Odds ‘n Ends > October 27, 2010

October 27, 2010 | Poe

  • Spy Monkey Creations has the following status update on their Facebook page: “Brian-Man has finished the sculpt of our next offering. It is truly of titanic proportions. (wink, nudge) Come see it in person at the Long Beach Comic Con this coming weekend. Fri. Oct. 29-Sun. Oct. 31. Details on the sale date coming soon.” I think there are going to be some happy fans out there.
  • Speaking of SMC, work is still progressing on the new PGPoA-exclusive item. We’re just hammering out the last few details regarding colors and plastic.
  • Mattel’s replica Ghostbusters PKE Meter will go on sale December 1, at a price of $60. The Diamond Select Star Trek Communicator was about $30; the Tricorder ran about $45. As usual, I think the Mattycollector item is just this side of overpriced. It depends on the quality, though.
  • Yet again, I’m considering branching out a bit on the blog with some non-toy stuff. I’ve posted a poll about it to the left, but already it seems you prefer to keep the focus on toys. And I understand that.
  • Check out Mezco’s upcoming 6″ comic-based Scott Pilgrim figures. Will this finally break the Mezco curse of their last half-dozen or so licenses? Anyone remember Tikimon? I actually liked those.
  • The Four Horsemen donated this DCUC Green Lantern 2-up for a charity auction. The proceeds go to the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, and the Horsemen’s reign of awesomeness continues.

Odds ‘n Ends > October 21, 2010

October 21, 2010 | Poe

B.P.R.D.

  • 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.

Odds ‘n Ends > Post-SDCC Ennui Edition

August 4, 2010 | Poe

  • Apologies for the lack of updates the last couple of days, but in the wake of SDCC there’s really just not much news going on. Feel free to pass along something…maybe a Toy Aisle Trolls? Anyone…?
  • I saw the NECA Predators at TRU last night. They looked great, but there was no classic Predator, which is the  one I really want. Have they officially announced when we’ll see a masked one?
  • On a related note, NECA’s kicking ass with their Bioshock stuff. I haven’t even played BioShock 2 yet and I want some of those toys.
  • Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I saw Inception over the weekend. I loved it. I don’t think it’s a whole lot more than an incredibly creative heist movie–to paraphrase Treebeard, Christopher Nolan has a “mind of  metal and wheels,” but I find his movies lack emotion–yes, even Inception with all its characters’ angst about the nature of reality. (I do think The Dark Knight managed to get at some disturbing emotions, primarily due to Ledger’s performance.) But I digress–I really enjoyed Inception.
  • I love this fake Oregon Trail movie trailer–“Here Lies Poopface” had me laughing for ten minutes straight. It’s really only funny if you played the game as a kid, though. I agree with DMG that it’s probably only funny as a trailer. Hollywood, listen to me: do not make this movie.
  • Oh, some MOTUC notes, in case you haven’t been checking out the Poester Gallery (and if not, shame on you): The Heroic Guards 2-Pack has been delayed to December so that they can give the guards Keldor boots, rather than He-Man boots. The guards will still come with shin-guards. Also, they’re hoping to give Battle Armor Skeletor purple feet, like the vintage figure, and King Hiss’s big snake head will have an articulated jaw.

SDCC 2010 Odds ‘n Ends

July 23, 2010 | Poe

This was definitely the year for me to go to SDCC. Shoulda tried harder.I’m terribly jealous of everyone’s who’s there. Crowds, stink and all.

Anyway, the big Mattel fan panel, which will reveal all the new MOTU & Ghostbusters figures, will be at 4pm ET. I’ll have my thoughts up, hopefully w/ pics, soon after.

In the meantime, here’s a list of the things I’ve found interesting that has come out of SDCC so far:

  • Guillermo Del Toro’s first post-Hobbit project is…a Haunted Mansion reboot? Rustin Parr: “Why can’t this man stay away from everything I love?” (Rustin is one of the few people I know who dislikes everything GDT’s done, including Pan’s Labyrinth). Personally I like GDT’s work and am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Mignola will do some design work for it (frankly that’s almost a certainty, if he has the time.) Still, though, has there ever been a reboot of a movie franchise this soon after the previous movie?
  • The Tron Legacy trailer is awesome. I wasn’t quite as amorously invested in it as Rob at TR, but it looks great. I’m starting to think this could be something of a Wizard of Oz for the 3D revival. Anyone not rooting for this movie to be good is a registered Commienazi.
  • Though I haven’t played the game in six months, I can’t wait for NECA’s Claptrap from Borderlands.
  • OK, Mattel…I’ve been iffy on your Ghostbusters stuff lately, but I may have to get that PKE Meter. Then I’m going to walk through the streets of Boston with it prominently held out before me, occasionally stopping near high-traffic public buildings, waving it around, and then rushing off with a worried expression.
  • Lots of Magma Corps on display at the Four Horsemen’s booth, along with the expected Symbiotech and OSM. Scarabus is still looking great…hope we get to own that guy soon.
  • It’s cool that The Walking Dead is getting a TV series, but holy crap, if it’s at all true to the book, that show is going to give Battlestar Galactica a run for its money for Most Depressing Show Depicting Humanity At Its Nadir Lifetime Achievement Award.

