LoEB Post - Alestorm Ahoy!

As I left the house this morning, I nearly tripped over a glass bottle on my front porch. I didn't give it much thought and was about to toss it in the recycle bin when I noticed it had a piece of paper in it.

I fished out the paper and unrolled it to reveal its single word message:

Pirates

After reading Shezcrafti's awesome entry in this week's League of Extraordinary Bloggers assignment, it gave me the idea for my own post. I wasn't quite sure where I'd be going with this post until then. Ice Pirates was all I had. Oh no! Space herpes!! As much fun(?) as it would be to do a post on this oddball flick, I passed on it for now.

Pull up a barrel and tap a keg of rum as I introduce you to Alestorm, a Scottish "pirate metal" band. They originally formed under the name Battleheart in 2006. In 2008 they changed their name to better fit their pirate influence. While their songs have an undeniably metal tempo, there's also a strong sea chanty element to them. "Wenches and Mead" here is one of my favorite tracks, which perfectly summarizes the mythical pirate life style.

You can find out more and download a couple of free mp3s on their website.

Hold on mateys, see what other League scallywags are talking about
First time Leaguer Combat Workshop turns the Joker into a pirate
Rediscover the 80s offers the 8 Best Animated Pirate Villains from the last 80s/early 90s
Sneak a look at a cool Pirate collectible minis game at Achievements in Gaming

    

Tron Goes Off the Grid?

 Midnight last night began the airing of the 19th, and likely final, episode of Tron: Uprising on Disney XD. As someone that's been a Tron fan since the original movie, the whole process of how the show has been handled has left me wondering how Disney can not stand behind one of its original properties. Granted Disney has never really been in the sci-fi biz (Lucasfilm acquisition aside) but they know there are fans out there otherwise we'd never have gotten a new movie so long after the original.

Until recent years, genre TV was something that didn't get much respect. When you add the fact that it's an animated series not aimed directly at kids and you'd be lucky to finish your first season. This show is definitely not a cash grab by Disney to crank out more Tron merchandise. I'm still finding the odd Legacy toy in some stores, two and a half years later.

I've been hooked on the show since day one. It's downright gorgeous in HD. They have a stellar cast of vocal talent including Bruce Boxlitner, Elijah Wood, Paul Reubens and Lance Henricksen. Heck, Mandy Moore is even really good in it. The soundtrack by Joseph Trapanese, who collaborated with Daft Punk on the Tron: Legacy soundtrack, is the next best thing to actually having Daft Punk. For this fan, the show was hitting all the right marks.

Uprising is an odd beast. Even though younger kids can watch it for the chases, fights, unique style and pretty colors, the story isn't aimed at their level. It never tries to be anything other than a mature animated series with interesting characters. Uprising has stayed consistent in tone following of a virus-infected Tron training his apprentice, Beck, to take down CLU.

Beck (posing as Tron) and Tron

No matter who they intended as the audience, moving it to a Sunday night midnight time slot is probably the quickest way to lose viewers and keep anyone from stumbling on it. I know the last movie got a lot of flack but I really enjoyed it. My biggest problem with it was how Tron himself was reduced to a very minor character that had a redemption arc that took all of five seconds. I know the films are about the Flynn Legacy but I feel Tron is every bit as important to the story since he sort of started this whole thing.

Uprising started to delve into Tron's character here and there and I was really hoping we'd get some of the missing pieces as to how he became Rinzler. Last night's episode had plenty of great action to it and seemed to have gotten Tron a cure for his virus. Which more than ever makes me want to know what happened to him before Legacy. The season (series?) ended on an amazing cliff hanger that I don't think we'll ever get to see play out.

 I know there's at least one Disney fan/full time artist out there that would love to continue this as a comic book and that would be fine with me!

Wallpaper images from this Tron: Uprising Flickr gallery.

Mailbox Invaders - LEGO & Living Dead

Here's some recent additions to my growing ranks of LEGO minifigs.

