My grandfather on my mother’s side was a Navy helicopter pilot. His favorite helicopter was the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight. He never took it into battle – the Navy was a bit squeamish about the prospect of being financially responsible for his seven children and widow – but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

My grandfather passed away in 2009. A few weeks back, my grandmother passed away as well, and my mother and her siblings began the bittersweet process of divvying up their parents’ belongings. My mom asked me if there was anything I wanted, and I remembered the helicopter model that had hung in their breezeway for at least twenty years (and is probably even older than that).

Between the process of getting the model down and bringing it up from Florida, it arrived with all but two blades broken off and covered with decades’ worth of dust. Most of the metal had turned red with rust after years of Florida humidity. There wasn’t a whole lot I could do about the rust, but I set about wiping it down with some Magic Erasers (the best friend of all toy collectors with dusty toys). I did this partly because, for some reason, I thought all the decals and so forth on the model were paint. It turns out they weren’t, and so some of the decals got a bit messed up, as you can see from the pics.

But I did get the dust off (though the Magic Erasers turned completely black, there was so much old dust and grime). There was even a layer of grime inside the cockpit, but fortunately it popped out easily for cleaning, although as you can see, a bit of the paint came off.

The rotors weren’t too difficult to reattach, as they all plugged into small holes and had basically just popped out of the holes. A little glue fixed them them up fine, although for one the peg had snapped off right at the edge of the hole, and so I had to Dremel a new hole and then plug the blade in and glue it (so that particular blade is a tiny bit shorter than the other ones).

One cool thing is the cargo bay door in the back still opens.

I miss my grandparents. I wish I’d had the chance to talk to my grandfather more about his experiences in the Navy. A few years ago, Rotor Magazine has posted an article about the 1955 Disney short film “Men Against the Arctic.” You can watch the entire film here; my grandfather appears at 5:21 – he’s the guy on the right. He helped to fly the helicopters used in the filming of the short, which went on to win an Oscar for Best Short Subject Story in 1956. But the story behind the scenes is just as interesting, featuring a helicopter being forced to land in Arctic waters and a run-in with a polar bear. You can read the article here (PDF). In the photo, my grandfather is standing third from right.

I’d like to do a bit more restoration work on it, but for that, I think I’d need another copy for replacement parts. I’ve been unable to figure out who made this model or where it came from. For all I know, it could be something made especially for the Navy.

But whatever its origin, I’m glad I have this small heirloom to help keep my grandfather’s memory alive.

Modok_Port by jvalent2

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Released in December 2012, Procrustus is a giant sized figure similar in size to the earlier giants Tytus and Megator. He measures in right around 12 inches from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, although his posture is slightly hunched over. While he’s not a very well known Masters of the Universe character, Procrustus is an exceptionally well made figure possessing all the charm of a stop motion creature designed by the late Ray Harryhausen. Procrustus was quite the surprise when he was revealed at SDCC last year, but he was one of those nice surprises; a somewhat off the wall characters that still manages to fit in well with the line.

All right, let’s get down to brass tacks: So who exactly is Procrustus? Procrustus is an immortal being who lives at the center of the planet Eternia and is responsible for literally holding the planet together. Procrustus appeared briefly in the vintage minicomic “The Magic Stealer” which was part of the second series of minicomics from 1983. In the story, Skeletor is using some kind of magic siphon, and one of the side effects of that is that Procrustus is lured to Eternia’s surface. While He-Man is traveling in the Attak Trak, he comes across the giant crawling out of the crust of the planet’s surface. He-Man instantly recognizes Procrustus, referring to him as a “the god who holds the inner world together with his many arm.” While we can speculate that He-Man might recognize Procrustus from his description alone, interestingly enough, Procrustus recognizes He-Man. What can I say? He-Man’s kind of a big deal on Eternia and we can only assume that stories about him have made their way down to Eternia’s core. From the dialogue between the two, it is implied that Procrustus is literally responsible for holding the planet together in some way and if he neglects his duty for too long, Eternia will crumble. Somehow, the lure of Skeletor’s magical siphon clouds the giant’s judgment, making it difficult for Procrustus to resist, so He-Man shoots him with the Attak Trak. This seems to knock some sense back into him, as shooting someone with an attack vehicle usually does. He wishes He-Man well and that’s about it for Procrustus in “The Magic Stealer.”

