For this #WhateverWednesday post from the archives, we’re still flashing back to 1980 with the NECA Toys Flash Gordon Vultan!
NECA made an excellent choice in picking this character to round out the first (and so far only) wave of this line. The well-painted sculpt does a fantastic job of hiding 31 points of articulation. The figure also comes with two alternate sets of hands and four different faces (to be topped off with hair or a helmet), in addition to a communicator and two weapons.
Speaking of faces, all of them are detailed likenesses of actor Brian Blessed. I really hope NECA puts out another wave of these fun characters!
“Squadron 40… dive! …. Second wave. Dive! … Impetuous boy! … Oh, well, who wants to live forever? DIIIIIVE!!!”
Recommended music: Queen – Marriage Of Dale And Ming
For this #WhateverWednesday post from the archives, we’re flashing back to 1980 with the NECA Toys Flash Gordon!
NECA finally did it! For years, they released Flash Gordon figures based on comics, cartoons, and even knock-off film versions. They eventually got the full rights for the film and multiple actor likenesses. This includes Flash himself, Sam J. Jones!
This “Ultimate” version of Flash (Final Battle) sports 28 points of articulation, his outfit from the battles near the end of the film, two alternate sets of hands and heads, and three weapons. He’s poseable enough that the sword can actually be held with two hands, ready for Flash to take on Ming the Merciless once he hops down from the rocket wreckage. The paint job is great, even down to Flash’s body hair. Aaa-aaah! 😄
“The game’s lost, Ming. Stop your attack on Earth, and I’ll spare your life.”
Winding up this #WhateverWednesday from the archives, we’ve got one last Jedi from The Saga Collection, it’s Mace Windu!
Windu is one of the more recognizable members of the Jedi Council due to being portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. Windu was the first character from The Phantom Menace to be released as an action figure, included as a sneak preview at the tail end of the Power of the Force 2 line in 1998. By 2003, when this Jedi Council version was released, the character already had several unique figures.
The good part about this figure’s inclusion in the 3-pack with Even Piell and Oppo Rancisis is that it includes his chair, knee joints, and a soft goods skirt piece so he can actually sit in the chair. Unfortunately, the chair is too short, he only has one elbow joint, the sleeve color does not match the tunic, and he is missing a robe and a lightsaber, even though his hands are sculpted to hold one. These are all reasons keeping this particular figure from being the best TPM version of the character at the time.
The Phantom Menace turned 25 years old last year, and I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode I figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 25+ years of The Phantom Menace!
This #WhateverWednesday, we’re shaking it up with another look at some great dinosaur action figures. It’s the Ideas From Mars Defenders of Eden: Armies of Ashmore Alternate Color Weapons Pack!
“The blacksmiths of Ashmore are renowned for crafting some of the most devastating and resilient weapons. The ancient craft passed down from generation to generation has been instrumental in the legacy of the Saurian race and the continued dominance of the brave warriors who defend their Queen. They are the Armies of Ashmore!”
The 2023 Armies of Ashmore Kickstarter campaign for this line allowed backers to pledge for a variety of items. These included half a dozen different named dinosaurs, blank bucks, pins, comics, head packs, and weapons packs available.
The Brute Weapons Pack (for this larger 8-11″ brute scale action figure) includes the legendary battle ax, a war club mace, and both the armored and infantry shields. While the paint job is crisp, and the weapons are detailed, the color palette and weapon selection of this set were just too plain for me.
Instead, I opted for the more deluxe Ashmore Armory. It offers up a half dozen different weapons, several of which I don’t have from the figures. All come in an alternate color scheme from the original releases, including the oversized magic effect. In addition to the axe, club, and shields from the smaller set, you also get the mage’s staff and a royal spear.
Unlike the sold-out figures, the weapons packs were still available at BigBadToyStore as of the time of this writing. I’d highly recommend picking them up quickly if you have some larger 1/12 scale figures in need of additional options for their weapons. Big thanks to Pizza Monster and Gladiator Hulk for stepping in to model some weapons. 😄
Recommended music: Basement Jaxx – Where’s Your Head At
Catching up this #WhateverWednesday from the archives, we’ve got another Jedi from The Episode I Collection, it’s Ki-Adi Mundi!
