Recommended Music: Thomas Newman – Spectre in Concert (Excerpts)
Today is the 60th anniversary of Thunderball’s release in US theaters. To celebrate, I wanted to share my idea for this year’s James Bond movie marathon to close out the year.
For more than ten years, I’ve watched Star Wars on New Year’s Eve, timing the Death Star explosion to hit right at midnight. A few years ago, I planned to do a James Bond movie marathon instead. Watching every James Bond movie during December isn’t very realistic, even at home, but picking just the films with anniversaries in years ending in 5 or 0 is a fun way to wrap up the year with some Bond action. Most Bond movies, except for the Daniel Craig ones, don’t have to be watched in order, so you can mix up the lineup. Just make sure the last film lines up with midnight for a big finish.
Since only four official EON Productions James Bond films have major anniversaries this year, I’ve also found some other long-form 007 videos you can add to your customized marathon. These are mostly based on video games from the past 25 years, and all are celebrating the anniversaries of their releases.
Recommended Music: David Arnold – The World Is Not Enough Suite
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Thunderball. To commemorate the occasion, I am re-sharing an idea for a James Bond movie marathon.
For over a decade, I have watched Star Wars on New Year’s Eve, timing the Death Star explosion to coincide with midnight. Several years ago, I considered organizing a James Bond marathon as an alternative. Watching every Bond film in December is impractical; however, choosing films with anniversaries in years ending in 4 and 9 offers an enjoyable way to conclude the year with Bond action. Although most Bond films outside the Daniel Craig era do not follow a strict chronological order, the viewing order can be flexible, but the timing of the final film remains crucial to ending your year in the biggest way possible.
Recommended Music: David Arnold – Quantum of Solace Suite
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Thunderball’s arrival in US theaters. To mark the occasion, I am re-sharing an idea from a couple of years ago for a James Bond movie marathon.
For over ten years, I’ve watched Star Wars on New Year’s Eve and timed the Death Star explosion for midnight. A few years back, I thought of doing a James Bond marathon instead. Watching every Bond movie in December isn’t realistic for most people, but picking select films with anniversaries in years ending in 3 and 8 made for a fun way to wrap up the year with some fun Bond action.
Happy Monday! On this final #MastersMonday post from the archives, we’re having fun with one more vintage Masters of the Universe game or novelty item from 1983. Today, I present the Golden Masters of the Universe Jigsaw Puzzle Featuring He-Man “Surprise Attack”!
This puzzle features notable early Masters of the Universe artwork, including a blonde Teela, Skeletor again wielding He-Man’s Power Sword, and a pair of characters whose action figures debuted in 1983: Evil-Lyn and Man-E-Faces.
Unfortunately, I still cannot confirm the artist for Golden on this one, but I will update you if I find that information. While this 63-piece puzzle had extra-large pieces for a finished size of 11.5”x15”, it was also available in the more common 108-piece version measuring 14”x18”. Fun stuff!
Recommended music: Ella Fitzgerald – Winter Wonderland
We’re staying up late this #SomethingElseSunday and still looking back at some photos from my California trip a few months ago. On that trip, I brought my Star Wars Legacy Collection R3-A2 along for the adventure!
I snapped about a thousand photos that weekend, for the remainder of the evening in Petaluma, R3 remained in my pocket at my main stop: Rancho Obi-Wan! Steve Sansweet established this nonprofit museum, which Guinness World Records recognizes as housing the world’s most extensive collection of Star Wars memorabilia. The museum and its storage facilities together contain approximately half a million distinct Star Wars items.
I won’t be able to comment on every detail in the photos, since the night was such a fun blur of Star Wars excitement. Honestly, I’ve already forgotten more Star Wars things than I can remember from that night.
This first photo shows a fully pneumatic, musical Cantina Band animatronic from a store display. There’s also an original banner with an early logo and font used to promote the first film at San Diego Comic-Con in 1976.
This bike was created by writer and Lucasfilm publicist Pete Vilmur. The basic bike was one used for years at Skywalker Ranch to take visitors and employees from building to building. Then Vilmur acquired the bike and gave it a Star Wars makeover with a touch of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure before auctioning it off for charity.
Rancho has a fantastic collection of fan-made items, such as this Chewbacca mask and a Bantha craft.
