In the spirit of "Hey, look at this cool thing I found!", I wanted to pass along a link to a brilliant look back at some awesome old-school action figure backing cards in a post entitled 25 Action Figure Card Backs from the good folks over at Secret Fun Blog, that is both a blog and extremely fun, but not that much of a secret.

The article talks about some of the best of the best of the action figure lines from the 80's including Star Wars, Super Powerrs, Dungeons & Dragons, Tron, Thundercats and many more. Looking back on these old card backs took me right back to the good old days of my youth when after liberating the small plastic hero from his or her confines, one could flip the card over to make a mental note of which figures were next on your list. With their stunning artwork and vibrant colors, action figure card backs are a pop-cultural category of their own that are due their moment of recognition.

So swing by Secret Fun Blog and take a walk down memory lane.

The folks over at Mattycollector are either unbelievably conscientious about their customers, gluttons for punishment or the bravest people since Flash Gordon took off for planet Mongo, because in the midst of several flame-wars on their Facebook page, due mostly to unending (and all alleged) reports of mishandled orders, improperly charged credit cards, shoddy quality control and poor product stocking practices, they have held their collective head up high and carried on with the launch of their official Mattycollector Discussion Forums.

Now, I personally have had pretty good luck with Matty, despite not being able to get a Skeletor figure (grumble, grumble, grumble). The figures I have ordered from them were charged correctly, shipped quickly and appeared to be of top-notch quality (I so love my MOTUC He-Man reissue figure, it's ridiculous), so I can imagine that the new forum will be an excellent place for fans to talk, trade, and show off their collections.

However, I can just see the raging neckbeards now, cracking their knuckles in anticipation of their manically typed rants and manifestos. Complaining about product availability, scalpers swiping up all of the toys, Evil Lyn's repainted Teela body, and Orko knows what else. Still, I'll give it a whirl and invite everyone else to do the same, because a community is only as good as the people who choose to inhabit it.

Now if we could just get my forums cooking again (hint, hint).

Raise your hand if you're excited about the new Iron Man movie! Okay... let's see... that looks like about a gazillion of you. Okay, now raise your hand if you're just as excited about the upcoming release of the new Iron Man 2 action figures from Hasbro! Yep, just as I thought; pretty much all of you.

Well, I for one am right there with you all, not just because the first movie rocked my brain like no other superhero flick has before, but because the highly anticipated action figure line is going to be released in 1:18 scale! That's right, 3 3/4", baby! I know that this is mostly a personal preference, but I stand by my belief that the classic 3 3/4" scale is the action figure scale of the gods. It's simply a more elegant size and leaves room for better portability (not that I take my action figures anywhere), better displayability, often more accessories (unless your a DC Universe Infinite Crisis figure) and far better suited to fit into a veritable arsenal of killer vehicles and play sets.

Wave 1 is already available for pre-order at Entertainment Earth and boasts some brilliant renditions of Iron Man, War Machine and my personal favorite, Mach 1, which looks like a steampunk version of the Tin Man from OZ who's carrying a grudge. You can bet you Avenger membership card that I'll be grabbing one of these.

Now, when are we going to get a Pepper Potts figure?

Our good friends over at Toy News International posted several pics of the upcoming Prince of Persia line of figures from McFarlane Toys due out this may.

The buzz I'm hearing so far concerning this line of figures is mixed at best, considering many peoples' feelings towards McFarlane's habit of producing toys that are more like statues than action figures, but word on the internet is that the house of Spawn has learned their lesson to a degree and they will be releasing a series of 4" fully posable figures, boasting a full 12 points of articulation, along with the highly detailed sculpts and paint applications for which McFarlane Toys has become known.

Having now taken a peek at the figures, I'm afraid the jury is still out, as far as I'm concerned, but I am grudgingly looking forward to checking these figures out for myself once they hit the stores. I will admit that the aforementioned sculpts and paint jobs on the figures is exquisite, but let's just hope that the articulation holds up against it.

There will also be a line of 6" figures released in conjunction for those of us collectors who are more "statue friendly".

To get a peek for yourself, visit, TNI.com and swing by ToyWiz.com if you'd like to pre-order (if you're feeling brave).

I love stumbling onto a funny and equally informative article about action figure oddities and little known facts. The other day, while on my usual action figure related internet journey, I came across a great article by a fellow named Ron Salvatore about how Kenner (may they rest in peace) had a penchant for reusing their various molds from their popular Star Wars line of action figures, vehicles and playsets, to flesh out other action figure lines.

The practice makes sense from a toy-maker's point of view. Casting new molds for toy parts is extraordinarily expensive, so why not simply incorporate a mold from a previous, and probably now defunct, line in a little bit of manufacturing recycling? Most toy companies do it, but Kenner was renowned for it, kicking off the Star Wars line back in 1977 with a couple of recycled molds like the Luke Skywalker Radio Headset. And besides, if you already have a great mold for Harrison Ford's head from the 12" Han Solo doll, why not just reuse it for the 12" Indiana Jones doll?

The article is packed with several other goodies, like the fact that their early '90s Robin Hood line might as well have been called "Several Humans Hanging Out in Ewok Land". To read the article, visit Recycling the Force, and you'll never look at your beloved Creature Cantina playset the same way again.

I don't mean for this to look like an advertisement or anything, and I assure it's not, but I get a lot of emails from people asking where they can find various action figure display accessories, especially action figure stands. Let's face it, it's a nice added bonus when your wobbly new Infinite Crisis Power Girl comes with her own stand so she can remain upright longer than a frat boy at a beer-pong tournament, but what about those poor hapless figures that don't come with stands?

