Power Lords Fan Club is open!

Go here for details!

Power Lords is one of my favorite vintage lines and I'm excited for what the Horsemen are doing with it. Seeing that they have Glyos compatibility, you'll also be able to use the Lords with my new Robo Force figures, scheduled to debut next month at New York Comic Con!

Preview

Longer post coming, but for now, enjoy.

Behind the scenes on POWER LORDS

If you haven't already, jump over to Toy Memories.com and check out design schematics on many Power Lords items, some produced and some not (featuring a write-up by yours truly). The drawing of Evol above is only the tip of the iceberg.

With the impending return of Power Lords from the Four Horsemen this year, there is no better time to read up on this classic toy property.

More on the Mordles!

 

 

Preview pics of the first Mordle products available to Club Mordle members starting next Monday!

More detailed pics to follow this week.
Thanks to Matt Doughty of Glyos.com for the fantastic pics of the Mordles!

CLUB MORDLE

UPDATED JUNE 1st.

CLUB MORDLE is now open over at Toyfinity.com!

Head on over there and you'll have the chance to join Club Mordle, which guarantees you the chance to order any upcoming Mordles product. Remember, you don't have to join Club Mordle to purchase product - but product available on release days to the general public will be available in limited quantities. You can see the full details in a previous post on this blog.

Today, I'm happy to finally give you some details about the very first product releases that Club Mordle members will have access to! 

Mordles love to arrive in groupings called waves. The first wave will consist of SIX colorways, released over the next three months (one release in June, one in July, and one in August).

The first two products, available to Club Mordle members starting on Monday June 17th through Sunday June 23rd (and release to the general public on June 28th) include:

Mordles - Standard Edition TEN PACK with special bonus item! The price for this pack will be $16.

Mordles - Crawler Edition TEN PACK. The price for this pack will be $12.

Product photos will follow this week.

The countdown to the return of the Mordles is on!

Where have I been?

The last pic on the blog was a prototype pic of my new toyline, MORDLES.
Based on the classic Ideal property ROCKS AND BUGS AND THINGS, Mordles will further explore the little creatures which once served as the food source of hungry Rock and Bug monsters.
I've been hard at work creating the world of the Mordles with a variety of artists including Matt Doughty of Glyos fame. I can't wait for everyone to see what we've been doing.
But today's post is here to announce CLUB MORDLE!


PURPOSE: Club Mordle guarantees you the chance to purchase ONE of each and every release-version MORDLES action figure, set, and accessory!

HOW IT WORKS: Toyfinity Toys plans to release a number of different colored sets of Mordles and related products in 2013.
The first release will be JUNE 2013.
To join Club Mordle, go to the Toyfinity.com store and add the Club Mordle membership to your PayPal cart. COMING SOON!
The cost of membership is only $10 in 2013! You'll be provided a special membership packet with your first Mordles product order that will evoke memories of the classic fan club kits of days gone by. There are no toy-based products included in the Club Mordle kit.
Members will also have the opportunity to vote on a future Mordle colorway, and potentially receive other exclusive information and offers.

THE SPECIFICS: Mordles love to hatch in groups! But sometimes, they hatch all by themselves.
As such, a release may consist of one single Mordle figure, Mordles with special accessories, or multiple packs of Mordles in special colorways or designs.
The cost for each Mordles product will vary depending on what is included in the product - number of Mordles, paint decos, and so on.
Unlike other subscriptions, Toyfinity Toys is NOT locking you into purchasing product blindly or guaranteeing sales to Toyfinity in advance.
Here's how it will work:
- Purchase the Club Mordle membership.
- Toyfinity Toys will announce a product release, listing the items for sale in the specific release.
- Club Mordle members will be provided a link to the Club Mordle store. The beginning and expiration date for the store will be listed.
- Members will be allowed to make ONE and ONLY ONE purchase from the store during this time. You do not have to purchase every item! But you will only be allowed to purchase ONE of each item in the store, maximum.
- the Club Mordle store will close two days prior to the on-sale date.
     - No product will be held for Club Mordle members beyond that point.
     - Your Mordles MAY ship prior to the on-sale date, but this is not guaranteed.
- Toyfinity Toys reserves the right to limit Club Mordle applications with the same street address.

