It’s no secret that the 1980s through the early 1990s were an important period for toys. It was a period of immense creativity in toy-making, often in conjunction with hypnotically entertaining television shows that left lasting impressions on the youth of the era (and I’m obviously one of them). What I find interesting lately, though, is the two properties that seem to be seeing a surprising amount of love: M.U.S.C.L.E. (and its spiritual successor, Monster In My Pocket) and Battle Beasts.
The Monster Escapes by 2X2L
Following on from last week and the ecstatic response by collectors and non-collectors alike, here is the second part of the two-hundred-and-sixty-seven-part-long series about the action figure accessories that you, the collector, simply must own! This is a special part including additions from the readers that I either neglected to mention, was going to mention later or simply completely forgot in a heroin-induced haze. Over to you!
5. Blades (Thanks, dayraven!)
Yes, guns get mentioned, and so do swords! But swords go part in parcel with butcher knives, switchblades, daggers, ninja swords, axes, swiss-army knives, machetes, scythes, foils, cleavers, and everything in between! Just as for ethnic gangs, bladed weapons are the source of amusement for many of your toys – not just your ninjas and vampire slayers, but also WALL-E!! He loves to cut. Not to mention…
While I can’t say I’m a diehard SpongeBob SquarePants fan, there was a period of a couple years where I watched the show constantly. It’s right up there with Ren & Stimpy, The Fairly OddParents and, of course, Invader Zim as one of my favorite Nickelodeon cartoons. When Palisades put out its excellent Ren & Stimpy, Fairly OddParents and Invader Zim toys, SpongeBob was the obvious absence. Sadly, Palisades went out of business before they could score the license, and it would be nearly five years before JAKKS would pick it up and finally give us the SpongeBob figures we’d been waiting for (well, I’d been waiting for, anyway).
These aren’t quite as nice as Palisades’ stuff from back in the day, but at $3.99 a pop for the individual figures, what you get is pretty good. There are seven individual figures available, plus three playsets that each come with a unique figure: The Krusty Krab, SpongeBob’s Bedroom, and the Frying Dutchman. So far, I’ve only seen the individual figures at Target and the playsets at Toys ‘R’ Us. I’ll be reviewing the Krusty Krab playset later, and I’m still looking for Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob w/ Gary, and Patrick.
Jeff Parker reviews the Hot Toys M-Icon Michael Jackson (Billie Jean/History Tour version) 1/6-scale figure. Excerpt: “To me, it’s in many ways a more important figure than any Batman, Terminator or Stormtrooper … because it’s a brave move and represents a popular cultural icon that was a huge part of the landscape …”
Michael Crawford reviews the Cast-A-Way Toys The Phantom FX Show exclusive figure. Excerpt: “Unfortunately, it was the body that caused me the most issues.”
Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Gentleman Ghost figure. Excerpt: “Gentleman Ghost may not be a DC elite or appeal to every little kid out there, but there’s some definite charm coming through this figure.”
Michael Crawford reviews the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Iron Man Mark II 1/6-scale figure. Excerpt: “Recognizing that certain aspects of this figure cost less because of the re-use, they added in more stuff to give you that additional value.”
Jeff Parker reviews the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Iron Man Mark II Sideshow exclusive 1/6-scale figure. Excerpt: “As near to perfection as it is possible to get in this scale …”
yo go re reviews the Jakks Pacific WWE Deluxe Build N’ Brawl Sgt. Slaughter figure. Excerpt: “… the toy would be a bit small if he were a Joe release. Other than that, however, the figure blends perfectly.”
Jeff Parker reviews the Enterbay Fist of Fury Bruce Lee 1/6-scale figure. Excerpt: “Both the heads are sublime sculpts …”
Corey Tincher reviews the Mezco Toyz The Spirit The Spirit 7-inch figure. Excerpt: “… I’m glad that I picked it up.”
Erin Snyder reviews the Wild Planet Skeleflex Aliens Akafly and Dinos Spinosaurus sets. Excerpt: “These guys are pretty cool.” (See also.)
Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Hawkman figure. Excerpt: “… a magnificent figure.”
Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Mr. Miracle figure. Excerpt: “Mr. Miracle’s weak paint and marginal fun are the only thing holding him back from greatness …”
Action Toy Review reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Amazo Wal-Mart exclusive figure. Excerpt: “… other than the problem I had with his ankle, it is generally a good action figure.” (See also.)
The wish is granted…long live Jambi.
It appears the loudly expressed wishes of collectors such as myself did not fall on deaf ears: JAKKS Pacific, maker of the popular WWE and Rocky action figure lines, has obtained the master license to the new American Gladiators.
MALIBU, Calif., Mar 31, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) today announced that it signed an exclusive worldwide Master Toy License with MGM Consumer Products for American Gladiators(R), the hit competition-based television program that airs on NBC. JAKKS(R) expects to launch a line of American Gladiators toys and related products in Spring 2009, based on the characters and challenges seen on the show. American Gladiators is produced by MGM Television and Reveille in association with Flor-Jon Films, Inc.
The comprehensive American Gladiators Master Toy license agreement, brokered through licensing agent JTMG LLC, on behalf of MGM Consumer Products includes action figures, accessories, as well as outdoor sports and seasonal products, and role play toys, all based on the new American Gladiators live action series and the classic television series.
This means I get my Wolf figure. Awesome. Now I just have to wait a year for the toys to come out. Crap. I hope the show’s still on by then.
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