Since we’ve all been educated now, we can talk about the figure itself. While MOTUC figures usually rely on the heavy reuse of parts, Procrustus manages to be a fairly unique figure. The only shared parts are his upper legs (shared with Tytus and Megator), his lower legs, and two of his hands (also all shared with Megator). The rest of his body is unique as he has a rocky texture all over that truly gives him the appearance of a living statue. I know the minicomic and bio seem to imply that Procrustus is some type of earth deity, perhaps a rock golem like creature, but the living statue thing keeps jumping into my mind. His chest and arms, while having rather normal looking musculature to them, are covered with various jagged edges and smaller rocks and pebbles. Take a look at Procrustus’ back: he’s truly chiseled back there. Even his hair and his loincloth have a rocky, hewn texture. It’s too bad that Mattel had to reuse the legs from Megator. They’re not terrible, but when you really start looking they do stand out as being too smooth and veiny compared to his upper body. Procrustus’s face is nicely detailed and he even has a cool beard, yet his milky, empty eyes give him an appearance that is just lifeless enough that he could still pass for a statue. Perhaps they’re that way because he spends all of his time underground? How’d he recognize He-Man then, I wonder?

While the paintwork is not overly complex, it manages to be extremely effective. The mixture of a darker brown wash over the tan plastic he’s molded in truly compliments the sculpting that captures his rock like skin. As I said, simple, but perhaps one of the most effective paint jobs on a MOTUC figure yet in conveying the texture and composition of the character. Even if you’re not a MOTU fan, Procrustus is an appealing figure to have in your collection. The four arms look incredible, making Procrustus an imposing addition to any toy shelf. I’ve seen some fantastic pictures of this guy with a variety of toy lines that show just how versatile he can be.

While none of the giant sized MOTUC figures have been as well articulated as the smaller figures, Procrustus does offer a few more points of articulation thanks to having four arms instead of two. He has: hinged knees, swivel hips, a swivel waist, swivel shoulders (x4), swivel biceps (x4), swivel wrists (x4), and a ball jointed head. The joints are all really nice and tight on my figure and I can’t say that I’ve heard any complaints from other fans about him.

Due to his limited leg articulation, you’re not going to have many options in posing him; just variations of him standing up straight. If you’re willing to get a little rough with the head, you’ll find that there is a better range of motion there than you might initially have expected. Since there are no ball joints on the arms, the upper body poses will also be more limited. The fact that two of the arms are on the sides of the body and two are on Procrustus’ back does make him look a little more dynamic than he actually is, though, and with a little work you can get him into some decent poses. He’s one of those figures that still manages to look impressive even when he’s just standing around. You can also place his rear arms over his head and have him hold up the shelf above him – that’s my favorite way to pose him!

Procrustus only comes with one accessory: the Star Seed. To the uninitiated, the Star Seed simply looks like a translucent super ball. Except it doesn’t bounce. And can you chew on it. It’s made of a very hard plastic and tends to roll away from you when you’re not looking. While it’s not an exciting accessory in and of itself, it is a rather significant story piece, which is something that I always love in an accessory. As a kid, anytime a toy came with an item that served as Macguffin or prop of some kind, it really seemed to help make playtime more interesting. I feel the same way as an adult, as I love “story telling” accessories. While Procrustus is unable to “hold” the Star Seed, it can rest fairly stable in the palm of his right hand. It does look really cool, but it’ll roll off if you bump him too hard. Appearing in the Filmation episode “The Search”, the Star Seed is an ethereal fragment of some kind that exists at the center of Eternia, a remnant left over from the creation of the universe. In the Filmation episode, the Star Seed is simply a glowing yellow orb, so Mattel has captured its design well. Now that Procrustus has made his appearance in the Masters of the Universe Classics line, we have some new information about him from the character bio. The demigod Procrustus is assigned to protect the Star Seed, an embodiment of the magic the Gods used when creating the Five dimensions. After an attempt by Hordak to break Eternia apart to get the Star Seed, Procrustus now is forced to hold the planet together.