FAQ
WHY NOT JUST DO PRE-ORDERS? Without going into the complete scenarios behind mass-production of items, at times there are products which are produced but need to be withheld from immediate sale. The last thing that we want is to solicit an item we can't deliver, for any reason.
WHY CAN I ONLY MAKE ONE ORDER FROM THE STORE? We'll be attempting to ship orders prior to the main on-sale date, as they are made. Allowing each club member to make only one order will allow for the most expedited shipping possible.
I WANT MORE SETS THAN ONE! That's awesome! In 2013, we are gauging the demand for Mordles product. If the demand is there, we may offer greater quantities for sale through Club Mordle in the future.
WHEN THE MORDLES ARE ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WILL THERE BE LIMITS? When the Mordles go on sale to the general public, quantities may be limited on some products. Some colors will be tagged as "immordle editions", and will have no cap on quantities available to purchase.
WHAT ABOUT EXCLUSIVES? In 2013, if there are any exclusive Mordle sets offered from other retailers, you will have the chance to order them through Club Mordle without issue. If Toyfinity Toys offers an exclusive at any convention in 2013, you will be offered the same chance.

Family Portrait

In the infinite space that toys inhabit in our imaginations, multiple stories take place.

The great evil brain monster with claw can be your hero or your villain, alongside the hot news chick and a talking dog.
A soldier from space can be an undercover being sent to protect the Toxic Crusaders from the menace of Carey Mahoney and his POLICE ACADEMY.
Or little creatures most people see as monsters can be friendly pets to other beings.

It's all up to you.

MAN OF ACTION~!

Did you know Action Man continued outside the US for a number of years?
Meet Action Man and his friends Flynt and Redwolf!
I never got Action Gorilla, although I did want him in the collection.

Back to action! Presidential Monsters- rise!

I've been deep in my projects for the last week or so, so there haven't been any updates.
But we're right back in the thick if things with THE RONMY from Presidential Monsters!
Mego ruled the figure shelves for years - and Heroes in Action Inc continues the tradition with these fantastic figures!
We go more in-depth with Ronmy and some KREO in upcoming days, with a few surprises to come!

In the ludicrous idea department...

I used to love this ice cream.
There was a time when anyone who had a dream would just go for it. Jeremy's Microbatch Ice Cream, you are missed.

The voice of Maxx Steele

Do you have your Robo Force record set? I don't own the record - yet.

Another still from my new movie!

An important confrontation between Captain Vogle (TOM ATKINS!) and Jerry Hipple (Tom Detrik).
APOCALYPSE KISS - coming soon!

My Toy Fair coverage!

Is at The Parry Game Preserve.

I might post one pic here and there, but I leave it to the experts to do the heavy lifting.
Go over there, watch some videos - we did get some great content. Share it around the net - people need to know things!

Gave me a chuckle

Watching Pawn Stars tonight and someone brought in this watch. Maxx rules!

No real post tonight

Filming APOCALYPSE KISS all weekend.

Something fun tomorrow, I promise!

Oh yes, they are on the move again...

Toy Fair got in the way!

Too many late-night empanadas!

Holy wow dollhouse!

You won't see this in any one else's Toy Fair coverage (with Charlie Parry for scale).

Autobots, join me on Earth. KREONS need you.

When Hook received the information on Micro Change process from Scorpinok, he could not have known that Singe, the Turbomaster, was monitoring the call. He quickly put his elite squad through the process, making them Microchangers.
WARPATH, he of the boom-boom, was now a tank. QUICKSLINGER was an Aerialbot, and a dead-eye shooter. INFERNO, country boy from the south quadrant of Cybertron, became a fire truck. And Wrecker warrior SPRINGER tagged along, his mission being to hunt down and destroy Bludgeon.

