SpartanNerd has moved to SPARTANNERD.COM !!!!

SpartanNerd has moved to SPARTANNERD.COM    !!!!This is big news, oh Hub City Geeks!  The Blogger (Blogspot) page was sort of stunted...It gave me statistics about traffic (I had over 5000 hits there!), but several other things weren't working correctly, including adsense.  And Google pretty much demands you sign over your identity to them, (which I am not willing to do.  Neither should you.  "Don't Be Evil."  What a joke.)

I will now try using Wordpress.  Which I think I already like better.

Keep the page views coming!  I will keep the old blog up for awhile, let's see how this takes off.  Thanks for all of the support, readers!

New content coming soon...

Review of the Born of the Gods Event Deck.

Review of new MOTUC!

More Transformers.  (I am only going to review the good stuff!)

A review of some recent Marvel movies...Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World

AND MORE OF THE "NERDTAINMENT" THAT WE ALL LOVE!

Don't let me lose you....Get on over to SpartanNerd.com and see what it is all about!

10 Print List ...... You might be the SpartanNerd if....

10 Print "You tell your kids to clean their rooms, and proclaim "THIS I COMMAND!"

20 Print "You do the Mario on the way to the kitchen."

30 Print "You make a transforming sound when you change into your robe for the evening."

40 Print "You warm up your children's choir with "Co- Bra- LALALALALALA"

50 Print "You lift something heavy, and proclaim "I Have the Power!!!"

60 Print "You weigh yourself, and seeing that you have gained, pronounce "Up, Up, and Away!"

70 Print "You compare your professional relationship with bosses to that of all of the Sith's apprentices.  (Darth Maul, Count Dooku, Darth Vader)"

80 Print "You sing to your child, who says they have to go to the restroom "Nothing can stop the smooze"

90 Print "You say "Mine resolves first" to your child who suggests eating at McDonalds and you say you would rather eat Mexican.

100 Print "You are still crying about the time the Quintessons commandeered Optimus Prime's body, as a ruse to defeat the Autobots.  Optimus' will was too, strong, however, even in death...He saves everyone and flys his ship into an exploding sun (I can hardly type anymore...waaaa)

SpartanNerd Blog...Blog Photos the way they Should Be!

I have a few really nice figures, and am always reviewing them on this blog....

But up until now, I have only used my kitchen table....Or maybe the "Protector of the Keep" playmate for Magic cards or comics.

But not anymore!

The SpartanWife got me an early Valentines present...And I was completely surprised and blown away by it.

A LIGHTBOX!

Now I can take really good pictures, and edit them like a pro!

Here is a sample!

D Arts MegaMan!

i switched out the armor on Snout Spout last week.
I like my elephant warriors to be more savage!

Teela has proven to be the hardest to photograph.
I think her face is a bit too shiny for the spotlight.  Here I gave here a cooler treatment,
with mystical blue lighting.

Here is Marvel Select Thor, with a black background and a filter.  I wanted an antique look.
I am especially fond of how the hammer turned out.

Skeletor is an interesting one to photograph.  So much detail!  This black and white filter really makes the trio of Panthor, Havoc Staff, and Skeletor feel like they came from a horror story.

A good pic of the details on Panthor's face.  The Sepia filter makes it feel bronze, or clay even.

One thing, Skeletor's eyes can hypnotize you if you stare too long at them.
There was masterful design and execution on the face sculpt and painting of Skeletor.

I think this is my favorite picture I have taken with the new equipment.  Nothing too fancy.  But it feels like the cover of a Conan the Barbarian comic book.  I tried to have Vikor hold Teela over his shoulder, but their facial expressions are too calm for that pose to work.  Still, Red is the perfect color to go behind Vikor.

I tried to get a "Catalogue" feel on He-Man and Battlecat here.  

And here he/they are.  Two Bad looks like he leapt off of the comic pages as well.

I have a lot to learn about taking pictures for reviews, and editing them as well with iPhoto or other software.  But I am off to a good start.  The lightbox is a 3X3X3 cube with two spotlights and four background colors.  I have found that sometimes the light reflects on faces a little too much, as in the case of Teela, Mega-Man, and Two-Bad above, but I was able to recover most of the time with editing.  I need to spend more time previewing before shooting, I think.  And also maybe moving the lights back or something.  I also took a few pics right before my iPhone battery died, and I believe that caused them to be a little blurrier. (I took some Pokemon pics that were unusable.)

