Manetoy's Magic Kingdom

You made Astro Boy cry

2010-02-07T21:57:00.001-08:00

10" Electronic Astro Boy

2009-12-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

The Astro Boy movie toys continue to pile in my room. This time, we're looking at the 10" Electronic Astro Boy from Jazwares.

The box is similar to the case the 3.75" scale figure I reviewed before came in. Only with more electronic images in the back rather than clouds. Perhaps to compliment the face that this figure is in fact electronic

The back of the box shows everything the toy can do and what other toys are out

Here's the toy out of the box. The paint is great. It's clean, and crisp with little to no flaws. First problem I found once getting the toy out of the box was that the arm cannons he had on slid off far too easily. Then I had a heck of a time getting these fists in and even when I got them on, I was unable to get them in all the way. Jazwares seems to have a hard time with these interchanging pieces if you remember from my previous toy review.

His poseability isn't anything wowing. The only things that move are his head, his arms, and his wrists. That's it. But you're not buying this for the posebility, you're buying this for the lights and sound. Which I will get to next
When you see the toy in the box, you can try out the sounds and they play out like this

But what I realized when getting this out of the box was this

Yep, we've got an on/off switch. What we got in the box was merely a sample of what this toy can do.

Pressing the center button will do this

With the arm cannon attachments, the left button does this.

And with the rocket feet attachments, the right button will do this
But, when you press any of the buttons and for any reason suddenly want the sounds to stop, press the button again and they stop. I think this is a good feature. Especially if you're like me and would accidentally press a button while struggling to remove one of his hands or feet.
All in all, despite the flaws, this is a pretty decent toy. If you've got an Astro Boy fan in the family, this could make for a decent gift. Especially if it's a young fan.
All I need now is an Astro Boy figure that reveals butt guns when you bend him over and my life will be complete!

SMILE
WAIT FOR THE FLASH

Jazware's Astro Boy

2009-11-09T14:17:00.001-08:00

I've often said that American toy companies can't make decent Astro Boy action figures. So when someone actually did them right, I had to buy one in support. And so I did

Jazwares has released a 3.75" toy line based on the new movie, (which was awesome! Go see it) and this was the one I started with. Though just titled "Astro Boy" on the case, most fans refer to this figure as "Traditional Astro Boy" since it's the one that looks as he does in the Manga and Animes.

The packaging on this is nice. Simple, to the point, and the clouds are very relaxing XD On the back are the rest of the figures available. They all look pretty decent though if you have the Traditional Astro Boy, there's no serious reason to get the other variants unless you really like Astro's Arena look.
Once out of the package though, a serious design flaw was discovered. The main feature on this figure is that you can switch from his regular and rocket feet but the rocket feet are in so tight, that they're really hard to get out. I ended up getting some boiled water from my coffee machine and using that to soften the plastic.

OH THANK THE MAKER. THIS OIL BATH IS GOING TO FEEL SOOO GOOD!
Once I did that, they popped right out but how many little kids that they're marketing to with these are going to think to do that? I know I wouldn't have when I was eight.

Once that was over, he was ready for some posing. Not much to say about the poseability. It's not bad. All that should be poseable is and what shouldn't be, isn't. You can make some really fun poses with this toy.
What I love best about it though is the face scuplt. A certain previous toy company that's going to remain nameless (coughbandaicough) thought it would be best to give Astro a "tough" look but in doing that, they completely sucked out all of Astro's charm for his face. Jazwares on the other hand, decided to keep Astro's "cute" factor and in doing so made for a much better Astro Boy figure.
So, all in all, aside from an issue with his rocket feet, this is a great figure to own if you're a young or old fan of Astro Boy. Although since it's Jazwares, the only place you can find them is Toys R Us and this was the last one my Toys R Us had so if you don't have one yet, GET IT!

Astro Boy goes to Disney World

2009-09-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

After working so long and hard on his new movie, Astro Boy decided he needed a break. So I took him with us on out latest trip to Walt Disney World

On the Greyhound to Florida

They have a section in the lobby where kids can watch cartoons while their parents check in. Astro watches some cartoons here

ESTABLISHING SHOT! This is where we stayed. The Pop Century resort in the 50s section

Once we got checked in, Astro was ready to plop right on the bed

BIG SCARY DOG GONNA EAT YOOUU!!

Our first stop was Animal Kingdom. This was actually our very first visit

Astro found some Bongo Drums to play with

Astro at Dino-land USA. It has one of the most EPIC rides ever simply called "Dinosaur."

For some reason, there was a gift shop with Mr. Potato Heads in Animal Kingdom. Ah Well. Made for a good Photo-op

Astro Boy at Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama. This place gets a bad rep but I think it's pretty cool

Astro Boy contemplating if he wants to ride the epicness that is "Expedition Everest." And yes. IT WAS EPIC!!

Before leaving, Astro gets one last look at the Tree of Life. Which yes, is A LOT of tree

Back at our hotel, there is a giant Jukebox with (fake) song titles made to sound like 50s songs. Astro finds this one in especially peculiar. (If you don't know, Astro Boy's Japanese name is "Mighty Atom."

Next, Astro Boy attended Mickey's not so Scary Halloween Party. He went as himself.

I meant to take more pictures of him at the Magic Kingdom but we actually forgot 'cause we were having such a great time. But here's a nice one

At Downtown Disney, Astro wanted to pose with this Pinocchio statue. He... can kinda feel for him

Our final stop was Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Astro in front of the hat

Astro now at the Chinese Theater AKA The Great movie ride

Astro waiting for the ride to begin. It's a fun ride

Astro in front of Star Tours. Wanted to get one last run on it before it gets closed for it's major renovation

Before going to get our seats for Fantasmic, Astro takes a look at Tower of Terror and contemplates if he wants to ride it... he didn't

We all had a great time. Including Astro Boy!

