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This has been making the rounds and I usually don't follow these sorts of trends, but yeah, I feel this needs further examing. Below is a video from Back to the Future part 3. In this scene "Vern", Doc Brown's second kid does some strange motions and apparently points to his crotch. Watch the vid:
Now that's pretty messed up, especially when you watch it zoomed in. What the hell was going on there? Seondly and perhaps most importantly... Why did someone just now discover this in 2010?
Now that's pretty messed up, especially when you watch it zoomed in. What the hell was going on there? Seondly and perhaps most importantly... Why did someone just now discover this in 2010?

Doctor Who
Sontaran Commander Skorr
5 Inch Scale
By: Character Options
2009
$12.99
It's been a while since we've looked at any Doctor Who figures, but today I'm feeling some Sontaran love. It took me a while to get any of the modern Sontaran figures but recently I've acquired a small army. Sontarans are basically clones, which makes army building easy. That said there have been a few different looking Sontarans through the years. There's rumors of a classic Sontaran coming soon but I think the modern version is a pretty decent compromise between the two designs. Some fans may not agree, but I've always felt that this is how a Sontaran was supposed to look but that the BBC just couldn't afford good enough special effects during the classic run.
Packaging:
It appears as if the new Doctor Who series will be changing the packaging, but it's a bit of a shame. Although these packages have appeared the same for several years now, they're very good designs that serve both form and function. The Tardis shaped bubble has long been a favorite of mine.
Skorr and his accessories are on display fairly normally. There is a nice picture of the actual Skorr on the front as well. I like that because nothing shows off confidence in your sculpting ability more than placing the actual thing you're supposed to be sculpting right on the front. If your sculpt is bad or way off, it's going to be apparent to all potential buyers.
I also love that Character Options doesn't dynamically package these. On the back there are a few other figures in this particular wave of figures. I think it might be nice if they had checklists on the back, but I suppose that's a bit too difficult.
Sculpt:
Although the Sontarans have a somewhat simple design, Character Options didn't just cheap out and give these guys a very basic look. Instead the figure is loaded down with little details from top to bottom. The figure is painted in a soft blue with black highlights and darker blue areas in the shoulders, neck and "belt".
The head sculpt is important and it faithfully recaptures how the character looks in the show. Skorr even has his gapped teeth that he had. The face sculpt itself looks a bit like Ronald Reagan to me, but maybe that's just a personal thing. Obviously it also looks like a potato, or something naughtier and nastier.
The helmet is nicely sculpted too and fits over his head. Sadly the damn thing won't stay on for nothing. In fact I'm not sure if I've ever actually gotten it on properly at all. You can make it look right from the front or the back, but I haven't had much luck with either other way. Oh well, I've always sort of figured the helmet was just a way to avoid showing the Sontaran mask in the vintage show.
The sculpt packs in a few bonus features as well. There is a small communicator on his right side. It's glued in there, but if you had a mind to, you could probably remove it. He also has a small black blaster on his right hand and the com link piece on his neck area.
The back features the same sort of detail and although it's a no brainer, thankfully they also included the one Achilles heel of the Sontarans. A weak spot on the back of the neck.
Articulation:
The Doctor Who line has always been known for adequate, but not overboard articulation. The Sontarans actually offer a bevy of new articulation that can't be worked into every figure. The sculpt impeded some of the articulation, but there is still a lot more here than usual.
For starters the head actually has no articulation. Before you think to complain about that, it's actually an important detail... Sontarans can't turn their heads. As for actual moving parts, you start with true ball jointed shoulders that have a pretty limited range of movement thanks the shoulder pads. Swivel arm, hinge elbows and swivel wrist are all on the torso.
There is also a torso ball joint which allows for all new movement in the Who line, as well as swivel hinge legs, thigh cuts, hinge knees and ball jointed ankles with rocker motion. It's a pretty impressive amount of articulation, though there are some minor quibbles about how it's implemented. I like the improved articulation, but I certainly wouldn't want it on every figure.
Accessories:
Who is always a mixed bag when it comes to accessories because so few figures really need them. The Sontaran does need a little and he gets just that. First he's got his helmet. As I mentioned before, the Helmet isn't a perfect fit.
Skorr also comes with a blaster gun. It's really nicely detailed and Character Options stuck true to it's actual design, which means it can be pretty hard to grip if you don't know where to grab it at. Both accessories are really well done.
Value:
Prices are sort of all over for this guy. At some retailers you can get these guys for under $10, partially because there have been several releases of him. That's another point to add, depending on which version you get you may have a BAF part. At most you can see these guys for about $13-$14 which is a tad high.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 7
Sculpting - 9
Articulation - 8
Accessories - Gun, Helmet
Value - 7
Overall - 8 out of 10
I'm a bit torn on just what score to give Skorr, but I'm going to go ahead and give him a full 8. He's got some new articulation that can be a bit wonky at times. The sculpting is top notch and his accessories are nice. The helmet woes unfortunately are enough to knock him down from being a perfect figure. I still definitely recommend him and many clones, assuming you can find them at a price tag that suits your fancy.
Doctor Who Sontaran Commander Skorr Review
2010-02-28T08:34:00-05:00
Newton Gimmick
Action Figure Reviews|BBC|Character Options|Doctor Who|Doctor Who Action Figure|Sontaran|
Comments
When it comes to sleeping great, memory foam mattresses are some of the best options out there. Just the other day I mentioned OvernightMattress and now I'm here to tell you about their incredible reviews they've been recieving.
The crew at Overnight Mattress know that customer service is the #1 aspect in any company. That's why they've adopted a system that is simple and easy to understand. Let the customer post feedback based on their experiences. Incredibly the customer service feedback for the company is astronomically high. Don't take my word for it, check out Overnight Mattress Reviews for yourself and see some of the reviews that people are giving it.
