We’re going from the outlandish Filmation depictions to something more realistic when it comes to Masters of the Universe merchandise. Over at the Big Bad Toy Store, we spotted a new maquette based on Skeletor’s fishy minion Mer-Man.
TweeterHead had previously produced some slightly updated MotU items, but Mer-Man looks to have deviated the most from the design we came to know in the classic ’80s cartoon.
The standard head is similar to the rendition we saw the Four Horsemen use when the 200X Masters of the Universe franchise launched in the early 2000s. It’s a departure from the Filmation version but also creepier than the one on the classic Mattel toy. This is the type of head we’ve seen show up on Mer-Man figures and artwork over the years.
TweeterHead decided to include an alternate head with this maquette, and it looks to be an updated take on the Filmation model. The company took what was a kind of silly look and made it look more menacing, slightly reminiscent of The Predator.
The statue stands at 17.4″ tall and is made of polyresin. What? Not polystone?
He will come with both head sculpts we mentioned earlier and will start shipping out this December. He can be pre-ordered now for $534.99 with a $53.50 non-refundable down payment. TweeterHeadTweeterHeadTweeterHeadTweeterHeadTweeterHead
The Mer-Man Maquette measures 17.4” tall and 14.25” wide as the master of Eternia’s oceans rises from a murky Snake Mountain themed base. This MOTU collectible maquette is fully sculpted and vibrantly painted in a way that celebrates his original two-dimensional appearance with an in-depth three-dimensional update. Mer-Man’s yellow and orange armor features shell and coral-like shapes and textures, giving him a formidable spined silhouette.
As he appeared in the Filmation series, Mer-Man always reminded me of a Muppet. His eyes were typically wide open, and his mouth ajar. So what do you think of the watery warlord? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
I can forgive King Randor, Teela, and other Eternians for not noticing that Prince Adam looked exactly like He-Man. The Power of Grayskull, after all, gave Adam a George Hamilton tan and exposed nipples. But, of course, no one would ever expect the guy who wears pink and purple every day to be the Most Powerful Man In The Universe.
Prince Adam did know how to rock a pink vest and purple boots; I cannot lie. That’s why I am glad Iron Studios is producing a statue of the man who can call on fabulous secret powers.
Adam’s statue stands at 15″ tall, 7.4″ wide, and 4.3″ deep. However, you won’t have to fork out a princely sum to own the future ruler of Eternia. He’ll only set you back $159.99. Prince Adam will be arriving on Earth around the fourth quarter of 2022. He can be pre-ordered here now. Iron StudiosIron StudiosIron Studios
If there were something I could change about this statue would be the color of the terrain Adam is standing on. It should be Castle Grayskull green. That particular shade of green has become a staple in Masters of the Universe merchandise, and it should be presented here as Adam calls upon the Power.
At least Kevin Smith doesn’t have a say in the toys Mattel and other companies have been making over the past couple of years. If he had his way, the collectibles would subvert our expectations by arriving broken, burning, or covered in feces.
I think the bright color choices from the Filmation series made MotU appealing in the long run. Adam’s outlandish outfit makes his alter ego even more macho by comparison. That’s why I usually wear bright pink socks at work only to sport a one-piece spandex suit while I work out in the gym. The ladies love it. So masculine!
Let us know what you think about Adam and his new statue in the comments section below.
[Source: Iron Studios]
Fans of ‘The Suicide Squad’ spin-off television show ‘Peacemaker’ got a bit of good news with the announcement that DC Films, Warner Media, and HBO Max are renewing the John Cena series for a second season.
“Eight episodes just isn’t enough,” DC Nation writes. “If you’ve been watching the debut season of HBO Max’s Peacemaker, you know we’re speaking true. James Gunn’s brilliantly deranged The Suicide Squad spinoff has managed to juggle an alien conspiracy plot, a kung fu revenge tale, an over-the-top family thriller and an occasionally heart-wrenching look at the complexities of family relationships and obligations—and it’s all worked perfectly. The much-anticipated season finale premieres tomorrow (or late tonight, if you want to get technical) and frankly, the thought of that being the end was making us cry—er, break into some face-muscle exercises.”
