Yondu (Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series)

Yondu is the leader of the faction of Ravagers who abducted Peter Quill from Earth as a child. He is played awesomely in the movies by Michael Rooker. I was skeptical at first because this Yondu was such a departure from the original comics character but Rooker's performance won me over. James Arnold Taylor provides his voice on the show. This figure is good in terms of sculpting and articulation but his complete lack of accessories bothers me. I can totally see why Groot had no accessories, he doesn't really use any. But Yondu has an iconic weapon in his "Yakka arrow" and it's such an easy accessory to make I can't imagine why they skipped it. I'd say it was because they were worried about a choking hazard but then so are Drax's knives. So *shrug* I let him borrow the arrow from his Infinite Series 3.75" comic book counterpart.

Nebula (Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series)

Nebula is another unfortunate soul raised by Thanos. In the movies Nebula and Gamora have a great twisted sibling rivalry that is mirrored in the cartoon. In the comics Nebula claims to be Thanos' granddaughter and plays a pivotal role in the original Infinity Gauntlet series. Her bald cyborg look doesn't appear until after that major event in a storyline in Silver Surfer. This figure comes with twin swords that remind me a bit of Asajj Ventress' or Count Dooku's lightsabers with their more Italian style hilt. It's kind of neat that the animated Nebula (voiced by Cree Summer) got an actual posable action figure before the movie Nebula (played by Karen Gillan). Though the movie Nebula figure should be out next month from the Marvel Legends line.

Rocket Raccoon (Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series)

Rocket Raccoon first appeared in a few issues of Incredible Hulk before starring in his own miniseries (all written by Bill Mantlo and the miniseries was early work by Mike Mignola). In his early appearances Rocket got his name from his boot rockets he used to fly, much better than a rocket pack for anyone with a tail.  The hating being called a raccoon is something right out of the movies. This figure is scaled to fit in with the others so he's short but still has nice elbows like his taller teammates. His big honkin' gun is fun and can be held with one hand or two. Rocket's tail can spin around but tends to be too unbalancing for the figure unless resting on the ground. To compensate for being shorter he comes with a potted baby Groot.

Drax the Destroyer (Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series)

Drax the Destroyer lives only to kill Thanos. In the comics Drax was created from Arthur Douglas, an Earthman driving through the desert with his family as Thanos flew overhead and exploded them to hide his presence. This worked super well because Thanos' father Mentor was watching the whole thing and put Douglas' mind into an indestructible body filled with vengeance. Drax "died" again and came back with brain damage that made him talk more like the Hulk. He was eventually restored to normal and started sporting his current tattooed, knife wielding look.

Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series)

Groot first appeared in Tales to Astonish #13 in a classic monster tale by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Groot who joined the Guardians of the Galaxy is a different individual from Planet X (yes Planet X, it was the 60's). Groot spoke rarely but normally until the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy series where Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning gave him the limited yet poignant vocabulary everyone's favourite giant tree alien is now famous for.  Groot is the only figure in this line to have knee joints and is so much taller than the others that he was packaged with his legs detached from the body.

Star-Lord (Guardians of the Galaxy Animated Series)

We went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 opening weekend at a Friday matinee. The film was awesome and reminded me that I still needed to shoot the rest of the team from the animated series line.

Peter Quill is the half-human/half-Spartoi Star-Lord. Possessing twin "element guns" he leads the Guardians in their sometimes good/sometimes bad adventures. The animated Star-Lord looks like Chris Pratt jumped off the silver screen into the toon box but sounds like Batman Beyond because he's voiced by the great Will Friedle. Like Gamora before him articulation is not his strong suit. His arms are decent but he has no knees. The collar of his jacket negates most of his neck rotation. The element guns fit nicely into his hands but look a little gargantuan in their holsters.

