Every year around this time, stores of all types set up their Halloween displays, and one standby within them are costumes. It’s an amazing thing to think about, actually. As time has passed, and the old five and dime stores gave way to retail chains, the seasonal Halloween section has somehow survived. I find this quite refreshing in a world
Read moreWhat better monster to cover on Halloweek than…a mega monster? And a Pay-Doh flinging one at that? It’s the Monstro-Viper!
Read moreSome toys are I think unfairly ridiculed. I’ve always been a fan of the underdog and the misfit, and GI Joe has had its share of goofballs and weirdos. I dig them all. I really dig Crystal Ball. As a horror fan, how could I not? He looks straight out of Hollywood’s version of Transylvania. What’s so bad about Crystal
Read moreFor me, zombies just don’t hold the same sway that the classic monsters command. Guys like Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the Mummy, and Creature from the Black Lagoon are true personalities. Each has either a compelling backstory, or a driving purpose to them. Zombies work well as nameless horde type of threat, but there’s only so many times that stor
Read moreFall is such an amazing time in my little corner of the world. The leaves are changing into the most amazing shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. There’s that perfect time of the year when the changed leaves just start to fall, and the temperatures get a bit cooler, the sun goes down a little earlier. Things are generally a
Read moreEver get a new shirt that you really like, and can’t wait to wear it somewhere friends and family can see, and hopefully tell you how much they like it too? If that was Grunt in 1997, he’s probably still waiting for his shirt compliments. He’ll probably be waiting another seventeen years. After his pants change debacle in 1991, he
Read moreAs the GI Joe Kre-O series goes on, it seems that more and more of the blind bag figures get really interesting multi-part builds as an element of their accessory complement. The Tele-Viper’s backpack and scanner make good use of some small parts to suggest the original equipment fairly well. That’s some of the beauty of this line to me;
Read moreby KansasBrawler From the original SNAKE to the Joe Armor-Bot to the Deviant and Steel Marauader, battle mechs have always shown up in the Joe line, and I’m absolutely fine with that. I’ve always thought that they were a cool concept and it fit well with the Joe line’s slightly futuristic military vibe. Considering how long mechs have been in
Read moreNinjas and tigers in the jungle–how much cooler could a book cover get? Not much, unless maybe Snake Eyes was riding a shark. And how’s this for artistic license? Check out both Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. Both appear quite different from their toy, packaging, cartoon and comic book iterations of the time. Snake Eyes’ lack of bandolier reminds me
Read moreI love clear plastic toys. I can’t really explain it, other than to say there’s some intrinsic coolness to the look. Along with chromed parts or a light-up feature, if I see a toy made of the wondrous material, I’ll probably buy it. My fascination with the stuff probably stems from a purchase of Remco’s Crystar back in 1983. Although
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