There are pages and pages of reviews from customers. I saw reviews from as far away as Hawaii, to Oklahoma, to California and everyone is saying they same thing: They love their mattress and the service they got from Overnight Mattrees. You get those kind of positive reviews from impressive customer satisfaction. They have great selection of memory foam mattresses and their customer satisfaction is next to none. Here's one satisfied customer's review from the Overnight Mattress Reviews:
My wife had purchased a $2500.00 Tempur-Pedic memory foam set. I hated it and would wake up each day feeling like my shoulders were dislocated. I got rid of it and slept on a pillow top for two years but it was killing my back. Found the Overnightmattress.com site and couldn't believe the prices. I purchased the CoolMax memory foam mattress. Unbelievable price with free shipping. I couldn't go wrong. It took 5 minutes to open and for the foam to wake up from compression. Wow, what a difference. The mattress is firm enough to make the back happy but soft enough that it doesn't hurt the shoulders. We love it and my wife has thanked me several times for buying it. I no longer wake up and take inventory of my aches and pains. This mattress makes us feel great. Absolutely recommend it.
That sounds to me like the type of company you should go for if you're looking for a new bed. That's an impressive business model and a very strong feedback ratio of positive experiences. Customers are satisfied with their beds and the service. Check out their website for more information on memory foam mattress sales.
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.
Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
The crew at Overnight Mattress know that customer service is the #1 aspect in any company. That's why they've adopted a system that is simple and easy to understand. Let the customer post feedback based on their experiences. Incredibly the customer service feedback for the company is astronomically high. Don't take my word for it, check out Overnight Mattress Reviews for yourself and see some of the reviews that people are giving it.
There are pages and pages of reviews from customers. I saw reviews from as far away as Hawaii, to Oklahoma, to California and everyone is saying they same thing: They love their mattress and the service they got from Overnight Mattrees. You get those kind of positive reviews from impressive customer satisfaction. They have great selection of memory foam mattresses and their customer satisfaction is next to none. Here's one satisfied customer's review from the Overnight Mattress Reviews:
My wife had purchased a $2500.00 Tempur-Pedic memory foam set. I hated it and would wake up each day feeling like my shoulders were dislocated. I got rid of it and slept on a pillow top for two years but it was killing my back. Found the Overnightmattress.com site and couldn't believe the prices. I purchased the CoolMax memory foam mattress. Unbelievable price with free shipping. I couldn't go wrong. It took 5 minutes to open and for the foam to wake up from compression. Wow, what a difference. The mattress is firm enough to make the back happy but soft enough that it doesn't hurt the shoulders. We love it and my wife has thanked me several times for buying it. I no longer wake up and take inventory of my aches and pains. This mattress makes us feel great. Absolutely recommend it.
That sounds to me like the type of company you should go for if you're looking for a new bed. That's an impressive business model and a very strong feedback ratio of positive experiences. Customers are satisfied with their beds and the service. Check out their website for more information on memory foam mattress sales.
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.
Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

In an interesting turn of events, Mattel just lost it's Max Steel star to Hasbro. In order to appear in Universal's upcoming Stretch Armstrong movie, Taylor Lautner (Twilight) has dropped out of Paramount's Max Steel. Shortly after the announcement that Lautner was playing Max Steel, Brian Goldner (Hasbro's CEO) saw him on Saturday Night Live. Lautner and Hasbro are both represented by WME Entertainment, so reports say Goldner contacted WME about possibly casting Lautner in Stretch Armstrong. To start with Lautner was looking to do both movies, but he felt Hasbro was working faster than Mattel (which owns the Max Steel rights) and decided to go with just the one film.
Obviously Max Steel seems like an odd property for Mattel to try and make a movie out of as I mentioned back Back in December, when Lautner first signed on for the role. It's not that Max Steel couldn't work, but it was a bit out there for Mattel. Sadly this probably derails this movie pretty big and any Big Jim follow ups.
Meanwhile Stretch Armstrong makes a lot more sense, given that it's a brand name that most people know. Even if you don't directly know the toy, you know the idea. Mattel hasn't proven very good with it's toy-to-movie properties but Hasbro has been on the ball with this as of late. I expect Stretch Armstrong to be stretching his way into theaters a lot sooner than Max Steel ever does and obviously Lautner thought so too.
The fact that an actor would leave one starring role for another that he got several months later shows just how different the Mattel and Hasbro movie teams apparently are. It seems Mattel can't ever get past the planning stages, while Hasbro gets films made.
There are many mattress companies out there. It seems every time you turn on the television there is a new company trying to tell you about their mattresses. What they don't tell you, is how often people are unhappy with those mattresses and can't do anything to get out of it.
That's why I'm telling you about Overnight Mattress complaints are so low with this company. They have incredible service reviews and offer a 120 night risk free trial of their beds. If you aren't satisfied with the bed, you can ship it back. They'll even pay to ship it back and give you 100% refund so long as you qualify. Not only that, but they also donate the mattresses. If you're looking for an Overnight Mattress complaints company than this is the one.
Just check out their website and see their high ratings, positive reviews and impressive customer satisfaction. Not only do they have great selection but their customer satisfaction is next to none. You won't see complaints about their service. Not now and likely not ever because they strive to be the best in that field. When it comes to the place you'll sleep every night, what could be more important than conformability and peace of mind? Check out their website for more information.
Overnight Mattress complaints
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.
Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
That's why I'm telling you about Overnight Mattress complaints are so low with this company. They have incredible service reviews and offer a 120 night risk free trial of their beds. If you aren't satisfied with the bed, you can ship it back. They'll even pay to ship it back and give you 100% refund so long as you qualify. Not only that, but they also donate the mattresses. If you're looking for an Overnight Mattress complaints company than this is the one.
Just check out their website and see their high ratings, positive reviews and impressive customer satisfaction. Not only do they have great selection but their customer satisfaction is next to none. You won't see complaints about their service. Not now and likely not ever because they strive to be the best in that field. When it comes to the place you'll sleep every night, what could be more important than conformability and peace of mind? Check out their website for more information.
