Imaginext Darkseid, Parademon and Blind Bag Series 2 Kingdom Come Superman

A recent trip to Wal-Mart yielded the Imaginext Darkseid/Parademon two pack and the DC Blind Bag Series 2 Kingdom Come Superman!

This new Darkseid release from Imaginext is their second Darkseid release and far superior to their first. Not only is the new release based on Darkseid's classic look (while the first release was based on the less awesome New 52 Darkseid design) but for reasons unknown to anyone who has ever read a DC comic book, their original Darkseid release was a bit on the Smallseid. In fact, I hated this guy so much based on scale alone that I completely dodged him at retail, and only own him because I found him for fifty cents at the flea market.

The new Darkseid is both classically designed and slightly oversized, which makes him formidable without being overly large.

Darkseid is anticipated to play a big part in the upcoming Justice League movie (or at least it's ongoing series) so Imaginext is getting ready by releasing this figure now, and they have also including a Parademon along with him (which have appeared in the Justice League trailers.)

The Parademon (called merely a 'minion' on the Imaginext packaging; perhaps ParaDEMONS aren't kosher kid toy fodder?) is also classically designed, based on his classic comic book appearances and not on the modern comics or movies. Sadly the quality control on this set is pretty low, I saw multiple sets with extremely shoddy paint apps on the Parademon before I finally nabbed this set. And even this one, the best I've seen, has major over-spray paint issues.

That said, he's a Parademon and ideally I'd like a handful of these army builders, so I'm ok with an imperfect version now in the hopes that I get a few more in the future.

Kingdom Come Superman is part of the DC Blind Bag Series 2 wave. The first wave was Batman-centric and has been hard to find in the US (mostly being found in K-Marts and Barnes and Nobles) while Series 2 has had a wider release (I've seen them at both Wal-Mart and Target.) At first I didn't think I needed another Imaginext Superman, but the Kingdom Come 'S' symbol coupled with the grey hair makes this one a must have! He's now my 'go-to' Imaginext Superman, replacing the battle damaged Superman that came with Doomsday.

As usual., Imaginext has an embossed number on the back of their blind bags, taking the guess(squeeze) work out of finding the figure you want.

The DC Blind Bags Series 2 codes are as follows:
Kingdom Come Superman: 90
Brainiac: 89
\Aquaman: 95
Unmasked Black Manta: 96
John Stewart Green Lantern: 92
Sinestro: 91

There was only one other in wave 2 that I couldn't live without, to be posted about later!

"What the hell are you supposed to be?"

Teen Titans GO! Robin...UNMASKED!!!

"Hello, ladies!"

Mattel recently released a line of Teen Titans GO! minifigures, which are a little bit 'super-deformed' and are also made up of interchangeable parts. They are being sold in multi packs as well as individually in blind bags. I'm not terribly impressed by them (I'm holding out for the Imaginext line of Teen Titans GO! figures and playsets!) and have ignored them up to now, but when I discovered this Robin was available as part of the blind bag Series 2, I knew I had to have him!

I mean JUST LOOK AT THAT MUG!

I watch Teen Titans GO! with my kids pretty often. It can really get my oldest daughter cracking up to the point of tears. I don't follow it episode to episode, but it has some hilarious moments and unlike a lot of children's programming, I can stand to watch it. I vaguely remember this episode, wherein Robin removes his mask to reveal he's super handsome underneath. I'm sure it'll pop up in a rerun soon as well, and I'll pay a little closer attention to the storyline next time.

But just the mere concept and execution are so silly and stupid that I couldn't pass up on a chance to own a figure of this Teen Titans GO! unmasked Robin. The blind bags have embossed number codes on the back, and Robin's bag ends in '09'. I found what appeared to be a fresh box, and went through every figure in the box, only to find one lone Robin. Not sure if that's the way every box is, but Handsome Robin may be shortpacked.

Regardless, I got one! Now I need a big stick to keep the ladies away!

Imaginext Blind Bag Series 6 Mecha-Godzilla

I finally found the Imaginext Series 6 Mecha-Godzilla blind bagged figure the other day and I am loving him! He is seriously one of the funnest of all blind bagged Imaginext figures to date.

Upon bringing him home I immediately undertook the task of building a little LEGO city for him to roam around in.

This Imaginext figure is simply a guy in a robotic dinosaur suit, but is unmistakably inspired by the King of Kaiju, Godzilla, as well as his mechanical nemesis Mecha-Godzilla.

The detail is incredible, there's not a square millimeter on this guy that didn't get attention from the sculptor. Clearly a labor of love, this one is!.

Under the helmet, which I didn't bother to take a pic of thsi time, the guy is wearing a Robo-Cop-esque helmet and visor. The visor is red, and lines up perfectly with the open maw of Mecha-Godzilla helmet, giving a neat laser-ish effect when you look into his mouth.

