My New Years Resolution

Notice the paint chip

  Ok This really isn't a New Years Resolution per say. It's really something that I have been planning to do for a long time. I got this Superman the Animated Series Supergirl figure back in 2006 and it had a paint chip missing from the bosom. and some on the back where the cape is.
  So for this project I have consulted 2 friends of mine, one is a former coworker who does some pretty sick customs. The other was a collector who goes to my church. So my former coworker recommended Testors Acrylic paint. So I will go out to Micheal's Arts and Crafts to pick up some in on Wednesday. Anyway this nick on the figure is really bothering me. I am afraid to put it with the other figures in the box of old Kenner figures because I don't want that nick to get bigger. So I will definitely do this because I think it's about time. I'll write about the finished project in the sometime in January

My New Years Eve Tradition

  I have this weird New Years Eve tradition where it involves Hot Wheels cars. Some years one Matchbox car has been involved in it. Are you confused yet?  If you are confused I'll clarify it for you. Back in 2004 I was buying the 2005 Hot Wheels First Editions like mad. My mother wouldn't let me open the cars for some odd reason that I honestly cannot remember at all. I usually remember things like that but this one slipped me.
  Now where was I? Oh yes the Hot Wheels cars and New Years Eve. Originally I would buy all of the next years new models and cars that are not technically a new model but are making their mainline debut and keep them MOC until New Years Day. I only buy street cars not Hot Wheels original designed cars. Since about two years ago I made a modification to my tradition, I would open the cars on 12AM on New Years Day. So tomorrow at Midnight I will open all of the New for 2013 New Models I have sitting on my CD carousel. I cannot wait to open them. So Will the 2013 Hot Wheels Monster Jam trucks count to a New Years tradition? That answer is yes although I don't have any to open yet. I saw one at Toys R Us not too long ago and passed on it because the lines at the registers were like a mile long and had impatient people sitting in the car. Hopefully Walmart might have some tomorrow.

Hess Truck Facts

  Since it's the Holiday season, I thought that I would write about the Hess toy truck. So I compiled a list of facts about the trucks from over the years.

1. The first Hess truck that came out in 1964 was released two years in a row in 1964 and 1965.
2. Technically speaking the 1966 Hess Voyager is the second Hess Truck since the first one was released twice. In fact the Hess Voyager isn't a truck at all, it's a tanker ship.
3. 1968 and 1969 were the same truck with the exception of Woodbridge replaced Perth Amboy on the back of the 69 box
4. The 1970 Hess Fire Truck was released twice as well in 1971.
5. There wasn't a Hess Truck in 1973.
6. 1972's Hess Tanker Truck is basically the same as the 1974 version with the exception of the round trailer feet.
7. There wasn't a Hess Truck in 1979
8. 1981 did not have a Hess Truck either
9. 1982 and 83 were the same truck
10. 1984's truck was the first bank
11. 1985 is a reissue of 1982 and 83's truck but as a bank
12. There has been 4 Banks released starting in 1984 and ending in 1987
13. 2 have been helicopters, the first was in 2001 and 2012 respectively
14. 2 have been cars, 1993 and 2009
15. The first Hess Mini truck came out in 1998 and was a replica of the 1990 Hess Tanker truck and sold out in a day.
16. 1990 was the last year for a tanker truck.

Elite 18 Undertaker

  Today I went to Walmart to find a case of Elite 18. There was no Jerry Lawler but there were 2 ABA Undertakers in that case for some reason. I originally planned to skip this figure altogether if I would ever find it at retail. Ironically I did find the American Bad Ass Undertaker. So I caved in and bought it. I swear this will be my Second and LAST Mattel Undertaker that I will buy. It's a good figure but it has knee issues that some of the elites have been known to have.
  Now all we need is a in scale motorcycle for the ABA Undertaker. I wish Mattel would make one which they won't do. I'm glad they made this figure since The Undertaker had this gimmick from 2000-03.

Top 5 Worst Hot Wheels Batman Vehicles

  Today I thought I would post about the worst Hot Wheels Batman cars. In my own opinion there are a couple of them. Some don't make any sense. Some Are just awful.

