Toy Review - Sonic the Hedgehog

One of the first video games I ever played was Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega Genesis. Thanks to that, I'm quite attached to the famous blue hedgehog, although I haven't played many of his more recent games (Many a bad thing has been said on the Internet about Sonic's later efforts). At least nobody can take his old Genesis games away from him - there are some true gaming classics there.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sonic's first release, Sega released the shockingly well-received Sonic Generations, which takes the modern, redesigned hedgehog and has him wind up side by side with his shorter, stubbier, and cuter Genesis counterpart. Together, the two face both the classic Dr. Robotnik and the modern Dr. Eggman.

The great thing about having past versions and modern versions of a character in the same game is that you can release twice the toys. Jazwares has taken advantage with both classic and modern figures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Being a fan of the original design, I picked up this 5-inch figure.

Sonic can stand on his own and features many posable parts, but there are some issues with this figure. The main one is that big ugly seam on his stomach - it doesn't turn. There's no reason for it to be there. The figure looks great from afar but seems pretty cheaply made when you get into inspecting the finer details, which is a shame. Overall, it's an okay toy, but it could have been a lot better than "okay" if they'd made it worth the sticker price of around 12 dollars.

Alex the MANitor

And Pech had the nerve to say Alex was effeminate.

Toy Review - Zetton

Ultraman was a 1960's Japanese television show, brought over to the USA in the seventies. Each of the 39 episodes followed the Science Patrol as they attempted to keep Japan safe from giant monsters. Unfortunately, they were frequently overwhelmed, but on the plus side that meant Hayata, the Science Patrol's second-in-command, could transform into the giant superhero Ultraman to take out the offending monster or alien.

Ultraman, while not totally forgotten in the US, is incredibly popular in Japan, thriving even when monster films like Godzilla and Gamera were going into hibernation. New seasons of the show are still being made, and some of the weekly monsters have acquired fan followings and encore performances. A few even managed to become heroic.

Moving on to the actual monster this toy is based on, Zetton is one of the more well-known Ultraman enemies, and has the honor of being the final monster fought by Ultraman in the original season of the show - he was episode 39's antagonist. He went on to make a number of reappearances and is generally held as one of the stronger monsters Ultraman has faced.

This figure, created by Bandai in the eighties, does a nice job of replicating Zetton's bizarre appearance. His arms and head are posable. He is made of a soft vinyl that isn't widespread in my collection, giving him a unique feel. There are newer figures of Zetton, but they're all pretty similar, so this old one is perfectly acceptable.

BLAST PROCESSING

So I got a 3DS for Christmas and [insert FrogDrugs here]

That 3D effect, man, it's something else.

My other gifts this year included Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Ghost Trick, and Seek and Destroy in the gaming department, and a book about Godzilla, a chocolate bar, and little tiny Robot Wars pullback toys in the not-gaming department.

My poor mom fell into the "Flavored" trap, though - I also received a pack of marshmallow snowmen that are "chocolatey coated". Nooooooo

My brother made out like a bandit - he got a case for his electric guitar, a giant amp for said guitar, Rocksmith (which is also for said guitar - have you guessed his favorite instrument yet?!) Skyrim, and a laptop. And some Old Spice. Even with my limited budget, I got him a damn television (only paid ten bucks and it works like a dream!). But the best thing about his haul is that laptop. Not only does he love it, it means he has much less reason to take the desktop computer from me, meaning I'll hopefully be able to participate in more Zoofights RP next year without getting stranded on iPod and being unable to keep up with everyone else posting like mad.

Viva la commercialism!

The horrors of "Flavored".

I said I was gonna make this post! I told you dog! Time to educate y'all about one of the worst traps in the world of food.

It's fairly well-agreed upon that chocolate is delicious. Few people would say they don't care for it. Many enjoy it as an occasional feel-good treat. Some people like to put it on their burritos and swim in it. Whatever. But there are companies who prey on this affection for chocolate, and they are sneaky indeed.

If you happen to see a chocolate bar that is particularly cheap for its size, be wary: Most likely, that ain't chocolate. Rather, it is an alien hunk of revulsion I cannot find adequate names for. This is "chocolate flavored", and it is chocolate in name only. The 1998 American Godzilla has more in common with the Japanese Godzilla than "chocolate flavored" has in common with chocolate. I WENT THERE.