Thanks to a trade from all around cool guy William B West, I have the Series 9 Alien Avenger. But I like to call him Space Orc. He's a good counterpart to the Series 7 Galaxy Patrol (Space Marine). I have to wonder if they're both inspired by Warhammer 40k.

 

 It's almost too bad he's got the big armor chest piece. They put some nice detail into his torso. If you look at the larger version, you can see in the upper left of his chest it looks like a name written on it. My best guess is SHANI? Or maybe it's just some random characters.

These next two I got in trades from Miniature Trading which is an awesome site that matches you up with people around the world to swap! They also handle Playmobil and assorted card/mini games.

I'm glad this one is named Rocker Girl, because I don't know otherwise if I'd know she was a girl. Yes, she has lipstick and pink hair but she's also from the glam rock era so it could be a guy. I like how the lightning bolt carries across her face, top and guitar. The only problem with her is her long hair prevents you from turning her head side to side much.

As I mentioned previously, I set my sights on the Ocean King from Series 7 for his tail. Series 10 is supposed to have a Medusa figure but she'll probably have human legs. I want his tail to make an old school Clash of the Titans Medusa. Ok, so it's not exactly a snake tail...close enough! And I'll have to get her a bow of course!

This last one was a bargain score. I found it in Barnes & Noble in the 75% clearance bin. They still had a bit of Halloween stuff in there, but nothing very exciting. It was marked down because the box was open but the bag was still sealed so it was a mystery what I was getting.

This is Walpurigs from the Living Dead Dolls Mystery Box Series 2. She's about 2" tall and came with a cool goblin/bogey standup. She is the 2nd rarest version of this figure in the set with an 8% chance of scoring her in a box. Walpurgis Night is a European spring festival held exactly 6 months from Halloween.

LoEB Post - Spaaaaaaace Post!

I'd all but forgotten about my subspace radio gathering dust in the corner. It took me a moment to figure out where the noise was coming from when it suddenly sprang to life. It received a transmission regarding the League of Extraordinary Bloggers assignment for this week. Being as old as it is, I only managed to get one word of the message before the transistor tubes blew out and it died a smokey death:

Spacemen

This is why I upgraded to a hyperwave a few years back, I mean, who still uses a subspace receiver with transistor tubes in this day and age?

There are so many directions I could go with this. I could probably blog every day for a year on this topic and still have something to write about when finished. When I was knee-high to a Wookiee (you can use that), I was into the usual "boy stuff." Then Star Wars came along and changed everything.

Of course I had Star Wars toys but I also had all kinds of other sci-fi figures and ships that I barely remember. I had a pair of hardcover books about spaceships that have gorgeous art that were very near and dear to me, even if I didn't completely understand the text. One of them was called Spacecraft, 2000-2100 A.D.: Terran Trade Authority Handbook. I found a Flickr gallery someone posted so you can see some images that captured my young brain. I wish I could remember the name of the other book, it was very similar.

Ok, so those are spaceships and I'm supposed to be talking about spacemen. I threw together a gallery of vintage comic covers for that. I absolutely love the flimsy spacesuits, bubble helmets and ray guns. If you want to check out some of these comics in all their glory, I suggest you set your browser for The Digital Comics Museum. They have TONS of vintage comics and they're all legit and free.

Also, bonus points for you if you got the joke in the post title. If you didn't, well, don't feel bad. It probably works better as an audio joke that a written one.

Other League members have taken off as well

The Goodwill Geek showcases plenty of pop culture spacemen
LEGO my spaceman! says The Mos Espa Collection

Memories of Toymorrow features the rockin-est Spaceman of all

Book of the Moment - Lucky at Cards

Get Lucky at Cards by Lawrence Block (1964)

I've been a long time fan of pulp but haven't really dipped into the realm of "real world" crime pulp. Usually in the crime pulps I read there is a buff bronze-skinned super-genius, a mystery man that can cloud the minds of men or some other fantastical element.

