Answers to the April 2016 Contest .

Unfortunately no one was able to win the April 2016 Contest . The following is what was shown .

The above two pics are of two different action figures / characters .
Now for the answers .

The answers are The Game of Thrones The Hound Figure by Funco and WWE Mattel Andre the Giant . As a matter of fact, I reviewed both of these guys right here on the site .
To see the review of The Hound just in case you missed it, click the following link http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2014/08/game-of-thrones-legacy-collection.html
To see the review of the Andre the Giant figure in case you missed it , click the following
http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2014/12/wwe-elite-series-29-andre-giant.html
Good luck to all in the May 2016 Contest , which is now currently posted .

Happy Memorial Day 2016 !!!

There is no Memorial Day Tribute this year and there was none last year . Here is a link to the only Memorial Day tribute on the site http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2014/05/happy-memorial-day-tribute-to-military.html .

MAY 2016 CONTEST !!! WIN A CARDED Game of Thrones Tyrion Lannister figure !!!!

In this month's May contest, you can win a carded  Game of Thrones Tyrion Lannister figure. This figure is an exclusive an below are pics of the actual figure .

Below is the TRIVIA you need to answer to win !!!

As always , the FIRST correct answer is the WINNER !!! Deadline for contest is June 30, 2016 .
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE !!!

WWE MATTEL - 1-2-3 Kid Review !!!

I'm sure many of you already know that the 1-2-3 Kid was X-Pac before X-Pac became X-Pac . I purchased this figure of him at a local Walgreens for around $ 19.99 . This 1-2-3 Kid figure is part of the Elite Flashback Collection . Even though this figure is known as the 1-2-3 Kid , I'm going to refer to him as X-Pac for the rest of this article for two reasons. One, mostly everyone knows him more as X-Pac anyway, since his 1-2-3 Kid gimmick was short lived . And two, constantly writing down 1-2-3 Kid can get tiresome because of all of the commas. After all , since 1-2-3 Kid and X-Pac are the same person, I'll just call him X-Pac . Different characters, same person .

There is some confusion about X-Pac's true height . When I googled his name his Wikipedia profile has him listed at 6"0 tall . However the back of the packaging above lists him at 6"1 . So who to believe ? Wikipedia or Mattel ? Even though it's only a one inch difference. Now let's have a look at the figure out of the packaging .

My only complaint about this figure is that I think he is just a tad bit a little too tall , other than that he is a cool figure . I feel that with 6" scaled figures, someone that is 6"0 or 6"1 in real life should be exactly 6 inches tall as a toy , so there can be a sense of realism added to the action figure . Therefore people who are 7 feet tall in real life should have a 7 inch figure of themselves and so on . As you can see X-Pac seems to be quite a bit above the six inch mark .
Speaking of X-Pac , there is an actual X-Pac figure that came out before this 1-2-3 Kid figure . Below is a comparison shot of the two figures. ( NOTE ) The X-Pac pic does NOT belong to me. I found it on the web .

As you can see, even though they are the same person , they are NOT the same action figure . Which is good in my opinion. Most toy companies, whenever they make a different variation of the same person / character , the two different variations usually share the same body / mold , but this is not the case with WWE Mattel figures . Not only are the faces different , notice how X-Pac's upper body is bigger than 1-2-3's upper body . This makes sense since X-Pac is the older version of himself .
I hope Mattel makes another X-Pac figure, because I passed on the one pictured above . And the reason why is - I do not like his tongue hanging out of his mouth . That ruined it for me . Imagine posing him in fight poses with another figure, yet his tongue is always out. Till this day I still do not want that X-Pac figure because of the tongue .
Now let's see how X-Pac , or should I say 1-2-3 Kid , looks with his D-Generation X buddies , Triple H and Shawn Michaels .

In the above pics, Pac is pictured with the only figure of Triple H that I have in my collection , along with the only version of Shawn Michaels that I have in my collection . Missing is Chyna, which has not been made yet. Since she was also an original member od D-Generation X , I hope there will be a WWE Mattel figure of her someday soon . Also notice that Kid comes with his only accessory, a tag team championship belt . Have a closer look at it below .

