Toy Aisle Trolls > Pirates of the Target Store

August 16, 2011 | 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.

Submitted by: Monkey Boy

Monkey Boy writes:

Hey Poe, Monkey Boy here, thought I’d send over this Toy Aisle Trolls as a warning. Unlike your average figure swap, the Lego swap is extra crappy, because you buy most Lego sets sight unseen. So I picked up this Pirates set at Target, only to get home and open it to find what you see in the second photo…nothing but a random pile of decidedly un-piratey Legos. No instructions, no free poster, and none of the right figures or parts. Just a sampling of someone’s Lego junk drawer. I hope Target lets me exchange it.

Ask Mattel > Answers for Mid-August

August 15, 2011 | Poe

1.) MsMarvel fan asks: Great reveals at SDCC! I’m really excited for 2012. Can those of us with MOTUC subscriptions look forward to a way to opt into additional club figures and/or 30th Anniversary figures for shipment with our sub figures?

We are looking into a way to possibly combine shipping on the 30th figures into a sub but we don’t have this confirmed yet. Stay tuned as we continue to explore options!

2.) Fringinator asks: Are Infinite Heroes coming back? That line went away just as I was really getting into it. Other companies are doing more and more characters on a smaller, 4-inch scale like that, and the DC universe has never gotten a big line like that.

The exact Infinite Heroes line is over for now, but that does not mean the scale is done. Again, stay tuned as we get all of our ducks in a row! We know there is a lot of fan demand for more DC figures in this scale!

3.) Gasha168 asks: Does the 23″ Voltron contain any diecast metal components at all, or is it pure plastic except for the springs and pin joints?

It does have some die cast. More details as soon as we confirm with design.

UPDATED ANSWER: The Lions that combine into the 23″ Voltron do not have any die-cast parts.  At the scale that the lions are being offered, if they were die-cast, the overall weight of the combined Voltron would be too much for it to be secure or stable.  However, we do understand that die-cast is a big fan request so this is something that we’re looking into for the future.

4.) AJ7 asks: If Shadow Weaver will not be re-released in any way, shape or form, is there still a possibility for 200X-inspired female “Shadow Wraiths” to be released in the MOTUC line?

Shadow Weaver will not be re-released but it is possible for us to do the Shadow Wraiths from 2002 from episode 35 as separate characters (and male characters at that).

5.) Snarf! Snarf! asks: After seeing the mixed reactions regarding Battleground Evil Lyn: Was she meant to be the “classicized” version of 200X Evil Lyn, or is there room for a third Evil Lyn in her Zalesian attire (A female version of The Faceless One’s vest)?

Never say never, but for now this is intended to be the Horsemen’s definitive Evil Lyn for the time being.

Feliz Maskor Dia!

August 15, 2011 | Poe

Is anyone else impressed that Mattel managed to keep a lid on MEF’s secret accessory right up to sale day? Even if it gets revealed today, I have to say congrats to Mattel–oh, and also, why do you continue to suppress information that might result in increased sales?!?! But I digress.

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

  • Megator
  • Ready To Believe You Egon w/ Library Ghost
  • Green Lantern Origins 3-Pack
  • Beast Man
  • Gygor

Odds ‘n Ends > 8/12/2011

August 12, 2011 | Poe

  • I got an email last night that said Mattel had extended all the subscriptions another week to August 22. It’s hard to know whether this is primarily to give the DC subscription a better chance or because all the subs aren’t getting the numbers they want. I still think the DC sub is screwed–the minimum number just seems to be too high–but this week I was considering subscribing until I found out that, because I already subscribed to Club Eternia and didn’t subscribe to both at the same time, I’d have to pay double shipping by adding a second subscription (“Remember, you can buy as many subscriptions as you like in any combination and they’ll all ship together when purchased in the same transaction!”). I’m sorry, but I am not paying double shipping. If Mattel wants to encourage fans to buy Club Infinite Earths, they should kick Digital River’s sorry ass and make them combine the shipping for the damned subs even if they’re ordered separately. Anything less is dumbfoundingly stupid. Period.
  • Mattel also posted more information on the future of the 6″ DC figures aside from Club Infinite Earths. The money quote, in my opinion: Yes DC 6″ will continue at retail in 2012 but their will be a lot of changes. Collect and Connect and the Wave strategy will be gone. The focus will be on much more mainstream and kid/mom friendly mixes/characters. This is WHY we created the club, to give a home to those team builders, C and  D list characters and fan demanded variants who may no longer be showing up at retail in 2012. It seems fan speculation is correct–the 6″ DC line will look like the Millennium MOTU line of the early 2000s, with tons of Superman and Batman guises. Before you start collecting kindling for Mattel’s auto-da-fé, keep in mind this is very likely being pushed by Warner Bros./DC, who are overtly trying to court a younger audience with their “Brand New DC” relaunch next month. Get the kids hooked early and all that. When will the two big comic companies stop pining for the days when Captain Marvel sold a million copies a month? That was in the 1940s, people. There were few televisions and no videogames or heck, even action figures then. Those days aren’t coming back.
  • Blogger, Poester and sometime PGPoA contributor Novelty wants to know: “What if MOTUC cherry pickers switched to the subscriptions instead?”
  • Figureoftheday.com is having an Alien/Predator event all day today. Might be worth checking out.
  • Angels preserve us, could the second G.I. Joe movie actually not suck?
  • You may remember MasterEnglish, whom I commissioned to make my 339/1 custom. I’ve just commissioned a second custom, which will be (if all goes according to plan) revealed not here, but at Power-Con first.

Review > 4″ Tygra (Thundercats, Bandai)

August 11, 2011 | Poe

The new ThunderCats cartoon is possibly the best revamp of a 1980s property yet–better than the 2003 Masters of the Universe, better than any of the recent Transformers series, even better than G.I. Joe: Resolute. It takes the elements of the original series and remixes them into a show that is both warmly familiar, yet has its own identity.

Those of us steeped in decades of geek culture (and let’s face it, that’s most of us) might notice borrowed sights and plot devices from The Lord of the Rings movies, James Cameron’s Avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender and many other shows and movies, but the strong vocal cast and artistic style overcome any weakness of storytelling. What’s more, the show isn’t afraid to offer shades of gray, making it clear that the ThunderCats, as the dominant society, may be guilty of racism and repression.

One character who was rather significantly altered in the new show is Tygra. In the 1980s ‘toon, Tygra was Lion-O’s second-in-command. He was also, well, kind of boring. In the 2011 ThunderCats, Tygra (voiced by videogame and anime veteran Matthew Mercer)  is Lion-O’s adopted older brother and rival for their father’s affection. Though more responsible and less hot-headed than Lion-O, Tygra is also more close-minded and tends to doubt Lion-O’s ability to lead (with admittedly good reason–Lion-O makes a childish misstep in the pilot episode that, handled responsibly, could have averted a terrible fate).

Bandai is offering the new ThunderCats in two styles: a 4″ line and a 6″ line (in addition to an 8″ collectors’ line based on the 1980s show). I haven’t found any of these figures at retail here in New England yet, but Bandai was kind enough to send along a 4″ Tygra as a review sample. (more…)