Castle Grayskull: An example on Mattel disappointing customers

Before I start this rant I NEED to make one thing Clear...
I am NOT complaining about the sculpt!! The 4Horsemen did a WONDERFUL thing sculptwise.
(Then again, it's rare to find a sucky 4Horsemen sculpt) My whole disappointment stems from Mattel's actions.
Now before I officially start, I need to point out some other things:
-I'm glad that we're getting a Castle Grayskull, even if I decided NOT to buy it.
-Again, it's not the sculpt where I'm disappointed.
-I have nothing personal against Scott Neitlich.

OK where to start:

Check out Castle Grayskull...

Remember this? They were going for $200 target. Then they said that it's be $250 in order for them NOT to CUT ANYTHING from the B-Sheet.

Guess what was the first casualty of the castle...

Get More: 

Geek: Event Coverage, Full Episodes

Sad part is that the Horsemen had Sculpted it after Neitlich had said countless of times that AT LEAST EVERYTHING ON THE B-SHEET would make it to the Final Castle.


Any Similarity to someone we know is Purely Coincidental...


Here's the actual castle now... This video was meant to compare the New Classics Castle to previous versions in order to make us WANT the new Castle. first, notice how further back is the partially assembled 200X Castle...

I took those measurements and compared them to the "crappy" 200X Castle... Here's what I got:
The Measurements from the Classics Castle came straight from Scott Neitlich's Castle Comparison video posted above.
Classics: To the highest Tower 22.5"h
200X: to the highest tower a bit shy of 20.5"h
Classics: Jawbridge Closed 8"h
200X: Jawbridge Closed about 7.5"h
Classics: Inside Front wall 15"w
200X: Inside front wall: 15"w
Classics: To the Lowest Tower 18.5"h
200X: To the Lowest Tower 19"h
classics: Jawbridge Open 7"h
200X: Jawbridge Open 7.25"h

Extra measurements: 200X First floor a bit over 8"h Second Floor's Under the lowest tower a little bit over 6.5"h Under the Highest tower a bit over 7.5"h

The Classics Castle is the better castle except on Jawbridge clearance when open and that the 200X castle is flatter when closed and gives you a bit more shelf space.

He-Man.org held an open topic where forum users asked Mattel their top 3 issues with the castle.

Here's pretty much what Scott Toyguru Neitlich had to say regarding those issues:

Hey everyone! I know their have been a ton of questions about the Castle and Val and the Mods were nice enough to gather together the most pressing questions. Please keep in mind that everything about the Castle is in flux right now as development continues. No one has really tired anything this ambitious before (selling in a 250.00 playset with a B-sheet!) so we do ask that you bare with us as development continues. There are and will continue to be changes from the original B-sheet as we move into sculpt (as seen at NYTF) and final toy (which we hope to show at SDCC).

If in any way you are unhappy with the product as it develops you may cancel your order through Aug 30th. But keep in mind if you cancel you can’t get back in and it is likely we will not do a day of sale for the Castle (or if we do it will be super limited and maybe only customer service stock sold off if not needed). Hope these answers clarify and feel free to ask more over on the Mattycollector.com “ask Matty” forums!

Best,
Scott

1. Will the jawbridge hinge be lowered further and/or the entrance way increased in height to allow for a longer jawbridge and more clearance for figures (or even better, clearance for He-Man on Battle Cat)?

We are actually looking into this. At this point it is too early to confirm anything but Mattel design and the Four Horsemen are exploring ways of getting the Jaw Bridge to lower into the base a bit more to allow for more clearance. We are actively looking into this to see if it is possible.

2. Can the Windraider socket be moved to the top somehow and/or the lower base be removed and something else be done in its place, such as the addition of other highly requested features or items (like the 3D dungeon) not currently offered with Grayskull?

The WR socket was always planned and announced as being inside of the Castle. The idea of "replacing it" does not really work. The socket is a hole in the floor of the castle for the existing stand included with the released WR toy. Replacing this "socket hole" with a newly sculpted item with lots of deco (like the dungeon you suggest) is not a 1:1 cost ratio. A new item with deco is way more expensive vs. including a socket in the floor. But if you don't want to use the Windraider socket or even the entire floor section you do not have to. This optional floor section with the WR socket plug is an accessory for the Castle and not needed to hold the playset together the way the walls do. If you don't care for this feature you do not need to display it. It is optional.

3. Will the inside walls of Grayskull be sculpted to add detail and features rather than being smooth as we saw in the prototype?

The interior walls will be the inverse sculpt of the exterior walls. They were smooth at Toy Fair in the Four Horsemen sculpt. But was noted at the show as being a temp item to hold the prototype together. The final plastic castle will have one sculpted wall for the outside and inside.

4. Will the throne be adjusted to allow for the Sorceress and/or a caped figure to sit in?

Yes, we are exploring adding a slit in the back of the throne for the Sorceress's tail feather to slide into letting her sit properly.

5. Will you adjust the trapdoor so it drops directly onto the dungeon or into the prison?

No, there will not be changes to the trapdoor position.

6. Will you go back and make Grayskull larger like in the foam mockup? And if not, why was it scaled down in size?

No. This is the largest we can make the Castle at the current price point. The foam model and the sell in sheet was noted as a work in progress and all dimensions given were noted as estimates that would likely change. And they did slightly.

7. Can head clearance inside the castle be improved for the figures placed inside on the different floors?

No, we won't be able to adjust the spacing of the floors, but there is more than enough space for MOTUC figures on each section.

8. Will the missing accessories from the original playset and other items like the 3D dungeon and Mark Taylor concept accessories be offered separately in the future if we cannot get the with this Grayskull playset?

We don't have plans for any additional accessories to the actual Castle (in fact there is a good chance some of the items shown at NYTF may need to be cut before the final product is shown at SDCC as costs continue to come in). It is always possible we could look into an add on "furniture" or "accessory" pack for the Castle one day, but nothing is planned right now.

