Mattel Unveils (Some) SDCC 2012 Exclusives

April 27, 2012 | Poe

From Mattycollector.com…

Masters of the Universe Vykronâ„¢ ($30)

If clothes make the He-Man, then this pitch prototype for the 1982 lineup is destined to be the star of the MOTU 30th Anniversary celebration thanks to a choice of three outfits: barbarian, spaceman, and military warrior! You’ll get him in-package dressed as a barbarian only at SDCC , but you can find him here at MattyCollector.com after the show packed as a spaceman or military warrior (all three outfits are included regardless of where he’s purchased). Want to know more about this multi-purpose warrior? Set includes one “buck,” or figure, with three different outfits/helmets to interchange between space, military and barbarian looks. Check back for the history of Vykronâ„¢, soon to be disclosed… (more…)

Review > 6″ Blazing Sword Voltron (Voltron, Mattel)

April 27, 2012 | Poe

Blazing Sword Voltron

Voltron is an interesting property. It began in Japan as Beast King Golion, an anime that ran from 1981-1982. The show was dark and featured torture, murder, slavery, and genocide in addition to the usual monster-fighting heroics.It wasn’t a ratings beast (pardon the pun) in its native country, and in 1984 the animation from the show was licensed by World Events Productions – along with another anime, Armored Fleet Dairugger XV – and then both shows were edited into the series Western fans know as Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Confused yet?

I never watched much Voltron. I tried to do so recently – it’s available on streaming via Netflix – and found it pretty unwatchable (just as I did when I tried to revisit Gaiking – so much yelling!). However, I did watch the first couple of episodes of Beast King Golion, which is available via streaming on Crunchyroll.com, and found it a more mature, interesting show; but what’s really fascinating is how it was changed for the U.S. market. For example, at the beginning of Beast King Golion, Earth and most everyone on it has been destroyed in a nuclear war; in Voltron, the scenes showing the devastated Earth are referred to as a different planet, and reference is made to the planet having been “evacuated” before the holocaust.

My only childhood memories of the property is owning the 6″ Matchbox diecast figure. But that was enough to get me to pick up last year’s SDCC exclusive from Mattel, Blazing Sword Voltron. Its appeal lay mostly in the fact that it was only 6″ tall and super-articulated, and it sat unopened in my closet for more than half a year. But when I finally opened it, I was impressed. (more…)

Stinkorgate, Cont’d

April 26, 2012 | Poe
Stinkor

Stinkor by soundofdesign, on Flickr

UPDATE: That discussion got way out of hand way too fast. I welcome free speech and I want people to be able to express their opinion, no matter how I much I disagree with it, but I insist on civility. I will accept any and all criticisms about being a tyrant, bully, bad journalist, head-in-the-sand-ostrich or whatever to enforce it. It’s my site and I won’t accept name-calling or general meanness.

To be fair I wiped out all previous comments, but they’re still open if anyone wants to restart the conversation.

I said I wasn’t going to get too involved in this one, and for now I’m sticking to that, though I’ll probably have my say when I review the actual figure. But I thought I’d highlight two things. First, here is the Four Horsemen’s final word, via their Twitter account:

After seeing a photo, that’s definitely not the way we’d intended the forearms to be positioned. Not sure what happened or why. […]we’ve finished it, they have every right to do so. They’re the ones assuming all of the financial responsibility & risk. The bottom line is that this is Mattel’s property. Not ours. If they decide that it’s best to alter something like that after…

I can appreciate the Horsemen’s diplomatic answer here – no suggestion of a production error. But James Sawyer at MOTUCfigures.com isn’t equivocating in his take on the situation: (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > PD revs CIEDCUCGAF, SyFy’s Toy Realities, 4H’s OSM, FOTD has AC2

