The Countdown to Halloween is Coming...

It's the most wonderful time of the year... time for 31 days of ghoulish fun as we count down to Halloween!  This year, like the previous few years, I'll be participating in the Countdown to Halloween.  Click on this link to head over to the Countdown site to see all of this month's participants.

My Countdown to Halloween 2013 Posts

My Countdown to Halloween 2012 Posts

The other 11 months of the year I tend to post much more sporadically, whenever I have the spare time.  But in October, I make an effort to post every day.  So what do I have in store for this year?  Well, to begin with: toy reviews, toy reviews, and toy reviews.  Lately, I've been posting toy reviews three days a week.  Retro 1:18 scale action figures on Wednesdays, Vintage 1:18 scale figures on Fridays, and Random toys and collectibles on Mondays.  That's going to continue in October, but all of the toys I review will have a horror or monster theme for Halloween!  Additionally, I've got way more monster toys to review in October than I can cover with only 3 reviews a week, so there will be bonus reviews on other days of the week.

It's going to be a busy month for me!  I've been taking toy photos in my spare time for the last couple of weeks,  and I've actually put in for some vacation time at my job this October to help me keep up.  Beyond the toy reviews, I will also be reviewing horror movies, and possibly doing some other neat stuff as well.

Additionally, I'll be breaking October down into five weeks, each week with it's own special theme.

Week 1 - Wednesday, October 1st through Sunday, October 5th
MYSTERIOUS MURDERERS: Devil-Worshipers, Masked Killers and More, in a Week of Men Who Kill From the Shadows!

Week 2 - Monday, October 6th through Sunday, October 12th
THE DEAD SHALL WALK AMONG THE LIVING: Frankenstein Monsters, Mummies and Zombies Abound in a Week of Reanimated Corpses!

Week 3 - Monday, October 13th through Sunday, October 19th
HALF HUMAN, HALF HORROR: Vampires, Werewolves, Apemen and More, a Week of Human Beings Crossed With Horrible Things!

Week 4 - Monday, October 20th through Sunday, October 26th
BEYOND THE STARS AND BENEATH THE WAVES: A Week of Space Monsters and Sea Creatures!

Week 5 - Monday, October 27th through Friday, October 31st
SUPERNATURAL EVIL: A Week of Ghosts, Demons, and Mythological Horrors!

The spooky fun begins October 1st.  Be there... and be scared!

Batman Classic TV Batman and Robin 8 Inch Retro Action Figures - Figures Toy Company (2014)

Figures Toy Company has been making retro, Mego style, 8 inch cloth outfit action figures for quite a few years now.  Originally, the company had a fairly bad reputation among toy collectors, because their figures were very cheaply made and tended to break easily.  But they have improved quite a bit over the years, and their current crop of figures are just about as good as those from any company making figures in this style.  Their line of Batman Classic TV figures are probably their best ones yet.  Let's check them out after the break...

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Stop me if you've heard this one before...  A supernatural being takes the form of a human Carpenter, and lives among the people.  He has come to Earth to deliver a message.  A message about putting  one's faith in a higher power.  A higher power that can lead to humanity's salvation if it is heeded, or it's damnation if it is not. However his message is met with disbelief, suspicion, and fear, and the people turn against him and kill him.  But miraculously, after his body is brought to his tomb, the man is resurrected.  He delivers one final message to his gathered followers before ascending into the heavens.

Sound familiar?  Wait, did I mention the fact that the man is a space alien named Klatuu, the tomb is a flying saucer, and the higher power is an unstoppable killer robot named Gort?  No, this isn't the secret theology of the Scientologists.  It's the plot of the 1951 sci-fi film, "The Day The Earth Stood Still!"

"Fisher-Price Adventure People" Adam Alpha (Astronaut) Vintage Action Figure - Fisher-Price (1980)

Welcome to Retro Fridays, where every Friday I feature a different vintage 1:18 scale action figure.  Today we have the male astronaut that came packaged with the Fisher-Price Adventure People Alpha Probe in 1980.  Some Adventure People figures had names, but this guy didn't, so I decided to name him "Adam Alpha."  Like Clawtron, the figure I reviewed last week, this is one of the sci-fi Adventure People.  In fact, he is one of the original two sci-fi people, along with the female astronaut that also came with the Alpha Probe.  Unless you count "Astro Knight," but personally I don't.  Astro Knight was just some dude in a hang glider, what's so sci-fi about that?  Anyhoo... keep on reading to learn more about "Adam Alpha!"

Retro Wednesday! It's "Chunk Versus Dracula", as we look at Funko and Super 7's The Goonies Chunk ReAction Figure!

Today on Retro Wednesday, we'll be checking out out Chunk from The Goonies, yet another ReAction figure from the fine folks at Funko and Super 7.  Their figure of Sloth from The Goonies was fantastic, will Chunk be as well?  Read on past the break to find out!

Sundry Monday! "Taste the Rambo!" as NECA's First Blood Rambo Goes Head to Head with Clubber Lang!