This unique centerpiece has 112 vintage Kenner Star Wars figures. It’s surrounded by 575 Hasbro Stormtroopers, making for an amazing sight right when you walk into the main room.
Props to these… props!
There’s a friendly group of plush porgs filling the space between display cases.
Here are additional screen-used props, such as droid hands and 4-LOM’s crotch piece.
That’s quite a crotch piece!
There’s a big piece of the Sarlaac Pit set here, along with other props.
The giveaway at Collector Stage panels for several Star Wars Celebrations has been these little Star Tots collectibles. They’re not the rarest items, but it’s fun to see so many of them on display in one place.
I don’t have a banana for scale (since no food is allowed in the museum), but those dolls on the ends are Barbie-sized. That gives you an idea of how large the prop figures from Robot Chicken are in real life.
Vintage model kits.
Candy, trading cards, and other miscellaneous items.
There’s a very complete-looking collection of merchandise from George Lucas’ Super Live Adventure stage show, which toured Japan in 1993.
A nice collection of Star Tours theme park merchandise, both new and old.
I’m really going to try and wrap this up by the end of the year. 😄 More to come…
It’s #SomethingElseSunday, and we’re back with another Masters of the Universe collaboration alongside Eternian Epic Imagery. Our theme this week is “New Leaders.”
Masters of the Universe has seen many reboots and new takes on its story over the past 40 years. From the Filmation cartoons to The New Adventures of He-Man, DC comics, and the latest Netflix series, the story has never really ended. It’s fun to imagine what happens next, especially who might lead after our current heroes step down. This week, I envisioned Dare, the son of King He-Man and Teela, ruling Eternia with Andra as his queen. I also imagined a new threat: the return of the Snake Men. The rest of the group shared some fantastic photos too, so make sure to check them out.
…
Kings and queens change as new leaders step up to take their place.
Sometimes leaders step down or are replaced. In the worlds of Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power, there are always characters eager for power, and we might even see some unexpected new leaders soon.
Has the Eternian Epic Imagery team caught a glimpse of this new order? Take a look at this week’s photos to find out:
Recommended music: The Format – Does Your Cat Have A Mustache?
On this final #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re still celebrating 70 years of the Muppets! From the Palisades Toys Muppets line, it’s Pops!
Pops is the mustachioed senior doorman who showed up in the final season of The Muppet Show. A few years later, he had a bigger part as the owner and manager of the Happiness Hotel in The Great Muppet Caper.
Pops made his action figure in the ninth and final wave of Palisades Toys’ Muppets line, which came out in fall 2004. By then, retailers weren’t as interested in the line or other Palisades Toys products. Although several exclusive Muppet figures were released to customers over the following year, the company filed for bankruptcy and announced its subsequent sale. This Pops figure is an excellent likeness of the character. While the budget didn’t allow for him to come with his trademark backstage desk from The Muppet Show, he came with his Happiness Hotel desk (a repaint of the Muppet Newsman desk), a basic stand, and new accessories like a bell, a check-in book, a desk lamp, a fly swatter, and Gaffer the Cat.
For this #StarWarsSaturday post, we’re still on a short break from The Empire Strikes Back, and taking a look at the Star Tours/Droid Factory R5-X3!
That’s right, we’re taking another week off from The Empire Strikes Back to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Episode VII, The Force Awakens. I didn’t collect as much from the sequels as I did from the prequels or the original trilogy, but I do have a few items from these films to share.
R5-X3 was an astromech droid in the Resistance about thirty years after the Battle of Endor. Its dome shows up inside an X-Wing on a couple of cards in the Star Wars: X-Wing The Force Awakens Miniatures Game. I also briefly spotted the droid in The Force Awakens, slotted into a T-70 X-Wing with an unknown pilot on D’Qar, just after the Millennium Falcon arrives. Sadly, the droid’s red body doesn’t appear in the film, which is too bad because its colors remind me of Christmas, so I added an extra one into my photo. 😄
Although R5-X3 appears only briefly, it was part of a Disney Parks-exclusive 4-pack in 2010 with R0-4LO, R2-Q2, and R4-M9. I was at the park for my 10th anniversary a few months before the movie came out, so I had no idea what role, if any, the character would play.
