A Toyriffic gift!

If you've been following Eric over at Toyriffic for any amount of time, you've probably noticed his Playmobil custom figures. Some of the pieces come together so well, you would almost think that it was all part of Playmobil's plan. Well, after seeing his Warrior Nun Areala and Battle Angel customs, I figured I would commission a figure for myself. After much begging, pleading, and the promising of my first born, Eric agreed*. Ten minutes later, I received a message: "It is done".

A few days later, I received the newest member of my cadre:

Guy Fale! The slightly incompetent stuntman! Right away, I knew he was going to be fun. Whenever I needed to drive somewhere, he would make me take him along. Of course, he didn't want to ride in the passenger seat, oh no. He liked to feel the frigid air blasting around his helmet as he hung on to my antenna.

Alright! Let's go!

He tried riding on the roof once, but that didn't work out so well. Sorry, but I refuse to start my car unless everyone is either belted in, or at least holding on really tight.

Don't be a pansy! I'm not going anywhere!

After that, the stunts started getting a little more crazy and dangerous. After just barely escaping from the Swirling Whirlpool of Darkness in the White Throne of Death, Guy decided to try his luck at jumping through the Spinning Blades of Rheem.

Pssh! They aren't spinning THAT fast!

Unfortunately for Guy Fale, this little stunt laid him up in a full body cast for a few days. But hey, he got to lay around watching tv and eating junk food all day, so it's not all bad right?

Haha! He WAS the father!

Once he was feeling better, Guy started causing trouble again. This time it was among his fellow toys. He was particularly fond of picking on Squirrelanoid. I'm not sure why that seemed like a good idea to him. I should think that any sane person would do their best to avoid a gigantic, mutant, psycho squirrel.

Ever a show off, Guy Fale decided to put on an exhibition match between the Squirrelanoid and him. In the land of bad ideas, this one would be king. Squirrelanoid is always looking for an opportunity to tear into someone, or tear them apart. Regardless, posters were hung, TV ads were run, and tickets were sold. It wasn't exactly a packed house, but they were still plenty loud.

No sooner had the ref lowered his arm, than Squirrealanoid had Guy up in the air. It was obvious the stuntman was in way over his head, and he needed to think quickly in order to get out of the crazy rodent's grasp..

Too late. In a flurry of movment, Guy Fale's parts were strewn all over the ring. Even Robocop turned away in disgust, as Boba Fett stared silently at the loose head laying in front of him. Silver Streak proved to me that even a Tranformer can toss his cookies.

Once the crowd left, and Squirrelanoid got bored chewing on Guy's various pieces, another figure entered the ring, though this one seemed to have a different purpose..

It's Stunt Zombie! But, what is he doing here?

Oh no! Not again! He's created Stunt Zombie 2.0! He's bigger, meaner, and stronger than the original. And don't be fooled by that smile on his face. He's out for one thing, and one thing only..

He's out for revenge!





I want to send a huge thank you out to Eric for the custom Playmobil Stunt Zombie. He's always been generous to a fault, and is just a genuinely cool guy to know. I wouldn't hesitate to call him a friend. If you didn't click the links to his site I posted earlier, then what the hell is wrong with you? Last chance, go check out Toyriffic or I'll send the Stunt Zombies to terrorize you!

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 20 & Day 21

What's this? Another two-fer? Thanks to some internet connectivity issues, I wasn't able to get my post up last night. Things seem to be working better today, so I'm going to give it another shot. We're coming up on the end of the calendar in just a few more days, and I'm actually going to be a little sad to see it go. I'm going to miss having a daily topic handed to me. Anyway, time to see the sets!

When I put together yesterday set, I was starting to have flashbacks to last years Star Wars Advent Calendar. Is it a boat of some sort? It kind of looks like it could be a firefighting boat, with that bright red paint job, blue light and what looks like a large, yellow...hose on the front. If you look at it from a different angle though....

It looks like it could be some sort of Santa robot, with a hook nose, and what I'm hoping is a laser sticking out of its stomach. Either one seems to be a reasonable possibility.

Thankfully, today's set was a bit more straightforward.

It's a choo-choo train, in micro scale. I'm a huge fan of the micro scale stuff. I've seen some amazing scenes crafted in this scale, and I'd love to see Lego release some micro sets. Just imagine, a few hundred pieces would be enough to build an entire town, complete with vehicles. I'm assuming this is a gift for the Lego kid I opened up a few days ago. If all these toys were meant for him, it looks like someone is going to have a very good Christmas indeed.

