The Randoms: Teeth of Wisdom Edition

CAVE DECAY

I had my wisdom teeth removed the other day, and I figured this time I'm spending out of commission would also give me a chance to get back to the blog.  I'm going to keep thing simple this time and just do another Randoms post.  Some stuff will get properly spotlighted down the road, so I'll keep the details to a minimum at parts.

I'm also still a little drugged up on painkillers.  I don't think this should be too hard to follow, but forgive me if I ramble...

GALACTIC JERKBAG

I actually took two figures with me to my surgery.  They were hidden in my pockets the whole time, but they were there.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous going in, but there's nothing like your favorite hobby to relax you.  That must be why I take figures with me when I fly too.  Helps me forget what I'm nervous about and brings me back to my happy place.  Anyway, I brought Cave Decay (the Trash Pack tooth) for obvious reasons.  This second guy is the Galactic Jerkbag, from the Kickstarted line S.U.C.K.L.E. by Sucklord.  The second series is up on Kickstarter now, so I guess these guys were just on my mind.  There's no other reason to bring the Galactic Jerkbag to surgery with you.

By latest gift exchange with Alexx from Toys and Tomfoolery showed up two days before my surgery, and I deliberately waited to open it so I had something to look forward to afterwards.  And it didn't disappoint!

EYE SORE and HAMMERED HEAD

I've been itching to try out these Mutant Mania wrestlers, and they're pretty neat!  They're from Moose, the same company does Trash Pack, and they appeal to me in the same way.  They've actually got a real 90's feel to them, especially with the package art.  Oh, and Alexx made sure to get me an eyeball guy and a hammerhead shark.  He understands me.

The Mutant Mania guys utilize this naughty looking rubber "spine", that hold the three pieces of the figure together, like so:

On one hand, it's an interesting gimmick that kind of turns unarticulated figures into articulated ones. I just hope they don't dry out over time and break apart.  I don't want to have to be gluing these guys back together down the road.  These packs also come with an extra spine or two, for no reason I can figure out.  Each figure already has one, what's the point of the extras?  To change the colour?  Who cares!?

FANGOR and FRILLER

This line was made for me.  It's got eyeball guys, hammerhead sharks, skeletons, all the stuff I'm into.  And yet, so far Friller seems to be my favorite.  I've always had a thing for frilled lizards to, but I don't know if they're one of my THINGS that instantly appeal to me.  I guess in this case it did.  He gets bonus points for glowing in the dark.  I also just love his face.  He and Fangor make a nice duo too!

LOCO-MOTIVE and BROOG

Just like with the Trash Pack, there's more than one version of each character.  Mutant Mania gives us the standard painted versions, and the transparent or glow in the dark "double trouble" versions.  I usually prefer the painted ones, but the paint can be sloppy at times, so at least with the double trouble versions you've got less to worry about there.  And sometimes it suits them, like with Loco-Motive or Friller.  And freaky caveman Broog is so close to the painted version it wouldn't even matter to me which one I got.  And speaking of Broog, when I was reading the bios on the Mutant Mania website, I instantly knew I'd have a Broog figure someday.  There's nothing overly special about him, he's just a caveman with mammoth trunks for arms, but I knew he would be mine.  Apparently I can see the future, just nothing interesting.

BONE CRACKER

I love lines like this where you have a ton of different characters to collect.  This series alone boasts over 120 figures to collect.  So wouldn't it just be my luck that my first pack of Mutant Mania wrestlers EVER had two of the same guy in it.  And not just both versions of the character.  I got two of the EXACT same double trouble Bone Cracker in one pack.  For something that calls itself a 4-pack, I only got three characters.  On the plus side, these guys do pop apart into three pieces, so if I get more doubles down the road (which I'm sure I will), I can mix and match them into new mutant freaks.  Or I'll just give him away.  And at the very least, Bone Cracker is cool - and the most 90's looking character on the package.