FAIL

 

 

 

 1. Saturn ION. Ok this car is supposed to be a Gotham City Police car but it's a failed attempt at it. One reason is that the car is a Saturn ION. They don't use Saturn's for police vehicles to my best knowledge. Reason 2 is that there is NO Light Bar. WTH?

Is this a Dodge Tomahawk?

  2. Batcycle. Note this is not the Bat Pod from The Dark Knight. This is from the Batman Begins line. As you might already know, The Batcycle was not in Batman Begins at all. So why was this made? I don't know I guess they wanted to include something else than the Tumbler.

  3. Batcopter. This isn't the 1/43 scale 1966 Batcopter. This Batcopter is also from the Batman Begins line. Like the Batcycle above the Batcopter wasn't in Batman Begins at all. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

  4. Batmobile Hardnoze. Ok I don't understand the Modified 1989 Batmobile called Hardnoze Batmobile. It doesn't make any sense. It looks like it was half rolled by a steamroller. and only the front end was scrunched up. Too cartoony if you ask me.

  5. Batmobile Crooze.  This Batmobile is based on the non comic book Afinity Batmobile an early Mattel Batman line. This Batmobile looks like it was squashed flat by a steamroller. I don't understand it at all.

Basic 24 AJ Lee

AJ MOC

  Well Since it is the Holiday season, I decided to buy something crazy. I followed last years Christmas present to myself with buying another Mattel WWE Diva figure that I probably won't find in stores. Last Year I bought B13 Vickie Guerrero from Amazon.com and I'm glad I did that because I never saw that figure in stores. Trust me I NEVER saw it. So this years Christmas present to myself was no other Diva than AJ Lee. Now this figure is a First Time in The Line figure which is good.
  AJ comes with a necklace that is non-removable and has 2 non removable wristbands. Also the Headscan is one of Mattel's best headscans of 2012.
   When It comes down to the casepacking, AJ is packed 1 per case in the first wave and 2 per case in the revision. I like how Mattel is giving the Diva's another try at packing them at more than 1 per case here.
  

Daniel Bryan watches from behind.

   Also the packaging has changed a bit here too. They have been eliminating a lot of cardboard to cut costs, This is an advantage to MOC collectors who want to save space when displaying their collection.
To your left is a loose picture of AJ. The figure is just stunning.

Top 5 Best Superman Action Figures

  It seems like I've been on a roll here lately when it comes to posting something toy related. Yesterday I wrote about the top 5 Batman Villain figures. Today's is the exact opposite. Today's post will be focusing on Superman Figures. Now Superman rarely gets any good figures regardless if they are Hasbro/Kenner or Mattel for that matter. It's hard to narrow down the top 5 Superman action figures unless you go to other characters in the Superman family of heroes.  Let's begin shall we?

Phone Booth not included.

  1. Clark to Superman from Superman Returns. This figure is the only figure from the Superman Returns line that you should need. Let's be honest, if there is a Superman line, there MUST be a Quick Change figure of some sort. This figure is different from other quick change Superman's because he has cloth clothes, and removable shoes and a different hairpiece with glasses. Sadly this is the only Mattel that makes the list.

  2. Superboy. This Superboy figure is from the 1990s toyline Superman The Man of Steel from Kenner. This Superboy is one of my favorite figures that I still own. It's good to see someone else instead of Superman in the line even though Superboy is his clone.

Not The Animated one

  3. Clark Kent. This figure was a standalone exclusive figure that came with a vehicle, the Superman Conversion Coupe or Superman Matrix Coupe depending on if it is in the Animated Series Line or The Man of Steel line. I have the animated one which has a different headsculpt than the Man of Steel one has and is painted a bit differently.

  4. Supergirl. Ok this figure is from the Animated Series line. In the USA it was released at first as a Diamond exclusive. Then It was released in a Toys R Us Exclusive 4-pack called Super Heroes vs Super Villains.The only difference between the figure pictured and the 4 Pack version is that the 4 pack version is missing the black waistband and sleeve bands and the accessories are a bit different with the exception of the wings are not present as the single carded version has. Now this figure was released in Europe in their waves in series 3 and 4. In fact Europe got most of the Superman TAS figures. I love this figure's headsculpt. It captures her likeness very well and for the most part is pretty accurate until you come to the skirt. Supergirl never wore a pleated skirt like that in STAS, She wore a tube skirt. In addition to minor costume accuracy she has no leg movement because her legs are molded into the skirt. I guess Kenner didn't want any peeping boys.

