3B's Toy Hive: 2013

Friday, August 16, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, The Giant - Review

WWE Elite series 22 delivers another legend of WCW/NWO for our collections, Paul Wight in his pre-Big Show persona known simply as the "Giant".

I've mentioned before that I was always a WWF guy during the "Monday Night Wars", but appreciate the relevance of WCW to ~~professional wrestling~~ sports entertainment history and I'm always happy to expand that part of my Mattel collection. The Giant also expands the NWO ranks as the third figure to be released from that faction.

If it wasn't for the revised Rock figure that includes the new WWE title belt also being in this wave, the Giant would easily be the most-wanted release in the line-up. Let's see how he turned out!

SWARM >>>

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Star Wars The Black Series 6", Darth Maul - Review

Today I'm reviewing one of the first two figures I've purchased from the new six-inch-scale Star Wars line, Darth Maul. I know, I need another line to collect as much as I need another hole in my head, but after over a decade away from SW toys, swearing off the 3.75" figures, Hasbro has pulled me back in with 1/12 scale figures.

I'm not all-in on the line, though. My focus is on the "Original Trilogy" characters with a few exceptions, most obvious is Darth Maul. Some fans write him off as a throwaway character. Someone who was there to look cool, but not offer much substance. Some say the same about Boba Fett. Regardless of Maul's role in the films, he is visually appealing and is arguably the standout of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. So let's see how his figure turned out!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Honeypot: NECA Takeover, Star Wars 6" Debut & WWE Elite 22 Emerges!

I'll skip the usual "I've been busy" prattle and get to the good stuff right away. Another edition of the Honeypot and today marks the beginning of a new collection, Star Wars! Sure, SW has been around for decades and the toys have been available just as long. "What's so great about it?", you ask? Now they're being made in 6" scale! And they're fantastic!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, August 10, 2013

The Buzz: SDCC Mattel's DC, MotU & Ghostbusters!

Oh, Mattel.. Mattel, Mattel, Mattel. How can you be the same company that is responsible for my awesome WWE figure collection?

I know it's long overdue, but I still want to give my thoughts on more San Diego Comic Con reveals. This time I'm covering non-WWE Mattel reveals including DC Universe, Masters of the Universe Classics and even Ghostbusters!

You may already be aware of the (now annual) Matty Collector subscription saga and I certainly have my opinion on the matter based on my own experiences which I've shared in various Facebook posts and comments on other blogs/websites. However, Mattel managed to surprise me with some excellent reveals and I'm actually eager to get my hands on a lot of new product in 2014!

Let's have a look.

SWARM >>>

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Honeypot: TV & Film Toys!

I've mentioned it before, but I've been really busy lately with a lot of "real life" stuff going on right now, not the least of which is the impending arrival of my second daughter. During my free-time I've tried to make my usual rounds and avoid missing out on any new toy releases in stores. Some of the new pickups in today's Honeypot have been at the Hive since the beginning of the month, but everytime I've planned to write a post, something else comes up.

Then to top it all off San Diego Comic Con came up last weekend and derailed my online schedule. No worries as the delays offered up a nice little group picture for this post. Let's get to it!

SWARM >>>

Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Buzz: SDCC NECA Reveals!

Mattel's WWE Elite reveals were easily my most anticipated of the show, but they didn't quite steal the show for me. That honor goes to NECA whose RoboCop, Predator and Aliens lines continue to impress. Jump ahead for my thoughts on their upcoming products!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

WWE Elite RSC Exclusive, "Hardcore" Kane - Review

Well, it's about damn time! This one's been stewing for over a month now, so I think it's giving me enough time to really appreciate this figure.

Whether or not you think Kane is a great in-ring talent, you have to admit he's a great WWE Superstar. That means the character transcends his wrestling ability and even his achievements in the squared circle and is popular enough to push merchandise. And if there is one Superstar that makes for fantastic action figures it's Kane. His popularity is evidenced in this, his second Mattel WWE exclusive for Ringside Collectibles.

A lot of fans have been quick to judge this release and point out the inaccuracies, but after several weeks with him in hand, I have to tell you some of those issues aren't as bad as they'd lead you to believe. In fact, in a couple of cases, the design choices are for the better.

Take a look!

SWARM >>>

Sunday, July 21, 2013

The Buzz: SDCC Mattel WWE Reveals: Elite 23, 24, 25 & WM29!