9. Will there be pegs on the ledges to keep the figures from falling, or will you make the ledges wider so pegs aren't needed?

No. We won't be adding pegs to the ledge. There is more than enough space for two MOTUC figures to fit. Eric confirmed this on Roast Gooble dinner last week. (note from JVS3: I hope to have the episode up this coming weekend)

10. Will a cap be provided to cover the Wind Raider stand socket when it's not used, plus can something done with texture and sculpting to help make the floor look better?

No, we won't be adding a cap to the WR socket. It is an option piece and you can choose to not display it with your Castle if you do not care for it.

11. Is Grayskull designed for the potential future additions like Point Dread, castle playset extensions and/or dioramas?

Yes, the Horsemen did sculpt it with this in mind, but no plans right now for any additional items like you describe.

12. Will the spacesuit armor ever be offered as an articulated figure, or a snap-on piece that will cover an existing figure?

It is always possible but we don't have any plans right now for this.

13. Will fans be polled for what features, accessories and items they'd prefer on Grayskull?

No. The only poll we are running is for preorder customers to choose which 10 figures will be on the box art.

14. Can we get more features or additions (like a portal) that are nods to Filmation Grayskull?

No, we won't be adding any additional accessories and there is a very good chance that some of the accessories shown at NYTF may not make it to the final product as costs continue to come in. We'll have the final toy to show at SDCC.

15. Will you change the prison's size and bars so you can fit more inside and so you can see more of the figure through the bars?

No, we won't be able to make this change.

16. Will all the materials used, especially on joints and hinges, be stable and of the highest quality to insure durability, with the possibility of replacement parts and a lengthier warrantee?

We are using the best material we can!

17. Will Scareglow's key work on Grayskull?

Yes, there will be a slot added to the back door that will fit his key.

18. Will the hinge allow for the two halves to be taken apart after the initial assembly?

Assembly is not final at this time so we don't have a final answer to this.

19. Will a book, comic or unannounced accessory come with Grayskull?

No.

20. Will this Grayskull ever be used for another incarnation of MOTU, such as 3 and ¾ figures?

There are no plans to re-release the Castle beyond the current sale.

21. Will the two halves open up completely so they are perfectly side-by-side and will sit flush against a flat surface?

Assembly is not final at this time so we don't have a final answer to this.

22. Will you make the left parapet taller?

No, we won't be able to make this change.

23. Will the walls of the castle remain thick?

No, the sculpt at NYTF had much thicker walls to hold the prototype together. In the final plastic product the walls will be the inverse of the exterior sculpt detail.

24. Will any of the interior show when Grayskull is closed (like the top of the elevator rails) and if so, can it be fixed to conceal anything inside when closed?

It will be very similar to the vintage Castle. You will likely see some section of the elevator but we are not far enough along to make a definitive call.

25. Can the green on the castle be made darker?

Deco is not final but it is pretty close. We'll pass this along but likely we are past the point of making this change.

26. Will extensive testing be done to make sure paint will adhere and not easily scrape off Grayskull?

All of our products have this.

27. Will the sword keyhole be disguised in any way to make it less visible when not used?

It will look like a vertical crack in the front stone by the Jaw Bridge.

28. Are the shields, sword holder and tapestries removable?

The swords and shields can be removed, but the wall mounted holder is one time assembly. You can interchange which swords and shields are on the wall to your heart’s content.

29. Can the flags be made out of a sturdy fabric?

The flags are made of plastic.

30. If any paint aps are cut, will stickers be included to make up for any lost paint?

That would be one option, but we are pretty set on the paint ops at this point!

31. Will there be a lock on the orb chamber that you can open with the Sword of Power or Sword of Protection?

No.

32. Will the laser canon swivel left to right as well as up and down?

It moves up and down on the stand, but it is also not in a fixed spot so you can move it wherever you want.

33. Will you add a plug-in to attach Castle Grayskullman in some way?

You can put him anywhere you want, but there is no attachment for him.

34. Will the elevator have more paint aps?

No, we are not adding additional paint aps. But it has a lot.

35. Will you make a set of thrones to sell separately to use with the King and Queen?

It is always possible but we don't have any plans right now for this.

36. Do Castle Grayskullman's swords fit into the sword wall mount?

The wall mounted sword holder will fit most MOTUC swords/weapons.

37. Will the flags turn on the poll, or will the poll be able to rotate to show different sides of the flag?

The flag is fixed and made of plastic. The poll is a self standing element that can be moved or positioned anyway you want on the top, inside, next to the ground or even in your refrigerator if that if your thing.

38. Will it come with an Orb for the Orb Room?

No. The orb came with King Grayskull in late 2011.

39. Will we get He-Ro's grave?

No, we won't be including a grave stone accessory. Only what was shown at NYTF and possibly not even all of those items as costs continue to come in. A final toy will be shown at SDCC.

Again, they bumped up the cost of the castle to $250 for the first wave of preorders to avoid cutting items... Not only that but Wave 2 of Preorders is paying $275... AND there's a threat of them cutting out more stuff... except the dumbasstacular Wind Raider Parking spot within the castle...

this comes to mind every time anyone asks about axing the crappy wind raider parking spot that's creating the height clearance issues on the castle floors...

Seems like the Hoverboardgate has reincarnataed... Now with all that said, here's the short version of WHY I'm disappointed in Castle Grayskull and I ain't buying it!

-Mattel's bait and switch tactics. We get the world promised to us. They INCREASE the cost of the castle TWICE and now we're getting LESS than what they promised.
-The size of the castle is 3.5 inches taller than the 200X Castle I already own. I wanna point out that Neitlich's "comparison" video did very little in the comparing department. Not to mention showing the 200X Castle incomplete and further back to make it even smaller.
-The stubbornness on keeping unwanted features while ignoring the real issues.

