Sludge

I got this guy the other day. His name is Sludge. I really like him. I find it a fun exercise to come up with what this thing actually is, and how it can exist on Ankletown Station.

He looks like something made out of red goo, but then there that head...or maybe it's more than a head, looks like it could be a whole creature...inside. Maybe it's an alien creature that needs that red goo to live. It's basically the air it breathes...or the water, could be like a fish or something, and it has some kind of alien-style space suit that holds that goo in, and provides a structure around the alien that it can use to interact with humans or other aliens. Pretty fun.

The head, even though it's scowling, is really cute. It makes me think of Meap from Phinneas & Ferb.

There's a blue version of this guy too, called Rippley. He looks less evil.

Sludge is wearing his angry eyes, but Rippley looks much more innocent. So, I guess Sludge is the evil one. I may get the blue one someday too, just because it would be fun to have another one. Unfortunately, he only comes in a Vending Machine, so I'll have to see if I can ever find it at a reasonable price.

I ain't paying $20 for a guy that I already have only cast in blue instead of red.

Oh, by the way, this guy took a dive off my shelf the day after I bought him, and that big red hammer he has went flying off into what corner I cannot guess. Eventually, I'll find that hammer, but for now it's completely vanished. Doesn't really matter, though. I wouldn't have him carrying it around or anything. The stupid harvesting tools are not my jam.

Breaking The Band Up

 I went to Ross the other day, and I found this on the shelves.

Jazwares Fortnite figures sell their figures in several different unique ways. This is the vending machine, which has a figure and various accessories inside. Normally, I think it sells for around $20, but because it was at Ross, it was only $9.99.

I liked the look of the figure, X-Lord. I don't know who he is, but he made me think of the custom Daft Punk figures that Empire Toy Works sometimes puts up on his Instagram channel.

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And I just got that Wade The Spiritual Rocker figure the other day, who came with two instruments. Maybe X-Lord could be in the band, playing the other instrument. So, I grabbed it, and headed to the register...then I pulled up short. The line was about a hundred yards long. It wrapped away from the registers, through the switchbacks that lead to the registers, into the aisle, and stretched back nearly to the back wall of the store.

I was stopping into the Ross by my work on my way in, because I had a couple of minutes to spare. I didn't have that many minutes to spare though. This line was going to take a half hour to get through. I had to go back to the toy section and ditch the X-Lord vending machine there. Maybe it would still be there the next day, and I could get it then.

I left extra early for work the next day, and found the vending machine still waiting for me. At least nobody had bought it out from under me in the time that had passed. However, the line was in exactly the same state. It was huge. I couldn't believe it. 

How were so many people shopping at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Wednesday? And then again on a Thursday?

I did have more than fifteen minutes before I was supposed to be at work, though, so I got in line, suspecting that it would make me a little late for work, but I wasn't coming again, even earlier the next day. I was going to tough it out.

It didn't take a half hour like I suspected, only twenty minutes. I was still late for work, but only a tiny bit, and my work aren't huge sticklers about you being exactly on time, so I was fine.

And I took X-Lord home that night and gave him a guitar to play.

I like it. It looks pretty rad. I may give him a black wash, or I may just leave him as is. I kind of like the vibrant red.

I put him next to Wade The Spiritual Rocker, but wasn't very pleased. Wade kind of sucks. But I also have my first custom figure, DJ Squid Head. He could play the keytar with X-Lord. What do you think?

It's hard to get Squid Head to grab the keytar neck though, because his hands are just superglued on. He doesn't have wrists anymore. 

Even more than the music club pictures that I see on Empire Toy Works, I'd like to make the band resemble the band that once played on the Space Mountain Stage at Disneyland back in the eighties. I saw this very interesting video on Defunctland that went into extreme, exhaustive detail about the band. Check it out if you're interested in seeing a Star Wars band that you've never heard of, called Halyx.

I guess my next acquisition needs to be a wookiee, and a bass guitar for him to play...or some completely new goofy space instrument.

Grotto Henchman

This guy is called the Grotto Henchman. I have no idea what the deal is with this guy, I just think he looks cool.

He might be a robot, he might just be a guy in a mask. I don't know, but he should fit in well in Ankletown Station.

He can add his pickaxe to the pile of useless pickaxes that I have though. You won't see him again holding that.

I wonder if his hood is removable. I've pulled on it a little bit, and it is well secured on the back of his head, so I'm afraid to rip it. I don't want that. I just want to pull it off if it comes off leaving a presentable head on the back. So, I guess I'll leave it since I can't get it. He still looks pretty darn cool with it on.

