Toy OTD: Nathan Jurevicius, Kid Robot's Scarygirl City Folk Figures: Crossing Guard, School Girl (2007)

Nathan Jurevicius is not only a cool illustrator, but a prolific toy designer as well! TheScarygirl City Folk collection probably isn't his latest line, but it's certainly one of his more recent ones. It's a blind boxed mini-fig series with a wide variety of characters. I only bought a couple of them, so I'll review just those two here.

Kid Robot's toys are of a consistently high quality, and this line is equally good. The sculpts capture the playful, graphically strong designs and interpret them into three dimensions very well! They're planned to be cast in multiple parts, and the assembly seams are strategically chose to blend into the design without disrupting it. The construction itself is fine, making the characters look solid. The use of materials is clever, such as the transparent plastic for the Crossing Guard's staff, and the mounting of the book stack on the School Girl's head.

The paint work is also nice and clean - there's not a ton of detail on these designs, but the color borders are sharp, small paint areas are tidy, and the broader paint areas are smooth. Details like the School Girl's eyelashes are crisp. The color palette is limited by design, not budget.

Mini-figures rarely (if ever) have articulation, so it's a non-issue here.

Balance for both designs is fine: School Girl has a back wheel to steady her; and the Crossing Guard has a broad, flat base. Mr. Jurevicius is very conscious of this aspect of manufacturing and addresses it well, regardless of the figure scale. Either small stands are included, or the designs are well balanced on their own.

Packaging for this line is terrific, both in terms of the individual boxes and the larger case. Both are heavily decorated with Mr. Jurevicius' graphics, but they're not overwhelming. The color use here is tasteful, but punchy enough to attract attention. All of the boxes are unified with a similar palette of black, pink, green and white - it's easy to keep track of this series!

There's fifteen different characters in the set, and at least two paint variants (a black-faced School Girl, and a black Jelly Cat). You can get blind boxes for $9.73 + shipping each at overkillshop.com, and a few of the characters are on eBay right now: The School Girl chase and both Jelly Cats for $19.99 + shipping each, and the Doctor for $29.99 + shipping. These prices seem a bit high, so you may want to be patient and poke around at the next Vinyl Toy Network or something. Good luck!

Toy OTD: DC Direct Kingdom Come Figure Series 2: Shazam (2004)

I remember Mark Waid's Kingdom Come being DC's answer to Marvels, ushering in an era of highly-polished 'event comics': sort of the comic-book equivalent of a summer 'tentpole' film. Since comic book characters have always been heavily merchandised, it wasn't much of a stretch to anticipate Kingdom Come action figures. DC Direct took on the challenge of making small versions of illustrator Alex Ross' re-imagined superheroes.

It's no small feat - Ross' style is quite detailed and realistic looking. While both this line and its companion series (the Justice action figures) produce mixed results, it's very impressive that any of these toys hit their target. This is a property that could only be done with the manufacturing technology and resources available today.

It may not be one of the best KC toys, but Shazam (aka Captain Marvel) is a nice one. As you probably already know, I'm primarily a purist - but I really like Waid/Ross' take on the character. A bit emotionally arrested, and there's an eerie djinn vibe about him now. He really is a being rooted in magic: he feels a lot less comforting, more unpredictable.

The sculpt is quite good - lots of subtle detail, but not too much. It evokes Ross' style nicely, right down to matching a pose from one of his paintings. The button-corner for the tunic may be a bit much, though, and the sculpt of the cape seems rather small and crumpled.

The paint work is pretty simple, as most of the figure is cast in the costume color. The overall effect is fine, but the facial detail struggles to support the sculpt and winds up looking a little like makeup. It might be as good as it can be, considering the sculpt and the scale. The only other problem is that the boots aren't painted (or cast) to match the metallic accents as they should.

The articulation is fairly basic - joints at the neck, lower biceps, wrists, hips and mid-calves. This preserves the look of the sculpt effectively, and isn't awkward to pose. The lack of knee and ankle joints aid balance and stability, but limit play value. I'm fine with this since I feel it's more of a display piece.

