The Gobbledy Gooker

 The Gobbledy Gooker

Mattel WWE

    Mattel serves up quite a Thanksgiving feast with this "Jaw-Dropping Debuts" two-pack.  Of course, we get a great first-appearance Undertaker as the dressing, but the main course is the Gobbledy Gooker.    

It's a crime the likes of Johnny Knoxville, Zodiac, and the Shockmaster got figures before this one.  He's a 24/7 champ, for crying out loud!  And even a spectacular fail like this turkey is, he definitely stands out in memory. 

He's appropriately goofy and brightly colored.  Mattel did a great job on the rubbery overlaid costume pieces.  And just look at those feet!

The accessories really take it the extra mile.  Who would have expected his giant egg?  Or an alternate head featuring his modern look?

The Gooker is a welcomed obscurity on my WWE shelf.  He can also stick around and hang with my growing collection of holiday figures.

Ecto-1 Popcorn Container

Ecto-1 Popcorn Container

AMC Theaters Exclusive

What could be more exciting than a Ghostbusters sequel that rights the ship after the 2016 debacle?  How about an Ecto-1 popcorn “bucket” that is close enough in scale to the 6-in Plasma Series figures?  

What?!  Yes!  At close to 17 inches long, this is the biggest toy compatible Ecto (no, I’m not counting the $200 + LEGO Ecto model) we have been given…and maybe the best we will ever be given.  I’ve complained about Mattel and Hasbro’s failings with Ghostbusters figures til I’m blue in the face…who would have thought it would be AMC Theaters to the rescue?

This was a Ghostbusters Afterlife opening day (November 18), in-theaters-only exclusive.  It was $35 and included a large popcorn.  I have no idea how many people actually drowned this thing in salt and butter, but I can imagine it wasn’t fun to clean out.  My toys wouldn’t approve of the smell or oily residue.  The interior is bare bones, and perfect for figure modification. The Plasma figures fit with room to spare, and the lid closes without bumping heads. 

Outside, it’s quite a thing of beauty for the price. The roof rack is highly detailed, as is the grill, tail fins, mirrors, and lights.  And speaking of lights…with the push of a button, four flashing blue rollers!  That would have been a tier bonus for a $300 crowdfunded Hasbro toy, I would wager!  The wheels don’t roll, but all I was asking for was something that my dolls could fit in.

This is supposed to be the dilapidated, modern look of the car.  Far from “rust city”, the only wear here is some over-applied brown paint.  If someone wanted a true 1984 look, it probably wouldn’t be a hard repaint.  Of course, you would want to move the ladder to the other side, wouldn’t you, nerd?  

 

 

After decades of waiting, I finally have a substitute to make my line feel complete.  I’m sure there are others out there that feel the same way, as it sold out pretty quick.  AMC is putting it up on their website as I’m writing this follow-up (November 22)…act fast, don’t waver…it may not last long!

Back to the Future Part II Hoverboard and NECA Ultimate Figures

 Back to the Future Part II Hoverboard and Ultimate Doc Brown and Marty McFly

Fun.com - NECA

Missed out on Mattel's already overpriced ($120) for 2012 Hoverboard replica?  Not willing to pay nearly three times that on Ebay?  Well, good news...Halloween shops across the internet have a cheap, but comparable, alternative flying your way right now!

Halloween store props nowadays range from disposable to fairly decent...just look at all the Ghostbusters gear we've gotten over the last couple of years.  This new hoverboard is definitely for the fans, and not just an accessory for a one-night, slutty Marty McFly ladies costume.  

For about $60, I was surprised at how heavy this thing is.  The plastic feels extremely durable, though I'm not sure about testing it on the ground.  It has the tempting, Velcro foot strap, but not disclaimer about it being just a prop with a weight limit.  I wouldn't want to scuff up the hover discs anyway.  It's an under-the-arm prop only, or for collector's display.  I hope to mount it to the wall next to my Christopher Lloyd autograph and framed 2015 BTTFII USA Today special printing.

