Skeletor (Alcala Face) [Masters of the Universe]

I’ve been looking forward to this new “kids core” size class in Masters of the Universe—which, interestingly enough, is just labeled as standard MOTU without any extra branding like Origins or Masterverse.

These figures are slightly smaller than Origins. They’re still around 5.5 inches tall, but physically less bulky. It’s hard to describe exactly—they just feel closer to a more typical action figure in terms of mass. A big part of that comes down to the price. At $9.99, Skeletor is a welcome break from the higher costs of Origins and Masterverse/Chronicles figures. Despite the lower price, he’s not lacking. You still get around 14 points of articulation. There are fewer paint applications, but honestly, I didn’t really notice. He’s a good-looking figure—but we’ll get to that in a bit.

As for accessories, Skeletor comes with just his Havoc Staff. That might be the standard going forward at this scale. His armor is removable, and he includes a soft goods cape, which may be taking the place of extra accessories. There’s also likely some shared mold use here to keep costs down, similar to how the original MOTU line operated. Skeletor has the classic “bad guy” hands and feet, while the rest of the body appears to use more standard parts.

From what I’ve seen so far, a lot of this line is focused on movie versions of the characters, but this particular Skeletor pulls from classic MOTU. Specifically, this is a Walmart exclusive featuring a head sculpt inspired by the artwork of Alfred Alcala from the original mini-comics.

I’ve always preferred that earlier, more demonic take on Skeletor over the later Keldor-based version, so this really hits for me. He’s done in his traditional colors, but this exclusive version adds gold-painted accents and a gold skull. The packaging follows suit with a black-and-gold presentation, which looks really sharp.

For what is essentially a budget figure, this is a very nice release. The cape is pretty basic—doesn’t bother me at all, but I can see it being a sticking point for some. Mileage may vary there.

Overall, my first experience with this new MOTU format is a positive one. I’ll still be picking up Origins and Masterverse/Chronicles figures, but I can definitely see this line—and Mighty Masters—becoming my main focus going forward. The price is right, and the toys are fun. Not to mention… they feel just right for a Wednesday post here on the Base.

I’d end this by saying something like “they have the power”… but seriously.

Skeleton Action Figures 4 Pack T13 [MMXBGS]

I have no clue why we’re all so scared of skeletons, considering there’s one inside all of us. And yet… I guess our insides are creepy. Despite just being our insides, skeletons are spooky tropes that show up all the time—in games, movies, books, seasonal and personal style décor, and memento mori stuff. They’re just everywhere, and specifically in today’s post… as some really neat 3D-printed action figures.

The Mrs. got these for me at Halloween, and I’m just now getting around to showcasing them here on the site. They’re a rad set of four differently colored skeletons, absolutely chock full of articulation. From all the various 3D-printed action figures I see online, I’m assuming she chose from a wide selection. This particular set is especially neat because she clearly went for the TMNT colors. She knows me.

The set includes four separate skeletons, each with an array of weapons and two sets of hands—one open and one closed. The closed hands can hold the weapons, while the open ones are obviously for more expressive poses. Speaking of expressive poses, these guys are articulated up the wazoo. I didn’t try it, but I’m pretty sure you could roll them up into a ball. Super articulated, and even their skeleton jaws can open. These things are freaking neat.

They’re technically troop builders—meaning identical figures meant to form an army—but thanks to the different colors, they manage to convey a bit of individuality. I can totally see the purple one as more of a magic-wielding skeleton, while the red one just screams bloody dungeon corpse.

The weapons are pretty interesting too. There’s a hatchet and a halberd, both slightly gnarly, with some neat ornamentation on the halberd and bones used throughout. There’s also a skull-headed club that could easily double as some sort of spellcaster’s staff. My favorite, though, is the nunchucks made from bones. A bit silly—but honestly, it makes a lot of sense. I mean, why wouldn’t skeletons use bones lying around for weapons? And even if they don’t know martial arts… it’d still hurt like hell.

Each skeleton comes with the same set of weapons, giving your spooky skeletal troop plenty of options in battle. This is a really neat set of figures the Mrs. surprised me with, and I’ve been enjoying them quite a lot. Of course, the colors make me think of Microman, but also of random dungeon encounters in some old PC game. They’re genuinely cool toys that can interact with other figures you pair them with in a battle.

