–ODD–
NECA is making both a Rambo figure from the first film and an Atlas figure from Portal 2.
It’s very cool we’re getting a figure from the first film, but as anyone who’s seen that movie knows, it’s as much a study in PTSD as an action film. I think everyone’s expecting/hoping for a figure of Rambo from the more-fun-if-far-more-jingoistic Rambo II – which, personally, I will use to make a custom of Weird Al as he appeared in the Rambo dream sequence in UHF. (more…)
–ODD–
I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated with anything aside from photos and Toy Aisle Trolls. I think I really needed the break from the site. I’m planning to slowly get back into the swing of things. (more…)
LOT of ground to cover today folks, so let’s get right to it.
–ODD–
Phil Reed of Battlegrip recently posted “Five Reasons Why Action Figures Cost More Today.” Phil knows what he’s talking about and you should check out the whole thing, which focuses largely on economic factors such as rising labor and materials costs. But one thing that interested me was the first comment on the post, which mentioned the declining birthrate in Western countries. That reminded me of this post by Richard Gottlieb that I read recently, “U.S. Birthrate Plummets; Look for Fewer Children in Four Years.” Richard begins the article with, “If there was ever a case to be made for marketing toys to adult end users…” Hasbro has clearly embraced this idea, but if I had to guess I’m willing to bet there’s still a struggle going on at Mattel between the generations over how to approach the collectors’ market. (more…)
–ODD–
Ron English is an artist of many mediums whose work includes a number of vinyl figures and toys. One of his upcoming toy lines is “Dead Toy Soldiers,” which features what looks like typical plastic toy soldiers, but they’re, well, dead.
Benny Kline at Tenacious Toys has a thoughtful post where he discusses his internal debate about whether to carry these in his store. (more…)
The Four Horsemen are once again selling holiday editions of their Outer Space Men figures. The current set includes the Cyclops, Gemini and Orbitron.
Mattel released the packaging photo and bio for Jitsu earlier this week. Evidently Jitsu runs Snake Mountain after Skeletor leaves for space, which seems kind of out of left field to me. Was this solely for the “iron fist” joke? Because his fist is golden. Says right on the bio. (more…)
–I’m going to stop posting these as lists, because I want a little more room to work, add some images and whatnot.
–Mattel will be having another of their Black Friday sales. This one actually begins today at 12pm ET and will continue for six days, ending next Tuesday at noon ET. There will be savings of up to 30% off and Monday apparently will have flash sales and “special pricing.”
–Speaking of Mattycollector, BigBadToyStore has a “warehouse find” of some Mattycollector items, including the Wonder Twins and the Adam Strange/Starfire 2-pack. It’s unclear to me whether this was a warehouse find by BBTS or Mattel, but given the fact it’s a pre-order, I would assume Mattel. Not sure why they’re not just selling them at the Black Friday sale. Weird. There’s also an Infinite Heroes 4-pack if you’ve grown tired of throwing cash into open flames and want some variety in how you waste it. (more…)
That’s right – Odds ‘n Ends is back! I’ve just got too much stuff to write about and don’t want to spam your RSS reader with a slew of Sightings posts, so instead I present the return of O&E.
Also, because I eliminated the discussion board, I thought I’d try creating a “weekend discussion thread” and see if it appealed to anyone. So feel free to post about any (toy-related) topic you want in the comments below.
Anyway, on the odds and ends.
Megacon 2012 by ArmoredFoe, on Flickr
