Toy Aisle Trolls > Negatron
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@poeghostal.com.
Submitted by: 3B
“Found this at a Kmart here in Miami. Pure class.”
PGPoA’s Guide to Third Party Transformers Products
With Playmates’ announcement of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle line based on the 1980s cartoon, the circle of nostalgia for the toy industry is just about complete. The TMNT, Snake Eyes, He-Man, and Luke and Leia have come and gone a few times since the ’80s, but one property has always had a spot on the shelf: the Transformers. Kids love cars, robots and the idea of getting two toys for the price of one. (On the other hand, there are the Go-Bots…)
I certainly loved my original Transformers toys, but even back then I could tell something was amiss. The robots who waged war on my carpet in the afternoon didn’t look exactly like the ones battling over the fate of the planet on TV. The designers had taken quite a bit of creative license in order to get the Autobots and Decepticons into streamlined character models that would be easy to animate. (more…)
Toy Aisle Trolls > Transformers Crime
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@poeghostal.com.
Submitted by: SL
Should look like:
Poe’s Note: I think the orange in SL’s pics is due to the photo, not the packaging or troll activity.
Odds ‘n Ends
- Happy birthday to The Fwoosh, who are celebrating their 10th birthday this month. Early on the Fwoosh established itself as the place to discuss Marvel Legends, and later Marvel Universe and DC Universe Classics. I’ve met some of the folks behind the Fwoosh at conventions and Toy Fair and they’ve always been great. They’ve got all sorts of events going on, including a giveaway, so if you’re a superhero toy fan be sure to stop by.
- Pixel Dan has a review of Diamond Select’s exclusive Battle Beast figure from C2E2.
- The first Fall of Cybertron toys are available for preorder at BBTS. They look cool, and it’s possible these may be the first Transformers toys I buy since Masterpiece Grimlock, but can someone please, PLEASE explain to me why Hasbro prefers to give us yet another Optimus BEFORE giving us FoC Grimlock?!? I just don’t understand the thinking here. I really, really don’t. And yeah, I’m just impatient for a FoC Grimlock toy. I admit it. I hope it’s Voyager class…the Classics Grimlock disappointed me only in that it was so small. We need a big, updated-for-current-science Grimlock.
What Battle Beasts Rights Does Diamond Select Have?
battle beasts by toy find!, on Flickr
Phil Reed over at Battlegrip speculates on the specific rights Diamond Select Toys has to Battle Beasts. I actually discussed this on PGPoA way back in 2009, and even then it was rumored DST only had the trademark on the brand name, not the creature designs (or the rub-sign feature).
It seems obvious TakaraTomy (the Japanese rights holder of Transformers) still has the rights to Beastformers, the Japanese toy line that became Battle Beasts when imported to the U.S. and Europe. As the original name suggests, in Japan the line was tied in to Transformers (specifically the Japanese Headmasters franchise). And now it looks like TakaraTomy may be moving forward with some new product under the name Beast Saga.
(A brief aside to Phil’s main question: I suspect the confusion over whether DST “paid someone” for the trademark is due either to someone at the C2E2 DST panel misspeaking, or someone misunderstanding or misreporting what was said. I do think they simply snapped up the trademark when TakaraTomy let it lapse. Also, I believe you pay the government a fee when you pick up a lapsed trademark, so that may be what the “paid” is referring to.)
Toy Aisle Trolls > Transdeformers
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@poeghostal.com.
Submitted by: @more_jetpacks
Found these sad sacks at a ROSS in Olympia, WA. Wreck-Gar has been swapped with an busted AT-AT and Turbo Tracks has been swapped for some random TF. Even $6.99 is too much for the trolls.
Karmic Curse: May you grow so rich that your widow’s second husband never has to worry about making a living.
Does Mattel Hate Geeks? Ctd
Following up on yesterday’s post, a few responses from the comments:
Stories like this make me very thankful for the always awesome guys (and girls) at Hunter PR who handle Hasbro’s PR stuff at Toy Fair and various other conventions. I have literally NEVER had a bad experience with them, and they treat even us small potato folks with respect and courtesy.
I think many collectors make comparisons between Hasbro and Mattel, and while Hasbro has certainly made its share of missteps, I think it’s demonstrably clear the company values the fans of its brands (particularly the homegrown ones, G.I. Joe and Transformers, but also Star Wars and Marvel). Mattel inevitably suffers by this comparison, which baffles me, since they’ve made it clear they want to establish a TF/GIJ-like media franchise in Masters of the Universe. (more…)
5 Questions With > Phil Reed of Battlegrip.com
PHILIP REED
Real Name: Philip Reed
Base of Operations: Battlegrip.com
History: Philip Reed has worked professionally in the game industry since 1995 and has been a geek ever since he first encountered comics and action figures in the late seventies. He can often be found walking on the abandoned roads of America, head staring down at his BlackBerry as he answers e-mail while avoiding pot holes and spiked pits.
1.) First, the basics: what are your toy collecting credentials? What were your first toy(s), what were your favorite lines growing up, and have you been a lifelong collector or did you lose interest and get back into it at some point?
As a kid I was a fan of Star Wars, then G.I. Joe, and then Transformers. At different stages of the seventies and eighties I collected those toys, but it wasn’t until 2007 that my attention turned to designer toys. In late 2008 I had the idea of creating my own site dedicated to toys — www.battlegrip.com — and since that time my collection has exploded. I don’t really focus on any one line — or even type of toy — but instead grab whatever I think looks fun. (more…)
Pic of the Day > Robo-Spidey Rocks Out by Fordigan
