Alice from "The Brady Bunch" 8 Inch Retro Action Figure - Mego Corporation (2018)

Alice from "The Brady Bunch" 8 Inch Retro Action Figure - Mego Corporation (2018)

Alice from "The Brady Bunch" was released by Mego as part of their first wave of new action figures in September 2018.  It's currently available on Target.com and in many Target retail locations. Target's assortment of Mego figures varies quite a bit from store to store, but Alice doesn't seem to be selling out and still looks to be pretty widely available.  I guess there isn't a big demand for Brady Bunch action figures in 2018.  Yeah, it's a goofy show, but I watched so many episodes of it when I was a kid that I think it might be imprinted on my DNA.  So even if no one else wants Alice, I do, gosh darn it.

"If you think we're alive, you ought to speak."

So this figure, like all of the Mego figures, is more of a doll than an action figure, by modern standards.  But by the standards of the 1970s, when Mego was king, this was what action figures were all about.  Back in the day, "action figures" were created as a way for toy companies to replicate the success of the girls' Barbie dolls with boys.  It began with G.I. Joe, which was basically a Ken doll in military drag, and continued with other cloth outfit figures like The Six Million Dollar Man, Big Jim, and Pulsar: The Ultimate Man of Adventure!  But topping them all in the 1970s was Mego!  Mego made figures from Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and more.  Smaller plastic figures, like Kenner's Star Wars figures, eventually came to dominate this category in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but if you were a boy in the early to mid '70s, Mego was where it was at.

Mego's Alice figure comes with an action-packed "SLICE OF CAKE" accessory!

Alice here has 14 points of articulation, and her legs and arms are held in place by elastic bands, just like the original figures from the 1970s.  Yeah, those elastic bands aren't as nice as modern day action figures ball joints, and as a result, even with 14 points of articulation, the figure doesn't really have as good of a range of movement as a modern figures... but it does have 40 years of kid-tested playability behind it, so there's that.  Yeah, that's the ticket!  Personally, I love these things, because I played with figures like this when I was a little kid, like 3-5 years old, and I still have vivid memories of my Mego Spider-Man and Batman figures, so any time I pick one of these up, it puts a smile on my face.  Would modern day kids like these things?  Who knows.  Maybe.  I mean they aren't that different from modern toy lines like Monster High or DC Super Hero Girls, right?  And of course Barbie is still going strong.  But those are all girls toys... would boys be into these?  Well probably not Alice, but, like, Dracula or something?  I'm guessing probably not, but who knows.  I suppose these are really aimed at grown folks like me who had the original Megos as a kid, anyway.

Alice with Greg Brady from Wave 2 and Marcia Brady from Wave 3

So yeah, um, here's some pictures of Alice... inspired by "Alice in Wonderland" and the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit," because those also have someone named "Alice," even though it's a completely different Alice!  Or is she?  Seriously, did you ever notice that Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" and Alice from "The Brady Bunch" wear almost identical blue dresses with white aprons?  Seriously, maybe they are the same person!  Like, Alice from Wonderland grew up and became the maid to the Bradys!  Stranger things have happened.

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit

Jan Brady is the Queen of Hearts

Alice and the Bradys begin a Sackus Race

"...after waiting till she fancied she heard the Rabbit just under the window, she suddenly spread out her hand, and made a snatch in the air. She did not get hold of anything, but she heard a little shriek and a fall, and a crash of broken glass, from which she concluded that it was just possible it had fallen into a cucumber-frame, or something of the sort."

Front and back of the card

Alice and Greg try on each other's clothes

Go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall

Scooby-Doo "Mystery Machine" Playset - Character Options (2017)

Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine Playset by Character Options

The Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine Playset from Character Options is available from various online retailers right now.  It contains three action figures and a Mystery Machine that unfolds into a sort of "Mobile Command Center" type deal.  The Mystery Machine can fit two figures in the front seats, although Scooby doesn't really fit in there very well unless you hang his head out the window.  Any of the human Scooby gang will fit in there just fine.  There is also some room for more figures in the back of the van, so if you don't mind cramming them in there awkwardly, you could probably transport the whole Scooby Gang.