Really freaking neat.

Warduke (NECA)

I've never been super big on Dungeons and Dragons. I tried, but pen and paper RPG just isn't for me. However, I've loved the old D&D cartoon since childhood. During it's time, I had a lot of fun with the toy line by LJN and the assorted kids books and stuff. I was actually quite disapointed that I couldn't get into the game itself despite multiple tries. The occasinal video game, sure, just can't do pen and paper RPG. That being said, how I've enjoyed D&D lead to me appreciation of one of the most badass villains of all time. Warduke.

I've actually spoken about my admiration for Warduke here before. This weird occult flavored cousin of Darth Vader who of course set off the Satanic Panic folks back in the day. My original action figure was destroyed thanks to a jealous cousin and replacing it hasn't worked out in my favor. There's various homages to him in independent toys (especially in the Glyos area), and I did luckily find his Funko Pop a while back. NECA recently has put out some premium D&D figures including the Duke of War here. Thankfully he was a birthday gift from my wife who absolutely spoils me on holidays.

NECA nailed it with this incarnation of Warduke. He looks 100% like you'd expect a 'serious collector' premium toy to look. All of his classic design is here with leveled up detailing and paint. I'm especially fond of the metallic pain on his helmet and the flame effect that can be attached to his sword. Warduke has his additional daggers and short sword as well as his trademark shield. They're all sorts of magical and NECA made them look it. The figure has a ton of articulation so the EVIL ACTION FIGURE can be put in all sorts of menacing poses. There's also a range of extra hands for this purpose.

Warduke is one of those characters that I keep on an untouchable high shelf. Thankfully this figure really drive home some of that prestige. He's pretty large, about 6 inches and scales pretty well with Masterverse figures from what I've seen in MOTU groups. Despite being from different series, he fits in nicely there. Warduke comes from that same 80's fantasy boom that He-Man came from, and both respective toy lines set off the Satanic Panic alarms of the time. This is an amazingly great figure of an all time favorite villain of mine. I'm definitely glad to have it and grateful of my wife for giving it to me.

Super Freaking Powers

The new McFarlane toys version of Super Powers is pretty great. So far I've gotten Batman and Superman and plan to get more. The original line by Kenner was a lot of fun back in the day. I can't help but to want all the new ones with all the fond memories of these guys I have. I hope they make more, but I should focus on getting the ones out now. The new figures are little different, but still have the same charm of the old ones. They're currently Walmart exclusive, but I hope to one day find them at other stores. Just so I can one day walk into a grocery store to find a years old Green Lantern with yellowed packaging still on the shelves. Just like in the good old days.

What A Spooky Poser

This past Sunday morning I found myself in another Walmart than the one I shopped at Saturday. Of course I took the time to look at the Halloween section with the wife. Different Walmart's tend to have different stock and that's usually noticeable in the holiday sections. There's probably a reason for it, but I don't give it too much thought. I just don't care. I like the variety between locations. Each store is it's own thing despite being part of a big chain. Like I said, we were checking out the Halloween section and for the record, this location usually has great holiday areas. 

Each weekend they're getting a bunch of new stuff. It's fun to check it out and maybe get a cool surprise while doing so. Which brings us here today. Whilst looking around, I found a lone peg hook with articulated skeleton action figures for $3.88. It was just there, seemingly hung randomly with no actual spot to call it's own. I like to think it's supposed to go on one of those hanging strips and whoever just stuck it there. But there it was, cool as crap. So I bought one.

A Instagram friend pointed out it's a bootleg ReMent Skeleton that's been making the rounds. If you check the link, you'll see that's a $70 dollar toy. Holly crap, wow. You can imagine my surprise and apparently others as well after I pointed it out to others online. One guy pointed out that it's been in Big Lot's for a few years. I've never seen it, so maybe. On it's own, it's a pretty good figure. Lot's and lot's of articulation allows you to put it in a ton of poses. It is a bootleg, so the plastic quality isn't super awesome, but it'll do. It's not fragile or anything, so go ahead and put it in the Ironman pose.

