Questions are due by 11:59pm Thursday, October 28.
Pic of the Day
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark by Clarkent78
“Homeless Bastards!”
The original home of the Bastards of the Universe, Articulated Discussion, is taking a break for the time being. (Come back soon, TAO!) So, I asked Poe if he would give the Bastards a home, and he charitably (or foolishly, depending on your opinion!) said yes!
A little background: since I’m old, I never had Masters of the Universe toys as a kid, or watched the original cartoon. When the 200X line came out, I was working in a mall, and picked up a few at my job. In particular, I remember getting Stratos, since I saved him from the dumpster while working a store closure.
I have no idea how you guys put up with Mattel to get Masters of the Universe Classics. To me, they seem overpriced; from the reports I read, the quality control seems dicey; and ordering seems to be designed to punish you for wanting them.
But, I remembered back when the first MOTU figures ruled the toy aisle, there were a ton of competing lines trying to help themselves to a piece of the action. Remco’s Warlord line, for one. I loved the comic book, but the figures were straight-up knockoffs: the packaging even proclaimed “Plays with Masters of the Universe.” I had a Warlord figure, and a yard-sale found Battlecat; and they were the start of the Bastards.
Conan is a pretty obvious next choice: regardless of the official story, it’s readily apparent he was a huge influence on He-Man. Toy Story 3‘s Twitch may remind some of lines like Sectaurs, but I see a direct line from Buzz-Off to him. And Beta Ray Bill, from Marvel Legends, was sculpted by the Four Horsemen, before they moved on to MOTUC. So, I had my Bastards, and they began their adventures in the Eternia in my head. (A medieval culture that has ray guns, flying things, and cable; and where it’s not uncommon for your running crew to include a robot or bug guy.)
So, to celebrate moving over to Poe’s, we’ve got a contest! I’ve told you why I picked mine, but who would your Bastards lineup include? Robots? Barbarians? Fish-guys? Pirates? To me, that’s kind of the best thing about Eternia: I appreciate that as a line, Masters of the Universe was able to include guys like Ninjor, Clamp Champ, and Rio Blast.
Leave a comment with your four picks, and if you want, a link to a picture of your Bastards, that might be used in a later strip! One will be picked at random and win a loose Marvel Legends Beta Ray Bill, a carded Toy Story 3 Twitch, a carded Conan the Adventurer, and a loose and saddleless Battlecat! (Warlord fans, sorry, but getting a 1982 Travis or a DC Direct one didn’t cost out!)
International? OK, you gotta spring for postage. Sorry.
Toy Aisle Trolls > Snow Rob
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.
Poester Nik sends in this report from the Westbury, NY Target.
Pic of the Day
Wait until you see the white of his eye… by Kwehttamm
Review > Roboto (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)
By my count, Roboto is the 37th toy in the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline (counting Adam and Orko as two separate figures, counting Mo-Larr but not the lost-tooth Skeletor, and not counting the TRU 2-packs as separate figures, since they’re repaints). As a bonafide member of the vintage MOTU line–not POP, not NA, not 200X–Roboto was a guaranteed sellout. Frankly, it’s impressive he took as long as he did to sell out (three hours), though reverse-shoulders error may be partly to blame for that. (more…)
Pic of the Day
![Garo Vol 05 - Garo [Berserk]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5069260972_b427cd09e2.jpg)
Garo Vol 05 – Garo [Berserk] by Ed Speir IV
Pic of the Day
marvel zombie hulk by felt_tip_felon
Blame for Roboto shoulders? Not the factory.
Or at least, not the factory workers who assembled him.
In what actually isn’t a surprise to me at all, it turns out Roboto was not assembled incorrectly. The blame lies with whoever is responsible for putting the “L” and “R” on the shoulders. The shoulders were incorrectly labeled. (Note: that pic is of a fan-fixed Roboto, so the shoulder is actually on the correct side.)
Thanks to He-Man.org poster Skeletortilla for the news.
Odds ‘n Ends > October 21, 2010
- DST answered my Minimate question. Bummer, but not unexpected. Still, Hellboy MMs seem like a no-brainer to me. BTW, the ones above were created by Minimate customizer extraordinaire Bob Harris. Click the pic for more pics of his many customs, including Dr. McNinja and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.
- Mattel has posted some Shadow Beast pics on their Facebook page. Looks pretty neat, but I prefer Gygor.
- I’ve got a bunch of reviews I owe you, including, of course, Roboto. Planning to get to at least one of them tonight.
- I recorded a guest appearance on OrccaCast last night. It should be up shortly before Halloween, I believe. I’ve also got an appearance on another pretty big podcast fairly soon, but I’m going to save that news for now.
- Finally, I’ve received a test shot of the PGPoA-exclusive Spy Monkey Creations accessory. Some changes were needed, but once I get the revised test shot, I’ll go ahead and make the announcement.
- Question for today: what would you name a subscription for 6″ Back to the Future figures on Mattycollector? My submission is Club Flux Capacitor. Kind of a mouthful, though.