Interview > Ed Speir IV, Toy Photographer

August 13, 2012 | Poe

Ed Speir IV

Specialty: Toy collector and photographer; film collector and watcher
Base of Operations: Located in Jackson, GA. My toy/figure photography can be seen here.
Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25335276@N02/
History: Long-time collector of toys/figures/statues; a sickness inherited from my father I believe (I would guess my father has one of the largest privately-owned toy collections in the US with 30,000-35,000 individual figures/vehicles/playsets). I am also a huge film and anime fan with over 2,000 DVDs/Blu-Rays in my collection. Married with one daughter.

1.) When did you first start first start taking photos of toys, and why?

I began photographing toys somewhere in 2003-2004 I believe. It all started with the now-extinct Spawn.com forum page. I was an avid collector of anything McFarlane/Spawn-related and decided to start photographing my purchases for the various “new haul” threads on the Spawn.com forum. I had a cheap 3.1 megapixel Kodak camera and started shooting pics of figures just sitting on my desk – no backdrop, special lighting or tripod, etc. to post on the forum. Over time, it slowly evolved into setting up shots in front of black poster board, which then evolved into getting a light tent and lighting, which then evolved into setting up backgrounds and dioramas, etc.

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Dave and Devall’s Toys and Collectibles Episode 33: A chat with Poe Ghostal

August 10, 2012 | Poe

I was completely remiss in not mentioning that I was a guest this week on Dave and Devall’s Toys and Collectibles, a great podcast by the guys at Toy World Order. (The show was recorded Monday night, before the Mattycollector subscriptions were announced.) You can check out the podcast here.

The boys are back for Episode 33! This week they talk about Devall’s feelings on MOTU Classics and the bad side of the MOTU fandom until they are joined by the LEGENDARY toy blogger Poe Ghostal as they continue their talk about MOTU Classics and more before they answer YOUR questions and introduce an all-new weekly segment called Thought’s with A. Das Baron! So grab a stool and saddle up to the toy bar!

Forgotten Lore > SOTA’s Micronauts (w/ Jerry Macaluso interview)

August 9, 2012 | Poe

Forgotten Lore is a feature that highlights unproduced toy lines. For more, see the archive.

Baron Karza prototype, by SOTA Toys

In 2005 the toy company SOTA, best known for their 6″ Street Fighter toy line (still one of the best 1/12 lines ever made), announced they’d scored the rights to the classic vintage property Micronauts and would be producing 6″ figures based on the characters. After viewing some beautiful prototypes, fans eagerly awaited their release…but sadly, the line was not to be. (more…)

Joe Amaro’s Manta Raider: Power-Con sale information

August 9, 2012 | Poe

I’m trying to take a break from all things MOTUC for a week or two, post-Subpocalypse – just want to get away from the topic for a bit – but when Power Pal Joe Amaro sent along news about his new Manta Raider, I had to post it. –PG

The price for the Manta Raider will be $50.00 and will be limited to one per person.  I am thinking about pre-selling them to help avoid any headaches at the con. Anything that does not sell during the pre-sell period will be at the con for sale.

This is for the Manta Raiders at Power Con only. I will not be shipping any out at this time. That will be another run and there WILL BE another run later for fans who could not attend Power Con.

To be clear if you pre-order you will have to pick them up at Rudy’s booth.  Which is better because while there you can him sign it!

But I will not do this until I have them done and ready, so maybe by early to mid September. I will keep updating you as I have information, especially when I have the ordering information.

Thank you so much for your support!

NOTE: The Manta Raider is not associated with MOTU or Mattel.  It’s a limited edition handmade piece of art and not a toy.

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PGPoA T-shirts now available!

August 8, 2012 | Poe

This is a bit of an experiment. I’ve created a small Printfection store of PPGoA-themed T-shirts, including the above “Mad Money King” shirt. There are also two other designs – 339/1 and the toy-inspired “Action Poe” image. Available in both regular and women’s style.

The shirts are a bit more expensive than I’d like, due to the colors and front-and-back images. If people think they’re prohibitively expensive I can look into ways to reduce the price, maybe by going grayscale with some of the images or putting the website URL on the front instead of the back.

Sightings > Santa Claus Pirate Ship

August 8, 2012 | Poe

“Ho ho ho and a bottle of peppermint schnapps!”

There are few things I love more than Santa Claus toys (especially ones that aren’t based on any specific property). So I’m pretty excited about this Minimates Santa Claus Pirate Ship from Diamond Select Toys. Due in November, it’s available for pre-order at BBTS for a mere $12.99. Here’s what DST has to say about it:

Christmas is coming, but it’s not coming in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. No, this year Santa Claus is on a boat! DST’s 2-inch Minimates mini-figure of ol’ Saint Nick comes with his festively painted pirate ship, which is packed with opening hatches, extending planks and removable sails (not shown). It’s the perfect stocking stuffer for the Minimates fan in your life, or for anyone who likes boats and Christmas.