Articulated Discussion All posts by wes

Review - Masters of the Universe Classics - Battle Armor He-Man

I've always had a fondness for character variations. It's a love I was able to thoroughly indulge with the original Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line, but it probably originated with the Masters of the Universe. See, I didn't get around to playing with He-Man toys until 1986 (I was still playing exclusively with my Oscar the Grouch and Pound Puppies plushies in 1984), and at that time the most prominent He-Man and Skeletor figures on the shelves were Flying Fists He-Man and Dragon Blaster Skeletor. Sure, I had a few friends who had the originals, but I thought my He-Man with his shiny chromed chest and Skeletor with his water-squirting dragon were so much cooler.

Fast-forward to 24 years to the release of Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man. Even though Flying Fists He-Man was my guy, the visual similarities between the two were sufficient to make the new Battle Armor He-Man seem almost like a special anniversary collector reissue. I just had to have him -- but did my enthusiasm for the figure endure once I had it in hand? Keep reading to find out!

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Bootleg Tuesday - March 16th

It's always a tough thing to admit when one's screwed up. We've looked at three bootlegs (Gigatron, Heinrad, and Lio Convoy, for those of you in need of a refresher) from Agglo's Space Warriors: Transformable Beast-Tech Fighter line in the previous weeks -- but while I've done my best to mention or at least include photos of the figures' weapons, I've neglected to mention one additional accessory that came packaged with each of them. And why is this omission so glaring that I feel compelled not only to note this oversight, but also to beg for your forgiveness? Because these are undeniably the greatest accessories of all time. Find out what they are in...

Bootleg Tuesday - March 16th

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Author: Wes

Toy Haul - Coulrophobes Beware This Fullest of Moons

Fun fact about me: I love clowns. A lot of people find their ghoulish makeup and exaggerated grins to be terrifying -- and I'll admit, they do look pretty scary -- but those features only make them even more endearing to me. (Also, way back before e-mailed image attachments had thumbnail previews, I had this friend who was so fearful of clowns that she once threw up during a visit to the circus -- a fact that I found so absolutely hilarious that I'd occasionally e-mail her cleverly renamed clown pictures for the lulz. She doesn't talk to me much these days...) While coulrophobes quiver beneath their covers and chant "can't sleep, clown'll eat me" to stay awake, I sleep soundly and dream of a world in which I ride a unicycle alongside clowns as they juggle severed heads in an orgy of blood and cotton candy.

Even so, until recently, my toy collection lacked a proper evil clown figure! See how that problem was rectified in...

Toy Haul goes to the circus... of FEAR!

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - March 9th

Although I missed out on Battle Cat during last month's MattyCollector apocalypse, TAO's review of the beast last week got me feeling the big kitty love. I rummaged through my boxes of toys and successfully located my childhood BC, and he received some love and attention for the first time in over a decade despite his smaller size and inability to "properly" seat Battle Armor He-Man. But then I remembered another cat who would love to share the spotlight -- and after heading to the back of a lower shelf of the cabinet where I keep my earliest transforming robot acquisitions, I had the star of this week's feature! Join us as we look at yet another offering from the Agglo company's Space Warriors: Transformable Beast-Tech Fighter line in...

Bootleg Tuesday - March 9th

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - March 2nd

Transformers fans and bootleg aficionados will no doubt remember the Space Warriors: Transformable Beast-Tech Fighter line of bootlegs. Spanning various size classes, price points, and even Transformers sublines, it was one of the main sources of wacky TF knockoffs (and the line that birthed the excellent Gigatron bootleg we looked at recently). Moreover, until Hasbro put an end to those shenanigans and made Big Lots the nation's number one reseller of repackaged scout and legends figures from several years ago -- at twice the price that nobody wanted to pay for them when they were new -- they could be found in abundance on the pegs of a legitimate retailer. Alas, now you'll have to brave the clutter of Tuesday Morning for even a glimpse of these beasts... or you could just keep reading our Bootleg Tuesday feature, 'cause I've got a bunch of these suckers and will no doubt be sharing more of them as time passes. That's your cue to click the link below!

Bootleg Tuesday - March 2nd

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Bootleg Tuesday - February 23rd

If you've read my previous Bootleg Tuesday entries, you've probably gathered that I love bootleg and knockoff toys -- but unless you've read my work on Scary-Crayon, you likely don't know about my deep affection for Madballs. Much like gorillas and humans share a common ancestor somewhere along the evolutionary tree, these two seemingly disparate affairs likely stemmed from several specific childhood possessions. Keep reading to behold those influential keepsakes in this week's edition of...

