Time
to put together all of the stuff that I didn’t know what to do with
and stick it in a podcast! I had two episodes that didn’t work out
right at the end of the year, so I need to use up that storage space
I’m paying for.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Needless Things Podcast Episode 15 – Year End Wrap-Up – Zack Galligan, Andrew Lincoln, Beau Brown, and More!
Labels:
Andrew Lincoln,
interviews,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com,
Needless Things Podcast,
The Walking Dead,
Zach Galligan,
zombies

2013’s Best Stuff
Hey, Phantomaniacs - it’s
time for the biggest awards event that Needless Things produces all
year long! That’s right, just like every other site on the
internet, at the end of each year I put together a list of the very
best stuff.

Thank Yous
Thank You-
Mrs. Troublemaker, Lil’ Troublemaker,
Director Faber, El Famoso Mysterioso, Professor Morté, Gary Mitchel,
Joe Crowe, R. Allen Siler, Odin’s Cosmic Bookshelf, Billy’s Toys
and Comics, Zach Oat and Diamond Select Toys, Ironman Mike Woody, Mr.
Beau Brown, Beth V, Alicia Stockton, Chad J. Shonk, Gnoll, John
Schultz, Kalan, Richard Ewell, Evil, Tara Lynn, “Howdy” Mike
Gordon, Sara Nicole Pope, Reverend Dan Wilson, Josh Wilson, Le
Sexoflex, Justin Patterson, Handmade Stuffs, Kyle Starks, Jamie
Cosley, Hashim Clark, Jim Rugg, Belligerent Monkey and his wonderful
family, Award-Winning Bobby Nash, DJ Spider, CALABRESE, CM Landrus,
Rebecca Perry, Award-Winning Mark Maddox, Dana Swanson, Nathan Hamilton, Jen
Hartshorn, Zartanamiss Prime, Deanna and everybody at the RevCast,
Rick Michaels, Simon Sermon, The Casket Creatures, Jenn Wood, Matt Sweatman, Adam
Throne, William Faber, Louis Robinson, Mike Troutt, Geena Phillips,
William Stout, Michelle Sisco, Zack Galligan, Andrew Lincoln, and
most especially Granny Troublemaker who has inspired me all of my
life.
Special thanks to my Monstrosity
Championship Wrestling family for giving me a venue to perform – I
wish I could see all of you more. I’d list everybody, but there are
a shit-ton of you people and if I left anybody out I’d feel
terrible. But I do want to thank Bumplestilskin and Black Easter
Bunny most of all.
Thank you to everybody that I
interviewed for the site or on a podcast.
No thanks to – Wilson, Cory, Mark
Stopper, and Jay. Fuck you guys. Seriously. Not really. Yeah…
really.
Most of all thank you to each and every
one of you – my Phantomaniacs – that read Needless Things, listen
to the podcast, listen to Earth Station Who, and come up to me at
cons or wherever and appreciate the stuff I do. I love you guys.
You are the reason that 2013 was so
amazing and I can’t wait for an amazing 2014.
Also, go buy a fucking t-shirt. Please.
-Phantom

Monday, December 30, 2013
2013’s Worst Stuff
I
try not to bitch as much as I used to on Needless Things. I want to
be entertaining, not a drag. But this is the one post where I can be
a cranky old asshole and complain for 1,000 words (or more).
Labels:
2013,
holiday specials,
worst of

Wednesday, December 25, 2013
My Christmas Playlist
Merry
Christmas, Santamaniacs!
I
know I’ve done this before, but it was a different format and I’m
pretty sure the songs were different. I could do a “Top Twenty”
list of lots of different things – songs, movies, TV shows –
every year and it would be different; and not just from new releases
throughout the year.
Also,
this is just an easy way to have a post for today, a day that I
hadn’t really planned to post anything. But here’s a list (that
laziest of internet devices) of my personal favorite Christmas songs.
Labels:
christmas,
holiday specials,
music

