Recommended music: Chola Orange – The Ballad of Hamato Yoshi
On this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’re heading to 1990. It’s the NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Hamato Yoshi!
Although a figure based on the animated version of Yoshi with a different backstory existed, this release marked the first appearance of the character modeled after the 1990 live-action film. It was exclusively available in the “Shadow Warriors” two-pack with Oroku Saki.
The set features well-sculpted, fully articulated figures, multiple weapons, additional hand and head options, and a cage for the two included rats. Yoshi’s pet rat mimicked his owner’s movements and later became the full-size Splinter.
Happy Monday, MOTU fans! For this #MastersMonday, we’re taking another look at the Revolution figures in the Mattel Masters of the Universe Masterverse line. Tonight, let’s check out Battle Armor He-Man!
In the third episode of Masters of the Universe Revolution, ‘More Things in Heaven and on Earth,’ He-Man’s Power Sword is on the fritz, so Andra provides the most powerful man in the universe with a small chest plate attachment featuring the letter ‘H.’ A few minutes later, as He-Man goes into battle, he presses on the H, and it transforms into a new, more complete chest armor – minus sleeves, of course, and we get our first animated look at Battle Armor He-Man.
Battle Armor He-Man has appeared in every Masters of the Universe toyline for the past 40 years, but Mattel didn’t show this new version at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 with the other Masterverse wave 11 figures. Instead, they kept it under wraps, along with the other wave 12 figures, until just a few months before Masters of the Universe Revolution came out on Netflix in January 2024.
The figure’s bulkier build and paint job look a lot like the cartoon version, and it’s a big step up from the Revelation He-Man in the first wave. Even though the chin is long, the head sculpt is much better than before. The figure is very poseable, with 30 points of articulation, like many other Masterverse figures. He comes with a nicely painted battle axe, extra hands, a swappable “damaged” chest plate, and removable armor. The Classics line also had swappable chest plates instead of the old action feature, but this is the first Battle Armor He-Man I remember that also includes the classic chest harness.
Overall, I’m happy to see my favorite version of He-Man in the new animated series, and I think Mattel did a great job with this figure for the Masterverse price.
Masters of the Universe Revelation/Revolution turned four years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new figure from this series to share here for the rest of the year!
As we wrap up the last month of #MastersMonday posts from the archive, let’s have some fun and check out a vintage Masters of the Universe game and novelty item. Today, we’re looking at the 1983 Masters of the Universe Colorforms Adventure Set!
Recommended music: Cyndi Lauper – True Colors
As we wrap up the last month of #MastersMonday posts from the archive, let’s have some fun and check out a vintage Masters of the Universe game and novelty item. Today, we’re looking at the 1983 Masters of the Universe Colorforms Adventure Set!
If you don’t remember them, Colorforms are thin, die-cut vinyl pieces in bright shapes, usually with printed images, that stick to a smooth, plastic-laminated paperboard background. They were first made in 1951, and their popularity grew in the late 1950s when licensed characters like Popeye and Mickey Mouse were added. In recent years, Colorforms even got its own animated series on Netflix. Licensed Colorforms sets are still made today, featuring everything from Barbie and Batman to Michael Jackson, Steve Urkel, and The Three Stooges.
One hot license the brand used in the 1980s was Masters of the Universe. This ‘Deluxe Play Set’ featured characters from the first wave of the toy line and allowed users to: “Create your own adventure scenes with MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE™ figures – Mighty HE-MAN, ™ MAN-AT-ARMS, ™ BATTLE CAT, ™ SKELETOR, ™ BEAST MAN, ™ TEELA, ™ ZODAC, ™ STRATOS™ AND MERMAN. ™ Set contains 29 COLORFORMS plastic pieces that Stick Like Magic, background, and instruction booklet. Ages 3 and up.”
A fun note about this set is that a helmetless Battle Cat was included in the background, and multiple characters came with different leg options so they could more realistically ride in the saddle. The Castle Grayskull background was updated for a new Colorforms set dated 1985, which added Snake Mountain to the backdrop art and swapped out most of the characters for figures released 1984 – 1986.
