Toy review roundup (via Fanmode)

February 26, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy Michael Crawford reviews the Hasbro Marvel Legends Icons Dark Phoenix, Colossus, Daredevil and Nightcrawler figures. Excerpt: “At twenty bucks a piece, I’m not going to complain too much.”

Monkey Boy reviews the Hasbro Spider-Man Venom (Mac Gargan version) figure. Excerpt: “Venom is just a solid, well-sculpted, well-articulated figure with a lot of play value.”

yo go re reviews the Hasbro Star Wars Comic Packs Grand Admiral Thrawn and Talon Karrde two-pack from Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. Excerpt: “Both these guys deserved new figures (or a first figure, in Karrde’s case), and you can get them for a good price with this two-pack.” (See also.)

Engineernerd reviews the Hasbo Star Wars The Legacy Collection Jawa and WED Treadwell Droid set. Excerpt: “… overall a well done pair.” (more…)

Vintage Month > Poe’s Five Favorite Classic He-Man Vehicles

February 25, 2009 | Poe

80f3_1With the exception of Hasbro’s G.I. Joe and Star Wars, vehicles have become a thing of the past for most action figure lines. That’s especially true for any figure line larger than a 3 ¾” scale. But back in the golden age of action figures, even the lowliest toy line had at least a couple vehicles, be they saddled beasts or gigantic rolling bases (looking back, I’m amazed I had the Technodrome. Thanks Mom and Dad!)

Of the many things it did right, some of the best things about Masters of the Universe were the vehicles. Like the toys, many of them had all sorts of action features and interesting designs. Here’s a list of my five favorite classic MOTU vehicles. (more…)

Review > (Return of) Superman (DC Universe Classics)

February 24, 2009 | Poe

return_supesAfter his unfortunate accident, I was forced to replace my red-and-blue Superman figure from DCUC Wave 6. Fortunately, the new one I traded for is in working order. (Thanks to anti-hero from the Fwoosh for the trade.)

A few years ago, in a rare rave review of the DC Super Heroes Superman figure, I wrote: “This is everything an action figure should be, and the Four Horsemen and Mattel should be proud.” I stand by the latter part, but it turns out I was perhaps a bit wrong on the first part. As good as DCSH Superman was, he could be even better. Unfortunately, DCUC hasn’t quite gotten there yet. (more…)

Questions for Matty?

February 24, 2009 | Poe

mattel logoOK, you guys complained, I relented. Again. So I’ll go back to asking Matty questions. I missed the March 1 round, so my next round will go up on March 15.

Got any questions for Mattel? Post ’em below and I’ll pick a couple to ask. And be polite. I’m not going to pick any mean-spirited or whiny ones.

EDIT: OK, I picked two questions. Closing comments now. Thanks!

Odds ‘n Ends

February 24, 2009 | Poe

odds_n_ends_09

Poor Odds ‘n Ends–I keep forgetting you!

  • I’ve got a few more reviews in the pike…both Superman variants from DCUC6, Big Barda from Wave 7 (which I got via a trade), and Stratos. Look for those over the next week or two.
  • Speaking of Stratos, I still think it’s amusing he sold out before I even got mine in the mail.
  • As you may have noticed, I’ve got a new ad there in the upper left corner. PGPoA gets a commission every time something gets ordered from EE using my affiliate link, so feel free to go through that link whenever you need to order something from them. Really. Feel free. Of course, when it comes to ordering full sets of figures, I recommend Enchanted Toy Chest.
  • Great White Snark pointed me to the Internet Movie Firearm Database. If you like action movies and guns, prepare to be distracted for hours!
  • If you’re into Masters of the Universe Classics, He-Man.org is currently running a series of polls regarding what fans would like to see in the future.
  • If any of you come across an extra DC Universe Wave 7 Flash anytime over the next couple of weeks, pick it up for me and I’ll make it worth your while. Cool?

Vintage Month > That’s Just Prime (by PrftktTear)

February 24, 2009 | PrfktTear

optimus_primeThroughout its history, Transformers has had many incarnations, but one character is always prominent in them all:  Optimus Prime. From the first time we heard him say “Transform and ROLL OUT!”, generations of kids have been inspired by the Big Bot.

Over the years Optimus has taken many forms, from his familiar trailer truck, a fire truck, or a pick-up truck, to some bizarre forms like Nike sneakers and out-of-this-world Cybertronian based vehicles. Regardless of his alternate mode, he always seems to have the same general look, and is arguably the most instantly recognizable Transformer of all. (more…)

Pic of the Day

February 23, 2009 | Poe

Monsterizer by TCM Hitchhiker

Poe’s note: Every time I go looking for photos of vintage toys on Flickr, there’s an 80% chance that TCM Hitchhiker took them.

Poe’s Point > Some DCUC Repaint/Retool Possibilities

February 23, 2009 | Poe

Apologies for the awkward title, but I couldn’t think of a better way to explain what I mean. Everyone knows that a big part of what allows Mattel to produce such a diverse selection of DC Universe characters in their DCUC line (however difficult said figures may be to find at times) is that most figures re-use molds from previous figures; that is, Batman and Superman have the same basic body structure in their torso, shoulders, and thighs, but Batman has his spiked gauntlets, scalloped cape and capsule belt while Superman has his spare belt, streamlined boots and squared-off cape.

A fun game that’s emerged among DCUC fans is to guess what figures will be made from existing body molds. For instance, just about everyone knew that Gentleman Ghost was based on the same body type as the inevitable Joker figure (in fact, the body mold was created with this in mind). While the line has two or three “skintight spandex superhero” bodies that can be used for any number of heroes and villains, what I’m more interested in is the unique shapes–like that of Gentleman Ghost/Joker. (more…)

New Mattel update – Stratos sells out

February 23, 2009 | Poe

Mattel posted another update on their Facebook page. Since not everyone is on “The ‘Book,” here’s the update in its entirety:

Yup, MOTU fans are absolutely into this line as Stratos sold out in what, 4 days! Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. And in all honesty while we did produce slightly more He-Man and Skeletor, it wasn’t THAT much more. So this really is a good indication of how the line is doing. And yes, we will go into increased numbers. Faker has already been produced so we will see if it is possible to up the order of Mer-Man, if not we will apply to Zodac and Hordak for sure.

And in other MOTUC news, yes we will be bringing back He-Man and Skeletor with only slight packaging changes indicate this is the second run. We also switched He-Man’s shoulders correctly and per fan requests lightened the red around his eyes. We know some fans are asking for a lighter material on the loin cloth, but this wasn’t possible without delaying his re-release.

These guys won’t be back until a bit down the road, but they will return to ensure all fans can get key characters.

Next up is Faker which we will have less of online since we took a bunch to NYCC. So if you want Faker, based on sales of Stratos, be online quickly on March 16 after 12:00 noon. We imagine since it is too late to produce more for this sale, his remaining stock will go fast.

After him is Mer Man on April 15th and Zodac on May 15. We are looking into a few bonus figures (as mentioned at NYCC) for some months later in this year. Bonus figures will include repaints and rereleases (such as He-Man and Skeletor mentioned above). Should be some great surprises!

We’ll see you on MattyCollector.com!

So it seems despite the initial controversy surrounding Masters of the Universe Classics, the figures are selling like bank CEOs’ souls.

As for the discussion of re-releasing He-Man and Skeletor, here’s my prediction: they’ll be available at SDCC, in good numbers, and then on the website after that. You heard it here first (or maybe eleventh, I don’t follow all the forums). The way “Matty” writes about them above makes me think they’re already producing or are close to producing the re-releases.