Toy OTD: Mattel 1/24 Speed Racer Die-Cast: The Mach 6 (2008)

Despite the arguable quality of the Speed Racer movie (I enjoyed it even though it was talky and about twenty minutes too long), Mattel produced an impressive line of merchandising, both in breadth and quality. Racing helmets and tracks, action figures, Lego sets, and naturally a plethora of Mach Fives and Sixes hit stores concurrent with the film's release.

The Mach 6, like many movie toys, is based on a custom design for the film - the 'upgraded' version of Speed's car built for the climactic race. While I prefer the Mach 5 - it's hard to beat those classic lines! - I do like the Mach 6 design. It evokes the original car, but clearly reads as an updated, higher-tech version.

This mid-sized die-cast of the Mach 6 is nicely made. The level of detail is good, the use of materials is appropriate, and it's accurate compared to the digital (and practical) mock-ups in the film. The decal work and paint apps are crisp and smooth.

As far as functionality goes, it's free-rolling, but I can't remember if the steering wheel works. The 'shock absorbers' are fixed in place, but there is a lift-able cockpit cover under the windshield. There's no other action features with this model - any other gimmicks were installed in the larger, plastic Mach Sixes.

Personally, I would have liked to have a removable Speed for the driver's seat, but die-cast collectors tend to focus on the cars (and display value) rather than passengers and play functions. From this perspective, this Mach 6 offers a decent amount of spiffy for the money.

The packaging, while not offering nearly the amount of visual dazzle the film might suggest, does have some positive points. The toy is tilted up and toward the viewer to not only lend a sense of motion, but also to give shoppers a better angle to appreciate the detail. The graphics also support the feeling of movement, and also offer artwork based on scenes from the film. It might not jump off the shelf in the way that it might have, but it's simple and clear. Some die-casts include a display case right inside the box, and that would have been a great addition (especially for its original $30 price point).

Since the film underperformed in theaters, availability and pricing for this toy are still excellent. You can get a brand new one right now for $14.80 + shipping at Amazon.com. Happy shopping!

Ground Control To Major Tom (Mason)

VARIETY: Tom Hanks circles 'Major' toy story
Universal developing live-action 'Matt Mason'
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Tue., Mar. 24, 2009, 8:00pm PT

Universal will develop "Major Matt Mason," a live-action feature based on the vintage Mattel action figure. Pic will be developed as a star vehicle for Tom Hanks, and Graham Yost will write the script.

Playtone partners Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce.

The toy line originated in 1966; Mason led an astronaut team that worked on the moon and lived in a space station. The toy was a hit in the buildup to the first manned moon mission. Mattel retired the line in the 1970s.
To read the rest of the article, click here.

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"Apollo 13" and "From The Earth To The Moon" covered this terrain, but hey, if I could do more astronaut movies, I would too!

Toy OTD: Mattel DJ Rockin' Ride (2008)

There's another great line of Cars toys to collect, though I don't think many people do. I understand swearing off from them - these large, talking versions are real space gobblers and much more expensive than the standard diecasts. Plus, well, they're not diecast, which I'm sure is a deal-breaker for the majority of Cars collectors. Still, these are super-cool toys, especially when you get into the secondary characters!

DJ is a particularly good character for this format. He's a smaller vehicle, so he scales up well without becoming unmanageable. The big line's also good for tucking in plenty of nifty features!

Since DJ is a musical character in Cars, Mattel made the toy musical, too. As with all of the Mattel items, DJ is spot-on model - but they've integrated his play functions very nicely as well! You can choose between a variety of short beat-box loops that are triggered when you roll him across the floor. The beat selector is right were it should be - the huge knob in the middle of DJ's sound system. Nice!

There's some great lighting effects, too - undercarriage 'neon' and a glowing rear spoiler. The designers built part of the foil out of translucent plastic to make it look even cooler. The eyes move back and forth (I can't remember if the eyelids do) as DJ is pushed along. It's really neat in low light!

There's some speech clips as well, but I think it's just a couple of phrases. I don't think they're film-specific, but it's not a big minus for me.

The packaging is the half-box style that's currently common with these larger toys. Big points, though, go to Mattel for designing a special key-type pair of mounts to hold the toy in place. Rather than struggle with dozens of tough-to-cut, spun-a-million-times wire twist-ties, the key-mounts simply turn and unlock. Very cool!

This hasn't been out for all that long, and in general the larger toys are much easier to find than their diecast counterparts. You can get one for $14.99 + shipping at shop.com. Have fun!

Barbie's Best Accessory: Bright Pink Lawyers

Matty Mattel may pick up quite an entourage soon:

"In the battle of the doll makers, the house that Barbie built won a sweeping court victory Thursday, accessories and all.

A federal jury found that a Mattel Inc. designer created the lucrative Bratz doll concept while he worked at Mattel under an exclusivity contract.

It was a scathing defeat for MGA Entertainment Inc., which introduced the dolls -- known for big heads, pouty lips and bare-midriff outfits -- in 2001."

To read the rest of David Colker's LA Times article, click here.

