Toy OTD: Hasbro Mighty Mugg Figures: The Indiana Jones Line (2008)

I'm sure I've already cited the Hasbro Mighty Muggs line of figures as another recent example of the artist-driven "Urban Vinyl" movement influencing mainstream toy design. Mighty Muggs have a uniform body shape decorated to look like a variety of characters, much like the Qee and Dunny figures that preceded them. Like these toys, Mugg designs are mass-produced or customizable - collectors can buy blank 'DIY' versions to decorate themselves.

Rather than hire popular underground artists to design the new line, Hasbro instead emphasized licensed properties and popular characters. Some were brands they owned outright (such as G.I. Joe or Transformers). Other lines were properties they were already merchandising, such as Marvel Comics superheroes, Star Wars, and characters from the Indiana Jones movies.

The Indy line of Muggs was doubtless intended to leverage the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, exposing a new generation to the characters from all four movies. There weren't a lot of toy figures made back in the day, so I was excited at the prospect of new Indy swag, and stylized swag to boot! Happily, I wasn't disappointed.

Hasbro picked iconic roles from all four films for three series of figures - Indy, Dr. Henry Jones, Sr; Short Round, the Cairo Swordsman, Sallah, Mola Ram, and so forth. While the designs are sometimes a bit busy for my taste (Sallah's is particularly cluttered), the majority of the toys look sharp. The use of color is strong, and the paint apps were consistently clean and tight. Very little paint checking needed for this line!

Mighty Muggs by their nature are constructed uniformly, so that keeps their build quality consistent too. Loose parts are rare, and the surface finish is always smooth and unmarred. Parts will be varied for specific figures without sacrificing much expense or uniformity - there's a solid form that's occasionally used instead of legs, which you'll see on 'cloaked' figures like the Cairo Swordsman. It's a nice touch that prevents the characters from being compromised by the original template form.

My only quibble is with the 'small body' template, designed for figures like Yoda or Short Round. As you can see, the solution here was to shorten the legs, leaving everything else the same. While this makes sense in terms of economy and tooling, the result makes the arms look a bit too long, and the character comes off looking a little like a gorilla. Personally I would've preferred shrinking the entire body a little bit (except for maybe the head), or shortening all the limbs.

Articulation and pose-ability are extremely limited, but these toys really aren't made for that, so I don't consider it a big flaw.
Balance problems are rarely an issue, though the figures do have a high center of gravity. An accessory can sometimes throw this off, but on the whole it's not a series that begs for display stands.

Accessories are very limited as well, but the choices have been intuitive and appropriate. Indy naturally has his whip, Monkey Man his monkey, and the Cairo Swordsman his sword. My vote for best accessory, though, goes to Mola Ram and his cute little detached heart. Adorable!

The packaging is simple, and also conforms to a template. The box graphics play to the line's strengths, using blow-ups of the character on the top panel and front right corner. There's a nice pattern composed of blank Muggs in the more open areas, and the fonts and logos are used in a stylish way. The Mighty Muggs logo itself is bit intrusive, but keeping it black & white helps prevent it from overpowering the overall look.

The saddest thing about this line is that it was canceled - I'm assuming it was due to poor sales. Unfortunately, none of these figures were hard to get at any point, unlike many of their Star Wars or Marvel contemporaries. Several new figures were announced but never released: Toht, Irina Spalko, a white-tuxedo Indy, young Indy, and Satipo. It's a shame because I loved the line, and was really looking forward to getting Marion and Toht Muggs. Enterprising DIY-ers can make their own, but I'm lazy enough to hope that eventually Hasbro will produce these as limited edition convention exclusives.

As I mentioned, it's still not difficult to find any of this line right now. Originally, these toys went for about $10-$15 each. Now, you can get the Cairo Swordsman for $5.99 + shipping on eBay, ditto Mola Ram, Short Round goes for $5.98 + shipping, Monkey Man is $4.95 + shipping, Sallah costs $8.00 + shipping, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. is $8.49 + shipping at Amazon, the Fertility Idol exclusive goes for $16.99 + shipping at ecrater.com, Mutt Williams costs $8.97 + shipping at moviepostersetc.com, and Indy himself goes for $12.97 + shipping at the same site. Watch those shipping charges, and happy shopping!

Toy OTD: Indiana Jones Lego Set 7620: Motorcycle Chase

To celebrate the opening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I thought I'd post about one of the many new Lego tie-in sets! #7620 is called "Motorcycle Chase", and it's clearly spun off from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

As usual, Lego does a great job! Indy and Dr. Jones are both really cute, and the sidecar-motorcycle is nicely designed - everything's well-stripped down and simplified. The set comes with plenty of pieces, and not too many customized ones, so it'll contribute really well to whatever Lego collection you already have.

There's much more to the set than I'm picturing here - a guard booth with a crossing gate, and a Nazi soldier on his own motorcycle. Since space is at a premium here at the house, I've given that stuff away and kept "the essentials." It's great that Lego included them, though, as you can make a nice movie scene with the set and embellish it with your own collection, too!

Lego and Lucasfilm also deserve big brownie points for making sets from all of the Indiana Jones movies right away, rather than starting with Crystal Skull sets and holding back on the other films until much later. It's interesting that there isn't at least one set for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but maybe it's been determined that there isn't enough demand for one. I'm sure that someone's working on their own Temple diorama even as we speak - maybe a set of mini-figs is all that's needed.

