I’ve been a collector all my life – everything from knives to stamps to coins to tobacco tins have filled first my parent’s house then my own. But the first steps down the road of pop culture collecting start with those damn little toys you get in every kid’s meal. Back in the eighties I started to pick up the occasional Happy Meal toy that was cool…then the occasioal set…and it was the gateway drug that led to me now buying $300 Premium Format figures and $150 sixth scale figures. A slippery slope my friends, a slippery slope.
I’ve kicked that habit for the most part these days, although that’s sort of like a crack addict giving up caffiene. But I fall off the wagon now and then, particularly when one of the fast food stores hits one of my favorite licenses, and such was the case with the new Star Wars Bobble Heads at McDonalds.
There are 17 bobble heads in the full set, and some do more than just bobble. They are also a mix of styles, with some of the based on the movies, and some based on the new animated Clone Wars. They should be at your local Mickey D’s til for another couple weeks.
If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or hit my other site Captain Toy – Michael’s Review of the Week. On to the bobbles!
McDonald’s Star Wars Bobble Heads
Packaging – **
What did you expect – they come in little plastic bags. At least they were nice enough to give you some basic instructions for those that are more than just bobble heads.
Sculpting – ***
The sculpting is fairly basic here, but it’s solid work for such inexpensive toys. In fact, there are toys in the store that cost quite a bit more and don’t have nearly as nice of sculpting. The concept is fairly simple – each large head is attached by a spring to some sort of vehicle. For the most part, these vehicles make complete sense (Vader on his fighter, etc.), but there are a couple weird exceptions. Nonetheless, the combinations are generally well thought out and well designed.
The sculpting on the ships is simple, without a ton of detailing, but everything is recognizable. The heads are fairly large, too big to be used for sixth scale figures and in some cases closer to quarter scale. Obviously, the ships are much smaller, giving them a slight ‘super deformed’ feel to their style and look.
Paint – ***
There’s not a ton of paint here, since many of the parts are simply cast in the most appropriate color. But if you consider the cost, and compare these to some mass market items out there these days, you’ll see that what paint work that is here is well done. There’s a little slop here and there, and some of the cut lines could be cleaner, but you’re getting you’re money’s worth.
Action Features – ***1/2
All the toys feature consistent action features: they all have bobble heads, and they all have wheels on the bottom to roll. For five of these toys, that’s it. These five are pictured below, and they bobble and roll just fine, but that’s all they do.
The next set of four also have wheels on the bottom, but they have a pull back feature. Pull back on the vehicle while the wheels are touching a surface, and when you let go they’ll roll forward. This worked pretty well on all four, with a medium distance obtained by all.
Next up, we have three that have light up sabers. There’s an on/off switch, and once flipped, you can press a button to turn on the saber. The light is bright enough to see in a day time room, but it looks much better in the dark.
The next set also has three members. These have an on/off switch and a button to push, but this time when you press it you get a series of sounds or spoken lines. That’s a nice feature, especially at this price point.
Finally, there’s a pair that walk. Turn the knob on the side to wind them up, and let them go! Both walk well, albeit a bit slowly.
Fun Factor – ***
I gave the full set to my seven year old son, knowing full well that I really don’t need another set of Happy Meal toys. He enjoyed them for awhile, and they work well for what they are – cheaper toys intended to amuse your kids for short periods. Don’t be surprised if your kids can’t find them the next day, with the possible exception of one or two of their favorites. My son gravitated to the walkers and the light up sabers, but your mileage may vary.
Value – ****
Depending on the license, they do some truly amazing stuff for pretty much no cost. Coming up next in September – Batman Legos! You know I’ll be getting that whole set for my son AND a set for me!
Things to Watch Out For:
Getting a large ass from eating too many Happy Meals.
