[brydeemer]

Talkback

Bry

[Mr.Square]

That new DreamWorks movie is Monsters vs. Aliens. Looks funny…

[mrcola]

I just have to say I really enjoyed this episode , and loved the Pallisade Muppet talk , I went on a spree a few years back and own the backstage area and a few other characters but mostly Fozzie just because hes awesome , I would love to know or see what you had or have

[OZNO]

Yahoo! I've been missing good toy talk. Can't wait to get home to listen to the episode!

[G-Dog]

Ok guys, seriously. I love the toys podcast, but you really need to brush up on your video game knowledge.

Lets start with some basic fundamentals here.

1. 90% OF LICENSED VIDEO GAMES ARE TERRIBLE!!
Games based on TV shows, cartoons, and movies are really bad. Why invest the time and money into making a good game when fans will buy it regardless of quality? This includes Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal. Proof I worked at a Gamestop, and I already know what you're going to say, "But my kids love X Cartoon/show/movie!". Would you rather spend $40 on a crappy game they are going to play once, or $40 on something good that they will love?

You could have spent that money on Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. Video Review

2. THE NINTENDO WII CAN PLAY GAMECUBE GAMES!!
There is an entire library of excellent gamecube games. Just buy a Wii Classic Controller, and you're all set. Here is a great top ten list. Personaly, Beyond Good and Evil for the Cube is one of the best games of all time.

3. CHECK OUT THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAMES, IGNORE THE WIIWARE GAMES.
Ten great Virtual Console games.

[hayestronaut]

As to the question - "Are you going to save your kids toys as they grow out of them?" I say don't bother. I've told this story before on the forums, but it's good therapy for me to re-tell it. I recently had an experience where I was going to proudly present my 3 1/2 yr old son with my army of 3 3/4 GI Joe men and vehicles.

After scavenging around my parents attic for an eternity, I found them. Tucked away in a corner. My figures were all stored in their appropriate vehicles. The vehicles, in turn, were all sealed in boxes that were wrapped in plastic. My APC, Hovercraft and Rattler were all in "played with" but "cared for" condition. All the figures were all sitting in place with their weapons stored neatly in a ziploc bag.

I assembled the army in front of my eager son and announced "There you go." If nothing else I felt my GI Joes would contribute to the evolution of my son's imagination through autonomous play. However, all I could do was stand there in horror as my son started tearing my beloved Joes, limb from limb, thanks to their degraded internal rubber band. I felt like throwing my body on top of the figures to prevent this blood bath. Poor Scrap Iron and Blowtorch didn't stand a chance. Thinking about rehabing my Joes.

The point is: Get new toys. Or just stick with the less-articulated original Star Wars toys. Those have held up fine for my son and me.

[Shane Kelly]

Ok guys, seriously. I love the toys podcast, but you really need to brush up on your video game knowledge.

Lets start with some basic fundamentals here.

1. 90% OF LICENSED VIDEO GAMES ARE TERRIBLE!!
Games based on TV shows, cartoons, and movies are really bad. Why invest the time and money into making a good game when fans will buy it regardless of quality? This includes Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal. Proof I worked at a Gamestop, and I already know what you're going to say, "But my kids love X Cartoon/show/movie!". Would you rather spend $40 on a crappy game they are going to play once, or $40 on something good that they will love?

You could have spent that money on Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. Video Review

2. THE NINTENDO WII CAN PLAY GAMECUBE GAMES!!
There is an entire library of excellent gamecube games. Just buy a Wii Classic Controller, and you're all set. Here is a great top ten list. Personaly, Beyond Good and Evil for the Cube is one of the best games of all time.

3. CHECK OUT THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAMES, IGNORE THE WIIWARE GAMES.
Ten great Virtual Console games.

Well, I should have mentioned the Acme Arsenal game was a Christmas present from my boys babysitter. It looks neat but still don't like the actual game play. I need to try again soon.

I like that it plays Game Cube games, I never had a GC so I need to get some I always wanted to try at some point in the future.

Thanks for the input though. I do appreciate it, this is the first Video Game system in our house in 10 years. LOL.

[Shane Kelly]

I just have to say I really enjoyed this episode , and loved the Pallisade Muppet talk , I went on a spree a few years back and own the backstage area and a few other characters but mostly Fozzie just because hes awesome , I would love to know or see what you had or have

I still have all my Palisades Muppet goodness. I have mentioned it before elsewhere, this Muppet line is the only line I have a 99.9% complete collection still in package and a huge amount of duplicates open on display in my comic room.

