Needless Things Minicast 20 – One:12 Collective Moon Knight Unboxing & Review

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4q64v-d27ab8

Dave unboxes and reviews the new Moon Knight action figure from Mezco’s One:12 Collective action figure line!

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

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Hungry for more movies, music, and pop culture? Visit the Needless Things Archives for a decade of dorkery!

Needless Things Minicast 19 – McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Unboxing & Review w/ Phantom, Jr.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-gv38p-d0a7bf

Dave and Phantom, Jr. open and review some of the figures from the first wave of McFarlane Toys’ new DC Multiverse action figure line!

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

You can follow Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!

Hungry for more movies, music, and pop culture? Visit the Needless Things Archives for a decade of dorkery!

Needless Things Minicast 18 – Spin Master Toys 4″ DC Comics Line Unboxing & Review w/ Phantom, Jr.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fvvjr-cf9428

Dave and Phantom, Jr. open and review the first offering of figures from Spin Master Toys’ new 4″ DC Comics action figure line!

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

You can follow Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!

Hungry for more movies, music, and pop culture? Visit the Needless Things Archives for a decade of dorkery!

Toy Review – The Office Michael Scott & Dwight K. Schrute Action Figures from Phat Mojo

Thanks to the internet and collectors’ voracious appetite for any and all toy news it’s not often that I am taken by surprise in the wild by a completely new toy line. Not one that interests me, anyway.

Today’s subjects mark the second time that Phat Mojo – the toy company with the most 1998 name ever – has snuck something into the retail scene that I had no idea was coming. The first was an entire wave of Pennywise figures in this same style from IT: Chapter Two. I thought that was an odd decision, but whatever.

These figures are a whole other proposition, though.

The Office is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, and while I never thought of the characters as particularly toyetic, this is the sort of line that collectors and casual fans alike can enjoy. The figures are simple, recognizable, and priced right(ish).

Michael was at the front of the peg and I’m happy to have him, but Dwight was the one that sealed the deal. He’s the hero of the show and I probably wouldn’t have bothered with these if the third figure had been Toby or – ugh – Ryan Howard.

Ryan Howard is the absolute worst. What a jerkbag.

Pam was also available, but as adorable as Jenna Fischer is both as the character and, apparently, in real life, I cannot condone Pam’s relations with the villain Jim Halpert. So I picked up Michael and Dwight and brought them home for review.

Would the legendary NBC show have been better off with larger figures from the likes of McFarlane or NECA or does it turn out that four inches is enough (that’s what she said)? Read on and find out!

Toy Review – WWE Elite Walmart Exclusive The Rock from Mattel

There have been some changes to my collecting habits since I reviewed Mattel’s Ultimate Edition Ultimate Warrior.

I’m pretty sure you collectors will be able to identify with this.

I was doing my best to just collect Mattel’s Retros, female Elites, and Mattel WCW figures, with the occasional clearance or markdown figure here and there – just figures I could get for ten bucks or less. Despite some pretty big temptations I have been sticking to that.

Of course, the tremendous Major Wrestling Figure Podcast has not helped my resolve to minimize my wrestling figure collection. But overall I’ve been strong.

Then this Walmart (ugh) exclusive figure of the Jabroni-beatin’, pie-eatin’, most electrifying Superstar in the history of sports entertainment came along and it looked so damn good that I couldn’t help but start looking for it.

This Rock was released alongside a set of WWE/Ghostbusters crossover figures that, aside from their hilariously tiny proton packs are pretty good but not for me. The Ghostbusters seemed timed to coincide with Halloween, while the SmackDown-branded Rock might have been conveniently aligned with the brand’s debut on the FOX network.

Whatever the case, the things aren’t showing up in Georgia. In the frequent and relatively wide-ranging toy hunting I do I have found them exactly once. There were two Rock figures and three of the four Ghostbusters and that was the only time I have seen them. If I had to bet, I’d put money on these figures showing up in massive quantities at discount stores like Ollie’s and Big Lots, possibly before the end of the year but definitely by February.

The best part is that the Ghostbusters/Rock combo wave is shipping in its own display that mounts on the side of an endcap. The ones I found were just on the pegs and I have never even seen one of the endcap displays in person. Not even an empty one.

