Odds ‘n Ends > Two-Year Anniversary Edition

December 1, 2009 | Poe

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  • Happy anniversary to me! Today marks the two-year anniversary of PGPoA, and I decided to splurge on some new graphics. Poester MechaShiva provided all the new artwork around the site. I decided it was time to update Poe’s outdated trenchcoat-and-glasses look to MechaShiva’s more exciting MOTUC-style Poe. At the same time, he also updated a lot of our existing artwork. And fear not, it was all done with Red Kryptonite’s blessing–her artwork is wonderful, but she’s a bit busy these days now that she’s going to be a published novelist. As always, a big thank-you to OB1 as well for implementing the new graphics.
  • I’m a bit surprised by the battle going on in the sidebar poll. New Adventures Skeletor? I thought BA Skeletor and IA He-Man would be way ahead of the others. Given NA’s lack of popularity, to those of you who voted for him I ask, what’s the appeal? Not judging, just wondering.
  • Can someone clarify for me what the “cool” Power Rangers that Bandai is doing are? Some sort of rare variants, I think? They’re supposed to be a sort of MMPR equivalent of Marvel Legends. What about those $16 “Super Legends” I see at TRU? Are those the same thing, or something else? Moreover, how many of you who visit my site are actually young enough to have been into MMPR?
  • I got all my Christmas figures out today. Most of them are from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but others include Ralphie from A Christmas Story, the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Santa Jack and some elves from NECA’s Nightmare Before Christmas, and the Snowman from McFarlane’s Twisted Xmas. Anyone else put out a Christmas figure display ever year? (Dwaltrip, I know you do.)

Odds ‘n Ends

November 4, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

  • I recently got a new job. It’s a step up in a lot of ways, but starting next week, I’m going to be a hell of a lot busier. That means there are going to be some changes at PGPoA. Mostly, it means there will be a lot less news, since I won’t have the ability to respond as quickly as I have been over the last few years. Unless something is newsworthy enough to deserve its own post, I will be posting most of the news I come across in my Twitter feed, so you might want to consider bookmarking it. I hope to balance the lack of news with more features such as reviews, interviews, Show & Tell (about which I’m hoping to have something to announce soon), vintage line retrospectives and so forth.
  • Fwoosh contributor Ibentmyman-thing (which is no doubt his pen name when he writes for the New York Times Book Review as well) has an editorial titled “The Appeal of Masters of the Universe.”
  • This is only tangentially toy-related, inasmuch as videogames are toys, but I recently completed Assassin’s Creed (which, for all its flaws, I did like a lot) and am hoping for good reviews for the sequel, due out this month. But what really impressed me was this live-action short film based on the new game, the first of three. It’s being made using the same green screen/CGI technique used for 300, and yet I already like this 14-minute film more (which is to say at all).
  • My review of the 6″ Ray Stantz will be up later this week, but in the meantime you can check out Michael Crawford’s review. Michael makes a great point in his review: Mattel should have put Peter Venkman much earlier in the line. Too many fans are holding off waiting for him. I think MC is right: if Mattel had released Peter first (or at least early on), they would have hooked more casual fans who might then decide to pick up the rest of the Ghostbusters. I think there will be fewer diehard fans who pick up the rest of the Ghostbusters while waiting for Peter.

Odds ‘n Ends

October 22, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

Ah, Odds ‘n Ends. Whenever I can’t think of a single interesting thing to write about, you’re there to fill the void with your inane babbling. (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > Armed and Fabulous

September 28, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

  • The Fwoosh has a first look at the DCUC Karu Sil/Romat Ru two-pack. That “dog” thing is awesome, and even better, it can serve double-duty as a bad guy for your Ghostbusters figures.
  • DST’s latest Q&A is up, this time focusing on Minimates. Our own Rustin Parr has a question in there, sacrificing his dignity to beg for a Minimate Delorean.
  • If you miss the toy review roundups I used to post here (via Fanmode), The Articulated One has picked up the slack over at Articulated Discussion. You can check out the latest roundup here. They’re pretty damned thorough.
  • Reading the first book of Glen Cook’s Black Company series right now. Has anyone else read these? Does anyone else actually read anything longer than a hundred and forty characters anymore?
  • Grades for the shows I watched last week: [How I Met Your Mother: B] [Big Bang Theory: B+] [NCIS: B+] [NCIS Los Angeles: B] [Warehouse 13: A-] [Psych: A] [Simpsons: B-] [Cleveland Show: C] [Family Guy: A-] (Haven’t watched Dollhouse yet)
  • Seriously, last night’s Family Guy was great. The Disney sequence was amazing (and no doubt incredibly expensive). The Stewie/Brian episodes are almost always gold.

