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He's On Welfare
August 1 2004
Free MST3K DVD

MSTies, unite! TVShowsOnDVD.com has the scoop on an exclusive Shorts Vol. 3 collection for when you order the upcoming "Essentials" collection of Mystery Science Theater 3000 online. Check it out for more.

--AP

OTFCC: Day 1

An enormous amount of information is getting out of the OTFCC, not all of which jives. A lot of neat new information is getting out, though, and courtesy of numerous Web sites, you can hear a lot of it.

One of the biggest surprises was the reissue of the G1 Seacons, and the big combiner Piranahking. All six members are being reissued, not just five like in the Japanese release of God Neptune during Beast Wars II. The set is coming out in Universe, interestingly enough, and will be a giant Wal-Mart exclusive box set.

They confirmed the Energon combiners are coming and will be, in some cases, a five-member team with two repeated repainted members to cut corners. (Sounds fair.) They will have blue Energon bits it seems, a first. Grimlock and Swoop are coming as Energon toys in the USA, but aren't even planned for release in Japan. A repaint and remold of Starscream is planned, minus the battle damage, but done up in G1 colors. Neat! They even showed Kicker and Alpha Quintesson toys (formerly Alpha Q). Also, the SWAT Prowl and Rodimus will be a K-Mart exclusive set, while the repaints of Armada Demolishor and Cyclonus are, in fact, Kay-Bee exclusives. A good idea.

Surprisingly, nothing really Earth-shattering was shown. As always, things leaked out so far in advance that nothing was too surprising, but a lot of stuff got confirmed and that's always good. They're even considering reissuing Energon Ultra Magnus in Universe, which is good because it was such a low run toy... and they're going to do a Fan's Choice figure, falling in line with Star Wars and G.I. Joe.

Want pictures? The Allspark's Gallery of Hasbro's Panel has a ton of shots and new images, as does their gallery of Hasbro's booth.

Be sure to check out the fully painted Kicker with High Wire (human w/ transforming motorcycle) as well as a lot of the other items... some of which are better than others. The repainted Starscream is quite the catch. The combined mode for Grimlock and Swoop... uh.... yeah.

Some reports indicate Hasbro was quoted as saying it might make sense for them to bring out some of the Robot Masters repaints to the USA, but probably not the new molds-- meaning the new Optimus and new weapons will probably be a no-go. Sad. Also, Fan2Fan posted a preview of the magazine exclusive black Beast Megatron. It looks very striking, almost like a Godzilla villain. Check it out, yo.

We also saw Crystal Widow vs. Oil Slick at a few K-Marts today, marking the first Universe versus packs we've seen. Apparently all of these will be some form of shared exclusive, so keep watching out!

--AP

And in other news...

Neil Hamburger puts on a Hell of a show. As do the Phantom Surfers. If they come to your town, go see them.

We're also editing a lot of photos of various goodies we got in San Diego last week, and working on reviews that hopefully you'll enjoy. This week, we're working on the Microman exclusive Micro Trainer Machine figure for sure, and some other stuff depending on what turns out good. (We're being picky about photos.)

--AP

Maine! MAINE!
August 2 2004
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter

Galactic Hunter has posted their weekly Q&A column by yours truly and, as always, I'm eagerly looking for new questions. So, feel free to send any in.

--AP

Final Invader Zim DVD

Courtesy of TVShowsOnDVD.com we now know the third volume of Zim is coming in October. Horrible Holiday Cheer has been semi-confirmed for October 12, and will be a two-disc blah blah blah you know the drill. Volume 2 is due August 31 and is entitled Progressive Stupidity.

--AP

OTFCC: Day 2

While a lot of information made it out yesterday, it's still being digested and formatted as a lot went on and you can't tell exactly who knows what about what. So, we turn you to this article at Transfandom in which they rundown a lot of good stuff for your amusement. A surprising number of the brand-new molds for Energon have been confirmed to not appear in the cartoon, and in some cases, are not planned for a Japanese release.