Crocodile Ranger Action Man accessory set

2009-07-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. It's been far too long since I reviewed a toy. It's also been far too long since I BOUGHT a toy. But I got one today

It's an accessory set for Action Man called "Crocodile Ranger." This is sadly a dying concept in the world of toys. Where you can go out and buy extra stuff for your action figure or doll. The idea is that your figure/doll is a friend that you go out and buy more stuff for. Now parents just think you're ripping them off if you expect them to buy extra stuff. Even Barbie, the fashion doll is having this problem these days. But enough ranting. Let's go back to the toy

The box isn't exactly wowing here. The only thing that makes it stand out is the bright orange color which 90% of Action Man products have. It's probably their answer to how Barbie comes in bright pink. If you were to put all of these Action Man toys in the same place, it would REALLY stand out. Like when you go into a Barbie section and your suddenly blinded by all the pink.

From the back, we get to see the accessories on Action Man and in a natural setting for the outfit. A swamp. Pitty this isn't a playset or something. My god would THAT be epic? The back just shows off all the stuff it comes with.

Actually, there doesn't seem to be any real collectors value in these Action Man toys. I feel like I'm the only one who's actually buying them sometimes.

Now Action Man has his new duds on and packin' his tranquilizer rifle. 'Cause overly PC Action Man has to make sure you know he's not going to kill the crocodile. The outfit is pretty well tailored. Not exactly photo realistic details, but certainly better than what's out now. But there is ONE thing I have to complain about.

This hat. It's... well... there's no polite way to say this. It's a dumb hat! It looks ridiculous on him. It didn't look so bad on the box, but once you actually get it on him, it kinda sucks. So you're never going to see this hat again

Here's the hat I gave him instead. He also comes with a pistol, a knife, and a belt to carry them in. The knife feels a little small for his massive hands, but it's yet to slip out of his hands.

He also has a noose... thing to take hold of the Crocodile with. the Crocodile itself is a nice toy. Decent detail, well sized, but the painting on his tail looks funny. My sister said his tail looks like it's made of Legos and I had to agree but there is one more weapon he has that doesn't make sense to me

He also comes with a Grenade. I don't get this. With the Tranquilizer gun we've established that he does not intend to kill the croc so what's with the grenade? He wants to capture the croc, not blow it up, right? Granted he also has a pistol and knife which could imply he can kill the croc when needed to but nearly every Action Man set comes with a pistol and knife. I think it's standard procedure to give him a pistol and knife. If they made "Mcdonalds drive thru Action Man" i'm sure even HE'D come with a pistol and knife. Though I've been to a few Mcdonalds that look like he couls use those... but back to the Grenade. Why does he have it? I guess the world will never know.

All in all, this is a nice set. I think these Action Man toys get a bad rep for their lack of realism and because they're not as "poseable" as other figures but I like they're simplistic comic book element and this set delivered on that.

Princess Sapphire fan service

2009-06-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

Because she DOES have fans. Despite how few and far between we might be -_-
They are all from this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HSNlMt2R5I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vDvWOszt04

2009-06-02T09:58:00.001-07:00

a motivational poster I made that Photobucket took down

The Dark Knight Joker and Two-Face

2008-12-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know. I took too long in updating my blog... again... I guess people with short attention spans and ADD shouldn't write blogs. But here I am to review two figures from Mattel's "The Dark Knight" line. Two-Face and The Joker.

This is the box he came in. I got him in a two pack set from Wal-Mart. Only 5 bucks. Sweet, right? But the first thing I want to get off the ground is that we are ignoring the figure that came with The Joker. Because no Batsuit should ever do THIS!

Yeah, THAT'S gonna strike terror in the hearts of criminals.

We'll start off with the unstoppable force to your immovable object. The Joker!

The Joker stands at about 5". Yeah, the head sculpt doesn't do Heath Ledger justice. (god rest his soul) Not to mention, the figure's articulation is lacking but it's a movie figure and I've come to expect that movie figures will always lack in articulation. That's just how it works. They aren't really making these for adult collectors, but for kids and kids don't ask for quit as much in action figures.

Something else that screams "kids toy" on this is the accessory. Remember when The Joker said that he didn't like to use guns because they're "too quick?" Well, Mattel didn't because they gave him a big ass gun! (Although, to be fair. He DOES use a rocket launcher at some point in the movie) even in the movie, it didn't shoot this

Yeah, I could see Jack Nicholson's Joker carrying one of these, but certainly not Heath Ledgers. The good thing is, this rocket launcher has great mileage and when it hits it's target, (providing the target is of the same scale as The Joker) you can be sure the target gets knocked down.
So, overall, there ARE better Heath Ledger Jokers out there, but not at Wal-Mart's five dollar range. This is good for kids (and for big kids like myself) but if you're a serious collector, chances are you won't be interested
Next up is Two-Face from the same Dark Knight line.

Two-Face stands at about 5" as well, and where The Joker was sold short in his sculpt, Two-Face really shines.

The likeness to Aaron Eckhart is excellent, and the disfigured half of his face has great detail. As does the burned up half of his coat. Though I don't remember his hand getting burned and disfigured in the movie too. The articulation is pretty much the same as The Joker's though. But the figure is still fun to play with.
Aside from his "I believe in Harvey Dent" card, Two-Face only comes with a coin with a button that when pressed, spikes come out. Yeah, Two-Face actually got a worse accessory than The Joker. But overall, The Two-Face figure is really good. Especially in his sculpt

Japanese Astro Boy figure by Takara

2008-08-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

After months of trying to find someone who DIDN'T have it on "backorder." *I'm looking at YOU Toysnjoys!* I finally acquired the Astro Boy action figure by Takara. Made in Japan, I got it from some guy at Hong Kong. *yay Ebay*

Here it is in it's box. The box is very colorful and unlike most American figures that are just cardbacks with the figure attachted to a plastic bubble, this is a completely encasing box. I could really see this standing out in a toy store.

back of the box. I imagine most of the writing here is descriptions of his features, accesories, and the story of Astro Boy. Actually, the story of Astro is written in english on the left side. What's more interesting is that he's referred to as "Astro Boy" rather than his Japanese name "Mighty Atom." It's almost like they KNEW this figure would find it's way to American shores. Hmm... Anyway, before I go into the figure, I must point out a couple of things that made me giggle on this box

First off, I have no idea why Charlie Brown is sticking his tounge at me, but it's highly amusing and second, the bottom left goes on about the "choking hazards" of the toy and look at the picture they use. They just sacrificed Pac-Man so Japanese children can know better than to put any of these things in their mouths. So remember kids, whenever you think about putting a toy accessory in your mouth, just think of Pac Man.

