I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all the About: Action Figures readers a safe, fun and happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all eat lots of turkey, then get sleepy, then take the greatest nap you have ever had.

This time of year, we often find ourselves inspired to think about what we are thankful for, and I am, of course, thankful of the usual stuff like my beautiful wife and kids (and by "kids" I mean "cats"), but since this is a site devoted to action figures I thought I'd list a few things in the action figure collecting world that I'm currently thankful for. So here goes.

• The fact that my new He-Man and Scare Glow figures arrived yesterday, safe and sound and they are as awesome as I expected!
• Finally finding a DCUC Wave 10 Batman at Walmart!
• Getting a surprise vintage Darth Vader figure in a package from a fellow collector!
• Action figure stands. (Those little guys fall over all the time!)
• The macro setting on my camera, making for some wicked awesome action figure shots.
• Great toy blogs, like Toyriffic! and Eclectorama, and great action figure forums like Action Figure Archive. They make for some seriously fun online toy surfin'.
• The return of the 3 3/4" action figure, the best scale ever!

I'll be the first person to look the world in the eye and unwaveringly declare my love for the classic 1981 movie, Clash of the Titans, with it's epic battles, beheaded gorgons and towering Kraken, so I'm more than a little excited about the upcoming remake. I'm not one of those people that possess an aversion to remakes or renditions because I know that things like adventure movies are like the fireside tales of old and should be retold and embellished, honed and reshaped to fit the changing times. So I say bring it on!

I do, however, have mixed feelings about NECA's upcoming release of the remake-accurate Perseus figure. On one had, it looks beautiful, as most NECA figures, do, which sometimes make me wonder if they possess some sort of uncanny voodoo powers to create such exquisite sculpts and sublime paint applications. On the other hand, NECA figures tend to have about as much articulation and rock found in a pond. In fact, what little articulation their figures do have seems practically arbitrary. It's like; why not just make statues instead of an "action figure" that only moves at the neck and the left wrist?

Still, for movie fans and NECA collectors alike, the release of the Perseus figure is music to our ears. And if you can't wait to get your hands on a bonafide Medusa-killing collectible, you can pre-order the figure at Big Bad Toy Store right now. Now, bring on the Kraken!

As sick as I am of looking at the current waves of G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra figure (City Strike Snake Eyes, where are you?!), I still can't help getting a little excited when I we all get a sneak peek of upcoming figures. And thanks to two eBay sellers known as handytoy and ws_toys, we're treated to the chance to ogle the latest figures to launch, including Desert Battle Zartan, Jungle Assault Storm Shadow, Arctic Threat Snow Job and Desert Battle Ripcord, the latter of which looks so incredibly sweet that many collectors and G.I. Joe fans are already dribbling drool all over their keyboards.

I don't know how these people got their hands on these currently unreleased figures and I don't care. I won't be attempting a purchase because I like to wait until I see them in person on the toy shelves whenever possible before buying them, and I'm also a little suspicious about the validity of the figures. So I have some trust issues.

Still, this is one of those excellent cases where eBay comes through for us all getting a glimpse of some never-before-seen (or at least rarely-before-seen) figures. Pics of these figures have made the rounds of the various blogs and forums before, most taken on blurry cell-phone cameras at conventions and toy shows. The Zartan figure alone looks very familiar to me.

Basically, this all boils down to the fact that one day, if we G.I. Joe fans wish hard enough, that the same gazillion Dukes, Destros, Heavy Dutys and Baronesses will quit warming our toy aisle pegs and make room for some all-new figures that practically ooze coolness.

Swing on by the Terror Dome and treat your eyeballs to some serious 1:18 scale awesomeness.

Well, I complained and grumbled and ranted and even cried like a little girl (it had been a rough day and no one saw me), and after all of that, I still broke down and joined the legions of full-blown Masters of the Universe Classics addicts. I had managed to stay strong for a while now. Having missed out on the first round of He-Man and Skeletor figures, I made a choice not to collect the line. Then, one day about two weeks ago, that all changed.

A fellow collector threw a MOTUC Hordak, loose but complete, on a buy/sell/trade thread on one of the action figure message boards I frequent and he was willing to let it go for only $12. Now, dear readers, I'm only a simple human being with all of the foibles and weaknesses that that entails, so I submit to you: How was I supposed to pass that up? Long story short, I bought Hordak, got him in the mail, immediately fell in love with the brilliant sculpt and paint work designed by the incomparable Four Horsemen, and that was all it took for me to be completely hooked. I mean, have you seen this guy? He's insanely awesome. Like, heavy metal album cover awesome. I bet everywhere he goes, he's accompanied by the music of Black Sabbath.

It popped into my mind that I had heard about the re-release of He-Man and Skeletor (and now rumors are circulating about a re-release of Beastman, too!). Couple that with the release of the legendary Scare Glow character and there I was at 12:00 PM est, credit card in hand, refreshing the Mattycollector order screen until I could get through, and just like that, my He-Man and Scare Glow were bought and paid for.

I have crossed over, folks. And you have all witnessed it.

As a MOTU Classics collector, there's plenty to be excited about. It'sAllTrue.net have posted a release schedule for the MOTU Classic line through March, with rumors of an Evil-Lyn release in April! The list is as follows:

• Dec. 15 - King Randor

• Dec. 15 - Skeletor re-release
• Dec. 15 - Green Goddess
• Jan. 15 - Adora
• Jan 15 - Battle Armor He-Man
• Feb. 16 - Trap Jaw
• Feb. 16 - Battle Cat
• Mar. 15 - Moss Man
• Mar. 15 - Wundar (subscribers only)

So, I've got a long yet exciting road ahead of me, that leads all the way to Eternia. How many of you are joining me?

Visit It'sAllTrue.net for the full list with photos.