Action Figure Friday- Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- April O'Neil!

I finally found a decent April O'neil action figure from the new Turtles toy line. I had been looking for this toy for a while, but every sample I came across had very sloppy paint on it. When I saw this sample I snatched it up. Upon buying this toy, I knew that there was not a load of articulation, but I am fairly happy with the joints that Playmates Toys was able to give her. Here's a run down of the movement. She has a ball jointed head, swivel wrists on both arms, ball hinged shoulders, a swivel waist and ball hinged thighs. That's not too bad considering the size and thinness of her arms and legs. The one portion of articulation I feel could have been worked into this toy's design is a foot swivel. I'm not sure if that would give to much more to this toy, but it could've been nice. April has way too many accessories for her to carry at once, but I like what she has. She has a load of training weapons. That can come in handy if you are creating a training scene for your Turtles. I have to give a pause for warning, two of the accessories are the smoke bomb eggs that Donatello makes in one of the episodes of the new animated television show. These eggs are tiny! I'm putting mine in a little bag in fear that I will lose them. When the first wave of TMNT toys came out, I saw April action figures all over the place. Now she seems to be increasingly harder to find on store shelves. If you haven't gotten an April yet, now is the time. This action figure has limited articulation in comparison to the four turtle toys, but considering her size, it's just right. April also has those awesome training weapons which can come in handy with anyone wanting to make a sewer DoJo display. All in all, I think April is worth adding to your Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's collection. 

You can find April O'Neil here on Amazon. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles April O'Neil

I'm scheduled to be on the DELol show on Sunday June 23rd talking about Xenex the Bug Man, my custom toys, and Jeff and I's podcast, Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff. I'll be on air with Taffeta, the DELol crew and the Clever Girl Cabaret performers. If you haven't listened to the DELol show, you are truly missing out.

I did buy a table for the Dallas Comic Con: Fan Days on October 4th-6th. If you are wanting a pre-Fan Days commission, let me know and I'll get it ready for pick up at that show. 

Issue 5 of Xenex the Bug Man is available on indyplanet.com! I have all Xenex the Bug Man comic books available for print on demand. You can see that listing here on my store's tab for comic books. 

I have posted some new shirt designs in my Cafepress store. Head over to my Cafepress store and get a shirt or a couple! 

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how. 

If you have not heard about the Podcast called, "Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff", then it's time I let you know! Jeff and I are on the show where we talk about toys! (Go figure, I mean Go action figure!) Seems simple enough. We pick out a toy line to discuss in each show. We share our childhood memories, our favorite five, and talk about the one toy in the line that got away. Jeff talks about how he cherished his toys and I talk about how they ended up in the garden! The other two shows are The pilot episode, where Jeff and Josh Taylor break down the Pilot Episode in TV series, and The Loosely Based Podcast where Brynna and Jeff compare the book to the movie adaptation! The shows are great! If you are interested in what we got, go to Marvindogmedia.com  and give us a listen. You can subscribe to the shows on itunes and get up to date info on upcoming shows on facebook:

Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff on facebook
The Loosely Based Podcast on facebook
The Pilot Episode on facebook

If you like what we have, be sure to tell your friends! We need your word of mouth to help us keep making shows!

Action Figure Friday- Playmate's Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's- Foot Soldier!!

Recently, I got a chance to pick up the Foot soldier from the new TMNT toy line. All in all, I am rather happy with this toy, but make no mistake, I do feel as though more could have gone into him. This guy has 10 points of articulation. He has a swivel head, ball swivel shoulders and thighs, and swivel hands, waist and elbows. He has one long sword, one short sword, a scabbard set and two throwing stars. I like that the swords can stow away in the working scabbard. I do kind of wish that there was a peg to do the same for the throwing stars. He boasts a black plastic with a primer grey paint application to his legs, red band painting to his head and has grey plastic for his arms. He looks a lot like the comic run of foot soldiers or even the way that these guys looked in the original film. They have a more realistic appeal over their original playmates release versions (I still have quite a bit of love for that original toy design). Now here's my problem, and has been my dislike for some of the pieces in this line; lack of articulation. I really feel that we could have used a ball jointing in the neck that would made posing a load better. I also feel that we could have used some more articulation in the legs. The articulation could have been in the knee, or even just a swivel in the foot. With his foot already being pre-posed in action form along with his legs, the only one way to really stand pose him is how he is shown above. That usually urks me greatly, but is toned done a little due to the fact that he does look cool and has a working scabbard. 

