Mary Jane Never Looked so Tasty

I blogged about this on my myspace page a few months ago, but since this is my toy blog, it belongs here as well.

I think this statue looks amazing, and if it comes out as nice as the prototype, I will probably be adding it to my collection. It is the upcoming Diamond Select, Marvel Zombies, Till Death do us Part, 9" statue, due for release in June, and limited to 2500 pieces.

I barely ever buy comic books anymore, and when I do, it is usually graphic novels, and collected volumes. I was curious about the Marvel Zombie comics, and somebody sent me scans of all the issues so I could read them. They were exactly what I expected. Crudely drawn, badly written cheese, but even so, they were a fun little read, and some of the covers are fantastic.

This statue is based on the cover of Marvel Zombies #5 which features a scene that unfortunately never really takes place in the comic.



Action figures from Marvel Zombies are also on the way from Marvel Select, and though not as nice as the statue, are pretty cool in their own right. The Capt. America even has a removable brain.

I can't highly recommend the comics, but the products so far look promising, and I look forward to their release.

"I shouldn't wish to attract attention"

I don't care what you say, Adam West will always be THE Batman. I know it's ultra campy, and that is what I like about it! After all, the show was based on a comic book. The 60's Batman TV show was before my time, as I was born in 1972, but I did watch it religiously in reruns as a kid, always hoping for a Joker episode. I still enjoy watching the show to this day, it's a riot, and it would sure be nice to see it get a DVD release. So yeah, nothing against the many Batman movies that have been released since, but no matter what, Adam West will always be THE live action Batman in my eyes.

Lets change the subject for a minute. Another hobby I have, is customizing action figures. I also enjoy seeing other people's work. There are some very talented customizers out there, and the variety of styles is part of what makes it cool in my eyes. As far as I am concerned, custom action figures are works of art. Some of my favorite customs are Mego customs. They are loads of fun to make, and I am a huge fan of the 8" Mego figures from the 70's.

Many people sell their customs, sometimes myself included, but I rarely ever buy other people's work. Not because I don't think they are worth it, but because, well, if I want a character bad enough, I will usually take a stab at it myself. That being said, every so often, I will see one that I must own. This is one of them....

I have seen custom Adam West Batman figures before. Usually in the 1/6 scale (12"), and some of them have been pretty impressive, but one day while while surfing eBay for Mego Batman stuff, I came across an auction that made my jaw drop, and scream, HOLY SHIT, IT'S A MEGO ADAM WEST BATMAN!

I knew I must own it. The seller was a cat named Brian Leitner, who is an excellent Mego customizer, and well known in the Mego collecting community. I kept an eagle eye on the auction, and when it came time to bid, I excitedly entered my bid. Well, boo hoo, I was outbid on the figure in the last 2 seconds. That wasn't going to stop me though. I decided to send Brian a message, asking if he would be making anymore and selling them on eBay. I didn't get a reply....until a few weeks later. Brian sent me a second chance offer through eBay for my highest bid. I wasted no time in taking him up on the offer, and a few weeks later a mini Adam West sprung out of my mailbox and beat the crap out of my Mego Riddler.

Batman has a resin cast head that was hand painted, and a custom sewn outfit, all on a reproduction Mego body. The incredible box was created by Toyroom.

More detailed than a Adam West Batman Mego figure from the 70's would have looked, but he still fits in with the vintage figures nicely. I can't say enough nice things about this custom, and I have zero regrets on the purchase.

If you would like to take a look at some of Brian Leitner's other work, you can check out his page by clicking here. Brian does commission work, and if you ask nicely he just might make you an Adam West Batman too! Tell him Jason (TCM Hitchhiker) sent ya!

Want to see more cool Mego customs, stop by the Mego Museum Forums!

Spyda-Mon!

