Aliens Series 2 1979 Alien Xenomorph Action Figure - NECA (2014)

NECA Aliens Series 2 - 1979 Alien Xenomorph (2014)

Day 11 of MONSTER MONTH.  The terror inducing Xenomorph from the 1979 film Alien.  This action figure is made by NECA and stands about 9 inches tall.  It's said to have over 30 points of articulation.  It's a great looking detail, with an extremely detailed sculpt, and a "corroded" looking paint wash that helps to make all of those details pop.

I had a few quality control issues with this figure.  When I first opened the package, a piece of the Alien fell out.  It turned out to be one of the "spines" on it's back.  Luckily, the piece was not broken, just loose, and it popped back in to place.  Worse, one of it's ankle joints either broke and was glued together at the factory, or the plastic somehow melted and fused together.  Either way, one foot is permanently stuck in a somewhat awkward position, making it difficult to pose and stand the figure.  The Alien's tale helps in this respect, though, as it made of a soft material with a bendable wire inside, allowing you to position it however you'd like, which makes it much easier to balance the figure.

BONUS! MUSIC VIDEO:
Wipers - Alien Boy


MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

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.

Mork From Ork Vintage Action Figure - Mattel (1980)

Mork From Ork Action Figure (1980, Mattel)

This Mork From Ork action figure was produced by Mattel in 1980.  It came packaged inside a space egg, kind of like the Xeonomorphs from Alien.  Mork was an insane space alien who had come to Earth to prepare it for conquest by his home planet.  At least I think so, I haven't actually watched the show since I was a kid... but that sounds about right.  He was played with psychotic verve by Robin Williams, who you may remember from his frightening role as killer Walter Finch in Insomnia.

My God... THOSE EYES.

They say eyes are the window to the soul.  The Mork From Ork action figure has eyes that appear to be covered in flesh... clearly Mork HAS NO SOUL.

Mork was rarely seen without his gun and his blade (again, if my memories are correct... it's all a bit hazy).  But make no mistake, he could kill you just as easily with his bare hands.  And don't even get me started on his bizarre, alien powers.  Humanity doesn't stand a chance.

Universal Monsters Metaluna Mutant 8 Inch Retro Action Figure - Diamond Select/Emce Toys (2013)

The Metaluna Mutant came out along with the Phantom of the Opera as the fourth and final wave of Universal Monsters Retro Cloth Figures by Diamond Select and Emce Toys.  This Universal Monster appeared in the 1955 Universal Pictures Sci-Fi film "This Island Earth."  

Click here to read my 2012 review of This Island Earth:

http://misfitdaydream.blogspot.com/2012/11/this-island-earth-1955.html

The Metaluna Mutant

One of the interesting aspects of this monster in the movie was that it was hard to tell where it's clothes ended and it's skin began.  It kind of looked like it was wearing trousers with veins on them.  So a Mego style cloth outfit works really well for it.  This figure has a really nice costume, as well as uniquely sculpted hands, feet, and head.  It's pretty darn cool looking.

There is one big flaw, though.  It's shoulder pads are sculpted out of hard plastic, and it severely limits the movement of it's shoulders.  It basically has it's arms stuck pointing straight down it's sides.  So bending the elbows and rotating the wrists are the only arm articulation, which is very limiting when posing the figure.  If you want to turn lemons in to lemonade, you can say that it's perpetually awkward arms give it an unnatural "alien" quality. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Big Bulging Exposed Brain

It's easy to look past the flaws when it has such a weird, cool design, though.  I'm just a sucker for any monster with big bulging exposed brains.  It's got that "Mars Attacks" factor to it.

BONUS!  MUSIC VIDEO:

Here's a song for all the "beautiful mutants" out there...
DEVO - R U Experienced?




MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK... GUEST STARRING CAPTAIN KIRK!

Alien Wave 2 Kane With Facehugger Retro Action Figure - Funko/Super7 (2015)

Today I have a few photos of the Kane with Facehugger figure from the second wave of Funko and Super 7's Alien Reaction line.  This Kane figure (along with his partner Kane with Chestburster) is the first figure from the Alien ReAction line that is not based on a vintage Kenner prototype.  There are aspects of this figure that I don't like, and other things that I do.  I find his face sculpt to be overly bland and generic.  While it blends in fine with the face sculpts from other ReAction lines, I don't think it fits in very well with the other Alien figures, who all have more detailed faces.   I find his all white outfit to be overly bland as well.   It would have been nice if the had gone maybe with some off white or very light gray for some of his outfit, just to provide some visual variety.  As it is, it looks unfinished.  The facehugger, on the other hand, is fantastic.  It pops on and off of his head easily, and it looks really creepy and cool.
So, overall I'm a fan of the figure, even if I have a few complaints.  Below the break I have a few photos of the figure so you can judge it for yourself.