“I am incredibly honored and humbled by the response to Peacemaker and the experience of playing this character,” Cena said in a statement. “Thank you to James Gunn, Peter Safran, HBO Max, the crew and my castmates who worked tirelessly to make this unforgettable series.”
‘Peacemaker’ has been well-received with a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 95% and an audience score of 88%. IMDb echoes that reception where the show sits at 8.5 out of 10 on their rating scale.
“We’re sure all sorts of speculation about what season two will focus on will start as soon as everyone’s seen this week’s finale, but one thing we know right now is that Gunn will be back, writing and directing all episodes of season two,” DC Nation continues.
James Gunn wrote all eight of the first season’s episodes and directed five. Episode four was directed by Jody Hill (‘The Foot Fist Way’), Rosemary Rodriguez (‘Silver Skies’) directed episode 5, and Brad Anderson (‘Session 9′) directed episode seven.
Peacemaker was created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette. He made his comic book debut in the Charlton Comics’ spy-team title ‘Fightin’ 5′ in 1966. He would make his first DC Comics appearance in 1988 with a self-titled miniseries.
Robert Downey Jr. may have hung up the arc reactor for the time being, but he is reuniting with ‘Iron Man 3’ director Shane Black for a new take on novelist Donald E. Westlake’s professional thief known as Parker. This will be Black and Downey’s third collaboration.
Downey and his wife Susan Downey will be producing the new project with Joel Silver, according to a Total Film report. Black will be writing the script with screenwriters Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry, which will be heading to Amazon Studios.
Black and Downey previously worked together on the 2005 action-comedy ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,’ eight years prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe collaboration. Silver has also worked with Black on films such as ‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘The Nice Guys.’
After Tony Stark’s Iron Man persona sacrificed his life to save the universe in 2020’s ‘Avengers Endgame,” Downey has only appeared in 2020’s ‘Dr. Doolittle,’ though he is set to appear in the upcoming Jamie Fox film ‘All-Star Weekend.’
Westlake has written over twenty-four Parker books (the character has made cameos in a handful of others) from 1962 to 2008 under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The last novel was published before the author’s death in 2008.
“You’ve heard of the hero and the anti-hero…how about the non-hero,” the official Westlake website explains. “That’s how Parker, the main character in a series of novels by Richard Stark (AKA Donald E. Westlake) has been described. Parker is a thief, but he’s no charming cat burglar who playfully eludes the silly authorities. He’s a ruthless thug who does whatever it takes to get what he wants (usually money), and he doesn’t care about a living soul other than himself. Some of the things he does will be repellent (I hope) to readers.”
Parker novels have been adapted for several films with actors such as Mel Gibson, Robert Duvall, Jim Brown, and Peter Coyote portraying variations of the non-hero. These include ‘Made in USA’ (1966), ‘Point Blank’ (1967), ‘The Split’ (1968), ‘Midnight Raid’ (1969), ‘The Outfit’ (1973), ‘Slayground’ (1983), ‘Payback’ (1999), and ‘Parker’ (2013). While most of the films changed the name of the main character, the latter starred Jason Statham as the titular professional thief and is based on the nineteenth book in the series.
He’s only limited to 100 pieces. So, if you want a chance to own this replica of the Heisei series Godzilla suit, then you’d better act quickly. Cool Props started taking orders this weekend, and many people have expressed interest. We’ve got more on that below.
While not a replica of the whole suit, this bust was cast directly off of the suit worn during the filming of the Heisei Godzilla series. The statue weighs 25kg and will measure 60 cm tall, 113 cm deep, and 51 cm wide. He’s a big boy. Made from polystone, Heisei Godzilla will set you back $3,540, not including shipping. Expect the King of the Monsters to take up a lot of shelf space when he’s released in February 2023. Cool PropsCool PropsCool Props
The mold was developed by TOHO Eizo Bijutsu and CoolProps with the aim of completely recreating the suit using recasts and 3D scans from the suit actually used in the filming of the Heisei Godzilla series.
