This Was My Playset!

The U.S.S. Flagg,Defiant Space Shuttle,Tacticle Battle Platform and the Terror Drome all had one thing in common-I never had any of them! I had lots of figures and a few vehicles here and there but no playsets. No worries, though. My OCD coupled with an imagination that would make most  kids my age question my normalcy,  would never allow for any of my Joes to go HQ-less. That’s when my brain would kick into overdrive. It was commonplace to walk into my room and see quilts folded and fluffed into  makeshift caves. Or mom’s wicker spice rack, which served as a lookout post for Cobra! But my all time favorite, miscellaneous “found-around-the-house” item was the oh- so versatile packaging Styrofoam ! I realize that today many action figure backdrops and dioramas are made of similar Styrofoam materials,to a degree of realism where it’s hard to tell if your looking at an actual brick wall, or an elaborate creation made out of  insulation foam boards. I’ve dabbled in that myself. The only problem with those  is that once they are sculpted and painted,that is all they can ever be . As an adult collector who relies on  backdrops for picture purposes, these dios really come in handy,but as a kid , a couple of oddly shaped packaging Styrofoam/cardboard inserts served as blank canvases and could be anything I wanted them to be. Standing upright or laying on their side, those  Styrofoam blocks could morph into everything from an elevator shaft to a computer terminal!I recently unpackaged a brand new mini cup cake maker to do some baking with my daughter, when I stumbled across these Styrofoam blocks inside the box. You never know where you’ll draw your next little bit of inspiration from and in this case, a night of baking with my baby girl resulted in the following set of pics! Enjoy 🙂

G.I. Joe ROC-Red Fang Ninja (Revisited)

While I did spend a little time at my parents house for Thanksgiving , I opted to skip going to the in-laws to wrap some gifts and get some things done while the wifey and kids were away . With a little free (peace and quiet) time to kill , I decided to re-organize my figs/weapons, as most of them were scattered in a drawer cart . Everytime I do this , one particular figure always seems to stand out and catch my eye again . This time it was this ROC Red Fang Ninja figure . I’ve taken pics of him before but with the flash on . This time I took the pics without flash to get a better , glare-less overall  image of  what I think is an awesome Joe figure.

Avengers Assemble-Gamma Fist Hulk

Whether or not you like the new  Avengers Assemble Gamma Fist Hulk may come down to a matter of perspective and how you look at him. Literally . From the top down he’s as menacing and awesome looking as any other 3 3/4 Hulk figure out there, head sculpt wise .The strangeness sets in the minute you look at that same head sculpt from a different angle . Head on and from underneath, Hulk’s expression changes into a more laid back , relaxed demeanor . It’s  odd , but in no way does it take away from this action figure’s overall presence and coolness. I’ve seen  video reviewers criticize everything from the small head sculpt on down to the flatness of his fee t! Yes , you heard right-the flatness of his feet ! LOL . Everybody is entitled to their own opinion I guess , although, I’d go as far  to say that  the feet are actually a strong point for this figure as they feature the  very much adored rocker joints . The body sculpt lacks the shading most MU figures sport , but makes up for it in detail . The muscles on this figure have muscles. Something the movie version really lacked.I’m also digging the brighter green.Also,this is a big figure as far as the  3 3/4  scale goes and pretty much dwarves most of the recent Hulk figures that have been released. A word of warning . If you do decide to pick this figure up,go easy on the leg joints at first.My right leg seemed to be stuck in place while the left moved back and forth , no problem . After messing around with it a little, I realized that I could get the right leg to move back and forth by moving the left one with it  at the same time . After that, the pose-abilty is pretty much endless.Articulation is another upside to this figure . Their haven’t been any really impressive Hulks on store pegs  since the latest MU  release,but hopefully this figure will change that and get the praise that, IMO, it fully deserves.Enjoy the pics!

Comparison Pics

Gamma Fist Hulk!

After selling off a couple of video games ,I recently picked this bad boy up on a hunch that maybe,just maybe he’d become extinct around these parts and impossible to find.Such is the case with many a Hulk action figure.Loose pics forthcoming 😉

Big Ass Vader!

What the?

Cobra Commander V.5

Excuse me while I channel my inner 8 year old to say that Cobra Commander is one of my all time favorite “bad guy” leaders.I got a soft spot for C.C.,especially when he got played by Destro,Mindbender and Serpentor  in the classic animated film.I used to love when he got hands-on with the Joe’s.You know,actually jumping into a vehicle and taking it to Dukes doorstep with a squad of lackey yet loyal,Cobra troopers behind him.That’s why I like this figure so much.Jboypacman(John) over at The Clawful Punch sent this little gem of a C.C. figure over in a trade we completed a while back,and I’m really diggin’ the firepower that came with it.It took me a minute to figure out where the two missiles went,but realized where they went soon after.Now I gotta find the electronic  back pack that came with it originally .Apparently it   spat out various commands and i’m wondering if it actually sounded like the C.C. from the cartoon series.Enjoy the pics!

“Get your Cobra Commander action figure with bust-a cap action today!”

 

 

Fun With DOTM Fireburst Prime!

…and the following pics portray just what the post’s title suggests.Just a little fun with old Optimus.I just love this figure and currently have him on display with a few other select figures from my collection on a small shelf in my room.

G.I. Joe 1992 Ninja Force-Scarlett

Sorry for the lack of posts.I’v been kind of down lately and actually starting to annoy myself with these toy posts if that makes any sense.Maybe the rolling rock that was toy collecting is beginning to loose it’s momentum.Who knows.I will however go over some of the cool items that I’ve acquired via trade from fellow bloggers John over at The Clawful Punch and Buzz from Action Figure Adventures.This figure came over from jboypacman’s “clawful” of cool ass figures!I gotta tell ya i’m digging this version of Scarlett more than I thought I would.Initially this was going to be given to my daughter who absolutely loved Scarlett in the ROC film,but apparently the green and yellow get up didn’t appeal to her.She’s a purist,what can I say.So Ninja Force Scarlett ,which btw is so friggin’ cool to say,sits in a baggie with the rest of my Joe stash awaiting proper display 😉 YOJOE MO’FO!

1.Omega Red/ Marvel ToyBiz Pics!

Omega Red!I loved watching Wolvie and Red go at it in the comics!I love this figure but hate the fact that it arrived with a missing/broken tentacle 😦 Oh well,no biggie.It’s still an awesome figure!Now i’m wondering if ToyBiz ever made a Cyber and Lady Deathstrike figure? Enjoy the pics,there’s a lot of them.

 

 

3.Sinister 2.Sabretooth

Down to my favorite 3 of the bunch!Sinister ,who I remember vividly from past X-Men and X-Force comics as well as from appearances in the X-Men animated series,is number 3 on the list.Sadly the light up feature does not work,but still and all another nice addition to the collection.At #2 we have Sabretooth!Who doesn’t love Sabretooth ?This particular ToyBiz rendition of Wolverines famed arch nemesis has the neat battle damage gimmick ,ala the old school He-Man/Skeletor figures.