Ask Mattel > Answers for March 1

March 1, 2011 | Poe

1.) Elvis8Batman asks: DCUC. Do you plan on completing both the young sidekick versions of the Teen Titans team and the older Perez era version of the team as at the moment they are half and half?

Ideally, in time, we’ll get to both.

2.) RM asks: As a huge Shawn Michaels fan, and a fan of your fantanstic Elite-style WWE figures, I’ve been very much looking forward to adding a Mattel Shwn Michaels to my collection. One thing however has prevented me from doing so; the complete lack of chest hair on every Shawn Michaels figure to date. Shawn’s chest hair (and stubble) are trademark aspects of his “look”, and his figures just don’t look right without. Is there any chance that future Shawn Michaels figures going forward may have paint applications to correct this, to give fans the accruate figures that they desire? (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends (+ Sword of Ages update)

March 1, 2011 | Poe

  • As some of you know, Ecrater accidentally oversold the Sword of Ages and the Dread Axe of Darkness during the last sale. I chose to honor those sales and requested replacement ones from SMC (after contacting the individuals to make sure they didn’t mind waiting); the replacements arrived over the weekend, but our apartment got flooded AGAIN (fifth time in five years) on Sunday, so there’s going to be a bit of a delay while all that gets in order. I apologize for the wait.
  • As I mentioned last week, I’m a guest on this week’s OrccaCast. Tune in to hear some more stories from my time at Toy Fair, speculation on the “secret accessories” for Man-E-Faces and Megator, and find out what this is!
  • I didn’t realize that the guy who got picked to direct the next G.I. Joe movie, Jon M. Chu, directed the Justin Bieber movie (as well as two Step Up sequels). Here’s my take on it, though. Of course it could totally suck, but karmically, I’m thinking it might just turn out okay. Plenty of directors got their start directing forgettable movies (or rather music videos, which is really more in line with what Chu was directing).* I guess I’m just saying I’m giving Chu the benefit of the doubt. Of course, I really should see the first G.I. Joe movie at some point.
  • Remember, the Scarabus 10-pack goes up for preorder tonight at 9pm EST. I’d planned to get you guys a review of the Toypocalypse Scarabus, but the aforementioned flooding interfered. Fortunately, I found this review on YouTube for you.

* On the other hand, the two directors who come immediately to mind as having started their careers in music videos are Michael Bay and McG, so I could be very, very wrong about this.

Bastards of the Universe > “Serve the servant”

February 28, 2011 | googum


Most poison doesn’t work that way: eating a little every day doesn’t build up your immunity, it just lodges in your liver or whatever until it kills you. Well, kills you, Conan’s made of sterner stuff than that.

I think I’ve eaten veal twice in my life, and it might be cruel and inhumane and mean but by gum it’s tasty. I’m not a ‘foodie’ or whatever, but am an unrepentant carnivore. That said, I was thinking about looking for toys and getting Taco Bell for lunch, and that’s barely meat, right? Pretty sure vegans can eat there now…

Review > Bow (Masters of the Universe Classics)

February 28, 2011 | Poe

[Poe’s note: Welcome to the new look for our reviews! Much thanks to OB1 for helping put this together.]

Just as Teela was the token woman among the mostly sausage-fest that was the Heroic Warriors, Bow represents the token man in the Great Rebellion (unless you count Kowl, I guess…and I think Swiftwind might be a dude…). Having never watched She-Ra, I can’t say I have an attachment to the character. But I have an attachment to Masters of the Universe Classics, so, here we are.

Pic via He-Man.org

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The original Bow figure wasn’t that impressive. As part of the Princess of Power line, he lacked the insanely-muscled physique of the vintage MOTU figures, reminding those boys who were interested in POP that the line wasn’t really meant for them. That said, Bow is arguably a forerunner of the New Adventures of He-Man toyline, which featured more realistic anatomical proportions. That’s probably why MOTUC Bow’s legs, particularly his boots, are quite obviously based not on Bow’s vintage figure, but on NA He-Man. (And now that I’ve gotten a better look at them, his gauntlets appear to be based on NA He-Man’s as well.)

For MOTUC, Bow has been updated to match the house style, meaning he finally gets to show off his abs like all the other dudes.

(more…)

Mr. Potato Head drops weight, goes from spud to stud

February 27, 2011 | Poe

I missed this at Toy Fair, but apparently Hasbro unveiled a brand-new, slimmed down Mr. Potato Head called “Active Adventures Mr. Potato Head.” I’m all for encouraging kids to exercise more, but are we really going to blame the traditional Mr. Potato Head for encouraging childhood obesity?

That’s not fair. I’m making a logical fallacy here–just because Hasbro is introducing this “Active” Mr. Potato Head doesn’t mean they think the old MPH is a (ahem) couch potato. But still, this seems a bit like an excuse just to sell the public another Mr. Potato Head toy–and grab some good PR while they’re at it.

Also: maybe I’m just resistant to change, but I don’t like the pants. They look like maternity pants. The pants make him look fatter. Are we to assume that the classic MPH is so fat his pants are riding so low on his waistline only his shoes are visible? Or has he suddenly become sensitive about his spudity? I mean, nudity.

On a final note, who would you rather hang out with–MPH or NPH?

(Thanks to PrfktTear for the heads-up on this.)

Scarabus goes up for pre-order this Tuesday, March 1

February 26, 2011 | Poe

The 10-pack of the long, long-awaited Scarabus figure from the Four Horsemen’s FANtastic Exclusive goes up for pre-order this Tuesday. (I own the black/white variants from the Toypocalypse event, and they’re on my long, long list of backlogged reviews.) Looks like the figures themselves will arrive in June.

Details after the jump. (more…)