Swamp Thing "Snap Up Swamp Thing" Vintage 5 Inch Action Figure - Kenner (1990)

Kenner "Snap Up Swamp Thing" (1990)

Enter the boggy waters of MONSTER MONTH Day 12 with Swamp Thing!  This is "Snap Up Swamp Thing" which was part of Kenner's Swamp Thing toy line based on the Swamp Thing cartoon.  This figure has limbs that come loose from his body and are only attached by a string, which lets him lie on the ground in pieces looking like a pile of mossy logs.  Then, you press a button on his back his pieces "snap up" back together.

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:
Blur - Swamp Song

Kenner Star Wars Action Figures - Collect All 21!

I had a nice collection of Kenner Star Wars figures, vehicles, and playsets when I was a kid, but I gave them all away when I was in Jr. High, and thought I had outgrown them.  But I always missed them as an adult, so a little over a year ago I started buying up the vintage figures all over again, a few figures at a time.  A couple of weeks ago, I finished my collection of the original 21 figures Kenner released under the "Star Wars" banner between 1977 and 1979, before moving on to "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980.

I had all of these figures when I was a kid except for Princess Leia and Death Squad Commander.  I never really wanted the Death Squad Commander when I was a kid, he just seemed like some generic background guy to me back then.  But I did want a Princess Leia, but nobody ever bought one for me for my birthday or Christmas, maybe thinking that I wouldn't want one because she was a girl.  I did end up getting a figure of Leia in her Empire Strikes Back Hoth outfit a few years later.  But the Leia with her white gown and buns in her hair has always been my favorite, so I'm really happy to have her in my collection now.

Now I have a decision to make:  what do I collect next?  Do I buy all of the 1977-79 playsets and vehicles?  Do I move straight on to the "Empire" action figures?  I definitely want to get the playsets and vehicles, but it might take me a long time to find affordable ones on my budget.  So I don't think I'll buy those right away, instead I'll just keep an eye out, and pick them up whenever I can find them for a good deal.

I think I might do some army building with the 1977-79 figures, and pick up some extra Jawas, Sand People, and Stormtroopers first.  After that I will probably move on to the Empire Strikes Back figures.

Super Powers Collection "Aquaman" Vintage 5 Inch Action Figure - Kenner (1984)

Kenner Super Powers Aquman Action Figure (1984)

Aquaman was one of the characters featured in the first wave of Kenner Super Powers figures in 1984.  He originally came with a trident which I sadly no longer own.  He also came packed with a mini-comic where he teamed up with The Flash to fight The Penguin.  I was going to say that was an odd combination of characters, but then I thought about it, and penguins are aquatic birds, and The Flash does have the power to run on water, so I guess it works.

Mini-Comic

Squeezing Aquaman's arms together activates his power action:  a "deep sea kick," which is basically him kicking his legs like he was swimming.  Which is perfect for this character, and I often imagined him swimming under water as a kid while playing with it.  Check out the photos after the break as Green Lantern pays a visit to Aquman...

Aquaman and His Pal Mr. Fish

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:

Songs and Stories About the Justice League of America - Aquaman


MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

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Aquaman Sits And Chats With a Fish

Aquaman: "Be honest Mr. Fish, Do these trunks make my aquabutt look fat?"

"Why, hello there, old chum!"

"Look, Mr. Fish!  It's my Super Buddy Green Lantern!"

Aquaman: "Would you like to hold Mr. Fish, Hal?"  Green Lantern: "Err... no thanks, Arthur."  

Super Powers Collection "Green Lantern" Vintage 5 Inch Action Figure - Kenner (1984)

Kenner released Green Lantern as part of the first series of Super Powers figures in 1984.  The figure came packed with a lantern that he could carry in his left hand, and a mini-comic featuring Green Lantern teaming up with Robin to fight The Joker.  By squeezing his legs together, you would activate his "Power Action" feature, causing his right arm to rise up, as if he was aiming his Green Lantern power ring.  I don't have his lantern, so I did the next best thing and gave him a green fish to hold in his hand instead.  This in turn attracted Super Powers Aquaman, sniffing around the fish.  Enjoy my photos.

Batman Animated Two-Face Action Figures - Vintage Figure from Kenner, Modern Figure from DC Collectibles

It's a Two-Face Two-fer!

When DC Collectibles first introduced their new 6 inch scale Animated Batman action figures last year, there were a lot of complaints from the toy collecting community about their quality.  Apparently, DCC used a brittle form of plastic in their joints, causing the articulated pieces to break. So even though the figures LOOKED really cool, I stayed away from them, because I like to take my action figures out of the package and pose them and play with them, and that didn't seem like a viable option with these figures.  But after the first batch of figures was released, DCC took stock of the toy collector's complaints, so all the subsequent releases now have decent plastic in them and won't break.  As I saw all the awesome looking figures that were coming out, as well as the super cool animated series Batmobile they are releasing, I decided I had to start collecting these, even if the first four figures were more fragile than the rest.  So I went ahead and picked the first four figures up, and I plan on buying the rest of them in the next few months until I'm all caught up.