I've been extremely busy the past several weeks which may be obvious do to the lack of posts lately, but if there's one thing that will compel me to post during my busy schedule, it's San Diego Comic Con reveals! And what a week for new toy reveals! Wow!

There's so much stuff to cover and so many different thoughts and feelings running through my head that I decided to break up my posts by brand/company to be as thorough as possible. Let's kick off with my number 1 collectiong line, Mattel's WWE Elite Collection!

SWARM >>>

Monday, July 1, 2013

The Honeypot: Blitz in the Bank!

This is the longest span of time between posts since the Honeypot reemerged as a weekly/bi-weekly feature last Fall. One month since the last Hp and I was surprised to see how little was featured in today's post. I kept going over my purchases throughout the month of June and couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting stuff.

Then it dawned on me... Pre-orders! I actually placed a few preorders that haven't come in, yet. One of them (DC Signature, Wally West Flash) has been sitting in my "Pile of Loot" at Big Bad Toy Store since late May, waiting for me to add a few more items before I hit that SHIP button. The other items, ordered on Mattel Shop, should be shipping in the next couple of weeks.

So while June may seem like slim pickings on the surface, the seeds are planted for future Honeypots. For now here's a look at what I picked up since my last post.

SWARM >>>

Sunday, June 30, 2013

WWE Elite, AJ Lee - Review

Originally I planned to review my three Elite 21 figures in the same week, but that fell apart for reasons discussed in yesterday's LoEB post along with a couple of other reviews that popped up on the fly.
That's okay, though, because good things come to those who wait and today's review is the 200th featured on Hive! What better figure to review than one from my favoriate action figure line, Mattel's WWE Elite Collection?

Today I'm looking at everyone's favorite fiesty little nerd-goddess, AJ Lee, finally arriving in her ring gear. Sure, it's not her current ring gear, but it's a cool look, nonetheless. Let's jump into it!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, June 29, 2013

LoEB: Summer Vacation

June's been a hectic month for me and I don't mean just on the Hive. It started out busy with plenty of post during the first half of the month, but the combination of having my soon-to-be-5-year-old daughter at home during my weekday off days, a mid-June out-of-town trip and home remodeling derailed my momentum. I'm taking advantage of a seemingly slow Saturday morning at work to type up a new post for the League of Extraordinary Bloggers.

This week's assignment:

Summer Vacation.

SWARM >>>

Friday, June 14, 2013

Collector Douchery #5: Cody Rhodes

Howsabout, "Cody Rhode-off"? No? Ah, well...

Victim: WWE Elite 21 Cody Rhodes
Douchery: figure replaced with "Flex Force" Rey Mysterio
Found at: Toys R Us

This one was pretty surprising to me because Elite 21 hadn't been stocked at this particular store before. That day they had almost the whole set, even a Y2J, but this douche didn't feel like paying full price for Cody, which by-the-way is one of the nicest figures in the wave, and replaced him with one of those gimmicked FF figures.

Looks just like Rhodes, doesn't it.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

WWE Live! Fort Lauderdale, FL - Review

Last Friday night I attended the WWE Live! event in Fort Lauderdale (technically Sunrise), FL with my daughter and girlfriend who have never been to a live wrestling show. I've been to several WWE events (and a few TNA shows) over the past fifteen years including four or five Monday Night RAW shows and Armageddon 2002, but this was the first "house show" I'd been to and wasn't sure what to expect. I was prepared for a toned down stage and theatrics, but didn't know how the show would work as a non-televised program.

SWARM >>>

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Legends of Batman, Batmobile - Review

Over at BattleGrip this week Phil Reed is celebrating Batman with multiple daily posts ranging from toy reviews to vintage commercials all of which are focused on the caped crusader. I contacted Phil about joining in on the fun after watching a commercial for the old Legends of Batman toyline by Kenner.

Battlegrip and a few other websites have a good handle on several modern Batman toys, so I thought it would be cool to review an vintage Bat-toy. With that said here's a look at the Batmobile from the LoB series.

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Man of Steel, Superman - Review

The prodigal son returns!... Again. Last week I kicked off my reviews of the Man of Steel Movie Masters line with Jor-El, this week we're taking a look at the titular hero, Superman!

MoS takes a pretty drastic turn in the design department from previous live-action incarnations of Superman, very similar to, but decidedly better than the current comic design of Kal-El. We're only a little over a week away from Man of Steel being released in theaters and I have to admit that in the last couple of months I've become very excited to see what Zack Snyder does with the franshise.