In the Box

The three action figures are Freddy, Scooby, and a ghost.  The Scooby figure is the same one that I reviewed earlier this month, and the Freddy figure feature the same articulation as the Shaggy figure from that review, so check that review out for more information.  (http://misfitdaydream.blogspot.com/2018/10/scooby-doo-fiendish-foes-tower-playset.html) The third figure is the ghost, but calling it an "action figure" would not be accurate, because it has no articulation, it's just a solid piece of white plastic with two eye holes painted on.  That was kind of disappointing, although it does make a nice looking prop.  It's probably just best to think of it as an accessory to the playset rather than an actual action figure.

Scooby and Freddy Encounter a Ghost on the Road

The Mystery Machine has wheels that actually roll.  The front doors don't open, but there is a flap above the seats that opens to make it easier to position the figures in the driver and passenger seats.  The back of the van unfolds into a multi-level playset.  It has some sculpted mechanical  details and instrumentation, and some stickers ot add more details.  The actual purpose of the sculpted and sticker details is undefined, which is fine.  It mostly just left open to a kid's imagination.

Mystery Machine Command Center

These Scooby-Doo toys seem to be constantly repackaged and resold under different configurations, so you should shop around to get the best version of this toy.  For instance, as I write this review, there is a version of this that comes packaged with just the Freddy figure, and has no stickers inside the van, that is priced at $41.94 on Amazon, while another listing has the version I reviewed with all three figures and the stickers for just $17.99.

The Ghost is Just a Hunk of Plastic

The Ghost

Uhh... ghost radar?

I don't know... a flame-thrower?

The Sccoby Gang Needs to Clean Their Van

Fred Behind the Wheel

"Whew!  I'm glad we finally ditched that ghost!"

Scooby-Doo "Fiendish Foes Tower" Playset - Character Options (2015)

Scooby-Doo Fiendish Foes Tower Playset by Character Options

This is an odd but fun playset that I just bought from Amazon.  It's a dungeon tower playset with 5 action figures and a few accessories for $26.  That's more than worth it for the action figures alone!  In fact, I already had 3 of the 5 figures, and I was mainly buying it for Dracula and Skeleton Man, but even then, two figures and a playset for that price was worth it for me.

The Packaging

The toys come packaged in a cardboard box shaped like the Mystery Machine, which is a fun touch.

The package lists the contents as:

• 1 x Torment Tower
• 1 x Scooby
• 1 x Shaggy
• 1 x 1000V Man
• 1 x Dracula
• 1 x Skeleton Man
• 6 x Coins
• 1 x Torment Table

The Dungeon Tower

 The tower is a curiosity.  One thing I noticed about it right away, is it has hinges on the sides, like it is supposed to be attached to another toy.  Was this once part of a larger castle or haunted house set, and is now being repurposed as a standalone piece?  That's what it looks like, but what this other playset was or is, I have no idea.

There is a cauldron on the top of the playset, with a small hole that goes down into the dungeon tower.  Additionally, one of the plastic coins that the set comes with can fit into a slot in the cauldron and block that hole.  It looks to me like this may have been a "slime" playset before it was repurposed.  You could put a figure in the tower, fill the cauldron with slime, and then remove the coin from the slot, causing the slime to ooze down onto the action figure.  I don't have any slime handy to try this out, but that's what it looks like to me.

The coins are another oddity.  They all have a pirate skull on one side, and the face of a Scooby-Doo character on the other.  The 6 coins that I got had 1 Ghost of Redbeard, 1 Pirate Scooby, 2 Pirate Freddies, and 2 The Beast of Bottomless Lakes.  There are holes on the outside of the tower that the coins pop in to.  What purpose is being served by this?  I don't know.

Tower and Coins

The "Torment Table" is a small table that fits neatly into the tower, or can be removed.  It's not clear where the "Torment" aspect of this comes in to play.  It's basically just a little coffee table.

Tremble in Fear Before the Deadly "Torment Table!"