April 25, 2012 | Poe
SuperMom Accessories

SuperMom Accessories by happyworker

  • Pixel Dan has posted his review of the Club Infinite Earths DC Universe Classics Golden Age Flash.
  • For those who might be wondering, yes, I did subscribe to CIE, but I don’t plan to review them and intend to sell all my figures (with the exception of the Bat-characters, probably). I’m either going to sell them on eBay or maybe just my own store.
  • The SyFy Channel is developing a couple of toy-related reality shows: “Collection Intervention” will assist desperate significant others in forcing their loved ones to sell off some or all of their beloved collections, while the more interesting and less personally invasive “Toy Traveler” features Shane Turgeon, “the Indiana Jones of toy collectors,” as he jets around the world seeking rare and unusual toys. Do we got anything on this Shane Turgeon guy?
  • The Four Horsemen posted some new info on their upcoming Outer Space Men release dates.
  • Don’t forget, Figure of the Day has the entire set of DC’s Arkham City Series 2 on its site for $89.99 w/ free shipping.
  • Phil Reed at Battlegrip has reviewed a pair of Play Arts Kai figures – Arkham Asylum Batman and Halo Reach Jorge. I’ve had the PAKAS Bats on my shelf waiting for a review for weeks now. I’m evidently lazy. Oh, and I’ve had the PAK Halo Master Chief even longer than that.
  • I should be able to announce the winner of the Bat-Libs contest either late today or tomorrow.
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Review > Sorceress (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

April 24, 2012 | Poe

The character of the Sorceress/Goddess was created by Mattel for the original Masters of the Universe line. However, as many fans know, that original Sorceress was referred to as “The Goddess” and featured a design that was ultimately used for Teela instead. When the Sorceress was introduced as a character in the 1980s Filmation cartoon series, she was redesigned to look like the bird-woman we all know and love. Confused yet?

From the admittedly brief research I did for this review, it appears Filmation redesigned the Sorceress for the cartoon, but that would haven’t caused any rights issues for MOTUC even before they secured the Filmation rights because Mattel (finally) produced the much-desired Sorceress figure at the tail end of the line in 1987. It’s worth noting the Filmation cartoon debuted the new look of the Sorceress in 1984, yet we didn’t get a figure of this central character until three years later. Moreover, the Millennium line only gave us an immobile “Staction“ figure, while it took nearly three years – again – to get a Sorceress figure in Masters of the Universe Classics. (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > AICN, Collector Gene, MOTU Fan Films, SHM Rodan

April 17, 2012 | Poe

  • PGPoA was mentioned on Ain’t It Cool News’ AICN Toys section yesterday in regard to my recent post about DCUC. Unfortunately, the quote they attribute to me is actually something I quoted from NoisyDvL5’s editorial on ItsAllTrue. I posted a comment to try and set the record straight.
  • It’s been a banner week for Power Pals. PPP Ben Leach, who comes from a whole family of collectors (toy and otherwise), have opened their own website, the Collector Gene. Here’s how he describes it:  “What separates us from a lot of collecting websites is a.) we own everything that we write about (and if we don’t, we clarify that), and b.) all four of us collect and are going to contribute to the website. Obviously, I’m going to write about the kind of stuff that appeals to your readers, but if your readers like shows like Antiques Roadshow or Pawn Stars, then I think they’ll appreciate everything on there. “
  • I’m not sure how many have heard of this, but there’s a group doing MOTU fan films. I haven’t watched them yet, but here’s their website. I suppose I owe it to you all to look into this further, so I will once I can get through some of my existing backlog.
  • At long last, Diamond Select is giving me the Mego-style Creature of the Black Lagoon I’ve been asking for since they created the line. It will be on my desk at work. Oh yes.
  • I’ve started using the PGPoA Facebook page more – primarily for stuff like recent purchases, random toy-related links, and news bits and other stuff on weekends. If you’re not on Facebook or don’t follow the site you won’t miss anything important, but for those of you jonesing for a more frequent PGPoA fix should keep an eye on it.
  • English page for S.H.MonsterArts Rodan. I’m such a mark for this line.
  • So, what sold out in yesterday’s Mattycollector sale? Thunder Punch He-Man, Tri-Klops, & the Voltron Yellow Lion. As of this posting, Draego-Man, Orko, and other figs are still there. I’m tempted to buy another Orko to see if I can get a Prince Adam without incredibly loose ankles, but does such a thing even exist?
  • This humor in this Saturday morning cartoon parody Starbarians is a bit tasteless, but the animation is well done – and the name and concept kick ass. How did every 1980s toy-and-cartoon producer miss “Starbarians”? This is the decade that created Dinosaucers!
  • Diamond Select had a prototype sculpt of a new Battle Beast grey retailer summit version of Vorin on display at C2E2.
  • Here are some new pics of the Play Arts Kai Mass Effect 3 figures. Now you can create your own ambiguous ending to Shepard’s saga!