TFormers.com posted a lot of the art room, and there's some neat stuff in here. (No more of this "let's tweak Optimal Optimus into Unicron" BS.) Looks like someone made a custom moose out of Beast Wars Neo Mach Kick... that's all kinds of awesome, I must say. Many shots are a little blurry but do show a nice level of creativity, and one guy made a most excellent display for the Heroes of Cybertron/Super Collection Figure line, too!

While this was the 20th anniversary of the toy line, it seems that they didn't exactly pull out all the stops for new announcements or for one heck of a show. Of course, I also wasn't there, so who knows. But hey... Seacons at Wal-Mart!! All six! In Easter colors! (Whatever, it's good enough.)

--AP

And in other news...

Adult Swim premiered a new show tonight called Stroker and Hoop. What was funny about this show-- not the show itself, mind you-- was that they showed the opening and pre-opening part of this episode at the panel in San Diego, and it looked kinda crappy-- like it might be unfinished. Guess what? It wasn't. It just sucked. 12 more episodes I'll wager.

We're also thinking about doing some comic reviews. We thought about it at the last relaunch and we think it might be fun to bolster the site with like trade paperback reviews or something, as really great comics are hard to find. Opinions welcome, 16bit.com hearts diversity in content as much as it hearts reader feedback.

--AP

Be Sure to Hit to Applicant Everyone!
August 3 2004
Review: Microman Micro Trainer Machine

America hasn't really been a breeding ground for new toys from Microman or Micronauts, but Takara finally blessed the USA with an exclusive Micro Trainer Machine at San Diego's Comic-Con International last month. With nearly 30 joints, it's a superposable plastic bundle of fun. Read more about it in today's review!

--AP

Significant Quantity of New (Or Unannounced) Playmobil at Target

Every year, Target leads the pack with a huge wad of new mass-market Playmobil toys, including a lot of items not sold in other countries. Last night, we saw what may have been one of the most significant rollouts in quite some time, with a Mall Santa, several new Pirates sets, and oh so much more. Here's some stuff we spotted, with what we can make out of our notes due to smudging:

5753 Photo Santa Claus, $9.99
5736 Blakbeard's Pirate Ship, $35.99
5732 Ferocious Dragon, $14.99
5749 Pontoon Helicopter, $17.99
5743 Commuter Plane, $14.99
5747 Amphibious Vehicle, $14.99
5730 Blackbeard, $3.99
5750 Mounted Ranger, $3.99
5728 Treasure Island, $9.99
5729 (No Name, New Shark Boat with Island), $9.99
5748 Offroad Motorbike
5727 Pirate Dungeon, $19.99
5742 Attack Tower, $19.99
5738 Catapult Castle, $34.99
5746 Tree House, $39.99
Treasure, $19.99

We did not see any new Playmobil Pals, the renamed and repackaged Specials sets. "Treasure" was not available yet, but it's the treasure chest that opens up to be a big Pirate cove playset. The smaller Treasure Island was a small set with more pirates, and the bulk of these are brand new items, not just repackaged European product. The Tree House, though, seems the same as the new outdoor set offered elsewhere (just cheaper), and the Ferocious Dragon has an all-new knight with a blue chrome sword and the dragon is actually molded in black. The Mounted Ranger isn't a mountie as such, but it looks a lot like one.

If you like Playmobil, start haunting your local Targets-- after a few weeks of empty shelves, they're making up for it with a vengeance this holiday season!

--AP

OTFCC: Fallout

A lot of news and a lot of clarification in terms of information and pictures... and tons of new news keeps coming!

Palisades posted a huge wad of photos of their upcoming Starscream statue, fully painted and from several angles. It's looking good!

Ben's World of TransFormers posted several shots of the art room from OTFCC, which are clearer than many of those mentioned yesterday. It also shows the moose in robot mode.