I know Muppets are on the long list to feature on a show in the future. That will be a long and fun show for me for certain. LOL.

[G-Dog]

Well, I should have mentioned the Acme Arsenal game was a Christmas present from my boys babysitter. It looks neat but still don't like the actual game play. I need to try again soon.

I like that it plays Game Cube games, I never had a GC so I need to get some I always wanted to try at some point in the future.

Thanks for the input though. I do appreciate it, this is the first Video Game system in our house in 10 years. LOL.

Oh, I understand the bad gift video game. It's like getting the X-Men Onslaught Trade from your mother. Being as hard core a gamer as humanly possible, it's hard for me to not get angry when talking to "gAm!ning n00bz!!1" But then I tell myself "I don't want to sound like Comic Book Guy". Being too full of yourself chases people away form your hobby, gaming or comics.

The best thing you can do is read reviews of a game before you buy it. I can't expect you to do what I do and subscribe to 5 video game podcasts and read 4 video games websites daily. However, just doing a tiny bit of research will help. Just google "Top 20 Wii games" and you won't get ripped off.

Think of it in comic form. If I were a comic fan coming back after ten years and Final Crisis #5 was the first book I picked up? Come on...

On an unrelated note, I feel your pain. My Toys r Us in Grand Rapids MI (the 28th street store) is a VERY good store with great employees, but the action figure isles are bare as hell. I also want to pick up the Hal Jordon & Abin Sur two pack and build an origin diorama, but I can't justify the price.

If you ever, EVER have a question about video game for any system feel free to ask. I love talking about games as much as I do comics. I get hook you up with stuff most people haven't heard of.

Side question, is there a collectors community for late 80's early 90's Micro Machines cars?

[bigraj]

Thanks for the shoutout, fellas. My brother and I got a good laugh. Very funny. Man, I wish I had a direct connection with Mattel.

[Jax-Ur]

Nice episode guys. Have you ever thought of interviewing the authors of the books on the Mego, DC, & Star Wars action figures? I would like to hear your comments on the Playmates line of Simpsons figures sometime as well. I think I have most of those. Why no Maude Flanders??!!

[abuddah]

Great to hear the return of the Toy Podcast!

I think we can all empathize in the frustration of the toy hunt. One of my major complaints was with the early chase figures in the Marvel Legends line. They were non existent on the shelves, I only saw them with scalpers. That line's Wal-Mart exclusive wave (AOA Sabertooth, AOA Wolverine, Havok, The Sentry) were very very difficult to obtain and I still don't have them all. With this DCUC wave 5, I ended up asking a Wal-Mart employee while they were setting up several palates of Christmas toys about their availability. He did a scan at the maximum 250 miles and found 1 Wal-Mart in the area that had their SKU's in the system. I went to customer service with the SKU's and they called the Wal-Mart in question and they told me they had The Riddler and Eradicator. I returned a few weeks later to find the Atom and the rest but that was it. Basically one shipment to one Wal-Mart for the entire upstate New York. That's not good numbers. The Wal-Mart exclusive Marvel Ares wave also came and went extremely quickly. I'll be at the Mattel panel this Saturday as well and I'm sure there will be a lively discussion on distribution. They improved the distribution on the JLU line, I think they can turn the corner on DCUC.

This post has been edited by Earth-2 Andy: 02 February 2009 - 04:10 PM

[Wood]

Shane,

It was great hearing you talk about Xmas as your boys are about a year ahead of my boys [3.5 and 5.5 + the newborn]. We got Jackson [3.5] all the Imaginenext Batman stuff for Xmas, he loves it. Both my boys love Imaginenext, we also got them the new boat set that came out. Colin [5.5] really loves the Hot Wheels Mega Rig stuff and we got him the new space sets from that line.

I totally understand your love of seeing your boys run around playing, particularly with things that were near and dear to you. The boys have hundreds of super hero action figures and it warms my heart to hear them rattle off Aztec vs. Parasite and to know their powers! I have been DYING to get them to start liking the G.I. Joe figures. I used to have every 3 3/4 figure and vehicle they made and the fact they've basically relaunched them exactly the same makes me hope upon hope they start asking for them so I can live vicariously!

