Batman and Son (DC Direct)



Batman and Son
DC Direct
2007

Batman and Son is a story arc from the monthly Batman title of the same name. It ran from issue 655, and ended in 658. The story is actually a sequel to the 1987 Grant Morrison story, Son of the Demon - A title considered to be one of the best Batman stories ever written.

When DC Direct went on a big kick of pumping out figure after figure, a small series based on the Batman and Son characters got folded into the mix. For fans, it was great to see a classic blue and gray Batman hit store shelves. It also didn't hurt getting a classic looking Joker.

 Batman*Robin and Damian

Prices these days hover around $20.00 to $25.00 per figure. Unfortunately this means that fans jumping on the series at this point in time are going to pay a fairly hefty premium to get them all.

Joker*Ninja Manbat

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Scarface, Taxi Driver and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Funko / ReAction Figures)



Scarface
Funko / Reaction Figures
2015

We touched on the overall story of Scarface in our original post based on NECA's collection of Tony Montana figures. As such, we won't go into the movie.

The whole Funko Reaction line seems to have slowed down a bit here. As of 2016 there's not a whole lot of buzz surrounding the figures. In fact, most retail stores have already put their back stock on clearance in an attempt to get rid of them. Suffice to say, there doesn't seem to be that big of a demand for them. What a shame.

One of the final figures to hit shelves in 2015 was Tony Montana from Scarface. The figure features the character in his familiar suit from the infamous scene where Montana shouts, "Say hello to my little friend!" as he opens fire on the invading cops.

Much like retail stores, secondary market dealers seem to be taking a hit on these figures. They can be purchased for as little as $5.00 mint on card.

Taxi Driver
Funko / Reaction Figures
2015

"You talking to me?" It's one of the most famous quoted lines in cinema history - Right next to the likes of Han Solo's, "I know," and Ratso Rizzo's, "I'm walking here, I'm walking here!" The best thing about all these quotes - They were all impromptu lines the actors spurted out as the cameras were rolling.

Taxi Driver is cited by critics as one of the greatest films of all time. It portrays the character Travis Bickle, an honorably discharged marine dealing with insomnia. To help with this, he takes a job as a late night cab driver, and from there spirals down a road of rage and vigilante tendencies.

As of 2005 a sequel was hinted at by Scorsese and  De Niro. However, the only known script to exist for the film was turned down by both the director and actor as not being good enough to continue the character's story. Ouch - What an insult to the writer. Since then , the duo have announced interest in a remake of the film, but much like the sequel, these plans have not gone any further.

The Funko Reaction figure of Travis Bickle was also one of the last to hit shelves in 2015. It too isn't faring too well on secondary markets, and can be nabbed for as little as $2.00 mint on card.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Funko / Reaction Figures
2015


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films have gone through several iterations at this point in time - Which is why it's interesting that Funko selected the very first film to base its Leatherhead figure on. Personally, we appreciate that. It's a respectable nod at the film that started it all, even if the actors didn't go on to do much more after that.

Leatherface is as iconic a horror figure as Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees. In fact, out of all of them, Leatherface has been doing it the longest having started in 1974. Michael Myers followed in 1978, while Freddy and Jason didn't begin their terrorizing until the 80's.

Out of all of the figures in this post, Leatherface also fairs the best on secondary markets ranging between $6.00 and $11.00. However, as is the case with all the prices noted here, these are simply benchmarks of current prices, and those are always subject to change. They could go up, they could go down. Only time will tell in that regard.

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Meteor Man (Olmec Toys)



Meteor Man
Olmec Toys
1993

It would take a super hero to clean up the inner city gang problems - Or at least that's what the message of the film Meteor Man was panned as sending. Written, directed and starring Robert Townsend, the 1993 superhero comedy seems to have mostly poor reviews surrounding it. Not necessarily for its misconstrued message, but more so because it's just not considered to be all that good in general. Roger Ebert may possibly have summed it up best, "The movie contains big laughs and moments of genuine feeling, but it seems to be put together out of assorted inspirations that were never assembled into one coherent story line."