Procrustus was one of my favorite MOTUC figures of last year (he ranked 4th or 5th on my list, depending on if you consider Demo-Man a 2012 release). His status as a unique character with an unusual gimmick (a living statue type character) and his having a powerful presence on the shelf really won me over. I imagine that fans simply seeking to rebuild their childhood collections in the new Classics style won’t find him to be necessary, but for fans of the minicomics and those who just enjoy the variety of odd beings who inhabit Eternia and Etheria, Procrustus will most likely be a hit. He’s obscure, but well executed. The only nits I have to pick with this fellow are 1) the fact that Mattel used the “smooth” Megator legs that do clash with the upper body and 2) the difficulty I had with putting his rear arms on, as they come separate in the package. It’s been quite a few months since I did so, but I really remember those suckers being tough to get on. So, in the end how do I rank Procrustus? I gotta go with 4.5 Ravens. For being a character that had only one minor appearance in a minicomic, the Four Horsemen turned Procrustus into an extremely nice figure that stands out amidst the diverse crowd of characters that makes up the Masters of the Universe mythos.

The clone’s unfair by sir_winger

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S.H. MonsterArts King Kong by thedaytimeninja

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MVH x KK Doji San “Watermelonhead” by chogokinjawa

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I grew up with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, but admittedly my connection to the characters runs pretty thin.  I love the major players like He-Man, Skeletor, Beast-Man, Ram-Man and Man-at-Arms.  I’ve also got a soft spot for others like Clawful and Merman.  Modulok is about as fringe as I get.

Although I’m aware of most of the He-Man lore, I’ll fully admit that there have been some characters in the Masters of the Universe Classics (MOTUC) line that I didn’t recognize at all, yet that hasn’t stopped me from buying many of them.

I love the Four Horsemen and they’re my principle reason for subscribing this year.  That said, when hearing that King He-Man would be the Club Eternia exclusive this year I was a bit curious.  I knew that King He-Man was from the unproduced Filmation cartoon show (He-Ro Son of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) and wondered how the Horsemen would handle him.

Packaging and Bio: King He-Man arrived in his standard white MOTUC box which when opened revealed standard MOTUC packaging with one added detail:  a sticker across the front that read “HE-RO:  SON OF HE-MAN” hearkening back to the unproduced television series.

His bio reads:

King He-Man:  Heroic Ruler of Future Eternia
Real name:  Adam of the House of Randor

After his sister defeated Horde Prime, the threat of Adam’s old enemy Skeletor once more called He-Man to one final battle.  In an epic duel on the Jaw Bridge of the great Temple of Power on Trolla, He-Man at last defeated Skeletor in single combat.  Recovering the Vortex Key, He-Man could now return to his home world.  Here he found his queen mother keeping the throne and mourning the passing of King Randor.  Taking his rightful place as his father’s heir, Adam became King He-Man ruling over all of Eternia with wisdom and strength.  He married Teela and together with their son Dare took over his father’s legacy, as the new He-Ro, defender of Eternia and the wielder of the Sword of Power.

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Sculpt & Paint: In this area, King He-Man is a controversial figure for me.

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His body sculpt is similar to what we’ve seen from the rest of MOTU, but the paint applications on his chest armor, loin-cloth, and cape (including brown fur fringe) all look excellent with no slop.  There are many nice color accents here with gold, blue, red, and silver all over the figure’s accouterments.

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The sticking point for me is definitely King He-Man’s head.  Let me explain:  on the one hand, his face features some pretty awesome little details, like a scar running over one eye, a droopy lower lip, and a mane of straw-colored hair.  This is clearly a veteran He-Man who has suffered through years of war, strife, and battle…a man who has fought countless enemies and now wearily sits on a throne of skulls while listening to Norwegian death metal…well, not quite, but you get the picture.  Points is, his head sculpt makes him look like a badass.

That’s all well and good, but when you consider that King He-Man’s face is supposed to be that of an aged He-Man, it definitely falls short.  This is really how He-Man ends up?  Looking like the unholy love child of Kenny Rogers and Chris Hemsworth from Thor?

