El Kabong

I love the way these look. Orion looks awesome with the detail in his battle armor and Etrigan is fierce! I don't care if Metamorphoa is statue-esque, he's still cooler than most of the BAF's from ML (Modok, Mojo). Red Tornado looks meh, and so does Penguin. Batman has been working out it would seem, but these are only minor quibbles. So long as Mattel can fix their case ratios and distribution woes, I'll keep buying these guys. How long til WW Chi-Town? I can't wait to see me a blue Superman. I have always wanted one.

Honestly I think these all look great. I admit some of the hands are fugly and Sue looks like she has maybe 3 POA but I can't fault the Hasbro guys completely. There are too many variables that go into the production of these things, from the price of oil, to the costs of manufacuring and distribution, to the costs for design that there is bound to be something that gets cut. It's the price of business. They can't make everyone happy but so long as they're making a majority of us (the consumer) happy they will continue to make them the same way. And if the first page of this is any indication, there are a lot of happy people.

There will be a big announcement of the new DVD. I think that's a safe bet. The huge poster at their booth, the combination of the old style and new may indicate a relaunch of the series. If it does I think it will be an even bigger blend of old and new, as the poster indicates. Even with the TF movie and huge buzz around the Joe's anniversary line I don't think Mattel is ready to jump back into action figure world with MOTU. They may announce it but we won't see figures for a while. The movie success and Joe revival is too recent for them to have anything ready for showing. I'm betting on nothing but talk without something to show later.

Not that I'm quibbling, but how do you pronounce it? It's been Rash in the cartoon and Raz in the movie but which is the accepted pronunciation? Moreover, is it actually a real word or just something made up for a comicbook? I know they say it means "the demon's head" but does it really? I don't speak Arabic so I'm just asking. As for the movie, I think it's definitely a 7. It's not perfect by any means. The first half of the film is very slowly paced and once it does get moving some of the fight scenes are edited too quickly to really understand what's going on. Katie Holmes is not the right actress for the role, since she is always remembered for her role on Dawson's Creek and her lack of physical maturity (she looks too young). On the plus side the scenes are framed beautifully and Nolan and his cinematographer know which colors to use to maintain the relative darkness throughout. Like the washed out tones in Insomnia, the muted colors and realistic set dressing create a visual pallette that makes the film look real and create a cohesive color set that is used throughout the film as well. I think they took a bold step with the Tumbler and I understand the dislke of it but judging from the direction they took, a Tim Burton or Adam West style Batmobile would not have worked. It's very similiar to the directon Michael Bay took with the designs of the transformers. So it's flawed but better than many movies, not just comic book movies. Still it's not Citizen Kane.

No more Alts. The movie line is pretty much Alts though since they're using real cars with pretty complicated transformations and good articulation. Scales are way off but they're Alts basically. Maybe not every single little detail but yeah, Alternators basically. It's too bad though because they only scratched the surface in terms of the alternate modes. We only got one truck, on off road vehicle and one non-car (Skidz). There could have been so many more but I'm happy with what I got. Bring on classics!

I wish we knew which earth Bob is the monitor for. For that matter I think we need a complete list of all the universes and the monitors for each. "Hi, I'm George Monitor and I'm the monitor for earth 47 where nothing cool happens. Ever."

I'm not usually the voice of reason, and nor do I want to rain on your parade but I don't see Mattel making a batmobile for the DC Superheroes size figures. With the cost of oil so high, a batmobil, let alone the batwing, bat chopter, bat boat, bat truck, bat rocket, bat computer, or bat hard water just isn't in the cards. I'd love to see it and I hope Mattel proves me wrong but they're not handling this line the best way they could with only figures. Unlesss someone over there grows a brain I doubt we're going to see figure improvement and certainly not a batmobile.

Does Supernova even count as a "real" superhero? He was just BG in a new costume. Isis was a woman Black Adam gave powers to that were similar to his own. Ultimately he married her but when she died it nearly drove him to destroy the world. The new Batwoman is the daughter of some big industrialist in Gotham. Her last name is Kane but I can't remember her first. She's a lesbian and has had a relationship with Montoya in the past. That'll probably come back now that Montoya is the new Question. My 52 question is, since there are now 52 universes and it has been revealed in the last Countdown that there is the Shazam world and Freedom Fighter world, how are those heroes going to interact with their counterparts on New Earth?