It's possible to avoid this trap if you're vigilant, however. Read the package carefully. If it says "CHOCOLATE" in huge letters and "flavored" underneath that, steer clear. Also beware of anything that looks like a chocolate bar but advertises a "chocolatey" taste. Some packages will provide extra detail, such as "milk chocolate flavored". Avoid those, too. If it says "real milk chocolate" or simply "milk chocolate" or "chocolate" with no extra words, it's safe.

Now, I know people have different tastes, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some "chocolate flavored" fans out there. Still, I think they're in the minority, considering how all the companies making these things try to hide the "flavored" as much as they can without getting sued for false advertising.

Happy holidays. May all your chocolate be genuine.

Dollar stores are awesome.

You know what's fun on Christmas? Having a truckload of stuff to open.

You know what sucks? It usually costs a lot to make that happen.

Fortunately, Elohim gave us dollar stores. If there is a better place to buy stocking stuffers, I haven't seen it. I've been able to buy a whole mess of cool stuff for my family on the cheap at Dollar Tree. They're great for snacks, too!

Of course, you need to know what's worth buying for more. Some dollar store stuff is so inferior compared to the fancier versions that the price difference isn't enough. For instance, Dollar Tree has 8-packs of AA batteries. That is an absolutely phenomenal deal at first glance, but they run out of juice fast enough that most of the time you're better off springing for the pricey brands. I still like them for little-used devices and emergencies, though.

The Dollar Tree Rubix Cube looks good but is hard to turn. It's fine for people who are just casually dicking around, but "speed cubers" like my brother prefer other versions. Some of their toys are perfectly good, others are very inferior.

The food - there are some name brands in the food department, and some are better than others. In my experiments, I've found that the cookies are generally a safe bet, the popcorn, chips, and pretzels are identical to more expensive brands for the most part, and the chocolate varies (WATCH OUT FOR "FLAVORED!" I'll elaborate on the horrors of "chocolate flavored" in another post.)

Last tip: Don't get Dollar Tree headphones. They are horrible and die on one side almost immediately out of the package.

Toy Review - Regigigas Model Kit

Although I love Bandai's vinyl Godzilla toys, they also make many other things - Bandai is a massive company and has the license to make toys and games based off a huge number of hot Japanese properties. Perhaps the biggest of them all is the merchandising juggernaut Pokemon. About twelve years ago, Pokemon was everywhere. Toys in every store, trading cards in every kid's binder, stickers on all of their notebooks, EVERYWHERE. It was a marketing tsunami the likes of which have never been seen before or since. And although Pokemon is no longer quite as visible as it used to be, it's still going. And it's still making millions and millions of dollars.

Here is just one of the tens of thousands of Pokemon toys out there - a simple model kit that allows anyone so inclined to build their own Regigigas. Regigigas is described in Pokemon mythology as a legendary demigod who used ropes to tow the continents of the earth into their current positions. That's incredibly awesome, especially considering he's only twelve feet tall. I would be honored to build the Pokemon who literally moved mountains.

And build him I did! This model requires no glue or adhesive of any kind - just a lot of patience and dexterity. Fitting together his body parts is a relatively simple affair, but look at the inside of the box very carefully so you don't do things out of order, because it's very difficult to wrench the limb halves apart after connecting them.

The real challenge comes from the sticker application. This kit does not require paint, but it does require every single stripe and spot to be stuck onto the body. The eyes are prepainted - everything else is stickers. The leg stripes have an annoying habit of not staying on all the way - I reinforced mine with tape.

When completed, the kit stands a bit taller than three inches and boasts posable arms, wrists, and legs, charmingly referred to as "regs" on the mostly-Japanese packaging. I'll be honest - I love the shit out of this stupid thing. One of my favorite toys.

Toy Review - Gigan (Also Christmas at the KoB)

Yo, Erebus? Alex? Cornwind? You dufes out there? We're having our RP holiday special at Zoofights. It's a very relaxed and worry-free affair. No drama, no epic plots, just general silliness and an opportunity for Christmas-flavored shenanigans. Personally I think it's a great chance to hold Feed Yer Mates. We'll see, I guess.

