Monday, July 29, 2013

TOPSIDE

You know...I'll be brutally honest...I think I mainly bought Topside here because I wanted more water Joes. He's not a bad figure, but since I was purchasing Big Boa, I just kinda added Topside to my cart. Eh. He isn't groin-grabbingly exciting, but he is okay. Like I said, I need more seamen! Uhhhhh....well, then....*ahem*....



Topside is kinda..."regular"...he doesn't stand out to me as a toy or just as a G.I. Joe character. I never knew much about him and never had one as a kiddo. I just kinda wanted him at the time and said "Oh, well." I mean, he isn't a bad figure. I really love the head sculpt too...almost like an upgrade for the club's Adventure Team Sea Adventurer. Ooh! Gotta dig mine out a try a head swap!


Gun-wise, he has a revolver which can fit in his leg holster and a machine gun (I think), which he just kinda...um...has to hold. Not bad, yet not outstanding.


Other stuff? A billy club and a hook on a string...I'm no nautical expert...maybe he needs the club to crack oysters or crab shells? The hook...maybe to swing like a pirate or to hook dingies? How the Hell should I know!?!
I hate to seem almost disinterested in the figure, but Topside is just not a Joe I fondly remember. He's not super awesome, yet not a total bore...at least unless you shuck all his gear...then he looks like a true regular Joe! Kinda interesting, in a way. Again...like I said, I just wanted some more nautical guys for my team, and Topside looked neat enough to go after.




BIG BOA

More G.I. Joe Collector's Club swag! God, I can't believe I just said (typed) "swag"...anyway, here's Big Boa...the Cobra personal trainer. I skipped the second set of loose figures on the site since I didn't care for the Nano-B.A.T. at all and Quarrel had no real interest for me. The big money they were asking for those two was not worth it. The next set up was Big Boa and Topside. Anyhow, this guy is awesome and was gobbled up quick by folks like me who were members of the club yet had missed out on the subscription. Yeah, Big Boa is an iconic classic, even though he's one of the weirdos. He fits into the ranks of other classic Cobra weirdos like Croc Master, Crystal Ball, Raptor and such since he was just kind of a stand-out oddball. He was originally meant to be the arch nemesis of Rocky if he would have been made into a G.I. Joe like Sgt. Slaughter was. However, Rocky Balboa never got made as a G.I. Joe trainer because of licensing and what not, but his enemy was. That's pretty much THAT!



The old Big Boa...the classic came with boxing gloves and a stand-up punching bag. The new one comes with oh so much more! See, all this gear was originally planned to come with a training version of Duke from the movie line, but that figure was cancelled. Luckily, all this cool gear got used after all. Big Boa comes with a...umm...big staff with two thingies on either end. I forget what they are called, but they used to use 'em all the time on American Gladiators. He comes with a sledge hammer and a barbel as well. His head sculpt is all new too and no longer has the removable mouth piece hose the classic did. Not a bad thing...you won't lose it! I believe the studded suspenders are all-new as well.

Like the classic, the new Big Boa has removable boxing gloves...only now instead of rubber gloves that fit OVER his existing hands, you now have to pop off the regular hands at the wrists and replace them with the gloved hands. Not bad, but some are already scared of breaking the wrist pegs. So far, no problem...then again...I don't repeatedly pop 'em on a off. Lastly, you get this nice training headgear for another figure to wear...for, uh, training. Nice.
So basically? Fun figure! Absolutely great feel to this guy. Looks classic, yet the updates are vast improvement. He uses a "bigger" body sculpt that fits what his idea physique should be in most fans' eyes. Too bad such a popular oddball character never made it to mass retail production. Now if we can just get a Raptor and Crystal Ball figures...I'd be in heaven!