After the success of Batman Begins in 2005 hopes were high for Bryan Singer's 2006 film, Superman Returns, only to be squashed by a rather mundane outing for the last son of Krypton. Hence the reason I tried not to get too excited about MoS this year. However, I have to admit it seems like it will be the Superman film modern audiences have been yearning for.

For now, let our hunger be satiated with the first Superman figure released in conjunction with the new movie.

SWARM >>>

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

LoEB: Bring it Back!

This week's assignment for the League of Extraordinary Bloggers gives me an oppurtunity to bring back a classic treat from my childhood that I long to have! The assignment:

Bring it back! What product or media property would you like to see revived, and how would you imagine it being different today.

I know just the thing!

SWARM >>>

Monday, June 3, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, Honky Tonk Man - Review

When Mattel debuted their WWE Legends series in the Summer of 2010 there were a lot of names that quickly popped into my head for future releases. Savage. Warrior. Hart. Beefcake. In fact, after the announcement of the first couple of waves, I sat down and scribbled out the Superstars I wanted on my shelf. Somewhere in the top 10 was Honky Tonk Man. Seriously.

Nevermind the fact he is "The Greatest Intercontinental Champions of All Time", his gimmick was fantastic! Like a lot of those larger than life personas during the Golden Era of WWE, he translated well into action figure form and made him a popular with kids. At long last Mattel has tackled the Elvis-inspired blue suede Superstar (although not in "Legends" packaging) via the current "Flashback" pipeline running through the Elite series since wave 12.

Hop into his pink cadillac and see how this cool, cocky, bad grappler turned out!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, June 1, 2013

The Honeypot: DC strikes back & WWE Elite 21!

Happy Saturday everybody! I've decided to change up the schedule [what schedule? - Ed.] a bit and start posting The Honeypot on Saturdays, allowing it to appear at the top of the post list through weekend and probably Monday, too. Because of a recent change in my schedule at work I usually end up photographing my hauls on Thursday nights now, so it makes sense to get the 'pot posted on the weekends. Moving on...

This time around we find DC-related toys making a comeback at the Hive after a significant hiatus. Check it out!

SWARM >>>

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Man of Steel, Jor-El - Review

Well, here we are again. The third Summer in a row to feature a DC comics superhero movie. To be honest the last two films (2011's Green Lantern and last year's The Dark Knight Rises) were kinda lacking and did little to excite fans about the possibility of a Justice League film, but this year Superman is set to rise from the ashes in Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and featuring a mega cast that includes: Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Russell Crowe.

That last name is the focus of today's review. In the film Crowe plays Superman's biological father, Jor-El, and incidentally his figure is the hardest to find in Mattel's accompanying Movie Masters line. Jor-El and Superman were my first two MoS purchases (a preview of next week's Honeypot!), but I thought it would be fun to review the elder El first. Take a look!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Hive News: WWE Title Belt Guide

Just a quick weekend update for you, today I posted a new checklist guide for Mattel's WWE action figure title belts which you can view by clicking on the tab under the main banner or by simply clicking here. I've actually been working on this off and on since the beginning of the year, but after a few formatting changes and some updates I just finished inputting today, I'm unveiling it for the first time.

Also, I plan to link to reviews when available, but for now it's as ready as it's going to be.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Collector Douchery #4: Miss Elizabeth

If I were going to mimic Poe Ghostal and come up with clever puns for each of these, I'd call this one "Miss(ed) Elizabeth."

Victim: WWE Elite Miss Elizabeth
Douche Act: figure replaced with Stevie Richards (Jakks Pacific)
Found at: Target

Well, it was only a matter of time... I've seen swaps done on Mattel WWE figures before, but this is the first one I come across since starting Collector Douchery a few months ago. On a quick grocery shopping trip to my local Target I found this little doozy, the sole "Elite" figure hanging on the pegs. I understand some employees may not be knowledgable about pro-wrestling, or toys, but whoever accepted this return is a f***ing idiot.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Buzz: WWE Elite 22

Last Thusday, WrestlingFigs.com revealed the first factory samples for WWE Elite series 22 courtesy of Mattel. I was excited to post my thoughts on the images, but wanted to wait a few days before I started writing. There are some interesting design choices in this line-up, a couple of crappy ones and something that ticked me off a bit.

Let's take a look!
(You can follow the link above to see WFigs' original post.)