Scarlet Spider (Marvel Legends Infinite Series)

The Clone Saga, perhaps the most infamous comic storyline of the 90's and almost definitely the most divisive Spider-Man story. It's too convoluted to go into here so the short version: Ben Reilly is a clone of Peter Parker who adopts the heroic persona of the Scarlet Spider. His costume is a nineties spectacular with exposed web-shooters and belt, ankle pouches, and a sleeveless hoodie. Kewl.

Kre-O Decepticon Piranacon (Micro-Changer Combiner)

Addendum.

As I was finishing up the posts on the G1 Seacons I remembered that in a time of Transformers scarcity I got really into Kre-O (Hasbro's attempt to compete with LEGO). The coolest parts of the Kre-O line were the "micro-changer"figures (called Kreons) and before the Combiner Wars was the best way to get versions of classic G1 combiners. This Piranacon has more articulation than his Grandpappy but is made up of fewer Cybertronians. Alas poor Skalor...

Transformers (2010) Piranacon (Seacons Reissue Set)

And now the moment you've all been waiting for: "Seacons Combine!"

Piranacon is the super-robot-warrior form of the Seacons. This is the configuration in the box with Seawing and Skalor as his arms, Tentakil and Nautilator as his legs, and Overbite as the weapon. Piranacon can only really move his arms. Theoretically he could do the splits but that's asking for trouble. I really like Piranacon's helmet which just slides over Snaptrap's head, it's a classic villainous "no-face" look. I dig it. The sword is cool, newly vac-metallized along with the chest blades. Other unique pieces include the hands (with deadly punch claws) and deliciously magenta feet with pointy toes.

Transformers (2010) Overbite (Seacons Reissue Set)

Overbite is an ambulatory shark with pincer arms. He looks especially goony with his extra limbs. Overbite suffers the most from mould degradation, the "Jawbreaker Cannon" is very tough to peg in the port in beast mode. Like Skalor his head forms the handle in weapon mode hence the unplanned green "nose" on the yellow faceplate.

Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience

I'm a Trekkie from way back. I discovered Star Trek: the Next Generation at that ideal age for science fiction and it's been my favourite series ever since. Telus SPARK has been hosting the Starfleet Academy Experience since February and I just hadn't found the time to go until now. Boy was I glad we went. The conceit of the exhibit is that you are applying to Starfleet Academy. You answer a series of quizzes for the different Starfleet departments: medical, tactical, communications, science, engineering, navigation, and command. Each department also has activities like phaser target practice, learning some Klingon phrases, and the infamous Kobyashi Maru test.  On display are authentic costumes and props from all five Star Trek TV series. It was a thrill to see them up close and the activities were cute and fun. I felt like a kid again and my Trek-mania was reignited and bolstered by the Star Trek: Discovery trailer that actually looked good.

Transformers (2010) Seawing (Seacons Reissue Set)

Seawing has perhaps the most descriptive yet still fun name on this team. Seawing transforms into a robotic manta ray with legs. As silly as it is for these Decepticon fishies to have legs I dig it because it makes them more versatile and they can stand their ground during photo ops. His super long manta feet render the possible elbow joint useless in robot mode. His weapons are the best integrated into his beast mode out of all the Seacons.

Transformers (2010) Skalor (Seacons Reissue Set)

Skalor transforms into a coelacanth with arms and legs. Awesome. He's got elbows! But only because his robot mode arms are his beast mode legs. Still fun. As a "Scramble City" style combiner any of the smaller figures can become left or right arms or legs for Piranacon. When I first got this get I went through most of the possibilities though probably not all the permutations. This was a lot of transformations and if you look at Skalor's feet stickers in robot mode you'll see another reason why stickers were phased out in favour of paint.

Transformers (2010) Tentakil (Seacons Reissue Set)

Tentakil has the most pun-tastic name of all the Seacons. His robot head is as tiny and unremarkable as his teammates' but he has unique circuit-y stickers as well. He also has the most terrifying face in squid monster mode.