The 5 action figures are all great looking figures that look to have stepped straight out of the cartoons.  However, the articulation on the figures varies greatly.

Dracula Stalks His Prey

Dracula's arms rotate up and down at the shoulders, and that's it, no other articulation.  His head is a separate piece and FEELS like it should rotate at the neck, but it doesn't on my figure, and I didn't want to try and force it and accidentally pop it off.

10,000 Volt Ghost

The 10,000 Volt Ghost has cut joints at the shoulders to move his arms up and down, and has hinges at the knees and elbows.  No articulation at the hips, though, so the knee hinges are mostly pointless, because if you bend them the figure won't be able to stand up.  One of my figures elbows is stuck, you can see paint pooled up in there gluing it shut.  I could probably get some paint thinner and clean it out and get the thing moving if I choose to do so.

Skeleton Man!

Skeleton Man and Shaggy are articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.  Scooby has all of that PLUS a rotating tail, so I guess he wins.

You can get some decent "running" poses from Scooby and Shaggy, which is nice.

It's kind of weird, though.  The figures are all from the same line, yet they range from 2 points of articulation to 8 points.  However, this is a line aimed at kids, not adult collectors, and most kids aren't going to be terribly concerned with how many points of articulation a toy has, they just want to bash them around and have fun, and these figures seem perfectly good for that.

The Slime Hole

The Torment Table Sets Off the Decor of the Dungeon Nicely

Fangface!

Eyeball Skeleton

Electric Mouth

"Zoinks!"

"Ruh roh!"

The Tick - "Growing" Dinosaur Neil Action Figure - Bandai (1994)

The Tick - "Growing" Dinosaur Neil Action Figure - Bandai (1994)

MONSTER MONTH Madness continues for the 9th day, with the mustachioed menace of Dinosaur Neil!  Dinosaur was one of the action figures Bandai released in 1994 for the animated The Tick cartoon.  The figure stands at a minuscule 5 inches, but has an extending mid-section that increases his height to a majestic 6 inches!  But certainly his most terrifying feature is his fearsome "Magnum P.I." mustache, just like the one John Oates from the band Hall and Oates sold his soul to the Devil for! 

Which is a true story, by the way.  Most people think Oates sold his soul to Satan in exchange for his successful music career, but really he just did it for the fearsome satanic mustache.  In return, Beelzebub expected Oates to perform a human sacrifice at least once a year.  And on those occasions when you have seen Oates WITHOUT the mustache, it's not because he shaved it, it's because he neglected to perform a human sacrifice that year, so Satan withheld the 'stache from him until he performed the evil deed.  Again, this a true story.

Oh yeah, by the way... Dinosaur Neil!  What a swell toy.

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE BREAK...

The Outer Space Men Return!

The Outer Sapce Men began as an action figure line in 1968, which was a bit before my time, but I fell in love with them when the Four Horsemen brought them back in 2010.  Their version of the Outer Space Men quickly became my favorite modern day retro toy line.  That action figure line sadly ended a few years ago, but now it is coming back, courtesy of OSM creator Mel Birnkrant, Gary Schaeffer, and The Outer Space Men LLC.  One of my all time favorite toy lines is returning!  Woo-hoo!  Read the press release below:

MEL BIRNKRANT, GARY SCHAEFFER, AND THE OUTER SPACE MEN LLC ANNOUNCE THEY ARE CONTINUING THE OUTER SPACE MEN LINE OF ACTION FIGURES

NEW YORK CITY, NY, August 16, 2016—Gary Schaeffer has announced via social media and through the official OSM site (www.theouterspacemen.com) that, as of next week, the Outer Space Men line of action figures continues!

A brand new Colossus Rex in the vintage and rare 1968 blue variation with golden accessories will be released through the OSM website store. The details of which night and at what time has yet to
be announced; however, Schaeffer has said it is to be sometime next week and he will be personally alerting the fan base via social media and the OSM website.

