Odds ‘n Ends – Page 6 – Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation

Odds ‘n Ends > Lego News, Po-rtal-tato, JLU

December 16, 2011 | Poe

There’s been a lot of Lego news this week. First off is Lego’s new girl-oriented brand. I’ve seen some knee-jerk reactions from geeks that the sets are too girly and that it’s wrong to characterize Star Wars/Indiana Jones sets as solely boy-oriented. I agree with the latter statement, but after reading the article, I don’t think that’s what Lego is saying at all. Lego seems to have done their research on this. Girls and boys don’t play the same exact way all the time, and I’m interested to see whether Lego has indeed found a way to appeal to girls more.
There are also going to be Lord of the Rings Legos. My initial response was, “Did they make those years ago?” But apparently not. As much as I love the movies, frankly I’d be more excited if these were based on the books instead–I’d love a Tom Bombadil playset. But I suppose the movies are more marketable. And maybe we’ll get a videogame.
Dr. Mrs. Ghostal thinks this Portal 2 PotatOS Science Kit is the coolest thing she’s ever seen.
PGPoA contributor Monte has a post up at PGPoA Power Pal Generals Joes about the most overrated and underrated modern G.I. Joe figures. For the most part I have no idea who any of these characters are.
Check out the latest teaser from Spy Monkey Creations. Here’s a hint: Hammer of Chalybeous w/ Glyos fit/form function. Sweet.
Mattel is considering producing the last six tooled JLU three-packs for diehard collectors. The catch is that, due to the low production numbers, they would cost $50 apiece. Not being a diehard JLU collector, I can’t imagine paying that much for those figures, but I’m the guy (reluctantly) paying $60 for the Star Sisters, so who am I to judge?

Odds ‘n Ends > Thoughts on G.I. Joe Retaliation; Demo-Man Delayed

December 13, 2011 | Poe

A few of you have asked me what I think of the trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Let me begin with my usual caveat that I am not nor never was a Joe fan; that said, I think this movie looks a lot more like a G.I. Joe movie than Rise of Cobra did. It’s not unheard of for the first movie of a franchise to be a mess, and the second one to work–Retaliation could be The Wrath of Khan to Rise of Cobra‘s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Lots of good things in there–the real Cobra Commander, the (apparent) death of the terrible characters (and actors) from the first film, the Rock being awesome as usual, and Bruce Willis (who looks like he’s phoning it in, but whatever, I’ll take a half-assed Bruce Willis over a whole-assed Channing Tatum any day).
In Mattel news, Demo-Man has been delayed–apparently for a whole month. That also means you’ll have to wait for Battleground Evil-Lyn if you’re a subscriber. There is some good news, though: “We just got in early samples of Sorceress. Her wings are AHM-Azing. Terry reengineered and improved on the concept (as shown at Power Con) and as you lift her arms, the wings really “magically” open. They are still fully articulated and you can repose as you wish. But they way the unfold as her arm is lifted is very cool. Plus he removed the need to connect at the upper arm (only the shoulder) which greatly improves the articulation.”

Odds ‘n Ends > OMFG!, Mattycollector Black Friday sale, NECA news

November 23, 2011 | Poe

I donated to October Toys’ OMFG! (Outland Mini Figure Guys) Kickstarter project, and these little guys–inspired by vintage lines such as M.U.S.C.L.E. and Monster in My Pocket–will soon be here. In addition to the pink sets that contributors to the original project get, OT is offering a number of exclusive colorways via other retailers. LittleRubberGuys.com has a pre-order for the above green set ($21 incl. shipping), while Rotofugi.com has a blue set that will be available in person at their Chicago store. UofMuscle.com will have an exclusive bright yellow set (not sure why they’re showing the standard pink set right now), and finally, the good folks at Onell Design will have a “Pheyden Blue” version available at their store this Friday, November 25 at 9pm ET.
Getting closer to the second blog I’ve long been discussing. There’s a very outside chance it may be ready for PGPoA’s four-year anniversary on December 1.
Mattel is evidently planning a huge Black Friday sale, set to start at 12am PT on Friday. Everything will be 10% off, which is cool, but not as cool as those $8 Ghostbusters they had a few weeks back.
NECA posted some pics of their upcoming Rocky figures and wow, are these articulated (for NECA, anyway). Why can’t we get this type of articulation on the Terminator figures?
Speaking of NECA, they also have a cool TRU 2-pack of the Predator 2 Pred and some Berserker Predator variant I don’t care about. I’ll be getting it for the masked Predator. It still kills me we haven’t gotten a NECA Dutch.

