While there are plenty of extra-large villains for Mattel to choose from as Build-a-Figures, there are far fewer super-sized heroes. One of those few, though, is Atom Smasher. Created in 1983 by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway, Atom Smasher gained popularity as a founding member of DC’s current version of the Justice Society of America (as opposed to the Justice League). While the Justice League gets all the press and features high-profile heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the Justice Society has carved out its own niche in the DC Universe. (more…)
It Figures #2
Review > Jet Jaguar (6″ Movie Monster Series)
There’s little question Godzilla vs. Megalon is one of the worst Godzilla films Toho Studios ever made. And yet, due to its constant airings on television syndication in the late 1970s and early 1980s–to say nothing of its appearance on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000–it’s one of the most popular films among American G-fans who grew up watching the radioactive dinosaur on Creature Double Feature.
G.I. Joe and Transformers Finally Coming Back to DVD
Hasbro has announced that both the original Transformers and G.I. Joe animated series are going to be on DVD again, brought to us via Shout! Factory and should be available later this year.
This is extremely welcome news to me, because both series have been out of print on DVD for years. As a Joe fan it was even worse than not simply being able to buy them. While the Transformers animated series saw a full release, the G.I. Joe series was never completed before the rights went from Rhino to Sony. Sony, for whatever crazy reason, sat on the license and completely missed the perfect windows for a releases like during the G.I. Joe 25th anniversary and the release of the first Transformers live action movie. In the mean time many fans spent a fortune for the out of print DVDs. For example, the final Joe season was going for over a hundred bucks on Amazon when it originally retailed for around 30 dollars, and the original Joe film was going for double it’s original retail price. Many fans who couldn’t afford the ridiculously inflated prices turned to bootlegs. Hopefully, those that turned to other methods to get their classic toon fix will reinvest in either animated series, so Joe fans can finally complete their collection.
Original Hasbro press release after the break:
Odds ‘n Ends
It’s the triumphant return of Odds ‘n Ends! At least for this week.
- I downloaded Pearl Jam’s Ten: Legacy Edition off Itunes. It features the original album as well as a new mix by frequent PJ collaborator Brendan O’Brien. I have to say, the O’Brien mixes, while subtle, really give the songs a fresh sound. There’s a certain grittiness and immediacy to the album that wasn’t in the over-produced original mix. You can hear a lot more of Vedder’s vocal inflection (including a little bit of dialogue during the solo of Even Flow I’d never heard before), while the reverb has been brought way down across the board. Of course, my biggest draw was finally getting the studio version of the legendary Brother, a classic Ten-era unreleased Pearl Jam song.
- After pushing back their release for two months, Mattel has finally put Ultraman and Alex Luthor on Mattyc0llector.com. And don’t forget, Mer-Man goes on sale tomorrow at noon EDT.
- Last night’s Big Bang Theory was incredibly geeky. I can’t believe how specific and timely the comic debates were. I also can’t believe the comic book guy thought Jason Todd should be the new Batman. I hate Jason Todd. And Damian Wayne.
- For Easter, Dr. Mrs. Ghostal gave me the re-releases of Bebop and Rocksteady. Now I’m on a whole kick to dig out my original TMNT figures and track down a few I lost over the years. I’ll probably nab the re-release Shredder when it comes out, too. Coincidentally, I gave DMG the re-release of April O’Neil for her female action figure collection.
It Figures #1
(Welcome to a new feature on PGPoA–It Figures. They’re basically one-shot figuretoons, and will be replacing the Pic of the Day–at least for now.)
Review > T-R.I.P. (Terminator Salvation 6″)
I’ll always fondly remember Terminator 2: Judgment Day as the first rated-R film I saw in the theater. At the time, I went through a whole Terminator obsession, which was very much enabled by Kenner’s Terminator action figure line.
In the 1980s and ’90s, Kenner was the only game in town for action figures based on rated-R films. The T2 figures weren’t all that great, even for the time, but the notable exception was the Endoskeleton. Robots are always easier to sculpt accurately than fleshy, round humans, so the Endoskeleton came out pretty well. Add a light-up eye feature (via a “light pipe”) and a neat head-mounted gun and you had one of the better action figures of the early nineties. At the time, my only disappointment was that the figures were over 6″ tall, meaning they didn’t look right next to my Robocop or X-Men figures. (more…)
Any questions for Mattel?
I’ll be receiving the mid-April round of Q&A soon and submitting the questions for the May 1 round. Any questions? Before you ask, don’t bother with any Gleek questions. I’ve got that covered already and I’m sure plenty of other sites will be asking the same questions.
Star Trek Toy Ad That Time Hasn’t Yet Forgotten
Here’s an ad that I meant to post on the “other” toy blog a while back, but then I forgot about it. After seeing a commercial for the new Star Trek flick I remembered how awesome it was and decided I had to share it again if you hadn’t seen it already:
Despite the questionable quality of the Star Trek figures from Playmates, that’s a damned fine toy commercial. It’s just like the old school commercials of old, you know the ones that actually make toys look like a lot of fun. In fact, it looks like it was made back when Playmates were making their old Star Trek line in the 1990s.
I’d flirted with getting the bridge set at some time (even though it’s completely ridiculous most of the pieces are sold separately), this ad does a great job of convincing me that the transporter set is worth a look as well. It’s amazing that they can actually teleport toys these days, I mean, I can’t come up with any other explanation for how that thing works.
Thanks to: Topless Robot
Poe’s Point > Red Robin for DCUC
So far, I’ve had a lot of luck with Mattel producing the characters I’ve most wanted in DCUC: Robin in his current costume, Deathstroke, Despero, Deadshot, the Joker. I think the only one they haven’t announced so far is the black-and-gray, black bat symbol, pouch belt Batman. So given my luck in this area, I thought I’d officially announce my newest most-wanted DCUC figure: Red Robin.
Admittedly, there’s a bit of a problem here–Red Robin doesn’t really have a definitive identity–not yet, anyway. He originated in Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come graphic novel as a future version of Dick Grayson. More recently, he was introduced to the mainstream DC universe when the resurrected Jason Todd (who really needs to be put back in the cold, cold ground) took on the identity during Countdown. Finally, a minor Batman villain named The General took on the persona in the pages of DC’s late Robin series.
Starting in June, a new ongoing Red Robin series will debut, and while the identity of the latest RR hasn’t been revealed, all signs point to it being Tim Drake. While I love Tim Drake as Robin, I’d be fine with a permanent change to Red Robin. It would make an excellent addition to the Bat family.
The most appealing thing about Red Robin is the suit. It’s a good grown-up version of the Robin outfit, adding touches of Batman’s look while retaining its uniqueness. I’ll admit that’s basically why I want to see the figure immortalized in DCUC form, assuming DC is willing to commit to putting Tim Drake’s bio on the packaging.
How awesome would a DCUC Red Robin be? Customizer Lesternessman created one for an AFI contest last year, and I think the result speaks for itself.