Draego-Man, Thunder Punch He-Man, Ghostbusters Rookie, Yellow Lion & More at Mattycollector

April 16, 2012 | Poe

It’s yet another Mattycollector Sale Day. (This time last year, the big sale item was Sy-Klone.)

All in One Sale Page

The new items this month include Draego-Man, Thunder Punch He-Man, the Ghostbusters Rookie, and the Voltron Yellow Lion w/ Hunk. There’s a ton of other stuff too, including Tri-Klops, Orko, Man-E-Faces, Peter Venkman, Hordak, King Hssss with his reversed shoulders and so on. (more…)

Odds ‘n Ends > Battle Beasts, Disney/WB, & a new Outer Space (Wo)man?

April 11, 2012 | Poe

  • As of this posting it’s just under a day and a half to go until we find out what Diamond Select’s plans are for Battle Beasts (probably at C2E2, if I had to guess). Keep an eye on this site.
  • As a favor to Poe Power Pal and resident homicidal maniac Doc Thomas, please “Like” the Australian store Popcultcha on Facebook. If they get 10,000 likes, they’ll have a 20%-off-everything sale, and Doc Thomas has promised to review every single thing he buys here on PGPoA. (Actually I just made that last part up, but I’m going to hold him to it anyway.)
  • Bored at work? Poester Sped linked me to this list of “30 Cool Toy Commercials From the ’90s.”
  • Topless Robot picked up on my “DC Universe Tragic” post, and Rob agrees that the problem is as much DC as it is Mattel. I noticed in the comments the growing idea that the superhero comics of the big two are a dying medium that will soon move almost entirely to movies/TV/videogames. I think that’s just as well, if only because at least that would force Disney/WB to employ some goddamned consistency (for a TV season, or at least two hours in a theater). Side note: how soon before Marvel/DC becomes Disney/WB?
  • I somehow missed this, but Outer Space Men creator Mel Birnkrant has created a new OSM member, “Terra Firma – the Woman From Space,” who will evidently be sculpted by the Horsemen and added to the OSM line. Since Major Matt Mason – the original, if unofficial, Earth OSM member – is owned by Mattel, I think the curvy Terra is a perfect fit. Or rather a “snug” fit, judging from that costume – ring-a-ding-ding!

DC Universe Tragic, Ctd

April 11, 2012 | Poe

This was posted last night on Mattel’s Facebook page:

You may have heard that the time is nearing for the end of the Young Justice toy line. While we’re as bummed as you are, we want to be sure you know this doesn’t in any way mean the end of DC toys from Mattel. In fact, it’s quite the opposite!

Next month kicks off not one, but two new lines: our DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription service dedicated to true collector characters you won’t find at retail. The first shipment goes out in May and features an all-new 6″ Golden Age The Flash figure. If you missed out on this awesome subscription, a limited quantity will also be available at MattyCollector.com on May 15th at 9am PT. Then, in late May, head to your local retailer and you’ll find The Dark Knight Rises, a kid-targeted Batmanâ„¢ line. And for 2013, we’re planning an innovative collector-aimed line coming to retail stores.

Keep your eye on this spot and we’ll have more details as they’re available. Our partnership with DC is stronger than ever and we couldn’t be more excited for all the amazing new collector and kid toys to come!

Here are my two cents on this announcement:

1¢: “[…] we want to be sure you know this doesn’t in any way mean the end of DC toys from Mattel” is not the same as saying “We will be making more 6″ action figures in the DC Universe Classics style” (and “an innovative collector-aimed line” could be anything).

1¢: I have significant doubts there will be a 2013 edition of Club Infinite Earths, given how we barely got a 2012 one.

I realize this post is coming off negative, but I want to balance the corporate spin with a dose of realism.

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