Jul 29, 2012

Castle Grayskull Man... the Rant

The winner of the 2012 Create a Character Contest... Luckily unlike in the 80s contest, this figure IS coming out on the line it was intended to. He has grown on me, not only cause of his weapons, but cause of this!

Courtesy of http://www.castlegrayskullman.com/ That's the contest winner's site... He's a really nice guy... who LOVES MOTU as many of us...

Now unto Castle Grayskull Man. I must admit that I am so freaking jealous! But it's not so much about not being able to compete, but not thinking about an idea like that! It's so freaking obvious and so freaking MOTU!! Maybe that's why I love it, or maybe it's the freaking awesomeness of that Castle Grayskull Man vintage commercial talking...


Yes, the hair gives off a bit of a Hulk Hogan vibe to him, but it's very 80s... and from afar, the teeth on CGM kinda look like Hogan's mustache... and there is nothing wrong with that.

Now the only sad thing is that CGM is the closest we'll ever get to a MOTUC Grayskull... the Castle, not the King. But, his weapons ARE FROM Castle Grayskull itself... So, a crafty customizer could work on his/her own CG AND use CGM's stuff as reference!

Storywise, now this is the big issue. DOES he FIT in the storyline? I have to say that at first I was a bit unsure if he did, but now I feel that he does. The Spirit of Grayskull taking a physical form for the final battle... It does allow for a physical manifestation for Light Hope to happen (IF the line regains its vitality back) CGM also has this Secret videogame boss vibe to him. Kinda like the WEAPONS in final Fantasy games...

I have to say that he DOES fit a LOT better than Spector, Laser-Lot and Cy-chop!

Jul 26, 2012

How did we get here!? Edward is a Sparkling cornuto!

Holy apple holding scandal Batman!

Kristen Stewart apparently cheated on Rob Pattinson... at least it wasn't with Taylor Lautner. Now looks like Cedric Diggory is packing his bags... Here's the weird part, as much as I don't like this couple, I feel bad about Mr. Sparkly. Being deceived like that sucks so much, also WHY!? Why in the heck would she cheat on him!?

Hopefully there is no Kristen Stewart sex video scandal yet... Though I AM curious, does she have that constipated look on her face while having sex?

Now back on topic, I applaud Mr. Pattinson's actions because they show moral fortitude and strength of character. Now I hope that this issue can be solved in an amicable way, especially since BD pt.II is coming this year and a promotional tour with them could create a bit of controversy...

Action Figure Woes: Mitt Romney

I know what you're thinking why would Mitt Romney would be related to an Action Figure Woes?
Quite Simple: He benefited from the death of my FAVORITE Action Figure Hunting Grounds!I'm talking about KB toys!
Basically, Mittens profited by KB going into bankruptcy... and that is just plain wrong, morally speaking... cause apparently it's pretty much legal in business. On a personal Level it sucks! Mitt Romney was winning money on the death of my Favorite Action Figure Hunting grounds! Most of My Toy Biz Marvel Legends (and side lines like SMC, XMC, HulkC, and F4C) were from KB, MOST of my 200X toys were from KB, A LOT of my favorite PS1 and PS2 WERE From KB. MOST of my SOTA SF WERE From KB! ALL of my Todd McFarlane MGS2 Figures WERE From KB! MOST of my Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards WERE from KB! MOST of my Secret Wars and ORIGINAL MOTU Toys were from KB! MOST of my ORIGINAL TMNT TOYS WERE From KB! Most of my Marvel Toys (Pre-ML) WERE From KB I abused the 3@$10 specials! Heck! My PS1 WAS From KB!

So as you can see throughout the years, I've thrown a lot of money at KB... It DID hurt me when they went under... It sucked! Now knowing who WAS behind the death of KB (Bain Capital and their "Golden investor" that "wasn't an employee at the time but still got profits from it", Mitt Romney) makes me so frustrated that I could just kick something!


Now with that said, Romney was not directly involved with this, but he profited from it. It  sucks! KB you'll always have a special place in my heart as well as Sears' Christmas catalogs!!

Jul 21, 2012

Action Figure Woes: Their Killen teh lien!