You can find this guy pretty much anywhere including amazon. Here's his listing:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Foot Soldier

The table for the Sci-Fi Expo on February 9-10th is set up!!! I'll be there with some new work to sell,my pin-up girl posters, the newest issue of Xenex the Bug Man and custom toys. Jeff will be there with me selling some Marvindog media merchandise and taking toy memory recordings! Stop by, say,"hi", and show your support. Here's our booth! You will find us there tomorrow at the convention. 

I have posted some new shirt designs in my Cafepress store. Head over to my Cafepress store and get a shirt or a couple! 

I have all Xenex the Bug Man comic books available for print on demand. You can see that listing here on my store's tab for comic books. 

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how. 

If you have not heard about the Podcast called, "Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff", then it's time I let you know! Jeff and I are on the show where we talk about toys! (Go figure, I mean Go action figure!) Seems simple enough. We pick out a toy line to discuss in each show. We share our childhood memories, our favorite five, and talk about the one toy in the line that got away. Jeff talks about how he cherished his toys and I talk about how they ended up in the garden! The other two shows are The pilot episode, where Jeff and Josh Taylor break down the Pilot Episode in TV series, and The Loosely Based Podcast where Brynna and Jeff compare the book to the movie adaptation! The shows are great! If you are interested in what we got, go to Marvindogmedia.com  and give us a listen. You can subscribe to the shows on itunes and get up to date info on upcoming shows on facebook:
Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff on facebook
The Loosely Based Podcast on facebook
The Pilot Episode on facebook

Give us a like! And, if you like what we have, be sure to tell your friends! We need your word of mouth to help us keep making shows! And, be sure to give Jeff a hug. 

Taylor and Jeff: Action Figure Buddies for Life!

Action Figure Friday- Playmate's Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's- Kraang!

Not too long ago, I was surprised when I came home to find that my super wife got me a Kraang and a Shredder action figure! When I first started collecting the New Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I only expected to get the four turtles. I'm not sure when that changed, but I ended up with the four turtles, The Shell Rippin' Rider, Metalhead, Shredder, Kraang and a Foot Soldier. That's quite a bit more than I first set out to get.

The Kraang are a race of brain-shaped aliens that pilot robotic bodies and who are responsible for bringing mutagen to Earth. This action figure comes with only five points of articulation. The pose-ability of this toy comes from the fact that the head and arm joints are on ball joints. The sad thing about this toy is that its legs are pretty much pre-posed to the point that there are not a lot of different poses you can do for him. Kraang could have been helped with some waist articulation I think. The one good thing about this toy is that the brain does come out of the robot body, but you do have to be careful with him. Every time I take the brain out, I'm afraid I'm going to break off a tentacle. Kraang comes with two weapons, both are saw blasters. The paint on him is very nice with some metal scratch detailing. I'm not sure if I would have gotten this toy if it had not been bought for me. I will have to admit, despite the lack of articulation and pose-ability, I really like this guy! I'm very glad that I have him in my collection. 

I do have a table for the Sci-Fi Expo on February 9-10th. I'll be there with some new work to sell, my pin-up girl posters, the newest issue of Xenex the Bug Man and custom toys. Jeff will be there with me selling some Marvindog media merchandise and taking toy memory recordings! Stop by, say,"hi", and show your support. I hope to see you there!

I have all Xenex the Bug Man comic books available for print on demand. You can see that listing here on my store's tab for comic books. 

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how. 

If you have not heard about the Podcast called, "Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff", then it's time I let you know! Jeff and I are on the show where we talk about toys! (Go figure, I mean Go action figure!) Seems simple enough. We pick out a toy line to discuss in each show. We share our childhood memories, our favorite five, and talk about the one toy in the line that got away. Jeff talks about how he cherished his toys and I talk about how they ended up in the garden! The other two shows are The pilot episode, where Jeff and Josh Taylor break down the Pilot Episode in TV series, and The Loosely Based Podcast where Brynna and Jeff compare the book to the movie adaptation! The shows are great! If you are interested in what we got, go to Marvindogmedia.com  and give us a listen. You can subscribe to the shows on itunes and get up to date info on upcoming shows on facebook:
Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff on facebook
The Loosely Based Podcast on facebook
The Pilot Episode on facebook

Give us a like! And, if you like what we have, be sure to tell your friends! We need your word of mouth to help us keep making shows!