GIJOE In Discount Missions

On my birthday last month, the Mrs. ended my quest for the new Dollar Tree GIJOE figures I had talked about before. Taped to each present was one of the much searched for figures (and some Tiny Turbo Changers, but we'll discuss those later) and I was overjoyed. Today seemed like a good day to talk about them. I hardly ever plan anything on this site ahead of time. It's complete anarchy. Just chaos.

These are mini figures of GIJOE characters sold at Dollar Tree and other similar stores for $1 each. They're small, about the size of a M.A.S.K figure without any articulation. The sculpts are pretty nice and so is the paint. Destro probably got the worst paint job, with his exposed skin being the same shade of grey as the trademark mask. It's not terrible though, just a little better paint detail would go a long way. 

I think my favorite is the Cobra Red Ninja followed closely by Snake Eyes. They just came out the best in my non- snaked eyes. I really like this type of mini figures sold at Dollar Tree and other similar stores. Basic inexpensive figurines of characters I like. They've got a particular charm about them and there's a thrill of buying a handful of them for $1 each. I hope to see more figures released. I'd love wacky colored repaints.

Augmented Combat Rescue Mech A.C.R.M

The coolest member of Alpha Team 1 is the A.C.R.M. Piloted by a disabled 15 year old kid named Boyd via virtual reality, the mech unit is a heavy hitter. The Air Assault weapons pack completes the figure adding wings, boosters, and gun pods. It's pretty hard not to look at this figure and be impressed. Especially as it only costs $1. A.C.R.M has been a pretty popular toy for customizers as well. I've seen everything from alternate colors to takes on other characters with the figure as the base. 

Like all of Final Faction, this is a 3 3/4 figure with 5 points of articulation. Similar to the Synthoid, it's a much more chunky toy and looks bigger in pictures. Also like the Synthoid, it's one of the more impressive figures in the line. At Toylanta, I was showing Buddy the figures and the two definitely blew him away. I don't want to oversell the toy, but it really does feel like a much more expensive than it is.

Hive Class Drone

The Kharn Drone Class is a basic grunt used for combat and labor operations. Not highly intelligent, but able to accomplish mission tasks.

As their name would imply, the Drone is the basic soldier of the Kharn army. I do like how so far all the Kharn is army builders. Just droves of attacking aliens that can be equipped differently with various accessory sets. The design of these guys is a cross between a Xenomorph and something out of Quake. That mixture of 80's and 90's aesthetics in Final Faction is a big part of what makes it such a fun little line. Like the other Kharn soldiers, I wish the Drone was available in a variety of colors. I could see a 'fire' or 'ice' version of this figure with corresponding included weapons.

SGT. Steel

Continuing our weekly exploration of Dollar Tree's Final Faction toys brings us to SGT. Steel. Steel is a pretty cool dude as his sunglasses would imply. If the big wings on his back didn't clue you in, he's the jet pack flyer guy of Alpha Team 1. So far the members I've shown you have been heavy duty ground soldiers, so the variety is much appreciated. 

He's pretty much the Final Faction version of Red Falcon and that's pretty great. If you want to deck him out with accessories, I'd say the Air Assault and Covert Arms packs would suit him fine. Unfortunately Steel is the only Final Faction toy I've gotten that's had any QC issues. Mine wasn't screwed together well leading to a loose head. Fortunately all it takes to fix this is one of those tiny screw drivers they also sell at the Dollar Tree.

SGT. Ruck

Ruck is the ground artillery guy in Alpha Team 1. Like Steadfast, he's also a cyborg . Ruck has robotic legs and his covered in cool sci fi armor that you can plug various guns into for more firepower. He's pretty much a walking tank in these regards. Ruck comes with a backpack mounted gun that can fold over his shoulder. It matches up with the sculpted on headset that likely gives him a heads up display for use with his various attached weapons.

I see that armor and think Alien Syndrome. A major part of why these Final Faction toys are so cool is that old school flavor in the designs. Ruck is a great example of that. Like I said above, you can attach various attachments to him via accessory sets. The gun pods from the Air Assault set would be a natural fit though I think he's general enough for most things from the sets to match up pretty well. This figure with a helmeted head would make for a good army builder figure. He's a solid action figure from a line with a lot going on for it. I just can't say enough good things about these toys. It's a amazing they're exclusive to the Dollar Tree. There's more heart in these than much more expensive figures.