Here he is out of his box and on his stand. The figure is between 4" and 5". Yeah, he comes with a stand. He also comes with his little robot nanny "Robita." (I think that's the Robot's name) But that's not all he has

These are all the pieces you can snap on him. While the American Astro Boy line made you buy three seperate figures if you wanted him to pose, fly, and shoot his arm cannon, Japan just gives you all of his abilities in one set. Boy, did WE get ripped off. But as you can see, they were right to feature a Pac-Man chocking to death on the box because this has a LOT of little pieces.

"Umm... little help?"
Incase you're wondering, here's Astro Boy when I took that shot of all the pieces.

As you saw, he comes with his rocket legs so you can have him fly. He even has a piece that connects to the stand so you can display him this way if you want.

and even a place to put that piece underneath the stand if you don't.

and here he is with the open hands if you wanted to see.

My only REAL issue with the set is that if they're going to give you this many accesories, they really should give you something to store them in. Like a compartment in the stand or something. But that's my only complaint. His articulation is great, his facial expression speaks his character far better than any of his American figures, and the figure comes with everything he'll need to combat the forces of evil. (Plus a stand for when he isn't)

Here he is with my other Astro Boy figures for comparison. So, if you're a fan of Astro Boy and are willing to buy something from ALL the way from Asia, make a note to own this figure. You won't regret it.
and sense we're all here... LET'S PARTY!!!

Hasbro's Indiana Jones action figure

2008-06-01T09:43:00.004-07:00

After long last, Indiana Jones finally has a cool action figure line and yesterday, I finally picked up a figure from it.

What better way to start my Indy collection than with Indy? Here he is in his case. I like the case design. It really says INDIANA JONES to me.

Out of his box, he looks awrsome. The details on his sculpt are excellent. Even if at certain angles, his hat looks a little too big for his head. His face is a semi decent like-ness. Especially when you consider that Harrison Ford's likeness has never exactly been easy to capture.
As you can see from this picture, Indy comes with his trademark whip. Only problem with it is that if you try any whipping action, it kinda slips off wayt too easily.

He also comes with a pistol, and the infamous Crystal Skull. What I found interesting though is how he doesn't just come with the skull. Instead, he comes with two interchangable hands. One empty, and another with the skull molded onto him.

I guess those russian soldiers won't be able to take the skull from him after all

Each figure seems to come with a "Hidden Relic" wrapped in a box labeled "top Secret." Guess it was being looked at by "Top Men." Let's see what we got inside it

Inside the box is a gem and a small card with the gem's name

We have uncovered the "Eye of the Peacock." Yeah, the concept is a little gimmicky, but I like it.

Also, the figure stand at the 3.75" scale. Which could lead to some amusing crossovers.
So, all in all, Hasbro made a good action figure. I think kids AND collectors can get something out of this figure so if you don't have it yet, or are only interested in the 12" Indy figures (Which all of you must be 'cause I can't find any!!) then give this figure a shot.

"Cobras. I hate these guys."

mediocre but fun

2008-01-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

today i'm dedicating my blog to video games. But not just any video games. Video games that are mediocre. Yeah, you read that right. Mediocre. These are the games that don't change the way we play, don't get 5 stars on X-Play, and I was certainly glad that I didn't pay the full 40 bucks for, but I'll be damned if they weren't the least bit entertaining.

First up is Astro Boy. Now, maybe it's because i'm a bit of a sucker for video games with my favorite cartoon characters in them, but I enjoyed the Astro Boy video game. Yeah, the GBA version runs circles around it (which just further proves that Sonic Team can only seem to make 2-D side-scrollers work) and the side missions sucked, but the fights were fun and the bosses were awesome.

It's also really pretty to look at with its bright and broad colors, and cartoony details. Also, I only got it for 9 bucks. On top of that, how many video games let you run around in your underwear and still be called a family game?

Next up is Superman Returns. Yeah, this is no where near the end all be all Superman game EA promised us, but when I only paid 12 bucks for it, I didn't care. I'M SUPERMAN, BITCH! The worst thing I could say about it was it's repetition. It's just fly around, fly around, find robots/monsters, beat 'em up, hear the crowd cheer, fly away, repeat. That and a tornado does not a good final boss make.

But any game where you can pick up the Daily Planet display or giant hamburger displays and throw them at giant robots is entertaining for me

Finally is Justice League Heroes. In this Gaunlet style beat-em up, you play as well, the JL and fight through an army of villians ranging from Gorrila Grod, Brainiac, and the big babass himself, DARKSEID!

With a story written by real comic book writers, simplictic arcade like fighting system, an RPG like level up feature, this game may not be all wowing, but it's fun. Especially since I got it for Christmas so I didn't pay anything for it. You can even collect JLA points to use to unlock new outfits for the characters and even extra characters. (Aquaman is the cheapest character. No respect for Aquaman)
So there you have it. Proof positive that I am a simple man that can be easily entertained. I'm probably the kind of guy hardcore gamers can't stand because i'm buying those mediocre games they hate for not being the next Halo. Well, maybe not considering that I don't buy them at full price, thus not funding the people that made the mediocre games. Either way, I got cheap games and I like 'em

Astroboy sells out

2008-01-18T11:52:00.001-08:00

As a big Astroboy fan, you can only imagine my suprise when I saw this

Online Videos by Veoh.com
dang, now I want to buy a car XD

Pirates of the Caribbean Disney park toys

2007-12-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

"Ye be seekin' adventure and Salty old pirates, eh? Well, you come to the proper place." Before Johnny Depp single-handedly made Pirates cool again, the classic Disney attraction Pirates of the Caribbean stood on it's own as one of Disney's most beloved attractions. Celebrating this attraction, Disney released several figures based on the classic characters of this ride but you can't get these at any toy store. You gotta travel AAALLL the way to Disneyland or Walt Disney World to get these babies and on my last trip, I acquired a few of them.

These are the ones I got. The Helmsman, the Captain, and the Pillager. They made several others, but were sadly not at any of the stores when I got there. Here is how they were packaged. Sure, the packaging is different and bound to be noticed, but the crossbones on the side make them awfully bulky and take up more space in shelves and in shopping bags than needed. Once I got home from our trip, I was sure to tear these suckers out of their bulky little prisons.