Balance is a mixed bag. The figure does come with an elegant display base, but it's huge. In fact, it seems far too big for any of the KC toys, and also suffers from the typical DC Direct display base problem. A few holes cast into the base can be used to hold a tiny peg. The peg fits into a hole on one of the figure's feet - the other foot doesn't have one. This usually results in the peg getting stuck in the foot, and/or the toy falling over. This base-mounting design has rarely worked for me, and unfortunately almost all of the DCD figures use it.

The packaging is well thought out and attractive. Simple black boxes with the graphic novel's logo on them - the additional text uses a similar font to maintain the look. Quite clean on the front, with great Alex Ross box lining art to create a crowd effect. The hang tag on the back allows the toys to be displayed on retail shelves, or hung on pegs.

You can still buy this figure for a decent price, but you'll have to shop carefully. eCrater has one for sale for $18.99 + shipping, but they can go as high as $89.95 + shipping at toyglobe.com. Be patient and have fun!

Toy OTD: McFarlane Hanna-Barbera Figures Series 2: Yogi Bear (2007)

Hanna-Barbera characters were terrific ideas for a toy line, but the uneven quality made supporting the concept difficult. Ultimately, I'm not sure the demand was there either, which is a shame - there's not a lot of really great Hanna-Barbera toys to be had.

The Yogi Bear set-up is one of the nicer toys in McFarlane's shot at H-B merchandising. The situation depicted is classic - Ranger Smith chasing after Yogi and Boo Boo - and the posing is lively and fun. Most of the piece feels like it's right out of an old-school View-Master reel!

The grouping of the characters, though, feels a bit off - Ranger Smith feels further away than he might need to be. Boo Boo's expression seems somewhat dead-eyed as well. Granted, he's a deadpan sort of personality, but his face still feels static. Other than these minuses, the sculpting is quite strong. The base detail is kept simple, like the show's aesthetic, and it doesn't compete with the figures. The base is so big, balance issues (and branding) are happily nonexistent.

The paint work could be a touch tighter, but overall it's fine - the colors are well chosen and evoke the characters perfectly.

The gimmick of mounting the figures on short springs initially gave me some concern, since things like that tend to backfire over time. I fully expected to discover the trio had slumped over a few months after opening the package, but so far, so good. The springs seem to be strong enough to add a wobbling motion without sacrificing long-term display quality.

Generally, the packaging for this line was pretty sharp, and this blister/card combo is no exception. There's some nice artwork of Yogi with the old-school H-B logo nestled among spiffy retro graphics. The blister displays the figures well for paint scrutiny, and there's also a nice photo of the completed set-up (which I like to have, just in case the instructions don't quite work for me). It's a pretty straightforward approach, but you'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how often this can be screwed up. There's just enough art to support the toy's appeal without overwhelming it.

This item is only three years old, so it's still readily available, and it hasn't gone up in price all that much. You can get one right now at moviepostersetc.com for $14.97 + shipping. If you miss out, eBay has a couple for sale at about the same price. Keep an eye on the shipping, and have fun!

Toy OTD: Tim Biskup, Gama-Go's Deathbot (2007)

Gama-Go (Tim Biskup's merchandising label) focuses primarily on clothing and prints, but every once in a while a marvelous toy or art piece will appear! While some are very limited and pricey, others (while still great) are more mass-produced and affordable. GG's Deathbot figure is a nice example of the latter.

Mr. Biskup's art and design sense embrace a playful neo-retro sensibility, and Deathbot's construction and look reflect that. The bold colors, simple shapes, and minimal detail are straight from his palette. The sharp paint passes help support his look, too.

The use of materials - wood and metal - evoke a nostalgic feeling as well, being reminiscent of children's toys made in the fifties and sixties. There's a great tactile quality you get with wood, and I'm sure it resonates strongly with older collectors!

The only minus with this figure - and it's a small one - is that the arms and legs are segmented (with a bendable core) so that they may be posed. This is great for potential balance issues - you can flex the legs if it's not standing properly - but the segments are so tightly packed together that the limbs can't be posed very much. This looks the most like the original design, but if you like to pose your toys a lot, Deathbot fits a little more into the 'display-as-is' category. I'm more of an 'on-model' guy, so this call is fine with me.