The Salem Library has a table where they sell books cheap and I found this for 50 cents. Even though it's a modern reprint, it has classic pulp art from the 60s which immediately caught my eye and made me give it the once over. The brief summary on the back tells of an on the run cardsharp who falls for the wife of his latest mark and their hatching a scheme to get rid of her husband. Gambling, infidelity and possibly murder? That pretty much sold me on it.

Block describes how the main character cheats at cards with the same skill Ian Fleming would talk about any card game Bond ever played. Even if it's not something you'd normally be interested in, he makes it interesting. The lingo is dealt out in such a way to make you feel like you're part of the scene instead of just reading a book.

The rest of the text is exactly what I'd expect in a hard-boiled crime novel: plenty of smoking, drinking, the occasional roll in the sheets and of course, the best laid plans falling apart. There was also the laugh out loud use of the phrase "genital gymnastics."

Here's another sample:

"Joyce walked toward me. Gears locked within me. I didn't move toward or away from her. I stood very still and she came closer. Her breasts jutted out like mortar shells. I could smell her perfume mingling with the hot animal scent of her body. She came closer, and I felt her body heat, and her lips were inches from mine. If I raised her face or lowered mine I could have kissed her. I didn't."

They don't write em like that anymore! Of course I enjoy the usual larger than life heroes and crazy things that tend to happen in other pulps but they all share a unique language which is something that keeps me coming back for more.

Prior to this, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this type of story firmly rooted in our mundane day-to-day world but now I know better. I'll definitely be checking out more in this genre. You can read a sample chapter on the Hard Case Crime site.

Rating: 4 out of 5 marked cards

S.L.U.G. Zombies Series 4 Stragglers

Today we're cleaning up the final remnants of S.L.U.G. Zombies Series 4 zombies. That may sound like it came from the department of redundancy department, but there's still one more post coming to cover the Series 4 non-zombies. There's no theme linking these together which is why they're all piled into one post.

Dismembered Dennis

Previous Job: Head Engineer

Likes: Overnight shipping

Dislikes: Return to sender

Favorite Food: Sweet & Sour Sternum

Probably my least favorite Series 4 "figure." Sure, he looks ok in a diorama but there's not a lot of play value for a dismembered zombie in a stack of crates. I suppose you could paint him up to look like a murder victim instead of a zombie and set up your own mini crime scene. Looks like this guy (puts on sunglasses) went to pieces. YEEEEEEAAAAAHHHH!!!

LoEB Post - Giddy Up!

I'm not sure what's going on with Brian over at Cool and Collected lately. The assignment from the League of Extraordinary Bloggers this week has again arrived via an unusual courier. This time a satchel was tossed at me from a careening stage coach and before I could say "howdy" I was left coughing in a dust cloud. I was nearly trampled by a pair of horseman following the coach with kerchiefs covering the bottom halves of their faces.
I bet they didn't have a problem with the dust.

I opened the satchel to find a six shooter and a telegram with a single word on it...

-.-. --- .-- -... --- -.-- ...
(Cowboys)

I'll be the first to tell you, I've never been much into Western-type things. I don't recall watching any as a kid, my Saturdays were spent playing with space toys, reading superhero comics and watching Creature Double Feature on WLVI 56. One thing I do remember for some reason is having a 12" Lone Ranger figure along with Silver and a covered wagon.

Image from Plaid Stallions

Aside from that, most of my Western education has consisted of what I call "Hollywood Westerns": Blazing Saddles, Young Guns and Tombstone. I remember going to see Unforgiven when it was released because it was supposed to be a big deal that Eastwood was back for another Western. I recall I enjoyed it but couldn't tell you a thing about it today.

I never even watched Bravestarr or Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, although I did play the video game.

In more recent decades I discovered Westworld, which I highly recommend, and I suppose technically we can lump Firefly in there too. Last year I saw Hannie Caulder and it was Awesome! Does it get any better than a sexy woman out for revenge?
Hell hath no fury and all that...

