Action Feature > Optikkal Delusion
(Click image to read)
Orko’s bio
Mattel released images of Orko’s packaging yesterday, including Orko’s bio.
(Click for larger version)
Orko – Heroic Court Magician
Real Name: Orko
After the rise of the Horde Empire, evil again outweighed the forces of good in the five dimensions. So in every generation, a Cosmic Warrior was recruited by the Overlords of Trolla to fight against evil. Each was given the Sword of He, a weapon infused with the Power of the Universe. They were also assigned a Trollan guide to watch over and advise them in their quests. On the planet of Eternia, after five centuries of being split in two, the Trollan Power Sword was at long last joined and bequeathed to an heir worthy of it’s power – Prince Adam of the royal household. Orko, a member of the Trollan magical elite, was assigned to watch over Adam. Although he was a powerful mage on Trolla, the hidden mystic properties of Eternia turned his magic into little more than entertaining tricks, which he uses to entertain his friends and remain undercover.
So Orko is basically the MOTU equivalent of Nibbler from Futurama. And maybe a little bit Giles from Buffy. (Which, come to think of it, should make Orko Dr. Mrs. Ghostal’s favorite character ever…)
Still, the bio does make Orko somewhat cooler than the bumbling jester of the Filmation series. And the fan in me wonders what a showdown between a fully powered Orko and Skeletor might look like.
One unanswered question, however, is why Orko has to remain “undercover.” Anyway, what do you think of the bio? If you’re not an Orko fan, does this make him work any better for you?
Ask Mattel > Mid-May Edition
1.) Nicholai asks: Regarding Mattel’s plans for DCSH figures such as Steel, Bane, Mr. Freeze and so forth: should fans attempt to get those in the secondary market, or hold out for a re-release/new sculpt?
We would like to get to re-releases of these older figures in the near future, and we can confirm nothing is locked down for these specific characters in either 2010 or 2011.
2.) Dayraven asks: Why was there no “bio” about the First Ultimate Battleground on the Weapons Pak box? I kind of figured it was a given that we’d learn more about the UB from the pak, especially in light of the “Eternian Secrets” on the map. (more…)
Pic of the Day
Contest > Choose Your Weapon (Prize: MOTUC Weapons Pak)
You too can turn your He-Man from a gray harness-wearing barbarian with only mild fashion issues to a full-blown atrocity that would drive Tim Gunn to use his namesake on himself. How, you ask? By winning the PGPoA “Choose Your Weapon” contest! The prize is a brand-spanking-new, still-in-the-white-mailer MOTUC Weapons Pak. (Read the official PGPoA review!)
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below naming your favorite action figure accessory of all time. Feel free to go into detail as to why it’s your favorite, but all you have to do to enter is name it and the figure it came with.
RÃœLZ:
- Contest ends on Sunday, May 9th at 11:59pm.
- The winner will be selected at random.
- Only U.S. and Canadian residents are eligible. I know there are lots of Poesters in other countries and I love you all, but those shipping costs are getting painful.
- Only one entry per person. I check IPs and so forth, but really, just don’t be a jerk.
Odds ‘n Ends > News Roundup
- So as everyone probably knows by now, the Four Horsemen have teamed up with toy legend Mel Birnkrant and Matt Doughty of Onell Design (makers of the Glyos figures) to bring back the 1960s sci-fi toy line The Outer Space Men. I was going to do a write-up about it, but NoisyDvL5 already wrote the definitive post about the whole thing. Damn whippersnappers totally stealing my thunder and taking advantage of my laziness. Anyway: my opinion. Like many, I have no nostalgic attachment to the property, but retro-looking 1960s aliens are something most self-respecting geeks should appreciate. 3 3/4″ isn’t my favorite scale but was probably inevitable given current production costs. The decision to work with Onell Design was a savvy move on everyone’s part. So will I be buying these? Definitely–they look great and represent a great step for everyone involved. Also, if it’s successful, perhaps the Four Horsemen will be able to license Power Lords from Revell…
- Speaking of the Outer Space Men, look for some cool features about it here on the site soon.
- He-Man.org has a revealing interview with Mattel brand manager (and recent new dad) Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. Toyguru. I didn’t realize Adora’s laser pistol was based on Teela’s gun from the 1987 movie.
- Super He-Fan James Eatock, a.k.a. Busta Toons, is publishing an unofficial guide to the Filmation He-Man cartoon. Eatock’s blog is necessary reading for any He-Fan, and the book will no doubt be great, too.
- I added a new plugin called WPTouch that optimizes PGPoA for Iphones/Ipod Touches. I think it’s pretty cool, but it does prevent you from seeing the site as it looks on the Web. Has anyone else tried it out yet? Thoughts?
- Pre-review roundup: Fwoosh has Optikk, Walter Peck and Tytus; AFI has Tytus; CoolToyReview has Optikk; Pixel Dan has Optikk and Tytus. Disappointing discovery: Tytus has swivels at the shoulders and neck, not ball joints.
Review > Weapons Pak (Masters of the Universe Classics)
This won’t be my standard review, for obvious reasons. Mostly just pics and some discussion. I’ll go through and talk about each new weapon or weapon set, and you can check out the accompanying pics.
I didn’t take photos of every weapon/accessory with a figure, mostly because I found about half the contents of the pack uninteresting, but I did take a photo of the remaining accessories at the end. (more…)
Ask Mattel > Answers for May 1 [roundup added]
Mattel sends in their answers early this time around. This batch consisted entirely of my own MOTUC-related questions. Yes, sometimes I’m selfish. I’ll be submitting only reader questions for the May 15 round.
1.) Are you expecting to have many non-subscription SKUs for MOTUC in 2011? (For example, the army builder two-packs.) (more…)
Count Marzo pics and general MOTUC updates
Yesterday Mattel released images of the packaged Count Marzo, complete with the bio, which reveals the fate of King Miro and a surprising alliance.
Implication: Randor and Keldor teamed up to kick Marzo’s ass. (Then Randor became a racist.)
I like the figure and the bio, but I do have to ask: the prototype had the Tri-Klops-style matching bracelets. Why does the figure now have the He-Man style different ones? I think the matching ones looked better. But that’s a minor, geeky nitpick.
They also posted this bonus Q&A on Mattycollector, in an attempt to put to rest some questions that I think we can all agree (some) fans will never let rest, i.e., pre-orders, Anime Hyper Detailâ„¢ and sell-outs. (more…)