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Classic Collection Leonardo – Out of His Shell

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Walt

While it seems lately I have waaaaay too many figures that have remained in their packaging (I need to work on a shelving system to display ’em), the Classic Collection Leonardo is one that I almost immediately opened up (He’s currently on display at work above my cube).

classic_leo_01

One of the first things I noticed–and the MAJOR disappointment–is the shoulder joints on mine are STUCK, and do NOT move up and down–though they look like they’re supposed to. So the arms are stuck being held outward at a rather awkward pose, rather than being able to have them down closer to the character’s sides. I felt like I was going to break the arms off trying to get either joint to move, before giving up and settling (for now).

classic_leo_04

I do like the stand the figure comes with, as well as the hands’ ability to actually grip the swords. Not the best grip ever, but satisfactory, especially in the face of the shoulder-joints’ issue.

classic_leo_05

I like the coloring and shaping of the figure overall. While not a huge fan of the mask’s rigidity on some of the figures, the shaping on this figure is much more to my liking. This image also shows that shoulder-joint: it’ll swivel, but won’t actually move up/down.

classic_leo_02

I like the detail on the scabbards, though I don’t remember the character ever having the blue strap in the cartoon. It works well enough with the general color scheme here, though, emphasizing that this is indeed Leonardo. The scabbards are one piece, but “plug in” to the shell, and the piece is easily removed, though thankfully doesn’t seem QUITE “fall-out” easy to remove.

The shoulder issue really limits the playability and posability of the figure; I very quickly lost interest in playing with posing due to that, as the character is quite limited with arms stuck straight out perpendicular! I intend to “research” the issue before I’ll buy any more of these–if it’s a common issue, I probably will hold off. If it’s just a glitch on the figure I got, I might try to work it loose and see what I can do with it from there.

all_leonardos

While–again–I’m not a fan of variants on the figure within the same “line,” here are the “main” Leonardo figures from four different lines.

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Baxter’s TMNT-Lego Robot Rampage

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Walt

I recently found the TMNT Baxter Robot Rampage set on sale for a good discount, so went ahead and bought it. Ended up with it sitting around for a bit over a week until I finally got it put together, but finally did, and while it normally wouldn’t be my favorite Lego ‘mech, its awesomeness is increased by the mini-fig TMNT…

BaxterRobotRampage

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Newest TMNT Toys: Ninjas in Training and Classic Leo

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Walt

Last weekend I FINALLY tracked down the Ninjas-in-Training Raphael & Michelangelo 2-pack. I’ve come across the Leonardo & Donatello one several times since first seeing it, but this was the first (and so far, only) time seeing this one.

raph_mikey_front

I also–after deciding that $60 is just WAY TOO MUCH to spend for the “classic” Party Wagon–opted instead to buy the larger-size “inspired by the 1988 cartoon” Leonardo figure.

classic_collection_leo_front

I don’t like the premium pricing on this line…much like the other “Classic Collection” “reprint” figures, these seem to ONLY be available at Toys R Us, so there’s no “competition” and such from Walmart and Target to keep the prices lower.  But over the past year of seeing these, the idea of them has grown on me, especially for there only being four figures so far that I know of…with Bebop and Rocksteady coming sometime in the near-ish future.

raph_mikey_profile

Here’s the profile from the card back for Raph & Mikey…

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Though the packaging takes a bit of the color scheme and such of the original 1988 figures, the card back for the larger Classic Collection figures definitely makes no pretense of being classic itself…just “retro.”

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And here are the four turtles. I really like the look of Michelangelo…especially for the realistic weapons–actually dangling while not in motion, as opposed to the rigidness of other toys’ iteration.

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And of course, the card back in its entirety…

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Another year

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Walt

My Kayla would have been 23 today…

weepnotforme2013

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Comixology vs. Comic Shop: First Impact

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Walt

supergirlbackissuescomixologyComixology has never replaced the comic shop experience for me. Sure, I partake in the various 99-cent sales to try stuff I’ve never read or to get a digital copy for a re-read or such, and RARELY will outright buy a “new issue” of something just as an impulse buy. But I don’t think I’ve ever been in a comic shop and had issues in-hand with the intent to buy them and then put them back in favor of buying them digitally from Comixology instead.

First time for everything, though, right?

In my various posts the last several weeks about DC‘s Villains Month, I’ve reiterated my lack of interest in following the villains’ issues into ongoing titles, and yet also my likely exception for following the Cyborg Superman’s story into Supergirl. I ducked into another comic shop Friday since I was out of town, curious about what 3-D covers they might still have in stock, and a bit of an increased interest in catching a few more villains issues. I ended up buying Supergirl #23–the issue immediately preceding the Cyborg Superman‘s September issue, as well as snagging the 2-D editions of the Arcane issue, the Bizarro issue, and the H’El issue.

