Sightings > X-Entertainment is now Dinosaur Dracula

September 10, 2012 | Poe

I was rather shocked to discover recently that one of my best friends, who has a relatively high-profile reputation in the toy reviewing community but will otherwise remain nameless, had never heard of X-Entertainment.com. Created by Matt Caracappa around the turn of the century, X-E is the grandaddy of all geek-themed websites (Matt often referred to it as being based around “1980s kid culture,” which I think is perhaps a more accurate description).

While the site frequently covered many non-toy topics such as retrospectives on 1980s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades, classic kid-themed junk food like Ecto-Cooler, and The Worst Witch (a personal favorite of mine), the site’s main focus was toys. In fact, it’s entirely possible that without X-E, we’d have no Fearless Photog figure today (nor would we know that the same man who created Fearless Photog also created Halo‘s Cortana – here’s a good summation of that story).

It often seemed to me that Matt was practically a long-lost sibling. He’d had many of the same childhood experiences as I had, the same toy loves, the same fondness for Ninja Turtle-themed Hostess Pies, etc. So perhaps it shouldn’t surprise me that we have another thing in common: blog burnout. While I’ve been trying to work through mine, Matt finally decided to let X-E retire gracefully and started from scratch with a new website, Dinosaur Dracula.

DD doesn’t seem fundamentally different from X-E so far – Matt’s even having his usual Halloween Countdown – but I can speak to the regenerating powers of a site redesign and a fresh start. What I do hope Matt does – as I’ve been trying to do here – is avoid getting into a rut by just doing the same X-E stuff all over again. Some new, fresh features and approaches may be just what the Dr. (Giggles) ordered.

Fengschwing’s Review > 1:6 Eleventh Doctor Figure (Doctor Who, Big Chief)

September 7, 2012 | Fengschwing

Even as little as five years ago, Doctor Who might have needed an introduction outside of the UK. These days, thanks to the efforts of Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, Doctor Who is the UK’s most successful TV export and is making waves on both sides of the Atlantic. British company Character Options has been the main provider of Who toys, starting out modestly in 2005 with mostly pre-posed 5 inch action figures and then progressing through season-themed waves, Build-A-Figure assortments, episode specific box-sets and even convention exclusives, not to mention Lego-compatible building sets and role-playing toys.

But now there is a new player on the block, a new UK-based company called Big Chief, aiming to bring the high-end collectible 1:6 aesthetic to Doctor Who action figures and claiming to stand toe-to-toe with such established companies as Sideshow and Hot Toys. That’s a big claim to make from a young company with no product to show. The eleventh incarnation of the Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, is their debut release and it took its time getting here. (more…)

Monte Reviews > Ghoulia Yelps (Monster High ‘Skull Shores’, Mattel)

September 6, 2012 | Monte

I am becoming alarmingly obsessed with Mattel’s Monster High series, although unemployment has prohibited me from purchasing them with anything like my usual recklessness. While a tally of the hours I’ve spent studying Monster High photos would be startling, I just today purchased my first ever Monster High doll: Ghoulia Yelps, from the “Skull Shores” series of beach-themed variants.

Since Ghoulia will also be my last Monster High purchase for the foreseeable future, I have decided to get my money’s worth by making Ms. Yelps the subject of a guest review here at Poe Ghostal’s Points of Articulation. Perhaps others will find these strange, misshapen lasses as compelling as I do. (more…)

Sightings > Weaponeers of Monkaa

September 5, 2012 | Poe

The rumors have been percolating for months now, and Spy Monkey Creations is finally starting to reveal their much-anticipated new line. Titled Weaponeers of Monkaa, the line has teased two factions called “Gearos” and “Vilhains” and, as seems obvious, the line will feature actual action figures in addition to weapons.

From SMC’s announcement:

The Mysterious Armory. Behold it’s myriad of colors, powers, and configurations. Where did it come from? Why is it here? Who or What is responsible for arming the cosmos with such powerful weapons?

Well, we at Spy Monkey Creations are about to reveal the answers to those very questions this fall! The answers have some wondrous new surprises. Join us at www.weaponeersofmonkaa.com and the following link every Monday thru Thursday at 9am PST beginning Monday, September 3rd and ending on Wednesday, September 19th. Each day we will reveal a new chapter in “THE STRANGER’S TALE” as he embarks on a grand adventure of discovery and action.

Then on Saturday, September 22nd join the entire Spy Monkey Creations crew at Power-Con as we reveal everything The Stranger will witness and encounter in the coming weeks. It is sure to awe and amaze.

“We are the architects of the cosmos. That destiny must be forged wisely.”

I don’t have any inside information, but my suspicion is that the line will continue to offer interchangeable, multi-part weapons that are compatible with your other action figures, but the weapons will be integrated with a Glyos-style action figure line featuring a full backstory.

The concept seems really interesting, but of course, the proof will be in the plastic, so to speak. We’ll find out soon enough.