Transformers (2010) Nautilator (Seacons Reissue Set)

Nautilator turns into a lobster monster. Like the rest of his limb-brothers Nautilator has no elbows or knees but manages to be a funky little robot anyway. His "weapon mode" is basically the half-way point in transformation with his gun stuck to the bottom of his feet. Given the simplicity of these toys it's no surprise that not all the modes are amazing.  As much of a pain stickers can be they definitely allowed for more colour in the detailing. I'm just glad these were all pre-applied.

Transformers (2010) Snaptrap (Seacons Reissue Set)

Continuing with water week(s) I've elected to showcase the Big Bad Toy Store Exclusive Seacons Giftset that was released in 2010. I'll highlight the individual Seacons culminating with their combined form Piranacon which seems like a good a place as any to end the themed posts.

Snaptrap is the leader of the Seacons. He transforms into a robotic snapping turtle with huge cannons on his back. There's a lever that makes it look like the cannons are firing and recoiling alternately. Pretty cool for a vintage Transformers design.  I knew nothing of the Seacons as a kid (they weren't a big part of the cartoon or anything, they had a bigger role in the Japanese Masterforce anime). I purchased this set because it seemed like one of the better G1 designs plus it combined my love of underwater dudes and garish colour schemes.

Axalon Deluxe Class Figure (Transformers United)

Axalon is a redeco of the Energon Sharkticon figure and named after the Maximal's ship on Beast Wars. But he still clearly transforms into a submarine so he fits in my current aquatic theme. I bought this figure when I was actually in Japan which was awesome. It's probably good I don't live in Japan because I would be inundated with too many toys. Especially for the size of the average Japanese apartment.

Reigubas Spark Doll Sofubi

Reigubas is a kaiju from the Ultraman Dyna series (which I haven't really watched) and reappeared in Ultraman Ginga S (which I have watched). I like the asymmetrical pincer arms that recall a hermit crab. I'm always kind of at odds with myself when it comes to collecting. Part of me is a completist and wants all the things but another part of me (who has to worry about money) says to let that go and only acquire figures that appeal to me in a more meaningful way. Since I love kooky monsters that can be trickier to sort out when it comes to kaiju sofubi. Having to order from Japan certainly slows the flow and so I prioritize the ones that really speak to me in some way. Reigubas is an example of that. Giant pincers, a lobster tail, the weird wing-like things on its back, eyes on stalks. What more could you ask for in a monster?

Gnaw Legends Class Figure (Titans Return)

Gnaw is a Sharkticon, one of the Quintessons' servant race. Their character and behaviour is more reminiscent of piranhas in my opinion. Apparently Gnaw is the Sharkticon who makes friends with Wheelie. I think Gnaw is my favourite of the Titans Return Legends class figures thus far. Although they have all been pretty decent.

Gubila/Gubira Ultra Monster Sofubi

Gubira was a kaiju who appeared in the original Ultraman series and was likely one of the more awkward suits for actors to wear as it was a four-legged deep sea monster. Gubira looks like a cross between a narwhal and an orca but is also capable of scurrying about on land. With only 4 forays against the Ultra Garrison under its belt Gubila is a classic but obscure kaiju. I'm guessing the discomfort of the design is a large part of its infrequent appearances.

Seaspray (Transformers Generation 2)

After my jump from Aquaman to Tiger Shark to Bill Everett to Amazing Man I didn't have any other specific theme in mind so I decided to just go with a generic oceanic theme. To whit the oldest Transformer left in my collection. I too busy being born and developing basic cognitive and motor skills when Transformers first hit the shelves but I was the perfect target age for the Generation 2 (G2) line. I had a handful of G2 toys but they all went to yard sales or goodwill over the years except inexplicably (yet happily) Seaspray. Seaspray is the Autobots' resident water expert and had a ridiculous blubbery voice in the original cartoon. He is identical to the G1 release except his blue parts were replaced with a metallic blue. Nice and shiny.