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Seriously, when looking at King He-Man next to the standard He-Man figure that we all know and love, there’s very little resemblance.  They look like wholly different characters—not the same person just older.  If I didn’t have to consider King He-Man’s countenance to his younger persona, this wouldn’t be a problem… but it is.

I’m no MOTU purist, and I like this figure on his own merits, but I just don’t see how he’s supposed to actually be He-Man.

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Articulation:  In terms of articulation, King He-Man isn’t anything special for a MOTUC figure, being built on the standard articulated body that we’ve seen over and over in this line.  King He-Man sports a ball jointed neck, shoulders, and hips.  He’s also got hinged knees, elbows, and feet along with an ab-crunch.  Altogether this figure offers a fair amount of articulation by design.

Unfortunately King He-Man’s fashion sense—specifically his choice of cape, chest armor and loin cloth—limit his articulation.  The chest piece gets in the way of his ab-crunch and his loin-cloth limits the range of motion for his legs, it’s really King He-Man’s heavy plastic cape that may limit his poses most.

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I’ve always had mixed feelings about capes and cloaks on action figures in general.  Cloth capes look totally cheesy and feel super cheap—often just draping sloppily over the figure and standing out against the plastic.  On the other hand plastic capes look better, but they add considerable heft to a figure and can hinder the articulation and balance.  That’s the case here with King He-Man. Like the other caped figures in the MOTU line (I’m looking squarely at you, Count Marzo), King He-Man’s cape looks pretty cool, but definitely gets in the way of his poses, and the weight can make him teeter a bit on the shelf.

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Accessories: The accessories are a real shining point here.  King He-Man comes with two major accessories: his power sword and his scepter.

The scepter is gold and the cross at the top is red with silver with a blue accent.  It looks great, although it’s pretty much King Randor’s scepter repainted (not necessarily a bad thing).

The Power Sword really steals the show here.  It is absolutely loaded with neat little details that make it look worn and damaged from battle.  All sorts of little chips, dings, dents, rust spots, and scratches adorn the blade, and the handle is meant to looks like it’s bone and has been tied together hastily with leather straps.  All in all, it’s very nice.

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One final “accessory” that came with King He-Man is a Masters of the Universe:  The Secret Origin of Skeletor comic book written by Scott Neitlich.  In an effort to remain spoiler free, I’ll just say that the story is intriguing and the art is great.  It’s an excellent addition to the figure.

Quality Control:  The joints on my King He-Man were tight out of the package with no floppiness or other quality control issues.

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Overall: As an anonymous action figure, I like King He-Man.  He’s not particularly inspired like Draego-Man or some of the Horsemen’s other offerings for MOTUC, but all in all King He-Man is solid with acceptable articulation, fine details, great accessories, and nice sculpting.

But as I’ve said before, he fails as a representation of the future He-Man. For me that’s okay. In my collection he’s perched far away from He-Man, free from comparison to his younger counterpart, where I can imagine him as some other character. If you can look past his failure as a representation of He-Man, I think he’s a figure worth picking up.

Poe’s Pick of the Week > Batman Arkham City 6″ Action Figure Two Pack – Batman & Bane

These don’t actually appear to be Arkham City figures – they appear to be reissues of the original Arkham Asylum figures, including the original Batman and the now-impossible-to-get Bane (although Bane’s legs look a little different, so this may be a retooled figure with more articulation – they may both be for all I know). Anyway, if you missed these the first time around, here’s your chance.