The location for 2005's OTFCC, which will undoubtedly be huge due to the significance of the year in Transfandom and the 2006 movie, has no set location. 3H, the company responsible for the fan events, has hinted that they were looking at the southern and/or western states. Arizona is nice, we hear.

The artwork for the Energon Grimlock and Swoop was posted to TFW2005 along with some other sketches. Keep in mind, these are inked black-and-white drawings, not final colored art.

Takara added Beast Convoy and Starscream to its Robot Masters Page, showing that they're going to recycle that blue rifle in every toy, or close to it.

--AP

Great Caesar's Ghost
August 4 2004
Review: Star Wars OTC Vintage Princess Leia Organa

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at a great update of an old figure with Princess Leia Organa. She's tiny, she's posable, and she looks a little more like the vintage figure updated than it does like Carrie Fisher-- so in other words, it's rather neat. In today's review, we present images-a-plenty and commentary on this release that should be worth your hard-earned dollars.

--AP

Energon Sixshot Confirmed, New Toys Sighted

Who would have guessed Wal-Mart would get to announce new toys and new pricepoints for said toys? The following are to preorder pages to Wal-Mart.com, and they're all pennies under $20.

Sixshot
Alpha Quintesson
Dreadwing
Wing Saber

We updated our checklist accordingly.

We also spotted Shockblast and Cliffjumper... at our local grocery store for $19.99 a pop. As these are slow arriving in the USA, Arizona residents may wish to check Fry's Marketplace (not Fry's Electronics or Fry's Food & Drug), and residents of other states may wish to check out grocery stores with above-average toy sections. (You know, the ones that carried Heroes of Cybertron or individually carded Valor vs. Venom figures.) I should note that Shockblast has a most obnoxious set of electronic sounds, so you should probably leave those batteries out. Cliffjumper has a single engine-revving sound so far as we can tell and it, too, sucks.

Also, we found these two toys earlier and have yet to share boxed pics. So, here ya go-- Energon Strongarm and Omega Supreme.

Finally, Japanese Anime site Animax posted a comprehensive list of the top 100 robot anime series of all time. TransFormers made the list twice, once for Beast Wars which doesn't fit the definition of anime by even most loose definitions of the term as it was a Canadian-created CG series. You can find the complete list translated at TFormers.com.

--AP

Target Exclusive Limited Edition LEGO Knights

Target is now receiving an exclusive "limited edition" version of the large canister versions of the Knight's Kingdom figures with an orange banner boasting an extra six trading cards in every toy. If you're in to such things, this is an excellent deal.

--AP

MST3K DVD Vol. 6

Do you like Mystery Science Theater 3000? Sure you do. TVShowsOnDVD.com has the contents of the sixth volume of episodes on DVD, in which you can get Gunslinger, Mr. B Natural's Shorts, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and Teenagers from Outer Space. This streets September 21, a date which should inspire dread because it's also the release date of The Star Wars Trilogy, Mr. Show Season 4, and a lot of other stuff. But those are the things you'll want to buy.

Also, we found out stores are now selling the old cheesy kid films from Disney The Flight of the Navigator in addition to The Cat from Outer Space which feature Paul Reubens and Roddy McDowall, respectively. They're on sale fairly cheap, so if you wanted to see these old flicks, it might be worth a shot for a cheap thrill.

--AP

Target Clearance Season

It's that time again, kids! Target stores are blowing out a ton of items. We've previously reported Armies of Middle-Earth for up to 75% off, but a lot of items from Spider-Man 2, Bionicle, and even Star Wars are hitting the big markdown. The mighty Unicron from TransFormers Armada has fallen... to $13.98, and that isn't even final markdown yet! If you want to get some cheap thrills or early stocking stuffers, hit a Target this week.