There are also size limitations.  He-Man and Skeletor barely fit on their cats in the pics.  I cropped down what you see.  But the Griffin is way too big for the lightbox treatment.  And so is Megator, really.

Still, it is a great start and I am having a blast.  Comment on the photos!

(Also check out my recent blurb about Born of the Gods, where I also used the white reflecting material as the background for the cards.)

Oh yeah.  My rating.  The Polaroid Lightbox gets a 5/5!

It folds up for easy transport and storage into a little baggy with pouches for the lights.  It also came with a camera stand that I will have to try out when I use a real camera sometime instead of an iPhone.  I won't fault it on it's size.  Really it is perfect for most action figures, and I am a beginner.

Groovy Dork List....MOTUC, Magic, Coffee, Pathfinder, Arkham, and MineCraft.

Groovy...I was able to find a massive local source of Masters of the Universe items!  A dude at the Barnyard Flea-market sells them.  Workable on the price (I AM a cheapskate, remember!), and also a knowledgeable and enthusiastic fan.  I will be reviewing the three items I picked up today soon!

Dork...The problem finally appeared.  Snout Spout has a crack in his trunk.  The trunk is apparently made of blue foam-rubber.  :(



Groovy...I am Back-in-Black!  I am playing Mono-black devotion as my current for Magic: the Gathering strategy!  Just keep putting black permanents out, get that devotion ramped up, and then slam the opponent with a Grey Merchant of Asphodel.  And unless they cancel the Merchant, there is little they can do.  The fine folk at the Tangled Web were ready to trade the other day.  I scored a few more Nightveil Spectors, which I really, really needed, and a Desecration Demon as well!  Readers of this blog will know that my color is black.  I have recently been playing other colors, but it seems the old dark evil ways are returning!

Dork...Don't get me wrong...I had a blast, but I would play someone, anyone really, for almost 45 minutes.  And then somehow lose...I would disrupt their strategies over and over, only to be trumped eventually.  You can only run Four gray merchants!



Groovy...In the same vein...The Born of the Gods set looks amazing!  I can't wait to see what else they reveal.  I have preordered a box, and me and my two boys are going to play in the sealed deck pre-release.  I already see cards with promise for the Fencing Ace deck, and for the black devotion deck.  The inspired mechanic sounds interesting, and Mogis, God of the Slaughter is going to be crazy!

Dork...They haven't released a new challenge deck  :(  The Hydra has been a blast!



Groovy...The Keurig Vue system is wonderful!  This machine makes not only coffee, but cafe drinks and iced tea!  Most everything I have tried tastes great!

Dork...(semi-dork, I guess)...Those Vue cups cost a bunch.  BUT, I am subscribed to the Cafe Express Savings Club, that basically means I only pay half for the Vue cups.



Groovy...I am now a Dungeon Master...I mean Game Master.  Me and the SpartanSmurfs, and even the SpartanWife have been playing Pathfinder.  This is our first taste of this kind of gaming.  I don't know what I think about it yet.  I like being the game master.  But I don't always feel like it.  These games tend to run over an hour.  Also, the SpartanSmurfs are too easily killed off.  I have to be careful not to off them unintentionally.  This has already happened three times.  The first time I considered it a real death, to try and send them a message.  I didn't like it, though.  So I have been inserting lucky saves into the game.

Dork...I have a pretty good imagination, and can flesh out the Pathfinder world pretty good for the boys.  But they on the other hand tend to just want to battle constantly, rather than take in their world.



Groovy...I have been playing Batman: Arkham Asylum again.  That game is terrific!  I especially like taking out the armed thugs!  That is a lot of fun.

Dork...I don't get MineCraft.  I played it.  I just don't get it.

SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review...Marvel Select Thor

I have reviewed an excellent Marvel Select figure before, Deadpool, which you can read here...(And probably should)

I say that because, unfortunately, Thor doesn't stack up to Deadpool as a figure.  Let's see why!

Here Thor sits on the shelf at the Tangled Web in Spartanburg, yelling "Purchase me, mortal.  Thou hast the power!"

First of all, the packaging.  Thor comes in a beautiful Marvel box that displays what you are getting very clearly.  Also, there is nice comic book artwork on the left. side.