Well, the good folks at Entertainment Earth have answered that very question by offering packs of official action figure stands. They're clear (which I like), plentiful (the come in packs of 25) and they don't cost an arm and a leg (currently listed at $9.99). Now, I haven't bought any of these myself, so this isn't a review, but they're at the top of my shopping list, so I'll be sure to give a quick review once I've had a chance to give the whirl.

According to the EE folks:

Give your figures the support they deserve! You're gonna love these clear action figure stands! Extremely durable and handsome, these round platforms look great and are transparent, to blend in better with your shelves and dioramas. Each measures 2 1/8-inches in diameter and features a peg that fits snugly into your figure's foot. Buy this 25-pack today and give your characters all the support they need and merit! Action figures sold separately.

Stands fit most 3 3/4-inch Hasbro Star Wars (1995 - present), Hasbro Indiana Jones (2008), Hasbro G.I. Joe (2007 - present), Hasbro Marvel (2009 - present), and Playmates Star Trek (2009 - present) action figures.

Again, this is not an advertisement, just a friendly heads up. You can pick up your very own set of stands by visiting www.entertainmentearth.com

I really don't mean to make this blog all about Mattel or their Masters of the Universe Classic line, but let's face it, these figure are simply awesome and have caused more buzz in the action figure collecting world than any other figure line going right now.

Mattycollector is not easing up with the tidal wave of awesomeness as they prepare to release the much-anticipated MOTUC Evil Lyn figure on April 15th. Hey! Something on which you can spend your tax refund! Evil Lyn was always a fan favorite from her days as the tough-talking sorceress in Skeletor's employ back on the old cartoon. There was something about that jaundiced skin-tone and her penchant for dominatrix armor.

Now, there was a bit of a backlash concerning the fact that the Evil Lyn figure, at least from the neck down, it a straight up repaint of the Teela figure as discussed in a previous post, but I hardly think that's going to stop the MOTUC collectors from climbing over each other tooth and nail to get their mitts on one.

For some excellent pics of the upcoming figure, visit the good folks over at Toy News International.

Old-schoolers like myself fondly remember the classic Mego action figures of the 1970s and since we make up the vast majority of the action figure collecting demographic, it was only a matter of time before the toy companies caught on and started releasing retro-style Mego-esque figures to tap into the powerful "nostalgia market" and therefore also tap into our wallets.

Several companies have started remaking Mego-style figures, such as Classic TV Toys, with their releases of such Mego classics as the Happy Days characters and new ones like their Mad Monsters II line and Diamond Select, with their release of their retro-style Star Trek figures.

Now it's Mattel's turn to take a swing at Mego-style figures with there Toys-R-Us exclusive DC Heroes collection, which embody the classic 8" cloth-costumed heroes from the heyday of DC comics. No, these figures aren't exact replicas of the old-school Mego figures, but rather an updated rendition, tricked out for a more discerning modern collecting audience.

I've yet to personally see one in a store (but then again, I live near the worst Toys R Us in the country), and frankly don't plan to get too excited about these figures until I see the inevitable Batman figure, but from what pics I've seen on the internet, I'm rather impressed.

Strengthening my impression of these figures, a video review of the Green Arrow figure hit YouTube this past week, which will give any collector looking forward to these figures an excellent sneak peek of the ins and outs of everyone's favorite arrow-shooting hero (unless you're a Marvel fan and prefer Hawkeye, which in that case, I feel sorry for you and your bad taste).

To see the whole review (which I have mixed feelings about, but for the most part thoroughly enjoyed), simply click the magic link; TNTS Review - DC Retro-Action Superheroes - GREEN ARROW, and get ready to become addicted to yet another line of figures from Mattel.

If you were one of the gazillion or so people that tried to pick up a new re-issue Skeletor figure from Mattycollector back when he went on sale in December, only to be stunned to see that he sold out in less than an hour (like me), then rejoice, my children! Rejoice! For the nefarious skull-faced baddie goes on sale again on Wednesday, January 27th at 12:00 pm EST, 9:00 am for you West-coasters (also like me).

You can jolly well count on me being hunched over my computer with my quivering index finger hovering over the mouse button as soon as the clock strikes nine, because I will own an MOTUC Skeletor if it kills me! Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but suffice it to say that I'm totally jazzed about getting another chance to own this figure. Here's to hoping that Mattycollector ordered enough this time.

If you want to get in on the action, meet me at Mattycollector.com on the big day. Just save one for me, okay?

I have an admission to make: When I look back on the multitude of action figures that haunted toy store shelves in the early and mid '90s, my stomach turns. Seriously, this period was in some ways great for action figure collecting as it truly kicked of the modern style of adult toy collecting, but it also had several horrendous by-products, such as a wave of sub-par figures and their endless "paint variations" created solely to sucker a rabid collector mentality that ultimately stunk up the whole hobby. Luckily, things are better. They are, aren't they?

Regardless, the insane folks over at Topless Robot once again turned their nostalgia-free hindsight x-ray goggles towards a '90s action figure staple franchise renowned for their hideous slew of junky figures: The X-Men. These mutant spandex-wearers ruled the time period and that popularity combined with an exploding (and none to discerning) collector's market, made for some truly disgusting figures, and Topless Robot takes a hay-maker swing at some of the worst offenders.

The list is a who's who of terrible action figures (poor Wolverine catching more flack than any other character) and made me glad that the '90s were dead and gone. While reading the list, I couldn't help but think of the many other character franchises that could be staked out onto an anthill. I may be the world's biggest Batman action figure freak, but even I admit that the '90s were brutal to the poor Dark Knight. A lot of these figures were like a battle between ammo pouches and rippling muscles that don't actually exist in real human anatomy.

But I digress.

Head on over to Topless Robot to check out the list for yourself. And then try, just try, to not shake your head in dismay at Toybiz for their grunge-period toy atrocities. Just try it.