Odds ‘n Ends > Manwich Edition

July 14, 2010 | Poe

  • The Dread Axes are almost gone (as in, there’s currently 1 left!), and we will be doing a second run. Thanks to all who helped make this exclusive a success! Sadly, Faker remains unpurchased.
  • In even better news, Spy Monkey and I are now discussing the possibility of a new item as the next exclusive. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but it’s an item I’ve wanted for a while now, and I think a lot of fans will like it too.
  • I’m impressed to see Mer-Man has, as of right now, overtaken Hordak in the “Least Popular Real Name” contest. I guess that’s what comes of having your name refer to a completely different-looking species–like if my real name were “Fox King.” Wait–that’d be awesome. Never mind.
  • Entertainment Earth has teamed up with Toys R’ Us’s website to create a “Collector Store,” and they’ll even be offering their SDCC exclusives (starting July 21). I’m not sure how this partnership came about, but clearly the fans win.
  • On a related note, Jazwares is offering their first Robot Chicken figure as an SDCC exclusive: the Convention Nerd. I decided I need to have him to hang out with Mo-Larr. He’ll also be available on Toys R’ Us.com on 7/21.
  • Does anyone else find it vaguely surreal we’re getting new Futurama episodes every week?

Odds ‘n Ends > Moon Beast Edition

July 8, 2010 | Poe

  • Congratulations to the winner of the “Win a Keldor – Part II” contest–Mountain-man!
  • There’s a new poll to the left, asking which of the MOTUC “real names” is your, well, least favorite.
  • Someone asked about the “super-limited” part of the initial Dread Axe run–that’s solely because I wasn’t sure, and am still not sure, how well they’ll sell. But SMC and I will continue to produce axes so long as there’s demand.
  • On a non-toy-related note, some folks are playing through all the Zelda games for charity. Check it out–and make a donation–at Zeldathon.com
  • On another non-toy-related note, my good friend Kate Racculia‘s first novel, This Must Be the Place, is out now! Buy it on Amazon.
  • Poest Office: Earl Luckes sent in pics of his homemade Skeletor costume. He’s looking for comments and suggestions, so check out these pics: pic 1 pic 2 pic 3

Odds ‘n Ends > Spyeye Edition

May 26, 2010 | Poe

  • Apologies for the lack of a real update today–I’ve got two or three major updates in the queue, but finding the time to get them done is proving difficult. It does not, however, have anything to do with my increasingly unhealthy addiction to Dragon Age.
  • In case you missed his column this weekend, check out the newest contributor, the enigmatic Doc Thomas. In his first column, the good doctor examines action figure scale so deeply you’ll need to drink some MiraLax first.
  • Optikk review is coming, but the short version is, he’s pretty cool. What I really like about him, though, is the way Mattel and the Horsemen incorporated the New Adventures design into the MOTUC style.
  • I’m working on my review, but Spy Monkey Creations’ new shields are now available.
  • For the record, I was apparently wrong about the relative scarcity of the 3¾” Twitch, since no less than four people found him within two days of writing that post. I haven’t seen him myself, though.
  • One thing I’ve been remiss in reporting on are the two new Transformers/G.I. Joe cartoons that are being developed. Do people care about those? Do you want coverage? Speaking of, would people like me to get in on the various Hasbro Q&As? I’ve been skipping them solely because they lie outside my own interests, but if people want to submit questions for me to in turn submit, I’d be fine with that.

Odds ‘n Ends > News Roundup

May 5, 2010 | Poe

  • So as everyone probably knows by now, the Four Horsemen have teamed up with toy legend Mel Birnkrant and Matt Doughty of Onell Design (makers of the Glyos figures) to bring back the 1960s sci-fi toy line The Outer Space Men. I was going to do a write-up about it, but NoisyDvL5 already wrote the definitive post about the whole thing. Damn whippersnappers totally stealing my thunder and taking advantage of my laziness. Anyway: my opinion. Like many, I have no nostalgic attachment to the property, but retro-looking 1960s aliens are something most self-respecting geeks should appreciate. 3 3/4″ isn’t my favorite scale but was probably inevitable given current production costs. The decision to work with Onell Design was a savvy move on everyone’s part. So will I be buying these? Definitely–they look great and represent a great step for everyone involved. Also, if it’s successful, perhaps the Four Horsemen will be able to license Power Lords from Revell…
  • Speaking of the Outer Space Men, look for some cool features about it here on the site soon.
  • He-Man.org has a revealing interview with Mattel brand manager (and recent new dad) Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. Toyguru. I didn’t realize Adora’s laser pistol was based on Teela’s gun from the 1987 movie.
  • Super He-Fan James Eatock, a.k.a. Busta Toons, is publishing an unofficial guide to the Filmation He-Man cartoon. Eatock’s blog is necessary reading for any He-Fan, and the book will no doubt be great, too.
  • I added a new plugin called WPTouch that optimizes PGPoA for Iphones/Ipod Touches. I think it’s pretty cool, but it does prevent you from seeing the site as it looks on the Web. Has anyone else tried it out yet? Thoughts?
  • Pre-review roundup: Fwoosh has Optikk, Walter Peck and Tytus; AFI has Tytus; CoolToyReview has Optikk; Pixel Dan has Optikk and Tytus. Disappointing discovery: Tytus has swivels at the shoulders and neck, not ball joints.

