Perfuma: the Rant

Ah, so it's time to look at a PoP character and how she COULD be classicized in MOTU Classics.
Obviously, the title spoils the character: Perfuma.
She is the Girliest character in the Princess of Power line... I mean look at her!

Try to sell this character to the hardcore Vintage MOTU Fan... The type that discards anything after waves 1&2 and totally LOATHE Filmation.

Her ultra girly look may be a bit of a turn off to those who prefer Barbarian Fantasy. Mermista can be used as a Mermaid, and that can pass in Fantasy... Perfuma, well, she needs a little help

I trust the Horsemen, it's Mattel design who I don't trust.
Now how can we make her awesome?
I mean aside Flowers for Hordak, the only other Appearance of her that I know is The Christmas Special... *shudder* Yes, I shuddered for real when I wrote the Christmas Special Reference. I recalled the horrible song...

So, What did I learn from Flowers for Hordak? Mermista may have a thing for Bow, but Bow knows better. Thanks to Perfuma, Bow got Lei'd... So did a Horde Trooper and Even Hordak got Lei'd... Also, Light Hope is a bit of a dick... He's all: "She-Ra, stay in the woods, screw Perfuma!" Instead of being. "Don't worry about Perfuma, she can take care of herself. Hell! I bet you a hundred that by the end of the episode Hordak's going to be begging for you to take Perfuma!" Cause she's worse than the Annoying Orange. Also the whole Tree being limp but then Glimmer Flashed them and it got hard... I'm not even going to touch that...

It's not simply her actions on the show where Perfuma's badassness lies. Hordikins? dancing with Horde Troopers, looking like she's been smoking some wacky tobacky... Conga lines on the Fright Zone!? It's almost as if my twisted toyverse is canon!!

She is a Plant Elemental. Kinda like Mossman, but more pleasing to the eyes... Like a Heroic version of DC's Poison Ivy. She pretty much terraformed the Fright Zone into a more appealing place. Not to mention that she took on the Horde on her own, won, and made Hordak cry like a baby. THE EVIL RULER OF THE EVIL HORDE REDUCED TO BAWLING LIKE A BABY! That is how powerful Perfuma is. This is something that the Bio Team should emphasize. Not Hippie Girl with flower powers who acts all ditzy and is unaware of her surroundings.

She is banging to the beat of her own drum. She is incredibly eccentric as she is powerful. Sure, they could use the pacifist approach and use her powers to subdue her enemies... Think about it. Second Ultimate Battleground. she's battling Entrapta who grabs her with her hair. Perfuma then grabs Entrapta with Eternia's version of poison oak...
(I almost expect her to kill Evil Seed in her bio and surpass Mossman, cause Neitlichverse!) Taking the character into a more serious direction is possible and necessary to make her more appealing to non-POP fans.

Now WHICH Design should the Horsemen look towards. I mean, Glimmer, Catra and She-Ra are Filmation-like. Bow is a Hybrid between Filmation and toy. Entrapta is mostly Toy... Where should Perfuma lean towards.
Part Reuse would point towards Toy, but Personally, I'd prefer a more Filmation look. Her Toy Dress would limit articulation a lot more than Nettossa's dress and that's a big no-no.
Now Accessories, I expect the PoP Shield. Vintage Perfuma had some kind of Backpack with a Blooming Flower action feature. Turn the Sucker into a Flower Bazooka, or just go for the Generic Rose Thorn whip... Or even better, both the Bazooka AND the thorn whip.

She is a Mystery, that I hope it's solved soon enough...

Kowlometer Update for the 31st of July!
We have Reached 68% and that is good... We need 32% more to reach our goal! We have roughly less than 18 days left before reaching the deadline or the 32% needed...

It Came From the Toy Chest: Dammit Mattel! It's called a SKY SLED!!

Not a Jet Sled!!

THIS is a Jet Sled... It works as a sled, as seen on the pic and it also worked as a Jet Pack...
The Vehicle that you sold me is a SKY SLED...

I know, copyright BS and all that, but you have theoretically cockblocked the Jet Sled from being made in Classics... If this vehicle were to be made in Classics what would it be called? Jet Pack? (Can't do that since the Grayskull space suit became Jetpack)
Pack Sled? (what the huh?)

So, we have the SKY SLED and Sky High... These were released Last Year, but I got one recently... Then after mine was shipped Scotty Neitlich dropped the Guru Bomb on us with the Whole BATTLE RAM being Released in Q4 2014 (as of the writing of this rant, the Battle Ram is in November and Gwildor was moved to December)
Well, to be perfectly honest, the part that I'm really excited about is the Sky Sled. I have no real attachment to the Mysterious Wind Raider Pilot, AKA Sky High. He showed up on a vintage Poster, flying the Wind Raider and Mattel found a way to make a Figure out of him... We could almost call him the Fourth Fighting Foeman, but the FFM are elitist snobs who only accept members who appeared only on the Monogram Model Kits...

So, let's get Sky High Out of the Way before the main attraction... The Sky Sled.

Looking at him, you can see he is simply a new head and armor on the Hordak buck with the Man-e-Faces Lower half of the body... Yawn! The cool parts are his new pieces and I'm mostly talking about his sword/Wings. So, let's rate the figure already!

Articulation:
Standard MOTUC Articulation, but hands are super gummy. Slightly less gummy than Mosquitor
or Catra's claw hand.
4.0

Paint and sculpt:
The sculpt is boring, because he is 90% reused parts and his bottom half is way overused, but a bit too character specific...(the bare legs, furry loincloth and boots are used more often)
4.0

Accessories:
Not counting the Sky Sled... He only has his wingblade.
2.5
Overall:
Sky High, on his own gets a 3.5 He is intended to be an army builder as the Generic Air Guard, but the fact that he sold out completely* after I bought him because of the Battle Ram announcement; makes it harder to army build, especially with a vehicle.

Now we move on to the MAIN Attraction: The Sky Sled itself.
As you can see on the pic above, it fits one Male Figure. with Standard grip (My SMAA has no grip on his left hand.) New Adventures he-Man can grip the handles, though he is holding them a bit too loose (due to his soft hands and wider handle on the NA Sword) The handles are too thick for Female Figures. You could Force Teela on the Sky Sled, but you run the risk of warping her hands and Teela is not exactly an easy to find figure.

Since the Sky Sled is a vehicle, I can't rate it like a normal figure.
It has no moving parts, no accessories, save Sky High... So I can only gauge it in paint and sculpt if I were to rate it as a normal figure. and it would get a 5.0 by default.

I do have a few complaints though: Mattel should have made a stand for it. Yes, the Wind Raider stand KINDA works with the Sky Sled, but it's not a perfect fit.

The sled's sculpt bumps with the stand there.
If I push the sled further in, it'll tilt downwards.

They had their chance with the Battle Ram, but instead, we get yet another Man-at-Arms...

One more thing. the Sky sled is INCREDIBLY LIGHT... I noticed this as I was writing the review.

My other Vehicle is a Sky Sled and I can use my sword as
wings... Where are YOUR Vehicles Fighting Foe Lamers!?

That's how light this thing is, so I'd recommend that you be careful when displaying it. (and make sure that it is not hit by a breeze if hanging.) The Figure feels heavier than the vehicle.

