Monday, September 11. 2017
The one constant in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, from the comics to the cartoon to the live action movies, has been that the Heroes in a Half Shell have always called the Big Apple their home. As an extension of that, the World Trade Center frequently appeared in establishing shots and was even used some plots. One of the most overt uses of the WTC was in the original cartoon's third season episode "The Big Blow Out." In it, Krang and Shredder have mobilized the Technodrome and attached it to one of the towers, using the tallest building in the city as an antenna to open a portal to Dimension X. While the art in TMNT isn't quite as accurate as in some other shows, the profile is unmistakable and Donatello even called it by name as the Turtles approached the scene.
Friday, September 1. 2017
It always amuses me when model makers claim "authentic scale replica" on UFO kits. Seems like a big hole in the conspiracy when the Men in Black let Lindberg in to take measurements off the Area 51 flying saucer. But since they get to make up a scale, I do too...and I say that the "I Want to Believe" craft is piloted by tiny beings and so is no more than 10' (3m) across, perfectly scaled to 1/24!
Friday, August 18. 2017
I have a friend who works in marketing, and he has a thing about professional typos - y'know, the ones that ostensibly made it through several layers of checks, reviews, and corrections and yet were never spotted. Well, the LEGO Group had a doozy here with their massive "Ultimate Batmobile" from The LEGO Batman Movie having the sides misspelling "Wreckreational" (a homonym of recreational) as "Wreckreactional" (wreck-reaction-al). Oops
Friday, July 28. 2017
Chris Cortel of ClassicPlastic 101 has been one of the standard bearers in the YouTube modeling community for years. As part of a tribute to his influence, someone had suggested a group build wherein everyone builds something inspired by Chris' work. In my case it meant a kick in the seat to finally build one of the few organics in my stash, after his builds of the Jurassic Park Velociraptors
Friday, July 21. 2017
Near as I can tell, I built my Diamonds are Forever Mustang in the summer of 2002. At the time I had picked up two of Testors' Mach 1 kits, and was generally happy with the results and prospect of building another one. Time has not been so kind to the kit, and I look back on it now as a bit clunky (not quite as toy-like as some others, but still...). Fortunately I've learned quite a bit since then, including how to minimize or hide the effects of casting limitations. While the end result is hardly a show winner, I am generally happy with the newest build of this kit.
Thursday, July 13. 2017
Knock-offs are a common issue in what is otherwise a very wholesome industry: toys. The strategy to deal with them is often to be the fastest to store shelves and apply the biggest advertising budget to block out competing noise. But what is an independent mompreneur who launched her toy company on Kickstarter to do when throwing dollars at the problem isn't possible?
"As a small startup, we don’t have the advertising power of some of our competitors, like Lego Friends which is backed by arguably the highest valued toy company in the world," says Laurie Peterson, Founder and inventor of Build & Imagine ( www.buildandimagine.com), which has won more than 30 industry awards and has hundreds of five star reviews on Amazon and an average of 4.4 stars on their most popular item: Malia’s House, a magnetic dollhouse you design yourself.
"What we rely on to help Build & Imagine grow is love of our toys. Rather than investing dollars in advertising, we’ve double downed on product quality," continues Peterson, who was named the "Rising Star Toy Inventor of the Year". The strategy to invest in product quality may be paying off. In a recent Net Promoter Score survey, Build & Imagine found that 73% of customers were "extremely likely" to recommend Build & Imagine to a friend or colleague.
But spreading the word without a megaphone in hand can be slow. Thankfully, Build & Imagine just bought themselves more time, as they were granted a utility patent (U.S. Patent No. 9,713,777 is scheduled to issue on July 25th) protecting their illustrated magnetic building panels. While other magnetic building sets feature plain colored blocks, Build & Imagine’s illustrated panels are key to inspiring rich imaginative play.
"In the age of social media, it doesn’t matter how much advertising you do if your product isn’t up to snuff," argues Build & Imagine’s founder Laurie Peterson. "The customers now control the message. The most important marketing move a new toy company can make is to provide a rich and lasting play experience that translates into customer loyalty. With Build & Imagine, kids aren’t just building a structure, they are building a scene for their stories."
Build & Imagine StoryWalls tend to received higher ratings than better known girls building lines, including two other start-ups incubated across the bay at Stanford. GoldieBlox, which launched with a successful viral video campaign, and Roominate, which appeared on Shark Tank. In addition to product quality, part of Build & Imagine’s secret may lie in the original product inspiration:
"Construction toys, and girls' construction toys in particular, has been one of the hottest area of growth in the toy industry over the past five years," reports Peterson. "I was seeing a lot of toy companies hop on this trend by taking their exact same toys and turning them pink. We call it pink think. At Build & Imagine, instead of color coding we design based on the types of play mechanics girls have historically loved. Build & Imagine is building blocks meets dollhouse meets dress-up dolls. It’s all the fun of a dollhouse with the enrichment of a construction toy, and it turns out, boys love it too."
Friday, June 30. 2017
I wasn't ready, actually. I had the Ranger Splash, the wheels, and the light bar, but I didn't have the surf board for the rear rack. Fortunately I was able to correct that at this year's NNL East with the purchase of an AMT '41 Ford Custom Woody. I have plans for that kit, too, but if history has proven anything don't look for it to be finished until sometime around 2043.