Quickie Odds ‘n Ends > 6″ Thundercats, Master Chief deal

November 15, 2011 | Poe

PGPoA Power Pal Lemonjuice McGee has the scoop on the new 2012 6″ ThunderCats figures, including the classic Mumm-Ra and Lion-O. There are pics and an interview with Bandai’s Brehan Maul. While I like the 8″ figures, it’s cool to think I’ll be able to put Lion-O alongside Batman and Wolverine. It sounds like we might get an 8″ Cheetara, however, perhaps as an exclusive.
In one of the best Thwipster toy deals I’ve seen yet, they’ve got the Play Arts Kai Master Chief from the original Halo for 45% off. This is one deal I’m taking advantage of (sort of–I asked Dr. Mrs. Ghostal to get it for me for Xmas).

Odds ‘n Ends > Bubbles, Vegas, a Lego movie

November 14, 2011 | Poe

Tomorrow is the first time I’ll have to visit Mattycollector for a sale in quite some time. Will Bubble Power She-Ra bring about the Return of the White Screen of Death? I’m going to say…yes, probably, though casual collector enthusiasm for MOTUC has definitely waned over the last year or so.
While I was in Vegas last week, I visited the Las Vegas Toy Shack, a store in downtown Vegas whose major claim to fame is that they’re the people Pawn Stars consults when they need to know how much a toy collection is worth. The store itself, though, is a bit disappointing. There is a U.S.S. Flagg on display (I don’t think I’d ever seen one in person before…it’s so HUGE) and some nice art and vintage toys in cases, but the actual toy selection of items for sale is weak. Maybe they were in the midst of some sort of re-org, I don’t know (but it can’t compare to Comicazi in Somerville, MA). Anyway, I took some pics, which you can check out here. There’s also a pic of an awesome Ghostbusters slot machine I saw at a casino.
Good news: There’s going to be a Lego movie. Bad news: it’s going to be an animated/live action hybrid, which means at best Small Soldiers, and at worst The Smurfs. I’m going to go on the record and say that with a few exceptions (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), animated/live-action mixes don’t work. They look weird and feel cheap somehow. On the other hand, Lego is a concept that might work in live action, particularly if they don’t use any little talking guys and focus on the building aspect. I still think a fully-animated Lego movie would be a better direction, though.
On a semi-related note, have you heard about Wreck-It Ralph? I think this may be the videogame movie I’ve been waiting for. I do wish it was produced by Pixar, and the cast doesn’t inspire me with a lot of confidence, but I think the concept is great.
Utterly Shameless Sponsor-Requested Plug (feel free to ignore): Thwipster has a nice deal going on this week–the 6″ replica of the Normandy SR-2, the ship from Mass Effect 2 (possibly my favorite game of 2010). It’s more than half off the MSRP, which means it’s hardly overpriced at all. And it’s made by Dark Horse, so your money may go toward the development of Hellboy III: More Like Hellgeezer, Am I Right?

Odds ‘n Ends > Poe’s Neglect, Selling Out, Battle Babies, Skyrim

November 10, 2011 | Poe

I swear this paucity of updates is not going to go on forever, or even my choice. Bachelor parties to Vegas, new pets, sick pets, and other non-toy-related responsibilities have been cropping up consistently, but I think things will be able to settle down now. I’ve got lots of ideas for posts, I just need to find the time and energy to get them written down.
Mattel unveiled the first four figures in their new DC Universe All-Stars line, the retail replacement for DC Universe Classics. The figures are the previously-revealed Larfleeze, Superboy Prime, Flashpoint Plastic Man, and a reissue of Batman Beyond. I think I can safely join most fans in a collective “…huh.” My understanding was the new direction of the line was to be synergistic with the current depiction of the DCU and would feature the better-known characters. Flashpoint Plastic Man is a relatively minor character from a very brief storyline wearing an outfit he’ll never wear again. Larfleeze is fine, if not exactly better-known, but Superboy Prime seems a both obscure and dated…does he even exist in the Brand New DC? Doesn’t he represent everything they’re trying to get away from? Still, at least he’s a new sculpt. As for Batman Beyond…it’s nice they’re reissuing him for those who missed him, but couldn’t we get some wings this time? Or at least a properly-colored batarang? To be honest, this is probably a better line-up than anyone was expecting for the new line, which makes me wonder if these particular figures had been slated for DCUC, not DCAS–much as the all-unique Demon and Penguin from wave one of DCUC seemed better suited to DC Super Heroes than the reuse-heavy DCUC.
New toys I’ve picked up recently: the Arkham City Robin/Joker 2-pack, the 6″ Walmart Captain America (movie version). Reviews forthcoming.
Check out this awesome guide to creating custom action figure backgrounds and dioramas by Matthew K at the Fwoosh. I tried to get Matt to write this up for PGPoA, actually, but the Fwoosh one was already in progress. Thanks to Battlegrip for the tip.
You may have noticed some new ads on the sidebar…or maybe you didn’t, if you use Adblock. Anyway, after several years of running this site entirely at my own expense (aside from some associate accounts and Google Ads, neither of which are particularly lucrative), I’ve decided that if I want to be able to support my hobby and keep up this blog, I’m going to need some sponsors. The one thing I can promise you is that I’ll only have advertisers whom I use myself and support. So please welcome BigBadToyStore and Thwipster, and welcome back EnchantedToyChest (who have a great-looking new site). If you would be kind enough to turn off Adblock on PGPoA I’d really appreciate it (I do that for the sites I visit regularly, believe it or not), but I’ll totally understand if you don’t want to.
Weirdo Toys has a great article on Brad Rader’s Battle Babies. Battle Babies are a line of custom toys featuring babies writing cyborg animals, Dino Riders-style. You can see more at Brad’s Flickr account, and even buy them at his Etsy page. Incidentally, Brad’s wife, the Geeky Vixen, is the editor-in-chief of Pendragon’s Post.
You may recall my cousin Ed and his reviews of Bif Bang Pow!’s Lost figures. What you may not know is he’s also a videogame reviewer for the Adrenaline Vault. He’s got a new review of Elder Scrolls: Skyrim out today–check it out! I’ll be getting my copy tomorrow. I hated Morrowind, but I got really into Oblivion, and it sounds like Skyrim only gets better.