Amazing Man (Amazing Heroes Series 1.5)

So thinking of Namor via his foe Tiger Shark got me to Namor's creator (one of my favourite comic artists) Bill Everett. Everett was quite the character in real life and in the golden age of comics he came up with many other features that didn't end up as popular as the Sub-Mariner. One of those was Amazing Man. John Aman was an orphan chosen by the Tibetan "Council of Seven" to become Amazing Man and go out into the world and fight for justice against The Great Question a disciple of the council who felt slighted that this outsider would be given such a great honour. Amazing Man's origin is not the most groundbreaking, even at the time but if it rings a bell to modern comics readers that's because Roy Thomas (a huge Everett fan) took the basic details for the origin of Iron Fist. This connection was further deepened when Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction introduced the Marvel version of John Aman in Immortal Iron Fist #8 as the Prince of Orphans. Roy Thomas also used the now public domain name "Amazing Man" for a hero in All-Star Squadron back in the 1980's. Amazing Heroes goes back to the original "Green Mist" design though that particular super power is hard to replicate in a toy.

Tiger Shark (Marvel Legends Infinite Series)

So after I got the Ocean Warrior Aquaman figure I started thinking about how much I liked the aquatic superheroes. As a kid I loved to swim and so it was a natural fit. My next slew of posts is a bit of stream of consciousness. I didn't have any other Aquaman related figures on hand (they are in storage at my dad's place) so my mind turned to the other major underwater Monarch-of-Atlantis-cum-superhero Namor the Submariner. I didn't have any Namor figures around but I did have one of Namor's foes the sinister Tiger Shark. Todd Arliss was an Olympic swimmer who suffered a spinal cord injury. Despondent and desperate he allowed Dr. Lemuel Dorcas to perform an experiemental procedure grafting the DNA of a tiger shark and that of the Sub-Mariner with his own. The resulting mutations transformed Todd Arliss into the super-villain Tiger Shark! So when I saw this relatively obscure villain in figure-form I just had to pick him up.

Ocean Warrior Aquaman (DC Universe Classics)

Aquaman is the most famous of the underwater superheroes and probably the most ridiculed in the greater pop culture sphere. As a small lad I saw episodes of the 1960's Aquaman cartoon, which while being ridiculous in that 60's way it was not overly campy and portrayed the King of Atlantis as a competent, powerful hero.  This version of Aquaman sports an "ocean camouflage" outfit which was designed by Neal Pozner and drawn beautifully by Craig Hamilton in the 1986 miniseries. This look is a severe departure from the classic orange and green scales and fins but I think it looks fantastic. If you like Aquaman or if you are a fan of the fantasy genre I recommend checking out the series.  After the miniseries Aquaman went back to his classic togs and this design was not seen again until 1995 when it was worn briefly by the villain Thanatos and then Aqualad wore a black and red version of the suit as Tempest. This figure has the usual DCUC articulation and luckily the paint job is above par for the line since the costume design is completely dependent on crisp paint lines.

Forager (DC Universe Classics)

The first of my acquisitions from Calgary Expo (the second being Aquaman). Forager is a "bug" from New Genesis who first appeared in New Gods #9 back in 1972 and he is pure Kirby classic. I first encountered him in the Jim Starlin/Mike Mignola miniseries Cosmic Odyssey. Forager is a character I like more for his wacky design, I'll admit to not having read all of his only handful of appearances. But he's fun. His legs are a bit wobbly but he can still stand. The legs don't want to stand straight up giving him a weirder posture which I think works for a "bug" though I don't think it's on purpose.

Batros (Masters of the Universe Classics)

Batros is a figure I bought on looks alone. I haven't yet seen the episode of He-Man in which he appears but he looks so much like Batman by way of Eternia that I couldn't resist. The figure has decent articulation and the wings don't really get in the way all that much. His spiky mace thing was a bit tricky to get in his hand at first but now it's not so bad. Here's the bio from the back of his packaging:

Glow-in-the-Dark No-Ghost Collect & Connect Ghostbusters Classics (Mattel)

Today I give you the finale of my Ghostbusters Spotlight.

