Six Months Out

Six months ago,  my life changed in quite a dramatic fashion. If you are one of the regular readers of this goofy blog, you already know what I'm talking about. 

My wife had some pictures of me on her phone that I had not seen before. This first one is pre-op and I'm ready to head into surgery.

This picture is still during pre-op, but a closer look at the IV going into my neck. This IV was in case the team needed to push a large volume of fluids into me. I suppose if things went in the wrong direction, they would be ready. Fortunately, everything went quite nicely. I also do not recall when they put this thing in my neck, I do remember being told about it and that they would medicate me so that I would be able to get through it easily. Thank you!

Post surgery and it's time to rest and begin to recover.

So what's happening now that I'm six months out from my open heart surgery? That's still weird to say and wrap my head around. I had a quadruple bypass! Don't get me wrong; I'm not crippled by post surgery anxiety. It's just... weird.

I look at life a little differently now; I've been given a reprieve of sorts. Prior to that test last year, I had no idea about what was going on in my chest. Eventually something would have happened to set this whole surgery situation in motion. The only thing that makes sense that would have set off the surgery would have been an actual coronary event. Would I have survived that event? Who knows? All I know is that I dodged the "heart attack bullet". At least for now. I hope my heart remains strong and the plumbing keeps on flowing properly.

Physically I feel pretty good. There's some physical issues related to the surgery. The sternum has healed nicely and the scar is slowly fading, but the left pectoral area is a little tender due to rerouting the mammary artery straight back to my heart. The left leg has issues at times. My saphenous vein was removed and put back to work on my heart. So that means there are circulation issues with my left leg. After long drives, my leg is stiff and achy, but it works itself out easily.

Mentally I feel fine, maybe a bit too fine. Sometimes I think about the fact that I didn't really have any serious coronary issues prior to the surgery. Something was going on, but it was relatively minor on the scale of coronary events. I find myself too easily dropping back into those old crappy dietary habits. Too much fast food and too many sugary soft drinks. I'm not planning on going cold turkey on my diet and forgoing all the stuff that's bad for you, but I can certainly do much better.

I just need to gather the necessary mental fortitude and ease up a whole lot on the junk food. It's just the right thing to do. I can still have a Mountain Dew... once in awhile. I've also got to get out there and get some regular exercise going. Walking in the neighborhood, light weight training at the school gym, there's plenty that I can do for myself.

So what's the point of all this nonsense? I suppose it's just to publicly shout out in celebration for my good health after frikkin' open heart surgery! Life is too short as it is and I have, perhaps, been given a few extra years after having one simple test. Well worth it.

Through a cool series of events, my wife and I had a chance to go to Las Vegas in early December. We were able to visit the Hoover Dam and spend a couple days in Vegas. We also made a point to take a day trip to the Grand Canyon. We have never been, so it was quite an experience. The Grand Canyon is quite breathtaking and I'm so pleased that I was healthy enough to go five months after my surgery.

One day, we would like to return, but if we don't... 

We made it once, and it was amazing.

Life is amazing; take care of yourselves.

1/18th Scale Aliens

I'm long overdue for a special shout-out to some Twitter/Facebook friends. When word got out that I had open heart surgery this past summer, it spread into the Twitter-verse and FlagPoints Dave took it upon himself to rally the troops and collect a very nice $$ gift through PayPal. I was genuinely touched by their thoughtfulness.

**EDIT** - A very heartfelt gift... "Ba-dum tish!" Thanks, I'll be here all week!

After some consideration, I used part of the gift and decided to buy a couple figures that would fulfill a lifelong dream.

Aliens! Specifically 1/18th scaled aliens. Of course, when I use the word aliens, I specifically mean the xenomorphs from the Alien films. I have been a huge fan of those creatures since the first Alien movie back in 1979. I remember getting the 18" tall Alien for Christmas that year. I wish I still had it!

Once the small GI Joes came out in 1982, it didn't take long before I started wishing for a small scale Alien figure. I remember trying to make a custom alien out of an extra Nemesis Enforcer figure. It was horrible. 

Fast forward to maybe early 2015 and there were signs from a company called Hiya Toys that an Aliens line was moving into production. I knew, one day, I needed to get a couple of these critters.

I've only bought the two alien figures right now. I do want more and I'll eventually add to my meager collection. Been a little busy this year, you know, all that heart surgery nonsense... 

So... How are they? Holy crap, they are awesome! Just what I've wanted for 30+ years!

Both aliens that I purchased are essentially the same. Same body mold, same hands, same tubes on the back, and the same heads. These two are just different colors, with one notable change.

The Alien Lurker has a clear dome over the top of its head, very similar to the original creature from the first film. The sculpting is incredible! 