The garbage cans, toilets, wheelie bins, etc that come with the Trash Pack are cool, but I really love these pop cans that come in the Mutant Mania 8-packs.  Another one of my THINGS is when someone takes something normally mundane, like a pop cane, and weirds it out.  But it helps when the telltale details are still there, like the pop-tab and the fizz bubbling out.

I mean look at it!  That's a nice lid.  

The cans function as storage containers, and the lids double as display stands.  That comes in handy, since some of these Mutant Maniacs have a hard time standing up on their own.

BODY-SLAM BAT

Body-Slam Bat would have been a favorite of mine, but the bad paint job on his left eye bugs me too much.  I suppose I could always write it off as disgusting mutant goo, but I know that's not what it is. It's what it'll have to be for now, but he'll be the first one replaced (and cannibalized into someone new) if and when I get a double.  Awesome name though.

GUTLESS

Ironically for a guy named Gutless, he sure is one big pile of guts.  Maybe none of them are originally his?  This is another one that would work just as well, if not better, in the double trouble version.

MANIAC MANTIS

I really did mean it when I said I preferred the painted versions, but I keep singing the praises of the double troubles instead.  Maniac Mantis is yet another version I prefer as a double trouble.  I may not even be using the term correctly.  The packaging says to watch out for DOUBLE TROUBLE wrestlers though, so that's what I'm going with.  Anyway.  See?  Rambling.  Anyway.  The painted Maniac Mantis has a black moustache that I don't really like, but on this green double trouble version it looks like it could just be some regular bug face greebles.  Improvement!

MUTANT BEARD

I gotta hand it to Moose for going with names that are simple, yet very effective.  Mutant Beard is hilarious.  This is one that would look better painted, but he works well as a fiery pirate ghost here.

Mutant Mania wasn't all Alexx sent me though.  We've been talking about these Hero Mashers with each other for a while now, and while he has a bunch, I didn't have any.  I liked the mix-and-match idea behind them, but I had a hard time finding ones with decent paint and there were always other things I wanted to buy more.  I guess he figured the best way to push me into the line was to just go out and buy me one...

DINOBOT SLUG

It'll probably work too!  Now that I have one Masher, I need more.  To, you know, mash with.

Slug here comes with an extra tail, apparently from the stegosaur dinobot, Snarl, and while it's cool, it doesn't really make Slug look much different.

Now I need more Mashers, to really use this line for all it's worth.  Curse you Alexx, you're such an enabler.  These things ain't cheap either!  It's like, "The first one is free, but after that, it's gonna cost ya".  Well, I guess they're decently priced for what they are, but man, I'm going to be dropping some money on these now that I've been given my first taste.

I asked Alexx to help me with the Club Etheria subset of the Masters of the Universe Classics subscription.  Shipping these things to Canada double the price of them!  He was nice enough to let me get them shipped to him, and have him ship them to me.  I try to find some stuff up here to send his way to make it fair... which I have to pay for anyway... which makes this not the most sensible plan I've ever come up with, but it still feels like it helps!

LIGHT HOPE

I plan on really getting into the MOTUC spotlights here on the blog, so I won't say much about Light Hope and Sweet Bee here, but seriously, how cool is Light Hope?  Mattel went and gave the ol' light beam a body and really knocked it out of the park.  Great design.  It really stays true to the character, so much so that even though he's never been seen like this before, you instantly know who he is when you see him.  At least I did.

not STORM SHADOW

Alexx also got me a figure I had all but forgotten about.  There were these Joes that were exclusive to somewhere (Walgreens or something), that I knew I'd never find here.  I wanted Storm Shadow especially, because he's totally not Storm Shadow.  He's...

