Stuff I Consider Bullshit : Power-Con Pandhandling

Within the last week, I've seen several blogs pleading for people to support Power-Con. I'm all for conventions and celebrations of Fandom but it seems like every time He-Man is attached to something in the realm of any media, someone is begging and pleading for something. I'm also all for drumming up support for a worthy cause but it seems like this may be the end of the line for He-Man. It's had a good run over the last decade or more with the 200X revival, the Four Horsemen Studios, NECA, the Classics line, and successful years of Power-Con. That's all stuff to be proud of especially those involved at the top, but as the image says "all toy lines must end".

I love supporting Fandoms, even when they are things that aren't my interest. I give away My Little Pony figures, give away tickets to conventions to people who'd enjoy it more than I would, and I cover a wide range of toys and collectibles on my website. I liked He-Man when I was growing up, I did like Thundercats better but everyone seems to have better memories of He-Man for some reason. In the passing years the fans have been wanting a new He-Man cartoon and figure line but when it comes time to support it, they get fickle about pulling out their wallets. But it's a great struggle, Mattel pulls support from their lines due to lack of support from the fans and fans pull their support due to lack of product released by Mattel. It's a vicious cycle but in the end it boils down to best business practices in favor of Mattel. Granted, Mattel has shown their ass on a couple of instances with the He-Man lines so maybe the fans wavering support is warranted.

(remember this bullshit?)

Those in charge of Power-Con have not wowed me over the last few years. There's been a lot of in-fighting between different groups, the openly trashing of Emiliano Santalucia, the main people in charge of the website heman.org treating the Fandom like their own personal sandbox (which is fine by my account but many people haven't felt like it's fair), and the constant asking for monetary support to keep things afloat. You're not good enough to be one of us but do you have some money to spare to help us keep this place up and running is a paradox worthy of a thousand face-palms. I've enjoyed my visits but after they trashed Emiliano, things took a turn for the worse. Power-Con has had the feeling of a private party you're begrudgingly invited to.

(but to be clear, this guy is still a dumb ass)

Conventions aren't that hard to put together, the hardest part is securing and paying celebrity talent to show up. I won't go into long details but even a complete moron can run a show and break even in the end, even if that means putting your own money into the show and paying yourself back from the receipts. If you're any good at what you do with conventions you can make a decent living off of them. With the poor planning by moving the convention across the country to New York from California and not opting for having TMNT be a part of the convention (in a movie year no less) are two of the many reason I'd point my finger to if the convention fails.

(I just like this photo, all credit to the artist.)

In the end, He-Man is a fringe interest. It's a strong fringe interest but still not strong enough to carry itself like Star Wars or one of the major comic book stories out there. I don't like seeing things fail that bring people happiness and generate a buzz for anything to do with toys or anything 80s or 90s. But in the end it won't be the fan's fault if Power-Con goes broke, it'll be those who made the bad decisions in the first place.

Masters of the Universe Classics Optikk

Foreword -

Those of you that have followed my blogs know my love/hate (or hate/love) for the new Masters of the Universe Classics line. But in light of Masters of the Universe day, I've put aside my biased views and decided to join my toy brethren from the many sites across the internet in a general celebration of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

While being born in 1982, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe occupied a lot of my young life. One of the happiest photos I have of myself is opening a Skeletor and Panthor set, I couldn't be more than 4 years old. It was my first nerdgasm, look at my face in the photos and feel the intensity. I remember not caring much for the cartoon though. I liked the figures and owned (and still do) every figure made in the line, from Wonder Bread He-Man to Laser Light He-Man and beyond. My main fault with the cartoon was I wasn't much of a sword and sorcery kind of kid. I liked spacemen and mutants and robots. Sure there was Roboto and some of the good and bad guys were cybernetic or mechanical but magic didn't impress me much. Later in the 80s the New Adventures of He-Man came on the air and I was hooked. Spaceships, mutant creatures, lasers and other cool stuff kept me coming back every episode. The only bad thing was the Ne Adventures figures weren't all that compatible with the older He-Man line, the main reason I didn't buy into it until I found loose figures at yard sales or flea markets the years following the inevitable end of He-Man. My favorite figures from the 80s still consist of Sagitar, Hoove, and Slush Head. But there's one that upped the creepy factor and translated very well to the Classics line.