This year I've taken in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which I really liked but the music made it a little weird. And just yesterday, in preparation for the next Cult Film Club podcast, I watched the original 1966 Django. Another one for the plus column. Sure the dubbing makes it seem poorly acted but it's great fun.

I'm into movies where even the good guys walk the gray area of morality. This would be a great area to inspire future Star Wars films, Disney. You listening? I definitely think there will be more cinematic trips to the Old West in my future.

Here's a round up of other League members
 Branded in the 80s recalls the 3.75" Lone Ranger figures
Animated Cowboys and Aliens are featured at Rediscover the 80s
Flashlights Are Something to Eat is the rootin-est tootin-est cowboy of all

LEGO Minifig Series 9 - Mr Good and Evil

I thought I'd give you guys a break from the S.L.U.G. Zombies today. My LEGO store finally got in the latest Series 9 of minifigs. I got the guy below and the Marilyn Monroe-ish Hollywood Starlet. Marilyn is winging her way across the country to a new home in exchange for a Cyclops. Sweet deal, right?

This is "Mr Good and Evil" or as I like to call him Victorian Two-Face. I really like him but think it might have been interesting to give him a double-sided head with Good and Evil each having their own side. But then do you leave the clothing half tattered the way it is?
Maybe he's mid-transformation.

While poking around the interwebs for LEGO info, I found this post from November which has reliable intel on upcoming Series 10 and 11. Seeing that Medusa has got me thinking I'll need to get King Neptune from Series 7 to use his green tail in place of her legs to make a Clash of the Titans-type Medusa.

Mailbox Invaders - Underscoopfire Surprise Gift

Much like fellow blogger Jaime of Shezcrafti.com, I found a mysterious package on my porch yesterday from Howie Decker, head honcho over at Underscoopfire.com. And also like hers, mine included a handwritten note thanking me for visiting and posting to the site. It was written on a printout of what I'm presuming to be the four people that posted most on the site in 2012. For the record, I came in 4th only 1 post behind Jaime. Next time, Gadget!

Before we get to the eye goodies, I need to plug Underscoopfire again. If you're following me, you should check them out as well, they're all about pop culture, specifically for kids of the 80s. You can also check them out on the tweets. 

Not only did Howie send me some neat stuff for hanging around the site but they also have a rewards program where you get points for every visit and post. You can redeem them for gift cards and other stuff. I got a $10 GC for Barnes & Noble just from participating on the site. Not bad for free!

Here's what was in the box (it was not a head). Unlike Jaime, I tore into the two blind bagged Grab Zag items before the thought of a camera entered my tiny instant gratification brain.

The little Marvel things are a Spider-Man pen (black suit no less!) and a pair of flashlight/projectors for Ghost Rider and Capt. America. The Hawkeye thing is a disc launcher. Not long after this photo, I ripped into the Bill & Ted cards to find out if I was a winner. The scratch off card said "Sorry, Dude! Try again!"

This looks like a cool set because it covers both movies maybe even the cartoon but I didn't get any cards in my pack to prove that.

If you look really close, you'll see that middle-ish card of our heroes is not in fact our heroes! They're the TV incarnations. The what?! I remember the cartoon, the action figures and the cereal but not a live action show. After checking out IMDB, I now am on a mission to find any scrap of it to see Lisa Wilcox (Alice in the Nightmare on Elm St films) as Missy, Bill's young stepmom.

I'm going to see how long I can hold out on opening those Alf cards. It wouldn't be an issue but I noticed it has a Bouillabaseball card in it and I kinda want to see it.

S.L.U.G. Zombies - Wastin Away Again

Here's another trio of gruesome ghoulies from Series 4. This group is a bit more loosely connected than the last group. Why I feel the need to put them together by theme?
I don't know.

