- I recently got a new job. It’s a step up in a lot of ways, but starting next week, I’m going to be a hell of a lot busier. That means there are going to be some changes at PGPoA. Mostly, it means there will be a lot less news, since I won’t have the ability to respond as quickly as I have been over the last few years. Unless something is newsworthy enough to deserve its own post, I will be posting most of the news I come across in my Twitter feed, so you might want to consider bookmarking it. I hope to balance the lack of news with more features such as reviews, interviews, Show & Tell (about which I’m hoping to have something to announce soon), vintage line retrospectives and so forth.
- Fwoosh contributor Ibentmyman-thing (which is no doubt his pen name when he writes for the New York Times Book Review as well) has an editorial titled “The Appeal of Masters of the Universe.”
- This is only tangentially toy-related, inasmuch as videogames are toys, but I recently completed Assassin’s Creed (which, for all its flaws, I did like a lot) and am hoping for good reviews for the sequel, due out this month. But what really impressed me was this live-action short film based on the new game, the first of three. It’s being made using the same green screen/CGI technique used for 300, and yet I already like this 14-minute film more (which is to say at all).
- My review of the 6″ Ray Stantz will be up later this week, but in the meantime you can check out Michael Crawford’s review. Michael makes a great point in his review: Mattel should have put Peter Venkman much earlier in the line. Too many fans are holding off waiting for him. I think MC is right: if Mattel had released Peter first (or at least early on), they would have hooked more casual fans who might then decide to pick up the rest of the Ghostbusters. I think there will be fewer diehard fans who pick up the rest of the Ghostbusters while waiting for Peter.
dayraven
congratulations on the new job poe… so what are the new duties? i assume the new role comes w/ additional monies? that certainly can't hurt!
A.J
While it seems like a no-brainer to put Peter out early, I think everyone is forgetting about the length of time it took Mattel to get Bill Murray to sign off on the likenesss. That's the most likely reason Peter is coming out last. Hell, wasn't it still being hashed out by the time Comic Con '09 rolled around?
Paul
Congrats on the job!!!
Robzy
I really don't think we have to worry too much about the Ghostbusters line stopping all of a sudden, just because they don't sell out in one day… nobody's saying that about the Dark Knight or DCUC figures – and they're still going!!
I just think that the underestimated popularity (and subsequent quick sell out times) of the first few MOTUC figures this year, by Mattel, have caused a lot of fans to panic. People on He-man.org were saying "the line is now doomed" when Zodac didn't sell out in an hour! It's ridiculous… and I'm glad they're taking longer to sell out!
As for Ghostbusters, I can see why Matty didn't want to release Venkman straight away… it's a tease. You don't have to release the BEST figure first, because then people might not buy the rest – they might reason that they've got the one they really want, so the rest don't matter. Matty releasing the 2nd tier characters means that, hopefully, people are so entrenched in this line that by the time Venkman comes out, more money and more fans have been made. I doubt they're just gonna can the line so soon, after spending so much time/money getting the actors' likenesses. And I recently read that Sigourney Weaver just signed off on her likeness – so I think it's waaaayyy too soon to panic! 🙂
The Flash III
Good luck with the new job. I will miss checking the site 4-5 times a day. I will actually have to work instead–that's depressing.
George Cordova
@Poe: So i read the review and, the reader has a chance to give the figure a rating; would it be possible for you to do this on your reviews? It seems like it would help people buy figures or choose to pass.
Newton Gimmick
I would have made all four GBs right off. Then I would have went right into ghosts and secondary characters and included all the goodies with those characters.
PrfktTear
It seems like they deliberately made him last. While I myself don't really have a favorite, Peter Venkman I think is clearly a fan favorite. Like MC said, they could potentially lose a lot of sale with people waiting for peter. I would have made him at least second. How we've got to wait til next April/May for him. Thats a long gap between when Egon first went on sale. They're selling
DicklessWalter Peck before Peter? Whyyyyy?!?!?!?Motorthing
Good luck Poe.
Now Mattel…..about that Martian Manhunter for the DCUC line….
Philip Reed
Congratulations on the new job. I hope the step up also included an increase in pay.
Fengschwing
Congrats on the new job, I started one this week too, hope it goes well for you.