The colors are spot on, as bright and vibrant as you would expect.  Most of the board is one large decal.  This is where your satisfaction may vary, as there are wrinkles and air bubbles to work out.  Prop snobs would shun away, but it still looks good enough to me.  As this is not a Mattel release, it is missing the two large Mattel labels.  These can be replicated from scans in a Google search and printed at home, or Etsy has some alternative.  Either way, easy fix.

There isn't much more to say about it, as it doesn't have sound features or fly.  Again, for $60, it's not a bad mass-produced replica.  It's available for shipping now, well before the Halloween season.  As Halloween gets closer, I could see these disappearing, so don't stay on the fence about one too long.

As you can see from the pictures above, I have some new NECA 7-inch Back to the Future II figures.  Well, Marty has been out for some time, but Doc is just now hitting wide release.  He was a Target exclusive around Father's Day, then a full release to all parties late-summer/fall.  Not sure what sense that makes, but you know my feeling on Target exclusives.  I was lucky to snag this one, but lost out on "The Thing" MacReady first release.  *shakes fist*

While there is something not quite there in the Michael J Fox likeness, NECA has Christoper Lloyd down.  Maybe it's something to do with his expressive face, or they just love the character of Doc that much?  It is perfection.

These come with all the necessary, alternate 2015 accessories you could think of:  Pepsi Free, Sports Almanac, Hoverboard, etc.  My favorite is the opening briefcase with money for different time periods.  The handle popped off of mine trying to fit it into the figure's hand, but a couple drops of super glue fixed it up just fine.  

They make a big deal out of Marty's self-lacing Nikes, but have you ever had a good look at Doc's shoes?  Wild!  I wonder if there is any text out there explaining the gadgetry on these?  The little antennas feel as fragile as they look, so be careful when positioning those feet.

I've got some first movie figures I still need to review, but NECA has more on the way.  Expect to see those in the near future! 

The Rise of Evil

The Rise of Evil

Masters of the Universe Origins - Mattel

The Rise of Evil…fitting name for a Target exclusive!  As usual, distribution is uneven and spotty, region to region and store to store.  Target’s online stock comes and goes in the night.  Literally…you get once chance at the in-stock alert and you better be prepared to jump outta bed and fight armies of online bot buyers.  Having the worst Target that I have ever been to as my home Target, I gave up early in the game.  Gas prices are too high, and my time is better spent elsewhere.  E(vil)-Bay scalpers seemed to be the only other option, but I wasn’t ready to jump at prices starting at $60 and rising for a $30 set.

Considering all that, is it worth the headache for a goofy looking, pre-transformation Trap Jaw and the handsome, pre-acid burned Skeletor?  How often is one going to be playing out pre He-man scenarios in their Eternia? 

Kronis’ face is the worst of the line so far.  He looks like Horace from “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”, Billy Cole from “Fright Night”, or any terrifying human characters in Gumby’s world.  Neck down isn’t much better. 

 

He doesn’t have the skull and crossbones cummerbund, but does have a fuller shoulder harness.  The harness has slots for extra accessories like the bund does, but he gets nothing extra to store there.  Just weird foreshadowing for his extra claw attachments?  He does have a rather large rifle, but its too big to store.

Keldor is the big seller for this pack.  I’m sure he would have done just fine on his own, in a regular assortment, but nooooo…just had to go the exclusive route.  He looks great.  The purples are a bit darker than on Skelly, and I’m not sure why his future self would ditch the extra green paint detailing and awesome cape in the future.   I get the arm bands and boots, as he becomes a bit more monstrous in those areas…feet and forearms needed some room to grow, apparently.

He comes with his staff and sword, but with a unique, fading/translucent green and purple scheme.  I’m not sure if that is supposed to illustrate his magic powers, or his transformation from the acid wash/melding with Demo-man.  It looks cool, nonetheless!  

