Bastards of the Universe > Bastards for Tots!

November 16, 2011 | googum

Man, I haven’t done of these in a while. I was going to blame it on computer trouble, but mostly I’ve just been a lazy sack.

Geeks for Tots is a great cause, and a great give-away: I won second a couple years back! Do yourself a favor and get in on it; and you’re helping out a child too!

Ask Mattel > Answers for November 15

November 15, 2011 | Poe

1.) At NYCC, the Arkham City Catwoman was significantly taller than the Arkham City Batman. Will that be corrected for the production figure? 

What you saw were the intended sculpts. Arkham City Catwoman IS tall in her heels, but she IS slightly shorter than Batman (and for honesty, that’s measuring to the top of the head, not the ears).

2.) Given the fact that Green Lantern got the Green Lantern Classics line in a movie year, it seems like throwing money away to table the Batman Legacy line during 2012. Why are you putting it on hiatus?  (more…)

Hi-Res ThunderCats Pics

November 15, 2011 | Poe

Bandai sent along the full hi-res pics of the new Thundercats figures, which I now share with you, free of watermarks. Enjoy them in good health.

Quickie Odds ‘n Ends > 6″ Thundercats, Master Chief deal

November 15, 2011 | Poe

  • PGPoA Power Pal Lemonjuice McGee has the scoop on the new 2012 6″ ThunderCats figures, including the classic Mumm-Ra and Lion-O. There are pics and an interview with Bandai’s Brehan Maul. While I like the 8″ figures, it’s cool to think I’ll be able to put Lion-O alongside Batman and Wolverine. It sounds like we might get an 8″ Cheetara, however, perhaps as an exclusive.
  • In one of the best Thwipster toy deals I’ve seen yet, they’ve got the Play Arts Kai Master Chief from the original Halo for 45% off. This is one deal I’m taking advantage of (sort of–I asked Dr. Mrs. Ghostal to get it for me for Xmas).

Happy Snout Spout Day!

November 15, 2011 | Poe

I’m not sure I would ever have thought we’d get to today, when Snout Spout, Eternia’s answer to Joseph Merrick, is added to everyone’s Masters of the Universe collections.

Of course, this is also the first time since…man, I don’t even remember, maybe the Eternian Palace Guards?–that I have to go onto Mattycollector and order something, namely, Bubble Power She-Ra. If I don’t, I apparently won’t own a She-Ra who can ride Swift Wind. The question is, did Mattel make as many BP She-Ras as they made Swift Winds? Color me skeptical. I just hope I survive the experience.

For those of you without subscriptions, Swift Wind, the tough-talking, incredibly girly-looking unicorn/pegasus hybrid, is also on sale, along with all the DC Universe Classics Wave 18 figures; the JLU 7-Pack of Gypsy, Crimson Avenger, Johnny Thunder, Thunderbolt w/stand, Dr. Mid-Nite, Speedy, The Creeper; and all of the DC Universe Retro Action figures at the not-so-low price of $20 each. I suspect the Retro Action figures will show up in a sale at a substantially lower price before Christmas, so you might want to wait on that.

There’s also a big JLU deal going on for the remaining stock over the next few days–you can read all the details here.

Odds ‘n Ends > Bubbles, Vegas, a Lego movie

November 14, 2011 | Poe

  • Tomorrow is the first time I’ll have to visit Mattycollector for a sale in quite some time. Will Bubble Power She-Ra bring about the Return of the White Screen of Death? I’m going to say…yes, probably, though casual collector enthusiasm for MOTUC has definitely waned over the last year or so.
  • While I was in Vegas last week, I visited the Las Vegas Toy Shack, a store in downtown Vegas whose major claim to fame is that they’re the people Pawn Stars consults when they need to know how much a toy collection is worth. The store itself, though, is a bit disappointing. There is a U.S.S. Flagg on display (I don’t think I’d ever seen one in person before…it’s so HUGE) and some nice art and vintage toys in cases, but the actual toy selection of items for sale is weak. Maybe they were in the midst of some sort of re-org, I don’t know (but it can’t compare to Comicazi in Somerville, MA). Anyway, I took some pics, which you can check out here. There’s also a pic of an awesome Ghostbusters slot machine I saw at a casino.
  • Good news: There’s going to be a Lego movie. Bad news: it’s going to be an animated/live action hybrid, which means at best Small Soldiers, and at worst The Smurfs. I’m going to go on the record and say that with a few exceptions (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), animated/live-action mixes don’t work. They look weird and feel cheap somehow. On the other hand, Lego is a concept that might work in live action, particularly if they don’t use any little talking guys and focus on the building aspect. I still think a fully-animated Lego movie would be a better direction, though.
  • On a semi-related note, have you heard about Wreck-It Ralph? I think this may be the videogame movie I’ve been waiting for. I do wish it was produced by Pixar, and the cast doesn’t inspire me with a lot of confidence, but I think the concept is great.
  • Utterly Shameless Sponsor-Requested Plug (feel free to ignore): Thwipster has a nice deal going on this week–the 6″ replica of the Normandy SR-2, the ship from Mass Effect 2 (possibly my favorite game of 2010). It’s more than half off the MSRP, which means it’s hardly overpriced at all. And it’s made by Dark Horse, so your money may go toward the development of Hellboy III: More Like Hellgeezer, Am I Right?