Also, Sky High looks FREAKING AWESOME on the Wind Raider... Looks like Duncan or Spector shall end up on the Sky Sled...

While, yes it irks me that to get a True to the Vintage Toy Battle Ram I need this set AND the Actual Battle Ram, to do so, this Sky Sled is freaking AWESOMETASTIC!!



In other news, the Kowlometer was at 60% yesterday (July 29th)... We're close, but we still have a long way to go!

George RR Martin gets his ass in gear!! (and other stuff)

He is going to work on the sixth Book!! The Winds of Winter has his writer once again! He's going to skip writing an episode for the show (Game of Thrones) in order to WRITE THE BOOK!!

THAT is the greatest bit of news I've heard all weekend. They surpass Adam Savage's Space Suit from Alien, or Harry Potter running around as Spider-Man. Heck, this is competing with Snake Armor He-Man and Battle Armor King Hsss. Hopefully his creative juices will be flowing similarly to the juices of a plump roasted turkey basted with lemon and rosemary infused butter, with fluffy mashed potatoes drowned in a sea of mushroom gravy. I'd add some sex scenes to this, but I'm not George RR Martin. All jokes aside, I hope his creative juices flow long enough for him to finish the series.


So, I saw a movie recently...

Yes, I saw Hercules, starring Dwayne Johnson... Cue the Titantron... a Brett Ratner Film... Yes, THAT Brett Ratner. So, how can I give the shortest and most concise review without going on a long-winded rant?


But Switch the Governator for this:

and you kinda get the idea of Hercules: The Jabroni Beating Journeys.
It was OK... not Horrible, but not mind-blowing. It WAS Entertaining, but it felt more Conan-like than Hercules.

Now I need to see the Kellan Lutz version to compared them.

Gal Gadon't Wonder Woman image surfaced...

And here it is:

I, uh... I don't know what to say... I mean, I could open up with the overused Rarity overreaction clip.

By Hera! This thing is HORRIBLY BLAND LOOKING. Brown on brown on brown... GENIUS!! It looks like a Generic Amazon and not like Wonder Woman!! The WW Elements are hidden within the bland and very monochromatic palette. and makes her look a lot LESS like Wonder Woman. (and more like a 12 year old cosplaying as a fusion of Xena and Callisto)

Look at the Movie suit on the left and at the classic comic book look. below...
See the main difference?
FREAKING COLOR!! If THAT Suit was in WW's Palette, it would be somewhat acceptable and easily identifiable as Wonder Woman.

I showed this Gal Gadot as WW pic to my assistant, this is what he said:
"Leather Fetish Wonder Woman"

So, to summarize my thoughts on this costume: I don't like it, but it's another bit of evidence that DC and WB do not give a damn about Wonder Woman... (not to mention my dislike towards the actress chosen to play the role that she is not worthy to play.) Right now everything hinges on Ben Affleck to save this ball of suck.

*update* I was partially wrong. The suit seems to have WW's color scheme but in very muted colors. Which brings me to my next issue. If she is wearing a suit in the correct colors, why in the hell did they showed this pic with an even more muted palette that makes her suit look brown?
It's almost as if the team wants WW to fail!

Who's left now in MOTUC?

Alright boys and girls! now that we know the earliest reveals from SDCC for late 2014 and early 2015 we can figure out WHO is left from the Vintage lines.

I shall copy and paste from an older rant and update it with current info.

MOTU Wave 1:
-He-Man Classicized in 2008
-Skeletor Classicized in 2009
-Beastman Classicized in 2008
-Man-at-Arms Classicized in 2009
-Zodac Classicized in 2009
-Stratos Classicized in 2009
-Merman Classicized in 2009
-Teela Classicized in 2009

MOTU Wave 2:
-Evil Lyn Classicized in 2010
-Faker Classicized in 2009
-Man-e-Faces Classicized in 2011
-Trap Jaw Classicized in 2010
-Ram Man Classicized in 2013
-Tri-Klops Classicized in 2009

MOTU Wave 3:
-Battle Armor He-Man Classicized in 2010
-Battle Armor Skeletor Classicized in 2011
-Buzz-Off Classicized in 2010
-Clawful Classicized in 2011
-Fisto Classicized in 2012
-Jitsu Classicized in 2013
-Kobra Khan Classicized in 2012
-Mekaneck Classicized in 2012
-Orko Classicized in 2010
-Prince Adam Classicized in 2010
-Webstor classicized in 2009
-Whiplash Classicized in 2010

MOTU Wave 4:
-Dragon Blaster Skeletor Classicized in 2012
-Grizzlor Classicized in 2010
-Hordak Classicized in 2009
-Leech Classicized in 2011
-Mantenna Classicized in 2013
-Modulok Classicized in 2014
-Mossman classicized in 2010
-Roboto Classicized in 2010
-Spikor Classicized in 2012
-Stinkor Classicized in 2012
-Sy-Klone Classicized in 2011
-Thunderpunch He-Man Classicized in 2012
-Two Bad Classicized in 2014

MOTU Wave 5:
-Dragstor
-Extendar Classicized in 2014
-Flying Fists He-Man
-Horde Trooper Classicized in 2013
-Hurricane Hordak Classicized in 2011
-King Hssss Classicized in 2011
-Multibot
-Rattlor Classicized in 2012
-Rio Blast Classicized in 2014
-Rokkon classicized in 2013
-Snout Spout Classicized in 2011
-Stonedar Classicized in 2013
-Terror Claws Skeletor
-TungLashor Classicized in 2014

MOTU Wave 6:
-Blade Classicized in 2014
-Blast Attack
-Buzz Saw Hordak
-Clamp Champ Classicized in 2013
-Gwildor Classicized in 2014
-Mosquitor Classicized in 2012
-Rotar
-Ninjor Coming in 2015
-Saurod
-Scareglow Classicized in 2009
-Snakeface Classicized in 2013
-Sorceress Classicized in 2012
-Sssqueeezeee
-Twistoid

MOTU wave 7:
-Laser Power He-Man
-Laser Light Skeletor

So, we are missing 13 Vintage MOTU Figures and only one of those 13 (counting the 5 variants) has been confirmed. Or 8 figures WITHOUT variants.

POP Wave 1:

-She-Ra Classicized in 2010

-Catra Classicized in 2011

-Angella 

-Bow Classicized in 2010

-Castaspella Classicized in 2013

-Glimmer Classicized in 2014

-Double Trouble

-Frosta Classicized in 2012

-Kowl Classicized in 2013

POP Wave 2:

-Entrapta Classicized in 2014

-Flutterina Classicized in 2014

-Mermista classicized in 2014

-Peekablue

-Perfuma

-Scratching Sound Catra

-Starburst She-Ra

-Sweet Bee Classicized in 2014

POP Wave 3:

-Bubble Power She-Ra Classicized in 2011

-Loo-Kee Classicized in 2014

-Nettossa Classicized in 2013

-Shower Power Catra

-Spinnerella Classicized in 2014

I kept the POP Variants since Neitlich could throw us a curve ball (see Snake Armor He-Man vs Battle Armor Hssss)

so, MIA POP figures WITHOUT variants are 3 One of them was teased at the Con...