Odds ‘n Ends

September 24, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

Not a whole lot of toy-related news out there, so it’s Odds ‘n Ends for y’all.

  • Anyone (besides Paul, obviously) pick up Halo: ODST? I’m burned out on first-person shooters so I don’t plan to, but feel free to discuss the game below. How does it compare to the other three? Rate them in order of best to worst, please, and why.
  • Don’t forget about the Make Your MasterPOEce contest. We have so few entries right now, you’ve got a decent chance of winning just by submitting!
  • In case you missed it, Entertainment Earth now has the Bioshock Big Daddy for preorder. It’s $20, which will probably translate to $25 or more at specialty shops.
  • I’ve been meaning to mention, if you ever want to submit news or ideas for post topics, feel free to email them to me at poe AT poeghostal.com.
  • I know some people aren’t feeling it, but I find myself rather excited by the prospect of getting Zodak. Maybe it’s just the idea of getting a non-vintage character, or maybe it’s that he has a more cosmic, sf-inspired style than we’ve seen so far.
  • Speaking of MOTUC, PixelDan has a good early video review of Teela. Observations: She’s tall. Looks great though, like all tall women (hi honey!).

Odds ‘n Ends

September 8, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

  • Apologies for being somewhat MIA over the last week or so…been busy. And by “busy,” I mean I bought Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and got sucked in. And Batman Arkham Asylum arrived today, so things might get worse before they get better. Just a heads-up.
  • Just a heads-up: the plugin I use for the “reply” function in the comments was updated. Now it should appear in the bottom-right corner only when you move your mouse over a comment. I can go back to the previous version if it bugs people, so let me know.
  • Fwoosh posted a two-part interview with Mattel’s Scott Neitlich, a.k.a “Toy Guru.” The interview was done back in July during SDCC, but there’s still some interesting stuff in there. For example, Mattel didn’t ask for the ring that came with Tri-Klops, the Horsemen just made it. Also, Walter Peck will have his own new suit, not the Movie Masters one.  Part 1, Part 2
  • Rambo vs. genetically-engineered werewolves? Yes please. (Via Topless Robot)
  • I know I haven’t posted the information for the He-Ro contest yet–I’m just waiting for confirmation on something. Once I have that, it’ll go right up.
  • I just wanted to mention how pleased and grateful I am to have Paul, formerly of Toy Bender, posting here. Be sure to visit his other blog, The Robot’s Pajamas.

Odds ‘n Ends

August 31, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

Having some trouble getting my ducks in a row this morning, so let’s start with an Odds ‘n Ends.

  • As the entire world knows by now, Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment. Will Disney interfere with its everyday operations or will they leave well enough alone, as they’ve done with Pixar? Time will tell.
  • Personally, though, I think it’s obvious this merger is happening solely so Jesse Falcon can revive Legendary Comic Book Heroes and produce a Rocketeer figure. It’s so obvious.
  • I saw at TRU they’ve released 12″ versions of those crappy Pro-Bots figures. No accounting for taste, I guess.
  • Speaking of TRU, I actually came across a Deadshot and a Guardian at one over the weekend, believe it or not. Deadshot was the only figure I wanted from DCUC9 (review forthcoming). Suffice to say I was surprised and pleased to actually find a new DCUC figure in Massachusetts a mere month after they first showed up.
  • Question of the day: Which MOTU variants–from the original series, New Adventures or 2002–would you actually like to see in MOTUC? Aside from anything that’s already been announced, like BA He-Man and Skeletor. And don’t say Smash Blade He-Man–it’s not funny.

