Odds ‘n Ends > Tokyo Drift

July 22, 2008 | Poe

ODD: For years now, Red Kryptonite and I have been exchanging 100-email Gmail threads. Around the 100th email, Gmail forces you to split off into another thread, so at that point we just start a new “volume.” I think we’re on the seventeenth or eighteenth volume now. Anyway, at some point we got in the habit of distinguishing them with sequel subtitles, and now I’ve decided to rip that off for future Odds ‘n Ends posts. Mostly because I hate trying to come up with those “Edition” titles.

END: Rumored line-up for DCUC Wave 6:

2601100194 DC Universe Wave 6: Dr. Impossible Action Figure
2601200194 DC Universe Wave 6: Hawkman Action Figure
2601400194 DC Universe Wave 6: Killer Moth Action Figure
2601000194 DC Universe Wave 6: Mr. Miracle Action Figure
2601300194 DC Universe Wave 6: Shazam Action Figure
2600800194 DC Universe Wave 6: Superman (Black Suit) Action Figure
2600900194 DC Universe Wave 6: Superman (Red Suit) Action Figure

Not sure what a “red suit” Superman is, but one guess is it may be a new “standard” Supes to replace the one from DCSH. I’d be more excited–Captain Marvel (Shazam) and Killer Moth are great news–but I’m too impatient from waiting for wave three.

Incidentally, my new must-have figure for DCUC is Deadshot. Given his appearance in Justice League Unlimited and the JLU line, I feel pretty confident we’ll see him in DCUC soon. Incidentally, in case you missed it, the Fwoosh has a sneak peek at a DCUC Blue Beetle (wave unknown). Congrats to VeeBee of Fwoosh, who’s been lobbying for this figure since day one. (more…)

No news is…not news

July 21, 2008 | Poe

I’m still recovering from my bachelor party over the weekend. Between that and the fact that we got to the IMAX showing of Dark Knight a bit late and had to sit in the front row, I’m going to hold off on giving my thoughts on it. I want to see the movie again first.

I’ve got plenty of stuff in the pipeline for PGPoA, but right now a lot of it is on hold for various reasons. Fortunately SDCC hits this week and I can commence my armchair coverage.

You might notice we’ve done a little rearranging of the sidebar, including adding a “tip jar” (a.k.a. Top Spots). Here’s how it works. Running this site ain’t free, and while ads help to cover expenses, they don’t necessarily amount to a fortune. And so, if you enjoy the site and just hate all that disposable income clogging up your bank account–and you have PayPal–you can toss some money in the Top Spots tip jar. The minimum is $5. As an added bonus, you can then add a link to whatever website, web page, YouTube video, or WoW clan you want. It’s not exactly advertising, but it’s better than just giving me money for nothing, right? …right? Bueller?

Also keep an eye out for a brand-new, vintage Red Kryptonite menu image this week.

Weekend gab post

July 19, 2008 | Poe

Today’s my bachelor party, and we’re starting off with an Imax showing of The Dark Knight. After that, I have no idea what the plans are…but don’t expect any more updates this weekend.

Incidentally, Pete of Fanwank gets married this weekend, so let’s all wish him the best!

In the meantime, feel free to use the comments below as a discussion thread. I recommend holding off on the Dark Knight talk until my post on it next week, so let me give you some topics:

Movie Masters Batman Begins Batman and Scarecrow

July 18, 2008 | Poe

(Jeesh, that title’s a mouthful, ain’t it?)

I’m not going to do an official review of these, since Michael Crawford’s does the job nicely. This being the Weekend of the Bat, though, I thought I’d talk about them a bit in honor of The Dark Kuh-nigghit, as an outrageously-accented Frenchman might say. (Incidentally, the word “knight” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word cniht, which was pronounced “keh-nikt.” At some point English speakers stopped bothering to pronounce the “k,” thus giving modern Batman writers their beloved “dark knight/night” pun.)

I already reviewed the Movie Masters Dark Knight version of Batman for OAFE (link), so I’ll just crib that review for my basic take on the MM line.

In 2005, Mattel’s line of kid-targeted 5″ figures held little interest for collectors (outside of a not-bad Collector’s Edition figure). Collectors wanted 6″ figures with the sort of articulation that was beginning to appear in Mattel’s DC Superheroes line. Well, guess what? Mattel delivered this time around.

For The Dark Knight, Mattel has created “Movie Masters,” a line of 6″-scale action figures featuring detailed sculpts by the Four Horsemen and featuring the extensive articulation found in their comic-based DC Universe Classics line. While the initial Movie Masters waves are limited to The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, Mattel’s license extends to all the DC movies, so it’s possible we’ll see a 6″ Christopher Reeve Superman or Michael Keaton Batman in the future. (more…)

Heightened Interest (Marvel Legends She-Hulk)

July 17, 2008 | Pete

Pete here! Hey, lucky me–I completed my Hulk Legends set this week, courtesy of a well-thought out wedding present from a friend of mine.

As I’ve perused various postings on the figures in this wave over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that one figure under quite a bit of scrutiny is She-Hulk. Some are concerned that this is nothing more than another rehash of the ML2 Shulkie, and more are concerned by the disparity in height. Well fear no more! With my shrewd detective skills, I shall unravel this dark and sinister mystery, at great personal risk to myself. I do this so that you may sleep peacefully at night, secure in your safety. You may thank me with money. (more…)

Demons, turtles, and such forth

July 16, 2008 | Poe

I’ve got a backlog of posts to get to, including some new interviews, but today I thought I’d just pass on some of the news and pics that have been filling up my inbox. (more…)

Ask Mattel > July 15

July 15, 2008 | Poe

Another month, another round of Mattel Q&A! Just a few questions this week.

Our astute reader EL noticed, in the press photos for the Movie Masters Batman/Scarecrow two-pack, that the gauntlets on both the regular and demonic Batman appear to have been accidentally reversed (that is, the gauntlets have been placed on the wrong wrists). The “grid” should be on the inside, not the outside, of the gauntlets. Was this just an error with the prototypes or test shots?

Good eagle eye! Yes, this was just a pre production shot and will be fixed when the toys hit shelves.

[Poe’s note: From the photos posted online by collectors, the initial shipments of the second wave of Movie Masters figures appear to have this error. It’s possible it will be corrected as a running change.]

Aside from the Joker’s knife, why weren’t any Batarangs or other in-scale accessories included with the Dark Knight Movie Masters figures?

Including extra accessories might be a great choice for re-releases of these figures!

In the interest of making sure DC Universe Classics has a long healthy lifespan, does it make a difference whether collectors buy the figures at their local Target, Wal-Mart or Toys ‘R Us or order a case from an online retailer?

If you truly want to support the line, buy triples of each figure, one from each retailer! Seriously though, we are proud that so many retailers and online dealers are supporting this line.

Odds ‘n Ends > Per Edition

July 15, 2008 | Poe

ODD: CornerStoreComics gave an update yesterday on shipping for DC Universe Classics and Movie Masters; Mattel “should be shipping” DCUC3 “toward the end of this month.” In my grumpily pessimistic view, that means I’ll receive my figures sometime around August 15. Dwaltrip, it looks like you’re gonna win. I’d be very happy to be wrong, though!

END: Sadly, it seems Random Happenstance will be closing for the time being. Googum has some of the best figuretoons out there, and he will be missed. (more…)

A question for those of you in the toy manufacturing biz

July 14, 2008 | Poe

When trying to sell a product–like an action figure line–to a larger retailer like Toys R’ Us or Target, do you show them sales figures from specialty shops and online retailers as a way to persuade them to buy the line?

Feel free to email me or comment anonymously below.