Put your nerd garbage in the fan-dumpster

Today, the king of the Decepticons is… the Predacons! The ones with Mardi Gras-appropriate color schemes, anyway. The Nemesis Krewe, if you will. «Laissez les bon temps» transform & roll out? 🦖⚜️🎉 #MardiGras #HappyMardiGras #ToyPhotography #MyPhotoygraphy #Transformers #BeastWars #TransformersBeastWars #BeastWarsTransformers #TransformersWarForCybertronKingdom #TransformersGenerations #TransformersKingdom #PredaconMegatron #Waspinator #Tarantulas #MegatronBeast #DeskToys #ToyPhotography #Photoygraphy #KingOfTheDecepticons #NemesisCommandChair #TransformersToys #maccadam #bricksnclix #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #toyrobot #toyrobots #toyrobotphotography #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8a0tmM1_Q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today the king of the Decepticons is the Silver Surfer, or at least that’s who’s sitting in the chair (I did try to put the crown on him. It did not work). This #HeroClix is a prize figure from a year or so ago, I think; his card suggests he represents a version of the character from a 2019 comic called “Silver Surfer: Black.” At any rate, he’s got a neat rainbow sheen to him, which I hope these pictures capture. He might be on his way out to a trade with @quantumexplosiondynamo, so I wanted to, A, make sure I could lay hands on the piece before shaking hands on the deal and, B, show him off a little. He’s pretty, but he’s just been sitting in a tackle box since I got him; that’s no way for a Clix to live! #SilverSurfer #DeskToys #ToyPhotography #Photoygraphy #KingOfTheDecepticons #NemesisCommandChair https://www.instagram.com/p/CoN5SVDOkK3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today the king of the Decepticons is Slug, the Dinobot whose name is synonymous with the preeminence of the British fanbase in Transformers. #DeskToys #Transformers #TransformersLegacyEvolution #TransformersSlug #TransformersToys #DinobotSlug #CoreClass #CoreClassTransformers #CoronationStarscream #Autobots #Decepticons #ToyPhotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpfqY3OEHZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today, the king of the Decepticons is biblically-accurate Grimace. #DeskToys #ToyPhotography #Photoygraphy #KingOfTheDecepticons #Transformers #Decepticons #CoronationStarscream #CoronationStarscreamStudioSeries #NemesisCommandChair #Grimace #Mcdonalds #CactusPlantFleaMarket https://www.instagram.com/p/CnPiCuvuS-Y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Well, I’m truly back on my #HeroClix nonsense now; I bought a brick of #AvengersWarOfTheRealms last week, it arrived Thursday, and I consumed the whole thing instantly. In my defense, it was deeply discounted from MSRP, and all the chases from this set are going for at least most of the value of what this brick cost me… However, #Venom, much though he’s the only #SinisterSyndicate piece they’ve made since the scale & rules change, wasn’t *really* who I was hoping for. The #DrStrange, #Malekith, and (non-shifting-focus, go-toe-to-toe-with-Superman) #Thor are interesting to me in roughly that order, but also not per se essential to my collection. And I kinda wanted the #BaronZemo and #MoonKnight figs you can see in the back there, but the #Wasp, #Wrecker non-prime, #MaryJane (a duplicate), #BlackKnight and #CaptainMarvel are goin’ right in the trade box. Did get pretty much a full CU, so that was nice (no 017 Thor, vexingly). So I post all this, not to brag or to shame myself, but to say… anyone want to trade? If I could turn, say, Venom, Thor, and the Venom Rogue SR from Empyre into the WotR Spider-Man chase, I’d be a happy li’l nerd… @quantumexplosiondynamo? 😜 @wizkidsgames @necaofficial #clixstagram #tabletopgaming #tabletopgames #wizkidsgaming #wizkidsgames #weareheroclix #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #littleplasticpeople #macro #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc-_nXGu8d-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“For the love of God, Morales!” #HeroClix #latergram—#SpiderMan vs Spider-Man, both from the #AvengersWarOfTheRealms set, last night. It was a 300-point “All Avengers or all Justice League” event, and I tried an #Avengers swap-squad team with the SR #CaptainAmerica from the Empyre set. Didn’t go well for me overall, but the dice smiled on me in this second round. Short version, my opponent sent his SR CAAV War Machine after my Crusader, she made her Super Senses roll from Miles’ trait, crit hit on the return strike to KO Rhodey. Opponent sent his chase WotR #PeterParker Spidey (envious!!) after my #MilesMorales, trying to get rid of that blanket-Super-Senses trait. Miles had no chance of hitting Mr. Time-Diamonds, roll-three-dice-and-pick-the-worst-two, Combat-Reflexes, Super-Super-Senses, Super-Prob-Control… but what Miles could do, because he was on his back dial at that point, was brick Peter up, Cask of Amontillado-style. Since this Spidey can’t ignore outdoor blocking, he was stuck while the rest of my team took out my opponent’s Shifting Focus Iron Man, getting me my one win of the evening. (And of course, I love a good Cask of Amontillado meme. I will go anywhere you say for a good Cask of Amontillado meme! What’s that you say? In the basement, in the very back? 😜) I’m gonna have to try that Empyre Cap again. If I build a less foolish sideline, I know I can make him work… @wizkidsgames @necaofficial #clixstagram #tabletopgaming #tabletopgames #wizkidsgaming #wizkidsgames #weareheroclix #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #littleplasticpeople #macro #CaskofAmontillado #caskofamontilladomeme (at Victory Comics) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc8wFOlOO3M/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“I’m gonna wreck it!” #Transformers #TransformersLegacy #TransformersBulkhead #RobotswithCoffee #RobotsWithIcedCoffee #WreckItRalph #BlueberryMuffin #RobotsWithBakedGoods #PartOfThisCompleteBreakfast https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc5QaDBOYYU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#Transformers #Scorponok—#PredaconScorponok, specifically, of the #BeastWars #Predacons—from the #TransformersGenerationsWarForCybertronKingdom line, gettin’ snappy on my work desk next to the whiteboard. He’s got a neat transformation—the way the legs go sideways and split down the middle of the scorpion mode reminds me of the motorcycle transformation of Transformers Animated Prowl, one of my all-time faves. I’ll probably never transform him again, though, because A, his scorpion head is a real pain to unfold from his robot back—had to get a twist-tie and basically floss it out—and B, ugh, arthropods. Wayyyy too many legs on this guy (eight legs AND the pincers)! Honestly hadn’t planned to get any of the bugs, but Blackarachnia’s a great character, and then I impulsively snagged this guy on a Target run the other day… I seem to have accidentally gone all-in on the #TransformersGenerations Beast Wars fellas. Guess I’ll have to buy Waspinator next ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh, and @hasbro—I probably don’t need this mold again as Sandstorm, myself, but if you retooled it into a lobster for a beast-era version of RiD15 Bisk? I would buy like six of that. Just saying. Legacy Generations Selects, let’s do it. #TransformersWarForCybertron #TransformersWarForCybertronKingdom #WarForCybertronKingdom @transformersofficial #transformerstoys #maccadam #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #toyrobot #toyrobots #toyrobotphotography #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cba2LYau4aU/?utm_medium=tumblr

