“The Hobbit” Toyline’s Non-Crappiness in Doubt

October 7, 2011 | Poe

 

(Note: Yes, I used the same pic as Topless Robot, and after he posted his article on it, but I swear I didn’t look at his article until after I’d chosen it.)

It seems that The Bridge Direct, Inc., best known for Zhu-Zhu Pets and the Justin Bieber doll, outbid everyone else for the toy license for The Hobbit (or no one else was interested…I find that hard to believe, though).

Does that mean collectors are doomed to subpar action figures? I’d say that’s more likely than not, yes. It’s rare for a company doing action figures for the first time to do them well right out of the gate. ToyBiz took nearly a decade to make truly amazing superhero figures. Then they used what they learned to create what was arguably their masterpiece, the Lord of the Rings toyline.

I understand Bridge Direct wants to expand into other demographics, but perhaps this was a bit too ambitious a license to go for?

Review > Leech (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

October 5, 2011 | Poe

The two boys stood knee-deep in the swamp, ignoring the thick mud that sucked at their legs. They were too amazed at what they were looking at.

Before them lay an enormous body. It was vaguely anthropoid in shape, but far larger than a man. Its features were rough and wrinkled, like those of an ape, and a stubby horn protruded above its brow. It was curled slightly on its side, its huge arms tucked beneath it. It was obviously very, very dead.

“Procrustus!” exclaimed one boy. “That’s a Shadow Beast, isn’t it?”

“Sure looks like it,” said the other. “But…what happened to it?”

One of the boys, gathering his courage, grabbed a stick and poked at the creature’s face. It didn’t move, but its face shifted slightly, revealing empty sockets where its eyes had been.

The boys shuddered in horror. “I wonder how it died,” said one.

The other boy frowned. “Look at its face. It’s all…shriveled up. Like an old plant…or…”

The boy never finished the thought, for at that moment, something grabbed both of them around the legs and yanked them beneath the murky water. A few bubbles, popping at the muddy surface seconds later, were the only sign they had ever been there.

As a kid, Leech was one of my favorite He-Man figures. Like King Hsss, Leech hung around my toy box for years after I’d given away most of my other Masters of the Universe toys. His appeal, I think, lay in the fact that he was a big green monster with sucker hands and a fun suction action feature. He also had a really unique sculpt, which was rare among He-Man figures and may have been part of the reason I didn’t mind using him with other toy lines.

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New Joker & Robin prototypes surface on eBay

September 27, 2011 | Poe

Some recent eBay auctions have revealed some details about Arkham City-related figures.

DC Direct has only announced Robin, Bruce Wayne and Harley Quinn for their Arkham City line, but this week eBay has a slew of so-called “zombie Jokers” from China. There are so many it seems unlikely they’re fakes or customs (though they could be discarded prototypes for a figure that won’t be produced).

As the trailers for the game have made clear, the Joker is in rough shape in Arkham City, suffering from some sort of ill after-effects from the Titan formula in Arkham Asylum. This vomit-inducing prototype captures that a little too well, frankly. Moreover, he’s obviously just the Arkham Asylum Joker with a new head.  I’d been intending to buy every Arkhamverse toy that’s made, but this one may test that…it will depend on his accessories, I suppose.

Next up is a prototype Robin from Mattel’s Arkham City line. Nothing new here, just a better look at the production figure.

 

MOTUC Batman Custom by MasterEnglish

September 26, 2011 | Poe

I just wanted to post a bigger pic of the MOTUC Batman custom I commissioned from MasterEnglish, which was revealed at PowerCon this weekend. I’ll do a more thorough write-up with more pics once it arrives.

It’s made from parts of Bow along with Keldor-style boots and Skeletor-style arms. The head, cape, and belt are from a DC Direct Dark Knight Returns Batman.

Comic book and toy artists unite to support Power-Con / ThunderCon and the CAAF

September 20, 2011 | Poe

I don’t usually post press releases, but this one’s for a good cause.

Comic book and toy artists unite to support Power-Con / ThunderCon and the CAAF

Power-Con / ThunderCon will be working with The Big Toy Auction to host an auction during the show’s after-hours fan and talent mixer on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Half of all proceeds will be donated to the Children Affected By AIDS Foundation.

The after-hours fan and talent mixer is open to the general public. Bids can be placed by registered in-house participants at the auction beginning at 10:00pm PST in the Woods Rooms at the Four Points by Sheraton LAX. There will be a number of floor-bidding-only items, so we invite everyone to come out for a night of fun!

If you can’t make it to the auction, you can still bid online for many of the items at:
http://www.TheBigToyAuction.com/Power.html

The online gallery will be continually updated with what is available for auction. Online bidders can register ahead of time at:
https://www.proxibid.com/asp/CreateBidder1.asp

Registration is free and any information required at sign-up is for verification purposes.

Contributing artists include Ed McGuinness, Tim Seeley, Tony Washington, Tone Rodriguez, Kevin Sharpe, and more! If you are an artist or know one that would like to contribute a piece to the auction, please e-mail info@thepower-con.com.

For more information on The Big Toy Auction, please visit http://www.thebigtoyauction.com/

For more information on the Children Affected By AIDS Foundation, please visit http://www.caaf.org/

Contact:

Christopher Noon, Auctioneer PA LIC #AU005664

TheBigToyAuction.com

Bethlehem, PA  18018

Phone: 610-997-0165

http://TheBigToyAuction.com

http://www.thepower-con.com

news@TheBigToyAuction.com

Guest Review > Captain Pike and Salt Vampire (Star Trek Cloth Retro, Diamond Select)

September 19, 2011 | Rustin Parr

“Retro Cloth Figures” have made a surprising come back in the last few years. I’m not sure if it’s because fans of them are now working at toy companies, they’re easier to produce with minimal tooling costs, or that there is a substantial market for them, but most lines can get a couple waves out before disappearing (which is better than a lot of Action Figure lines do these days). The fascination all began back in the sixties when toy manufacturer Mego introduced what was essentially Barbie for Boys – a generic body with cloth clothing and different heads. The twist was ample articulation and a wide berth of licenses, so basically this is what you collected before Star Wars came along and changed the toy industry. (more…)

Mattel Subscriptions Open Again (+ MOTUC Anniversary)

September 16, 2011 | Poe

Just a reminder, the MOTUC, MOTUC 30th Anniversary, DCUC and Voltron subscriptions are now open. Again. Except for the 30th Anniversary One. (Side note: Why no second shot at Ghostbusters? I was actually considering adding that one.)

FYI, subs ordered separately will ship separately in January, then ship together after that.

Bat-Week | Review > Bane (Arkham Asylum, DC Direct)

September 1, 2011 | Poe

Bat-foe Bane has had an interesting history. Though many fans forgot this for a long time, as he was originally conceived he was extremely intelligent–so intelligent, in fact, that not only did he identify Bruce Wayne as Batman simply by watching Bruce Wayne at a party, but he concocted an incredibly intricate plan to wear down Batman’s strength and will before infamously delivering the coup de grace of a broken back.

Bane was meant as a “dark mirror” to Doc Savage, the 1930s pulp hero whose only “superpower” was that he had been raised to become a paragon of human development–strong, athletic, brilliant, and wise, with an iron will. Bane likewise had an iron will, but his intelligence was deviant, his wisdom corrupted by a lifetime of pain, and his strength augmented by the steroid-like drug Venom, fed to him via tubes implanted in his head. (more…)