The packaging - as you might expect from Gama-Go - is really sharp! It makes a bold statement without hogging up a lot of shelf space. The 'bursting-wall' window border is clever, and the theme is carried through the rest of the package with a wrap-around cityscape. Again, Mr. Biskup's design sense is maintained nicely here.

Like older wooden toys, Deathbot was designed to be re-purposed as different characters with minimal changes. Add a hat, alter the paint, tweak the body shape, and presto - you've got an undertaker, an Oktoberfest reveller, a detective, or one made of solid 'gold'!

Four of the five versions are still easy to find and very affordable. You can get the undertaker version is at The Presto Gallery for $14.95 + shipping, and the lederhosen, gold, and detective variants are all at Ningyoushi.com for between fifteen and twenty dollars. Google shopping shows even lower prices, so compare before you buy! Unfortunately, the original version seems to be sold out, so you'll need to set up an eBay favorite search for that one. Happy Deathbots!

Artwork ©2007, 2010 Tim Biskup.

Toy OTD: McFarlane Toys Where The Wild Things Are Figures (2000)

McFarlane's Where the Wild Things Are figure line is a frustrating one, as they're simultaneously amazing and terrible. It's been nine years since these toys came out, and even though the big-budget movie version of the book was released this year, they've never been resurrected. They go for a pretty penny these days on the secondary market, and while they don't exactly fall into my "Toys To Avoid" category, there are some things you should know before you drop the big cash.

The sculpts and paint work on these figures are incredible - I've seldom seen a manufacturer work so hard to make a toy line look like the source artwork! These toys are gorgeous, no lie. They even mimic the 'chorus line' posing from the famous book art perfectly. Maybe too perfectly...

There's two huge, near-fatal flaws with these figures. The first is weight - these toys aren't hollow, but solid PVC. Most of these designs are pretty bulky in nature, so most of the characters could double handily as a murder weapon. This combines badly with the other big flaw:

Articulation. Since these toys are sculpted in a specific pose, articulation doesn't really add anything to them. Adding joints to a posed sculpt usually results in every other pose looking awkward (at best). Unfortunately, the articulation added here often includes the dreaded ankle joint - a dubious feature for the best-planned of sculpts. If the manufacturing isn't just right, you'll wind up with a wobbly pivot in a place that you don't want any figure to have it - and a toy that won't stand up on its own. The finishing touch? Bases that are too small, and aren't firmly attached to the figures.

So you've got heavy, solid-PVC figures, top-heavy designs, ankle joints, and loose bases. You guessed it - I've had all of these figures 'retro-fitted'. I've had feet glued to the bases, extra weight added to the bases, ankle joints glued closed, or (depending on the figure) all of the above. If you buy these toys, be prepared to either A) keep them in their boxes, or B) do a LOT of workshopping to make them stand up properly.

While the package designs aren't necessarily strong enough to work as a permanent display, they are nicely restrained - especially when you compare them to most modern toy boxes. They're simple, decorated tastefully with book art inside and out, including the book logo on the box front. The jungle backdrop surrounding the figure is an especially nice touch!

You can buy all of the toys (still in their boxes) on eBay right now, but expect to spend around $200 for a mint-in-box (MIB) set. You can also get the set loose for $150, or buy them individually from eBay or various websites. Comparison shopping is your friend, and of course the longer you wait after the movie's release (and the holidays, naturally), the better off you'll probably do. Good luck!

Photos ©2009 Jeff Pidgeon (ex. box photo), Artwork ©Maurice Sendak.

Toy OTD: Mindstyle, Cameron Tiede 13 Tomadachi Figures: Edgar, Oswald, Agatha

It's so great to see a new design aesthetic emerge in the world of art toys - granted, these figures debuted two years ago, but Cameron Tiede's style still feels fresh and new! He had the good sense to team up with Mindstyle, one of the best in the designer toy game. The results are really special!

The sculptor did a wonderful job of bringing Mr. Tiede's very flat graphics into three dimensions. The chunky shapes are drawn into bold relief, and emphasized still further with color - faux highlights and cast shadows both create more dimension, yet also call back to the 2-D feel of the source art. The colors are appealing and true to Mr. Tiede's palette. Parts are separated along color lines for easy assembly, and to make the overall figure even richer in dimension.

