Channel Update Vlog - Doctor Who, Reviews and Masters of the Universe!

A little update on what's to come from my channel over the coming months!

Masters of the Universe Classics Review: Ninjor (Ninja Warrior)

He's part man, part demon and he's a ninja! It doesn't get much better than that!

By the Power of Grayskull!

It's been a while since I posted any updates on the He-Man project, so I thought I'd fill you in on what's happening!

Currently I am about a 3/4 of the way through shooting the one-off pilot, and all of my vices have been recorded so that recording can begin in earnest! The majority of the other roles have already been cast and I can't wait to see how the images and the vocals come together. I am incredibly pleased with how the footage has come out so far but it is going to be a very tricky one to edit with lots of green screen and masking work needed. 

The images accompanying this article show off the largest set I have ever built for any animation. It measures five foot long, three foot deep and just over two foot tall! It's a bit of a tricky one to record in, but it's an impressive set piece. 

The exterior of Castle Grayskull will form the centre of a battle between the heroic Masters of the Universe and Skeletor's Evil Warriors. Once these scenes have been recorded filming will take place within the castle walls and then all of the green screen work.

As of yet there is no release date scheduled, but I shall be posting more updates as editing begins! 

Masters of the Universe Classics Review: Snake Armour He-Man vs. Battle Armour King Hiss

Snake Armour He-Man and Battle Armour King Hiss have arrived! Find out what I think about this cool two-pack in the video below!

Filming begins on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

A new menace is making its way on to my channel in the form of Skeletor's Evil Warriors! Filming for the twenty minute pilot began on February 17th starting with the opening scene where Trap-Jaw, Tri-Klops and Beast Man pay a visit to Tornal, the supplier of magical implements.

The filming is now taking place in a new location too. A makeshift studio has been put together in the attic to make filming easier and to also allow for greater shots and larger sets.

Tonight will see filming continue in Snake Mountain...

SDCC 2014 Highlights

That time of year has come and gone again, those few days where collective geekdom comes together in the nirvana that is San Diego Comic Con. Whether it's TV/Film announcements or the wonderful displays of new collectibles from the biggest names in the business, there's always something for somebody. So here I am giving a little rundown on what got me excited.

The action figures are my main love of SDCC. It makes British conventions look like a car boot sale. Now there a ton of properties at SDCC, Hasbro's Star Wars, Marvel and Transformers lines, Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lines (Classic Shredder and Krang look amazing) and Mattel's various DC toy lines of varying quality. Now despite all of this stuff being cool I don't really collect these things anymore, but it's nice to see what's being made. 

Underground Toys had a large display at the con but had nothing new to share. Not even the upcoming Ace and The Time of the Doctor figures. That seems like a pretty big misstep in my book, but I'm sure we'll get new Classic Doctor Who goodies eventually.

Hot Toys

Everything Hot Toys produces is amazing, and even for properties I have no real interest in like Alien, Predator, Robocop, Back to the Future, it all looked bloody incredible. There was a big push for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy range, all of which were very impressive. There were, of course, other characters from Marvel's cinematic properties on display, but for me it was Hot Toys Batman products that got me drooling.

The top figure that caught my eye was the upcoming Batman figure from Batman Returns. Hot Toys announced this property two or three years ago, and it was never mentioned again, leading many to think the line was scrapped. Thankfully this was not the case. This version of the Bat-suit has always been my favourite, and although I already own the 1989 version I am sorely tempted. There were no accessories on display but if it comes with a Michael Keaton headsculpt then I may have to start saving up the pennies. I'm hoping that a Danny Devito Penguin is not far behind because that would look incredible. I also have permission to get that from my other half after she bought me a screen used 'Oswald Means Order' badge from the film. So I'd love to have the figure stood alongside that.

Finally there was Arkham City Batman, another property that was announced around the same time as Batman Returns. We'd seen teases of Batman's hands and even of the Joker (not at SDCC), but this was the first full reveal. I'm not sure what to make of this one. Yes it looks cool, but I'm put off by the thick rubber suit and the nappy like underwear. Otherwise it looks fantastic, but it didn't wow me enough to think I'd want to fork out £180 for one.

DC Collectibles - Batman the Animated Series

I've posted a ton of stuff on this line already, including the reveals at SDCC. I'm disappointed that none of the accessories were ready to display, but this is shaping up to be a fantastic line. It's definitely going to be one I'm sticking with for a while. DC Collectibles also had some great figures from their Designer Series based on Greg Capullo's artwork in Batman on the Zero Year saga as well as some rather lovely statues.

