Hi-Res ThunderCats Pics
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.
Odds ‘n Ends > October 19, 2011
Today’s Odds ‘n Ends is sponsored by the letter Ω, who surprisingly had a PayPal account.
- The Spawn Message Board was taken down last Friday. Rustin Parr of OAFE has written an excellent obituary here. His comment that the Spawn Board was the birthplace of the online toy collecting community is only mildly hyperbolic–I certainly got my start there, and many other well-known online toy personalities, such as Michael Crawford, congregated there in the late ’90s. I invented the pseudonym “Poe Ghostal” for that board, way back in 1999. Of course, I hadn’t visited the board in years–ever since McFarlane Toys began its long slide into sports and statuism after the Spawn lines of the early 2000s (with the one positive blip being Halo)–but the board’s demise is still worth some brief reflection.
- Diamond Select has created a rather awesome “Mini-Mation” video starring their pirate-themed “Calico Jack” Minimates.
- ItsAllTrue.net has a great review of the TRU-exclusive 1970s-style Arkham City Batman (it comes free with a purchase of the game at TRU, or, like me, you can buy it separately for $14.99). Of course, the actual 1970s game skin is a completely unique model, not just some new graphics over the regular suit…
- BigBadToyStore has two major new exclusive G.I. Joe 7-Packs: Slaughter’s Marauders and the Dreadnoks. You can save $10 if you buy both sets together. The sets include a mix of new figures and repaints.
- Bandai let me know they’re having a Ben 10 Sweepstakes. Kids can enter the contest by submitting codes from Ben 10 toys to helpben10.com. The winner gets an all-expenses paid trip for three to London to ride the Ben 10: Ultimate Mission roller coaster at the Drayton Manor Theme Park in Tamworth, Staffordshire — plus the winner will have a bonus chance to win $10,000 on top of the grand prize. So if you’ve got a child, grandchild, or nephew or niece who’s really into Ben 10, be sure to mention it to ’em.
Odds ‘n Ends for September 15, 2011
- Mattel has announced they’ll be re-opening the subscriptions for two weeks, from tomorrow, Friday, September 16th at 9 a.m. PT through Monday, October 3rd at 11:59 p.m. PT. If you don’t get the Club Infinite Earths subscription, the regular figures will cost $18 instead of $15 on sale day, and the oversize will cost $45(!) instead of $30. The 50% markup on the oversized figures is probably where they’re making up most of the 40% shortfall on the subscriptions. (I realize some of you may prefer to interpret it as Mattel being an evil money-grubbing monstrosity. To each their own.)
- What struck me was the fact that apparently the prices on non-sub, sale day MOTUC figures will also be going up in 2012. That’s the first price increase we’ve seen on MOTUC since 2008. While a lot of people have been expecting this for some time, I suspect the excrement will still strike the propeller, at least marginally.
- There will also be a new subscription for the MOTUC 30th Anniversary figures. It’s a standalone sub you can purchase whether or not you purchase the standard MOTUC sub. The good news is it looks like they’ve managed to squeeze Fearless Photog into it, which at one point was questionable.
- I doubt I need to recommend that my readers visit ItsAllTrue.net, as I suspect they already do, but I did want to highlight Noisy’s review of the SDCC Classics Lion-O. It’s a good read for those of you who are curious how these figures stack up against MOTUC.
Pic of the Day > Lizard by GogDog
Review > 4″ Tygra (Thundercats, Bandai)
The new ThunderCats cartoon is possibly the best revamp of a 1980s property yet–better than the 2003 Masters of the Universe, better than any of the recent Transformers series, even better than G.I. Joe: Resolute. It takes the elements of the original series and remixes them into a show that is both warmly familiar, yet has its own identity.
Those of us steeped in decades of geek culture (and let’s face it, that’s most of us) might notice borrowed sights and plot devices from The Lord of the Rings movies, James Cameron’s Avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender and many other shows and movies, but the strong vocal cast and artistic style overcome any weakness of storytelling. What’s more, the show isn’t afraid to offer shades of gray, making it clear that the ThunderCats, as the dominant society, may be guilty of racism and repression.