Overnight Mattress complaints
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.
Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
And now for something completely different...

Halo Odd Pods
Spartan Hayabusa
4 Inch Scale
By: McFarlane Toys
2009
$8.99
Todd McFarlane should be credited for basically reinventing toys. In the mid 1990's he upped the genre with improved paints, articulation, sculpting and pretty much created the "collector" market of toys. From chase variants to introducing the world to some unknown sculpters by the name of the Four Horsemen, McFarlane really was a trendsetter. Somewhere along the way things got muddled and McFarlane went from being one of the leaders and one of the innovators, to a company that produced inarticulate sports figures. I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but the guy who innovated the modern toy market ended up basically remaking Kenner's old Starting Lineup toys.
The last vestiges of McFarlane's actual toy department exists now soley through the Halo figures. From what I can tell the Halo figures are relatively successful, which led to McFarlane branching out and trying to steal some of the spotlight of Hasbro's Mighty Muggs. I'd rag on McFarlane for that, but the reality is EVERYONE is copying Hasbro's Muggs, so it's not really a unique situation. Of course hardcore vinyl collectors will tell you that Hasbro was just copying a format laid down by the likes of Kidrobot, but that's hardly relevant to today's review. Instead we have to look at what McFarlane's ripoff is and if it's any good.
Packaging:
The Odd Pods (even the name is a ripoff of Mighty Muggs) come in fairly small window box packaging. There's nothing overly special about the packages, but chances are if you've been to TRU they've caught your eye. So I guess it does do that much.
I assume they're trying to focus on collectors, but the package has lots of graphics and wording on it that makes it seem more like it's aimed at kids. Judging by the YouTube reviews of these things, maybe that is the target audience. I've never once played Halo, so I have no idea if it has a big youth following or not, but I assume so.
This guy is from Series 2, so it only shows the Series 2 figures on the back. Considering there are only 8 figures total, they might as well have shown everyone. Master Chief manages to be shown on the back as well, because of the figure demo. Master Chief is one of the dumbest names I've ever heard, for the record. Even hardcore Halo fans can agree with me on that right? I mean the guy is basically named Captain Boss.
Sculpt:
Mighty Muggs are generally soft plastic versions of designer vinyl. The Odd Pods are hard plastic. In fact the Odd Pods are less like Mighty Muggs and more like Mighty Beanz with arms and legs.
It's also tiny in comparison to the aforementioned Muggs. This figure is only 4 inches in height and maybe an inch and a half wide. The small size actually works because it's bigger than some of the small toys out there, but it's not as massive as Mugg. You could easily put this on your desk at work and not feel like you're running out of space.
The gimmick with these guys is that you can swap their parts. The head, torso and arms all snap off and you can swap them with other Odd Pod figures. This is certainly a great idea in theory, but the "endless possibilities" sort of feels limited when you realize there are only 10 figures in the whole line and two of those are extremely rare variants that can cost up to $100 or more. So basically you have 8 bodies to work with.
I don't even recommend taking the arms off as they're a bit of a chore to get back on. They're not impossible or anything, but it's probably more trouble than it's worth. The head and torso sections pop off really easily though and it almost feels like there is a magnet in them because of how well they snap together and apart. There isn't a magnet though, it's just good engineering.
Most of the figures have no unique sculpting and feature only paint details on this "pill" shape body, but the blue Spartan does have a unique sculpted headpiece. Overall the toys feel kinda cheap and unlike the Muggs which are virtually indestructible, you could break this. A good hard throw on the floor and this thing would probably be beyond repair.
Articulation:
Remember when I said McFarlane was once the leader in this field? Well even though he's spent the better part of the last decade making figures that move less than your grandmother, this little guy actually has as far as I can tell, the MOST articulation of any of these Mugg-lite toys. McFarlane's back baby!
This guy has a swivel neck, swivel waist, swivel arms and swivel legs. For the genre that makes this figure practically super articulated. Sadly what this guy really needed was swivel wrists. That would have been some genuine innovation.
Still it's hard to knock these guys on the articulation front. It's all basic cuts, but it's more than most toys of this type give us. You can definitely have a smidge of fun posing the little buggers.
Accessories:
Most Odd Pods come with a single weapon, but the Spartan has two guns. That's definitely a nice feature and I think all figures of this sort should come with a couple of accessories. What this guy really needs is like a rocket pack or something, but I guess they don't have those in Halo.
The guns are actually hollow, which is sort of weird. They feel sturdy enough but I'm surprised they weren't cast as solid rubber pieces. The detail on them is pretty minimum, but again that's more or less par for the course with this genre.
Value:
Expect to pay $10.99 for these at Toys R Us and around $8 elsewhere. If you shop around you can find them for even cheaper though. They definitely aren't worth $11, but if you could find them for under $7 they aren't a terrible value.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 6
Sculpting - 6
Articulation - 7
Accessories - Two Guns
Value - 6
Overall - 6 out of 10
Despite the low score I don't hate these guys. If I'd paid $11 I might have a different opinion, but as is I don't feel bad paying a couple bucks for one of these toys. Most of the Halo designs don't allow for the "cute" element that all the other Mugg-lite figures have and I think that hurts these guys overall. Still I'd actually like to see McFarlane do more of these figures from other franchises than Halo.
Spawn Odd Pods would be cool and since there is almost no sculpting required it seems like a no brainer. However the bottom may have more or less dropped out of this market so the Odd Pods may be too little too late. If Mighty Beanz showed us anything, it's that a lot could be done with this sort of design but I don't know if McFarlane Toys is in a state to do these at the capacity they would need to be in order for success.

Halo Odd Pods
Spartan Hayabusa
4 Inch Scale
By: McFarlane Toys
2009
$8.99
Todd McFarlane should be credited for basically reinventing toys. In the mid 1990's he upped the genre with improved paints, articulation, sculpting and pretty much created the "collector" market of toys. From chase variants to introducing the world to some unknown sculpters by the name of the Four Horsemen, McFarlane really was a trendsetter. Somewhere along the way things got muddled and McFarlane went from being one of the leaders and one of the innovators, to a company that produced inarticulate sports figures. I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but the guy who innovated the modern toy market ended up basically remaking Kenner's old Starting Lineup toys.
