Toy Aisle Trolls > Tex Vex

July 27, 2011 | 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 AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: DC

The Problem: The Lizard has been replaced with, of all things, Wave Rider Nemo; Mary Batson has been replaced with a DC Direct Deadshot.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This and this

DC writes:

I found these at my local Wal-Mart, here in Arlington Texas, across the street from where they had the Superbowl. There were two more I didn’t take pictures of. Oh, One of the DCUC, Hourman I think, had a Marvel Legends Nick Fury in it.

I turned them over to the toy dept. manager and asked to speak to customer service and someone in returns and tried to explain the scam, how someone was taking the BAF parts, and most likely selling the full BAF figure on ebay, not too mention the loose figure alone would recoup their cost, not to mention making money back on the return. I explained how to easily check on figures what the actual figure is (I mean deadshot in a Mary Batson? C’mon. I didn’t even get into how it was not even a DCUC Deadshot)

Anyway I was treated to a LECTURE about how I was wrong because collectors do not open figures, so no one would open a figure to take out a BAF piece. I got this from the Toy Dept. manager, and the Returns Department Manager.

I’m a 45 year old Recruiter and Trainer and I was stunned at how they treated me like an idiot, in the face of proof. I mean, they literally treated me like I was wasting their time, and I was HANDING them proof of theft, and explaining a pervasive scam.

Amazing.

P.S. After it was all said and done, I bought the DCUC with the Nick Fury, because, hey, Marvel Legends Nick Fury…

Odds ‘n Ends > July 26, 2011

July 26, 2011 | Poe

  • Saw Captain America with Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and Red Kryptonite this past weekend. I enjoyed it–more than Thor, and probably more than any Marvel flick since X-Men 2. We knew Joe Johnston could direct period pieces, and this was sort of a sideways sequel to The Rocketeer anyway. Chris Evans was great, Tommy Lee Jones did a great job being Tommy Lee Jones, and the Red Skull was Red Hulk to Jim Carrey’s The Mask. (I did find the Red Skull make-up a bit too cartoony, but I realize that–as well as the German-accented English among the foreign bad guys–was done to make the film accessible to kids, and that’s fine.) Did I think it was better than Batman Begins or The Dark Knight? No, but it was unquestionably more fun than those movies, and a nice set-up for The Avengers.
  • Speaking of Nick Fury & the Avengers, this spoof is cute. Love the slow clap.
  • As you may know, Mattel is bringing the DC Retro Action line to a close soon. Some fans have a petition up to save it. I wish ’em luck!
  • I received an email from a company called Geek Design, who create high-end furniture for storing and displaying collectibles.
  • Looks like I’ll be attending NYCC this year. I keep hoping more of SDCC’s hype will spill over into NYCC as SDCC becomes more crowded; maybe that will start this year, with the show moving back to October. The Tuesday after the show, incidentally, is the release date for Batman: Arkham City, the Arkham City trade paperback, and the Blu-Ray of Batman: Year One. Busy day for Bats.
  • In case you missed it, there were a couple small MOTUC news bits out of SDCC. First off, the Wind Raider will have real box art, painted by the same artist who did it thirty years ago.
  • Also, here are all the new bios that were revealed. Battleground Evil-Lyn’s is a doozy; Demo-Man’s disappointingly contains nothing about Demo-Man himself, nor explains what happened when Keldor merged with him (i.e., did any of Demo-Man’s mind merge as well, etc.).
  • Finally, it looks like there very well may be an exclusive at PowerCon: a pedestal for King Grayskull’s Orb of Sparkle Crest Toothpaste. The PowerCon part is speculation but seems likely.

Odds ‘n Ends > SDCC Day 1: Super-deformed MOTU, 6″ Star Wars(!?)

