Mattel Elite 23 JBL

  Today I went to Walmart to discover a Mattel Elite 23 JBL. I never thought I would find this figure at retail. I somehow managed to find it though. I am still looking for an E22 Giant though. I won't give my hopes up though. Anyway JBL is one of the 4 flashback figures from Elite 23. The other 3 flashbacks are Macho Man Randy Savage, Triple H, and The Undertaker.
  JBL is the only figure in this set that has the First Time in The Line sticker on the packaging. Now a lot of collectors complained that JBL has the wrong type of torso, or his jacket stained the figure, or his left fist was loose. In that case my JBL's left fist is loose. I don't play with my WWE figures, I just display them on my dresser. So i could care less that his left fist is loose.
  JBL is a pretty good figure in my opinion. The scan is perfect. here is the attire that the JBL is based on. Also the box art is based on that picture to your right as well. JBL wore that attire in 2004.

Hot Wheels Needs to Make More Lexus's

  It got me thinking the other day, how Hot Wheels only has one Lexus in their line. That Lexus would be the SC400. The Hot Wheels Lexus SC400 is so outdated by today's standards that they really can use more Lexus's in their line. One is not enough. If I am not mistaken Matchbox, has one Lexus as well. I've always wondered why they don't make Lexus's enough. They are a very popular luxury car in the USA. So why don't they make many of them?
   Well Mattel already has the Toyota license, and the Scion license. I guess they still have the Lexus license since they have the Toyota and Scion licenses. And since Toyota owns Lexus, they probably got a package deal on all three. I blogged about Hot Wheels needing to make more Acura's and Hyundai's. So this is a followup to that. Hot Wheels always seems to neglect certain car brands, such as Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Kia, Land Rover, Jaguar, Buick, Oldsmobile. The list goes on and on. It will never end.
  I would like to see Hot Wheels make the Lexus LFA, which is a very expensive luxury car. That is right up Hot Wheels' alley. The Lexus LFA is one of those cars that was very much well talked about in the automotive world and in magazines and blogs alike. So with all of the buzz about the LFA one would think that Hot Wheels or Matchbox (both made by Mattel) would at the very least try to make a diecast of it. Stuff like this really grinds collectors gears alike. I just don't know what to do sometimes.

Mattel Elite 23 Undertaker

  Today I went to Walmart after class and I found out they had finally put out Elite 23. However There weren't any JBL's there. I was letdown that there were no JBL figure. However there was 2 Undertakers there. Elite 23 Undertaker is based on a circa 1994 Undertaker when he wore purple gloves.
  This Undertaker is one of Mattel's finest figures they have made to date. Not only does his tie come included, you also get his mask that he wore for a brief period of time. It's not often you get his hat and coat with a Mattel Undertaker, if you count his Entrance Greats figure he had back in 2010. The Entrance Greats figure was a basic.
   Elite 23 Undertaker is the Best Mattel Undertaker yet. The headsculpt is a perfect 10. The coat is removable as all elite coats are removable. The mask is very small and can be lost very easily. All we need now is a Paul Bearer figure to go along with E23 Undertaker.

Why Isn't The Nissan Skyline Street Legal in the US?

  Many people wonder why the Nissan Skyline isn't street legal in the US. Some people say it's because it's right hand drive. While others claim it's because its too fast. Then there is the theory that the Nissan Skyline doesn't meet US emissions requirements.
  Actually the real reason the Nissan Skyline isn't street legal in the US is because it doesn't meet US crash test standards. So We can put an end to the why the Skyline isn't street legal in the US debate right here. So what can I do if I want to buy a Nissan Skyline? Well there are a few options out there. I'll explain them in the next paragraph.
  Option 1 is you can buy a Infiniti G35 coupe. That car is the same damn thing as a Nissan Skyline, only rebadged as an Infiniti. A major loophole in logic is if you can buy a Infiniti G35 in the US which is the same exact thing as a Nissan Skyline, why can't you buy a Nissan Skyline in the US? That's automaker's logic at its finest folks.
  Option 2 is you can buy an older Nissan Skyline from Japan that is at least 25 years or older. NHTSA allows any older car that is at least 25 years or older to be allowed into the US as an import. So a Ken and Mary Skyline would be Ok to import to the US because it is from 1972.
  The third and final option is the cheapest one. Buy a toy Nissan Skyline. If you can't afford the real thing, just buy the Hot Wheels version of it or whatever toy company makes a Nissan Skyline. For $1 you can't go wrong. Hot Wheels makes several Nissan Skylines from a Ken and Mary Skyline, an HT 2000GT-X, an R34, and a R32. Tomica also makes several Skylines.
  So now you know why the Nissan Skyline isn't street legal in the US and a list of 3 available options to owning a Skyline in the US.

