McFarlane 1989 Batmobile

 McFarlane 1989 Batmobile

The Flash - DC Multiverse

Did anyone ever think it was possible to want a toy from a movie so bad, but they didn't really care about the movie itself?   Well, technically, it's from a different (and we're 100% positive "better") movie.  Nostalgia and a beautiful design from a bygone era in Hollywood is all this needed to be a success.  It may be part of the last gasp from the abhorrent DC Snyderverse, but its hard not to get a lil excited about the return of Michael Keaton and our Batman!

Getting the bad outta the way first, it's too shiny.  A finger print magnet.  Im not sure it it's mega reflective in the new movie or if this was the wrong call on the plastic.  Also, the canopy is a weird shade of gray.

But that's nothing a lil tape and spray paint can't fix!   It was good enough for the $60 price tag before, but with a little Krylon Matte Black you get perfection.  Okay, so the canopy is a bit off in shape and it's a one seater, but good enough for me.  Im not about to go hacking it apart.  Two seats?  What imaginary scale figure line are folks hoping for?  There's not going to be a Vicki Vale figure in the cards.

"Security? Who let Vicki Vale into the Batcave? I'm sitting there working; I turn around, there she is. "Oh hi, Vick - come on in."

The new McFarlane Batman figure fits with a fit of fidgeting to get the ears in.  The Neca Batman has room to spare.

Speaking of, the new batsuit looks pretty good in this scale.  I can definitely see the Keaton likeness in the sculpt, but might need a better paint job to really hit it home.

This car sold out by the afternoon on the morning it was released across every retailer imaginable.  Im sure there will be a rerelease for those that missed it, or even a proper 89 deco version.  I wasn't taking any chances.  This may be my favorite movie car of all time, edging out the Ecto-1 and Delorean Time Machine.  I buy just about every version and scale I see.  But you already knew that:

So join in and party like it's 1989!  Or at least throw some shade at Hasbro and their $300 version of Ghost Rider no one wanted.  Food for thought for the next Ghostbusters movie, ya jerks.

Oh, look, Hasblow...a decently-scaled Batwing for $40 from Spin Master!

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2017/08/1989-batmobile.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2017/06/thread-organizer-aka-inexpensive-toy.html

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Stranger Things Ghostbusters

Stranger Things Ghostbusters

McFarlane Toys Convention Exclusive

Though it is a bit heavy on nostalgia over story, I don’t hate Stranger Things.  And although McFarlane figures are a bit fragile and overpriced, I won’t pass up a Ghostbuster-related product like this on clearance.  I got this boxed-set for $27 at Gamestop a few weeks back, and it’s not too shabby at that price point.  

There are some small details here and there that should make you feel a bit better about buying four similar looking figures.  This includes some variations of buttons and labels on the proton packs, and the double-Venkman name patch is a great show-specific nod.  Dustin fairs the best with accessories, coming with Dart and the ghost trap.  Unfortunately the trap pedal is glued to the side of his pack and the opening doors have a tendency to pop off.  Will gets the show and era specific camcorder, while the rest get nothing.  C'mon, not even pillowcases of candy?  The head sculpts do resemble the actors decent enough, and each figure has a clear, foot-peg stand with the Stranger Things logo on it to help them balance on your shelf.

What's with the weird, ratcheting-looking joints?

The figures do have a pretty decent articulation scheme for someone who remembers early McFarlane “statue” figures.  Be careful and go slow with the joints, possibly giving these a hot water soak to loosen them up before posing.  Like NECA, tight joints and paint slop equal breakage.  Also, getting both hands positioned to hold the wands can be a bit of a trick.

"If he's cool, then you be Winston!"