Hive Class Synthoid

"Synthoids are used in all Kharn operations and are not to be underestimated. They have very advanced technology, a synthetic biology, and are highly intelligent" 

Today we're looking at the Synthoid. These guys look like a cross between a shark and a space ship with some insect thrown in for good measure. The figure comes as you see here out of the package, but can be decked out with the Synthoid Pack accessory set. This gives you an alternate set of arms and back mounted gun pods for extra fire power. It's a pretty cool extra option.

I appreciate the far out sci fi look of Synthoids. The other two Kharn figures look like extras from Doom while these guys are classic B movie aliens. The colors are great, but like others in the Final Faction group... I want to see these guys in translucent colors. The Synthoid specifically would look great in random florescent transparent plastic. I could really see myself driving to a bunch of different Dollar Tree's and stocking up on all the different ones I could find. Maybe stop by McDonald's for lunch. Get a McDouble or two.

MSGT. Steadfast

I've talked about Final Faction here before, but not enough. This wonderful little line has become quite popular since launching around Christmas. It's a nice throwback to action figures of old and extremely inexpensive. Being exclusive to the Dollar Tree, each figure/accessory set is only $1 each. That's super hard to beat. The figures are 1:18 scale and have five points of articulation. 

This is MSGT. Steadfast, the leader of Alpha Team.1 (the good guys). Steadfast has seen some action as his cybernetic arm would imply. He's decked out out in olive green riot gear and a removable helmet. The helmet offers a full face shield with goggles and respirator so he doesn't catch covid-19.

Also included with Steadfast is a big gun. You can't deal with an alien invasion by talking. With a gun like that, Steadfast isn't mincing words. I'd recommend the Heavy Arms accessory set to fully outfit this soldier with a ton of firepower. He's the kind of toy you want to just pile a million guns on. Just a kick ass type of guy. Steadfast is the perfect figure to start with in Final Faction. Not only is he the leader of the good guys, but an awesome action figure.

Star Troopers, Inc.

Lanard makes really neat toys that don't cost a whole lot. That's hard not to like. Their current Aliens (now with Predators!), Jumangi, and standard bearer Corps! lines sell steadily with practically no advertising or marketing outside of word of mouth. I remember during their Skull Island line hardly seeing anything about it, but those jumbo Kong figures were a pretty hot commodity. 

The newest line to that'll be arriving in stores presumably soon if they haven't at yours already is Star Troopers!. A throwback to their S.T.A.R Force figures Star Troopers! pits way cool astronaut soldiers against space bugs. How is that not awesome?

Like normally, there's a bunch of mold reuses, but in space adventure deco that makes them look new. Not to mention the new space alien toys really work well with the old toys to make them fresh. Lanard has a really good way of making toys that seem like they came from an old video game. These guys definitely have that vibe. I feel like there should be a Star Troopers! game by Sunsoft.

That's a good thing.

Keeping up with Lanard releases can be hard. News of this line broke last June when my attention was mainly on moving. So the random posts just flew under my radar. It wasn't until this past Sunday that I discovered them. There was a posts in Final Faction and Microman groups I was browsing whilst watching Ultraman. Pretty much everyone in both groups was excited. 

Like minded people, you know.

Seeing R.E.D

Earlier today the news of the new Transformers R.E.D (Robot Enhanced Design) figures was set forth upon the internet and frankly I didn't notice. I was busy. However after another look, man these things are cool. Basically Hasbro is doing a collectors line of Transformers characters similar to Star Wars Black Series, Power Rangers Lightening Series, Ghostbusters Plasma Series, or GI JOE Classified toys. While they don't transform, they're pretty great representations of the characters as they appeared in various media.

I'm a pretty big fan of Action Masters and the SFC series and really have enjoyed most non-transforming toys of the Transformers. Mainly because I like having a toy that looks like they do on the cartoon without the reality of a working transforming toy getting in the way. I like action figures in general and good looking ones of characters I love isn't exactly a tough sell.

They're supposed to start showing up in September and from what I gather will be Walmart exclusive initially. That's ok with me as dude I'm in Walmart every weekend if not a couple of times a week. I'm a middle class dude from the rural suburbs. I buy a lot there. I grew up shopping there. I like Walmart.