I'm sorry, but $275 + S & H for a slightly taller castle when the 200X one is ROUGHLY the same size AND doesn't have that many headroom issues as the Classics Castle... Right now the Classics Castle is more or less ACCEPTABLE for MOTUC figures, but PERFECT for the Vintage or 200X Figures. No matter how many fancy Mathematics I use, I can't make a $300+ dollars investment for a Castle that is  simply the "Vintage Castle in 200X Scale"...

Again, the sculpt is beautiful, but it's too small for MOTUC... The castle is big, but for it to be better compatible with MOTUC it needs those extra 2 inches that are missing due to shrinkage...

If you LOVE Castle Grayskull and can afford it, by all means buy it and enjoy it! I'm not saying DON'T BUY IT! I'm just stating the things that turned me off from buying the Castle... Had it been Snake Mountain, I'd have been more torn on the issue... Mostly cause the only thing it would be compared to is the Vintage Snake Mountain and let's face it...

This playset screams more Demon/Wolf/and a giant mutant worm Mountain than snake mountain...

People hated Seth MacFarlane...

Hosting the Academy Awards? That he did offensive jokes and one liners? HELLO! That was to be expected if SETH MACFARLANE IS HOSTING THE ACADEMY AWARDS!! Good thing he doesn't want to do it again...

I don't get why everyone is acting up all offended about him being the host... I mean this is the guy who made THIS happen:

who is also known for this:

I mean really?

Wait... they want to attract the Seth MacFarlane audiences to tune into the Academy Awards, but... the y don't mix THAT well! The highest prestigious awards with the Master of fart jokes?

Hey what the!? Ikea's gone Cupcakes?

I mean Cupcakes as in the gory My Little Pony Fan fiction in which Pinkie Pie kills ponies and makes them into the titular food... They found Horse Meat on some Ikea meatballs... apparently they do a lot more than Furniture...

That makes the German Scootaloo Mc Sandwich even creepier...

Yes, Germany had a build a burger contest a while back and a Chicken Sandwich named Scootaloo made it to the finals...


but back on topic... The only reason why horsemeat = bad is the same reason dog and cat meat = bad... Horses like dogs and cats are considered pets and companion animals... but What about the Chickens and the Pigs?

what about them? That's the issue on this, but I'd rather not eat Pony... cause Ponies...



OK Mr. SLJ... The People of Guam are pre-emptively striking the Monkey Fighting Snakes before they enter the monday to Friday planes! they'll do it by Parachuting dead mice with Acetaminofen in their bodies!

While Hasbro may have stopped the awesome game fighting is Magic, they did allow the Fan-Made Episode Double Rainboom to exist... It's coming on March 30th 2013... and Here's the trailer!

Sephiroth is Useless!!

The times I spent playing Final Fantasy VII again and again.I had to go through two Ps1 copies of the game and I got the Square rerelease of the PC game last year...(haven't beaten it due to spotty internet connection and dumbass cloud save issues)

and the conclusion I reached is that Sephiroth is the weakest and most pathetic of Final Fantasy villains. Kefka actually wins and turns the world into a twisted mess based on him. Kuja was being Garland's puppet while trying to free himself from his shackles. Ultimecia was trying to become an omnipotent goddess through TIME KOMPRESSION! Sin... that's just the tool used by Yu Yevon to keep his Zanarkand (The dream one) alive. Exdeath is an Evil Tree that gained sentience and tried to merge the two worlds that were separated and return everything to the Void... Sephiroth?

 A Mama's boy that gets killed by a low-level Shinra MP... Yeah... the great and Mighty Sephiroth felled by a low level Shinra MP... Pathetic...

Now here comes the Sephiroth planned everything and overpowered Jenova Conspiracy... Which is pretty stupid and apparently is what Square chose to use. So yes, Officially Sephiroth is "awesome and super powered" with the expansions like Advent Children, Crisis Core, etc. BUT when looking at Final Finatasy VII ON ITS OWN without the Expansions, you can see that Sephiroth is pathetic and useless.
The Real Villain of Final Fantasy VII is

J-E-N-O-V-A... Why do I say this? One Word: Reunion 

The JENOVA Reunion theory states once Jenova's cells have been separated from the main body they will eventually reunite into one again. If they are inside a host body they can influence its mind and body to join the Reunion — sometimes so extremely the host organism is killed.

With that said, Let's go to the Nibbleheim incident...

What is stored within the Nibel Reactor?Jenova
Who is a human with Jenova cells since he was an embryo?
Sephiroth
What does the Jenova Reunion Theory states?once Jenova's cells have been separated from the main body they will eventually reunite into one again. If they are inside a host body they can influence its mind and body to join the Reunion — sometimes so extremely the host organism is killed.

So, let's see. Man full of Jenova Cells is compelled to go to where JENOVA's body "rests". Unable to take the whole thing it takes "The Head". He is wounded by the Low Level MP and dives into the Lifestream WITH Jenova's head.

Cloud gets injected with J-cells and his body reacts to them... which makes Cloud another Jenova infused human...

The events of FFVII are "sephiroth free" until Cloud and Company attack the Shinra building where JENOVA is "resting". Jenova's body is acting on its own trying to "reunite" itself.

What about Cloud and the other people experimented on?

Well, Jenova DOES release Cloud (and the others) from the Shinra prison. She then kills the President while using the Form of Sephiroth... Because Jenova can shape-shift and the most feared form for Shinra (and Cloud) IS Sephiroth. Now the Jenova is traveling the world for two reasons:
-Reunion (trying to reunite all the JENOVA beings while locating the biggest piece that is Sephiroth and the head)
-Locating the Black Materia. Due to knowledge acquired THROUGH the Lifestream, Sephiroth Learned of the Black Materia, since Jenova cannot be assimilated to the Lifestream. (something useful that the Jenova-Human hybrid did...) Since Sephiroth has Jenova cells, this is some juicy info for JENOVA...