The battle of KREONS would continue...

MicroChanging Forever

Scorpinok's soldiers had found Megatron, and broken him out of the Earth holding facility where he was being kept. At that point, the war escalated again. Scorpinok called for reinforcements, getting the master builder HOOK and his band of Decepticons. Giving them the secret of Micro Change, Scorpinok orders Hook to Earth.
Hook complies, bringing his team with him.
DIRGE, a warrior.
BLUDGEON, a destructive force wanted by the Autobots and multiple alien races.
BLAST OFF, the space traveler.
AIRACHNID, a high-ranking Predacon, and her protector INSECTICON.
And RAMPAGE, berserker warrior.
These soldiers greatly upgraded the Decepticon forces on Earth.
But they did not know that an Autobot group was following them to Earth...

EVIL RETURNS, the KREO version

With the threat of the Decepticons put to bed, Optimus let the humans know that he would keep his eyes open for any more Decepticons.
He did not know how quick it would happen...

Another great leader of the Decepticons was SCORPINOK. Scorpinok was greatly interested in science. A report from Shockwave, lost in transit, reached him later. It told him about the transformation of Earth vehicles. Scorpinok thought that he could do it better.
With his group of Decepticons, Scorpinok decided to test this new transformation process on a lower-tier PREDACON warrior, WASPINATOR. The process works! A KREON, with additional parts and power, can mode shift.
Scorpinok modifies his warriors CRANKSTART, SPINISTER, SUNSTORM, and GALVATRON (from the mighty line of Megatron himself) into Micro Changers. With the yellow DEVASTATOR, he comes to Earth to wreak havoc.

A time of KREO peace

The Autobots settled into their new home on Earth, living on an army base and living with humans.
Sentinel Prime had gone back into space, leaving Optimus to lead his Autobots.
IRONHIDE, another Autobot warrior, had arrived, along with Autobot Wrecker/scientist WHEELJACK. Bumblebee asked Optimus to upgrade him to a warrior, and Prime had started the process of doing this.

Suddenly, the Decepticons were back. Another Autobot warrior who had come to Earth, CLIFFJUMPER, discovered some VEHICONS, the most base form of Decepticon, ripping up ground. They had found a clear purple piece of KREON technology. Cliffjumper reported back to Optimus, who had ominous dreams about a large-scale Decepticon causing destruction in cities. Sentinel appeared to Optimus in a dream, telling him to transform. Optimus woke up reformatted into a new body.

The battle escalated, skirmishes occurring between the two forces. Eventually, the large robot Devastator was rampaging through the cities, drawing out the Autobots for a final confrontation.
By this time, the Decepticons thought destroyed in Space Jail had been found, their deaths a cruel hoax on Megatron. Sentinel came back to Earth, and the battle was intense.

In the end, the Autobots stood triumphant again. This time, the Decepticons and their vehicles were taken to an Earth holding facility to make sure they could not threaten man and KREON kind again.

Breakout from Space Jail!

 Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, stewed in Space Jail. He was unaware of where his warriors were, and the more time that he spent inside of this accursed place, the angrier he became.
Suddenly, there was an explosion! Through clouds of smoke, Megatron spied VORTEX, Decepticon interrogator. With him was KNOCK OUT, Decepticon mechanic. These two Decepticons would not have enough power to break him out...then Megatron spied DEVASTATOR, one of a series of three identical powerful and monstrous Decepticons. Vortex explained that he had convinced Devastator to save Megatron, and that they had brought him a prize. Knock Out gave Megatron a piece of DARK ENERGON, which upgraded him to a new KREON body with a sword hand.
They checked over as much of Space Jail as they could, but record found by BARRICADE, Decepticon scout/warrior, showed the other Decepticons had been smelted down for scrap.
Megatron vowed revenge! He destroyed Space Jail, and headed back to Earth.
Using techniques developed by Shockwave, Megatron developed robotic warrior bodies for himself, Knock Out, and Vortex. Devastator's KREON essence was too powerful for one body, so Knock Out developed a way to split Devastator into four component parts for his robotic bodies. These bodies later figured out how to combine into one mighty warrior.
Megatron learned that the ultimate Decepticon weapon had been brought to Earth thousands of years before, but was split into component parts. He sent his warriors on a quest for the parts, hoping to run into Optimus Prime again...

