South Park/Urban Playset

South Park Fractured But Whole

3-inch mystery minis, Kidrobot

The Urban Playset

3.75" convention specialty set

Readysetz.com

 

The Urban Playset is big, pop-up, cardboard diorama for action figures between 4-6 inches available only online from ReadySetz.com for a limited time.  This is not that set.  This is a shrunk down version more appropriate for 3.75" figures that was sold at a Las Vegas toy show (hence some of the new Vegas décor) and available after the show in limited quantities via customer service email.  The set is sturdy and durable feeling and the cardboard has a plastic-like hardness to it.  It really is top-notch printing.  There is not a single piece of this set that does not feature printed detail.  There are some extra pieces to assemble, like some ramps and scaffolding, but you really can just pop-up and play.  And when you're done, it folds neatly back into its box for storage.

I got the scaled down set to go with some of the smaller figures in my collection, like minimates (Ghostbusters in specific.). I would be great for a Marvel Universe or GI Joe 3.75" figures.  To show off some of the detail/features of the diorama I decided to display some of Kidrobot's 3" South Park Fractured But Whole figures, as I had not reviewed them yet. 

These figures had been released a year ago with the coinciding video game's original release date.  It was delayed some time, but when it did get released, Best Buy got a whole new shipment of them.  Ugh, blind box figures again?  Yes, but I was lucky enough to hit a full box and didn't end up with any duplicates in the 8 or so I picked up.  I ended up with a few of the more rare ones and picked up some of the others on eBay.  Best Buy had them cheaper that anywhere else: $8 instead of $10.  Even so, $8 is a lot for a tiny figure with 3 points of articulation... but I couldn't live without Coon and Friends, especially after playing the game!  I'm only missing one figure in the set, the Mosquito, but plan on eBaying him someday.

 Best Buy also had an exclusive, glow in the dark Awesom-O figure I couldn't pass up.  While not a part of South Park's superhero parody, I could see him filling a spot in the line-up like Marvel's Vision or DC's Red Tornado. 

Seeing reviews and having the smaller model makes me regret not pulling the trigger on the bigger Urban Playset when I had the chance.  So much play potential as a Gotham City wannabe!  I hope it comes around again someday.  Oh well, ReadySetz is getting ready to roll out a space playset soon that I hope looks just as nice.  Maybe it will look good with Transformers?  Doctor Who?  Superheroes?  I am eager to see what they come up with.

 

 

 

 

Mera and Atlantean Guards

Mera and Atlantean Guards

Mattel Justice League - Multiverse and Basic

Mera, Aquaman's main squeeze has had several 7-inch figures from DC Collectibles/Direct over the years, but I never knew how much I needed one until the Aquaman cast was beefed up by Mattel's DC Universe Classics.  Yes, I am making a concession with a movie figure, but the costume design and colors are pretty classic at least.  Sure, there's a more armored look and the colors could be less muted... still a decent enough stand in.

Mera got all of 2 minutes of screen time in Justice League, but from what I can remember, the figure looks enough like the actress.  She comes with a royal staff/spear and alternate, water-effects hands.  She was an Amazon exclusive initially priced at the standard $20 for this line, but has been offered as an add-on item as low as $6. 

 

The Atlantean Guard is one of the $10 basic figures.  Basics feature less articulation, but still scale fairly well.  I reviewed some basic Parademons a while back.  The guard was not available with the initial waves coinciding with the movie, therefore he was kind of hard to track down after. I would like to have 4-5 of them to make a decent army, but I'll take what I can get.  I scored a third guard shortly after taking these pictures.

Hope you enjoyed pictures of these figures with previous Mattel offerings like Ocean Master, Black Manta, Aqualad, and King Shark!

BB-8 Mega Playset

BB-8 Mega Playset

Hasbro - The Last Jedi

 

To commiserate celebrate the home video release of "The Last Star Wars Movie Ever Jedi", let's take a look at what might be the last Star Wars toy I ever purchase...because the Last Jedi sucked!  It's two thirds of a scale BB-8 replica that transforms into a large playset that isn't worth the initial $200 price tag.  Good thing I waited for a $60 sale on Amazon...which was still hard to do considering I saw the movie it's based on.  Pretty cool locale (unlike Canto Bight)...its a shame its only featured in about ten minutes of the film, somewhere in the middle.  It's big, has fair amount of action features, and included 2 exclusive figures:  Joke Snoke and a Praetorian Guard. 