  5.  Lois Lane. I'm kinda shocked that Kenner actually made this figure. I guess their options were short on other characters when the line was dying a slow and painful death. I don't own this figure but I can tell you that It goes for big bucks loose on eBay. Lois Lane came in a Toy's R Us Exclusive 4-pack.

Top 5 Best Batman Viliain Action Figures

Talia

  I've posted about the most ridiculous Batman Action Figures and the Best Batman Action figures, and I have posted the Ridiculous villain figures now it's time for the top 5 best Batman Villain action figures.
1, Talia. This figure was exclusive to a Toys R Us 4pack called Shadows of Gotham City. It's one of those obscure Hasbro figures that got made towards the end of there days with the DC license. She included with 2 pistols.

Ra's Al Ghul

2. Ra's Al Ghul. This figure was also released by Hasbro in the Shadows of Gotham City 4pack. Unlike his first figure, this figure has the proper attire that he had in Batman the Animated Series. He also came with the missile launcher that had been released a bunch of times. 

The Mad Hatter

3. The Mad Hatter. Although this design is based on his original design from Batman The Animated Series, this had to make the list. Is it irony? Nope. It's just a perfect design. This figure was released twice. The other was a repaint.

Poison Ivy Redesign

4. Poison Ivy. This Poison Ivy figure is from the Frozen Assets Toys R Us Exclusive 4 pack. This figure is the redesign from the New Batman Adventures.

Harley Quinn

5.  Harley Quinn. This figure is from the Adventures of Batman and Robin line and was released in a a few multipacks since then. It is one of the best villain figures Hasbro/Kenner made. Do you find it interesting that Harley Quinn follows Poison Ivy on this List?

Shelfwarmer

  Today I thought I would write a definition of a collectors term. A shelfwarmer or pegwarmer is a item that sits on the shelves for an eternity and doesn't sell very well. This mostly refers to toys notably action figures to be exact.
  So what kind of action figures/toys are considered shelfwarmers? I will list the following examples.

• John Cena action figures
• Rey Mysterio action figures
• Randy Orton action figures
• Lightning McQueen diecast cars.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr Spin Master NASCAR diecast cars.
• Alberto Del Rio action figures
• The Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters Batman action figures. NOTE: Everyone else but Batman Sells Well.
• Select Hot Wheels Monster Jam Then and Now 2packs NOTE: Mostly the first wave
• Select Transformers action figures
• WWE FlexForce Action Figures
• Various Hot Wheels cars
• Mater Die Cast Cars
• Mutt Williams action figures

Elite 18 Jerry Lawler

  Today I got my Mattel Elite Series 18 Jerry Lawler flashback. It's an awesome figure that was highly anticipated by Mattel WWE collectors like myself. No collection is complete without The King. Now this figure is one of the best flashbacks Mattel has given us. In fact just about every flashback they give us is a home run out of the ballpark. Well since Mattel cancelled the legends line, they have been including flashbacks in every elite series since series 12. Usually the odd numbered series contain only one flashback figure such as, series 13, 15, 17, with the exception of series 19 which gives us 2 flashbacks. The even numbered series gets two flashbacks in the set such as series 12, 14, 16, 18, 19.

The Attire that the Figure is based on.

  Sadly flashbacks are shortpacked to one per case. That factor annoys collectors. Now where was I? Oh yes elite 18 Jerry the King Lawler.

The picture above is the attire that the figure is based on from his WrestleMania XXVII attire.
To your left is the Mattel figure.

Warrior Deluxe Edition Review

  Today I thought I would do another album review. So up for review today is Ke$ha's new album, Warrior. It is the deluxe edition. Now Warrior is a raunchier than Ke$ha's previous albums. It is her second album with a tipper sticker with the first being her remix album. The Deluxe edition of Warrior has 16 tracks instead of the standard editions 12 tracks.
  Warrior has a completely different sound than Ke$ha's previous album Animal and EP, Cannibal. Ke$ha drops a bunch of F-bombs in the album which is ok for me. This album is not for everybody. Especially those who hate explicit lyrics or concerned parents. Now most people out there have some sort of hate about Ke$ha. I am one of those who don't hate her. I liked the album very much. It is one of those I can listen to again and again.

