Poe’s Point > Red Robin for DCUC

April 13, 2009 | Poe

So far, I’ve had a lot of luck with Mattel producing the characters I’ve most wanted in DCUC: Robin in his current costume, Deathstroke, Despero, Deadshot, the Joker. I think the only one they haven’t announced so far is the black-and-gray, black bat symbol, pouch belt Batman. So given my luck in this area, I thought I’d officially announce my newest most-wanted DCUC figure: Red Robin.

Admittedly, there’s a bit of a problem here–Red Robin doesn’t really have a definitive identity–not yet, anyway. He originated in Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come graphic novel as a future version of Dick Grayson. More recently, he was introduced to the mainstream DC universe when the resurrected Jason Todd (who really needs to be put back in the cold, cold ground) took on the identity during Countdown. Finally, a minor Batman villain named The General took on the persona in the pages of DC’s late Robin series.

Starting in June, a new ongoing Red Robin series will debut, and while the identity of the latest RR hasn’t been revealed, all signs point to it being Tim Drake. While I love Tim Drake as Robin, I’d be fine with a permanent change to Red Robin. It would make an excellent addition to the Bat family.

The most appealing thing about Red Robin is the suit. It’s a good grown-up version of the Robin outfit, adding touches of Batman’s look while retaining its uniqueness. I’ll admit that’s basically why I want to see the figure immortalized in DCUC form, assuming DC is willing to commit to putting Tim Drake’s bio on the packaging.

How awesome would a DCUC Red Robin be? Customizer Lesternessman created one for an AFI contest last year, and I think the result speaks for itself.

The DCUC Batman I want

April 8, 2009 | Poe

Pardon my mediocre Photoshop skills…couldn’t quite clear out all that mud.

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Toy review roundup (via Fanmode)

March 30, 2009 | Poe

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Artemis reviews the Diamond Select Toys Star Trek Deep Space Nine General Martok figure. Excerpt: “Qapla’!”

Updatedude reviews the Hasbro Transformers Animated Deluxe class Waspinator figure. Excerpt: “Unfortunately, Waspinator feels highly fragile and a tad unstable.”

Michael Crawford reviews the Triad Toys Black Wolffe International WITSEC (Witness Security Protection & Relocation) Agent Indigo 1/6-scale figure. Excerpt: “… great for various custom jobs.” (more…)

Toy review roundup (via Fanmode)

March 27, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy Artemis reviews the Diamond Select Toys Battlestar Galactica Razor Kendra Shaw figure. Excerpt: “I don’t forgive her anything because of affection for the character, but her technical quality alone makes me quite fond of her.”

Updatedude reviews the Bandai Motion Revive Series (MRS) Kamen Rider Special Best Selection Kamen Rider Kabuto trading figure.

Dave Van Domelen reviews the Hasbro Star Wars Transformers Crossovers Shock Trooper to V-Wing Starfighter figure. Excerpt: “Making the arm joints more useful and adding pegs to keep them together in vehicle mode would have made this toy a LOT better.” (more…)

Custom MOTUC Scare-Glow

March 27, 2009 | Poe

This custom Scare-Glow popped up on eBay. While it’s not bad, I’m really hoping Scare-Glow ends up being an SDCC exclusive molded in clear plastic with a glow-in-the-dark skeleton inside, similar to Blight from the Batman Beyond line.

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Meet the new Batman, same as the old Batman

March 24, 2009 | Poe

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DC has released their solicits for June, including a look at the new Batman and his “redesigned” outfit (from the cover of Batman #687). From what I can tell, the new touches are the bat-buckle and what look like scalloped work gloves instead of gauntlets, which seems like a step back to me. Of course, I still want a DCUC version of him as soon as possible, please. (more…)

Stand! (in the place where your figures are)

March 16, 2009 | Poe

As action figures have become more poseable and dynamic, collectors have been looking for ways to pose their figures in more than just the typical “soldier in formation” look. Other figures simply tend to fall over a lot (looking at you, JLU). So it’s not surprising a number of action figure manufacturers and third-party companies now offer a range of ways to get your action figures looking their best.

This is just a quick overview of some of the better-known display stands available for 3 ¾” and 5″-7″ figures. (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends

March 3, 2009 | Poe

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It’s Tuesday, and here in New England we are buried another yet another foot of snow. God, I hate snow right now. Snow is a nice surprise in November, charming in December, and a tolerable nuisance in January. By early March, it’s the thing you hate the most in this world. Yeah, The Waste Land is a great poem, but Eliot’s whole thing about winter keeping us warm, covering us in forgetful snow–sorry, Mr. One of the World’s Greatest Poets, but I’m not buying it.

  • The geek universe is on the edge of its seat for Watchmen, and I’m just not feeling the excitement. I think because of my reservations about Zack Snyder; I thought 300 was overrated, and his Dawn of the Dead, while entertaining, was just a horror-fied action flick compared to the original film. Up to now, I’ve seen Snyder as a somewhat better version of Michael Bay. It’s entirely possible Watchmen will change my mind–I kind of hope it does. I didn’t expect to like the Wachowski Bros’s V for Vendetta (I’m not a fan of The Matrix), but I did. We’ll see about Watchmen soon enough.
  • A lot of geeks piled on Warner Bros last week for floating the idea of a Suicide Squad movie. One prominent blogger who will remain nameless suggested the movie would flop because mass audiences wouldn’t know who the characters were. I told him to go ask any friend of his who doesn’t read comics who Dr. Manhattan was. Lest we forget, Marvel’s recent run of great superhero flicks probably wouldn’t exist without the success of Blade, featuring one of its most obscure characters. I think a Suicide Squad film could be successful as long as it was grounded in the “real world”–like Wanted or Blade–and not the DCU.
  • Had quite a geek weekend of movies–the Mrs. and I watched Flash Gordon, Get Smart and Iron Man. I saw Iron Man in the theater, but the other two were first times for me–yes, I’d never seen Flash Gordon before, I know. I loved Brian Blessed as the Hawkmen’s leader, and I still think he would have made an even better Gimli than John Rhys-Davies. As for Get Smart, it was better than I thought it would be, but it made me wonder–why has Dwayne Johnson apparently given up on being an action hero? The Rundown is one of my favorite action flicks ever.
  • Have you guys heard about this movie The Expendables? Holy crap, check out that cast. This will either be the greatest movie ever, the worst movie ever, or turn out to be a hoax and not made at all. Between this and Inglourious Basterds, are we seeing a return of the balls-out wall-to-wall action film?
  • CSI Miami keeps trying to sell me on the idea of P. Diddy as a big-shot lawyer, and I’m just not buying it. However, I do enjoy watching Caruso’s scenes with him–Caruso can make anyone’s acting seem subtle and nuanced. Also, what happened to the cold open one-liners? It’s like the show became really self-conscious about them. Thanks a lot, The Soup.
  • Anyone catch last week’s Batman: Brave and the Bold? It’s amazing how creatively mismanaged a lot of DC’s comics are these days, yet their cartoons are consistently great. Brave and the Bold has gotten better and better each week.