--AP

72 Nintendo DS Games Announced

The guys over at The Magic Box posted 72 games in development for the upcoming Nintendo DS. Lots of friendly faces like Seiken Densetsu (Secret of Mana), Castlevania, and more are on tap. Also, the rumor mill is reporting a second round of American NES Classics should be coming in October, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

--AP

Bite That Hand
August 5 2004
Spider-Man Stuff A-Plenty

Target stores are resetting their aisles, and that means new stuff. Lots of new Spider-Man items are in stock from the comics and movies, including the very ornate Stunt System sets which were shown at Toy Fair. These allow Spidey to fly through the city and stop crimes-- it's a cute gimmick and can be built upon with expansion sets.

Also available were Doc Ock tentacle role-playing toys, various new figures, and a new Spidey and Doc Ock two-pack based on the comics which we presume is an exclusive, and it's $11.99.

--AP

Cheap Bionicle Rakshi

Target has these villains down as low as $1.24 in some stores, and selection varies wildly. If you want to get the exclusive purple Kraata, or just more parts, it probably won't get better than this.

--AP

Revised Arrested Development Cover Art

Because things change-- often-- TVShowsOnDVD.com has what seems to be the third change to the packaging for the first season of Arrested Development. Instead of a bunch of feet, now it's a huge shot of Jason Bateman's head, and above him (and upside-down) is the rest of the regular cast and some of the guest stars. It's an improvement, for certain, so be sure to snag it when it comes out October 19.

--AP

Target: Holiday Reset

With the clearances lately, it seemed Target was about due for its big holiday reset of its toy section, and looking around it seems a lot of stores have gone ahead and done it. There's a lot of space set aside for Spider-Man, and a lot of smaller lines are getting pushed out-- in one store, TransFormers had very little shelf space. It'll vary from place to place, but be sure to go looking because we're seeing loads of new stuff, like Omega Supreme, and that's not a bad find.

--AP

Warioware 2 Details

Once again The Magic Box has the latest scoop. The sequel to Warioware (or Mawaru Made in Wario) will hit Japan on October 16, and will feature 200 brand new microgames and a motion sensor. This will undoubtedly make for a very different gaming experience, and as of yet no US release date is known-- but let's face it, it's pretty much a sure thing.

--AP

Promptly See a Doctor
August 6 2004
Energon Quickstrike, official Alternators Images

Wal-Mart strikes again with Quickstrike, a new repaint of Bulkhead for the TransFormers Energon line. The store also has preorders up for Omega Sentinel (wrong pic) and Bulkhead, Landquake, and many others. Also listed was Overbite with Buzzclaw, no images were available but as there was an unidentified purple and grey toy in the Energon display at OTFCC, feel free to speculate.

Wal-Mart has official images of Meister and Grimlock, both of which are nice and big. Grimlock looks much better than earlier photography and has some neat chrome bits to check out, and Meister is what you've seen at conventions and elsewhere.

Lastly, three new toys hit Japan and are on eBay-- Robot Masters Beast Convoy, Robot Masters Starscream, and Alternators Tracks. Tracks will be blue in the USA and yellow in Japan, and so far it seems are happiest this way.

--AP

DVD Details for Seinfeld

USA Today broke the news, but TVShowsOnDVD.com has the supposed scoop on Seinfeld. Apparently seasons 1 and 2 will be $49.99 (one set for both), season 3 will be the same price, or you can get the whole was for $119.99 with some bonus. What bonus, you ask? Salt and pepper shakers... that are shaped like ketchup and mustard bottles.

--AP

The Black Gates of Mordor

Now available at Wal-Mart is this giant figure boxed set from Lord of the Rings. The nifty box includes Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the Mouth of Sauron, best known to people who saw the movie Return of the King as "scene missing." He'll be on the upcoming extended edition DVD this December, though, but this is a nice way to see him and his horse right now.

--AP

Aliens vs. Predator Toys Hit

Early yesterday it was confirmed that McFarlane's toys for the upcoming summer team-up Aliens vs. Predator hit Hong Kong, and a few hours later on we spotted the figures right here in the USA at one of our many local comic book shops. Five figures are available, so if you're game, go hunting-- these look great for what they are.

--AP

And in other news...