Friday, June 16. 2017
In my writeup for the SpyHunter Diablo, I mentioned how unnecessarily difficult it was getting one. Aside from the long gaps between sightings due to its rarity, there are two stories that particularly stand out:
First, I had was the winning bidder of one on eBay. Payment was sent, Diablo was shipped, all was good. Then I get an e-mail from the seller, saying that the Post Office had damaged the item and returned it to him. How bad? He'll let me know. Any update? He needs to check it. I'll still take it if the car is intact but the package is wrecked. OK, he'll see what he can do. he didn't. Transaction cancelled, money refunded, everyone annoyed.
Later, I found one at a place online that sells older and unusual collectibles. The listing was correct for the Diablo, but the photos were a combination of it and the Saleen. E-mail is sent: which one is it? They don't know, they'll check. They do, listing is pulled, they go into Witness Protection as far as I can tell.
I'm not sure which is worse: two scammers picking extraordinarily low-yield collectibles to try to grift who panic when someone asks questions, or two people who can't figure out how to physically look at an item that is ostensibly in their possession...
Friday, June 2. 2017
Much as I enjoy "B" movies, I'm actually not much of a horror fan. They're fun for the occasional cheesy monsters, possessed cars, or just straight-up awfulness, but they're not something I regularly add to my Netflix queue like some other genres. That made it all the more surprising when I watched P2 and found it to be a genuinely entertaining flick (though in retrospect, I should have realized that Blackheart from Ghost Rider and Scarlett from G.I. Joe playing cat-and-mouse in a New York City parking garage couldn't be all bad).
Monday, May 22. 2017
McFarlane Toys has signed a toy license deal with CBS Consumer Products to create figures, role play weapons and accessories for the new Star Trek: Discovery television series. In addition , McFarlane Toys will also create merchandise from the entire Star Trek universe, ranging from the iconic classic television series Star Trek: The Original Series to the legendary films.
The initial line will highlight two of the most iconic characters in the Star Trek universe with articulated 7-inch figures of U.S.S. Enterprise Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series and U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. These figures will debut in window box collector packaging and feature iconic accessories such as phasers and communicators. Various characters from the highly-anticipated Star Trek: Discovery television series and other adaptations will follow.
“ Star Trek is hands down one of the most groundbreaking and innovative franchises in the history of entertainment,” said Todd McFarlane, Owner and CEO of McFarlane Toys. “We plan on carrying that forward with our upcoming toy lines, giving fans a fresh and detailed look, that their favorite characters deserve.”
“We are excited to sign McFarlane Toys as the first licensee for Star Trek: Discovery. Their commitment to quality and dedication to fans is the perfect combination to bring this lineup of products to life,” said Veronica Hart, Senior Vice President of CBS Consumer Products. “We know Star Trek fans worldwide are looking forward to it as much as we are.”
McFarlane’s Star Trek toys will be available in the Spring of 2018 at major retailers worldwide starting at an MSRP: $19.99. For more information about Star Trek, visit www.startrek.com. For more information about everything McFarlane Toys, fans are encouraged to check out www.mcfarlane.com as well as the McFarlane social media channels for updates and news.
For over 20 years McFarlane Toys has produced toys for various entertainment properties, and is renowned for its attention to detail and unmistakable craftsmanship. This collaboration with Star Trek will undoubtedly give fans all over the world new and unique collectables that will be “true to life” replicas of both legendary and new characters from the Star Trek franchise.
Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on September 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons -- a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. It spawned six more television series and 13 feature films spanning the course of half a century. Its newest chapter, Star Trek: Discovery, will feature a new ship, new characters, and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. The series will premiere on the CBS Television Network with all subsequent episodes available on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service, and will be distributed concurrently by CBS Studios International on Netflix in 188 countries and in Canada on Bell Media’s Space channel and OTT service CraveTV.
Friday, May 19. 2017
Compared to much of the schlock I enjoy, Piranha 3D was practically Oscar material. Heck, having Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, and Christopher Lloyd starring in it are enough put it on a higher level. A quick decal job on a prepainted MotorMax diecast and I had myself a reminder of this surprisingly fun flick.
Friday, May 12. 2017
Once again, a Community Build Project prompts me to get off my duff and actually build something that's been on my shelf way too long. In this case, the Amazing Scale Modeler's "Batman"-themed build finally got me to work on the Batmissile that's been waiting since I bought it during the kit's reissue circa 2003.
Friday, May 5. 2017
One of my biggest disappointments in recent cinema was Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The first movie was great because it wasn't afraid to hold back with the action, but Never Go Back felt like a pulled punch. The fights were comparatively weak, the dialogue was tepid, and overall it just felt like it was trying to be "safe." In my book, if you give Cobie Smulders a pair of ass-beating sticks and then don't have her beat wholesale ass, you have failed.
If the trailers are to be believed, Atomic Blonde looks like it may be what I was hoping for in Never Go Back. In fact, it may even go one better: with the cold war-era setting, cheeky one-liners, and threat of gratuitous everything, Atomic Blonde may very well be an Awesome '80s Action movie incarnate.
Here's hoping...
Saturday, April 8. 2017
Fred
May 17, 2000 - April 7, 2017
Friday, April 7. 2017
I like Jada. I really, really do. But sometimes they do dumb things (usually having to do with their ridiculous " box scale," but not always). In the case of their F8 of the Furious GTX, though, there was a double whammy of unnecessarily stupid things: first, the way it was packaged necessitated destroying part of the car to get it free, then I discovered that they had painted over the clear headlight lenses with silver. At least there was nothing that couldn't be fixed.
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