NEW DC COLLECTIBLES  DC has announced a good number of new items. We have new listings for the Cover Girls Batwoman Statue at $84.99 ($15 off the MSRP), DC Comics Bombshells Harley Quinn at $99.99 ($25 off the MSRP), The Joker Patina Mini Statue at $79.99, ($15 off the MSRP), Ame-Comi Heroine Series: Steampunk Batgirl PVC Figure at $49.99 ($10 off the MSRP), and Batman Arkham City The Riddler Statue at $99.99 ($25 off the MSRP). For new action figures we have three Batman Arkham City two-packs – Mr. Hammer & Harley Quinn and Sickle & Penguin at $34.99 each, and Batman & Bane at $49.99, $10 off the MSRP. We also have the new Pandora and Black Adam figures at $21.99 each and the New 52 Heroes Vs. Super Villains 7-Pack with metallic versions and/or new decos of figures like Aquaman and Joker, along with a new 52 Catwoman figure, and this set is priced at $84.99, $15 off of the MSRP. In addition, we have the new Injustice Two-Pack, Doomsday Vs. Catwoman, which is listed at $26.99. TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS 2013 VOYAGER SERIES 04 – CASE, SET, SINGLE, SERIES 03 CASE  This assortment introduces Sandstorm to the mix. The Case includes two of Sandstorm and one each of Springer and Blitzwing and is listed at $89.99; we also have a Set of one each of the three figures at $69.99, and singles of Sandstorm at $29.99. We also have the Series 03 Case listed, which includes two each of Springer and Blitzwing, and is listed at $89.99 as well. TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS 2013 DELUXE SERIES 03 – CASE, SET, SINGLES  This new wave of Deluxes takes its designs from the recent comic versions of these characters. The Case assortment includes two each of Trailcutter (Trailbreaker), Bumblebee (Gold Bug), Orion Pax and Megatron, and is priced at $104.99. We also have them as a Set of four at $54.99, with singles of Bumblebee, Orion Pax and Megatron remaining; these are priced at $9.99 – $16.99 each. MASS EFFECT BUSTS – MORDIN, GARRUS  This two new busts stand 8″ tall and are hand-painted. Garrus comes with a detachable visor and Mordin has a detachable headset; each base is embossed with a quote. These busts are listed at $49.99. TRANSFORMERS PRIME BEAST HUNTERS ULTIMATE OPTIMUS PRIME  This large-size Optimus Prime comes with a sword and shield as well as a ring of weapons that is attached to his back and to vehicle mode. We have him listed at $59.99. UNIQUE TOYS WAR LORD UT-W04 WAR PANTHER  The next figure in Unique Toys’ War Lord series is War Panther. He will make an arm in the War Lord gestalt figure, and transforms from panther to robot. We have it listed at $84.99, $15 off of the MSRP. TRANSFORMING TRAILER  A new trailer based off of Op’s appearance from the third movie is on the way. It changes from a trailer into a weapon ring, and is listed at $$84.99, $15 off of the MSRP. CST-02J JUSTICE IRONPAW, CST-02SG EVIL IRONPAW  The latest transforming cassette from Keith’s Fantasy Club comes in the yellow Justice version or the black Evil version. Each lion cassette is listed at $25.99. STAR WARS 1/10 SCALE GENERAL GRIEVOUS ARTFX+ STATUE, OTHER NEW KOTOBUKIYA  Kotobukiya will be releasing a new 1/10 scale version of General Grievous soon. He will include alternate parts for different display options and a cloth cape, and is priced at $88.99, $10 off the MSRP. We also have new listings for model kits from Muv-Luv Alternative and Ghost In The Shell, and a new Cu-Poche figure of Miki Hoshii from The Idol Master. “IRON MAN 3″ 1/9 SCALE MODEL KITS  A variety of new model kits are soon to be available from the hit movie. We have listings for the Iron Patriot, Iron Man Mark XXXIX Gemini, XVII Heartbreaker, War Machine and Iron Man Mark 42. Each comes in Unpainted at $59.99, or Painted at $109.99. LINEAGE II – DARK ELF, DARK ELF REPAINT  Max Factory is producing a pair of beautiful Dark Elf statues from Lineage II. Each holds a staff, and both the original blue-skinned elf and the repaint tan-skinned version are priced at $139.99. “THE