Additionally, the long awaited Cosmic Radiation Edition is making its first appearance. The entire run of all OSM figures will be made in stunning Glow-in-the-Dark. Gamma X, the Man from the 4th Dimension, Cosmic Radiation Edition will appear first within booth #426 at Star Trek Mission New York Convention at the Jacob Javits Center over Labor Day Weekend, September 2, 3, & 4. Colossus Rex Cosmic Radiation Edition is next to appear in stunning Glow-in-the-Dark within booth #440 at the New York Comic Con at the Javits Center on October 4th , 5th and 6th.

With the long awaited announcement that the iconic and infamous Outer Space Men line of toys will be continuing, Schaeffer has gone on record saying “More OSM figures will now be issued, faster than ever before”.

With less than 18 months to go before celebrations begin for the 50th anniversary of the toy line, Schaeffer is guaranteeing that building up to that momentous occasion will introduce something so incredible and unique that the world will never be the same.

Schaeffer closed with the remark, "be prepared to see something so special and incredible that even Hollywood will finally admit that the OSM is a galactic force to be reckoned with!".

For more information, visit www.theouterspacemen.com

 

Amazing Heroes Series 2 Kickstarter is Live!

AMAZING HEROES SERIES 2

www.freshmonkeyfictionkickstarter.com

Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes quickly became one of my favorite toy lines when I received my first set of action figures earlier this year.   The  figures were made in the style of 1980s superhero action figures, such as Mattel's Marvel Secret Wars figures.  Amazing Heroes featured mostly public domain characters from the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1930s and '40s, but with a couple of newer licensed characters as well.  Check out my reviews for the Series 1 figures:

Fresh Monkey Fiction's Amazing Heroes

Amazing? Indeed! It's the Amazing Heroes Amazing Man Action Figures!

 

Some of the figures from Series 1

Now Fresh Monkey Fiction are back with a new Kickstarter campaign for Series 2 of this awesome retro superhero line.   Again, it's mostly classic Golden Age characters, but with a few licensed characters as well.  

LICENSED FIGURES

The licensed figures in Series 1 were Captain Action, who originated as an action figure in the 1960s, and Madman, Mike Allred's classic indie comics superhero.

Nexus

For Series 2, Madman is back, this time in his "Cosmic Madman" outfit.  He also comes with an alternate David Bowie tribute head that is too cool.  I might have to buy a second Madman figure so I can display both heads.  

Next up is Nexus, Mike Baron and Steve Rude's sci-fi superhero who debuted in comics in the 1980s.  I've always thought that Nexus was one of the coolest looking indie comics superheroes, and it's great to finally have an action figure of this cool character.  

The final licensed figure is Mike Grell's Jon Sable.  Jon Sable was a freelance mercenary who first appeared in the comics in 1983.  Like Nexus, this is Jon Sable's first appearance as an action figure.  This is another comic character that I have fond memories of from when I was a kid in the '80s.  I might have to start digging around through my comic collection and pull out some old issues to reread.

GOLDEN AGE HEROES AND VILLAINS

Captain Future

Of course, the bread and butter of the Amazing Heroes character from Series 1 were the Golden Age comic book characters, and it's no different for Series 2.  Series 2 has the heroes American Crusader, Wonderman, and Captain Future, and the villains Blackout and The Puzzler.  There is also a Puzzler Henchman figure, which would make a great "army builder" figure for those that are in to that.

ORIGINAL CHARACTER

There is also one original character: Chrometurion.  I think the folks at Fresh Monkey Fiction came up with this guy as an excuse to do a shiny silver looking figure (which is kind of reasonable, I guess?).  He's a blank silver figure with a black cape, and seems to be filling the slot that "The Blank Slate" held in Series 1.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...

American Crusader

That's all the figures that are officially part of Series 2, but there will also be stretch goals if the Kickstarter exceeds it's minimum requirements.  The first one is The Black Bat, who is a bad ass looking pulp fiction hero, in the same vein as The Shadow, or his contemporary character from DC Comics: Batman.

And Fresh Monkey Fiction promise there will be more stretch goals to come, as the Kickstarter progresses, so stay tuned for those.

If you haven't already, go check out the Kickstarter page at www.freshmonkeyfictionkickstarter.com and go see it all for yourself!