One
of my favorite age-inappropriate toy lines to pick up is the Imaginext
Dinosaur range. I've had a pretty steady streak at finding these for $7
at grocery stores, which continued with a Dimetrodon late in
2012. As our modern descendant of Dino-Riders, they have some neat
play features, helmets, and bright colors. Unlike the originals there
are no attempts to amp up authenticity and the age range is such that no
retail store worker will ever suspect I'm buying them for myself which,
as a toy collector, is a fun thing to watch go down. "I bet someone's
been really good to deserve this!" I always say "Yes, someone really
has been!" I spoil myself.
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I
think I've mentioned more than once that I don't understand why
Mattel's imprint Fisher-Price doesn't leverage its brands in Imaginext
more. Specifically, He-Man. Older kids won't bite but its winning
combination of distinctive and easy-to-remember names plus memorable
vehicles would make it the perfect fit for the under-6 set. The Alpha Blade
is incredibly similar to the Roton vehicle, which also had a geared
gimmick involving a spinning blade. Had this been black and red
instead of grey and blue, I'm sure fans would be accusing Mattel of
stealing from themselves.
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I had no real reason to buy the Imaginext Ion Crab
other than it looks neat. It's amazing to me that one of the more
interesting toys in recent memory is a vehicle with a cool, nameless
alien figure aimed at toddlers. It's a durable little set and feels
like it could withstand some abuse in sandboxes, tubs, and with actual
children - which is something I don't think I can say about most toys
examined here.
The 3-inch green figure has blue claws and red hair like Blanka from Street Fighter II.
His legs are bony, but by and large he could pass as an alien crab.
Sure, he's got a little red tail on his butt but who am I to judge?
Sculpting is on par with or better than most Imaginext figures (in that
it has original sculpting) and he's got a little "i" branded on his
ankle. Compared to the creatures in the blind-bags or previous years
of Space figures, this is pretty amazing. The detail is positively
toylike and the bright, neon colors are sure to blind collectors from
its greatness. It wouldn't stun me to see this mold redecorated in the
future, warts and all. (It has warts.)
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I
like toys. I like characters, but toys I like more - mostly because a
new toy line could birth a whole new generation of characters and, yes,
more toys. The Imaginext Ion Scorpion comes from a space line
that feels fresh and also pays tribute to a couple of decades of space
toys. The figure looks like it could be the grandson of Repto or
Kronos, and the colors are bright and inviting - like most action
figures aren't. Were it not for super hero toys, the toy aisle would
be an increasingly muted and largely dreary. The 3-inch aisles are
where it gets the most interesting with Imaginext and to a lesser
extent, Hasbro/Playskool's Robot Heroes and Super Hero Adventures lines.
(Jedi Force is effectively dead, so let's keep moving along.) I
snagged this set on a tip from the one and only Matt Doughty that they
started hitting Kohl's last month, and as an added bonus I found that
they were 50% off when I was there. I couldn't say no at that price -
Imaginext single blind-bag figures are usually $3. $5 for a figure with
a vehicle? I'm sold!
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There's more coming, or so I hear! The Mummy
is another good Imaginext figure, in that it's another fine figure that
actually adds new sculpted elements rather than slapping paint on the
same basic male buck we've seen for years. And yes, I realize the
absurdity in nitpicking a toy that's labeled "collectible" and sold to
people who aren't tall enough to pour themselves a glass of water yet.
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