Packaged DC Collectibles The New Batman Adventures Two-Face Action Figure

I also have a random assortment of vintage Animated Batman Kenner figures in my collection already, and I keep meaning to buy more to fill in the gaps.  So I thought it would be fun to take a look at the vintage figures side by side with the new ones.  For the first four Kenner figures, I picked up unopened packages, and for the subsequent figures it will probably be a combination of loose ones for the figures I already have in my collection, and packaged or loose ones for the ones I don't.

Packaged Kenner Arkham Asylum Escape Batman Vs. Two-Face

May the Fourth Be With You

From Left to Right:  Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, Death Squad Commander (behind C-3P0), C-3P0, Chewbacca (behind Luke), Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Sand Person, and Jawa

"May the Fourth" Be With You!  Happy Star Wars Day, everybody.  I grew up with Star Wars.  I saw the the original film in it's initial theatrical run in 1977.  I was 5 years old, and I was convinced that Star Wars was the greatest film in the history of cinema.  Naturally, I went nuts for all the toys, as well.  Over the next few years, I amassed a huge collection of Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and playsets.  However, tragedy struck when I grew a little older and was entering jr. high school.  My interests evolved from spaceships and robots to rock music and girls, and I decided that toys were only for little kids, so I gave all of my Star Wars toys away to the little kids in my neighborhood.  That was a decision I came to regret more and more over the years, as I learned that growing up didn't mean I had to give up the things I loved when I was a kid.

Flash forward to September of 2014.  As an adult , I started collecting toys again as a hobby, but I had resisted the idea of collecting Star Wars toys again.  There were just so many toys to collect, it seemed like too big of a task.  However, I knew I really wanted to have all of my old toys back again.  So I decided to start recollecting all of the vintage Star Wars figures and toys I had as a kid.  In order not to get overwhelmed by it, I decided to collect them slowly, and in more or less the order they came out.  So I would start out with the original 12 figures from 1977, move on to the next batch of 8 figures from 1978, and so on.  Then once I had all of the original Star Wars toys, I would move on to The Empire Strikes Back, and then eventually to Return of the Jedi.

I also decided that I was going to go with inexpensive, loose, played with toys, rather than expensive ones in pristine condition.  Not only would that be easier on my wallet, the figures would be closer to the ones that I owned as a kid, which were all very well played with.  And I still wanted to handle them and play with them now, and I didn't want to worry about damaging them or ruining an investment.

A few weeks ago, I realized that I had collected 10 of the original 12, and with May Fourth Star Wars Day coming up, I decided it was the perfect time to pick up the final 2 figures!  And I'm already halfway through to collecting all of the 1978 figures as well, as I picked up the the Cantina aliens ahead of schedule few months ago.  1978 also saw the debut of the vehicles and playsets, though, so I'll have to start collecting those as well. I'm not looking forward to seeing how much money I'm going to have to spend to get a Death Star in even halfway decent shape, but I know it will look awesome on my shelf, filled with Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, and Droids.

Well, I hope I didn't bore anyone rambling along about Star Wars toys.  Thanks for reading, and "May the Fourth Be With You!"

Star Wars "Han Solo" and "Chewbacca" Vintage Action Figures - Kenner (1977)

Today I'm taking a look at a couple of classic Kenner Star Wars figures from 1977, Han Solo and Chewbacca.  At least I thought I was taking a look at classic figures!  It turns out that the Han Solo is actually a reissue of the figure from 1995!  I guess I need to read those eBay ads a little more carefully before I bid on them.  I thought I was getting a really good price on a group of loose vintage figures in practically mint condition, and it turned out he reason they were in such good condition was because they weren't actually from the 1970s.  But you know what?  That's fine.  I'm not buying these toys as investments, I'm buying them because they are fun, and this Han Solo is just as fun as the original.  Let's check him and Chewie out after the break!

Star Wars Power of the Force "Landspeeder" Vehicle - Kenner (1995)

A few months ago, I decided to start collecting vintage Kenner Star wars figures again.  I had a pretty sizable collection of these when I was a kid in the '70s and '80s, but I gave them away to kids in my neighborhood when I was in Jr. high, thinking I was too old for them.  Since, then, I've considered buying them again, but it seemed like a daunting and expensive task.  I think it was the release of Funko and Super 7's ReAction figures, done in that old Kenner style, that pushed me over the edge and made me start collecting them again.