Saving the day, KREON style

The Decepticons had the Autobots on the ropes when another Autobot ship arrived.
Megatron scored a critical hit and sent the ship crashing into the ground.
More Autobots arrived!
Led by the legend, SENTINEL PRIME, a past leader of the Autobots, the new group of Autobot KREONS attacked Megatron. MIRAGE, Autobot spy flanked PROWL, Autobot military specialist as they charged the Decepticon seekers. RED ALERT, Autobot security, stayed behind Sentinel, surveying the situation as motormouth Autobot warrior BLUESTREAK charged Shockwave.
The battle was intense and was leading to catastrophe until Sentinel Prime told Optimus Prime to unleash the power of the Matrix of Leadership. he did so, transforming the Earth vehicles they had used for transport into giant mechanical warriors. Prime looked at the warrior that resembled him, his essence turning to energy and infusing the giant with energy. The Decepticons tried to fight back, but it was no use. Soon they were running off.

The battle continued. Prime found that he could go back to KREON mode, which would cause the giant robot to convert back to vehicle mode. The Matrix allowed some KREONS to transform their vehicles, while others such as Bluestreak could not transform their vehicles.

The battle of KREONS continued for some time, until Prime and Megatron had a great and powerful battle. Prime soundly defeated Megatron, and sent the captured Decepticons to Space Jail.
The Autobot KREONS happily lived on Earth with the humans afterwards...

KREONS, transform and rise up!

The evil KREONS, led by Megatron, have followed the Autobots to Earth.
With his faithful second-in-command, SOUNDWAVE, Decepticon scientist SHOCKWAVE, and three elite seeker warriors at his side, Megatron chases the Autobots through a number of skirmishes.
The Kreons adapt to Earth culture, picking up human allies on both sides.
They find themselves especially adept at using Earth vehicles.

During a particularly hairy encounter, Megatron has the Autobots right where he wants them, when an Autobot ship descends into the battlezone...

KREONS, Transform!

So, Kreo...
Now that the Micro Changers have hit in force, a lot of people are going back and clearing the shelves of the first two years of product to get many of the key characters in the Transformers mythos that were included with those first sets.

Over the next few days, I'll be taking a look at some KREO figures and giving you my customary storylines i.e. why I wind up hooked on most things.
I see KREO as a much less violent Transformers universe.
There's no millions of years in a volcano here. The Autobots come to Earth on the run from the Decepticons. There's no transforming in the beginning. KREONS are the same size as humans - another twist. The first crew of Autobots to hit the Earth are:
OPTIMUS PRIME, the leader of the Autobots.
SIDESWIPE, a warrior dedicated to Prime and prone to violence.
RATCHET, trusted medic.
BUMBLEBEE, the scout.
and JAZZ, cultural infiltration specialist.

Unfortunately, the leader of the Decepticons has followed them to Earth...

Behind the scenes on APOCALYPSE KISS

Here's yours truly with independent film legend LLOYD KAUFMAN, director of classic films such as the TOXIC AVENGER. He plays an important acting role in my new film, APOCALYPSE KISS.

Back to toy coverage tomorrow!

Yes Virginia, I do own the rights to Robo Force

As announced on the Moderately Geeky podcast previously linked here and in this print article on Battlegrip.com, Toyfinity will be bringing back the classic properties Robo Force and Rocks and Bugs and Things (under the new name of Mordles) in 2013.

Some products will utilize the revolutionary Glyos joint system created by Matt Doughty for his line of Glyos figures, allowing Maxx and friends to have a whole new dimension of play possible.

