Pursuit of Cobra Alley Viper

As usual, I’m late in the game in grabbing one of these guys.  I never picked up the Cobra Island set so this is my introduction to the new Alley Viper figure.

I remember buying the original as a kid and he saw lots of playtime. I loved the visor on the helmet and I have always been a sucker for a toy with a shield.

For me, this is one of the rare figures that Hasbro really knocked out of the park.  The sculpt (partly comprised of Payne Bros. Snake Eyes) is great and even loaded down with gear and a removable vest, he still retains a good range of articulation and poseability.  Many people already have the first deco of this figure and probably this one too so I won’t bore you with the same things you have probably read about and experienced with this guy.  I will, however, point out the things I really enjoy.

The removable knives are well done as they are functional without being obtrusive and getting two means double the violent fun.  Three forms of headgear are a great bonus and they all look great although I prefer the classic visor helmet.  The shield is a perfect update to the original and this time it features a place to hold his baton for added G.I. Joe skull crushing pleasure. (It reminds me of the Thunder Punch He-Man figure I had that had shield storage for his sword.)  The grappling hook launcher is detachable from the backpack unlike the o-ring figure’s backpack. Yet, the grappling hook itself remains sculpted in place.

I love the red, black, and gray deco for this version and the white chevrons make for a great finishing detail!

I really enjoy this figure and wouldn’t mind having a half dozen or so for urban operations.

Crayboth!

I finally ordered some of these critters from Onell Designs. The are smaller in size than the other current offerings from Onell but they are great!  Awesome sculpts, casting, and paint. I'm definitely going to try to order more soon.

There are four different Crayboth sets to choose from.  Each set contains two Crayboth figures, a "trading card", and a Pocket Survivor slip that unfolds to show a great piece of Crayboth artwork.  The figures feature four points of articulation and are made up of five parts.  Each part is compatible with all other Glyos system figures.

Glyos: Gatekeeper Viyer Sarvos

Finally got around to taking a couple of pictures of one of the figures I bought from one of the recent Onell Design drops.

The figure is another great example of the quality product that the Onell crew is becoming famous for. I particularly like the color scheme and paint apps on this guy.  My shoddy picture taking skills do not do justice to this guy. He purple parts look much better in person. (That doesn't quite sound right. Oh well.)

Awkward action figure pic of the week!

 

 I had a bunch of these guys lined up for counting purposes.  The little a-holes are like dominoes. When one falls, it becomes a chain reaction and they all end up on the ground.  After about the fifth fall and dozen curse words from me, I decided to just put them away.  As I was throwing them back in the box, my aggravation turned to amusement as I discovered two of the soldiers in a compromising position while a third studied the situation.

Marvel Minimates Series 24: Transformation Venom

Its no secret that Minimates are one of my favorite figure lines in production. Art Asylum and DST consistently produce great figures and sometimes they really knock it out of the park. To me, Transformation Venom is one of the Minimates that truly outshines some of his brethren.
I think I should mention that this version of Venom is based on Eddie Brock unlike some of the more recent ones that possess Mac Gargan's likeness.

Eddie here has no shortage of accessories. Reddish orange hairpiece, 3 sets of hands, mask, 2 removeable chestpieces, and a camera make him one of the most accessorized Minimates. Also, the head has two facial expressions (one on either side): "regular" Eddie face and "bat s#!t crazy" Eddie face.
At first I was confused as to what the chest piece with the smaller logo was for and then recently Art Asylum released a Minimates Easter Eggs article that stated "In his early appearances, the symbiote would transform into a leather jacket so he could more easily blend into a crowd." Now, I like this figure even more.
If you collect Marvel Minimates, even if you already have a Venom, you should definitely add this guy to your collection. I hope they give the deluxe treatment to more figures in future waves.