| Here We Go Again
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| September 19 2003 |
Glitches, Woes, Other Excuses
Nearly a year ago there was a fairly big problem involving server switches, a big move, jobs, and lots of other problems. As such, the site went down for a good long time. Sorry. This site was originally designed-- well, this incarnation of it-- in Summer of 2000 on a Mac that was old at the time (and is older now) and optimized for dial-up users. This is probably going to change now.
Links
Want a link? Send us a note. Maybe we'll post it, maybe we won't.
There may also be a series of dead links when you poke around. Again, if you see any, please let us know.
Other
We're now going to try to review almost everything that enters our collective grasp. Cereals, sodas, movies, games, toys... whatever. So hopefully over the course of a week, there should be something for everybody.
-- DS2 & AP
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Master Shake: The Toy
September 21 2003 |
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Toys
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 The very first toys of characters from this series have been spotted at Hot Topic stores. Six come in a case, two each of Frylock, Meatwad, and Master Shake. At $16.99 per, they were largely unimpressive and Meatwad looked basically like an overpriced and undersized pillow for your cat to sit on. The toys had no voice chips, passable likenesses (almost bootleg-worthy quality), and decent packaging. While the company doesn't have them posted on their web site yet, they were produced by Kids Kraze.
The back of the packaging showed art for Harvey Birdman, Sealab, and other Adult Swim programs, but did not show other product or indicate any would be available.
--AP
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Rainbow Brite Redux
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Fans of the classic property will be interested to know that Hot Topic has an exclusive doll of the title character available now. No manufacturer was readily apparent on the box, but she seems to be of similar to the old ones (keep in mind we haven't seen an old one probably ever) and costs about $20. The dolls are marked as Hot Topic exclusives.
--AP
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TicketMaster: "We Want All Your Money"
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 A friend of the site tipped us off to this link in which Ticketmaster announces plans to start auctioning off the finer seats in a venue. "If somebody wants to charge $50 for a ticket, but it's actually worth $1,000 on eBay, the ticket's worth $1,000." Many pundits have claimed eBay is the future of ecommerce, but most people assumed that meant peer-to-peer transactions and not having everything be auctioned off. Apparently they've deemed it prudent to scalp their own tickets.
This could be the start of a bad trend. KB Toys has started bumping up the prices of more desirable action figures that, while not necessarily hard to get, are now in essence being pre-scalped. (Elrond and Twilight Frodo from Lord of the Rings have been marked up a few bucks as of late.)
--AP
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Zoids: Buy One Get One Free, Clearances
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 Toys "R" Us is currently holding a BOGO sale on their Zoids products priced $3.99-$49.99 through September 28. As they stock many of the newer sets as well as some exclusives, this is an excellent opportunity to do some holiday shopping or perhaps even for Toys For Tots or another charity. KB Toys stores have sets as low as $1.99 (formerly $7.99) as well as several other markdowns in addition to a free Z-Builders set with every $15 purchase. Lastly, Wal-Marts have marked down selected older sets, and this varies by store.
--DS2
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Launch
September 28 2003 |
16bit.com Relaunches
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 After over a year of downtime due to a goofy server issue and other matters coming to light, we've relaunched with an upgraded look and some upgraded equipment. Most of the old features are back online, some are no longer online, and some will be coming back shortly. If you find a dead link, please do let us know.
--AP
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Another Sign of the End Of Days
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 A sighting was made last night in a Phoenix area Wal-Mart, near the electronics section, of Olsen Twins branded boots aimed at, we presume, the tween set. At press time, there was no word of confirmation of the duo as an unstoppable force in the Universe, or of a similar competing line of Dave Coulier Mr. Woodchuck wear.
--AP
GI Joe vs. Cobra Series 7 & 8 Sighted
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 The latest series of the Real American Hero has been spotted, complete with a new Destro and a brand new Cobra Commander. 16bit.com obtained a sample of the Switch Gears vs. Cobra Commander set on Saturday evening and is preparing a review.
--AP
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Zoids: US 2003 Releases
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Despite signs to the contrary, brand new product has been shipping. The Z-Builders Buster Eagle in US packaging is being sighted at Wal-Marts and is shipping at one per case. The smaller basic and deluxe assortments for 2003 are being spotted at non-traditional toy outlets, such as some larger grocery stores. As such, it is still worthwhile to do some hunting before importing.
--AP
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Sightings, Copyright, and You
September 30 2003 |
Video Game News Round-Up
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 Item #1: Nintendo is releasing a Gundam edition GameCube, as well as GameBoy Advance SP. Find images here.
Item #2: GameForms is reporting additional details surrounding the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Advent Children OVA. This hour-long CG bonanza now has a teaser image up, with Cloud and Sephiroth, and is shown on the GameForms Story.
--AP
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He-Man at Target, Mattel/Hasbro Naming Rights
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 With the world all doom and gloom about Masters of the Universe these days, it seems that earlier reports of the line being dropped by Target Stores were not completely true. Larger Target and Target Greatland stores continue to receive the Slime Pit playset (albeit at $29.99 rather than $19.99) as well as basic and deluxe figures. A few recent Evil-Lyn sightings should give a little hope to the He-Fans out there who thought they lost everything.
And for those who found an Evil-Lyn and want to be more depressed, it turns out Mattel lost the rights to the name Fisto, possibly due to the Star Wars character, Kit Fisto. The old character's new name? Battle Fist.
In an interesting turn, it seems Hasbro has lost the name of the TransFormers toy T-Wrecks. Formerly a Beast Machines-era Dinobots toy, Mattel snatched up the name and is now using it for a Hot Wheels Track. While the hard-and-fast rule of how long one has to lose a name is hard to find, it seems to be under three years.
--AP
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TransFormers Alternators/Binal Tech First Release in Japan
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 The Japanese versions of the Alternators toys, 1:18 scale super-posable updates of Generation One characters, has been spotted. Smokescreen sells for about $50 in Japan, and the US version will be closer to $20. The Japanese version has metal pieces which add to the cost, as well as a traditionally higher price just because it's in Japan.
Remy's TransFormers posted two great photo galleries, one with the robot mode, the other in the car mode. Check them out, it's a fairly nifty toy.
--AP
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Star Wars Q&A Posted
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 In case you missed it, my weekly Q&A feature was posted regarding more of the latest question on Star Wars toys. Click here to check it out!
--AP
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16bit.com Bugs, New Features
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One item that was in the works for the old site that never quite took off was a toy release calendar. Basically, we put in release dates as we knew them, and posted a list of recently released items. If you have a toy line you'd like to see covered, or are willing to provide release data, please contact 16bit.com management.
Also, we're still finding and combatting outdated data and general errors, so please let us know if you see a problem. Thanks for your support!
Lastly, in case you care, Kermit the Frog is the co-host on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week on ABC-TV. Animal will be sitting in with Jimmy's band on Wednesday.
--AP
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Click Here For News From August (2002)!
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