Overall – ***
Some people see action figures and other toys at the local store and think “Jesus, that’s no better than a Happy Meal toy!”. I see the quality of the current day Happy Meal toys and think “Wow, that’s good enough to be in a store!”. It really does amaze me what they do with the licenses, considering how little they charge for these. Kinda makes you wonder how much that beef in your kid’s hamburger cost them, eh? Best not to think about it, and pass me the McNuggets please.
Where to Buy –
Uh, McDonald’s? Expect to pay around a buck each if you buy them individually, although it can vary from store to store.
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Director: Guy Ritchie
Director: DJ Caruso
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STEVE COOGAN: I heard the reaction was really good.
COOGAN: What you see is someone who believes in himself ““ someone who is passionate someone – who’s a bit of an ass but not selfish, not cynical, he really believes in something and in that kind of postmodern world it’s very fashionable to blame everything else but he has this, in some ways, a little bit of naivete but another way”¦belief. He has moments of self-doubt but he believes in art, believes in trying to make people’s lives better.
COOGAN: Again, I was a little nervous some of these songs like Raped in the Face“¦.
COOGAN: Yeah. If you Google “Steve Coogan Live” you might find some stuff that Simon and I did together.
Jonathan Coulton on Jonathan Coulton: “In 2005 I left my day job writing software to pursue music full time. To keep myself busy I released a new song on this website every week for a year in a project called Thing a Week. A few of those songs became big internet hits (my folky cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”, a funny video called “Flickr”, a song called “Code Monkey”), and I am now fortunate enough to make my living as a musician.
Paul and Storm are a comedy music duo, and they have been performing as a duo since 2004. Before that, they were one half of a cappella band Da Vinci’s Notebook for about 12 years. A Paul and Storm show is part music concert and part standup/improv comedy”“just enough of both to fit neatly in neither category. They like to engage the audience, and are known to award snack cakes and/or other prizes for good (and sometimes bad) behavior. Their show would be PERFECT as a cable special, and would make lots of money for whichever brave channel decides to air them first.
You know ’em as the RiffTrax trio, but here at Song Fu they are the mighty RiffTones…
Doc Hammer was born in 1626 in Hamar, Norway, under the name Erik VonHamer. Being the son of a humble cobbler, not much was expected of the young man, other than to cobble and to not complain about all the cobbling. But Doc was destined for greater things. At 17, with nothing more than really well made shoes and a dream, he made his way to Antwerp to study oil painting under the great Rubens. Within a year, the two were at odds. Rubens spoke (infrequently) of Doc as “that creepy skinny kid,” and Doc spoke of Rubens’s work as “kinda unattractive if you really look at it.” By 1648, Doc had relocated to Leiden, where he found his master in Rembrandt. It was there, in his 23rd year, that Doc met “She Who Was To Deliver The Kiss Of Eternal Youth.” After a spicy courtship, “She Who Was To Deliver The Kiss Of Eternal Youth” and Doc were married. By 1650 Doc had grown weary of immortality and committed an unsuccessful suicide by burying his never-corpse in the basement of a Dutch cottage. In 1870, Doc again resurfaced. Using the name Vilhelm Hammershoi, Doc resumed his painting career with mild success. After thanking his bride for “the immortality thing” and nicely reminding her that he had “heard every one of her stories like a billion times,” “She Who Was To Deliver The Kiss Of Eternal Youth” and Doc split up in 1916. Again, Doc literally went underground until, now using the name Armond Hammer, he resurfaced and made a whole mess of money selling overpriced meds to the Russians. Sick of all the baking soda jokes, Doc faked his death. Biding his time till the MC Hammer thing had blown over, Doc again resurfaced as “Doc Hammer.” Today, Doc still paints in oils and writes, voices, and does other crap for The Venture Bros. (a show you can watch on cable TV).
The Deal: After 20+ years making music as a hobby, I recently wrote and recorded a song for my daughter. I got a little taste of mild success (hey, my mom liked it). So now I’m taking my music out of the closet, dusting it off, and seeing how it does in the sunshine. Who knew there was so much work in just attempting to do music for a living. I feel like I am opening a Subway franchise (Only opening a Subway franchise seems more fulfilling in a creative way).