All the figures come with a display base that is based on the scene they appear in on the ride. Yes children, long before Barbossa came into the ride, the ship was captained by this generic pirate known as... The Captain.

The figures also have decent articulation. More than I was expecting. The only one with the least bit of articulation issue came from the Captain and his long hair. This made it difficult to turn his head.

The only bad seed in this haul I would have to sadly say is the Helmsman. It's a pitty to. He looks awesome in the ride, is one of the most memorable figures in the ride, and looks pretty cool as an action figure, but he had the most problems of the three. First off, he had issues holding ANY of his accessories and keeping them held, and while the other figures had no problems with their bases, his was a wee bit flimsy. You have to attach the helm to the base and it sometimes comes off easily. But these were minor issues to be honest and it still displays great as you can see from this picture.

Did I mention that these have a LOT of accessories to play with? The Captain alone comes with his base, a sword, two pistols, a lantern, and a mug. The skeletons each have two swords, a rifle, a pistol, a dagger, and the Helsmman comes with an anchor. This does make it difficult to keep track of the accesories and years from now will probably lead to these figures with all of them costing big bucks.
Their price range is in $10 which alone I find very reasonable for everything you get. Especially considering you're buying these at Disney World, where soda is 2.50 a bottle and t-shirts are 40 bucks!! but I got the Captain and the Pillager half off. If ten bucks is reasonable, FIVE bucks is a steal!
All in all, these are excellent figures. If you're a Disney fan, a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, a general fan of pirate junk, and/or an action figure collector, I think you'll definitely enjoy these figures. Now excuse me while I go find the rest of these figures. (TO EBAY!!)

CAN'T WE SETTLE THIS OVER SOME RUM?

Halloween time

2007-10-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with a ghost story told by Vincent Price?

Online Videos by Veoh.com
Happy Halloween :D

Deluxe Elizabeth Swan figure

2007-09-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

Warning, this review may contain spoilers of POTC: At world's end. If you haven't seen it yet, you might want to skip this review

Now then, I think Yogurt the wise put it best when he said "Merchandising, where the REAL money from the movie is made." And unless you've been under a rock the past few years, you've no doubt noticed Disney's newest and quite possibly biggest cash cow, Pirates of the Caribbean. It's no surprise that due to the popularity of these movies based on the classic Disney ride, that toys would spring up for them. With two of my biggest interests in childhood (Disney and action figures) coming together, it was only natural that I'd just at this. My newest addition to my young POTC toy collect is the deluxe Elizabeth Swan set from the "At World's end" line.

Here she is in her box. It's the standard red package with the Pirates skull on the side and ship on the bottom. It's more vibrant and noticeable than the brown scheme the "Dead man's chest" line had, but mind you, the red package thing's been done.

Alright, before I continue my review, there's something I must get off my back.

Okay, I feel better now.

Out of the case, Elizabeth is excellently sculpted. Her outfit looks just like it does in the film, and her face is much prettier than the "Dead Man's Chest" version of her. Her um... chest size is more... realistic here than on the "Dead Man's Chest" version too. Yeah, I know 'Liz has a nice rack and all, but they were awfully optimistic on that other figure.

Her poseability is of the basic POTC toy. While not as poseable as a basic GI Joe, she IS more poseable than a basic Star Wars figure.

Elizabeth comes with three (count 'em three) swords. I like the two on the left best personally. They look more like the kind of swords a Singapore Pirate king would carry while the one on the right looks more like a standard pirate cutlass. I guess they figured each figure should come with one.

'Liz also comes with a globe. The globe has a kinda cool feature on it. When you put one of her swords in one of the many slots on the globe, it lights up. But it has to be the RIGHT slot.

OH YEAH! I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES! Oh, wait. I made that joke already.

If you're a fan of the POTC movies and toy line, the deluxe Elizabeth Swan will make a nice addition to your collection.

Hot Topic Land Adventurer GI Joe

2007-07-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Before my time, (late 60s and 70s to be exact) GI Joe moved away from his military roots due to the Vietnam war causing a lack of people wanting to play with "war toy." In it's place, GI Joe became an adventurer. No longer was GI Joe fighting human enemies. With his "life-like hair and beard" and his "Kung-Fu grip," his journeys took him into fights against nature. Fighting unpredictable weather, taming wild tigers, hunting for Pygmy gorillas, and the harsh, unforgiving desert. Whether it was to recover a lost idol, a valuable mummy, to protect the animals from poachers, or because Joe was just bored, it was all up to child who owned him and his imagination. This era for GI Joe was known as the Adventure Team and from 1970-76, it became to be even more successful that the original GI Joe.
To commemorate this era, (and because history seems to be repeating itself) Hasbro has released an authentic replica of the original 1970s land adventurer GI Joe. The catch, you gotta find yourself a Hot Topic store because this was exclusive only to Hot Topic. Well, actually. I didn't go to the store, I ordered mine at HotTopic.com.

Once we got it out of THIS box, there was, you guessed it...

ANOTHER BOX!! This one however is done in the style of the original box from the 70s and is every much as part of the set as the toy itself.

Here's a better look of the box. A rather spitting image of the original i'd say.

'cept for the disclaimer on the box that these extra sets are for "historical depiction" so they aren't available. Pitty, I would SUUURE like to buy these *hint hint, Hasbro*

once out of his little cardboard prison and you've undone those pesky little plastic twist ties (Which I'm pretty sure didn't exist in the 70s* you're ready for some ADVENTURE!!

Now, I don't own a GI Joe that's actually from the 70s. *My budget wouldn't allow it* but from the photos and videos i've seen, this thing is pretty close to the original. His headsculpt is an excellent reproduction of the original although when comparing it to the photos of the original i've seen, this one looks a tad sleepy.

Okay, let's be honest. This is a reproduction of a toy made back in the 70s that mostly used the molds of a figure made in the 60s! So his articulation hasn't been revolutionary in toys since '64 when the very first GI Joe figures were produced and much more articulated toys have been made since *some in smaller scales* but that doesn't mean he lacks play value. They did something right here 'cause I can't stop playing with him.

