Monday, June 29, 2015

You Son of a Bitch! Carl Weathers Talks Possibility of a Dillon Predator Figure

Yesterday (#BePeaceSunday), we had a lengthy Twitter discussion with Carl Weathers, Randy Falk of NECA Toys, and fans of NECA and Predator.

It all started with a simple tweet to Carl Weathers:



To follow that up, I asked him to clarify. I asked him if he would allow NECA to make a Dillon figure. This led to many back and forth tweets on the subject.


Randy Falk, from NECA Toys, entered the conversation and called Mr. Weathers out and said he is ready any time to get this done. He knows that his fans want this very bad.


This led to the bottom line: It is my opinion that Carl Weathers wants to get PAID!!! And not just paid, but paid big time!


Fair? What's fair? Why is it that big time stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Sigourney Weaver can get deals done with NECA but Carl Weathers can't? Let's be blunt here. Carl Weather is not known as the leading man in any of his movies....except ACTION JACKSON which is basically a cult classic. 

In my opinion, this is easy money that takes no effort on the part of Carl Weathers. All he has to do is agree and and collect money from a movie he was in (not even the star, btw) thirty years ago! I am assuming he is looking for an insanely large amount of money. This seems silly. Like I said earlier, others stars have been able to get deals done with NECA, and it is obvious Randy and NECA want to see this done just as much as the fans do. So instead of accepting the offer and making easy money he will instead get NOTHING and disappoint many fans in the process!



One thing to realize is that Carl Weathers has a history of doing this kind of thing. Next time you watch Rocky Balboa look and see if you notice anything missing from the movie. There is a brief montage clip played in the movie. Flashbacks of Ivan Drago and Clubber Lang...but NO APOLLO CREED!!! Why? I'll let Sylvester Stallone answer that question.

Here is what Stallone had to say about this back in 2006 when speaking to slashfilm.com:


So will we ever see a Dillon Predator figure in the future? Obviously, this is something that Randy Falk and the NECA team and all of the fans want to see extremely bad. Carl Weathers sees that the fans want to see this done. I say don't turn down reasonable offers and let's get this done. Something tells me that if Mr. Weathers really wanted to do this that it would have already happened by now...but at least we can always hope.

And remember, a little pressure from fans on social media can't hurt.

#BePeace


Thursday, June 25, 2015

Turdsday's Back, Back Again...Playmates 2015 SDCC Exclusive Edition



Turdsday was a regular installment we started a few months back. The idea was to come up with a new one every Thursday. We tried it out for a bit, and some people seemed to like it. With that said, we decided it wasn't really worth the time and effort. We decided to save it for special occasions for when a toy company really shits the bed. Well, today is that day!

Today's special TURD of the Day is the one and only Playmates Toys. I am one hugely disappointed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. Last night at midnight they finally announced what their SDCC exclusive item would be. They hyped it up for days and days and were planning to announce it on Sunday night at midnight. Product aside, that was a stupid PR move that made no sense. It only seemed to piss people off. Some genius at their corporate office was like "Hey guys! I have the greatest idea ever. Let's tease this shit for two weeks straight, make everyone wait, and then announce it on a SUNDAY night at MIDNIGHT when everyone is sleeping!" Yeah, awesome idea guys! You guys are so smart! Meanwhile, every other toy company in the world was pumping out press releasees left and right in regards to their exclusives.



At least, Playmates changed their minds and moved the reveal date from Sunday up to Wednesday (still at midnight), but only after many TMNT fans complained to them...and the fact that the item leaked online (or at least rumors) and everyone pretty much already knew what it was!

So on to the super disappointing Playmates SDCC exclusive. For a few days leading up to yesterday fans online were already speculating what the exclusive would be....a Metal Mutants Leonardo. I was NOT thrilled with that choice and was really hoping that the rumors were not true. I wasn't even a fan of the original, but if that is really what they chose then I figured it would be a retro homage similar to the figure below.


That crap is bad enough, but I could live with a retro homage of sorts. Well, last night comes and the big reveal happens (at midnight which again is stupid bad PR move). Sadly, the rumors were not false. We are getting a 11" Metal Mutants Leo...based off the NEW figures. Uhhhhh!!!! I am an enormously huge TMNT fan, but this looks like crap. To add insult, to injury word is they will be releasing a similar item to retail in the future. I have gotten the last three Playmates TMNT SDCC exclusives, but I am not wasting money on this one. It will be the first one I don't get, and frankly, Playmates doesn't deserve my money. They take a retro idea and then instead of doing a homage they ruin it with this...