Run At The Dog are high energy, rock/pop, category-sluts with multi-gendered vocals and intricate arrangements. They are like Abba meets Faith No More meets Mos Def meets the Mormon Tabernacle Choir meets Steely Dan. The songs of this Minneapolis 5-piece are always written right away, with no respect for the calculating mind. Audience members are unsure whether to dance, laugh, or panic.
I suppose I am what you could call a “Multi-Instrumentalist”. That is a nice way of saying “Jack-of-all-trades, Master-of-none”. I began playing drums as a teenager and spent a great deal of energy during my 20’s trying to “make it” in the music biz. As a drummer, I have had the opportunity to play with some pretty incredible musicians, garnering literally DOZENS of fans over the years. In 2004 I joined the band Celestial Static, and spent several years melting some face with good friends Jeremy and Julie Elzerman. Once that ran its course, I decided to spend more time locked away in my studio, writing my own songs and learning to play guitar, bass and sing. It doesn’t pay the bills, but I have a good time doing it.
Edric has been writing music (off and on) for the past fifteen years. He wrote and directed a musical, The Pushcart War, based on Jean Merrill’s wonderful novel. He has written and/or arranged a number of songs for various friends – some commissioned, some as surprises. He loves acting in community theatre, and is inspired by the music of Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty – and yes, Jonathan Coulton, who in addition to writing wonderful songs, also served as a portal to finding out about the Song Fu competition.
“BucketHat” Bobby Matheson is an awkward teenage accordionist and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in superhero-themed and “Comedy” music, and who works for minimum wage in the fast food industry. With his style varying from polka to folk, punk to pop, and then again from rock to bluegrass, we’re left unsure what to expect. One thing for certain is that Bobby doesn’t like talking about himself in the third person, and therefore will stop this silliness right now.
Insane Ian is a comedian and writer from Baltimore, Maryland who specializes in all things nerdy, both in parody and original compositions. From Sci-fi TV shows and films, to video games, to comic books – no nerdy topic escapes his sardonic (and satiric) wit. Among his peers – such as Sudden Death, the great Luke Ski, Jonathan Coulton and, of course, “Weird Al” Yankovic – he is the only artist to have written this bio, and remains at the top of that list. Currently, his song “Guitar Hero” (from his upcoming album n3rds0ngs) is the number three most requested song on the Dr. Demento radio show for last month. Usually for a song, I.I. surrounds himself with talented people to make himself look better…and now is no exception, as friend and producer Mike S. helps on instrumental duties.
Hello everyone. I’m Bram Tant, a 19-year-old Belgian student who enjoys playing the electric/bass guitar, singing, and writing songs in his spare time. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a professional musician, and I’m psyched to have been selected for this awesome contest. Having greatly enjoyed the first edition, I want to test my humble songwriting Fu against other (hopefully) great artists. Unfortunately, I do not own decent recording equipment – all I have is a computer microphone. Still, I’ll try the best I can to record the best song I can write. About musical influences – lately I’ve been really awed at/inspired by the work of Jonathan Coulton, and I found out about this contest through his website/forum. Else, I enjoy a bit of everything. My musical style is a bit hard to define: I play a bunch of stuff like soft/hard/classic rock, punk, metal, folk, jazz, lots of improvisational stuff, and I seem to have a knack for writing love songs, probably because of a subconscious yearning for love… Anyway, I wish the best of luck to all the other competitors, and may the best win!