Keep your eyes peeled to TheRoboForce.com and TheMordles.com for updates.

New arrivals

Got in some new Beast Saga from a friend. Fun figures. I'd be much more all in if they were available at US prices.

He's watching you

Do No Harm did terrible

According to this article on TVLine, the lowest rated premiere on the big four networks ever.
I'm sad about that. A lot of friends worked on this show. If you have the chance to check it out, please do. Especially if you are a Nielsen family.

what came first?

While on patrol, Captain Ruger finds a strange egg...

Raising Hell

Doug Bradley is one of my heroes, for obvious reasons.
I'm glad they made a figure of him in human form.

the detritus of pop culture

As modern collectors, we are used to having tons of information at our fingertips.
If Hasbro sneezes, we know about it. But that wasn't always the case.
Check out this scan from an old Tomarts magazine. They were supposed to have a Mr. T figure from the show T and T. But nope, it was not to be. Also, Saving Private Ryan was something they considered for a one-off Gi Joe licensed figure. But nope.

the coming Storm

Been eyeing this up for a long time. finallyhad a TRU coupon and TRU money. Great 3 3/4th scaled ship. The OSM will have a new ride soon.

Still from APOCALYPSE KISS, my new movie!

Check it out!
Ciera Stevens, played by the fabulous Aimee Cassada, reports as devastation occurs.
Follow the filming on Potent Media's Facebook page.

KREOs!

One of the lines that I have been quietly collecting here and there as they have been released is KREO.

What I find fun about them is a number of things.
One, Lego Transformers. Many of us have wanted those for years!
The quality is pretty good, outside of some issues with stress on plastic when you plug things into the hand holes.
Two, it's a new expression of Transformers that I enjoy.
Hasbro has tried a number of different things over the years to get more money out of us - Bot Shots, Robot Heroes, etc. And for me, none of them have really worked. I might buy a pack or two, but it never sticks with me. These little guys work in a way that the other things have not.
You get a fully-functional action figure in a small scale, along with (up until recently) a Lego vehicle you could build for your Kreon TF to ride around in.
This made me think about a story - why would Optimus come with a giant truck version of himself?
In this TF Universe, in my mind, the Transformers CAN'T transform at first. They are human-sized robots who come to the planet Earth and have their war. But it is a much less serious war, as you might expect in a Lego-esque universe. The lasers just kinda push people around, not really hurt them.
Each year of product is like a season of a KREO LEGO TV show. In year one, they come to Earth. In year two, Prime and Megatron need to rebuild after the battling, with Megatron discovering Dark Energon and creating Devastator. Late in the season, Scorpinok arrives, with his technology that allows Kreons to transform. In year three, we have Beast Hunting and more exploration of transforming. Just something fun that doesn't kill your wallet with releases. Hasbro even numbers their blind pack figures so you don't have to go nuts trying to find your favorite characters.

In the upcoming days, I'll be showing off a bunch of the blind packs and some KREO things.
Stay tuned!

The Prime and Megatron shown above are from the year two Prime VS Megatron pack, which also includes a KREO bank for them to fight over, and two buildable mech versions of themselves inspired by the Prime TV series. Fun stuff!

Manglotacular!

Manglors is a line I have been trying to complete for a while.
Such great designs! Shame they are this rubbery crap.
Be nice if someone found a way to bring these back to market somehow.

The Ghosts of Atari

Part of the difficulty in going through old electronics is this - games I only have one of that will just not work any more.
Airlock is the great loss out of these (because I have a blue label Infiltrate). One of the first Atari games I can remember having and playing a great deal. The others I could really care about replacing. No one is going to come over for a weekend gaming session and be crushed because Tunnel Runner has crapped out.

the epitome of 80s fun

when this was your only home option for fighting games at home.

Moderately Geeky podcast is up!

Listen to some guy you know make a couple of toy announcements and talk about his movie projects for a couple of hours.