If you attempt to order the bust and find the website to be unresponsive, it’s not you. In a statement from Cool Props, they pointed out that the Heisei Godzilla bust was way more popular than they expected:
(We) had more website access than we expected, causing the server of our online store to go down shortly after pre-ordering began. There is a possibility that the server will be unstable again even if We reopen the pre-order again today, so we have decided to sell this product by lottery at a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to those who have been waiting for today’s pre-order. We will provide an overview of the lottery sales in few days. Thank you very much for your understanding.
What do you think about owning a replica of a classic Godzilla? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Cool Props]
Years ago, Hot Toys produced a 1/6th scale DeLorean Time Machine to go along with the Doc Brown and Marty McFly figures. Unfortunately, while it allowed you to switch between the nuclear model and the Mr. Fusion version, it missed a few key components to get that Back to the Future II feel.
Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles announced a new model of the DeLorean is on the way; this one comes with a hover conversion! Due out sometime between May and July 2023, the Time Machine will feature a base and light-up hover wheels to capture the iconic look of the flying DeLorean. But, hey, and it’s priced lower than I expected! This thing is going for $825. Hot ToysHot ToysHot ToysHot ToysHot ToysHot Toys Hot Toys
Crafted with impressive workmanship, the movie-accurate DeLorean Time Machine collectible vehicle measures 72cm long, displays an impressive amount of details including multiple LED light-up points on the exterior design and interior controls, signature gull-wing doors, foldable wheels for flight hover mode, real-like cable wires across the exterior structure, detail recreation of the time machine engine deck and cabin controls, and a specially designed base for the hovering DeLorean Time Machine.
The Time Machine will have the following features right out of the box:
Authentically and detailed likeness of DeLorean Time Machine in Back to the Future II
Approximately 72cm L x 35cm W x 25cm H
Exterior styling features:
LED light-up function designs on headlights & rear signal lights, wheel rims, undercarriage, and reactor cooling vents
Functional gull-wing doors
Rotatable wheels can be folded and transform into a hovering Delorean Time Machine
Real-like cable wires across the body and detailed structure of the engine cover, including Mr. Fusion energy reactor, nuclear reactor, and reactor cooling vents at the rear car body
Interior design features:
Cabin controls with LED light up function including dashboard, Time Circuits Display, overhead panels, flux capacitor, and system display
Two (2) seaters
Sized to fit with Marty McFly and Doc Brown 1/6th scale Collectible Figures
I’m currently building the Eagelmoss DeLorean and wish it had half the features this one does … at a lower cost. Sigh. Oh, well. Live and learn.
What do you think of the updated Time Machine? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Sideshow Collectibles]
If I were Marty when he found out that Doc Brown died at the hands of Mad Dog Tannen in the Old West, I would have just noped out of the whole situation and gone back to my own time. Sorry, Doc. People died of weird stuff in the 1800s, and if I’m not insulting people on Twitter daily, I couldn’t survive.
Anyway, Iron Studios has released information on its next installments in the Back to the Future Art Scale 1/10 statues. The series has now moved onto the third installment in the franchise. The 1885 DeLorean on railroad tracks, “Clint Eastwood” Mary McFly, and Old West Doc Brown are here and pricy.
Doc and Marty are only $149.99 each, but the DeLorean comes in at $1,999.99. Phew. That’s about the price of the Eaglemoss Delorean but more than twice the cost of the upcoming Hot Toys Time Machine.
These three don’t look like they come together in the same way to make a diorama similar to how the previous BTTF II statues did. The description of the DeLorean doesn’t mention if this version of the Time Machine has working lights. At least this thing looks very detailed, and there’s a Hover Board in the passenger seat!