Bootleg Tuesday

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - February 16th

The collector community has recently become quite aware of the rising cost of action figures these days, but how many of us have realized that these increases go beyond retail and online exclusive lines? Although it has admittedly been a while since I was in a position to gauge the cost of bootleg figures outside of Dollar Tree, I recently visited an old independently owned "dollar" store and was shocked to find that, whereas just a few years ago bootleg figures could be had for $1 apiece, they now cost upwards of $4 -- with the old $6 multipacks selling for $10 and even $12. What the heck? I mean, I understand that plastic costs are increasing, but even four poorly and poisonously painted Bakugan figures are not worth $10. High-end replica knockoffs notwithstanding, what bootleg figure is?!

Actually, maybe this one is. Keep reading to behold it in...

Bootleg Tuesday

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Author: Wes

Plastic Surgery: Action Figure Modifications To Maximize Her Pleasure

Plastic Surgery: Action Figure Modifications To Maximize Her Pleasure

So after weeks of fruitless searching while site after site posts gloaty reviews of DC Universe Classics Series 10, you give up on ever finding that boobalicious new Power Girl figure. But then, just days before Christmas, you stroll down the toy aisle at the local Walmart and there she is! Sure, she doesn't look nearly as great in person with her spindly limbs and tiny fists, freakishly slim side profile, and huge mold line that's possibly a small gap down the side of her thigh... and that $12.97 price tag isn't helping. Nevertheless, for one or two heaving reasons, you decide to bite the bullet and buy the figure that you'd coveted for weeks on end and begrudgingly cursed your fellow collectors for displaying even after you'd accepted the reality that you would never own it.

And then you get her home and she seems even less appealing out of the package. Why the flip is she so darned skinny? What's up with her boots -- did they accidentally swap the left and right boots at the factory? Who the hell is she supposed to be punching out with those teensy fists? And why doesn't her bloody neck have much range beyond that of a swivel joint?

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Author: Wes

From Customer Service to Custom Service: A Tale of the Windmill Punch

Some of you might recall my review of Master of the Universe Classics Adora, which was unique among MOTUC reviews not only for the... shall we say, colorful language, but also because I gave a decidedly low score to a figure in a line that's otherwise garnered high praise among reviewers and consumers alike (value scores notwithstanding). However, many of the points Adora lost were due to the flaws of the particular figure I received -- and I have no problem admitting that the figure would likely have scored 10-20 points higher had the extreme looseness of Adora's shoulders not driven me to attempt to fix and ultimately mutilate the figure in strange and exotic ways.

But since Mattel ultimately sent me a replacement figure, it seems appropriate to revisit Adora for a second look... which may prove informative and helpful to readers whether they collect the MOTUC line or not.

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Author: Wes

Review - Masters of the Universe Classics - Adora

Yeah, you've read about a thousand reviews of Adora by this point -- but we're willing to bet that none of those reviews featured a figure with a semi-prosthetic left arm! (And no, we're not talking about an appearance by Trap-Jaw.) Equally a toy review, a tale of woe, a lesson in how not to fix a figure (or a tutorial, depending upon what you want to do), and a damning critique of subpar mass-market quality products at double specialty market prices, Wes shares his thoughts on the most sought-after offering (judging from how quickly Adora sold out) in the MOTUC collection.

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Bootleg Tuesday - January 26th

Question: How would you respond if you found a secret out this year: that you were once a pharaoh when Egyptians ruled the world? And then some sorcerer named "Scarab" tried to get you day and night?

Answer: You'd wish you had four guardians to protect your very life!

If that doesn't mean anything to you, you're probably scratching your head right now. But if you found yourself humming an all-too-familiar theme, you'll be delighted (or appalled) by what you'll find in...

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - January 5th

If you thought we were going to spare you the horrors of bootleg toys in 2010, think again! No matter what year it is, it's TUESDAY -- or maybe Wednesday, depending upon how timely we are :P [TAO's Note: Be nice, Wes] -- and you know what that means...

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Author: Wes

The Articulated Accolades - Day 4

[TAO's Note: If you ever have to rely on Wes for a last minute decision between a red wire and yellow wire, you should probably prepare for impact. He's had an entire year to think about his favorite toy of 2009, and he's only managed to narrow it down to three. Keep reading and decide which of his three picks are best, so he doesn't have to.] 

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Bootleg Tuesday - December 15th

We like to rag on bootleg toys in this feature, but -- as we've seen before with those boobalicious Buffy Summers knockoffs -- not all such toys are bad! Check out a similarly palatable (but far less sexy) bootleg of the transforming robot variety in the latest installment of...

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Author: Wes

Review - Action Figure Displays Series 2 - Secret Base

 

[TAO's Note: JDP Design caused a bit of ruckus earlier this year when they announced their Action Figure Displays system, and they haven't stopped there, because Series 2 (which features a slew of new designs) is now available for purchase. They were kind enough to offer us an early look at one of these brand new displays, so to coincide with its release, Wes is taking a look at the "Secret Base" display. Keep reading to find out if he thinks it's worth the investment to "give your toys a world to live in".]

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