$24.99.  Not bad.  The Christmas fund will cover it.

The back of the package gives you a nice little backstory for Thor as he is in Marvel Comics.

Apparently, Thor is the daughter of Odin's mistress....

Time to tear into it!

Here is what you see when you open the box.  In case you are wondering, the little pamphlet shows off other Marvel Select figures as well as Marvel Mini-Mates.

Thor was strapped in with those stupid bread tie things.  I had to resort to cutting the left foot's wire-in with nail clippers, because I was afraid I would damage the figure.

What vile power can bind the God of Thunder?

Here he is, freed from his prison.

Let's discuss his articulation.  Compared to the previous Deadpool figure, he theoretically has mostly the same articulation points.  But I used the word Theoretically for a reason.  Actually, only the bottom joint of his double jointed knee moves.  Furthermore, his left leg is tighter than the right leg.  He has rocker ankles, that are quite stiff.  What about his arms?  Well they are pretty tight.  But his hands are sculpted into permanent positions.  No finger articulation.  Just Hammer Holder and Bruce Dickenson "Metal to the Masses" pose  (Thanks Puller, for that bit of poetry!).  His head is hampered by his hair and cape.  The hair and cape are not movable...They are stiff poses.  So really, he isn't all that much articulated.  In fact, his coolness as a toy is lessoned quite a bit.  He seems more like a statue with posable arms.

Here is what his back looks like.

 Now for the really important stuff.  Thor uses a "real man's hammer!"  (The SpartanNerd's friends will recognize this saying....)

nicely sculpted detail, it even has a loop.  This is what Thor uses to swing the hammer like a bola, I gather.
Pay attention to the bottom of the handle.  That little bulb of lacquer is going to be a problem.

I wanted to remove Mjolnier from the hand of Thor.  But, that little
blob of stuff made the hammer too fat to get it out of his hand.

I hope you're reading my captions.  That's right.  I couldn't get it out without force.  Force is the enemy of handles made of soft plastic.  I was so afraid I would bend it, I seriously considered leaving it in his hand forever.  But it is the job of an internet reviewer to come forth with all of the truth.  So I pulled it out as straight as I could.

You can see, I didn't bend it much.

Thor also comes with this stand...er...rock...err...meteor thing.

OK.  He has peg holes in his feet.  But it isn't any easier to make Thor stand.  Why?  That cape is quite heavy.  Also, his right leg is looser than his left leg.

I believe he stands better without the rock!

Not going to give you a picture, but my MOTUC figures stand quite nicely on that rock!

Here he is holding Vikor's sword.  He is a tad taller than MOTUC figures.
The scale seems larger.
It makes this awesome sword seem less awesome.

Two vikings.  This is the kind of Thor story I like.

Teela makes a fine barbarian bride for Thor!

Someone's a little jealous....Vikor, you're going to mess around and bend your axe!  (Too late!)

Deadpool..."What's your excuse for being less articulated?"
Thor..."I don't have to be.  I am immortal."
Deadpool..."Well, I am unkillable!"

How do I rate this Thor figure?  I am quite a fan of Thor, and I like the Thor movies.  In general I like the comics also, recently having read the whole Ghor the Godbutcher series in the Marvel NOW events.  (I will have to review that story sometime.)  I bought this figure for those reasons.  Plus I already knew the Deadpool was really very nice.  But I was disappointed in the quality of this figure, it feeling more like a statue and less like an action figure.  It only came with one accessory, and it can't stand on its stand so good.  His articulation is hampered.  And you can't do anything about it really because the cape is glued on and the hair is stiff.

So I am going to give it a grade of 2/5.  It gets the two points really only because he looks so awesome.  And looks awesome with Vikor and Teela.  But he could just as well continued to look as good on the store shelf.  On the other hand, he wasn't expensive.  And comparable comic book statues cost over $100.  So looking at it that way he would be a 4/5 as a statue.  (Not having as precise a sculpt as a statue because he was meant to be an action figure...if that makes sense?)

Do you agree or disagree?  Let me know, oh Hub City Geeks!  And be on the lookout for more awesome reviews by the SpartanNerd!

