Action Figure Review: Arsenal from Red Hood and The Outlaws by DC Collectibles

 Today I'm taking a look at Roy Harper, AKA Arsenal. In pre-Flashpoint continuity, he's also been known as Speedy and Red Arrow. Man! Roy's got a ton of aliases! While everyone seemed to hate the book at first, I really feel like Red Hood and The Outlaws has grown into one of the better titles that emerged from the New 52 relaunch. While it still has ties to the Batman family of books, it also has its own feel. Tonally it can jump back and forth between sci-fi/ superhero action and adventure, comedy, and being a serious look at the relationships between three very broken characters. While Koriand'r is an immensely powerful alien and Jason is a resurrected former Robin, Roy's kind of the more normal guy. Well, normal in the sense that's he's a brilliant inventor, a recovering alcoholic with Killer Croc as his sponsor, and an ex-sidekick to Green Arrow. One of the things I like about the book is that none of the characters are perfect by any stretch of the imagination. They're also pretty fun to watch when they get down to the business of going after the bad guys. There are three figures in this line based on the comic: Red Hood, Arsenal, and Starfire. I bought Red Hood when he first came out and I picked up Starfire over the past summer on sale. I decided to complete the trio and was pleased to find that Arsenal is a pretty easy figure to find on sale now as well. Ready for a closer look at my favorite trucker hat wearing hero? (Sorry, Trump: It's not you!) Then join me after the break...

Re-Halloween Special: Bray Wyatt (Series 36) from WWE Elite 36 by Mattel

Today is Re-Halloween! I started doing a bunch of horror movie reviews back in September, I did at least one horror themed toy review a day in October, and for the seven days of Re-Halloween in November I've been doing another bonus horror themed review. It's been fun but it's also been a ton of work! Today as I'm off celebrating Re-Halloween (the plans are to go see Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension and then to watch Halloween and Trick 'r Treat at some point) I'm leaving you in the company of my favorite WWE Superstar: Bray Wyatt. The New Face of Fear, Wyatt and his followers Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, and newcomer Braun Strowman always put on an interesting show. I'm not sure what will happen with the Wyatt Family's recent kidnapping of the Undertaker and Kane but I'm sure it will be interesting. This is actually the third Bray Wyatt figure I've reviewed and this one features his outfit from SummerSlam 2014 when he beat Chris Jericho. Ready for a closer look at Bray Wyatt? Then follow the buzzards and join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: The Joker No.005 from The Dark Knight Miracle Action Figure EX/ MAFEX by Medicom

 I without a doubt own more action figures of the Joker than any other Batman villain. It doesn't typically take much to convince me to buy an action figure of the Joker, particularly when it's based off of Heath Ledger's iconic portrayal of the character. I'd never heard of the Miracle Action Figure EX (or MAFEX) action figure range from Medicom but they seem to be on their way to becoming a significant line as they have characters available and and on preorder from a number of licenses, including: Star Wars, The Amazing Spider-Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Christopher Nolan Batman films. While I own a few of the Joker figures from Mattel's The Dark Knight Movie Masters line, I was never completely happy with them. When I saw this figure on sale at Big Bad Toy Store I decided to jump on it. If you're curious about these, I'd compare them with other high end 6 inch scale lines such as Bandai's S.H. Figuarts line as they come in window boxed packaging with plenty of extras including hands, heads, accessories, and stands. Ready for a closer look at the Joker from The Dark Knight? Then join me after the break...

Re-Halloween Special: Kane (Series 31) from WWE Elite Collection by Mattel

 Today for my Re-Halloween special I'm bringing you a look at the Devil's Favorite Demon! It's the Big Red Monster, Kane! I really like Kane. While I did cheer for Seth Rollins at last month's Hell in a Cell event, I still like the guy. Kane just cracks me up and he usually puts on a pretty good show. This Kane is from right before he joined the Authority (probably from Hell in a Cell 2013) and features Kane with a removable mask to show off his normal side and his demon side. While as of my writing this I'm still waiting to see what will happen to Kane (I haven't yet watched the last Smackdown from October yet), in the meantime this Kane figure can keep me busy. Ready for a closer look at the World's Greatest Director of Operations? Then join me after the break...

A New Batgirl Review: Batgirl from Vinyl Vixens by Vinyl Sugar

 He everyone! It's Barbecue17 and I'm back with another Batgirl review! This time I'm taking a look at Batgirl from the first series of Vinyl Vixens from Vinyl Sugar. If you're unfamiliar with them, Vinyl Vixens are a line of non-articulated vinyl figures based on female DC Superheroes and Villains. The first series, which consisted of Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy, have been out for a few months now, but Batgirl is a pretty new release. While there are lots of high end Batgirl collectibles out there from companies like Sideshow, Tonner, Tweeterhead, and Tonner, it's nice that companies like Kotobukiya and Vinyl Sugar are putting out some very cool stuff at a less expensive price point. Ready for a closer look at Babs in her classic blue and grey outfit? Then join me after the break...

Re-Halloween Special: Elvira (Witch Variant) from Elvira, Mistress of the Dark by Figures Toy Co.

 Today for the fourth day of my Re-Halloween special week I'm reviewing a figure that I saw on another blogger's Halloween coverage and purchased for myself: Elvira from Figures Toy Co.'s Elvira, Mistress of the Dark line! Near the beginning of October I saw Joshua Raymond review the basic version of this figure at Misfit Robot Daydream and I decided that I needed to pick one of these up. I love Elvira and I actually remember reading about this figure around the time it was released in 1998. ToyFare magazine did an interview with Cassandra Peterson about the toyline. The version I'm looking at is called the Witch Variant as it comes with a traditional pointed hat and a broom. Ready for a closer look at Elvira's figure? I mean at the Elvira figure? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Mr. Freeze from DC Designer Series: Greg Capullo by DC Collectibles

While Mr. Freeze was once a simple, gimmick themed villain, he has since become a character reinvented a few different times with ever more heartbreaking backstories. In the New 52 continuity, Victor Fries' backstory includes his mother falling in a lake but being saved from death by being frozen, Victor performing a mercy killing for his mother after she has been forced to live in pain due to the accident, and Victor falling in love with Nora Fields, a 23 year old woman in cryo-stasis whose family had her cryogenically frozen in the 1960s due to an incurable disease. Honestly, I think Victor Fries' new origin story was one of the best re-imaginings in the New 52 experiment. Today I'm looking at the Mr. Freeze figure from the Greg Capullo inspired DC Designer Series of action figures from DC Collectibles. Freeze had a pretty radical redesign and while yes, I know his arms aren't covered, he has a pretty cool new outfit. Ready for a closer look at this series 2 figure released at the end of 2014? Then join me after the break...