davidd’s A DOLL A DAY 2021

[Lejays17]

I was thinking you were doing old-school Vaseline on the lens, or maybe shooting through gauze

The amount of excess packaging n dolls is… excessive. I’ve noticed that with the Rainbow High dolls too, so much plastic crap when trying to free them.
The drawings are very cute, worth preserving for room art.

[davidd]

I was thinking you were doing old-school Vaseline on the lens, or maybe shooting through gauze.

The amount of excess packaging in dolls is… excessive. 

I have read about those techniques, back when I used to read books and articles about film-making. But no, this time the smeary... I mean dreamlike effect was unintentional.

Yes, packaging seems to be of paramount importance in toys and dolls, whether "collector editions" or "playline" these days. I think it is to distract us from how little we are actually purchasing with our money.

Speaking of excessive... but pretty cool... packaging:

1 July - A Doll A Day 2021:

1 July - TBLeague Vampirella - Caroline Munro Edition

The comic book character Vampirella was created by the staff of Warren Publications in 1969. By the early 1970s the character, brought to illustrated life by artists Frank Frazetta and Jose Gonzalez, had become popular enough that planning began for a live-action motion picture. Actress Caroline Munro, known for her eye-catching roles in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films, was initially tapped for the starring role. Unfortunately, the project never progressed beyond the early pre-production stages. Munro dropped out, other actresses were cast before also leaving the project, and the project eventually collapsed, but not before various "teaser" advertisements had appeared in the film industry press as well as in several Warren Publications magazines.

This TBLeague version of the Vampirella character is based on the movie that never was starring Caroline Munro. The box art closely duplicates the pre-production advertising and poster art mock-ups from the unproduced film, and the head sculpt for the figure is based on the actress.

Uncharacteristically, I almost immediately opened the parcel upon arrival, at least partially. The large shipping box felt somewhat lighter than I would have ex-pected relative to its size, so I wanted to make sure the contents were correct. I have yet to unbox the actual figure. Who knows when, or if, that will happen. The way things have been going in the seamless market over the past year or so, it might be worthwhile to set the box aside and wait until the initial run is sold out. Some of the TBLeague figures escalate to astonishing prices shortly after the initial stock is sold.

However, this particular figure seems to be lingering on the market longer than others. I suspect the optimum "target demographic" for this character, and especially for this version of the character, has aged out of the actively collecting phase. In a few years, if not already, those who were teens and early twenty-somethings in the mid-1970s will be selling off their collections; or trying to, only to discover that the former '90s kids, as they reach peak earning power, prefer Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Care Bears over relics from the '70s like Vampi... or Darth Vader. Only a few oddball fans of kitschy old movies, magazines, and comic books might be interested.

Meaning... I'll eventually open Vampi-Caroline, probably some time prior to Halloween (which is already coming our way at mind-boggling speed).

[Alliecat]

You are always a fount of information on dolls and figures.
I bet not too many actors have got an action figure before their movie was even produced! [Or in this case not.]

[davidd]

I bet not too many actors have got an action figure before their movie was even produced! [Or in this case not.]

You know, making dolls (or action figures) of Famous Actors in Roles They Should Have Played might make an interesting series of releases!

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2 July - A Doll A Day 2021:

2 July - Dal Tezca

[Elfy]

Caroline Munro will always be the villainous Naomi from The Spy Who Loved Me for me.
Is Tezca posing with the flowers or planing to eat them?

[Alliecat]

Very pretty and colourful!

[Lejays17]

The contrast between the dark hair & the gorgeous pink flowers is striking.

Who else could be included in that line of dolls / figures I wonder? I’ll have to think about it.

[davidd]

Caroline Munro will always be the villainous Naomi from The Spy Who Loved Me for me.
Is Tezca posing with the flowers or planing to eat them?

Indeed!
And... possibly!

Very pretty and colourful!

And messy hair.
And obviously a shot done with little planning or effort.
I nearly lost one of Tez's shoes, however. Close call.

Who else could be included in that line of dolls / figures I wonder?  I’ll have to think about it.

Hard to say. All Dal's look snarky and petulant and borderline psychotic.
Are you and Elfy watching Le Tour?

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3 July - A Doll A Day 2021:

3 July - Roger wilco!

Hasbro GI Joe figure, circa 2001 release

[Alliecat]

OK, is that a photo backdrop, or...?
He looks quite realistic at a glance.

And messy hair.

Everyone is allowed to have messy hair when they've been pushing their way through giant flowers You should see mine by the time I finish working in the yard

All Dal's look snarky and petulant and borderline psychotic.

Samantha greatly resents that remark
(And the minis are like, "wat...??")

[Elfy]

A lot of Dal's do have that snarky look about them. I think it's the pout.
To answer the question from davidd, yes Lejays and I are watching Le Tour. Her more than me. It tends to get good at about the time I find the need to sleep, she's more of a night owl than I am.

[davidd]

OK, is that a photo backdrop, or...?


Everyone is allowed to have messy hair when they've been pushing their way through giant flowers  You should see mine by the time I finish working in the yard


Samantha greatly resents that remark.

Yes, one of the guys on an action figure forum sent me an airplane photo to try as a background image. 

I'm sure we would all love to see your messy hair after a yard work session. Do please post that image for us, won't you?

So Samantha's response to the remark about Dal's looking petulant and snarky was... to act resentful, in addition to petulant? I'll add that to the list next time. 

To answer the question from davidd, yes Lejays and I are watching Le Tour. Her more than me. It tends to get good at about the time I find the need to sleep, she's more of a night owl than I am.

Oh, that's right, LeJays prefers to watch "live" in real time. That would be problematic for me, so I record to watch later. Yesterday's stage was classic: guys riding bikes in apparent slow motion up a steep hill in the rain. And I didn't even fast forward through any of it!

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4 July - A Doll A Day 2021:

4 July - Screaming Head

On the website where I found this action figure head - for cheap - it is identified only as "Screaming Head." Apparently there are certain words, phrases, and names that can no longer be used online, even on hobby websites specializing in historical and military figures, for fear of being "de-platformed."

[Alliecat]

Ah, the word-checking bots are everywhere!!
Well, that looks like a good place for the screaming head.
Alas, there are no pix of scruffy-after-garden-work me. Nor am I inclined to post the high-fashion bug suit

[davidd]

Alas, there are no pix of scruffy-after-garden-work me.  Nor am I inclined to post the high-fashion bug suit.

Sounds newsworthy to me, there, Star Reporter! 

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5 July - A Doll A Day 2021:

5 July - Hasbro GI Joe Navy Gunner Set

A circa 2000 release, but a recent eBay acquisition for me. Pre-owned but complete... to go with my pre-owned but incomplete example. Double the firepower, double the fun, right?

Even with this impressive weaponry at his disposal, poor ol' Joe will likely find himself overrun and displaced by Sindy, Pullip, and the Monster High ghouls.

Oh, and Maxie. Maxie says "don't forget Maxie." But rumor has it that Sindy will be assigning Maxie to the first wave of the assault, so...

[Alliecat]

Between the Ameliae squadron and all these military guys you are accumulating quite a private army there

[Elfy]

Somehow I don’t think the Ameliae would be much help in an actual conflict.