Odds ‘n Ends

March 24, 2009 | Poe

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You thought I forgot again, didn’t you! Well, you’re right, I did.

  • Believe it or not, my case of DCUC7 may actually ship today or tomorrow. Then the clock will reset for DCUC8…and this time, I won’t break down and buy any of the figures ahead of time! Except maybe Hawkgirl. If I see her in a store.
  • The Fwoosh has an early review of Mer-Man. Looking good.
  • Entertainment Earth is offering the two different DCUC8 Parademons as a set.
  • Don’t forget to vote in the next round of FANtastic Exclusive. (Yes, I’m looking for filler today.)
  • Video that made me laugh my ass off while researching a freelance piece: The Sword and the Sorcerer
  • Books I’m reading: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; The Death of Superman by Dan Jurgens (to be followed by World Without Superman and The Return of Superman).

New FANtastic Exclusive round is up

March 24, 2009 | Poe

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Ugh…I have to admit, I find this a little depressing. The four figures now vying for FANtastic Exclusive 2009 are: Wolfbat, Raven, Vampire Lady, and the Ministry of Hunters, which I think pretty much solidifies my belief that the majority of FE voters are MOTU2K fans who think MOTU2K Skeletor is one of the greatest action figures ever made.

Seriously, this is probably the outcome I least wanted. Now I can only pray the Ministry of Hunters wins, since they’re the only one of the four I really like. Please, I urge you to go vote for the Ministry. As for the other bracket–I don’t care who you vote for, really, but if you forced me at gunpoint to choose, I guess Raven.

FANtastic Exclusive 2009 – Round 2

March 17, 2009 | Poe

Round 2 of the FANtastic Exclusive voting has begun and, sadly, the Blue Gargoyle didn’t even make the bracket. Ouch.

I don’t have a clear favorite now, but I like the Phantom Trooper, the Celestial Zodians, and the Ministry of Hunters. I really hope Wolfbat and Raven don’t win, because I’m tired of the anthropomorphic, dark fantasy-style FE figures. I’d be relatively happy with any winner other than those two.

Unfortunately, I suspect Raven is going to win, because I think the FE voters are heavily weighted toward MOTU collectors and fans who became familiar with the Four Horsemen due to MOTU2K. There’s been a strong epic fantasy/sword-and-sorcery bias in the FE voting since day one.

Toy news roundup, 1/20/09

January 20, 2009 | Poe

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  • 2009’s FANtastic Exclusive: Round 1 is up! PGPoA endorses the Gargoyle!
  • First look at Playmates Star Trek figures based on the upcoming movie. WTF happened here? Kirk looks like Dwight from The Office playing dress-up. What’s even funnier is Art Asylum’s far, far superior figures based on the original show are now available at Toys R Us. (TNI)
  • Hi-res images of the Mallah’s Revenge Infinite Heroes 6-pack (TNI)
  • Better pics of the Batman/Clayface two-pack. I would be all over this set if Batman weren’t covered in goo, but I’ll have to wait for the non-muddy version. (TNI)
  • Dream Weaver Press to release Tall Tails “Silvermain” figure (AFI)
  • McFarlane Toys’ Halo Points program kicks off (Spawn.com)
  • First look at DC Unlimited Resistance 2 figures (Figures.com — who really needs to do something about its terrible loading times)
  • 2008 Awards Central: Fwoosh, Figures.com, Michael Crawford
  • DC solicits Blackest Night figures (spoilers!) (Action-figure)

FANtastic Exclusive returns!

January 5, 2009 | Poe

The Four Horsemen are finally gearing up for the next FANtastic Exclusive. The Round 3 exclusive, Scarabus, is a bit behind schedule, so he’ll (hopefully) be available at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. The Round 4 exclusive should be available at the 2010 SDCC. (more…)

Blowout sale at Store Horsemen

December 16, 2008 | Poe

The Four Horsemen are having a crazy holiday blowout sale at www.storehorsemen.com. Go! Go now, before it’s too late! One thing to note: most of the Ramathorr-type figures are from the first factory run, so they may have loose or brittle joints–or they may be fine.

10 Questions with > The Four Horsemen

December 9, 2008 | Poe

The Four Horsemen are special friends of PGPoA, having opened the site with an interview a year ago and again appearing at the six–month mark. As befits their special status, they get to answer ten questions instead of just five (whether this is a privilege or an extra obligation is subject to debate, but I digress).

Once again, the Horsemen have taken time out their extremely busy schedule to collectively answer ten questions from PGPoA. (more…)

The Four Horsemen Interview II (Part 2)

June 19, 2008 | Poe

Continuing the interview from yesterday’s post, in the second half of my interview with the Four Horsemen they discuss Masters of the Universe Classics, their ongoing FANtastic Exclusive project and the future of the studio.

POE: While details are few on Masters of the Universe Classics so far, we have seen a proto of the King Grayskull SDCC Exclusive. How similar with these figures be to DC Universe Classics in size, style, and articulation?

JIM PREZIOSI: Both lines are very close in the amount and types of articulation they have, but the style is more of a throwback to the original 1980s MOTU line than DCUC. The style will retain a lot of that old school flair, but there will be enough detail and modern applications that the figures won’t feel at all out of place in todays’ market.

ERIC TREADAWAY: As for size, they’ll be close in scale with DC Universe Classics, but the proportions of the characters will be so different that we’re not sure that they’ll fit all that well together in some collectors’ eyes. (more…)