T'GIN-ZU

Well, technically his colours are based on the filecard art that came with the original figure from '93, but to me this will actually be T'Gin-Zu and not Storm Shadow.  Storm Shadow has more than enough variations, while T'Gin-Zu only had the one version, and it was a vehicle driver and is therefore harder to come by now.  I think.  I've never really looked, since it was a repaint of a not particularly good Ninja Force Storm Shadow figure.  It helps that the stand that he comes with doesn't actually say "Storm Shadow".  It doesn't actually say anything, and it has a Cobra symbol on it, but I can work around it.  Thankfully there's no Cobra symbol on the figure itself, so I can use him as the heroic G.I. Joe that he SO OBVIOUSLY is!

SHARK MUTANT PIRATE

Shark mutants are my thing, but they don't absolutely have to be hammerheads.  I've seen this guy in stores a few times, but for some reason I never bought him.  It was one of those things I was sure I'd get to eventually, but never did.  Luckily I didn't, because Alexx went and got him for me.  Phew!

Everybody knows sharks makes great pirates, and this guy proves it.  Not that there needs to be any proof, because it's such a well known fact.  His shark sword cool, though a little awkward.  His shark tooth dagger is where it's at though.  It might be a stubby little thing, but I love it!  That's what she said.  Anyway, this guy's from Papo, if you've ever heard of them.  They're a French company that does lots of these cool unarticulated figures.  Besides pirates, they do knights, cowboys, sci-fi stuff, etc.  I actually have a decent collection of them, which I'm sure will end up here on the blog eventually.

ZOMBIE CACKY CAKE and ZOMBIE PUS PLOP

More stuff from Alexx!  I actually found these guys just before the package came in the mail, so I ended up getting a couple doubles.  That's life for a Trash Pack collector though.  This Gross Zombies series is similar to the last two Gross Ghosts waves, but I think these ones are the best yet.  The dark paint washed on the faces really makes them pop, and hey, zombies are cool.

Some of this stuff was supposed to be Alexx's birthday presents to me, and this set just happened to have a cake in it.  That's some classic zombie serendipity for you!

ZOMBIE CRUDDY KEBAB and ZOMBIE ROTTEN ROLL

I know there doesn't need to be a lot of thought put into these zombie versions of regular Trashies, but it's more fun to let the imagination run and play!  I see these two as "snacks" made from zombie meat, that just ended up reanimating and becoming zombies again.  Zombies can't do that, you say?  Clearly you didn't see the picture!

ZOMBIE POOP MONSTER and ZOMBIE GAS GHOST

I don't have to keep using "zombie" in all of their names, but it's just funnier for me to run with it.  Especially when we get to guys like Zombie Poop Monster.  How great is that name?  Attack of the Zombie Poop Monsters might not be a real movie, but it should be.  I also love the idea that Zombie Gas Ghost is both a zombie and a ghost.  It's one of those campy mixes like vampire werewolves, mummy swamp monsters, or invisible invisible robot blobs.  You can also see what I mean about the dark wash of paint bringing out the details here.  Zombie Gas Ghost looks like a real burlap sack!  Filled with farts.  Zombie farts.

ZOMBIE BIN BROS and ZOMBIE FOUL FISH BOWL

Zombie Foul Fish Bowl is another one that works well in the zombie theme.  I think it's the dead fish that does it for me.

The Gross Ghosts Trashies just came in semi-transparent versions of the original trash cans, but the Gross Zombies come in all new coffins!  They're pretty sweet, and it's nice to have something new in what is really just a series of repaints.

ZOMBIE SICK GARLIC

Sick Garlic in red looks like an organ of some kind.  Maybe a heart, or a stomach.  Either way, he's gross and I love him.

Have I mentioned Glyos at all on the blog?  I've got a ton of Glyos figures, but I don't think I've really talked about them all that much.  Anyway, Glyos is another line I'll get to covering eventually, but until then here's one of the supercool new Super Crayboth figures!

The Super Crayboth is a giant version of the regular li'l Crayboth.  I've liked these guys since I first got into Glyos, so it's fun to have this new huge version.

