I
have never been aroused by an action figure, not even the Adult
Superstars Brianna Banks figure. But if it was going to happen, it
would’ve been because of a purple chick with lightsabers.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Toy Review – Masters of the Universe Classics Huntara from Mattel
Labels:
action figures,
Grace Jones,
Huntara,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
Princess of Power,
She-Ra,
toy reviews

Monday, March 30, 2015
Toy Review – Masters of the Universe Classics 2015 Club Eternia Exclusive Oo-Larr from Mattel
Labels:
action figures,
He-Man,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com,
Oo-Larr,
toy reviews

Friday, March 27, 2015
Toy Review – WWE WrestleMania Heritage Series Undertaker from Mattel
I
wanted to close the week out with a Superstar that is not only one of
the greatest and most respected of all time, but that is also
synonymous with WrestleMania.
Labels:
action figures,
mattel,
toy reviews,
undertaker,
wrestlemania,
wrestling,
wrestling toys,
wwe,
WWE Elite Series,
wwf

Needless Things Podcast 51 – WrestleMania 31
Listen
up, Phantomaniacs – it’s that magical time of year when the WWE
comes to the forefront of the entertainment world and puts everything
it’s got into producing the biggest, wildest, and most entertaining
spectacle of the whole year!
Labels:
Dork Droppings,
ESO Network,
Gnoll,
Mike Gordon,
Needless Things Podcast,
New Legend Productions,
wrestlemania,
wrestling,
Wrestling With Pop Culture,
wwe

Thursday, March 26, 2015
Toy Review – WWE WrestleMania Heritage Series Kane from Mattel
Let’s
talk about Kane.
I
have no idea how to talk about Kane.
I
have a lot of respect for the guy as a performer. He has taken
everything that WWF/E has handed him over the years and made the best
of it. He has been terrifying, powerful, tragic, and even at times
hilarious. It’s interesting to note that at this point in his
career, Kane has spent more time unmasked than masked, though I will
always prefer the menacing, masked Big Red Machine over Corporate
Kane or any other maskless variations.
Obviously
I like masks.
Labels:
Kane,
mattel,
wrestlemania,
wrestling,
wrestling toys,
wwe,
WWE Elite Series,
wwf

Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Toy Review – WWE Elite Series 33 Junkyard Dog from Mattel
My
earliest memories of Junkyard Dog are of a bunch of ladies talking
about how handsome he was.
I
cannot remember the setting. I don’t know if it was at an aunt’s
house or a military base or a gas station. I have no idea. But I
remember hearing ladies saying things to the effect of , “Oh, my,
what a big, handsome man.” And looking up and seeing JYD’s face
on the TV screen, then a shot of him dancing on the ring apron. I
don’t know that I thought of him as particularly good-looking, but
he sure did seem like fun.
Labels:
action figures,
Junkyard Dog,
mattel,
Rock N' Wrestling,
toy reviews,
wrestlemania,
wwe,
WWE Elite Series,
wwf

Where's The Attitude?
If you were to ask most fans of
wrestling or people who used to be fans of wrestling about the
attitude era of the WWE (WWF at the time) you will likely get the
same response. “Man, thats when wrestling was good,” is a common
response which isnt entirely accurate. I mean sure, the attitude era
offered us a lot of good stuff. I mean we got StoneCold Steve Austin,
Triple H, The Rock, and Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love becoming huge
stars by doing some outlandish things, crazy interviews and
ridiculous bumps. We got some great catchphrases such as “Austin
3:16 says I just whooped your ass” and “If you smell what the
Rock is cooking.” I mean hell, we even got a sock that was more
over than some of the wrestlers. And lets not forget The Undertaker
crucifying Stone Cold Steve Austin to his symbol or the dark wedding
between Undertaker and Stephanie McMahon.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Toy Review – WWE Amazon Exclusive Mankind from Mattel
I
used to really like – nay, adore
– Mick Foley.
He
was a hero to me for the many different things that he not only
pursued, but excelled at. There’s no questioning that he’s a
bona-fide wrestling Legend. He changed the face of the business and
is one of the greatest sports entertainers to have ever entered the
ring. I can’t mention Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, Ric Flair, or The
Rock without mentioning Mick Foley. He was an innovator and a
trendsetter like none other.
Labels:
action figures,
Mankind,
mattel,
Mick Foley,
toy reviews,
wrestlemania,
wrestling,
wwe,
WWE Elite Series,
wwf