Mattel Superstar Entrances Series 2 Daniel Bryan

No Daniel Bryan is not bald, its flash glare

  Walmart has an exclusive WWE action figure series called Superstar Entrances. Basically it's a basic figure with their entrance T-shirt molded on. The only one worth getting out of that set is Daniel Bryan. I love Daniel Bryan's No! T-shirt. It's the only WWE T-shirt I own. So once I heard that Mattel was making a Daniel Bryan figure with his No! shirt I had to get it.
 So the Daniel Bryan from the Superstar Entrances series has the same head as the Basic 30 Daniel Bryan. The head is a tad bit outdated since Daniel Bryan's hair and beard are much longer since he debuted the No! shirt. Anyway the head is an angry scan which is pretty darn good. Even though the head is outdated, It's still worth picking up.
  So what about the No! shirt? Well the No! shirt is pretty dead on accurate to it's real life counterpart. The only thing that the shirt is missing is his Daniel Bryan Logo on the right sleeve. It even has Stop It on the back of the T-Shirt.  It's one of Mattel's Finest.
  Oh Yeah, Daniel Bryan is packed one per case.

Mattel Elite 24 Trish Stratus

  On Thursday I ordered a Mattel Elite series 24 Trish Stratus from a seller on Amazon.com for $29.99. The best part is that it wasn't on backorder at all. So I don't have to wait until November to get one if I ordered her from Ringside Collectibles. No offense, to Ringside, I just couldn't wait that long to get a Trish Stratus figure.

   Anyway, Trish Stratus is a flashback meaning that she is packed one per case and since she is a diva figure, that also makes her shortpacked. Trish Stratus comes with the WWE Women's Championship belt. The belt is a little tiny compared to the other Mattel belts for figures. The beltplate is smaller than the Divas Championship belt. I have no complaints about the belt because I am happy to get the Woman's Championship belt, it will probably be the only time Mattel will make the belt. Kind of like what they did with the Legends series 6 Ultimate Warrior's Custom WWF Championship belt and Defining Moments John Cena's US Spinner belt.
  Trish Stratus is perfectly scaled to other Mattel figures. Since Trish is about 5Ft 5 inches in real life, her figure is taller than Miss Elizabeth. Now Trish might feel like a basic Diva figure to the untrained eye but since Trish is an Elite figure she has the articulated ankles that basics don't have. Apparently there is a variation of E24 Trish Stratus's hair color. One version has blonde hair and the other has a darker blonde hair. I got the Darker blonde haired version.
  Overall I think the figure is very well done and the headscan is a home run. Mattel really got her likeness captured perfectly. I think she is the best one in E24 since she is the only one worth getting out of that whole set. Who needs another Rey Mysterio Elite? I think nobody since he's gonna warm the shelves anyway.

The Best Film Scores of All Time

  I am a huge film score buff. Film scores set the mood of the film and also capture the emotion of the characters and their surroundings in a film. So without a score, the film is just dry with talking and no music. Some movies don't have a score because it feels more realistic and dramatic. Anyway here is my list of the best Film Scores of all time.
1. The Molly Maguires by Henry Mancini. This film and it's epic score has a connection to my area because the movie was filmed around where I live. The score is one of those that captures the hardships of an Irish coal miner in Northeastern Pennsylvania during the 1870s, it also brings the surroundings to life when the mines are being sabotaged by the Molly Maguires. It is one of those scores that is truly underrated and should have been nominated for an Academy Award for best score.
2. The Social Network by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. I knew off the bat that Trent Reznor would win the Academy Award for best score when it was announced he was scoring The Social Network. Not only did the industrial score capture the dark emotion that went into the founding of Facebook, it also was the perfect type of music for a film about computers and the internet.
3. The Brave Little Toaster by David Newman. This score is one of the many that defined my childhood. Not only would I hum the score sometimes throughout my day, I would know every part of it with a passion. Fortunately I am lucky enough to own the CD release of the soundtrack which is long out of print. It's supposedly one of David Newman's favorite scores he worked on and it's one of mine as well.
4. Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog by John Scott. This film was one of my favorites growing up as a child. The score was one of the best ever composed for a children's film. Not only does John Scott capture the emotion and mood of a teenager and his dog getting shipwrecked in British Columbia, it captures the emotion of their various dangerous encounters with the wildlife in the wilderness and the epic search and rescue music is one of my all time favorite score tracks of all time.
5. Midnight Express by Giorgio Moroder. This score is one of the best Academy Award for best Original score winners of all time. It was way ahead of it's time using synthesizers which pioneered the disco era of music. It also captured the dark and depressing mood of being an American locked up in a Turkish prison. This is one of those scores that paved the way for The Social Network to win best score.
6. Jaws by John Williams. Do I need to explain this one?
7. The Good The Bad and The Ugly by Ennio Morricone. I don't need to explain the best western score of al time do I?
8. Star Wars by John Williams. I don't need to explain this one.
9. Batman Forever by Elliot Goldenthal. As much as this film gets a bad rap from Batman fans alike, however I love the score, its one of the many I would hum everyday. The score is better than the film.
10. Jurassic Park by John Williams. If I have to explain this to you. I will facepalm myself.