Optikk remains a very popular figure in my mind, both the original and the classics version. Where the 4 Horsemen (the sculptors of the line) excel is in their presentation of a classics figure's modern update. They do everything in their power to stay true to the source material and this figure doesn't disappoint. The lone eye sits cradled in the divot atop the shoulders of the robot suit Optikk uses to get around in. The body is the same basic body you've come to expect from the MOTUC line but what sets this figure apart is the soft chest cover that hides the majority of the muscular buck underneath. Keeping true to the original figure there's plenty of rivets, hoses, and layers of sculpted "scrap metal" that makes up the exterior of the exo-suit and it's all topped with a very nice copper toned paint in varying shades. The eye is removable and interchangeable with an additional eye packaged with the figure featuring a different colored iris. Also packaged with the figure is a faithful reproduction of the original laser rifle, perfect down to the sculpted cylinder (which always made me second guess the workings of a laser gun; such as are there laser bullets or is it all battery powered.). Also included is a shield which is a very nice touch. It's very radar dish shaped with a domed center, very fitting  for a guy who's little more than an eye.

Optikk was always a favorite of mine from the original New Adventures line but this figure holds significance in it's own right. If you've read some of my blogs, you'll get a theme that most toys in my collection hold a small story behind them and MOTUC Optikk is no exclusion to that. In the spring of 2010 when this figure came out I was laid up for nearly 3 months with acute liver poisoning. No explanation,  no real diagnosis, I just turned yellow and laid in bed sort of wasting away. The monthly packages from Matty Collector helped pass the time but deeper into my illness the toys just seemed like they weren't helping my mood. That sort of changed when I got Optikk. I remembered the good times I had with the original figure and while most of the figures from my Matty Collector boxed were piled up beside my bed unopened, this sucker was ripped open immediately. He was my buddy throughout my recovery, carried him in my pocket anywhere I went (much like the original one) and about a month later I was back on my feet and fully recovered. I'm not saying he was the cure or anything but Walter Peck from Ghostbusters came in the same box and he didn't get opened till that Fall. And who needs a figure of the dickless guy who tried to shut down the Ghostbusters while they are slowly dying?

Hordak-Gate: Matty Collector's biggest scandal so far

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Earlier this week, MattyCollector.com released a figure to the general public that no one in their inner circle even hinted at. The Spirit of Hordak figure has to be, by far, Mattel's greatest faux pas since the line started just a few years ago. This figure was never formally announced by Mattcollector.com, Toyguru Scott Neitlich (who I think is an incompetent tool who has the charisma of a urinal cake) or any of what Mattel consider's their inner circle of compensated reviewers (you know who the guilty parties are) . In their defense, Mattel says they hinted the vintage white Horde crossbow on their site for days. But never alluding to the fans, and even worse the subscription holders, that indeed a figure was to be released officially for sale on their website nearly a full 10 days before their next "release date". I know people have been asking where Raging Nerdgasm stands in the midst of Hordak-Gate, I plan to tell you where we stand within the next paragraph.