GI Joe comes with a pistol *that looks awfully *James Bondish for a land adventurer. I would've given him a Revolver.* and a rarity for toys today...

A holster to put it in. OOOH! I'm serious here. I've seen very few toys made today that actually give kids a place to PUT the figure's weapon when he's not using it. Bravo on Hasbro's part.
Another thing that made the GI Joe adventurers unique from other toys even today is not just his "life-like hair and beard" which honestly, doesn't feel like the hair on your HEAD if you know what I mean ;p but how he holds his accessories.

KUNG-FU GRIP!!
Kung-Fu grip was introduced to GI Joe toys during the Adventure Team run and proved quite popular. It featured special rubbery hands and fingers that made it easier for Joe to hold his weapons and gear. So finally, GI Joe could actually HOLD that gun of his.

I don't think many toys today can hold their weapons THIS well. Here we are in the 21st century and I'm still wowed by toy technology made back in the 70s! As Goofy said once "Somethin' wrong here"

Here's a comparison shot of the only other repro Joe I own. (The Timeless Collection Secret Agent to be exact) and the first thing I noticed was that the Land Adventurer's skin seemed darker. Looks like the secret agent needs to get more sunshine.

All in all, this is an excellent figure. If I a guy who was born a good 6 years after the Adventure Team's heyday can get this much of a kick out of this toy, than someone actually FROM the Adventure Team era is going to absolutely love it. (They must too, I hear the toys are sold out in Hot Topic stores and Hasbro plans to make more for Wal-Mart next)
So, this is your friendly neighborhood toy collector saying Good adventuring!
Oh, and after his long trip from Hot Topic, GI Joe decided to take a trip to his favorite part of Disney World

my favorite web comics

2007-07-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been a while since I last posted. What can I say? I have procrastination down to an art form. But I decided to come back by promoting some of my favorite web comics because web comics don't get a lot of promotion, yet they're often WAY funnier than what you can find in the newspapers.

SABRINA ONLINE
First we start with a fairly wide known comic but a little more free advertising wouldn't hurt it. Sabrina-Online is the story of a cute skunk girl who is not only a web designing computer geek, but a toy collector too! *The woman of my dreams* but when she's laid off from her previous job, she soon finds another only to find out that she's designing the website for a porn studio. She needs the money though and takes the job anyhow and hilarity ensues!!
www.sabrina-online.com

Peter IS the wolf
When a young were wolf gets it on with a human girl, he unknowingly has the girl turned INTO a werewolf. Now he has to take care of her, and keep the secret of the werewolf existence if he doesn't want his fellow werewolves killing him and her. The comic is funny, but not intended for youngsters. The author attempts to keep it safe by offering a sex free version of the comic, but it's still not for the little ones.
http://www.peteristhewolf.com/

Shortpacked
Finally, a comic strip about the REAL American heroes. Toy collectors. This comic is made for geeks, by geeks and often won't always make perfect sense if you're not "in the know" so naturally, I love it!!
http://www.shortpacked.com

Ozy and Millie
Ozy and Millie is about a young fox boy named Ozy and a young fox girl named Millie and their attempts to understand the world they live in. The boy is very cool, and collected, but the girl is... well... she likes to dance naked in the rain. This is a very intellgently funny comic. Something missing in current popular culture and worth a look.
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/

There you have it, the four must see web comics on the web and remember, my word is final and you're all entitled to MY opinion ;p

DC Superheros: Darksied & Lex Luthor

2007-02-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Because it's been a while, i'm going to review TWO toys this time. Both are from the DC Superheros line and are both AWESOME!
First is Lex Luthor. The greatest criminal mind of our time

in his box, Luthor already looks pretty cool. He's packaged the same way all the other DC Superhero toys have been. Orange box, comic book, ect.

Out of his box, he looks ready to terrorize Metropolis with his laser pistol and Kryptonite *Which I discovered actually fits in the pistol. Nice little touch there*
I get the feeling though, 20 years from now, if your Luthor still has it's Kryptonite, it'll proboly be worth some decent money. It's a tiny accesory and easy to lose.

The figure itself is beautifully sculpted. His face looks very menacing as any Lex Luthor figure should, and the details on his suit are excellent. It's by far better than DC Direct's version in my humble opinion.

you were good in your time Superman, but when it was time to cash in your chips, you never thought this... deseased maniac would be your banker. Yes, I know. I'm a geek and it'll be a while 'till I get laid -_-;

Next up is that ol' badass ruler of Apocolypse himself, DARKSIED!! I personally have always had trouble taking him seriously because the first time I saw him, was in an issue of Ambush Bug where he just gets deflated in the end. But, on with the toy

Darksied is one imposing son of a bitch! His body is very detailed and looks as to be made of rock.

He's also a BIG toy. Not as big as DC Directs, but personally I think that's a good thing.

Darksied comes with only one accessory. Some strange remote control. It either controls some powerful Doomsday weapon, or they've got some pretty funky TVs over at Apocolypse.
There you have it. Two awesome toys. Kinda hard to find ut definetly worth the search.

SUPERMAN'S SURROUNDED!! BIG TROUBLE FOR SUPES!!

The Corps Misson Vehicle tank

2006-11-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you lack the funds to properly arm your GI Joe team? Go pick up some knock-off equipment! It may not actually say "GI JOE" on the side, but it's better than nothing.

Today's knock-off is the "Corps Mission Vehicle" tank. They have also made a helicopter, and a 4x4 jeep, but I sadly do not have them. Here's the tank in it's package.

Out of the box, this tank can look REALLY good with your joes, as seen here with my vintage and comic book pack figures.

and this shot from the side. As you can see, the tank offers many places for your soldiers. Even a couple of pegs on the side for three more figures to stand on.

It also provides some missles that sadly do not actually shoot (but do slid off far too easily)

And a nice big cannon to blow up whatever terror threat comes your way.

But, as with most cheap knock-offs, there ARE some things wrong with this. One, there are no actual seats in this tank so your joes either stand in the holes, or hang onto one of the machine guns attached. Otherwise, they slip into the tank and you're trying to pry them out. Not fun.
Two, the turrent with the cannon makes a HORRIBLE and I mean HORRIBLE clicking sound when turned. But, if you can't buy the vintage tanks, and/or don't have a Toys R Us nearby where the little joes are now the only place you can buy them, you can waltz over to your local Wal-Mart and see if they still have any of these. At only 10 bucks, it makes a nice alternative.