10 Print "SpartanNerd's Top Ten things to do better in 2014"

10 Print "Keep this blog going!  (It gets more successful all the time it seems)"

20 Print "Blog more about comics"

30 Print "Make fewer impulse comic store buys"

40 Print "Eat less junk"

50 Print "Crank out more songs"

60 Print "Self produce that fifth album!"

70 Print "Code more BASIC"

80 Print "Find more Magic the Gathering action.  (The SpartanSmurfs are great practice.  But..."

90 Print "Make it into the Top 8 more often at MTG tournaments."

100 Print "Get the SpartanWife more involved in my nerdery.  I could only love it more!"

Masters of the Universe Classics Unboxing and Review...Weapons Rack!

Happy New Year!  Do you now have swag stacked upon boxes piled up on returns as well as items not yet sitting in a permanent spot?

My MOTUC characters have been like this for awhile...extra weapons scattered about, or stored away in a little baggie.  But not anymore!  Here is my review of the MOTUC Weapons Rack!

I wondered if this box was going to say "Weapons Rak."
It was misspelled on the Matty Collector Website!

The Weapons Rack was something I wanted when it came out, but couldn't fork over at the time.  And the way that Mattel does things, it disappeared and I never had a chance to get it again.  With Castle Grayskull having been on sale (didn't sell out as they predicted, did it?), They wanted to be sure that people could display the castle with the proper Weapons Rack.  After all, the vintage version CAME with a weapons rack, which is what this thing I bought is modeled after.

(I have not purchased a MOTUC Castle Grayskull.  There are a couple of problems. 1.I don't have that many figures.  2. It costs way too much.  3. Where would I put it?  I do however, think it is terrific, and am glad they made it.  Maybe someday I will have it.  But there are other ways I have to spend $300 + shipping right now.  I am a cheapskate, remember?)

Here's what you see when you open the box.  A nice window on card,
featuring the furniture and the weapons, packed in weapons pack style.

This is what is on the back.  Oddly, only one palace guard?

Here is a picture of the weapons that came with it.  The red ones are especially nice!  The silver ones have a little patina to them, that might not be coming through in my picture.  The silver ones are supposed to be an homage to the original weapons that came with Castle Grayskull, and the red ones are supposed to be an homage to "Man-E-Weapons."

Here is the rack, with nothing on it.
Rows of pegs to display your weapons!

Here is how I set it up at first.  Front view.  I like how there is a little post to put
the shields on on both sides, as well as pegs to hang some weapons on the sides.

Here is the back view of my initial setup.
Here you can see the mace hanging on the right side.

How do other weapons work with this, that is, other than those that came with it?  I decided to do a good and evil theme!

My evil theme!

My good theme!

What are the limits of the weapons rack?  I went and found all kinds of MOTUC weapons to load it down with!  Here is a front and back view!  Read the captions for a contest!

Can you identify all of these weapons, readers?!  Send a comment for prize!

I will respond back and you can send me your address!  (The prize will go to whoever names the most.  Look at both the front and back view pictures, please.)  

This weapons rack is worth fighting for!

My rating for the Weapons Rack?  5/5!  It is a superb sculpt, serves its purpose well, and looks amazing with the figures.

SpartanNerd Review...G.I. Joe figures from Dollar General...Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander

Here at the edge of the world, we don't have too many stores.  At one time, there were more, and then the apocalypse happened, and almost everything moved out.  And then Dollar General Market came in and filled the void.

I visit this store almost everyday, and saw these on the pegs right around Thanksgiving.  But I refrained from purchasing them.  I don't collect G.I. Joes, and the SpartanSmurf's have a history of owning them but not playing with them.  I admit that I was tempted, though.  I have never owned as awesome a Cobra Commander as they had on the shelf.  Furthermore, the figures seem to be painted in 1980's generation 1 cartoon colors, and they were on sale for only $6.00.  (The cheapskate in me screams..."What a deal!  G.I. Joes are running almost as much as $15.00 at department stores!")

So after Christmas, these were still hanging on the shelf...And the SpartanSmurfs had some money they were itching to spend...so where did I kind of point them???

Only one taker.  SpartanSmurf #2.  He is fond of Snake Eyes (and Ninjas in general), and thought Cobra Commander was cool also.  They also had a Duke, who looked nothing like Duke.  So neither one of us was interested.  (See...He takes after his old man!)