I just hope he was a good boy this year, otherwise Santa Zombie may just take all of his gifts back.

Starting with the boat.

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 10

Things have started looking up. The past few days have been Lego filled, but also rather disappointing. Today, that all changed.

Oh my, it's a lady. A firelady to be exact. When I saw the firefighter on the box, I didn't realize it was actually a woman. She came with no less than three sausages, three handles, enough parts for two fire extinguishers, and two hats. I guess Lego decided to make up for the lack of innovation in the past couple of days, by overloading us with goodies.

Initially, the guys were a little leary of letting the firelady in. They didn't really have much food in the first place, let alone enough for uninvited guests. That's when she whipped out her surprise...

Enough sausages for everyone! She also brought snowman the extra fire extinguisher, since she knows how much he hates hot stuff. It looks like this Christmas dinner is going to turn out alright after all..I can't wait to see who shows up tomorrow.


I was reminded today, that it's been a while since I've done any reviews. Well, as much as I hate to make promises, I promise that there will be a review up before the week is done. There, you can hold me to it.

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 8

Advent calendar? More like sad-vent calendar. Here, let me show you what I mean.

See the various plastic pieces on the table? That's what was in today's box. Two glasses, two bottles, two chicken legs, and two...what appear to be grape bunches. Oh, and a pizza. Not much of a Christmas feast is it? I'm not sure who was in charge of grocery shopping, but Santa Zombie is not happy. He's not happy at all.

"This is a disgrace! Pizza and two pieces of chicken for Christmas dinner?! This will not do!"

"AHA! MORE MEAT!"

"Woof?"

Will the dog get away in time? Will Santa Zombie get his Christmas meal? Will all of this be forgotten by the time I get around to tomorrow's post? I guess you'll just have to come back tomorrow and see for yourself.

Since this one was a bit half-assed, I'll leave you with a musical bonus, "Christmas Wrappings" by The Waitresses. Why this song? Because it's upbeat, and I like it's rhythm. Plus, it has a happy ending.

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 5

Five days in, and I already feel my eyes glazing over. The thrill is gone, my hand is on the light switch, and I'm ready to lock the door behind me on my way out. I decide I'll do one more flap, and hope that whatever set is locked behind it will restore the Christmas spirit that not even staring at my mood table is rekindling. So I do the only thing I can do, and open the flap.

Well, so much for rekindling the holiday spirit. Now I'm only opening these flaps out of a morbid curiosity. So far, we've unlocked a police officer, a fireplace, a stuffed dog, and a murderous snowman. Today I uncovered a barrel containing an axe, a crowbar, and a couple pairs of handcuffs. I was trying to be less dark, and lighten the mood a bit, but then Lego goes and provides the kinds of items you'd find in the trunk of that creepy dude's car. You know the guy, the one that always stares way too long when you walk by.

It looks like Santa Zombie and Mr. Policeman are ready to recreate their favorite scene from Saw: The Christmas Edition. What will tomorrow bring, an unfortunate victim, or maybe a torture device of some sort. I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 4

It's day 4, which means we're exactly 3 weeks away from Christmas Day. I hope you've gotten most of your shopping done, unless you're like me, and have yet to start. I'm actually starting to get a little anxious about the whole thing, so at least I have something to keep my mind off of it. Speaking of distractions, let's see which set I got today.

It's a snowman, and it looks like Santa Zombie is putting the finishing touches on him right now. Going by the Lego Advent Calendars I've had over the years, you're almost always guaranteed a snowman at some point. My personal favorite is the R2-D2 snowman from last year's Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar. What he lacked in poseability, he made up for in charm.

That's not to say this snowman isn't charming, he's just a bit plainer than previous versions. He kinda resembles a bandit with his black top hat and red bandanna over his face. The carrot is pretty big, and it looks like it could be used as a billy club. Odd choice of decorations, but I don't think we have anything to fear. If I know my movies, snowmen are nice and friendly and...

Oh yeah..I forgot there have been some horror movies about snowmen too. I guess this sort of thing should be expected when you have a zombie playing Santa Claus. Once that happens, you can throw any hopes of a normal Christmas out the window. Still, I never really expected a snowman to spring to life and try to take somebody's wallet.

Lucky for Santa Zombie, backup wasn't far behind. Now it's a race to see whether the police can keep the snowman from assaulting our favorite zombie, and possible ruining Christmas.