The last vestiges of McFarlane's actual toy department exists now soley through the Halo figures. From what I can tell the Halo figures are relatively successful, which led to McFarlane branching out and trying to steal some of the spotlight of Hasbro's Mighty Muggs. I'd rag on McFarlane for that, but the reality is EVERYONE is copying Hasbro's Muggs, so it's not really a unique situation. Of course hardcore vinyl collectors will tell you that Hasbro was just copying a format laid down by the likes of Kidrobot, but that's hardly relevant to today's review. Instead we have to look at what McFarlane's ripoff is and if it's any good.
Packaging:
The Odd Pods (even the name is a ripoff of Mighty Muggs) come in fairly small window box packaging. There's nothing overly special about the packages, but chances are if you've been to TRU they've caught your eye. So I guess it does do that much.
I assume they're trying to focus on collectors, but the package has lots of graphics and wording on it that makes it seem more like it's aimed at kids. Judging by the YouTube reviews of these things, maybe that is the target audience. I've never once played Halo, so I have no idea if it has a big youth following or not, but I assume so.
This guy is from Series 2, so it only shows the Series 2 figures on the back. Considering there are only 8 figures total, they might as well have shown everyone. Master Chief manages to be shown on the back as well, because of the figure demo. Master Chief is one of the dumbest names I've ever heard, for the record. Even hardcore Halo fans can agree with me on that right? I mean the guy is basically named Captain Boss.
Sculpt:
Mighty Muggs are generally soft plastic versions of designer vinyl. The Odd Pods are hard plastic. In fact the Odd Pods are less like Mighty Muggs and more like Mighty Beanz with arms and legs.
It's also tiny in comparison to the aforementioned Muggs. This figure is only 4 inches in height and maybe an inch and a half wide. The small size actually works because it's bigger than some of the small toys out there, but it's not as massive as Mugg. You could easily put this on your desk at work and not feel like you're running out of space.
The gimmick with these guys is that you can swap their parts. The head, torso and arms all snap off and you can swap them with other Odd Pod figures. This is certainly a great idea in theory, but the "endless possibilities" sort of feels limited when you realize there are only 10 figures in the whole line and two of those are extremely rare variants that can cost up to $100 or more. So basically you have 8 bodies to work with.
I don't even recommend taking the arms off as they're a bit of a chore to get back on. They're not impossible or anything, but it's probably more trouble than it's worth. The head and torso sections pop off really easily though and it almost feels like there is a magnet in them because of how well they snap together and apart. There isn't a magnet though, it's just good engineering.
Most of the figures have no unique sculpting and feature only paint details on this "pill" shape body, but the blue Spartan does have a unique sculpted headpiece. Overall the toys feel kinda cheap and unlike the Muggs which are virtually indestructible, you could break this. A good hard throw on the floor and this thing would probably be beyond repair.
Articulation:
Remember when I said McFarlane was once the leader in this field? Well even though he's spent the better part of the last decade making figures that move less than your grandmother, this little guy actually has as far as I can tell, the MOST articulation of any of these Mugg-lite toys. McFarlane's back baby!
This guy has a swivel neck, swivel waist, swivel arms and swivel legs. For the genre that makes this figure practically super articulated. Sadly what this guy really needed was swivel wrists. That would have been some genuine innovation.
Still it's hard to knock these guys on the articulation front. It's all basic cuts, but it's more than most toys of this type give us. You can definitely have a smidge of fun posing the little buggers.
Accessories:
Most Odd Pods come with a single weapon, but the Spartan has two guns. That's definitely a nice feature and I think all figures of this sort should come with a couple of accessories. What this guy really needs is like a rocket pack or something, but I guess they don't have those in Halo.
The guns are actually hollow, which is sort of weird. They feel sturdy enough but I'm surprised they weren't cast as solid rubber pieces. The detail on them is pretty minimum, but again that's more or less par for the course with this genre.
Value:
Expect to pay $10.99 for these at Toys R Us and around $8 elsewhere. If you shop around you can find them for even cheaper though. They definitely aren't worth $11, but if you could find them for under $7 they aren't a terrible value.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 6
Sculpting - 6
Articulation - 7
Accessories - Two Guns
Value - 6
Overall - 6 out of 10
Despite the low score I don't hate these guys. If I'd paid $11 I might have a different opinion, but as is I don't feel bad paying a couple bucks for one of these toys. Most of the Halo designs don't allow for the "cute" element that all the other Mugg-lite figures have and I think that hurts these guys overall. Still I'd actually like to see McFarlane do more of these figures from other franchises than Halo.
Spawn Odd Pods would be cool and since there is almost no sculpting required it seems like a no brainer. However the bottom may have more or less dropped out of this market so the Odd Pods may be too little too late. If Mighty Beanz showed us anything, it's that a lot could be done with this sort of design but I don't know if McFarlane Toys is in a state to do these at the capacity they would need to be in order for success.
Halo Odd Pod Spartan Hayabusa
2010-02-26T19:51:00-05:00
Newton Gimmick
Action Figure Reviews|McFarlane|Mighty Muggs|Odd Pods|Vinyl|
Comments
March 1st is the official day you can play the new Mega Man game. After the rousing success of Mega Man 9 (A game I still need to download), the crew are back with another awesome retro Mega Man game. It's available on Nintendo Wii first if you want to check it out. Sounds like a lot of fun and gets me interested in playing some good ol' fashioned 8-bit goodness again.
Below is a trailer for the game:
Below is a trailer for the game:
Mega Man 10 Launches in 3 Days
2010-02-26T14:46:00-05:00
Newton Gimmick
Capcom|Mega Man|Megaman|Nintendo|Nintendo Wii|Video Games|
Comments
- Part of me really wants to review Trap-Jaw, the other part of me knows that every website on the planet will be reviewing him and Battle Cat in the next few days. I'm pretty torn.
