A Walmart Update: Mattel Star Trek Dolls

The Walmart outside the Franklin Mills Mall has

Mattel Star Trek Kirk, Spock, and Uhura Barbie for $43.98 each.

These dolls represent the actors in the upcoming Star Trek movie (prequel?) opening this Friday in Philadelphia. I'm not a Star Trek fan - so I'll pass on those dolls unless I see them on sale Ross-style. They are a step up from the first Mattel Barbie and Ken Star Trek duo produced in 1996, but nothing special. Again the company used existing face molds. Shrug. There are plenty of other dolls and action figures to buy.

Barbie Finds at Big Lots

Yesterday at the Big Lots outside Franklin Mills Mall, I saw two of the Barbie Disco dolls:

Happy Birthday, Gorgeous Barbie (Blonde)

Celebrate, Disco Doll! Barbie (Brown hair)

Each doll cost $12.99. A friend picked up the Celebrate, Disco Doll! (African American) for me for my birthday; she saw a few of them at the Norristown Big Lots. These dolls seem to have the Model Muse body - extra thin.

The Franklin Mills Mall also had two My Scene Masquerade Madness outfits, for $1.00 EACH. They were the last two out at the time, and I got them. Hudson's boxing outfit and Ellis' pirate outfit. The other two outfits, Sutton's vampire outfit and River's rock star outfit, might be available at another Big Lots.

Note: the Norristown Big Lots has a larger toy section than the Franklin Mills store.

Neil Van Helsing or Hugh Jackman by Jakks Pacific

Here are photos of the Van Helsing action figure by Jakks Pacific. Hugh Jackman played Van Helsing in the 2004 "Van Helsing" movie.







Actually, it isn't a bad likeness. Maybe it's just the hair that reminds me of Neil Diamond?

Collector Confession: My Scene of Body Snatching

I don't really collect Mattel My Scene fashion dolls.

I harvest their bodies for other fashion dolls. I actively body snatch.

My first body snatching exercise happened when I was about seven. I had a standard Barbie, but I lost her head. Don't recall how the head was lost. I also had a Maddie Mod doll. Maddie was the local crazy lady. She had what I even then considered an inferior body. Problem? Solution. I popped Maddie's head off her flimsy original body and onto the Barbie body. Maddie survived.

Zoom forward a few decades and behold the adult doll collecting Dana. This time though, the body snatching isn't for replacing missing heads. No. The body snatching happens to appease my aesthetic sense. The My Scene heads are annoyingly large; the Flavas' heads are too big for their bodies. What if I popped a Flavas head on a My Scene body? Ah, the peanut butter and chocolate collusion moment. Vision pleased by improved proportions. Ah, the world's a better, brighter place.

What's the next step in body snatching? Improving articulation - pose ability - in fashion dolls and action figures by snatching action figure bodies to house doll and/or action figure heads I prefer. Baby, look at them now. Really moving and grooving, third millennium style.

Mad Maddie is still around. She's lost her right foot, her right forefinger, and her left little finger. Wonder if it's time for her to snatch another body? Perhaps ... only this time, there are other heads before hers.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine 12" Figure by ToyBiz

I saw the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie this morning. I loved it. Eye candy in the forms of Hugh Jackman (expected) and Daniel Henney (whoa, new cutie). Lots of action. Motorcycle chase. Buildings exploding. Choreographed fights. Bad guys mostly died except one needed for future stories. There was even a discernible plot. The other theater-goers were relatively quiet. My $8.50 was earned. I left happy and excited. I could almost see it again.

Seems that Toy Biz has or will have a 12" Wolverine action figure sculpted to look like Hugh Jackman. Now while that sounds promising, it isn't as great news as you would think. Here's a link to the figure available through Amazon.com.

The head photographed looks like the actor; I am not sure about the body. It could have molded on clothes. Grrr ... boo, hiss. I looooaaattthhheeee molded on clothes. It's the doll collector in me, but I want my figures to be able to change clothes. I want them for civilian action. Sigh. Very impatient sigh. Well ... guess I'll wait and see if/when the 12" ToyBiz Wolverine figures reach Philly, if the face is attractive enough and if the head can be transferred to a Hot Toys body.

Then again, I'm not 100% sold on the ToyBiz head. ToyBiz did some 12" Lord of the Rings figures. I bought the Gandalf one - he was the best of the figures. Beady eyes on the lot of them. (Aside: no woman should ever be rendered in 12" doll form by ToyBiz. Their Arwen and Galadriel give Dusty a run for fugliest doll. Shudder. Blech!)

I have a 12" Van Helsing figure, but that figure doesn't get Hugh Jackman's eyes right. I think of him as my Neil "Song Sung Blue" Diamond Van Helsing.

Toys R Us has New Playmates Star Trek Figures

The Wyncote Toys R Us has the 12" Star Trek figures by Playmates. This line includes Kirk, Spock, Old Spock, and McCoy at $30. These figures seem to be modeled on the new Star Trek cast from the upcoming movie except for Old Spock who resembles Leonard Nimoy. If I found the McCoy for much less - say $10, I might get that one. The others don't interest me.

If Playmates should create a diorama for these 12" figures ... now that would be fun. Probably expensive, but still fun.

Smartees Review

I have deboxed the Smartees dolls. Here are some photos and comments.

Overall Reaction

Plus: I like this series. The career-focus makes these fashion dolls slightly different. Think, fashion dolls = glamour. Most Smartees dolls have straight hair, kept off the face. Their makeup is subtle. Glamourous, the Smartees are NOT. But there is something appealing about them although they are worlds apart from Integrity's Fashion Royalty dolls or R&D's Susie doll. The Smartees are clean pretty. Each doll has a storybook that includes a glossary of career jargon, a resume abstract, and school diplomas for the doll's profession.

Minus: cheap clothes, dolls cannot stand alone, inexpensive playline quality


Vinyl/Plastic Doll

* Same face/head mold used for all dolls

* Complexions range from very pale to light brown

* Face paint varies enough to distinguish one doll from another

* Articulated arms, click bend knees, twist waists

* Tiny feet - most shoes don't stay on the feet if the doll has on stockings


Photos

Amanda the Architect (red suit), Ashley the Attorney (red-black houndstooth) back row
Taylor the Teacher (pink sweater), Emily the Entrepreneur (navy suit), and Jessica the Journalist (taupe trenchcoat) are in this first photo.




Caitlin the Chef (white toque), Destiny the Doctor (mint scrubs) back row
Nicole the Nurse (pastel scrubs) and Vicky the Veterinarian (white lab coat) front row