This may seem like a dead end for the Jenova IS behind everything theory... It cannot be absorbed into the lifestream and be assimilated by it, but Jenova CAN assimilate life from the planet. The Jenova Human Hybrid seems useful again. It somehow ended where JENOVA first landed (the Northern Crater) If Jenova somehow gathers the power to summon Meteor and it hits where the planet is trying to heal itself, the wound would bring a lot of life energy for Jenova to absorb through her puppet... The Late Sephiroth... The same one thet is reforming itself on the Northern Crater (due to him not being fully assimilated by the Lifestream AND the regenerating capabilities of Jenova.) While this is happening we have the Cloud quest after "sephiroth" who "kills" Aerith... (cause it's Jenova who kills her). Jenova then manipulates the party into giving Sephiroth the black Materia and Meteor is Summoned.
when the party reaches the Crater for the last time to stop Meteor they Fight Jenova's "final form" and it "dies"... Now the largest remaining Jenova piece IS WITHIN Sephiroth. Again,Jenova is defeated. So the last remaining Large piece of Jenova is within Cloud.

Now Cloud must do battle with the Jenova within... that takes the shape of Sephiroth based on Cloud's memories and fears.

So, by looking at the game on its own, we can say that JENOVA is the villain of Final Fantasy 7.
The only things that Sephiroth did were:
-burn Nibelheim (possibly under Jenova influence)
-gather information form the Lifestream
-be a vessel for summoning Meteor and for Jenova to assimilate life on the Planet.

Things Jenova did:
-(possibly) drive Sephiroth insane leading to the Nibelheim incident
-Kill President Shinra
-slaughter the people on the Shinra ship
-Kill Tseng (expanded universe claims he was wounded not killed)
-Kill Aerith
-Shatter Cloud's mind
-Trick the party into giving the Black Materia to Sephiroth
-attempting to stop the party from aiding HOLY to save the planet from Meteor.

but Sephiroth is more marketable than Jenova...

Why did the MOTUC/DCUC packs failed?

Short answer: Mattel.

Long answer: Mattel's approach for the packs was the wrong approach and the laziest!

Full blown long winded rant on why Mattel doomed the packs to failure: Coming up next!

Like I said, Mattel is the one to carry most of the blame for the 2 packs' failure.

Let's start with the OBVIOUS THING! The toys were not meant for each other!
The MOTUC Figures are 7" figures, while the DCUC Figures are clearly on a 1:12 scale.

Look at the figures standing next to each other... See the problem? It's the same problem that Bandai's Thundercats Classics had compared to MOTUC... they were too big, then they were too small... But One is Bandai and the other's Mattel. This case is different cause MOTUC and DCUC ARE BOTH From Mattel. Now, I understand the whole DC doesn't want to share Character Specific parts with other Toylines, but the TDKR Batman shows that a MOTUC SCALED DC Figure CAN be made...
Having Both the DC Figure and MOTUC Figure be on the same scale would have been better for the Toyline. a MOTUC Scaled Superman would have been awesome... or a MOTUC Scaled Wonder Woman using the MOTUC Female buck...

Luthor looks puny next to Skeletor! Also these two sets were available around the same time...

Issue Number 2: The only ones who TRULY wanted the figures were the MOTUC fans.
Let's talk the He-Man vs Superman pack and the Lex Luthor vs Skeletor packs.
Superman was the plain old vanilla Superman that was available as an All Star Figure, was in a Two-Pack (vs Parasite) and Lex Luthor was available on a two pack with Supergirl (seen on pic)... See the problem here? If I'm a DCUC fan, why would I bother buying the Lex Luthor with a lame ass Conan Rip-Off toy when I can get the SAME Lex Luthor AND a Supergirl to boot! (not seen since the Pre-DCUC DCSH line...) Same thing with He-Man... Why when there's the Parasite 2-pack?
Had they released something like Superfriends Colors Superman or Business Suit Lex Luthor (CK buck with LL head) to make the DC Half more special.

As said before ONLY the MOTUC fans were more interested in these:
He-Man with Symmetrical bracers and sporting Red Boots and Loincloth...
Skeletor in a more Filmation-esque palette.
Stratos with the vintage toy color variation (Red Harness, Blue Wings)
Blue Merman as in some vintage Material
Zodac with Human feet (More Filmation-like)
Battle Armor Faker... OK this one the DC Fan might be a bit more interested in since it had Bizarro in it!

Superman, Luthor, Hawkman, Aquaman, aren't that different from previous releases... Green Lantern seems like the same GL as in the GL vs Sinestro 2 pack or one of the Metallic Hal Jordan repaints.

Lazy 2packs with only the MOTUC Half getting SOME Love, not to mention that the DC Figures were also available in some way or other. Not to mention that they were badly distributed through Toys R Us... I had to order my Zodac set online through a reseller since Local TRUs didn't have it... Stratos and Mermen...


Methinks this was a ploy to lure MOTUC Collectors into DCUC collecting than luring DCUC Collectors into MOTUC... Heck there was ZERO promotion to the Mattycollector site that SELLS the MOTUC product.

Still a special Limited edition of MOTUC Scaled Main DCU characters would have been nice and a cool way for Mattel to churn out some cool MOTU Variants (like Filmation MAA, Red Beastman or Mini comics Trap Jaw to name a few) Would make the DCU figures Special since their only release would be in the MOTU line and churn some MOTU characters different enough from their Matty Counterparts... but Logistics screwed the customers over once again...

So, let's recap for the third time:
-Mismatched Scale
-Lack of "Must buy" Special Version appeal from the DCUC Half.
-Piss Poor TRU Distribution... not to mention shelf location... you had to be a Chihuahua to have these guys at Eye level.
-Bad QC (Mostly from the DCUC half)... My Hal Jordan has a frozen leg... Then again HALF of the DCUC figs I've bought suffer from the same fate!

