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So, like, I already knew this Bill Spencer guy was awesome because once upon a time he custom-built models of Nightbeat and Hot Shot's car modes. So he was definitely on my rader. (He also likes Batmobiles!)

But he showed up to New England Webcomics Weekend (NEWW) today with probably the best thing ever. He made me a Gardening Batman out of the old Kenner New Batman Adventures figure. It has a hat and a shovel and a potted plant. The whole damn thing is repainted, too, because that's just how hardcore he is.

Seriously. Like, holy crap. And I got so many friggin' compliments on him today. He is a hit. I have to, like, build a shrine to this thing or something. Dude.

I have dozens of other photos from Saturday to show you, but I want to make sure I give proper attention to this first.  I'll try to get those other photos up tomorrow if I can.  Lots of great commissions!

Hey, dudes!  Maggie and I are on the road to Easthampton, Massachusetts, for New England Webcomics Weekend.  Why?  Because NEWW is friggin' awesome.

We'll be there for the Pub Crawl on Friday night, plus both "real" days, Saturday and Sunday.  There are over 50 webcartoonists at this thing, plus MC Frontalot!  Basically, if a meteor hits this town this weekend, the Internet is dead.  All you'll have left is the LOLcats website and Movie-Comics.

I'll have a table where I'll be hanging out.  I'll have the Roomies! book, the two remaining Shortpacked! volumes, and some brand-spankin' new Dumbing of Age merchandise.  Posters!  Hats!  Also, high-fives.

First of all, again, I must remind you that the Robin statue is only available for the low preorder price of $34.95 until next Wednesday, November 10! After that she's $39.95!  Time is running out!

Also, another reminder that I'm going to be at New England Webcomics Weekend in Easthampton, Massachusetts, this weekend!  Come to me and I will love you.

Back to toys!

Oh my god, getting this guy was an ordeal.  I ordered him from HasbroToyShop.com like nearly a month ago, right?  And HTS isn't quite as speedy at shipping as, say, BigBadToyStore.com, which is fine, so I was pretty patient about it arriving.  But a few weeks later I looked at the tracking number they gave me, and the website told me that USPS delivered the package three days ago.  And that they had left a notice.

They had not.

In fact, I was home all that morning, right by the front door, playing Rock Band 3!  Well, okay, fine.  Easily solved.  I'll just go down to the post office and pick it up.  I went down there, told them that I had a package delivery without a notice, and the lady throws her hands up in the air, noting that I am the tenth person who had that complaint that morning, oh my god.  So, hey, an epidemic.  No big.  Just give me my package.

But, ha ha, it's not there.  It's probably on the truck again for redelivery!  All right.  I won't be home to get it and will have to get a notice (since it has "Delivery Confirmation" for some reason), since I'm about to get on the road for the Rally to Restore Sanity, so I'll just  wait until I get back on Monday.  And, ha ha ha, on Monday, there's still no notice.  I go back to the post office.  They still don't know where it is.  Lady takes my phone number and gives me hers, and she says she'll investigate it herself.

So the next day, I'm on the way back from dropping Maggie off at school, and figger I should stop by the post office just in case, to keep in touch.  At this rate, I'm worried the damn thing will be sent back.  (If they can find it.)  I get a different lady, and she says she can't find my package anywhere, and directs me to the bigger post office down the road.  Okay, maybe it's there!

It's not.

Anyway, THAT post office gives me a number to call at 8:30 the next morning, which is crucial, because I have to catch our mail carrier before he leaves on his route.  I do so, talk to the guy, and he has no idea.  He says he hasn't even dropped off any packages on my doorstep for like forever.  (Later, I think to myself, wondering the veracity of such a statement since Maggie's been getting packages all week, and I got my Machine of Death book delivered the day we left for the Rally.  Hrn.)  Anyway, he said he'd keep an eye out for my completely lost package.

Next day, I hear the mail come (very distinctive sound, and it could wake me up even from the deepest sleep, like Christmas morning) and look out on the front porch.  There's my package.  No explanation, no request for delivery confirmation, it's just sitting there.

Well, okay.