The last of Alexx's gifts (or hopefully the last, I don't want to miss anything) is Bulletman, from Hasbro's G.I. Joe Kre-O series.  The best Joe minds seem to be working with Kre-O, which is a shame because the regular line is pretty much in limbo again.  Bulletman is a member of the original Aventure Team, though I had never heard of him till I attended my first G.I. Joe convention in 2004.  Turns out there's a whole Bulletman fan club, which their own special salute and everything!  Sure, I thought it was hilarious, but also kinda cool.  I'm always one for cheering the underdog and the obscure.  Aside from that, I'm hardly a Bullteman expert, but I knew I wanted the Kre-O version when I learned it existed.

That rope attached to his bag is supposed to simulate a flying bullet action.  I'll probably get sick of it and untie it pretty quickly.

In fact, I already did!

Kre-O's not the best line when it comes to paint apps, but the character choices cover both the essentials and the freakishly obscure, like Bulletman.

Overall he's pretty neat.  I might be alone on this, but it would be fun to see a regular 3¾" Bulletman figure to go with the rest of my Joes.  It's not like Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow can't wait for another version for a while.

The little pamphlet that comes with the figure labels Bulletman as "The Human Bullet", which he is, but he also comes with a little package for himself that sets the name right.  And now he can play with himself too!

Hot Wheels has started doing Star Wars themed cars, and they look more like vehicles than the Disney Racers that came out a while ago, which is kinda cool.  The Disney Racers look more like wheeled heads of Star Wars characters, which still works, so there's room for both in my collection.

CHEWBACCAR

This is Chewbacca, but it would have been nice if they tried to put a little imagination into the names.  As such, I've nicknamed it the Chewbaccar.  Hey, it's not great, but I tried harder than they did.

While the Chewbaccar looks like a furry truck overall, I still like it, and it's my favorite of the ones out so far.  The Tusken Raider car coming out soon will change that, but it's all good.  The little Millennium Falcon and bowcaster on the back of the Chewbaccar are a nice touch.

BRICKTOBER PIZZA PLACE

This was actually part of my birthday present from my wife.  I wasn't asking for it, but I'd never turn away a pizza related Lego set.  I'd never turn away pizza, either.

Usually when it comes to Lego, I'm about the minifigures.  I'll even buy an expensive set just for the minifigures that come with it.  It's actually a pretty bad habit I should try to get away from.  Anyway, I've never paid much attention to this little mini sets, but they're pretty cool.  I still can't say that there's any more that I'm desperately after, but if I were to have one, it should be a pizza place.

Plus, mini modules like this are perfect for making kaiju scenes!  Maybe not the biggest or scariest kaiju in the world, but Scratchy was the closest minifigure to me at the time.

SCRATCHY

Speaking of Lego Minifigures, they're something that both my wife and I can get into.  I'll cover them later on too.

WIND-UP EYE GRABBED BY A SKELETON HAND

I found this thing at Walmart in a box of random Halloween toys.  Obviously, I couldn't pass on it.  I don't know why the skeleton hand was given a warm fleshy colour, but it's still better than your average wind-up toy.  Well, it's your average wind-up toy at the very least.

Okay, last thing and we'll wrap this up!

FRAY BENTOS MEATBALLS IN GRAVY

This is something I was going to include in my Eyeballs on Parade post, but forgot about.  Sure, it's not a toy, but I bought it because it appealed to me in the same way.  Hey, you knew this was a "Randoms" post.  I can talk about whatever I want!  I found these meatballs in England and brought them all the way back home just so I could put them on the blog.  Because of the eyeball guy on the can.  That's not weird.

They took my teeth.  Give me a break.

Anyway, how's that for a random splattering of stuff?  I said I wasn't going to get into the details, though I don't think I stuck to that.  I'm still tired and in pain and drugged up, so I'm not even going to proofread this thing.  I know, that's not like me at all.  All I can do right now is hope that it was coherent and enjoyable, and that maybe, just maybe, you're enjoyment will help heal my face.

Either that or I'll have some soup.  I'm good either way.