You know Tuesday Morning? That place that smells like your mom's potpourri cabinet? Well, a bunch of them remodeled and added a buttload of new old toys, including some 12" blue hooded Cobra Commander figures from G.I. Joe (ca. 2002), lots more Masters of the Universe, and a lot of Bionicle stuff, like the tiny Matoran sets from the Mask of Light release. You know, the hockey player types, such as Hewki and Hafu. It's worth a look, there's a surprisingly large variety of goods, even earlier Mattel Batman wares.

There's going to be a free show with The Minibosses in Phoenix tonight. You should go. It'll be good times.

--AP

It Was Fun
August 7 2004
The Batman Target Exclusive Twin-Packs

Some but not all Target stores are resetting, and with that reset comes a special two-pack of basic figures from Mattel's The Batman line. We aren't yet sure if it's random pairings or not, but basically you get two $6.99 figures shrinkwrapped together for $9.99, which is a good deal if you're looking to buy many Batmen.

--AP

More DVD Details for Seinfeld

The press release for Seinfeld was posted over at TVShowsOnDVD.com. Each box set will be $49.99 as previously reported, but the $119.99 deluxe gift set will not only include the salt and pepper shakers, but also a script with Larry David's notes in the margins and even something they're referring to as "collectible playing cards," whatever those are. These are all due November 23.

--AP

Muppets Series 8 Hits Stores

Sam Goody and Suncoast were some of the first to receive new Muppets figures this week with series eight. The four figures include Sam the Eagle, Marvin Suggs, Dr. Phil van Neuter, and Movie Usher Scooter. The next series features the great, fantastic Uncle Deadly, and of course these can be found at the usual haunts.

--AP

Invader Zim Site Up at Palisades

Palisades Toys added a section with its new Invader Zim line, showing off some painted images, a lot of unpainted images, and all the accessories (also unpainted) for the first and currently only wave of toys based on the now-defunct Nickelodeon series. The first batch includes Zim, Dib, GIR, Tallest Purple, and of course Miss Bitters.

The second volume of the cartoon on DVD hits stores August 31, and the first one is pretty much everywhere now.

--AP

Robot Masters Beast Convoy & Starscream Galleries

Even though they've barely been out a day, Asian fans of the robots in disguise have been hard at work photographing these so we can see them a little bit early. Beast Convoy has swords, a firing clear blue missile launcher, and loads of articulation while G1 Starscream includes a couple of chrome missile launchers you can plug onto his chest and a brand new sculpt.

--AP

Who Wants Corn?
August 8 2004
More Robot Masters Revealed

After Beast Convoy and Starscream hit Japan, we got confirmation that Star Saber, Victory Leo, and a combo pack of Victory Saber are definitely coming by way of unpainted prototype photos released to Japanese retailers via a Takara catalog. These are all over, but you can see some pictures-- grainy, but you'll get the idea-- at TFW2005. These appear to be more posable and a little more detailled than their counterparts that were released almost two decades ago as exclusives to the TransFormers Victory line which, as you know, didn't appear stateside.

Also, some new Universe toys are hitting stores. The set of Stockade and Magna Stampede as well as Autobot Whirl have been spotted at our local Target, so be sure to keep your eyes open if you want those.

Finally, there's a preview gallery over at TFKenkon.com that shows last week's big releases in Japan, which include their SuperLink Chromehorn repaint, the new Robot Masters, and yes, Tracks from BinalTech.

--AP

The Batman Batcave Available

One of the neater items from Mattel's new line from The Batman is a Batcave which, from the cardback, looks enormous. This was spotted tonight at a Target for $39.99, and it comes in a box that does look a little bit small. Of course, so did Castle Grayskull.

--AP

And in other news...

Fox is airing spots declaring the return of fan favorite Family Guy this week. Just in case you were scratching your head, these are repeats-- what you've been watching on Cartoon Network, DVDs, or on Fox back in like 2001. New episodes will air in 2005, along with some new show called American Dad.

