No Questions for Mattel

January 31, 2012 | Poe

Though I know it will cost me some traffic, I’ve decided to stop submitting questions to Mattel for the time being.

There are a few reasons for this, but the two main ones are:

1.) Too frequently, the answers are evasive or unsubstantial. (Besides, many times the same questions get asked by other sites anyway.)

2.) And yes, it’s a little bit because I was miffed by this. If that makes me seem petty, so be it. But at some point you’re done baling and you’ve reached the last straw, y’know?

That’s not to say that something could change–I’m more than willing to listen to some positive outreach from Mattel. But for now, I’m going to focus on getting more interviews with other industry players, like the upcoming pieces I have with the folks behind Battlegrip and October Toys.

If you have questions you really want to ask Mattel, there are many, many other sites that do the Q&As (and more every month).

Review > King Grayskull (Reissue) (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

January 31, 2012 | Poe

The second version of King Grayskull was released on November 15, 2010, making this easily my most-delayed review of a MOTUC figure. I didn’t even get around to opening him until I started this review. That’s mostly because I prefer the original King Grayskull (my review) and I wasn’t I even wanted to keep this version (but ultimately, being a completist–aside from the DC vs. MOTU sets–I have).

With the upcoming Temple of Darkness Sorceress convention exclusive with the pedestal for the Orb of Sparkle Crest, I decided it was time to open up ol’ D’Vann. (more…)

A Few More Spy Monkey Armory Pics

January 31, 2012 | Poe

I didn’t even realize that the Spy Monkey Armory came with a plug that could be used on Roboto, Trap Jaw and Hurricane Hordak until after I’d taken most of my photos for my review, so here are a few new ones.

One important thing to note is that the plug itself (which is larger than the standard Glyos plug) doesn’t have to be plugged in to the dome-shaped part; it’s removable, with a Glyos Fit Function plug on the other side.

I really like the lightsaber-style effect you get with the translucent blue blade for Trap Jaw.

Moguera & Baby Godzilla join the S.H.MonsterArts lineup

January 28, 2012 | Poe

I’ve been trying to figure out what Tamashii Nations is–evidently they’re “an umbrella label encompassing Japan’s top collectible brands” and, as far as I can tell, they’re run by Bandai.

Anyway, the Tamashii Nations Facebook page has posted new pics of the S.H.MonsterArts Moguera and Baby Godzilla figures. For those who don’t know, S.H.MonsterArts (SHM) is a line of 6″ scale, fully-articulated Godzilla figures. (I’ll be reviewing Godzilla and Mechagodzilla in the near future–once I get through the mass of MOTUC reviews I have on deck.) (more…)

Contest Updates > Odds ‘n Ends, Identify the Toy

January 28, 2012 | Poe

One of the runner-ups to the Odds ‘n Ends contest emailed me to point out I said I’d mail a Sword of Ages to the runner-up. I completely, totally forgot about that, and I apologize. I’ve contacted the runners-up for their addresses and will mail them their swords ASAP.

Also, there’s the Identify the Toy contest. I received one–ONE–entry, which makes me very sad. Fortunately the sender, Josh Flood, got it exactly right:

Ok, so I saw that foot and immediately remembered the toy as a kid. I’m 90% sure that it is the Robotech Zentraedi Powered Armor Botoru through Matchbox. It was released a few times in the 80’s and 90’s. I think the first time was 1986, then again through exo squad by playmates in 1994 or 1995.

So, I’m making three changes for the next round.

1.) At the suggestion of a Twitter follower I’m still trying to find, I’m renaming it “Figure It Out.”

2.) You now only need to name the toy, not the line, manufacturer and so forth. If multiple people get it right, I will pick a winner at random from the correct guesses.

3.) I will also send a Poe Prize to the most funny, creative, or otherwise interesting guess I receive. If you have no idea what the toy is, just go wild and make something up. Perhaps a long-winded description of the imaginary toy it belongs to, complete with a company history. Or a haiku about how you have no idea what it is.

Featured Review > Spy Monkey Armory Series 1 (Spy Monkey Creations)

January 27, 2012 | Poe

Full disclosure: this review will not be entirely objective, because I consider the SMC folks to be my friends. After all, they created both the Dread Axe of Darkness and the Sword of Ages as exclusives for PGPoA.

Fortunately, they’ve created such an incredibly awesome product that I feel no guilt in my enthusiasm.

Up until now, SMC’s accessories have always been produced on a very small scale using resin. The toys were great, but the production runs were small and expensive. But that’s all changed. SMC Series 1 was produced in a factory using durable PVC plastic to create a professional-looking product. (more…)

Mattel Gets Positively Chatty

January 27, 2012 | Poe

Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. “ToyGuru” of Mattel was posting quite a bit on the Mattycollector forums last night.

First up is this new “director’s commentary” on the Masters of the Universe Classics line, starting with King Grayskull. This seems like a neat, fun idea. There’s no real new info here–most of this has been hashed out before in interviews and so forth–but I’ll be interested to see the discussions of later figures. (more…)