Action Figure Friday- Playmate's Kirk and Shuttlecraft Galileo

I'll go ahead and say it, I do not collect a lot of Star Trek toys. I really don't. I have maybe three action figures from the playmates line and one vehicle. The Shuttlecraft Galileo and Kirk are the one figure and one vehicle that make up half of that collection. I normally wouldn't go out of the way to talk about a Star Trek toy from Playmates except for this toy combo. And, seeing as this is my second time to own this set, I believe that there is something special about it that definitely warrants a viewing. So, let's take a look at it. 

This set not only has classic Kirk, but has Kirk in his away team sweater. This is the only time you will get this version of Captain Kirk in the Playmates Star Trek toy line. If you can find the away team Spock that is just like this action figure instead in blue and with a new head sculpt, you are set for a shuttlecraft crew.  Like most of the Playmates Star Trek action figures, this version of Kirk has standard articulation. He didn't come with any accessories, unless you count the shuttlecraft. But we are not really here to talk about the Kirk action figure as much as we are here to talk about the Shuttlecraft Galileo itself. This is a truly wonderful toy! I had this vehicle back when it hit shelfs in the late 90's. I sold it in a garage sell and regretted it for years. I ended up getting another as a birthday gift many years later. Ever since I got this toy back in my hands, I have refused to give it up. Again, it is that cool.

If you look at the scale of Kirk to the shuttle, you can see that the scale is way off. This shuttle has no electronic sound or lights like the other shuttles in the line. So, what makes this thing so good? It is the design. Plain, simple, concise is what this toy is. It has playable options that are hidden behind doors and uses all available space within the toy to seat two characters. It has a two part opening back bay door. It has two opening maintenance doors to repair the nacelles. It has a phaser door to reveal the weapons bank, a two part opening pilot door, moveable chairs, an opening nose door to the cockpit and a detachable spring loaded firing canon! All of that is included in a toy that is really no longer than 12 inches; and... and it comes with a Captain Kirk action figure! 

Apart from all of the moving parts, this toy has a nice sculpt to it. If you open all of the doors on this thing and look inside, you will notice a lot of cabin detail inside. I also like the sticker decals that are added to this toy. It is not overkill, but enough to decorate this ship and make it special. I am having a hard time finding any fault with this toy. If you are in the market to get the shuttlecraft, there are a few on the amazon market place to buy. Here is a listing for it: 

Classic 30th anniversary Star Trek Galileo shuttlecraft with exclusive Kirk figure

Just to let you know all know, I am taking commissions. If you would like to commission me for original artwork, head over to the commissions tab in store to see how. 

The long awaited issue 4 of Xenex the Bug Man is now up for order. It's a great looking comic book! Head on over to the Bug Man site and see what I'm talking about!

If you have not heard about the Podcast called, "Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff", then it's time I let you know! Jeff and I are on the show where we talk about toys! (Go figure, I mean Go action figure!) Seems simple enough. We pick out a toy line to discuss in each show. We share our childhood memories, our favorite five, and talk about the one toy in the line that got away. Jeff talks about how he cherished his toys and I talk about how they ended up in the garden! The other two shows are The pilot episode, where Jeff and Josh Taylor break down the Pilot Episode in TV series, and The Loosely Based Podcast where Brynna and Jeff compare the book to the movie adaptation! The shows are great! If you are interested in what we got, go to Marvindogmedia.com  and give us a listen. You can subscribe to the shows on itunes and get up to date info on upcoming shows on facebook:
Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff on facebook
The Loosely Based Podcast on facebook
The Pilot Episode on facebook

Give us a like! And, if you like what we have, be sure to tell your friends! We need your word of mouth to help us keep making shows!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 Toy Review!

