Review > Dark World Castle (Action Figure Displays)

December 4, 2009 | Poe

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I’ve been following the guys at Action Figure Displays since their first release. The first set I reviewed was the Alley Set, followed by the City display.  By the time of the second set they had increased the height of the displays to 10 ½”, showing a committment to improving their product at the advice of their fans.

Now, just in time for the holiday season, AFD has a second series of displays that are even better tailored to specific toys and toy lines. They now have great displays for anime, cartoons (Family Guy), superheroes, horror figures, G.I. Joe/Transformers, and the subject of this review, the Dark World Castle, which is clearly evocative of Masters of the Universe and perfect for vintage, 200X and Classic MOTU figures. (more…)

Mattel releases pics of Battle Cat

December 4, 2009 | Poe

As every other toy blog posted way before me, Mattel has released images of Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat in package. (Click for a slightly larger image.)

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Looks good, though as Mattel mentioned before in a Facebook post, it looks like the helmet tends to fall off during shipping. I can’t read the bio, but fortunately MegaGearMax of He-Man.org deciphered it:

A member of the Green Tiger Tribe, Cringer was saved from a ___________ attack by a young Prince Adam and afterwards became his devoted companion for life. He assisted Adam during his quest to unite both halves of the Power Sword of He and afterwards was enhanced by its power to become Battle Cat the fighting tiger of He-Man. Cringer is one of only a handful of allies who knows Adam’s secret and fights alongside the other Masters of the Universe, carrying He-Man into battle against the forces of evil.

No one can figure out what Cringer was saved from…I’m seeing “parek-mare,” but what the hell is that?

Anyway, Battle Cat looks fantastic (note the divots in the saddle for He-Man’s furry underwear). I only hope they’re producing enough of them, or there might be a lot of mad people come February.

The Annual Interview with the Four Horsemen

December 2, 2009 | Poe

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In what has happily become an annual tradition here at PGPoA, the Four Horsemen graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions about DC Universe Classics, Masters of the Universe Classics and their own FANtastic Exclusive figures. Read on to get the latest from Santa’s not-so-little helpers, Chris Dahlberg, Eric Treadaway, Jim Preziosi, and H. Eric “Cornboy” Mayse. (more…)

Mattel Answers for December 1

December 1, 2009 | Poe

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1.) Tom-Tom asks: How expensive would it be in the short run to switch to an alternative-source plastic like Thermoplastic starch biodegradable plastics? That way, there’d be lower production costs and lower MSRPs in the long run.

A cool suggestion but not something logistically we can switch to.

(more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > Two-Year Anniversary Edition

December 1, 2009 | Poe

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  • Happy anniversary to me! Today marks the two-year anniversary of PGPoA, and I decided to splurge on some new graphics. Poester MechaShiva provided all the new artwork around the site. I decided it was time to update Poe’s outdated trenchcoat-and-glasses look to MechaShiva’s more exciting MOTUC-style Poe. At the same time, he also updated a lot of our existing artwork. And fear not, it was all done with Red Kryptonite’s blessing–her artwork is wonderful, but she’s a bit busy these days now that she’s going to be a published novelist. As always, a big thank-you to OB1 as well for implementing the new graphics.
  • I’m a bit surprised by the battle going on in the sidebar poll. New Adventures Skeletor? I thought BA Skeletor and IA He-Man would be way ahead of the others. Given NA’s lack of popularity, to those of you who voted for him I ask, what’s the appeal? Not judging, just wondering.
  • Can someone clarify for me what the “cool” Power Rangers that Bandai is doing are? Some sort of rare variants, I think? They’re supposed to be a sort of MMPR equivalent of Marvel Legends. What about those $16 “Super Legends” I see at TRU? Are those the same thing, or something else? Moreover, how many of you who visit my site are actually young enough to have been into MMPR?
  • I got all my Christmas figures out today. Most of them are from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but others include Ralphie from A Christmas Story, the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Santa Jack and some elves from NECA’s Nightmare Before Christmas, and the Snowman from McFarlane’s Twisted Xmas. Anyone else put out a Christmas figure display ever year? (Dwaltrip, I know you do.)