Recommended music: Chase & Status And Blossoms – This Moment
For this #SomethingElseSunday, I’m taking another look at photos from my trip to California a couple of months ago. On that trip, I brought along a Star Wars Legacy Collection R3-A2!
Over the weekend, I took about 1,000 photos, but for the rest of this day in Petaluma, R3 stayed safe in my pocket because I had finally reached my destination: Rancho Obi-Wan!
Steve Sansweet founded this nonprofit museum, which holds the world’s largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The 9,000-square-foot building and off-site storage now hold about half a million different Star Wars items.
I forgot to get a photo of the main gate and a simple sign in the neighborhood when I arrived at Rancho, but I started taking pictures right away. Along with rare, official Star Wars merchandise, I was excited to spot random items with Star Wars themes, like R2-BQ shown here.
If seeing poultry seems strange, they actually fit right in because Rancho was originally a farm. The main building once housed chickens instead of collectibles.
There were plenty of open doors and things to see, but some areas at Rancho Obi-Wan are off limits to day guests like me. ROW is also the real-life home of Sansweet, museum President and CEO Anne Neumann, and others.
When you enter the main building, almost every space is decorated. Even the staircase is lined with Star Wars-themed license plates from all over the country.
The theming even extends to the restroom, which features dozens of household items collected over the years, including vintage Star Wars toiletries and fan-made pieces.
It looks like you can fit at least four Star Wars fans in the restroom at once to check out the memorabilia. 😄
After leaving the restroom, I passed through a smaller hallway lined with display cases of loose vintage figures, including some rare ones.
Next on the self-guided tour is the library, which has countless publications starting with this original Star Wars promotional piece. Released a year before the first film, the logo seen here with a pointy W was later redesigned before we ever saw it on the big screen.
In the library, I enjoyed browsing style guides for various Star Wars projects.
There were also many international versions of publications. Some looked familiar, but all were translated into other languages.
The library had plenty of other decorations besides books, which made it feel more like home.
Not wanting to spend all night in the library, I headed back into a hallway lined with Original Trilogy film posters before making my way to the main room. More to come…
Recommended music: GODSOwn DJ – Masters of the Universe
On this #SomethingElseSunday post from the archives, we’re celebrating the life of voice actor John Erwin. News of his recent passing [at the time of the original post] became known this past week, and wow, what a loss!
John’s big break into the pop culture zeitgeist was a recurring role as Teddy on the television series Rawhide. By the mid-1960s, he transitioned into being a voice actor portraying Reggie Mantle on the animated Archie Show. This character role continued in several future Archie series, including the animated Sabrina the Teenage Witch show. The voice acting continued with regular roles in television and films into the 1990s. Some of these were main characters, and many more were incidental background characters.
Remember the scene in Back to the Future Part II when Biff hears the football announcer detail the comeback, mirroring the Sports Almanac, and changes his future? That was John Erwin’s voice. Likewise, the witty tone of Morris the Cat in 9 Lives Cat Food commercials came before Garfield’s similar style. That, too, was John Erwin.
Although these roles define an accomplished career, it is one character who has permanently linked John Erwin’s voice in my memory for over forty years: John Erwin was He-Man.
My earliest television memory is likely the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series. John’s voice as both Prince Adam and He-Man was present from the opening sequence and featured prominently throughout each 22-minute episode. Erwin’s resonant, commanding voice assured viewers that the hero on screen would “have the power” and act with integrity.
Besides our main heroes, Erwin portrayed dozens of other characters on both the He-Man and She-Ra animated series. I have pictured some of my favorites here. Despite this significant involvement with the popular franchise, Erwin avoided the spotlight. He never wanted a young He-Man fan picturing himself as the hero rather than the animated, larger-than-life personas he saw on screen, and he declined all convention appearances. That means I never actually met the man or saw him give an interview. I only have the positive comments from those who collaborated with him back in the 1980s to tell me that he was a special person, just one who continued to avoid any public appearances despite the demand from a generation of fans.