Volkruin teammates

I love this wave so much.

New Glyos drop announced!

Set your calendar for February 1st.
A teaser pic is up at the blog now in that link.
Glyos is doing a throwback to the early days of toys, with a non-panel-lined wave.
It's going to seem strange at first, but there is a method to the madneSs.

Been years since I picked up an Atari game...

But I found one today at a local "all eras game" store.
Polaris! This used to be in the top half of my want list.
But the internet helped kill Atari collecting for me...once you have access to the ROMS that comprise these games, what are you actually collecting? A plastic case with a sticker.

I still buy them here and there. Hard to beat the experience of the real joystick and a vintage crappy TV. I just don't find games to add to the collection at a reasonable price too often.

Thinking about going back to the store and picking up River Raid II and Guardian...

Any Manta Force fans out there?

It was a UK-only line with some of the most powerful missile-firing mechanisms ever made.
And depicted the horror of battle with aliens and robots in ways that the US could not allow.

Do you know about the M.A.N.T.A. Force?
More info to come in the days ahead.

Unproduced Zibits!

Thanks to the people with websites and bloggers who made videos from Toy Fair and captured these images. Otherwise, they would have been lost to the heavens forever.
Unproduced things must be documented!

The Rocks!

Who's your favorite Rock Monster from RBT?

Star Team!

ZEM and the boys.
What would you name the Scouts, if you had the opportunity?

My new movie, APOCALYPSE KISS!

Check out the poster for my new movie, APOCALYPSE KISS.
Again, not for the kiddies. The teaser is here on YouTube. We start filming next month!

Also, catch me on the Carded Heroes podcast - you should check out their site here - and I'll update you when my episode plays.

Zibits Battle Fortress

With action figure collecting at retail being where it is (i.e. not very interesting to me), and my own impending descent into creating action figures rapidly upon us, I haven't been collecting many new things at retail.
One line that I almost completely ignored was Zibits. Little R/C robots with constructable playsets, the pricepoint was just a little higher than I wanted when they debuted a couple of years back.
Now, with deluxe Transformers at EIGHTEEN DOLLARS AND FORTY NINE CENTS, ten bucks for a little robotic guy you can control isn't too bad!

Above, check out one of the second series items which didn't see full distribution in the US, the Battle Fortress. Senario, the company behind Zibits, tried to give kids a classic action figure line; the robots all have a bio-card and personalities. There's a good amount of color used across the range, and it has a good amount of play value involved.
But what I want to bring up is specifically modern playsets. Phil Reed has recently been talking about playsets over on Battlegrip.com, and here with Zibits, we can see what modern playsets amount to.

What Zibits tried to do was give you a constructable system of ramps and bits so that you could create your own world for the characters to interact. What it winds up as is a bunch of ramps and pieces of cardboard.
Is this what we want in playsets? Or something different overall?

OMFG Series 2

It would be hard for me to imagine someone not knowing about these, but OMFG is a series of mini-figures where artists post designs in the October Toys forums, the community votes on them, and then the figures get made! Super-democratic!

There are a crapton of exclusives on series 2, but if you have missed out so far, series 1 and 2 are available at the October Toys store RIGHT NOW. If you like MUSCLE figures, you need these now.

A more typical pic of me at a convention

With famous people THE GODBEAST and Matt "King of Glyos" Doughty.
I don't know who took this pic, but thanks for doing so. Proof that I exist!

A rare pic of me working at a convention

With the infamous Roxsy Tyler, promoting DEER CROSSING and BOOLEY at a recent MONSTERMANIA convention in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Make sure you stop by and say hello at future shows!
Oh, you didn't know I produce indie films? Check out the official site of Potent Media for more info. NOT FOR THE KIDDIES!

So, who's that with the dummy?

Special credit to Lars from Sidekick Media for capturing me in all my "I'm telling some famous guy his own business" face.

The Sucklord is a personal friend. You need some of his special toy magic, grab some today at http://www.supersuckstore.com/