2 MINUTE TOY BREAK !

We've come to the final piece In the trade package I received from Derek,of Coolandunusual  , and it was a gem!I've been after this figure for years now,always passing It up on eBay due to overblown scalper prices.Derek must have remembered me mentioning him in an older post or comment and came through for me big time. I couldn't wait to get this figure in hand ,because frankly,It is not your typical G.I. Joe figure.The sculpt Is completely original  and that's what I like about Venomus Maximus  most.Besides the cool name ;)He came to me incomplete without his cape and staff  but I can try to track those down at a later date. Venomous Maximus made his debut In the G.I. Joe Valor Vs. Venom animated movie.After Cobra captured General Hawk,they infused him with a combination animal hybrid DNA and created Maximus. His debut would be short lived,however,as the Joes were able to find a serum and turn General Hawk back to his human human form. Damn you G.I. Joe...

I only learned about these figures recently on a site that's featured on my blog list called Reasonably Intelligent Rambling. It's a nice site with lots and lots of Joe pics,dioramas and a cool alternate history G.I. Joe storyline. The sites author,Thomas Brooks,published a post on a Marauder "Gun-Runners" figure that really piqued my interest. Marauder " Gun-Runners"  is a web store that specializes in weapons and accessories for most all  3 3/4   action figures i.e. G.I. Joe,Marvel Universe , etc.   Not only do they dabble In weapons and diorama accessories,but they also offer  contemporary G.I. Joe-like  action figures that can be customized to your liking via a port hole system. They offer a nice variation of head sculpts, and mission related colored uniforms with a gi-normous amount of weapons,vests,helmets and war paraphernalia to arm them with.It's like Build-A-Bear meets G.I. Joe!Needless to say ,I was   impressed.I had yet to bring myself to ...

Before I get to the last two mystery figures that arrived recently In a trade I completed with Orniphus ,lets go over this gem of an extra!Orniphus was kind enough to throw this Transformers Robots In Disguise Grimlock figure in with the rest of the agreed figures ,and I'm really digging It.He must have read my post on the  smaller Grimlock that I picked up a while back. I was pretty disappointed with that one ,so Orniphus really looked out here !Now,I've read some reviews and seen some videos on Grims here,  and the figure gets mixed reactions.I for one am not big on the Robots In Disguise series or line of figures ,but this one I love.I believe this Is a deluxe sized figure ,but In no way does he fit into scale with others In his same size class.I didn't catch It at first,but Orniphus pointed out to me that this version would actually look better next to my Generations Optimus and smaller scaled TF's in my collection.And,to coin the great Ned Flanders "Hey-Diddly...

This last week ,Orniphus and I had agreed on a two for two trade.Basically,I would send him a 25th Ann. Commando Snake Eyes and a 25th Ann. Breaker In exchange for a TF's Masher Starscream and another figure that was on my want list ,BIG TIME,which will remain nameless until further notice ;) I told him I'd throw In some extras and he said he'd do the same.I just didn't expect the extras to be so damn cool!I'll be going over those two mystery figures soon enough ,but first ,lets check out Starscream from the Mashers line of Transformers figures. You know,the fact that you can't transform these guys doesn't bug me one bit.They look so damn cool In their robot modes that It's become a moot point,really. Finally,a Transformers figure that I can have fun with!I  don't know about you but I really don't have the time to sit there and follow 20 steps to get my Optimus Prime into truck mode and back and then back into truck mode again,and then ba...

I'll keep It short because I can't wait to publish some individual posts on some of the great toys Orniphus of Coolandunusual sent me In our latest trade escapade!The always kind Orniphus really outdid himself this time and If you haven't checked out his site or are simply just  looking for an amazing trade partner,go there now! http://coolandunusual.tk/

The final piece In the Orniphus trade package is a great one!G.I. Joe has all but fallen off the radar as of late.The 50th Ann. line were TRU exclusives.At least i think they were because they were nowhere to be found at my local Wal Marts and i don't recall seeing any at Target.Most of the figures came in two and three  packs ,making them almost un-purchasable to those of us who have a stricter budget. That's not to say that Hasbro didn't release some really nice figures in 2015,Zartan being one of them.50th Zartan came In the Vanishing Act three pack with Sightline and Torpedo.From what I've seen In reviews online,50th Zartan  Is a combination of the 25th  and the  25th Comic Series release.Looking over this figure,I realized that everything on It,from the sculpt and paint on down to the accessories and overall execution, Is almost perfect.The one feature I would have loved to have is the color changing skin effect of past versions.That would have put this guy over...

My first DC Super Powers figure comes by way of trade with Orniphus of  Coolandunusual,and I absolutely love It!I've been wanting to add some DC Super Powers figures to the collection for some time now.Mainly Firestorm,Braniac and Kalibak ,all figures I had as a kid.Who would have thought that Darkseid would be  the first to hang out among my small display of vintage figures.If you've followed some of my older blogs,you know that I'm not about overcrowding any one brand of  vintage figure ,and that's mainly because of how expensive that can be.Also,I feel that all  I really need are a few figures from each brand   to represent the line  when on display.I like to think of my vintage toy display as a compact,well rounded collection that offers a little bit of everything. And while I'm still behind In the game,with other classic  toy lines on my need list,this Darkseid might be the boost I needed to go out and snag up a couple more of these awesome Super ...