Fisher Price Imaginext Catwoman (and Catcycle)

A long, long time ago I bought and reviewed a couple of Imaginext DC figures over at the Clearance Bin. This was before the existence of the similarly scaled Action League figures, and at the time I thought they'd be the closest I'd ever come to having a DC analog to Marvel's Superhero Squad.

Obviously, Mattel eventually did produce the Action League figures, so I made the jump. While I've occasionally considered more of the Fisher Price figures, I've ultimately stayed away. It's not that I haven't liked the toys (I have), it's just that they never became a priority.

The only time I was tempted was with this set, which appeared in Toys R Us stores earlier this year. I almost bought it several times, but somehow convinced myself I didn't need it.

On a recent visit to a Big Lots, I saw one going for just $5.50 (which I think is a few bucks less than Toys R Us was asking, though to be honest I can't recall the exact amount). At any rate, you can already see I broke down.

While the line is pretty good overall, this is probably the coolest figure they've produced. They went with the modern catsuit, which is my favorite version of the costume (though the old purple version is a close second). The bright blue goggles look fantastic, too.

The strong point of this set is the accessories. The whip is decent for this scale and fits nicely in Selena's hand. She also comes with a growling cat, which is surprisingly creepy up close.

Last but certainly not least, she comes with a cat-cycle, which is really something. The design exudes silver age silliness, particularly in the front. It has a couple modes, courtesy of a play feature that pops the wheels forward with the press of a button. The "tail" is articulated, giving you a couple of options.

It's a fun little toy and - compared to the more "collector friendly" figures on the market - a hell of a bargain at less than six bucks. There's nothing wrong with a toy that geared towards a younger market, and, frankly, with the over-sexualization present in Catwoman's comics (and many of the toys/statues on the market), it's kind of refreshing seeing a version of the character that's kid friendly.

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.

Picture: Hello There

Whatnot Workshop

A few years ago, FAO Schwartz installed a Whatnot Workshop in the corner of their flagship store in New York. My wife and I considered buying one, but we were bothered by two things: first, you select the eyes, hair, and nose you want, and those are then sewed on. Since the actual Whatnots were meant to be modifiable, the parts were attached with pins or velcro on the Muppet Show and Sesame Street. That means the ones at FAO Schwartz aren't really authentic. Secondly, they cost a hundred freaking dollars each.

Well, with the new Muppet movie coming out, FAO Schwartz and their corporate overlords at Toys R Us decided to cash in on the success of the workshop by offering packaged versions with interchangeable parts. Best of all, they're priced at a more reasonable $60.

Okay, that's still a lot. But the toy's pretty cool and it gives you a good sense of what it would be like to operate a Muppet. At this price point, I will say I feel a little cheated on the accessories. There's three noses, eye sets, and wigs, along with a rod to operate his arms. They could have tossed in some costumes and/or extra eyes (I'd like to have gotten more variation). But it wouldn't be too hard to customize these: hell, with a little work, we could probably figure out what size he/she wears and pick up some baby clothes.

The package claims this is an FAO Schwartz exclusive, but that's bunk. When Toys R Us bought FAO's soul, they got access to their exclusives, as well. We picked this up at a Toys R Us on Long Island, and I'm betting they're available all over the country.

Amazon Exclusive Star Trek Data PADD Replica

I don't usually buy high-end stuff: it's generally out of my price range. But when I heard Amazon was producing a Star Trek data PADD (Personal Access Display Device) replica, I got interested. Another company has been offering a similar replica for five hundred bucks, while Amazon was charging less than half that much.

I broke down and ordered one. It came a few days ago, and I've been playing with it ever since. Due to Star Trek's myriad incarnations, they had some freedom designing what's clearly a "iconic" interpretation of the Data PADD. While I'd have preferred something a little more boxy and old school, I appreciate the more "Next Gen" version they went with.

It's a little small, but like I said, with all the different versions that have appeared in the Star Trek franchise over the years, it's got to be accurate to some incarnation or another. Due to Trek's popularity, there are larger versions sold by competing retailers, but those are the aforementioned $500 models. Thanks, but I think I'll stick with this one.

It's pretty cool, with a bright, adjustable display and speakers. Surprisingly, it doesn't come preloaded with any Star Trek images or sounds, though it does offer WI-FI access if you want to hop online and download some.

At $200, it's certainly pricey, but not compared to some of the high-end replicas out there. This fits in perfectly with the Diamond Select Star Trek accessories I've already got.

Apparently, this is one of Amazon's best sellers right now. I never realized there were so many cosplayers out there....

Picture: Vaudeville

Steppin' Out Rowlf

For years, Animal was my favorite Muppet. But, as I grew older, I changed my mind. That honor now belongs to Rowlf and I finally decided I've been without an action figure of the character for far too long.

Performed by Henson himself, Rowlf was the first of the major Muppets. Originally appearing in a dog food commercial in 1962, he picked up a recurring gig on The Jimmy Dean Show a year later. Whether or not it was intentional, I always felt like this informed his character on The Muppet Show and the movies. While the others seemed worried most of the time, Rowlf was generally more laid back. He seemed to have a better grasp on show business, like he'd been in the game longer. Kermit and Piggy always felt like they were struggling to build up their careers, but Rowlf always felt like his time had passed, like he was a part of the fading vaudeville era the Muppets are a tribute to. Although he never came off as bitter or upset, I always felt like there was a melancholy subtext to his character.

Well, years and years ago, Palisades produced a "Steppin' Out" Rowlf figure, which was available at comic, toy, and some other spots for a while. I'm sure I came across him once or twice - this would have roughly corresponded to when I'd just started collecting toys - and passed him by. Yeah. Live and learn.

I found this one loose on Ebay. He had all his original accessories, with the exception of his stand (identical to several others I have, anyway). He wasn't cheap, but he was more reasonable than what packaged ones are going for. My wife, also a lifelong Muppets fan, didn't object, so I bit the bullet and ordered the figure.

The figure himself is great, both in terms of sculpt and paint. The articulation is on the low side, but he has enough to pull off the poses you need. His ears are articulated, which I like.

As a result of being used, my figure has several paint scuffs on him, but that's the cost of buying used. At some point, my wife and I might see about cleaning him up, but I took pictures of him as he is.

In some ways, the accessories are as impressive as the figure himself. The figure came with two things: a scale bust of Beethoven and a scale grand piano. As awesome as the bust is, I don't think it'll surprise anyone to hear the piano is my favorite of the two accessories. Actually, in this scale, it might be my single favorite accessory ever produced.

This came disassembled, both when I bought it and in its original packaging. The legs snap in securely and hold the body up. The top opens and is held in place by a moving peg. In addition, the keys are protected by a hinged cover, and the music stand flips up or down. The whole thing is made of hollow plastic, but it looks fantastic. Once again, there are some paint scuffs on the piano, as well as the figure.
The bust is accurate to how I remember it portrayed on the show.

Given what the toy I'm looking at cost me, I'd rather not consider how little it was when originally released. Years ago, when these first hit store shelves, this would have run you about eight bucks. Now, used, it ran me $56 with shipping. That's how it goes sometimes. If I'd wanted one in the package, I'd have been looking closer to a hundred bucks - ouch.

But it was worth every penny.