DESTRO: HA! HA! YOU'VE GOT A KNOCK-OFF TANK!!

DESTRO: AAAHH! GI JOE HAS A KNOCK-OFF TANK!!

Vampire Hunter: The game

2006-10-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

There's a game that I had been wanting since I first saw ads foir it on TV. It's called Vampire Hunter! In it, you play of course, Vampire Hunter and have to slay the evil Count Dracus before he gets away on his ship. I had seen it several times at Toys 'R' Us, but it was out of my budget. Recently, I found it at KB for 5 bucks! Any game for 5 bucks is a good price, but one with a light up tower makes it a steal.

Here it is in it's box. Cool box. Just look at those kids as they place this game of darkness and sin. As much as I like this game, I can't help but notice how much this box makes the effect so much better than it actually is. Oh well, I guess that's their job.

Here are the characters you play. Two guys, and two girls. The guys kinda look like a cross between Van Helsing and Indiana Jones.

Here's the board and the tower. Looks scary, doesn't it? The basic gimmick of this game is that you turn off all the lights, and then turn on the tower. When the light is red, it's day, when it's blue, it's night.

Different things come at night. Like these tiles for instance. During the day, they're tombstones, a villager, and fog. But at night, they're a zombie, a werewolf, and a vampire! the board changes too. Spaces that are perfectly safe during the day, become traps at night. Sorry, I tried to take pictures, but it didn't work.

As you fight off monsters, you also have to find these three weapons. Then find Count Dracus at the end of the board and stake him good!

Oh, by the way, you gotta do all this before the boat reaches Count Dracus, or the count escapes and you're titled as the guy who let Count Dracus escape and taunted and insulted for the rest of your life! Okay, maybe not, but you do lose the game. Looks like a cool game, doesn't it? Sadly though, I don't think it did very well if KB was selling it for five bucks but i'm not complaining. I proboly wouldn't have it right now if it wasn't. I recommend it for anyone into vampires or like to play games in the dark. No, not those games.

Why Sally is naked

2006-10-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sally finnally reveals why she hardly wears any clothes

SPRITE COMICS!!

2006-09-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

I love making sprite comics. Deviantart suddenly doesn't like them though so i'm putting some here. Enjoy.

DC SUPERHEROS DOOMSDAY FIGURE

2006-08-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Doomsday, the ultimate being, and the one that was too much for even the Man of Steel, Mattel makes an action figure for him in the new DC Superheros line, but in typical Mattel fashion, he can be a real tough one to find. It's always the few figures I REALLY want from a Mattel line that they make so damn hard to get, but I found him at Wal-Mart last week, put him on Layaway, and a week later, took him home with me.

There he is in his package. He comes with a comic book like Marvel Legends. A pretty plain package. The only thing really making it stand out is the comic in the back. Now to get him out of the box.

Out of the box, he doesn't seem QUITE as impressive as the DC Direct figure, but he is still one mean lookin' MOTHER! Ironiclly, his DC Direct figure is hard to find too. What is it about Doomsday here that says "Make him a bitch to find?" Maybe it's because few people want the monster that got Superman killed in their living room.

Speaking of Superman, here he is with the one that came with Batman. I don't have the Superman from this line quite yet. As far as poseability goes, he's not bad. He's not Marvel Legends articulated, but he seems to have at least a little more articulation than your average DC Direct figure. His arms move, his legs move, even his stomach moves.

DOOMSDAY SMASH!! Superman's in trouble now, and so will yours because if you se him and don't already own the DC Direct Doomsday, he makes a good addition to your collection. The DC Superheros line has the potential of being DC's answer to Marvel Legends, and at being a poor man's DC Direct. Here's hoping they manage to break from their Batman/Superman box and branch out a bit. There's a lot of potential here, and I don't think we want it to see it go the way of Masters of the Universe, or Batman.

The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under new Management

2006-08-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney through his entire career was known for reshaping the world of entertainment through new and inovating technology. One of the best examples is of the 3 dementional camera first used in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Another is in 1964 when his still young but emensly popular Disneyland theme park wowed the world again with the world's first fully audio animatronic attraction, "The Enchanted Tiki Room." the Magic Kingdom edition of this attraction arrived around the same time as the Magic Kingdom in Orlando opened in 1971. Magic Kingdom's is at least over 30 years old and Disneyland's is at least 40. It was showing it's age, and was appearing to be awfully dated. While the Dinsyeland one remained unchanged, (You can't change that, it's THE Tiki room. The one Walt supervised himself and one of the last attractions he supervised.) But the one in the Magic Kingdom, well, that's not so historical. It's pretty much just a copy. So, if any version could be changed, the best iea would be to use MK's version and thus those crazy Imagineers did it again with...

As you can see, a couple of known characters have been added.

Located in the Magic Kingdom's senic Adventureland, Zazu and Iago are the new owners of the Tiki Room and they have plans for it. Before you are allowed in however, you are treated to a pre-show.

These two birds appear from behind a small waterfall. they bicker at each other. Aprantly, THEY were the ones who got the Tiki room sold to Iago and Zazu. The one on the right sounds suspicously like the voice of Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story *Aspecially since he calls the bird a "Hockey Puck" and the one on the left sounds alot like the sleezy starship captain on Futurama.

They continue to bicker over dumb things, even after the chamber is closed and the Waterfall returns. then we go in.

The hallway to the Tiki Room is done up with a jungle decor that would make the GI Joe Adventure team feel right at home.

Tghe crowd takes their seats, and the show begins. So far it's pretty much the same. Same birds, same introduction, even the same song at first.

But soon there's trouble in paradise. As they sing the classic Tiki room song, a familar voice is heard. Down comes another perch and on it sits Iago,

and boy did he let himself GO! I saw this show for myself and got a perfect view of Iago's ass and let me tell you, it was ALOT OF PARROT ASS! Anyway, enough about his big back side, Iago comes down shouting at them that they're not "hip" enough for today's crowd and need to get "with it" or their audience with disappear.