- Is it just me or are Antonio Banderas and the Macho Man Randy Savage starting to turn into the same person? Why does talking about Randy Savage always make me want to "Snap Into" a Slim Jim?
- Speaking of spicy beef treats, I'm headed out to Toys R Us today to see what I can find. I'm hearing that the new World's Greatest Superheroes are showing up there. I didn't have much luck last time I went to TRU, (TFTA) but second time could be a charm.
- I'm thinking of running a crazy theme month for March again. Last year I did Doctor Who, but I have a new plan for this year. Though I could just as easily do Doctor Who again. I have a back catalogue of stuff I need to review. I'm not going to commit one way or the other just yet.
- Speaking of reviews, I have a few more Popeye ones coming in the week ahead. I also about a million more either halfway in the works or planned. I feel like I might be doing too many reviews lately. Don't want to pigeon hole myself.
- I just today got my Doctor Who figures that I was supposed to get 20 days ago. Talk about an enthusiasm bummer.
- If the front page is messed up or has very little content, I apologize. Google in it's infinite wisdom has implemented a "auto pagination" on all blogs that basically screw everything up. I'm waiting for them to fix it, but in the meantime stuff is more or less in limbo. To read older posts you have to just click the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of the screen. Because somehow Google thinks that's easier.
- Am I the only one at least a little bit baffled that Mattel has sent out sample Wun-Dar figures for websites to review? I mean, Wun-Dar's never going to be up for sale... So what's the point? Oh well, what the hell do I know, right?
- Still looking for part time contributors if you're interested in sharing some content. Pretty open to movie, toy, TV, comic or otherwise reviews and opinions that fit in with the Pop Culture theme.
- Posted up a new Professor's Position over at TNA Wrestling News. If you like wrestling and such.
- Is it just me or are Antonio Banderas and the Macho Man Randy Savage starting to turn into the same person? Why does talking about Randy Savage always make me want to "Snap Into" a Slim Jim?
- Speaking of spicy beef treats, I'm headed out to Toys R Us today to see what I can find. I'm hearing that the new World's Greatest Superheroes are showing up there. I didn't have much luck last time I went to TRU, (TFTA) but second time could be a charm.
- I'm thinking of running a crazy theme month for March again. Last year I did Doctor Who, but I have a new plan for this year. Though I could just as easily do Doctor Who again. I have a back catalogue of stuff I need to review. I'm not going to commit one way or the other just yet.
- Speaking of reviews, I have a few more Popeye ones coming in the week ahead. I also about a million more either halfway in the works or planned. I feel like I might be doing too many reviews lately. Don't want to pigeon hole myself.
- I just today got my Doctor Who figures that I was supposed to get 20 days ago. Talk about an enthusiasm bummer.
- If the front page is messed up or has very little content, I apologize. Google in it's infinite wisdom has implemented a "auto pagination" on all blogs that basically screw everything up. I'm waiting for them to fix it, but in the meantime stuff is more or less in limbo. To read older posts you have to just click the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of the screen. Because somehow Google thinks that's easier.
- Am I the only one at least a little bit baffled that Mattel has sent out sample Wun-Dar figures for websites to review? I mean, Wun-Dar's never going to be up for sale... So what's the point? Oh well, what the hell do I know, right?
- Still looking for part time contributors if you're interested in sharing some content. Pretty open to movie, toy, TV, comic or otherwise reviews and opinions that fit in with the Pop Culture theme.
- Posted up a new Professor's Position over at TNA Wrestling News. If you like wrestling and such.
Randomness
2010-02-25T17:31:00-05:00
Newton Gimmick
Masters of the Universe Classics|Randomness|TNA Wrestling|
Comments
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.
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For more information on the phone, check out the following link: SANYO Incognito
The Incognito Boost package includes the following top notch features:
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There are a lot of good phones out there on the market today. Choosing can be difficult. However, I know that many people refuse to sign a contract and be locked into a cellular phone. Boost Mobile provides one of the best services with no contract being required, nationwide coverage, and the unlimited plan/price. Even the biggest skeptics of cell phone companies can realize that this is a pretty awesome deal. If you're one of those people on the go and not looking to get bogged down with a contract, Boost's new offer is right up your alley.
The SANYO Incognito™ looks to be a top notch phone with EVDO capabilities and a full QWERTY keyboard, plus picture & video messaging and bluetooth capability. If you're in the market for a new phone, I'd suggest checking out my sponsor.
Even though we got our first Ghostbuster figure way back at San Diego Comic Con, Winston is only the second official figure of the line. Two figures in like 6 months. I fear the Mattel Ghostbusters line is not long for this world. With the upcoming schedule of releases, Walter Peck, Slimed Peter, Lab Coat Ray, Slimed Walter Peck, Slimed Coat Ray, Lab Coat Walter Peck, Slimed Slimer, Lab Coat Slimer and Dungaree Egon, I don't remain too hopeful.

Ghostbusters
Winston Zeddemore
6 Inch Scale
By: Mattel
2010
$20.00
But at least we got Winston. Winston has always been my favorite Ghostbuster. If he's your favorite Ghostbuster, you should enjoy this release because let's face facts... We probably aren't getting another Winston figure. I was so happy about this line back in October when I reviewed Ray Stantz but most of that goodwill has been washed away. Still we should focus on the positives and with Winston Zeddemore, there are a few.
Packaging:
The package is the same as it was last time. It's a nice package and I like that the demon dog cut outs can be removed. Though I found that out totally by accident.
Winston is displayed fairly well, but it suffers some from Mattel's insistency to dynamically pose EVERYTHING in the package. Winston is using his trap! Oh clever. Of course he's using it on nothing since he doesn't come boxed with a ghost. Not even the ghost of Snoop Dogg from Hood of Horror. Shame too cause that would have been an awesome pack-in.
