Toy news roundup, 1/15/09

January 15, 2009 | Poe

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Ask Mattel > January edition

January 14, 2009 | Poe

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Time for our latest round of Ask Mattel with Mattel’s Toy Guru!

1.) How soon can we expect the MOTUC character selection to branch out beyond the 1982-1983 waves?

2010 will feature both POP and New Adventures characters. We just could not fit these figures into the first 12 due to time limitation! We do have plans to get to them in early 2010.

2.) Will Faker’s chest emblem be a sticker, or tampo?

It is a tampo. We looked at doing a sticker but it just wasn’t working out and honestly, was making the figure look cheap.

3.) At the SDCC DC panel, it was mentioned Mattel had changed vendors (i.e., factories) due to quality control problems around the time DCUC wave 4 was being produced. However, there have been a greater-than-average number of reports of QC problems with the Walmart wave and the two-packs, which were, I think, produced after the vendor switch. Wave 1 and the initial shipments of wave 2 were very good QC-wise. What are the challenges facing Mattel in solving these QC issues? (more…)

Toy review roundup (via Fanmode)

January 14, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Hawkman figure. Excerpt: “… a magnificent figure.”

Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Mr. Miracle figure. Excerpt: “Mr. Miracle’s weak paint and marginal fun are the only thing holding him back from greatness …”

Action Toy Review reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Amazo Wal-Mart exclusive figure. Excerpt: “… other than the problem I had with his ankle, it is generally a good action figure.” (See also.) (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends

January 13, 2009 | Poe

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  • While you can’t order MOTUC Beast Man or He-Man off Mattycollector.com anymore, on Mattel’s Facebook page they wrote, “with only a few hundred units left, we wanted to close down sales so we can have just handful for NYCC and SDCC to help spread the word on this amazing toy line at the summer conventions.” I’m glad Mattel appears  to have met their sales goals with this line–it bodes well for its future.
  • The wait for my shipment of DCUC6 is just starting to get to me. After my ordeal with DCUC5, I knew I’d be OK for a while after wave six start popping up at retail. But now with the news that all we’re waiting on is for Mattel to get one last figure in, I’m getting a wee bit impatient, especially when I see all the great photos.
  • Just as the coolness of the Deathstroke figure got me buying some Teen Titans trades and back issues of his eponymous 1990s series, I grabbed Showcase Presents Hawkman and The Greatest Shazam! Stories Ever Told. I have to say, though, Hawkman has the most convoluted continuity issues of any character in the DCU (and that’s saying something).
  • There’s been a ton of speculation as to what the mysterious new Mattel 6″ property will be, but we now know a few things for certain: it’s not any of the Horsemen’s original properties, and it’s not Thundercats or WWE. Nonetheless, the Horsemen “can guarantee that there will be a LOT of excited fanboys.” They also say they bet we won’t guess it. According to Mattel, the first figure will be available at SDCC. I thought perhaps it might be Movie Masters Watchmen, but that wouldn’t really be a new line, since Movie Masters is pre-existing. After looking over Mattel’s previous licenses, I think it’s…I don’t know. But just to throw out some guesses: The Simpsons, Harry Potter, Captain Power, Universal Monsters.
  • Wow–quite a dogfight going on in this month’s poll. Everyone’s had the lead except poor Tytus (Megator led very briefly when I picked him after creating the poll). I do think the only way the Sorceress would work as an exclusive is if she came with Zoar, though–otherwise it would feel too much like a “regular” figure, which isn’t Mattel’s MO for SDCC.
  • Just forty-eight until Skeletor and the Starfire/Adam Strange two-pack go on sale!

Toy review roundup (via Fanmode), 1/9/09

January 9, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy Tom Prankerd reviews the Bandai Soul of Chogokin (SOC) GX-44 Tetsujin 28 set. Excerpt: “This beauty does all you’d want from a Tetsujin 28 toy, and is a must for any fans of pretty diecast robots.” (See also.)

Updatedude reviews the Bandai Motion Revive Series (MRS) Monster Hunter Kado Karyudo Kirin C trading figure. Excerpt: “… easily the best 3.75″ base figure out there right now …”

Corey Tincher reviews the Mattel DC Universe Classics Superman figure. Excerpt: “… a well made figure with solid sculpting and above average mass market paint makes him feel worth it.” (more…)

Pic of the day

January 6, 2009 | Poe

A038 Killer Moth by HamSalad

Poe’s note: Every pic I see of wave 6 makes me more impatient for my CSC order to ship…and I thought I’d be OK for a while after getting the Walmart wave. Anyway, Drury Walker here looks awesomely goofy.

Odds ‘n Ends

January 6, 2009 | Poe

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  • I spent about an hour on the new Odds ‘n Ends pic, so I hope you like it–’cause you ain’t gettin’ anything else! I decided to go with a more vertical look this time around. You’d be amazed at how much I mess around with the positioning of the items until I’m satisfied with the look. As it is, I think there’s too much red/orange, but it’ll do.
  • DCUC Wave 6 seems to be arriving everywhere–except here in the Northeast, of course. An eBay search within 200 miles of my zip code comes up with nothing. Of course, I have these pre-ordered through Corner Store Comics anyway, but seeing all the pics on the Web–especially this one–doesn’t make the waiting any easier.
  • We’ve got an HDTV at the Chez Ghostal household, but no Blu-Ray player. I’m one of those people who thinks Blu-Ray is the new Laserdisc and within five years everything will be available via HD on-demand. But it still bugs me that I have to buy the regular ol’ DVD of The Dark Knight. I do like the digital copy it comes with, though, because…
  • …I can watch it on the new Ipod Touch I got for my birthday. I also downloaded Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which I hadn’t seen because I am a lazy geek.
  • Speaking of being a lazy geek, every day I get more and more worried that I should be watching the new Doctor Who. But there’s only so many hours in the day, y’know? I still have to get around to watching the last season of Buffy and the last season-and-a-half of Angel.
  • This week’s question: What toy line will be the main focus of your collecting in 2009?

Toy review roundup (via Fanmode) 1/2/2009

January 2, 2009 | Poe

fanmode-copy yo go re reviews the Hasbro The Incredible Hulk Bi-Beast figure. Excerpt: “Bi-Beast has some definite flaws (his shins, his action feature, his paint) but the design is good, and it’s not like he’s ever had a figure before.”

Artemis reviews the DC Direct All Star Batgirl figure. Excerpt: “Maybe DC Direct figures don’t grow knees until they’re 16?” (more…)