The paint work is a skillful blend of large paint areas, dyed vinyl and smaller apps, creating a striking effect. There's some bleed-over here and there, but nothing too significant.

The characters are good choices for vinyl figure work - all of them have sufficiently low centers of gravity to minimize balance problems (display bases really aren't needed here!). I do recall that at least one piece was broken off upon opening the box, but in general the toys ship well with minimal damage.

The packaging is sturdy and quite attractive - you'll be tempted to keep (or re-purpose) the brightly-decorated drums that protect each figure. If not, they're made of cardboard, so at least they recycle easily.

These toys had a pretty small run - only three hundred of each! It looks like you can still get them (including the dog Roofus, which I decided to pass on) here at artoyz.com for €39.90 each. Good luck!

Toy OTD: DC Direct Action Figure: Metamorpho (2003)

I wasn't a big fan of DC Direct's action figures at first. The sculpts weren't all that great, the paint apps were sketchy, and much of the line consisted of comic characters from the '90s that didn't push my "spend" button. The toys must have sold well, though, because the line gradually improved as time passed.

One of the first "This is getting interesting" moments that I've had with this series was the appearance of the Metamorpho figure. As I remember it (though my chronology might be utterly wrong), the Element Man wasn't in any comics at that point, nor had Bruce Timm re-introduced him to new audiences. I was blown away that anyone would remember this character, much less want a toy of him! I'd only read one issue of his title myself. After the toy's release, though, his stock in the DC universe seemed to grow by the day.

I'm still not wild about this scale of figure, but this is a nicely made toy! The sculpt is great, the color uses a lot of dyed plastic rather than paint, and the articulation allows for some posing without being too intrusive. The packaging is straight-up Silver Age, complete with the classic logo and '60s checkerboard cover banner. You even get a few extra appendages, in case you want to depict Rex in mid-transformation! Nice.

As usual, there's no display base, though using the water column accessory may help the toy to stand better than on its 'regular' legs. Still, a base would've been a good idea here.

This figure has been sold out for some time, but you can still buy one online. There's a loose toy on eBay with all the extra pieces going for $15.99 + $5.20 shipping. I thinks that's cheaper than it was originally... good luck!

Toy OTD: Mezco South Park Figure: Jesus (Series 3 - 2006)

The Mezco South Park line lasted long enough to include some great characters! Of course, it wouldn't really be complete without one of the stars of The Spirit Of Christmas - Jesus! Happily, Mezco did a terrific job.

The figure is as simply designed as its construction-paper counterpart. Generally, it's very accurate to the original design, but the head looks a little rounder - thought it's possible the design has changed over the run of the show, too. It's a really nice compromise between two- and three-dimensions! The paint work is also tight, which helps preserve the cutout look.

This character doesn't really lend itself to articulation, so big props to Mezco for thinking outside of the box and adding articulated eyebrows! It's a nifty way to customize your figure a little more, especially if you consider the facial variants that Mezco usually produce (I'm sure this toy has more than one). Other than that, we're talking the neck, shoulders, and maybe the wrists.

The big plus of the sculpted robe is that there's no stability issues! While he may not balance on your dashboard, the toy will probably be well-centered on any other flat surface. Any possible branding or legal-ese is hidden away, which is also very cool!

Mezco's South Park blister packaging is deceptively basic. The show's simple, attractive graphics may seem like a gimme, but many toy companies don't always consider the source content. Mezco picked a snowy 'Colorado' background for the blister card, which is eye-catching and on-theme without becoming obnoxious or busy. Very nice!

Rather than bombard us with tiny, easily-lost accessories, Mezco gave us a 'God' mini-figure instead! It's also quite well-made, accurate right down the thin whisker-hairs on its head. Not only is it on-theme, but it's like getting two figures for the price of one!

This toy is three years old, but it's not terribly hard to get today. Unfortunately, it's gone up in price significantly - the cheapest it's going for right now is $49.99 + shipping at superherotoys.com. You may want to hunt around a bit more and comparison shop... good luck!