The back of the package mentions that the other figures are "Subject to Availability" which seems like a stupid advertisement to me. Mattel has made it clear they don't want any figure staying on the website for more than a day, so why bother even telling people that there are other figures on the site? I mean, this is basically saying "Check Ebay".
Although as of this writing, poor Winston is still available on the website. Then again the next figure doesn't come out for a couple months yet, so who knows if he'll last long enough. Anyway, on the inside there's a few of those little clear rubber bands holding the figure in. My cat tried to eat them because they shoot off once you cut them loose. So thanks Mattel for trying to kill my kitty. There's no need whatsoever for the rubber bands, so how about not putting them all over everything? That goes for you too Hasbro!
Sculpt:
Every figure in the Ghostbusters line shares the same body (even Janine!) so you get pretty much what he looks like by now.
Personally I think this is the perfect Winston body. It was too bulky for Egon, not bulky enough for Ray but it's just right for Winston. No, that's not because I've let the Real Ghostbusters define my looks of how the GBs look, but rather that's how the real men looked in the movie.
The proton pack and stuff all look just as sharp as they did on Ray (and Egon I assume) but it's still worth noting. I guess if you are going to use the same sculpt for everyone at least it's a good one. I do wish the backpacks were removable, but it's not like Kenner figured out how to do that 20 years ago or anything.
My Winston has some inconsistency in his face pigment, which makes me wonder if I scratched his face with my nail if I could uncover a white Winston underneath. I'll save that project for another time (Probably never) and let you know how that turns out.

The Few. The Proud. The Black Ghostbusters.
All in all Winston is a solid little figure. I'm not a huge fan of the fact that his moustache looks like it was drawn on with a sharpie, but I can't expect Mattel to sculpt two Winston heads, Moustachioed and non. He's no different than Ray or Egon before him, but he definitely works as Winston. He's the best fit for the body yet.
Articulation:
These guys are loaded with way more articulation than they probably need. About half of the articulation is hindered in various ways because of the sculpt itself, but it's still a admirable job articulation wise. I'm generally happy with all the articulation.
Winston has a ball jointed neck, wrists, elbows and shoulders. He also has hinges at the knees, ankles and swivel hinge hips. He has cuts on the thighs, waist and at the boot tops. Some "rocker" going on in the ankle as well.
I'm less thrilled that every Ghostbuster is doing his best "Fonz" impersonation with the double thumbs up. I realize that's a sculpting issue, not an articulation one, but it's annoying none the less. If these guys aren't holding their blasters, they look pretty stupid. "Party on Ray!"
Accessories:
Normally I would count the proton pack and blaster as an accessory, but they aren't removable so technically that's not an accessory. Winston does come with a pretty cool ghost trap though. It breaks down into three parts.
It's almost a shame that every GB didn't come with at least the trap portion. You don't necessarily need the pedal or the lighting effects with everyone, but the lack of traps is pretty disappointing. Walter Peck was rumored to come with a trap for the containment unit, but that was sadly untrue. Maybe it'll come with the Lab Coat Containment unit variant.
The trap is beautifully done. I can't remember if the Four Horsemen are sculpting this line or not, but I'm inclined to believe they are. The level of detail here is really excellent and it has working doors.
Once assembled you can stick your choice of two ghosts into the trap. If you have extra stuff that might pass as a ghost, you can stick it into the trap too. I recommend Gashapons or a sock.
Value:
This guy isn't worth $20. That's pretty much all I have to say about that.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 8
Sculpting - 8
Articulation - 7
Accessories - Trap, Pedal, Lighting Effect
Value - 7
Overall - 8 out of 10
This is a really nice, overpriced figure. I'm tempted to knock the score down a bit, just because there isn't much new here. However the trap and such are really well done even if that's his only real accessory and I love Winston. I always have and I always will. This is a solid recommendation if you're into the Ghostbusters or Reggie 'The Sandman' Martin. Follow me on the Twitterz.

Ghostbusters
Winston Zeddemore
6 Inch Scale
By: Mattel
2010
$20.00
But at least we got Winston. Winston has always been my favorite Ghostbuster. If he's your favorite Ghostbuster, you should enjoy this release because let's face facts... We probably aren't getting another Winston figure. I was so happy about this line back in October when I reviewed Ray Stantz but most of that goodwill has been washed away. Still we should focus on the positives and with Winston Zeddemore, there are a few.
Packaging:
The package is the same as it was last time. It's a nice package and I like that the demon dog cut outs can be removed. Though I found that out totally by accident.
Winston is displayed fairly well, but it suffers some from Mattel's insistency to dynamically pose EVERYTHING in the package. Winston is using his trap! Oh clever. Of course he's using it on nothing since he doesn't come boxed with a ghost. Not even the ghost of Snoop Dogg from Hood of Horror. Shame too cause that would have been an awesome pack-in.
The back of the package mentions that the other figures are "Subject to Availability" which seems like a stupid advertisement to me. Mattel has made it clear they don't want any figure staying on the website for more than a day, so why bother even telling people that there are other figures on the site? I mean, this is basically saying "Check Ebay".
Although as of this writing, poor Winston is still available on the website. Then again the next figure doesn't come out for a couple months yet, so who knows if he'll last long enough. Anyway, on the inside there's a few of those little clear rubber bands holding the figure in. My cat tried to eat them because they shoot off once you cut them loose. So thanks Mattel for trying to kill my kitty. There's no need whatsoever for the rubber bands, so how about not putting them all over everything? That goes for you too Hasbro!
Sculpt:
Every figure in the Ghostbusters line shares the same body (even Janine!) so you get pretty much what he looks like by now.
Personally I think this is the perfect Winston body. It was too bulky for Egon, not bulky enough for Ray but it's just right for Winston. No, that's not because I've let the Real Ghostbusters define my looks of how the GBs look, but rather that's how the real men looked in the movie.
