We've seen lots of Krang here on the site.  Several months back, we saw the TMNT episode where Krang finally got that body of his.  Now, here's a look at the toy based on it.  "Krang's Android Body," made by Playmates in 1991, is a towering inferno of half-naked bald belly-brained terror made of plastic and sin.  I love it, every part of it.  For those curious: yes, the Krang figure was removable.  You want a pocket brain pal, you can have it.  Review features a bonus section where Krang Jell-O molds fall apart.

Working on a new article now, should be up late this afternoon.  Meantime, here's some stuff to keep y'all occupied.  For like two whole minutes.

Hey now, it's the Gummi Bears.  You remember the Gummi Bears, I'm sure.  Pioneers of the "Disney Afternoon," these furry folk fought giant ogres by drinking juice and making twboingky sounds as they hopped.  It waddn't no Duck Tales, but the show served its purpose.  Merchandise ran the usual gamut, but probably the most popular items were the above shown plushies, by Fisher Price.  Just your standard stuffed animals — no wacky light-up eyes or internal battery-operated voice boxes, but come on, Gummi Bears didn't need to sink to such levels.  Leave that shit for Goof Troop.  Click here to download the commercial!

A handful of older X-E articles plucked for your perusal: Double Dragon Movie Review - Return of the Jedi Play-Doh Set - Hulk market, Hulk smash - Vending Machine Toys Feature

UGO and Columbia Pictures are doing a pretty cool contest for Hellboy — Click here if you're into it.  Grand prize is a vacation, a shitload of electronics and more Hellboy swag than should possibly be allowed to exist.  These contests are legit and you don't get spammed or frigged with, so I've got no problem sending traffic its way.  Good luck, X-E usually nails one or two winners when I link this stuff.

Tax time is at hand, and I've been scrambling to find every last receipt I'd saved for the past two years.  In compiling 2003's, here's some the year's more interesting write-offs:

– Incredible Hulk Jell-O Pudding
– (2) Hermit Crabs
– Lime Candy Canes
– Chia Pet
– Peeps Halloween Cocoa Bats
– (2) Kid Cuisine Microwave Dinners
– Electronic Hulk Hands
– 8,000 AA Batteries

I think my forms are shaping up to be a first.

A rewrite of a rewrite of a rewrite, here is my final tribute to Modulok, the Masters of the Universe/Princess of Power villain with twenty-two interchangeable parts, including two heads, six legs, six arms and a couple of tails.  Loved this thing more than you could ever imagine.  Feature includes a look at the toy, the character, the commercial, the instruction manual and the box.  A whole lotta Modulok, Modulok, Modulok.  Easily one of my top ten favorite toys throughout childhood, this was the ultimate He-Man figure.  or was it She-Ra?  Mosdoasodosdodulok.

I'm currently rewriting a pretty old feature on one of my favorite action figures of all time.  There's a shocker, but let's get a poll out of it.  What's your favorite toy, ever?  Try to stick with what you've personally owned.

Hey, anybody want an American Gladiators Chewy Nougat Bar?  Made in 1993 by Dr. Channard, the criminal candies mixed fruit flavors with puttylike nougat to create the snack no kid would ever want to eat.  Even with pretty pictures of Zap and Turbo all over the boxes, nothing could save this horrific edible from its rightful resting place in Hell.  Review also includes a quick intro about some of the other Gladiator-related merchandise we've seen through the years, and ends off with crossed-out nougat jokes.  Enjoy.

Here's a pretty quick one about "The Spirit of Obi-Wan," a mail-away exclusive from Hasbro and Frito Lay to tie in with the special edition theatrical release of the Star Wars trilogy in the late 90s.  I mentioned the figure in that UGO feature a month or so ago, and realized that it meant enough to me for a full tribute.  Or in this case, a small one.

By the way, we caught "Dawn of the Dead" last night.  No complaints here whatsoever.  The main gripes I'm reading deal with the lack of "social commentary" seen in the original, as if that's the real reason people have championed the first flick for all these years.  Yeah, it's nice that the movie was clever and all, but come on.  It was all about the characters, and while prototypical at times, the new flick delivers with a cast you'll actually feel something for.  The zombies are cool, but the film is more about "waiting to die" and scrambling for hope in a hopeless situation rather than an all-out zombie action fest.  And yet, when it's time for the monsters to shine, we aren't let down.  The film has the requisite gross-out shots and loads of gore, and I'm impressed that they pulled the trigger on some extremely un-PC bits here and there.  I'd expand on what I mean, but you know…spoilers and all that.  I've been waiting to see a horror movie that's satisfied enough in being just that without trying to be "something better than a horror movie," a poorly structured way of saying it I know, but that's what I wanted and that's what I got.  Recommended, and don't wait for the DVD — it's definitely the kind of movie that's worth seeing in a crowd.