Fortunately, though, I got my Rock. I hate Walmart exclusives because they are the absolute worst retailer on the planet and put zero effort into featuring or emphasizing any exclusives they might get. And because they are by default the biggest toy retailer in America toy manufacturers are all too eager to cut exclusive deals with them because they then have a guaranteed purchase in massive numbers. Once the deal is done it doesn’t matter what Walmart does with the product.

Pardon my cynicism, but I’ve been playing this game for decades and my stomach drops every time an exclusive I want is announced for Walmart.

So was this Rock worth the hunt or should I have just waited for this one to FINALLY… show up… in TJ Maxx? Read on and find out!

Toy Review – Friday the 13th 2009 Jason Voorhees Action Figure from NECA

Last week I got some flak for stating that nobody likes Alien Resurrection, so I will amend that today by saying that four people like Alien Resurrection.

Honestly I thought the whole vagina thing would be more controversial.

This week I definitely don’t want to alienate anyone (see what I did there?), so I don’t want to say that nobody likes the 2009 Friday the 13^th remake.

Fortunately I don’t have to say that because the 2009 Friday the 13^th remake is pretty darn good and definitely far better than Alien Resurrection.

The remake incorporates elements of the first three films and streamlines the mythology in a pretty logical way. It basically takes Marvel’s Ultimate approach to Jason and in my opinion does it very well. It doesn’t replace any of the originals, but to me it stands as a worthy update to the franchise.

Jason himself is, of course, updated as well. Lots of extremely dumb things could have been done with Jason’s design. Heck, some of them have happened in past movies. But this design gets back to basics, in a way, while bringing his signature look into modern times. Let’s face it – the khakis and olive button-down are classic, but not very visually interesting.

This time around the Crystal Lake Killer is wearing a strangely unique jacket over a ripped up t-shirt and some old, beat-up trousers. His face is more Wrong Turn mutant than the Madball we saw in a few of the original films. And both the head sack and hockey mask are used.

Jason was played by the 6’5” Derek Mears, making him one of the taller actors to take the role. The movie emphasizes and even enhances his size, making Jason seem bigger and more powerful than ever before.

Okay, maybe not more powerful. This Jason doesn’t turn doors into clouds of splinters. But his raw strength is almost supernatural.

This is not the first action figure of the 2009 Jason by a long shot. In what is a very unusual occurrence, both NECA and Mezco released figures back when the movie came out. Mezco’s was part of their slightly exaggerated, almost caricature-ish Cinema of Fear line while NECA’s was part of its more realistic Reel Toys range.

Looking at them now I’m surprised by the fact that I prefer the Mezco release. The NECA one is fine, but not totally accurate and kind of dull. Mezco’s at least has some personality.

Now, of course, we have this new Ultimate release from NECA. Is it truly “Ultimate” or even necessary? Read on and find out!

Toy Review – Alien Resurrection Deluxe Newborn Action Figure from NECA

Nobody seems to like Alien Resurrection.

I don’t like Alien Resurrection.

Joss Whedon, who wrote Alien Resurrection does not like Alien Resurrection. Here are some of his thoughts:

“In all seriousness, Alien: Resurrection was, I thought, the lowest I could ever feel.”

“You don’t ever get over it. When you are making a movie you are making something that is going to last forever, especially now with the internet. So there is always going to be a shitty Alien movie out there. A shitty Alien movie with my name on it.”

You can read the full interview here if you like. I’ll wait.

As much as I might think Alien Resurrection is a very bad movie, as with most shitty genre movies there are things to like.

Sigourney Weaver enjoying being weird as the Ripley clone is great.

Winona Ryder bringing her own personal style of weirdness to the android, Call, is something interesting and different for the franchise. I’d love to see NECA produce a Call figure.

Honestly, the whole cast is pretty enjoyable, given what they have to work with. I do still watch this movie from time to time, knowing that the story and tone are garbage but the performances are tons of fun.

The creature designs are also very good. The new warrior aliens are a solid variation without straying too far from the iconic original designs. They’re more cunning, gooier, and have neat fins on their tails for undersea action.

And then there’s today’s subject – the Newborn. I still can’t quite explain it, but it’s the result of the Alien Queen that was harvested from clone Ripley giving birth the human way rather than via eggs. Everything about the Newborn is the height of horror, from its violent, disturbing birth to its appearance as a human/xenomorph crossbreed.