If you thought the made for television Spider-Man movies from the 70's are campy, you ain't seen nothin' yet! In 1978 Japan had it's own Spider-Man show. This wasn't the Spider-Man us Americans know, no, he was quite different. This was more like Ultraman (or for the younger readers Power Rangers). Spider-Man pretty much has the same powers, wall climbing, super strength, web-spinning (Spyda stwiiing!), and oh so much more, and here is where the cheese starts. Spidey also had his own flying race car called the Spider Machine GP-7, that could combine with the Marveller (A space ship from the planet Spider) and form a giant robot called Leopardon, who carries a giant spider shield and battles giant monsters, saving Spider-Man's ass. Oh, and did I mention Spidey knows Kung-Fu!?!? Go figure, a Japanese show with Kung-Fu, giant robots and giant monsters. Amazing!

It almost sounds like I am making it up, doesn't it. Well, I have proof. Grab some Boston Baked Beans and enjoy the first episode of the show. It's all in Japanese, but who cares, when you can see Spidey Kung-Fu some super villain duck people! Enjoy, and when the show is over, read on about the Spider-Man action figure made by Popy!



I have to say, those wall crawling effects are nice! But enough about the show, lets talk about the action figure from the show.



Released at the same time as the show, Popy's 10" Spider-Man is similar to a Mego, or Big Jim action figure, fully articulated, with action action features that are as crazy as the show! This figure is AMAZING!



Probably the oddest thing about this figure, is that he has no gloves. Just flesh hands. Why they didn't mold them in red, or paint them, is beyond me. Ok, maybe that isn't the oddest, maybe this is. Spider-Man's left hand fires a missile, and man does it fly!





His right hand has a spring activated web inside it, with a hook on the end. You can hook this on to something, pull Spidey down, let go, and he shoots up the web! He can also pull objects towards himself.





Spider-Man also includes suction cups and magnets that connect to his hands for wall (fridge/window) clinging fun, as well as a web he can repel down. You also get two little black spiders.



I think hat you will agree, that although this figure has some wacky things going on, he would have been loads of fun to play with as a kid. And you know what, he is loads of fun now!

Hope you enjoyed this blog about Spider-Man from Japan! The Japanese made some incredible toys, and still do today. Expect to see a lot around here!

Along Came a Goblin

I am a big fan of the classic Spider-Man villains. In fact, if I were to list my top 10 villains from Marvel Comics, Spidey's foes would fill the list. The Lizard, The Rhino, Scorpion, etc., but the creep that will always be tops, is the completely mad Green Goblin.

There are tons of Green Goblin figures out there, old and new, and I try to snatch up as many as I can. Some of my favorites are the Mego 8" Green Goblin, Remco's Energized Green Goblin and the much more recent Marvel Legends 6" Green Goblin. Those will all be featured at some point, but first up, is the latest addition to my GG collection.



Marvel Legends Showdown, 4" Green Goblin from Toy Biz

As I am sure you know, Toy Biz's (and now Hasbro's) Marvel Legends line of 6" action figures is one of the hottest selling lines out there. Toy Biz took their Legends and shrunk them down to 4", calling them Marvel Legends Showdown. Unfortunately, these weren't that hot at retail, and the series 3 figures, which includes Green Goblin, got limited distribution. Not limited in numbers necessarily, but in retailers that carried them. In fact, I couldn't find him anywhere in my area. Luckily, a buddy of mine from the Unreal Spawn Board hooked me up with one that he found at Kay-Bee marked down to $4.00.



I really like this figure, he looks nice and maniacal. Not as great as the 6" Marvel Legends Green Goblin (that figure is phenomenal), but he is still a really cool little figure. He has all the articulation of the 6" ML figure, making for some great posing possibilities.



For the sale price, you can't beat him, so rush on over to your local Kay-Bee and pick one up. Then you can have him join forces with your Boba Fett, Acroyear and Zartan and destroy all of action figure kind!

This won't be the last you see of Osborn plastic, so if you are a Goblin fan, be sure and stay tuned!