Review > Hurricane Hordak (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

March 6, 2012 | Poe

My childhood obsession with He-Man was relatively brief–maybe most of 1984, and part of 1985. After that, it became all-Transformers all the time until maybe 1987 or so. So a figure like the vintage Hurricane Hordak immediately had two strikes against it: it came out after my interest in He-Man was long gone (1986), and it was a guise; if I owned a figure, it was almost always the iconic standard version.*

I know I’ve written this a few times before, but I really think that without the Club Eternia subscription, Hurricane Hordak might have been the first figure who really tested my completist bent on this line. While his “action feature” is neat, he’s just not that exciting an addition to the line. (more…)

Figure It Out #6

March 5, 2012 | Poe

Click for a larger version

Guess what toy this is a part of!

Guesses 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!

Guest Review > Star Sisters (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

March 5, 2012 | Doc Thomas

This is a guest review. Opinions expressed in this review (toy-related or otherwise) do not necessarily reflect the views of Poe Ghostal.

Doing these reviews for Poe lead me sit down and actually watch the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon, something I’ve never done before outside of minor glimpses as a kid. I loved the Filmation He-Man as a child, and love it now because it’s totally stupid, but I never really gave She-Ra the time of day. And you know what? She-Ra is actually pretty good. The Horde represent more of a threat to Etheria than Skeletor ever did, and the heroic characters don’t just defend the world’s inhabitants from the Horde but teach them to rise up and fight for themselves.

Adora is an interesting, powerful, independent character who is handled well and isn’t dependant on a man – an excellent role model for young girls. Adora/She-Ra is the kind of character we could add to that very short list about of strong, interesting, non-misogynstic female protagonists. Even Bow, despite occasionally falling into a neat subversion of the “damsel in distress” role Teela took in He-Man, is well-executed. He’s not threatened by the powerful women around him; he’s a real man.

So basically, I want to make clear I have no anti-She-Ra slant, no misogynistic female-character-toy hatred, no anti-girl’s-toys sentiment – and despite all that, I still can’t bring myself to like these figures. (more…)

Figure It Out #5 – Guesses & Winner

March 5, 2012 | Poe

Click photo for larger version

Last week’s contest was probably the first one to actually get a few incorrect guesses, though they all had a common theme.

Here’s one reader:

I had a flashback in my brain as soon as I saw this pic!  I’m sure it’s the  Street Shark figure Jawsome. I went and found this info  “Street Sharks” is about crime-fighting half-man/half-sharks . It was produced by DIC Entertainmentand aired from 1994 to 1995, originally as a part of the Amazin’ Adventures lineup. How’s that work for ya?

A good guess, but not quite. But this reader has company. Another guess:

Is the figure in the picture a Street Sharks Night Fighters Stingshot Streex figure?

Keep up the jawsome work!

Another:

Is it a Moby Lick Street Sharks?

As you may have guessed by now, it is not a Street Sharks figure.

Four Poesters got it correct. The winner, chosen at random, was Poester and Power Pal Ben Leach: (more…)

A Question for Collectors: Thoughts on Reviews of Free Toy Samples?

March 2, 2012 | Poe

I’m working on an article about the practice of reviewing free toy samples provided by toy companies. I’ve got a good number of quotes from reviewers and even one from a toy company employee, but what the article needs is some thoughts from the perspective of the review readers (or viewers, in the case of video reviews).

So if you’d like to participate, please send an email to poe@poeghostal.com with answers to the following questions:

1.) As a consumer, does whether or not a reviewer got a toy for free affect how seriously you take the review, or how much weight you give to its opinions?

2.) If you do tend to view free sample reviews more skeptically, in what way are you skeptical and why?

3.) Do you think there’s any difference between free sample reviewing in the toy industry and, say, IGN reviewing a videogame, CNET reviewing a new smartphone, or Rolling Stone reviewing a new CD?

4.) Ultimately, do you think there’s any problem with reviewing free samples of toys?

I can’t guarantee I’ll quote everyone who emails me, but I’ll definitely use some of them. I’m really curious to know your thoughts.

Does Mattel Hate Geeks? Ctd

March 2, 2012 | Poe

Following up on yesterday’s post, a few responses from the comments:

GeneralsJoes:

Stories like this make me very thankful for the always awesome guys (and girls) at Hunter PR who handle Hasbro’s PR stuff at Toy Fair and various other conventions. I have literally NEVER had a bad experience with them, and they treat even us small potato folks with respect and courtesy.

I think many collectors make comparisons between Hasbro and Mattel, and while Hasbro has certainly made its share of missteps, I think it’s demonstrably clear the company values the fans of its brands (particularly the homegrown ones, G.I. Joe and Transformers, but also Star Wars and Marvel). Mattel inevitably suffers by this comparison, which baffles me, since they’ve made it clear they want to establish a TF/GIJ-like media franchise in Masters of the Universe. (more…)