The lessons and morals of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series have stuck with me my entire life, and the cartoon was in heavy rotation during my children’s younger years as I hoped to instill those same values in them. So, thank you, Mr. Erwin, for that memorable voice that helped guide the animated wisdom into my mind, and keep it there ever since. Rest in peace.
Recommended music: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Snow (Hey Oh)
It’s a snowy #StarWarsSaturday, and we’re still on the icy plains of Hoth during The Empire Strikes Back. Today, from the Hasbro Shadow of the Dark Side line, it’s the Laser Tower!
EXT. HOTH – BATTLEFIELD
The fierce battle on the vast snow plains of Hoth rages on. The Imperial walkers continue their slow, steady assault on the Rebel base, firing lasers as they lumber ever onward. In the snow trench, Rebel troops fire large bazookalike guns and dishlike ray guns as explosions erupt around them. A gun tower is hit by a laser bolt and instantly explodes. Another blast destroys a ray gun.
…
While laser turrets are just mentioned once in The Empire Strikes Back script, the phrase ‘gun tower’ is also mentioned once as an iconic fixture seen on the snowy battlefield of Hoth. For the vintage toy line, Kenner included a rotating turret in the ‘Turret & Probot Playset,’ with another one included in the ‘Hoth Battle’ playset during The Power of the Force 2.
Hasbro reintroduced this idea in the ‘Battle of Hoth Ultimate Battle Pack’ in 2007. Three years later, the laser turret returned with a new paint job and a new name, replacing “turret” with “tower” in the Shadow of the Dark Side line. This set also included a brand-new Anti-Vehicle Cannon, two Hoth Troopers, and what many consider the best Hasbro K-3PO figure so far.
This mold works well, and the weapon fits nicely with 1/18th scale action figures. It has a side door, an opening top hatch with a platform, and a missile-firing action feature. I prefer this new paint job to the original because the blast marks are lighter, and the yellow weathering looks more like rust than something left behind by a tauntaun.
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: The Steve Miller Band – Winter Time
For this #StarWarsSaturday post from the archives, we’re staying in the backyard on Hoth. From the Hasbro Star Wars Power of the Force Collection, it’s Luke Skywalker in Hoth Gear!
Just moments after the opening scene of The Empire Strikes Back:
LUKE (into comlink) Echo Three to Echo Seven. Han, old buddy, do you read me?
After a little static, a familiar voice is heard.
HAN (over comlink) Loud and clear, kid. What’s up?
LUKE (into comlink) Well, I finished my circle. I don’t pick up any life readings.
HAN (over comlink) There isn’t enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. The sensors are placed, I’m going back.
LUKE (into comlink) Right. I’ll see you shortly. There’s a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I want to check it out. It won’t take long.
Luke clicks off his transmitter and reins back on his nervous lizard. He pats the beast on the head to calm it.
LUKE Hey, steady girl. What’s the matter? You smell something?
…
This POTF2 version of Luke doesn’t have elbow joints, so he can’t actually bring his wrist comlink up to his mouth. The hips and knees swivel, but they don’t bend enough for him to sit well in the saddle. The hat and goggles are fixed in place. On the bright side, his face looks pretty good, and he can hold the reins and his blaster. However, he can’t hold the electrobinoculars shown in the pictures, since they were released later. 😄
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!
This #FourHorsemenFriday, we’re rising up to take a look at the Four Horsemen Studios Mythic Legions Thorasis the First Risen!
The Mythic Legions All Stars 6 wave, available for preorder in spring 2023, reissued several older figures and introduced new knights, a horse, additional belts, heads, wings, and multiple new skeletons. In addition to the skeleton legion builders and the display options provided by Skalli Bonesplitter, this wave featured a new skeleton soldier equipped with soft goods clothing and a cloth banner.