Uh oh, if there's one thing snowmen can't stand, it's hot liquids. Well, hot liquids, sunny days, and temperatures over 32 degrees. Thank goodness that cop was there with quick reflexes and a hot cup of coffee.

You got lucky this time Santa Zombie, but who knows if you'll be lucky next time. You better watch your back, because it's going to get cold again soon, and I hear snowmen hold grudges..

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 3

We're one-eighths of the way through this countdown, with only 3 more weeks left. Things feel like they're dragging a little bit, but I'm sure time will start flying by around week 2. I hope so at least. That's enough of that, it's time to peek behind door numero three.

This is one day where I could be happy with just the picture on the compartment. That's a really cool Coast Guard helicopter, and I wish I could figure out if it's a real set, and if so, how much? This one is spreading holiday cheer by carrying a net full of presents, though it looks like they've lost a few along the way. Wait, what was I supposed to be doing again? Oh, right...

Today we get man's best friend, and a bowl full of treats for him. I think he's supposed to be a dalmation, but he looks more like a terrier. Either way, I'm a little disappointed that he has no articulation at all. I'd expect to be able to move his head up and down, or at least turn it side to side, but nope. He's pretty much a tiny dog statue.

That Santa Zombie, he's an industrious fellow. Since there are no tables in the room, he took it upon himself to make one. I'm not sure how the dog feels about that, but since it looks like he's already been to a taxidermist, I don't think he has much to say on the matter. This actually gives me an idea...Maybe I should build a small snack tray I can strap to Kirby, then train him to walk around the room while we have guests..Hmm..but then how would I keep him from eating the snacks himself?

I should probably go work on this brilliant idea. Stay tuned for the next entry in the Lego Advent Calendar!

Lego City Advent Calendar Day 1

I'm not sure if I've been looking forward to this day, or dreading it. If you hadn't already noticed, today is December the First, which means today is the beginning of my Lego Advent Calendar. I don't know how it happened, but it's becoming a tradition for me to get one of these calendars every year for my birthday. Actually, that means I can blame Chelsea. I even told her this year, "Don't buy me an Advent Calendar", and she said "Okay". Times are tight, and these things ain't cheap. My birthday rolls around, and what do I find, a Lego City Advent Calendar. When I asked her why she still bought it for me, she said, "It's become a tradition. Deal with it". Deal with it, I shall.

Ladies and Gentlemen, time to open door number 1.

Hmm..looks like we're getting a minifigure today. I have a feeling I know which one it is too.

It's a copper! Cheese it! I'm thinking this guy is either a rookie, or he's a loose cannon that nobody else wants to work with. How do I know this? Look at that tiny little goatee. That's not regulation facial hair. So, he's either too new to know the rules, or he's the type that likes to break them.  Surprisingly, Lego didn't give him a gun, or even a set a handcuffs. He just has a couple of coffee mugs. Police and coffee go together like coffee and donuts and donuts and police, but why two cups? Did they team him up with the old guy that's a week from retirement and getting too old for this sh*t?

Ah, I should have known. Stunt Zombie is the only one that would be ready and willing to partner up with the guy that prefers to think the rule book is where he keeps his extra napkins. This should be an interesting pairing, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

It's almost that time of the year again..

And it looks like we already have someone ready to step up and take Santa's place.

Oh..crap. I'm not sure how he pulled it off, but Stunt Zombie has taken over Christmas this year. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he just told Santa Claus to sit back an relax this year. But since I've known the Stunt Zombie a long, long time, I'm pretty sure Santa didn't have a choice in the matter. Speaking of Santa, I haven't seen him around lately.  Also, who's the half naked bearded man in the background there? Nobody? Oh, okay.

While I've got Lego on my mind, guess what I got for my birthday this year...

Aww man..Chelsea knows I'm not going to be able to resist doing the Advent Calendar on here this year. I must admit, the town version interested me more than the Star Wars version this year. We've got a crook making off with some presents, a drunk Santa about to fall off of the roof, and a snowman that looks like he's ready to beat somebody with a very large carrot. There's also an astronaut blasting off so he can put the star on top of the Christmas tree. It seems to be a bit of overkill, but hey, it's Christmas.

Under the flap, there's an amazing city scene. This is the main reason I loved the Lego catalogs. They didn't just have a picture of the set against a white background. No, they would create a scene that included all the sets within one theme. They weren't quite this big though. This scene is almost of the "Where's Waldo" scale. I'm ignorant of what sets are out there now, so I couldn't even begin to tell you which sets were included in this picture. I can tell you that Legoland is a happening place. Here's a list of just a few of the things I spotted in the scene above;

-No less than 3 police pursuits.
-One brave (stupid) wind surfer
-A lonely duck
-Shark infested waters
-Firemen trying to save an abandoned burning building
-4 British guys loading a cannon (?)