Marty measures 9″ tall, 5.9″ wide, and 5.1″ deep. Doc is 12.6″ tall, 6.7″ wide, and 5.1″ deep. Meanwhile, the DeLorean is 9″ high, 22.4″ wide, and 11.4″ deep. All the statues are made from polystone and are hand-painted. Expect these to start shipping out in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Iron StudiosIron StudiosIron StudiosIron StudiosIron StudiosIron StudiosIron StudiosIron StudiosIron Studios
What do you think of the third and final version of the DeLorean? If there are no light-up features, is it worth $2k? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
[Source: Iron Studios]
[Source: Iron Studios]
[Source: Iron Studios]
Are you ready to lay down a few thousand dollars to have your own personal Tom Hiddleston Loki statue to care for? You can talk to it. Cuddle it. Tell it your deepest secrets. Then, eventually, realize that you’ve purchased an inanimate object rather than going on a date. Sorrow, sadness, rinse, repeat.
This bust is available for US customers. A deposit of $1,320 is required upfront, with the remaining $2390 and shipping costs due later. As of writing this, there are only 29 Loki busts left. The estimated delivery date for Loki is the third quarter of 2023. So, you’ve got some time to save up that remaining balance.
The Loki bust measures 97 cm tall, 62.4 cm wide, and 49.6 cm deep. The height is to the top of the horns on his helmet. The eyes are made of glass, while the body and armor pieces are created from a resin mixture known as polystone.
Like the previous Spider-Man bust we reported on, the skin is made out of a lifelike silicone. The hair is artificial, and Queen Studios does not clarify if each strand is hand-punched or some other method is used. The God of Mischief’s cape is made of fabric. Queen StudiosQueen StudiosQueen StudiosQueen StudiosQueen StudiosQueen Studios
No Loki collectible would be complete without his iconic outfit. Queen Studios’ artists have finely tailored his clothing with remarkable attention to detail. His royal green cape hangs majestically from his well worn golden armour, as the bust sits on a golden Asgardian inspired base. To add the finishing touches, Loki’s golden horned helmet fits perfectly on his head making this life-size bust a must have for Marvel and Loki fans alike.
What do you think of these expensive busts? Worth the cost? How many people do you know who would buy one and keep it in their bed at night? Let us know all the gross details in the comments section below.
[Source: Queen Studios]
On February 11th, Gkids announced on their social media pages 6 of their animated titles now available to watch on the Tubi TV streaming platform. The six French animated movies are Ernest & Celestine, A Cat in Paris, The Painting, Eleanor’s Secret, A Town Called Panic!, and Nocturna.
Ernest & Celestine (2012)
Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding subterranean tunnels, lives a civilization of hardworking mice, terrified of the bears who live above ground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer – and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for ursine troubadour Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond. But it isn’t long before their friendship is put on trial by their respective bear-fearing and mice-eating communities.
Based on the classic Belgian book series by Gabrielle Vincent, Ernest & Celestine won France’s César Award for Best Animated Feature, and has been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 86th Academy Awards®.
A Cat in Paris (2010)
Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force. But at night Dino sneaks out the window to work with Nico – a slinky cat burglar (Steve Blum, who voiced Spike in Cowboy Bebop) with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades captors and slips and swishes from rooftop to rooftop across the Paris skyline. Rife with film references (from Reservoir Dogs to Goodfellas to The Night of the Hunter), A Cat in Paris is a warm and richly humorous love letter to classic noir and American gangster films, with a jazz soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday.
The Painting (2011)
In this wryly inventive parable, a kingdom within a painting is divided into three castes: the impeccably colored Alldunns, the incomplete Halfies, and the barely outlined Sketchies who are treated as outcasts. Chastised for her forbidden love of the dashing Ramo, Claire runs away into the cursed forest. Ramo and his friends journey after her, crossing over the boundaries of the forest only to arrive at the very edge of the painting – where they tumble through the canvas and into the Painter’s studio. The abandoned workspace is strewn with paintings, each containing its own vividly animated world and characters – and in a feast for both the eyes and the imagination, Ramo, Lola, Quill and Magenta explore picture after picture, in a quest to discover just what the Painter has in mind for his creations.