Well...I got a cell phone...a BIG step for me! Yeah, many people who know me find it hard to believe...as a matter of fact, some were downright shocked! But yeah...got me a fancy cell phone. I had one before, by technicality. My parents had bought me some flip-phone pre-paid jobber for Christmas maybe a couple a years ago. I rarely used it...Hell...never even charged it. I must say that I never really liked phones, in general. Usually when someone is calling you, they WANT something from you or NEED you to do something. Kind of annoying. Phones can be trouble. I even started to just ignore the damn thing ringing in my house some time in my teen years. I hated talking on the phone to my mom every weekend while I was at college. I just really...*sigh*...don't like phones. When cell phones started becoming all the rage, I never really paid much attention. If you don't like phones, then why carry one with you as a mobile annoyance device? As cell phone usage became more prevalent in society, I cared even less and less about 'em...to the point of hating them. Not out of jealousy or fear...I just hated phones and the fact they seemed to have an odd grip over the populace to the point of obsession. No one wants to pay attention to what's in front of them anymore. Everyone's always twittering their lives away on those damn things. I continued to use an "old-fashioned" land line phone for years. Friends (what little I have) often commented on how much of a pain it was to contact me and get in touch for various things. I just dealt with it for years and never even thought I'd get a cell phone. At any rate...it hit me...I guess I'd been thinking so much lately about change that I figured it was about time I made more. So, I figured I had better jump on the bandwagon. Yep...I'm kind of a sell-out, I guess. Even a hypocrite, maybe. I dunno. Did I lose the one thing that makes me special or stand out amongst millions of regular folk? Even before I got my phone, some people who found out I didn't have one were actually sometimes proud of me, often bemoaning how phones are essentially a pain sometimes. Well, due to many many personal reasons, I slowly decided to build up the resolve to get one. Honestly, it takes me a while to change...it has to come...naturally, and I have to want it. Well, it came! SO I went for one of the higher-end phones. I figured, no screwing around...straight to the top. I've had it less than a week. Still trying to get the hang of it. Not all that horrible, so far. I may lose heavy interest in a week or so, but we'll see. Who knows?!

I could explain all the little life details that went into me getting a cell phone but even I can't fully explain it myself. At any rate...we'll see if my life improves...or if I end up hating myself even more. Time will tell.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

War Monsters Fan Art

Here you go! More fan art! Remember waaay back when how I showed off this one particular type of Battle Beast bootleg/knock off? Yes? Well, some company in Canada released three two-packs of these weird rip-offs of Battle Beast toys and called 'em "War Monsters". I currently own three of the six, but without weapons. Here's the bat. Hmmm...did I post pics of the other tow on this blog? Gotta check! Can't remember.
I'm still oddly in the mood to yammer about my life for some reason...

