(Image from Toy News International)
There wasn’t a whole lot of new stuff at C2E2, but one thing we did see was the prototype for the Golden Age Batman, a figure in the upcoming Batman: Legacy sub-line by Mattel.
Looks great–and I’ll be getting it–but what I really want is that same figure with the yellow oval, to truly match Super Powers Batman. I prefer the lighter gray with the blue, rather than the darker gray used on the DCUC1 figure. Oh, and double-articulated knees and elbows, please.
Joe Amaro has been a fixture of the action figure community for years. Not only is he the Director of Product Development for Jazwares, but you’ve seen his customs in ToyFare magazine going all the way back to the 200X He-Man days. More recently, he’s been producing some of the most mouthwatering MOTUC customs you can imagine, including Skeletor’s Robot Knights, his Bone Throne, and of course, the amazing Castle Grayskull.
Today, Joe has graciously given PGPoA the exclusive reveal of his latest custom: MOTUC Ram-Man!
Here’s what Joe had to say about the process of making the figure:
The original idea was to use the DC Universe Kilowog as the base and try to keep as much of his proportions possible. But as I progressed and studied Ram-Man, it became obvious that I could not. Ram-Man is more stocky and more square. So I went with a mix of the vintage back art, the vintage toy and little of the 2002 version.
The main element that I wanted him to have was to be huge! I wanted him to look like a massive battering ram that would be used to breakdown castle doors. Plus I know when Matty makes him he will be a lot smaller.
In the end I only used some articulation points from Kilowog, mainly the arms, although I did bulk up his arms using Magic Sculpt. Other than that, it is an all-original sculpt using Sculpey and mainly Magic Sculpt.
There is a lot of anger among fans about King Hssss’s reversed shoulders. I was part of a Roast Gooble podcast the other day in which this topic was discussed at length (it’ll be posted later this week), but I think it was Val “JVS3” Staples who most accurately described my own feeling on the matter: fatigue. I just can’t muster the indignation this time. Part of it is because I managed to correct the problem, but part of it is just being tired of the drama surrounding this line of toys.
I’m tired of the QC mistakes, of course.
I’m also tired of the discussions about the mistakes, the price, the subscription, the Mattycollector website, the character selection, and the 200X/MOTUC arguments, all of which have been so negative in tone (on He-Man.org, here, and elsewhere) that it’s made me consider quitting PGPoA so I can enjoy my hobby in peace. Or at least dropping the news and figure reviews and focusing on articles about vintage lines, childhood memories, interviews and so forth. (more…)
Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!
As you will know if you’ve gone anywhere near He-Man.org in the last few days, King Hssss, like the first-release He-Man and Roboto before him, has reversed shoulders. Like Roboto, the shoulders were assembled correctly at the factory; the problem is the left and right shoulders were incorrectly stamped “L” and “R” (i.e., the right shoulder was stamped with “L”).
First off, a mea culpa: I didn’t notice the shoulders in my review of Hssss. What’s more, if I hadn’t read about it online, I’m fairly certain I never would have noticed. This is arguably a fault of mine as a reviewer: I’m more of a “big picture” type of person when it comes to toys, rather than getting into the minute details of the aesthetics of a sculpt. When I do get into the nitty-gritty, it tends to make me feel like one of those stereotypical nitpicking nerds you see on The Simpsons or Saturday Night Live. It also makes the reviews run really long, and long articles are something I try to avoid (this post being a bad example). (more…)
YouTube user actionthatsucks has created some parodies of vintage Masters of the Universe ads. The first one suggests a strong influence from the design team for Mattel’s other world-famous brand.
The second ad shines the spotlight on Mer-Man and his “secret sense of style.”
Thanks to Poester Coelho for the tip.
1.) The Batman : Legacy figures look great. Regarding Two-Face: will he come with an alternate, non-coin-holding right hand (hopefully one that can hold a gun)?
No.
2.) The Movie Masters figures tended to be in a slightly smaller, more “realistic-to-humans” scale than DCUC. Will the Arkham Asylum figures be closer to Movie Masters or DCUC, in terms of scale and style? (more…)
It’s King Hssss Day! If you’re still undecided about whether to order him, why not read my review?
Also on sale today:
And here’s the link to the all-in-one page.
Some collectors have been saying three reissues in one month is too much–mostly because it’s a financial burden. I see their point. But, does Mattel have an obligation to space out the reissues to help collectors manage their money better? I would think that as long as the reissues all sold, it’s a moot point; but perhaps multiple reissues favors the wealthier collectors?
OK, read carefully this time, folks.
Mattel traditionally gives humorous answers for their April 1 Ask Mattel, followed by the real answers the next day.
This time, I say we forego the real questions (and real answers) and ask some April 1-style questions of our own. So go wild. Now, I’ll tell you right now, I will not submit any questions like, “Where exactly does forcing fans to overpay for shoddy QC and unwanted paint schemes fit into your overall scheme for world domination?” or similarly bitchy snark. Not interested.
What I want to see is stuff like this:
Questions are due by 11:59pm Sunday, March 13.
So, the Man-E-Faces color vote is over, and as expected, half/flesh-half/orange won. I voted for half-and-half back when the poll started. It was my first instinct upon being told about it at Toy Fair, and I didn’t question it at that time.
But I’ve changed my mind. It’s not that I specifically wish one of the other choices had won, but rather, I think either of the other choices should have won. This should have been an either-or situation. (more…)
