Missing in Action! Toy Lines that Didn't Make the Cut in 2015

 
 Sometimes there is a toy line which appears on my top 10 list of favorite lines one year but mysteriously disappears from the best of list for the next year. There's a number of reasons why this might happen. Sometimes toy lines end or just fade into obscurity; other times there is a change in quality that causes me to stop collecting. Sometimes I just lose interest in a property, too. That certainly happens from time to time There's also always the possibility of a good problem to have, which is that I still collect a certain line but a new line comes along that just one ups it. Here's a brief look at six lines that were on my Favorite Toy Lines of 2014 list that didn't make it onto the 2015 list with some commentary as to why they were left off or got demoted. I've been wanting to do a list like this for a few years and I've finally got the time! Join me after the break for 6 tales of toy lines that went missing in action!

Action Figure Review: Jester from Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 6 by Fisher-Price

   Today I'm looking at the sixth and final figure in Imaginext: Collectible Figures series 6: The Jester! A creepy jester wielding a scythe could work with your regular medieval themed Imaginext figures, your horror themed figures, or even as a henchman for the Joker or Harley Quinn.
As soon as I heard about this wave I assumed that the Jester would be my favorite figure just because I tend to gravitate to creepy, scary stuff. Was I right? Is the Jester the star of series 6? Read on and find out after the break...

Barbecue's Bonfire: 1/30/16

Hey everyone! I'm a bit late with today installment of Barbecue's Bonfire, but at least I got it out there, right? I really enjoy writing this segment and I hope you enjoy reading it. I usually just do straight reviews but this is my chance to really "blog" about some of the other stuff that I do. One of the best things that happened to me this week is that I had a legitimate conversation with my 2 year old about the upcoming DC Comics Imaginext blind bagged figures. My little one loves Batman (she has watched every episode of Batman: The Animated Series and we just watched the 1966 movie this week) so I've been toting out some of my Imaginext Batman figures over the past week or two and we've been having a blast. I started telling her about the upcoming blind bagged DC Imaginext figures and she legitimately asked me if there was a Two-Face in there. She loves Two-Face for some reason and I was happy to tell her that he was in there. While her sentences are choppy (she probably asked "There new Two-Face?") we were honestly conversing back and forth about the series. I'm so excited that she's as excited as I am to track this toyline down! What's the best thing that happened to you this week, toy related or not?

Anyways, after the break I talk about Chinese food, new Spawn figures, Vin Diesel playing with Street Sharks, comic books I've read, a broken Spider Gwen, and a Batgirl pillow. Check it out!

Action Figure Review: Gnome from Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 6 by Fisher-Price

  It's time for a review of the fifth of six Imaginext Collectible Figures in the newest series: The Gnome! Looking kind of like a warrior garden gnome or something, the Gnome brings another fantasy based character into the world of Imaginext. My little one was really excited when we found this series at Target about two weeks ago and, after a good deal of play time, I'm pretty sure this guy is her favorite figure from series 6. At first she called him Santa Claus (she's only around 2 and a 1/2), so I think that was a big plus in her book. Ready for a closer look at the Gnome? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Female Pilot from Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 6 by Fisher-Price

  Our journey through the sixth series of the Imaginext: Collectible Figures continued with this line's only female character: The Female Pilot. It's not a very creative name but neither are the names of most of the other Imaginext figures. Some folks are calling her Amelia Earhart, which is pretty cool too although I don't think that's an official name. The Imaginext Collectible Figure Series has had plenty of figures that pay homage to both real life individuals and fictional characters, so it seems completely plausible that that's what Fisher-Price had in mind. Let's take a closer look at this possible tribute to the Queen of the Air? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Chicken Suit from Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 6 by Fisher-Price

  One of the things I like about the Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series is that they really have some strange concepts for figures in the line. I mean, this is an action figure of a fast food employee wearing a chicken costume. Is this what the guy wears at the counter when taking your order? Does he show up on the hour to give balloons to kids? Is he standing outside waving down cars? Who knows? Known only as "Chicken Suit" to the good citizens of Imaginext City, this guy is all about some deep fried goodness. Ready for a closer look at another original recipe from Imaginext? Then join me after the break...

Action Figure Review: Dino Mech from Imaginext: Collectible Figures Series 6 by Fisher-Price

 A few years back during my ThEpic Review days I wrote a review covering the xenomorphs from the first series of Kenner's Aliens line. In that review I talked about my incredibly cool friend Freddy whom I knew when I was a kid. About Freddy, I stated:
   "Now Freddy was a couple of years older than me and always seemed so incredibly cool. His hair was always spiked, he always dressed as a grim reaper for Halloween, he claimed to have a black belt, he hung out at the 7-11 playing Street Fighter 2 all the time, he claimed to have read an X-Men comic that showed Wolverine naked (thinking back, not sure why that was particularly cool), and he always seemed to find cool toys first."

Today I have another Freddy story for you: Freddy was also Japanese and his family would travel to Japan every couple of years to visit family. Often, Freddy would bring back some cool toys. One time he brought back an insanely cool red and black robotic T-Rex. At some point he either sold or traded it to me (I can't remember) but a few weeks later he and his mother (who I remember rarely speaking English) showed up at our door and Freddy told me he had to get the dinosaur back. We either re-traded or he gave me some money, I can't remember which. Anyways, now with Imaginext Collectible Figures Series 6, I have a cool "Dino Mech" that no one's mother is going to come to my door and demand back! Ready for a closer look at this guy? Then join me after the break...