So, this makes Mattel the one who carries most of the blame... TRU's piss poor Distribution is the second biggest culprit...

PS4 is coming

It's coming... The Fourth Playstation... I have a bad feeling about it.

Why? The Cloud Centric thing... Call me old fashioned but I'd rather have Physical copies of games than digital downloads. This reads as "Rebuy the old digital copies of games that you previously owned... AGAIN!!" The PS go sucked for that same reason (having to rebuy digital copies of your UMDs...) Now if you bought say, final fantasy Tactics through PSN for your PS3... Guess what game you have to rebuy for PS4?

Also all this no loading times thing play as the game downloads and the console updating on its own even when turned off creeps me out a bit... well the it updating on its own while turned off kinda means that it's NOT TRULY TURNED OFF and it's using power and consuming bandwith as I do not use the console.

and all of this emphasis in online stuff... Cloud gaming, virtual "passing the gamepad along" where other folks can play parts of your game or give you hints while you play... If you have limited bandwith or a spotty connection? PS4 is not for you. Now you can share videos or snapshots on Facebook with the touch of a button...

Streaming games into the PS Vita  and not blocking used games does sound a bit cool...

Now suggesting you what games you should buy next is borderline creepy... 

How can I trust Cloud to save games when he can't even

Aw... Hell no! Megan Fox as April!?

Of all the worst things that could happen after Michael Bay got TMNT... Megan Fox as April is on the top 3 Worst Possible things... that could happen to the movie.

April O'Neil... Aw Hell no!

Damn you! God Damn you all to Hell!
All we need now is for him to make the TMNT into Aliens or some crazy crap! is Number Two...
Being the chosen one alien heroes to save two worlds from an intergalactic war that could doom both worlds is tied with Shia LaBeouf as Casey Jones for #1... sadly the leaked script got taken down thanks to a C & D letter from Paramount...
Well, I'm no huge fan of Peter Laird's attitude towards his creation at times, but...

Someone else alerted me to the existence of this script, and I just a few minutes ago finished reading it. If it is, in fact, the actual draft that was rejected and caused the production of the next TMNT movie to be pushed back to 2014 because the script was unsatisfactory, then I think all true TMNT fans should be grateful to the new "powers that be" that they did not allow this wretched thing to go any further. It could definitely be taken as a good sign if that is the case.

It reminds me of one of the reasons I am glad to not own the property anymore... because I don't have to tear what little hair I have left out while trying to fix junk like this. -- PL

 I do agree with him about that thing being wretched... but seriously, Michael Bay is America's Uwe Boll... except that Bay's Craptacular movies make Money...

If I can say 1 positive thing about this piece of news is: At least it's not K-Stew...

K-Stew is right... We need to be fracking high in order to like Teenage Alien Invading Ninja Turtles...

Going Turbo? Don't Make Me laugh...

Mattel is at it again... Max Steel is making a comeback... though to me it kinda feels like he never left... I still need to find that freaking Cyber tooth tiger that shares a body with MOTUC Battlecat...



Well, it's getting a reboot...


It kinda reminds me of Ben 10 mixed with Tron Legacy well but crappier... I still can't believe that the Torchbearer of the Big Jim Legacy has been reduced to this... ABOMINATION!!

Something reeks of failure... Now Mattel, where's the new He-Man Cartoon to promote the heck out of MOTUC and it's new companion line for the kids? I mean you almost got One fully tooled Grayskull... or are we getting Street Sharks?

Action Features: The Rant

As everyone should know by now, I love toys. As an adult collector I've complained about action features in adult collectibles (especially those with unsightly dials, buttons, levers, etc.) There IS a part of me that enjoys some of those action features. I know these are made to make the toys fun as they SHOULD be, but sometimes, the idea is only good on paper.

Here's a list of action features that I love and some that I hate... Also some that I have a love/hate relationship.

Love:
"Wall crawling" feature on some Spider-Man figures: (The Magnetic kind)...
Yes, Magnets can be harmful to electronics, but a Spider-Man that can stick to any Surface that Magnets stick to is pretty rad! In fact one of my Fridge Magnets IS a Spider-Man with Magnetic Hands and Feet. Shame that Hasbro hasn't made a Magnet powered "wall crawling Venom"!

Thunderpunch He-Man's Thunderpunch:
This is a variation on the classic Twist waist, Figure Punches stuff action. Normally this would be in the love/hate section because it reduces the poseability of the figure. But in TP He-Man's case we get 3 things here: The punching action, the explosive sound of the blast cap exploding... Like an action Figure Sonic Boom! and the scent of gunpowder in the air... (which is said to give boners to a certain Michael Bay)

"Battle Damage" As seen on the Original Battle Armor He-Man and Skeletor... Also seen on some hot wheels vehicles. Like I've said on other rants before, the BA springs could go from pristine to two slashes just by looking at it wrong. As much as I want to deny it, part of me wishes that the MOTUC BA He-Man and Skeletor HAD the spring loaded drum.

Spring Loaded Weapons (when they're not larger than the figure) Yeah, I love firing up some spring loaded weapons at the toys every now and then... (sad when I lose the missiles) but only if the weapons are not ridiculous or intrusive (like 200X Battlecat or anything from the GI Joe Movies) I mostly love them but they're almost on love/hate territory.

Talking feature: Various ways depends on the character. The talking TMNT were awesome. Sure they looked weird with a giant sewercover/speaker on their shells, but the talking thing was fun! You used a special ripcord that made the turtle speak. There was a strip that said something like Pizza time and you shoved it on a hole on the side of the turtle until it came out the other side. Then you yanked the strip and the turtle would say Pizza time! It sounded differently depending on how fast or slow you pulled the strip! There's also the electronic talking figures where you pushed a button or moved a limb and the figure talked.