I just love how all of the championship belts shine when under good bright light . Rather they are silver colored or gold colored such as this one, they all look very impressive just like the real things .
                                                        FINAL  THOUGHTS


( 1 ) ARTICULATION - The Kid has the same basic excellent all around articulation that most WWE Elite Mattel figures have .


( 2 ) STANDING  ABILITY - Because he is very flat footed with thick boots, he stands very well with no balance issues .


( 3 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - Light blue is one of my favorite colors, so the color of his outfit is a plus . His long hair does not restrict head movement , and the championship belt is also a plus .


( 4 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  LEAST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - My only complaint , which I mentioned earlier , is that I think that he is a tad bit too tall .


( 5 ) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURE ? - Shrink him down about half an inch .


( 6 ) GRADING  SCALE - Because of the issue I mentioned with the height , I will subtract a few points keeping him from getting a Perfect 10 . I always want my action figures to be in the exact same height scale as the real person or character they are representing . So I think a score of 9.8 is still pretty good.


( 7 ) FINAL  ANALYSIS - If you do not like the 1-2-3 Kid but love the X-Pac version of himself, you can always customize Kid into Pac . Keep in mind however that you'll only be able to transform his face and outfit into his X-Pac look, because as X-Pac his upper body , ( the chest and shoulders ) are bigger. So rather you prefer X-Pac or 1-2-3 Kid, it's great to have Sean Waltman ( his real name ) , in the line .

FLEA MARKET & THRIFT STORE FINDS - PART SEVEN - A bag full of vehicles

I want use much dialogue in this post, just mainly pictures. I purchased these vehicles at a local Goodwill store. They are a mixture of Hot Wheels among other franchises . Construction work trucks, motorcycles, military vehicles are among the cars .A nice grab for around only two dollars . Enjoy the pics.

WWE ELITE - Paige Review !!!

I purchased this figure of Paige at a local Target for around the 20 dollar price range . One thing that's certain about WWE Mattel figures, is that the female figures have the exact same articulation no matter rather they are part of the Basic or Elite series . Whereas the male figures in the basic series have much less articulation than in the Elite series. Paige is a welcomed addition  as she is a " First time in the line " figure .

As you can see Paige is not just an ordinary wrestler, she is a champion of two belts. I also like the names of her special moves, they're very clever matching her name . Paige-turner as in "page turner" and "Ram-Paige" as in rampage . Now let's have a look at Paige out of the packaging .

Like all WWE Mattel figures, Paige is a very detailed figure . Look closely and you can see that she has black painted fingernails. There is also what appears to be an ear ring on the side of her right lip . She also has really big eyelashes. Her somewhat soft rubbery hair hangs on her shoulders when you turn her head left and right . Features that separate Paige from most other female WWE Mattel figures are knee pads, dress socks, and she is wearing what looks like work boots or shoes instead of regular wrestling boots. So much detail that her shoes even have the tags at the top of the heels that people can use to pull the shoes on for leverage. Now let's have a look at both of Paige's championship belts .

I decided to snap two pictures of the belts instead of one , the first one is without flash and the second one is with flash . I did this because I could not make up my mind about which way looks the best, so I did both . As you can see the names of the belts / titles are the NXT and Divas championships . Now for some pics of Paige posing with her belts .

I had difficulty trying to fit either belt around her waist , because the pegs seem to pop out of the loopholes so easily. So I just decided to display her holding the belts instead . I love both belts by the way. They are very neat looking and shiny .
                                             FINAL  THOUGHTS


( 1 ) ARTICULATION - Paige has excellent all around articulation that most of the WWE Mattel Divas have .


( 2 ) STANDING  ABILITY - Since it appears that she is wearing flat heeled work boots, she stands very well without balance issues . The knee pads appear to add some sturdiness to her balance as well.