Jamaica Me Sick

Previous Job: Guitarist for Jimmy & the Moaners
Likes: Voodoo & incense
Dislikes: Da mon, mon!
Favorite Food: Jerk Chicken with Mashed Toes

Is he a zombie or a sun-baked beach bum with a guitar? Either way, he probably smells about the same. JMS is a middle of the road figure for me, not great and not horrible. At least he's missing both shoes.

Gangrene Gene

Previous Job: Tiki bar mixologist
Likes: Parrots & Gettin caught in the rain
Dislikes:  Disobedient dogs
Favorite Food: Key Lime Kidney with French Fried Fingers

I'll get to his dislikes in a minute but first, let's check out the detail on Gene: patterned Hawaiian shirt, lei, a single earring and a tropical drink (maybe a piña colada?) in a skull with a tiny umbrella. And he's still got both his flip flops. He's a great figure!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention his gnawed on right leg and missing hand...

Ferocious Frankie

Previous Job: Pet to Gangrene Gene
Likes: Fire hydrants & squirrels
Dislikes: Rolled up newspapers, Piece Mail Pete
Favorite Food: Whatever she can sink her teeth into!

Frankie is maybe the only figure whose bio specifically mentions other S.L.U.G. Zombies. Piece Mail Pete is a mailman from series 1. She's also only the second animal that's been released, the first being the lab monkey Mr Jingles from series 2. It's hard to see in the photo, but she has a bandana tied around her neck.

Because it mentions she is, or used to be, Gene's dog, there's no doubt that she's got Gene's hand in her mouth. The two of them even come in the same 3-pack! These two look great setup next to each other, instantly making a scene.

S.L.U.G. Zombies - Burgers & Brains

 

Stay cool, daddio! Today you're going to meet some not so swingin cats from S.L.U.G. Zombies Series 4. I got a lot more figures to feature and these are all thematically linked so we're throwin caution to the wind and taking on not one, not two, but three brainy boppers.

Let's all go to the lobby.

Let's all go to the lobby.

Let's all go to the lobby and grab ourselves a shotgun.

2 Scoops-Too-Late Steve

Previous Job: Ice Cream Man
Likes: Slow cruisin' & exact change
Dislikes: Freezer burn
Favorite Food: Orange Screamsicles 

Steve's got all the details to make a winning figure from the coin changer on his belt to the tiny pen in his pocket. At first glance, I just presumed he had a normal ice cream cone. Then I noticed something hanging off the back of it. Closer inspection showed it's not ice cream, it's intestines! And to top it all off is a nice juicy eyeball! And look! He's missing one shoe!

Gruesome Gabe

Previous Job: Slacker

Likes: Zombie rumbles

Dislikes: Preppies

Favorite Food: Grilled Head Cheese Sandwich & Maggot Malt

What drive-in or burger joint would be complete without a nogoodnik greaser hanging around? Just check out that chest wound. He's also sportin a cool leather jacket (minus a sleeve), a tough guy chain and three quarters a pair of sneakers. This guy has one of my favorite face sculpts so far. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention it's not easy slicking your hair back after you've been dead awhile?

Moldy Moxie

Previous Job: Carhop waitress
Likes: Drag races at the drive-in
Dislikes: Pennies & personal checks
Favorite Food: Ice Cranium Sundae

While Steve's tending the counter, someone has to be bringing food out to the cars. And Moxie's the right gal for the job with her skates, they even have stoppers on the front. I just wouldn't let her stick anything to far in your window. And what's that on her tray? It looks like Gruesome Gabe's favorite: Grilled Head Cheese Sandwich & Maggot Malt! I'm not sure what happened to Moxie, but it looks like someone got fresh with her..

I don't know about you, but I love 50's car culture, burger joints and drive-ins so these figures really knock it out of the park for me. More figures to come next week!

LoEB Post - Spies!