I was a bit worried when Mattel dropped a few bombshells at SDCC 2012!
Cost increase (Roughly $10 per figure for International Customers... without VAT or any other customs fees), no figures guarantee for customers who use international postage even if they subscribe... (lost item = no replacement or refund!)
Well... MOTUC is apparently in GRAVE DANGER!!
Here's The Mighty Spector himself with the message.


Here's the thing... I understand why people are wary of Neitlich's posts since he's got a past history of crying wolf in order to sell subs... I think I made a joke about it in a previous It came from the Toy chest.
Now, if the line TRULY IS IN DANGER, as Mr. Neitlich says AND you HAVE the Logistics to subscribe, then you should do so.

With that said, I seriously hope that the line goes through all the way to 2014 and that Mattel figures out a way to have a traceable option for International fans that is NOT DHL or UPS... even if it's as slow as standard international post (and closer in price range to international than DHL)!

Jul 17, 2012

Titanic II is still going to happen... really!?

Well, it's getting a slight makeover just to comply with the modern safety regulations and all that... a "safety deck" Life boats, and a casino...
I seriously think that this should not happen, cause we've seen what happened with the first one... Although I think that a certain James Cameron is anxious for it to happen (and sink) for a sequel...

Maybe he can make part 3 with Na'vii!!

Jul 15, 2012

It came from the toy chest: Reversed limbs don't make figure POP!


Stinkor is in the house and he smells! it's fun! Well, mine does not really smell... The only way I can get a faint scent of Patchouli is by sniffing his butt after removing the armor... Sorry for the mental image... Need a lot of Patchouli oil to make him stink... it's fun!
So, Stinkor was a figure who had no real new parts in the vintage line...
Merman repaint with Mekaneck Armor and a Grayskull shield.
Ever since we saw the vintage Mer Man head with MOTUC Mer Man, well we knew Stinkor was coming...
Sadly mine doesn't smell that much... so it's NOT fun
Well, he came and he came packing a punch!! Let's see what he brings to the game:
Mer Man's head
New More Cat-Like head (200X inspired)
New neck piece (Like Mer Man's but for a furry Mammalian humanoid)
New (soon to be used on Mekaneck) Armor
Beast Man Torso and abs
Beastman shoulders and biceps
Beastman's thighs
Furry Loincloth
Carnivus shins
Skeletor boots
Skeletor feet
Skeletor hands
New Forearms (more on these later)
New pieces that attach to the front of the armor (a peg like Vintage, a rebreather or a lever like the 200X version)
New Gas tanks
New Gun
New Gas Mask for the 200X head
Grasykull shield (Palace Guards)

He needs paints ASAP!! Right after Forearm Surgery...
Now, the forearms... They are the "Evil forearms" as seen on Skeletor, Mer Man, etc. but the only variation is that they are working like gloves (like on Mer Man) but the only difference is that the 4 Horsemen gave fur to the "non-gloved" area. That's different enough from the Original Finned arm...
Someone at Mattel's Design team "allegedly" thought that Stinkor didn't "POP" enough, so they "purposely" switched the forearms to make him POP! They DID POP... off and got a repaint by me so they looked like they were meant to the first time! Seriously, I should not be spending time popping off limbs and repainting them because MATTEL wants to mess around with the anatomy...
What's next, reversed thighs, hands or feet?

With that off my chest let's head to the ratings part... 1 = stinks like uh, Stinkor? and 5 = smells like Perfuma...
Freakiest Twins Since Schwarzenegger and De Vito

Articulation:
He's got the same articulation as a standard MOTUC Figure... Sadly my elbows are loose... (due to Mattel forcing me to do a forearms swap...
4.5 Before swap 4.0 Post Swap

Paint and Sculpt:
The Horsemen added a lot of stuff to make Stinkor POP! (without reversed forearms) Sadly some of those details are lost to the lack of paints on him (USS Logistics strikes once more) making a LOT of his stuff look almost like a bootleg toy... What little paint was used on him was pretty well done... some of his skunk stripes are a bit fuzzy, but I like them that way since they mask my crappy paintjob!
2.5 Pre Repaint  4.5 Post Repaint

Accessories:
Stinkor has a lot of them, 2 heads, 2 Torso attachments (like Bow), The Gas tanks, the extra gas mask, gun and shield... Sadly like I mentioned before, the lack of paint makes a lot of these seem blegh!
5.0 Cause of options available between Vintage, 200X or something in between...