According to the backstory, Thorasis is the first of the Death forces to return from banishment. As Necronominus’s eldest child, he assumes command of his father’s undead army and facilitates the return of his sister Morgolyth from banishment. While I have not been particularly interested in the Morgolyth character or figure, I appreciate how this biography connects to earlier skeleton characters in the Mythic Legions line.
Waiting 25 months for this figure was totally worth it. I don’t even mind that there isn’t a second head, since there’s so much included. Thorasis comes with extra armor pieces, two belts, extra bone feet, four sets of hands, both short and long pikes for the banner, and a big two-handed zweihänder sword. I usually pass on oversized shields, but the Necronominus emblem looks great in person. The cloth banner and wired cape are awesome extras to get straight from The Four Horsemen, so you don’t need a third party to make the figure feel complete.
Overall, Thorasis is an impressive figure that effectively combines soft goods with sculpted plastic elements. I had no issues posing the figure or swapping parts immediately upon unboxing, and I am pleased to include it in my collection. This figure is a strong contender for my 2025 top-ten action figure list.
On this #FourHorsemenFriday post from the archives, we’ve got a dwarf from the snowy Grayvein mountains. It’s the Mythic Legions Thord Ironjaw!
Thord is a character from the inaugural wave of Mythic Legions, and I supported his release through the initial Kickstarter campaign. I was particularly drawn to this figure because, in my view, he most closely resembles Gimli from The Lord of the Rings.
Although Thord’s biography indicates his allegiance to the House of the Noble Bear and notes that he originally included a shield bearing a bear sigil, I chose to display my Thord figure without the original shield and axe. Instead, I equipped him with weapons that display more bronze and signs of wear, as I believe these better suit the character and the challenges he may face within the mountain caves.
Recommended music: Georges Bizet – Carmen, Act 1: Habanera “L’Amour est un oiseau rebelle”
On this #TolkienThursday, we’re thankful to have a look at the ToyBiz The Lord of the Rings Return of the King Arod!
In The Two Towers, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas meet the Riders of Rohan for the first time. Eomer gives them two horses to make up for the supposed deaths of Merry and Pippin at the hands of the Orcs and to help them reach Meduseld in Edoras more quickly. Since Garulf, the original rider, died in battle, Aragorn gets Hasufel. Legolas is given Arod, a smaller, lighter, and spirited horse. Gimli does not get his own horse, but he rides behind Legolas after Arod’s reins and saddle are removed.
Arod’s story is a little different in the books compared to the Peter Jackson movies, but the horse appears in many later scenes when Legolas needs a ride. Arod takes Legolas to Edoras, the Paths of the Dead, and, in the books, carries Legolas and Gimli back from Minas Tirith after the War of the Ring.
ToyBiz released this Arod figure as part of a deluxe horse-and-rider set with Legolas, though the horse is unnamed on the box. While the blue packaging accurately features The Return of the King, I have always chosen to display this horse with my figures from The Two Towers.
While the white paint shows some yellowing, the detail and articulation on the ToyBiz horses still hold up, even after 20 years. The scale matches the figures well, and the “deluxe horse galloping action” works with a button hidden on the horse’s hindquarters. This horse is great for army-building since it is plain enough for any Rohirrim figure to ride.
Recommended music: David Arkenstone – Caras Galadhon
For this #TolkienThursday post from the archives, we’re with the Fellowship arriving at Caras Galadhon in Lothlórien, and are greeted there by Galadriel and the ToyBiz Lord of the Rings Celeborn!
Similar to Haldir, the Celeborn figure was exclusive to the Lothlorien Gift Pack and was not released as a single carded figure. The sculpt and paintwork demonstrate impressive detail, particularly on the clothing, which features a removable cape. The figure also includes articulated fingers for some reason. 😄
“Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him.” – Celeborn
Recommended music: Johnny Marsh – Vampire Christmas
This #WhateverWednesday, we’re checking out action figures that are just right for the time between Halloween and Christmas—though not for Thanksgiving. Today’s pick from the Super7 ReAction The Nightmare Before Christmas line is Vampire!