This week's assignment from the League of Extraordinary Bloggers was delivered by someone claiming to be a diplomatic courier. The shifty-eyed man handed me a manilla envelope and promptly vanished into the surroundings. How he knew I was in the women's undergarments department in Target, I have no idea. I opened the envelope and extracted a piece of paper upon which was written one word: 

Spies.

In keeping with this theme, I'm going to take you undercover and introduce you to a couple of 60's spy films that are not as widely known as many others. Would you believe a spy spoof starring actors from American International's Edgar Allen Poe and beach party movies? I defy you to watch this trailer for Dr Goldfoot and The Bikini Machine and not want to see it!

Dr Goldfoot was released in 1965, one year after Goldfinger. Not only does it have an all star cast, but the title track was sung by The Supremes and it features an opening claymation sequence done by none other than Art Clokey, creator of Gumby.

In a 1987 interview, Vincent Price stated the original concept for the movie was to have it be a campy musical. What he didn't mention was if these scenes were shot or if the musical numbers were completely cut before shooting started. However, the 1965 TV Special The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot featured several songs that were to be in the movie.

There are in-jokes throughout the movie that might be missed unless you fall in a specific demographic: those that are familiar with the Frankie & Annette beach movies and the Vincent Price Poe movies. Don't get me wrong, if you aren't familiar with them you'll still enjoy the movie because of the wacky zaniness of it all. Or was that zany wackiness? There's a reason I listed it in my Top 10 Price Films.

The climax of the movie is an insane vehicular chase which you can see parts of in the trailer. I think it's safe to say you'll never see another movie where a boat on a trailer is being pursued by a runaway cable car.

Dr. Goldfoot returned to theaters the following year with his Girl Bombs to get revenge. This time facing off against Fabian in a movie directed by famed Italian director Mario Bava who also directed the fantastic spy movie Danger: Diabolik (look that one up kids!)

There are two cuts of Dr. Goldfoot and His Girl Bombs. The English language version is the one most people that have actually seen this will have seen. There is an Italian cut that supposedly focuses more on comedy duo Franco and Ciccio than Price and the other American actors. It's not really all that surprising considering the comedy duo and director are Italian and the Bikini Machine did slightly better in Italy than in the US.

I'm not going to lie, this one isn't nearly as much fun as the first one. If I wasn't a Price fan, I probably wouldn't remember as little about it as I do. Is it worth seeing? Only you can make that call. I purposely sit through some bad movies and sometimes I end up enjoying them. But seriously, if you want an awesome Bava spy movie, check out Danger: Diabolik.

Here's what other League agents are reporting
Rich at Fortune and Glory Days debriefs his childhood spy gear
The Captain Action Spy figure is caught on film by Infinite Hollywood
That Figures talks about the not so famous board game Microdot

S.L.U.G Zombies - Decomposing Dan

The S.L.U.G Zombies are starting to pile up around here like...um...like a stack of dead bodies. I you've been on the fence about picking some of these guys up, Target has them on clearance: $5 for a 12 pack and $2 for the 3 packs. You can't beat that with a dismembered arm! Series 3 seems to be the most plentiful around me. Today I found eight cases of Series 3 coffins at one store!

The most recent series 4 I've only found briefly at one store but managed to get almost all of them in one shot. Jakks Pacific did something a little different with Series 4. In previous series you had to buy the 12 pack and all four of the 3 packs because each 3 pack had one unique figure in it. So you'd end up with 8 duplicates of ones you got in the 12 pack.

With Series 4, two of the 3 packs are all duplicates of those in the 12 pack. You only have to get the other two 3 packs to complete the 16 figure series. Good news for collectors, but I'm not sure what this blowout clearance means for the future of these lil green guys.

Now that I've thrown lots of numbers in your face, let's get on with the introductions!

Decomposing Dan

Previous Job: Painter
Likes: Muscle cars & candy bars
Dislikes: Working overtime
Favorite Food: Peanut butter n' belly sandwich

Now the first thing you might notice about Dan here is that someone decided to give him a hand with his painting. Ok, it's more likely that he took it from someone...along with their forearm! He's also got quite the nasty wound on his right knee where you can see bone poking out. No happy little trees for this painter!