What’s more is he comes with a great Alfredo Alcala inspired alternate Skeletor head.  Gotta be honest, this is what drove me to keep pursuing this pack.  I love the old mini comics art.  I have one like it in the Masters of the Universe Classics line.  Where this one differs AND sets the bar higher, is they have given him some ruby, reflective eyes!  Way to amp up the creepy on this already awesome character!

How did I finally snag this set?  Well, Target didnt want my money any more than Mattel did, and I didnt pay an internet scalper.  I follow a fan page for the line on Facebook, where a kind fan was able to grab an armful for other collectors and was selling them at cost plus shipping.  Shipping is a bit high these days, so that’s about all the extra I paid out.  It’s great to be a part of such a giving fan community where there are others looking out for their fellow collectors.  Quite a contrast to the recently violent and greedy turn for the sports card community.  Out of control market speculation has lead to even more Target insanity.  Blind card packs are one thing, but they started limiting action figures to one per customer…with some not realizing that assortments contain different figures in a series AND some contain build-a-figure parts!  Target is the absolute worst in so, so many ways.  I am glad to be done with them…for now, at least.  The evil kingdom of Tar-get sinks back into the abyss, biding it’s time until another ludicrous exclusive is inexplicably given to them to bungle.

Ray Arnold

Ray Arnold

Jurassic Park - Amber Collection

Mattel

Like the Star Wars Black Series, did Jurassic Park really need to be in a larger, more costly scale?  It may limit the variety of dinosaurs (or starships) we can get, but what we do get sure does look purdy.  Take this figure, for instance...Sam Jackson is back for the third or fourth time in this scale (Pulp Fiction, several Marvel Legends) and he has never looked better.

Mattel has really outdone themselves for a company that got by with the same suited body over and over again in the past (DC, Ghostbusters).  Ray Arnold appears to be totally unique, and sports a surprising amount of articulation for a character that is just seated at a computer for most of his screen time.    Double hinge elbows and knees, upper arm and leg swivels, torso ball joint, head ball joint, waist swivel...he can take service calls and leap into action to switch service breakers on a dime!

The head sculpt is great (particularly nice is the fade from hair to bald spot on top), really only hurt a bit by the execution of the glasses.  Glasses have always been hit and miss on action figures, but this one fares a bit better than others.  A lab coat and gray pants don’t make for an exciting toy, but the details sure make up for them.  Just check out that JP patch!  Pens in the pocket, tie design, striping on the shirt...nice attention to detail!

This figure doesn’t come with a stand like the others in the line...at least I don’t think he does.  I had to double check the packaging/trash just to be sure.  I assume they had to save plastic for his huge hunk of an accessory:  a 90s desktop PC tower/monitor!  It’s big, but hollow, and it’s made of a flexible, rubbery plastic.  It has a JP grid system map sticker on the monitor and, I’ll have to verify with Lex, an interactive CD-ROM!  Mr. Arnold also comes with a removable headset and a change of hands.  Sadly, he does not come with cigarettes or a hand to simulate smoking.  Yes, it is a harmful habit, but this is yet another one of those characters that it would just enhance that much more.  Delivery of “Hold on to your butts” and “PLEASE!  God dammit, I hate this hacker crap!” just wouldn’t be the same without them.  C’mon, they even get their own close-ups:

It is a bit strange that Mr. Arnold gets a figure in this scale before Hammond, or even Sattler and Grant.  It’s a testament to all Sam Jackson brings to this smaller part.  Let’s give him a hand or...oh...I forgot a key accessory:

Let’s review:  Dismembered, bloody limbs good, cigarettes bad...got it.

Take a look back at smaller scale Jurassic Park/World offerings from Mattel:

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/06/jurassic-world-dinosaurs.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/06/more-jurassic-world-dinosaurs.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2018/06/dinobots.html

https://terribletoyman.blogspot.com/2019/05/jurassic-world-iii-primal-clash.html