All apologies for the relative dearth of posts these last few weeks, but I seem to be in a dead zone toy-wise. (more…)
A few thoughts on comics
Toy Fair is in full swing. So while you feast on all the toy info pouring out of New York, I’m going to take a brief break from toys to talk about another geeky topic: comics. (more…)
Reviews archive is live
I’ve posted the Reviews Archive page. You can access it here or by clicking on Ray Fillet’s menu option in the sidebar.
The page is a compilation of all the toy reviews I’ve written since 2002. Click on the toy name to read the review. You can also click on the headers to sort by name, line, or manufacturer.
I’ll be adding new reviews to the page as I write them. Enjoy!
Cleatus gets beat(us)
I don’t want to write about, read about, or think about the game last night…ever again…but I did want to mention it was cool to see the Fox Sports Robot (who received a shiny new paint job for the event) throw down with the Terminator endoskeleton. Kudos for the marketing gimmick, Fox (especially if it was intended as a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of the robot’s unpopularity with many viewers).
You can watch the three clips at http://www.myspace.com/superbowlads under the “Fox/NFL Promos” section.
Transfer to new host complete
REMINDER
1.) Update your RSS and Atom feeds to http://www.poeghostal.com/feed and http://www.poeghostal.com/feed/atom respectively. If you’re using Google or Yahoo readers, you’ll have to delete the old PGPoA feeds and add the new ones.
2.) Make sure your bookmark is for http://www.poeghostal.com/
New images!
I’d just like to take a moment to recognize the fine new additions to the sidebar menu, Ray Fillet and Maxx Steele. These are of course the work of Red Kryptonite. Thanks RK!
Currently working on a pretty cool piece. I hope to get it up in the next day or two, if it comes together. No, this isn’t the oft-mentioned DCUC wave one review–though I may have to go ahead and post that without the cool bonus I’ve been hinting about.
Mock-ups of possible DCUC Batman redecos
Spent a little time with Photoshop today mocking up these potential redecos of the DCUC Batman figure. The third one would be a must-buy for me. (Though I’m sure it would be one of those cases where Mrs. Ghostal-to-Be would be completely perplexed as to why I needed yet another Batman.)
I think I did a decent job with my amateur Photoshop skills. The original photo is at the bottom for comparison.
Mattel update
Mattel’s “ToyGuru” has posted an update regarding the DCUC and JLU lines. Here are the passages I found interesting:
First off, there has been some concern about the variants for Wave 1. In our efforts to get WAVE 2 out as quickly as possible we had to break a few eggs. One of those wound up being the WAVE 1 variants.
Take note, those of you participating in my contest–they’re trying to get wave two out as soon as possible. So far, only one person has chosen a February date.
The first half of the WAVE 2 production will be Ronnie, the second half will be Jason. Superman Red/Blue will continue to ship 50/50 throughout the run, and the Aquaman variant will continue to be a chase figure.
WAVE 3 is not changing and will still contain chase versions of Sinestro in his corps uniform and Deathstroke revealed to be Slade Wilson. (about time we stick to our original plan!)
This seems to be pretty good news all around, though I do hope the chase figures aren’t too hard to find (particularly now that I’m starting to like the Sinestro variant).
On a related note, I want to point out this post by Jason “ToyOtter” Geyer. Here’s the key paragraph:
Talking to the fans doesn’t increase sales (the fan will buy the product regardless), and many times doesn’t even give accurate feedback because the fan’s passion skews the impression too far in one direction. Cost wise, the interaction and time spent is much more valuable by reaching out to those that aren’t already seeking the information. Which means ads & exclusives in Toyfare. And ads in comic books. And flyers in comic shops. And promotions in toy stores. But not interaction online. The execs probably get this, and is one reason this type of thing is frowned upon. And a huge reason the ToyGurus and Jesse Falcons of the world should be even more appreciated than they are.
This is obviously just a dose of good old-fashioned common sense, but it’s one most fan communities should probably take two of every morning. It’s important to keep the fans happy and build positive buzz, but pandering to fans quickly creates a sense of entitlement that will invariably backfire. More than once, I’ve seen a toy representative go from being a hero to the collector community for their communication to being loathed for this or that decision by the company. As Geyer writes, “feeding this hunger is a thankless job.”
That’s alotta toys.
Yo go re of OAFE has posted his entire toy expense report for 2007. The total, by my count, is around $4,880. It makes mine look laughable.
I didn’t keep track, but I’d estimate my own spending around $1,000.
Dark Knight photos leaked
Some good photos of the “Movie Masters” 6″ Dark Knight line (sculpted by the Four Horsemen) have leaked (intentionally or not?) to the Web. For now, I’m just going to link to another site that has them, until I’ve got confirmation from the Horsemen or Mattel that it’s okay to post them here.
Also, Entertainment Earth has a bunch of Dark Knight, including the Movie Master figures, up for preorder. There are some new photos, but I’m skeptical about how much information EE really has–for instance, the photo for the Movie Masters figures is the old prototype photo that came out last week, and the product description says “Each case includes 4 individually packaged Action Figures which may include: Batman, The Joker. (Subject to change.)” Hmmmm…
I do believe the May release date, though. That’s the usual release date for a July blockbuster toy line.