Playmates has shown to us over and over again that they do not care about their fans or the collectors market in general. Fans of the original TMNT line have been getting the shaft from Playmates big time over the last year or so. When Playmates decided to come out with the retro and classic lines I know that many TMNT fans such as myself were very excited. Personally, I picked every single one of the original retro reissues. I also got all of the bigger, articulated classic line figures...all four cartoon Turtles, all four movie turtles, and Bebop and Rocksteady. Playmates was really on to something. They really got their fans excited when they announced that they would be coming out with a classic version of both Krang and Shredder!!! Talk about kick ass! However, right when they got us all hyped up about it they turned around and pulled the plug on the project. What the hell, right? Us retro fans get the shaft once again.

Playmates is only hurting themselves with these moves. Most of us have zero interest for their crappy, new figures with horrid paint apps. It's like they don't even care. It's like they just lazily slap together a piece of crap and rush it to the shelves. This is not acceptable. 

Playmates, you ignore your hardcore adult collector fan base at your own peril. We will just go elsewhere to get the products that we want. A great example is the new third-party First Gokin NT-01 Cerebral figure. Yes, it's pricier, but it is exactly EVERYTHING we have always wanted in an Android Krang figure. If Playmates decided to stick to their plans and make a Krang I bet a good number of people would have bought their version because of the price difference. However, by scrapping Krang they forced their fans to go buy from another company.

It ended up being a blessing in disguise because the First Gokin figure is kick ass! I'll gladly stick with them...even with the hefty price tag.


Also, word is First Gokin will be releasing a Krang Walker version and a Shredder. You better believe that I will be getting them.

 

So bottom line: Playmates, step your game up because your shit's weak!




Regards,
A disappointed TMNT fan





Wednesday, June 24, 2015

How Randy Falk and NECA Toys Keep Collecting Fresh and Fun

NECA Toys and Randy Falk


NECA Toys is the best toy company in the market today.  Is this our opinion? Yes, but it's also an opinion that is growing strong with a lot of other collectors.  I have been collecting for the majority of my life and until just a few years ago I was only collecting vintage items.  The newer collectibles being made just didn't match up to all of the great things I had as a kid.  I have worked hard to build and complete so many vintage collections over the past 10 years, but I wasn't giving the new stuff a chance.  I made a trip to TRU one day and came across a few NECA predators that I had never seen before.  I generally wasn't picking up these items because the crappy company McFarlane was ruining all of them with these toilet squatting poses that I just didn't want (that's besides the fact that Todd McFarlane is kind of a dick, but that's a story for another day). So, on that day I picked up my first ever Predator figure from NECA which happened to be the V1 Elder. 

Why did it take so long for me to realize there were better items being made?  Maybe I was so focused on hoarding as much GI JOE items as I could that didn't focus on much else.  At this point, I didn't really know anyone else that was into collecting like I am, and I wasn't getting many other opinions.  Shortly after, I started buying every single Predator being made by NECA, and then it was the Aliens, Terminator, etc. NECA's products literally brought me out of the vintage age and suddenly gave me something new to look forward to.  At the same time, one of my closest friends, Jon, (who co-runs our site and Twitter page) had a strong, growing interest in collectibles.  He pulled all of his old toys out of his attic and I helped organize all of these wonderful hidden treasures he had stored away. 

Fast forward a year, Jon and I build our website and start using Twitter every day to talk toys with all of these amazing people.  At the same time we were literally buying everything NECA was putting out because we loved it so much (I have 5 ED-209's).  So the perfect storm happens where we are in love with a company's products and also have the opportunity to talk to the product developer of NECA, Randy Falk, through Twitter.  We were able to ask this incredibly polite stranger about the products they were developing and what his opinions were on vintage toys as well.  I know...so many of you reading this have the same chance to talk to him… but isn't that a great thing?  Think about your daily work day...and all the stress and time management, etc that goes into it just to make it through the day and actually try to enjoy it as well.  The majority of us use Twitter, and we also know how crazy/active that can be at times. It can hard to try to keep up with all the great conversations going on...it's really tough. Now, think about Randy. He is working 'round the clock, but still makes time to connect with all of us.  Kudos to Randy! You are a true Road Warrior when it comes to this. 