The Deluxe Edition Album Art

  Most of the songs on Warrior are high energy dance tracks with very sick synth beats. I think this works pretty well for Ke$ha's image. One of my favorite songs from the Deluxe Edition is Gold Trans Am. Ke$ha mentions Gold Trans Am's in some of her previous songs so I liked where this was going since I am a car buff. Gold Trans Am was also co-written by her mother Pebe Sebert.
  Warrior's lead single is Die Young. The Second confirmed single is C'Mon which is scheduled for official release sometime in January 2013.
  Here is the tracklist for the Deluxe Edition of Warrior

1. Warrior
2. Die Young
3. C'Mon
4. Thinking of You
5. Crazy Kids
6. Wherever You Are
7. Dirty Love
8. Wonderland
9. Only Wanna to Dance With You
10. Supernatural
11. All That Matters (The Beautiful Life)
12. Love Into the Light
13. Last Goodbye
14. Gold Trans Am
15. Out Alive
16. Past Lives

Matchbox Real Working Rigs Freightliner Business Class M2 106V

A Vactor

  On Saturday I went to Kmart on my lunch break and came across a new Matchbox Real Working Rigs truck. It was the Freightliner Business Class M2 106V Vactor. I love Freightliners and Matchbox Real Working Rigs, so what a good combination this is. Now many of the new Real Working Rigs are generic designs that are stupid looking. But this Freightliner is keeping the line more realistic for me. It was on sale for $4 plus it was 50% off shockingly so I only paid $2 for it. Not too shabby.

3 Things I Hate About the Holidays

 The holiday season has come upon us. Some of us like it others hate certain aspects of it. So I thought I would write about what I hate about the holiday season. Now I know what you're thinking, I'm a Scrooge. Well Honestly I am not one. So here is what I hate about the Holidays.

1. The Salvation Army bell ringers. Now I hate them because of the noise they bring about during the holidays. They cause a ton of noise pollution and annoy the hell out of people who work outside of big box stores. I also refuse to donate to them because they are anti gay.
2. Christmas Music. I know I reviewed a Christmas EP earlier. That is the only exception because Christina Perri is an artist that I support and did a good job on it. Now I hate Christmas Music because the day after Halloween, stores start playing Christmas Music nonstop. When you work in a store you cannot escape it. You're sick of hearing it after one hour of it.
3. Fragrance Commercials. These pollute the airwaves during the holiday season to the point that you want to shoot your TV. Enough Said.

I Hate One Direction

  Let me kick off December with one of my I Hate "X" rants. I love music. But some music I cannot stand whatsoever. This time it's One Direction. I'll be abbreviating them to 1D for shorthand so I don't have to type One Direction again. Ok on to the rant.
  I hate 1D because they are another product of rigged reality singing/talent competition shows such as The X-Factor. In fact 1D pollutes the airwaves to the point that I want to hurl. Better yet shoot my radio in my car. This band gets me pissed off for many reasons. The number one reason is that they are way overplayed on the radio at ad nauseam. Every time you change the station to escape the wrath of 1D, they're on your alternate station.
  Everywhere you go you just cannot escape them. One of the many things I look forward to when I take my 15 minute break at work, is seeing if anybody had left one of those celebrity gossip magazines one one of the tables. So today there were 3 different ones. While looking through one of them I noticed that there were 2 pages dedicated to the stupid and embarrassing things that 1D has done, such as getting drunk and getting a tattoo. [Insert Facepalm Here] I am too lazy to insert the Picard Facepalm image right now. Where was I? Oh yes embarrassing things 1D has done. All I have to say the average person who buys a magazine with false info doesn't give a rats arse about 1D. They're probably way older than 1D's fanbase who are mostly tweens who dream of dating these terrible singers.
  1D is so bad that their CDs double as toys. How is that you say? Any CD doubles as a Frisbee. That's a fact. So any Terrible artist's CD is a Frisbee, whether its Xtina, Madonna, or 1D. They all can be a Frisbee if you pretend it to be one.
 One Direction Sucks!