Swords and Spaceships

Damage control. It really doesn't matter. In my opinion, the GI Joe of the 1980s was too colorful of a concept for a live-action movie made in the 21st century, so it's going to be reviled no matter what. I mean, Serpentor? Destro? The only villain even remotely believable was Baroness, and she spent all her time in neck-to-toe black leather. Transformers was a little better off as a movie made now, but I'm sure Hasbro learned a thing or two from that and they're going to take a bigger role in the movies from now on. Witness the linked press release.

Clicky Yes, I am impressed. It managed to work in a lot of things about MOTU that I hope make it into a movie. However, I do hope to see more of these from a few other creators, just to see what else is out there. It's going to be a very long time before we see the MOTU movie actually make it into the wild, so bide your time with this wonderful gallery of cardback art from the vintage MOTU toys. If only they all had the English text on the back since that was a huge part of the experience, but since this is from a French fan site, I'll just take what I can get.

Believe it or not, yes it is. I wandered there this morning, and found the pegs absolutely stuffed with Star Wars figures I hadn't seen yet, wave 5 in particular. The newest Legends figures were there too, so I got my hands on a Biker Scout and a Darktrooper in addition to Hermi Odle, Concept Vader, and Roron Corobb. So, get there now before the intergeeks at large figure it out. And if you can hook me up with a Starkiller Hero, drop me a line.

I'm not doing to well on keeping up on the Star Wars toys. I found the 30th Ann. wave 6 this weekend, but I passed on them since the McQuarrie Snowtrooper was gone. Not getting the Concept figures usually ends up being a deal-breaker for me buying these at retail. I can't wait till this subset is finally done. The toys are great, but the easiest ones to get were the fucking con exclusives. That's pathetic. So let's look at something else that's really great in Star Wars collecting. If there's one thing I usually loathe, it's Target exclusives. Especially since the local outlet very rarely stocks enough of ANYTHING to satisfy demand, and when they do, it does poorly and goes to clearance. Odds are, these two pieces won't: Battle of Hoth Battle Pack Battle of Endor Battle Pack I have yet to own a modern AT-ST, so these are a real treat. Plus, the Endor set has Ewoks and fucking logs, man. LOGS! It's better than bad, it's good. They should be out at...

Yes, "Concept." If the next-gen Camaro was going to be available in the 2008 model year, people would be driving them around already. The real thing isn't even approved for production, so continue holding your breath. I finally got my hands on one of these last week. I might add I've been looking for it since July. I've never, NEVER had something take me so long to get my hands on. It reminded me of back in the G1 days when I was a wee lad, where my mom and I would scour stores looking for that damn minibot Bumblebee. Never did find him. So sad. Back to now- Hasbro finally caught up a bit with demand, allowing cases of Deluxe TFs to hit shelves nationwide last week. Bumblebee here was the only one I was seeking, since I'm quite unsure I want to own the non-movie figures in the line. I only bought toys of characters that were in the movie, and I'm not even done with those yet. (Just need the Best Buy versions of Ratchet and Megatron, and the Leader Class Br...

Well, waves 2 and 3 of the GI Joe 25th Anniversary line are out in the wild now. While I had quite an ordeal getting the first wave of single packs and the 5-packs, this is even harder, because now, all the non-interwebbing nerds are getting in on this line, making it that much harder. I do have Serpentor from wave 2, which Matt kindly thought to pick me up. He's so far my favorite of the entire line, but bear in mind I don't have Beach Head, and if Hasbro updates Wet-Suit v1, well, you best stay out of my way then. I do enjoy this new Serpentor. He's based on the Devil's Due comic, which tones down the ridiculous snake motif a little bit. You can tell without a doubt it's Serpentor when you look at it, and we finally get that modern Serpentor we've been wating for since he showed up in the first DD run. The only thing I don't like is the face sculpt. He has a grin that makes him look like he just farted in public. I wish Hasbro had gone all out and made a n...

I'm not a fan of Kubricks at all, but I'm just tickled by Phantom Menace merchandise. I know that if I bought these, it would be a slippery slope that could only lead to bankruptcy. So I cribbed this image from JediDefender and put it here just to gawk at occasionally. Having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.

'Transformers' score by Steve Jablonsky It should have been out a long while ago. But as it is, it ties into the DVD release which is rumored to be October 16th. These things usually turn out to be true, so I'm going with that. Alas, no tracklisting yet. If it doesn't have the music accompanying the Autobot's arrival on Earth, there will be pandemonium in the streets. But that would be stupid. That would be like releasing the Grindhouse films WITHOUT the fake trailers. Aw, fuck. I can understand releasing them seperately, since Grindhouse effectively tanked at the BO and they need to recoup some benjamins, but keeping the fake trailers from folks? I think they're just asking for these DVDs to tank at retail.

clicky. This stinks of something I've seen before. Man, if only I could think of what it was... Now I remember!

clicky. Man. What an odd choice for a reissue. But hey, TFs that aren't from 1984-5 are always welcome. I like my pre-movie 'formers, but they've been done to death. The TFC was starting to get interesting with Broadcast, Kup, and Perceptor being reissued (granted, Broadcast and Perceptor are US '85, but whatever...) Plus, Lynx is a pretty big TF. I wonder if I'll be able to afford this one since I couldn't afford Predaking when Takara reissued him.