On one hand, the new movie has the bigger budget so it ran attain more. It's got more PR and advertising behind it so it attracts a wider audience. There are tie-ins galore as well as official Hasbro product. It's no longer thought strictly as a "kids movie" since it's no longer cel animated. However, the 1986 movie has its pluses. It had a built-in audience and character development pre-existing from the cartoon. There was no need for the origin story and the action could get started right away. It had some great animation (in spots) and even better moments; when Prime says "Megatron must be stopped....no matter the cost" and then transforms all slow like and they just runs down Decepticon after Decepticon, shrugging off direct hits and then transforms and explodes in mid air gunning down even more Decepticons...makes me really believe he's the greatest transformer walking. Plus it was in a time when many of us were children and it holds some special value. You can obviously tell from my description I fall into that category. To me it was seeing my hero on screen, like when I first saw Superman fly up the side of the Daily Planet, catch Lois, then the chopper and hear the music. It creates a touchstone in my life that makes it mean so much more. The new movie had them too, like seeing it with my dad and brother the same way we saw the first one, and watching my brother geek out over the transforming sound effect. I don't think either one is better. They evoke a different reaction in different people. But I love them both and I can't wait until Christmas when the DVD comes out.

Welcome aboard (that was a little joke there). "Please keep all arms and legs inside the board at all times. Please do not feed the other posters and keep your desk chair locked and in the upright position. Possible side effects include loss of real (actual world not virtual) friends, weight gain and anal leakage. Should these, or other side effects ocur discontinue posting and seek out outdoor activities. TNI boards are not for everyone. Speak with your local nerd/geek/dork/dweeb before posting on TNI. In case of flaming there are no exits. In the event of a water landing your computer may be used as a floatation device. Thank you for posting on TNI and please enjoy your virtual life."

A complete seeker team would be nice, but I don't see it happening. So I'll leave that dream and push it aside for more possible dreams like: Voyager sized Cosmos an Ultra Magnus that is still posable and has decent articulation when combined with his trailer the remaining dinobots Galvatron Cyconlus an Omega Supreme would rock, but only if he's giant sized. Hasbro could take the BAF approach and include a section track with an entire wave of figures and then sell the tank and rocket as a two-pack Wheeljack Tracks Fortress Maximus (never happen but I'll dream about it) Devastator, Computron, Bruticus, Defensor, etc doesn't matter which combiner team so long as each is a NEW mold not a repaint

The regular brown version has been indefinitely postponed or possibly cancelled. No one is sure which exactly. At the very least postponed.

Has Mattel or any of the 4H mentioned making the Man-Bat available through any other means for those who can't get to San Diego? I know I'm not the first to ask, but I'm asking nontheless.

Really we need to get this guy and Mr. Prime together. I think it would be hilarious, especially if USA Today picks it up the same way they did when some US general wrote a letter thanking Optimus Prime for joining up and being able to share his millions of years of experience. Maybe some press stunt can be arranged for the DVD release or the next movie.

Has anyone found the Cybord Superman? Anyone recieved it in the "internet only" cases? Has anyone actually seen the 6" version of this figure? Does it really exist? I'm really tired of looking for it so I want to know if it's real or just our collective imagination.

This response isn't really directed at El Kabong (tho' he's welcome to weigh-in), but his comment made me question exactly who the whole line was directed at. Sure, we know that the 25th was aimed at "collectors", but could it possibly be that it was aimed more towards carded/MISP fans, as opposed to loose collectors? Because I'm wondering how much personal exposure Hasbro designers actually have had to loose collectors and/or customizers, and whether this affects their decisions with the figure designs. EDIT: But then that's going OT, apologies. -PJ Well based on the instructions on the side of the box that show you how to open the package and then reseal it to keep it "like new" I think this is directed at those who collect, and not children per se. I don't see how this is made for the MISB collector since it shows you how to open is and then re-close to make it look like it did before you opened it. I see that as enticing us to buy, open, mess with, have Duke shoot Cobra Commander, have an epic ninja battle between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, then put back in the box, shine it up real good, turn it sideways, and stick it straight...back into your closet/display thingie. But that's just the way I see it.

I just found the 5 figure sets at a TRU. I haven't opened, and not sure I want to. I LOVE the music player. I walked around the store looking for other things, constantly playing the song and I had everyone in the store either smiling at me or annoyed with the constant repitition. For anyone looking, I was at the TRU in Media, PA across from the Granite Run Mall. They had 2 more Joe packs and 1 Cobra pack. It was $31 something with tax.

