Action Figure Review: Baxter Stockman (Glow-in-the-Dark) from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates by Super7

 

     Ready for some more Turtle Power? How about a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line? Then let's get ready for Super7's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimates line, a new 6-7 inch scaled line of action figures based on the vintage Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. Yes, these figures aren't based on a current piece of media, the comics, or the classic films; they're based on the 1988 Playmates toys that most of us had as kids. If you're at all familiar with Mattel and Super7's Masters of the Universe Classics or Thundercats figures then you might have an idea of what to expect as these follow a similar pattern: Larger, more detailed, and more articulated versions of the vintage figures. These are meant to punch you right in the nostalgia and they succeed in that for sure. The first full series has already arrived (mine showed up today) but a month or so ago I managed to be on Super7's website at the right time to order this cool exclusive Glow-in-the-Dark Baxter Stockman. Baxter Stockman was intended to be the SDCC 2020 exclusive but due to Covid-19 he was sold directly through Super7, meaning I actually had a chance to get him. He's a cool, glow in the dark bug and since I was eager to get my hands on this line and see how it turned out I ordered him. Ready for a look at this "Bug Zapper Blue" Baxter Stockman? Then join me after the break...

Barbecue's Bonfire 9/18/2020: Scareglow Birthday Cake Edition

 

Hey everyone! Barbecue's Bonfire for this week is popping up a bit later today than usual but that's because yesterday was my birthday and I had a lot going on! Last year my dad (who is now retired and a fantastic baker) made me a Moss Man birthday cake. This year? Scareglow! I don't own a vintage Scareglow (yet!) but I love the character and try to get every Scareglow I can get my hands on. Scareglow is a butterscotch cake with buttercream icing. It does not glow in the dark. How amazing is this, right? What else is going on this week? Glad you asked!

 I finished reading The Tommyknockers this week. Published in 1987, the Tommyknockers tells the story of the residents of Haven, Maine who are taken over by an alien presence dwelling in a spaceship buried in the woods outside of the town. I was excited to get to this book as part of my trek to finish all of King's novels (I'm trying to read through all of the ones I've never read before in order of publication) as it always stands out to me as one of the novels from the golden era of Stephen King. I also have vague memories of the TV movie from the early 1990s, though I haven't watched it yet. This is a longer King book and while it's entertaining, and at times very good, the pacing of the book is weird. It ignores main characters for hundreds of pages at a time and jumps around quite a bit. Still, it's filled with some rather interesting and disturbing imagery and feels like King's take on an H.P. Lovecraft styled tale. 

More after the break...

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

    It took me a long time but I finally stumbled upon the Masters of the Universe Origins figures themselves! I've now found all of the first series and, to get things started with the single carded figures, let's check out the Evil Lord of Destruction himself: Skeletor! It's interesting to finally have these in hands, although it's a bit anticlimactic since we've kind of been getting these figures for over a year now. Mattel first released Origins last year as an SDCC 2019 2-pack of He-Man and Prince Adam. Like the vintage line and Masters of the Universe Classics, Origins relies heavily on body reuse for most characters, though Mattel took things a step further and "pre-used" the Origins bodies for the Masters of the WWE Universe line. I guess what I'm saying is that these don' feel as "new" as a new toyline usually feels, although I am very excited to finally have Skeletor and other real MOTU characters in this style. Skeletor is one of the premiere villains of the 1980s and one of my favorite characters overall and it's always nice to see a new toy of him. Originally Origins seemed to be heavily inspired by the earliest MOTU minicomics but now things seem a bit all over the place as Orko is very Filmation inspired, Man-At-Arms has his mustache, and upcoming figures like Clamp Champ, Kronis, and Keldor obviously take cues from the 200x line and MOTUC. Still, Skeletor feels very vintage and very true to his roots. Don't be a royal boob! Check him out after the break... 

Action Figure Review: The Rock from Masters of the WWE Universe by Mattel

    The Rock, the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, has made his way into WWEternia! The third series of Mattel's Masters of the WWE Universe line has been pretty solid all around, featuring the Scareglow inspired Undertaker, the Beast Man inspired Braun Strowman, and the Man-E-Faces inspired trio of The New Day. While the Rock is less of a straight up homage to any one particular Masters of the Universe character, he still fits into the line quite well. Plus, it's the Rock. Even if you don't like wrestling odds are that you still love the Rock. He's made it into G.I. Joe and Masters of the Universe, so now he just needs to get in on Star Wars to complete his domination of the trifecta of the big 1980s toylines! Let's see if we can smell what the Rock is cooking after the break...

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

 

To really make this review of the Undertaker as authentic as possible I should write the longest intro ever! But I'm not going to do that, as I'm ready to jump right in and talk about this toy. The Undertaker is part of the third series of Mattel's Masters of the WWE Universe line and, like most other figures in the line, you're getting a WWE Superstar meshed with the gimmick of a Masters of the Universe figure. For the usually supernaturally inspired Undertaker Mattel gave him the gimmick and weapon of Scareglow, the evil ghost of Skeletor! It's an excellent combination as this really looks like something the Undertaker would have worn during the Ministry of Darkness period. Let's jump in and check out this Dead Man Walking after the break...

Toy Review: He-Man from POP! Tees: Masters of the Universe by Funko

 

   This is going to be a super quick review but I did want to make sure that I checked out the new Masters of the Universe POP! Tees sets from Funko. There is a He-Man set and a Skeletor set and I'm checking out He-Man first. These are Walmart exclusives (like nearly everything MOTU these days, it seems) and they're usually found in the electronics sections with the other Funko POP! items, typically in the larger Walmart stores that have the collectibles section with figures from NECA, Bandai, and McFarlane. At the Walmart where I found mine the POP! Tees were actually locked up in an electronics cabinet and at another one I saw them with the "spider wrap" anti-theft devices on them. Inside each box is a T-shirt and an exclusive glow-in-the-dark POP! vinyl. The POP! vinyl is a repaint of the recently released He-Man #991 so it's not a new sculpt or anything, but it is packaged in standard POP! packaging. It's still labeled as He-Man #991 but it has an "Only at Walmart" sticker and a "Glows in the Dark" sticker on the plastic window. These have been a bit difficult to find and after I saw them twice, I never saw them again. Hopefully more will trickle out over the next few months for those still searching for them. Let's take a look at the He-Man POP! Tees set after the break...

Barbecue's Bonfire 9/11/2020

 

What's up everybody? It's Friday, so it's time for another quick installment of Barbecue's Bonfire! gather around! 

Guess what I found this week? A full case of the second series of the Masters of the Universe Eternia Minis! Each figure in this set comes in a little Snake Mountain! How awesome, right? Man, is Mattel cranking out MOTU stuff right now or what? With as much product as we're seeing hitting shelves someone really must have thought that the movie was happening this year, right? 

 

I'm still working on this year's installment of 31 Days of Toy Terror which will have a focus on horror toys prior to the year 2000. What were some of your favorite horror themed toys going growing up? I've tried to hit some of the most popular ones but also throw in some oddball favorites, too. It's been fun picking up some toys here and there that I haven't seen or owned for decades. Let's just say that my desk has some holographic horror figures from Tonka, some chattering aliens from Trendmasters, and a fleshless fury from Playmates on it right now.

More after the break...