Light-up feature. Of course this ended up making the figure bulky with an added backpack (same as with the talking figures) but you had a mini flashlight that was super weak, but it kinda helps in total darkness until you find a real flashlight. characters like Cyclops are often seen with this feature that is really cool... In some cases like the XMC Cyclops (Jim Lee look) the battery for the light up feature is on his base, which makes him as poseable as a normal figure. In other cases like Vintage Lion-O, you had a special ring where you put a battery on it and as you shove your fist up his ass so his eyes light up...

Glow in the dark: Simple, unintrusive and Spooky, when done correctly. What's not to love about it... In  fact, more Toylines should have more Glow in the Dark Elements!


Now for the ones that I have a love/hate relationship...

I'll start this list with a VERY POPULAR action Feature that in some Toylines the whole gimmick of the line IS THIS action Feature:
Transforming toys: Yes, Transformations can be a bit of a pain in the neck... G1 Transformers toys are to blame for this feature not making it to LOVE... I don't know about you, but I DID play transformers as a kid and nothing made gameplay tedious as transformations. Not only G1 toys were a bitch to transform, but making the "kch kgh grh" transforming noises for 5 to 10 minutes while trying to transform Grimlock from dino to robot can do to a kid's throat? Not every robot had an easy transformation as Ironhide...


Spring-loaded limbs: As i said before, these limit the poseability of a character. It's bearable if it's an arm or the waist. What turns it to the love/hate side is when the character has a springloaded kicking action. This usually makes the character fall if the spring has a hairtrigger (which they often do.)

Superarticulation: Wait... WHAT? Mr. I Heart Articulation has Articulation on the love/hate side? WTF!? Yes, I love/hate Superarticulation... the hate half comes from Loose joints on top-heavy figures. Weak ankles on MOTUC Figures and weak knees on some Marvel Legends, I'm talking about you. there's nothing worse than the domino effect of shelf-diving figures after one decides to fall over due to weak ankles.

Anything Slime-Related: Not only Slime is messy and parental unit unfriendly, but if that thing dries on a figure that wasn't properly washed, it's a bitch to take off... especially if that figure has an intricate sculpt... 90s TMNT Toys I'm talking about you. I oozed the heck out of you. Don't get me started on the Ooze drying inside Mutagen man!


Now for the Action Features I HATEHATEHATEHATE!

Backflipping action: Famous offenders, the TMNT and 90s Beast from X-Men...
If that thing ever did a backflip and sticking the landing, that's the moment you knew that you should play the lottery.

"2-in-1" Secret identity changes to superhero figures: Many superhero figures get these figures and are often a disaster. I still remember the old Bruce Wayne to Batman figure that had Bruce Wayne wearing some weird Superhero-esque suit that you popped in the cowl and some other pieces and he ended up looking like a half-assed Batman. Or the weird proportions on the Power Rangers that could change from helmet on to helmet off. While the "morphing" thing was cool, the bodies looked weird. But nothing beats the worst of them all: Rubber civilian clothing... The biggest offender on this is Peter Parker (Either the Spider-Man 1 Human Spider Figure or the Ultimate Parker that could be switched to Ultimate Spidey) Cloth clothes are a bit better, but look weird on anything under 12".

Anything with Missiles that are fired from the character's body: (either flick firing missiles or spring-loaded) The character looks awkward WITH OR WITHOUT The Missile. Articulation is reduced, Figure ends up having no accessories aside the missiles and having the back of the missiles sticking out of the elbows or having the arms stretched out like the old Frankenstein's monster look isn't that awesome.

Water Squirting action: I love these in theory. why are they on the hate? because the execution often screws these figures. Often they end up being hollow and underarticulated like ToyBiz's SMC Hydroman, or their faces end up looking like freaky Spray caps... Dragon Blaster Skeletor and Kobra Khan, I'm talking about you!

Anything with Dials, buttons, levers, switches that looks like the character was stabbed with a giant dial, button, lever or switches... At least the Wacky action TMNT toys tried to disguise their wind up piece with a little pouch for shuriken... Other figures have Drums for wings or other crap that ruins display options.

APPLEJACK!? You are incomplete!!

Cause Hasbro has not made an Applejack with her hat...

Oops! wrong clip!

There we go! THAT'S WHAT WE NEED... Applejack's hat for... well, Applejack!
Having Applejack without a hat is almost as bad as having a wingless Fluttershy! OK, it's not THAT bad, but it's as bad as the Great and Powerful Trixie without her cape and... Great I came back to another hatless pony that needs her hat!

The same way Applebloom needs her little bow, her Sister Applejack needs her hat.

This Applejack has a hat, a brown hat... What kind of sorcery is this?

The IC of Incredible Crew actually stands for It's Crap!

Incredible Crew is incredibly lame. I totally mean it!

Incredible Crew is Nick Cannon's attempt at a Sketch show for kids kinda like All That! or The Amanda Show... but with a slight hint of Jackass. You may have noticed that I mentioned two shows that were on nickelodeon. Well, that's cause the Incredible Crew is PERFECT for nickelodeon!
Too bad it is on the wrong Network... Seriously, whoever thought about having this show on Cartoon Network is a complete Dumbass... CARTOON NETWORK... It's in the freaking name, man! Then again, the people IN CHARGE of Cartoon Network are complete dumbasses. (Killing good shows early but greenlighting turds... like Incredible Crew)

Oh yeah! I forgot that part! Incredible Crew is the crappiest sketch show I've ever seen! It's incredibly unfunny, even if you set the standards pretty low... I laugh at farts for crying out loud... Hell! I laugh at the word Felipe... Don't ask. It just makes me laugh! So, either I have a defective funny bone, or the show is just NOT FUNNY! (I'm siding with the latter.) The jokes are almost as bad as the worst jokes you can find on a Reader's Digest... Nick Cannon is considered funny in some circles, too bad the show has NONE of that!

I tried giving it a chance and saw 2 episodes (40 minutes I'll never get back). If I have to say something POSITIVE about the show is: Incredible Crew is still better than Level Up.

then again, sucking MORE than Level up is a hard feat...