Toy OTD: Memory Lane Peanuts Figure: Pig Pen

Memory Lane has made some nice, affordable Peanuts swag recently - here's another good example. The company already gets points simply for making a tertiary character. There's a fair amount of Pig Pen merchandise out there, but a fair amount of time usually goes by before another piece shows up!

Like most Peanuts merchandise, this figure is based primarily on the character as he was drawn in the late eighties/early nineties. It looks good, and it's a style that the most shoppers will be familiar with, but I have to say, I am hankering for more retro-styled products. Fortunately, more seems to be on the way!

The appeal of this figure is still strong, but in general there's not as much effort here as I would like. The facial expression is a bit bland, especially when you consider how expressive Schulz's characters can be. The sculpt is so symmetrical that it drains more personality from the toy, as there's no pose of any kind to support it.

Still, there's some neat things about the figure, too. The plugged-in hair is one of the best ways to mimic Pigpen's fly-away 'do that I've seen in a toy. Dependable higher-end manufacturers like Dark Horse and Medicom have each interpreted in in their own manner, but I think they're less successful.

Another neat feature is the facial 'dirt' can be washed off, only to re-appear when dry. The downside is that it looks much fainter than the rest of the painted 'dirt', and makes Pigpen look far less grubby. I think that (in general) there could've been a lot more dirt applied.

Articulation is about standard - neck, shoulders, 'wrists' (actually elbow rotations) and possibly waist and hips. There's some minor balance issues that I think a pegged display base would've prevented. Thankfully, not many accessories - just a clear plastic 'dust cloud', which is a great enhancement to the figure's display. The blister card packaging isn't dazzling, but its colors and fonts are on-theme with the toy, and the blister allows for clear viewing.

You may want to do a fair amount of homework before you spend - not only are there multiple facial variants from this line, but there's also at least a couple of holiday versions as well. If you're set on this one, though, you can buy it at snoopn4pnuts.com for $19.95 + shipping. Enjoy!

Toy OTD: Creature Comforts Figurine: Frank The Tortoise

Aardman merchandise has never really taken off here in the states, but fortunately, it's all over the UK! If you're willing to brave the dollars-to-pounds exchange rate, you can get some really cool stuff based on Aardman's nifty television shows and movies!

A fairly extensive resin figure line sprang from the Creature Comforts TV series, inspired (of course) by the animated short. The British series, in turn, was the model for a show in the US as well! It's one of Aardman's best known properties outside of Wallace & Gromit, so it's a gimme as far as UK toys go.

Frank is a great character who (I think) has been in all of the incarnations of Comfort. Since he's a clay-mation piece to begin with, he's a natural for resin. The sculpt here is simple but quite good, although Frank's cranium looks a little low. Otherwise, it's a very accurate piece! There's just enough asymmetry to keep some life in the figure, and the color choices are fine. The biggest difference between the two is the treatment of the shell - it seems darker on the toy, and less convincing as 'the real thing'. The eyes are also a little less subtle than the original model, but overall it's appealing.

Since this piece is a figurine, there's no articulation at all. It's so low and wide that naturally there's no balance issues whatsoever. The packaging is pretty sharp - a creative variation on the plastic/cardboard box theme. Here, most of the box is plastic, allowing for maximum visibility of the item, while a printed cardboard base/back card allows for some disposable graphics and branding. It's also worth mentioning that the figure has no base or visible logos on it, which I think is consistent with the whole line. Very nice!

I can't find Frank for sale online anywhere exept the Aardman shop itself - you can get one there for £5.00+ shipping (and they do ship internationally). If you want one, get it quick!

Toy OTD: Gama-Go Tigerlily Vinyl Figure (2006)

I think this toy may have been Gama-Go's first foray into vinyl figures, but I'm not sure. Tigerlily is an early Tin Biskup design, named after (and I'm assuming inspired by) his then-tiny daughter. She's decorated many Gama-Go items, so it makes perfect sense that she'd be the first toy.

It's a really great figure! The 'costume' is flocked in order to distinguish it from the vinyl 'skin'. Interestingly, the proportions are more extreme than the original design, which is incredibly rare. I think it was a good call, as it makes her look more childlike.