Olmec Toys produced a one and done bendable figure based on the character. Much like the film itself, the figure didn't fare to well, and was soon tossed in clearance isle bins.

Aesthetics wise, it's not a bad figure. Olmec captured all the bumps and ridges in the Meteor Man suit fairly well - Perfect in fact. If we had to nitpick, then sure the cape is too long, and the head sculpt is certainly lacking in accuracy to the actor. Nitpicks aside though, again, it's not a bad figure. It's certainly a conversation piece to have in one's collection alongside the likes of Batman, Superman, and all those other well known iconic characters.

The average going price these days for a mint in the package figure is around ten bucks. However, there are a lot of sellers out there that seem to think that the asking price should be around $25.00 to $35.00. Those sellers naturally still own their Meteor Man figures.

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Peter Cottontail (Diamond Select)




Peter Cottontail
Diamond Select
2002

Rankin / Bass Productions was behind some of the most well known holiday specials which started airing in 1964. Their most famous being the stop motion animated short, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Though the company produced a fair amount of stop motion animated shorts (and films), they also dabbled in traditional animation as well as live action films.

These days you won't find any new Rankin / Bass Productions airing on television. The company closed its doors several years ago. However, that hasn't stopped the individual entities that have assumed the rights of their products from creating sequels, nor stifled them from hitting the air waves with seasonal reruns.

However, if you're looking for a more collectible, plastic, action figure based Ranskin / Bass Production, turn your attention to the 2002 Diamond Select Peter Cottontail line. The figures are based on the 1971 stop motion animated short, Here Comes Peter Cottontail starring Danny Kaye.

 Peter Cottontail*Donna

As is usually the case with this type of line, the series was rather small. It featured only four figures, and nothing else. It was aimed at a very specific target audience, and sadly said audience didn't seem to care much. Sales were bleak, and secondary markets these days are even worse. A full carded set can sell for as little as $40.00. However, this seems to not be a gauge of the actual value of the series as a full set of opened / complete figures can sell for the exact same amount. This is definitely a unique if not odd scenario.

Irontail*Sassafrass

It's not that the series was (or is) a bad one. It's just very confined to the type of person that would want it. First and foremost you have to find a Raskin / Bass fan - Which granted, there are probably a lot of them. However, you then have to have one that is also remotely interested in action figures - Or more specifically - Buying and collecting action figures. That's probably a very small demographic.

Though there aren't many toys based on Rankin / Bass shorts, there are still some to be found here and there. We've personally covered another of their series in our post on NECA's The Year Without A Santa Claus.

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Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series 14 (Playmates Toys)



Playmates Toys starts off 2016 with a surprise for many fans of the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. Five new figures that (as far as we know) were never announced.

Joining the collection are Dimension X sub-series figures; April O'Neil, Casey Jones and Robug. In addition, two all new special features Turtles; Spittin' Raphael and Spittin' Michelangelo. Two more figures are slated to be on the way (per the cardback) - Eye Poppin' Leo and Tongue Poppin' Mikey, respectively.

Spittin' Michelangelo

Spittin' Raphael

Dimension X April O'Neil

Dimension X Casey Jones


Dimension X Robug

In addition to the new figures, we've also seen the Fugitiod Ship with Space Captain Mikey. We'll update this post once we have a photo of it on hand.

***UPDATE***

Fugitoid Ship photo added.


Collectors that are seeking out the older released figures in the new 2015 style packaging should keep their eyes open for Snakeweed. He has finally been released on this new style card. His release was a long time coming for many fans that couldn't put their hands on the character.

The only remaining figures that need the updated packaging are all variations of the Turtles; all four Stealth Tech, all four Mutagen Ooze and Mikey the Elf. These figures are still fairly readily available on the original packaging though, and continue to be packed into current cases.

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