Form Blazing Sword!

 

So being a kid from the 80s, it's almost a requirement that you liked Voltron. Voltron was never on the same level as GI Joe and Transformers for me, but I remember liking it.  I think it has one of the best openings of any of the shows I have watched.  When I saw that Netflix was coming out with a modern day revival I was pretty excited (I mean House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Daredevil were all great Netflix originals), but once I saw that it was a DreamWorks production, I couldn't wait.

So I didn't really know what to expect when I started watching.  I didn't know if they were going to go the "dark and gritty" route or the "overly kiddy" route.  I was hoping that Voltron would take the Star Wars Rebels and Clone Wars approach - make something that appeals to both children and adults.  In my opinion, Voltron: Legendary Defender hit that perfectly.  As someone in their 30s, I fully enjoyed the show and think that it's perfect for a younger audience as well.

Voltron: Legendary Defender takes a serial approach to their story telling.  I remember in the original show it tends to follow the pattern: big monster appears, start up the lions, form Voltron, start losing, and then "Form Blazing Sword" for the win.  The new show tends to follow a more story and character driven approach.  The lions tend to take a back seat to the characters and story.  Not every episode has the lions forming Voltron, and I think that's a positive.  It means that each time the lions form Voltron, it's exciting, and it means the the battle needs it. 

I really liked the way the characters are portrayed.  Each character has a distinct personality, and it stays consistent throughout the show.  Lance is the bumbling idiot; Keith is the overzealous, hot shot ace; Pidge is the technical genius; Hunk is the scared but reliable friend; and Shiro is the grizzled veteran of the group.  The one character I didn't quite understand was Coran.  I mostly found him annoying and didn't understand his purpose.  I have an idea on how they are going to use him in the future, but I'll save that for another post.

*** Spoiler Alert ***

The twist with Pidge was a really smart move, and one that I think makes the show stronger.  It also gives girls more characters to like in the show besides Allura.  Not that girls can only like girl characters, but having a more diverse cast always helps make the show stronger.  I'm hoping that it helps to draw more girl viewers into the show which is a good thing!

***  End Spoiler  ***

The overall story wasn't very exciting most of the season, but it really started to build some steam towards the end.  The show did a masterful job of setting up next season with some mysteries and cliff hangers.  Overall the first season did a good job of setting up the characters so that the story can really take off.  This was a great way to get that out of the way so that when season 2 starts we can dive right into the action and adventure.

I really enjoyed the design of the 5 lions.  Each one was slightly different than the rest (beyond just the color) and had their unique abilities.  The lions were used really well in combat, and I enjoyed seeing each one fight individually.  Whenever the lions formed Voltron, I found it exciting and I enjoyed the formation sequence.  The new Voltron does a really good job of paying homage to the original and striking it's own new look.  I really liked the shield but was not a very big fan of the Blazing Sword.  I REALLY liked the design of the original sword, but if that's my one complaint then I would say they did an amazing job.  I can't wait to see the toys when they come out.

Speaking of toys I think that Playmates really missed an opportunity by not having a line of toys available with the launch of the show.  I think that it would have been really smart to build on the momentum they have for the launch of a new show.  I will definitely be buying Voltron when its released.  Whether it is buying each lion individually or buying them as a set, I am excited.  I missed out on the MattyCollector Voltron and really any Voltron set outside of the original set (and who know where that is because it's LONG gone) so I'm excited to have this chance.  Bring them on!  If they do as well as the new Ninja Turtle line, this is going to be a solid win!

Overall I highly recommend Voltron if you are looking for a fun watch.  Anyone who wants to remember the magic of Saturday morning cartoons should give it a watch.  The set up for season 2 is very strong, and I personally can't wait!

Don't Grow Up... It's a Trap

So if you know me, it doesn't take long before you figure out that I never grew up.  I mean I did... but didn't...  I literally have the heart and energy of a little kid most of the time.  One of the biggest things that contributes to this is my love of toys and action figures.  Going down the toy aisle and getting a new figure is always exciting for me!  Seriously my wife bribed me to put up curtains in our bedroom with a Legacy Megazord...

So somehow I kept a lot of my action figure addiction hidden until after I was married...  My "action figure closet" was something my wife had apparently not seen until after we were married.  I will never forget walking into my office (which then turned into a "craft room" and now a nursery) [Don't worry fearless reader I have a new office, and it's better than ever!] and Brittany was just standing there, silent, staring into the closet, with a complete look of disbelief and shock in her eyes.  It still makes me laugh thinking about it.  She knew I loved toys and action figures, but I don't think she knew I had this many.  To be fair the closet was unorganized and crammed full of stuff...  She is fully on board with the toys though and helps me hunt whatever figure/toy I'm trying to find!  I mean check out this post on her blog, Pink Glitter Pumpkins.