Barbie Takes Bratz To Court

Apparently, the originator of the wildly successful Bratz doll line was still under contract with Mattel when Barbie's controversial rival was created. Naturally, with so much at stake, the claim is going to court:

"The tiny, fake fur was flying as the Barbie-Bratz court battle wrapped up Thursday, with toy industry giant Mattel Inc. and upstart MGA Entertainment Inc. both claiming ownership of the hugely successful Bratz line of dolls.

MGA, which seven years ago debuted the saucy Bratz doll, has maintained from the May 27 start of the trial that Mattel was trying to unfairly stomp out competition to its faltering Barbie empire.

"For 40 years Barbie was the only doll in town," Tom Nolan, lawyer for Van Nuys-based MGA, said in his closing argument. "And then Bratz came in and knocked her off her pedestal."

Mattel, headquartered in El Segundo, sued in 2004, claiming that Bratz -- known for hip-hugging outfits and bare midriffs that have given some parents fits -- were secretly created by one of its own Barbie designers, Carter Bryant, even though he had an exclusivity contract with the company."

Read the rest of David Colker's LA Times article here.

Toy OTD: Hasbro Monsters, Inc. C.D.A. Agent Figure W/Sound

The original Monsters, Inc. figure line is pretty nice - the toys aren't necessarily loaded with features or meticulous detail; but they are streamlined, appealing versions of the movie's characters.

The C.D.A. agents weren't an obvious choice for toys, so it's cool that one was included in the line-up. There's not a lot of articulation here, but the sculpt and colors work well, and the figure's solidly balanced. There's an extra feature, too - at the press of a button, an antenna pops up (with a sound clip from the film) from the top of the backpack.

These toys have been sold out for seven years, but they're still easily found on eBay. You can get one right now for $8.09 + $8.25 shipping.

Toy OTD: Mattel Bear In The Big Blue House Plush: Tutter

The best Henson character designs are perfectly suited for merchandising, as they're practically toys already! The cast of Bear In The Big Blue House hearkens back to old-school Muppet design - bright colors, and bold, simple shapes. That puts you on second base already, but it still takes a good licensee to bring the design home in a great toy.

Mattel's done a fine job of adapting Tutter into a appealing, affordable plush! It's very cute and faithful to the source. A wide variety of Bear merchandise was available, but this toy was definitely my favorite!

I originally bought this at a Target for ten dollars (or less). The toys aren't sold in stores any more, but you can get Tutter and his buddy Treelo for $10.16 right now on eBay.

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!

Toy OTD: Mattel Simpsons Figure: Nelson (1990)

Mattel released a substantial line of Simpsons toys soon after the show hit it big, but we were in the middle of the first Gulf War that Christmas, and the toys didn't sell very well. Unfortunately, that set the stage for a decades-long drought of Simpsons action figures in the U.S.

It's a shame, because I think they were good toys. The sculpts were a little inconsistent, but that's been true of the Playmates figures as well. This Nelson Muntz figure is one of my favorites of the Mattel toys, and even this one is pretty off-model - the facial proportions are off, and the colors are really inaccurate.

But I still like it - it reminds me of older Mattel toys for some reason. It's well built, and has simple shapes and punchy colors. It's not over-articulated, either (which can be a problem with modern toys). The hip joints are especially well-designed, and don't interfere much with the shape of the character. The gimmick with this line is a small hole in the top of each figure's head. A plastic dialogue balloon could be inserted, decorated with a variety of interchangeable phrases. Unlike other gimmicks, this feature can be easily ignored (if the kid/collector isn't interested in it), and it doesn't interfere with the overall look.

You can still buy this figure (as well as the Lisa Simpson figure from this line) for $39.99 + shipping at toyrocket.com. eBay also has Nelson for sale for $29.97 + shipping.

Cars Toy Info

If you're interested in keeping up with what new Cars diecasts are being released, look here and here on exboard.com! I never know when anything's coming out, so hopefully this'll help!

Thanks to Roger Colton for the tip.

The Cars Toy Parade Continues

Here's another great larger-scale Cars toy - a 14" Red the fire engine! It's loaded up with lights and sounds - so cute!

Like the Dinoco helicopter, you'll have to camp outside a Toys 'R' Us if you want to buy it for retail ($20.00) - Red's all over eBay like a rash, so that means the e-scalpers are out in force, bumping the price up by at least ten dollars (not to mention shipping, which is usually too high as well). Sigh. Snag one for me if you see an extra!

UPDATE: Stand down on the extra fire truck - I discovered that you can get Red at Amazon.com (that's Amazon proper, not an eBay store or toy scalper website) for $24.99 + shipping, so I did just that. It's a little more than it would be at TRU, but I'll save that much in gas not driving around searching for it!

Cool Foster's Toy Previewed At Toy Fair

An image of Mattel's radio-controlled Trouble-Making Blooregard, courtesy of Animation Magazine. Looks great! Here's hoping it really does hit stores, though I'm assuming if it's made it to Toy Fair, it's going to see the (retail) light of day this fall.