G.I. Joe ROC -Quick Kick

Quick Kick was one of my all-time favorite Joe’s and still is.I used to have the 80’s version as a kid and loved it to death.I’m kicking myself now for not picking up the 25th Ann. version but was able to find this guy pretty cheap online a while back.I like this figure alot but would  like it more if he were bare foot like the original QK.I like the color scheme and while the “fist” logo on his gi  looks a little generic it’s not half bad either.I love the weapon assortment as well.Enjoy the pics!

2001 McFarlane Big League challenge – Mark McGwire & Barry Bonds

At the time I picked these two figures up,MLB was in full swing(literally) and more popular then it had ever been.In retrospect the success MLB saw in the early 2,000’s  was mostly attributed to the use of steroids and the frequency in which players were hitting home-runs.No two players reaped the benefits more than McGwire and Bonds did.In baseball you are considered to be a great power hitter if you were able to hit 30-35 HR’s in a season. Bonds and McGwire were hitting 55-70 HR’s a season, so go figure.It  was ridiculous but fascinating at the same time.So naturally I just had to have McFarlane figures of  the two most popular players at the time because after all these would eventually soar in value after these guys got enshrined into the  Hall of Fame…right?Wrong!Jose Canseco (ex-team mate of  Mark McGwire) comes out to the press about the wide spread use of steroids in the game.Bonds,McGwire and a zillion other superstars of the game all get ousted for steroid use and accused of illegitimately  breaking as well as setting MLB records.The fact that neither of these guys  are ever getting into the Hall of Fame goes without saying and pretty much anything bearing their names has plummeted in value. So while the market for these players has shrunk,there is a market nonetheless and while these figures are of players who represent all that is unholy in the game of baseball,they are  McFarlane’s and anybody who’s ever collected these knows what a thing of beauty they are.

 

 

 

1998 Kenner Starting Lineup- Jose Canseco 9-24/9-30

My interest  in  G.I. Joe and action figures in general began to slowly  fade away in the late 80’s or so and baseball and outdoor sports quickly filled that void.Although I was a NY Met fan at heart,my favorite American League team was  the Oakland Athletics.In the 80’s this team was super popular and I guess the reason I loved them so much was because every one of there players looked like they came right off of the pages of a Marvel comic!I’m serious..no joke!These guys were chiseled and hit the ball 450-500 ft. out of the ball park on a regular basis.They had sluggers like Dave Parker,Dave Henderson,Mark McGwire and my personal favorite  Jose Canseco.I was a huge Canseco fan growing up and had to know what he did,where and how he did it in every single one of his at bats. Very seldom did I get a chance to see the A’s play during the regular season unless they played the Yankees.I remember calling an MLB hotline to get the scoop on what the A’s did when the games weren’t televised in my area. Now around that same time Kenner released MLB Starting Lineup’s and I collected the heck out of em’.These cool little baseball figurines were just what the doctor ordered for a kid who was just getting over action figures and falling in love with Major League Baseball.I immediately picked up a Keith Hernandez,Dwight Gooden,Kirby Puckett and a few other favorites of mine but the Jose Canseco figure eluded me.In 1988 Canseco set an MLB record by becoming the first player to ever hit 40 homeruns and steal 40 bases in one season and that year Kenner released a figure commemorating the historic feat.Eventually I had mowed enough lawns to save up and ultimately buy that very same Jose Canseco Starting Lineup figure!Unfortunately I have zero of the Starting Lineup figures I owned as a kid so a while back I stumbled upon this version of Canseco and picked him up for old time’s sake.I thought It would somehow rekindle my love for Starting Lineup’s and lead me to start collecting them again but the figure had no effect on me.McFarlane was out at the time and began releasing some ridiculously realistic sports figures that made Kenner’s Starting Lineup’s look like Happy Meal toys.Now I find myself back in Starting Lineup mode and currently have a couple in my sights.I would love to collect all of the Canseco releases as well as some of the ones I owned as a kid.Wish me luck 😉

X-Men Movie Series-Professor X

I remember picking this figure up years ago out of a clearance bin at a Kay-Bee toy store.Buzz Chuck over at http://actionfigureadventures.blogspot.com/ just did a post about the same figure  only his version was used as custom fodder  and would ultimately don a snazzy hair-do 🙂 My version is still bald and like Buzz stated loose as heck!The figure itself is aesthetically pleasing but the leg joints are super loose.The Prof looks great sitting in his wheelchair and while I was still able to get him to stand,the loose joints are a minor turn off.I probably won’t go chasing down any other figures from this line but a Legends Wolverine and Storm might look pretty neat standing next to the Professor.If anyone has any of  the Legends X-Men and would like to work out a trade let me know 😉