#HeroClix #NorrinRadd, a version of the #SilverSurfer who is also the #SorcererSupreme! Or possessed by #DoctorStrange! Or something! It’s unclear. The sculpt is neat, though, and he looks like he’s got some tricks on the board (the game board, not… well, that too, I guess). Clix continues to lavish me with improbable gifts for returning! Dropped by the local comics shop the other day, to meet up with a buddy who drove in from afar (he’s fallen off a different wagon—Pokémon cards—not that I’m in any position to judge). Bought a booster by way of justifying my parking spot. Wound up with this shiny fella! I’m not mad about the #SpiderMan or #Wolverine, either (though I had already traded for both of them). The #KittyPryde, Agent of SHIELD piece is interesting—heck of a dial for 35 points—even if a lot of my favorite SHIELD pieces rotated out of Modern Age somewhere mid-pandemic. And I guess it’s nice to have a decent middle-of-the-road #IronMan as I restart my collection. Mostly I’m just stunned by the luck! This is my third booster of #Empyre (or #AvengersFantasticFourEmpyre, or #MarvelHeroClixAvengersFantasticFourEmpyre, or…) and so far I’ve pulled two chases and a super-rare. Seriously, what are the odds? (though the SR, Venom Rogue, was missing the bottom half of its dial, and it cost five bucks to ship it back to WizKids… still!). I’ll probably try to trade Mr. Radd (I’d love to have the War of the Realms chase Spider-Man, though I doubt I’d feel good about playing him—he seems a bit OP). But who knows? I do keep coming by chases & LEs with the #FantasticFour keyword lately… maybe it’s a sign? After all, Radd can lend his powers of flight and outwit-protection to adjacent friendlies on a turn-by-turn basis (kinda like sharing Galactus’ Netflix login)… that could really shore up the weak points of the WotR She-Hulk chase… 🤔 @wizkidsgames @necaofficial #clixstagram #tabletopgaming #tabletopgames #wizkidsgaming #wizkidsgames #weareheroclix #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #littleplasticpeople #macro #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/CbVp2C6uKG-/?utm_medium=tumblr