One character who was rather significantly altered in the new show is Tygra. In the 1980s ‘toon, Tygra was Lion-O’s second-in-command. He was also, well, kind of boring. In the 2011 ThunderCats, Tygra (voiced by videogame and anime veteran Matthew Mercer) is Lion-O’s adopted older brother and rival for their father’s affection. Though more responsible and less hot-headed than Lion-O, Tygra is also more close-minded and tends to doubt Lion-O’s ability to lead (with admittedly good reason–Lion-O makes a childish misstep in the pilot episode that, handled responsibly, could have averted a terrible fate).
Bandai is offering the new ThunderCats in two styles: a 4″ line and a 6″ line (in addition to an 8″ collectors’ line based on the 1980s show). I haven’t found any of these figures at retail here in New England yet, but Bandai was kind enough to send along a 4″ Tygra as a review sample. (more…)
Bandai’s MonsterArts Godzilla goes on a rampage
First off, all credit to Newton Gimmick of Infinite Hollywood for finding this.
This commercial was made entirely using Bandai’s upcoming Bandai S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla figure, which is Bandai’s answer to the Revoltech monsters like Baragon and Anguirus of last year. There’s also going to be a MonsterArts MechaGodzilla, but it’s the boring 1994 version. I dearly hope Bandai expands into some of the Showa-era monsters of the 1950s-1970s as well.
Power-Con/ThunderCon Update
The folks behind Power-Con/ThunderCon send along this press release. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it–thus is the price of living on the other side of the continent. But it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.
July 18, 2011 – Three of the 1980s most blockbuster properties are joining forces for their first ever fan convention. Power-Con, LLC is proud to present POWER-CON / THUNDERCON — a celebration of Masters of the Universe, Princess of Power, and ThunderCats all together for one great fan convention.
The convention is being presented at the Four Points LAX in Los Angeles, California, on September 24th and 25th 2011. Reduced ticket pricing is available through September 1st 2011 (1-day pass: $20/person, 2-day pass: $30/person) and kids 12 and under get in free with paying adult. For fans wanting more, a Power Package bundle is available that includes exclusive convention memorabilia. There is also a Roast Gooble Dinner Package which offers a limited number of fans the rare opportunity to dine with celebrity guests from the show.
Guests include Larry DiTillio, writer of numerous He-Man and She-Ra episodes and developer of She-Ra; Don Glut, writer of the original He-Man mini comics; Michael Halperin, writer of the original Masters of the Universe series bible; Larry Kenney, the original voice actor for ThunderCat’s Lion-O; Roger Lay Jr., filmmaker of the upcoming Toy Masters documentary; Ted Mayer, one of the original designers of the Masters of the Universe toy line; Mattel, creators of the original He-Man and She-Ra toy lines and current producer of MattyCollector.com’s Masters of the Universe Classics; Earl Norem, painter of the iconic He-Man magazine; and Dean Stefan, lead story editor of the 2002 He-Man series on Cartoon Network. But, that’s not all! Our complete guest list can be found online at: http://www.thepower-con.com/guest-list/
For more information on Power-Con / ThunderCon 2011 and all of its offerings, please visit http://www.thepower-con.com
Pic of the Day > With Swords of Laser Light by Raichu 08
Toys R Us Announces SDCC Exclusives
Toys R Us has announced their SDCC exclusives for this year, and they’re kind of awesome.
Did I say kind of? I meant totally.
- Exclusive 8″ Classics Thundercasts Lion-O with metallic finish
- Bizarro vs. Faker MOTUC 2-pack
- Jazwares 6″ Mortal Kombat Dark Raiden
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Minimates
- And more that I care a bit less about, but you can see for yourself below.
Best of all, these figures will be available on TRU’s website as well as SDCC. Check out all the pics after the jump! (more…)