Mattel news and Q&A roundup

February 3, 2009 | Poe

matty

Mattel has posted a couple updates on their Facebook page.

Due to Feb 15th falling on a weekend, and that being followed by a holiday (in the US), Stratos will therefore go on sale Tuesday the 17th at 12:00 eastern.

and

So we’ve asked our official research group to get some numbers behind collector interests as we move forward with even bigger and better figures both online and at retail!

Check out the link below if you would like to voluntarily tell us a bit about what you want from Mattel in the future!

Matty

https://deploy.ztelligence.com/start/index.jsp?PIN=13AWQ2NC598UD

Calling All Action Figure Collectors!

We’d like to invite you to participate in our new action figure research survey. As we strive to best meet your needs for action figures and collectibles, your responses are very important to us and will help us in our development of future products. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey and all of your answers and information will be kept strictly confidential.

I’ve filled out the survey, and it’s quite in-depth. Here’s hoping it has some significant effects on the future of DCUC and MOTUC.

Here’s a round-up of all the Mattel Q&As from yesterday:

Mattel also put up a new ad for Stratos.

Toy news roundup, 2/2/09

February 2, 2009 | Poe

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  • G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Super Bowl clip (TNI)
  • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Super Bowl clip – I doubt I’ll see either of these films in theaters, unless you guys really want me to. I suppose a review or two might be fun, but be warned, I’m not particularly well-predisposed to these movies. (ENI)
  • If you haven’t seen it, here’s the Mr. Potato Head ad from the Super Bowl. It’s pretty cute. (Hulu)
  • I can’t get the video to work, but if you can, check out what is possibly my favorite Robot Chicken skit ever, starring MOTU’s Faker. (adult swim)
  • Since I’m such a whore for brown costume Wolverine, I’m toying with ordering the BBTS Marvel Select variant. Articulation looks like crap, though, and I hate that pre-posed torso. Also: why can’t anyone make non-warped Wolverine claws? SOTA got it right with Vega years ago. (Figures.com)
  • NECA to make Dead Space figures. Anyone played this game? Is it good? (Figures.com)
  • A nice history of Watchmen action figures. It sucks we never got those comic-based ones. Has it ever been confirmed that a falling out with Alan Moore was the reason the line was shelved? Also, I’d love a retro-styled Watchmen line like the one depicted in the original comic. (Cool Toy Review)
  • Something weird is going on over at Sideshow Toys. That’s all I know.
  • Jesse Falcon claims 6″ Marvel Legends line not dead. It’s just pining for the fjords. (Fwoosh)
  • Hasbro’s 66th Star Wars Q&A round-up. (Rebelscum)

Review > Nathan “Rad” Spencer (Bionic Commando, NECA)

February 2, 2009 | Poe

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It’s rare that I’ll buy an action figure based on a movie, TV show, comic, or videogame unless I’m already a fan of that property. Sometimes I’ll become a fan of the property because of the action figure, but it’s quite rare for me to buy a licensed figure with no intention of getting to know the property at all.

Yet, that’s what I did last week when I picked up Nathan “Rad” Spencer, based on the upcoming videogame Bionic Commando, a sequel to the 1987 Nintendo classic. To be honest, the main reason I got him was that I had a gift certificate at TRU that could only be used on that day from 6-9 p.m. (weird, I know), and there was just nothing else I wanted. Rather than waste the gift certificate, I decided to grab “Rad,” reasoning that he might at least make for a good extra in shots of my various NECA figures of the Alien, Predator, Terminator, and so forth.

As it turns out, I almost wish I were a fan of Bionic Commando. (more…)

January poll results

February 1, 2009 | Poe

The “Which character would you most want as this year’s MOTUC SDCC exclusive?” poll is now closed. Here are the final results:

  • The Sorceress (w/ Zoar) – 67 votes
  • He-Ro – 47 votes
  • Fearless Photog – 29 votes
  • Megator – 10 votes
  • Tytus – 4 votes

In retrospect, perhaps I shouldn’t have had the Sorceress on that list–she’s a shoo-in for the line, if it lasts long enough. I’m not suprised He-Ro is number two, and I’m impressed Fearless Photog managed to come in third. Megator, on the other hand, has disappointed me.

The February poll is up now–it’s about what 1980s toy properties you’d like to see redone for today’s collectors, like G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary or MOTUC. I skipped the most obvious properties, like Thundercats and Silverhawks, because I wanted people to have to actually think about who they want to vote for.

February is Vintage Month at PGPoA!

February 1, 2009 | Poe

Maxx Steele(First off, if you’re not seeing some noticeable tweaks to the site design, be sure to hit “refresh” on your browser.)

Welcome to Vintage Month at PGPoA! All this month, I’ll be highlighting toys from my youth and beyond. Some you may be very familiar with, others may be long-lost gems.

The idea comes from something we sometimes do at OAFE, though we call it “Retro Month” there. For the first Retro Month, we had this great 1980s Miami Vice look based off on the then-popular GTA: Vice City game. I decided to go with an 8-bit NES look this time around.

If there are any specific toy lines or random 1980s toys you’d like to see a post about, let me know below and I’ll see what I can do.

Thanks to Red Kryptonite and OB1 for the redesign work!

Toy review roundup (via Fanmode), 1/31/09

February 1, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy yo go re reviews the DC Direct Watchmen Rorschach figure. Excerpt: “This figure is only slightly above mediocre’ by 2009 standards …”

Jeff Saylor reviews the NECA Gears of War 2 Marcus Fenix vs. Locust Drone two-pack. Excerpt: “… the best Marcus Fenix figure ever released.”

Philip Reed reviews the Mezco Toyz HB II Hellboy San Diego Comic Con exclusive 3.75-inch figure. Excerpt: “As nice as some of the other Hellboy figures out there look, I really prefer this 3.75″ version …” (more…)

Review > Adam Strange and Starfire (DC Universe Classics)

January 30, 2009 | Poe

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Starfire and Adam Strange might seem an unlikely couple for Mattycollector’s first exclusive DC Universe Classics (DCUC) two-pack. Other than the fact one’s an alien from outer space and the other one spends a lot of time in outer space, what do they have in common? Turns out they both hung out a lot in DC’s 52 maxi-series. That’s about it. (more…)