Things I've learned while watching 3 seasons of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The third season ended and Twilight became an Alicorn...

 Instead of bitching and moaning on why Alicorn Twilight is...

I'll make a list of things I've learned from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

-Dragons are Fax Machines: Seen with Spike almost every freaking Episode... His dragonfire is used to deliver Letters to the Pony Deity: Princess Celestia.
-Applejack: Element of Honesty... Yeah right! For being the Honest One, she lies far too much. (Last Round up comes to mind)
-Rarity: Element of Greed: She's a gold digger (wanting to marry Prince Blueblood, trying to steal the Red Dragon's treasure, Seducign Spike to get his Heart shape gem, paying Spike to petsit Opalessence with a minuscule sliver of a gem when she's known to have tons of gems and being a Gem Radar.)
-Rarity: Abuses Spikey-Wikey: She totally knows how Spike feels about her and uses him as a servant... Poor Spike, Friend-zoned!
-Screw Physics, I'm Pinkie Pie: The Earth Pony with Teleportation powers, Super Speed, The capability of being in two places at once (before using the Mirror Pond), bending the laws of physics for comedic effect, making her face look like an abomination, etc.
-eeyup! eenope! He actually speaks a lot more but people only care about eeyups and eenopes!: Big Macintosh, Applejack's brother... suffering from the Older Brother devolution syndrome.
-Ponies are Racists: (Especially the Apple Family) As seen in Over the Barrel, Bridle Gossip and their song Racist Barn (OK I'm kidding about the last one... Barns can't be Racist.)
-Sister rebels against you, Lunar Banishment. Chaos Deity/Dictator, petrified in Garden: Celestia's punishments towards her enemies make no sense at all! A rebellious sister sent to the moon for 1000 years. A far more dangerous foe, Discord, is kept on a garden where the slightest bit of chaos can release him from his stone prison... What the Buck?
-I really don't know what went wrong: Hasbro's reaction to Derpy was overkill!
-Pegasi have no parents: Aside Rainbow Dash on Season 3, we have not seen the parents of any of the main Pegasi (Well now just Fluttershy and the Chicken)
-Applejack is the Celestiadarn Batmare! I mean think about it! Batman's Parents ARE DEAAAAAAAAD!! Where are Applejack's Parents? They're DEAAAAAAAAAAAD!!! Both have a successful business, both are known to wear a costume and be heroes... (AJ was one of the Mare Do Well)
-The Doctor has been Ponified! Come on! That Pony could be David Tennant's twin brother! If he was a Pony... But he's not the only Doctor Ponified...

They're the Doctor!

-Fluttershy is a coward until IT gets real: She's afraid of her own shadow, so meek that her pet bunny bosses her around, but when something NEEDS to be done and all hope is lost: Fluttershy turns into Flutterbadass!
-Twilight Sparkle needs to take some chill pills: Seriously, Rarity might be a drama queen, but Twilight really blows things out of proportion!
-Twilight had no friends before coming to Ponyville, except those that were retroactively added: Like her big Brother best friend forever, or her foalsitter, but what about Lyra who lived in Canterlot and moved to Ponyville with Bon-Bon?
-when you're truly in love with someone, you don't notice that she was replaced by an evil witch: Shining Armor is an idiot
-When in trouble, throw your wife off the Balcony: It works for Shining Armor!
-Princess Luna is far more dangerous than we think: Her Dreamwalking power is something very dangerous. It allows Luna to enter the subconsciousness of her subjects... Speaking of which, If she can enter their subconsciousness of her subjects, why was she angry about them being asleep 1000 years ago?
-The Cutie Mark Crusaders are annoying: Nothing more to say here... Also Germany almost had a McD Chicken Sandwich named after Scootaloo!
-Granny Smith is SUPER OLD! She was alive when Ponyville was new... In fact the Apple Family WERE Ponyville's founding fathers!
-Big Mac is a brony: seriously...

-Pipsqueak the Pirate was never seen again: Cause he angered the Great Sun Deity, Celestia... (He might end up being the Season 4 Villain) He had a cameo on Putting your Hoof down. CRAP!
-King Sombra loves stairs (also he's a crappy villain): Stairs and making Dark Crystals grow from the ground is all he does! Nightmare Moon, discord, Trixie OR Gilda did a lot more than him!
-changelings feed of love, but LOVE beats changelings: 
-I'm a Princess; are you a princess too? Everyone on Equestria CAN become a Princess... Look at Twilight!

Hey! What the!? Russian Armageddon (the movie) IRL

You know that I hold Russia in a very special place in my heart... Trololo, Tetris, Vodka, terrified of their roads, bears...



Holy crap! Michael Bay must have a boner and be disappointed at the same time... So far no one died, but various were injured by the side effects (sonic boom breaking windows and people getting hurt by them and other debris.

It's funny how Yesterday a Meteor passed by and these Meteorites hit Russia and various news sources were saying that the meteor passing by would not harm anyone or make an impact in our telecommunications...

Russia seems to disagree... I'd make a joke about their driving, but that would be tasteless...
I wonder... how many silver haired Mama's boys jumped with glee yesterday?

Happy Valentine's day!

Well, for those who have someone to cuddle with tonight... To those who are alone better wish a happy v-day to Rosie Palm and her five friends...

Well, here's a list of my top 5 Fictional Couples:

5- Mi Amora Cadenza and Shining Armor:
Let's get the Ponies out of the way and start with the super duper IT Pony Couple of Twilight's Brother and former foalsitter who happened to be a Princess... (Then again on Equestria they can make ANYPONY a Princess) Who are rarely shown together... (Most of the time they were seen Together, Shining Armro was with an Impostor Cadance...) that part on the parenthesis is VERY important... He couldn't distinguish the real one from the fake one... so much for true love... We also have this:

I know, he's doing it to save the Crystal Heart, but TOSSING your Wife off a Balcony seems pretty messed up!