Mundi is definitely a unique-looking alien from the Jedi Council. Unfortunately, when Hasbro included him in the 3rd wave of The Phantom Menace line back in 1999, they didn’t give the figure any knee joints. As a result, he can’t sit in a chair. This is why I picked this scene from Naboo and not the council chamber.
Also, the figure’s robe is not removable, and although the character never shows his lightsaber in the first film, this figure was packed with a purple-bladed saber for some reason. Mace Windu’s lightsaber is also not shown in the TPM, and his figure from the same wave came with a blue-bladed saber.
The Phantom Menace turned 25 years old last year, and I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode I figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 25+ years of The Phantom Menace!
This #WhateverWednesday, we’re taking a look at another great action figure. It’s the Ideas From Mars Defenders of Eden: Armies of Ashmore Infantry Warrior Blank!
While the Kickstarter campaign in the spring of 2023 allowed you to pledge for a half dozen different named dinosaurs. It also allowed backers to purchase “blanks” of the various mold options.
I have picked up other anthropomorphic dinosaur action figures before. These include Saurozoic Warriors from Boss Fight Studios, as well as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Triceratons from NECA Toys. However, this line gave me another option. Besides those lines being scaled much smaller than this 8.5″ beast, their character offerings were already established as coming with a character-specific color scheme.
The idea of making a custom figure and starting with more of a blank slate is more appealing to me than just painting over all the previous colors. Yes, Ideas from Mars did use this head and body combination with the Armies of Ashmore line for General Cerros and Rydoor, but I didn’t want another blue or green Triceratops; I want one that with more of a red color scheme.
Unfortunately, I have yet to paint him up, so the blank figure still resembles more of an action figure test shot or prototype. In the meantime, we can just pretend he’s a statue of an unknown dinosaur army soldier. Fortunately, he comes with the same 17 points of articulation, removable armor, and multiple accessories as if he were a named character. These include an axe, three pairs of hands, a helmet, and a shield. Unlike the regular characters that arrived in beautifully detailed window-packaged boxes, the blank one here arrived in a clear poly bag with this simple “Create-An-Infantry Warrior” header card, awaiting the day when it can finally be customized.
Also ,I don’t know of any retailers that stocked the blank figures, so they’re likely the most rare figures in the line, including the Kickstarter exclusives. This means if you’re interested in painting one up yourself, you’ll likely have to seek out this dinosaur on the inflated secondary market.
Something magical is happening this #WhateverWednesday. Today, we’re taking a look at another great action figure. It’s the Ideas From Mars Defenders of Eden: Armies of Ashmore Milwick!
While Cuzzo was the specific figure I pledged for during the Kickstarter campaign in the spring of 2023, Milwick Thunder Mage was also a must-buy for me and well worth the two-year wait. The Armies of Ashmore line revealed at Legions Con 2022 was a unique idea, and the scale of these figures absolutely dwarfs previous anthropomorphic dinosaur action figure releases. Milwick’s purple color and magic abilities also help him from other dinosaur toys.
‘The world of Eden is a place of vast wonder and magic. Across the land lives many races and warriors. None more fierce then the great Saurian race in the southern hemisphere. The vibrant warriors who guard the child queen and her kingdom, they are the Armies of Ashmore!’
According to Milwick’s official bio, Milwick has seen queens come and go. He has lived through many battles and many times of peace. As a Thunder Mage, he is in tune with not only the magic of Ashmore but also throughout all of Eden. Milwick often keeps council with the queen of Ashmore, along with other spiritual beings in Eden. Do not let his simple staff deceive you; mystic powers allow him to fight at great distances.
The Milwick figure is so large that he had trouble fitting in the oversized packaging, even with his additional neck piece removed and his head pointed down. Once the neck is attached, Milwick measures eleven inches high by four inches wide, really dwarfing other 1/12 scale action figures. The figure comes in a large window packaged box with beautiful comic art on the side, which makes up 20 percent of a fantastic mural before going in the recycle bin.
In addition to the solid paint details and 17 points of articulation, Milwick came with two extra sets of hands, an adjustable helmet, a staff that is taller than most 1/12 scale action figures, and a magic effect that can be attached to the staff. Big Bad Toy Store quickly sold through their small allotment of this figure as well, with only weapons packs still in stock, so you’ll have to seek out this dinosaur on the inflated secondary market.
