Picture: Justice

This should make more sense tomorrow.

World's Famous Dog Play Sets

Not "World Famous," mind you: the packaging states these are "World's Famous." Oops.

These are another find at the Toys R Us Express in Queens. The green sticker means they were 70% off, so I paid $1.35 a pack. Not bad, though not quite a steal.

These are fine for what they are, which is cheap miniature plastic animals. And when I say fine, that's all I mean. They look all right, but the plastic paws, particularly on the smaller dogs, are way too soft and rubbery.

I picked up three packs: two with the German Shepherd and one with the retriever. I haven't found a use for the others yet, but I'm working on a custom project using one of the German Shepherds as a base. More on that in a day or two.

To Those Who Have Sired an Heir - We Salute You

Happy Father's Day

Custom: JLU Ra's Al Ghul

I feel weird posting a custom Ra's so soon after the DC Direct head swap. I certainly like the character, but he's getting a little more attention here than he probably should.

This was actually more a custom of opportunity than anything else. I bought a Speed Racer Captain Terror action figure, and he came with that awesome cape. It reminded me of the type Ra's is always wearing, and that got me thinking.

First up, I'm well aware how far off model I am. Ra's cape is traditionally green, his clasp is different, and he's generally depicted in a vest, not a suit. But there's a perfectly good reason for the changes.

I was lazy.

Besides the cape, this was put together using an old Batman: TAS Ra's and a JLU Old Man Bruce figure from the Batman Beyond 3-pack.

I was actually planning on just using Bruce's arms on a Two-Face body until I removed Bruce's overcoat and discovered he was the same figure underneath. Live and learn.

A head swap and some paint later, and he's ready to show off his new cape. Not too shabby, I think.

I'd be remiss not to mention that this isn't the only JLU Ghul custom we own in this scale and style. My wife made an awesome Talia a few years back. You can find pictures here.

Action League Batman with Batcycle

I came across this in a Lots Less in Downtown Manhattan for $7.99 and couldn't decide whether or not to buy it. Well, the coin came up heads, so here we are.

This is a pretty cool toy, all things considered. The bike is obviously the high point here, and it's a nice, generic version of Batman's ride. It's a deformed version of Bat's bike in Brave and the Bold, which is in turn a deformed version of various cycles he's had in the comics. Like all the Brave and the Bold Action League toys, it's not really clear what connects this to the show as opposed to DC Comics in general. But the line has now spun off to include the larger comics Universe, so... problem solved.

The figure himself is a little dull, but he's really just here to sit on the bike. I'm a glad he can actually hold the handlebars and fits in the seat. On the other hand, that meant skipping the cape, which doesn't do the figure - or his balance - any favors. A cloth cape, or maybe just a detachable one, would have been a nice touch.

Batman's weapon isn't all that exciting either. I'm not really sure what it's even supposed to be. It looks kind of like a battering-ram gun or something. The design is reminiscent of firing projectiles conforming to over-sensitive safety regulations. But this doesn't fire: it's all one molded piece.

Whatever. The bike's cool, which is all that really matters. At eight bucks, this feels fair, though still not much of a bargain. Six would be less ambiguous, but the $10 - $15 Toys R Us has been asking is just ridiculous. Still, it's a nice piece, and I'm happy to add it to my collection.

Not everyone's glad to see it, though. In fact, Robin's downright pissed. He's asked if he could have the sidecar back:

Joking aside, I find it intriguing that the bike works as well as it does with six inch figures. If you were to replace the wheels with ones larger further down and sculpt out the bottom, you could conceivably turn this into a Batcycle suitable for 6 inch figures.

Not that I'm going to, at least any time soon. I'm happy with this toy as is. Besides, I've already got a 12th scale custom Batcycle:

Pretty in Green

Beautiful, isn't it? For only a few dollars at your local CVS, you too could have a lovely plastic bracelet and earring set. Absolutely stunning.

Just make sure you're careful when you cut the band: otherwise the beads go flying everywhere.

Remember that custom Green Lantern figure I made a while back? Remember when I said I  wanted to get him a marble or something to use as a crystal ball? Well, I came across this before I found a marble.

It's a good size, good color, and the holes actually make it easier for him to hold. I'll keep my eyes open in case I find something better, but for the time being I'm pretty happy. Here's what he looks like in flight:

Photo: Iron Man Armor

I'm happy to say this is less complicated than it looks. What you're looking at is an upside down Hall of Armor Iron Man stand on top of a Halo 3 Cortana base. Both use similar blue LEDs, and they complement each other nicely.

When I bought that Cortana base for five bucks, there was a bin full of the damned things. And I only bought one. Yup. Kicking myself.