Super Powers … Bruce Lee

Yes, you read that right. Apparently, I’m not the only nerd who thinks Bruce Lee and, in particular, Bruce Lee’s appearance in Game of Death is the coolest thing ever. Whoever is behind the Industrial Toy Werks Super Powers bootlegs is obviously a fan, too. Oh, for more about this kooky series of customs, please see Julius Marx’s blog about his ITW Mirror Master. I’m not a Super Powers collector but I do love weird kitschy stuff, and so these things have caught my eye on several occasions. I know you’re squirming, Chip. Well, seeing as how I’ve done everything but dress up as Bruce Lee in the yellow track suit, it was only a matter of time before I finally picked up one of these customs.

Why Toy Companies Hate Female Action Figures

I’m hoping you didn’t come here looking for facts. Or statistics. Or anecdotes from former toy company big wigs. All you’re gonna get is a flimsy theory pulled from CantinaDanny’s Action Figure Observer’s Field Guide. But it is true that, from the early days of the little plastic people, action figure lines have been light on the lady folk. Granted, the Star Wars movies themselves were pretty male centric but its funny to note that out of 100 vintage Star Wars figures, six were female. Five Princess Leias and a Sy Snootles. Somebody is probably going to correct me by saying something like: “The Death Star Droid was really a fembot!”

Kenner’s Robin Hood

Its not uncommon to find examples of genetic engineering within the realm of parumplasticus populus [Latin: little plastic people]. In fact, the re-purposing of action figure DNA happens frequently within a species. What’s not as common is to see unrelated species share the same genetics. Rarer still is to find that elusive action figure line that is bred almost entirely from foreign DNA. Some within the scientific community call this kitbashing. And Kenner’s 1991 line of figures from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves took this practice to new heights.

Metron’s Chair – Revolutions

Sometime back I posted a blog entitled The Bazooka Wormhole. I defined the phenomenon this way:

a) A geek obsession that results in countless lost hours exhausting every aspect of trivia related to the niche subject.
b) A compulsive preoccupation, at times against your will, with the minutiae of a particular topic within geek culture.

Urban Dictionary published my little term thus immortalizing it for all time. Anywho, after my first mock blog about Metron’s collection of chairs I pretty much got sucked down a 6″ scale chair wormhole and posted a second blog showcasing more cosmic settees. God forbid, I stop there. Whether or not you are still (or ever have been) entertained by photos of Metron with everything but his Mobius chair, here are some more entries…

My New Custom Rocks!

So a while ago on one of those rare days I get the nerve to enter the Mattel forums I stumbled on a thread entitled Attention Customizers And JLU Fans. On page 9 forum member Ed Case posted some pics of his Sgt. Rock custom. Now, I’m a big fan of many of you amazing customizers. This one just jumped out at me because: 1) Sgt Rock was at the top of my list of JLU character wants and 2) Ed did a really nice job. Some PMs were exchanged and finally Ed caved to my threats and agreed to make another Sarge for ol’ CantinaDanny’s collection.

Team Grandpa, O.G. Fanger

Happy Halloween, all you AFi Munsters!

Evolutions: Plastic Man *Updated*

On the heels of our last entry into the Action Figure Observer’s Field Guide we now focus our microscopes on one particular specimen from Phylum: DC / Class: Little Plastic People. Homo hominis plasticus (Plastic Man) is a difficult subject to observe based on the fact that his physical characteristics are ever changing. I’ve attempted to catalog all figural representations of homo hominis plasticus that have existed since that vat of Crawford chemicals became an evolutionary catalyst for Eel O’Brian. But who is to say whether or not the DC Direct Alex Ross Justice Plastic Man isn’t just impersonating the Justice League Unlimited Plastic Man? We’ll never know.

Don’t Mess with the Yellow Track Suit

It takes some guts for a dude to walk out of his home wearing yellow sneakers. Trust me, I’ve done it. Its one of those situations where the image in your head is a lot cooler than the actual execution. Perhaps it would have translated better if I had accessorized with either yellow nunchucks, an Nth metal mace, or a Hattori Hanzo sword. Or perhaps I should have just realized that it is a very special club that gets to don … the yellow track suit.

Metron’s Chair – the Redux

A quick refresher: AFi’s own, Vader, has created a Web site that aims to convince Mattel to add light-up features to the upcoming Mobius Chair that will be packed with DC Universe Classics fan’s choice Metron. Take note, corporate execs, the facebook page has three quarters of a hundred likes! Regardless, I had to ask in my last installment: what’s wrong with the chair Metron already has? Or should I say: “chairs”? You guys made some fun suggestions for alternate divan options. Well, obviously I had nothing better to do than get sucked back into a Metron’s Chair wormhole. So here ya go Fourth World nerds . . .

Evolutions: Super Powers

There exists a passionate band of action figure anthropologists who are quite certain that the Big Bang for super hero parumplasticus populus [Latin: little plastic people] occurred in 1984. It isn’t that articulated super heroes (albeit more primitive) did not exist prior to the emergence of the Super Powers. They did. {see Kingdom: MEGO, Species, World’s Greatest Super Heroes} But through natural selection Super Powers quickly became the dominant species. And that legacy endures. It has taken almost 30 years for a population with an appropriate level of inherited traits to surface that distinguishes itself as the clear descendant of the Super Powers family. That new species is Mattel’s DC Universe Classics. Let’s compare…

Metron’s Chair

Surely you’ve been made aware of the upcoming DCUC subscription fan’s choice oversize deluxe figure Metron . . . and his chair. Now that we, the fans, have witnessed fully the extent of our power over the toy industry we push for more! To date, we have not seen images of the sculpt of Metron’s chair but an effort has been made to get Mattel to include light-up features. AFi’s own, Vader, is leading a charge and has created a Web site to get his message out. But I have to ask: what’s wrong with the chair Metron already has . . .

The Bent Knees Version

Clenching MEGO Comic Action Hero Spiderman in a small fist is not my earliest action figure recollection but it is the most vivid. Part of the reason this figure stands out amongst my other fond childhood toy memories is that it was only by the grace of my older brother that I was allowed to play with it in the first place. My brother is three years older than me and was well positioned to mandate things like what toys I was allowed to play with. That’s probably not too unusual. But it went beyond that. He dictated what characters I was allowed to “like”. For instance, he “liked” the Hulk and I “liked” Spidey. God forbid, I be caught “liking” Hulk. Same went with Star Wars. My brother got to “like” the bad guys and I got the good guys. These arrangements were called “deals”.

MOTU Action League?

Just one of those “let’s throw them in the case and see how the fans react” teasers. LOVE for them. Do it!…

Yoda Studio

Everyone knows that you’re supposed to remove your lightsaber when you enter a Yoda studio.

(This blog is just a pre-SDCC test of the WordPress mobile app.)

Exclusive 2011 AFi Tee Shirt

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