Recommended music: Joe Diffie – Third Rock From The Sun
Cause and effect are in play on this #WhateverWednesday. Today, we’re taking a look at another great action figure. It’s the Ideas From Mars Defenders of Eden: Armies of Ashmore Cuzzo!
What a mouthful that full name was, but the name of this toy really isn’t all that important here. Because this company designed and promoted an excellent dinosaur action figure, it had the effect of opening my wallet to get the figure in my collection.
Armies of Ashmore was initially revealed at Legions Con 2022 and was labeled as the first wave of the Defenders of Eden toy line. The convention was the perfect location for this debut, as Ideas From Mars hired Four Horsemen Studios to fully design these dinosaur warrior figures based on the direction of the artists behind the Defenders of Eden comic book.
Now, I’m not sure how much the Defenders of Eden comic or toyline will continue to grow, as I believe they are still stuck on the same three issues from a few years ago, but in the meantime, this company put out an excellent wave of dinosaur action figures. While the figures were a part of a Kickstarter campaign in the spring of 2023 and didn’t ship for about two years, they were well worth the wait.
According to Cuzzo’s official bio: “Most of the armor division is full of hard heads, but none more than Cuzzo. Cuzzo loves being the first to run into battle and the last to clean his club off after a day of fighting. His plated armor is perfect to shield himself and help the infantry warriors if needed. The armor division might not be the fastest, but what they lack in speed, they make up in spirit and strength.” While that backstory paints a nice picture, to me, this can just be a generic dinosaur warrior that you wouldn’t want to cross paths with.
Cuzzo is a large, beefy figure, measuring eight and a half inches high by four inches wide. Though he’s at the short end for this line, he still towers over other 1/12 scale action figures. Also, the figure arrived in a large window packaged box with beautiful comic art on the side, which was nice, but it all eventually went to the recycle bin. The interior art could not be salvaged as the substantial packing trays were glued to it.
In addition to the fantastic paint application and 17 points of articulation, Cuzzo came with two extra sets of hands, an adjustable helmet, a mace that can be swapped out with the weapon on his tail, and a shield that can split into two small shields. All these options make a great army builder if only you could find more. Big Bad Toy Store quickly sold through their small allotment of figures, with only some accessories still in stock, so you’ll have to seek out these dinos on the inflated secondary market.
I’ll share some more pictures of Cuzzo at some point. This is another figure I’m sure will return to the blog in one way or another. He’ll likely be back at the end of the year on my Top 10 figures of 2025 list.
Recommended music: Clemson University Tiger Band – Eye of the Tiger
For this #WhateverWednesday, we’re checking out a toy that is greatly overdue. It’s the Jada Toys Tony the Tiger!
Making his debut in 1952, Tony the Tiger is the anthropomorphic mascot for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal and has appeared in ads and on packaging for over 70 years. Part of what makes the character stand out from other advertising mascots is his signature catchphrase, voiced by actor Thurl Ravenscroft.
For more than 50 years, until his passing in 2005, Ravenscroft’s booming deep voice was the audio behind Tony the Tiger’s signature catchphrase “They’re g-r-r-r-eat!!!!”
Tony and similar mascots, for that matter, have been so persuasive as spokespersons, they have effectively been banned from being featured in ads and packaging in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Peru to help curb the advertising of sugary products to children.
Even Jada Toys appears to be hooked on the sugary cereal. 😄 Founded in 1999 and finding huge success in producing Remote Control Cars, Jada has been branching out in the past few years. Not a brand I normally collect, following their buyout by the German toy company Simba Dickie Group, Jada has really expanded into making licensed collectibles outside of just vehicle-related items.
Fortunately, Jada’s 1/12-scale cereal mascot action figure line has now expanded to include Kellogg’s. When this Tony the Tiger release arrived on my doorstep a few months ago, I was thrilled to open it. Even the packaging was so well done for something ultimately destined for the recycle bin.
In addition to the fantastic paint and articulation, Tony comes with a variety of alternate hand options. These include a ball-spinning hand, a holding hand, a pointing hand, a spoon hand, and a thumbs-up hand. He also sports a basketball with a separate spinning effect, a cereal bowl, and a cereal box with his likeness.
Now, I’m not too worried about showing off all his great looks today, and I guarantee this figure will be back at the end of the year on my Top 10 figures of 2025 list, heeee’s great!!
