Some new pre-orders I jumped on

December 19, 2012 | Poe

BigBadToyStore has posted two pre-orders I’ve been waiting for:

I, Grimlock, am the sovereign.

I, Grimlock, am the sovereign.

Fall of Cybertron Grimlock. If this website had a slightly different tone, this is where I’d type “**** AND YES.”

Finally. I haven’t even played the videogame yet (want to, though), but I know I need this toy. The vintage Grimlock remains my favorite toy of all time, and to be honest I’ve never found any of the later versions to be the Millennium MOTU-style “revamp” I wanted (Classics Grimlock was close, but no cigar). I think this one might be it. I’ll have to wait until I get it, though.

I must admit there’s a part of me that’s very tempted to start buying all the Fall of Cybertron toys because it’s a self-contained, in-scale(?) sub-line. I’ve already got Shockwave, though I still need to open and review him. On the other hand: money.

Anyway, the BBTS pre-order page is here. You can also get Blaster if you’re so inclined.

Next up:

aliens-asst

Did Bill Paxton approve that likeness?

So let me get this straight. In the next six months, I will own fully-articulated Dutch, Predator, Hicks, Hudson, and Alien Warrior figures. The only thing I need now is a way to somehow transport these back to 1989 to give them to my childhood self.

I can’t tell you how damn happy I am that the Alien has mid-foot joints. Anyway, order page is here.

EDIT: Bill Paxton sure did approve that likeness, thus confirming his status as an awesome dude.

PrfktTear Reviews > Frosta (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

December 19, 2012 | PrfktTear

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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was at the height of its popularity at the time I was getting into it. I mostly relied upon a second-hand toy shop in town and yard sales to fill in the ranks of my collection. When She-Ra: Princess of Power made its debut I was well into my own personal He-MANia, so I easily made the transition from the “Most Powerful Man in the Universe” to the “Most Powerful Woman.” It never occurred to me that She-Ra was “just for girls” — I just saw her as the sister of He-Man and she was his equal. That was enough to make her cool in my book. It didn’t hurt either that She-Ra also had a bunch of cool bad guys to fight like Grizzlor, Leech, and Mantenna – that more than compensated for the pink and sparkles. Even though the Horde was sold under the MOTU brand, it was always POP in my mind.

Full disclosure: I only had a vague recollection of Frosta from the Filmation series. So going into this review I don’t really have much nostalgia for her, but my overall fondness for POP in general helps make her a little more palatable. (more…)

He-Man Gets Even Bigger

December 18, 2012 | Poe

That title is going to put my spam filter through a workout. Anyway, this seemed worth passing along…

motu_30th_logo_LR

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles Joins
with Mattel for 1:4th Scale Statues
of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

LOS ANGELES, December 18, 2012- Pop Culture Shock Collectibles is proud to announce a licensing agreement with Mattel to bring 1:4 scale mixed media statues of characters from the most epic boys action brand of all time, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, to die-hard collectors’ homes this year.

“Having spent many years bringing the warriors of Street Fighter & Mortal Kombat to sculptural life, I’m extremely excited to add He-Man and the Masters of the Universe to the Pop Culture Shock Collectibles lineup,” stated Jerry Macaluso, President and Founder of Pop Culture Shock Collectibles. “There are few characters that so perfectly embody the archetype of the hero, and He-Man is just that! He’s right at home with the other muscle-bound warriors in the PCSC stable.” (more…)

Quick Review > Lego Minifigure Santa Claus

December 18, 2012 | Poe

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As I’ve mentioned, one of my favorite holiday traditions of recent years has been perusing the exclusive holiday toys at Target. The last ones I picked up weren’t actually Target exclusives – the Christmas S.L.U.G. Zombies (review) – and neither is the subject of this review; however, I did find him in the Target holiday exclusives aisle. Given that he was part of a set of blind-bagged Lego minifigures (as part of the eighth series of these figures), I can only assume Santa’s presence accounts for what it was doing in that area.

(more…)

Toy Aisle Trolls > Total Injustice

December 18, 2012 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe@poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Zach S.

Zach writes: “You see something new every day, I guess. At Walmart the other day I noticed this Total Justice Hawkman hanging out on the pegs amongst the new Batman kids’ line from Mattel. I stopped in my tracks and wondered how the hell a toy from 1996 could possibly be there. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, I found that some jackass had scanned, printed out and taped a barcode from the new Batman toys onto the package.

Now, this is much worse than the normal trolling. In normal instances they’re doing it to get a free figure. In this case, the troll is simply stealing money. He’s returning worthless 90’s figures and getting cash for them. That’s no different than going up to an open cash register and taking money out of it. I really hope he tries again and gets caught…this is awful.”

Happy Mosquitor Day!

December 17, 2012 | Poe

Another month, another massive hit to my wallet courtesy of Masters of the Universe Classics. It seems like ages ago that Pixel Dan reviewed Mosquitor (it was about a month). Sometimes I feel like those previews diminish my excitement for a figure…it’s as if it’s already old news by the time the sale happens. Hell, Dan’s already reviewed Ram Man.

Also for sale this month is Procrustus, the Eternian god found in a two-page appearance in a vintage minicomic who I never, ever thought would get an action figure; and, of course, Granamyr, the largest figure in the line and again, something I don’t think I ever expected would be made into a toy.

Oddly enough, I think I’m most excited about Procrustus…I just love his Ray Harryhausen-reminiscent design, and the Horsemen’s sculpting here is fantastic. Granamyr is one of those toys I’ll have to judge when I have it in hand. It should be noted that Granamyr is evidently running late and hasn’t arrived at the warehouse yet, so even though you can order him today he won’t ship immediately.

DC-wise there’s Platinum & Tin, as well as Lead, and a JLU three-pack of Dr. Destiny, Toyman and Firefly. Or was that offered before?

Then there’s the usual assortment of other items. I keep considering picking up a set of flight stands but they always seem to be sold out.

Poe’s Point > Cy-Chop Addendum

December 17, 2012 | Poe

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I just wanted to offer my two cents on Cy-Chop. This isn’t a second review – Doc Thomas’s is the official review for PGPoA. But I wanted to offer my own thoughts on the figure, and this is my site so it’s my prerogative to do so.

I rather like the scissor-hands and the head. I don’t think the whole Micronauts-homage thing was a good idea, because I just don’t think it makes much sense (i.e., keep your peanut butter Micronauts out of my chocolate MOTU), but I like the design of the scissors and the sculpt of the head, and I don’t mind the silver. I like that the hands are interchangeable with other figures as well.

What I don’t like are the clear Roboto-style torso and the Beast Man limbs. Though in my Roboto review I wrote, “from an aesthetic standpoint I think [the clear chest] looks good,” over time I’ve come to like it less. It looks too cheap and toy-like, and feels brittle (and in Roboto’s case, for many collectors it was). As for the furry limbs, I just don’t think they work with the character design. They’re what make him look so slapdash to me; they clash thematically with the character’s “cyborg” design and demonic head.

If I’d been designing this figure, I would have recommended something like the Trap Jaw/Roboto upper legs and Hordak‘s or Horde Prime‘s lower legs, and perhaps the arms of Icarius, which we haven’t seen often in this line. That would give the character more cybernetic and Horde touches, which would have gone a long way toward making me like this figure more.