There's some amazing attention to detail with these figures. Each figure also has an impressive amount of articulation. One specific drawback, the arms are very thin a,d the elbow joints suffer for it. It's important to remember that these aren't really toys; they are designed primarily for adult collectors. I don't think they'd hold up to rough play. 

Each xenomorph comes with a few different accessories. Each comes with an egg, opened up to deliver its spawn.

There's also a facehugger ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim.

Each alien also comes with three extra sets of hands. They seem so fragile, I haven't tried swapping out any yet.

The Alien Soldier is representative of the "bugs" from the Aliens movie from 1986. Brownish in color, they don't have the dome on the top of the head. No big deal, they're still damn cool!

Such incredible detailing! I really want more of these! Not tons, but maybe a couple more of each. Plus, there's still the Boiler and Spitter Xenomorphs. And then there's the Marines that are a part of the collection.

Plus this... $249.99... wow... Still want it... 

Here's a quick comparison shot with my first Marauder MTF figure. He's toast...

Thanks again to my Twitter/Facebook friends - you guys rock!
Dave, TZ, Rob, Page, Dan U, Chad L, Carson, Justin M, YT, & Rock 

Sinister Allies/Zombie Patrol Review

Time for a look at the two troop builder two packs from Hasbro. Just a reminder, I've passed on the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow two pack. Great figures, but I really don't need them. If I happen to be out at a Toys R Us and spot the set, I'll probably grab it, but it isn't a high priority.

First up is the Zombie Viper two pack. These guys are basically just the same figure from a few years ago with just some minor paint app differences. The picture above is an original zombie on the left and the new zombie on the right. The easiest difference to spot is the right knee; the new version has a paint app that makes the zombie look like his knee is exposed.
This is a great two pack; great for the guys who missed out on the zombies when they were first released. I was lucky and was able to score quite a few before the prices jumped on the secondary market. I've got six of the originals and have now added four of the new zombies. Still awesome.

Next up is the Sinister Allies two pack with the Iron Grenadier and the Cobra Viper. Personally, I would have liked a two pack of the Viper.

The Iron Grenadier was a great figure when they first appeared as Destro's soldiers. I remember buying quite a few, but they're all gone now. I was initially excited by the prospect of a new modern version of the Iron Grenadiers but I' a little disappointed by the result. The body just doesn't work well enough for me to do some serious troop building. 

The Cobra Viper? Hasbro did a hell of a job. The initial 25th anniversary figure was pretty crappy, but the Pursuit of Cobra/30th Anniversary figure turned out great. I kinda went a little nuts about them and wound up with about sixteen of them. I got lucky and even snagged two of the blue gauntlet versions.
There's really no difference between the 30th and this year's version. Just one significant difference. Instead of a chrome faceplate, Hasbro chose to go with a clean silver paint job. This new paint job actually works quite well. I think I'll wind up switching out the lower arms with these two new Vipers with the blue gauntlet Vipers. I suppose that when I make that switch, they'll be my Viper officers.

Well, that's about it for Hasbro's GI Joe offerings for me for this year. I'm glad that GI Joe is still alive. Somewhat... 

Hopefully, Hasbro has some decent plans for the future of GI Joe. I don't know if it will involve their huge crossover event with Rom, MASK, the Micronauts, and the Visionaries, but it should be interesting. I hope it resonates with kids.

Mission Accepted/Heavy Conflict Review

Let's take a look at a couple of the new GI Joe two-packs. There's a total of five two-packs in this year's GI Joe release.

First up is the Mission Accepted two pack with Duke and Tombstone. A new character from Hasbro! Awesome! Black characters on the side of Cobra have been few and far between over the history of the Real American Heroes cast of characters. I'm pleased that Hasbro went this direction; it's been long overdue.

Duke turned out... okay... I'm not totally impressed. I've already modified him just a bit. I added a pistol belt and switched out the vest with the more muted colors of the Steel Brigade vest. Plus the SB vest has a few more features detailed with paint. I was really hoping that the Renegades Duke head sculpt would fit on this new figure, but it just drops down too much on the neck post. He turns looking like he has no neck. Decent enough figure, but he won't become my default Duke.

Next up is Tombstone, the new Cobra field commander. I think the idea of this guy is that he is basically Duke's counterpart on the side of Cobra. Decent build by Hasbro. The head sculpt turned out nicely, but a few paint apps around his damaged eye would have been a nice touch. I believe this is a straight reuse of the PoC Firefly figure. I wasn't too crazy about that body back when it first showed up and I'm not too crazy about it now. 

Next up is the Heavy Conflict two pack with Heavy Duty and Stiletto. Stiletto is a new character based on a character from one of the Kindle Worlds fan fiction stories. I need to dig into the Kindle Worlds stories and find out the back story on Stiletto.