Down comes the second owner, Zazu of The Lion King reveals himself to warn Iago not to tamper with the Enchanted Tiki Room, and that the Tiki gods won't like it. Even with the orignal birds on Zazu's side, Iago ignores this and with an extra spotlight on him, he begins his own version of the Genie's "Friend like me" song telling them about how they need to update themselves and get with it. Zazu tries to warn him again abuout how bad an idea this is, but Iafo won't have it. He tells them "If I have to hear about those tiki tacky gods one more time..." suddenly, the lights darken, clouds from the window from...

and there came, the tiki goddess.

I'm gonna take a guess here and say that's Kali, Goddess of destruction. She's not too pleased with Iago's ideas, and with a wave of her hand, Iago is gone in a puff of smoke. The lights get darker, Iago AND Kali vanish, and there is only silence.

Zazu decides to let the tiki god have their say with Iago and continue the show. He introduces "the one, the only, the Tiki gods" and the carvings on the walls begin to sing. As they sing, even the plants in the room get in on it.

And behold, from anothre part of the room, reutns Iago and obviously...

The Tiki gods definetly had "their say" Iago has decided that they've got a hit show on thier hands (well, wings) and decide to PARTAY!

Girl birds come and start singing, Zazu starts singing, and in the end, one of the original birds performs a magic trick. He "makes you all disapear" as the original ended. As the crowd leaves, Iago makes cracks and observations. Such as people moving too slowly.

There you have it. The Tiki Room updated. Is it better? Well, that's best for you to decide. It's definetly different and funny. Many complain that the show is "un-Disney." Personally, I feel there's only one person who can truly decide what's truly "un-disney" and he's sadly been dead since 1966 so the Imagineers have to do it for themselves and considering what they COULD'VE done, this is a very enjoyable show. Besides, can't Disney drop character for ten minutes and make fun of themselves? Everyone ELSE makes fun of them.

Do I ahve any problems with it? Just two.

1. THYE LET IAGO SING AGAIN! Oh Disney, when are you going to learn?

2.There's no original music. Walttook the trouble of having it's own music written for the attraction, here it's just parodies of already existing songs which in my opinion seemed kind of cheap.

If you would really like to see this show but are unable to get to Disney World, fear not, for you can enjoy a video of this attraction courtesy of RU42.

While you're at it, check out his other work. He's really good at this stuff.
http://tinyurl.com/6shvw
http://www.youtube.com/user/ru42

Now, i'm gonna go to the hall of Presidents and take a nap

Top ten DUMBEST reasons to hate Sally Acorn

2006-07-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

I've rather recently become a major Sally fan. I'd even go so far to say that I've got mondo crush on Sally. (It wouldn't be my FIRST furry crush) To those who don't know, Sally Acorn is a character in an early Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series most known as "SATAM" (SAT meaning Saturday and AM meaning morning. Get it?) She also currently appears in Archies's "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic series. As a Sally fan, I've discovered it's hard being a Sally fan because whenever you look up anything for her, you find FAAAAARR too many sites and clubs dedicated to hating her and doing all sorts of horrible things to her. Now, I'm not saying everyone's entitled to MY opinion. You have the right to hate a character if you want. But if you're going to hate a character, I'd be nice to have a vital reason to, but all there reasons for hating her are S.T.U.P.I.D STUPID! I decided to actually look at these sites and point out...
THE TOP TEN REASONS TO HATE SALLY ACORN

10. "Sally is naked, unlike any of the other females in the Sonic series. Because of this, all females are SUPPOSED to wear clothing and any female who doesn't is a naked slut, since that's indecent"

apparently, there's an unwritten law stating that male furries can wear as little as they wish, (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, ect.) but if a FEMALE furry wants to run around in nothing but shoes, suddenly she's labeled as a "Slut." PS. Rouge wears clothes and SHE looks more like WAY a slut then Sally Does. I don't think she IS a slut, just that she's dressed more like one than Sally. This make sense to anyone else? Plus, Sally's got no nipples, and no "girly parts" either. She's JUST as "partless" as Sonic so she has just as much no reason to wear clothes than him. I found one person on a DA club who said "She wears nothing when she has a bigger bust then everyone" I always thought Bunny had the bigger bust, and SHE'S got 'em covered. Plus, in the cartoon, Sally barely has a bust at all. I think it's just an unwritten law that comic book women must have "D" cup breasts.
Frankly, I think most of the people who complain about this are women jealous that Sally can get away in nothing but boots and a vest, and they can't. ;)

9. "Sally isn't THAT smart! She needed Nicole to figure everything out for her!"

Name me ONE person in today's day and age that could last five minutes without their computer, PDA, or Cell phone? I know I couldn't.

8. she believes everyone loves her

Um, no. THAT would be Sonic

7. she is VERY selfish. She wants Sonic to be with her and ONLY with her.She can't understand why Sonic doesn't want to be locked up.

I know someone else like that. She's pink, she's a hedgehog, and she carries a mallet. That's right. It's AMY! I don't hate Amy, but Sally never cornered Sonic and said "There's no way out of marrying me!" *Sonic hero's* There's only one time I'm aware of that Sally wanted Sonic "locked up." In the comic, she DID make Sonic choose between her, or his job. She gave Sonic more choice than Amy ever does, who's basic approach is it corner Sonic and force him to marry her.

6. "Sally is a two-timing whore"

apparently, even while Sally and Sonic were dating in the comic, she flirted with other men. GASP! Let's not forget who stole his best friend's love from him, KNOWING that his best friend was in love with her. That's right. It was Sonic. He got together with Fiona. The girl Tails was in love with and Sonic KNEW Tails was in love with. Now who's the two-timing whore?

5. "Sally is mean, rude, and sarcastic. Therefore she is a stupid bitch and deserves to die"

Heaven forbid there be a woman in a super hero series that ISN'T the mindless "Damsel in distress" and actually have a personality and Heaven forbid there actually ISN'T a female character that doesn't treat Sonic like he's made of glass. He's big-headed enough without another girl practically worshipping him.

4. >"Sally can't be with sonic because sonicxsomeone rulz!!!!!1111one I hate sally because she ish wrong for sonikku!!!! someone and Sonic 4evar!!!"

