Star Wars – Page 3 – Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation

Toy Aisle Trolls > Battle with Vendor

March 29, 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.

Poester Nerdbot found this sadness in the city that never sleeps.

Upon discovering this, Nerdbot proceeded to have his own battle over Endor–with the store staff.

I just saw this at the Times Square Toys R Us tonight. Some troll apparently returned one of the new Battle Over Endor sets — after replacing the contents with a much older Power of the Force pilot set. After a little Internet research, I found it here: http://www.rebelscum.com/POTF2rebelpilots.asp

I tried to explain what must have happened to some employees. (“But they’re the same.” “No, they’re not. Someone replaced the new figures with these that are probably 6 or 7 years old…” (At that point I didn’t know exactly what they were, but just looking at their poor articulation – and the fact that I had no recollection of them – told me they had to be several years old.)) I think they finally understood, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see that set out there again.

Karmic Payback: While the troll is passed out from a combination of weed, absinthe and Doritos, his pet guano beetles escape and eat his right hand.

Toy Aisle Trolls > RU[serious]2?

March 10, 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.

Today’s TAT arrives from Poester Marc:

Wow, Shaak Ti’s shorter than I expected. And more mechanical. And more cheap-piece-of-non-articulated-crap. And–

Hey wait a minute.

Shaak Ti is still in there. Her robe’s been taken off and is stuck behind R2, but she’s still in there.

What…what the hell is going on here? As Marc puts it:

Don’t know what’s going on here. Opened, R2 inserted and Shakk Tii is undressed and put back in. Who knows.

Not me. Not…not me. Was this even a troll? Or just a confused employee trying to fix a return? OR GREMLINS?! I think it was gremlins.

Poe Plays Favorites 2010 (The Awards Post)

March 8, 2011 | Poe

Wow, am I late with this thing. Frankly the only reason I’m even doing it is to placate my obsessive-compulsiveness–there must be a PPF for every year, even if it takes me three months into the following year to do it.

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Pic of the Day

February 25, 2011 | Poe

R7-A7 by Compulsive Collector

Toy Fair 2011 Report, Day 1: Hasbro Collector’s Day

February 12, 2011 | Poe

At this moment I’m sitting in one of the tiniest hotel rooms in Manhattan, my laptop balanced precariously on a window ledge as I sit on a bed. The other side of the room–really a glorified closet–is about eighteen inches to my right.

I’ve just finished uploading about ninety pics from Hasbro’s Collector’s Event today, available on my special Toy Fair Flickr page. Hopefully you were also following my tweets. They’ll be the swiftest form of coverage over the next two days (hence the addition of the Twitter feed to the site–thanks to OB1 for putting that and the Flickr gallery together so swiftly).

And so–as for what happened today. I took the Bolt bus down from Boston; thanks to wifi, it was a relatively swift four hours to Manhattan. After dropping my stuff off at the hotel, I headed to the Times Center in Times Square, where none other than Optimus Prime himself sat parked outside. I spent about four years of my young life looking at cars and trucks and wondering if they’d transform; sadly, even though this was the likeliest moment for such a thing in my entire life, it was not to be–Optimus remained in vehicle mode, caring not how many people grinned as their friends took pics with him.
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Toy Aisle Trolls > Sand Pooper

December 20, 2010 | 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.

Unfortunately, the holiday season seems to bring the worst out in the world’s Toy Aisle Trolls, as I’m being inundated with TAT entries (I need to start putting together some sort of award for these, like Marvel’s No-Prizes). President Juggernaut sends in this latest, which he found right in my own backyard (figuratively speaking).

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Pic of the Day

December 20, 2010 | Poe

an action figure a day 1/365 by lamont_cranston

Pic of the Day

December 15, 2010 | Poe

Early Morning on Hoth. by Avanaut

Pic of the Day

December 13, 2010 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls > Maul Rat

December 7, 2010 | 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.

Poester Ero sends me this latest, mystifying example.

Says Ero:

Saw this the other day and have been meaning to send it. Note the price above. A generic figure retailing for $1.99, and you swap it for a Darth Maul?? I’m thinking the gas on a return trip to Target cost more than that figure.

Are we seeing a bizarre surge of reverse-trollage? Are these trolls modern-day Robin Hoods, taking crappy figures and replacing them with much better ones? What is going on around here?

Of course, this sort of thing is never legal. And I’m not going to be impressed unless I see, say, a DCSH Two-Face and Catwoman in the Walmart 5-pack, or something like that. But still…weird.