#HeroClix: Into the #SheHulk-Verse! Last night’s event was “400 points, Modern Age, must include a Legacy card character,” and well, there’s only one of those that I intentionally tracked down… and the event was on St. Patrick’s Day, and so with the green… yeah. Anyway, all four modern She-Hulk figures add up to 290 points, so for 400 even I added the War of the Realms common Spider-Man (Miles Morales) & Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff). They give Super Senses and Stealth, respectively, to all friendly Avengers on the board! Of course, the common She-Hulk from Fantastic Four Future Foundation does not have that keyword. I hoped her “Fantastic Four for Four Minutes” trait would make up for the lack of theme team prob, and Legacy She-Hulk’s “File for a Change of Venue” trait would help with map roll. In both cases… not really. Plus having a team where only one figure doesn’t have both Super Senses & Stealth paints a pretty big target on that one figure’s head. Plus the force as a whole has almost literally no range (unless you want to start chucking objects at people, which is of limited use in my experience). Plus I’m pretty sure I forgot the Stealth and Super Senses at least once each. PLUS I played too cautiously because I couldn’t stand to see my favorite character get pasted. 😅 So yeah, as a whole it, uh, went over like a lead balloon. But hey, that happens sometimes. 🤷 The uncommon Shulkie from 2015’s #AgeOfUltron SLOP (storyline organized play, which reduces to an unfortunate acronym) has long been my… well, third or fourth favorite She-Hulk in HeroClix, probably, both for sculpt and in general. She’s closer to what I want out of that concept than some (a surprising amount of HeroClix’s She-Hulks aren’t even wearing shoes? 😒), but her value-for-point-cost has just never been the most compelling. The dial length is too short, the combat numbers are too low, the original trait demands you play her on NOT a theme team to use it, and the new Legacy-card trait doesn’t come up if no one else plays a Prime. I’m glad they keep trying, though! Maybe after the Tatiana Maslany show we’ll get a #JenniferWalters Secret Identity figure in Disney+ Series Two. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQuZJ3uZZN/?utm_medium=tumblr

#HeroClix #TheDestroyer, #053a from the new #WarOfTheRealms set. I mentioned a week or two back that I’d bought two boosters and pulled a super-rare in each, and one was Crusader: this big tin can is the other! Seems like they make this guy anytime they do a set with substantial Thor presence, which makes sense… he’s a straightforward dial design, you just make him big, slow, and powerful. The wrinkle this go-round is that he pairs with the uncommon #KidLoki from the same set, who is just the absolute fanciest little lad. They both have the #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy keyword, surprisingly prevalent in this Thor-centered set. That’s due (it would seem) to a recent comic book called #AsgardiansOfTheGalaxy (has Avengers Endgame really been out long enough for offhanded jokes in it to have spawned whole comics series? Geez…). Anyway, it would further seem, Kid Loki’s appearance relating to this The Destroyer is a twist midway through that series. Whoopsies. #spoilers. At least I still don’t know what happened to The Destroyer’s arm? This Kid Loki has a Trait that only works with this specific The Destroyer, and together they kinda replicate the Juston Seyfert/Sentinel tactic that was the cheese back in 2015 or so. Not my play style, so I’m trading ‘em. Kid Loki isn’t shown in focus here because he’s only an uncommon, you can get your own. Me, I’ll probably either try to track down the more Young Avengers-y Kid Loki from the last #MarvelHeroClix set, or wait for the MCU Kid Loki in the upcoming Disney+ set. Wow, that character’s having kind of a run, huh? Good for him. If you swiped all the way through, post your own (tasteful!) #bunsofsteel joke in the comments. 😜 @wizkidsgames @necaofficial #clixstagram #tabletopgaming #tabletopgames #wizkidsgaming #wizkidsgames #weareheroclix #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #littleplasticpeople #macro #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/CbJSEbYM5Hb/?utm_medium=tumblr

Picked up #Transformers #Earthrise #Grapple on discount. Already knew about the peg issue, so I shaved them down and he’s fine (see last pic, and search “Transformers Earthrise Grapple Fix” for help). He’s a fine, basic, bright-orange medium-sized (“Voyager Class”) Transformer. Transformation’s very classic; simple but fun. Always enjoy a figure where the hands flip back into blasters/weapon ports, a fair trade-off for no wrist articulation (would’ve liked a head tilt, though). Lots of 5mm ports (13 in robot mode), great for Fossilizing (bust through the heavens with your drill, Grapple!). Crane trucks are an underrated vehicle form for being articulated themselves—extra posability & play value in that mode. The A.I.R. Lock clip in the claw is neat but the prongs of the claw can get in the way of it gripping things, so that bit’s kind of a wash. I like that his accessories store sensibly in both modes; the dedicated spot on the crane arm for the silver nozzle thing is a nice touch. At a discount, and knowing ahead of time about the peg thing, I’d recommend him. #TransformersEarthrise #TransformersGrapple #TransformersWarForCybertron #TransformersWarForCybertronEarthrise #Ractonite #TransformersRactonite #Fossilizer #Fossilizers #Slitherfang #TransformersSlitherfang #BattleMaster #BattleMasters #TengenToppaGurrenLagann #ToyReview #transformerstoys #maccadam #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #toyrobot #toyrobots #toyrobotphotography #latergram https://www.instagram.com/p/CTnFXjGJYm8/?utm_medium=tumblr