Odds ‘n Ends > Surf Party USA

April 23, 2010 | Poe

  • You may have noticed PGPoA seems a bit…wider. That’s right, we’ve increased our girth, and completely without the aid of that terrifying Enzyte mascot with the rictus grin of a ten-month-old corpse. It was mostly done because I was finding it difficult to post certain videos, since the smallest embed options were larger than the 500px width I was using. The new width may screw up some of the older reviews, so let me know if you notice any, and bear with me as I fix them. Thanks as always to OB1 for the fix.
  • As I mentioned previously, PGPoA has brand-new forums in the hip phpbb style all the kids are talking about.
  • Evil-lyn and Wun-Dar arrived at Chez Ghostal this morning, though I won’t see them until I get home from work. Expect reviews next week–remember reviews?
  • The weapons pack is due to arrive Monday. In the meantime, check out this creative use of the brown Beast Man armor from the weapons pack. It makes Wun-Dar about 10x more awesome.
  • A few weeks ago, Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I saw How to Train Your Dragon. It was the first time I’ve seen a Dreamworks movie approach a Pixar level of quality. Other movies I’m psyched for this summer, for good or ill: The Losers, Iron Man 2, The A-Team, and The Expendables. Damn, the Expendables had better be good, because I want to love that movie so bad. (Before you ask, no, I haven’t seen Kick-Ass and have no interest in doing so, though I have no big qualms with it and wish it well.)
  • DC Unlimited’s God of War figures–because aren’t you tired of having to bend your well-articulated NECA Kratos into a squatting position and then leaving him that way forever?

Odds ‘n Ends > Super G Edition

February 22, 2010 | Poe

  • It shows how out of touch I am with the DCUC scene that I completely missed the fact that the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle on display at Toy Fair had double-jointed elbows and knees. A very interesting development–has Mattel said whether this signals a new direction for the line, or if this is just something they’ll do occasionally for some figures? (I’d guess the latter, knowing Mattel.) More importantly, what do you think of it? I always thought the double-jointed elbows and knees tended to make many Marvel Legends figures seem a bit too gangling (unless they were supposed to be like that, i.e. Spider-man). Shocking from a pro-articulation guy like myself, I know.
  • My Trap Jaw should arrive today, perhaps by the time I finish typing this post. Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I will also find out just how much of our tax refund is going to repairing the car this afternoon as well. It amazes me how often tax refunds and emergency expenses coincide. It’s like your car, house, kids etc. just know you’re going to have windfall. I assume the same goes for bonuses, though I’ve never worked at a job that awards them. Anyway, long story short, I’ll get the Trap Jaw review up this week. Probably.
  • If anyone can identify the gun in the chair in the new Odds ‘n Ends pic, I’d really appreciate it. If it helps, it attaches into this weird silver backpack-thing via some cords.
  • Over at Infinite Hollywood, Newton Gimmick has been doing retro reviews of Mezco’s Popeye figures. I own the first wave’s Popeye and Bluto, and they’re great figures.
  • Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I saw Avatar finally (in 3D at an Imax theater). I was underwhelmed, and DMG was very much not a fan. I liked the overall message of the film, though. But frankly I’m glad I didn’t love it, because I didn’t want to have to buy the toys.
  • As I surmised, it looks like DC Unlimited is making God of War III figures, and as I suspected might happen, they’re going to have extremely limited articulation, a la DC’s World of Warcraft figures. And of course, as with DCD’s Mass Effect 2 figures, they’ll be striking when the iron has been doused with liquid nitrogen and shattered with a soggy breadstick. (On a side note, I no longer care about God of War III or whether it gets figures, because by the end of the second game I’d realized it was just not my cup of tea.)
  • On the other hand, I would happily buy a figure of Nathan Drake from Uncharted if it was as articulated as, say, Nathan “Rad” Spencer. Which it wouldn’t be, since DC Unlimited would be the manufacturer.
  • You probably all saw this, but Mattel issued a pretty extensive semi-mea-culpa on their Facebook page. If you’re interested, you can read the entire note as well as my response on the PGPoA forums.