I'm not going to put the NA List, because it's sad... No NA was updated and after Skeletor, there may be no more NA toys. (aside Mara)

11 Main characters from Vintage MOTU and POP are missing to complete the promise (16 if we count the vintage MOTU variants) If there is a sub that is a MUST HAVE, it's 2015... Mini Comic He-Man with an ACTUAL VINTAGE TOY STYLED He-Man Head... Ninjor... The FourHorsemen gave him an added Oomph! and made him cooler! Personally I'm surprised that there weren't more Vintage releases announced with the sub.

SDCC Reveals and earlier leaks. (Mattycollector)

It's that time again! Mattycollectors SDCC Panel. Of course, I couldn't go to San Diego to see them Live... It's more comfortable watching this at home, especially since stuff has been leaked since the 22nd. I am writing this first part on the 23rd to capture my first thoughts on the characters that have been leaked earlier.

Sweet Bee's leak was hinted since earlier, but Mattel almost put a stop to them. Saw a full body pic of her on the 23rd, but as an act of deference towards Mattel, I'll wait until their Matty Palooza is over to post this rant.

So, Sweet Bee... She looks very Filmation-like but her face seems a bit derpy... (In before MLP reference) and like the MLP Derpy, I just don't know what went wrong! She is the October Club Etheria Figure, but we knew that. I like her butt gun! There is something Off with her, I just can't put my finger on it... Looking at a pic of her toy, she looks more like the toy than Filmation. The only Toon elements are her heads and wings.

Now the NOVEMBER ETERNIA Figure was hinted to be a Snakeman... Scott Toyguru Neitlich mentioned this on an interview with the It's All True.Net team. Now this was leaked...

 Freaking Tung Lashor... If you have listened to the Council of the First Ones Podcast you would have heard a very shameful story about me and Tung Lashor. He is also the FINAL FIGURE to complete My Childhood Collection of MOTU Figures. Looks like he has more new Pieces than I expected:

2 heads (duh)
hands
Feet
Upper Torso
Lower Torso
Crossbow

I expected a few less new parts, but wow... I wish he had a bit more 200X influence aside his tongue. He supposedly comes with a Horde Armband, like Rattlor. Judging by how his head and neck look, it would be impossible to give him Horde Armor without chopping it to make a more Filmation Tung Lashor .  Great! I can give Grizzlor a second Horde Armband. (I won't try to disassemble Leech to put an armband on him)

The third Spoiled Item BEFORE SDCC is a Variant... Seemingly a character for the Club Etheria sub that will piss off some folks because she TECHNICALLY SHOULDN'T BE ON THE CE SUB.

It's Galactic Protector She-Ra. A New Adventures version of She-Ra that was in the Neitlichverse Mini Comic that came with Gorpo the Über Lame One! Dammit! They tease us with a Vintage Toy Chest Piece!! I like her sword of Protection, but Evil Mike made a better sword a long time ago on his Shapeways store. To be fair, I DID want a NA She-Ra, but if she's on the Club Etheria sub, then that pushes characters like Perfuma or Spinnerella out of said sub and THAT scares me, because Perfuma COULD scare potential 2015 subscribers that aren't into PoP...
I saw another pic of her with her visor on. Not sure if Visor is removable or if she has 2 heads. She HAS A GUN!!! NA She-Ra would help out the Galactic Protectors... Mara would even out the team, theoretically.
She has a few new items, but her body seems to be mostly reused from Bubble Power She-Ra.

Now I wait until further leaks or the Actual Panel.

So, Matty Collector did some reveals of their own on the 23rd. They showed better a pic of Eldor and Sweet Bee (She will NOT have Day of Sale Stock, like Sea Hawk, Two-Bad or Fang Man) Eldor looks BAD ASS!! Sweet Bee, well, her wings seem translucent. That makes her look better. Her face looks a bit too young... and I'm talking hide her from Hal Jordan young.

¡¡LLEGÓ EL BIGOOOOOOTEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Got kicked in the balls metaphorically speaking by Mattel... Battle Ram, the whole thing... WITH a "Brand New Duncan" (Palace Guard buck, MAA Armor, Brownish boots and a 200X Head...) Pop in the Stache head and you get Filmation Duncan... Why did they kicked me in the balls? Mattel is asking $110 for it (plus shipping and extra expenses) I want to point out one thing. The head on the Sky Sled is different, because it ISN'T a Sky Sled. It's a War Sled... the "Evil Version" of the Sky Sled.

While, yes, I've bitched and moaned about Buzz Saw Hordak being too similar to normal Hordak. We should apply this to Man-at-Arms. The Helmetless head is cool... Not cool enough to buy a $110 Vehicle to get said head. Do we really need a Third variant of Duncan bumping up the price of the already expensive vehicle? If we were to get a "reissue" why not Teela (New Head, BGEL forearms, Fembuck 2.0)? Heck! any Other character... Like say, Fisto New full Torso Armor (without the sheath for the 200X swors) and come in more Vintage colors. Hell, some people have suggested the Obscure Warrior in Yellow who is participating in tug of war. He needed ZERO New Pieces aside maybe the head. (Which they could totally use any past head and give it the page boy cut and call it a day... Hell! they could have made him John Spector in Civilian clothes.) That would have been hilarious, I have to admit...But alas, we're stuck with Duncan #3... They could have given him a Serpent Claw MAA paintjob so we could Mix and match with Past Duncans and not feel like

Exactly!

 Now, back to the Battle Ram. The wording on the site seems a bit iffy. I get that the wheels roll, but is the missile launcher Spring Loaded? They could have totally axed that to lower the price on this. It's not whining, it's complaining. Now THIS is Whining! Why does Mattel overload Q4 with so many expensive things!? I'm not made out of money to buy all the Mini Masters, MOTU Classics, the Etheria sub MOTUCS, Jumbo Masters, $35 Holiday Item, $110 Holiday Item, Black Friday to Cyber Monday stuff!! The Super Powers, Total Heroes, etc.
 It boggles my mind. Can't move those $300 + S&H Grayskulls, let's toss in a $110 + S&H vehicle that is not even 1/3 the size of the castle. I could understand The Collector being an overpriced item, but the Battle Ram feels a bit TOO Expensive. (even when subtracting the $27 from Duncan.)


Something about 4 Giant sized Vintage Figures... the exact same MOTU toy from the 80s with the exact same articulation and sculpt in 12 inches. He-Man, Skeletor and 2 more are coming Around $75 + shipping and extra expenses like taxes, etc. Ouch!! The folks at TNI have some pics about an army of mini Skeletors in different paintjobs. I saw Batman, Panthor, Marvel's Kaine, Scarabus... What in the Hell is this!?


Now I wait until Mattel does the Official releases and gives subbers an e-mail surprise (like they did last year with Glimmer) or any more leaks before the 25th.