The color work is very nice, but overall the toy is much yellower than the 2-D version. It looks fine, but I'm not sure why that change happened. Could it be they couldn't get the skin tone that they wanted? Unlikely, but possible. Otherwise, the paint and flocking apps are excellent!

The articulation is what you would expect from the source art: neck, shoulders, hips and tail. It's another display/design piece, so that's a reasonable number of joints if you take that into account. Tigerlily does come with her pistol as an accessory, so the weird cute/violent contrast isn't lost.

Even taking the tail into account, the toy does have balance issues. Perhaps with a bit of tweaking to the hip joints, she'll stay upright, but a pegged display base might have been a good idea here.

It's been a while since I purchased this figure, so I don't remember the package design all that well - I think it was a box with a cellophane window. Naturally, Gama-Go produces terrific graphics, so it was good-looking! I simply can't keep all the boxes and the toys too, so I recycle almost all of the packaging.

Unfortunately, this toy has been sold out for quite some time, and I can't find one for sale anywhere. You'll need to set up a favorite search on eBay to find it. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Mezco Family Guy Figure: Brian (2004)

Mezco has done a nice job with the Family Guy action figures - most of the characters that you would want have been manufactured, and they've all been done quite well.

Brian here was naturally part of series one - Mezco was smart and knew that fans would want him right away! Like the rest of the line, he's well sculpted - if the pose is a little stiff, well, that's how the characters are on the show a great deal of the time. The default posing is pretty much straight-up-and-down, so it's an appropriate approach for the toys.

There's not a lot of articulation, but it'd be tougher to keep the characters on-model if more joints were added, so I don't really mind. Brian is evenly-proportioned enough that he doesn't have much in the way of balance issues, but a small pegged stand is always good to help with that. The paint work is extrememly minimal, but it's well done.

Like many other Mezco toys, Brian comes with a bunch of accessories - a newspaper, a fire hydrant, an issue of Doggie Style, a cup of coffee, and of course a martini glass. I don't need that many extras myself, but I'm sure it helps sell the toy.

The tricky part about Mezco figures is that almost every character they make is manufactured with one or two different facial expressions. While it's great to have a variety to choose from, it's not as great if you don't know how many there are, or can't find the one that you want. Fortunately, Brian's deadpan variant is the default one, and was pretty easy to get back in the day.

The packaging is the standard back card/blister combo that almost everyone uses. There's nothing startling about the design, but there's nothing wildly off-theme, either. Colors from the show's palatte, the logo, drawings of the character - pretty much the things you'd expect.

Now that the figures have been out for a while, Brian is tougher to find and still popular. That means his price has gone up - to get this early version of him now is going to cost you! Superherotoys.com has it for $44.95 + shipping, and toywiz.com has it for $49.99 + shipping. At those prices (if you don't mind a different facial expression), you'd be better off buying this series 1.5 boxed set (with six characters!) off eBay for $20.00 + shipping. Happy bargain hunting!

Toy OTD: Megahouse Kellogg's 10 Collection: Tony The Tiger & Boy

As nostalgic as America can be, it seems like Japan still trumps us in the race of disproportionate love for our own past. Thank heaven for that, or we wouldn't have all this cool retro merchandise!

As I've mentioned before, Megahouse made a series of blind-boxed mini-figures inspired by early '60s Kellogg's mascots. Here's another one from the set - an early version of the time-honored "'Frosted Flakes' helps you through your day" theme. Unfortunately, what reads as "friendly helper" in one era can read as "adult hugging kids too closely and licking his lips" in another. The set-up ages badly, at least from this less innocent perspective.

Anachronisms aside, it's a, well, great little piece. The sculpt is well-executed for its size, and while it's packaged in pieces, the figure is very simple to build. The colors and posing seem straight out of an old Kellogg's print ad, and the paint applications are pretty delicate - check out those whiskers!

The packaging is also terrific - each mini-fig is packed up in what looks to be a tiny Kellogg's cereal box! Very nice theming, right down to the counter-top display carton.

This figure line was released some time ago, but you can still get the full set of ten right now on eBay for $39.99 + shipping. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Japanese Topo Gigio PVC Figure

Since my wife is a puppeteer, I'm sure that there's some cross-pollination involved, but I've always had a fondness for Topo Gigio! I'm too young to have watched him on the Ed Sullivan Show, but the skits are great to see on DVD (well, aside from the really-not-meant-to-be-watched-one-right-after-another thing).

