Confirmed Epic Podcast #89: The Shape of Water & Toy R' Us Tribute Show

In the 89th edition of The Confirmed Epic Podcast join Jerry "Barbecue17" Reed and The Reel Brad Bell as they give their thoughts on this years Oscar Winner for best picture: Guillermo Del Toro's Shape of Water starring Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon .

In the opening segment we discuss our favorite Toys R' Us memory in tribute of the iconic American toy retailer officially closing it's doors!

We also get into what we have been checking out (I Tonya, Star Wars The Last Jedi Novelization) as well as discuss the epic news items of the week (The final Avengers Infinity War trailer, Ava DuVernay's directing a DC New Gods film, and the possible return of Kaybee Toys.) 

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or follow and tweet us @thereelbradbell  

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @theconfirmedepicpodcast

Checkout Jerry's Action Figure reviews hot and fresh daily over at actionfigurebarbecue.com

Support the podcast with some our Confirmed Epic Podcast merch. found at teepublic.com/user/thereelbradbell

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on iTunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast 

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Road to Solo: Weequay Mini Head from Micro Machines: Star Wars by Galoob

   One of the older toylines that I'm always working on trying to complete is Galoob's Star Wars Micro Machines. It's easily one of my favorite toylines ever and it is one of the toylines that my daughter and I regularly play with too. She has a real affection for it and is a great inspiration/ enabler in encouraging me to continue picking up pieces that I missed out on over the years. My goal is to one day have the most comprehensive archive of Star Wars Micro Machines reviews on the internet so today I'm introducing the first Mini Head review into the mix. Near the end of 1996 Galoob introduced the Mini Heads into the Star Wars Micro Machines line. Sold in four packs of three, each set included three miniature character heads that unfolded into a miniature diorama for the specific included microfigure. They remind me of the Mighty Max Shrunken Heads sets from the early/mid 90s as the focus is more on getting a unique microfigure to use with your other playsets. While the second series of Mini Heads were not sold at retail in the USA, 12 of the 16 new heads were released as promotional giveaways through Pizza Hutt in 1998. This was a really cool promotion although I remember it being difficult to find the sets (I only ever scored two back in the day). Internationally the Weequay was sold in Collection VI along with 2-1B and a Royal Guard but through Pizza Hutt he was available in a labeled plastic bag. I recently picked up the Weequay and I'm pretty pleased. While Galoob released quite a few Jabba the Hutt themed playsets they never did include any of the skiff guards. This particular Weequay (sometimes called the Weequay skiff guard) is officially named Pagetti Rook and he was onboard the same skiff as Luke, Han, Chewie, and Lando. Even if you're not familiar with Pagetti Rook's name, you probably recognize him thanks to his appearing in one of the best scenes in the Original Trilogy and appearing in Kenner's vintage toyline. Let's take a closer look at the Weequay Mini Head after the break...

Action Figure Review: Raphael in Disguise from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by NECA

   It's not often (although it's probably happening more and more frequently due to me getting older) that I can legitimately say that I have been waiting 28 years for an action figure. I have been waiting 28 years for this action figure. In 1990 my father took me to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I was blown away. Well, he took me to see the movie, I got so excited that I got sick in line, I had to go home and rest and recuperate a bit, and then we went back and then I was blown away. Still to this day I don't believe there has ever been a better incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than the 1990 film. It's a solid story with excellent pacing, good characterization, fun action scenes, just the right blend of humor and seriousness, and the best looking turtles we've ever seen on screen. You would think that in the following 28 years that someone would do a better job with creating amazing looking on screen representations of the TMNT but nope, it hasn't happened yet. Raphael has always been my favorite turtle and I absolutely loved the fact that original film depicted him wandering through the streets of New York City in his trench coat and fedora similar to the disguises worn in the 1987 cartoon. It's probably my favorite look for the character and has been an action figure I've always dreamed of owning. Now, thanks to NECA, it is a reality! Raphael is part of NECA's quarter-scale series meaning he is around 16 1/2 inches tall and overall I do believe he's quite similar to the quarter-scale regular Raphael, but this time with new accessories.  He's a big dude who is cool but rude. What more can I say? Quite a bit, actually; let's talk turtles after the break...

Adding to the Archives: Who Should be the Star of April's Spotlight?