Here are some pics and a review, followed by some comments and a rating!  (I promise I took a pic of the box.  But somehow that is nowhere to be found?  The box is a window, prominently featuring the G.I. Joe branding, and on the back showcases six total figures from the line, but all painted in different colors than seen at the Dollar General Market.  You'll just have to take my word for it I suppose. The only figures we saw were the ones mentioned here.)

Snake Eyes.  CLASSIC!

Cobra Commander.  CLASSIC!  This staff is also a sword.

Cobra Commander and his accessories.

Snake eyes and his accessories.

He's holding a pistol.

A battle pose, by SparnanSmurf #2!

Thoughts on these figures.

"'Ow Be-zar!"  (Spoken in that dreadnok voice).  The marketing strategy here is.....I guess maybe some kid will come through with his weekly allowance, or maybe will come through with his mom and ask for this, and it is certainly reasonable as an impulse buy.  On the other hand, it seems it should appeal to people like me, more nostalgic types who have that 1980's childhood aesthetic sense about them, who would see them and recognize them on account of their paint job.

These figures are excellent.  Cobra Commander especially.  (I am more fond of the all black suited Snake Eyes rather than the early versions.)  Cobra Commander's eyes could be shoddily done, but they are not.  The work is clearly good.  And you get a stand!  (I am not sure, but don't most Joes come with a stand nowadays?)

The only difference in these and what I might find at say, Target, are the accessories.  They seem a little scant.  But hey.  It's a $6.00 G.I. Joe!  So I guess the corners had to be cut somewhere!

My rating?  I am going to say 4.5/5, taking off a point only because there aren't many accessories.  Other figures at Dollar General seem to have the same trend though, for instance the Marvel characters they have on the pegs have no accessories.  So I guess these guys are better than them!  But still, it isn't a full on G.I. Joe experience without the backpacks, extra guns, knives, swords, etc.   And I also wish the back of the box had a bio of the characters, (like in the old days!)  Anyone disagree with my 4.5, let me know!

SpartanNerd Birthday rundown

Darkest day of the year.    Literally!   The Winter Solstice.  How did I spend it?

First,

The SpartanWife made this EXCELLENT cake.  Chocolate covered cherry.  For the record, I've had more birthday cakes as an adult than as a child.  When your birthday is so close to Christmas, that's the way it pans out.  But the SpartanWife made up for that tragedy once again, making one of the greatest cakes ever!

Next, I had a hankering for some Super Mario Bros.  Feeling nostalgic perhaps?

Notice that score!  I would die on the B World, 8-2

I saved the princess for the zillionth time. It has been maybe 9 months since I played this game.  AND I decided to play sans warp zones.  I barely scraped by, but did so within one game!   I made the joke, "never before has the life insurance mushroom on 8-2 been so important!"   It's true!   I completed the game with only one life left!   There are many secrets I seem to have forgotten.  So I am old as well as rusty!

Last night after the Commander tournament at the Tangled Web, (click here for details about the deck I SADLY played), I bought a comic book storage box.  I considered cleaning up the nerd closet some.  Plus I expect some new MOTUC items in the mail to display (The Sky High and Jet Sled have not arrived...These are my birthday presents :(  )

But decided instead to read this book...

That first chapter is HARD to read.  Comics should get to you like that.

So around the time for the afternoon, have a CHEESE STICK for lunch, (we were planning on shopping and eating out for dinner at the Colonial Fish Camp in Gaffney, SC), we snuck past the gate to get a look at this lovely site!  (SpartanSmurf #2 was afraid to get busted!)

We had a great meal, and I hit the BIG LOTS in Gaffney, thinking there might be some nerd bargains...(nope)

So we came home and watched this lovely movie together....after teaching the children a little bit about how to program a simple BASIC program on the computer.

SpartanSmurf #2 came up with the idea, and if any of us will grow up to be a real computer programmer, it's him!

10 print "Welcome to my Soda Shop!"

20 print "What kind of soda would you like?"

21 print "1. Coke   2. Diet Dew    3. Root Beer"

22 print "(Type your choice, and press return.)"

30 input x

31 if x = 1 then print "That will be $3.00!" else goto 32

32 if x = 2 then print "That will be $2.00" else goto 33

33 if x = 3 then print "That item isn't available.  Make another choice please"

40 end

A good version of Scrooge.  I still say I like the Disney one better.

My day was quite pleasant, and maybe my year will be as well.  Thanks for reading, Hub City Geeks!