If you look closely here you can kind of see some of the red in his mouth.

My Intern helped me build this city (on rock and roll), well actually she built minifigs and placed them all about the city while I tried to build a photogenic and passable LEGO city. She is going to be livid tomorrow when she sees that the minifigs she placed about the town aren't in the exact spot she left them! I tried to get them back to their proper places, but I know I failed.

I need to dig out my Imaginext Space Ape for my next photo shoot! He was out of reach during this photoshoot, but he'll make a pretty good Kaiju too methinks.

Blah blah blah, damn I took a lot of pics this time, didn't I. Oh well, I'll just yammer on to myself as you scroll past looking at the pretty pictures.

But seriously, I do LOVE this Imaginext Godzilla guy. I saw online somewhere that people have been using the helmet component and adding it to a Jungle camo G.I. Joe figure to amazing effect. Not sure which Joe figure it was they used though, perhaps someone will remind me in the comments.

After taking these pics, I remembered my original plan of adding flames and other destructive effects to the city. Maybe next time.

'History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man. GODZILLA!'

Mega Bloks TMNT Blind Bag Series 2 SLASH!

The Mega Bloks Nicktoon TMNT Blind Bag minifigs have already made it to wave 2, and the best figure of the bunch so far is Slash!

Of the two blind bagged series, I have thus far only picked up one from each (Raphael from series 1 and Slash from series 2). I'm trying to keep to my absolute favorite characters and have been lucky enough to find each series and squeeze until I found my needed figures.

Slash is pretty easy to find using the squeeze method; he has a huge torso with a spiky shell and you can double check for his mace as well to be sure you have the right figure.

Along with the Fully Disclosed Box TMNT 2 movie Casey Jones, I now have three TMNT Mega Bloks minifigs. They're all pretty cool, but I'm a much bigger fan of the classic toon, movie and comic versions of the turtles and their pals than of modern iterations, so it's been pretty easy to pace myself with these little things. I'd love to see Mega Bloks release some minifigs based on the classic action figure designs, that would be pretty Bossa Nova!

LEGO Disney Minifigures Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse

Folks are now finding the Disney themed LEGO blind bagged minifigure series at places like Toys R Us, Target and Wal-Mart among other places. In other words, anywhere LEGO minifigures are sold!

I like the concept of the series, but honestly I only wanted the icons Mickey and Donald (I of course need a Goofy now too, but I predict Goofy will be part of series 2 along with Woody from Toy Story, and both will utilize the longer legs.) I would also love to see a Roger Rabbit and Pinocchio! But for now, Mickey and Donald will do for me.

I tried to use my 'squeeze method' but with 18 figures in the series, and with Mickey/Minnie and Donald/Daisy sharing noggins, well, it's a hell of a slog. I finally googled the codes and found a nice guide on pop-critica.com and the codes worked perfectly for me.

Mickey and Donald are wonderful. Donald even comes with a duck tail piece! Sadly neither come with an accessory of any kind (unless you count Donald's hat, which is removable.) But they are not to be missed if you are a fan of these two cartoon superstars.

Also, a HUGE part of the fun of such minifigures is the head-swap with other LEGO minifigures:

"Haha, gee, I'm Bat-Mouse, haha!"

"And I'm Bat-Duck HAHAHAHAHAAAAHHAHA!"

"Aren't you a little feathered for a Stormtrooper?"

"Huey, Dewey and Louie, I am you Uncle!"

"Hey guys!"

Fisher-Price: Nightmare Fuel Since 2015

I am pretty sure this new Imaginext Blind Bagged Series 6 Harlequin/Jester is going to kill me in my sleep. There is nothing sweet and funny and innocent about this guy...

He wields a scythe topped with a skull fercyinoutloud!

Un like with most Imaginext figures with head-pieces, Harlequin's headpiece only fits over his head itself (not the shoulders) so you can actually get some decent articulation out of it akin to a ball-jointed head. Which just makes him all the more spooky.

Unmasked, Harlequin is much less menacing but super detailed. Fisher-Price really went all out on this guy. I had to have him as a companion/goon to my Imaginext Harley Quinn, bt the fact that he is most likely posessed by demons from hell has me a little concerned for my own safety.

If you don't see me blogging again after today, call the authorities. Or better yet, call a priest.

Imaginext Bat-Family Foil Packed Figures :: A Christmas Miracle!

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...and he got my wishlist! Hot off the digital presses, Imaginext.com just released images of a new wave of foil packed single bagged (possibly blind bagged) Batman themed figures! No word yet on a release date, but the website gives these figures a suggested retail price point of $4.00 each. GOTTA HAVE THEM ALL!