Overall:
Well Before the Customization, Stinkor gets a 4.0
AFTER tweaking him, Stinkor gets a 4.5
There isn't that much difference on his scores, but the thing that bothers me the most is how the lack of paints make Stinkor look a bit more bootleggy than other MOTUC figures...

No Longer brothers... and that's how they shall be on my shelf!
Silver and metallic blue paints made Stinkor POP better than reverse forearms (I had to use white and black paint to repaint his skunk stripe... So they count too!)

Jul 14, 2012

The 30th Anniversary Figures, Final thoughts

Now we know the entire line-up for the 30th Anniversary line.
They are:
The Fearless Photog (Winner of the 80s Create a Character Contest)
Draego-Man (Created by the 4 Horsemen)
The Mighty Spector (Created by Scott Neitlich)
Sir-Laser-Lot Created by Geoff Johns)
Cy-Chop (Created by Terry Higuchi)
Castle Grayskull man (Winner of the 2012 Create a Character Contest)

Those are the six figures that compose the 30th Anniversary line.

As I said before, Photog earns a spot y default for being the winner of the 80s contest...
To be Honest, I'm not completely enamored with the character, but he deserved a spot.

Draego-Man... The Amazing Draego-Man. What can I say about this guy?It's a really cool sculpt, but I still stand by my belief that it kinda feels like he's from another line... Maybe it's the cool serious Dragon head that doesn't look as goofy as Clawful, Buzz Off or Snout Spout...

The Mighty Spector... I've said plenty about this guy... If he didn't look too much like Deadpool or if he wasn't Scott Neitlich's avatar in MOTU (with a godlike power to rewrite history as he sees fit) he'd be cooler... Still the toy is pretty fun to play with...

Sir-Laser-Lot... Well Cobra Commander in Medieval Armor with Pinkie Pie's tail as a plume... He's apparently Kign Grayskull's MAA and Spector Kidnaps him to become King He-Man's MAA... cause Sir Laser Lot was meant to disappear (die) and it doesn't affect the timeline...

Now the two new guys into the game are Cy-Chop and Castle Grayskullman...

Cy-Chop...
Metallic head with horns, Roboto torso (different innards), furry loincloth, furry legs, feet and arms, new robotic forearms, last but not least gigantic scissor hands...
He has a Japanese Monster vibe to him... something out of Ultraman or the Super Sentai shows... it COULD work in MOTU, but right now it looks like a kid gutted a Roboto, a Mutagen Man from TMNT, a Beastman AND an Ultraman toy to make this...

Castle Grayskullman...
He looks very MOTU-like... OK he looks like if Castle Grayskull sprouted arms, legs and a bad Hulk Hogan wig... kinda cheating... This should have been a large scale figure like Tytus or Megator...

I think that only the Winner of the 2012 contest AND the Four Horsemen understood what this "30th line was about" (Photog doesn't count... he was made in the 80s) Spector and Laser-Lot, I've commented already how they don't feel MOTU-ish (Especially Spector...)  While Cy-Chop DOES have that vintage MOTU link (name, action feature, look) he does feel like a custom made with toys from different lines... I still stand that this was not the best way to celebrate He-Man's 30th...


Jul 13, 2012

Action Figure Woes: SDCC 2012 MOTUC

Alright! Mattel revealed their SDCC stuff! The remaining MOTUC for the year and the first few MOTUC for 2013...
August: Sir-Laser-Lot
September: Dragon Blaster Skeletor, Snakemen Army Builder 2 pack and Mekaneck
October: Frosta, Rattlor, and Cy-Chop (Terry Higuchi's character for the 30th)
November: Dekker, Eternos Palace Randor (Filmation Randor), Castle Grayskullman (Winner of the Create a Character contest)
December: Mosquitor, Temple of Darkness Sorceress, Procrustus, and Granamyr
Now for 2013 MOTUC gets ANOTHER price increase... $25 for Subscribers and $27 for non-subscribers on normal figures... OUCH! Not only that, but international customers get new shipping options, but if they stick to International post (the only one that delivers to PO Boxes as far as I know) missing packages will not be replaced or refunded.