July 24th Updates:
The WTF Skeletors were apparently made by Mattel Employees. (according to Toyark)
Also, it seems that one of the Mini Masters sets is Zodac vs ? but if you look at the Custom Skeletors made by employees you'll see Beastman. Will Beastman be the Mini Master Paired against Zodac, or will it be someone else?
 If you check out their pics, look at what The Mary Sue known as Spector is holding... It's a staff... Not an ordinary staff, but a staff that belongs to:

Yes, Spector is getting his own Doc Brown in the form of Gwildor. Translation: Saurod is most likely a 2015 figure.
So, holy crap! We have so fat the following items coming:
Oct: Eldor for Eternia, Sweet Bee for Etheria
Nov: Tung Lashor for Eternia (maybe) NA She-Ra for Etheria
The (overpriced) Battle Ram as a Holiday Item...
GWILDOR!! Holy Smokes! Freaking Gwildor!


Come on, 25th! Arrive already!!
toyark has pics: Matty has Better Pics!
So, minis: Eh! don't care! Not even the She-Ra vs Horde Trooper or Jitsu vs Mekaneck makes me interested in them...
Too Expensive!!

Eldor comes with a Sticker Sheet, so does Entrapta.
Battle Ram is supposedly in October now, FFFFFFFFFFU- *update* Now November. Also comes with swappable heads for the Sky Sled... SONOFA!! Good to know I wasted $60 + S&H on Sky High! *update* no you did not. The Battle Ram only comes with the War Sled. To have a Vintage Accurate Battle Ram you need Sky High's Sky Sled.

Tung Lashor IS the November figure. NA She-Ra is the November Club Etheria figure... (damn!)

Filmation version of Bow's Horse is the Q4 item for 2014... Hmmm... I predict pictures of Bow and Adam riding into the night showing up... Yes, I AM going to take a pic of that as well.

The $35 item comes in November... It's Gwildor with Cosmic Keys? He-Looks Movie-like!! YEAH!! It's official, Saurod is stuck in 2015 land...

Mermista is the December Club Eternia Figure F*** YES!! Mermista made it as a normal sized figure... Whoa! She looks effin sweet! and very Vintage Toy-Like... Some may not like that...

Spinnerella is the December Etheria Figure... YES!! She looks super sexy!! Yes, I said she looks super sexy... Got a problem with that? Looks like she has a repainted Goddess Spear... FINALLY they reuse that piece!

2015... Gimme 2015...

Lizard Man!? Oh dammit! I don't like him! Oh well... Looks like he uses some Modulok pieces... This is the one dud for me of the entire set of reveals. He comes with Skeletor's Filmation sword and the Diamond Ray of Disappearance, so that almost makes up for him and the stands.

February is Ninjor time!! Comes with a sword that looks different than Jitsu's, nunchucks and extra elements to his armor that make him look more Ninja-Like (as the Black pajama ninja stereotype allows)
His loincloth looks a lot like the 200X Jitsu Loincloth... Hopefully it's removable...

Q1 2015 is a two-pack: snake Armor He-Man vs Battle Armor King Hsss? Da Hell!? 200X Head! 2000-Freaking X Head on He-Man! Hssss comes with a new Snake Form... a more Terrifying snake form!
Here I was expecting Terror Claws Skeletor vs Flying Fists He-Man. Complete curveball.

March is Huntara... Interesting... She has back holsters for her "Laser swords"?

Sub Exclusive is:
Oo-Larr, the Savage He-Man... Call me disappointed. That slot screamed Despara, damn it! I stand corrected. Now that I saw him, DAMN! He is freaking sweet! True Vintage He-Man head, and a Longer Haired head the hairstyle kinda looks like the Filmation hairstyle.

Travelling Con item: Robot Knight 3 pack!? I don't know how I feel about this... No info on price point.

Teasing Angella?  Bastards!!

It Came from the Toy Chest: FINALLY Evil has its final Leader!

It's about Flogging time! Get it? Flogging, Flogg... Ah... I screwed this one... Let's pretend that didn't happen and start all over.

So, Flogg is finally here! The last Leader has finally come back to plastic. Before any smartass NA fan tries to mention Sebrian or Darius, shut up! Darius lost to Mara and Sebrian would look too weird in the roided out buck!

So, Flogg, or Brakk if you're an Eurofan is the final Evil Leader to be made in MOTUC. With Skeletor (coming Next Month) we complete wave 1 of NA... IN YOUR FACE, POP!!

So, Flogg was the Leader of the Mutants until Skeletor made him his bitch... in the mini comics.
In the cartoon, he simply plays the role of "yes man" to Flogg, but manipulates Flogg like a puppet!
I am disregarding 98% of the MOTUC Bio. I discussed this on a Council of the First Ones episode, so I won't repeat myself on the bio.

That's more or less a little background info on Flogg. He's NA's Big Bad and he is finally here.

Articulation:
Obviously the Horde Trooper arms give him a bit more articulation. Troopers have balljointed elbows (Like many Hasbro toys) Kees are a bit loose, but everything else is tight!

4.5

Paint and Sculpt:
His arms we know well, they are the Horde Trooper Arms. His Torso, we have seen with Clawful, His Lower Legs are in 3 out of 4 mutants. and his feet have been used in 5 figures and 4 out of those 5 figures have been Hordaks. Shame that the Feet that the upcoming Skeletor has weren't used on Flogg. The Magic is in the New Parts... And that includes the Trap Jaw boot...
Paintwise, I got hit with a so-so figure. The paint applications were hit or miss. I'll have to retouch some bits of silver in his armor.

2.5 

Accessories:

I like the 3D Printed sword better.

Here he is a mixed bag. The one that belongs to him looks pretty goofy. Well, it is a bit goofy looking Taser-like electro-whip-thing. Looks like a futuristic fishing rod. The other is a bastardized version of the Filmation Power Sword. The sculpt is a bit off because they had to accommodate the fatter blade for Castle Grayskull. Luckily for Me Shapeways came to the rescue! EvilMike has a more accurate Power Sword. (I also recommend the Horde Leader Sword, concept made by DO4M and Marvelous0ne. Looks awesome on Hordak or Horde Prime) It's a nice nod to the fans having the Official Sword, but compared to the Shapeways blade, the official looks like a copy made by an amateur customizer. It's perfect for Faker!!

2.5 

Overall:
Floggy gets a 3.17, due to his meh applications (your mileage may vary here) and the disappointing Filmation Sword.

Don't get me wrong, he's a decent character, but his NA status hurts him a little bit.


*KOWLOMETER UPDATE!*

We have reached 51% BEFORE SDCC!!

It Came from the Toy Chest: PMS Action Features?

Prepare for Trouble... and Make it Double!!

MOC, duh! Fun fact, her head and helmet were loose in package.

Yes, I couldn't resist referencing Team Rocket! I wonder if that's why Double Trouble ended up being called Double Mischief... or the board game Trouble... This is another Battle Fist situation... But I shall call Double Mischief by her real name... No, I wasn't going to make a Kunta Kinte reference... (Spike! put away the Family Guy Roots clip away!) So, Double Trouble was the only Princess of Power Character who DID NOT appear on the Filmation cartoon. She was a Wave 1 Character, so that's even weirder... Especially since the Star Sisters, who never made it past the prototype stage, made it into Filmation!

I painted her Neck Brown. It isn't as drastic as black, but
it creates Shadows.