Any questions for Mattel?

November 12, 2011 | Poe

This is for the December 1 round. Questions are due by 12pm ET on Monday, November 14.

Odds ‘n Ends > Poe’s Neglect, Selling Out, Battle Babies, Skyrim

November 10, 2011 | Poe

  • I swear this paucity of updates is not going to go on forever, or even my choice. Bachelor parties to Vegas, new pets, sick pets, and other non-toy-related responsibilities have been cropping up consistently, but I think things will be able to settle down now. I’ve got lots of ideas for posts, I just need to find the time and energy to get them written down.
  • Mattel unveiled the first four figures in their new DC Universe All-Stars line, the retail replacement for DC Universe Classics. The figures are the previously-revealed Larfleeze, Superboy Prime, Flashpoint Plastic Man, and a reissue of Batman Beyond. I think I can safely join most fans in a collective “…huh.” My understanding was the new direction of the line was to be synergistic with the current depiction of the DCU and would feature the better-known characters. Flashpoint Plastic Man is a relatively minor character from a very brief storyline wearing an outfit he’ll never wear again. Larfleeze is fine, if not exactly better-known, but Superboy Prime seems a both obscure and dated…does he even exist in the Brand New DC? Doesn’t he represent everything they’re trying to get away from? Still, at least he’s a new sculpt. As for Batman Beyond…it’s nice they’re reissuing him for those who missed him, but couldn’t we get some wings this time? Or at least a properly-colored batarang? To be honest, this is probably a better line-up than anyone was expecting for the new line, which makes me wonder if these particular figures had been slated for DCUC, not DCAS–much as the all-unique Demon and Penguin from wave one of DCUC seemed better suited to DC Super Heroes than the reuse-heavy DCUC.
  • New toys I’ve picked up recently: the Arkham City Robin/Joker 2-pack, the 6″ Walmart Captain America (movie version). Reviews forthcoming.
  • Check out this awesome guide to creating custom action figure backgrounds and dioramas by Matthew K at the Fwoosh. I tried to get Matt to write this up for PGPoA, actually, but the Fwoosh one was already in progress. Thanks to Battlegrip for the tip.
  • You may have noticed some new ads on the sidebar…or maybe you didn’t, if you use Adblock. Anyway, after several years of running this site entirely at my own expense (aside from some associate accounts and Google Ads, neither of which are particularly lucrative), I’ve decided that if I want to be able to support my hobby and keep up this blog, I’m going to need some sponsors. The one thing I can promise you is that I’ll only have advertisers whom I use myself and support. So please welcome BigBadToyStore and Thwipster, and welcome back EnchantedToyChest (who have a great-looking new site). If you would be kind enough to turn off Adblock on PGPoA I’d really appreciate it (I do that for the sites I visit regularly, believe it or not), but I’ll totally understand if you don’t want to.
  • Weirdo Toys has a great article on Brad Rader’s Battle Babies. Battle Babies are a line of custom toys featuring babies writing cyborg animals, Dino Riders-style. You can see more at Brad’s Flickr account, and even buy them at his Etsy page. Incidentally, Brad’s wife, the Geeky Vixen, is the editor-in-chief of Pendragon’s Post.
  • You may recall my cousin Ed and his reviews of Bif Bang Pow!’s Lost figures. What you may not know is he’s also a videogame reviewer for the Adrenaline Vault. He’s got a new review of Elder Scrolls: Skyrim out today–check it out! I’ll be getting my copy tomorrow. I hated Morrowind, but I got really into Oblivion, and it sounds like Skyrim only gets better.