I can't say I'll buy every single one of these new figures. I'll probably cherry pick from the assortment like I do the other collectors lines. These look pretty neat to me and I'm hoping the range of characters covers the history of the line pretty well. According to some recent news it will. Honestly this looks like a pretty fun time. That's the kind of thing I like to do with my hobbies, you know, have a good time.

Kong Is King And This Toy Is Pretty Good Too

Playmates new Godzilla and Kong toy line is starting to show up at my local stores. My wife snuck a few of them into my birthday presents last week with much appreciation. Kong here represents his appearance from Skull Island in the standard line, while there is a larger figure available as well (I'm getting that too, no worry). I'm admittedly smitten with the Monsterverse's version of Kong, but dang I love this toy. While the Bandai toys that preceded Playmates line were sofubi figures, these new toys are outright action figures similar to the Trendmasters line from the 90's. I have noticed Playmates reissuing some of the Bandai sofubi toys, so maybe they're doing some distributing for Bandai as well. I'd love that.

Kong is roughly in scale with the standard kaiju figure around 6-7". He has a solid hard plastic body with a more rubbery plastic for his arms, legs, and head. Think of the build used in a 80's He-Man figure and you're not far off. Kong's arms and legs move classic swivel joint style like a Kenner Star Wars figure and now I'm imagining him driving an X-Wing. Not too shabby. His feet also swivel helping to stabilize him while standing. Those long gorilla arms can throw off the weight a bit. His head is on more of a ball joint allowing for a greater range of movement. This may not seem like much, but thanks to his nice head sculpt, it adds a lot more personality when having Kong look around.

I have a hard time not loving Kong or Godzilla as is. I literally feel my chest swell with happiness whenever the subject comes up. The amount of exhilaration I felt as I was playing with this toy, let alone talking about it now, is off the charts. I'm really happy Playmates took over the license. Not that I didn't love what Bandai has been doing, it's because I'm so happy with this toy. I'm excited for the line in general and look forward to more releases. When the Kong Vs Godzilla movie comes out, I might go nuts grabbing figures. I've seen a few leaked pics and man they look great.

Neon Alien Syndrome

Great news, everyone. Earlier today news broke of upcoming Alien toys by Lanard! Lanard, best known as the makers of the Corps! line of action figures has been making some really great licensed toy lines. From Kong to Rampage, and now with Jumanji, Lanard has been really knocking it out of the park with their great toys at really low prices. This year I've been a big fan of their Primal Clash line of figures myself. They're just good toys at a great price despite the snorts of toy snobs online (how does that even happen?).

With this new Alien line, Lanard is following their formula of new sculpt monster packaged with reused Corps! figure molds. These toys are bright colored and neat looking. The sculpting of the Corps! figures with the colorful Aliens make me mentally think of various video games like Alien Syndrome by Sega or the Konami arcade game (among others). Not to mention by making the Xenomorphs colorful, they make me draw mental comparisons to recent Reaction figures and the classic Kenner line. I also like bright colors on toys and man just LOOK at that neon nightmare packaging.

So far details are scarce. They've been spotted on Smyths Toy Stores site and I sent Lanard an email this morning asking for any details they could give me. Usually Lanard action figures are exclusive to Walmart stores here in the US (for the past few years with a few exceptions here and there), so I already know where to look. I'm hoping they'll take the place of Jumanji toys and replace this years selection sometime after Christmas. As much as I loved Primal Clash, this would make one awesome replacement.

*edit* I just got a reply from Lanard,  the Alien toys will be in US Walmart stores shortly after Christmas with even more Alien product due halfway into the year.

Wow

I love the production that goes into Japanese toy commercials.

Transformers at Joelanta 2017

http://www.joelanta.org/

For the past few years, I've been helping operate the annual Transformers panel at Joelanta here in Atlanta. It's been a ton of fun and thanks to it's success, it's grown into it's own event within the convention. This year (2017) the Transformers panel has changed into it's own series of panels in it's own dedicated space. The planning for the event has been fun and the closer it gets, the more excited for it I get.

Joelanta is a wonderful convention in it's own right. It's this amazing nirvana of toys and fun that just can't be replicated. The annual parachute drop is probably my favorite event. Just imagine throwing action figures in parachutes off the balcony of a very tall hotel and you've nailed exactly what it is. Pure fun and a little crazy. I'm also looking forward to the trading party on Friday. Last year I traded a giant ziplock bag full of tiny monster toys for a Green Goblin. I kinda want to take him back and see what I can swap him for. Just see if I can keep it going and see what I get each year.