Odds ‘n Ends > November 2, 2011

November 2, 2011 | Poe

Yesterday Warner Bros announced they had extended their master toy license deal with Mattel. Hardly a surprise with Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel on the way, but good news for those of us who love Four Horsemen sculpting on DC toys. Speaking of, I sincerely hope the Horsemen will be working on the DKRises Movie Masters toys. Not sure if that’s been confirmed yet.
BigBadToyStore has the next (and final?) wave of Batman Legacy figures up for preorder. Enchanted Toy Chest should have them soon as well.
Pics of the upcoming G.I. Joe Zombie-Viper surfaced yesterday. (And some guy named Edwin “Lifeline” Steen.) The zombie looks incredibly awesome. This is how it’s done, Todd.
I hadn’t even heard about this until yesterday, but NECA is offering an incredible in-scale Da Vinci Flying Machine from Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. It doesn’t come with an Ezio figure, but if you have one it will fit in the machine. It’s only available via preorder from Gamestop.
Due to NYCC, I forgot to submit a Q&A to Mattel for November 1, but you can see a roundup of the rest of them here. I didn’t find any answers particularly earth-shattering, but it’s interesting to see they’re committed to continuing Ghostbusters past 2012. The prop replicas are selling out and are apparently pretty cool, but the figures seem to be tanking.
The fully-painted “Infinity Edition” of Outer Space Men phases three and four will go up for preorder on 11/11.

Odds ‘n Ends > October 19, 2011

October 19, 2011 | Poe

The Spawn Message Board was taken down last Friday. Rustin Parr of OAFE has written an excellent obituary here. His comment that the Spawn Board was the birthplace of the online toy collecting community is only mildly hyperbolic–I certainly got my start there, and many other well-known online toy personalities, such as Michael Crawford, congregated there in the late ’90s. I invented the pseudonym “Poe Ghostal” for that board, way back in 1999. Of course, I hadn’t visited the board in years–ever since McFarlane Toys began its long slide into sports and statuism after the Spawn lines of the early 2000s (with the one positive blip being Halo)–but the board’s demise is still worth some brief reflection.
Diamond Select has created a rather awesome “Mini-Mation” video starring their pirate-themed “Calico Jack” Minimates.
ItsAllTrue.net has a great review of the TRU-exclusive 1970s-style Arkham City Batman (it comes free with a purchase of the game at TRU, or, like me, you can buy it separately for $14.99). Of course, the actual 1970s game skin is a completely unique model, not just some new graphics over the regular suit…
BigBadToyStore has two major new exclusive G.I. Joe 7-Packs: Slaughter’s Marauders and the Dreadnoks. You can save $10 if you buy both sets together. The sets include a mix of new figures and repaints.
Bandai let me know they’re having a Ben 10 Sweepstakes. Kids can enter the contest by submitting codes from Ben 10 toys to helpben10.com. The winner gets an all-expenses paid trip for three to London to ride the Ben 10: Ultimate Mission roller coaster at the Drayton Manor Theme Park in Tamworth, Staffordshire — plus the winner will have a bonus chance to win $10,000 on top of the grand prize. So if you’ve got a child, grandchild, or nephew or niece who’s really into Ben 10, be sure to mention it to ’em.