On Wednesdays and Fridays, I review retro 3 3/4" action figures, but on Mondays I dip into my toy box and pull out any random toy or collectible that strikes my fancy.  Today I'll be looking at two 7" figures from NECA:  John J. Rambo from First Blood, and Clubber Lang from Rocky III.  I pity the fool who doesn't read on past the break!

"Fisher-Price Adventure People" Clawtron Vintage Action Figure - Fisher-Price (1980)

From the far reaches of space comes this strange, claw-handed, black-clad creature!  Is he man or machine?  Is he friend or foe?  He is... Clawtron, and he's the vintage action figure at the focus of today's edition of Retro Friday's!  Read on to learn more!

"The Terminator" Chrome T800 Endoskeleton and Kyle Reese Retro Action Figures - Funko/Super7 (2014)

In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan.  They would reshape the Future by changing the Past.  The plan required something that felt no pity.  No pain.  No fear.  Something unstoppable.  They created 'THE TERMINATOR.'  And now, in 2014, Funko and Super 7 have followed suit, and created 'THE TERMINATOR' ReAction Figures.  The Future will never be the same.  Only You can change the Future, by continuing to read this blog after the jump...

Planet of the Apes Wave 1 Action Figures - NECA (2014)

Planet of the AAAAAAAAAAPPPPPES!  Man, I loves me some classic Planet of the Apes movies!  I grew up watching those things in the days when they were rerun constantly on TV, and they were always super fun to watch no matter how many times I had seen them.  I even watched the TV show and the Saturday morning cartoon, even  though those things were terrible.  But the movies themselves, they were pretty damn good, especially the original from 1968.  So naturally I was pretty excited to hear NECA was coming out with a new line of 7-inch Classic Apes figures, and the first wave doesn't disappoint.  Let's check 'em out after the break...

Clash of the Titans "Perseus" Action Figure - Mattel (1981)... a,k,a "It's a Harry Hamlin Toga Party!"

There was a long tradition of TV shows being made into 3 3/4" action figure lines in the 1970s and 1980s.  Adventure shows like Battlestar Galactica, The Dukes of Hazard, The A-Team, and Buck Rogers all had 3 3/4" action figures.  Some odder choices, like M.A.S.H., Mork and Mindy, and The Love Boat got the action figure treatment as well.  Still, I was certainly surprised to find out that they made an action figure of Harry Hamlin from the TV show L.A. Law!  Read all about it after the break, in this week's edition of Retro Fridays!

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" Retro Action Figures - Amok Time (2014) Klaatu Barada Nikto!

So far all I've been reviewing are Super 7 and Funko's ReAction figures on Retro Wednesday's.  Bif Bang Pow does have a retro line of Twilight Zone figures out, but I've decided to save those for my Halloween festivities in October.  Zica Toys had their great Six Million Dollar Man figures, but I reviewed those earlier, before I started Retro Wednesdays.  Does that mean I'm going to have to change the name of this feature to "ReAction Wednesdays?"  Not this week, because I've got a new addition to the world of retro action figures today, Amok Time's "Gort and Klaatu" figures, based on characters from the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still!"  How well do Amok Time's figures fit in with the new wave of retro 3 3/4" action figures?  Find out after the break!

Star Wars "Princess Leia" Vintage Action Figure - Kenner (1977)

Of the original 20 Star Wars action figures Kenner released in 1977 and 1978, there were only two figures that I didn't own as a kid.  The first was "Death Squad Commander," because I just never wanted him.  I mean, he was basically just some generic guy walking around in the background with a big black salad bowl on his head, why would I want a figure of that dude?  The second was "Princess Leia."  I'm not sure why I never owned this figure, I'm guessing that my parents and relatives who were buying me my Star Wars toys thought Princess Leia was just for girls.  I eventually got a different Leia figure (in her Hoth outfit) a few years later, when the Empire Strikes Back toys were released.  But the classic 1977 Princess Leia figure never had a place in my toy collection... until now!  I finally bought one a couple of weeks ago when I visited a local vintage toy store, along with her brother Luke.  These were the first vintage Star Wars figures I've had since I gave all of my originals away in junior high.  I've been resisting buying vintage Star Wars figures for awhile now, because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop.  And guess what, I was right, because I ended up buying six more 1978 figures since then.  Luckily the figures aren't that expensive, although I shudder to think what's going to happen to my wallet when I succumb to the urge to replace all of my spaceships and playsets.  But now that I do have Princess Leia for the first time, what do I think?  Find out after the break!

Retro Wednesday! Funko and Super 7's SDCC 2014 Sloth ReAction Figure

I can't quite put my finger on it... but there's something that's just a little bit "off" about this Superman action figure.

Today on Retro Wednesdays, it's Sloth from The Goonies!  There are two versions of this figure available, the mass market version in a plain blue t-shirt, and the limited edition 2014 San Diego Comic Con version, wearing a Superman t-shirt.  I'm guessing that they probably have to pay a licensing fee for the Superman logo, which is why it's not available on the mass market version.  As far as I'm concerned, Sloth just isn't Sloth without his Superman t-shirt, so paying a little extra to get this version was a no-brainer.  Was it worth it?  Read on to find out!