(Cherry flavored Hordak)

Firstly, I told you all so. I told you that Mattel was going to screw the fans just as good or even more than years prior. Why? Because the fans hadn't made a stand against the powers that be. I know that it's hard when Mattel holds the fate of your collection in their decisive hands but sometimes you have to be strong and make an example. After the plights suffered during 2011's subscription year, I decided that Raging Nerdgasm wasn't renewing their contract for 2012 or any lines to come after that. Between backwards or wrong legs on Swiftwind, mailing single figures in envelopes that were padded with what amounted to the consistency of soggy Cherrios, overlooked paint applications and numerous other faults to many to mention in a quick blog; I had made my intentions well known that $20+ figures should be coming out this bad. Marvel Select and Diamond Select figures cost the same and come out flawless, best of all you don't need a useless subscription to get them all. Don't even let me bring up the disappointment that is "cottage" Greyskull. It's small and those who pre-ordered feel cheated as hell. And don't let this article be misunderstood, the work of the sculpting team behind the line is superb and not buying the line does hurt me because I've always admired the work of the 4 Horsemen studios. I just have to get my fix of their work through their direct sales from their personal website. I just refuse to support a Mattel line when they treat their fans so poorly.

(To some, it's just a shitty repaint. To completists, this is the bane of their existence.)

Some have claimed that Mattel's actions with the Spirit of Hordak constitute a breach of contract with the subscription. Normally, I'd be behind you rebel rousers but, it does state in your agreement that Mattel reserves the right to change anything they wish whenever they choose (maybe not in those specific words but trust me, I've got 3 semesters of business law under my belt.). Not the exalted Toyguru himself nor any of Mattel's other toadies have stepped forward during this moment of fans screaming out for blood. If you noticed already, other sites out there haven't issued a statement siding with Mattel or the fans. But, Raging Nerdgasm is willing to take a side. We stand on the side of the fans shafted in this heinous moment of fuckery. But what can you do? You can't cancel your subscription, right?

(Exhibit A: The scene of the crime)

You can cancel your credit/debit cards filed with MattyCollector.com, you just need to go through the respective banks. You won't get the rest of the year's offerings but if you're mad enough to quit, it's a good way to bow out. If you are addicted, and I know that feeling, but still feel butthurt you can post on the MattyCollector.com forums about how angry you are and how you won't let this insult go unanswered. Let your anger be known across the internet; maybe they'll re-release the toy, maybe they'll make amends with the fans by the year's end or maybe when it comes time to throw down on 2014's subscription you can opt out and claim a lack in confidence in both Mattel and their paid spokespersons.


an added bonus, from Vikor on the MattyCollector,com forum before it was deleted it seems

===UPDATE on Spirit Of Hordak Random Release===

TG address the Spirit of Horak issue............................

Vikor wrote on the Matty Forum:

Toyguru,

This is what subscribers were promised:

quote:

Early Access to Non-Subscription Products: In 2013, all Club subscribers get early access to all non-subscription products, regardless of brand! That means you’ll have the chance to purchase hot items not available through subscriptions before non-subscribers, like 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises 8” Batman™ figure and the Ghostbusters™ PKE Meter prop replica. Availability is first-come, first-served, so if products sell out to subscribers during the early access period, that’s it – no additional product will be made available to non-subscribers at that time. 


Your Spirit of Hordak stunt has clearly violated the terms of the contract that was entered into when we purchased subscriptions. There was no clause saying Mattel reserved the right to sell "surprise" items to anyone prior to and outside of Early Access.

I think you should get in touch with your legal department, because you've just shot yourself in the foot. People are extremely angry about this and while scalpers are exploiting multiple fans on eBay, you remain silent. How utterly irresponsible. I am inclined to cancel my subscription at this point citing breach of contract, and I know I'm not alone. I suggest you make Spirit of Hordak available IMMEDIATELY to all subscription holders via Early Access as was promised. In the meantime I will be lodging a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Vikor, May 09, 2013 09:50 AM

A Raging Nerdgasm moment on the Matty Collector/ MOTUC debacle

(Raging Nerdgasm: A logo you can trust)