As you can see, these size up well with the Diamond Select Ghostbusters line.  And did you hear that Wolf Finnhard is going to be in Ghostbusters 3:  Dawn of the Junior Ghostbusters?  Buying these figures is a one-way ticket to custom city, baby!  Wait...kids in Ghostbusters?  Didn’t they learn anything from the baby?  And casting a Stranger Things kid seems a bit lazy, don’t you think?  I remember seeing a couple of the other kids testing for Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace and thinking at least one was better at line reading than Jake Lloyd...but, hey, Jake Lloyd was the go-to kid actor of his time.  All of the Stranger Things kids can be a bit grating at times...feeling that they are screaming their lines.  Now, I have no idea where they are going with this casting or how big a part it actually is...and I know they fast-tracked this movie to get it done by next year...but I hope that this isn’t an area where taking a bit more time would have made the product that much better.  Hell, we’ve already waited several decades for a decent Ghostbusters sequel, so what’s another couple of months?  Jumping the gun, they missed out on seeing Jack Dylan Grazer’s comedy chops in the spectacular “Shazam.”  Again, who knows if the role is supposed to be funny or straight...but we did see him in in “It” alongside Wolf...who was supposed to be the funny one? *shrugs* 

*Just repeat to yourself...”It could never be as bad as GB 2016” and “I have the Ghostbusters 3 I always wanted: Ghostbusters the Video Game."

Note - At the time of publication, this set is still available on Gamestop.com for under $40.

"He's an ugly little spud, isn't he?"

Austin Powers - Space Base Playset

Austin Powers

McFarlane Toys - Mezco

also featuring the 

Space Base Playset

ReadySetz

Yeah baby!  Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery is back in full force on my toy shelf!  I had the key players (Austin and Dr. Evil) from McFarlane Toys when they came out close to twenty years ago, but a lull in current toy releases, revisiting the movies, and a trip to Ebay helped me get my mojo back. Short of a couple of Mezco variants (Sumo Fat Bastard Man and Prison Dr. Evil with Mini-Me), I picked up a well-rounded line-up for next to nothing.

The McFarlane figures that came out with "The Spy Who Shagged Me" were par for the company at the time:  little more than statues with a fair amount of accessories that they may or may not be able to hold.  They did produce some of the most realistic sculpts (again, at the time), but they were pretty fragile figures (Vanessa's hand decided it was time to snap off just for this photo shoot) and don't hold up to today's standards.  They each came with a rather large sound feature stand that took three little batteries just to say one quote.  Some of the "mint on card" pick-ups I got lacked the sound feature, but came with some corroded batteries!  Yay!  Let that be a lesson to you: they are TOYS.  Take the TOYS out of the box and play and display!

Mezco produced a wave for "Goldmember."  These are a little bit cartoony or exaggerated in the sculpts (like my Goonies figures), but have far more articulation than the McFarlane figures.  I saw somewhere that they had a Foxxy Cleopatra prototype that didn't make it to production, which is a shame.  Especially since someone wasted plastic on Heather Graham, who I am convinced is only a good actress at playing parts where she is supposed to be a bad actress (See "Bowfinger").

As a fan of these movies, (and the 007 franchise they spoof lovingly) I wish there were more bad guys in the line-up:  Frau Farbissna, Number Two, Mustafa, Random Task, Paddy O'Brien, etc.  And could Michael Caine really want that much money for his likeness, or did they not think anyone would want a Nigel Powers figure?  Has there ever been a Michael Caine figure in any toy line?  Hmmm...something to look into.

Complete or not, I had a great time displaying these figures on the new Space Base playset from ReadySetz.  As you may have seen in previous reviews, I also have their Urban Playset.  These are huge, fun, foldable playsets that are great for toy displays/photography and, of course, play.  Highly recommended for both collectors and kids!  Austin Powers won the toss for first use, which was a hard call for a lot of other lines I collect.  Doctor Who, Alien, cosmic-themed Marvel Legends (Fantastic Four, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc), and the X-Men (cosmic adventures in the Claremont era, Asteroid M) are all in line to get some time in on this baby.

My mini-Austin Powers shopping spree didn't end with the figures.  I picked up a "Big Boy" bank, a guide to all the movies, a Johnny Lightning Shaguar die-cast car, and this odd Upper Deck costume piece card, which claims to have a tiny piece of Austin's blue, crushed velvet pants from the first movie embedded in it.  Fab!