and neck cuts, with the main draw being lots of accessories and big 'ol (detailed) beasts.

This new batch is surprisingly articulated, though!  They sport outwardly moving hips and shoulders, elbows, knees, and even wrist cuts!  The wide stance of the legs gives them this always-ready-for-action look (that Doom should have had) and they each have their own accessories that they hold well.  The only outlier is the wizard guy, who has a strange joint in his right shoulder, but otherwise follows the conventions of his predecessors and only has cut joints in his hips and left shoulder.

The set was ten bucks, which is a steal, considering how fun they are.  I will say that you are still getting ten bucks worth of quality, though, so some of them have kinda loose shoulders.  But hell, what to you want for ten bucks?  It's far better than most budget toys!

WHOA MAN!  NO!  NO DONKEY KONG, NOOOO!

...yeah, I'll probably do some pics in a review to match Bowser's.  He's from the same toyline, and they opted for DAT FACE.  I both love it and am terrified of it.  That is not the face of good intentions.  Awesome figure, though!

An SDCC exclusive item!  No, I didn't go to SDCC.  Who can afford that with so many toys to buy?  (and food and bills or whatever, I suppose).  This is Cyborg, from Mattel's DC Total Heroes toyline.  It "replaced" DC Universe, I guess.  I don't think it was really a replacement, though.  It's just what cropped up in it's absence.  And pissed everyone off.

Personally, I like it better.  Easier to find, cheaper (without sacrificing too much articulation), and I like the animated design more than the realistic design.  Anyway, this guy is exclusive 'cause he's chrome and comes with a nice batch of stuff!  Guns, a blade, a BIG GUN, and a backpack (even hands and an extra head!)  I'll probably cover him at some point.

He got me in the mood for more, so I got this three pack as well, from TRU:

Lex Luthor is using the same mold as Cyborg, and he and Batman are exclusive to the set (Superman is just the normal one sold singly).  Batman is obviously sporting his Keaton movie look (no accessories, though) and Luthor has a BIG 'OL GUN, that maybe shoots kryptonite.  The missiles on his other arm were added by me, though, from another figure.  It's a neat set, and goes for 25 on amazon and 30 at TRU.  I noticed some paint errors on a couple sets, so spending the extra five at TRU might be worth your while to pick the one you want.

It's the White Power Ranger!  Or maybe just White Ranger.  Yeah, sounds better.  Anyway, I got this guy on a whim when I missed out on another item.  I had my eye on him for while, but there was no rush, 'cause his price doesn't fluctuate, so I kept waiting.  He's neat, but doesn't really go above and beyond.  They made his shoulder armor move up so you can get more range with his arms...but if you actually use that feature, the armor looks dumb!  So you're still stuck with the limited movement, which, I'll be honest, isn't that bad.  Better than most White Ranger figures, anyway!  I'll focus on him a bit closer, at some point.

Now, when I said I got the White Ranger when I "missed out on another item", that item was THIS:

One of Hasbro's SDCC exclusives consisting of four Marvel Universe figures (the Joe sized ones) and THE INFINITY GAUNTLET.  In nerf form, of course.  I had missed out on it the first time, but a friend pointed out when it went on sale again and I jumped on it.  Somehow.  Hasbro SDCC exclusives are notoriously hard to get, 'cause they toss up the exclusives on their site at a random time and they're usually up for seconds as people fight over them.  I believe this is the first one I've been able to get!  Granted, I think this wasn't as popular, but whatever.

First thing I did was send this around to friends.  It's HUGE.  I had figured it was going to be human hand sized, but it's more Thanos hand sized.  Which is cool!  Plus, the Gems are squishy, and you can push them in like Reebok Pumps.  So remember, with the Infinity Gauntlet: YOU GOTTA PUUUUMP IT!

BUT...like many of the things in today's Schwag Brag, I'll go over this in better detail, later.

I have one final note before I wrap this up.  I don't normally announce the MotUC I get each month, since I plan on covering all of them at one point.  This month's was a milestone for me, though.

New Adventures Skeletor!  The top figure I had assumed we'd never get, especially not with all his original details intact.  I won't cover my love for New Adventures toys now, 'cause he'll have his day in the sun.  I just wanted you to share this moment with me and revel in his majesty.

Oooh, such majesty.

And with that, I bid you farewell!  New stuff is on the way, and if you couldn't tell, I'm trying to do Tuesday updates, for the most part, so I'll see you again next week!