The 2013 items are:

January: Netossa and RAM MAN!?
February: Jitsu
March:Fang Man
April: Fighting Foe Men 3 pack (3 characters based on the drivers of the vintage vehicle models made by Monogram)
Club Eternia Exclusive: King He-Man
Traveling Exclusive for Conventions: Strobo (with Unhelmeted Zodac Head)

Where to start... I already mentioned the dramatic price increase... which sucks! I also mentioned the "screw you" from Mattel regarding international customers who use a PO Box as their shipping address. Now to make matters worse, subscribers get a "first pick" at items for the day of sales... (Apparently it's just to extra items not on subscriptions... Things like Weapons packs, Ghostbuster movie props, etc.)
Now with the price increase it seems that they're cutting back on some stuff, namely variants and Large Scale beasts... but for some Mattel Reason, they kept the extremely expensive 3 packs! Seriously!?

Now that stinks for non-subscribers...

While I'm here why don't I make this an extra Long Ranticle and share my thoughts on each item?

August: Sir-Laser-Lot
Well, I'm not fond of the character's design... or his role on the MOTUC universe. Him being on his own makes it easier for me to skip him...


September: Dragon Blaster Skeletor
>My Favorite Skeletor variant as a kid AND it has the third Mini-Comic... I should NOT skip this one!
Snakemen Army Builder 2 pack
It's a cool set, don't get me wrong, but it's on a month with 2 figures that I want... I MAY have to skip this.
Mekaneck
Another vintage carrot that was used to dangle on the customers' faces... I guess that with Stinkor out, the Mek was coming and he will land on my shelf assuming I can get him... (He WILL get slightly repainted to fit my preferences)
October: Frosta
The one who harasses He-Man has a frosty spot on my shelf waiting for her! 
Rattlor
One of the Snakemen I did NOT have as a Kid... Will try to get him... If I had to choose between him or Frosta, Frosta beats Rattlor... but will get both, if possible. 
Weapons Pack #3
Must have for me... Keldor Swords, MAA Handcannon, Draego's missing stuff!? 
Cy-Chop (The 30th Character designed by Terry Higuchi)
I'd rather buy 3 Laser-Lots! Easiest skip in the whole line!! The design is best described as a meh... I DO love his head though...
November: Dekker
This month is a bit weak for me... but Dekker was a cool 200X character who happens to have a classiczed 200X MAA Mace... Methinks a small switcheroo would happen IF I get him, maybe give him some stuff from WP#3?
Eternos Palace Randor (Filmation Randor)
the Randor I've always wanted. Not necessarily the Randor I DESERVE... He'd look PERFECT with Marlena!
Castle Grayskullman (Winner of the Create a Character contest)
Uh... He's kinda OK... He's More MOTU than all the other 30th figures... He's like a mini Grayskull! (who was a man...) If I can pick him, I would mostly cause of his weapons... but he's the most likely to be skipped if I had to drop one...
December: Mosquitor
Um, he's not on my Top Hordesmen... I'm glad that Pixel Dan gets his figure... (Where's my Glimmer, dammit!) If I'm not too Logistically drained, I'd get him...
Temple of Darkness Sorceress
My "Ghost of Teela'Na" would have to be sacrificed in the name of Ram Man... also, there's no update on DEM WINGS, so she's skippable!
Procrustus
I don't do giants and this one is easily skipped by me... (not much of a mini comic fan)
Granamyr
Really Mattel? Really? Lump The Grumpy old dragon on a month with 2 figures and a Large Scale beast? (not to mention the possibility of another Cyber Monday sale about 2 weeks before this sale date?) I MIGHT have to skip him IF I intend to get some January stuff...