A lot of people don't understand my love for toys, but that's ok because they don't have to understand it.  Playing with GI Joes, Transformers, etc was a big part of my childhood.  I can remember my little brother and I playing with Joes together.  I remember the excitement when I got my original red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger for Christmas. Now that I'm older I can finally afford all the toys I want!  Buying figures and still being attached to them helps me feel like a kid and remember the good times I've had.

I have plenty of my figures displayed and out of the packages.  I typically do not believe in keeping toys in their packaging (I know, blasphemy right?) because what's the point of having the figure if you can't touch it or show it off!   I do have some toys still in the boxes but that's because I either don't have the right display for them yet or they became way too valuable to open before I could display them!  I'll probably end up opening them eventually though... 

So Melody is probably going to be the luckiest girl ever in terms of toys.  She is going to have a dad that loves to collect and hunt toys. The hunt is a large portion of the fun for me, so if she needs that purple special edition rainbow My Little Pony I'm going to be hunting it down.  After all, I want her to experience toys the same way I did.  My parents always came through with that rare and hard to find toy for me and I want to be able to do the same for her.   I want her to have just as magical of a childhood that I did.  (I'm not saying toys made my childhood magical but they were a part of it!)

Let's just hope I can keep her out of all my toys...   that is going to be a challenge...

Code Name Daddy

So I did not expect this to the be the second post on my blog, but now is better than ever.  I hold nothing back when I say that I had mixed feelings when Brittany told me she was pregnant.  I'm not a person that always handles change well, and having a kid is a slight change.  I was worried about how much EVERYTHING would change for me (selfish view I know...).  And then May 25, 2016 happened.  That was the day that Melody was born and everything changed.

Let's just say the day's events were a bit chaotic (I'm sparing you all the details of the day but you can read about the day from Brittany's blog here), but at the end of it my little Melody entered the world.  I was filled with all sorts of happy emotions and fearful emotions.  When I finally got to hold Melody in my arms everything in this world changed.  I suddenly knew what being a parent was all about.  She just sat there quietly and I held her for what felt like an eternity and it wasn't enough.  The whole hospital stay felt like it took forever, but it wasn't until we got home that I felt like my little family was on it's own.  Brittany, Melody, and I were in our home and all was right with the world.  

Melody has been in the world for a week, and I already feel like my entire family focus is different. Where it was just me and Brittany before, we are a complete family now.  Brittany and I have settled into our little routines and we have a baby that loves to sleep. Moments like the 4 diapers in one changing episode were stressful, but it was a happy moment filled with laughter (sooooooo much poop).  Brittany and I just laughed and laughed, and Melody just grinned (which meant more poop was on its way!).  Who would have thought that dealing with poop and spit up could make a person happy?

So I don't mean to write this as some sort of sappy write up about Melody, (I know I know but it happened) but I wanted to share with everyone that everything in my world is a bit upside down, but completely right side up.  Melody is only a week old and I wish time would slow down.  I know that I look forward to complete nights of sleep and living in increments of time that are longer than 3 hours, but I know I'm going to miss everything going on right now.  I also look forward to finding all the fun little onesies I can!  She can't control what she wears right now.... but I can!!!  Muhahahaha

So now I have the code name: Daddy

 

A New Hope

Welcome!

I'm writing to you from my new blog.  After watching my wife, Brittany, blog for the past two years it's caused me to do some of my own writing (You can find all her work at Pink Glitter Pumpkins).  I probably would have started this sooner, but it took me forever to figure out a name...  and surprisingly it wasn't because I was procrastinating.  It was more that I couldn't figure out something that I liked... 

Now you are probably asking yours, "Why Code Name Rebel?"  Well...

  1. I'm an Ole Miss Rebel!
  2. I love Star Wars and well...  The Rebels in Star Wars are heroes!
  3. All GI Joe's have code names
  4. It just sounds spiffy!

So I'm hoping this page helps give me an outlet for some form of creativity and allows me to write about things I enjoy.  I just hope at the end of the day I enjoy it and do as good as a job as Brittany does on her blog!  Maybe I won't bore you with my writing and that I actually update this frequently with interesting stuff and few typos...

Hotty Toddy and Yo Joe!