Recommended music: Sesame Street – Counting Is Wonderful
Sunny days are here again, as this #WhateverWednesday, we’re taking a look at the NECA Sesame Street Ultimate Count von Count!
Debuting in the fourth season of Sesame Street in 1972 and performed by Jerry Nelson for the next 40 years, the character of Count von Count is a friendly yet mysterious numerical vampire. Meant to be a parody of Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula, the Count is hooked on physically counting items in the scene around him.
The Count has appeared in numerous Sesame Street books, episodes, specials, video games, and films, including Follow That Bird and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, as well as in cameos during the finale group shots of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. The Count even co-hosted The Today Show with Meryl Streep back in 1988. Following Jerry Nelson’s passing in 2012, Matt Vogel fully took over the role, as he had already been providing the puppetry for the character for a few years.
The Count action figure for the NECA Sesame Street Ultimates toy line was first shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. It appeared at Target stores during their Haulathon event in early 2025. It was nice to find this one at retail, which allowed us to select the one with the best painted eyes. His packaging is based on the 1980s Sesame Street Treasury book series and is labeled volume 3.
Unfortunately, the group of bats shown with the prototype at SDCC did not make it to the final release. Hopefully, NECA will include them in the planned accessory set with other Sesame Street set pieces. Count still comes with a decent amount of accessories, including a candelabra, a large brown number, “2,” and a telephone.
In addition to his excellent soft goods cape, the figure also features a variety of display options, including two heads and a number of hands. Let’s count them: One hand, two hands, three hands, four hands, five hands, six hands, seven hands altogether. The number of the day is SEVEN, ah ah ah ah! 😄
Recommended music: Sesame Street: That’s What Friends Are For
Sunny days are here as this #WhateverWednesday, we’re taking a look at the NECA Sesame Street Ultimate Ernie!
Created for the first episode of Sesame Street in 1969 and performed by Jim Henson for more than 30 years, the character of Ernie has always been a star of the program. A typical Bert and Ernie sketch would see Ernie bothering his longtime best friend and roommate right in the middle of one of Bert’s solo activities so that the pair could hang out together. Ernie also has several memorable sketches (and songs) revolving around his passion for bubble baths with his rubber duckie.
Ernie has appeared in countless Sesame Street episodes, specials, Follow That Bird, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, and also cameos during the finale group shots of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. Following Jim Henson’s passing, Ernie was limited to non-speaking cameos for a couple of years before Steve Whitmire stepped into the role for the next 20+ years. Ernie has always been performed as a live-hand Muppet, with a puppeteer putting his left hand in a sleeve (Ernie is left-handed). A different puppeteer then controls the right hand.
Ernie was released along with Bert as the debut wave for the NECA Sesame Street Ultimates toy line. His packaging is labeled volume 1 and is based on the 1980s Sesame Street Treasury book series. Ernie comes with a few good accessories. He includes a large letter “C,” a framed picture of Bert and himself that can be hung up, as well as his Rubber Duckie. The portrait of Bert and Ernie has been a common sight onscreen in the pair’s apartment since the 1970s.
The figure also has a variety of display options, coming with two heads and six hands. What a great way for NECA to kick off this line, as they absolutely nailed the look of the character.
Sunny days are ahead as this #WhateverWednesday, we’re taking a look at the NECA Sesame Street Ultimate Bert!
Designed by Jim Henson himself, the character of Bert has been a staple of Sesame Street since the program’s debut in 1969. Always playing the serious, straight foil to the wackiness of his best friend and roommate, Ernie, Bert is often the victim of Ernie’s shenanigans.
Voiced by Frank Oz for the first 30 years of the character, Bert has appeared in countless Sesame Street episodes, specials, movies, and even had cameos during the group shots of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. The character is known for being detail-oriented and also for several hobbies such as reading Boring Stories, collecting bottle caps and paper clips, and studying pigeons.
The main pigeon in his world is his pet, Bernice. The character has been around since the mid-1970s and is played on the program by real-life pigeons, trained to be on set with the Muppet actors.
Bert was released in tandem with Ernie as the first wave for the NECA toy line. His packaging resembles a book and is labeled volume 2. Bert comes with a perfect set of accessories. He includes a large letter “A” and both his bottle cap collection and his cigar-box housed paper clip collection. He also comes with a book of Boring Stories and his pet pigeon, Bernice. The figure also has plenty of display options, coming with two heads for varied facial expressions, along with interchangeable hair and eyebrows. That’s the first figure I can think of with swappable brows. Finally, he has three different sets of hands for open, closed, and pointing finger looks. As with other NECA releases, they really nailed the look and detail of the character.