Well, assuming that the story-specific figures are still OOBs, I'd love to see Dr. Fate Mr. Terrific Mr. America Golden Age Superman PG All of the Starmen current Hawkman (with re-moveale head dress) Karate Kid (only b/c of the name) Atom Smasher (as a BAF) Hourman Phantom Stranger Spectre Deadman Silver Age Supergirl (the head band era) Orion Grodd Monitor Harbinger Donna Troy (all versions) Lightning Lad Cyborg Braniac 13 Giganta (BAF) Aquaman (chase version w/hand) Starro (BAF) Eclipso White Martian Starfire Guardian Alpha Centurion Captain Boomerang Jay Garrick Plasticman Elongated Man Lightray Kalibak Seriously, they could do a Legion line (and it would work b/c of the cartoon), JLA and JSA lines and a Titan line.

I've managed to see every figure at one point or another up to the current Batman wave. It has taken time to find them all, but I've managed to get Blue/red Supergirl Steel (variant) Mongul Darkseid Bizzaro Parasite Luthor Azrael Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) Freeze Brainiac Bats Superman Black Suit Superman I've also got an extra Black Suit Superman if anyone is interested.

Well it's still pretty sweet. And it would still look good up on my wall. Someday. Oh, I agree we still have more legends to go. But beyond different costumes and characters that are more recent, and therefore not really legendary I worry that we're gonna run out. Yet looking at that picture there are a lot I'd still like to see.

Damn! That's a pretty picture. I wonder who drew it. That would look nice up on my wall.

Sorry, about coming off as harsh. It wasn't my intention to be negative. I honestly couldn' think of another way to put it. Finding the stereotypical "comic book guy" isn't so much what I'm looking for but more about how you view yourself. It's a bit more existential than what is normally discussed here, but it piqued my interest and I thought I'd ask.

I've often wondered how we view ourselves. We are, in large part, grown men and women who collect things that are made for children to play with. With small exception we are not the intended consumer for these goods. Parents look at as though we are strangers in an unholy land when we walk down the toy aisles or stroll through toy stores. Clerks give us weird looks when we give UPC numbers for new product. In short, we've got at the least nerdy tendencies or quite possibily are nerds ourselves. But while others view us with derision, are we truly deserving of such? Do we fit the classic description of the nerd/dork/geek? Do we live in our parents basement? Are we overweight? Do we have girlfriends/boyfriends? Do we have friends period? Are we in any way athletic? Do we have lives away from this hobby? I look at myself and say, I don't fit that description. I have a beatiful wife, and hope to have children one day. I'm a little bit on the chunky side but by no means overweight. I have my own home with a good job that supports me alongside my wife. I have friends who don't collect and those that do. I'm a long distance runner. But am I alone? Are there those of us who are similiar or disimiliar? Since I don't know any of you, have never met any of you and have no idea what you look like I can't answer that question. But I'd like to know. Are you a nerd in the classic, "Comic book guy" sense?

When in 1984 I was only 4 years old, and since I've had multiple concussions, seizures and other neurological traumas I don't remember if it was the toys or the toon, lol. Probably the cartoon but there's no way for me to remember. The first Transformers memory though was when my brother got Prime for his first successful use of the toliet if you follow me. I was so pissed that day. Ultimately I wound up with him though. Like most kids, toys became passe for me in middle school and high school but sometime in sophomore or junior year my parents found a Machine Wars Prime and got it for me for Christmas. It reawakened something in me and I became a collector then. I didn't have much money, there was little to no internet in 1996-1997 and there were few Transformers on the shelves so I didn't have much to collect but by the time college rolled around I had begun my collecting again, based solely on that one toy and re-runs of Beast Wars and Beast Machines. In my junior year of college RiD came out in Japan and I remember importing Prime and Magnus and being tickled pink about having them, and my collecting days really started then. So while I cannot attribute my original fascination to anything, but more recent fascination is directing tied to a toy.

Strictly speaking from a film makers point of view, I'd have tried to focus more on the collection and less on yourself. Not trying to be rude, but once we see who you are the point is to see why you're the #1 Transformer fan. Quick shots to the collection, the steering wheel, a few prints or statues would have made for a better video. A nice voice over, explaining what we're looking at and the significance would have been great too. Maybe shots of the most rare or most sought after figures and items. But I was a film student and am prone to being picky about movies. Regardless of my film maker's opinion, you have one of the best collections I've ever seen. There's no way my wife would allow me to buy that many, nor do I have the money. I assume that's an entire room dedicated to your collecion too, which blows my mind. I've only got two bookcases full. Anywho, good luck man and keep on collecting.