( 3 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - The belts, the knee pads and dress socks, and the excellent attention to detail such as the lip ring . I also like the fact that one hand is a closed fist and the other is an open palm. The different had gestures allow multiple posing options, as several figures have different hand poses for each hand. Finally , I love the fact that her hair does not hinder head movement . Her head can easily turn left and right .


( 4 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  LEAST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - There is nothing that I dislike about this figure .


( 5 ) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURE ? - Nothing she is perfect the way she is .


( 6 ) GRADING  SCALE  -  Because there is so much that I like about this figure, I give her a Perfect Ten .


( 7 ) FINAL  ANALYSIS - When it comes down to purchasing the male WWE  Mattel figures, I am picky on who to buy . However I plan on owning every female WWE Mattel figure , because there are a lot less of them than there are the men . Therefore I felt complete satisfaction when I purchased this Paige figure, and I'm sure that you will too if you choose to add her to your collection .

Marvel Legends - Mockingbird Review !!!

Mockingbird is a character that is a first timer in the Marvel Legends 6" scale franchise . I purchased this figure at a local Target for around the 20 dollar price range . Google this character and you will discover that she has been a member of several different Avengers teams . Her real name is Barbara Barton, she is the ex-wife of the Avenger known as Hawk-Eye, and she has some of Captain America's abilities / powers , because she has a sampling of some super soldier serum in her bloodstream .

As you can see the packaging is Captain America themed . Also you can see that Mockingbird is one of two female characters / figures in this series , in which the build-a-figure is Onslaught with the face of Red Skull . Now let's have a look at Mockingbird out of the packaging .

There are quite a few things to like about this figure . I think my favorite feature about this figure is the clear tinted yellow goggles, reminiscent of the DC Universe Classics male figures known as Booster Gold and Blue Beetle . Other than the goggles , I love the style that her hair is sculpted in . She comes with the same two piece club that the most recent Daredevil figure came with . Also, she is one of very few figures, male or female, wearing knee pads . One luxury knee pads give figures in my opinion is that they cover up the articulation joints . Back to the club, as already mentioned it is the exact same club that came with Daredevil in the Hobgoblin build-a-figure series . They're just different colors. Also like Daredevil's club, it can split in two and become two weapons .

As you can see you have the options of posing Mockingbird with the weapon as a whole or split into two . Back to the goggles. As mentioned earlier, seeing her with these goggles made me think of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle from DCU Classics . Below are comparison shots of the goggled figures .

Notice the differences and similarities between the goggles of the three different figures/characters ? I was thinking of purchasing a second Mockingbird figure, and the reason is so that I can remove the goggles off one Mockingbird figure and keep them on the other . The goggles can definitely be removed, however putting them back on would be a tough hassle , thus the reason for purchasing two Mockingbird figures . Mockingbird comes with three pieces of the Onslaught build-a-figure .

                                                         FINAL   THOUGHTS 
( 1 ) ARTICULATION - Mockingbird has excellent all around articulation . Her hair seems to somewhat restrict up and down head movement , however there is a ball joint in her neck that allows up and down head movement .


( 2 ) STANDING ABILITY - She stands excellent once you position the knees and ankles at a certain angle .


( 3 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - I love the sculpt of her hair. Also I noticed that she is one of a few female figures that wears no lipstick, or makeup in general. Instead of lipstick, it looks like Mockingbird is wearing lip gloss. She looks really good. Great job on the face Hasbro !!! I love the knee pads and the goggles . The outfit is nice too, however my two most favorite features about this figure are her hair combined with her face, along with the goggles.


( 4 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  LEAST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - There is nothing that I dislike about this figure .


( 5 ) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURE ? - Come up with a solution to make her up and down head movement function with her hair .


( 6 ) GRADING  SCALE - I give Mockingbird a Perfect Ten because there is so much that I like about her, despite her hair effecting the up and down head movement .


( 7 ) FINAL  ANALYSIS - The addition of Mockingbird gives us collectors another member of the Avengers teams . With the popularity of the Avengers movies, expect to see more Avengers characters in future Marvel Legend waves .