She is supposed to be like a Spy who can shapeshift like Mystique, climb walls like Spider-Man and she pretends to be a Hordeswoman to spy for the Rebellion. In the vintage Toy she had an action feature similar to Man-e-Faces. This was recreated in Classics and I already complained about the execution.

So, long story short: Double Trouble is a Rebel who Pretends to be a Hordeswoman. Basically the POP line only had TWO villains: Catra and Entrapta (coming in September)

Now unto the ratings part:

Good Face

Articulation:

Aside her head articulation, she seems to have the normal MOTUC Articulation for Female figures.

Evil Face

Sadly, her ankles are loose as heck! Her heavy Ponytail + Loose Ankles = Future Shelf Diver!

2.5

Paint and Sculpt:

Her neck and face are the main offenders on the sculpt department, but this is a Design screw-up. The back of the package shows the Horsemen's prototype of Double Trouble (throwing salt on the wound) but if you want to read my thoughts on DT's head and Tire Necklace, go here. The rest of the new parts from the torso down are pretty cool. Heck! Even DT's new boots get some reuse on Sweet Bee!

Crossbow: Horde Mode

Her Paintjob is MOSTLY decent. Few bits of sloppy applications on her helmet (D'oh!) and her Crossbow.
3.5

Accessories:

Crossbow: Rebel Mode

She gets a Crossbow (cause Horde = Crossbow... Except on Catra, Adora, Shadow Weaver, Entrapta... Luckily EvilMkie's Shapeways store comes to the rescue with a plain Female Horde Crossbow for Adora or Entrapta and a Catra Themed Crossbow. Third Party does what Mattel won't) Her Crossbow is pretty nifty because it echoes her duality. One side is Horde, the other is not!
2.5

Overall:
In all fairness, Double Trouble was a victim of Ruben Martinez; who made bad choices with her. Her 2.83 score is mostly his fault. It's sad that Club Etheria had to start with such a lackluster figure. Luckily, Madame Razz is next Month.

She looks Great with the Horde, or Rebellion. Personally, I'll
Display her with the Horde!

Shark Week is coming and Kowl-o-Meter Update.

Shark Week is coming back... No surprise there. The surprise is that they're going to do a sequel to the infamous Megalodon mockumentary. I get that they're doing it for the ratings, but it looks like Ratings might be what kills Discovery Channel's Credibility!

Will I watch Shark Week? Not sure. I've not been that faithful to it in the last few years.
I know I linked Last year's Shark Week rant. I'll try to see if I can get excited about it.  Heck! When Disney Channel (or Disney XD) rips off Shark Week, you know it has reached rock bottom.

Looks like Mattel did throw a curve ball at me.

 The Kowl-O-Meter has risen THREE PERCENT!! He is now at 47%  THAT is a GREAT THING!! We're still 2 days before the last update BEFORE SDCC.

Here's what Neitlich had to say.

Now This is great news! We have 47% BEFORE SDCC and most of the Resellers have not made their orders. Here's hoping we see this meter crawl a lot higher AFTER SDCC.

The moment you realize there is someone worse than Uwe Boll and Tommy Wiseau.

I am referring to Josh Trank... The "Genius" behind the new Fantastic Four Reboot... You know the one with the black guy being able to light himself on fire and making all the Klan Members squeal with joy. The one that is going to be gritty and realistic... With a man that can stretch, a woman that turns invisible, a man made out of orange rocks and a guy who can light himself on fire. Well, here's a funny quote from said guy who lights himself on fire:

Josh’s vision is very clear and he knows exactly what he wants, and he gives us room to adapt and to play. That’s what I kind of think sets us apart, is that this is going to be grounded and unconventional.It’s not your typical superhero film, you know, we aren’t looking at this as like, being superheroes. We’re more or less a bunch of kids that had an accident and we have disabilities now that we have to cope with, and try to find a life afterwards – try to be as normal as we can.

Basically, he's Making Chronicle 2 but now with "Marvel Characters"...
I know, some people liked Chronicle... So what? Some People liked Bloodrayne and The Room.

They are going to disregard the comic... That's the big red flag that pops up first...
Now, I understand that the Original Comic was about a scientist taking his girlfriend, her younger brother and his best friend on a space trip to beat the Commies in the Space Race. That element can be tweaked to 21st Century sensibilities.

Not having the Unstable Molecule Suits defeats the whole purpose of the Fantastic Four. That's what Makes the Team look like A Team. The same way Doctors, Firemen, Policemen, Judges, etc. have their uniforms. Their look lacking the Fancy Capes, Helmets, masks, etc. that other Superheroes have is what separates them from the other Superheroes. Their clothes are more utilitarian compared to other Superheroes. Their mostly neutral looking suits serve them well for their "Explorer vibe" Since they are more often exploring than doing Superheroics. The Thing being the one closest to a "Traditional" Superhero. By some of his deeds when going solo and by wearing the Strongman Briefs. (that's why Superheroes wear briefs over their tights as a tribute to Strongmen)

Now, yes, the Fantastic Four did not wear their suits during the start of their career; but they are part of their Iconic Look... Having a whole movie WITHOUT the suits would be almost as bad as Smallville's Torture with the suit, but much shorter.

I know I'm dancing around the main issue from MBJ's comments.

The whole "Disabilities" thing... I find it a bit disturbing that he is comparing having Super Powers to a disability. Especially when he is playing the role of the single member of the Fantastic Four who TRULY ENJOYS having his powers. The only angsty Member of the Fantastic Four is supposed to be The Thing. The whole "oh noez we has supapowers! we must act normal!" is not Fantastic Four. Seriously I'm more Excited for the T.A.I.N.T. with "Generic Store Brand Michael Bay Knock-off #2" and Produced by the Real Michael Bay than I am for this... Hell, I'd support a Sequel to The Room before rooting for this.

8000 more rants to go...

The New Rainbow Brite is Young and Hungry

Because she's going to be voiced by none other than the Former Miley Stewart Sidekick who shares genes with Kingdom Hearts' Sora... You might have guessed that I'm talking about Emily Osment. Holy crap! I just realized that the First Official It Came from the Toy Chest WAS an Emily Osment doll...
Before I get the eventual

hear me out...
I do not need to explain everything. It was a pure coincidence. (I lost the pics that were from the Hannah Montana doll that I got when I bought that Lola doll... So, the first ICFTTC was supposed to be Miley's...) In any case, I'm so glad that Emily Osment is doing stuff. She was underrated in Hannah Montana.

So, Rainbow Brite... She has gone around from toy company to toy company. She was once under Mattel's hands in the 80s, but around 2008 she ended up in Playmates toys hands... (Remember to add the word toys when looking for playmates... Otherwise you'll get the Heff...) I vaguely remember her. I wasn't too into it. I seem to recall Strawberry Shortcake, MLP, GloWorms, Jem, but not that much about Rainbow Brite.


I do remember from my late teens and early twenties tons of girls wearing Rainbow Brite costumes for Halloween... Somehow all of the costumes had one of two issues:
Too Childish looking but accurate
or on the other end of the Specturm SOME of the Costumes looked Incredibly Slutty. (and I'm ignoring the intentionally "Sexy" versions. I'm talking about accurate RB costumes.)