Tuesday, December 24, 2013
My Christmas List
![]() |
Sideshow Collectibles' The Dead Subject #1206 |
Happy
Christmas Eve, Santamaniacs!
Today’s
post is an exercise in sheer whimsy. Because, you know – most of
what I put up here on Needless Things is so serious.
I
wanted to do something I haven’t done in over twenty-five years –
write a list for Santa Claus. A list of all the stuff I would ask for
if I were age-eligible for a visit from the jolly old elf. Looking
back at 2013, I do think I made the Nice List by a decent margin, so
the only question would be exactly how much of my list would end up
fulfilled. I can tell you that over the past six years I have become
fairly familiar with the standards of judging Naughty/Nice criteria
and the main factor seems to end up involving Santa’s resources
more than anything else.
So
given that, I would expect to see everything on this list under that
tree come tomorrow morning. If I were eligible.
Labels:
action figures,
christmas,
holiday specials,
toys

Friday, December 20, 2013
Toys R Us Fabulous 15 Christmas Toys by Evil
First off I need
to apologize for my slacking off. I got through the reviews of the
first two Star Wars Black figures then never got the rest. The pics
are taken, I just never got to them. But I promise to be better.
Originally when Phantom Troublemaker asked about Christmas articles,
I had intended to do reviews of the 2013 Star Wars Christmas advent
calendar. That thing is crazy expensive ($39.99) so I was waiting
for it to go on sale as Target was choked with them last year. Of
coarse that means that this year it sold out and now is going for
stupid money on the internet. So onward and upward. Instead I
decided to look at the yearly top Christmas toys as presented by Toys
R Us. This year they made a list of 15 toys. I decided to go with
the Toys R Us list due to the fact it’s the first that comes up in
Google and the ones that most parents probably go to. So here they
are with a little commentary on each, thoughts about the whole list,
and what I think is missing.
Labels:
christmas,
Guest Posts,
holiday specials,
Toys R Us

Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Toy Review – Batman ’66 TV Masters Riddler By Mattel
Penguin might
have been the most prolific villain of the old Batman TV show,
but Riddler is probably the one people think of the most. Between his
bright green unitard (which isn’t actually as bright as you
remember) and his trademark riddles; he had the most impact of any of
the male villains. And that’s really saying something when you’re
talking about a cast of characters that included Vincent Price as
Egghead, Victor Buono as King Tut, and freakin’ Liberace as the
criminal pianist Chandell.
Labels:
action figures,
batman,
Batman '66,
mattel,
Riddler

Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Toy Review New 52 Swamp Thing from DC Collectibles
Ol’
Swampy here represents the end of my coverage of the current crop of
DC Collectibles releases. All of the figures and sets I’ve reviewed
over the past couple of weeks should still be available at your local
comic shop or online somewhere, so I hope some of you have gotten
some good information out of these.
Labels:
action figures,
DC Collectibles,
New 52,
Swamp Thing

Monday, December 16, 2013
My Christmas Disappointment (Sort Of) By R.T. Ewell
Even
in my mid-thirties I still remember the most disappointing Christmas
I ever had. Now, this particular "disappointing" is from
the view point of a spoiled nine year old little boy. I look back at
Christmas as a child and I count my blessings but back then, boy was
I disappointed. I should have been thankful of how my holidays were
spent before my parents separated, we were a family and always spent
the season together celebrating. Now that seems like more of a gift
than any present I could have gotten.
Labels:
christmas,
Guest Posts,
holiday specials,
video games

Friday, December 13, 2013
Toy Review Batman: Arkham Origins Bane from DC Collectibles
Wow. This picture is terrible. Sorry about that. |
As
much as I disliked The
Dark Knight Rises,
I was excited about this figure that combined that Bane’s
practical, militaristic look with the slightly sillier look of comic
book Bane.
Look
– I am a huge fan of Lucha libre, wrestling, and general costumed
spectacle, but Bane’s old singlet and wrist pump look was not the
best.
Labels:
action figures,
Arkham Origins,
Bane,
batman,
DC Collectibles

Thursday, December 12, 2013
Toy Review Batman: Arkham Origins The Joker from DC Collectibles
I
didn’t preorder this figure. I didn’t like the lack of purple,
the face seemed weird, I knew the voicing wasn’t going to be Mark
Hamill, and I already had a perfectly good Joker from Arkham
Asylum.
Okay,
well – I had the Joker from Arkham
Asylum.
The quality of that figure is up for debate.
By
the time this Joker hit stores I knew a few things – I had played
Arkham
Origins
and liked the depiction, the guy that replaced Mark Hamill was
fantastic, and the new clothes still should have been purple.
Then
I saw this figure in the store and the deal, as they say, was sealed
for one reason – this
Joker could look straight ahead.
Labels:
action figures,
Arkham Origins,
batman,
DC Collectibles,
Joker

Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Toy Review - Batman: Arkham City Bane & Batman from DC Collectibles
This
two-pack is the final in a series of three that combined an oversized
figure with a repaint of re-release of an existing figure. I’m
still not sure if the Harley Quinn was different, but Penguin was and
this Batman definitely is.
The
other sets’ oversized figures were the (formerly) conjoined
Abramovici twins Sickle
and Mr. Hammer.
They had never been released before and were therefore must-haves for
me. I didn’t need a Penguin, but I did not have the Arkham
City
version of Harley Quinn. This set, on the other hand, included two
characters that I already owned. This is the third version I have
bought of each of these characters.
Labels:
action figures,
Bane,
batman,
DC Collectibles

Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Toy Review Batman: Arkham City Hugo Strange (SDCC Graphitti Designs Exclusive) from DC Collectibles
Hoo,
boy was I pissed off about this figure.
Hugo
Strange is a character that is oddly special to me for a few reasons.
His ghost was in the first Batman comic I ever read, he’s one of
those characters that is more of a mental challenge for Batman (and a
particularly insidious one, at that), and he’s the only character
in all of created fiction ever that I can cosplay (is that proper
word usage? Even after my exhaustive Dragon Con coverage I’m not
sure).
Labels:
action figures,
Arkham City,
batman,
DC Collectibles

Monday, December 9, 2013
Toy Review RoboCop 1.0 from Jada Toys
Labels:
action figures,
Jada Toys,
RoboCop

Friday, December 6, 2013
Toy Review Batman: Arkham City Sickle & Penguin from DC Collectibles
This
two-pack is the obvious mate to yesterday’s Mr.
Hammer & Harley Quinn,
but it was less desirable to me because I already own a Penguin.
Although I have no idea where his little cigar went, so at least I
get a new one of those.
Plus,
I never reviewed that Penguin because I was still didn’t want to
admit that I was buying DC Direct figures again after being so vocal
about how poorly made they were.
Were.
They’re
much better now. Well, mostly.
Labels:
action figures,
Arkham City,
batman,
DC Collectibles,
Penguin

Thursday, December 5, 2013
Toy Review Batman: Arkham City Mr. Hammer & Harley Quinn from DC Collectibles
I
was surprised when DC Collectibles offered this two-pack and two more
like it – Batman with Bane and Penguin with Mr. Hammer’s brother,
Sickle.
Each
set consists of one new figure and a slight repaint of an old figure.
It was a pretty smart way to get three oversized figures and three
sold out but popular figures on the market. I’ll talk about the
other two sets in the coming days; today I’m going to take a look
at the first one that came in at the ol’ local comic book shop.
This
first set is notable for me because I never bought this version of
Harley. I wasn’t crazy about the design before I played the game,
so I didn’t order it when it was offered through Previews. By the
time I decided I wanted one they were long gone. So this set was the
best deal of the three for me because I didn’t have either of the
figures.
Labels:
action figures,
Arkham City,
batman,
DC Collectibles,
Harley Quinn

Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Toy Review Batman: Arkham Origins Black Mask from DC Collectibles
I’m
going to be reviewing a
lot of
DC Collectibles’ action figures over the next few weeks. They timed
a huge number of releases to coincide with the holidays, which was
probably a pretty clever idea.
I’ve
written before how I had basically sworn off of DC’s in-house
action figures a few years ago, so I won’t belabor my complaints
about their quality and fragility. Especially since DCC seems to have
made huge strides in those areas.
But
first we have to start with a bit of a throwback figure that honestly
leaves me a little confused – Black Mask.
Labels:
action figures,
Arkham City,
batman,
DC Collectibles

Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Toy Review Masters of the Universe Classics Castaspella from Mattel
I
think I’ve made it pretty clear that I am not the most
knowledgeable guy when it comes to She-Ra and all of her flowery,
fruity pals. I didn’t watch the cartoon when I was a kid because it
was for girls and… well, that’s pretty much the whole story. I
knew about the Evil Horde because they were so much cooler than
Skeletor and his goons, but I couldn’t tell you much about the
heroes of Etheria.
This,
of course, did not stop me from writing over 20,000 words of a Doctor
Who story that just happened to take place on Etheria. But that’s another
story.
Labels:
action figures,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com,
redheads