Odds ‘n Ends > October 13, 2011

October 13, 2011 | Poe

Holy crap, is it nearly mid-October already? You’re probably wondering where all the posts and reviews are. Well, here’s my answer. That’s Alfie, the newest addition to our family. He’s a chihuahua/terrier mix and yes, he’s named after Mr. Pennyworth. He’s proving to be a bit of a handful, but I’m hoping things will settle down a bit soon so I can update the site a bit more.
You may have missed the fact that a list I wrote was published at Topless Robot yesterday, but that’s okay, you can read it now: The 10 Most Interesting Non-Monster Characters in Godzilla the Movies
Toynewsi has posted a number of new pics of the upcoming Play Arts Kai Arkham Asylum Batman and Joker to salivate over. I’ll just come out and say it: these are currently my most-anticipated action figures of the foreseeable future. You can preorder them at BBTS here. I already did.
On a related note, I’m psyched we’re getting a 6″ Batman in the Young Justice line. That said, I can understand if some fans are miffed they’re getting a Batman before a main character first, like Superboy or Miss Martian or heck, even Red Tornado. I’m sure it’s because Mattel can just re-use one of the DCUC bodies easily. And because Batman is really popular.
It looks like NECA has solved its factory issues and will finally be shipping their first wave of Gears of War 3 figures in the next few weeks. But where’s the Claptrap?
Finally, I’ll be at NYCC this weekend. I will be attending the various toy-related events and will be sure to post news and updates both here and on my Twitter account. Unlike Toy Fair earlier this year, I’ll actually have a smartphone this time, so fast and timely tweets and pics are forthcoming.

Odds ‘n Ends > Good News and Bat News

October 5, 2011 | Poe

Warner Bros finally announced their new Batman cartoon for 2013, Beware the Batman. Apparently instead of Robin, Batman’s sidekick will be Katana, and the bad guys will include Professor Pyg, Mister Toad, and what looks like maybe Harley Quinn?
- I agree with most of the comments from Bat-fans: Bruce Timm’s art style does not work in CGI, Batman’s head looks like a bug, and while I don’t mind the idea of making Alfred a more active badass, arming him with guns is just wrong. Yes, Alfred sometimes picks up a rifle to protect Wayne Manor, but Batman allowing or encouraging the butler to carry guns as part of his crimefighting crusade is painfully out of character.
- Also, I have to say that I find Grant Morrison’s work on the Batman comics very hit and miss, and in my opinion Professor Pyg and Mister Toad are big whiffas. Pyg’s gimmick (he performs unnecessary cosmetic surgery on his victims to make them “beautiful”) isn’t exactly something kids will find compelling, while Mister Toad is just…Mister Toad, apparently. Except evil. Oh, and he’s dead in the comics. I suspect these characters will be very different in the show. Professor Pyg will be some sort of generic crime boss and Mister Toad will be his Slythe-like lackey.
- All that said, I applaud the obvious effort to do something new here. Let’s face it–Batman: The Animated Series is the definitive animated take on the classic Batman. I really don’t know how you can top it without waiting for a few generations to pass. So I guess we’ll see how the kids react to this one. If they love it, then I’ll concede that maybe the people behind the show know what they’re doing. Except for Alfred’s guns. That is just so wrong.
In more Bat-news, two new characters have been revealed for Arkham City: Nightwing and the Mad Hatter. Both are looking great, especially Nightwing. I hope we get an figure of him from DCD or Mattel. I’m sure we will.
On another Bat-related note, there is now a dedicated Batman Ask Matty forum on Mattycollector.
Apparently people still don’t know what the deal is with the 1970s Batman Arkham City repaint figure, which is supposed to be free if you preorder Arkham City at Toys R Us. Details are allegedly coming soon.
Also, we may getting a DCUC-style First Appearance Batman, which would be awesome. I’ve always loved that early look.
I mentioned this elsewhere, but that mystery prototype Joker is in fact an NYCC exclusive. Which I’ll be getting, since I’ll be at NYCC (along with Poester MisterBigBo). The figure still kind of grosses me out, though.
Mattel is going to have another Mad Matty Monday on October 10. Three mystery packs–DCU, MOTUC, and Ghostbusters–for $40.
The Four Horsemen have announced where and how you can buy their NYCC-exclusive Outer Space Men Beta Phase Waves 3 & 4 figures, if you’re at NYCC. They’ll also be selling some on their website after NYCC, but if history repeats itself, those will sell out right quick.