The proton pack and stuff all look just as sharp as they did on Ray (and Egon I assume) but it's still worth noting. I guess if you are going to use the same sculpt for everyone at least it's a good one. I do wish the backpacks were removable, but it's not like Kenner figured out how to do that 20 years ago or anything.
My Winston has some inconsistency in his face pigment, which makes me wonder if I scratched his face with my nail if I could uncover a white Winston underneath. I'll save that project for another time (Probably never) and let you know how that turns out.

The Few. The Proud. The Black Ghostbusters.
All in all Winston is a solid little figure. I'm not a huge fan of the fact that his moustache looks like it was drawn on with a sharpie, but I can't expect Mattel to sculpt two Winston heads, Moustachioed and non. He's no different than Ray or Egon before him, but he definitely works as Winston. He's the best fit for the body yet.
Articulation:
These guys are loaded with way more articulation than they probably need. About half of the articulation is hindered in various ways because of the sculpt itself, but it's still a admirable job articulation wise. I'm generally happy with all the articulation.
Winston has a ball jointed neck, wrists, elbows and shoulders. He also has hinges at the knees, ankles and swivel hinge hips. He has cuts on the thighs, waist and at the boot tops. Some "rocker" going on in the ankle as well.
I'm less thrilled that every Ghostbuster is doing his best "Fonz" impersonation with the double thumbs up. I realize that's a sculpting issue, not an articulation one, but it's annoying none the less. If these guys aren't holding their blasters, they look pretty stupid. "Party on Ray!"
Accessories:
Normally I would count the proton pack and blaster as an accessory, but they aren't removable so technically that's not an accessory. Winston does come with a pretty cool ghost trap though. It breaks down into three parts.
It's almost a shame that every GB didn't come with at least the trap portion. You don't necessarily need the pedal or the lighting effects with everyone, but the lack of traps is pretty disappointing. Walter Peck was rumored to come with a trap for the containment unit, but that was sadly untrue. Maybe it'll come with the Lab Coat Containment unit variant.
The trap is beautifully done. I can't remember if the Four Horsemen are sculpting this line or not, but I'm inclined to believe they are. The level of detail here is really excellent and it has working doors.
Once assembled you can stick your choice of two ghosts into the trap. If you have extra stuff that might pass as a ghost, you can stick it into the trap too. I recommend Gashapons or a sock.
Value:
This guy isn't worth $20. That's pretty much all I have to say about that.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 8
Sculpting - 8
Articulation - 7
Accessories - Trap, Pedal, Lighting Effect
Value - 7
Overall - 8 out of 10
This is a really nice, overpriced figure. I'm tempted to knock the score down a bit, just because there isn't much new here. However the trap and such are really well done even if that's his only real accessory and I love Winston. I always have and I always will. This is a solid recommendation if you're into the Ghostbusters or Reggie 'The Sandman' Martin. Follow me on the Twitterz.
Ghostbusters: Winston Zeddemore Review
2010-02-25T10:40:00-05:00
Newton Gimmick
Action Figure Reviews|Ernie Hudson|Ghostbusters|Mattel|MattyCollector|Winston Zeddemore|
Comments
In the early to mid 1990's there was a great little B-movie horror franchise known as Puppet Master. The original story of a Nazi era puppeteer who used some evil magic to make killer puppets that, well... killed, struck a chord with the video market. Puppet Master went on to make several movies of varying quality and right at the turn of the century the puppets became toys!

Puppet Master
Totem
By: Full Moon Toys
1999
$10.99
In the 4th and 5th Puppet Master movies (filmed back to back) we were introduced to new antagonists, the Totems. While the Puppets themselves were originally considered evil, the genre had changed a bit as the films went on because of the increased popularity of the characters. The Totems made excellent foils for the Puppets, offering essentially puppet on puppet violence. The toys from the films turned out to be a big hit and the Totem stands as one of the more impressive models of the characters.
Packaging:
The package is pretty vanilla, but does include a bit of artwork from the film. Charles Band is a notoriously shrewd businessman, but whomever he got into bed with in relation to the toys worked well with the Full Moon company. Toys were just really starting to get collectible and Full Moon seemed to notice that.
The minimalist packages weren't designed to lure in kids, but to entice collectors. Not only collectors of toys but of general horror/whatever Hot Topic shoppers like. The front shows off the figure well and it is definitely reminiscent of the Puppet Master posters of the era.
The back shows off some of the other figures for sale and includes a cut out trading card deal.
Sculpt:
I always liked the Totem design, but the old VHS movies didn't exactly show them off to any great detail. Having the figure in hand I can finally really admire some of the smaller, lesser seen qualities of these little evil demon dolls. There is a definite Aztec feel to these characters and it shines through quite well.
The Totems have more design elements than any of the other Puppet Master figures. I don't recall the Totems being hugely popular, but they do offer a bit of an army builder element. This figure was also cast in a "glow in the dark" variant.
Looking at this guy up close though, I'm really amazed how well the design translated to the toy. This looks like a small scale replica of the actual puppet than say a action figure of it. Some of the puppets themselves tend to look like toys, but this guy looks like he could be on screen.
The paint work is pretty good overall and there's more paint here than on any of the other figures, but it's not without a few issues. There's some slop and some scuffs here and there. In terms of the slop it's hard to say where the intentional wash slop ends and the unintentional slop begins, although there are a few key cases. Still it fits in with the paint scheme for the most part and stands out only when highlighted.
Even though some of the colors are quite vibrant, this guy definitely looks evil. There's some neat spikes and ridges throughout that help bring about the demonic element. He also has a pretty nasty hunch which just evokes a sense of nefariousness.
Overall the sculpt and paint and much better than you'd expect from a company that primarily focused on making low budget horror and skin flicks.
Articulation:
The figure aren't particularly articulate, but they can get in a few poses.
The Totem is cut at the big five, with simple arm, leg and neck cuts. The leg cuts don't give you much option in terms of posing, as he's essentially got a V-crotch, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
He mostly looks good hunched over standing. It works in several contexts, including creeping around.