The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” could almost have been invented to describe Mick Bordet’s musical existence. Writing and recording songs since the tender age of thirteen, a quarter of a century’s experience has failed to produce any music his family can relate to. This may be because he steadfastly insists on bouncing between and across genres at every opportunity like a hummingbird with ADD, or perhaps it’s the eclectic collection of instruments he utilises for his sonic palette, from guitar and ukulele to theremin, yobstick and electric harmonium. Mick is a founder member of “The Lunacy Board”, Scotland’s premier progressive avant-garde skiffle duo, and cites influences as diverse as Edgard Varèse, Ivor Cutler, Conlon Nancarrow, and Roy Harper, to name but four. The duo have recently released three debut albums, including one written, recorded, and mixed within a single day ““ perfect training for the Song Fu challenge.
Steve Chatterton is an independent musician living in the suburbs of Toronto. Known primarily for his jingle work on local television and his electronic project 11t1, he’s now putting all of his musical efforts into the ever-elusive self-titled singer-songwriter recording project he’s been wanting to get around to since he was 10-years-old and had just discovered The Beatles. Steve is an honors graduate of the jazz guitar program at Mohawk College, and has since performed in a wide array of bands that nobody has ever heard of. After retiring from performing to concentrate on raising his kids, he’s recently put together his own basement studio and has set a personal goal of producing at least one song a month.
Tom Rooney has participated under the band name Thomas F in the Record Production Month Challenge for the past two years, successfully completing an album of 10 new original songs within the month of February. The challenge provided a welcoming environment of diverse artists from around the globe all frantically striving to beat the end of the month deadline while encouraging and supporting each other. This experience has given Tom the confidence to put his music out there, for better or worse. Most feedback has been politely positive. Raving masses of fans still to come.
Fun, Zesty, Acoustic, Energetic, Crunchy. Some of these words describe the Baritone-Ukulele-wielding N8 Shivers (the others describe Taco Bell’s newest food-like invention). He began writing songs at the age of two, and taught himself to play the uke a mere 17 years later. N8’s Family members claim he’s the best uke-playing song writer they’re related to. He enjoys Stand-up Comedy, Coen Brothers movies, Chilly sandwiches, and Canadian sitcoms. His Turn-offs include Banana Flavored Things, Republicans, and Mountain Dew. N8 is currently employed as a Wizard in southern Ohio.
Jeremy Pierson is a struggling artist of that so-called RenGen crowd. His passion for music has run deep through his veins since his earliest days of hearing The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Stevie wonder, and Marvin Gaye on his parent’s record player at home. As a songwriter, his influences cull from the likes of those legendary artists already mentioned, and include influences from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jamiroquai, Earth, Wind & Fire, Curtis Mayfield, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Bob Schneider, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon. His greatest barrier as a commercially successful artist is clearly his lack of interest in limiting his musical creativity to any one genre. Jeremy also feeds his creative juices through his artistic work in photography, film, writing, illustration, and design.
Johannes “Jutze” Schult (from Germany) likes to make songs about weird stories and situations. It’s all about creating a musical scenario that is somewhat original, yet believable by some stretch of imagination. Jutze used to play drums in a heavy metal band, and then founded his own pop band where he played guitar. These days he’s mainly doing solo work for the fun of it.
Ensemble: There is almost TOO much great supporting work done here to go into each into detail. Needless to say, everyone in this film is at the top of their game in the laughs department. Standouts are as follows…. New favorite Danny McBride who gives us another variation on the same wacky theme with his work here as the films pyrotechnics expert. Knocked Up‘s Jay Baruchel plays the “Squadron’s” rookie actor, the only member of the ensemble who is grounded in reality, and is very much the straight man. To his credit, he comes across extremely likable. Other greats are Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey, the always funny Bill Hader, and relative newcomer Brandon T. Davis as Alpa Chino, a part that needs to be seen to be believed. By now I’m sure you have heard about Tom Cruise’s involvement in the film – And it is too brilliant to spoil at all. See it… Career-redeeming work here folks.
FLEMING: No, I mean he’s had some kind of affirmation and it’s actually very important to us in that last scene he’s still a bit of a boob and he’s still peeing in the sink.