I know, it's a bit underwhelming for a 1000th rant, but I decided to keep it simple.
Robot Chicken took Rainbow Brite to a DARK Place... I vaguely remember it now, but not as much as the others already mentioned above.

I'll probably check out the show.

Snake Mountain... The dream crushed under Logistics...

Things look rather grim for a Snake Mountain in MOTU Classics. I ranted about this before.
It royally stinks!! I mean, the only Plastic Representation of Snake Mountain that we have is the Vintage Playset and that was a bit underwhelming. The Castle Grayskulls are still standing strong on Matty and not selling out...

I tried to figure out what a MOTUC Scaled Snake Mountain could look like...
Well, I have to wonder no more... No, Before anyone gets their hopes up, Mattel is not making a Snake Mountain... (I fear that they'd ask us to pay in souls or something)
What I'm trying to say is that a fan has made his own Snake Mountain. (I'm not sure if it is in scale with MOTUC, but it looks like it could be. Just look at the pic)
FB User Arturo Heman has made an Incredible Custom Snake Mountain that will make you weep!

He even put the Original Snake Mountain as a reference to scale.

HOLY CRAP!! If that snake Mountain in front of it is the VINTAGE Snake Mountain, then the Holy Crap is Well Deserved. This is what I'd call a Snake Mountain. It's obviously based on the Vintage Toy AND The Filmation version of Snake Mountain.
I think the palette has a few 200X nods as well, so in a way it's following the MOTUC Recipe. Vintage Looking with a sprinkling of Elements from the other eras.

Can you feel it? the sickening blow of not having a Snake Mountain as cool looking as this one? I totally do.

On the Other hand, it's cool to see the fans taking over and doing "what Mattel won't do". So far this is THE BEST Snake Mountain Custom that I've ever seen!

UPDATE: I saw some pics a few days back of a Con in which this custom playset was displayed and it was made with Vintage figures in mind, based on said pics...

Why Double Trouble infuriates me...

This rant isn't about the character, per se. This rant is about Mattel's design team dropping the ball 50 stories down with Double Trouble... or Mischief if we go by her Matty Name... (another Poing Super Combat situation)

So, what does it about her that makes me so angry... Well, it goes back to Ruben Martinez... AGAIN!!

Not my pic.

You see, Ruben decided to do her EXACTLY LIKE MAN-E-Faces. Man-E-Faces, unlike Normal figures has a revolving face. Man, Robot, Monster. When you pop off the helmet, his head has a conical shape, due to the 3 faces and the dial to change them. Now to create the illusion of a normal face, he has some pieces of "Armor" that cover his cheeks and the  outer jawline. Hell, the fourhorsemen even sculpted a chin for him (that can't be seen under normal circumstances)
So... For Double Trouble, they did the same thing... In all fairness, the 80s DT has the same feature and was done similarly. Problem is that they did it TOO Similar to Man-E-Faces. The Fourhorsemen had made Two heads for her, but Mattel said no.

not my pic.

On a recent Q&A at Popcritica, Mattel had this to say:

While there isn’t any “one rule”, for Classics, we have done our best to replicate vintage action figure features when possible when it does not break up a sculpt with a lever or push button like 200X had. Mekanek is a great example where a snap on neck took the place of a fully tool’d torso with an inner mechanical feature that would have been very expensive. For Double Mischief specifically; two completely different heads would have been cost prohibited due to the large size and deco needed for her hair and helmet. We could not afford to include two essentially “oversized” heads on one basic figure. The turning feature, which was also used on Man-E-Faces was our solution. - See more at: http://popcritica.com/ask-matty-july-15-2014-edition/#sthash.obF5n5mm.dpuf

Now here's the thing: Two heads with Helmet and hair would have been Expensive. That is understandable. Her hair is LONGER than Entrapta's.

Here's a couple of crazy ideas:
-2 Heads, One Helmet. Vykron got one head and two helmets. This is similar. I'd use the peg from the Hair that plugs into the helmet to plug it into the head and keep everything snug.
 -One head two Faceplates. This is loosely inspired by Mantenna. I know the crude drawing below seems a bit complicated. I'll explain.

The top of the faceplate has a loop where the peg with the hair would slide into. Keeping the hair and the faceplate attached to the helmet. The helmet would have a small peg that would hold the bottom part of the face. The reason for the lower peg to protrude from the helmet is to allow space for the traditional hole for the standard neck. There's no real risk of the faces falling off (due to the loop held by the Hair peg.

-The third idea keeps the Action Feature. The only difference is how the barrel would have worked.
Instead of making the necklace look like a freaking tire, her neck would act as the base for the spinning head.It would keep her face looking like a normal face. (though slightly squashed for it to spin on her helmet.)

Sadly, it is rather obvious that Ruben just went with the laziest (and least aesthetically pleasing) solution. I know it's pointless to mention "what could have been", but I'm just trying to get rid of my anger for the It Came From the Toy Chest starring Double Trouble. (and save some time and space on the review without having to go in depth on this issue.)

Kowlometer blues

So, El Kowlométro is at 44% and yes, I used the Spanish name for the Kowl-O-Meter because I can...

So, 44% Last time it was 42% then 40% and Am I the only one seeing some sort of pattern here?
 Now don't get me wrong. Attaining 44% of the needed subs a week before the San Diego Comic Con reveals is a GREAT THING. Here's hoping that we reach 50% BEFORE SDCC.

Something here stinks and it ain't Stinkor or Lieutenant Spector

I know that the lull after the first few days, but before SDCC slows things down a bit, but Isn't it a bit convenient that the intervals are going up in 2%  by each update? Last Thursday we had the 40% then on Tuesday it went all the way up to 42%
Thursday,  Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday... 5 days to reach 42% from 40%!? Then today we reached 44% from that 42%... Isn't that peculiar? I should say that next Tuesday we'll reach 46% Or will we reach a higher number so Mattel can throw a curve ball at us?

The Tinfoil hat wearing side of me believes that Mattel is cooking the books with the subs. Mayhaps the numbers are higher, but to set us in panic, they're claiming they're not.

The seemingly rational side of me thinks that something odd is going on, but I can't say "Mattel IS Tampering with the sub numbers to scare us into buying them subs." Instead let's focus on Nearly HALF of the Subscriber base Without the big resellers who await the SDCC Reveals has subscribed Blindly BEFORE SDCC... Now I can be certain of one thing. Not many people subbed up because of the "Free Stands" that Matty is offering as an incentive to sub fully blind. It's a decent number, but I'm hoping that the big resellers DO buy their subs by SDCC so we can see those numbers rise like Diet Coke with Mentos.

If you want MOTUC to reach 2015 and for some reason you have not bought the sub, go to Mattycollector.com and buy the sub! Final year and hopefully the last MOTUC Sub Drive!! Except for the possible 2015 mini sub...)

Sexism in Equestria

It's time for another Controversial rant... I mean I called He-Man racist (which he totally is)... Now I'm going for something far more dangerous. To prove that My Little Pony is sexist.
First let me give a Trigger Warning. It's similar to the one in the Masters of Racism rant, so I'll copy-paste.