 

For scale...this is all your fault, Jorg Sacul!

BB-8's light up features and chatter are fun, but would it have killed them to throw in some hollow shell pieces to make a complete replica?  Should have been a gimme with that price tag!  Maybe if they had dropped the dated gimmick of the Force Link bracelet/technology?  Or at least saved us a few bucks.  I mean, c'mon...it's the freaking Episode 1 Commtech Chip Reader all over again!  Forget the past...kill it if you have to!

A few action features:



"Exploding" platform with light and sound.

Trap door into holding cell/tourture room.

 

 Rotating gun turret with sound activation.

 

 



Collapsible walkway into trash compactor.

 

Throne room with Force Link sound activation.

 

 



Whoops...more spoilers!  Too bad the Snoke figure doesn't have a cut-in-half feature.  I guess Hasbro wasn't in on that letdown subversion of expectations.

 

It's not a bad looking set, but again, not worth the price.  Like the movie, a disappointing end to decades worth of Star Wars fandom/collecting. 





The Joker

The Joker

DC Icons - DC Collectibles

DC Multiverse - Mattel

We used to have DC Collectibles/Direct focusing on the artist/era specific figures, with Mattel taking on a general, more classic look with their DC Universe Classics.  Well, I guess times have changed, and DC wants to stay as current as possible, because here is a fairly recent comic interpretation of the Joker from the Endgame story.

I passed on this figure initially as I prefer classics and Mattel has given us the same old suit body time and time again.  But I saw this guy as a cheap, $5 Amazon add-on item, so why not? 

The head sculpt is pretty nice.  Good paint apps all around, especially with the teeth.  The hands are unique to this figure... strange and art specific.  As you can see, the pinky is made to put a smile on someone's face.  And if you can't find someone else, the figure comes with a removed face accessory!  Pretty ballsy there, Mattel!  You would never see this kind of thing with Marvel Legends.

I also recently picked up a DC Icons Joker figure from DC Collectibles.  These are generally priced anywhere from $20-25, but scored this one from Amazon for $16.  I was initially excited by the unveiling of this line, as Mattel stalled out on DC at the time and these would scratch that classics itch.  They were supposed to be in 6-inch scale, as opposed to DCC's standard 7, but they scale a bit small in comparison to other lines.  He's a bit short, but not too terrible... the overall presentation makes up for it.

Modeled after his look in the "Death in the Family" storyline, Joker is sporting a trench coat and hat this time around.  I wish he had an alternate, hatless head, but at lease he has a Tommy gun to go with the more old-time gangster look.  He also comes with a key accessory from those comics...a Robin-bashing crowbar!  He has some alternate hands to hold these or go closed-fisted with his right hand, but not his left.  Strange, as it would have been nice if he could hold both weapons at once or just the Tommy Gun with both hands.  Minor complaints since I got him for less than the standard price.  Other than that, I love the articulation and the paint.  He will most likely be my go-to Joker until a better representation comes around.



Back to the Future III Time Machine

 

Back to the Future Part III Time Machine

Hot Wheels - Mattel

 

Picked up another BTTF Delorean.  If there is another iconic movie car in my collection that rivals the 1989 Batmobile in quantity, this is it! 

Marty: "Wait a minute. Wait a minute Doc, are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?"

Doc: "The way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Besides, the stainless steel construction made the flux disperal...  

Looking a lot like the Lotus Esprit (of "The Spy Who Loved Me" fame...yes, I have several toys of that, too), it was very much of its time.  I heard somewhere that there are believed to be only 6500 genuine DMC-12s out in the world somewhere.   And I'm sure most of those are kept up solely because of these movies. 

This toy is your standard Hot Wheels size, but in the $5-6 range of screen cars.  You do get a little more detail than you would with the $.99 HW range.  You can clearly make out the futuristic (2015) license plate and the lettering on Mr. Fusion.  This retool, like the movie, features makeshift 1955 parts on the hood and white walled tires.  It does complete the lineup of time machine variants from HW nicely.  They also produced Biff's Ford Super De Luxe Convertible covered in (plastic) manure.  I did not buy this one, as HW (and Hollywood) got off cheap reusing this model (Greased Lightning, Mr. Miyagi's car).  Now, if HW produced a Time Train, I might be forced to hunt one down for completion's sake. 

Here are some shots of my Deloreans with Diamond Select's BTTF minimates line.  Still waiting on the Time Train there as well...sigh...bet they got one in the alternate 2015.