The New Face of Heavy Duty GI Joe

Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is the new face of GI Joe Heavy Duty action figure from the move G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. There were previous Heavy Duty figures. I also have Wallace “Ripcord” Weems. I will feature him in another post. I am going to Ripcord's head on a new body for more playtime fun. I am not sure if I will be able to find a new body for Heavy Duty. His vest, pants and shoe can be removed but the green tee is a part of his body. I don't know if I can live with that or not.

I would describe the likeness as just OK. I don't believe he had a beard in the move but this figure has a beard. The eyes can use some work too. The paint job is a little shotty and the eyes seem a little crossed (I might have to fix that). On some action figures and dolls they really do an excellent job. I really think they did a good job on Colin Powell, Rosie O'Donnell, Cher, MC Hammer, Ripcord, and Brandy. They did an OK job on this Heavy Duty, The Rock and Micheal Jackson. They did a poor job on Beyonce by both manufactorers. That was very disapointing! It does, from the pictures I've seen, look like they did a good job on Halle Berry As Jinx and Barbara Streisand! I must say I love and WANT the Terrence Howard doll! That is one hot doll!!

OK, where was I....

Heavy Duty's complexion is darkertthan most GI Joe's and will be harder to find a body to match. Now... to de-box or not to de-box. How do you decide?

Naveen Re-dressed for the City!

Hey Gang!

Here are a few pictures of City Stylin' Naveen. He wearing jeans, white tee (you
 can't see it but it is there), black boots, black suede jacket and a scarf that he
may have bought from a vendor in Center City or with him on the plane from
Maldonia:) He is ready for a day of see the sites in Philly.

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Better Late Than Never!

With the launch of Mattel's Barbie Basics in 2010, Mattel has realized what doll collectors knew. There is a desire for our best loved head molds to be a Model Muse doll. After the release of Nichelle Urban Hipster (2004) , I noticed dolls on the net that had the Princess of South Africa (PSA 2003) head on a model muse Nichelle body. I didn't know where they got that doll from but I wanted one. Only after reading a few site did I realize that they had made a head swap! I went looking for a PSA and a Nichelle doll to do a swap! The Barbie Basics line features a variety of our favorite head molds on a model muse body but if you are like me, you have already made your own.

I re-dressed my doll in a black and gold dress (this face looks best with golds, Nichelle looks best in silver).

She normally wears her gold couture runway piece.

I have her here for comparison to the Barbie Basics doll( not the same head mold). Tell me what you think! If you have made your own, let me know! It you have a link to your picture, even better!

Faces of Francie-Update!

Hey Gang! 

So these are my Francie!

Warning Nude Dolls!

Their bodies! There are no real differences from the repros and the new dolls!

Close ups

 Francie 30th Anniversary  Glad-About

Promo Photo

 Repro Francie Smashin' Satin

Promo Photo

 Original Francie

I purchased this girl on eBay nude so I don't know which one she is or how she originally looked. Her body needs replacing because on leg joint is broken. and I want to restyle her like this one!

Short flip with center part

AA Repro Francie The Wild Bunch!

Promo Photo

Here are the faces of my Francie dolls. The doll’s original
name was Francie Fairchild and she debuted in 1966 as
the “Mod Cousin of Barbie”. She is smaller than Barbie.
As a child, it bothered me that she and Barbie couldn’t
share clothes.

The original Francie looks down as you can see from the
picture. I guess she is shy. The reproductions look up more
than the original. Neither the original nor the repro has the
swivel neck and so they can’t look up fully.

I don’t have an original Black Francie. My mother tossed her out
when I was young (SIGH) and I have not be able to afford another
as an adult. I dream of her. They are shown nude here so that you
can see the body has not changed. The faces on the repros are nice
but not exactly like the original.

I believe the Wild Bunch and 30th Anniversary Gad About are the
same face. The Smashin’ Satin is different. All the original Francie
dolls used the same head mold. I didn’t add the Malibu doll
because the face is different.

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Senorita Bonita

Hey Gang!

I got this doll a year ago at a Kmart in my area that was going out of business. I don’t remember what her packaging said but it was all smashed when I got her. She was less than five dollars! What a bargain! I love the dress and the hair comb and fan. She is the prefect flamingo dancer-Senorita Bonita. I can picture her dancing in a movie at a nightclub!

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Pop Life Ken

Hey Gang!

I just saw the Pop Life Ken on the Keep Ken web site. He is a great looking doll!

I think he is a remake of the Mod Hair Ken with new face paint and really great 

hair but I can't be sure. I can't tell what the body is like and I don't know the price. 

If anyone has one, please let me know this info. The clothing is fun and mod!

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Prince Naveen

Hey Gang!

OK! So I’m flicking through the internet and I happen to see someone has a picture
of the Prince Naveen doll from the Princess and the Frog movie. It isn’t a close up
picture so I trying going to a few other sites to see if I can get a close-up on the Prince.

Now I’ve heard the talk about it’s going to be the first interracial couple for
Disney and all but he didn’t look like his race was all that different from the shot
I saw. Finally, I find a good picture. One of those pictures where I can get a close-up
on the prince’s face. Hey…he is cute! Well I can always use another ethnic male in
dolly land. So I set out to get him.

In my area, Target always seems to have the new dolls first. The only doll they
missed out on was the repo Julia. (more on her another time). So I go to Target
(Cheltenham) and look around. I don’t see him with the individual Disney dolls
but Princess Tiana isn’t there either. I head around the corner and there she is.
After look around a little more, I spy the couple Tiana and Naveen together
(at the bottom of the shelf in the back). There aren’t any single Naveen just the
couple. Her head is way too big for my liking. It is probably the biggest head
on a fashion doll that Mattel had ever done!

Mattel, I don’t need the head to be that big to see it and I think most children
have better eyesight than I do. So can you let go of the big heads on the dolls!

Anyway, he is pretty cute! I buy them. I’m sure I find a doll head more worthy
of the body from my collection. I get them home and un-box him. I am not a fan
of the prince outfits. They go up on ebay!

Sigh! Another male doll that has legs that don’t bend! Mattel, we know times
are tight but not again. Double Sigh! Princess Tiana’s legs don’t bend either!
Mattel—we are going to have to have a little talk in the corner!!

He is still pretty cute so he will be added to dolly land while I scout for a different
body. Here are the pictures!

OK, Thanks For Looking!