Mattel - Masters of the Universe Classics 

Ah this one always turns up. I've said it many times but this is my main toyline at the moment, especially now the Doctor Who line is only limping its way into existence. The final items of the 2014 line were revealed; in October we have Eldor, his first time as an action figure since the original never made it passed the prototype stage of the cancelled Powers of Grayskull line. This looks like a cool wizardy character to display alongside He-Ro and the rest of the Preternian characters. I'm a real sucker for MotU history, so this is sure to be a fun one. November sees the release of Tung-Lashor (gotta love the names), which comes with a normal and a tongue head. As the penultimate Snake Man, I'm rather pleased with this one. Not sure about the weird hands though, I think they needed to give him the 200X version's claws. November also sees Bow's trusty steed, Arrow, as the oversized figure. I'm rather pleased to get a normal looking horse in the line, so that's cool. Also that month comes the holiday item, Gwildor. Yes, Billy Barty from the 1987 movie. The figure looks spot on, but that's just the problem. It looks like it's from a toy line based on the film rather than a Classics figure. I'm not sure what they could have done to 'classicize' it, but it's not quite right for me. Perhaps they needed to cartoon him up a bit or something? He comes with a huge version of the Cosmic Key a la the film and the original vintage toy. Now Gwildor is a little person with an accesory about his same height, how that equates to a $35 price point I have no idea. Madness.

To wrap up the year we have a Princess of Power figure, Mermista. This looks to be a lovely figure. Interchangeable legs and fish tail in a shimmery blue deco, what's not to love? As an added bonus there is also a new vehicle, the Battle Ram, complete with Jet (Sky) Sled and a new version of Man-At-Arms with 200X pony tailed head on a Filmation-esque body. Personally I'd have preferred a Snake Armour variant, but I don't see that ever happening. It's $110, so £64 for us Brits, and I can't help but think they could have skipped the new Man-At-Arms and the altered Jet Sled to keep costs down. Money grabbing buggers.

To round off 2014 the last few figures of the Princess of Power mini-sub were revealed. I can take or leave PoP outside of the main characters so I didn't bother subbing (but Goddamn do I want that Light Hope figure, he looks frigging gorgeous), but October is Sweet-Bee, November is Galactic Protector She-Ra, a 'what if' figure that looks at what She-Ra may have looked like if she became part of the New Adventures of He-Man line in the 90s (and a must buy to boot), and finally Spinnerella closes the sub in December. 

Now it's all down to 2015! The Final Year! Well, until it's rebranded in 2016. Next year promises to complete every vintage character from the original 1982 toy line, all vintage PoP characters (of which there's three left), and all a-list Filmation, NA He-Man and 200X characters. That sounds like a lot to cram into one year, but somehow they've figured it out. I expect boxsets and mini-subs to accomplish this. What will become of the line in 2016? Well seeing as they did this huge bit about how amazing the current DC Comics iteration of the franchise is, I'm guessing we'll be seeing New 52 comic book versions with a few left overs scattered in for good luck. That really will be a time for cherry picking as I have no interest in DC's designs.

So what was shown? Well in January we have Lizard Man from the Filmation cartoon, complete with Skeletor's sword and the Diamond Ray of Disappearance from the same show. This is awesome! Lizard Man had one appearance, but he's become much loved. In February it's Ninjor, now named Ninja Warrior due to copyright. I had no interest in this character, but he looks rather cool. They've made him look very snazzy and upped the decos on him so he's not boring to look at. Also that month is Snake Armour He-Man vs Battle Armour King Hss from the 200X line. This is a must have! A must, must, must have! I've wanted this version of He-Man since the line began and this new version of Hss knocks socks off the previous version! The only bummer is that the 'snake torso' of Hss doesn't come in the set, it's packaged with another toy later on (probably Sssqueeze, the final Snake Man). That's really crappy.