SWARM >>>

Monday, May 20, 2013

The Honeypot: "Clothes make the man" & a Hardcore Legend!

Well, we're getting back into the swing of things: two reviews and an LoEB post last week and a brand-new installment of the Honeypot today! Only one new figure made it into the haul this week and you probably already know who it is since I reviewed him on Saturday. The rest of the 'pot is all accessory-related.

Let's dig in!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, May 18, 2013

LoEB: Star Trek

To close out the week, I'm accepting the assignment from the League of Extraordinary Bloggers to celebrate one of the longest running science fiction franchises ever: Star Trek!

SWARM >>>

WWE Elite Flashback, Cactus Jack - Review

A legend of hardcore wrestling arrives in the latest RSC exclusive from Mattel's WWE Elite series. Cactus Jack is arguably Mick Foley's most well-known persona, having wrestled in all the major promotions of his time: WWE, WCW and ECW, including traveling the world and becoming an international sensation in Japan.

I don't think anyone expected another one of the Faces of Foley to debut in the line so soon after series 17's Mankind, but I doubt anyone is complaining. I have fond memories of watching Mick Foley wrestle in the '90s and was excited to add him to my Mattel collection last year. Little did I know we'd have versions of two of his personas within a span of seven months from each other. Let's see how Cactus Jack turned out and whether or not we'll all want the third and final face of Foley.

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, Undertaker ("American Badass") - Review

Okay, this week I'm planning to knock out two reviews, the first of which is the Undertaker in his "American Badass" persona and the other... well, you'll just have to wait and see!

But today the Deadman is the focus. His latest Elite figure is a flashback to the days when he emerged from a long hiatus as a custom chopper-ridin', sunglass-wearin', Limp Bizkit-Rollin', biker badass!

Some fans aren't too crazy about Taker's AB gimmick (including someone high up within WWE, apparently), but at the time it was a way to rejuvenate the character and give the "supernatural" aspect of the Underatker some much-needed breathing room. Let's see how Mattel faired in delivering this now-classic interpretation of Big Evil in action figure form!

SWARM >>>

Monday, May 13, 2013

The Honeypot: More Predators, Marvel Legends & a Juggernaut!

Hello Hivers!

I'm a bit backed up, the Hive was on a brief hiatus due to the passing of my grandfather at the end of April. He was very ill, but his condition deteriorated rapidly last month. Now he's resting eternally with his beloved wife of nearly six decades who passed on last year. I miss them both dearly, but know they're in a better place now. May they rest in peace.

Obviously, there wasn't much shopping going on at the beginning of the May, but today's Honeypot covers the last two weeks in April. Most of the items I picked up came via online orders, so it took a while to arrive and I decided to hold off on posting until everything was here. In fact only one of the figures covered was purchased in-store, the rest came from TRU.com, Amazon and the dreaded online auction house, evilBay!

SWARM >>>

Friday, April 26, 2013

LoEB: Sleepover

As part of the League of Extraordinary Bloggers' discussion topic, Birthday Celebration, back in February, members were asked to include three ideas for future topics. One of my suggestions is this week's assignment: Sleepover!

You have the opportunity to spend the night at any residence in pop culture. Where do you go?

I'm pretty sure I had something in mind when I came up with the topic, but I can't remember what it was... There are so many places I'd love to spend a night at: the Baxter Building, the Fortress of Solitude, the Museum.

But what if I could visit someplace that is a temporary residence, where many people stay while on-duty...

SWARM >>>

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Currently on Display: April 2013

April's almost over and I thought now would be a good time to post a new edition of CoD. Mattel dominates most of the display area with WWE, DC Universe and Masters of the Universe, but Transformers and a few random figures squeezed in, too.

I'm trying to enjoy my office as much as possible right now because in a couple of months it's getting sacrificed to make room for the baby's nursery, so this will probably the penultimate edition of CoD featuring the office display. For those worried I'll be losing my displays altogether, fear not, my desk and bookcases are moving into the master bedroom. It's going to be a bit cramped for awhile, but at least I'll still have somewhere to set-up my stuff.

Enough that for now, though, let's take a look at the shelves!

SWARM >>>

Monday, April 22, 2013

Collector Douchery #3: Iron Man Mini-Miggz

I'm skipping the Honeypot this week and bringing a new edition of "Collector Douchery". Just in time for Iron Man's high-flying return to cinemas this edition of CD focuses on the aftermath of someone who has to "have them all" in their collection and how far they're willing to go to do so.