Unfortunately, there's not a lot of domestic merchandise available - not surprising, I guess, for a character who hasn't been famous in the U.S. for about forty years! Like many faded stars, Little Topo does live on in Japan, as well as many Spanish-speaking countries.

I think this mini-figure was originally one of a blind-boxed series of Topo Gigio PVCs. There's a store in Sausolito, CA called The Sausolito Ferry Company that sells opened blind-box figures - you pay a little more for them, but at least you know exactly which figure you're getting! I'm pretty sure that I bought it there for $12-15. I'm not sure, though - maybe it was a Comic-Con purchase.

You don't get mini-figures like this for articulation or packaging, but the sculpt and paint work here are both very nice - there's an admirable level of subtlty, especially in the face. The character's on-model, the textures are strong, and check out that guitar - pretty tight for a mini-figure!

Unfortunately, there's nothing like this available online right now. I'd set up an eBay favorite search, or hook up with a Japanese auction service. Good luck!

Toy OTD: McFarlane Hanna-Barbera Figures, Series 2: The Flintstones - Fred & Dino

The McFarlane Hanna-Barbera action figure line, while in concept is something that I've been eagerly waiting for, in reality turned out to be a pretty uneven affair. The figure choices were repetitive, and the posing ranged from terrific to awkward at best. Still, series two did show marked improvement over series one, so it's a shame that series three never made it to toy shelves.

This figure is one of series two's highlights! It's a great situation from the original show, looking like it was lifted right from a frame grab (I'd like to think that I influenced the choice of this figure - I did submit this idea to McFarlane, but received no answer, so who knows?). The color choices are really nice, though the paint work itself is a little rough (I remember my figure being pretty discolored upon opening it - that matte finish stuff seems to rub off onto other parts mighty easily).

There's almost no articulation at all, aside from Fred's neck (to help align his face to Dino's) and his feet, which kick as you turn a small wheel on the back of the display base. It works, but it's clunky enough that you wonder if it was really worth the rise in price point to do. The base itself is simple - no branding or logos - and themed to the characters. Nice!

The blister packaging is pretty good, allowing a wide, clear view of the toy for those (like me) who like to check paint jobs. I wish the larger art were more retro-looking (like the figure itself), but it's still above average as far as domestic toy packaging goes.

Unfortunately, this line sold rather poorly, so this figure is still very easy to get - it costs $12.94 + shipping at animerpm.com. You might be able to find it for an even lower price on eBay. Good luck!

Toy OTD: DC Direct First Appearance Figure: Robin The Boy Wonder

I don't think that this toy line lasted for very long, but it did generate some really cool figures! Robin was part of series two, which also included Hawkman, Green Lantern, and Superman.

Naturally, this Robin is from the Jerry Robinson cover for Detective Comics #38 - when he first appeared with Batman. The sculpt does a fine job of capturing the cheer of Robinson's artwork. The paint passes are nicely done, and the fabric cape is a nice touch - the scale is a little bulky, but overall it's just fine.

There's a good amount of articulation on this toy - there's at least nine points, and possibly more. This does lead to some balance issues - the knees aren't tight enough to really lock into a pose, so it's tough to keep the figure upright, even though a display stand's included. You'll need to weigh balance (would you be better off with a maquette?) against price (can your budget go over action-figure level?).

You also get a mini-comic of Detective #38, but if I were on the fence about buying this figure, it doesn't really tip the scales in any meaningful way. The packaging is eye-catching, but otherwise about average for a blister-pack - nothing you'd be tempted to keep unopened.

This is still an easily-found, affordable toy - you can buy one for as low as $12.99 + shipping on eBay, or dodge the auctions for $14.50 + shipping at cosmicclutter.com. Happy shopping!

Toy OTD: JUN Planning Corpse Bride Figure: Scraps

JUN Planning is still the king of Tim Burton merchandise - word has it that he was so happy with their Nightmare Before Christmas figures, that he personally requested them to make a Corpse Bride line. And they didn't disappoint!

