When I decided to do Show and Tell, I immediately decided on the figure I’m going to review.
Subsequently I thought that it wasn’t interesting enough to write some kind of article about–the standard of the other articles was really good. I started to hunt through my collection for ever more obscure collectibles, but at the end of the day, if the house goes up in flames, I’m grabbing my DC Direct Cyborg Superman.
I won’t be attending this modern-day penny dreadful, but I know some of you will and might want to write about it, for good or ill. So consider this post your roundtable for Revenge of the Fallen reviews and discussion.
Feel free to post spoilers, because I don’t care. Here’s one I can give you without seeing the movie: stuff will blow up and the Autobots–or rather, the specific piles of ambulatory scrap metal we’re told are Autobots–win.
In today’s Topless Robot daily list, I revisit the treacherous realm of geek arguments…
By 1985, the original Masters of the Universe line was three years old–a pretty long time for a boys’ action figure brand, if not that impressive next to its big sister Barbie. The He-Man cartoon was at its peak and She-Ra was just about to hit. While He-Man and his arch-nemesis Skeletor had already become cultural icons, Mattel decided the skull-headed necromancer might be getting a little long in the tooth. It was time to up the ante against He-Man and his allies–it was time for the Evil Horde.
While Skeletor and his minions were all based on the same two or three body types, Hordak and his Evil Horde benefited heavily from MOTU’s success: all five of the original 1985 Evil Horde figures received brand-new tooling (and except for Hordak, they were all entirely new sculpts). What’s more, the ancillary fiction (the mini-comics and, later, the She-Ra cartoon) established Hordak not only as being more powerful than Skeletor, but as having been Skeletor’s master (or at least mentor) at one point.
Masters of the Universe Classics Hordak arrives as one of the most anticipated figures in the line yet. While he received an impressive “staction” from the Four Horsemen and NECA, this represents the first new Hordak action figure in twenty-four years.
Today’s It Figures is a little different. In keeping with my current theme of being a little burnt-out and thus a little lazy, I’ve decided it might be funnier if you came up with the punchline for this one. Particularly because I just can’t think of a good one. So let’s see whatcha got!
When news came out that Hasbro was making an AT-TE I knew I had to have it. This thing is exactly what I would have wanted when I was a kid. It has lots of cool features like firing missiles, a motorized lamp, electronic lights and sounds, and it fits lots of figures. One thing that really helps to make a truly great vehicle or playset, in my opinion, is the ability to hold multiple figures and boy does this AT-TE hold figures.
As you can see, I prefer the Phase I armor of the clone trooper. I have plenty of the Phase II troopers that would look great in this puppy, including some awesome loose clone commanders, but for now I’m stuck on the Phase I. In fact I might buy even more to pack into this thing. (more…)
Over on Mattycollector, Mattel has announced its panels for SDCC:
Comic-Con is coming!
For us toy collectors, the granddaddy of events has to be San Diego Comic-Con. The 2009 show starts July 23rd (preview night July 22nd) and runs through July 26th, and this year I’m bringing more cool stuff than ever before!
FAN PANELS
First off, we’ll have not one, but TWO fan panels at the show:Mattel & DC Comics, a Powerful Partnership
Friday, JULY 24
11:00 AM – 12:00 NOON
ROOM 2MattyPalooza
Friday, JULY 24
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
ROOM 2NEW PRODUCTS
Then, visit me at Booth #2845, and you’ll find tons of new toys either just coming on the market or soon to come. We’ll have Ghostbustersâ„¢, DC Universe, DC Universe Classics, Infinite Heroes, Justice League Unlimited, Masters of the Universe Classics, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Disney/Pixar CARS, Toy Story, Hot Wheels, Scene It? The DVD Game, and the insane new Mindflex game — plus a few surprises!PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT COMIC-CON
Products will be sold starting preview night. Customer service and safety is our number one priority, so we’ll have a separate booth run by our Toy Club to handle sales. Lines will only be allowed to get as long as the designated roped-off area, but “fast-pass” tickets will be handed out to reserve your spot later that day. Limits on all exclusives will be six per person, per visit to the Mattel booth.If you choose to wait in line a second time, you’ll be eligible to buy another 6 figures (there will also be a limit of six figures for online purchases after the show). It should all go very smoothly for the best buying experience yet!
We’re going to have plenty of gotta-get products available for sale, including (click each for all the scoop):
- Disney/Pixar CARS Toon Rescue Squad Mater
- 3-3/4″ scale Buzz Lightyear figure
- DC Universe Infinite Heroes Anti-Monitor figure
- Justice League Unlimited Green Lantern Origins 3-pack
- DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins 2 pack
- Masters of the Universe Classics He-Ro figure
- Ghostbustersâ„¢ Classics Dr. Egon Spenglerâ„¢ with Slimer
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT MATTYCOLLECTOR.COM
Can’t make it to Comic-Con? Fear not, fair comic fan! You’ll be able to get everything listed above on MattyCollector.com starting at 12:00 Noon on Monday, August 3rd, except these items:
- SDCC variant He-Ro
- SDCC variant Buzz Lightyear (with “Andy” on his foot)
- SDCC Gleek (but the onder Twins without Gleek will be available)
Whew! That’s it for now, but stay tuned to MattyCollector.com, because I’ll have more news as Comic-Con gets closer.
—Matty
Some images have been released showing off the three new Star Wars Evolution three packs that are exclusive to Wal-Mart. The packs are a new Rebel Pilots pack, a new Imperial pilot type of pack, and finally a commando themed pack.
I fell off the Star Wars collecting bandwagon, but recently got back on when I was reunited with my Star Wars collection. I have really gotten into picking up pilots, so these Wal-Mart exclusives are probably going to end up in my collection. I can’t pass up the opportunity to have another A-Wing pilot or another lady Rebel.
