Odds ‘n Ends

November 25, 2008 | Poe

ODD: Not too much to discuss today…just trying to survive until the four-day weekend. Come this time next week, PGPoA–and the Poe household–will be in full holiday mode.

END: The DCUC Toys ‘R Us two-packs have started to show up, which is just a bit earlier than I predicted (early December). The only set I’m praying I ever see in person is the Orion/Lightray one, but there’s also a Batgirl/Azrael set (both of whom were previously released) and one with Hal Jordan (in his first appearance duds) and Abin Sur. (more…)

News round-up, 11/24/08

November 24, 2008 | Poe
  • Diamond Comics will be offering pre-orders for sets of DCUC action figures, much like online retailers have been doing for months now. (Toynewsi)
  • Better photos of Revenge of the Fallen Soundwave figure. I love how nerds are avoiding this “spoiler” like the plague. Look, it’s just a toy–it’s not going to give away the plot at all. And it’s a a toy of a robot from a sequel to a movie based on toy robots. Did you really enjoy Transformers enough that you can’t bear the thought of knowing what happens in the sequel? Here’s a hint: there are robots who turn into things, they fight, and stuff blows up. (Tformers.com)
  • G.I. Joe Hard Master review and modern Blowtorch revealed (Hisstank.com)
  • Hot Toys announces license for movie Hellboy 12″ figures, rendering all previous 12″ Hellboy figures worthless (Figures.com)
  • Spock is dead on. Kirk looks like the dad from Flight of the Navigator. William Shatner and Bruce Campbell–two men whose faces are just impossible to capture in plastic, for some reason.
  • MOTUC He-Man and Beast Man go on sale one week from today…

Ask Matty round-up, 11/17/08

November 17, 2008 | Poe

I decided to skip this round of Ask Matty (mostly to wait for the announcement of Wave 8, so I could ask questions about that). Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the next round won’t be until December 15.

Other sites had a few questions for this round, though. (more…)

5 Questions with > Rob Bricken of Topless Robot

November 12, 2008 | Poe

Codename: Rob Bricken
Specialty: Writer/editor
Base of Operations: Topless Robot
History: Rob Bricken was a normal, nerdy teen who simply enjoyed anime, comic books and terrible science fiction and fantasy novels in reasonable amounts until the new Star Wars figures came out in 1995. This set Rob down a dark path of insane toy collecting, which led to him waking up at 5 am on Saturdays, during college, to wait outside Toys R Us for the possibility of buying a Rancor Master figure. At a certain point, Rob realized his toy obsession had reached Trainspotting/heroin addiction-like proportions, and decided he want to know the touch of a woman again, and gave it up.

Unfortunately, he was almost immediately hired as an Associate Editor of ToyFare magazine in 2001; however, by forswearing all Star Wars figures, he managed to keep his toy-buying at a reasonable level. As Rob was the only person at Wizard Entertainment who knew why Goku’s hair sometimes turned yellow in Dragonball Z, he was put in charge of Anime Insider magazine, which he edited until 2006.

After a doomed, duplicitous internet venture, Rob was hired by Village Voice Media for incredibly low pay to create, write and edit ToplessRobot.com, the internet’s 466th most popular site for nerd news and humor, covering movies, games, anime, comics, acts of nerdery, and whatever Rob finds himself able to rant about. Since he has no other job, he tends to write for it all day, as well as editing feature-length Daily Lists of various nerd interest and discussion. Topless Robot receives about a million visitors per month, and has been mentioned by Gawker, Wired, Defamer, New York magazine, and several other far more popular and influential websites.

PG: What were your favorite toys or toy lines when you were growing up?

RB: I’ve always been a big Star Wars fan, but Masters of the Universe was my obsession as a kid (and pretty much now). The incredible variety of characters, designs, and action features just captivated me. Between my younger brother and myself, we had just about everything in the line. I honestly feel MotU is more than the sum of its parts; by having all of them, it was something far more unique and special than Transformers, G.I. Joe or even Star Wars. (more…)

MOTUC He-Man and Beast Man advance review

November 10, 2008 | Poe

Spy Magician over at Action Figure Insider has earned my lifelong enmity for somehow getting his hands on early samples of He-Man and Beast Man from Masters of the Universe Classics (available for order on Mattycollector.com December 1st). You can read his review here.

I think the figures look great–they’re everything I’ve wanted into a MOTU revamp. While I’d have to give NECA’s TMNT or DCUC Deathstroke the edge for Action Figure of the Year, I think it’s arguable that MOTUC He-Man is the finest representation of the concept of an action figure ever created. He’s der uberaktionfigur.

Hmmm, OK, on second thought, applying that term to what is arguably an Aryan stereotype complete with an Iron Cross on his chest is a bit un-PC. Sorry about that. But it was fun to look up the German word for action figure.

MOTUC packaging revealed

November 3, 2008 | Poe

Mattel has posted photos of He-Man and Beast Man in their Masters of the Universe Classics packaging. Check ’em out here!

Mattel announces NYCC ’09 exclusive: MOTUC Faker!

October 30, 2008 | Poe

Believe it or not, I came across this on Mattycollector.com without encountering it on any other website or forum. Weird.

I know many of us–myself included–would like to see a more Terminator-esque Faker one day, but I’m more than happy to get this one, too.

There’s a chance I may even get to go to NYCC next year, so I may just get this guy in person.

(more…)

Ask Mattel > September 15 Edition

September 15, 2008 | Poe

Poe Ghostal: Are earlier versions of characters, such as a Dick Grayson Robin, a possibility for inclusion in DCUC?

Mattel’s Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. “ToyGuru”: Yes.

Does Mattel still plan to get DCUC waves 4-6 out by Christmas? (more…)