Heavy Duty turned out great. Hasbro used the Retaliation Roadblock/Rock body with great results. Heavy Duty becomes the big dude that he seemed to have been implied. The original Heavy Duty just seemed like muscular average sized dude, but he seemed to grow in size and stature as the line progressed. I think he was part of the Sigma Six line and became a pretty big dude. His character in Rise of Cobra was a big dude as well. 
Personally, this Heavy Duty is the best of this year's collection of GI Joe figures.

Next up is Stiletto, a brand new character to the GI Joe universe. Apparently a Cobra defector who now works as Mercer's bodyguard. Why does Mercer need a bodyguard, especially since he was a lowly Cobra Viper. Perhaps Mercer gathered quite a bit more information about Cobra during his career and now they have a serious need to eliminate him. I guess he might need a bodyguard then.
Hasbro did a decent job with Stiletto. They used the Helix torso and legs along with arms from an older Lady Jaye figure? Maybe, I don't know. The head sculpt turned out... okay... There's a few issues. The head seems to be a bit squished and she could have used some paint apps on her scar.

Not a bad few figures, but not a whole lot of excitement. Next up, I'll look at the troop builder two packs.

GI Joe Special Forces/Cobra Legion Review

It's time to try to get this silly ass blog rolling again. Life's been a bit crazy, you know. All the open heart surgery and moving across town. Settling into a new job and new house. I've been a little busy.

Let's get rolling with quick reviews of the new GI Joe figures from Hasbro. First off will be the three packs, GI Joe Special Forces and Cobra Legions.

Let's start with the GI Joe team. The set includes Outback, Falcon, and Shooter. Shooter? Who's that? C'mon, you already know by now, but i'll explain a little bit in a few minutes. 

All of the GI Joe troops in this set are outfitted in black gear. Night ops, I suppose. Outback turned out pretty good, but he seems to have gotten taller and gained some weight. I'm not sure of the parts used for Outback; it looks like RET Roadblock's torso and upper arms with Gung Ho lower arms. I'm not sure of the legs. I always imagined that Outback was of smaller stature; average height, wiry and strong. I think he'll work out fine as my new default Outback. 

Falcon has always been one of my favorite characters, but this version just doesn't quite work for me. Hasbro is using the same body and head from the BBTS Slaughter's Marauders set and the Club's recent version from FSS 3.0 or 4.0. I don't recall which right now. The totally black uniform is just a little too bland. There needed to be some bits of paint apps to break it up.

Jodie "Shooter" Craig was supposed to be the 14th original GI Joe team member. The name appeared way back in the first issue of the Marvel comics run of GI Joe with the face obscured. Larry Hama rebooted the character in an issue of GI Joe: Declassified which covered the building of that first team of GI Joe. She was apparently killed at the end of that first mission from GI Joe #1 and seems to have reappeared in recent comics. I've been out of the new comics for quite a few years.

So what about the figure? I'm glad Hasbro made the character, but I'm not thrilled with the final result. She's okay, but just doesn't "pop". The uniform is bland and the body is just too dated. Maybe the RET Lady Jaye with blacks and dark gray highlights would have worked out better.

The winner for this set is Outback.

Next up, I'll take a look at the Cobra Legion set. Nothing but troop builders! Time to load up, right? Maybe, maybe not.

First up is the SAW Viper. I don't know where the body parts come from, but Hasbro did a decent job. The arms are a bit bulky and it's difficult for him to get a solid two-handed grip on a weapon. This is a decent enough build and I wouldn't mind another one or two.

Next up is the Cobra BAT. There's been no change to this figure from its first release during the 25th Anniversary line up. Of all of the modern figures since the 25th Anniversary line, this is one of the most solid. While most of the 25th Anniversary figures don't hold up to modern figures, the BAT works just fine. I've got loads of them. Probably two dozen of the 25th version, a couple Resolute BATs, three Jungle BATs, and two Arctic BATs. Would I like a few more of these guys? Sure. Will I get some more? I don't know.

Finally, there's the new female Cobra Officer. Very cool concept, but a little weak on the execution. The baggy pants legs work out alright, but the upper torso is the same as Shooter's and it's just too dated. The head sculpt is decent, but the helmet doesn't fit too well on the head. I suppose I'd like a couple more to try out some different female head sculpts.

The winner for this set is the BAT. The other two just don't quite come together enough to have that "wow" factor. Would I like a couple more of these sets? Yeah, but I'm not going to push too hard to get more. There's no Toys R Us around for 20+ miles and I'm not interested enough to hit them up online on BBTS or TRU.

Next up will be reviews of some of the two packs. I initially picked up the Duke/Tombstone, Heavy Duty/Stiletto, and Zombie Viper two packs. I'm passing on the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow set. Very cool, but I don't really need them. I did succumb to online temptation and ordered two of the Iron Grenadier/Viper two packs.

Stay tuned!