Since the droid only appears for a moment in the film, I’m not sure how closely the action figure’s colors match, but they are all painted cleanly, lacking the weathering typically seen in the films. It doesn’t have the usual astromech foot cables because it uses the Disney Build-A-Droid mold, but that means you can remove the dome and all three legs. Like the other droids in the set, the dome has a hole on top so you can add Mickey Mouse ears or another fun hat.
The Force Awakens turned 10 years old this week. Happy 10 years of TFA!
For this #StarWarsSaturday post from the archives, we’re moving further into Echo Base during The Empire Strikes Back. From the Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series 3.75” line, it’s Toryn Farr!
Toryn Farr is one of the few female characters in The Empire Strikes Back. As the Rebel Alliance’s chief communications officer, she stays at her post until the last evacuation from Hoth, sending attack commands to the Rebels. Although the script calls her ‘Woman Controller,’ she appears in several Command Center scenes and says the memorable line, “Stand by, Ion Control… Fire.”
This Toryn Farr figure is the first time Hasbro or anyone has made the character in 1/18 scale. I think she’s also the only female character, besides Leia, from The Empire Strikes Back, to receive a figure in the 45 years since the movie came out. She was released in the 3.75” Black Series line in 2014, while The Vintage Collection was on a five-year hiatus. I consider the figure a TVC release, since it’s mostly a repaint of the Leia (Hoth Outfit) Vintage Collection figure from August of 2010, with a new head sculpt, different forearms, a higher collar, and an appropriately scaled set of headphones.
The Empire Strikes Back turned 45 years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode V figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 45 years of ESB!
Recommended music: Bad Religion – Angels We Have Heard On High
This #FourHorsemenFriday, we’re staying up late and looking to the heavens with this Four Horsemen Studios Mythic Legions Sir Enoch!
The Mythic Legions All Stars 6 wave introduced new accessories, a horse, additional knights, and numerous skeleton figures. It also provided significant updates to the existing Templar Knights. The most notable addition to the Order of Eathyron faction is a figure designated as the Commander of the Templar Emissaries.
Enoch’s backstory describes him as a long-serving member of the Templar Emissaries who eventually became their leader. As a veteran of numerous battles, Sir Enoch has maintained his faith and sense of purpose, mentoring younger Emissaries. His most significant honor was delivering the message of Sir Gideon’s ascension to the leadership of the Order, traveling throughout Eathyross to announce this new era for the faction.
What stood out to me in this figure is the extensive soft-goods upgrades. It’s great to get these sewn pieces directly from the factory, rather than having to buy custom ones later. The cloth overlay on the torso, the decorated cape, skirt, and tabards all look fantastic. The new sculpted details on the shield, armor, and especially the chainmail coif and neckpiece stand out.
Enoch also comes with a Templar-specific mace, sheath, shield, and sword, plus an extra dagger and scabbard, four sets of hands, and several helmet options. Overall, he’s an excellent figure and definitely worth the wait since the 2023 pre-order. I meant to wait longer before sharing, but after opening and posing him, I had to post about him tonight. 😄
Recommended music: System Of A Down – Vicinity Of Obscenity
For this #FourHorsemenFriday post from the archives, we’ve got the leader of the Order of Eathyron: the Mythic Legions Sir Gideon Heavensbrand!
Gideon was originally released in the first Kickstarter wave in 2015. Although a new 2.0 version was recently introduced, I prefer the original for its adjustable visor and simple shield. The mustached face always reminds me of Man-At-Arms, but with a more elaborate color scheme.
Recommended music: Howard Shore – Sons of the Steward
It’s #TolkienThursday, so let’s take a look at the ToyBiz Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Boromir, Captain of Gondor figure!
Boromir is a brave warrior and the oldest son of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. He joins the Fellowship to protect Frodo, but his mistaken ideas about the One Ring’s power lead him to become fascinated by it and want to claim it for himself.
Though ToyBiz had already released a half-dozen Boromir figures in their Fellowship of the Ring line, he was not included in the initial half-moon waves of figures for The Two Towers, as the character only shows up for a moment in a flashback to Moria. However, Boromir’s inclusion in the Extended Edition released in November of 2003 made him a great candidate for inclusion here in the third wave of the carded series figures for the film, also known as the Trilogy line.