SWARM >>>

Saturday, April 20, 2013

LoEB: First Impressions

I can't believe it's been two months since my last League of Extraordinary Bloggers post. But fear not as there's no time like the present to jump back in! This week's topic:

"You never get a second chance at a first impression–what moment in pop culture had you saying “Now, that’s how you make an introduction!”

Well, for me, the most memorable introduction belongs to the Dark Knight!

SWARM >>>

Thursday, April 18, 2013

WWE Basic, AJ Lee - Review

In the past year the WWE's Divas division has undergone some major changes. Prior to the return of the Bella Twins a couple of months ago, there were only about ten or so active Divas on the roster. Gone are the biggest names of the last few years: Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly and Eve, leaving the roster wide open for an up-and-comer to hog the limelight.

Cue one miss AJ Lee, who has entered the fray and stolen the hearts of WWE fans and comic geeks alike. AJ's demonstrated some versatility in her on-screen persona, playing a carefree, pixie-type nerdy-chick one moment, then switching to a double-crossing vixen seductress the next. Currently she has a good mix of both personas going as the girlfriend of newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion, Dolph Ziggler.

With her first Elite figure set for mass-retail release in the next month, I thought it would be a great time to cover her debut figure, which came out last Fall. Let's take a look!

SWARM >>>

Monday, April 15, 2013

The Honeypot: Predators, Beast Hunters & a little birdie!

This week's Honeypot was a small haul, but the price-per-figure was one of the highest in recent memory. I ran across several long-awaited releases and for the first time in nearly a year, no WWE purchases!

What could I possibly have in the 'pot this week?!

SWARM >>>

Friday, April 12, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, Miss Elizabeth - Review

Since Mattel's announcement in 2011 that a Miss Elizabeth figure would be coming, she's gone from a Matty Collecotor-exclusive, WWE Legends figure to a hard-to-find Flashback release in the regular retail, WWE Elite Collection series. And all this time we've just been chomping at the bit to display her with our Macho Man figures.

Well, the time has finally come and if you were patient, you were (ideally) able to find her at a store without the ludicrous secondary market prices!

Is she a worthy addition to the Elite line or an expensive accessory for your Randy Savage action figure? Prepare youself for some Mattel logic and find out after the jump!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, Christian - Review

WWE Superstar (and one-time TNA wrestler), Christian, gets his first "Flashback" figure in only his third Elite release. I've never been much of a fan, but I did enjoy his time as Edge's tag team partner and since I already had Edge's Flashback, this was a must-have for my collection. FB Edge took a few missteps, but was overall a nice rendition of the Superstar's Attitude-era incarnation.

How does Christian's throwback figure fare?

Let's find out!

SWARM >>>

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Honeypot: The Birdman, WWE & 2nd order from Ralph's!

Today's edition of the Honeypot covers another two week span, although not as massive as the previous enstallment there were some big pickups nonetheless! Let's jump into it!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

WWE Elite, Santino Marella (series 3 & 20)

Today I'm reviewing two figures: one is from an early wave of WWE Elite (series 3) while the second is from the latest wave to hit retail stores (series 20), both are Santino Marella. Interestingly these are the only Elite figures Santino has received and they came seventeen waves apart, but more surprising is Mattel's choice to basically reuse the same attire on the newer figure.

There are a few sculptural changes to the E20 figure to get him up-to-date with Santino's current look and the addition of an "iconic" prop of his. Will this latest Marella easily replace the first version? Find out!

SWARM >>>

Monday, March 25, 2013

The Honeypot: WWE, MotUC, Marvel Legends & More!

Welcome back to the Hive for another edition of The Honeypot! This time around I'm covering a two week span that includes my largest weekly hauls for 2013 thus far and probably the most diverse group of toys I've picked up in the past six months. Interestingly, it showcases the (probable) conclusion of one toy line while featuring the reemergence of another on my shelves.

Come see what's new at the Hive!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Collector Douchery #2: FoC Soundwave

Greetings! And welcome back to our second edition of Collector Douchery, spotlighting douchy in-store acts of toy theft/vandalism. I mentioned in the debut post (last month, FoC Ultra Magnus) that I, seemingly, regularly send in a photo for Poe Ghostal's Toy Aisle Trolls feature. Well, this past week TAT featured one of my submissions. Hit the link to check out the original post, or "SWARM" for additional info.!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Honeypot: Transformers & a Rumbler!

