Simpsonpalooza

I took all the "musical" figures from the Simpsons Celebrity series for a musical festival. Can you name them all.

NECA Simpsons Celebrity Series 4

The long awaited Aerosmith set. I was hoping NECA would eventually get to this band if the Celebrity series sold well. Lo' and behold, here we are. Series 4 had a great lineup - the five member Aerosmith band, Elvis Costello, Buzz Aldrin, Weird Al Yankovich, and Tom Jones, Also included were a few members of Springfield - including Marge Simpson (going to work), Otto Man, and Homer Simpson (from That 90s Show). A very musical bunch.

McFarlane Walking Dead Repacks

McFarlane knows how to keep it's Walking Dead action figures fans opening their wallets, especially the insufferable amount of time that goes between series releases. In this case, with the help of Walgreens, which is quickly putting a stake in the ground for toy exclusives, McFarlane released several repacks which included Michonne from Season 3, the RV Zombie from Season 2, and a Daryl Dixon figure.

I didn't get the RV Zombie - there really wasn't anything different about it. What was cool about the Michonne figure was that it came with an aquarium that contained the heads of her two zombie pets - boyfriend and his friend, Mike and Terry. The back of the packaging also gives a shadowy hint of who is coming in Series 6.

The Daryl Dixon figure was cheered because it was the first single figure released since Series 1, when people didn't know much about the show. Daryl, having climbed to the top of the fan favorite pedestal (Kill Daryl and We Riot) was released in a two pack with brother Merle a year or two ago. That Series 1 figure also commands secondary prices around $200.

The Shane figure comes with a new head sculpt in that he is wearing a Police Department cap instead of his bald head which came with the Series 2 set. It is a very static piece. It would be great if McFarlane eventually went back and redid a Shane sculpt that fit in with the rest.

Arrow's Black Canary

Here is another show I need to catch up on. Heard it's great. My local comic shop closed its doors a few weeks ago, so I made the trek to its sister site much farther away. I saw this figure of the Black Canary. It is a very nice piece, well sculpted. Great costume. May just get me into watching the show.

Cases for ReAction Figures

The hard plastic trays and vinyl case that secured many a Star Wars Kenner action figure in the past are greatly needed in today's 3-3/4 inch collecting world. The only thing that was recommended were these Plano 2-3700 Prolatch Stowaway cases that I ordered off Amazon. A four pack of cases ran $26 and each could hold 12 figures. Unfortunately, there is some debate on the message boards on whether the soft plastic can degrade the paint and plastic of the figures. Perhaps several collectors have used these on Kenner Star Wars figures and seen that happen. I hope not.

In the meantime, they are a great way to store and display your ReAction, Big Bang Pow, and Zica figures.