So, the time has come to decide whether you want to support this year's Matty Collector's MOTUC line. We've all read the warnings and "threats" that if they don't reach the "magic" number for subscriptions this year. A good portion of die hard He-Man fans have taken these warning to heart and ordered multiple subscriptions to show their loyalty to the line, Scott "Toy Guru" Neitlich has gone online numerous times since SDCC explaining how serious this event is and the consequences of not reaching the "magic" number and they've even had the acting talents of Pons Maar and Anthony De Longis (Saurod and Blade respectfully from the late 80's sci-fi epic Masters of the Universe, I use epic loosely but I'm sure you got the idea) as well as the sculpting talent behind the MOTUC (the 4 Horsemen) pleaded for you to buy a subscription. I know all of He-Man.org, the Pop Culture Network, The Great Rebellion and talents such as the folks from BKBN and Pixel Dan have begged the fans to take a moment of their time and buy into the $505 membership (and that's before taxes and shipping charges). I have been asked my opinion over the last 20 days, give or take, about my stance on the MOTUC in Crisis. I've been supportive on a person to person basis, explaining the pros and cons of it all and encouraging those who could afford it to subscribe and those who couldn't to just be willing to pay the applicable finders fees to be a cherry picker when the website runs out of stock.

(extra points if you hummed the NBC bars)

I consider myself a fan's fan, I try to answer every email in my inbox and do the best that I can to promote the companies I buy from. I enter forum discussions and take any questions and give an honest answer. If you can afford to and you want to, buy a subscription. If the last year's subscription was too much for you to handle, weigh your options and check your finances before buying into this year's subscription. At least this year's initial offerings from the line are much better than last year's Star Sisters announcement. I'm excited about MOTUC in 2013 but I'm not without my complaints.

(thanks to Poe Ghostal's site for this graphic, I think it still conveys the same feeling of frustration that it always has)

I enjoy the fan interaction and try to give them something that the larger toy companies cannot, one on one interaction and encouragement instead of "scary talk" and "threats" that some personalities do. All selflessly might I add, I buy everything I review out of pocket and receive absolutely no concessions from any retailer or company. My gripe is not with Mattel at large, they've done everything they can to round out people's short wishlist but they ballooned far too fast.

(remember the good old days when you couldn't wait for this site to open?)

They started out strong with the He-Man characters those of us in our late 20s to early 30s grew up with, they branched out to 200X Masters figures which were nice additions to the shelf but that's when it all started to get off course. Next came the introduction of Princess of Power figures and don't get me wrong, this is more on the money and on target than 200X figures any day. We get a Hordak, Bo and She-Ra and the fans get their first taste of POP sprinkled into their collection. Then we started getting New Adventures of He-Man figures, which is where you start to lose the purists. I personally loved the original NA line, I was always a space alien nut as a little kid and the idea of magic and sorcery was just bullshit I never really grasped. As a kid, I went through two Optikks and three or more Slush Heads because they went with me just about everywhere. Lastly, Mattel started getting into prototype figures like Demo-Man and Vikor or the newly released Vykron. I mean it's the middle of 2012 and not until a few weeks ago we hadn't even had a mention of Ram Man or other core characters that have yet to be made.

(the screen that prompted me to begin a regiment of nerve pills and lots of trips to the therapist) 

The line grew into this monster of a toy line, 16 basic figures and 4 quarterly "large" scale figures or army builders! That's a lot of frickin' toys even for me and I buy something pretty much everyday. That's not including your Ghostbusters subscription, Voltron subscription, DC Universe subscription and all the convention exclusives and surprise must haves such as the BTTF hoverboard, JLU 3 and 6 packs and other things. That's a whole hell of a lot of monthly charges, I hope you don't collect anything else or have aspirations to go on vacation or buy video games because your ass is spoken for; for the next 12 months.