K.O.! Finally, the Orange Lantern’s out of the White House. - - - #PresidentLexLuthor was elected in a 2000 #Superman storyline (and appointed #GeneralLane as his Secretary of Defense—yes, Lois’ father). He was removed from office in the first arc of #SupermanBatman in 2004 (which hardcover TPB I kept for years, but can’t seem to find tonight). So that was years before even the *last* time a malicious, incompetent Republican presidential administration peaced out, leaving behind a world-threatening mess to be cleaned up by an incoming ticket featuring Joe Biden. But I didn’t have an Instagram then (and Prez Lex wouldn’t get clixed until 2015), so you get the pictures now. - - - H/T @casualclixin for reminding me this figure existed. Here’s to more spare energy for toy photos in the four years to come. - - - #PresidentLuthor #PresidentLex #LexLuthor #WorldsFinest #SupermanBatmanPublicEnemies #BatmanSupermanPublicEnemies #JephLoeb #EdMcGuinness #Heroclix @wizkidsgames @necaofficial #clixstagram #tabletopgames #wizkidsgaming #wizkidsgames #weareheroclix #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #littleplasticpeople #macro https://www.instagram.com/p/CKS4u_8gE7o/?igshid=oozxrcd4loy4

You always want to have backups of your essential technology. #WandaVision #HeroClix #ScarletWitch & #Vision from the 2015 #Avengers #AgeOfUltron set, sculpted by @sacredpolygons. Vision from the 2016 #CaptainAmericaCivilWar set, sculptor unknown to me (but a great job following that GOAT #AAOU sculpt). Haven’t yet watched “#DisneyPlus’ Billy Kaplan: Origins” (as I’m calling it)... #NoSpoilers, please! @wizkidsgames @necaofficial #clixstagram #tabletopgaming #tabletopgames #wizkidsgaming #wizkidsgames #weareheroclix #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #littleplasticpeople #macro #WandaMaximoff #ElizabethOlsen #PaulBettany #AvengersAgeOfUltron https://www.instagram.com/p/CKFegTxgMAW/?igshid=1eu96go2e6dwc

#TransformersAnimated #OptimusPrime with #WingbladeArmor (which was released only in Japan, with a translucent version of this same Optimus mold, but which fits the regular opaque English-release version... you know all this). I took these pics last Monday but didn’t want to jinx anything by posting them. Remember at the end of the Transformers Animated series, how after Optimus dealt Megatron a resounding defeat, Optimus didn’t let Megatron slink off to regroup, but rather took him and his allies to face justice and accountability for their actions in front of a court of law? I really liked that. ...Just talking about cartoons, of course. #sunset #goldenhour #latergram #wingbladeoptimusprime #wingblade #transformers #transformerstoys #transformersanimatedtoys #toyphotography #photoygraphy #maccadam #toyrobot #toycrewbuddies @transformersofficial @hasbro @davidkayevo https://www.instagram.com/p/CHWI6k0ATtC/?igshid=1a4z6u1clqv1r

#SpiderMan #BatmanBeyond & #Transformers #OptimusPrime, facing the setting sun. Assuming you’re reading this from the same country I’m writing it—and maybe even if you’re not—you may be shocked (shocked, I say) to learn that I’m experiencing some anxiety this evening. I decided to deal with it in my time-honored way: a walk in the woods, and getting back on my #toyphotography BS. If you haven’t voted already, you’re eligible to do so, and it’s at all physically possible, please make and execute a plan to #vote tomorrow. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHGvz-VAG5B/?igshid=qwinslufglwn

#Transformers #Soundwave from the #TransformersMusicLabel line (“Transform your music life.”). This #TakaraTomy-only release is a working MP3 device (or “playing audio player”) whose chest, rather than opening to deploy cassette-bots, accepts MiniSD cards (the seldom-seen middle child between Standard and Micro) with up to 1GB of MP3 audio files. Maybe I should put some batteries in and find out what I loaded up from the era of click-wheel iPods when I got this guy back in, geez, 2007 or 2008... probably the “Firefly” theme song and a bunch of Fall Out Boy 😅 @transformersofficial #transformerstoys #maccadam #bricksnclix #toyphotography #photoygraphy #toycrewbuddies #toysofinstagram #toyrobot #toyrobots #toyrobotphotography #latergram (oh, and the book in the backdrop is Robertson Davies’ “High Spirits” because, I dunno, it looked neat. Things you find when cleaning...) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9kv5Q7geue/?igshid=1xqemgm3zwrp6