Pants + Shane,

I was also vibing with you guys about the way the stores flipped their merchandise. We rolled to Target and Wal-Mart a week after Xmas and I was shocked at how many new toys were on the shelves. Seems to me you would want a toy company to put out their new stuff BEFORE Xmas, no? Yet we went this month and there were tons of new stuff, particularly the Batman Brave & The Bold figures. I bought the boys pretty much every one of the first wave, and they are terrific. They're a bit sturdier than a lot of the superhero figures of late.

[nacho]

As to the question - "Are you going to save your kids toys as they grow out of them?" I say don't bother. I've told this story before on the forums, but it's good therapy for me to re-tell it. I recently had an experience where I was going to proudly present my 3 1/2 yr old son with my army of 3 3/4 GI Joe men and vehicles.

After scavenging around my parents attic for an eternity, I found them. Tucked away in a corner. My figures were all stored in their appropriate vehicles. The vehicles, in turn, were all sealed in boxes that were wrapped in plastic. My APC, Hovercraft and Rattler were all in "played with" but "cared for" condition. All the figures were all sitting in place with their weapons stored neatly in a ziploc bag.

I assembled the army in front of my eager son and announced "There you go." If nothing else I felt my GI Joes would contribute to the evolution of my son's imagination through autonomous play. However, all I could do was stand there in horror as my son started tearing my beloved Joes, limb from limb, thanks to their degraded internal rubber band. I felt like throwing my body on top of the figures to prevent this blood bath. Poor Scrap Iron and Blowtorch didn't stand a chance. Thinking about rehabing my Joes.

The point is: Get new toys. Or just stick with the less-articulated original Star Wars toys. Those have held up fine for my son and me.

You can get some plumbing o-rings at Lowes or Home Depot for pennies each. I prefer the #8 size myself, thicker and stronger than the originals. It takes less than 30 seconds to swap one. For pete's sake man, dont give up on Joes in favor of original Star Wars toys. Those things are only slightly more articulated than a Weeble.

Just out of curiosity, how old was your son when this happened? I literally have hundreds of classic Joes and will face a similar situation when my son is older. I don't want to wait so long that he won't have adequate time to enjoy them, but I want him to be old enough to appreciate them too and not carelessly destroy them.

This post has been edited by nacho: 03 February 2009 - 05:30 AM

[hayestronaut]

You can get some plumbing o-rings at Lowes or Home Depot for pennies each. I prefer the #8 size myself, thicker and stronger than the originals. It takes less than 30 seconds to swap one. For pete's sake man, dont give up on Joes in favor of original Star Wars toys. Those things are only slightly more articulated than a Weeble.

Just out of curiosity, how old was your son when this happened? I literally have hundreds of classic Joes and will face a similar situation when my son is older. I don't want to wait so long that he won't have adequate time to enjoy them, but I want him to be old enough to appreciate them too and not carelessly destroy them.

My son was 3 1/2 yrs old at the time of "The Incident." He wasn't being particularly rough with the Joes. Certainly not any rougher than I was when I was a kid. Alas, time is the true villian in this tragic tale of dismemberment. I say, "Get your kid playing with your beloved toys as soon as you're confident they won't choke on any of the pieces." I would suggest putting your Joes through a "test run" that mimicks the perils of child's play. My son has never seen a GI Joe cartoon but loves the toys. Now, the biggest pain in my neck is the "main" line of current Star Wars figures. It sure was a sign of things to come, when Master Plo Koon's hands vanished within seconds of opening the package. I'm assembling a mighty Republic of handless warriors.

I'm going to Home Depot today and will perform the neccesary surgery on my Joes. Results to follow. Thanks for the tip.

[AdrienVeidt]

Alas, time is the true villian in this tragic tale of dismemberment.

Negatory. The true villain was the heat of being stored in your attic and in non-breathable containers. You essentially but them in an oven for 20 years, man.

And yes, there are plenty of sources for freplacement o-rings. I think SmallJoes sells them in sets of 100 for like $5, but it's been several years (like, last century) since I had a need to get any spares.

To the episode itself, I would have preferred a longer discussion after such a long absence, but it's good y'all will get back on schedule. Actually, a wrap-up episode right after Toy Fair this weekend wouldn't be a bad thing to do, I'd think. I wanna talk about the Marvel Universe line!

[hayestronaut]

Negatory. The true villain was the heat of being stored in your attic and in non-breathable containers. You essentially but them in an oven for 20 years, man.

Me? Responsible? Never!

[vertigo]

Hey Shane, regarding the Wii. You really need to pickup Super Mario Galaxy. That game is absolutely amazing and it is a great game to get used to the nunchuk. Highly recommended.