Monday, December 2, 2013
Gone To Pallookaville
No post today – come back tomorrow.
I’m at this place:
Well, at the all-new brick-and-mortar
location of this place, located in the heart of Avondale Estates at
17N Avondale Plaza. Here’s their menu.
Wait.
Before you look at the menu I have to
warn you there’s a good chance it’s going to blow your mind right
out of the back of your head. Or the top, maybe. I’ve never seen an
assortment of comestibles quite like what is being offered here, and
I think there’s a good chance I’m going to suffer some sort of
mental breakdown trying to decide what, exactly, I want to eat. The
thought of going to Pallookaville without getting a corndog is
ridiculous, but I keep hearing about these pork burgers. I really
want a pork burger.

Friday, November 29, 2013
Whoniversary: Fourth Doctor Rave by Michael A. Gordon
The Doctor Who
franchise turned 50 years old last week and in many ways it has never
been bigger and better than it is right now. Since I just turned 45 a
couple of weeks ago, it gives me hope that my best years may still be
ahead of me. The British series has become a world wide pop culture
phenomenon and yet it is still a very personal interest of mine. To
celebrate the milestone anniversary I decided to go back to where it
all began for me, with the Fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker.
![]() |
The Fourth Doctor by Award-Winning Artist Mark Maddox |

Thursday, November 28, 2013
Whoniversary: Thanksgiving Special
I
wasn’t going to post anything today since not only is it a holiday,
but it’s one I am not particularly fond of. But then it occurred to
me that it might be fun to come up with…
A
LIST.
Labels:
doctor who,
holiday specials,
Thanksgiving,
Whoniversary

Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Whoniversary: Phantom Who – The Day of the Doctor
![]() |
Image from SciFiPulse.net because I thought it was neat. I hope they don't mind. |
***WARNING:
Here there be SPOILERS!***
Although
honestly, if you haven’t seen “The Day of the Doctor” yet you
probably don’t care.
Okay,
so I already did my intro yesterday about having seen the Doctor
Who
50th
Anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor” three times now.
First during the simulcast on Saturday thirty years to the day after
I first saw Doctor
Who,
next with a huge crowd of Whovians at the TimeGate/Earth Station
Who/Forgotten
Doctor
event, and finally on Monday evening on the big screen in glorious
12D!
No,
wait – it was just 3D. Hardly worth mentioning, really.
But
just wait until the 100th
Anniversary special with all 57 Doctors!
If
you don’t get those references, hang on – I’ll get there.

Whoniversary: Phantom Who – The 50th Webisodes
I
feel a weird sort of pressure writing about the 50th
Anniversary special. I already discussed it with the ESW crew at the
TimeGate celebration, but I wasn’t entirely comfortable doing it
then. I don’t like critiquing a Doctor Who story after a single
viewing, but I had no choice in the matter. “The Day of the Doctor”
ended at 4:10 and our panel was scheduled at 5:00. That barely left
time for me to get from the house to the Holiday Inn, let alone fit
in a second viewing. I almost didn’t even have time to stop by the
hotel bar and grab a drink.
Oh, and that panel is now LIVE as Episode 55 of Earth Station Who!
Labels:
doctor who,
Earth Station Who,
TimeGate,
Whoniversary

Monday, November 25, 2013
Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who Davros & Imperial Dalek from “Remembrance of the Daleks” By Underground Toys
I have said
before that the Daleks are not my favorite. I don’t dislike
them; I just feel like I don’t get the full Dalek effect. The
concept is scary and the execution is well done. They just don’t
scare me like some other villains do. As I told somebody the other
night, I’d rather be exterminated by a Dalek than turned into a
Cyberman. Or kissed by a Zygon.
But I think
Davros is great and I love “Remembrance of the Daleks”. As
you can hear if you go and listen to Episode 47 of Earth Station Who.
Labels:
action figures,
Daleks,
Davros,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Friday, November 22, 2013
Whoniversary: Needless Things Podcast Episode 14 – Fifty Years of Doctor Who
If
you haven’t managed to pick up on it in the last two weeks, I am a
huge Doctor Who fan. A Whovian, as it were.
I’ve
only recently accepted that word as a self-descriptor. I first heard
it on PBS back in the 80s when they were showing “Trial of A Time
Lord” in the midst of one of their famous pledge drives. The host
used it in a manner that I was too young to recognize as pandering
and perhaps even slightly condescending and I am only recalling this
just now as I write these words. He would say things like, “I know
all of you Whovians out there are going to want one of these BBC
licensed Doctor Who canvas tote bags!” in the same manner that he
might have said, “I know all of you lepers out there are going to
want some of these bandages!”