   For March I've been covering some older Han Solo releases to help us get collectively pumped for the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story and to add more Han Solo themed reviews for the archives. I've decided to keep this as a monthly trend and so for April 2018, I'll hold a vote: Simply leave a comment below naming which of the following characters you'd like to see have a month long review series on ActionFigureBarbecue.com!

Here are the options:

Bane- It's been quite a few years since there was a lot of Bane product out on shelves. I'd definitely try to take a look at a variety of Bane offerings from over the years. He's an interesting character with some crazy toys, so why not?



Captain America- With the impending release of Avengers: Infinity War, let's check out some previous Captain America figures and give Steve Rogers the tribute he deserves!


Wonder Woman- I've reviewed a ton of Wonder Woman figures over the past year or so and she's so close to having enough reviews on the site for me to give her her own personal review archive. Let's get her over the top, shall we?

Indiana Jones - Indy is one of my favorite film characters (possibly my favorite) and yet I haven't reviewed much Indy product on the site due to there not being much over the past decade. Let's fix that and check out some various versions of Dr. Jones.

Lara Croft- With the new Tomb Raider just released (I haven't seen it yet, though, and I haven't heard great things) this is still a great time to check out Lara Croft's long action figure history. Tomb Raider came out in 1996 when I was in Middle School and I've always had an affinity for Ms. Croft.

Deadpool- There aren't many Marvel characters that I could review multiple versions of over a month. Deadpool is one of those. I still have my childhood Toy Biz Deadpool and, with the impending Deadpool 2, this seems like a great time to check him out.

Lando Calrissian- Let's throw Lando in here, too. You know you like scoundrels! Plus, he's in Solo!

So, who do you want to see four action figure reviews of in April?

Confirmed Epic Podcast Retro Rewind #8: Olympus Has Fallen

*This podcast originally aired on March 28th 2013, and is part of our Retro Rewind initiative to publish our back catalog of episodes for our listeners!

In this week’s edition of The Confirmed Epic Podcast we review Antoine Fuqua's latest film Olympus Has Fallen.  

We also cover the EPIC new items of the week: HBO Go for every one, 1966 Adam West digital Batman comics, and Independence Day sequels.  

We also get into what we have been checking out this week: GI Joe Retaliation figures, Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated Volume 1, Prometheus on Blu-ray, and The Evil Dead trilogy.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or follow and tweet us @thereelbradbell  

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @theconfirmedepicpodcast

Checkout Jerry's Action Figure reviews hot and fresh daily over at actionfigurebarbecue.com

Support the podcast with some our Confirmed Epic Podcast merch. found at teepublic.com/user/thereelbradbell

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on iTunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast 

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Road to Solo: Rey (Island Journey) from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

 Today I'm checking out a Star Wars figure that I've been waiting over two years to get: Rey in her Resistance Outfit. Hasbro is calling this one Rey (Island Journey) rather than Rey (Resistance Outfit) like the 1/18th scale The Force Awakens figure as she does have elements of her appearance in The Last Jedi such as her oversized cloak but, make no mistake, this is the Rey from the end of The Force Awakens that delivers Luke Skywalker his lightsaber on the mysterious Ahch-To. Groovy! As a 2018 new release Rey takes advantage of the face printing technology that Hasbro has been using on some of their Marvel Legends figures. That means you're getting the most realistic Daisy Ridley likeness you are going to find in this scale! Let's check out this cool new version of Rey after the break...

Road to Solo: Ice Planet Hoth from Micro Machines: Star Wars by Galoob

  For four Saturdays in March I'm going to be covering a Star Wars toy that features Han Solo to help get us all collectively pumped for the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Since I'm such a huge fan of Micro Machines I've decided to review some sets that feature Han Solo in some of the Original Trilogy's greatest scenes. Last week I looked at the C-3PO/ Cantina Transforming Playset that featured Han Solo's iconic encounter with Greedo. Today I'm checking out the Micro Machines Ice Planet Hoth playset that was part of the first series of playsets releases in 1994 (Galoob rereleased the exact same set in different packaging in 1997, too). This is another of my original childhood sets so if you see some rough spots, just remember that this playset survived multiple moves and has been one of those things that has always been on display in my home in some fashion. Let's check it out after the break...