March is the Fan Choice figure, which was Huntara. I don't know who she is as I've never watched her episode, but reading up on her she sounds like a fun character and looks cool to boot. Also that month comes the subscription exclusive, complete with new mini-comic and Castle Grayskull poster, which is Oo-Lar the jungle He-Man (or original minicomic He-Man) that also comes packaged with a vintage style He-Man head. Honestly, I think the new head looks much better than the head they use on the current He-Man figures. Finally a wing was teased, suggesting that April's figure is Angella from PoP and the convention exclusive is a three-pack of Skeletor's Hover Robots from the Filmation show with interchangeable claws. Excellent. So there's a lot going on next year. To sub or not to sub? That is the question...

Lots of cool stuff going on from my side of things, and that's not even getting into the other cool stuff they had at SDCC. What were your favourite reveals from the con?

New York Toy Fair - Top Reveals

Yes, another New York Toy Fair has been and gone. Compared to the rather pitiful displays we get at London Toy Fair, NYTF is always a hive of wonderful new toys, licences and surprises. It's almost like a teaser for when the real good stuff takes place at SDCC in July. But for now, thanks to images provided by The Fwoosh, Toy News International, Toy Ark and Awesome Toy Blog, here are my stand out reveals from over the weekend.

Underground Toys - Doctor Who

Normally Underground Toys have nothing special on display when it comes to Doctor Who, the Classics are a closely guarded secret, the New Series items is just the merchandise we've seen at London Toy Fair. However, this year was different because a production/packaged version of the upcoming John Hurt Other (War) Doctor was on display. What can I say, it's marvellous! A spot-on likeness and some lovely paint apps. Although it's not a classic figure, it does, strangely, come with a spare 8th Doctor head that looks suspiciously based on McGann's Dark Eyes photoshoot, and this is of course another incarnation of the Doctor so who can say no to a 5" version on the shelf? Expect a review when he hits the UK. 

Now this is all very well and good, but the real excitement comes from MattG over at Awesome Toy Blog who was able to speak to Underground Toys about upcoming products. This is what he reported: 

• While there was nothing new shown, Classics will continue, albeit sporadically. They will be continuing in the 5″ scale.
• There will be a SDCC exclusive from Underground Toys – in the 5″ scale. Might even be a 2-pack if we’re lucky!

Yes, 5" classic Who is not dead yet! Thank goodness! I'm sure many will be pleased to hear this directly from the license holders, and I'm sure many will be pleased that the releases are "sporadic" as opposed to the huge bombardment of releases in one go. Fingers crossed that the SDCC will be something Classic and exciting! MattG also added on Whona that it won't be a 5" Capaldi. Pity.

To round off Underground Toys reveals, they also have plush 11th and 4th Doctor toys coming out... Expect the 4th Doctor to murder you in your sleep...

Hasbro 

Hasbro had plenty going on this year. A ton of Marvel movie products from Captain America: Winter Soldier, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as the smaller 3.75" comic inspired figures and the larger 6" Marvel Legends. Nothing here that really took my fancy, I've never been too impressed with Hasbro's Marvel figures. There was also a big boom in Transformers toys, especially with the 4th movie coming out. I'll be honest, I've not really looked at much here. The movie figures don't interest me, and some of them looked a bit cheap and tacky. However, the real star for Hasbro was Star Wars. Now their 3.75" line is basically churning out the same old crap. Wait until Episode VII hits, the stores will be flooded. There was also some interesting items coming out of the Star Wars: Rebels series, but for me the really cool stuff came in the 6" Black Series. 

I've not bought Star Wars figures since 2005, but that Speeder Bike looks amazing! Jabba the Hutt was also a cool surprise. Darth Vader's pretty good, but the use of cloth capes does nothing for me at all. Not a line I'll invest in (that's not to say I'm not tempted), but it's nice to see so many cool things coming out of this 6" scale. 

Playmates

Not much to say here as I have no interest in the current CG TV series of the Turtles, but the Classics line of 1990 movie inspired figures are cool. Again, not a line I buy, but 6" highly articulated Turtles and Bebop and Rocksteady are tempting. 

Mattel

Well Mattel stole the show without a shadow of a doubt. First of their DC line is coming to an end on Mattycollector, which is a pity. The line had gone through so many iterations, DC Superheroes/Universe Classics/Unlimited/Infinite Earths, that it's sad to see it lose the fight. Unfortunately I was priced out of this line years ago, but it still made me excited to see what was out there. Of the final figures, 90s Aquaman takes my fancy. I always loved the redesign, made him look more badass, and it makes for a truly cool looking figure. 

