Imaginext Blind Bag Series 3 Battle Santa

When I first saw the Imaginext Blind Bag Series 3 line-up, I thought this guy was just some sort of Cossack Warrior. It wasn't until after I had found them at retail and bought all the ones I thought I needed that someone mentioned that this guy's sword handles looked like candy-canes.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear he was actually a butt kicking Battle Santa and that he was very likely inspired by the Santa in the movie Rise of the Guardians.

All hail the King of the North!

I lucked out a couple weeks ago and found this guy on Target's clearance shelf for 88 cents! Talk about a belated Christmas gift!

Battle Santa is well armed, with two massive swords that attach cleverly to the back of his head-piece/jacket. And as you can see, they do indeed have a festive Christmas vibe, with candy-cane handles and holly-esque designs on the blades.

Say 'Ho' ONE MORE TIME!

Battle Santa is just awesome, and another example of the rampant creativity coming from Fisher-Price and evident throughout all their Imaginext offerings. Series 4 of the Imaginext blind bags are hitting stores now, but some people are still finding fresh shipments of series 3, so Battle Santa may not be totally out of your grasp this late in the game. I can't promise you'll find him on clearance, but he's definitely worth paying full price!

Imaginext Blind Bagged Series 3 WITH CODES!

Toyriffic reader Aleksandur contacted me last week to let me know he found the Imaginext Series 3 Blind Bagged figures at a Target in Pasadena California, had bought the whole wave, and had cracked the code (so you don't have to!)

On the back left top of the packages, there is a number embossed in the packaging. Catch the light just right and you can read it to see what you will get without having to resort to the oh-so-embarrassing 'squeeze method'!

   34 - Gill-Man/Creature from the Black Lagoon
   35 - Zombie
   36 - Guy with fur hat and swords(Cossack?)
   37 - Skateboarder
   38 - Punk Rock Guitarist
   39 - Vampire/Dracula
   40 - Hazmat Suit Guy/Walter White
   41 - Bomb Squad Guy

 Aleksandur also sent along these pics!

Before I was able to make this post, I found the wave at Target while out shopping with my sister and nephew. Thanks to Aleksandur's codes, my nephew and I were able to find just what we wanted. Thanks to my sister, I didn't even need to pay for them! Sometimes having an older sister has it's advantages.

Below are the ones I grabbed:

Bomb Technician ala 'Hurt Locker.' What a crazy figure! Imaginext pretty much steers clear of military themes, and while this guy could be working for the police department, his green costume is far more military looking than policeman blue. This guy comes with a robot for dis-arming bombs, and it even pops into a peg on his back, making him top heavy but a neat feature for carrying his robot around when not in use.

 My next 'must have' was this figure clearly inspired by the Creature from the Black Lagoon. His helmet even has modled 'bubbles' so it appears his dome is full of water! Brilliant!

 Without his helmet he is a pretty fair representation of The Creature, without crossing any copyright lines.

"Eeeeevvvviiillllllll!"

Probably the craziest figure in the history of Imaginext is this guy in Hazmat suit who is undeniably inspired by...

MethMaster Walter White from 'Breaking Bad.' An incredibly inappropriate character for a line aimed at kids aged 3 to 8, which means it's exactly the kind of thing I had to own!

And speaking of things inappropriate for pre-schoolers...

There was some speculation as to why a zombie would wear a one-eye-hole sack over his head and carry a weed-whacker. Then someone over at AFI pointed out that in the Friday the 13th film series, Jason Vorhees not only wore a single-eye-hole sack over his head before his Stanley Cup fandom began, but he also used a weed-whacker at one point to kill some hapless victim who shouldn't have 'gone in there' in the first place.

Without the sack...well, it's a zombie. Which is incredibly cool. But the Friday the 13th inspirations push him right over the top!

This stuff is insane! I hope the Imaginext designers continue to push the limits as the blind bagged series continues!

Nemesis Prime :: Transformers Mico-Changers Series 3 Plus Codes!

It seems like just yesterday that I discovered the Transformers Micro Changers Series 2 Arcee, and yet yesterday I stumbled on a case of Series 3 Kreons at Target! After perusing the back of the package and seeing the offerings, I decided that, like with Series 2, there was really only one I needed: Nemesis Prime!

Nemesis Prime, aka Black Convoy, aka Scourge, is basically Optimus Prime in Raiders colors. And with a Raider Nation attitude to boot.

I've always been a fan of Black Convoy/Nemesis Prime/Scourge, so I of course had to squeeze all the packages to find this guy! I now know that the code for Nemesis Prime on the back right of the packages ends in '52.'

I do the squeezing so you don't have to!

I already have an Optimus Prime Kreon, so as you can see NP is nothing more than a re-paint. Although Nemesis Prime does come with extra pieces so he can be converted into a semi:

Like most Transformer Kreon conversions, it's pretty jinky, but I give them an A+ for effort.

'Yeehaaaaawwww! Ride-em cowboy!'