Randy is extremely busy working so many angles as Product Developer for a major toy company.  That being said, here he is responding to our questions, Tweeting out sneak peeks that we all want to see, and even doing great contests and giveaways (which encourages us to play with our toys)!  Now, yes, we love NECA's amazing lines and the great things to come (and when I say great, I mean GREAT), but Randy's added connection to it really builds to the love Jon and I (and many others) have for the company.  He is a very laid back and intelligent person who once was a school teacher but followed his true passion that many of us have...the love of toys and collectibles. 

Since then we have had the chance to hang out with Randy and the NECA Toys crew a few times. That has allowed us to get a real up close and personal look at the business and how decisions are made.  Once you get the chance to see the NECA crew in action you really get to see how all of the amazing things they create get done.  Randy is extremely busy, but he always finds a way to make the time to connect with his fans.  We recently drove up to NY to see a screening of the original Predator at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers. Randy was there with an awesome setup of Predators and was giving away figures that weren't even released yet!  Now, Jon and I went because we were never lucky enough to see Predator on the big screen (we were only young bucks at the time), but it was an added bonus for all of the people there to have a chance to talk to Randy himself.  It was very cool to watch this little kid bring his own NECA Predator figure and take a picture with Randy. He won't admit it, but we all think he is the best in the business, and we are extremely lucky to have him. He takes that extra step and relates to people. He isn't just some corporate stiff giving a bunch of non-answers.

I guess after reading a few paragraphs of this you are wondering what is the point of all of this?  My point is to continue to share the stories we have with the huge community of collectors we are all a part of. We are regular guys with regular jobs who love toys...just like many of you. Our goal is to be real and authentic...that's why we just like to be ourselves. We value the personal interaction with all of you. It's fun to share stories and have conversations with other like-minded people. We like to joke around and have fun at the same time. You won't see us using over the top, fake, obnoxious voices when doing reviews. There is no need for us to put on a front and come up with a fake persona when reviewing toys. What you see is what you get when it comes to us. Thankfully, you guys seem to like us and accept us as we are which is awesome!

Randy has been able to take all that love we have and add to it with all the information and feedback he shares with us fans.  Name another company that gives you the same personal interaction and covers social media the way he does…. good luck.  Now, with Randy opening himself up like this there is a small amount of vocal of haters and complainers about things NECA does.  I guess there will always be a percentage of people that feel this way. Nothing is ever  good enough for them, but that's just the Internet in general. With that said, sit back for a minute and think about everything NECA has done.  Randy is spearheading all of this, and not only that, he is making things bigger and better every single day.  Other toys companies should take notice to what he does. If they don't then NECA is going to keep moving right past them.  Yes, Hasbro, Mattel, and the major toy companies give us rehashed vintage figures that we most likely want...but damn, a lot of them suck! 

Listen, a lot of us collect a lot of different things and will continue to do so.  Yes, NECA will most likely not be able to make a lot of the figures we want for one reason or another...mostly because of licensing issues and profitability among other things.  This is not the fault of Randy or NECA. It's just the name of the game.  People are so quick to forget that they are running a business. If you can't sell anything then you can't bring in the revenue to take risks on new, cool things. Without sales, there is no business...no NECA Toys. So, give them a break and use your brain the next time you complain about not having a Johnny 5 figure! 

Randy has mentioned many ideas to us, and what he has planned for the future. His vision and what he has in store for all of us is amazing!  We are not homers here. We are just genuine NECA fans that realize the quickly growing potential of what NECA is doing in the collectible world.  Bottom line is be thankful we have a bright mind like Randy. He has to make a lot of tough decisions to give us what we want.  Remember, they can only make a certain amount of figures a year and only have so much funds allowed for new tooling each year. That doesn't stop Randy from sticking to his vision and planning out all their awesome lines for years to come.


Thank you NECA Toys and Randy Falk for truly making collecting exciting and giving us that feeling of anticipation of what is coming next.  

If you don't already, follow @neca_toys and check out all of the awesome things that they do every day.  

And as always, feel free to chat with us any time on Twitter: @cobrashadowjoes

Friday, June 19, 2015

Convention Exclusive NECA Toys Endoglow Terminator Figure Review

SKYNET has went back to the time of light up sneakers and florescent knee high socks and sent us the ultimate killer...the ENDOGLOW T-800 Terminator. John Connor, you might want to hop on your dirtbike and drive away while you still can!


Randy Falk and the good folks over at NECA Toys are once again pulling at our nostalgia strings. We have already reviewed the homage figures they have done for the Ambush Predator and the Force of Freedom: RAMBO. The time period is right up our alley so we were very happy to see those figures made...and even more happy when we saw just how great they were in person. With that said, the Endoglow follows in their footsteps and doesn't disappoint. The glow in the dark feature not only looks fantastic, but makes the is figure so fun to work/play with....and to me having FUN is what this is all about. If you're not doing this for fun then you are doing this for the wrong reasons! 