It's been a while since I have done a toy review on here. Honestly, I had not planned on doing another, but the toys I am reviewing today are so great, I couldn't bring myself to not review them! "What are the toys?," you ask. The toys I'm so excited about are Playmate's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)! 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

Ever since I saw pics of these guys from this year's Toy Fair coverage, I've been pretty excited about getting a set of the turtles. I had been waiting to see when they were going to be sold at stores. They just launched to shelves this last week and I have to say, They were worth the wait through the summer! Lucky for me, I got some of the turtles as gift from a friend! So, this little review has just become affordable! Yeah!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) in Package

First off, let's talk about the package. The package is very bright showing the traditional turtle green and now purple. The logo work is reminiscent of the old logo work of Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman comic books. That is a HUGE plus for me being a big TMNT fan of the comics. Each turtle is posed uniquely in their package and overall, they all look phenomenal! I had a hard time debating with myself on if I wanted to take them out of their package. In the end, the wise words of a ten year old made sense, "Those are too cool to not take out of the package". This is a very wise ten year old.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) 

One of the first things I noticed with each turtle is that they don't share a lot of reused parts. Each turtle has a unique body; from the head to the shell. Normally you wouldn't get this kind of detailing with an action figure line. I really like this. The turtles are all different heights. Mike is the smallest, Don is the tallest, and Leo and Raph are in between. I'm not sure how I feel about Mike being the smallest one, but it's not something that really bothers me. The color palette on these guys are also really good. The tones of greens, browns, and beiges are earth toned enough to give the nice turtle coloring, but the colors are bright enough to give a very bright comic book/cartoon feel. The detail sculpting on these guys is really good. Ok, it's better than good, it's great! The articulation is nice. They have 11 points of articulation, and that's pretty good for a 4 1/2" action figure. They have ball hinged shoulders, elbows, thighs and knees. They also sport a ball jointed neck and swivel wrists. My one true complaint on the articulation is that I would have loved to see the ankle on a ball joint. I think that would help with poseability. Ninjas don't tipping toe.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) 

Each Turtle also sports a belt with working holsters.  I like all of the holster/belt work, but I would have liked to see more holster pieces that would hold all of their extra weapons. All of their main weapons fit well in the turtles belts, except for Michelangelo's. If you try and fit his Knunchucks in his belt, it leaves stress lines on the plastic where the chains are on the knunchucks. I did it oncet and was afraid I would break them. Going back to the extra weapons, one of my good friends, Jeff, has a rule about action figures; No action figure should have more weapons/ accessories that what they can hold. These toys break that rule, BADLY. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

With the original release of TMNT, each toy came with a load of extra weapons, but on the weapon sprue, the weapons came with a rack for you to put the turtles' extra weapons on. I like that the weapon sprue has come back, but I feel that there should have been a weapon's rack added. It would help with the display option. As of now, there is too many weapons lying  around. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) 

So, all in all, these guys are pretty amazing! The sculpt and detail work brings the cool factor up for the overall awesomeness of these action figures. My one big complaint is the lack of ankle articulation and I also wish that there was a weapon rack for the extra pieces. But, Playmates has out done themselves with this version of the Ninja Turtles, which surprises me considering the last couple of bombed toy lines they had: (2009) Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. Both of those lines were pretty bad. These new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys are about $8.00 to $9.00 per character and are in stores now. I think that these guys are well worth the price and I would give the toys a 4 1/2 of of 5 turtle head rating. Wicked Tight! 

4 1/2 out of 5

Here's the listing of the Turtles on Amazon.com:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michelangelo

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Donatello

There's been an update to the store tabs on both Xenex the Bug Man, and this site. All of the print on demand issues, cafepress stores and commissions info will be under the new store tab on both this site and the Xenex the Bug Man site. Hopefully this page makes shopping a bit easier. Go and check it out! 

Just a quick update: I did go ahead and purchase a table for the Fan Days Convention in October. So I will be there (given that I don't have another mishap).

Now, you mighty be asking what this Marvin Dog media is. I've got answers. I had been working with a good friend of mine, Jeff McGee, before I got sick on designing logos and banners for a podcast that I am on and logos and banners of podcasts that other friends are on. I have listened to all of the shows so far and they are great! Jeff and I are on the show where we talk about toys! (Go figure, I mean Go action figure!) That show is called Talking toys with Taylor and Jeff. The other two shows are The pilot episode, where Jeff and Josh Taylor break down the Pilot Episode in TV series, and The Loosely Based Podcast where Brynna and Jeff compare the book to the movie adaptation! Again, the shows are great! If you are interested in what we got, go to Marvindogmedia.com  and give us a listen. You can subscribe to the shows on itunes and get up to date info on upcoming shows on facebook:

Talking Toys with Taylor and Jeff on facebook

The Loosely Based Podcast on facebook

The Pilot Episode on facebook

Give us a like! And, if you like what we have, be sure to tell your friends! We need your word of mouth to help us keep making shows!