July 21, 2011 | Poe

  • Not quite as much awesome toy stuff revealed today–preview night is always the big one, aside from panels–but apparently Mattel did put the above figs in their display case today. They appear to be super-deformed MOTU toys in the style of the DC Action League (or Galactic Heroes or Superhero Squad or whatever line you prefer). Mattel certainly seems interested in trying some new styles with MOTU–and that can only be a good thing. Anyway, I’m definitely in for these. The above pic was taken by Pixel Dan, who’s covering SDCC for PopCultureNetwork; check out this link for a larger pic of the minifigures.
  • DC Direct had their panel today. I was primarily interested in their Arkham City figures, but they still haven’t revealed anything beyond Harley. I’m speculating this is because the other figures are of characters who haven’t been revealed yet, i.e., Nightwing. They’re also making figures based on the JLA in their Brand New DC looks. I have to say the figures look rather uninspired, and what’s more, you won’t be able to buy the first one for another thirteen months.
  • In Poe-Could-Go-Bankrupt news, ThreeA toys had some 6″ Star Wars prototypes that they’re evidently trying to pitch to Takara. Why Takara? I don’t know. I only know I don’t want these to be made because I want to have a house and kids and so forth someday, and I won’t be able to afford it if I’m buying these. Head over to ActionFigurePics for more info and photos. Poester and Star Wars pedant misterbigbo informs us that apparently the Stormtrooper head sculpt is based on the F/X 501st helmet and is not screen-accurate; I’ll take his word for it.
  • Marvel Legends are back! And…could it be true? Am I finally getting the 6″ Constrictor I’ve wanted since I read a backup story about him in Marvel Comics Presents #74? I find it a bit amusing they’ve got Steve Rogers there in his “Super Soldier” costume–has Marvel really not got him back into the red, white and blue for the movie release? Good for them for sticking with story over marketing, I guess. Anyway, check out ActionFigurePics for pics and info on the ML relaunch.
  • Evidently Mattel’s WWE line is becoming a Mattycollector exclusive for 2012. That’s–kind of weird, right? WWE figures seem to have been perennial sellers for the last decade. Is this a.) due to waning popularity of the WWE and wrestling in general; b.) due to the waning popularity and market oversaturation of wrestling figures in general and the WWE in particular; c.) due to the waning popularity of action figures in general among youngsters, the WWE’s main demographic; or d.) Mattel actually managed to bungle a surefire seller like WWE? Anyway, the good(?) news for wrestling fans is that they get to vote on five of the figures to be released in 2012. UPDATE: Commenters correctly pointed out to me below that it’s only the Legends sub-line that’s going Mattycollector-only. The regular line still sells well.
  • Should I be covering Voltron? Do people care? I never watched the show, and the only toys I had were the old diecast 6″ figure and, believe it or not, the vehicle Voltron.
  • The Mattypalooza panel happens at 2pm PT (5pm ET) Friday, thus bringing this farce to a close (I hope). The DC panel is two hours later–here’s hoping for some more Batman Legacy awesomeness. Apparently Matty himself might stop by! To quote Hudson, “He’s coming in. I feel safer already.”

Odds ‘n Ends > June 20, 2011

June 20, 2011 | Poe

  • Mattycollector is having a “Mad Matty Monday” next week on the 27th. The idea is for $40, you get three items that exceed the $40 value. There’s a DC set, a MOTU set, and a Ghostbusters set. One thing to keep in mind is that the third item in the MOTU set could be display stands, and the DC set could contain JLU items as well as DCUC items. I’ll be curious to see how these do. I suspect the MOTU sets will sell out fairly quickly.
  • Figure previews around the Web: Pixel Dan reviews Clawful, Megator and Young Justice Robin; Fwoosh has  SDCC Movie Masters Kilowog and DCUC Series 17.
  • Saw X-Men: First Class this weekend, and quite enjoyed it. I think Marvel and its licensors may have made a mistake by not giving more credit to this flick, though admittedly there aren’t many toy-friendly designs in it–maybe diamond Emma Frost, Mystique, and Beast. Much has been made of January Jones’ mediocre acting, and here’s my contribution: she reminded me of Gwyneth Paltrow’s role in the fake Austin Powers movie (as “Dixie Normous”) in Goldmember.
  • The site redesign proceeds apace. We’re getting closer to the big relaunch, but we’re not quite there yet. It’s looking good, though.

Review > US Agent (Captain America: The First Avenger, Hasbro)

June 9, 2011 | Poe

Today’s review is a bit unusual for me, as I haven’t reviewed a Marvel Comics toy in ages. I spent about a year loving Marvel when I was 13-14, then my second Transformers era took hold and I didn’t get interested in Marvel again until the era of Marvel Legends.

However, I did always have a certain fondness for the subject of today’s review, US Agent. I’m not sure why–maybe it was because I found the real Captain America a bit dorky. US Agent, to the young teenage Poe, was the “cool” version of Cap; plus he had a more interesting costume. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really know who US Agent was–I just liked the character concept, and the look. In retrospect, of course, the character was kind of Azrael to Captain American’s Batman–a more brutal, less idealistic, and generally darker replacement (though I should note that the Cap-replacement storyline took place in the late ’80s, years before Knightfall).

Anyway, it was that mild nostalgia that led me to make my first Marvel Universe purchase since my last and heretofore only one, brown costume Wolverine. We never got a Marvel Legends US Agent, so when I saw this one I just couldn’t resist. (more…)

Toy Aisle Trolls > The Cursed Avenger

May 26, 2011 | 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 AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: OrccaCast

The Problem: The Bucky-style Captain America that’s supposed to be included in this set has been stolen and replaced with a War Machine figure.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

Karmic Payback: Yet another example of stealing from a toy intended for little kids. I believe there’s a special circle of toy collector hell reserved for these sort of trolls. It’s filled with bratty, irritating children smashing every toy the troll ever wanted or ever will want. Amazing, lifelike 6″ action figures with incredible sculpting and articulation being torn apart. If the troll every manages to pick up one of the toys, it’s yanked out of his hands by one of the kids and smashed flat.

Also he’s on fire.