These sets are still quite easy to get - you can buy this set in the Amazon used and new section for $8.89 + shipping, or pick it up from Target (or a variety of online retail sites) for $9.99 + shipping.

New Crystal Skull Trailer Available

Click here to check it out! I gotta say, I do love those old Warners shadow shots!

Taters Of The Lost Ark

You knew this was coming. Sadly, I'll probably buy it. I couldn't find the Luke, Han or Boba Fett Potato Heads during my recent visit to Florida, but I've spotted them online, so I'm pondering them as well. I'm not a healthy person. Who would've thought a few well-executed genre pastiches could provoke such insanity over twenty-five years later? Not me!

New Toy Arrivals!

If you've got Target gift cards, I found a bunch of new toy releases that you might want to hunt down! I stopped by early this morning (I had to bring my car in for a scheduled maintenance, and the store was right next door), and stumbled across some cool stuff:

* Mattel's World of Cars large-scale plastic DJ - With movable eyes, sound clips, and flashing undercarriage lights! There's four different music cues to choose from, too! You can get it right now at entertainmentearth.com for $34.99 + shipping, but I bet it's cheaper at Target.

* Lego's Indiana Jones line is in full force, with at least four different sets to choose from - Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb (or the Well of Souls for you moldy figs), Race for the Stolen Treasure (the desert truck chase from Raiders), Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase (Indy and his dad from Last Crusade on a motorcycle/sidecar, with Indy's Crystal Skull son on another bike), and Temple Escape (the opening sequence in Raiders, complete with boulder and idol)! If it's rainy (like it is here today), you can buy all of them at Lego.com from the comfort of your computer desk.

* The first series of Hasbro's Star Wars Mighty Muggs are out! I picked up Darth Vader, and passed on the Stormtrooper. You can get some of series 1 - Vader, Boba Fett, Darth Maul and a Stormtrooper - at toysrus.com for $9.99 + shipping (each).

Happy hunting!

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

NEW YORK (AP) -- The title of the new "Indiana Jones" movie, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, has been revealed.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will be in theaters May 22, 2008.

The title of the long-awaited fourth installment of the adventure series was announced by Shia LaBeouf, who co-stars with Ford in the film, at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The new Indy adventure, which is set in the 1950s, also stars Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent and Karen Allen.

Sean Connery, who played dad to Ford's globe-trotting archaeologist in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," will not reprise the role in the new movie.

The series began in 1981 with "Raiders of the Lost Ark," followed by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" in 1984.

In promotional photos, the 65-year-old Ford appears fit as ever.

"I have to say, he looks amazing," Kathleen Kennedy, the film's co-executive producer, along with George Lucas, told The Associated Press in July. "He looks fantastic in the outfit."

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Bummer. I was rooting for "Indiana Jones and the City of Gods" myself. Sounds like we're in Sankara Stone territory again.

PS - Here's some not-very-encouraging background on the crystal skull thing.

The Man In The Hat Is Back

Please, Please Stop

VARIETY: 'Indiana Jones 4' finally has a script
Paramount to begin filming pic in June By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

After years of languishing in development, the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise is finally moving ahead, as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford look to reconnect with their blockbuster roots.

For Spielberg in particular, the project marks a return to the kind of pure entertainment fare on which he built his career before his interests turned to more social-minded fare like "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Munich."

The trio confirmed Monday that Paramount is set to begin lensing the new Indiana Jones pic in June from a script by David Koepp ("Spider-Man").

Par and Lucasfilm, which is producing, are eyeing a May 2008 worldwide release -- some 19 years after the last film in the action-adventure franchise, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," came out.

Fans have long clamored for another installment in the series, but some questioned whether Ford would be able to keep up with the vigorous physical requirements of the role after the long delay. "I'm delighted to be back in business with my old friends. I don't know if the pants still fit, but I know the hat will," said Ford, who is 64.

Thesp, who will again topline, had always said he would reprise his role as the adventuring archeologist if he liked the script. Several scribes tried their hand at the project before Koepp was brought aboard in 2005.

"We feel that the script was well worth the wait. We hope it delivers everything you'd expect from our history with Indiana Jones," Spielberg said. "George, Harrison and I are all very excited."

Producer is Frank Marshall, while Kathleen Kennedy and Lucas are exec producing.

For Paramount, the greenlight seems to be another benefit of its pricey acquisition of DreamWorks.

The film doesn't yet have an official title. Producers wouldn't disclose the storyline other than to say there would be plenty of action. Pic will be shot in undisclosed points around the globe, as well as in the U.S.

All told, the first three "Indiana Jones" films grossed more than $1.18 billion at the box office.

The upcoming installment is looking to be Spielberg's next directing project. The helmer continues to alternate wider-appeal projects with more serious dramas: He's also slated to helm "Lincoln," with Liam Neeson attached to star, for DreamWorks. He was last in theaters with "Munich."

Project reunites Spielberg and Koepp, who penned helmer's "War of the Worlds" and "Jurassic Park," among other pics.

Lucas was grand marshal of the 118th annual Rose Parade on Monday, celebrating the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars."

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What's worse than hearing the news of a franchise overstaying its welcome?
The news that a screenwriter you don't like is writing the latest installment.