To round off the fact that this line was over, Mattel revealed that they would be releasing some key characters in vintage decos based on the 1980s Super Powers Collection in honour of it's 30th Anniversary. Sadly, I wasn't around when the vintage line was released, but I was captivated by pictures of the line and thanks to ebay I now own a few. The really lovely thing about this line is the packaging. They've recreated the old cards and are releasing the figures on them. Now I'm not a mint on card collector, but in this case I would make an exception. They look beautiful in the boxes. The line is exclusive to Mattycollector, and at $30 a figure it's not something I could afford. Especially for a figure that would stay MoC. Each figure will also come with a piece of a build-a-figure Kalibak (like the DC Universe Classics line) repainted in Super Powers colours. Very nice to look at, and I love that they have used the Hal Jordan Green Lantern as the base for the Riddler figure, just like the vintage Argentinian/European release. The added Mr Mxyzptlk figure is also very cool. Not sure where he comes into things, but he looks great! 

Moving onto their new stylised Total Heroes 6" line (which I have no interest in at all), they had a really cool Batman Beyond figure on display which comes with alternate Terry McGinnis and old Bruce Wayne heads, as well as the cowl, batarang and a teeny figure of the Atom. Really cool, but it's a pity that it's in this line. 

Next we have a total miss from Mattel with their 4" DC Multiverse line. Now these figures span videogames such as Arkham City and DC movies like Superman/Superman II, Batman and Batman Returns. Now for me, the movie figures was where it was at. I don't collect movie lines except Hot Toys, but the chance to have 4" highly detailed versions of Keaton, Reeve and Devito could not be missed. At least until Forbidden Planet retailed them at £14.99. Madness! That much for a 4" figure!? A tenner at least! But judging from the production images, the figures suck anyway. Reeve Superman looks terrible, and the S on his chest is huge! Keaton looks passable, but the sloppy paint apps on his chest symbol and the softness of the sculpts just make them look cheap. Suddenly I'm glad that I don't have to consider getting these. Poor production, insane prices. It was the same with the Batman TV Series line. Sloppy production and far too expensive. £80 for a 6" scale Batmobile and the doors don't even open?! Pfff, mental. 

Finally we have Masters of the Universe Classics. For the main subscription line that I buy, there wasn't much going on. Rio-Blast was revealed and he looks amazing! Such a cool looking figure with tons going on! Figures like him make the line worth the expense. Sadly the same can't be said of the new chase figures, Kowl and Loo-Kee. $20 for two figures that are nearly staction figures? You must be having a laugh. It's bad enough trying to be online when the little sods are on sale, but at the price it's not worth the effort. Hopefully these two will pop up loose on ebay for cheap. Also teased was Eldor's spell book, which suggests that Eldor, the unproduced figure from The Powers of Grayskull line in the 80s, will be released towards the end of the year.

Also announced was a new mini-subscription. Much like last year's Filmation line, this contains 6 figures based on Princess of Power. Thankfully I'm not too interested with the PoP stuff, so it's an easy miss. Presently the only figure I have my eye out for is Madame Razz and Broom, which I'll hopefully be able to get on the day of sale. However, to make matters more annoying they revealed that the sub would have a 'subscription only' figure, much like the main sub. Now this really pisses me off, because the figure is Light Hope and he looks bloody awesome. The pinky translucent plastic, the gold Crystal Castle/She-Ra inspired armour, it's all lovely. Sadly trying to get this guy on the secondary market will be nigh on impossible without serious expense. Damn you Mattel. 

DC Collectibles - Batman: The Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures

Okay, so although DC had a ton of cool figures on display, this is where my attention was focused. 6" highly articulated figures from the 90s animated shows Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. This was like a dream come true. As a child I loved the shows, and as an adult I still love those shows. As much as I enjoyed the 4" figures from Kenner when I was a little boy, the lack of articulation became more irritating as I got older. They just looked stiff and awkward. But now that's all gone! I can get an excellent representation of my favourite characters and put them in dynamic poses! All that was on display was Catwoman from B:TAS and Batman from TNBA. Both look excellent, but no sign of any accessories. Yet. These are very early prototypes, so I'm sure we'll get something. I hope so, given the $25 price tag! Other figures announced are Two-Face and Mr Freeze, both from TNBA. I'd prefer to see more designs from B:TAS, as I was never as keen on the sharper designs in the later series. Probably not something I'll collect religiously, I can't afford it, but Batman will definitely be mine!