Eleanor’s Secret (2009)
Nat has fond memories of his eccentric Aunt Eleanor reading to him from her enormous collection of storybooks but is frustrated by his inability to read the books himself. So he is less than thrilled when he learns that his aunt has left him the keys to her attic library as a gift. However, just as Nat’s parents are selling the collection to a shady antiques dealer, Nat discovers that the library is magical – the books are all original first editions of history’s most popular fairy tales, and the famous characters come to life! Now with the help of Alice in Wonderland, the Ogre, Peter Pan and others, he must find a way to get back the books and learn to read an ancient spell to keep the characters alive for future generations of children.
A Town Called Panic! (2016)
With disarming wit and hilarious visuals, A Town Called Panic: Double Fun revels in the simple setup of three plasticine toys sent on increasingly surreal and freewheeling adventures. Cowboy and Indian are always up to some harebrained scheme, with Horse left to clean up the mess. In Christmas Panic, their out-of-control antics lead Horse to call Santa and cancel the presents. But the boys figure they can still save Christmas… if they break into their neighbor’s house to steal his yule log! In Back to School Panic, a class assignment yields a special prize, but only Pig knows the answer. Cowboy and Indian use a special shrinking potion to sneak into Pig’s brain, where they discover a sodium-packed world of pig cops riding in bacon cars and sausage cycles.
Nocturna (2007)
Have you ever wondered why your hair looks funny in the morning or where the sounds outside your window come from at night? A young boy named Tim finds out after an unusual discovery on the rooftop of his orphanage plunges him into the secret world of Nocturna, inhabited by curious creatures who control the night.
There are hairdressers who specialize in bed-heads, dream writers, and a vast herd of guardian cats led by the gigantic Cat Shepherd. Yet this world is in danger: the stars in the sky are disappearing, kids are becoming restless at night, and a mysterious shadow creature is haunting the empty streets, extinguishing anything that gives off light. If Tim and the Cat Shepherd can’t set things right, nighttime will never be the same!
Other notable recent additions to Tubi TV is the English dubbed series of Hunter X Hunter, Death Note, and Sailor Moon Crystal (not including the Sailor Moon Crystal 2-part movies that aired on Netflix). These series are also available separately in subtitled format on Tubi TV.
Are you interested in any of these movies or animes series? Let us know!
‘Orient’ is an adventure manga written and illustrated by author Shinobu Ohtaka. It is published by Kodansha with their United States subsidiary handling publication in North America. The Japanese animation studio A.C.G.T picked up the series for an anime adaption in 2022 with Crunchyroll announcing they had acquired the license to release an English version of the series with key voice talent revealed.
A.J. Beckles (Sing a Bit of Harmony) will portray the happy-go-lucky protagonist Musashi. Stephen Fu (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) voices the kind and caring Kojiro Kanemaki. Emi Lo (Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World) will portray the cheerful Tsugumi Hattori.
Chris Cason will serve as voiceover director for the English dub cast.
You can watch the trailer below:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Freed from the rule of samurai 150 years ago, the people of Hinomoto live peaceful lives and revere their liberators—demons whose true forms remain elusive—as gods. Fated to mine rocks for the demons to feast on, Musashi knows the grim truth: humanity is enslaved by these otherworldly beings and the samurai are the last bastion fighting for freedom. Hiding his true opinion from his peers and growing distant from his childhood friend Kojirou Kanemaki, Musashi lives in angst until the day of his graduation.
When the fresh graduates arrive at the mine, they are horrified to see the inhumane treatment of miners and the uncanny physical appearance of their overseers. However, Musashi manages to endure thanks to Kojirou’s help. As the demon leader wreaks havoc on the quarry, Musashi is saved once more from certain death by the Takeda samurai clan. Recovering from humiliation and yearning for adventure, Musashi embarks on a journey to become a samurai and form his own clan!”
The first season of ‘Orient’ will run for twelve episodes with the dub premiering on February 23.