4- April O'Neil and Casey Jones:

They've been a couple in most TMNT Continuities (Sorry Turtle/April shippers) and it's rumored that there's a Casey coming to the new TMNT... Sorry Donny!

Depending on the continuity their hardships change... Hopefully they won't choke with Mikey's Sweethearts pizza!

3- Joker and Harley Quinn:What can I say about this dysfunctional couple. Their relationship can be summed up by the following video:



2-He-Man and Teela:
What can I say... this is the weirdest love Triangle in Toy History... His secret ID kinda has feelings for her while she kinda has feelings for him and his secret ID...

Good to see He-Man actually doing something about his relationship with Teela!

1- Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson: Screw current Marvel Satanic Continuity! Peter and MJ forever!

Happy Birthday Toot/Clara/Timmy/Young Ben/X-23/Dil Pickles!

Obviously I'm wishing Tara Strong a super fantastic Birthday before Twilight gets changed...
So, Happy Birthday TS!! Also thanks for all the voices! /)^3^(\

There's some other folks who I want to thank and wish a Happy Birthday... cause their work has entertained me and stuff...

Christina Ricci, (Obviously for Addams Family... The First one cause the second one was blegh, Speed Racer too!)

Scott Menville, for his role as Young Albedo on Xenosaga, Robin on Teen Titans... wait! Robin and Raven share a Birthday!? Wait! He's also a Russian soldier from Snake Eater AND a Genome Soldier... Tara Strong was Paz and the twins from Portable Ops... Mind blown! Screw him being Ma-Ti... He was in the Original My Little Pony!! and who's a My Little Pony now? Brain exploding!

I'll back away from the Birthdays and move to other stuff!

The Doctor is in! Well,Matt Smith is going to be on Ryan Gossling's How to Catch a Monster... Mr. Gossling is going to direct and write... just flip the order of those... This will be interesting since I'm used to seeing Mr. Smith as The Doctor... Then again it was a bit odd for me to look at David Tennant in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, cause all I could see was The Doctor... Luckily I hadn't seen Doctor Who before Christopher Eccleston before the Rise of Cobra... but it made his tenure as the Doctor a bit weird for me cause all I could see was Destro! Now whenever I watch Doctor Who all I can think of is Ponies...

Retaliation better not suck...

The whole delaying it is getting to me...

Canning Tatum better not go comatose on this...


Arizona is going to be super safe now... Joe Arpaio, "America's toughest Sheriff" teams up with a "deity" to train the Arizona Posse of School Defenders...

Obviously, people criticize, HIS inclusion, aside the usual anti-Arpaio stuff. Some people forget that he's a real martial artist... sure, with an Ego the size of Asia, but still an expert. I'm not condoning or attacking the idea... I'm not a fan of posses in general, cause it reminds me of the Wild West... I suppose this is mostly a Hyper Publicized thing to scare off possible criminals to not go shooting into schools or something.

Arrow promos... For Comic book fans or what?

Arrow... TV Show Based on DC Comic's Green Arrow. aka 2nd Rate Batman with a Robin Hood Motif... The show is pretty cool. Now here's the thing. Almost all the official Arrow Promotional Material has Stephen Amell with his shirt off as if he does the vigilante thing on his skinny pants and a quiver.

Not the best crimefighting getup.

Wait... Is he fighting crime or trying to lure teenage girls?

Are we trying to get Twihards into watching Green Arrow? This is almost as bad as Dead or Alive fanservice...

Now this is more like the type of promo you'd expect from a Superheroic Archer guy...

I mean, I was reading a so-so DC Comic about a guy who IS THE POWER!! (He doesn't have it... He IS the power now... I kid you not) and they had the ad of Ollie Queen crouching shirtless. I don't mind having the shirtless Ollie pics on Teen Beat, or Seventeen, or whatever the heck Teenage girls read, but to use the Fanservice Oliver pic on a Comic Book... That's so wrong! I'm sorry, but to sell the show on a comic book without showing Oliver in his Green  Arrow uniform is just wrong! The one place where no one would scoff at the green hood, domino mask-esque facepaint IS on a freaking Comic Book! I get it he's handsome and can bring straight female and gay male butts to the couch in order to watch the show. I'm not complaining about that. It's just that whoever is doing the promos is being lazy... or it's almost as if they're ashamed of promoting a comic book based show!

Toyfair has brought some great news Everypony!

Marvel Legends will release a Jim Lee 90s Jean Grey... What does this mean?

We're a Jubilee (and a Hover Chair for Charles Xavier) short of having the Full roster of the cartoon! FINALLY!! We get a FREAKING JEAN GREY!!

Judging by the Title, you must've known that I will talk ponies... Yes, I will, but before that I must talk Mattel

Mayor West in his youth!

Mayor West's car...

There are some pics of the Riddler and Penguin floating around... Still no signs of Catwoman, Joker, Batgirl or Robin and his massive package...

Now we talk Ponies... Blind bag scale ponies are getting some stuff like Celestia, Queen Chrissalys, True Fluttershy (not RD painted in Fluttershy colors) STEVEN MAGNET!


but that's not all... there is a Nightmaremoonzilla coming AND another TRU set... seems it comes with Nightmare moon again... UPDATE! they reused the Nightmare Moon buck but it's Queen Chrysalis... 

Diamond Tiara, Lyra, Shining Armor, Cadance, somepony I don't recognize, and last but not least...

My reaction to this can be described as

Also the Princess Sparkle toys are real

It Came From the Toy Chest: THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!!

Dear Princess Celestia:
Today I learned that Toys R Us rarely restocks their exclusives... After months of searching I finally found 1 of 3 My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic toys R Us Exclusives.

Your Faithful Human Student,
Nefty

And no, it's not Giant White Celestia... No, it's Not Zecora... Hey! I spoiled it in the Title!!