There's a difference between hating someone and thinking they don't belong with someone else.

3. "Sally has the most annoying voice ever! She should still be killed so we never have to listen to it again!"

You kidding? She's the only one in that entire show that sounds NORMAL! Her voice actress Kath Soucie played her without changing her voice. Unlike the rest of the cast.

2. "Sally is the colour of poo! Therefore she is the worst character created in the history of EVER!"

Um, she's the same color as MOST animals in the world. How's this a reason to hate her? Can't stand the idea of a fur character not in some bright, unnatural color?
"Amy is the colour of genital warts, Mina is the colour of pee, Rouge is the colour of a KKK member, Sonic is the colour of a frostbitten nipple, and Shadow is the colour of a severed penis! Take that!" ~Shakeityousexything

and the number one reason to hate Sally... *drum roll"
1. My friend hates Sally, and I've never had any reason to EVER doubt them! So Sally MUST suck!
THERE'S a good reason. Hate someone you've never even seen just because your friend hates them. I suppose next if your friend turned out to REALLY hate black people, you'd have to hate them too, right?

REASONS THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE LIST

"Yuji Naka didnÂt make Sally! So that means sheÂs unofficial, and doesnÂt even count!"

Amy isn't either. She was taken from a weird Manga. In fact, NONE of the characters are "official". He just made the games themselves. Not in charge of the actual characters.

Sally slapped Sonic
This is actually a major reason people hate her and frankly, it's also one of the lamest. She doesn't actually have many people she truly loves. Sonic is one of the few and she's nearly lost him quite a few times. So when he chose to fight Robotnik instead of being with her, she got got short with him. I'll admit, slapping him and calling him "Selfish" was a little short, but she almost lost him to being "reckless?" and there he went being "reckless" again. Wouldn't YOU be a little short with him? Plus, sometimes, he needs to be slapped.

My thoughts on Sally and how she actTheyhey say you can't truly judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. Such is true about Sally as well. Let's take a look at her life.

Her world collapsed at the tender age of five.
She held the responsibilities of being rebel leader on top of the usuresponsibilitiestes of being a princess. LOTS of baggage there. This doesn't even count the number of times she's kicked herself and cried over people in her team getting Robotocized due to her planning. I've seen her cry over this and people have tGaulaul to say she's "selfish?"
Sally obviously carria lotlot of mental baggage on her shoulders. Something that's bound to make a person do things she proboly shouldn't, such as slap Sonic, get really bitchy and mean, and frankly, it's a poor judge of character to think someone that's been through what SHE has should still be your image of a perfect person. We're lucky she hasn't climbed a tower and started sniper shooting everyone.

My rant is done. My last thought of the day, "Think before you hate"

Ultimate powers Superman

2006-07-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

With great superhero movies, come great movie tie-ins. Well, not great as in good, great as in large size. Superman is no exception. Though unlike The Hulk, Supes had the decency to wait to release his hordes of toys on at least the same month as his movie arrived. Sadly though, many of these toys arn't very good. They're very gimmicky, and are most likely to really intrest a kid for about, 30 minutes until he/she gets bored with them. But there are a few exceptions. There ARE some diamonds in the rocks. And this is one of them. Ultimate powers Superman.

There he is in his box. They promise 15 phrases, and sound effects and even motion senses. Like this, he's only useful to those that intend to sell him some time later. Since I have no intention of doing this, let's rip 'im out!

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Unfortunatly, because Mattel decided he should have spring loaded features. full poseability is not an option here. Recognize the quote? Yeah, his action features and size remind me of Timmy Turner's talking Crimson Chin figure with his "Chintastic phrases"

His phrases include such riviting words as "I'm Superman." "I'm the man of steel." "Kryptonite" "I'm needed in Metropolis" "The Daily Planet's in trouble." "Trouble" "Lex Luthor is behind this" "Got ya" and "To the Daily Planet"
Superman has three switches on his back. When first open, he is set to "Try me" mode which by pressing his big red "S", gives you a phrase, some sound effects, his eyes lighting up, and a demonstration of his motion sensory by telling you that he's "turning left" or "turning right." If you turn him the right way, he'll say "Good Job." Turn him the wrong way or do nothing, he'll just say "Crime doesn't pay." Because the last thing we need is children crying because Superman said "ASSHOLE! I SAID LEFT!"
fliping the switch to the center turns him off and gives parents a chance for some peace and quiet. Flipping the switch to the top puts us in "play" mode. This is where the REAL fun begins. First, the moment you flip the switch, you are greeted with his classic "up, up, and away!" follwed by some wooshing air sounds. Thus being in "flight mode" now. Swinging him around will make the wooshes change as if he's changing direction. When he lands on the ground, he'll actually make a landing sound and the wooshing will stop. By pushing the "S" on his belt, will put him into "battle mode" This is the REALLY fun mode. Here, you press the button on his side and swing him just a bit. Then you get various punching sounds and an occasonially one of his phrases. He has a button on his back which lights up his eyes and makes heat vision sounds. But don't take my word for all this. Take a look at this video.

Finally, the toy is well sculpted. I don't think my camera could show it, but when you look closely, you can see Superman's suit has stich like things, his boots have zippers, and has little sheild shapes in the "S".

As you can see from this titanic battle with Cobra's Battle Android trooper, Superman stands well with other 12" scale figures.

Now he's gonna open some whoopass on Dr. X. I guess ONE bald evil genius isn't enough for him.

Do I have any gripes about the toy? A few. One, it's not very poseable. He's always in that flying positions. The sensor thing doesn't ALWAYS activate in fighting mode, and finally, this isn't a gripe. More like an observation. Superman looks AWFULLY skinny on the box art.

It's a good toy though. Worth thee 25 bucks at Wal-Mart. Or even the 30-35 I think it was at KB. It's kept ME occupied for quite a while, and if it can do THAT than i'm sure YOUR child will be amused by it.

Welcome to my Blog

2006-07-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

HI! Action man must be search for my posts. Well, there arn't any yet, but there will be. From toys, to Disney parks, comics, and whatever I feel like mentioning, it'll be here. Until then, enjoy this shameless selfpromotion of my other sites.

>My Deviantart

My toy humor page

My Furaffinity

My Sheezyart