Masters of the Universe: Origins He-Man review

 

This was supposed to arrive mid to late September, yet look what just turned up at my house? And it seemed like I had only just reviewed a new He-Man figure five minutes ago. But this is from a complete reboot of Masters of the universe (MOTU), paying homage to the toy line of old but with modern articulation and a neat customising gimmick too. MOTU Origins (to give the line its official name) is Mattel’s stab at the modern retro toy trend, and how appropriate that the first character I get is the figurehead of the brand, the most powerful man in the universe, heir to the power of Grayskull, and voted best cat owner on Eternia, three years running: it’s He-Man!

Good Smile Escaflowne moderoid kit review

Back in the 90s, it was rubbish being  an anime fan. Pre-web2.0, if you liked something you had to hope there was a magazine dedicated to it or else that was you left in the  dark- bar the odd tv special about the “adult cartoons from Japan'. Which was only slightly worse than having to scour all your local newsagents for Manga Mania, so you can be drip fed video release dates once a month, and maybe get the address of people who import anime merchandise. And let me tell you, most of said merchandise was pretty bad (don’t act so high and mighty, those old Dragon Ball Z figures were big, yeah but barely moved). Despite it seeming like the apocalypse has just started,  this is the golden age of anime fandom in the west. Shows are translated to English within a year, highstreet bookshops sell multiple volumes of manga, and the merch is so much better. Some of which are even sold at retail as well as multiple websites. The days of staying up all night to watch Legend of the 4 Kings and paying over the odds for a brittle model kit or a  gashapon are long gone. And how apt that one of the best anime series of the 90s, The Vision of Escaflowne, is the basis for this new model kit from Good Smile Company- better known for producing the nendaroid and figma series of figures- who are now expanding into the world of plastic models with their new "moderoid" line of kits. So how does it fare in a market dominated by Bandai? Now, where did I put my side cutters...

Super7 vintage style filmation Shadow Weaver review

If you’ve been following this toy blog for the past few months, then you’ll be aware of my love/hate attitude towards the female characters in Super7's retro styled 5.5 inch Filmation figures. They (mostly) all look the part but god help me if I can get them to stand. Well fate has somehow intervened and my prayers to the plastic gods (or rather whiny emails to Super7) have been answered. We have here, what may very well be the zenith of the 5.5” Filmation females, if not the entire line. Hyperbole from a desperate man with not enough figure stands, or a genuine fix to a decades-long problem? That’s for you to decide, I’m too busy reviewing an action figure of Hordak's personal sorceress, Shadow Weaver but based upon her appearance in the classic, 80s She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon show. But this is slightly different from previous Filmation toys I’ve reviewed- instead of upgrading a vintage design, Super7 has designed her from scratch as she never had a toy back in the 80s. So let’s see if they’ve captured the spirit of the cartoon or not.

Neca Toony Terrors Ash review

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Neca toys are well known for their well detailed action figures based on cult sci-fi and horror films aimed at adult collectors. So it’s a bit a departure for Neca to introduce the “Toony Terrors”, a line of horror figures based on popular and classic horror movies but using a design that looks more at home in an episode of Scooby-Doo than on a shelf of high end collectables. So I went and ordered one of the line's latest figures, Ash from Evil Dead 2. Will it be a fun, new kind of retro style toy, or will it turn out to be a cynical cash-in that should be locked away in a cabin in the woods? It’s time this meddling reviewer found out.

Super7 vintage style Filmation Stratos review

I’ve been reviewing Super7 ‘s line of 5.5 inch figures, based upon the original masters of the universe (MOTU) but remade to more closely resemble their Filmation cartoon design- of which the design change could be quite drastic. And, for the most part, I’ve been impressed with how a 2-D face can be so well translated to a 3-D sculpt, making me put money down on characters I passed on back when the original MOTU toys were on the shelves. And that’s who I’m reviewing here, a character who I never gave much thought to as a kid (maybe because he looked like one of the evil monkeys from The Wizard of Oz). And frankly, I can’t blame 5 year old me for avoiding his toy, he’s a liability, a risk to his fellow wingman. Every time he gets into the sky he’s dangerous. Well let’s hope his toy is good because there’s no place (on my toy shelf) for second best.

London Toy Fair 2020: Neca, Mezco, Cobi

That's London Toy Fair 2020 wrapped up. But not before I show a mixed bag of extra stuff I saw courtesy of Star Images, who distribute Neca and Mezco products (amongst others) to the UK. On display were the yet to be released Warriors four-pack in Mezco's 1:12 line, as well as the 1:12 Freddy Krueger. Another figure yet to see UK shelves is Neca's "ultimate" Pinhead and the retro style Candyman.  Also there was a new brand of building block toy from a Polish company, Cobi, that specialised in World War 2 era planes and battleships (and the titanic), and some tank sets branded with the mobile game World of Tanks.

London Toy Fair 2020: Playmobil

Playmobil had a huge array of new sets at London Toy Fair, so strap yourself in. There's a lot to go though with sets and vehicles from lines based on fantasy, sci-fi, real life, and Scooby Doo and back To The Future.