Whoniversary: Who waits 8 months for new Doctor Who?: One Man's Love Affair with Doctor Who Spin Off Media by The Oncoming Josh
You hear it all the time. The
frustrated call of the fan boy/girl.
"I have to wait HOW LONG for
new episodes of Doctor Who?"
"They're splitting the season?
I'll have to wait for months for the story to finish!"
"Why isn't Doctor Who on ALL
THE TIME???"
Well, actually, it is.
Labels:
Big Finish,
doctor who,
Josh Wilson,
The Oncoming Storm,
Whoniversary

Thursday, November 21, 2013
Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who Ace from “Remembrance of the Daleks” By Underground Toys
Ace is one of my
favorite companions from Doctor Who and I’ve been looking
forward to the day Character Options/Underground Toys would get
around to making her. I’m actually a little surprised that it took
as long as it did given that Sophie Aldred has always been a big
supporter of the franchise.
Labels:
Ace,
action figures,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who 3 ¾” Scale Dalek By Underground Toys
“EXTERMINATE!”
What? What else
am I supposed to use as a Dalek quote?
Lil’
Troublemaker has this stuffed Dalek that says three or four phrases,
the most commonly uttered of which is, “You would make a good
Dalek”, which is creepy at first but gets really old
after the thousandth time.
But that’s
neither here nor there.
Today, what is
here is the new tiny Dalek from Underground Toys. I saved this one
for last because it’s easily the best of the series and I wanted to
go out on a high note given how disappointing some of the other
releases were.
Labels:
action figures,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Whoniversary: Doctor Who USA 1985 by John Michals
Doctor Who in the 1980's.
It seems like such a long time ago. How could it be? It was a dark
time for Doctor Who - though it should've been a very bright time.
Here in NYC we had at least three channels broadcasting Doctor Who.
That is, if you could pick them up. They were all UHF stations, NJN,
WLIW and WNYC, and you needed a very well placed antenna to grab
their signals. Daily doses of Doctor Who and stories edited together
as Saturday night features all of different eras. Add to that the
Doctor Who Traveling Museum was visiting America, or "the
States" as we are sometimes referred to. This should've been a
crowning jewel for a show which had just celebrated its 20th
anniversary. Instead it seemed like a desperate last gasp. The show
was facing cancellation. The BBC cited low ratings despite the fact
that Attack of the Cybermen drew in 9 million viewers. The BBC head
of programming had axed the show but fan outcry had caused him to
reverse his decision and call it a "hiatus". Many, many
years later, it would be revealed that he had been sleeping with
Colin Baker's ex-wife. Co-incidence perhaps?
Labels:
doctor who,
John Michals,
Whoniversary

Whoniversary: What I Want From the New Doctor by Beth V
My
dad told me that he started watching Doctor Who when he was a kid. He
got my mom into it, and (because I had no control over the TV when I
was a kid) I was indoctrinated as well. Tom Baker became the Doctor
the year I was born, so he's the Doctor I remember seeing first. And
even after I got to know the earlier Doctors when my dad started
buying old episodes on VHS he was still my favorite. You never forget
your first Doctor. Although I may have been initially forced into
Doctor Who by simply being in the room while it was on I grew to love
it. And I’ve loved it ever since. With a brand new Doctor just
around the corner I've been speculating about what the new season
will bring. I always start out skeptical when they announce the
casting of a new Doctor, but Peter Capaldi could be just the shot in
the arm that Doctor Who needs. I got to thinking back to Doctors
past, what it was I liked or disliked about them, and what I want to
see from this next incarnation of the man in the blue box.
Labels:
Beth V,
doctor who,
Whoniversary

Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who 3 ¾” Scale Weeping Angel By Underground Toys
“…”
Just like many
Whovians, I am suffering from Angel fatigue.
I mean, the
whole hunky, sultry vampire with a soul thing. And what’s up with
that hair? Are you seriously telling me that a demonic creature of
the night gets up every evening and spends half an hour with a can of
mousse? The guy totally knows how to dress, though.
Haha! Just a
little cross-franchise nerd humor there!
Labels:
action figures,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who 3 ¾” Scale Ice Warrior By Underground Toys
“Harm
one of us, and you harm us all. By the moons, this I swear!”
Oh, how we all
longed for the Ice Warriors’ return!
Pretty much
every Whovian on the planet had been in agreement since the show’s
return that the return of the Ice Warriors would be very cool. Like
the Silurians and Sea Devils, the Ice Warriors were interesting
creatures with a solid backstory. They had a whole society that had
evolved and existed beyond the Doctor’s influence, and were
introduced as part of a larger universe that just keeps going on
regardless of the Time Lord’s presence. The sort of stuff that
great fictional tapestries are woven of.
We wanted to see
them return because of these things, as well as their stolid manner
and hulking, menacing forms.
But mostly I
think we just wanted to see how they would be updated.
Labels:
action figures,
doctor who,
Ice Warriors,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Monday, November 18, 2013
Whoniversary: Bigger on the Inside by Michael A. Goodwin
You
never forget your first Doctor. That’s the saying, anyway. There
are many shirts and galleries of art that repeat the phrase, though I
am unclear who said it first. Of course, it’s entirely true. You
don’t forget your first Doctor. You can’t. You travel the
universe, past and future, whirling and bouncing through time in his
blue TARDIS box. You run with him. You laugh with him. You cry with
him. You can’t ever quite tell what your Doctor will teach you, how
wonderful or painful the lesson will be, or how much bigger that
lesson will turn out to be on the inside than it first appeared.
Labels:
doctor who,
Guest Posts,
Michael A. Goodwin,
Whoniversary

Friday, November 15, 2013
Whoniversary: CONFESSIONS OF AN UNREPENTANT WINO* (Whovian-In-Name-Only) by Chad J. Shonk
I grew up a nerd and
am still a nerd.
(I’m not going to
use the G-word because these days it carries with it too many
positive connotations. Man, really didn’t see that coming.)
The proof is pretty
extensive if you look at my high school resume:
Eyeglasses. Bad at
sports. Bad skin. Bad hair. Bad clothes. Socially awkward, especially
around girls. A victim of bullying. Gifted program. Big reader
(mostly of fantasy and science-fiction). Comic books. Dungeons &
Dragons. Star Wars. Star Trek. Magic: The Gathering.
Chess. PC games. Axis & Allies. Monty Python. MST3K. Bowling.
Heavy metal. Weird Al. A group of similarly-nerdy friends.
The only
counterpoints to my nerd-cred are that I didn’t get good grades and
that I was terrible at science and math.
Labels:
Chad J. Shonk,
doctor who,
Guest Posts,
television,
Whoniversary

Thursday, November 14, 2013
Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who 3 ¾” Scale Cyberman from Underground Toys
“Upgrade
in progress...”
As I mentioned
in my introduction to Needless Things’ Whoniversary, the
Cybermen scare me. In my opinion they are the Doctor’s most
dangerous and terrifying adversaries, not just in appearance but in
motivation.
Labels:
action figures,
Cybermen,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who 3 ¾” Scale Clara from Underground Toys
“Is
there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny
bit sexy? ”
I have to admit
a little something to you here – I am not a big fan of Stephen
Moffat’s Mary Sue character, Clara.
I liked her a
lot in Asylum of the Daleks. But then the very nature of her
character and her story arc regressed Clara to the point of being a
helpless and uninteresting companion. And then several sub-par
episodes later we find out that Moffat has insinuated his little doll
into the entirety of Doctor Who history.
Labels:
action figures,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Whoniversary: My Doctor by Robert McIntyre
My
love of Doctor Who started way back in the swinging sixties, although
the swinging part passed me by as I was only 4 when the swinging was
at its height in 1965. Swinging to me was hanging from a tree branch
and swaying back and forth for as long as I could, they were the days
you could play out all day long and just have a bottle of water and
the jam sandwich to survive on. We were out every day for as long as
we could except for one day, that day was Saturday the one day you
would think that we wouldn’t have to worry about the time. However
on a Saturday at around 5:30pm Doctor Who - the greatest TV show ever
- was on and it was a programme you just could not miss. If you did
you had nothing to talk about in the playground on Monday. There was
no catch up TV, DVR’s or plus 1 channels - when it was gone it was
gone forever, or so we thought in those days. Now I cannot remember
precisely when I first started watching Doctor Who but I recently
watched the William Hartnell episode The Time Robber. While watching
it I realised that I had seen it before so 1965 - the year that
episode was shown - would seem like a good starting point on when I
started watching the show.
Labels:
doctor who,
Guest Posts,
Rob McIntyre,
television,
Whoniversary

Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Whoniversary: Timey Wimey Toy Review – Doctor Who 3 ¾” Scale Doctor from Underground Toys
“Time
travel is damage. It's like a tear in the fabric of reality. That is
the scar tissue of my journey through the universe. My path through
time and space. From Gallifrey to Trenzalore.”
One of the
deciding factors in my purchase of these new, smaller Doctor Who
figures was the Doctor’s purple coat. I love a purple coat. I very
badly want the Abbyshot Clothiers replica of the Doctor’s purple
coat, but it costs $430 and I can’t spend that on a purple coat.
Especially not after just spending a bunch of money on a new couch
and love seat set. Imagine that conversation:
Mrs.
Troublemaker: We need new couches in the living room. The sofa falls
apart a little bit more every day and is possibly actively trying to
murder us. The futon is… well, it’s a fucking futon.
Me: Yeah, but I
want this new Doctor Who coat.
Mrs.
Troublemaker: I am going to stab you in the face.
Me: Hey, we
should go look at sofas!
Labels:
action figures,
doctor who,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Whoniversary: Timey Wimey Toy Review Doctor Who Spin and Fly TARDIS from Underground Toys
"All of time and
space; everywhere and anywhere. Every star that ever was. Where do
you want to start?"
I
was furious when Character Options/Underground Toys announced that
they were switching scales for the modern Doctor Who line. While I
was never a fan of the 5” scale they initially chose (because it
means my Who collection is not compatible with anything),
I now have a massive collection of Doctor Who toys in this scale.
What
was even more baffling was the decision to continue the Classic line
in the 5” scale. So now the Doctor Who line isn’t even compatible
within itself.
Labels:
doctor who,
TARDIS,
toys,
underground toys,
Whoniversary

Monday, November 11, 2013
Welcome to the Whoniversary- Needless Things' Celebration of 50 Years of Doctor Who
Time
to write about Doctor Who.
I
had been planning to solicit for Guest Posts about Doctor Who for
quite some time. There are many reasons for me to do Guest Posts on
Needless Things:
- It gives those who might not otherwise have an outlet for their stories a place to share; I don’t need credentials or anything. I like to post anything from anybody. From folks who have had movies made from scripts they’ve written to people who haven’t written anything since high school. I want this to be an outlet for anybody.
- I’m always interested to see the responses I get. Not just what is written, but who responds. I’m not gonna lie – it’s a bit of an ego stroke to know that people are writing something for this little site I started.
- It is very slightly less labor-intensive to edit and publish other people’s work than it is to write something myself. It gives me a sort of break. And after October, I really needed November to be less intense.
So
I knew I would be posting a number of Doctor Who toy reviews and
several works from different fans and Whovians. I haven’t reviewed
all of the submissions yet, but I am already excited beyond words
about what Needless Things has in store for you over the next two
weeks. There are some thoughtful retrospectives, examinations of the
franchise, an exciting piece about the world of Doctor Who beyond
television, and one entry that quite literally moved me to tears. But
obviously I would have to provide the introductory post myself. I
mean, this is my site, after all.
That
meant it was time to write about Doctor Who.
Again.

Friday, November 8, 2013
Best Cartoon Ever (of the Month) - BraveStarr by Kalan
As a lot of us in the cartoon world
know, we lost a monolith in our community last month with the passing
of Lou Scheimer. No one lives forever, but leaving behind a body of
work as impressive as Scheimer's is something to be recognized. If I
could accomplish even slightly what that man did, I would be on good
terms with my own mortality. So many people my age and older (because
I actually came in towards the “end” of his career) will always
have a special place in our hearts for his creations. I just wanted
to preface this month with a tremendous “thanks”, to Lou Scheimer
and his family, for making my childhood cartoon watching as awesome
as it was. That being said....

Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics Filmation Nepthu from Mattel – Tag Team Review
“After a
lifetime of searching, the Sun Scarab is mine. And with it I, Nepthu,
can rule Eternia! No - the whole universe!”
I
don’t dislike Nepthu like I do Karatti, but I also didn’t really
feel all that inclined to give him a full review. He’s basically a
guy in a towel and a dick hat. But before I even really had time to
think about reviewing this precursor to Mumm-Ra the Ever Living, Mr.
Beau Brown sent me his review, unsolicited.
I
was ecstatic.
Labels:
action figures,
Beau Brown,
Filmation,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com

Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Toy Collecting
After
Dragon Con I was contacted by a newly-minted Phantomaniac about toy
collecting. They wanted to know how to start and get some tips about
maintaining a collection. I was happy to help. Partially because I’m
a nice guy, partially because I was flattered that anybody would come
to me for advice about anything, and mostly because I thought, “Holy
shit – that’s a great
idea for a post!”
So
I cranked out a couple thousand words and warned this person that
while they got first dibs and a slightly more personalized article, I
would be posting this thing come November. It was just too perfect a
pre-Christmas post to not use.
Labels:
action figures,
tips from uncle troublemaker,
toys

Monday, November 4, 2013
Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics Karatti from Mattel by Mr. Beau Brown
Hey
folks – I don’t normally give Beau’s stuff an intro because
he’s a regular contributor now and doesn’t need it, but I wanted
to mention that he actually submitted this several weeks ago. I just
didn’t post it because I didn’t feel Karatti was Halloweeny
enough. Heck, I wasn’t even going to review this sub-standard lump
of crap at all. That’s why Beau is doing it. Here’s our
conversation on the matter:
Phantom:
I think I really hate Karatti. I don’t even want to review him.
Beau:
I guess I could.
Phantom:
DONE.
Beau:
Oh… crap.
So
here’s Beau, with a ton more enthusiasm than I could have ever
worked up about this suck mutant from outer space.
Labels:
action figures,
Beau Brown,
Masters of the Universe,
masters of the universe classics,
mattel,
MattyCollector.com

Friday, November 1, 2013
Needless Things wants YOU for the Doctor Who Anniversary!
Calling
all Whovians!
I am
looking for Guest Posters for Needless Things to celebrate the 50th
Anniversary of Doctor Who in November. If you have anything that you
would like to say about this legendary science fiction program,
Needless Things wants to post it! I don’t care who you are or what
you do – if you are a Doctor Who fan, you have a voice! Never
written before? DO IT NOW! Needless Things wants you!
Retrospectives?
Yes. Episode reviews? Yes. Personal experiences? Yes. Fan Fiction?
Sure! Why the heck not?
The five
posts with the most hits as of November 24th
will be featured on the Earth Station One Network in the week
following the 50th
Anniversary Special.
Submissions
must be 1000 words or more. I will be happy to edit if requested.
Regardless of requests I will
edit if it is necessary. Please include pictures relevant to your
subject matter.
I would
ask that everybody that participates share Needless Things anywhere
and everywhere during the Whoniversary. Anybody that does not
participate should feel free to do the same. As a matter of fact,
everybody just go ahead and share Needless Things’ material all the
time!
Submissions
must be received by me no later than midnight on Friday, November
8th.
Unless you have a TARDIS I can borrow.
Happy
Whoniversary to everybody!
-Phantom
Labels:
doctor who,
Earth Station One,
Earth Station Who

Thursday, October 31, 2013
31 Days of Halloween Presents: Pumpkin Faces in the Night (I Remember Halloween)
Halloween
isn’t what it used to be.
Yeah
- this is going to be a total Old Man Rant, so hang in there.
Back
when I was your age we waited until it was dark to go trick or
treating. We walked from house to house across every neighborhood in
a two mile radius. We actually said, “Trick or Treat” to every
single person that opened their door. We did inspect our candy, but
only in the most cursory of ways. And nobody
ever, under any circumstances, went trick or treating without a
costume.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013
31 Days of Halloween: 17 Questions With Walker Stalker Con's James Frazier and Eric Nordhoff
Normally I keep these
Q&As to a reasonable 13 questions, but when I got the opportunity
to interview the gentlemen responsible for this coming weekend's huge
Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta, I knew I wanted to throw a few
extra in.
After all – these were
tow guys that went from doing a podcast to planning and organizing a
three day convention featuring not
only the top stars of The Walking Dead,
but also a number of luminaries from other parts of the industry –
Kane Hodder, Danielle Harris, Judith O'Dea, Joe Lynch, and Giancarlo
Esposito. Not to mention Zack Galligan, with whom I conducted an
audio interview for this year's episode of Earth Station Boo!

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