Rogue One Imperial Ground Crew

Dramatically directing traffic for the Empire.

I like a good basic action figure and Hasbro's Star Wars lines has had good basic action figures for awhile now. As a kid in the 80's, most of my action figures had the same 5 points of articulation. So it's my mental go to for an average action figure. I'm not going to lie, I do like the additional articulation of fancier figures, but I'm completely happy with the basic 5 points.

I say that to start off, because I love the basic Star Wars figures. They're good looking representations of the characters and pretty much give me what I want at a relatively low price. The Imperial Ground Crew figure from the new Rogue One collection is a really solid basic action figure. He has a really good sculpt and a good looking deco. It's a good looking toy.

Included with the figure are his/her light batons. The figure can either hold the batons in his/her hands or store them on his/her back as part of the uniforms utility clothing. These light batons are not a weapon, however, they are a utility tool. You see, this is a figure of a member of the ground crew (as the name implies). One thing Star Wars figures has always excelled at is making toys out of every single on screen character no matter how big or small their role.

A good reason not to take pictures of a toy in your kitchen is the lights bleeding out the Imperial sigil.

As a member of the Imperial Ground Crew, this toy would direct vehicles into or out of stationary positions. Maybe the vehicle needs to be worked on. Maybe needs to be prepped for action, or even seeing to the vehicle upon it's return. Maybe the pilot needs help getting in or out. This kind of position is a reality in the real world and is represented often in works of fiction. But good old Star Wars is one of the few toy lines that would take the time to make a figure of those nameless techs. Not just a figure, but a pretty good one.

The Imperial Ground Crew figure's included Combat Gear (an exciting word for extra accessories) is a really neat jet pack. The jet pack has wings that fold out to an impressive wing span. With this jet pack, the Ground Crew member can take to the air to maybe escape the base's imminent explosion. Or maybe the Ground Crew needs to lend a hand in a battle, as the jet pack is packing some on board blasters. It's a cool accessory and really adds to the figure. It's sculpting blends in with the figure and makes for a neater overall toy.

I'm patiently waiting to see Rogue One this weekend, a figure like this really feeds my excitement as a fan of Star Wars and of toys in general. It makes for a good appetizer for what looks like an awesome movie.

First Impressions: Titans Return Scourge

Titanmaster Transformers, they've got the power to surprise!

The new Titans Return Transformers toys have started hitting physical and online retail the past weekend. Fortunately, I managed to grab the new deluxe Scourge toy. I've been really looking forward to these as they hit all sorts of beats I love in Transformers as well as toys in general.

Titans Return follows Combiner Wars in the Prime Wars trilogy (there was some legal reasons for not calling the line Titan Wars, which was a better name). At first glance the toys seem like a rehash of the Headmasters from G1 and kind is. However it's also extremely similar to the Micromasters toys as well. It would be fair to call it a combination of Headmasters and Micromasters.

 

Fracas (who was Scourge's Targetmaster back in G1) can be a gunner or a pilot for Scourge's vehicle mode.

When Fracas converts into Scourge's head, he can be snapped into place easily and even can move about, adding to Scourge's pretty great amount of articulation.

Neatly enough, Scourge's gun resembles Fracas's G1 Targetmaster gun mode. Scourge is a really pleasant looking toy. Pleasant enough for me to look over his few short comings. He is a little loose in some joints and the arms are a bit hollow. These are little problems that could have been fixed with better plastic tolerance for the loose bits and the hollowness is a symptom of the economic conditions in the current toy market. More solid parts = a higher priced toy. At 16$, I can deal with some hollow parts. I do wish, however, it was hidden better. I can assume later assortments will be better. As is the case with all retail toys.

In all, I am really happy with my first Titans Return figure. Scourge excites the Transformers fan that I am and all the cool features of his gimmick ignites my imagination. I've already seen fans come up with various 'what if' scenarios for the line and I can just imagine a kid getting a hold of this toy and having a ton of fun. As much as I liked Combiner Wars, this looks like not only a better line, but a much more fun experience for me as a fan.