This week in the Honeypot I share two brand-new Transformers figures my sweetie picked up for me while we were shopping and I find a WWE Rumbler of my favorite active WWE Superstar in the clearance bin!

Take a look!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, Shawn Michaels - Review

You wouldn't know it because of the Hive, but series 19 of Mattel's WWE Elite Collection is possibly the best overall wave in the entire line! Now that I've picked up all six figures in the wave, I'm turning my attention to getting them reviewed and kicking things off is the best figure in the series, "The Heartbreak Kid", Shawn Michaels!

Okay, so me calling him the best is obviously subjective and just my opinion, but I will say he's my favorite of the bunch. However, that's not all Mattel's doing. A big "thank you" is owed to Best Decals in the World for their phenomenal decal sets that allow you to give HBK his knee pads and chest hair. Without those upgrades the figure would be lacking in the authenticity department.

Let's see how Michaels turned out!

SWARM >>>

Monday, March 4, 2013

The Honeypot: Grimlock & Ralph's Figure Clothing!

This week in the Honeypot are a couple of firsts for the Hive: my first Voyager class figure from the Fall of Cybertron subline of Transformers: Generations and my first order from Ralph's Figure Clothing!

The items below were good enough to assure some future purchases, so jump ahead and take a look!

SWARM >>>

Sunday, February 24, 2013

LoEB: A Birthday Celebration!

This week the League of Extraordinary Bloggers celebrates one year of existence! So to celebrate the challenge for this week is as follows:

1. Write about your involvement in the League of Extraordinary Bloggers and recall some of your favorite posts — these could be your own and/or those written by others.

2. Come up with a list of potential topics you would like to see as future weekly League challenges.

Read on for my response!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Honeypot: WWE Elite 19, part 2

Past week's been busy and I've realized my current work schedule (08:00-18:00) keeps me from writing during my "peak" hours. I'm still trying to work out a way to get things done when I'm home while still spending time with my family. Unfortunately the way things are right now my work day's gone from 10 hours to 12 and a half due to rush hour traffic! By the time I get home on work nights and have dinner, I'm just too exhausted to sit down and write which causes me to become discouraged on my off days and avoid posting altogether, instead focusing on tinkering with my figures and displays.

Anyway, I still managed to find some great figures this past week, check them out!

SWARM >>>

Saturday, February 16, 2013

LoEB: I love...

Geez, took me long enough! This week's league assignment:

Write a stream of conscious post listing the things you love and hold dear.

I'm going to keep this post toy-related because Thursday was Valentine's Day & my girlfriend's birthday, so I had my fill of "I love you" and chocolates and girly movies and whatever else...

SWARM >>>

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Honeypot: Ricardo Rodriguez!

Just when I was trying to get into a new writing schedule, Blogger goes and makes some changes to the editing section. Anyway, here are my toy finds for last week. For those wondering when the next review will be up, please be patient, I'm working on a few!

SWARM >>>

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Collector Douchery #1: "FoC" Ultra Magnus

Welcome to the first installment of "Collector Douchery", a feature that takes a look at some of the depraved lows some collectors are willing to sink down to in order to get their plastic fix. I'll admit this isn't an original idea, if you follow Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation blog then you're already familiar with his Toy Aisle Trolls posts, which has been running for a few years now.

PG readers submit photos of vandalized toys found in stores, they're posted on the blog and usually accompanied with some "Karmic payback" to deliver some imagined punishment to the troll. I've submitted nearly a dozen or so pics to PG myself since it began and considered having my own feature on the Hive, but have never pulled the trigger on it due to the controversial nature of the content.

I kept (and still keep on) running into this sort of stuff at various toy outlets so I finally decided I'd give it a shot on the Hive and see how the response turns out. I won't copy PG's TAT feature exactly, I'm not as creative in coming up with the titles, nor will I provide a "punishment", I'll leave that up to you.

So here's our first victim:

SWARM >>>

Monday, February 4, 2013

The Honeypot: Finally! WWE Elite 19 is here!

Hello and happy Monday afternoon! I know it's been slow around the Hive for the past week and for the first time ever I'm posting two consecutive addition of the Honeypot, but fear not! A new feature (at least for the Hive...) is debuting this week and will help to fill-in the schedule when things slow down.

