I've been hovering around Targets, waiting to see if the Man of Steel LEGO sets are cheaper there than they were at Toys"R"Us, where all that stuff first appeared.  SPOILERS: Yes, they are!  This set with Superman, Zod, and Lois Lane was $25 at TRU, but only $20 at Target.  Scooore!

I bought it only for Lois.  There's something about a mini-figure in a sweater vest that's inescapably alluring.   Seriously, major crush forming here.

(As an aside, it's funny to me that Man of Steel Superman's hairpiece is the usual LEGO Superman hairpiece, with the swooshy S-curl hanging over his forehead, because why tool him a new one, even though MoS Superman ain't got that.  Supermans is Supermans.)

I have no idea what the set itself is supposed to represent.  There's this folding thing, and a sliding door, and a ladder, and there's some missiles.  Sure?  Why not?  And then there's some egg-shaped space pod thing with a seat and a canopy and stuff.  No idea what that is, either.

...I've decided it's one of those sex hotel rooms you pay for by the hour.

Vandal Savage is one of my favorite characters, and that's almost entirely due to his appearance in the Justice League episode "Hereafter."  It was an episode in which the parts where Toyman kills Superman and there's a funeral for him and Lobo tries to force himself into the Justice League as a replacement... are not the most interesting parts of the episode.  No, Superman has actually been transported into the future!  And despite losing all his powers because of the deyellowification of the Sun's rays, he steals a car, siphons gas into it, grows a beard, fights some future dogs, slays their leader and wears him, and becomes their master.  Oh, and the world's that way because Vandal Savage kind of destroyed it a few days after Superman "died," but since he's immortal he's still around thousands of years later.  And kind of sad and crazy.

(My god, Phil Morris is awesome.  He's even awesome when he's Martian Manhunter on Smallville.  That is how awesome he is.)

And so I've reeeeeally been wanting a Vandal Savage toy, but I had no idea how much I also wanted a Future Beardy Superman toy until I saw that he would exist.  And  yet both of them almost didn't when their wave never reached retail. However, I am more than happy to get them belatedly and at a markup from MattyCollector.com.  "Hereafter" was one of my favorite episodes, and that's saying a lot considering half of it's about friggin' Superman.

They also came with Batman.  You probably don't need photos of him.  They didn't come with stands, but I used some in the photos anyway.  They also didn't come with an Atmosphere Destroying Missile Launcher, but, well, you know how it is.

Somehow, I got through the first round of Batman LEGOs, the Star Wars LEGOs, and (nearly) all of the Indiana Jones LEGOs.  No problem.  But now there's a new round of Batman LEGO also featuring some other DC heroes and villains and so now there's a goddamn Lex Luthor mech set.  I am only so strong.  And more than LEGO Batman, more than LEGO  Han Solo, what my heart really wanted was a LEGO Lex Luthor.

And he's even specifically businessman Lex Luthor.  CEO industrialist Lex Luthor.  Black-tie suit and all.  And he's piloting a huge-ass robot brimming with Kryptonite and weaponry designed solely to crush Superman.

How did LEGO know this is exactly what I wanted?

Hey, Shortpacked! Book 4 is now available for purchase in the store!

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I got my JLU 7-pack in the mail today, signifying the end of that toyline.  Which means it’s time to finally take stock of all of the duplicate Batmen, Supermen, and whoevers that I amassed in the past decade in the quest to get dudes they were packed with.

When I am done, I plan to just sell them all on eBay for probably five dollars. In the meantime, some preliminary photography.  For example:

1) Man, I am surprised I can only find one extra Martian Manhunter.  Clearly I must have more somewhere!  Did I really only ever end up with just one extra of him?  It seems impossible.

2) My original bin of extras was packed in SUPER TIGHT.  Like, creating-diamonds-out-of-coal-tight.  Related to this tidbit is an observation on how soft and goopy Giganta’s dress is.  Whoops.

2a) (Not entirely limited to Giganta’s dress.  I had one Superman’s cape embedded in the neck of another.)

3) Woo, “I can breathe in space” Batman!

4) Woo, “Atmosphere-destroying missile” Superman!

5) A sweet ass Scuba Flash.  I have a whole team of scuba guys, probably came with an Aquaman, but Flash is the sharpest of those.

There's a chance there might be more JLU stuff, but only because some of their 3-packs (*coughcoughcoughVandalSavagecoughcough*) never made it to retail and Matty's hinted at maybe offering those online maybe.  Maybe.

But meh.  It happens, it happens.  Stick a fork in this toyline.

Hi, this is Maggie!

So for the first time in my life, I went to McDonald's to buy toys at 10:00am on the Friday they came out. My first trip to the nearest McDonald's was a hit; they had two of the McYoung Justice toys I craved.

Unfortunately (?), they were Superboy and Superman. I mean, that's cool: I'm totally getting them all, but those who know me understand who really makes my clock tick. Oh well. The search continues!

So, while toting my husband to the Urgent Care center for his bronchitis, I interrupted our trip twice to check other McDonalds near the doctor's office, as all good wives should. Sadly, either they only had more Superpeople, or they hadn't gotten the toys in at all.

Anyway, I am whelmed by the toys! Maybe I had really low expectations (and I did, in fact), but the molds are relatively show accurate and detailed. Superman's head's a wee small, but he can't seem to brain in the show anyway.

Superboy's red symbol on his chest lights up red and so do his eyes. This is a little weird because it's a plot point that he doesn't have all of Superman's powers, including the ability to fly and heat vision. Superman's head tilts down a little so that he can condescend to Superboy.

They each have a nifty button on the back that makes them punch things. Superman raises two arms, and Superboy punches with just one. If Superboy didn't feel inferior before now his only dream is to one day to punch with both arms instead of one. POOR SB WE STILL LOVE YOU.

Overall excited for the rest!

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In which I don't think I have enough to say to create enough text to have two photos floating in it.

Hey, preorder the Robin statue!  I'm just gonna keep asking and asking until you do it, so you might as well.  It's the only way to shut me up.