Now, before anybody grabs some pitchforks, I must warn ye. This is not to be taken seriously. The following is based on some observations and I'm working from a Preset Conclusion (My Little Pony: Sexism is Magic) all the way back to a hypothesis. I WILL TAKE THINGS OUT OF CONTEXT and talk WITH ZERO RESEARCH MADE and pass off an opinion piece as fact. I shall use some ACADEMIC TERMS and make references to work by others WITHOUT giving proper sources. You shall find definitions lifted straight out of Wikipedia or TVTropes, if they are not paraphrased.

First, let me specify some terms:

Matriarchy: The root of all evil. Your cart lost a spoke: Matriarchy. A colt earns 73 cents of a full bit: Matriarchy.  Basically all that is wrong on Equestria is because of Alicorn Mares. Who are a Minority and hold all the power.

MRAs: Better known as Mare Rights Advocates. Defenders of the status quo in Equestria.

Coltism: the radical notion that Colts are of Equal Value as Mares in Equestria.

The Minority of the Equestrians are Alicorns. All are female.

Look at this picture All the Colts are forced to wear clothes, while the Mares run around nekkid!!

Why are the colts forced to run around in clothes that Pretty much force everypony to stare at their maleness.
PANTS!! That Tennis Playing Pony is wearing Pants, leaving very little to the imagination... with that hairy lower neck.

Meanwhile Fluttershy can run around naked and no one bats an eye.

Males are subservient to females in Equestria...
Especially if they are not unicorns... Look at Spike. He is not a pony, yet he is Twilight's slave. He even is used by Rarity as a slave.

Add insult to injury, he turns into a DOG when he goes through the mirror. The Diamond DOGS are HUMAN on the other side of the mirror, yet Spike, who is sentient (and more intelligent than the DD) is a freaking dog.

Males on Equestria:
Disposable Cannon Fodder (Guards of the Alicorn Mares)
Rednecks with Limited Vocabulary (Big Mac)
Background Ponies (Doctor Hooves, Tennis Playing Pony, Dumb Redneck Pony, Giant Tub of Jelly Pony)
Scammers (Flim and Flam)
Cuckolds: (Mr. Cake)

Meanwhile, the females are:
Princesses
Fashionistas
Super Athlethes
Veterinarians
Demi-Gods
Land-Owners and Savvy Businessmares
Schoolteachers
Traveling Performers
Politicians
Librarians

Colts are only useful on Equestria for their sexual Value.

I rest my case.

Shining Armor saves Canterlot with the Power of Love and stops a Changeling invasion. Becomes a prince...

His sister figures out a spell to fix a problem she created by reading a book: Becomes an Alicorn Princess and gains wings. 

Head of the Apple Family? Mare
Pony in charge of the Apple Family Reunion? Mare (While a bit of a colt-sympathizer, she is still a mare... who checks her privilege.)

CMC Members? All Mares

Pipsqueak has barely appeared on the series, why because he is a young colt and the Matriarchy doesn't want colts to reach important roles.

Flash Sentry: As much as I dislike him, because of his role as Twilight's object of lust on the other side of the mirror; I must mention him because of his problematic role. This is further proof on how the males are devalued systematically throughout Equestria and parallel dimensions.

Sadly, some folks will say things like "Celestia is a fair ruler" or other misandrist stuff to protect the status quo, while ignoring the minorities and keeping their "Mare Privilege". they will "Maresplain"
and use Prince Blue Blood or King Sombra as examples of  Colts who "made it". Notice how none are Alicorns, since that is reserved for the mares.

Did you see what I did there? Just like I did with the racist MOTU rant, I made a Mountain out of a molehill, while poking fun at blogtivists  and "social justice warriors". Misandry in MY LITTLE PONY... The epitome of First World Problems. There are real social injustices afoot, yet some of these "activists" waste time and money on such ridiculous things as homophobia in Warner Brothers shorts, Racism on 80s toons, etc. Now, before anyone points out that my rants about movies, videogames, toys, etc. are first world problems... Remember one thing: I am not an "Activist" and would not like to be one. It's OK to overanalyze things for fun and call out the bs in a humorous manner, but when one goes at it for real and uses these twisted analyses as a tool for propaganda; THAT is scary.

I'm seriously considering Captain Planet is Anti-American for a future rant.

How to make Thor better... by adding boobs, of course!!

Marvel's on a roll!! First Peter Parker dies and Ock becomes Spidey, then Peter returns as Ock is finally dead... AGAIN (He's died what 3, 4 times already?) Now Captain America lost the Super Soldier Serum and is an old fart. (Falcon's gonna replace him until Avengers 2 marketing campaign starts)
Look down, now up! Thor is now a woman! Um, swapping Thor for other folks is not necessarily a new thing... Thunderstrike, Beta Ray Bill, Ragnarok... Heck! We even got a "Female Thor" with unimaginatively named Thor Girl...

Sorry, but it's a bit uninspired to make Thor a woman, because "reasons"... Incredibly enough, I don't think that Political Correctness has anything to do with this choice here.

The real reason is MARVEL needs a counterpart to a Certain DC Character...


Of course she'll be discarded by the time Avengers 2 begins and Odin will give her an item imbued with Thor-Like powers... As seen with Beta Ray Bill and Thunderstrike before her.
These BS-y "Shocking events to shatter the internet in two" are becoming too obvious in their "shock factor" and reek of desperation. Why not give Lady Sif a push, or even Thor Girl...


On other unrelated news, the Kowl-o-Meter is at 42%...

MOTUC Remaining: Surprises?

OK, so November, 2014's Holiday Item, December, Q4 Large Scale Item ($38) for Club Eternia and the November and December Club Etheria figures will be revealed at SDCC 2014. We know that 2015 has 12 figures, Sub Exclusive (hoping for Despara) 4 Extra Items (2 $52 Items, 1 $26 Item, 1 $42 Item) and the Holiday Item.
These are the Figures we're missing from the Vintage MOTU and POP Lines:
Great Rebellion:
Angella
Mermista
Perfuma
Peekablue
Spinnerella

Heroic Warriors:
Gwildor
Rotar

Evil Warriors:
Twistoid
Saurod
Ninjor

Snakemen:
Tunglashor
Sssqueeeeze
Blast Attak

Horde:
Dragstor
Multibot

MOTU Variants:
Flying Fists He-Man
Terror Claws Skeletor
BS Hordak
Laser Light Skeletor
Laser Power He-Man

Poll winners:
Huntara
Mara

22 individual Slots will be taken. We have 24 slots not counting the SDCC Exclusive and possible Chase figure and traveling Con Figure. Which ups it to 26 slots.
The 2 $52 slots are obviously two packs so we can free 2 slots because 2 two-packs = 4 figures. so we free two slots of the 26 slots available. Here's hoping that the Energy Zoids (Rotar and Twistoid) are the 2014 Holiday Item to release an extra slot out of the 26 slots available.