Convoy fans are going to want Nemesis Prime. I went ahead and googled for the rest of the codes for this series in case you're interested in more:

Nosecone – 50
Thrust – 51
Nemesis Prime – 52
Ramjet – 53
Huffer – 54
Kickback – 55
Long Haul – 56
Guzzle – 57
Sharkticon -58
Cheetor – 59
Beachcomber – 60
Seawing – 61

Zero, my Hero

As I mentioned Saturday, the whole reason I bought the clearance priced SLUG Zombie Series 3 12 pack was for Double-Barrel Carol. But I have to admit, I would have bought her in her original three pack long ago had she been packaged with just one other zombie that I wanted bad enough to pay full price for. (I just couldn't see myself spending full price for one of three figures I wanted.) I don't recall who she did come with, but I know it wasn't Zero Hero, because he is the undead zombie I wanted most of all!

What can I say? 'Zero Hero' is a zombie Superman, or maybe a Bizarro. Either way, he fits right in with my superhero fetish. Now if they would only make a SLUG zombie version of Batman, my little green zombie apocalyptic world will be complete.

Great sculpt, great details, great superhero zombie...Great Cesar's Ghost!

I'm glad I was able to get two personally sought after characters in one clearance priced set, since I really don't collect these...yet. And it's especially nice to have a hero and villain figurine to compliment each other on my desk at work. All the other zombie figures (and the one other 'normal' this 12 pack came with) make good fodder for the ultimate showdown of Velma and Superman...I mean Carol and Zero!

Which would make another great movie. I've got a million of 'em!

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 Aeon Flux

My local educational store finally got in their first shipment of Playmobil's blind bagged Fi?ures series 3, and even though they were pretty picked over by the time I got to them, I was able to squeeze my way to Aeon Flux!

There's no mistaking the fact that Playmobil based this unnamed Fi?ure after Charlize Theron's appearance in the 2005 film Aeon Flux. The hair, the chest window, the gun, it's all there.

I have never seen the Aeon Flux movie, so I don't know if she also runs around with an orange stick, but I do know Charlize's Aeon has a gun holster between her shoulder blades and the gun does fit into this 'holster' just fine:

Once again Playmobil hits one out of the park with an extraordinary and absolutely unexpected nod to popular culture.

Lara Croft, meet Aeon Flux. Now go kick some butt, ladies!

I only picked up Aeon this time around, in keeping with my self imposed 'masked characters and/or girls who kick ass' Playmobil collecting restrictions.

No one was ever able to decipher a code break for these blind bagged Fi?ures in past series, but here's Aeon Flux's 'code' just in case:

187 12 0506
002498
5244 01

Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux in Playmobil

An anonymous reply to an earlier Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 post revealed what is most likely the intended identity of what I previously dubbed 'Spy Girl,' my most anticipated upcoming Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 figure.


Here is she:

Ans here's Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux:

According to 'anonymous:' "If the Spy Girl in Black on top wears a holster in her back, she seems to be Charlize Theron in "Aeon Flux" because she really seems to ; an Hollywood movie entirely located in Berlin, so very popular for German people !"

As far as I am concerned that haircut and 'V' chest window are too close to be coincidence.

I'm ashamed I didn't catch the similarities myself, but having never seen the movie my only familiarity with Aeon Flux was from Liquid Television on MTV back in the day:

And of course she looks nothing like the Playmobil figure or Charlize Theron for that matter!

Whether or not the Playmobil figure has a back holster remains to be seen, as Series 3 has yet to hit in my local area due to unforseen delays in US distribution. But you can be sure I will be squeezing packages for Charlize when the time comes (and yes, I know exactly how that sounds ;) )

Playmobil pic courtesy Cool Toy Review via their Toy Fair 2012 Playmobil photo gallery.

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 US Release UPDATE

I just received word back from Playmobil Customer Service that the US release of Playmobil's blind bagged Series 3 Fi?ures has been delayed to around the middle or end of September:

"Thank you for your inquiry.

There has been a delay in the arrival of the figures to the USA, but we anticipate that they will be available mid to end of September.

Sincerely,
PLAYMOBIL CONSUMER SERVICES"

So there you have it, straight from Playmobil themselves!


The funny thing is that I completely expected Lego's minifigures series 8 to be released in September and Playmobil Fi?ures series 3 to be released in August, and it turned out to be the opposite. Oh well, at least I have my Lego Man-Bat to hold me over.

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 3 due out next month!

According to their catalogue, Playmobil's blind bagged Fi?ures Series 3 are due out this August in the US - and you know I have to have at least a couple of them: namely Spy Girl and the Statue of Liberty!

This release includes the following awesome Fi?ures:

Knight
Quequeg Pirate
Hockey Player
Judo Master
Jamaican Drummer
Astronaut
Celtic Knight
Justin Bieber
Scarecrow
British Guard
Racecar Driver
Robot

Southern Belle
Surfer Girl
Indian Princess
Figure Skater
Flamenco Dancer
Statue of Liberty
Spy Girl
Pregnant Lady
Horse Rider
Bride (may also be a pregnant lady, hence the rushed wedding!)
Baker
Lady Gaga

I'm not sure what the overseas release schedule is, but everyone needs to start looking now because these could literally hit any day.

