May 1, 2008, was a major release day for Summer movie toys; and yours truly was on the front lines, fighting the good fight against other collectors to grab up the newest figures from Hollywood’s latest merchandising mammoths. I hit up toy stores for the latest goodies on the 1st, the 3rd, and the 4th; and I landed a few fantastic additions to my collection!!! Below are the top 7 figures I was able to acquire, and they are powerful indeed:

7) Movie Masters The Dark Knight Joker – Honestly, the only reason I am stoked on this figure is because he WILL be the most difficult to find on shelves this summer, and I landed him…but he’s not the best figure I’ve ever seen, and I’m still not sure if The Dark Kight is gonna be amazing, especially given how amazing Iron Man was.

6) The Ugha Warrior from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have no idea who the Ugha Warrriors are, but I bought this figure for an Apocalypto Custom because I loved Apocalypto, and I totally wanted a custom of Jaguar Paw - South America’s Rambo. So this figure ranks pretty low since I don’t even want him for him.

5) Old Indy with rocket launcher from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I Bought this figure just cause I thought he looked fantastic, had great accessories, and I wanted at least ONE Indy without a hat. I haven’t bought any of the other Hasbro Indy’s yet—like the iconic one in the jacket and hat–since they have at least another two coming out ( from Last Crusade and Temple of Doom), and I want to see ALL the versions available before choosing one. For now, this Indy looks unique, and I just dug him as a surly old man with a rocket launcher. NICE!

4) The Cemetery Warrior from The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull cause he looked like a hobo gypsy with a skull mask, and I am down with that. Plus, I can basically put him in any display—whether he’s leading G.I. Joes through the tundra wilderness, serving as a witch doctor to the Tusken Raiders in Star Wars, or acting as a Pirate lord in the Caribbean.

3) Movie Masters The Dark Knight Joker’s Goon - Regardless of whether or not I like the new Dark Knight film, this is a fantastic addition to the legion of Joker’s henchmen (which in my collection also include the Legendary heroes Clown superhero figure and Mcfarlane’s Clown from Akira), and I am happy to have him in the mix.

2) Sallah from Raiders of the Lost Ark, because he is a wonderful friend in the film and a beloved character from the series…he is also the master of beards.

1) Movie Masters Batman from The Dark Knight. Even if this summer’s The Dark Knight turns out to be the absolute worst film in all of superherodom, even if it is this year’s Catwoman, even if it makes me literally furious and I throw my shoe at the screen, THIS BATMAN FIGURE RULES. I love the redesigned suit for the film, it truly feels like stealthy ninja armor, and this figure is a stellar, ultra-detailed version of it. I really, really love this Batman, and so far it is the best figure I’ve picked up this season!

I also scored Indy and the Lost Ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I bought because (a) I love that toy of the Ark—it’s Frakkin’ Fantastic; and (b) Indy in undercover garb is a cool version of the character. Really it was a spur-of-the-moment, saw-it-on-the-shelf and fell-for-it purchase, nothing driving it, really. It’s a cool deluxe set. I also had success with some fantastic older figures I had been looking for, including A Star Wars Tri-Droid, Battlestar Galactica Mark VII, Unleashed Mace Windu Clonetroopers, and Unleashed StormTroopers. Plus, yesterday I also picked up Clone Commander Neyo, and the G.I. joe Crimson officer 3-pack. Christmas appears to have come early!