In The Nightmare Before Christmas, four vampire brothers appear among the citizens of Halloween Town, and a fifth shows up playing hockey near the end. The tall vampire helps search for Jack Skellington, saying, “I peeked behind the Cyclops’ eye.” When the town is “Making Christmas,” the vampires are shown making toys to place under the Christmas tree, including a fanged wooden duck pull toy.
Diamond Select and other companies have made vampire action figures before, including a set of all four by Japanese maker Jun Planning, but Funko never added a Vampire to their Nightmare Before Christmas ReAction line. Super7, however, released this one in the first year after relaunching the line in 2020. The figure has the usual five points of articulation, and its legs look a lot like the bell-bottom pants on old Kenner Star Wars figures. Instead of the black umbrella often seen with the vampires, this figure comes with the fanged toy duck, which is a fun touch. Though simple, the sculpt and paint match the film well enough. There are larger and more articulated versions out there, but this Vampire fits right in with the ReAction line.
Welcome to another #WhateverWednesday post from the archives. Today, we’re taking a look at another figure from the Disney Parks Pirates of the Caribbean line, “The Red Head.”
As this toyline showcases the characters that populated the ride for 40+ years, this is the original red haired wench desired by drunken pirate animatronics after being captured by a pirate auctioneer, and not the character “Scarlett” from the POTC live-action films, or “Redd” as the character was changed to in all Disney Parks by 2018 who dons a gun and joins the auctioneer to sell off household goods and not people. 😛
The figure has nice sculpting and paint, and comes with a unique backdrop, guns, a knife, a rope, a rose, and a coin purse. It’s a good value and a fun addition to the collection. Too bad the auctioneer hasn’t been made into a figure yet.
“We wants the redhead!” – Drunk pirates
“Shift yer cargo, dearie. Show ’em your larboard side.” – The Auctioneer
It’s #TurtleTuesday, and we’re coming out of our shells to bring you another NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael!
Today, I am reviewing the Musical Mutagen Tour version of Raphael, which is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‘Coming Out Of Their Shells’ studio album and concert tour. The tour was held across the United States from 1990 to 1991 and internationally in 1992. This period represents a significant transition in the franchise, shifting from the darker tone of the comics and the first live-action film to a more camp and lighthearted style that characterised Turtles stories for the following two decades.
NECA Toys was unable to secure the rights to the original name. Nevertheless, the current moniker is effective for this San Diego Comic-Con exclusive set and appears to reference The Beatles’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ album.
This Raphael figure is outfitted with a denim jacket, knee pads, and leg warmers. The set includes a new pizza accessory and four additional sets of hands, allowing the turtles to hold their instruments or pizza with greater ease. The musical accessories consist of a saxophone and a star-shaped guitar.
While I did not have the chance to see the tour in person or own this VHS as a kid, I definitely had the album on cassette because it was available at the tour’s main sponsor, Pizza Hut. This version of the turtles also features jaw articulation, so they can really belt out the tunes. I’m not sure this feature was entirely necessary, since the mouths of the concert masks didn’t open quite that well. 😛
Recommended music: AFI – I Wanna Get A Mohawk (But Mom Won’t Let Me Get One)
On this #TurtleTuesday post from the archives, we’re taking a look at the NECA Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Grunt!
This figure is based on Grunt’s look from the very first episode of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, “Turtle Tracks.” It came in a 2-pack with another punk character and really captures the animated gang member who caused trouble in the city and chased April O’Neil into the sewers at the start of the series.
In the episode, Grunt is ultimately defeated by a shadowed ninja, clearly identified as Raphael, as seen below. NECA also provided an alternate mutant torso and head for the Mohawk punk figure, reflecting the storyline in which the entire gang underwent the same mutation process as Bebop and Rocksteady. However, the remaining gang members rarely appeared in subsequent episodes.
Dale's Toys 