WOLVERINE” FIGURES, ROLE PLAY  Marvel has announced a new figure and toy line based on the upcoming “The Wolverine” movie. The 3.75″ Series 01 Case includes four of Classic Wolverine, three each of Logan and Silver Samurai and two of Shadow Strike Ninja; this assortment is listed at $71.99 for the Case of 12, or you can opt for the Set of four figures at $34.99, or even get singles of Logan, Silver Samurai or Classic Wolverine at $6.99 each. We also have listings for a 10″ Electronic Wolverine figure at $24.99, and a Titan heroes 12″ Wolverine at $11.99. In addition to these, a new role play line includes a Wolverine Foam Claw at $11.99, a Wolverine Hero mask at $11.99 and an Electronic Wolverine Claw at $24.99. TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOT FLIP CHANGERS SERIES 01 – SET, SINGLES  The Rescue Bots are branching out, this time into the Flip Bots arena. We have Chase and Heatwave each listed at $24.99, or you can get a Set of the two for $44.99. NEW HASBRO MLP, LPS, STAR WARS, MORE  We also have a variety of new items from all sorts of Hasbro licenses up for pre-order. These include MLP Deluxe ponies, Crystal Princesses and more, Ultimate Spider-Man figures, Star Wars Darth Vader Voice Changer Helmet, Color Changing Lightsabers and Jedi Force figures, GI Joe 12″ figures, “Iron Man 3″ 12″ figures, Avengers All Stars figures, and LPS Get the Pets figures and Boutique. You can see all of these new items at the link. LIVING DEAD DOLLS PRESENTS PSYCHO: SET, SINGLES  Mezco’s latest announcement contains the next wave of Living Dead Dolls Presents figures, from the movie “Psycho”. We have Norman as Mother and Marion in shower towel, and each is listed at $29.99, or you can save a few bucks and get them as a set of 2 for $52.99. CAPTAIN ACTION – NEW FIGURE, COSTUMES  Another wave of costumes is on the way. This assortment includes new figure Codename: Action at $19.99, and Regular costumes of Wolverine and Iron Man. The Regular versions are priced at $19.99 each or the Set of two for $35.99. THE BARBIE LOOK – NEW PRE-ORDERS  A number of new items from Mattel’s “The Barbie Look” line are up for pre-order. We have City Shopper 1, City Shopper 2 and Ballet Wishes at $29.99 each, with Ski Slope and Grand Ball at $24.99 each. NEW BEAST SAGA ITEMS  Takara has announced another wave of Beast Saga figures and more. We have Random Booster Volumes 04, 05 and 06 in Cases of 24 and Random Singles, as well as BS54 Super Winning Deck Type Critical and BS55 Deck Builder DX White Gold, so fans should be sure to check out these new entries and grab what you like. AXE COP  This popular website comic is making the jump to TV with an upcoming animated series, as well as graphic novels and comics. We have a new set of figures listed that includes Axe Cop, Dr. Doo Doo and Avocado Soldier; this set of 4″ figures is listed at $32.99. We also have a 12″ plush of Wexter the T-Rex at $21.99 and an 8″ Avocado plush at $13.99. REVOLTECH THUNDERBIRDS TB2 SHIP – METALLIC VERSION  This version of the TB2 still has the removable cargo segment, but now comes with a metallic paintjob. It is listed at $59.99. NEW MINECRAFT LISTINGS – PAPERCRAFT, FIGURES, MORE  A number of new entries are up for items from the popular game Minecraft. These includes a Core Player Survival Pack at $24.99, a series of Core Figures at $15.99 each, Cases of Plushes at $119.99 per Case of 9, Papercraft items at $15.99 – $34.99 each and more. You can see all of the new items at the link. POKEMON IMPORT POCKET MONSTER FIGURES  We have new listings up for Tomy’s line of Pocket Monster figures. These currently include MewTwo, Charizard, Genosekuto Purple and Genosekuto Red, and each is priced at $24.99. COMICS NOSTALGIA TIN SIGNS  New vendor TradeOpia has a wide variety of tin signs featuring comic art on the way. These signs measure approximately 12.5″ x 16″ and include Marvel and DC comics characters such as Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man, Captain America and more.

