Rustin's Spoils of the Week #68

This week I once more found myself in the splendid metropolis of New York City. It was a quickie trip, but even with limited time one must always make some space for the Times Square Toys R Us and the Rockefeller Center Lego Store - much as I did.

Lego - Polybag: Taxi Cab
This is a second store exclusive to the Rockefeller Center Lego Store but sadly it's not as cool as the first, a micro Statue of Liberty. The Yellow Cab is something that was once very NYC iconic, but (and maybe this perception comes from living in Chicago and L.A. plus all of my travel) is no longer an "exclusive" image of The Big Apple. It is a fun build though made more for look than for function, there is no space for a mini-fig inside those the doors do work and I like the exaggerated proportions of the window section. It's a fun little set but nothing terribly exciting or special.

Playmbil - Sports & Action: Olympic Fencers
Playmobil has decided to cash-in on the Summer Olympics this year in a relatively big way, complete with a re-launch of the Soccer (aka Football) theme. All of the Olympic figures are single or double packs showcasing many of the games well known from the mega tournament each with at least one new accessory to recreate the sport. While I'm always drawn to new accessories it was this Fencing pack that grabbed me the most. While I've never fenced I've always harbored a soft spot for the cool helmets, padded "armor" and, of course, pseudo swords! While the fencing foil was first released with the Fi?ures 2 Pirate it was most likely designed and tooled for this release which also see the all-new Fencing Masks! I dig the masks but I do wish they favored the mesh visor more that the encircling pattern. Add in some very great wraparound paint jobs and you have an amazing set for only the low low price of $4.99!

Mattel - The Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters: Catwoman
I found her at the Times Square TRU (which also had several Alfreds in addition to plenty of Batmen) and I decided on the prudent "might as well get her to be safe" route despite the egregious $21 price tag... egad what a locational mark-up! The figure is good and exactly what one would expect from the Movie Masters style. Her ear-glasses flip down with some effort and even have some paint details on the "inside." She comes with the large base of the Batsignal, which is pretty cool but don't expect to see it in the package - it's hidden under a cardboard insert of the card's background imagery. I do wish she came with a little clear base as between being a Mattel figure and her heels standing is not quite her strong suit. Well... four down and two to go.

NECA - Gremlins 2: Lightning Gremlin
I think we were all pretty surprised to see this revealed at last year's Comic-Con. A cool looking piece to be sure, it certainly fit no clear place in either Gremlins 2 line. It has ended up as a TRU exclusive and comes in a similarly sized clamshell as the Gremlins line but is only one inch deep. I paid $13.99 which is... crazy. I'm hoping and expecting that that is just a Times Square TRU mark-up because there is no way this is worth more than $10. It comes in three separate pieces - the Gremlin and a front and back half of "electric explosion base." There are no directions nor any full-figure image of the toy on the package so it took a bit of trial and error to figure out what exactly was going on there. A very, very cool touch is that the the figure has a lighting bolt lower torso (rather than legs, etc) and it slides into the base via two slots so it can be either shelf-displayed or ceiling-hung! Also, the prototype was composed of multiple layers of translucent blue plastic but this is one single piece, apparently cast off of that prototype. The result is less dimensional but has more pronounced borders here; I'm really not sure which I look I prefer more. I still think this would have been far better served as a build-a-figure across a series but regardless, as a HUGE Gremlins 2 fan I'm more than happy to have it! (Now, if only we can more of the "mutant" versions of the Gremlins to go with him - like Veggie-Gremlin!)

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14 Responses to Rustin's Spoils of the Week #68

  1. Jonathan says:

    You can hope all you want, but the electric Gremlin was 11.99 at my local TRU in Indianapolis so yeah, it's pretty much overpriced across the board. Cool though.

    • yo go re says:

      Hey, at least it's the price of a Mogwai instead of a full Gremlin.

      And if you want a Veggie Gremlin, you'd better convince people to buy the next series. NECA is asking for fans' help...

      • Rustin Parr says:

        Well they're pre-sold to me simply by existing. It's always hard to recommend something when the cost/benefit ratio doesn't always play out (which is certainly the case with the Mogwai, I think), but Gremlins I will certainly do my part to promote! Hell, it even has a battle builder!!! And I so, incredibly, very, desperately need the Not-Goldie-Hawn Gremlin shown at Toy Fair!!!

  2. monkey boy says:

    i'm a HUGE gremlins 2 fan and NECA has given me literally my dream line by making gremlins 2 figures. and i'm DEFINITELY down for the lenny figure once the next line of gremlins drops. however, i just don't know about the "brown" gremlin and the phantom gremlin. i guess so i don't KILL TEH LIEN i gotta do my part, because i'll be DEVASTATED if we don't get the next set of mogwais, which i planned on buying in full...please please please. that said, i can't get behind buying the electric gremlin. and i guess any hope of a spider gremlin is a pipe dream...

    • Rustin Parr says:

      I can't fault anyone for passing on Electric Gremlin. It is just... what it is. I know what you mean about the Phantom Gremlin, I get why they chose him, but there is something a little... I think if it had the cape it would be more appealing. And while I prefer my Gremlins green to Brown, the sheer novelty of Brown Gremlin being pre-brain juice Brain Gremlin should be enough to warrant him in the collection. And though I disparage the Mogwai, Rambo Gizmo will be a dream come true, to be sure!

      And further Blue-Sky-ing, I've to think that Bat Gremlin is within reason - he'd just need a new torso and wings, the latter of which could be quite comparable to the Flasher's trenchcoat in volume, weight, etc.

      • monkey boy says:

        he'd need a whole new head though, too. bat gremlin was very distinctive.

        • yo go re says:

          It was mainly his ears, right? They curved uprward? If the choice was "Bat Gremlin with existing head" or "no Bat Gremlin at all," I think we'd be okay with the former...

          • monkey boy says:

            no way man, his head is totally different! google image search it. his nose is more upturned and his face is overall flatter, and he lacks the "lips" of most gremlins for lack of a better term. it'd be pretty much impossible to do with existing tooling.

    • Deckystrikesback says:

      Sorry to ask this, but if NECA has given you your 'dream line' why are you not DYING to get them all? Why do you 'not know' about getting Brown of Phantom? You should be counting down the days and grabbing them all!

      • monkey boy says:

        well. to clarify, it was my dream line when i was like nine. since then i've had to grow up, and am now responsible for buying my own toys (as well as cleaning my own room, doing my own laundry, paying my own mortgage, etc.). trust me, i have done my part for this line. i even bought mohawk twice when he was reissued in cult classics. but the fact is i just don't have the resources to support being a completist in the gremlin line. more than financially, there's the space issue to contend with. i'm no longer just a kid with his own room where i can just put things wherever; as an adult who shares a house with a significant other, i only have so much space to display my stuff. it's sad and boring, but true. so while i'll probably bite the bullet and get brown, i will likely have to pass on phantom. i appreciate everything NECA has done and is doing, and trust me i speak with my wallet. but i'm not a millionaire, and as much as the nine year old in me would love to snap up anything and everything with a gremlins logo on it, in the twenty years since then i've had to learn to exercise a modicum of restraint.

  3. Friginator says:

    What, no Lego NYC cabdriver? People may think the taxis in NYC are the memorable part, but for me it'll always be schizophrenic Manhattan cabdrivers whose violent turns test the laws of physics.

  4. Boot Hill says:

    The fencers in the main image look like eyeballs.

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