Here's another figure from my extensive collection.

Gigan, a truly bizarre monster perhaps best described as a "cyborg chicken", was one of Godzilla's most popular foes in the seventies. Debuting in the cheesefest Godzilla vs. Gigan and reappearing in the even more ridiculous Godzilla vs. Megalon, Gigan is a bully and a coward who likes to pick on outmatched opponents but runs away when he's in trouble. In both of his films, Gigan has an ally to help him fight Godzilla - and in both films Gigan ditches his "friend". Over thirty years later, Gigan made a spectacular comeback with a badass redesign that made him a very popular kaiju, and I've got a toy of that one too. But I digress.

This figure of Gigan was made by Bandai Creations, an American branch of the Japanese toy giant. Throughout the 2000s, BC has made a fairly good series of Godzilla figures, which has been great news for fans of Godzilla toys as it means that monster figures are being sold in the USA in big-box stores - most Godzilla toys are only found online or in specialty importing shops. The exposure to kids also helps Godzilla a bit in staying relevant. I fully expect Bandai Creations to take advantage of Godzilla's new film (which is releasing sometime in 2012 or 2013, I believe).

This toy features posable head, arms, and legs. The arms are positioned a little oddly, though - Gigan's left arm looks strange if it's moved out of the default position. The paint job is simple but effective, which I'm fine with - a really fancy paint job often means a more expensive toy.

This is probably the best 70's Gigan available. If you like the character, this is the toy to get.

Toy Review - Hedorah

 In recent years, mostly thanks to the current complete lack of Godzilla films, there have been very few new releases to look forward to on the toy front. One of the last new toys to be made was this sculpt of Hedorah, made in 2006. One of Godzilla's most threatening foes, the vile Hedorah made his only major appearance in the 1971 film, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, also known as Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster. The movie certainly makes it clear it's a product of the early 70s - a bizarre soundtrack, weird animated intermissions, and a moral to protect the environment run throughout. And don't even get me started on the scene where everyone's heads turn into fish.

As for the toy, Hedorah looks fantastic - well, as fantastic as a pile of mutant sludge can look - and has a stellar paint job that accurately captures the onscreen monster. Due to his design, the articulation is limited to just his arms, but that's better than nothing. I wouldn't have minded a posable head, however.

The only major problem I have with this toy is that it is too small. Like many of my Godzilla toys, Hedorah is part of the 6-inch scale. This means that the Godzilla toys in the series are about 6 inches and all the other toys are scaled to fit that. Unfortunately Hedorah is closer to five inches than six, and he towered over Godzilla in their film. This results in a serious scaling issue. It's the only flaw in an otherwise wonderful figure.

Overall I consider this 2006 Hedorah to be the best of the many Hedorah toys released, even if he is a little short. The nice detail and relatively low cost compared to some other offerings make him a great choice.

(Got a new monitor at last! The resolution is huge. I love it!)

Mixed Blessing

Several days ago my computer monitor broke. There was absolutely no warning - I went to bed and it was fine, woke up and saw my mom had it by the trash. I hate it when stuff goes wrong with electronics for no discernable reason.

Anyway, with the monitor gone, obviously the computer can't be used until our ordered replacement arrives. With less online time, I've turned to video games, and the funny thing is that I've wound up playing a few games I was just sorta sitting on.

The first is MySims Agents for the Wii. It's not a terribly exciting game, all minigames and fetch quests, but it's a pleasant diversion for when I feel like gaming, but not like GAMING gaming, ya know?

I named my main character Sarah - not because of Zoofights, but because years ago when I played the original MySims I named the character Sarah. I've just always liked that name, and I've also used it to name mages in Disgaea (also before Zoofights).

The second is Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for the DS. I've had this thing sitting around for over a year since buying it for nine bucks on my birthday last year. I'm glad I finally played it - it's a pretty solid turn-based strategy game.

Using my mom's laptop for schoolwork is a pain, though. No mouse, just that stupid touchpad, and it's buggy and unable to run any browser but Internet Explorer. It also occasionally closes windows for no reason. Even the iPod I'm typing this blog post with is better for most things - but with no keyboard or word processor, using an iPod for school is out of the question, heh.