Contest > Win a Funko Dark Knight Rises Batman from Superheroden.com!

December 14, 2012 | Poe

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Superheroden.com has kindly donated a Dark Knight Rises Funko POP! figure for a contest here on PGPoA. Make your other Funko POP! figures swear to him by filling in the blanks in our second “Bat-Libs” contest!

Here’s how to enter: I’ve written a small paragraph about Batman and Robin engaging in their usual heroic derring-do. (To avoid any accusations of having tailored the paragraph to a particular entry, I’m sending it to the Power Pals ahead of time.)

This paragraph has a few blanks – blanks YOU must fill. In the comments below, provide the following:

  • An adjective
  • A plural animal/person noun (cows, punks, etc.)
  • A transitive verb (i.e., a verb in which you do something to something else – push, kiss, kill, etc.)
  • A person’s name

Entries are due by 11:59pm Monday, December 17. The winning entry will be selected by me and will be announced by the end of next week. Good luck, and be sure to visit Superhero Den for more great Batman and superhero merchandise!

Rules:

  • Winner must have a U.S. shipping address for the prize to be mailed to.
  • PGPoA Power Pals and Poe’s friends and family not eligible.

Doc Thomas Reviews > Cy-Chop (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

December 14, 2012 | Poe

Note: The following is a review by Doc Thomas, and does not necessarily reflect the views of Poe Ghostal. You’ve been warned. –PG

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Cy-Chop is the absolute most balls-to-the-wall bizarre action figure in this whole shambolic Masters of the Universe Classics mess. And it IS a mess – between the toyline and the hype and the problems with Digital River and the problems with not-all-inclusive subscriptions and with customer support and and WSODs and reuse and quality control and every other stupid thing that has gone wrong with the whole line it is a CRAZY mess, and there is no disputing that. I have said frequently that long after MOTUC is over we’ll be looking back at it as one of the best action figure lines ever, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t completely fraught with avoidable nonsense and things worth getting up in arms over, especially considering the premium we pay on these figures.

So here’s Cy-Chop, and he’s weird. I mean, he’s more than just weird, he’s COMPLETELY BIZARRE, and there are a lot of reasons why. There are a lot of reasons to like him, and a lot of reasons NOT to like him. Let’s try to break this down, shall we? (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > Rising action figure prices, articulation debates, Hoverboard disappointment, Pacific Rim

December 13, 2012 | Poe

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LOT of ground to cover today folks, so let’s get right to it.

–ODD–

Phil Reed of Battlegrip recently posted “Five Reasons Why Action Figures Cost More Today.” Phil knows what he’s talking about and you should check out the whole thing, which focuses largely on economic factors such as rising labor and materials costs. But one thing that interested me was the first comment on the post, which mentioned the declining birthrate in Western countries. That reminded me of this post by Richard Gottlieb that I read recently, “U.S. Birthrate Plummets; Look for Fewer Children in Four Years.” Richard begins the article with, “If there was ever a case to be made for marketing toys to adult end users…” Hasbro has clearly embraced this idea, but if I had to guess I’m willing to bet there’s still a struggle going on at Mattel between the generations over how to approach the collectors’ market. (more…)

Free your MOTUC figures

December 13, 2012 | Poe

An increasing number of male MOTUC figures are coming with armor that covers their entire chest, thereby limiting the armor movement to “weightlifter arms” practically sticking out horizontally due to the armor increasingly the amount of plastic beneath the armpits. Other figures have restrictive plastic tunics, skirts, or loincloths. Some have both (I’m looking at you, Dekker.) What’s an articulation lover to do?

Well, it all depends on how much you love articulation and whether you’re comfortable with taking a razor to your figures. If you are, however, then Poester Dayraven has passed along a few pointers for freeing up your MOTUC figures. He sliced up his Castle Grayskullman to give the figure a greater range of arm and leg movement. He doesn’t have any before pictures (though anyone with a CGM has that), but here are some “after” pics, and a description of what he did. (more…)

Review > Dekker (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

December 12, 2012 | Poe

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These Millennium-based figures are always a bit tricky to review, because the characters they’re based often have had minimal character development and never had a toy. One or the other is generally required for me to establish enough of a connection to a figure to get excited about it – though if the design is awesome enough, a lack of characterization can be an asset, because it allows your imagination to run wild (see: pre-prequel-era Boba Fett, Draego-Man). But if the figure has had minimal characterization, no childhood nostalgia for a vintage toy, and a relatively uninteresting design? It becomes really hard for me to get excited about that figure.

Dekker

Image courtesy MegaGearX’s 200X Screen Grabs

To be fair, Dekker had an entire episode devoted to him during the Millennium cartoon’s run. Titled “The Island,” the episode established Dekker as a former tactician for King Randor and a mentor to Man-At-Arms. Written by Michael Halperin, who wrote the series bible for the Filmation cartoon back in the early 1980s, “The Island” is one of the series’ more memorable episodes (“memorable” in that I vaguely recalled that there was an episode devoted to Dekker and had to look up all the preceding information).

Ultimately, Dekker is just regular a guy. In a world populated by people with cybernetic suits, giant freakish metal hands, or reptilian ancestry, he’s the MOTUC equivalent of a guy in a suit. He’s like Ra’s Al Ghul in the Dark Knight Movie Masters line – a character first and a figure design second. But unlike, say, Filmation King Randor, Dekker is a regular guy
 (more…)

Toy Aisle Trolls > Ratchet Job

December 11, 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: Battlegrip