Let’s go back to 1985 one last time this #WhateverWednesday, as we’re still celebrating this month’s 40th anniversary of Back to the Future. Today, we’re taking a look at the Tomy 1:10 scale DeLorean!
Since NECA Toys abruptly ended their 1:12 scale Back to the Future line before getting to vehicles, Japanese toy company Takara Tomy was more than happy enough to step in with an 11-pound, die-cast, 1:10 scale substitute Delorean that fits in with your NECA BTTF collection.
While they went the Kickstarter route during the summer of 2023, this thing arrived right at the end of 2024. Unfortunately, showing up on my porch during the last week of the year meant it was too late to be practically included in my top 10 action figure list for the year, it was still a great product.
The details and features on this thing are quite impressive: Real working lights including, headlights, the flux capacitor, and more, real “smoke” (fog machine) effect replicates from the back of the car, free-rolling wheels (though I did have to get custom Goodyear decals as the licensing wasn’t there to make the tires fully accurate), flame trails, the hook to catch lightning from the clock tower, and much more.
The included Einstein figure is not as good as the NECA version, but the NECA figures look great in the driver seat (or just adjacent to it, like this picture reminiscent of the Back to the Future theatrical poster). 😁👍
Released in US theaters on July 3rd, 1985, this month marks the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future! I figured it was worth jumping in the DeLorean to revisit some great toys from the film. Thanks for sticking around, as that is all the BTTF posts I have planned for now (unless I start talking about my Marty McFly 1985 cosplay). 😜
Recommended music: Bruce Broughton – Le Visionarium Main Theme
Oh yeah, on this #WhateverWednesday post from the archives, we’ve got another Pit Droid! From the Hasbro The Phantom Menace toy line, and then the Power of the Jedi line, and then The Vintage Collection, it’s the Otoga 222 pit droid!
I might have missed a release, but the figure was packed in with at least Ody Mandrell, Anakin, and Ben Quadrinaros. This seems repetitive for a droid with limited screen time in The Phantom Menace, but the model was due for a return in Attack of the Clones to drive a rickshaw until a unique design was created for the rickshaw droid.
Otoga 222 recently accompanied me to Elitch Gardens theme park in Denver and wanted its picture taken with this robot guy in the queue of the Meow Wolf ride. I’m still not sure what the meaning of this attraction was, but you got to shoot lasers at stuff with black lights all around, so that was fun. The robot pictured here definitely reminds me of the former Disney attraction Le Visionarium, more commonly known as The Timekeeper at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The character was voiced by Robin Williams, whose passing 10 years ago this week [as of the original post] still feels too soon…
The Phantom Menace turned 25 years old last year, and I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode I figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 25+ years of The Phantom Menace!
Recommended music: Alan Silvestri – It’s Clara (The Train – Part II)
Let’s hang out in 1885 this #WhateverWednesday, as we’re still celebrating this month’s 40th anniversary of Back to the Future. We are also marking 35 years since the release of Back to the Future Part III, so let’s check out this Playmobil Back to the Future Part III Hill Valley Railroad Station!
Since NECA Toys or any other companies have not tackled BTTF Part III in the 1/12 scale, this last set might be the best option for the budget-conscious collector to set the scene. So, it seems we’re going the Playmobil route again to replicate one last scene from the third film.
Thankfully, Playmobil released an advent calendar a few years ago that included a cardboard backdrop for the 1885 train station. Besides the whitewall tires to make your DeLorean fit in with 1955, Playmobil also included several accessories to retrofit the time machine to 1885. Upgrades include: Compressed Wood Accelerators for the train, Steel Rail Rims, and a Vacuum Tube Circuit Board.
Finally, Playmobil included a pretty unique character in this set with Doc’s love interest, Clara Clayton. I’ve only seen one other company cover this character in figure form. She was also included in a set of BTTF III figures in Diamond Select Toys’ Minimates line nearly 20 years ago.
Released in US theaters on July 3rd, 1985, this month marks the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future! I figure it’s worth jumping in the DeLorean to revisit some great toys from the film.
Dale's Toys 