Don't worry about things slowing down too much because new products are finally starting to hit my area retail stores and that means more reviews to come! The big news this week is the arrival of WWE Elite Collection series 19 and I grabbed a few higly-anticipated figures from the set while still on the lookout for a sure to be hard-to-find release.

Let's see what we got this week!

SWARM >>>

Monday, January 28, 2013

The Honeypot: WWE & TMNT playsets and a gift from Matty!

Business picked up a bit this week thanks to a stellar sale at Kmart and the arrival of some new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles product at stores. Still no sign of WWE Elite 19, but I was able to pick-up a few older WWE items, the highly-anticipated classic World Tag Team title belts and received a gift (read: headache) from Mattel.

Keep reading to see what else came into the Hive!

SWARM >>>

Friday, January 25, 2013

Currently on Display: January 2013

Today CoD makes a comeback with a new edition that's heavy on the wrestling, mode-changing robots and a couple of battle scenes! Last month I added a new bookcase to my office affording me some extra display space and more options on the type of displays I can set up. I've been working on these displays for about a month now, waiting for some of the newer purchases to arrive in order to fit them in and also constantly tweaking exisiting figures to optimize them for the collection. Swapped out a couple of heads, adjusted some ring gear on several wrestlers, added/removed some accessories of various figures and now I'm ready to share them with you.

So jump ahead and see what's on display at the Hive at the beginning of 2013!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Buzz: WWE Elite series 20, 21 & 22

I don't know about your area, but store inventory around here is mostly devoid of any new toys, so I thought it would be great time to share some thoughts on the recently announced line-ups for WWE Elite 21 and 22.

These were posted last week on WrestlingFigs.com so credit for the reveals goes to them.

Now on with the new figs!

SWARM >>>

Friday, January 18, 2013

The Honeypot: New Year's score!

Hello and welcome to the first edition of "The Honeypot" for 2013! I skipped doing a Christmas Honeypot because like I mentioned before I handle all my toy purchases and I didn't really receive anything toy-related for Christmas. I did manage to pick up a few basic figures of Zack Ryder and R-Truth, but those were purchased to have alternate heads/parts for my Elite figures and have already been disassembled so a pic would look odd.

Anyway, let's see what's kicking off the new year at the Hive!

SWARM >>>

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

WWE Elite Flashback, Jerry "The King" Lawler - Review

Sorry for the delay in posts, but I'm adjusting to a new work schedule which unfortunately doesn't give me much time for anything on my workdays meaning I have to wait until my days off to get anything Hive-related done.

Anyway, today I'm finally taking a look at Jerry Lawler from Elite series 18, one of two "flashback" figures in the wave. I don't think Mattel has really sat down and defined just what exactly qualifies as a flashback. Sure we know it's their way to get "Legends" into the main retail line and it also features older versions of current Superstars, but this Lawler doesn't really fit into any of these categories. Read on to find out what I mean.

SWARM >>>

Friday, January 4, 2013

WWE Basic, Alicia Fox - Review

Hello Foxy lady fans! My first review of 2013 kicks off with WWE Diva Alicia Fox who makes her line debut in series 23 of the basic line.

Mattel's Divas figures have come a long way since 2010 when the basic series didn't include any special ring gear or accessories. Over the past few years, the design team has strived to include costume pieces (something the male Superstars, don't really get) to enhance the basic female sculpt. Alicia Fox is actually the first single-carded Diva to receive a proper accessory.

Let's see what she has to offer!

SWARM >>>

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Happy New Year - Toy Wishes for 2013!

Happy New Year everyone! We're three days into 2013 and it's about time I get around to revealing my toy wishes for the next ~~365~~ 362 days. Last year presented some challenges in toy collecting, making me re-evaluate what exactly I was most passionate about and the answers surprised me. This year I feel I have a stronger focus on where my collection is going and I think I understand much better why I collect what I collect.

So what is 3B looking forward to the most in 2013? Find out!

SWARM >>>

Checklists

Friday, August 16, 2013

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Monday, July 29, 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Monday, July 1, 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Friday, June 14, 2013

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Monday, June 3, 2013

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Monday, May 20, 2013

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Monday, May 13, 2013

Friday, April 26, 2013

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Monday, April 22, 2013

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

Friday, April 12, 2013

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Monday, April 8, 2013

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Monday, March 25, 2013

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Monday, March 4, 2013

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Friday, February 15, 2013

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Monday, February 4, 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Friday, January 4, 2013

Thursday, January 3, 2013