The 2013 items are:

January: Netossa
While she's a PoP character, she CAN be skipped easily by me... No, it's not cause she's black... It's cause she's NOT Glimmer, Angella, or Castaspella... Price increase makes me a mega Cherry Picker!
Ram Man The Final Carrot... of the vintage line... The "Do you want X or Ram Man" arguments are finally over... but dang it! Burning through the vintage characters too fast is not a great idea...
February: Jitsu
The Anti-Fisto is here... He looks very cool, sadly no Removable 200X Elements on him like Fisto... The Pair of Kama are cool, but how is he gonna use them?
March:Fang Man
A Filmation character I do not care about... Slot would have been better used on Octavia, Scorpia, Sea Hawk or Shokoti...
April: Fighting Foe Men 3 pack (3 characters based on the drivers of the vintage vehicle models made by Monogram)
This has 2 things going against it:
1- It's a 3 pack!! One with Obscure characters to top things off... a $75 (or $81) Three pack of obscure characters that not everyone is interested in... Suddenly the Star Sisters don't look so bad...
2- They're the drivers of 3 vehicles that we MAY NEVER SEE in the Classics line...
Club Eternia Exclusive: King He-Man
I only like his beaten up 200X Sword... His Iron cross has the Randor gem and his crotch has He-Ro's H... I'm surprised that they didn't find a way to add King Grayskull's Asterisk or Spector's Spade to him... but at least it's not a "Shadow Weaver".
Traveling Exclusive for Conventions: Strobo (with Unhelmeted Zodac Head)
 Not a bad idea... Hopefully his torso will have Vac Metal on its center for the "mirror"... yes I said I want Vac Metal on a character... Also that Zodak head is very needed...




Jul 12, 2012

It came form Neitlich's pocket... Now it came from the Toy Chest: Spector

The time has come for me to face my greatest nemesis! The Mighty Spector has arrived and It's time for me to review him...

♠NOT FUNNY!♠
The intro will not be long since I've talked about him A LOT... not just my two rants on him (design and bio) but I've also dealt with the issue verbally in The Council of the First Ones...
I think Scott Neitlich does not keep him Mint on Pants! ;)

Now, you must be pretty informed about the Purple One who resides in Scott Neitlich's Pocket...
The Time Traveling Mary Sue that is looking for Sex... and happens to look like Deadpool...
Now the Question is: How does the toy fare against my critical eye?

First let's see what he brings to the table:
New Head
New left Forearm
New Harness
New Leg Harness
New iCosmic Key
New iCosmic Key: Jedi Version
New Gun
Normal naked buck
He-Man Right Forearm
Hordak Right Hand
Trap Jaw Left Hand (It makes sense due to the Light Saber Mode of the Cosmic Key)
Trap Jaw Boots (Knee, Shin and feet)
He-Man Thighs
Optikk Crotch

So I guess I should do the ratings part: 1 = Something that should be erased from the Timeline, and 5 = something that should be preserved forever

Articulation:
Spector is ♠THE TIGHTEST FIGURE I'VE EVER DEALT WITH...♠ in MOTUC. Absolutely zero loose joints... Even the infamous Trap Jaw Boot loose Ankles are tight on The Purple one!
♠5.0♠ 


Paint and Sculpt:
yes, I think the design of the figure is plain and a dud, but the sculpt is amazing... The Horsemen did it again... The left Bracer is very detailed and so is the tiny Cosmic Key that attaches to it. There is no visible slop on mine... The closest thing to a Flaw is that the "SEX" tampo was a bit too high on mine.
♠4.5♠ 
Accessories:
Not Even The Mighty Spector is saved from the USS Logistics! He had a Flaming Whip... Like Draego-Man before him that was cut out... All that he has is the Cosmic Key, the gun AND the Cosmic Key (Sword Mode)
The gun is kinda cool... has a bit of a Sci-Fi vibe to it. The Cosmic Keys are where the cool stuff is...
The Lightsaber version is the best, Especially since Specky Wecky can hold it on his left hand...
♠4.5♠ 


Overall:
The Mighty Spector gets a 4.67!? What the Hell!? But I HATE THIS FIGURE!! Stupid tight joints and near perfect paint job and cool accessories! Spector is supposed to suck so much that you'd wish he was never made! I think someone messed with my review... I think I'm gonna keep him with my custom Unmasked head to break the Deadpool look...


