Team Action Jackson!!!

I am a big fan of Adventure Teams, I like the idea of a bunch of guys going out and having an adventure. Maybe this goes back to some childhood fantasy, I don't really know. Here's my current group of Action Jackson figures, ready for ADVENTURE!!!

Happy Holler-Weenie!!!

na na nana nana nana nana nana BATMAN!!!

What can you say about BatMan??? He's such a part of our psyche that every one of us has a memory of BatMan. Like most people my age, it was the 60s TV show with Adam West and Bat-Mania that followed that I remember most. I have been collecting comics for over 30 years and BatMan is still one of my all-time favorites. I can dig the swinging 60s BatMan or the dreaded Dark Knight, they all speak to me on some level. I can't really explain why, my parents weren't murdered in front of me at an early age and I am by no means a millionaire playboy.

This new DC Direct BatMan figure is another wonderful 13" beauty. He has a leather-like cape, gloves and boots. Stylistically he is closer to the original 1939 Bob Kane version than any other BatMan figure I have. My only gripe is that he's a little too big for 1/6th scale ... what is he seven feet tall?

A Merry Time was had by All!!!

Yes, it’s another scene with some new figures ... some vintage, some repro. The Robin Hood and his Merry Men are a repro set from Classic TV Toys. They have a lot of really cool Mego repros ... if you missed them the first time, here’s your chance to get them. They also have a few cool original sets like their “I Love Lucy” figures in Mego scale (they are on a list of many things I want). The Joker and Aussie-looking Action Jackson are vintage Mego figures. The Action Jackson who says he is a knockoff, is just that a knockoff. He’s from 2000 and made by Playing Mantis, they also did the Captain Action repro figures that are real cool. Actually the body of this Action Jackson feels more like Kid Action than a Mego guy. Just more fun figures, hope ya like them!!!

G. I. Blues

I got the hup-two-three-four, occupation G.I. Blues!!! Here's a few Power Team figures, the guy on the bunk is from the Military Life playset, as are the bunk, blanket, guitar and locker. The trashcan is from the Combat Engineer set. The figures are really nice, the guy on the bunk came with the set and has a nice uniform, the guy in the wooly hat is a Power Team Desert Navy Seal, even though he is the same headsculpt as the Military set gut, I really liked his clothes ... very British!!! The other guy looks so much like Chris Rock, I would bet money they based this sculpt on him!!! The best bargain in the world right now is Power Team figures, they look great and are priced to sell. Go out and support the Power Team, buy a few guys!!!

I found some of my old Mego action figures. Here are vintage Hulk, Captain America and The Falcon. They are from about 1972-74, from when I was doing a lot of Super-8 stop motion animation, they were replacements for my G.I. Joes that my Mom gave away. The Black Widow is from the Marvel Famous Covers, she’s Mego-ish but bigger by almost an inch, if you like them big ... she’s hot!!! I picked up a Jet Jungle repro doll. he’s a South African mix of Tarzan and Superman, pretty cool, even though he looks like a senior citizen!!! The only other figure is a cool Sigma Six Duke, he’s the Duke with jet wings figure. I was more or less just happy to find my old guys and decided to share ... I did find some other cool stuff for later!!!

The Decider

There are some pretty amazing Action Figures out there. I am amazed how anybody is fair game. I recently picked up the President George W. Bush figure. The figure comes in a very detailed flight suit, I added the pistol and sword!!! It doesn't matter where you fall on the Republican vs Democrat side, you gotta' admit he's great fodder for comedy. He does have that every guy aspect to him, but he also has that swagger that only a President can have. So, here he is, Mission Accomplished and all!!!

Size Matters!!!

One thing I am always dismayed about Action Figures is the total lack of a common size. Here are three figures that I think look great, but they are not in porportion to eachother. Thanos should be much taller than either The Cobra Commader or Hellboy, but he is not. The current batch of action figures seem to be close in size, but not right. I remember when I was a kid. my cousin and I would always ask which size guy we were gong to play with, BIG meant G.I.Joe and others his size and small meant Major Matt Mason and folks his size. It was very important to have the right size guy to play with. Now it seems like there are too many figures hat are "close" but not exactly the same size ... I dunno if it matters to anyone but me!!!

Merry Christmas Baby!!!

Hey kids, it's Christmas in July (even though it's now August, it's too hot, so bear with me). It seems that Carlton Cards has put out two incredible G.I. Joe Christmas ornaments. One is based on the old Mercury capsule and space suited Joe, I remember many a splashdown in my swimming pool when I was a kid. The detail on this one is wonderful, looks like my original red haired Joe. The second is the Land Adventurer Joe from the 70s along with the mummy. He's a lot smaller than the Astronaut Joe, but he still looks great ... it would be cool if they found a way to flock his head so he could be fuzzy, but we can't have everything. Just for scale, I put together a scene with Lewis and Larry playing with the ornaments and a Sigma Six Duke and Snake Eyes to show you scale.

Life is a rock ...

... but the radio rolled me!!!

I have been looking at some of my guys and was wondering how they got named, granted I didn't name two of the four guys in the picture,but it is always a mystery. Why did Jack Kirby and Stan Lee name the rock covered guy Ben Grim? Why was his codename "The Thing" ? I think that The Thing was loosely based on The Heap from Airboy Comics, especially in the early days before his rocky exterior became more uniform and boilerplate. I love the Jack Kirby version of The Thing, it's what I grew up with, I am a little weirded out by the movie version, which this figure is based on, because he looks too much like a guy with rocks glued to him ... the Kirby version looked like a guy MADE out of rocks. Does that make sense? I always loved the 90s Hall of Fame version of Rock n Roll, he's a cool fuzzhead, even with the limited movements the HOF Joes have. I know he's based on the comics and 3.75" versions of Joe, but what's up with that name?

Captain America!!!

I went to my comic book store today and got a WONDERFUL surprise ... the new Marvel Legends 12" Captain America Variant Figure was there. Luckily I was able to pick him up. He's great, 30 points of articulation and the shield looks great. I am amazed at how nicely he's painted, better than some of the statues I have of Cap. The cool thing about the figure is that he's unmasked, so you get to see Steve Rogers. I really dig him, Cap is my favorite superhero, so this guy is EXCELLENT!!!

Hey Ho, Let's GO!!!!

Just seeing if this thing works