To kids growing up in the Boston area in the 1970s and 1980s, one of the most magical places on Earth could be found at 399 Moody Street in Waltham, MA. That was the home of Mr. Big Toyland, the world’s greatest toy store. This wasn’t your usual toy store; you didn’t just go to Mr. Big for the latest He-Man or G.I. Joe figures (although you could–they had those too). You went to him for Godzilla, for Gaiking, for all those imported Japanese toys you didn’t even know existed until they showed up in his ads. (more…)
Vintage Month > Poe’s Five Favorite Classic He-Man Vehicles
With the exception of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe and Star Wars, vehicles have become a thing of the past for most action figure lines. That’s especially true for any figure line larger than a 3 ¾” scale. But back in the golden age of action figures, even the lowliest toy line had at least a couple vehicles, be they saddled beasts or gigantic rolling bases (looking back, I’m amazed I had the Technodrome. Thanks Mom and Dad!)
Of the many things it did right, some of the best things about Masters of the Universe were the vehicles. Like the toys, many of them had all sorts of action features and interesting designs. Here’s a list of my five favorite classic MOTU vehicles. (more…)
Vintage Month > That’s Just Prime (by PrftktTear)
Throughout its history, Transformers has had many incarnations, but one character is always prominent in them all: Optimus Prime. From the first time we heard him say “Transform and ROLL OUT!”, generations of kids have been inspired by the Big Bot.
Over the years Optimus has taken many forms, from his familiar trailer truck, a fire truck, or a pick-up truck, to some bizarre forms like Nike sneakers and out-of-this-world Cybertronian based vehicles. Regardless of his alternate mode, he always seems to have the same general look, and is arguably the most instantly recognizable Transformer of all. (more…)
Vintage Month > The Pegasus Incident
I’ve often praised my parents for the excellent job they did raising me, and for the lengths to which they were willing to go to humor my geeky interests. My father, for instance, would take rated-R movies like Predator and Aliens and, using two VCRs, make me PG-rated versions of the movies by cutting the really violent scenes.
However, every parent makes the occasional mistake. Fortunately, I could be bought. (more…)
DCUC Hawkman gets a new mace
While I like the mace Hawkman came with, it sits a little too loosely in his hand, so I went looking for a replacement. On eBay I found a range of approximately 1/12th scale diecast weapons under the brand name “Mononofu.” I ordered the mace, which also came with a shield and a little stand.
The price and shipping were surprisingly cheap (particularly since it was coming from Hong Kong). The weapons are well-sculpted and look almost tailor-made for Hawkman. The mace head is made from diecast metal, while the shield and the haft and handle of the mace are made from plastic.
The shield also has a handle, which unfortunately means Hawkman can’t hold it properly, since his right hand is a fist. However, the mace fit in his left hand like a charm, and I think it looks even better than the mace he came with. But don’t take my word for it!
The weapons came in a box that features one of the finest examples of Engrish I’ve ever come across:
Leave and go up! It has weapos in your hands.
For justice, I keep honor of the soldier who came through a battlefield of 100 training for a person, and the thing which I defeat an enemy and defeated may say with true arms.
I inherit will of a great brave man, and I can revive with thunder now, and it is “MONONOFU.”
I think that about says it all, don’t you?
Vintage Month > The California Raisins (Applause, 1988)
Back in the late 1980s, the California Raisins were huge. Like so many pop culture characters of the decade, they began as a marketing gimmick. Within a year or two they had toys, albums, TV specials, and they were even awarded that epitome of 1980s pop culture adoration, a (short-lived) Saturday morning cartoon. They even got a freakin’ videogame, although it was never actually produced. My personal favorite Raisins-related production was Meet the Raisins, a clever Beatles send-up which, sadly, remains unavailable outside of old VHS tapes.
Of course, young Poe had some of the Raisins toys–mostly just the little Applause figurines. They weren’t articulated, but they served their purpose of offering Poe a plastic totem of some beloved marketing icons.
