Mattel: Cherry Pickers Need Not Apply (& Could Ruin It for Everyone)

July 20, 2012 | Poe

Scott Neitlich posted a lengthy update on the various Mattycollector subscriptions on the Mattycollector Facebook page.

The whole thing is pretty long, but the main takeaways are:

  • They had to raise the price because it was simply untenable to maintain the 2008 pricing in 2013.
  • There will be very little to almost no day-of-sale stock for many figures.
  • The early-access ordering for subscribers does not apply to other subscriptions you have not subscribed to (i.e., Watchmen subscribers can’t nab a Ram Man before the regular sale).
  • They’re working on improving the customer service.

But probably the most important part is this: (more…)

BBTS News: Summer Sale, TDKR Hot Toys, TMNT, Koto, Exclusives & More

July 19, 2012 | Poe

Summer Sale 
2012 Summer Sale!
We’ve just reduced prices by 10% to 30% on over 4,000 older items! At least 2,500 of these items received a price drop of 20% or more! Click the banner above for a list of some of our top picks, and browse percentage off menus for the full list. There are a ton of great deals – many items have just a handful of pieces left so act fast.

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MOTUC Bio Discussion > Cy-Chop

July 19, 2012 | Poe

Cy-Chop
Evil Horde Bounty Hunter
Real Name: Scychor

Originally a partner with Kronis, Scychor roamed the galaxy as a mercenary and professional thief. Eventually Kronis betrayed his friend, throwing Scychor from a Boa Jet while escaping from Horde Patrol Units. Falling hundreds of feet to the surface of a small moon, Scychor was healed by rogue scientists by preserving his organs in a robotic chest and his brain in a cyborg skull. After serving the scientists for twenty years, he became a freelance bounty hunter, willing to steal, kill or betray anyone for the right price. During the Second Ultimate Battleground, Cy-Chop was hired by Hordak to bolster his forces against the Snake Men and Masters of the Universe. Using his robotic scissor blades, Cy-Chop strikes out, but only for the right price!

Wait – I thought the Horde and the Snake Men were a single “grand army” during the Second Ultimate Battleground?

While there have been varying degrees of a “fan fiction” vibe in almost all of these bios, this one strikes me as particularly fanfic-esque. The association with Kronis and making this guy a bounty hunter (a profession I’m fairly certain wouldn’t have nearly the cultural cachet in geek circles fiction if not for Boba Fett) are what makes it feel most like a fanfic to me.

Other than that, this guy basically has the same bio as Steve Austin: his life is saved by adding cyborg parts, but then he’s forced to pay it back via indentured servitude for the next two decades. I suppose the whole ethics issue goes out the window when you’re dealing with “rogue” scientists, though.

Oh, and in regard to the “real name,” I have to say “Scythor” is the name I would have given him. It looks more like the word “scythe” and rolls off the tongue better than “Sychor,” which, by the way, is really annoying to type over and over.  I suppose the “ch” was chosen to represent the “chopping” nature of the character’s gimmick.

MOTUC Bio Discussion > Procrustus

July 18, 2012 | Poe

Pic courtesy Pixel-Dan.com

Procrustus
Real Name: Procrustus

After the Gods created the Five Dimensions, they hid their secret magic in the form of a star inside the core of a small planet in the center of the dimension of Eternia. Naming the planet after the dimension it resided in, they assigned the immortal four-armed giant Procrustus to remain there and guard their magical secrets. Over the millennia, the magic began to seep out, and many wise magicians learned to tap into these powers for both good and evil. In time, the ruthless warlock Hordak attempted to break apart Eternia using a spell of separation in order to access the magic’s source. Although his spell was thwarted, Procrustus was now forced to literally hold the planet together remaining forever at the planet’s core!

Procrustus originates from a two-page appearance in the early minicomic “The Magic Stealer.” The story begins when Skeletor comes across a pyramind in Eternia’s North Pole that allows him to absorb all the energy of Eternia. (The fact that such a thing not only exists but was sitting around unguarded shows why I sometimes think everyone on Eternia is too stupid to live.)

Things go haywire in Eternia, so He-Man heads off to the North Pole to investigate. In the course of his journey, this happens:

(images from James Eatock’s The He-Man and She-Ra Blog)

Questions abound: how did He-Man recognize Procrustus on sight? Has the guy come to the surface before? Does He-Man head down to Eternia’s core for the occasional Gods and Demigods’ Night?

More importantly, where the hell was Procrustus going? “Eh–? Oh, it’s He-Man. Why do you restrain me? I’ve been holding Eternia together for 4,000,000,000 years, so I thought I’d earned a spare minute to run to the Circle-K for a soda and a Caramello.” Then He-Man shoots him back down into the core of Eternia, and Procrustus just takes it like a wuss. I’ve really got to start doing reviews of the minicomics, some of them are truly hilarious. UPDATE: As Poester Robzy pointed out in the comments, Procrustus, like everything else “magic” in Eternia, was responding to the lure of the “magic-siphon” Skeletor was operating. So that’s where he was going, I guess. It’s nice that Eternia can hang together for a few minutes while Procrustus goes topside for a few, but this still seems like a really tenuous way to run a planet.

Anyway, we get a bit more of Procrustus’s history here in the bio. Now we’re told there are Gods who created the Five Dimensions, and Procrustus becomes an “immortal four-armed giant” they assign to guard their magical secrets, which consist of…what? Castle Grayskull?

Procrustus’s job is now explained as a result of Hordak’s attempt to split Eternia in half, which is a rather nice way to tie his minicomic appearance to this story angle, which is derived from the Millennium cartoon.

Any questions for the Four Horsemen?

July 17, 2012 | Poe

The Four Horsemen have graciously agreed to do another interview here at PGPoA. So I’m going to ask five of my own questions, and five reader questions. Post any questions you have below and I’ll select five and send them along.