Prowl in Robot mode

I had a request from Dennis to show some Prowl robot mode pictures. Initially Prowl wouldn't let me, actually he still doesn't. I had to sneak into the Toy Museum Martial Arts Club to get these pictures. Kind of fear for my life now that I'm posting these to the web. Most likely I will be attacked before dawn.

Anyhow, here is the group warming up. I am amazed they let Minimates King Pin take part in these exercises.


Sword training is important, but Prowl doesn't want to show his sword here.


The stand on ones head pose, helps keep plastic hard in ones joints. A round of applause for Darth Maul and his foot holding lightsaber trick.


Dramatic poses is also important to practice. Ah, Prowl now has his sword/arm weapon out. It is the third wheel assembly from his cart.


Oh, this is rare! Prowl is demonstrating his advanced wheel cart armor transformation to the others. Look at that grace...



Well, looks like he still needs more practice with that exercise. Darth Maul has the sitting on one's stiff Sith robes down!

Spaceballs: the Breakfast Cereal!

What was it that Mel Brooks said... "Moichandising! Where the real money from the movie is made."


Not bad tasting, but I don't think Dr McCoy would approve. My teeth started falling out afterwards.


I like the entertainment on the back of the box.

No toy inside the box which is a bummer.


The two circle marsh mellows are Earth and Vulcan. The Spiral cinnamon bun thing is a galaxy.

Wait, there's a toy in the Frosted Flakes!







Its not a bad light, could use a key chain accessory.

Samurai Prowl Review

I don't usually review toys, but I was so impressed with Samurai Prowl that I had to point out some of his great features. Surprisingly this is my first animated toy from this line and probably not the last. I always like the more cartoon style of a toy vs. an ultra realistic creepy version. Now lets look at some of the detail on Prowl's side carrage...


Uh-oh...

It's Official, Thunder Punch He-Man scares me!

He's old, slightly broken, but still scares the hell out of me!

New GI Joe recruits!

Finally some new recruits to help fight Cobra!


Lets open it up to see who will help Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, General Hawk, Flint, and Shipwreck take down terrorist organizations!

Why its...


Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, General Hawk, Flint, and Shipwreck... oh boy!


I think Hasbro suckered me again!

Well what small details that made me pick this set up, other than wanting to spend birthday money now...

A different Polly Sculpt! This Polly with wings opened will help in dropping bombs on cobra (both kinds).


A different Timber Sculpt. If they make enough of these, I can build a Timber dog sled team!


A more decent dressed Lady Jaye! She can't distract fellow Joes in battle no more!


An unprecedented fifth General Hawk figure to my 25th anniversary collection. I have to be insured from General Hawk decay, because it will happen!


Flint with gloves! I never was one of those people who stressed about him missing gloves until I discovered that there were people out there stressing about his missing gloves. (and is it me, or does Flint sound like old Hawk in the new GI Joe Resolute series?!!)



Yo-Joe!

Team to fight against a Zombie horde!

So there's this Facebook app. which asks you to pick your five celebrity dream team members in a fight against a zombie horde.

Okay. Okay.

I heard about it from Bubbashelby of Toyriffic who heard it from Darius of Adventures in Nerdliness, and had to pick my five right away!

#1. Tech Deck Arnie.


In charge of the group, Arnie's experience in Politics, Robotics, Movies, and Skating should prove humorous versus Zombies.

#2. Inspector Gadget.


If the inspector can't figure out the Zombie attacks surely Penny and Brain could make a plan to end the horde.

#3. Dinobot


The team will need a great hero, and I can't think of a better disgruntled warrior.

#4. GI Joe Barbecue


I mainly want to see him light up a bunch of burning Zombies, then axe them down into flaming pieces.

#5. Boise State Mr. Potato Head


Boise State Potatoes have the highest winning percentage of any Potato football team this century. Those odds would help in any fight!

Batman and Scarecrow

Okay, one day after my toy prices rant, I go out and buy more toys, and the vary ones that make me mad that they are overpriced! They forced me to do it, Scarecrow shot some strange gas at me, and I feared what would happen if I didn't buy him.


This has to be one of my favorite Scarecrows ever made. Just look at that cool twisty turny hat! Of course he could really use a sickle or a bird or something extra to make it worth it. Oh and Mattel, you suck for not including a display base! Are these things supposed to float on air? Feet this small always equals falling. They are so doing it on purpose so that people go to their website and buy other stuff. The worst part is, the bases don't even work. The figures still tip over. Need to add a little more weight on these things. Do they even test critical stuff like that or do they just buy one hundred million from the first mass supplier they find? Oh-oh, I hope I'm not turning into one of those bitter toy bloggers.