Seriously though, I still believe that Spector is awful as a character and as a design, but the toy itself is pretty good. I think that the Spade, the full on tights look AND his right Forearm are a bit off... (I would have used Icarius' biceps and Right Forearm, Man-E-Faces' Shoulders and the Hordak ab piece to reduce the "man in tights" effect on him... Since he lacks a torso armor like the other characters who wear "tights" (The palace Guards, Duncan, or Mekaneck) Also the Mask kinda bothers me a bit... If it was a helmet with a removable faceplate (think Palace Guard Helmet) it could have been cooler!




Jul 8, 2012

I find your lack of She-Ra disturbing

And I'm talking about Mattel here... As we all know 2012 is Masters of the Universe's 30th Anniversary... I've ranted about it... a couple... of times... already... Really...
Well, we had a sneak peek at the third Mini-comic cover and guess who is absent...
I'll give you a hint...


Well, the DC comic also lacks She-Ra... and has a blonde Teela on it instead...

Missed opportunities...

What do I mean by that? Well, She-Ra, as I've mentioned earlier still suffers from the stigma of being a girl's toyline... The Masters of the Universe Classics line was supposed to encompass ALL of the MOTU related lines into one line (with one cohesive look, yadda, yadda)...
And so far we have seen NONE of that on the Mini Comics...

Now you may argue that the first 2 mini comics deal with He-Man's adventures on Pre-Eternian times... but the Third Mini Comic is the second Ultimate Battleground... The Final Battle... I think that featuring She-Ra on the cover would have been good to the whole Integration of PoP into MotU thing that Scott Neitlich preaches... I suppose that She-Ra stole precious space needed for The Mighty Spector and his good buddy Sir-Laser-Lot...

How can Mattel talk about integration of the brands, when they've been trying as hard as possible to keep them as separate as possible... There will be no more MOTUC mini comics, so this means no more chances to integrate She-Ra with He-Man aside the MOTUC toyline...

I know that the only hope would be the DC Comic mini series, but there are 5 issues remaining and most of them will deal with Adam's quest to recover everyone's past or something... I'm guessing that Spector will show up soon to Help Adam fix the mistake in the timeline or something... and if he does, I shall laugh and then complain about it! (cause Spector is no She-Ra...)

Jul 5, 2012

I want to make a Fabulous Secret Powers joke...

I suppose he could be called Flashor: Heroic Nudist Warrior!!
I really don't care about the naked guy riding Battle Cat... I'm MORE INTERESTED in the LIFE SIZED Battle Cat in Northampton...

It makes me wish we HAD an Adult Ride-On Battle Cat

It needs to be 50% larger...
Seriously, an Adult Sized Ride-On Battle Cat Rocking steed... thing would be pretty cool...
Now add a Life Size Power Sword or at least a Wii or PS3 Move He-Man game and that would be super duper cool... Kicking butt as He-Man while riding Battle Cat. I did not mention Kinnect cause flailing my arms without a controller is a bit too disturbing for me...

Also in other news...
He is coming... wait that did not sound right

I found a Spector from a reseller... The Mighty Spector will be the star of an upcoming ICFTTC...
I will face the Spector and review him... (making part 3 of the Spector series of Articles) In th e meantime I leave y'all with a video of another purple time traveler



Jul 3, 2012

Odds and Ends July 2, 2012

We are getting closer to the end of the World and Yahoo! News just discovered bronies...
It seems that they showed up in 10 seconds flat!

The Amazing Spider-Man seems to be getting LESS Amazing as I gather more info...


WHAT! NO With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility!?
That's a bunch of Bull... fecal matter! They NEED TO retell the Origin story, yet the one KEY aspect of it is ignored...

That's it!? That's almost like eliminating the death of Batman's parents!!


A challenge was made by Scott "Toyguru" Neitlich back in February 2012...


Pixel Dan did his part, will Scott be a man of his word and dress up as his creation (The Mighty Spector) or is he going to use the loophole he made @ 0:36 on the video as an excuse to NOT wear the Purple suit? I'm no gambling man but the MOST LOYALEST of all ponies... I mean Palace Guards is NOT coming as the Purple one...