Saturday I decided to check another shop I occasionally visit, having decided I was interested in the Penguin and Two Face issues (which I found and bought the 2-D editions as the 3-Ds were marked up to $10 and $15 apiece). I also ended up flipping through the Supergirl issues on the shelf (looked like the entire series back to #1), and checked the endings to #s 22 and then 21, both of which seem to involve the Cyborg Superman. I picked ’em up and was going to include them with my purchase, when it dawned on me: sure, #23 made sense to buy in-print, it’d still be $2.99 on Comixology since DC seems to have moved to a 2-month lag on dropping the price. But we’ve already hit the 2-month mark for #s 21 & 22.

So rather than buy either of those, I figured I’d just wait, since all I want to do is read them for further context of the Cyborg Superman (and the lack of issues 0-20 in my possession would kinda bug me) and I can just buy ’em via Comixology and save $1 apiece.

In this case…yeah, the digital may have “undercut” a sale for a comic shop…but this is in the 2+ months time-frame, and NOT the week-of/day-and-date sales window. Granted, at this particular shop, recent back issues are still cover price; as opposed to shops that may bag ‘n board and mark up issues after only a month or two. But it’s still “back issue” territory, and a 33% discount. $2 apiece–a TOTAL of the price of ONE Marvel issue–for two recent issues makes for a decent price, to me.

Just something I found sorta interesting to note in my own purchasing (or lack thereof). ‘Course, DC–thanks to the Villains Month stuff–wound up with me purchasing 27 issues this month that at the end of August I’d had no intention of purchasing. 21 of these were the 3-D editions; several of which were still impulse-buys the week-of; 5 were 2-D editions and 1 was Forever Evil #1 itself.

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Classic TMNT Toys: Multiple Leos and Random Mutants

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Walt

Back in the early ’90s, I was often “suckered” by the many “variants” on the main turtles. While I don’t believe I did many “sets” of all 4, my favorite of the four turtles was Leonardo, so I wound up with a lot of those.

I recently came across some of the old figures, which provided a bit of a trip down memory lane, so to speak.

multiple_leonardos

 

The Leo with the tall neck comes plugged in to a gun/trigger thing to make the legs kick…sort of a rock ’em sock ’em TMNT. Then we had Hockey Leo and TD Tossin’ Leo. There was some sort of Talkin’ Leo that used to have some kind of strip that fed through a speaker/mechanism on the back to spout a copule phrases. Then there’s Sword Slicin’ Leo from the Wacky Action set. And in front, my favorite: Storage Shell Leo. Not so much for the ridiculousness of opening the turtle’s back and stuffing weapons, but because if you didn’t really know any better, the figure looks normal, just a different (and I think superior) sculpt from the original.

Then we have a couple random mutants-du-jour…Muckman and Pizzaface:

muckman_and_pizzaface

Muckman originally came with a trashcan that attached to the back, and a miniature “sidekick” figure Joe Eyeball. The banana peel on top of his head comes off like a lid and you can squish some “ooze” in to have it drool out the mouth and gut, I believe.

Pizzaface is just…I don’t know, absolutely ridiculous, stupid, and there’s no way in heck I’d ever choose to buy such a character now.

Finally, we have Panda Khan:

panda_khan

I recently learned that Panda Khan was an actual character in his own comic that I suppose must have been licensed for a toy. I originally took him as simply another random mutant made up to sell a toy. [ Panda Khan info ]

Fool me once, shame on you: all those many, many figures back in the day. Fool me twice, shame on me: refusing to buy variants within the same line of figures.

storage_shell_leo

…and a closeup on the Storage Shell Leonardo, just cuz I really, really dig the sculpt.

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Another Look: Cyborg Superman (Action Comics #23.2)

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Walt

foreverevilcyborgsuperman001One of the things I love about comics is the community around them–the comic shop, the conventions, the podcasts and discussion forums and blogs (and why I keep this blog myself).

As I haven’t the patience or real inclination to give the “full review treatment” to the Villains Month issues from DC, I’m touching on each issue I get, briefly, which–for a glimpse at my behind the scenes thought–can mean a bit of laziness on my part, as I’m just putting my initial, casual thoughts out there without really analyzing an issue the way I would for a full review.

A couple days ago, I listened to Sean Whalen‘s thoughts on the Cyborg Superman issue on Raging Bullets, and he gave things a whole different “spin” on it for me. Jim (Sean’s cohost) also had a bit to say on the subject contextually–both speaking of the events of Supergirl #23 and speculating where things will go with Supergirl #24 and beyond.

I also read Michael Bailey‘s review of the issue (which is far more in-depth and insightful than my own!).

And much to my chagrin, I’m now actually interested in checking out Supergirl. I passed on the first issue back in 2011–had zero interest in yet another new version of the character even then–but now, given the Cyborg is one of my favorite Superman villains, coming out of one of my favorite, most defining Superman stories ever….well, I might actually be “hooked.”

Of course, I’m most likely to wait a bit and buy the digital issue(s)…barring a spur of the moment impulse buy, I still don’t have any real interest in following Supergirl long-term…but with the $1 “discount” by reading a month or two “behind” the current issue…I’d get to read the story, get a bit of context myself, and go from there.