CAUSALITY CA-10 T-BONE  A second shipment of T-Bone has arrived. This black car has red windows and transforms into a robot as well as being a limb for the gestalt Causality. We have him listed at $59.99. ARMS DEPOT 1/6 SCALE ARMORY  The 1/6 Scale Arms Depot is now in stock and ready to complement your 1/6 scale Batman figures. It is listed at 149.99. DR. WU DW-P12 BLASTER SET  We currently have stock of the gray Version 01 and the blue Version 02 of these attachable arm blasters; each set is listed at $15.99 DREAMWORKS TOY STUDIO BLAST CANNON WEAPON ACCESSORY  This add-on set works with the First Edition of a big green transforming robot. The set includes pieces that can mix and match to form a giant hammer, a claw, pummeling weapons for the hands and even cannons for vehicle mode, and is listed at $34.99. DC UNLIMITED 2013 SERIES 03 – SET, SINGLES  The third assortment in the new DC Unlimited line includes New 52 versions of Darkseid and Aquaman and Injustice versions of Superman and Joker. Each figure is available at $18.99, or you can save a few bucks and get the Set of four at $71.99. LIVING DEAD DOLLS SERIES 25 – CASE, SINGLES  Series 25 includes Luna, Cracked Jack, Sospirare, Asa and Gretchen, and is listed at $109.99 for the case of 5 (saving you $30 off of the MSRP); we also have singles remaining of Luna, Cracked Jack and gretchen at $27.99 each. MONSTER HIGH NEW FIGURES – CASES, SETS, SINGLES  Yet more Monster High figures have arrived. We have the Dance Doll Series as a Case of six at $94.99, a Set of 4 at $63.99, and singly (Lagoona Blue and Operetta Swing) at $16.99 each. We also have the Dead Tired Series 01 Set of three at $47.99. TMNT SECRET SEWER LAIR PLAYSET  This new playset stands three and a half feet tall and is loaded with play features over its three levels, including a zip line, falling floors and more. We have it listed at $114.99. MASS EFFECT COMMANDER SHEPARD BISHOUJO STATUE  The regular version of FemShep comes with a Argus Rifle and the Omni Blade and stands 9″ tall. She is listed at $59.99, $5 off the MSRP. TEKKEN BISHOUJO JAYCEE FIGURE  This warrior is dressed in a pink and white costume, complete with mask. She stands just over 8″ tall and is listed at $54.99, $10 off of the MSRP. NEW LEGO PRODUCTS  A large shipment of LEGO sets has arrived at our warehouse. These come from licenses such as Marvel, TMNT, “Iron Man 3″, Creator, Ninjago, Star Wars. “The Lone Ranger”, DC Super Heroes, Monster Fighters, Lord of the Rings and more. Take a look at the menus or at the list at the link to see these items and more. X-FORCE ARCHANGEL 15.5″ WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE STATUE  This piece has Archangel in his black and grey outfit from X-Force. He floats above the ground with his wings outstretched, and is priced at $249.99. “UNDERWORLD” SELENE 1/4 SCALE STATUE  The first of two new Hollywood Collectibles statues is Selene from “Underworld”. She stands 24″ tall with her pistols ready and is listed at $329.99. CYBERCOP 1/4 SCALE STATUE  This lovely lady comes from Heavy Metal is dressed to capture some crooks. She stands 20″ tall and is priced at $329.99. HISTORICAL THOR’S HAMMER  This replica has a solid metal head and suede-wrapped wooden handle with brass rivets. It measures 18″ long and is priced at $149.99. “DESPICABLE ME 2″ POP! MOVIES FIGURES  Funko has released a wave of figures from the upcoming movie. These include Gru, Agnes and Henchmen Carl and Dave. Each is listed at $9.99. Keep an eye out for the mystery villain figure, too!

Kenner Aliens Scorpion Alien action figure by splittyhead

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Order here, discuss below!

I’ll confess I’m not even sure I’d ever heard of Karatti until the MOTUC version was announced. He seems to have a pretty cool design, although I’m getting a bit tired of the Trap Jaw legs (the side-to-side ankle action never seems to work on them).

As for the Fighting Foe Men…I worry these may have been another bad idea on Mattel’s part. A lot of fans seem uninterested in this set, and the fact that it’s a sub item makes it that much more annoying. My bill (plus shipping) for this month was $116, and I’m lukewarm on the FFM. It might have been smarter to pair the FFM with a more popular character, like Clamp Champ.