Packaging:

Just like the Force of Freedom: RAMBO figure the packaging is half the fun with this guy. As always, they did an amazing job replicating the old Kenner-style packaging. I love the half Arnold/half Endo head in the background with the Endoglow's head directly between the two glowing red eyes. The front of the packaging showcases the figure in a clear shell with cool T2 graphics on it. The back is made to like it is worn/battle-damaged with bullet holes and such. It also lists the rest of the Terminator figures that NECA has made in the past. The red and black Endoglow write up on the back brings back such great memories of the original Kenner figure from the early 90's. 



Figure/Accessories:

To be completely honest, I was not sure how I would feel about the glow in the dark aspect of the figure in this day in age. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it. This figure is similar to the classic ENDO, but the head, chest, and parts of the extremities are made with the glow in dark material. It also comes with a plasma rifle like the other Endos. When I play with the figure and take the time to pose them for pictures it lets me truly appreciate all of the little things about the figures. The glow in the dark feature truly made this more fun for me. Capturing the glow feature on camera can some times be tricky. I did my best to try and capture it for you. Keep this mind though, when it is glowing in front of you it is way brighter then it appears in the pictures. I think it showed up well in the pictures, but even then the pictures do not even begin to do this figure justice. 

Most NECA fans are very nostalgic...especially when it comes to toys. Whether you had the original Kenner version or not you are probably going to want to pick this one up. Of course, if you don't like fun and have a permanent stick up your ass then maybe you won't. This figure is definitely meant to opened, played with, and enjoyed! I hope all of you have as much fun with it as I have. Please, take a look at the pictures below! Great job NECA crew! This is another sweet figure, and us NECA fans truly appreciate you going out of your way to make this available to more than just the lucky few who are able to attend SDCC! Thanks for always looking out for the fans and taking care of us. It defintely doesn't go unnoticed.

Feel free to chat with us on Twitter: @cobrashadowjoes

Sample provided by NECA TOYS










Wednesday, June 17, 2015

NECA NES Gremlins 2 Mohawk Figure Review

NECA Toys NES Mohawk Gremlin

Sweet Gremlins, they are so nice, fury and cute aren't they?  Not this menacing Gremlin, since I've brought him home he's been nothing but trouble!  During our recent visit with Randy Falk and the NECA toys crew, we were able to see the final product of the NES 8-Bit Mohawk Gremlin.  NECA truly spends equal time on their collectibles and the packaging art for all their items.  I am sorry to say I don't have any pictures of the final box art as Randy was kind enough to provide me with a sample.  The ride home was a mess, as Mohawk would not stop tearing up my car and Jon was trying to keep him at bay.  Well he is home now, and he is under a watchful eye 24/7, let's get into the great details of this figure!

NECA Video Game Series Figures
Packaging:

Since I don't have the actual packaging, I can only give a fair review based off of the final item we were able to see at NECA.  YOU WILL LOVE IT!  Stay tuned as this fits right in will all of the vintage video game figures being produced!


Figure:

I love all of the Gremlins figures NECA has made, but this Mohawk figure is so unique that it's by far my favorite one.  The paint is very detailed and shows a great mix of vintage 8-Bit NES colors.  He has a nice mix of yellow, black, and a few different shades of grey to polish off his awesome look.  The mouth opens well, his head has great movement, and he even stands very well on his own. You will want to constantly play with this figure like you are 6 years old! 






















Accessories:

The gun is one of the coolest things about this figure!  It's made well, and fits in his hands a bunch of different ways to give you a lot of pose ability options.  Now even though he comes with a gun, he also literally has an infinite amount of items to use around your house to just flat out make you laugh.  My wife is a huge Gremlins fan, and when I told her I received this figure, she was not happy that it wasn't for her.  This Gremlin is so cool that it made my wife, who's not crazy about my collection, upset it wasn't going to be hers!


Notice he actually had Rice Krispies Treats in his mouth when I caught him!
Only this guy would go for my stash of liquor
Overall:
I love this figure to death!  He is a lot of fun to just carry around, pose and just play with!  His colors really stand out, and give him a mean look that fits him perfectly. 
Take a look at the rest of the pics and let us know what you think!

Check us out on Twitter 
@cobrashadowjoes

Sample provided by NECA Toys
Special Thanks to Randy Falk