WrestleMania Week - Mike Nelson on WrestleMania 31
Mike
Nelson is the Content Owner/Manager for Youtube Channels Trexlight and Nerds of the Apocalypse, has been a lifelong wrestling fan. Much of his fandom
comes from the days of ECW and knowing Paul Heyman was possibly one of
the best promoters in Professional Wrestling.
Labels:
Mike Nelson,
Nerds of the Apocalypse,
Trexlight,
wrestlemania,
wrestling,
wrestling commentary,
wwe

Monday, March 23, 2015
WrestleMania Week Toy Review – WWE Defining Moments Hulk Hogan from Mattel
I
have found that my own personal case of Hulkamania has been creeping
back over the past few years.
Not
for the present day Hulk Hogan - the one that wears black jeans and
has douchey tattoos and makes me sad when he shows up in WWE because
his spirit is absolutely gone. Also not for WCW Hulk Hogan, who
coasted along for two years before catching fire again as Hollywood
Hulk Hogan after horning his way in on the nWo gimmick.
No,
I’m reliving my childhood love of the Hulkster of the WWF Rock N’
Wrestling era. The irresistible force that told me to say my prayers,
eat my vitamins, and believe in myself. The golden superman that
might get knocked down, but always got back up. The head Hulkamaniac
that ignored his doctor’s advice and defended his WWF Championship
against King Kong Bundy in the STEEL CAGE at WrestleMania II, despite
(or perhaps because
of) the
broken ribs that Bundy had inflicted just a month before.
Labels:
action figures,
Hulk Hogan,
Hulkamania,
mattel,
wrestling,
wrestling toys,
wwe,
WWE Defining Moments,
WWE Elite Series,
wwf

WrestleMania Week - Phantom Troublemaker on the State of WWE
Welcome
to WrestleMania Week here on Needless Things!
Over
the course of this week leading up to the granddaddy of ‘em all
we’ll be talking wrestling, reviewing figures, and wrapping it up
with a WrestleMania episode of the Needless Things Podcast. Also, be
sure to follow me on Instagram where I’ve been using the
#wrestleraday hashtag to post a different wrestling toy every single
day since the beginning of the month.
I
have been immersing myself in professional wrestling lately.
It’s
partly due to the impending WrestleMania,
but also partly because something about the convergence of various
promotions and storylines has sparked that fandom in me again. I
don’t know if today’s post will be more WWE-centric or if I’m
just going to ramble about all of wrestling, but I’m definitely
more invested in it than I have been in a few years. And I’m okay
with that.
Labels:
wrestlemania,
wrestling,
wrestling commentary,
wwe

Friday, March 20, 2015
Needless Things Podcast Episode 50 – Leonard Nimoy
In
what was supposed to be the start of an ongoing series of episodes
focusing on Star Trek,
Phantom and Gary Mitchel end up discussing one of the great heroes of
science fiction – Leonard Nimoy.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The Wrestling Show
I
want to tell you a little bit about this past weekend.
I
had an extremely busy weekend that I was not, in many ways, entirely
prepared for. I hosted a wrestling show on Friday night, I
volunteered to emcee Radio Cult’s performance at Joelanta on
Saturday night, and I hosted a toy panel at Joelanta on Sunday
afternoon. Oh, and we also recorded an episode of Earth Station Who
Sunday night, which may not seem like much, but that involves an hour
(or so) of recording time as well as the time it takes to watch
whatever story we’re reviewing (in this case two hours and thirty
minutes for “Invasion of the Dinosaurs”).
As
much as I love all of the things that I do and appreciate the fact
that I can do them, they take time and effort and there’s only so
much of me to go around. I think I pushed it a bit this weekend,
especially after such a lengthy hiatus from public performing.
Labels:
tales from the troublemaker,
wrestling

Monday, March 16, 2015
Toy Review – Pacific Rim Deluxe Kaiju Otachi from NECA
Labels:
action figures,
Kaiju,
monsters,
NECA,
Otachi,
Pacific Rim,
toys

Friday, March 13, 2015
Needless Things Podcast 49 – James Bickert
In
today’s episode – the second this week! - Phantom Troublemaker
interviews James Bickert, the director of the cult
biker/exploitation/Bigfoot movie Dear
God No!
and its follow-up Frankenstein
Created Bikers,
which is currently raising funds on Kickstarter.
Labels:
crowd funding,
cult movies,
Dear God No!,
Frankenstein Created Bikers,
horror movies,
interviews,
James Bickert,
Kickstarter,
movies,
Needless Things Podcast

Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Ancient Toys of Yesteryear – Angel Season 5 Angel from Diamond Select Toys
I
think that Firefly
is the greatest television show that’s ever aired.
But
before I saw Firefly,
there was Buffy
the Vampire Slayer,
which I think is the greatest television show that ever aired for
more than one season.
And
then there’s Angel.
In some ways Angel
is better than Buffy,
and in others it’s nowhere near as good, but unto itself it is an
excellent show that’s high up on my list of favorite shows.
These
three shows all have two major things in common – they were created
by Joss Whedon and they all took me a while to get into. But that’s
a
whole other post
that
I already wrote.
Labels:
action figures,
Angel,
buffy the vampire slayer,
Diamond Select Toys,
joss whedon,
toy reviews

Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Weekend Plans - Culture Shock and Joelanta & The Great Atlanta Toy Convention
I’m
going to have a busy weekend.
It’s
been far too long since I’ve gotten up in front of people and
performed in any capacity. My day job has prevented me from taking a
couple of opportunities – sorry, Possum Kingdom Ramblers – and
when I have been available there just hasn’t been anything going
on. I’ve been pathetically slack about scheduling another Whose
EFF is it, Anyway? because
I’m lazy and I hate
organizing people; even reliable ones. And for a time it looked as
though Monstrosity Championship Wrestling might be dead.
Labels:
Joelanta,
The Great Atlanta Toy Convention,
tips from uncle troublemaker,
Wrestling With Pop Culture

Monday, March 9, 2015
Needless Things Podcast 48 – 2015 New York International Toy Fair Part 2 & The Great Atlanta Toy Convention
Phantom
Troublemaker and the Needless Things Irregulars once again convene to
discuss and review Toy Fair!
Labels:
Belligerent Monkey,
DC Collectibles,
Funko,
hasbro,
Josh Wilson,
Marvel Legends,
mattel,
Needless Things Podcast,
Reverend Dan Wilson,
Ryan Schweck,
toy fair,
Toy Fair 2015,
toys

Friday, March 6, 2015
Toy Review - The LEGO Movie - Double-Decker Couch
The Lego Movie Double Decker Couch Review
Product #: 70818
197 Pieces
$14.99
Build Time: Approx. 60 Minutes
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Comic Book Wednesday – Previews March 2015: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Alan Moore
If
you don’t know, Previews
is the catalogue that Diamond Comic Distributors use to offer the
products they distribute to comic book stores around the country.
This is where you can view and order (through your favorite Local
Comic Book Shop) comic books, trade paperback collections, t-shirts,
books, media, and toys and other collectibles from hundreds of
different vendors that deal in geek-oriented merchandise. The genius
part is that you actually have to pay for your copy of Previews
for the privilege of ordering other things to pay for. It’s like
the Ren Fest except without the horse poo smell.
So
every month a new edition of Previews
is sent out to comic book stores. Contained in the pages within are
products that might be currently available or could be released
anytime in the next year; but typically about two months away. Or
sometimes never. I’ve ordered lots
of things that have just never come in. Without getting into the
specific politics of Diamond, let me just say that they aren’t
quite
a monopoly and also aren’t quite
the worst distributor anybody has ever dealt with in the history of
the universe.
Labels:
comic books,
Dark Horse Comics,
DC Collectibles,
dc comics,
Diamond Comics,
Diamond Select Toys,
Funko,
idw,
image comics,
marvel,
Previews

Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Needless Things Podcast 47 – 2015 New York International Toy Fair Part 1: Masters of the Universe
Phantom
Troublemaker and the Needless Things Irregulars once again convene to
discuss and review Toy Fair!
Labels:
action figures,
Beau Brown,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com,
Needless Things Podcast,
podcasts,
toy fair,
Toy Fair 2015,
toys

Monday, March 2, 2015
Toy Review – Masters of the Universe Classics Snake Armor He-Man & Battle Armor King Hssss from Mattel
On
paper this isn’t necessarily a two-pack I would have gotten super
excited about. I have as many He-Man variants as I might want and
there are a lot of 200X versions I’d prefer to have before King
Hssss (Teela, Sorceress, Roboto, Prince Adam, Skeletor, possibly even
Orko). But the pictures Matty showed when they first revealed this
set looked awesome. I still love the 200X aesthetic and wish we could
see more of it in the Classics line, so these two figures were a
welcome addition. Plus, I would at least have a King Hssss that I
wasn’t ashamed to put at the front of the shelf.
Labels:
action figures,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com,
Snake Men,
toy reviews

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