It doesn’t do much before getting sucked out of a viewport, but for my money the hybrid is one of the most disturbing creature designs I have ever seen. The moment it appears you want it off the screen as soon as possible. Such a thing simply should not exist.

Kenner had the overall Aliens license when the movie was released and took the opportunity to deviate from the traditional design of their toys and try to mimic the style of McFarlane Toys’ products, which were red hot at the time. While their Ripley and Call figures left something to be desired, the creatures were pretty cool. Even the Newborn, which was missing one major, disturbing detail that the NECA version is not. More on that later.

Naturally, as soon as I saw that NECA was producing a figure I knew I had to have it on my shelves.

Did the maestros at NECA successfully recreate the horror of the Newborn or would it have been better left unmade? Read on and find out!

Needless Things Podcast 287 – Friday the 13th: Jason Goes to Shelves

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-b3m4a-c3b414

Welcome to the spooky season on the Needless Things Podcast!

On this week’s episode, Dave welcomes horror aficionado and host of the Seeking Human Victims podcast, Reverend Dan Wilson!
Dan returns to the show to discuss a very special topic – Jason Voorhees! More specifically, toys and action figures that have been based on Jason over the years. As one of the most toyetic slashers in film history thanks to his large stature and immediately recognizable hockey mask, Jason has been adapted in plastic many times over the years.
Listen in as Dave and the Rev look back through history at all of the tiny – and some not-so-tiny – Jasons that have stalked our shelves!
Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

Interstitial music provided by The Mystery Men?
You can follow Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!

Hungry for more movies, music, and pop culture? Visit the Needless Things Archives for a decade of dorkery!

Toy Review – Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning Ultimate Roy Burns from NECA

Who would’ve imagined the phrase “Ultimate Roy Burns” would ever be used, let alone the cause for so much excitement among Friday the 13^th fandom?

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’ve been a fan of Friday the 13^th Part V: A New Beginning from the start. First of all, I didn’t even see the movie until long after it was released. I was later on the game on Friday the 13^th than I was A Nightmare on Elm Street, I think because I found Jason scarier than Freddy. I’ll have to sit down and think about it someday, but I remember a very real apprehension about watching the Friday the 13^th movies.

I did not like Part V the first time I saw it. Or the second or third, probably. It was only a couple of years ago that I finally was able to put aside the fact that ***SPOILER*** Jason isn’t really in the movie. This was a very dumb thing to get hung up on, especially for someone who likes Jason Goes to Hell as much as I do.

A couple of years ago I picked up the Blu-ray set of the eight Paramount Fridays and had a little marathon. I ended up liking all of them a little more than I remembered (except for Part VIII, which I still think is trash), and finally came around to the fact that A New Beginning is pretty darn good, despite having the least likeable cast of all of the movies.

Replacing Jason Voorhees with Roy Burns was not a bad idea. Within the context of the insane Friday the 13^th universe and timeline it’s actually one of the less ridiculous things that has happened.

The movie has great kills, Tommy Jarvis’ continuing story is pretty good, Reggie is fun (they should have brought him back at some point), and Violet’s dance scene is one of my favorite things in the whole franchise.

The funniest thing about Roy is that he’s so obviously not Jason, but for some reason his likeness and mask have been used on a lot of merchandise over the years, so a lot of people don’t even realize he isn’t Jason. I have a Friday the 13^th shirt that is clearly meant to sort of represent the franchise as a whole, but the image on it is Roy.

So now NECA, one of the best toy companies on the planet, has released an action figure immortalizing the Jason-who-wasn’t, Roy Burns.

Will it take years to appreciate NECA’s Roy or is he a hit right out of the box? Read on and find out!

Toy Review – Universal Studios Monsters Creature from the Black Lagoon Bend-Em from Sunny Days Entertainment

Bend-Ems have been a staple of the toy industry for billions of years now. The concept of putting a rubber form over a wire armature and calling it an action figure is cheap, visually acceptable, and easy to sell.

With a Bend-Em there are no questions about action features, articulation, or deco. What you see is what you get and what you get can range in quality from an amorphous blob that’s supposed to resemble Darth Vader to a startlingly detailed Batman that might look better than some actual action figures.

Bend-Ems can be slapped on the simplest blister cards imaginable and sold anywhere. Kroger, Target, Walgreens, Piggly Wiggly, airport convenience stores and basically anywhere that sells any kind of non-food items probably has a peg full of Bend-Ems somewhere on the sales floor.