I’ll admit I’ve been remiss in covering this, but Mattel’s DC toy lines are in trouble. Young Justice’s 4″ and 6″ lines have been cancelled; JLU ends this year. But what about the DC Universe 6″ lines? To quote the Magic 8-Ball, “Outlook not so good.” (more…)
5 Questions With > Mint Condition Customs
MINT CONDITION CUSTOMS
Real Name: John Harmon
Base of Operations: www.mintconditioncustom.com
History: John Harmon is a lifelong Texas based toy collector. In 2007, he started his own Webcomic Mint Condition, which is currently on hiatus as he works full time as an action figure customizer. He showcases his work on his website Mint Condition Customs. He also repairs action figures, and likes to imagine himself in his own primetime drama called “The Toy Doctor”. He’s not well.
PG: How long have you been a toy collector?
Well that all depends on what you consider collecting. My parents bought me toys and action figures all the time when I was a kid, but I wouldn’t necessarily call that collecting in the strictest sense. I’ve never actually taken a break from having and buying toys, but the earliest I can remember actively collecting is when I was 13 when the Spider-Man Classics figures came out. I wanted those. Badly. Those were the figures that taught me what “points of articulation” were. From there I got really big into the Spider-Man 1 movie line in 2002, making sure to only buy the figurse that said “super posable” on them, and then Marvel Legends, etc. I think when I discovered Spider-Man Classics that was when I definitively transfered from a kid with toys, to a collector. (more…)
Odds ‘n Ends > Newgistics Delays, MOTUC Grayskull Astronaut, DCAS Wave 3 Lineup
- After last week’s surprisingly swift arrival of Fearless Photog, who shipped out on 2/16 and arrived on 2/22, my second sub–the one with the Sorceress, Fisto, Shadow Weaver and the map–has been listed as “in transit” from Nevada since 2/17. A cursory check of He-Man.org’s forums shows other people in the same boat. I like the take by Rob from Topless Robot: “It left Vegas on 2/20 and is now roaming the countryside, on some kind of adventure to find itself.” Once the option to change shipping is available with the subscription center on Mattycollector (whenever that gets fixed), I am switching back to UPS.
- Over on his blog, Joe Amaro has posted an amazing MOTUC custom of the “Protector,” that bizarre “astronaut” cardboard cutout that was part of the original Castle Grayskull playset. He also posted new pics of his Ram Man custom.
- BigBadToyStore has posted preorders (including singles) for DC All Stars waves 2 and 3. Wave 2, you’ll recall, will include Red Robin, Supergirl, New 52 Flash and New 52 Superman; but we now know wave 3 will feature Batgirl (version unknown), New 52 Batman, Hawkman (version unknown), and Steel w/ Hammer (I’m guessing it’s a re-release of the DCSH figure, but who knows?).
Ask Mattel > Final Edition
Here’s PGPoA’s final (for now) edition of Ask Mattel.
Barbecue17 asks: What does Mattel consider a legitimate QC issue that would warrant figures to be delayed or exchanged in mass? For some figures who customers have perceived as having problems, these have been responses from some Mattel reps: “Mossman is not a bath toy.” “It’s not a big deal! Reviewers didn’t notice the backward shoulders.” “The figure is not defective, it just is not working as perfect as we will like.” Recently, we have seen widespread QC problems with Swiftwind’s legs. How defective or “not working as perfect as we would like” would a figure have to be for Mattel to take action on a QC issue? Missing limbs?
We don’t have a specific rule for this but we do replace any defective product so if a figure is assembled incorrect you can return it for a corrected item.
Mysterious Stranger asks: What is the future of the “Action League” line? I’ve been collecting all the Green Lantern related characters and am only missing Kyle Rayner. What are the odds of him being released? (more…)
Ask Mattel > Answers for January 17, 2012
1.) Mecha-Shiva asks: The SDCC exclusive Blazing sword Voltron is awesome and greatly underrated, any chance of making a Vehicle Voltron?
There are no plans at this time but keep those requests coming!
2.) Zach asks: When will DCAS characters such as Superman and the Flash have an “‘open handed” sculpt for such poses as flying and running, and be able to look up again? (more…)
Toy Aisle Trolls > Crime Syndicate of Troll-Land
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 AT poeghostal.com.
Submitted by: RS
Location: Walmart in Fremont, CA
The Problem: Owlman and Johnny Quick have been replaced by Dr. Mid-Nite and a regular Flash. UPDATE: I missed the fact that Power Ring appears to have been replaced by a regular Green Lantern, Superwoman has been replaced with a Marvel Legends Valkyrie, and Ultraman’s head has been swapped for a 1990s mullet-haired Supes head. Ugh.
Poe’s note: I just realized that I used the same title for two different TAT posts–and no one even noticed.
Anyway, clearly this set is serious troll-bait. Meanwhile, you can get an Owlman off eBay for the price of a single DCUC figure.
Happy Wind Raider Day!
[Here’s the link to the all-in-one page.]
With Demo-Man delayed, I think we can all agree the real reason everyone’s hitting Mattycollector today will be for the Wind Raider. I’ll be interested to see how quickly it sells out. Personally I don’t find the Wind Raider to be all that interesting a vehicle–I’d much rather have gotten the Battle Ram or even the Attack Trak first–but it does look lovely, and the stand is a nice touch.
So just to clarify, everything will ship right away except Demo-Man. If you order Demo-Man, anything bundled with him will have to wait until he arrives at the warehouse in early January. If you want your stuff to ship right away, don’t order Demo-Man. On the other hand, this is your only chance (as far as I know) to actually order him–he won’t go on sale in January when he arrives. So yes, this is kind of a pre-order, amusingly enough.
Then there’s the controversial Battleground Evil-Lyn repaint and the Legion of Super-Heroes 12-pack is on sale again, as is the brand-new Vigo from Ghostbusters II.
So, what are you getting?
Toy Aisle Trolls > Mini…Mortal…Bat…Star…man ah forget it.
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 AT poeghostal.com.
Poester HA sends along not one, not two, but three TATs found at two different TRUs in our friendly northern neighbor, Canada. Well, friendly except that they apparently also have douchebags who steal toys.
Ask Mattel > Answers for December 1
Joshq asks: Regarding the DC All-Stars reveals: is what we see what we get? Will there be additional pack-ins or accessories?
Some figures will include accessories. For example, Larfleeze will come with a lantern.
Andy asks: What was the reasoning behind the character selection for DCUC All Stars series 1? Because is seems to conflict with the aforementioned intent of this line which was to select mainstream characters for a broader appeal.
Toy Aisle Trolls > The Cosmic Cod?
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 AT poeghostal.com.
Submitted by: Tribsaint
The Problem: Starman’s Cosmic Rod has been replaced by the Joker‘s Laughing Fish.
What It’s Supposed to Look Like:
Tribsaint writes: “I found this at Target today. I love it because it looks like the only thing the culprit took was the cosmic rod. It is beautiful in stupidity. Why replace the rod at all except to be a smart ass. Anyway I thought my toy-toting compatriots might get a kick out this.”