I'm guessing that's his tongue hanging out between his teeth because you know, when you're making arts you do that thing where you stick your tongue out to make it come out better. It would have been kinda fun if they made it his ear instead, a la Van Gogh. Like plenty other S.L.U.G. Zombies, he's missing one shoe. Somewhere in this city is a massive pile of mismatched shoes. It's a conspiracy!

Decomposing Dan is a great example of what the typical S.L.U.G. Zombie can be.

If you have spares figures and want to trade, check out the Toy Trading tab and maybe we can swap some zombies.

Famous Last Words Friday - Epic Stupidity

Let's face it, characters in a horror story make epically bad choices in the face of adversity. There's always that one point where you're practically yelling at them "Wait! Stop! Don't!". Or maybe you're that person and you are actually yelling at them.

Today I present the King of Bad Decisions.

Is he doing it on purpose? 

Does he have a death wish? 

Does he just have a curiosity that can only be sated by death? 

You be the judge...

If there's one thing these panels have in common, it's that you could add "and they were never seen again" after any of them and that could be the end right there.
But no, they have to break open the box that says "do not open".

Oh look Virginia, we found a Book of Demons in the locked chest.
Let's open it!
Sidenote: Who was the idiot that left the key with the book?

I know it's only been 5 panels, but let's review.
Break open chest that warns not to open it? Check.
Unlock book that will let Satan's minions loose on Earth? Check.
Read mystic incantation to release demons? Check.

Virginia, you need to leave this guy and just run!
Or maybe it would be better for all of us if you knock his ass out...

This guy doesn't mess around! Not only is he cool with reading an incantation to let a demon loose, but he goes starts with Satan! After that, he's going through the rest of the book!
 Well buddy, I think you deserve what's coming.
Sidenote: all this happens and it's only page 3!

Halloween Garage Additions

It's only the 2nd day of the year and I've already got two new additions to the Halloween Garage! First up is the Hot Wheels 2003 Pheaton from the Sega Games Series.
In 2013, this car will have its 22nd release since 1999.

I found this one at a local closeout chain called Special Thoughts. Something I didn't realize until checking it out on the Hot Wheels Wiki, the roof is removable. Probably not advisable if you're going zombie hunting. The use of the green and red really makes the floating faces pop on the black background.

The next addition is a new 2013 release, Baja Bone Shaker. Even though it said new for 2013, I was pretty sure I'd seen it before, maybe even owned one already.

I was partially right. The body of the car is from Bone Shaker which has more variations and releases since 2006 than I care to count! Batfans might recognize it from the recent Batman 5-pack as the Joker's car. For the Baja release, they closed the top, added flood lights, a brushbreaker and a spare tire in the back as well as terrain appropriate muddy wheels.

I've seen "variants" on some where only the front or back wheels are the muddy color and the other plain black. I'm not a variant chaser and don't like the way the mixed wheels look anyway, so I'm good with this version.

The card art shows the car with the original street tires instead of the off road ones.

Monthly Movie Recap - December 2012

Here it is, my last movie recap of the year. I took in quite a few holiday horror flicks this month in the spirit of Creepmas. Clicking on the linked titles will take you to Amazon so you can purchase these fine, fine movies.

The Wraith (1986)
Tick another unseen 80s classic off the list thanks to the Cult Film Club Podcast. I don't know how I missed some of these movies in the 80s. I liked it now and I would have loved it then.

Cool: The car!; Clint Howard with an Eraserhead 'do; the drive-in
Lame: Are we really not supposed to be able to figure out who the Wraith is? Also, it's kinda stupid that his main way of getting rid of people is forcing them to drive into his exploding car.
Rating: 7/10, it's like a sci-fi, non-emo version of The Crow