Then again, my figure keeps gassing Batman. That toy technology must have cost extra.


Believe it or not, I too created the Scarecrow character on my own creative merits. When I wrote the '100 adventures of Farmer Brown', the garden scarecrow was of course the farmer's main nemesis. For some reason at the time I didn't even think that Batman had an enemy called the Scarecrow, or there was a scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, or countless other times a scarecrow was used as a character. I even was probably watching Batman the Animated Series at the same time I was drawing Farmer Brown and the Scarecrow. I still like to think that I too created the character. I guess mine was unique in that it was trying to steal Farmer Brown's brains and using them for his own.

The Batman Return's Index

I have seen toy prices do a lot of ups and downs this past year but lately the ups are starting to stay. I usually gage toy prices on the Batman Returns index. That’s about the time I started collecting toys instead of using them in toxic chemical experiments of Dr. Mindbender’s and Lifeline’s ‘Medic Mixes’ in the bathroom. The standard price I have always excepted is 5.99 for a regular robust action figure, and 10.99 for a deluxe action figure with some extras. Sometimes that varies plus or minus a dollar, but for years that was the norm. Lately though, toy inflation has finally caught up. There could be several explanations, maybe it’s the extra standards for lead checking, or maybe its the addition of an 80 points of articulation on Spiderman, or maybe it’s the Transformer that is so complicated to transform NASA was needed to develop it.

Best example are the new DC and Marvel 3 ¾ figures. 7.99 for just one small figure minus a stand and extra weapons. Not even a mini comic? I find that price a little high for a figure size that’s below the Batman Returns index. They are great figures, but man buying just a few will set you back farther than the fun that they generate. I do see stores having sales more often though, setting the price high and then offering 10-15% off every month or so. That doesn’t help though when you really need that toy fix in between sales.

The scareiest example I saw was Shopko’s prices. Wow, what happened there? Can you believe they are selling the Comic 2 packs of GI Joe figrues for 21.99! If the comic is worth 2 bucks, that’s about 10 dollars per the little sized figure!!! Actually I guess that’s what keeps that store in buisness since no one is ever there.

Another price gouge is the mini Transformers. I was buying a lot of those eariler because they are super fast to transform, work well on a desk, and for about 3.99 you can get the whole collection (cybertron) for a fraction of what they cost to get the regular sized ones (of course I still bought the big ones DOH!) Now I see prices for 5.99 for a mini?!! That’s insane, they aren’t that great at that size per cost ratio.

At least Hotwheels are still about a dollar. Whew! Those are perfect emergency buys.

I’m hoping toy sales slow because of these prices, and stores have to start lowering them. For the time being I am buying less anyways, I don’t have much room left in my toy closet, dresser, back yard, plastic bins, car, attic, work drawers, boxes, storage shed, crawl space, walls, shelves, pantry, Barts litter box, airport storage, wife’s work desk, and ceiling.

Monsters vs. Aliens

I let fate decide what monster I would get in my Happy Meal, instead I got a Polly Pocket who out grew her pocket house. I really wanted a B.O.B. I guess I will have to find a glass eye and some Crest Gel toothpaste. And what's the deal with the blond hair? Could they not hit white or gray? At least I know when I build Micro Machine city, she can skate down the streets.

101 ways to die on the Big Millenium Falcon (continued some more again continued but hopefully over)

# 15, Going out on a date using the Shuttle Pod without asking Captain Solo.


# 83 Downloading Virus ridden programs from Uncle Roboto into the main computer.


# 44, Getting some much needed air after an unsettling asteroid field flight.


# 31, Captain Solo finds your bootleg droid stash business.


# 90, TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!

101 ways to die on the Big Millenium Falcon (continued some more again continued)

# 22, Discovering Captain Solo's top secret other job.


# 70, Princess Leia's wrath after a slight shuttle pod accident.


# 24, Getting stuck in the center circular hallway with Jabba the Hutt.


# 49, Taking a blaster shot meant for Captain Solo.


# 99, Jumping the space shark.

101 ways to die on the Big Millenium Falcon (continued some more again)

# 2, Busted!



# 86, Snickering at two grown men wearing the same clothes with the same blasters.


# 71, Inviting unruly battle droids over for a party.


# 30, Last words; "Oh my Goodness! Its Star Trek vs. Star Wars!"


#19, Hatched away by a certain Captain who doesn't really like you for some reason.