Alien Wave 2 Xenomorph With Metallic Flesh Retro Action Figure - Funko/Super7 (2015)

Happy New Year, everybody!  For my first post of 2015, I'm taking a look at the Funko ReAction "Alien With Metallic Flesh" action figure, part of the second wave of ReAction figures based on the 1979 movie "Alien."  This figure is basically the same Alien figure that launched the ReAction line two years ago (check out my review of the original figures here), but cast in a different color and with different paint apps.  This new figure is based on the look of the old 18 inch Kenner Alien figures from 1979, and it's really cool looking.  It's cast in a sort of pearlescent black or dark gray that captures the light really well, and it looks great in person.  This color really makes the details in the sculpt pop!  I also think the skull-like paint around the eyes and the silver teeth look really good as well.  This color scheme may be less movie-accurate, but it makes for a great looking action figure.

Check out a few more photos after the break, and keep an eye on this blog during the next couple of weeks, as I'll be looking at the other wave 2 Alien figures as well.

Tron 20th Anniversary Retro Action Figures - Originally Released by Tomy (1982), Reissued by NECA (2002)

Tron action figures were originally released by Tomy in 1982.  There were four figures, Tron, Sark, Flynn, and a generic soldier/guard dubbed "The Warrior."  In addition, Tomy produced two lightcycles, red and yellow, that the figures could ride in.  The figures were molded in translucent plastic with minimal stylized paint apps.  Tron, Flynn, and Stark had 5 points of articulation (head, legs, and arms) and came with a glow in the dark disc that they could hold in their hands, or plug in to a hole in their backs.  The Warrior had 4 points of articulation (arms and legs) and came with a glow in the dark staff.  The figures are a little bigger than Kenner Star Wars figures, but still in the same basic scale.  They are more like a full 4 inches than Kenner's 3.75 inch figures.

Sark and The Warrior

The figures in my photos are not actually vintage.  They are 2002 Tron 20th Anniversary rereleases from NECA.  NECA rereleased the original four figures and two lightcycles, as well as produced a third lightcycle in blue.

Flynn and Tron

More photos after the break...

The Terminator and T800 Terminator Retro Action Figures - Funko/Super7 (2014)

Today I'm taking a look at the two Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator figures from Funko's Reaction line, "The Terminator," featuring him with longer hair and the outfit he stole from punk rocking Bill Paxton at the beginning of the movie, and "T800 Terminator," featuring him in his short hair, leather jacket, and sunglasses, like he wore in the second half of the movie.  Let's check them out after the break!

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.

Dollar Store Robocop Action Figures

I'm back today with a quick look at a pair of Robocop action figures I found out the 99 Cents Only Store, of all places.  Usually, they just have low quality Chinese junk toys, but for the Christmas season they've actually branched out with some semi name brand stuff.  I'm guessing that these were originally on sale earlier this year at regular toy stores for regular toy prices, and ended up at the 99 Cents store because nobody cared about that Robocop remake these toys are based on.  But still, at $2 a pop (not 99 cents, unfortunately), these figures are probably worth picking up, even if you weren't a big fan of the movie.

Fisher-Price Adventure People Alpha Star Vehicle and Figures - Fihser-Price (1983)

The "Alpha Star" is one of my favorite toys from the Fisher-Price Adventure People.   It was first released in 1983, and came with a motorized planetary rover and detachable trailer, both with a bunch of fun interactive features.  It also included an astronaut, a robot, and an alien creature.  It had everything a kid would need to have some awesome planet exploring adventures.  Let's check out all of it's fun features after the break!

Micronauts Alien Invaders Vintage Action Figures - Mego (1980)

"Horrifying alien invaders from an unknown planet, with giant brains that glow in the dark!"  They were the Micronauts Alien Invaders, released by Mego in 1980, shortly before the company went out of business.  They were evil aliens with cybernetic weapons implanted onto their limbs, turning them in to living killing machines.  Let's take a look at these terrifying Space Invaders after the break!

Universal Monsters The Metaluna Mutant Action Figure - Diamond Select (2012)

Week 4 of my Countdown to Halloween begins now!  This week's theme is "BEYOND THE STARS AND BENEATH THE WAVES: A Week of Space Monsters and Sea Creatures!"  When it comes to space monsters, you don't get much more spacemonstier than this: it's The Metaluna Mutant by Diamond Select, from the Universal picture "This Island Earth."  Let's go!

Flash Gordon Beastman Vintage Action Figure - Mattel (1980)

Half human, half gorilla, and half Smurf... if my math is right, that equals one scary monster! It's "Beastman," a figure from Mattel's 1979 Flash Gordon line of action figures.  Let's check him out after the break, in this bonus Countdown to Halloween Thursday edition of Vintage Fridays!

"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!"

"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...

"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!