Mirage TMNT figures from…Playmates?

December 17, 2008 | Poe

OK, this is…interesting. It looks like Playmates will be releasing a set of well-articulated Ninja Turtles figures based on their Mirage appearances.

25th_turtles__scaled_600

First off, are those new sculpts or just repainted versions of the TMNT movie toys with new heads?

I don’t know for sure what effect, if any, this has had on NECA’s TMNT line. But to my knowledge, NECA hasn’t solicited the NECA April, Shredder,and Foot ninjas we’ve seen prototypes for in Previews or anywhere else. Given NECA’s generally speedy progress on such things, it’s quite possible Playmates’ moving in on the Mirage-era TMNT turf has affected NECA’s plans.

Treat this with a huge grain of salt, but this thread over at the Technodrome forums claims NECA has cut off all communication with Mirage, and there’s a strong implication that the other NECA figures have been cancelled.

All this is just speculation and rumor-mongering, however. If any insiders out there want to pass along a little truth, I’d be happy to post it here.

Pic of the day

December 17, 2008 | Poe

Mattel, Godzilla by TCM Hitchhiker

Mattel, Godzilla by TCM Hitchhiker

Poe’s Note: This was one of my favorite toys growing up, a hand-me-down from my cousin Ed. It spurred my lifelong love of Godzilla, who helped get me into college–but that’s a story for another time.

In-package photos of MOTUC Skeletor and Stratos

December 17, 2008 | Poe

105009The German site Planet Eternia has photos of Masters of the Universe Classics Skeletor (due in January) and Stratos (February).

A lot of fans on He-Man.org are bothered by Stratos’s yellow/golden belt…the original figure had a red belt. It’s no big deal to me, but it’s odd Mattel doesn’t get these little details straight.

Stratos was one of my favorites of the original He-Man figures as a kid, but I never warmed up to the 2002 version. His lack of knee and proper shoulder articulation, and the swivel neck which didn’t let him look up to fly, really bugged me. Fortunately, the MOTUC version should correct all those issues.

It’s too bad there won’t be variants, though, because I would have liked to see a red harness/blue wings version, like the original toy had.

News round-up, 12/17/08

December 17, 2008 | Poe

newspoeRed Kryptonite promises me she’ll make a graphic for these news round-ups…but so far, nothin’. But I kid my bestest friend! [UPDATE: Here it is!]

I’d like to ask–how are you all enjoying these news round-ups? I know they’re pretty biased toward my own interests (for instance, there’s hardly any coverage of Japanese toys or, say, Power Rangers) and it seems to me that if you want, say, G.I. Joe news, you go to Hisstank, whereas if you want Transformers news you go to Seibertron and so forth.

Also, I’ve been considering doing round-ups of figure reviews from around the Web. How does that grab you?

Blowout sale at Store Horsemen

December 16, 2008 | Poe

The Four Horsemen are having a crazy holiday blowout sale at www.storehorsemen.com. Go! Go now, before it’s too late! One thing to note: most of the Ramathorr-type figures are from the first factory run, so they may have loose or brittle joints–or they may be fine.

Questions for Matty?

December 16, 2008 | Poe

matty

I’m tapped out on questions for the next round of Ask Matty (which won’t be published until January 15, due to the holidays). I’ve got one or two questions prepared, but that leaves three slots.

So, got any questions for Matty? Ask ’em below and I’ll choose a few to submit.

Odds ‘n Ends

December 16, 2008 | Poe

odds_n_xmas

  • OK, I’ve got like three entries into my Odds ‘n Ends contest. Again, I’ve changed the rules so it’s just the person who correctly identifies the mosts items from the photo above–you don’t have to name them all to win, just the most. I’ll pick a random winner in the event of a tie. Now email me that list!
  • Incidentally, don’t forget to donate to your local Toys for Tots and take a photo of yourself doing it, so you can enter Toy Bender‘s Joes for Tots contest for way-awesome prizes. Why not hit one of those KB Toys going-out-of-business sales? Their loss is less fortunate children’s gain!
  • I watched A Miser Brothers’ Christmas over the weekend, and you know what? It was good! For one thing, it was so refreshing to see actual stop-motion animation, rather than the CGI they’ve tried to use for these Rankin-Bass sequels over the last few years. The characterization of the Misers was dead-on, and I enjoyed their constant fraternal squabbling. The songs weren’t as catchy as those from The Year Without a Santa Claus, but it was great to have Mickey Rooney back in the sleigh as the voice of Santa. Also, the North Wind looked like the result of some bizarre genetic cross-breeding between Jay Leno and the Purple Pieman.
  • On a related topic, I’ve got a contest running over on my Snow Miser fansite. You can win one of three Miser prize packs, courtesy of ABC Family. Enter now–or y’know, after you enter my Odds ‘n Ends contest.
  • Looks like Hot Toys has finally obtained the rights to make 12″ figures of the original 1987 Predator and–could it be?–Dutch Schaefer!
  • Do any of you watch The Big Bang Theory? I thought last night’s episode was great–Sheldon’s reaction to Penny’s gift was priceless.
  • The MOTUC He-Man and Beast Man figures my wife ordered for me for Christmas still haven’t arrived at her parents’ house in Los Angeles. And they were shipped two weeks ago from Ontario, California–which is about seventy miles away. Wha-huh?
  • As implied above, Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I will be spending the holidays at her parents’ house in LA, on the other side of the continent. However, thanks to her brand-new laptop and her parents’ wi-fi connection, I should be able to handle all my updating myself this year, so there shouldn’t be any noticeable break in your daily doses of PGPoA (except for Christmas Day, of course).

Marvel Legends “Nemesis” Wave

December 15, 2008 | Poe

Hasbro sends along these pics of the Nemesis wave, which is a Walmart exclusive, I believe. Having just gone through DCUC wave 5, all I can say to you ML fans is vaya con Dios, mis amigos. (more…)