Happy Adora Day!

January 15, 2010 | Poe

Here’s the link to the all-in-one sale page.

I’ll admit it–Adora is the first MOTUC figure I’m pretty lukewarm about. I never watched She-Ra as a kid, so Adora is even less interesting to me than She-Ra. That said, I don’t regret having bought the subscription, and I certainly don’t begrudge She-Ra fans (like Rob of Topless Robot) their long-overdue Adora. And as a completionist on this line (so far), I’m buying her no matter what.

Fortunately, she’ll be followed next month by Battle Cat and Trap Jaw, who look to be the finest examples of MOTUC figure to date. And she also comes at the same time as Battle Armor He-Man. Oddly enough, I’m pretty excited about him. As my friends can tell you, I tend to loathe variations of characters; I just want the iconic version (Trenchcoat Hellboy, Batman minus any ridiculous armor or gear, the regular Ninja Turtles sans gimmicks or costumes, and so forth). But for whatever reason, some of He-Man’s alternate looks really appeal to me, and Battle Armor is one of them. I’ve also got my fingers crossed for an Ice Armor He-Man (on a side note, check out that link…apparently I’ve been saying I “loathe variations” for years).

But don’t forget–there’s also the reissue Beast Man and Movie Masters Harvey Dent. I’m tempted to get a new Beast Man, since my original has very loose knees, but given the odds of ending up with some other QC issue–like weak ankles, which are becoming the Achilles’ heel (HA!) of this line–I figure I’ll just stick with what I’ve got. Besides, Beast Man looks pretty good hunched over.

As for Mr. Dent, I’ll just wait for Two-Face. But for those of you who have anxiously awaited an Aaron Eckhart action figure, this is your time!

(Should I even mention the CARS exclusive? Does anyone here collect those?)

Diamond, Mattel, and the DCUC 11 Pricing Mix-up

January 14, 2010 | Poe

I’ve heard from several people that there appears to have been a pricing mix-up regarding Diamond’s order for DCUC 11, which is how most comic shops get their DCUC. So I checked into it.

It seems that due to a pricing error, all orders for DCUC wave 11 are going to be canceled and then re-offered at the new (higher) price. Each store that placed an order through Diamond will be contacted and offered the chance to renew their order at the higher price.

My first instinct upon hearing about this was to assume it had something to do with the price hike on DCUC, but it turns out the price DCUC 11 was solicited for was below wholesale cost of all previous waves even before the price increase. So this sounds like your basic clerical error (after all, the price hike isn’t forty percent). It’s not clear which side made the error–Diamond or Mattel–so let’s not get carried away with a round of Mattel-bashing.

Review > 6″ Winston Zeddemore

January 14, 2010 | Poe

In Ghostbusters, the addition of Winston to the team, halfway through the movie, always struck me as a bit odd–even as a kid. Apparently the character was written into the script to show just how busy and overwhelmed the Ghostbusters had become, but that could be–and was–capably handled by a montage set to some catchy theme music. The role was originally written for Eddie Murphy, but it was later decided that, with three comedians in the main roles already, the ‘Busters needed a “straight man,” and so the role was rewritten and Ernie Hudson was brought in.

Ultimately I think Winston was a great addition to the team, but his appearance so late in the movie, after the audience has come to love the close friendship between Egon, Peter and Ray, leaves him seeming a bit like an outsider. Fortunately, he gets some of the best lines in the second half of the film.

For those keeping track, I previously reviewed the Egon SDCC exclusive and the regular Ray Stanz release. (more…)

Any questions for Mattel? [updated]

January 14, 2010 | Poe

So, mea culpa…in all the hassle at the end of December, between my birthday and New Year’s and the flood in our apartment, I forgot to submit any questions for tomorrow’s round of Ask Mattel.

So, I’m just going to re-post the previous solicitation for questions, and anyone who wants to can either keep their question below, or ask a new one. Just let me know what you want to do!

Toy Aisle Trolls > Dum Dum Dumbass

January 13, 2010 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com. Also, please note: I’m deliberately being over-the-top with my condemnation of these people–I don’t actually wish bodily harm upon them. Just severe mental anguish.

Mysterious Stranger writes in:

This particular swap caused me to do a doubletake. At the Burbank Toys R Us I found two of the Hasbro Marvel Legends Dum Dum Dugan/White Hand Ninja 2-packs mixed in with the same 3 Skrull/Kree packs that have been there since Thanksgiving. One was at the back of the shelf and one at the front. The one at the front had the Dum Dum head swapped with the generic S.H.I.E.L.D. trooper head. I didn’t notice the swap at first until I pulled out the pack from the back of the shelf. I looked to make sure the trooper head wasn’t just swapped with the Dum Dum head in the package as a packaging error but the trooper head with helmet was in its spot in the tray. The side of the box where the front flap is taped was a bit sticky where the tape had been removed and replaced and the crotch of the figure was thrust forward due to the figure not being put back into the tray completely.

There were no other signs of tampering that I could see. I did go ahead and buy both sets since I wanted them for S.H.I.E.L.D. troopers (and got them at a discounted price due to them being stocked on the wrong shelf tag, a TRU mistake not the swappers). This person most likely has an extra Nick Fury figure and just wanted the Dum Dum head so they saw this pack, swapped it out and returned it with the trooper head. Probably one of the more clever swaps I’ve seen though I still think the guy that did it is a tool.

Indeed he is, Mysterious Stranger. In fact, he’s a Dremel, if I’m not mistaken.

CURSE: As his crime isn’t quite as malicious or cruel as some of the examples we’ve seen so far, may his flesh be only partially consumed by beetles.

Paul’s Peg > The Friggen Big Frigate

January 13, 2010 | Paul

Oh those crazy Lego builders are at it again, this time coming up with a Nebulon-B frigate from Star Wars with a length that measures four feet and six inches.

That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment, if you can actually count this as an accomplishment worthy of praise as opposed to curing cancer or saving a baby from a burning building. I do love that there are even little X-Wings and a Millennium Falcon attached to the frigate.

By the way, I do think I just broke the record for the number or times the word “frigate” has appeared in a post on PoeGhostal.com.

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