Vintage Month > Ten Things I Always Wanted Toys of
When I encounter something cool–a TV show, a movie, a book–I often end up wanting action figures from it. That’s not an unusual trait among toy collectors, but it’s something I’ve been doing ever since I was a wee tyke.
Here’s a list of ten things a young Poe always hoped to get action figures of, but never did. (more…)
Vintage Month > Dinosaucers
(All the toy photos you see below, and many more, can be found at Alex Bickmore’s Super Toy Archive.)
I’ve often explained the reason I love Grimlock so much is that he’s both a dinosaur and a robot. What could be better? Nothing. But a close second is the combination of dinosaurs and aliens, and for that, there was Dinosaucers.
I remember catching the show as an early-morning treat before I went off to elementary school (it came on around 7 a.m., while at 7:30 I would watch Dennis the Menace). Dinosaucers followed a very similar formula to Transformers: two warring groups of aliens come to Earth and have at it, causing lots of collateral damage to our planet (of course, the good guys befriend some human children). Rather than giant transforming robots, however, Dinosaucers featured giant talking alien dinosaurs. (more…)
The Poe Method of Loosening Stuck Figure Joints
Over on OAFE, a poster asked for advice on how to get stuck joints unstuck. Having successfully unstuck seven hips in my DCUC5 set (only three weren’t stuck) without a single break, I thought I’d share my own method with everyone. This will work on almost any action figure joint, though I wrote it specifically in regard to DCUC hips.
FREEZE Toss the figure in the freezer for about half an hour. The longer you freeze it, the stiffer the joint will get, but it will also get more brittle, so I don’t recommend going longer than an hour at most.
WORK IT, DON’T JERK IT As soon as you take it out of the freezer, very very gently move the hip joint back and forth. I can’t stress enough how gently you have to do this. Work it around a bit–push the hip joint inward, maybe tug it outward just a little bit, to help loosen up the paint or whatever’s making the joint stick. Remember, though, that while the plastic has shrunk a bit and become stiffer due to the freezing, it’s also become more brittle, so if you jerk the frozen joint forward it’s quite likely to break.
BOIL If the joint doesn’t seem to be moving at all, you can try heating some water (don’t let it get too hot–preferably just below boiling) and dipping the hip in for about thirty seconds (don’t let it touch the sides of the bowl!).
RE-FREEZE Then throw the figure back in the freezer for another half hour. All the heating and cooling will make the plastic of the joint expand and contract and, hopefully, sever the connection to whatever’s keeping it stuck (paint, a tiny piece of flash, etc.).
PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT Once it’s been in the freezer for another half hour, repeated the process in the first paragraph. Eventually, you’ll have to start bending the leg further forward or back. You can help minimize the risk of breakage by pushing the peg in at the same time you’re twisting the joint. In my experience, 75% of the time the paint holding the joint stuck will crack and the joint will work fine.
ACCEPT FATE Occasionally, the joint is going to break, and no amount of freezing or boiling will help that. Not often, but enough that you may want to consider whether you’d rather have an immovable leg or have to find a new figure.
I think a good percentage of figure breakages could be prevented just by being patient and careful. I’m impatient in many aspects of my life–too many–but one place I’m not is action figures. I’d rather spend an hour getting my action figure to work properly than spend weeks looking for a replacement.
While breakage seems to be a recurring problem with DCUC, I do think part of that is collectors not taking their time. However, it’s a terrible shame that any kid who receives these toys will almost certainly break them.
If anyone should get on Mattel’s case for these QC issues, it’s DC Comics. Today’s kids who ask their parents for a Superman figure will be tomorrow’s DC comics readers. But if the leg breaks off right out of the package, while their Spectacular Spider-man figure survives being tossed against the wall fifty times, which hero do you think the kid is going to form more positive associations with?
The Great MOTUC Debate, Part II
After the great response to my first article on the topic, I decided to round up a few more quotes from others in the collecting community.
First up is Emiliano Santalucia, artist for the 2002 MOTU comics and moderator at He-Man.org: (more…)