This will make sense in a little while, bear with me... So let's correct the list.
Great Rebellion:
Angella
Mermista
Perfuma
Peekablue
Spinnerella

Heroic Warriors:
Gwildor

Evil Warriors:
Saurod
Ninjor

Snakemen:
Tunglashor
Sssqueeeeze
Blast Attak

Horde:
Dragstor
Multibot

MOTU Variants:
Flying Fists He-Man vs Terror Claws Skeletor
BS Hordak
Laser Light Skeletor vs Laser Power He-Man

Energy Zoids:
Rotar vs Twistoid

Poll winners:
Huntara
Mara

Now we have 19 used Slots if we put the variants in 2 packs and the Zoids in a 2 pack.
That gives us Seven Slots to use... Now we're getting to the main point of this rant: Who are my TOP PICKS for these "Sensational Seven"
So: Q4 2014: $38 Item is still a mystery. I still have to figure out the $42 item  from 2015 and the $60 2015 Holiday Item. Remember that I'm assuming the energy Zoids are the 2014 Holiday Item... Rumors suggest something from Under the Sea that wants to be Part of Your World...

So, let's start with the $60 item... Fans have been Speculating things like Slime Pit, or Battle Ram (Full or just the Butt of the Ram) Personally I BELIEVE it might be Multibot, but let's assume I'm wrong and the $60 item is something else.
IF we get a vehicle in the Sub, I hope it's the FULL Battle Ram. I missed out on Sky High and the Incorrectly named Jet Sled. I want the Full thing, not because I missed out on the sled... and let's face it. Having the Butt of the Ram WITHOUT THE SLED makes no sense. It's like Getting Tuvar without Baddhra.
(OK, I ordered one Yesterday through early access, but until I don't have it in hand, I may have well say that I missed out on it. Matty/DR scare me with the PR shipping issue. One day I'm an American Customer, the next I'm international, then the following Matty doesn't send items to PR... It puts me on edge.)

Then there's the whole Color Matching. Mattel can't seem to be that good at color matching. We see it in NORMAL FIGURES that are not Collect and connect. Expecting the 2013 Sled match colors with the Back end from possibly 2015 is Ludicrous... because it's Mattel. (And I expect the deco to take a hit based on 2014 experience) Now people might say, but it's too expensive. I say: Mattel has tooled Half of it already, so it counts as PARTS REUSE!! Besides, the Battle Ram may simply be two hollow shell pieces put together and 4 wheels. (I don't expect spring loaded missiles here) Remember that the Jet Sled was "$25" in 2013 and the difference between $25 and $60 is $35... It might be doable.
So, this is my First Entry on the Sensational Seven: Full Battle Ram

The 2014 Q4 Item: We know it costs as much as a Steed... As seen with Battle Lion.
So, who could be the Steed... Let me Manage Expectations: No Mantisaur, Battle Raptor or Stridor/Night Stalker... I expect a Cat or an Organic Horse here: So basically ANY POP Steed:
Arrow, Storm, Crystal Moonbeam, Crystal Sundancer, Spirit (if we are lucky) and Clawdeen)
I'm leaning more towards a Horse, because we've used the cat buck 3 times already.
I want Clawdeen above all, but I don't see them doing Battle Lion and Clawdeen in the same year.

Entry 2 to the Sensational Seven will be Storm (or it's Silver Variant) The reason for this is to balance out the Steeds on the POP Side. She-Ra has Swift Wind, the Horde has Nothing... Sadly, Rumors say that We're getting a horse who only allows VERY HETEROSEXUAL MEN to ride them.

It seems that an overwhelming majority of fans believe that Multibot is the $42 item in 2015... I think it's the $60 item, but let's go with the flow and "accept that". That leaves 5 Standard Sized Items for the rest of the Sensational Seven: I'll use Mattel's idea of taking Key characters from non Vintage MOTU and POP to fill those slots.

So, here's my final Five:

Dare and Skeleteen: I LOATHE them, but I mentioned before that the whole KEY PLAYERS thing allows the Guru to Sneak them into the line BEFORE 2016.

Evil Seed (200X) style: Filmation styled Evil Seed is NOWHERE near Toy Guru's radar. 200x May be more likely to happen.

1 Galactic Protector that is not Kayo: We know how much the Guru hates Kayo... almost as much as I hate a certain T.U.R.D. So, the Galactic Protector that I expect to see is: Nocturna to have a Heroic Asian-Looking Warrior.

Despara: I've mentioned her a few times already, but she is the final piece on the Sensational Seven.

These picks are pure speculation and may be completely wrong... In the case of Skeleteen and Dare, I HOPE I'm wrong. then there's the rumors of a mini sub if 2015 makes it, which would give us more slots. The point is that 2014 SDCC will be super exciting!! We'd be able to guess most of 2015 by then... except the surprises, of course.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie... The Rant

So, back in 2012; I showed the trailer to the Japanese Rurouni Kenshin movie.

Recently, I was able to see the movie with a group of friends. Remember my Review for The Room?  Well, I met up with a few of them and hung out. While hanging out, my hatred for the Bastardization of Dragon Ball came up and we ended up watching this as a cure.

Before I start, I want to do a little personal story. Back when I was in  college, local stations showed some anime on weekends. Shows like Ranma 1/2 or  Slam Dunk! were shown around 8-9... On Sundays I had to rely on Mr. VCR to  record them for me while Church. Samurai X (Rurouni Kenshin) on the other hand  was shown around 6 or 6:30 AM. So, I had to wake up SUPER EARLY on weekends (I  woke up on weekdays at 5:30 AM to get ready for college... (Some days I started  at 1:00 PM, but I still woke up at 5:30 AM) Weekends were meant to sleep in, but  this cool show about a Samurai during the Meiji Restoration was pretty  interesting. Sadly, the episodes were shown out of order... So piecing the story  together had me scouring geocities on a 56kbps connection to read summaries of  what was going on... (I feel old... 56kbps, geocities. The moment I start doing  pre-internet flashbacks that's when I should stop.)

Many times I was greeted with this... Translation: Woke up too late and missed  out on Samurai X... When I was greeted with this, on the other hand; it meant that I was going to drool...

Now, while I still have to see the series in the correct order... (First I need  to get it, then get enough time to sit through it and enjoy.) I have the Live  action Adaptation. Based on the Trailer it closely follows the earlier arcs of  the series. I cannot confirm how faithful it is since, again; I've not seen the  entire series IN ORDER.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the movie.

Unlike the He-Man/She-Ra christmas Special, I will not do a step by step  commentary. Mostly because I don't have the movie with me at the moment and I need to see the movie with at least English, Spanish or Italian Subtitles to fully grasp what's going on... with the dialogue. I don't speak or understand Japanese... aside a few words here and there. So, that's out of the way.

I am pleasantly surprised at the efforts made to have the cast look as humanly  possible to their 2D counterparts... 

Visually, it reminded me of the anime. I've not read the manga, so I can't be certain of the elements that are different from the manga in the anime.

I recall Sanosuke doing more in the anime than the movie. I could say the same thing about Kaoru. In all fairness, putting a bunch of 22 minute episodes into a 2 hour movie required some TIME KOMPRESSION!!

It's not perfect, but it works. Seems faithful enough (aside a possible change of bad guys and small plot elements... I can't recall with precision.)

I just wish that this movie was officially released on the West so I can see it again with English subtitles or dubbed. This also goes for the sequels. There's two more movies planned. Something something Shishio... Something something, HOLY CRAP! There's two more coming!?