Leave a comment when you find them, and I'll be sure to update the blog as soon as I see them in my neck of the woods!

Playmobil Fi?ures Up Close

Cool Toy Review has posted their Toy Fair 2012 Playmobil photo gallery and they have close-up pictures of most of the Fi?ures in the upcoming Series 2 and Series 3 line-ups! (The Vampire girl for Series 2 was noticeably absent.)

Below are my 'Must Haves:'

 Spy Girl from Series 3 tops my list. Can a Playmobil figure be hot? If not, I need to see a shrink.

 Alien girl, superhero or Lady Gaga. You decide, meanwhile I have to have her!

Darth Vader knock-off. This guy is pure seventies knock-off goodness, and reminds me of all the Not-Star-Wars toys that came out back in the day.

 Elvis. This one is for the Mrs.

 Lara Croft. Conceptually too cool to pass up!

 Some sort of robot. I'm on the fence with this one, I'll wait and see when I'm squeezing packages.

 Queequeg! YES!

The Statue of Liberty. Recreate Ghostbusters 2, Playmobil style!

Playmobil Fi?ures Series 2 and 3 revealed!

Playmobil Fi?ures blind bagged figures Series 2 are available this month in the UK.

UPDATE: I contacted Playmobil customer service regarding US release dates and this is their response:

Mr. Stettmeier,
Thank you for your continuing interest in Playmobil!  We love to hear from fans.

At this time, Series 2 - item numbers 5157 (boy figures) and 5158 (girl figures), is due to be released in the USA in March, 2012.

Series 3 - item numbers 5243 (boy figures) and 5244 (girl figures), is due to be released in August, 2012.

Sincerely,
PLAYMOBIL CONSUMER SERVICES

Looks like Series 2 will include:

Male Fi?ures:
Pirate Captain
Some sort of Space Villain Darth Vader knockoff
Punk Rocker
Elvis (hells yes!)
Basketball Player
Skateboarder
Mariachi Band Member
Prisoner
Knight
German boy with Dachsund (Hansel?)
Ninja
Space Hero ala Voltron or Power Rangers

Female Fi?ures:
Tinkerbell
Cleopatra
Cheerleader
Tomb Raider Lara Croft wannabe (hells yes again!)
Jungle Girl (Jane?)
Fancy Dress Lady
Girl fresh out of the shower (oh Playmobil!)
Vampiress (awesome!)
Ballerina
German girl (Gretel?)
Vet
Geisha


... and a little internet digging revealed some official pictures of Series 3 as well, slated for an August 2012 release in the UK and the US.

The Series 3 picture is a little harder to see but appears to include:

Males:
Knight
Tattooed pirate
Hockey player
Shaolin Monk (aw yeah!)
Tribal drummer
Astronaut
Celtic warrior
Rocker
Scarecrow
British Guard
Racecar Driver
Robot (?)

Females:
Fancy dressed lady
Surfer
Indian Princess
Figure Skater
Flamenco Dancer
Statue of Liberty (HELL YES!)
Sexy spy girl? Jane Bond? I dunno, but she looks hot!
Student
Equestrian rider
Bride
Chef
Alien or Super hero girl (this one looks OUTRAGEOUS!)

Man oh man am I excited to know this series is continuing with future waves! I can't wait until they hit the US, there are definitely a few I need, especially in Series 3.

Deep Blu(to)

Yesterday we went over Deep Dive Popeye, so I figured today would be a great day to cover Scuba Bluto!



As mentioned yesterday, Scuba Bluto was released in 2004 in Mezco's Popeye line, specifically in series three.

Obviously they were going for a diving theme for the main characters here, and kudos to the design team for taking a more modern approach with Bluto as opposed to the more antiquated diving accouterments of Deep Dive Popeye. It makes for great contrast and really plays well with the characters' motivations.

Bluto's air tank is removable, but the mouthpiece leaves a large gap between his teeth. However from a playability standpoint the removable tank is certainly a plus. More kudos to the design team on all the Popeye figures because they never sacrificed playability or the fact that these are toys in their designs, yet somehow they managed not to sacrifice design either. Sounds simple enough, yet many toys suffer on one end of the spectrum or the other. Not Mezco's Popeye line.


His scuba mask is not removable, which is fine because it would probably be too easily lost or broken if it did. But you can see his eyes through the plastic lenses and you can tell the head and face were specifically sculpted with this scuba theme in mind. Even his hair is "wet" and matted down. Brilliant!

Bluto's knife sheath is removable but it is held on strongly with a velcro strap so it won't inadvertantly slip off. The strap allows you to resize it to fit his arm or leg, wherever his knife is most quickly reached I suppose.


The knife can be removed from the sheath as well. A knife is understandably a vital component to any diver's equipment, but it does add a certain level of menace to the figure. Maybe he'll only use it to innocently and cartoonily cut Popeye's airhose, and not try to gut him at the sea floor like a scene out of a James Bond flick.

Maybe.

Bluto also has a depth meter sculpted to his wrist. Just more great attention to detail.

Please Mezco, I'm begging you...start making Popeye toys again!