Barbecue's Bonfire 4/16/2021: The Captain Marvel Triumphant and the Eternia Box Edition

 

   Hey everyone! The weekend is almost upon us and that means it's time for another installment of Barbecue's Bonfire! Last weekend was my daughter's last hurrah before starting back to in-person schooling after over a year so we did things up! Now that we're all vaccinated we decided to make a trip to the Charlotte Comicon on Sunday afternoon. I picked some Marvel Legends I was looking for, a Skeletor patch, and my daughter ended up winning an award!

   We just watched Captain Marvel on Saturday evening (more on that in a moment) so Adora wanted to wear her Captain Marvel costume. I think she first wore it at HeroesCon 2019 and we didn't know if it would still fit her but it still did. Tack on a Feisty Pet to serve as Goose and she was ready. We told her anyone dressed like Captain Marvel got in free (it was free for all kids 12 and under) so she was extra excited. She's sometimes a bit shy but she decided to enter the costume contest. When she went on stage to show off her costume she did some punches, shot some Photon blasts, made Goose growl at the judges, and then leapt off the stage rather than going back down the stairs. She won a judge's choice award, too! Way to go Adora!

More about Captain Marvel, the MCU, and my trip to Charlotte Comicon after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month 2021: Ram Man from Masters of the Universe by Mattel

 

    Are you ready to take a look at another toy or collectible based on another of the 1983 additions to the Masters of the Universe line for Masters of the Universe Month 2021? Today we're checking out Ram Man, the Heroic Human Battering Ram who came in like a wrecking ball to devastate the Evil Warriors! Ram Man was released in the second series of figures from 2002 in Mattel's "200x" Masters of the Universe line which made perfect sense as he was one of the main heroes in the Mike Young Productions animated series. I never had a vintage Ram Man as a kid (I now own at least three) and I didn't end up getting this one until the mid 2000s. I actually started collecting the 200x line after it was out of stores but before Masters of the Universe Classics was in full swing, so this was my first Ram Man. I love the 200x line and how it melds the playability and action features of a traditional kid focused toyline with the focus on detailed sculpting that was popular among collector focused lines of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Four Horsemen worked magic with this line, too, and Ram Man is a big improvement over the vintage toy. Let's check him out after the break...

Action Figure Review: Scare Glow from Masters of the Universe Origins by Mattel

 

   The distribution on Mattel's Masters of the Universe Origin line hasn't been very good and it's been pretty tough to find most of the figures in the line other than the series 1 releases. Scare Glow is part of series 2 and the last figure from that series that I found. Yeah, he's a 2020 release but I've finally got my hands on him. Scare Glow is probably one of the most exciting releases in this series so far as it's a great way for most fans to get a vintage inspired Scare Glow without having to break the bank and live off of Ramen for the next 6-12 months. Yeah, the vintage Scare Glow might not be that expensive but he's definitely pricy, especially if you're trying to acquire him complete with his cape and halberd. This guy's still not easy to acquire but he is a good bit cheaper. Let's check out Scare Glow after the break and see how the cult favorite of the vintage MOTU line has fared in the Origins series....

Collectible Review: Skeletor from Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative Inc.

   I told you I was going to wrap up the Masters of the Universe Geeki Tikis mugs, didn't I? Today I'm checking out Skeletor, the last of the six Tiki mugs from Beeline Creative Inc. Did I save the best for last? Not quite, as Mer-Man is still my favorite of the mugs, but Skeletor is pretty darn good. After reviewing six of these in a relatively short period of time I'm kind of running out of new stuff to say. Instead, I'll just take a minute and comment how interesting Masters of the Universe licensing has been over the past couple of years. For a property that was absolutely dominant for a brief few years in the 1980s MOTU really has felt like a niche property for most of the thirty-some years since the original line ended. Interestingly, though, it must have a pretty dedicated fan base or enough nostalgic goodwill to keep things going as more and more companies are putting stuff out. It's not a property like Star Wars, Pokemon, Marvel, or DC Comics that feels multi-generational now and is everywhere but it's definitely developed it's own respectable niche in pop culture. Someone's buying all of the MOTU stuff out there and it feels like we just keep getting more of it. Hey, MOTU Tiki Glasses! What a world, huh? Let's check out the Skeletor mug after the break...

Masters of the Universe Month 2021: Evil-Lyn from Rock Candy: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   It's time for us to look at a toy or collectible based on another of the 1983 additions to the Masters of the Universe line for Masters of the Universe Month 2021 and today I'm turning my attention to Evil-Lyn. For Evil-Lyn I've selected a vinyl figure that I find to be very enchanting: The 2018 Funko Rock Candy Evil-Lyn. I don't think Funko's making the Rock Candy line anymore (I believe the last releases were in 2019) which is kind of a shame as I thought it was one of the better vinyl lines Funko pitched. It's still stylized but the overall sculpts are really charming. Funko only ever released Evil Lyn and She-Ra from Masters of the Universe in the series which is a bummer. What does Funko have against Teela, anyway? Seriously, why in the world have they only ever released Teela in the Pint Size Heroes line? Of course, today's not about Teela but Evil-Lyn. Let's take a look at this sultry sorceress after the break...

Action Figure Review: Becky Lynch from Masters of the WWE Universe by Mattel

 

   I've finally found my first Masters of the WWE Universe figure of the year and it's Becky Lynch, the Man of WWEternia! Released as part of the fifth series of this Walmart exclusive line I was pretty thrilled to stumble upon her in the toy aisle. After series 2 this line has had some of the worst distribution I've seen in a toyline. Both series 5 and 6 are on store shelves right now and I've only found one figure from series 5 and three from series 6 (if you find the rest of series 5 or Kane help me out!). Anyways, this is Wrestlemania weekend so it seemed fitting to review a Masters of the WWE Universe figure even though I haven't watched wrestling for almost two years now. I really like Becky Lynch, though, and she is perfectly cast as a Teela inspired warrior. Ready to check out The Man? Then let's get ready to rumble after the break...

Collectible Review: She-Ra from Geeki Tikis by Beeline Creative Inc.

 

 

  I figure I should probably wrap up my reviews of the Masters of the Universe Geeki Tikis as I've had them for over a month so today we're going to check out She-Ra, the most powerful Tiki mug in the Universe! She-Ra is the fifth mug from this set that I've reviewed and she's quite cool. She's similar to He-Man in color and design though her yellow is a bit lighter than He-Man's yellow. They make a great pair, though. I'm always thrilled to get MOTU stuff that's a bit outside of the box and these definitely count in my book. Let's check out She-Ra after the break...