Ice Blast Mr. Freeze!

I'm unsure at what point these 6" Batman figures by Mattel were no longer released under the "Power Attack" banner, but Freeze here is bereft of the former logo. They did the same with the Brave & The Bold line, but at least it got the Stealth Strike rebrand, this line now simply "Batman".  As I said on my recent post on the 4" versions, these are what is sometimes referred to as an "evergreen line",  independent of any television or movie merchandising tie-in.  These took the place of the Brave & The Bold/Stealth Strike line, satisfying a younger demographic with their chunky styling and sturdy construction. I'm a big fan of the now discontinued Brave & The Bold/Stealth Strike line, so it's natural I'd find these colorful figures attractive, similar in their exaggerated, cartoon styling. Check out the little movie below...

Freeze is a big, dumb action figure with a lot of eye-appeal, which I can appreciate. His translucent blue arms, chest, helmet and weapon make him a dazzler, and his chunky appendages make him fun. There's not a lot of articulation in these, limited to the waist, shoulders, elbows and hips on Freeze. While he's an original version of the famous enemy of Batman, he takes cues from some of the different animated incarnations, notably the hulking armor from The Batman, whose own Mr. Freeze also received an "Ice Blast" Mr. Freeze action figure just a few years back.

Freeze holds his giant sword securely in both hands, and can do so over his head without tipping over, his large splayed feet keeping him firmly in place. There aren't many other positions he can pose in, but he does this well. While Mattel's choice of accessory is unconventional, I suppose it's deemed more palatable than a gun  for the impressionable children that may be playing with these. The sword snaps snugly onto a fitting sculpted on Freeze's back for safe keeping- a simple feature I really love...

Freeze is a great looking action figure that any kid would love to play with, my only gripe being the somewhat flimsy arms. Like the Killer Croc figure in this line, Mattel outfitted this otherwise sturdy action figure with rubber arms that make the elbow joints seem mildly fragile, particularly the left arm, which oddly has a harder, plastic forearm. The connection there seems tenuous, as it does where the rubber shoulders meet the plastic torso. It won't get a lot of abuse from the adult me, but I could see how Freeze could lose an arm under rigorous play. That said, Croc and Freeze are the most unique of the villains in this line, larger and more aesthetically interesting than Joker & Two-Face.

Be sure to see my video of Croc & Freeze taking on the Dynamic Duo...!!

More Later- Make It FUN!

10" Justice League Martian Manhunter, J'onn J'onzz Collection

This 10" Mattel Justice League Martian Manhunter was a missing piece in my J'onn J'onzz collection here at the Super-DuperToyBox. I found him for 30% off of the listed price of $14.99 at a local retailer Memorial Day sale, bringing him home for just ninety-five cents less than he went for at K-Mart a decade ago when originally released. I've seen him go for thirty bucks or more the last few years, but upon seeing this pristine boxed specimen in person at that price, I knew the time was right. There were several other DC Heroes released in this larger scale, larger counterparts to the 4" Justice League figures, later Justice League Unlimited. There was a Green Lantern on the premises as well, but I passed holding out for a Superman or Batman, my second choices after this J'onn J'onzz...

As stated previously, I was ignorant of this deep and wonderful character as a youth, but quickly gravitated  toward Martian Manhunter as a renewed, adult comics fan. Once called the most powerful being on the face of the Earth by his friend Superman, J'onn J'onzz shares a great deal of the Man of Steel's special powers but is also a powerful telepath, adding an interesting calm and intelligence to his personality. J'onn is a special character for me, hence I'm always on the lookout for a new action figure of him I don't yet possess, of which there are few...

*See my 2011 Martian Nativity post!
*See my Martian Manhunter painting!
*See what happens when J'onn walks in on Jabba the Hutt's party!
*See my post on Martian Literature!
* See my post on more Martian Literature...!

4" Batman Power Attack Figures

I found these for five bucks each at Big Lots recently, and had enjoyed my Batman & Robin from the 6" line of these action figures so much that I thought I'd pick a few up. The Power Attack line was unusual in their independence of any television or movie merchandising tie-in, what is sometimes referred to as an "evergreen line". These took the place of the Brave & The Bold/Stealth Strike line, and were produced for younger children, with their chunky styling and sturdy construction. There was another armored 4" Batman I liked, but I settled on the classic and black & red variant...

I've seen some Power Attack figures this size included with playsets in the line, but not any single carded 4" figures until now. They are very simple in their articulation, limited to five points, but dynamic in their styling. You aren't getting the kind of detail seen in Hasbro's Marvel Universe line, or even the recent Avengers figures, but they were half the price. Mattel has to remember that constantly returning, younger demographic needs reintroduction to the Batman characters every few years, a place this line falls into much like the Fisher-Price DC Super Heroes line that has seen several incarnations over the last many years.

These are pretty much an exact, miniature replica of the larger scaled 6" Power Attack Batman, who has many variants throughout the line. The larger versions are pretty simply articulated, but do enjoy hinged elbows, a swivel waist, and ball-jointed heads. I do however like the natural way the swivel joints look on these small Batmen, and their cloth capes are nice...

I passed on a pretty cool 6" Power Attack Batman in black & red recently. though I do have a thing for the Dark Knight Detective rendered in this color scheme, and own a few including the Stealth Strike Knight Battle Batman...