Anyway, this is the goddamn fucking The Fallen.  Another one.  He's dark blue and teal, which is the basic color he was in the movie, minus the, uh, teal.  What makes him special are all the retoolings done.  First of all, oh my god, removable face.  His face comes off so that children can simulate the gruesome violence done to The Fallen in the movie they probably shouldn't see.  Underneath is his gasping skull.

This retooling means that The Fallen loses the little spring-loaded "energy panels" that were behind his head for the other versions, but I'd say that's a fair trade.

This new The Fallen also comes with his "Command Staff," the weapon we see him use in the film to levitate tanks and stuff.  For vehicle mode, it folds in half and plugs underneath him, sorta splaying out his vehi-ass.   Since the original Fallen's hands were flat open palms, that means that he needed new hands so he could grasp his weapon, and he does.  They're jointed in an odd way.  The Command Staff plugs into his palm plainly enough, but his fingers fold... backwards, in a way irrelevant to how he holds his staff.  I am not sure why.  It isn't useful articulation, since the hands don't look good if you utilize the joint.  And it doesn't seem to be used for transformation.  So who knows.

Since the Command Staff has to fold in half to store in vehicle mode, that means Optimus Prime can wrest it around The Fallen's neck like he did when he shivved his face off.  That's a neat double feature.  It's a little disappointing that Optimus Prime can't really hold it, though.  He just sorta has to paw at the ends.

Also disappointing is how loosely the Fallen's face falls off his skull.  It has trouble staying on.  There are two very small tabs at the bottom of the chin and the top of the forehead.  These are not enough.  You will spend a lot of time trying to fasten the face back on.

Oh, and, wow, plastic tolerances are crazy bad on this thing.   His legs looove to come off.  It's kind of infuriating.

So, anyway, I'm glad I spent hours trying to track this thing down.  Go me.

First things first:  The Robin statue's preorder price of $34.95 ($5 off the full price of $39.95) is only in effect until next Wednesday, November 10!  Get her early and get her cheaper!

Those Super Mario PVC figurines that both Amber and I enjoy changed corporate hands, like, years ago, and finally the new company put out some new product that I care about.  It's still not a new tooling or something, and it's, well, Yoshi repaints, but it's new!  It's neeeeeewww!

So I found this "limited edition" three-pack of Yoshis at Toys "R" Us the other day.  Randomly.  So if you need more Yoshis, I point you in their direction.

Man, what my Super Mario display really needed was more heroes versus more villains, certainly.  Oh well.

Robin may not be a winner in the polls, but this statue is friggin' triumphant, that's for sure.  I mean, I look at it, and I'm like holy crap.  And then I say holy crap like 30 more times.

Robin's statue is finalized, and so now that folks can see the final product, it means it's time to sell this thing hard.  Not that I think it'll be very difficult, looking at this thing!  I mean, dude.  But remember, once the preorder price ends, a batch of Robins are made, a very small handful of extras beyond the number preordered are produced, and then that's all the Robins ever forever.  So if you want to make sure you get one, you have to preorder one now.

I mean, seriously, dudes, look at this wonderful thing.

Robin's available for the special preorder price of $35.95 until next Wednesday, November 10! On Wednesday, she'll be $39.9

New England Webcomics Weekend, the best thing ever in the whole damn world, is this Saturday and Sunday in Easthampton, Massachusetts!  I am serious, it is like eating chocolate while having sex on top of an airplane that Indiana Jones is piloting.  I get a boner just thinking about Webcomics Weekend.

There's also a neat Pub Crawl the Friday night before that I recommend.  It is booze + webcartoonists + strangers.

I'll of course have my stuff with me, the books and posters and hats and what not.  But those are always second to the Experience.   Every webcartoonist you've ever heard of will be there.  And we'll all be high-fiving.  Constantly.  Oh my god.

Whoa, dudes, it's the first pass on colors for Patch Together's Robin statue!

You know, my wife keeps saying that this is totally the best statue Patch Together has done for me so far, and I think I agree.  Robin really comes alive in 3D.

Now, there's still some small things here and there that I want to change before I give my final approval, but I wanted to share this image with you anyway.

The Robin statue is currently up for preorder, and if you preorder one before it goes into production, you get a sweet lower price!