In The Two Towers Extended Edition, Boromir appears in Faramir’s visions. Faramir sees his brother’s body floating down the Anduin, and there’s another scene, which shows Denethor’s favoritism of his eldest son, and Boromir’s compassion for his brother. Finally, when Faramir is presented with Boromir’s broken horn, he remembers a moment in Osgiliath where they are in armor and victorious in battle.
I’m really glad these scenes made it into the film because they give more depth to Boromir’s actions in The Fellowship of the Ring and help explain his heroism and redemption after being tempted by the One Ring. The figure resembles Sean Bean, who played Boromir, and fits well with other Gondorian soldiers. The armor is detailed, though the scabbard is on the wrong side. He also comes with a cool tattered soft-goods cape, a sword, and his signature Horn of Gondor.
Recommended music: SpyCats Music – Legolas Sings: What Your Elf Eyes See
In this #TolkienThursday post from the archives, we have departed from Lothlórien, journeyed along the Anduin River, and arrived at the Argonath, only to be attacked by Orcs. Presented here, for your elf eyes to see, is the first ToyBiz Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring Legolas!
While this was the very first Legolas figure ToyBiz released for their Lord of the Rings line, it was followed by more than a dozen subsequent versions of the character. Introduced in the initial wave of green, moon-shaped cards for Fellowship of the Ring in August 2001, it was the general public’s first exposure to Lord of the Rings merchandise as a film franchise. It was a major part of the early marketing push before the first film’s December 2001 theatrical release.
Although this figure features “Dagger-Slashing Action” and “Arrow Launching Action,” it differs from the following Legolas figure that was also labeled with “Dagger Slashing and Arrow Launching Action.” I prefer the paint and sculpt of this initial version, as ToyBiz achieved a high level of likeness from the outset.
Recommended music: Christina Aguilera feat. Dr. John – Merry Christmas, Baby (Live)
For this #WhateverWednesday, we’re checking out more action figures that are perfect for the time between Halloween and Christmas. Today’s pick from the Super7 ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line is Dr. Finkelstein!
In the movie, Dr. Finkelstein is voiced by the late William Hickey, an Academy Award nominee who you would certainly recognize as Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. His performance makes the character especially creepy. Dr. Finkelstein, credited as “Evil Scientist,” is the wheelchair-bound mad scientist of Halloween Town. He helps Jack Skellington with the plan to take over Christmas by reanimating reindeer skeletons, but I’ve always seen him as a secondary villain because of how he treats Sally, the living ragdoll he created.
Funko excluded Dr. Finkelstein from their Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction line, and Super7 also skipped him when they rebooted the line in 2020. Luckily, he finally appeared in the last wave of NBC ReAction figures in 2022. In addition to the five traditional points of articulation: a ball neck, shoulders, and swivel legs, the doctor’s head also has a hinge to reveal his brain as seen on screen. Although he is sculpted in a sitting position, the figure includes his signature motorized wheelchair. He also comes with a skull for use in his next creation, Jewel, a wife for himself, using part of his own brain. The paint and sculpt are simple and match the line’s style, and the painted details on the chair make this figure a better value than some others in the ReAction series.
Recommended music: Paddy and the Rats – The Captain’s Dead
It’s time for another #WhateverWednesday post from the archives. This week, we’re checking out yet another figure from the Disney Parks Pirates of the Caribbean line: The First Mate!
Also known as “Old Bill,” this character was introduced in the 1973 Magic Kingdom version of the Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC) ride and was subsequently incorporated into the Disneyland version. Old Bill is characterised by his fondness for rum and his attempts to persuade a group of cats to join him.
The action figure captures Bill’s likeness and includes a pair of weapons, a pair of cats, a cup (for his rum, of course), and a lantern to complement the barrel-and-brick display. In addition to the cats, Bill has a unique peg-leg accessory for some reason (unlike the animatronic) that you can swap in for his right foot. Unfortunately, despite hip and knee articulation, he cannot properly sit down.😄
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Have a little tot of rum with Old Bill, aye? Come on now, be a nice little pussy cat. Oh, you be a feisty one, you be.” – Old Bill to a cat
Dale's Toys 