 The most shocking addition to the Imaginext Gothamite collection is Red Hood. Hokey smokes!

Maskless Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. This is a fun one although I do already own a masked Deathstroke. If I could pass on any of these, this would be the one.

New 52 Nightwing. I never liked the red Nightwing symbol, but this one will look cool next to my other Imaginext Nightwing. I suppose I could pass on this one too but it's always tough to pass up any version of the original sidekick Dick Grayson!

FORCED PERSPECTIVE! Purple Catwoman appears to be a straight repaint of the original Catwoman and also comes with the same cat her original version came with. Still, she's PURPLE so of course she's a must have.

Two-Face. Two-Face was one of the first Bat Villains Imaginext made, and he looks a little dated now that the series is so much slicker and more streamlined. So it's nice to see an updated version.

Batman unmasked! I love it!

Zero Year Batman. PURPLE GLOVES! This is a fun bat variant styled after Greg Capullo's Zero Year Batman. A definite must have.

Imaginext didn't have a single shot of Joker, but he appears to be a repaint of the modern Imaginext Joker with a giant wrench. Because reasons. I do like that they painted his saddle-shoes though. Classy!

Expect to hear more about these the second I or others start to find them at retail. Stay tuned!

Imaginext Series 6 Blind Bag Figures Available NOW! :: NOW WITH CODES!

Out of the clear blue nowhere a gentleman over at the Imaginext Generation Facebook page just found Imaginext Series 6 blind bags at a Fred Meyer in Burien Washington! EDIT: And another member has confirmed all the codes:

Godzilla 00 
Amelia Earhart 02
Gnome 04 
Alien 05 
Chicken Suit Guy 06 
Jester 99

Series 6 only includes six figures, and they're an interesting mix. A guy in a chicken suit, Amelia Earhart, a lawn gnome warrior (huh?), a scary-ass jester, a guy in a Godzilla/Mechagodzilla suit, and a four-armed alien.

I have to admit this is a weird line-up, but the jester and Godzilla are must-haves for me. Amelia Earhart is pretty awesome too, to be totally honest.

I can't help but wonder why Fisher-Price only released six in this wave. Are they rushing them out the door as fast as they can to keep up with demand? Or are they running out of steam and or creativity (this wave does seem far less inspired than past waves.) If I had to guess, I'd say they are making smaller waves so they can release more waves closer together to meet demand. Series 1 had ten figures, so they've been dwindling them since day one, adjusting wave counts for whatever reason they see fit. I don't know, but I'll surely be on the lookout for these now!

Imaginext Bigfoot

Bigfoot here, with his pet fish, finally came to Toyriffic World Headquarters via a trade with Mason of D.I Treasures!

Originally released in Imaginext's blind bag Series 2, which was somehow a series that blew through my area so fast I completely missed it. Bigfoot is an awesome American legend so it's great to have his Imaginext version finally become part of the collection. Thanks Mason!

But wait...there's something not right about this guy...

HEY! It's just a guy PRETENDING to be Bigfoot! Just like, well, every Bigfoot ever (that ought to elicit some interesting comments!)

You have to admit that it's pretty clever of Imaginext to release Bigfoot as a guy dressed as Bigfoot. It's so meta!

Pretty Fly for an Imaginext Guy Series 5

"Heeelp meeeee!"

Of the three Imaginext figures I picked up from Series 5, I am most excited about the Mutant Fly.

I can still remember the first time I saw the Jeff Goldblum version of The Fly, I loved it, and it led me to track down the original Vincent Price version, which I loved even more. Heck, I even remember liking The Fly 2, although I haven't seen any of them since the mid to late eighties.

Regardless, when I learned Imaginext had a mutated man-fly as part of their blind bagged Series 5 I was elated, and in hand this little buzzer does not disappoint!

Not-Baxter-Stockman comes with some sort of exterminating fumigator that clips to his back. It reminds me a lot of the Ghostbusters' proton pack, especially with the circle/slash on this guy's hat. The translucent wings look really nice and the paint applications are simple but well done and in all the right places.

Something odd I noticed, however, is that Fly Guy has three fingers and a thumb on his 'human' hand. Most (if not all) Imaginext 'human' figures have four fingers and a thumb. Weird.

Anyways, Series 5 is only showing up at Walmart (so far,) and the following embossed codes can be seen on the back upper corner of the packages:

63 - Chinese Warrior
66 - Genie
65 - Fly-Man
68 - Crash Test Dummy
70 - Cyclops
71 - Warrior Queen
74 - Werewolf
75 - Ghost

Honestly, the Ghost is great and the Werewolf is loads of fun, but if I could only have one from Series 5, it would be this (fly) guy!