I also picked up this small yet psychotic-looking, pompadoured Joker. I passed on the 6" version recently, but I must say I admire this updated version with straight jacket straps across the front. His coloring takes influence from the classic Clown Prince of Crime, but his razor-toothed smile and beady eyes remind me of the insane asylum version who starred in the 2004-2008 Batman animated show.  There are some simple, but dynamic details in his sculpt, the coat tails being particularly nice, adding movement to the this heavily stylized action figure....

4" Power Attack Joker with accessory rich 9" Hasbro Joker & 6" DCUC All-Star Joker, cute & kid-friendly Imaginext Joker by Fisher Price, and the  pop gun-wielding Mattel DC Action League Joker....

More Later- Keep SMILING!

Recent Acquisitions...

*3 3/4" Marvel Universe Hercules, Jubilee, and Blastaar
A couple weeks ago I ran into three more Marvel Universe I've been on the look out for- the last few waves of Hasbro's MUs have been hard to come by in these parts, made even more frustrating by the restocking of some of the pegs with figures I got two years ago. Yes, I have an obscene number of these figures I haven't even opened yet, but c'mon. I was really looking for the Blastaar variant with translucent orange hands, but the regular will do for now. Like Psylocke, I finally scored the elusive and highly coveted Jubilee, and though I passed on Hercules initially, I finally came to my senses and picked up Nature Boy...

*Hot Wheels 1:50 scale 1980's Batmobile

I grabbed the 30's Batmobile from this 1:50 scale Hot Wheels series last fall, and while I'd liked to have found the 60's version, this 80's Batmobile is another great version. I have modest collection of the Dark Knight's famous car, and was really happy to add this beauty, based on the Super Friends Batmobile.

*DC Direct Series 1 JLA Green Lantern (John Stewart)

I am more and more fascinated by these Tim Bruckner sculpts based on Ed McGuinness' 90's JLA artwork. Thes figures don't have much in the way of articulation, but I'm a huge fan of their chunky, stylized sculpt, and of DC Direct figures in general. Their action figures draw a great deal of criticism, but variety is greater and more artful in general compared to Mattel and Hasbro's action figure lines. 

Having John in my JLA Lantern Corps also fills my heart with a warm, green glow! John was the hardest to get at a reasonable price, but after months of searching, I finally scored him for sixteen bucks shipped- quite the accomplishment considering he's still on the card.  I also found some other, larger DC Direct pieces- I'll talk more about those in the future...
                                                                                                                                       

More Later- Make It FUN!

Stealth Jet Batmobile

I got this Stealth Jet Batmobile on clearance with an April Amazon haul of several Batman Stealth Strike toys. The Stealth Strike series morphed out of the Batman: The Brave & The Bold line after the animated feature upon which it was based had been cancelled in 2011.  It was a great show featuring team-ups of Batman & other DC heroes taking on the villains, the merchandising for which was highly successful for Mattel.

Unusual in color for the Batmobile, the body is cast in dark silver, highlighted in gold. The "stealth jet" accessories are molded in translucent yellow, plugging into the car's body via the hexagonal accessory plugs throughout, the play feature this line of 5" action figures and vehicles are known for. There was a similar "Battle Armor" Batmobile released in the B&TB Total Armor line prior to the Stealth Jet, in blue with black highlights- I had my eye on it for a long time, but never got around to picking one up.

The missile launcher that attaches to the car's hood fires a single, three-pronged projectile, engaged by pressing the gold button on top. The missiles beneath the vehicles wings can be "dropped" with a flick of the finger...

The cockpit holds a single figure, and has a steering wheel that can be gripped by the the figures in this line, unlike the Blast Lane Batmobile I reviewed back in March. I think it's important that Batman be able to "drive" his car...

When the vehicle's canopy is closed, you can clearly see the figure inside through the translucent yellow windshield-  I love that about this Batmobile...

The Stealth Jet Batmobile makes a great car for my Bow Shot Batman, whose translucent yellow body and silver highlights match this car's deco perfectly. I was fortunate to get them both for under twenty bucks, and truth be told would not have paid full retail for them as I already have a B&TB Batmobile I love and several Batmen from this line. But they sure do look cool together, and at that price I couldn't resist!

Bow Shot Batman's crossbow accessory plugs into the car's hood perfectly, customizing the vehicle specifically for this figure...

Radioactive Armor Batman looks great next to the Stealth Jet Batmobile with his grey and yellow highlights and colorful translucent parts...

This is exactly the same body/chassis as my Brave & The Bold Batmobile, with the addition of the hexagonal accessory plugs and a new paint scheme. It's an unconventional color scheme for the Batmobile, and while I'm really into the black and red, I like the variant quite a bit.

I have over twenty Batmen from the Brave & The Bold toy line, a few of which go really well with the Stealth Jet Batmobile. My armored Total Destruction Batman has a great Gatling cannon that fits right on the nose of this vehicle, the missiles for which happen to be yellow...

...and my Stealth Wing Batman has the perfect yellow and metallic grey to match the vehicle's deco.

So yes, this is a fun toy, made even more fun by it's comparability with my other B&TB figures and accessories. As I've said before, while some found the hexagonal accessory plugs unattractive, I enjoyed the added play value in this recently discontinued toy line. It was a great idea that had a pretty good run, giving us many great action figures and vehicles of which I'm a big fan.

More Later- Make It FUN!