That's just what I picked out from a cursory examination. I'm sure there's stuff in there that I missed. The other side of the flap provides a place for you to place the models after you've opened their doors and put them together.

It looks like a tiny little house next to a pond and a...race track? I didn't notice the starting line until I started typing out the previous sentence. I also just picked out the four tires acting as a barrier on the turn. Maybe all the roads in Legoland are laid out this way. It would save on them on having to actually build a motorsports complex. It should be an interesting advent, I just wish I didn't have to wait another two weeks to start opening up these flaps.

I have one last Lego related thing, and then I promise no more until December. I've been searching for a mount for my IPod Touch, and I came across this one from Joby on Amazon. If you don't feel like clicking on the link, here's what it looks like:

It's nice and simple, and it looks like it would work. Well, since I'm flat broke and Christmas is coming, I felt like it was in bad form to buy it for myself. I figured I would try my hand at making something similar instead. Here's what I ended up with:

It's not quite as adjustable as the Joby, but it should work for my purposes. I guess we'll find out when I make another video, which should be within the next few days. You can look forward to alcoholic beverages, gingerbread flavored treats, and whatever random Christmas goodies I can scrape together over the next couple of weeks.

Halloween Countdown: I'm So Tired!

Ahhhh.  Sit on the couch.  Pull the lever and recline.  Pop my feet up and let the dog jump up for some cuddles.  Turn on the TV and surround sound and find something on a Saturday night that doesn't completely suck.  Turn on the computer and connect to the interweb.  Crap.

Crap. Crap. Crap.  

I still have to write a blog about Halloween as promised.  After all, I crossed my heart and hoped to die and I certainly don't hope to die.  But come on!  I just got home.  I'm four beers in.  I just want to sit on the couch, watch meaningless television and play candy crush!  Is that so much to ask?  

As (regrettably) promised I would do a real Halloween post for the Stunt Zombie blog.  Since I'm just the littlest bit buzzed I thought the best idea would be to find a Halloween snacky food to go with my beverage of choice, Redd's Apple Ale.

 While rooting through Chris' bag o' Halloween goodies I came across something that intrigued me:

Kraft Jet-Puffed GhostMallows (It's really hard not to type Jet-Stay-Puffed!)The flavor of these marshmallows is supposed to be Vanilla but aren't all regular marshmallows vanilla flavored?

 While I thought that these would be super yummy I also started to rethink my beverage of choice.  Fruity beer plus vanilla marshmallows?  I think not.  Thank God the back of the bag had suggestions for what beverage would go best:

 So I brewed me a cup of Suisse Mocha (close enough to ghostly hot chocolate) and popped a few of these ghoulish marshmallows on top.

 Aren't they so cute?!  Although, now that I'm looking at them from this angle they slightly resemble ghostly sperm, no?  As I began to sip on my chocolatey beverage I had the sinking feeling that something very important was missing.

 Ahhh, that's better.
Now, since most of you (make that all of you) don't know who I am you probably have no idea that I am completely obsessed with another marshmallowy treat, Peeps.  Who doesn't love Peeps?  They're sugary, chewy and full of Peepy goodness (and yes, I do realize that I turn a lot of nouns in to adverbs!).  Anyway, the reason I bring up Peeps is because one of my favorite Peep activities (yes, there are more than one) is Peep jousting.  For hours upon hours of fun you pit your Peeps against each other in head to head combat.  Simply place the marshmallows on a plate, shove toothpicks into them, pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and crown a victor.  The Peep who doesn't get skewered is victorious.  I simply applied this basic concept to the ghostly marshmallows:

It didn't work out as I had planned.  With no clear victor I decided to crown myself the winner, mashed my melty marshmallows together and stirred them into my mocha!  While I do love a good marshmallow I didn't find anything particularly special about these sugary snacks.  Sure they're cute and slightly colorful.  Yes they're ridiculously addicting and I ate half a bag in one sitting (don't judge me, I'm drunk).  And would I get them again if spotted in the snack food aisle of the grocery store?  Of course.  But did they stand out from all of the other marshmallows on the shelf?  No, not really.  So, while I did enjoy snacking on them individually I think I'll stick to drowning them in my coffee.