(and you are forced to buy this piece of shit too)

Mattel does have it's faults, namely not holding Digital River accountable for their flubs (how many of you got that less than heartfelt apology from them this week?) and not being more hands on during production (i.e.- sloppy paint applications, backwards shoulders, wrong legs on Swiftwind, etc.). The He-Man branch off series slowly infiltrated the line and fans were stuck having to purchase Hurricane Hordak, Star Sister 3 pack, Bubble Power She-Ra and Thunder Punch He-Man which most fans felt kind of screwed when they got their monthly packages. Granted, they kind of whittled out the 200X figures but replaced them with equally confusing Battleground "variants" of Teela and Evilynn. A blonde Teela is slightly interesting but I still don't have a Meckaneck, poor move on making this a fan driven line. Also the mind boggling notion of making core characters like Orko and Queen Marlena convention exclusives not included in your base subscription.

(and then there's this asshole)

My main gripe is with the man in charge, the self proclaimed "toy guru" Scott Neitlich. For a guy who claims to have the fan's best interest in mind when going over things in motion for MOTUC, he has dropped the ball on more occasions than I care to mention. He's not very personable when it comes to the fans directly, his videos have all the pizzazz of a late night infomercial and he's been less than encouraging within the last few weeks of this membership drive. You are the face of a fan driven toy line, act like it for fuck sake. Answer direct questions when they are posed to you instead of skirting the issues at hand. Stop blaming cherry pickers when your line has given the fans a less than stellar 2012, own up to the mistakes made and push on. Cherry pickers or not, those assholes are buying your product so be nice to them.

(I just like this photo)

In the end my solution is make the MOTUC line a little more conservative considering the tough times most of your fans are experiencing. 1 figure a month is more than enough, maybe make the deluxe packs 3 times a year instead of 4 times and maybe skip the monthly figure that month (or some combination of that) and keep non essential figures like "battleground variants" or "prototype concept" figures limited to the conventions or special "website only" exclusives that people who don't want it can opt out. Keep Digital River accountable for their actions, they are selling your product with your name plastered all over it. Their flubs look just as bad on you as they do on them. And lastly, get rid of Scott "toy guru" Neitlich. He serves no real purpose anymore except as a joke to the collecting world.

Matty Collector SDCC 2012 panel

Announcements from Mattel brought a rollercoaster of emotions from the crowd. Excitement over prospects of Ram Man, Mosquitor, Castle Greyskull Gollum, DCIE subs for 2013 and the latest Club Black Frieghter for all of your Watchmen needs. Then came the sticker shock of $25 a throw for Watchmen figures and Masters of the Universe chilled the reception of all this great news. I, for one, was thrilled to find out I can complete the GB2 Scolari brothers ghosts by the end of the year. Granted, no mention of the highly anticipated Back to the Future line but these things are expected when you read the internet rumor mill. Am I excited for 2013, yes I am. My general outlook on subscriptions is I'll go for DCIE and the Watchmen (even though I'm still sore hearing about the $25 price tag.) and cherry pick my way through MOTUC for 2013. Ram Man is a must have and well worth the $30 price tag. I wish they'd show the packaging for the Watchmen figures, the packaging they used for this year's DCIE figures made them well worth the $18 price tag and maybe that's the case with the Watchmen but only time will tell. At least there's only 6 of them. Metron looks amazing and I haven't been disappointed with any of their offerings yet. Not too thrilled to see Wally West making his way into the line. Kind of the reason we all bought into the concept was for non headliners and fan favorites.

(totally random, but this figure was made by custom figure artist BOSKOES years ago and shares the same premise of the winner's concept of the Greyskull Stone Gollum.)

Club exclusives for the rest of the year bringing us the Ecto Goggles with a sweet animation of Slimer that will sync with your PKE meter (which is available here), the final dozen or so JLU figures (been waiting a lifetime it seems for Dr Midnight!) and the last 2 6 inch Young Justice ( $50 is steep but the crowd reception seemed optimistic and eager to buy them).


Get on top of this year's subscriptions here

Get ready for this month's sale


Matty's Coverage of the SDCC show

Really good pictures of the panel from the fine folks at Toy News International