Accessories:
Accessories were generally pretty mild for this line, but the Totem does get a "power gem" accessory.
As I recall there were several variants on these gems. This one is a fire colored stand with an orange jewel. It's not the most realistic looking thing, but it works well enough.
Additional Notes:
I'm not sure what it is that ended the Puppet Master line. I've heard it had something to do with Full Moon's financial troubles, but there could be a variety of reasons. The collector market sort of dried up around early 2000 before hitting another boom in the first few years of the new millennium and Full Moon could have been a precursor of what was to come. It could also have to do with the fact that there were far too many variants of the figures that quickly became very costly to try and complete...
It could also be that they simply ran out of cool Puppets to make figures of. I'm guessing the fact that there weren't any new movies or at least GOOD ones coming out, played a factor too. Still, the Totem while not being one of the more popular characters is a great figure.
Value:
I believe these originally retailed for around $10. They were inflated in price for a few years, but they've come back down in recent ones. The Totem has never been too expensive and you can generally get him for about a ten spot if you look around and are patient. For as nice of a figure as he is, that's not too terrible a value.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 6
Sculpting - 9
Articulation - 4
Accessories - Power Gem
Value - 7
Overall - 6.5 out of 10
There's nothing particularly bad about this toy, aside from low articulation. It's essentially a near perfect small scale replica of the Totem from the Puppet Master films. If you liked those movies, you probably should track down some of these figures. If you have no idea what Puppet Master is, you could still probably enjoy a Totem in your figure collection.

Puppet Master
Totem
By: Full Moon Toys
1999
$10.99
In the 4th and 5th Puppet Master movies (filmed back to back) we were introduced to new antagonists, the Totems. While the Puppets themselves were originally considered evil, the genre had changed a bit as the films went on because of the increased popularity of the characters. The Totems made excellent foils for the Puppets, offering essentially puppet on puppet violence. The toys from the films turned out to be a big hit and the Totem stands as one of the more impressive models of the characters.
Packaging:
The package is pretty vanilla, but does include a bit of artwork from the film. Charles Band is a notoriously shrewd businessman, but whomever he got into bed with in relation to the toys worked well with the Full Moon company. Toys were just really starting to get collectible and Full Moon seemed to notice that.
The minimalist packages weren't designed to lure in kids, but to entice collectors. Not only collectors of toys but of general horror/whatever Hot Topic shoppers like. The front shows off the figure well and it is definitely reminiscent of the Puppet Master posters of the era.
The back shows off some of the other figures for sale and includes a cut out trading card deal.
Sculpt:
I always liked the Totem design, but the old VHS movies didn't exactly show them off to any great detail. Having the figure in hand I can finally really admire some of the smaller, lesser seen qualities of these little evil demon dolls. There is a definite Aztec feel to these characters and it shines through quite well.
The Totems have more design elements than any of the other Puppet Master figures. I don't recall the Totems being hugely popular, but they do offer a bit of an army builder element. This figure was also cast in a "glow in the dark" variant.
Looking at this guy up close though, I'm really amazed how well the design translated to the toy. This looks like a small scale replica of the actual puppet than say a action figure of it. Some of the puppets themselves tend to look like toys, but this guy looks like he could be on screen.
The paint work is pretty good overall and there's more paint here than on any of the other figures, but it's not without a few issues. There's some slop and some scuffs here and there. In terms of the slop it's hard to say where the intentional wash slop ends and the unintentional slop begins, although there are a few key cases. Still it fits in with the paint scheme for the most part and stands out only when highlighted.
Even though some of the colors are quite vibrant, this guy definitely looks evil. There's some neat spikes and ridges throughout that help bring about the demonic element. He also has a pretty nasty hunch which just evokes a sense of nefariousness.
Overall the sculpt and paint and much better than you'd expect from a company that primarily focused on making low budget horror and skin flicks.
Articulation:
The figure aren't particularly articulate, but they can get in a few poses.
The Totem is cut at the big five, with simple arm, leg and neck cuts. The leg cuts don't give you much option in terms of posing, as he's essentially got a V-crotch, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
He mostly looks good hunched over standing. It works in several contexts, including creeping around.
Accessories:
Accessories were generally pretty mild for this line, but the Totem does get a "power gem" accessory.
As I recall there were several variants on these gems. This one is a fire colored stand with an orange jewel. It's not the most realistic looking thing, but it works well enough.
Additional Notes:
I'm not sure what it is that ended the Puppet Master line. I've heard it had something to do with Full Moon's financial troubles, but there could be a variety of reasons. The collector market sort of dried up around early 2000 before hitting another boom in the first few years of the new millennium and Full Moon could have been a precursor of what was to come. It could also have to do with the fact that there were far too many variants of the figures that quickly became very costly to try and complete...
It could also be that they simply ran out of cool Puppets to make figures of. I'm guessing the fact that there weren't any new movies or at least GOOD ones coming out, played a factor too. Still, the Totem while not being one of the more popular characters is a great figure.
Value:
I believe these originally retailed for around $10. They were inflated in price for a few years, but they've come back down in recent ones. The Totem has never been too expensive and you can generally get him for about a ten spot if you look around and are patient. For as nice of a figure as he is, that's not too terrible a value.
Score Recap:
Packaging - 6
Sculpting - 9
Articulation - 4
Accessories - Power Gem
Value - 7
Overall - 6.5 out of 10
There's nothing particularly bad about this toy, aside from low articulation. It's essentially a near perfect small scale replica of the Totem from the Puppet Master films. If you liked those movies, you probably should track down some of these figures. If you have no idea what Puppet Master is, you could still probably enjoy a Totem in your figure collection.
Puppet Master: Totem Figure Review
2010-02-24T06:26:00-05:00
Newton Gimmick
Action Figure Reviews|Charles Band|Full Moon|Horror|Puppet Master|Puppets|Toys|
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