Five Below: Mini Vending Machine, Gremlins Mini-Pops

Five Below often has some miniature item I can use in my dioramas when photographing action figures, like this mini vending machine that will fit great in my "arcade setup, in which I often pose Marvel Legends figures. The front of the box shows the machine stocked with small charms, but on one of the side panels shows it filled with Tic-Tac shaped candy, but I dumped in sixteen rails of Pez instead. The Pez capsules will dispense, but it can get jammed due to their size. Still fun!

Below, Lynx plays Dance Royale in the arcade, while Meowscles gets some Pez from the vending machine... take note of the Duck Launcher I also picked up at Five Below. So great! The Stumble Guys at the top/left and Care Bear to the right also came from Five Below...

I also found these two brightly colored Gremlins Mini Pops at Five Below that I could not resist! I almost picked up the exclusive Gizo figures, but these weren't that cheap at five bucks a pop. The store I was at had the entire wave pictured on back of the box. But these two will make great background figures on their own, in their neon-bright, blacklight colors- the perfect addition to my 1:12 arcade!

 

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McFarlane Movie '66 Italian Movie Poster & Robot Batman

I've followed this line of McFarlane action figures for a while now, only recently dipping my toes into it, and really find them appealing. Of particular interest to me were the strange variants of Batman, including this Italian movie poster-inspired, red Batman and Robot Batman. Eleven years ago, I read issue #14 of Batman '66 that featured a giant Robot Batman much like this figure, and the Movie Poster Batman merely appealed to my love of foreign, off-model color variants of superhero figures.

Black and red make a great color combo for Batman, and this figure is no exception. Sure, it's merely a repaint, but an exciting one! He can't really get his arm all the way through the Bat-Sheild straps, so he has to has to hold it with his only gripping hand. Still, it can be held and it's a fun accessory you can use with your other '66 Batman figures.

Robot Batman is such a fun, retro-licious figure, I had to have him. He struggles to hold his jets, but the two prongs can be clipped onto the figure's claws. His articulation is only slightly more limited than the regular figures, most pronounced in the hips.

Below, Movie Poster Batman with my Funko Gold Batmobile, which also has an off-model colored version of '66 Batman- something about color variants really appeals to the collector in me...

I have a few Mech Batmen in my collection, including a couple of these really fun Imaginext Exo-Suit Batman toys that has lights, sounds, and a missile launcher...

Below, Movie Poster Batman with my Space Batman...

While we're here, Space Batman Vs. Colossus Rex ...!

And finally, all three of my 6" McFarlane '66 Batman figures- I'm mad for these and kinda wished I'd started collecting these earlier in the series, but ya can't collect everything. I'm just happy to have these unique versions of Batman from the series- they're fun and a little wacky, just like the beloved TV series. Recommended!

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Duck Launcher

Perhaps my greatest find at Five Below, the Duck Launcher...

 

Check out the video:

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McFarlane Cyborg Superman

 

I couldn't believe my luck when stumbling upon this McFarlane DC Multiverse Cyborg Superman a couple weeks ago. Wow! I've never had a Cyborg Superman, but did enjoy the villain in the Sinestro Corps War book (2008). There is a McFarlane Target Exclusive variant of that Sinestro Corps Cyborg Superman in darker colors that I will buy if I see it in the wild. Hank Henshaw first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #466 (1990), but not as Cyborg Superman in issue #500 (1993). The sculpt and presentation of this figure is top notch and appears to be nearly all new tooling aside from the left arm and belt/trunks. Impressive!

Cyborg Superman alongside some other recent McFarlane Superman additions to my collection; World At War Superman, Christopher Reeve '78 Superman, and Gold Label Action Comics 1,000 Superman ...

And finally, Cyborg Superman with some of my other McFarlane "dark Supermen"; Red Son Superman, DC Vs. Vampires Superman, Superboy Prime, and God of Apokolips...

I can't say enough good things about this Cyborg Superman- being my first action figure of the character, I doubt you could do any better, really. My only gripe is a longstanding omission of a flight stand in a considerable percentage of characters that should include one. Regardless, it's a shame McFarlane is losing the licensing when producing figures of this caliber. Recommended!

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More McFarlane Batmen, Funko Gold Batmobile, Joker Duck and More!

I picked up all these McFarlane Batman figures at retail a couple weekends ago, each from a different line entirely, and admittedly, each was somewhat of an impulse purchase. They are random as they seem, but I'll be throwing in a few other surprises from my collection- Enjoy!