Odds ‘n Ends for 8/11/09

August 11, 2009 | Poe

Odds N Ends

  • As you can see, I’ve brought back the original Odds ‘N Ends picture. The newer version just never grew on me. Further bulletins as events warrant.
  • I noticed in the poll that a good number of people have listed “Other” for toy message boards they visit regularly. Just curious, what are they? What did I miss, or what am I missing?
  • In case you missed it, Mattel’s going to have flight stands for DCUC in early 2010. The post would seem to indicate they’ll work for MOTUC too.
  • As you may have heard, the Walmart DCUC 5-pack is popping up here and there. It retails for about $55, and in case you didn’t know, you can get the de-mulleted Superman and black-and-gray Batman separately.
  • Received my He-Ro. Review forthcoming. In case you’re wondering, I got a green gem, not that it mattered much to me. Although I didn’t really want red.
  • I beat Ghostbusters: The Video Game last night. It’s a great game, with what’s easily the funniest dialogue I’ve ever heard in a video game (slight spoiler: there’s a scene where the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is climbing a building to get at them, and Peter looks over the edge and says, “I’m impressed with his agility, considering his complete lack of bones.” Murray nails the line and I had to pause the game until I stopped laughing). I initially beat it on the easy difficulty, and now that I’m on normal, I see why one reviewer referred to it as a “medic simulator.” The other ‘Busters go down every few seconds in the middle of a tough battle. Still, it’s a blast, and if anyone wants to try some multiplayer ‘busting let me know.
  • I can’t keep up with all the conventions. Seems like SDCC just ended and yet WizardWorld Chicago is already over, and now Joecon starts Thursday. Anyone going? I imagine this will be a pretty momentous one.
  • Is anyone else watching Warehouse 13? Have I asked this before? Well anyway, Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I have added that and Eureka to our viewing pleasure. We have a lot of catching up to do on the latter, however. Anyway, regarding Warehouse 13, I like the new cast member they added, the computer chick–though is it me, or is that show becoming more about Saul Rubinek than the Scully/Mulder surrogates? Am I talking to myself here?

Odds ‘n’ Ends > Pre-SDCC Edition

July 22, 2009 | Poe

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  • The Fwoosh has a first look review of Egon. The glasses don’t look as bad as they did in the packaging shots. Looks like he is indeed in the same scale as Movie Masters, so you can have Egon duke it out with the Joker. I will say that while the new Slimer is nice, I’m glad I have the NECA one.
  • Early images of the Hasbro SDCC booth, including some Marvel Universe figures. (Apparently you have to register to see the bigger pics.)
  • Too soon? But I kid the toy industry. Frankly, it’s MJ’s own fault for making such a famous zombie video. And I think he’d be amused by the whole thing, honestly.
  • Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I watched the pilot and first two eps of Warehouse 13 last night. It’s not as quirky as Eureka and the two main characters aren’t (yet) as appealing as Scully and Mulder, but I like Saul Rubinek’s nutty professor, and the “haunted objects” are an interesting hook–sort of like a reverse Reaper. They need to drop the whole Secret Service angle, though–it’s just too hard to explain what the hell they’re doing at crime scenes. In any event, I’m willing to give it a try–so many of my favorite shows (like X-Files and Star Trek: The Next Generation) started with fairly weak first seasons, particularly when viewed in retrospect.

Odds ‘n Ends

July 14, 2009 | Poe

odds_n_ends_09

  • Man, it is dead, toy news-wise, ahead of SDCC. Speaking of which, here’s an exclusives checklist courtesy of TNI, if you’re curious what you’ll be missing out on.
  • Particularly due to the paucity of news, I could use more Show and Tells. Email me if you think you’ve got a good one. All I need is a brief (or long) write-up and a few photos.
  • I’ve been kicking myself lately for missing out on the Jason Voorhees figures from waves 1 and 2 of Mezco’s 7″ Cinema of Fear. They appear to be damned hard to find, even on eBay. But I’m not sure I ever even saw them in stores. Anyone seen them around? I suppose I could just get the Jason from the remake…he’s everywhere.
  • Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and I own two guinea pigs, and I have to admit we’re kind of looking forward to G-Force. It looks like it might be good–kind of like Small Soldiers. Speaking of which, whatever happened to you, Joe Dante? We miss you.
  • Don’t forget, tomorrow is Man-At-Arms Day. Once again I have to order multiples for friends, because no one else apparently has the patience for sitting in front of the refreshing screen. I should really start charging them for “handling.”
  • DMG and I started playing the first episode of Tales from Monkey Island, after some significant problems getting the damned thing to work. While I admit I didn’t make a good video card a priority for my PC, I’m kind of shocked by how hard it had to work to get the game to run. We solved the problem by switching to my wife’s laptop, believe it or not. Anyone else playing TOMI?