I'm gearing up for my next theatrical performance in the coming week. In other words, I'm probably gonna be busy between work, rehearsal, and set building/painting. I don't mind helping with set stuff, but it is a little bit too much like work. Since it's community theatre, you don't get paid...it's volunteer. I mean, I don't necessarily want money for it, since I like acting...BUT...staying up until 2am for the last week before opening night is kind of a scary thing. I don't think I've ever been in a show that didn't seem "scary" that last week before it opening. Last minute shit, lemme tell ya! Other than that, looking forward to Bye Bye Birdie. I do have top billing, after all!
Work still sucks, as usual...I'm probably gonna be stuck helping out a lot with back-to-school junk until God knows when. Man, do I hate any kind of stationery stuff, ESPECIALLY back-to-school. Such a huge friggin' fiasco that stuff is! We get tons of that junk in to the point there's nowhere to store it, no one to put it out or sort it...BAH...always a huge mess, and it never gets better all the years I've been working retail. Eh...aw well.
Love life? Still none. I had really high hopes of something happening between me and a certain someone, but once again...my over-active imagination saw something that probably was never there. Well, maybe I thought it, 'cause I wanted it so bad. I was slowly getting used to using Facebook and trying to get with the times. The girl I liked is really into that kinda crap and I noticed the other day she updated her relationship status with some...guy! UGH! Bah! There that goes, I suppose. The whole damn week I was feeling really good about stuff until that. My heart almost stopped when I found out she was seeing someone and finally made it official. I mean, I could go into detail, but it took me a while to fully come to grips since I was privately upset as all Hell about it. I honestly really liked this girl, but like I said, my imagination tends to make me see things. Oh well. I still really like her and all. Naturally, part of me is inclined to wish she'd break up with whoever the heck that guy is, but I'm certainly NOT gonna wish any ill on any person I like. If someone or something makes someone happy, I have a conscience enough to not even wish that thing would be taken away form them just to make me happy. I just hope she's happy and assume she is since I think she's had a longer, deeper friendship with said person than she has had with me. Eh, I'm a damn freak-o, mildly inbred, genetic freak with personality problems anyhow. Admittedly, I never looked to see whom my one follower on this blog is...I'd freak if I found out it was her, or someone I know that found this...but if so? Oh, well!
Oh yeah, and thinking about finally getting a cell phone...a "fancy" one. I was always behind in anything. Any trend...always behind. Especially with technology. I've hated phones, in general, for as long as I remember. I've hated cell phones for years...texting...and all that jazz. Well, I've been thinking about taking the plunge, finally. I'd been nervously asking around and getting advice...AND...I'm still confused as all Hell!!! I think I know what I want, though. I might go and get one later today since I'm off work. We'll see. I just feel that I need to essentially force myself to get with the times...my life is waaaay to stagnant. It's hard to keep in touch with people, and friends often complain how much of a pain it is to contact me. I still have a freakin' land line fer Pete's sake! I actually hate talking on phones, so I'd probably mainly be texting. That's something I always have hated. Texting...bah! I'm turning into a sell-out hypocrite! BUT...seems my only hope to fully join organized society and maybe feel somewhat normal.
Next step, though? If you've read any older posts, you know I'm the stereotypical dork still livin' with mommy 'n' daddy...well...I WANT OUT!!! I need to move out and be on my own. No one crampin' my style and bugging the shit outta me! I was holding out on moving out until I either got a "good" job or fell in love, but since neither of those are happening, I kinda just wanna move out for the sake of moving out and being on my own...I suppose it would make me feel more grown-up and adult...er...like a real man...YEAH, that's the ticket!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

DICE

Another G.I. Joe Collector's Club subscription service figure. Here we have Dice, the wave mate of Jinx. She and this guy were the first two released. As much as I liked Jinx, this figure is generally far superior. They did great job updating this classic ninja while updating him a tad. I never had the old, original Dice figure but I always remember him. In my opinion, after Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, Dice here is one of the more iconic martial arts characters from the G.I. Joe mythos...but that's just my opinion.

One of the best new things about this character's modern figure is the removable mask. The original had no such thing. Just a nice touch. They reused the head mold form some other figure...but I actually forget what one they used! What kinda fan am I, huh?


As you'd expect, Dice comes with a slew of choppy/stabby ninja gear. He has these two bitchin' claws (just like Wolverine!), and a nice battle axe.


He also has these two, tiny shuriken which are oh so easily lost and/or swallowed. Hey, this is an adult collectible! Plus, he also has a big ol' double bladed staff weapon. This type of thing probably has a name, but I can't keep track of all that kinda stuff.

So, you can have a nice little ninja battle with Dice and Jinx. We just need an official new version of Dice's partner, Slice! Technically, this one unnamed generic ninja form the movie line three pack kinda resembles Slice, sooooo maybe we do have one. Darn! I forgot a pic! BAH! Next time.





Kim Arashikage aka JINX

Toy talk time! It's been a while, and if you read or have read this, you know one of my favorite toy lines is G.I. Joe. Well, I had been thinking about joining the G.I. Joe Collector Club for a while, despite the fact it goes against what I stand for. See, the Club produces toys with Hasbro's blessing, pretty much. Hasbro owns G.I. Joe and can do what they want with it. The Collector Club has the okay to make and release toys that essentially pander to dorky adult collectors like myself. Yeah, those figures also tend to cost a lot more and are not available at retail. Hasbro seemingly can't give collectors all their hopes and dreams, so the Club steps in a does it...for a...price. Hee hee hee! Anyway, I joined the club to get a special convention set, but missed this thing they have called a figure subscription service. They ship these to you two at a time. If you didn't subscribe, and are still a member of the club, you can basically buy any extras on their site...just for a bit more money. Eh, I caved! I'm not getting EVERY figure since they are mondo expensive, but I've gottena few so far.