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!

Final Hours of "Amazing Heroes" Kickstarter, plus Upcoming Blog Stuff

I've got a bit of news about an upcoming feature on here on Misfit Robot Daydream, but first, I want to remind everyone that there's only a few hours left to get in on the "Amazing Heroes" Kickstarter. I've blogged about it a couple of times, but for those of you who haven't seen it, it's a line of action figures of Golden Age comic book characters, plus Captain Action as well, done in the style of the Marvel Comics Secret Wars action figures from the 1980's. I think they are really cool, and am hoping that the Kickstarter gets funded, but time is running out. There are only about 9 hours left, and it's only 90% funded. But it was only 80% funded this morning, so it's possible that there might be a last minute rush and it will get funded.



I'd encourage anyone who is interested to head over to their Kickstarter page and check it out!

In my blog news, last week I launched a new weekly feature called "Retro Wednesdays," in which I will be featuring a new retro, Kenner-style 3 3/4 inch action figure every week, like the ones currently being produced by Super 7, Funko, and Bif Bang Pow.  For an example, check out this link for the Retro Kenner section at Entertainment Earth (that's not a sponsored link, by the way, I won't get any money if you click on it or buy anything).  Well, I thought it would be fun to pair them off with actual vintage 3 3/4 inch action figures from the 1970s and 1980s.  So I've decided to make a Fridays "Retro Fridays," where I will feature action figures like Fisher-Price Adventure People and Kenner Star Wars, and other figures in this style. I'll be kicking that feature off this Friday with a look at "Newt," a 1977 figure from Tomland's Starroid Raiders line, and I'll be featuring the new Funko ReAction Escape From New York "Snake Plisken" figure.  So there will be at least two new, regularly scheduled pieces to look forward to on this blog every week, and I'll still be posting other, random stuff as well.  So check back often for some fun stuff! 

"Alien" Retro Action Figures - Funko/Super7 (2014)

A Nightmare Molded in Plastic

Here's some photos I recently took of Super7 and Funko's Alien ReAction Figures.  If you don't know, these are recreations of toys Kenner designed in 1979, but never actually released.  In the years since, the figures have achieved something of legendary, "lost classic" status among toy collectors.  The hopes were high for Super7's version of these toys, and they really delivered.  These toys are perfect, and fit in great alongside Star Wars and other vintage 3.75" figures from the '70s and '80s.

Alien ReAction Figures

See the rest of the photos after the break!

Action Figures I'm Excited About For 2014, Part 5

THE BEST OF THE REST: MORE 6 AND 7 INCH ACTION FIGURES

So far, I've talked about 3 3/4 inch figures, 7 and 8 inch Mego-style figures, 6 inch (and 18 inch) Batman 1966 figures, and even some Gumby-style bendable figures.  I'm going to finish off by looking forward to some non-Batman 6 and 7 inch figures that are coming out this year.

NECA 7 INCH ACTION FIGURES

Prototype images from NECA's Planet of the Apes, Rambo, and Alien action figures.

I got more and more interested in NECA's action figures in 2013.  The first one I got was a Clubber Lang figure from their Rocky line.   I'm not a big Rocky fan (I like the movies, but not enough to want action figures), but I am a big Mr. T fan, so I wanted to pick up a Clubber Lang figure.  I really liked that figure, and then they came out with the fantastic figures of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch Schaefer from the movie Predator.  I had to get a couple of those.  Then I ended up getting a Rocky figure, and some Prometheus figures, and I've got my eye on a Robocop, plus some aliens and predators... and now it's starting to turn into a collection, and not just a couple of random pieces.

For 2014, they've coming out with several lines that I know I'm going to want.  First up is a Rambo figure from Rambo: First Blood part 2.  The first film is actually the better film, no doubt about that.  But Rambo's look in the second film, shirtless, with black pants, and his jade Buddha necklace, is the iconic look that I remember so fondly from the 1980's.  So I know I'll want a figure of that.  There is also a scene in Rambo 2 where Rambo is covered in mud, and if they make a version of that, I know I'll want one to go alongside my mud-covered Dutch Schaefer figure.

Next up is Planet of the Apes.  Those movies were a mainstay of my childhood, I used to eat them up whenever they were on TV, and the Apes will make for great action figures.

Finally, NECA already does figures for the movie Aliens, but in 2014 they will be coming out with figures for the original film, Alien.  That is one of my favorite films of all time, so there is no way I'll be passing those up.  If we're lucky, they'll make all of the same figures that Super 7 and Funko made for the 3 3/4 inch ReAction line, because they would be fun to display together.   Which brings me to the next action figure line I'm looking forward to...