This "figure" is more of a statue and came piecemeal with the Ghostbusters Classics Figures. I tried to get shots of him glowing but that was tricky especially since it was daytime. I love all things glow-in-the-dark. When I was younger I was going to build a "glow-in-the-dark space farm" but wanted to make it mobile and not just stuck to my wall or ceiling and never quite finished it... C'est la vie I suppose.

Peter Venkman Ghostbusters Classics (Mattel)

The incomparable Bill Murray brought the sarcastic Dr. Peter Venkman to life. Venkman is the wry, flirtatious, "party animal" of the group. The Venkman character was originally written for John Belushi who sadly died before the film could be made. Murray's star power in part increased Peter's role in the film at the expense of Winston's. This figure differs slightly from the others in that Venkman doesn't tuck his pant legs into his boots like his colleagues but rather slips them over his boots. Maybe this is to show he's a bit more casual than the others but I have no idea. Nor am I a big enough Ghostbusters nerd to know in what scene(s) in the movies he sports this look.

Egon Spengler Ghostbusters Classics (Mattel)

The brainiest Ghostbuster, Egon Spengler was played by the late, great Harold Ramis. He invented and built most of the Ghostbusters' equipment and collects spores, moulds, and fungus. Egon also has the most ridiculous and therefore best name of all the Ghostbusters. Seriously if it wouldn't be so much of a teasing target I'd name a kid Egon. If asked as a child I'd probably have picked Dr. Spengler as my favourite Ghostbuster as he fit the brainy stereotype I gravitated toward (like Donatello, Newton Gimmick, and the Mighty Morphin' Blue Ranger). He's still probably my fave though I'd have a harder time definitively saying so today (I'm less decisive as an adult). Egon's articulation is the same as all the other figures. That weird clear tube still kind of gets in the way sometimes. The proton packs are gorgeous though.

Ray Stanz Ghostbusters Classics (Mattel)

Dan Aykroyd, the mastermind behind the Ghostbusters played Ray Stanz the slightly goofy parapsychologist but arguably the most committed to the team. Ray is central to what is probably the most forgotten scene in the original Ghostbusters film that upon rewatching the film with their kids parents have that "oh crap I hope they don't get it" moment. You'll know it when you see it and then you get have that "I can't believe I watched this as a kid" moment. It's good family fun. Aykroyd's original concept had a bunch of inter-dimensional and trans-temporal travel that would've killed the budget but would've been super sweet.

Winston Zeddemore Ghostbusters Classics (Mattel)

Winston Zeddemore (played by Ernie Hudson) gets no respect. Well that's not entirely fair. In the earlier drafts of the script Winston has a much deeper backstory and was originally the one who got slimed by Slimer at the hotel as chronicled by Brian Cronin here. To make matters worse Ernie Hudson auditioned to play the role of Winston on "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon and lost it to Arsenio Hall. So in a small way to show my appreciation for Winston and Mr. Hudson I've elected to have his figure come first in my posts of the classic team. Winston was also the central character in my most watched episode of "The Real Ghostbusters" that was on a VHS tape of cartoons taped from TV when I was very small. (The episode in question is Boo-Dunit, and may also have contributed to my interest in murder-mysteries)  These Ghostbusters Classics figures seem to be fairly identical apart from the heads and name-tags but slightly different toolings from the new female Ghostbusters.

Rowan Ghost Ghostbusters 2016 (Mattel)

Rowan North (played by Neil Casey) is the villain of the film who at one point turns into a ghost reminiscent of the one in the Ghostbusters logo. This figure has a bit more articulation and a different face and hand sculpt than the Collect-and-Connect figure who came with the individual Ghostbusters.