March 2, 2009 | Poe
Poe Ghostal reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics Stratos Mattycollector.com exclusive figure. Excerpt: “…. he looks a lot better with the wings in front of his arms.”
Michael Crawford reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics Stratos Mattycollector.com exclusive figure. Excerpt: “While Stratos might have his own individual problems, I have to say that this line is a tremendously fun series of toys.”
Michael Crawford (part 2) reviews the Sideshow Collectibles Indiana Jones Dr. René Belloq Sideshow exclusive 1/6-scale figure from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Excerpt: “Perhaps more interesting than the figure itself is the Fertility Idol Environment that the exclusive version came with.” (more…)
February 26, 2009 | Poe
Michael Crawford reviews the Hasbro Marvel Legends Icons Dark Phoenix, Colossus, Daredevil and Nightcrawler figures. Excerpt: “At twenty bucks a piece, I’m not going to complain too much.”
Monkey Boy reviews the Hasbro Spider-Man Venom (Mac Gargan version) figure. Excerpt: “Venom is just a solid, well-sculpted, well-articulated figure with a lot of play value.”
yo go re reviews the Hasbro Star Wars Comic Packs Grand Admiral Thrawn and Talon Karrde two-pack from Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. Excerpt: “Both these guys deserved new figures (or a first figure, in Karrde’s case), and you can get them for a good price with this two-pack.” (See also.)
Engineernerd reviews the Hasbo Star Wars The Legacy Collection Jawa and WED Treadwell Droid set. Excerpt: “… overall a well done pair.” (more…)
February 24, 2009 | PrfktTear
Throughout its history, Transformers has had many incarnations, but one character is always prominent in them all: Optimus Prime. From the first time we heard him say “Transform and ROLL OUT!”, generations of kids have been inspired by the Big Bot.
Over the years Optimus has taken many forms, from his familiar trailer truck, a fire truck, or a pick-up truck, to some bizarre forms like Nike sneakers and out-of-this-world Cybertronian based vehicles. Regardless of his alternate mode, he always seems to have the same general look, and is arguably the most instantly recognizable Transformer of all. (more…)
February 23, 2009 | Poe
Koh Yong Qiang reviews the Medicom Toy Real Action Heroes Street Fighter Chun-Li 1/6-scale figure. Excerpt: “Medicom had sculpted all-new leg parts for her to recreate the Thunder Thighs’ that the First Lady of Fighting Games is so famous for.” (See also.)
Poe Ghostal reviews the Mattel Masters of the Universe Classics Faker New York Comic Con and Mattycollector.com exclusive figure. Excerpt: “… he’s just a repaint …”
Michael Crawford reviews the Mezco Toyz Cinema of Fear Leatherface (stylised version) figure from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Excerpt: “There’s something goofy yet gruesome about the design, creating an almost cute look but without losing the basic gory concept.”
Rustin Parr reviews the JUN Planning Nightmare Before Christmas Pumpkin King figure. Excerpt: “… NECA’s really outshone JUN’s … Still, I cannot not love this figure!” (more…)
February 20, 2009 | Poe
Now here’s a clever idea: take the creativity of the urban vinyl movement and merge it with classic properties like My Little Pony.
I realize that’s not quite what’s going on here, but if Hasbro’s smart, they’ll start hiring artists to design collector-oriented MLPs. The generic form of the ponies is perfect for it.
There’s already an active community of artists doing this sort of thing–check this out.
February 19, 2009 | Poe
Michael Crawford reviews the Diamond Select Toys Ultimate Quarter Scale Han in Hoth Gear figure from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Excerpt: “… I had my hopes up that he’d be the ONE, the Neo of the line.”
Michael Crawford reviews the Mezco Toyz Cinema of Fear Jason Voorhees (hockey mask version) 7-inch figure from Friday the 13th (2009 remake). Excerpt: “Mezco has done a nice job packing in some useful weapons for Jason, as he hacks his way through your display shelf.”
Rustin Parr reviews the JUN Planning Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Skellington figure. Excerpt: “While paint and sculpt put NECA’s to shame, the lack of thigh and especially bicep articulation really, really limit this figure.” (more…)
February 19, 2009 | PrfktTear
Toy Fair was last weekend, and all the toy companies were showing off all the new stuff we’ll covet and want to buy. It’s a little overwhelming, so Poe has asked me to highlight some of the good stuff coming out this year from Hasbro.
Hasbro has a LOT on their plate. Not only do they have Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen coming out in June, they also have Transformers: Animated, as well as the Universe/Classics/25th Anniversary line to show off as well. (more…)
February 18, 2009 | Poe
[Well, the whole “new review format” went over like a lead balloon with you guys. This review may read more like the newer format, but that’s only because I already did the definitive long-winded Wolverine figure review years ago. (more…)
February 16, 2009 | Poe
Sanjeev reviews the Kridana Epic Ramayana Series Hanuman figure. Excerpt: “This particular toy holds a lot of meaning for me.” (See also.)
Michael Crawford reviews the Hasbro Marvel Universe Iron Man, Punisher, Black Panther and Wolverine figures. Excerpt: “Iron Man is the outstanding figure …”
Michael Crawford reviews the Hasbro Marvel Universe Silver Surfer, Human Torch, Spider-man and Daredevil figures. Excerpt: “The figures themselves, even with the leg articulation limitation, are really fun little toys.” (more…)
February 13, 2009 | Rustin Parr
Note: the opinions of Rustin Parr do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Poe Ghostal.
With NYCC a few days behind us and Toy Fair a few days ahead, I find myself caught up in the tumultuous whirlwind of being a collector and fan of Mattel’s DC Universe Classics toy line. Wave 9 was revealed at NYCC, which is actually quite darn remarkable considering the series only launched little more than a year ago. However, despite its clear success, DCUC has been plagued by two issues almost from the get-go. In riffing on Toybiz/Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line, not only did Mattel come up with some inventively clever nomenclature (Classics vs. Legends, Collect-n-Connect vs. Build-a-Figure – “what marketing whiz came up with that one,” asks Mr. Seinfeld) they took up the mantle of poor Quality Control. And while I often must buy and return multiple figures before I get a decent enough paint job to open/keep, the real thing that’s got me going tonight is their so-called distribution. (more…)