I really don’t like that some of my favorite characters have been so drastically overhauled–Superboy, Steel, Cyborg Superman (no sign of the Eradicator that I know of, as yet)–but returning to Whalen‘s analysis…his excitement’s a bit infectious, and he indicated similar trepidation at the complete, drastic change (that the Cyborg’s not even the same underlying character as pre-New 52). But if he can look past that…perhaps I should, too. And perhaps all the moreso, with Bailey‘s history with Superman being very similar to my own…same deal. If he can read the same issue, same story, and–with a history much like my own with the character–enjoy it?

I’ve gotta give things more of a chance. I’m not saying that this reverses my initial thoughts or that I’m gonna suddenly go gung-ho on DC stuff again, but I’d like to think this shows that I’m open-minded, given the proper influencers. Sure, I’ll have my take on something…but I’m WILLING to be argued with, provided the arguer has sound reason to their argument. (And that they’re not just throwing some snide remark at me or putting me down for my thoughts/take/context). (Such as someone suggesting that there is homework to be done before reading any given comic, that one has to have read up on multiple sites’ interviews and wikipedia analysis, etc. in order to have an opinion about a spur of the moment purchase).

Goes to show…context is important…but I’m consciously and mostly intentionally context-less on most of the villains issues, using these as a random month of indulgence into new takes on old favorites.

Of course, budget permitting…more and more I begin to wonder if I’d actually be interested in pursuing what seems to be an annual “omnibus” of all 52 September issues…I believe DC has done one for the #1 issues two years ago and for the #0 issues last year. It looks like I’ll be buying about 18-20 of the issues this month, leaving 32 “on the table,” that at cover price would still be about $96 for the 2-D editions and $128 for the 3-D). Assuming the hardback’s $125 and I get it for a significant discount (say, 45% off) I’d still come out well ahead price-wise, even WITH all the issues I’m buying this month.

Time, of course, will tell!

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TMNT Toys 2013: Leatherhead and Ninjas in Training (Leo & Don)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Walt

I finally managed to find Leatherhead the other day. I think I might’ve been happier if I’d found him weeks ago, before learning of the existence of several other figures I actually do want, though.

Still, he’s a rather ugly (yet cool) figure…and makes me wish I had the original so I’d have all 3 versions.

leatherhead_front

The card back is much like other recent ones…nothing ‘new’ to this that I haven’t already shown on other posts, except of course the profile:

leatherhead_profile

I also came acrros the Ninjas in Trainin: Leonardo & Donatello, but due to budget didn’t feel comfortable picking them up at the time. I did, however, take a couple photos…if only as “proof” to myself that I’d actually found the things once, should they prove to be a massive pain in the butt to find later (much as Leatherhead did).

NinjasInTrainingLeoAndDon_front

Also, I wasn’t entirely enamored with the figures…they’re “cute,” but not nearly as much as the 2003 line’s version of the young TMNT (and that line crammed all 4 into one package!).

I don’t like the idea of splurging only to have 2 of the 4 turtles, so IDEALLY I’d like to find both 2-packs at the same time or have time/money to hunt several stores to find ’em in the same day.

NinjasInTrainingLeoAndDon_profile

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This Week’s Huge Haul

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Walt

This week was THE single largest week for me that I can remember in ages, for new comics.

My “usual” haul would have been Archer & Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, Astro City, and TMNT.

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But I’d opted to buy into the DC Villains Month shenanigans since they’re all functionally one-shots. I was going to skip the Riddler issue. But I was quite disappointed to learn that a cheap Marvel Masterworks volume I’d requested was sold out before the order could be placed, so I filled that volume’s “price gap” with the East of West vol. 1 (for only $9.99 I’ll give even Hickman‘s work a shot!) and the Riddler issue.

I can honestly say that this is probably going to be my largest DC-month since the very first month of the New 52.

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Sucked Into Saga

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Walt

I remember hearing about Saga around the time it came out. The “buzz” and “word of mouth” were enough that I pre-ordered the first paperback (at $9.99 I have no problem paying full price to get it at the comic shop).

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I read the first chapter, and wasn’t all that impressed. Apparently I had started into the 2nd chapter before losing interest (based on where I found my page-marker) and the book sat for months.

Last Friday, after hearing podcaster Chris Marshall (of Collected Comics Library) talk about a similar experience–not having cared for the first issue, but making a conscious decision to go ahead and give the first two volumes a shot–I figured what the heck, I could do the same.

Snagged vol. 2 at full cover price for the “immediate gratification” of having the thing; dug out vol. 1….and ended up reading chapters 2-10 in one go. When I left vol. 2 at work I bought the digital issue 12 just so I wouldn’t have to wait til I got BACK to work to finish the contents of vol. 2.

And surprise, surprise…

I’m hooked. Quite enjoyed both volumes, and I’m seriously thinking of jumping onboard with the single issues (digitally) and keep with the paperbacks as my “hard copy” of these.

Time will certainly tell…

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