Figure It Out #8

March 26, 2012 | Poe

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The winner of last week’s Figure It Out  (chosen at random from the correct guesses) is Chainsaw Jack! Like three dozen others (a record number), he correctly identified the figure as Kaneda from McFarlane Toys’ 3d Animation from Japan line from 2000.

We’ll see if this week’s contest has as many correct guesses. Guesses are due to poe@poeghostal.com by 12 noon ET on Friday. Please put “Figure It Out” in your subject line. Winner will be chosen from among correct guesses and will receive a Poe Prize. Good luck!

Poe’s Point > Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles

March 26, 2012 | Poe

I suppose I should comment on the Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles controversy, which has had a ridiculous amount of media coverage, with articles appearing in major newspapers and parody videos popping up on Conan. I was a HUGE Turtles fan from 1989-1991, so I feel on fairly solid ground in expressing an opinion. (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > Glyos Drop Tonight, Free Universal Construction Kit, Blank Bodies, & Weekly Roundup

March 23, 2012 | Poe

  • Heads-up: Onell Designs has a Glyos drop tonight.
  • This is a really neat idea: the Free Universal Construction Kit, which offers adapters between Lego, Duplo, Fischertechnik, Gears! Gears! Gears!, K’Nex, Krinkles (Bristle Blocks), Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, Zome, and Zoob. Unfortunately, it appears you’ve got to print the things out yourself with a 3D printer. Side note: when I was a kid, I had these building toys that connected via six-pronged cubes with little mushroom pegs on each side of the cube. What those were called?
  • I received an email informing me PGPoA was chosen as a “top toy blog” by Frugal Dad. I haven’t the slightest idea whether this is an actual honor or a variation on the classic “Who’s Who in America” scam. But I guess it was nice of them, so there’s the link. There are some other familiar blogs on that list too.
  • A fellow by the online handle of Yatkuu contacted me regarding Lego’s CUSOO fan-focused website. It’s a platform where fans can post their creations. The community can then vote for the ideas they like best, if a project gets enough supporters (we need 10k) Lego will consider making it a real set. Yatkuu has created a fantastic set based on Shaun of the Dead and is looking for fan support (and votes).
  • Mattel took a break from hyping their non-hovering hoverboard replica (seriously, they couldn’t have come up with some sort of magnet gimmick for display purposes, like those hovering pens?) to mention they “know there have been some quality-related issues over the last few months” and “wanted to tell you we take them seriously and what is being done to address them.” To quote Hamlet: “Words, words, words.”
  • I suspect it will be a while before I’ll have a sizable group of readers who will be interested in this as much as I am, but new photos of a brand-new Ultra-Act First Ultraman Hayata and S.H.MonsterArts Fire Rodan leaked this week. It looks like Rodan will come with some accessories for SHM Godzilla and MechaGodzilla, including a resculpted spiral beam for G. The revised First Ultraman annoys me a bit because I just bought the first release.
  • Go Native Toys is offering a blank 3.75″ action figure buck for customizers. It includes alternate hands and an extra blank head. Rumor is a 6″ version is coming too.
  • PGPoA Power Pal John Harmon has put his custom “Darth Knight” figure up for auction on eBay, while Joe Amaro put up two of his MOTU “Rock Monsters.”
  • Notable reviews: OAFE reviews NECA’s Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games; Michael Crawford reviews DC Direct’s variant Mike Mignola Black & White Batman Statue; ItsAllTrue reviews Onell Designs’ Glyos Rig Runner; Infinite Hollywood reviewed Mattel’s WWE Elite Series 10 Big Show.
  • This week on PGPoA, Poe reviewed Fisto and Demo-Man, discussed the bios of Hurricane Hordak and Icarius, and pointed out the Four Horsemen’s write-up in the New York Times. Figure It Out here.

MOTUC Bio Discussion #53 > Icarius

March 22, 2012 | Poe

Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Icarius Bio

Real Name: TC Icarius Kaz

A great pilot from the cloud city of Levitan on planet Primus, Icarius is equipped and ready to “flip” into battle at a moment’s notice. After his 18th birthday, he left home to join the Galactic Protectors. Rising to the rank of Lieutenant, Icarius traveled with Captain Hydron on his quest to find the legendary twin warriors prophesied to defeat the Horde Empire. Arriving on the distant planet Eternia shortly after the end of the Second Ultimate Battleground, they recruited not only He-Man and She-Ra, but several other Masters of the Universe who were eager to pursue Skeletor to the stars. Nicknamed “Flipshot,” Icarius utilizes a battle helmet, back mounted jet pack and concussion grenade wrist rockets in battle against Skeletor and his new Space Mutant army.

At least this bio does give us a little background on Icarius himself (the “TC” in his name is a tribute to former MOTUC project manager TC Chen, who worked on both the 1980s Icarius/Flipshot and the MOTUC version). Not a lot of background, but we know he’s a pilot, that he’s from Levitan on Primus, that he’s a lieutenant and that he’s nicknamed “Flipshot” (a reference to his 1980s American toy name; the toy was called Icarius on international packaging because “Flipshot” was too difficult to translate effectively).

Of all the various MOTU iterations awkwardly jammed into the MOTUC storyline, none seem quite as contrived to me as the New Adventures stuff. As I recall, Skeletor defeats Hordak and immediately takes off into space to take over the Horde Empire and conquer the galaxy. Enter the Galactic Protectors, who recruit He-Man, She-Ra and other Heroic Warriors to fight the Skeletor-led Horde. If you’re trying to figure out how the MOTUC timeline works out, this thread on He-Man.org does the job as thoroughly as possible right now.

I wonder if Icarius ever sailed the seas of cheese.

The Four Horsemen Get a Writeup the New York Times

March 22, 2012 | Poe

The Four Horsemen got a fantastic write-up in the New York Times this week by NYT staff editor and toy fan Gregory Schmidt (who’s written about toys before). While I’m willing to bet most of the information in the article is known to Poesters, there were a few tidbits in there I was unaware of – like the attempt at creating a cartoon with 4Kids Entertainment.

Here’s one of the more interesting quotes:

Despite their struggles, the men would still like to pursue an animated series. But they are taking a more cautious approach to the entertainment industry. They are looking for smaller ways to build their concepts, like through comic books and graphic novels. For now, they are talking to a brand developer in New York about representation. They are also building a style guide for their characters, with the hope of handing it off to a writer who can develop a story concept. And they have broadened their partnerships to include two online retailers in Japan, a lucrative market for toymakers.

The article ends by quoting some business types with suggestions as to how the Horsemen could achieve their goals at becoming toy producers as well as designers. I have to admit that all three suggestions seem pretty obvious, and I’m sure they’ve all been considered by the Horsemen.

I’m curious as to what property the style guide is for – Magma Corps? 7th Kingdom? I suppose I could just ask them, but where’s the fun in that? Oh, I’ll just ask them.

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