Fresh Meat May/June Rages On Into Its Second Week. Did I Keep Getting The Results I Got In Week One?

I finished up week two of Fresh Meat May/June, and I ran into a few challenges. Do I still love it as much as ever? Or am I feeling the loss of bacon and sausage and pork rinds and chorizo and eggs and...

Weird Bug

I went out in my backyard, and I found this weird bug swimming around in my pool. It's a big ass bug, and I haven't the slightest idea what it is. I've seen them before, but never had a better opportunity to get a video of one.

I did splash it out of the pool, and I assume that it ran off...or flew off, or whatever a big weird gross bug like this does to get around. It wasn't there the next time I came out anyway. I guess a bird could have swooped down and chomped it up. I don't know. Nature is red in tooth and claw, no matter how nice we humans try to be we can't change that.

Mantis

Maybe a month ago, I saw the Halo Mantis at the store for the first time. 

I had to admit that it was totally rad, but it also cost $40, so I wasn't even thinking about buying it. I would hang on until it showed up at Ross. Maybe then I would be able to afford it.

That time actually came sooner than I expected. These Mantis toys got clearanced at Target way early. I went in the other day and found it marked down to $19.99.

 I was pretty sure that I wouldn't see it that cheap even when it showed up at Ross. So, I pulled the trigger and bought it up.

I didn't expect to be proven right so quickly, but the very next day, I was in Ross, and the Mantis had suddenly shown up there too. They wanted $29.99.

So, I actually pulled one off this time. I got it for $10 cheaper than Ross, and that's a pretty big accomplishment, because Ross is almost always the cheapest for toys...if it does actually arrive at that store. 

Although, recently, I've found that they have been skimpier with their markdowns. They used to be closer to 50% off on everything, but these days it's becoming more the norm to only get 25% off. I guess even Ross succumbs to inflation.

The Mantis is a really cool toy.

President Government and his brute squad are really going to enjoy using this walker to inflict oppression on all of his subjects. The Mantis came with a pilot, the Spartan EVA.

Not a bad figure, and he should fit in really good with the rest of the brute squad.

Of course he needs to get all gunked up like Walrus Man there. So does Lebron. These brutes need to look more brutish if they want to fit in on the brute squad.

The figure can sit inside the Mantis to drive it around, stomping on the townspeople, and putting down their rebellions.

Probably never put him in there, though, because you can't see if anyone is in there or not when the cockpit is closed.

It's a really cool toy, and pretty big too. Just for kicks, I put it next to my imperial scout walker to compare them.

The Mantis can stand up a fair amount taller than this, so it could actually be taller, but in general, they are about the same size. The Mantis is, however, much more stable than the scout walker. It was hella difficult to get that damn scout walker to stand up for the picture after I moved it from its spot on my shelves, but the Mantis was no biggie at all. It could stand in several less stable positions than the one you see there.

I still like the scout walker better for sentimental reasons though.

There was a second Mantis on the shelf at Target, and maybe I should have bought it. I saw a YouTube video where a guy turned the Mantis into a mech walker for six inch GI Joe Classified figures, and I thought that was pretty cool.

I probably won't do that, because I collect GI Joe Classified to get six inch versions of classic figures I loved as a kid. GI Joe didn't drive mech walkers when I was a kid, so I don't really need them driving them now.

I did really dig the paint job he put on the walker in that video though. I may consider painting mine up. It doesn't have to be desert khaki. It might be better in other colors. We'll have to see.

Carbide

I do this a little too often, I think. I was looking on Amazon, and found that they had marked the Fortnite Carbide figure down. I don't remember what they were asking before, but it was over $10. That much I'm sure about.

They had marked Carbide down to $5.84, and I had to jump on that. That's somewhere around 50% off, and it's not a figure I was going to see at Ross anymore. It's one of the older figures from the line. So, I ordered it, and it came two days later.

His future/space/video game armor makes him a pretty good addition to my Star Wars themed space port that I'm planning, so I was happy to get it for such a slashed price.

My one complaint, I know that it probably is a big part of the video game or something, but I sure would appreciate it if these figures came with a different accessory than these stupid harvesting tools. Why does my futuristic warrior come with a friggin' pickaxe?

They're pretty worthless, and I'm just going to throw them all away most likely. At best, I'll chop them up and use them as greebles on the walls of the station.