Toy review roundup (via Fanmode)

June 15, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy Artemis reviews the Diamond Select Toys Star Trek Deep Space Nine Dr. Julian Bashir figure. Excerpt: “The face is where it falls apart …”

Dave Van Domelen reviews the Hasbro Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe class Bumblebee and Soundwave figures. Excerpt: “(Re: Soundwave) … for the most part this is a toy you leave in robot mode.” (See also.)

Dave Van Domelen reviews the Hasbro Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Fast Action Battlers Devastation Blast Long Haul figure. Excerpt: “A brutish mold for a brutish Decepticon …” (more…)

Big MOTUC update

June 13, 2009 | Poe

ToyGuru posted a very big update over on He-Man.org–so huge it merited a rare weekend update here at PGPoA. I recommend you read the whole thing over there, but here are some highlights. (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends

June 12, 2009 | Poe

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  • I slaved over a hot Photoshop for hours to bring you today’s It Figures, so if you don’t like it, I’ll probably curl into a ball and cry.
  • Every ready for Hordak Day on Monday? And don’t forget Ultraman and Alex Luthor! I’m getting an extra of each for a couple Poesters who live locally, which I don’t mind doing at all, because it means I get to open my figures right away while using theirs for the packaging review photo later on.
  • Mattycollector posted a brief update on Facebook, basically saying they’re back on Facebook, as well as a few new photos of He-Ro.
  • Topless Robot is now full-time and wants your input, because apparently he can’t be bothered to run his site himself. But I kid the self-pleasuring, kitten-endangering guy!
  • Ordinarily, when I get an earworm, it’s just one song or part of a song (“Re: Yours Brains” by Jonathan Coulton drove me temporarily insane for a few days). But for some reason right now, Smashing Pumpkins’ entire Zeitgeist album is running through my head, song by song. Currently queued up to “That’s The Way (My Love is).”
  • I just finished playing Rainbow Six Vegas 2, which I picked up used a couple weeks ago. I want to play Wolverine now, but I’m going to have to wait until someone loans it to me or it’s cheap on eBay, because the next game I’m planning to buy new is Batman: Arkham Asylum (assuming the reviews are good).

Matthew Schultz, Rest in Peace

June 11, 2009 | Poe

I didn’t know Matt, a.k.a. “SkeletonCrew” on He-Man.org, but came across this article about his passing in a daily search for action figure-related news. Matt was a customizer, best known for his work with “COTU World.” He was also an Army veteran.

It’s not often we hear about losing one of our own in this still-young hobby. I offer my condolescences to Matt’s family and friends. Here’s a link to a memorial thread on He-Man.org.

G.I. Joe movie FUBAR?

June 11, 2009 | Poe

Quite possibly.

If so, who’s surprised? This looked like a multi-car train wreck from the words “acceleration suit.”

You know what this is going to be? The new Masters of the Universe. As in the 1987 movie: a rushed film with an incoherent and yet paper-thin plot and little or no relation to the toy property outside of the names.

Disney’s Black Hole: V.I.N.CENT returns

June 11, 2009 | Poe

One of my favorite films when I was a wee tyke was Disney’s Black Hole, and a couple of my favorite toys were Mego’s 3 ¾” inch V.I.N.CENT and Maximillian robots (the humans I couldn’t have cared less about). While they were arguably ersatz versions of R2D2 and Darth Vader, respectively, the young Poe still thought they were awesome and the old Poe retains a nostalgic fondness for them.

I haven’t watched the movie in years, so I have no idea whether it holds up, but I’m excited by this bit of news from MINDstyle:

“The Black Hole” was the Walt Disney Company’s first PG-rated production – big news 30 years ago, but times have changed! Directed by Gary Nelson and starred Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, and last but not least, Ernest Borgnine the motion picture has found a loyal fan base. With this being the 30th anniversary of The Black Hole and only rare limited merchandise available, we were all too excited to be working on a limited edition art toy collectibles (ATC) figure of V.I.N.CENT for collectors.

Everything starts with the concept art. Since there was little content for us to reference, we created the line art with DCP. The process got under way with the sculpting and raw resins as shown here.

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Whether or not I’ll get one will depend entirely on price and the degree to which it’s a “figure” rather than a resin statue of some sort (for instance, will the claws, “feet,” and head retract?), but as of right now, I’m definitely interested.

Thanks to TNI for the heads-up.