It's another terrific figure - it looks like you snatched it right off the set. There's almost no paint work to speak of, and the articulation is pretty minimal. The sculpt and construction is so good, though, that it's still an awesome display piece (the loose, red-vinyl collar is a nice touch)!

I think the only minuses with this toy involve the base. I don't recall there being any instructions included with the figure, and setting it up isn't really intuitive. I improvised as best I could, but that leaves an awkward-looking hole in plain view, which I'm not sure is correct. Also, the base isn't really on theme with the movie - ideally, I would've preferred a cobblestone street, a wooden floor, or a patch of ground that would look more like an environment from the movie. This one strikes me as a bit generic and bland - like one you'd buy from an art supply store. Still, it's awesome that JUN included a base at all!

You can still get this figure easily and inexpensively - it costs $39.99 + shipping at wizardwebshop.com. Happy shopping!

Toy OTD: Princess Mononoke Image Collection Maquette: Ashitaka (2003)

Almost every bit of merchandise based on a Studio Ghibli film is amazing, and this piece is especially good! Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite Miyazaki films, and this is a beautiful sculpt of a possessed Ashitaka (one of my favorite sequences in the film, too!). The pose is really lively, and the well-applied paint work is spot-on model. Nice!

The figure is packaged separately from the base, but it's simply a matter of setting it up - that really helps minimize shipping damage (as opposed to molding the figure and base together). Ashitaka's sword is also packed as another piece for the same reason (I haven't included it here).

Japanese merchandise is generally limited and quickly 'retired', and this piece is no exception. There's a few for sale online, but they've gone up to $300 + shipping! Grit your teeth and get shopping - it'll probably only get worse if you wait (though you could try to dicker if one comes up in "or-best-offer" mode on eBay) - good luck!

Toy OTD: Medicom Star Wars Kubrick Figures: Max Rebo

In general, I much prefer Kubricks to the many other mini-figures that are now flooding the market. They were one of the first out of the gate, they're well designed and constructed - and you don't have to buy expensive construction sets to get them (like Lego mini-figs).

This is a nice example of what makes Kubrick figures so neat - it's just a great distillation of the character (though some are even more boiled down to their essence)! I really like breaking a design down to the fewest elements and seeing how far you can go and still get the jist of it across. Plus... well, they're just cute!

Max here was part of a larger Star Wars set that included few of the other band members. Unfortunately, it's been out for a while, so it'll cost you $275 big ones to get it from eBay complete and mint in the box (MIB)! Other sites go as high as $300 (before they sold out), so this set will take some serious cash or patience. Happy hunting!

Toy OTD: Playmates Toys Simpsons Figure (Celebrity Series 2, 2002): Brad Goodman (autographed)

Here's one character from my rather large Simpsons action figure collection! I was lucky enough to get it signed by Albert Brooks while Finding Nemo was in production. He's one of my favorite recurring guest voices!

This is a typical Playmates Simpsons toy, with the usual strengths and weaknesses. Of course, I love how many ancillary characters were included in the overall line, and Brad is a great character than many other toy companies might have overlooked. Big props to Playmates for including him!

The sculpt itself is a bit of a mixed bag - the face is nicely done, but the overall proportions are rather top-heavy and the pose is somewhat symmetrical and stiff. The paint work is simple but nice, and I always like it when colored plastic is used to broaden the palette (I think there's at least three different colors being used here).

You can also plug Brad into a variety of the playsets, which allows him to say some phrases from the show. While I'm a big Brooks booster, I don't really need my action figures to talk, and most of the playsets were little more than glorified bases. Personally, I would've preferred that the money had been put into making the figures themselves better, or enabling Playmates the likeness rights to even more of the guest stars.

Brad came with his coffee mug, book, motivational video, a sign, and a can of fortified wine. These were fine accessories, but in general, unless it's really critical to the character (Captain America's shield, Thor's hammer, etc), I mainly feel that it's just more stuff to lose, and it drives the price point up. Still, big props for the accessories coming right from the episode, and being dead-on model to boot!

Even though this figure is six years old, you can still get one very easily. Toyrocket.com has them marked down to $3.99 + shipping.