Sparse Updates Through Christmas

Hi, folks. Toy Remix is going to be updated fairly infrequently from now through Christmas. All right, so this thing updates infrequently about half the time anyway, but I usually don't know it's going to happen in advance: this time, I do.

This disruption of service is seasonal in nature: my wife and I run an intensive holiday blog called Mainlining Christmas, which tracks the effect watching dozens of holiday specials and listening to nothing but Christmas music nonstop has on a pair of hapless test subjects. Unfortunately, lacking anyone else crazy enough to serve as guinea pigs in our mad science project, we're forced to experience all ten metric tons of holiday cheer ourselves.

Mainlining Christmas updates a minimum of three times a day, so it requires pretty much all of my free time. I'll still post occasional toy reviews and pictures here (I've got some prepared in advance), but there are definitely going to be long stretches between posts.

They'll also be a handful of toy reviews going up on Mainlining Christmas this year, so it's worth checking even if you don't want to read about how much I hate the Alvin and the Chipmunks' Christmas album. Those of you with strong feelings about Christmas - both pro and con - will find much of interest at Mainlining Christmas, though.

Is it time for a bit of shameless self promotion already?

Sorry to hijack my blog for something unrelated to toys, but I've just self-published a collection of fantasy stories and wanted to spread the word. If you've got a Kindle, Nook, Kobo, or - heck - a computer screen, then all ten short stories could be yours for a measly $0.99.

Amazon has it available over here, B&N has it for the Nook here, and Smashwords has it for, well, absolutely everything. It's $0.99 no matter where you go, but if you're looking for a free sample, I'd head to Smashwords first (Amazon's sample cuts off halfway through the first story; Smashwords gives you one and a half).

I also have a couple of novels available in print, as well as in digital versions (see the sidebar for links if you're interested).

An Open Letter to PBS and the Makers of WordGirl

To Whom it May Concern:

We have a problem here. Not just any problem: we have a serious issue that we need to address.

The fact is, WordGirl has been in production for four or five years now, and I still can't buy an action figure. That's not okay.

Let me elucidate, so that the severity of the conundrum is clear. Or whatever.

See, I'm a huge superhero fan. I've read thousands of comics, seen almost every superhero movie ever made, and watched hundreds of hours of superhero cartoons. And I've noticed something interesting: whether a superhero story is good or not really comes down to whether the people writing that story understand superheroes. A lot of people don't. But you guys do.

WordGirl is an educational show intended for an audience of 6 - 12 years olds. I get that. But you've also made one of the best superhero shows currently on TV. It's funny, clever, and interesting. Plus, there's a villain with a mouse brain fused to his head.

Do you see why there's a problem? There's a villain with a mouse brain sticking out of his skull AND I CAN'T BUY A TOY AT TOYS R US.

Okay. I'm calm. Look, you know what? You can hold off on Dr. Two-Brains for a while. Maybe he can be in wave two. But the world really needs a WordGirl action figure. And we need it now.

I'm a grown man asking for a doll here. Come on. You know there's a market for this. Just promise me you'll look into it, all right? Just a WordGirl action figure.

Oh. And Captain Huggy Face. But that should go without saying.

Sincerely,

Erin Snyder

Toy Remix

Displayed: DC Universe

Two or three times a year, I pick up my DC Universe figures and reassemble the display shelf I have set up. Most of these are DC Universe Classics (or the Green Lantern Classics off-shoot), though there are also several DC Direct figures mixed in. About a third of the characters are wired up in flight: everyone else is either balanced, placed on a stand, or leaned against another character (or a Batcycle).

The flyers all stay in place; everyone else basically just topples over in time (which is why I decided to snap some pictures ASAP).

The big addition this year has been to the Lantern Corps. With the upcoming movie, I've been buying like crazy, and even trying my hand at a custom or two.

I know I mentioned this when I talked about the plastic appetizer swords I found in a party supply store, but I didn't have a photo available at the time. Here's Hal and Sinestro fighting (the yellow electricity on Sinestro's left arm came from the same Liada Shadowrun figure who donated her cape to the aforementioned custom Green Lantern I made.

Here's a quick shot of Batman and Catwoman hanging out in front of the Batcycle I repainted last year.

Welcome

Welcome to Toy Remix, sort of a spin-off of The Clearance Bin, a toy and action figure website I've been running for a few years now.

So. Why the new format? If you've been following me at The Clearance Bin, you've probably noticed that the posts are becoming less and less frequent. There are a couple of reasons for this: first, the Bin has always been a review site first and foremost. And, frankly, I feel like my reviews have gotten a bit redundant. For example, I recently picked up a handful of Mattel's new Green Lantern Classics figures. About 90% of what I have to say about them is identical to what I've already said about the DC Universe Classics figures that have been coming out for years. I'm getting tired of typing out the same junk about the same articulation, and I can't imagine anyone's getting a lot from reading it.

Second, my interests are changing. I'm collecting a lot less than I used to, mainly due to an ever dwindling supply of display space. At the same time, my wife's introduced me to the world of toy customizing; transforming store-bought figures into something new.

The Green-Lantern Corps Batman pictured above was my first full customization (though I've been customizing accessories a bit longer). I find the hobby extremely fulfilling; these days, I'm far more excited about my customs than the next wave of action figures hitting the shelves.

So, rather than continue devoting a few hours a week to writing reviews, I'm putting the Clearance Bin on hiatus and starting Toy Remix.

What can you expect? Toy Remix is going to be more discussion than review. I'm going to post pictures of customs I'm working on, as well as links to other (better) customizers out there - first and foremost, my own wife, Lindsay Stares, who makes things like this. Also, I'll offer my two cents on upcoming releases and news affecting the hobby.

I'll still let you know what I think of new releases I pick up, but don't expect anything formal. I'm certainly not saying I'll never review a figure again, but it's definitely time for a break.