Transformers D.O.T.M. – Topspin

A while ago blog buddy Jason Vorhees  http://jasonvorhees.wordpress.com/   sent me a nice little package containing some real cool Transformers figures and since then my interest in them has grown.Now while most people are collecting Prime and Generations , I’m pretty content with the less popular D.O.T.M. movie series line of figures.I do,however,see the gripe most collectors have with them.The lack of paint on some of these deluxe figures is what hurts the line the most IMO and Topspin here is a perfect example.In car mode he shines and the weapons look good on the vehicle.It’s the lack of paint in robot mode that I’m not too thrilled with.There is way too much gray in this figure and it really takes away from the overall design and sculpt.Aside from that he’s an all right figure and will be put on display next to my D.O.T.M. Optimus,Bumblebee and Thundercracker.Enjoy the pics!

 

G.I. Joe 1984 Storm Shadow – 9/17-9/23

When I decided to start collecting Joes again, this was one of the first figures I picked up.I had a heck of a time finding one for a decent price as these can get to as high as 75 bucks on Ebay depending on the condition.I don’t just mean good or bad condition because there is much more to it than that when it comes to this version of Storm Shadow.There are your loose Stormies with no accessories or file cards,the 100 % complete pearly white Stormy with extremely tight joints,the pearly white Stormy with a partially rubbed Cobra insignia and the infamous yellow-stained from head to toe  Storm Shadow which almost never gets bid on or bought on Ebay.I was lucky enough to find one with a subtle combination of  the four aforementioned examples given.I got the “sorta white,partially rubbed Cobra insignia,with tight joints ,yellow crotch piece and no accessories or file card” Storm Shadow and only paid about twenty bucks for it,which isn’t bad IMO for a classic figure like this.So even though it looks like my 1984 Stormy peed his pants ,it is still a 1984 Stormy nonetheless.

Newest Addition To My D.O.T.M. TF Collection!

Meet Autobot Topspin!My kids and girlfriend found some of these D.O.T.M. TF on clearance for 5 bucks and picked up a Bumblebee for me.Later it hit them that i already had a Bumblebee figure so they switched it out for  Topspin.This was one figure I really wanted from the D.O.T.M. series because of  the role he played in the movie. Topspin is part of a three man Autobot sub- group called the “Wreckers” and made an appearance along with Leadfoot and Roadbuster later on in the film to provide back up for Optimus and the Autobots.TF  D.O.T.M. is by far my favorite of the three movie releases so this line will  stay on my radar.  I’ll crack this baby open tonight and post about it later on this week 😉

Snake Eyes!

Marvel Legends (Series 1) – Hulk 9/10 – 9/16

This is one of the figures that i got back from my old collection.Give it up for the least liked version of the Incredible Hulk LOL!Alot of people dragged this version of Hulk through the dirt complaining about everything from his Frankenstein  shaped head and expression to his extremely long arms.There’s no competition if you were to put this guy up against some of the newly released Hulks of today,but back in 2001-02 this wasn’t that bad of a figure.Another cool side note  is that it is from the first ever line of  Marvel Legends figures which also included Captain America,Iron Man and  Toad.I’ve been sooooo reluctant to collect Marvel Legends action figures,a line that many collectors refer to as “plastic gold”,because of the high  cost and the amount of room they can take up,and frankly this Hulk figure has not changed my stance on that (although the Professor X figure may have..more on that in a later post).I like but don’t love this version of  the Incredible Hulk.I will  get a kick out of taking some pics of him obliterating  random 3 3/4 figures and will hate the fact that now I have to find a better  version of him in this scale.Oh well..it is what it is.This figure does come with a  great comic book and an awesome base which will be horrendously overused in future action figure posts. If you are a completest then you obviously need this version of Hulk if you don’t already have it.If  you’re looking for a decent go-to  Hulk  figure to add to your collection,I would suggest picking up something a little more recent.Enjoy the pics!

G.I. Joe Valor vs. Venom – Slice

Here is another great looking figure from the  Spy Troops/ Valor vs. Venom Joe era,Cobra Ninja Slice!Slice’s bio is a little odd to say the least,stating that prior to joining Cobra he was a professional wrestler with a martial arts background and may have also had ties to secret police forces?He’s not the sliest or swiftest of ninjas but has learned a thing or two from Storm Shadow.In the Valor vs. Venom movie Slice and Slash are depicted as clumsy henchmen and the two of them kind remind me of Bebop and Rocksteady.This version of Slice came in a two pack with Slash but I picked mine up loose with most  of his accessories. I’ll definitely be on the look out for his partner Slash and more of these great Spy Troops/VvV figures.Enjoy the pics!