I'll bet you didn't know it, but Wal-Mart, bane of the American retail landscape, has an exclusive set of 12" Adventure Team GI Joes, reissues of the ones from the 1970s. A little background. I myself have an affinity for these big guys. I bought the Land Adventurer that was a Hot Topic exclusive last year, and I was looking forward to buying a couple more. But I come to find out that they're exclusive to Wal-Mart, and more importantly, my local branches aren't going to be getting these (or the 25th Anniversary small Joes either). I ask you, what's the point of conquering the competition and taking an exclusive if you're not going to sell it to everyone who wants it? This happens all the time. Some WMs that aren't in huge cities get nothing when it comes to Hasbro exclusives, and other stores just can't get rid of them, eventually being forced to clearance them. Wal-Mart has ruined GI Joe before, and it seems like they're looking to do it again...

DC Universe series 2 I really can't afford superhero toys any more (since both Marvel and DC toys cost $10 a crack these days) but I am buying Aquaman, Red Tornado, and Harley Quinn from this line. I'd buy the monkey if it was available seperately, but I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to buy Supermen Red and Blue. To me, they represent the lowest point in comics in the 90s, aside from killing Superman. But, Mattel is still doing something great. I like their DC line since the toys aren't over-articulated like Marvel Legends tend to be. Hopefully, they avoid the pitfalls that have plagued their DC Superheroes, Batman comic, and MOTU lines this time. They're doing OK on DCSH, and if you're going to offer a BAF, you have to have sane distribution. Even Mattel knows that.

Thank your dear and fluffy lord for Target doing their fall reset in the toy aisle. I was finally able to get my sweaty hands on some 25th Anniversary GI Joe 5-packs. I only found the Joe set, and it was the last one there. I scooped it up, and made threatening gestures to anyone who looked at me funny as I walked to the checkout. And people will look at you funny, since the box is big, shiny, and noisy. When you see one of these on the shelf, you know beyond any doubt that Reagan's America is alive and well somewhere. Well, not so much that. If you were to take a look at the back of the box, it should fill you with pity, especially if you're standing in the aisles of a big-box retailer as I was. You get a twinge of sadness that this new generation is allowing the bar to be set so low for themselves when it comes time for recreation. Instead of Terror Dromes, space shuttles, boats, tanks, jeeps, 7-foot aircraft carriers that can house your entire Joe collection, or toys of bike...

100 posts of madness! And what better way to ring it in than a couple pics of what may be a Masters of the Universe anniversary line? Mattel is holding a MOTU-related panel at SDCC this afternoon, so we're going to have to wait. Edit- 8-4-07. Well, it was a big nothing. Mattel didn't say anything about it or even acknowledge its existence, even though they had a couple display cases chock full of vintage MOTU toys. Apparently, it's a kitbash from DC Superheroes parts, and it was in my opinion someone's idea of a practical joke. It's a shitty joke, but hey, Mattel and shitty are like chocolate and peanut butter. All of this was to announce that the 2002-3 cartoon will be on DVD soon. Which, of course, means that they should display vintage toys because they have exactly nothing to do with that cartoon.

Color me excited. Between this and the new He-Man shown yesterday, I might end up having a nerd-related heart attack this weekend.

Finally got my hands on some 25th Anniversary GI Joes from smalljoes.com today. I've only opened Flint and Cobra Commander so far, but I'm digging them. Almost-orgasmic digging. I opened those two first since I had them as a kid, and these updated versions don't disappoint in the slightest. I have yet to open Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and the Cobra Officer, but I'm patient. I still have yet to find the 5-packs. No rush, I guess. I'm at the mercy of online and brick-and-mortar retailers for those.

Clicky. Oh my dear and fluffy lord, I'm going to be so broke. Two of my favorites are in the next wave (Serpentor and Beach Head) plus there's Shipwreck, Stalker, and others. It's a pity about those custom jobbies Hasbro is showing off. I'd pay good, hard-earned money for all of them to be made. I'm sure it's inevitable. I just think they're showing them off to show us what they can do with this new body style, and when this line really takes off (which it looks like it already has) these will eventually be made. I don't think I could live without that Range Viper or Shockwave. I don't think I've been as excited about a new toy line since the modern Star Wars line debuted in 1995.

Soundwave Wins TF Movie Sequel Character Poll I swear to some deity, fans just have NO imagination whatsoever. Soundwave's function was pretty much used up by Frenzy in this year's movie. Instead of voting for some character that could give the Autobots the edge (like, I dunno, Jetfire?) they go redundant. Of course, the moviemakers aren't going to give this any real credence (and they shouldn't), so the point is moot.

Maybe a more apt name would be "Ape-Plane." I'll admit, this was an iffy purchase for me. Sure, I want action figures of all the TFs in the movie, but since Starscream was one of my two least-favorite designs in the movie (the other being Megatron), I was a little unsure. But seeing that F-22 toy in that neat box put me over the edge, and I picked up Screamer instead of Ironhide. Well, the toy is great until you get it out of the box. Then you notice all the robot guts hanging off the bottom. The problem with TFs that turn into jets is that they're never sleek. They're always going to have this problem. G1 had this problem, hell, even the Classics line had the same problem, to a lesser extent. But there's a lot of stuff hanging off this Starscream, and it's just going to happen since it's a mere physical toy and not a CGI illusion that costs millions of dollars to pull off. No, the jet mode isn't all that exciting. But, the robot mode is great, in...