I guess this makes me a hypocrite since I've always bashed the idea of any type of collector club, huh? DAMMIT!!!

Anyway, first is Jinx. Well, they call her by her "real" name since I'm sure Jinx had a copyright by someone else. I'm calling her Jinx for the remainder of this review since it's shorter than Kim Arashikage. Honestly, the only real problem with the toy, is the head. It's kinda small. Aside form that, I love it. The club reused an old Scarlett body and an even older head form another Jinx figure. A lot of fans already hated the head. Thankfully, since G.I. Joe is a smaller scale toy line, you kinda might not notice...eh...kinda.


Jinx, ideally, looks great. The new version is probably the best yet. I mean, the old original was a woman in almost solid baggy pajamas and a full face mask. Kinda boring. Modern Jinx rocks...aside from the kinda small head. True, there were two versions released just before the second Joe flick at various conventions, but I like this one. I've seen fellow fans add the head from one of those to this figure to improve it.

Anyway, aside form the usual articulation, Jinx comes with a bunch of tactical ninja gear. She has her removable blindfold, some nunchaku, a hun with silencer, and a grappling hook.


She also comes with those tow little arm blade thingies...I forget if they have a "special" kind of name, and a sword. The sword fits in a removable sheath on her thigh. Yeah, it does tend to slip down her leg sometimes. Not that bad, though.

Well, there you have her. We are supposed to get a retail version of the movie version of Jinx, but it's still not out yet. I can't wait to do a comparison. I really like this one, but the movie one is pretty much totally different. We'll see.


Can't believe it's been two weeks since I updated this...WOO...time flies! See? That's why I rarely seem to update this thing...well, one of the reasons. Anyhow, my vacation was okay. I REALLY wish more people would have went to give it more of a party atmosphere. Eh, oh well. Also, I was kinda sick for most of the time, but not bad enough to ruin the trip. I actually got worse as soon as I got back. Hmph, not a surprise. The shock of not being on vacation and having to go back to work must have really worked on my illness. I'm still kinda coughing, but almost back in fightin' form!
Work was odd this week...very...desolate. I mean, I was kinda sick and in a medicine induced fog, but it really felt weird this whole week. Weather-wise it was kinda foggy too...no, maybe hazy and overcast all week. I actually sorta liked it. It wasn't even that busy at work either. Seems to be a sign of change. I've noticed a steady deline in business for all the years I've worked. Kinda depressing, really. Hey, but at least it wasn't a full-on, annoying shit storm! By Friday and Saturday, I kinda felt more awake and less sick and started to notice all the things I hate about my job again. UGH! I'm really trying to let go of all my anger, hatred and frustration with my job. Not sure how long it's gonna hold since part of me feels this year is probably gonna suck. Oh yeah, we already have back-to-school crap up in our store. Second week of July and all that crap is up. Man, retail sucks on account that it just rushes EVERYTHING along at such an annoying pace. The world just needs to learn to...uh...chill out, no? Yep.
Also, this one girl I kinda...sorta...maybe like at work is on her vacation this week. Aw! DIdn't get to see her for a whole week, saw her for a few days...now she's gone. Bummer. One of the only real reasons I even have to trudge into work every morning! Bah, I've said too much already. Don't wanna seem like a creeper. I probably have no chance with her anyway. Oh well.
OOH! And finally got to see a "summer movie". Go see Pacific Rim! Great flick. I won't give away any spoilers, but it was really cool and made my week. I'm kinda considering going seeing it again IF I get time. But I doubt it. I've got a lot of theatre practice these next few weeks. Anyway, that's been my so-called life the past couple a weeks!