DC Multiverse Batman (Western World)

I told myself I'd probably buy this, and the third time I saw it at a local GameStop, I did just that. Something about this Dark Ranger mash-up works for me, though I've not read, nor am I particularly curious about the Western World. The figure alone is enough somehow, even if it's just a Jonah Hex repaint (sure wish I had that figure's rifle and pistols now). A McFarlane with thigh swivel- why can't we get this feature any other time, for cryin' out loud. My main quibble: if you give us two trigger hands, at least provide two batarangs- hell, make us big fans and just give us an extra two as backup to those lost to the vacuum cleaner. 

The best I could do for a weapon was the oversized steampunk gun from my McFarlane Toys Deluxe Accessory Pack, which is really apropos of the Victorian/Old West theme, and the accessory's metallic finish complements the gold belt buckle nicely. I need a horse, dammit.

The New Batman Adventures Batman

Batman the Animated was such a great show, but I wasn't looking into buying any of these from McFarlane until I compulsively purchased one at another GameStop way out in the county. There was a blue/gray variant of a couple of the early McFarlane DC Multiverse figures I'd mildly regretted not picking up. Seven extra hands, a separate grapple launcher, and a batarang, and figure stand make this a packed box. His tiny ankles don't support him well, so you will need that stand. He's a good visual representation of Bruce Timm's Batman that will look good on the Batman shelf in your detolf cabinet and that's why I bought him.

The figure came with a matted animation cel reproduction from Episode 6/Season 2, Legends of the Dark Knight, which aired in 1998. This is a fantastic pack-in relevant to the figure that can easily be popped into a 5 x 7" phot frame, which I intend to do.

I picked up this Batman the Animated Hot Wheels Batmobile in 2018 for my Super-FunHotWheels Blog, but never got around to cracking it open. It's not my favorite Batmobile design, but it did mimic the Art Deco inspired Gotham City architecture of the animated series.

Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns certainly informed Bruce Timm's Animated Batman, and I just happen to have the newest blue/gray McFarlane Dark Knight Batman , which I absolutely love...

Is that some kind of exotic fowl or has Batman finally cracked under the pressure? 

No, it's my new Mini Tubbz Joker Duck! 

Below, Tubbz Joker Duck with my Figures Toy Company 18" Joker, 14" Mego Joker, 8" Mego 50th Anniversary Joker, 7" McFarlane Digital Series Classic Joker, 6" Mattel DC Universe Classics Joker, and 8" New Mego Joker... I love to clown around :D

Batman '66 Space Batman

Like the New Batman Adventures Batman, I have no other figures from this 6" line from McFarlane, but the uniqueness of this Space Batman is fine as a stand-alone for any Batman collection. My only real complaint is the lack of accessories, so I gave him this retro-futuristic ray gun from my McFarlane Toys Deluxe Accessory Pack. Basic articulation in the legs limit his stance, but I was happy the domed helmet can be removed to position the figure's head.

I have a very similar Space Combat Batman in my Mattel Brave & The Bold collection- a favorite toy line of mine since I started collecting years ago that featured interchangeable parts. I still pick one up from time to time when I find one I didn't have...

McFarlane 6" Space Batman with my 7" McFarlane Toys '66 Batman, and 8" Mego '66 Batman. I'm a big '89 Batman fan, but '66 Batman was in heavy syndication in the seventies- Adam West was really my first Batman. I will always love it...

I can't tell you when I picked up this Funko Gold Batmobile w/Batman, but I loved the box so much I haven't been able to make myself open it- it's in its own, custom display box! Since we were on the subject of '66 Baman, why not share this with you...

I also have a 3.75" Mr. Freeze from Funko's Classic TV Series with great detail ...!

I still pick up a '66 Batmobile once in a while, especially if it's a special color like this gold/purple version. I have a few Black versions with slightly different paint decos, and a few squashed "'Tooned" samples...

While these are wildly divergent versions of Batman, I hope you enjoyed the side forays into other parts of my collection, old and new. Batman is my all-time favorite character, and I love different interpretations of him, even the whimsical. Fifteen years ago, when blogging was a more prevalent platform for collectors, a couple of fellow bloggers challenged one another for the largest collection of Batman figures- I'm not sure I could compete with their numbers, but my collection has certainly grown. Regardless, I still have more on ice to show you in future posts!

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