First off, my immense thanks to Doubledumbassonyou for kindly taking some photos of the Four Horsemen’s WWP booth for you to enjoy. Let’s all thank him and, more importantly, click the link and stop by his blog for a spell.
There wasn’t a whole lot of toy news from Mattel or the Four Horsemen, as they’re saving that up for SDCC, but I was able to dig up a few nuggets of information here and there. They also had prototypes of Teela, Webstor, and DCUC Question on display, as well as Egon and Ray from Ghostbusters. (You can find some photos of Teela in the gallery below, and visit Pendragon’s Post for more).
DDAOU says, “When I asked [the Four Horsemen] about [Ghostbuster Peter] Venkman, they said “it’s done, we just can’t find Bill [Murray] to approve it … he’s kind of squirrely when it comes to licensing.”
Meanwhile, over on the TNI forums, “The Great Bandito” gives this WWP report:
I spoke with Cornboy, told him how much I loved pretty much everything they do and then playfully tried to get some new info out of him.
1. He might have been wrong about release dates but he told me Hordak was June’s release, MAA was July’s, He-Ro was the con release, Tri-Klops was the August release, Teela was September’s, and Webstor would be October’s. He would not reveal November and December.
However he did say that November’s release would be a huge surprise that no one would see coming. He also went on to say that it should be more of a deluxe release. I don’t know what that means specifically and he would not elaborate. I think he realized that was something he shouldn’t have said and sort of clammed up after that.
2. The base body type for female characters in the MOTUC line were not the same as those used for DCUC. The completed Teela figure on display proof of this, as the hips are wider and the thighs thicker that the Hawkgirl figure also on display.
3. Webstor was also on display and looked fantastic. I did not ask any questions about him though.
4. Both of the 2-ups for Egon and Ray were on display, but not behind glass. They looked fantastic and you could see the articulation. They will not have all the same POA that DCUC and MOTUC have. He characterized them as more of a collectible piece and not toys.
5. Bill Murray has NOT yet officially approved his likeness. Cornboy told me that he heard Murray saw and liked the prototype but they need him to sign off before the figure can be made. There didn’t seem to be any worry in his voice about this and Mattel is going forward with production. Strangely enough, Dan Akroyd does have the legal authority to approve the figure although he won’t do so. The 2 up for Winston will be on display in San Diego.
6. The 12″ figures are NOT made by the Horsemen. In fact they had nothing to so with them. It’s all Mattel on them.
7. Even he has trouble finding DCUC at retail.
I did not attend any panel discussions b/c no one really shows up at WW Philly unfortunately. Case in point, DC and Marvel were both no-shows. I do have some pictures and will try to upload them later.
A “deluxe” November MOTUC figure no one will see coming? Let the fanboy speculation begin! Some He-Man.org readers are hoping for Count Marzo. Am I the only one who doesn’t find that guy very interesting? I mean, compared to lots of other possibilities…I’d love to see something like Eldor, Scare-Glow (with a clear body and a glow-in-the-dark skeleton), or Tytus or Megator.
The other really interesting news comes from NECA, who have acquired the rights to Bioshock. Having recently played the game for the first time, I can say I’m almost certainly in for at least one Big Daddy. They also got the rights to make figures of Army of Two.
According to this article, Randy Falk (NECA’s Director of Product Development and de facto spokesman) says that they’ve sold more Edward Cullen figures from Twilight than Marcus Fenixes from Gears of War. Given that the Twilight figures have been out for maybe six months and GoW first hit nearly two years ago, it looks like NECA has found a good way to stay afloat in these uncertain timesâ„¢. They’ve got the license to the sequel, too, so remember to thank Edward–and those legions of Twilight fans–when you’re opening your Bioshock Big Daddy.
Also, the second wave of Terminator 2 figures, which includes the ridiculously awesome T-800 with the shotgun, grenade launcher and minigun, hits in August. The second wave of Street Fighter figures, featuring Chun-Li, Akuma and Guile, will be out in July.
Marvel also had a panel that was all about the 6″ Marvel Legends, featuring Jesse Falcon. Three new Legends were revealed: Warpath, Multiple Man and Lady Bullseye(?). You can read a full report here. 16-18 6″ Legends next year? I’ll believe it when I see it, but if true, bravo, Hasbro.
Before I forget, my thoughts on Teela: It’s great that she comes with the 2002 sword. As sculpted, she’s a great update of the original figure, but I do hope she comes with the 2002 head. I’m curious to see her articulation in action, however, as she appears to be a bit more limited than her male counterparts (hard to tell from a proto, though).