FUNKO LEGACY 6 INCH ACTION FIGURES

Alongside Funko's line of ReAction, retro Kenner-style 3 3/4 inch figures, Funko is also launching a line called "Legacy," a 6-inch line of highly articulated, realistic, modern-styled figures.  the licenses they've announced so far are Game of Thrones, Firefly, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, with the promise of much more to be announced at ToyFair in February.  This could potentially be really cool, especially if they get the wide array of licenses that they have for their ReAction lines: their could be a little something for everybody there.  The figures are being designed by Gentle Giant, the same people who design the Star Wars Black 6 inch figures, so they'll almost certainly look really good.  Speaking of which...

STAR WARS BLACK 6 INCH FIGURES

Hasbro made a big splash this year with their series of highly detailed, 6 inch Star Wars figures.  I've resisted buying these so far, just because I didn't want YET ANOTHER thing to collect... but I feel my resistance fading.  I think in 2014 I'm going to crack and start buying these guys.  Luckily, I'm only a fan of the original trilogy (and to be honest mostly just the first two films) so I won't feel the need to buy all of them.  But I do think I'm going to want the main cast, plus a few of the more colorful aliens and droids.  I suppose I better start buying these guys now, before I have to pay marked-up prices for them on ebay, after they sell out everywhere else!

OTHER TOYS

I'm sure there will be other toys that I will be interested in for 2014 that I just don't know about yet.  I don't know if Biff Bang Pow is going to make any more 3 3/4 inch Venture Bros. figures, but I will definitely buy them if they do.  3A toys is planning on coming out with a line of Mego-style toys called 3AGO, which could potentially be interesting.  I think that Zoloworld's retro Remco-style Realm of the Underworld figures are really cool, although I haven't bought any, because I don't have enough money in my toy budget for everything.  And there will probably be lots of cool stuff announced at ToyFair, or in the weeks leading up to it, that I will be interested in.  But I can't write about every toy I'm potentially interested in, so I just stuck with the stuff I think I'm most likely to buy.

And thus, I conclude this series of posts on "Action Figures I'm Excited About For 2014."  Thanks for reading, and have a fun 2014!

Toywatch: Zica Toy's 3.75" Six Million Dollar Man Action Figures

Toywatch:

Zica Toy's 3.75" Six Million Dollar Man Action Figures

Colonel Steve Austin (red tracksuit), Bionic Bigfoot, and Colonel Steve Austin (blue tracksuit)

Later this year, Zica Toys will be launching a new line of 3¾ inch Six Million Dollar Man action figures.  The figures are being done in a retro style, as if Kenner Toys had produced them during the late 1970s or early 1980s.  I love retro styled toys like this (I'm also looking forward to Super7's upcoming line of Kenner-style Alien action figures), and I'm super excited to buy them all.

The line will begin with two regular figures and one variant figure.  The figures will be:

• Colonel Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man) in a red tracksuit.
• A limited edition variant Steve Austin in a blue tracksuit.
• Bionic Bigfoot (The Sasquatch Beast).

Cardbacks for the Six Million Dollar Man Action Figures.  Is that artwork fantastic, or what?

Although the toys will are not scheduled to be available until the fourth quarter of 2013 (think November or December), they are available for preorder right now.  There is a preorder promo going on right now, where you can get the two regular figures, plus the variant figure for only $49.99.  The promo ends on July 31st, after which the toy stores are going to be able to mark up the price on the variant figure.  So if you are thinking about buying these, especially the variant, I'd suggest you order them right now.  Here are some links if you are interested:

Big Bad Toy Store
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=ZIC10006&mode=retail

Entertainment Earth
http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ZC65002#.UfXmS6xsQec

Note:  This post is NOT an advertisement, and I'm not making any money off of those links.  I just think this is a really great new toy line, and I wanted to share the info about it here on my blog.

Toy Collection, Part 1: Digging my toys out of my closet...

I have a random collection of toys (Mostly Batman and other super heroes) that has been collecting dust in my closet for years. Some of it is stuff I had when I was a kid, and others are things I've picked up here and there over the years. I've been thinking of taking up toy collecting as a serious hobby, so I decided to dig them out and see what I've got. I plan on picking up more toys at thrift stores, ebay, or new, and I'll be adding photos of them as I get them. Eventually, I plan on making some fun displays to show them off.

Silver Age Batman action figures

Die-Cast Batmobiles

A Batman Pez dispenser and a talking silver skull.

Toys from Batman: The Animated Series

Super Powers Collection. My Batman and Robin figures are missing from this pic, I don't know where I put them :(

Random Assortment of Toys: Mickey Mouse, The Simpsons, Godzilla, Mr. T, Marvel Secret Wars, Spider-Man, Spawn, Chuck Norris, Darth Vader, and The Tick.