--AP

Oh, The Hubris!
August 9 2004
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter

Galactic Hunter has posted their weekly Q&A column by yours truly and, as always, I'm eagerly looking for new questions. So, feel free to send any in.

--AP

Brand New Twilight Zone DVD Sets

Once is never enough. The original Twilight Zone is coming to DVD in five big sets starting in December of 2004 and ending in December of 2005, so says TVShowsOnDVD.com. The 1980s show is coming out, too, but we're just linking the one that matters.

--AP

New Energon In-Package Shots

The 2005 Boards posted ton of new items in package, revealing the names of both sets of combiners, and revealing in-package shots of Wing Saber, Energon Ironhide, and many others! Don't miss it. We updated our checklist with all the new information.

--AP

New Web-only Mini Muppets Figures

Palisades Direct Store has announced that their smaller line of Muppet figures, previously sold in stores in boxed three-packs, will now be individually carded Web-exclusives. The first two? Kermit on a log with his banjo, and the first-ever figure of the large monster Muppet Doglion. They're $8 per.

--AP

And in other news...

Retro is dead? Kohl's and Target stores are now getting NES, Ninja Turtles, and other shirts whose content may be intended as borderline ironic. The wit of said shirts is currently unchanged.

--AP

Tonight's The Hat Party
August 10 2004
Review: TransFormers Robot Masters Beast Megatron

Today, we have our first Robot Masters review with the recently released Beast Megatron. This is a smaller toy than the previously released toy for Beast Wars Megatron, with fewer gimmicks, a slightly better sculpt, and comparable if not better articulation... and for now, it's exclusive to Japan. See a bundle of photos and read all about it in today's review.

As an added bonus, we also posted an in-progress rundown on the entire Robot Masters line, with the Robot Masters Fact Box. Sadly, that was the best name we could come up with. In it, we look at the 12 currently available toys in the line and tell you if the molds are new or not, and if they are recycled, what toys they were released as before. Updates with more toys and more photos will follow, but hey, this is the first version. But wait, there's more! There's also a new Robot Masters Overview with an extended look at the storyline and some other fun information about the series from the land of the rising sun.

--AP

New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Toys

As if green mutant turtles weren't enough, Playmates went ahead and released a new series of toys. New figures like a silver Fugitoid are now available in several stores, and what may be a Target exclusive has hit as well. The set includes a basic Leonardo figure along with a giant and fairly generic T-Rex toy for $14.99. We've seen no other dinosaur/turtle combo sets in the modern line, but it is worth noting there were a few nearly ten years ago and this is completely different-- these aren't "cave-turtles" or anything like that.

--AP

New Energon Galvatron Auction & Exclusive Price Drop

Some guy on eBay posted an auction for an unpackaged sample of the upcoming USA repaint of Energon Megatron which will be called Galvatron. It's expensive and appears to be complete, and is probably a good sign that he could be coming very soon.

Also, word on the street is that the upcoming exclusive two-pack of Megatron and Optimus Prime for Toys "R" Us will be cheaper than previously thought. The set, which includes the smaller mold for Energon Prime from Japan as well as their smaller Megatron, will supposedly only cost $24.99 instead of $39.99. While this is not confirmed, it seems to be from a good source and is quite a good deal-- Optimus is a $10-sized toy and Megatron is sized comparable to $20-$30 toys.

--AP

And in other news...

Stan Ridgway is coming to Phoenix this week, and we intend to be there. He's the former lead singer of Wall of Voodoo and an excellent solo artist, so if he comes to your town you should probably check him out.

--AP

If That's What We'll Do To Our Spies...
August 11 2004
Review: Star Wars OTC Vintage 12" Boba Fett

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at one of the three new "Vintage" 12" action figures, Boba Fett. While smaller than the original figure, he's a little more posable and has a lot of nice features and really looks great. That said, he ain't perfect. In today's review, look at numerous pictures and how the toy improves on many fronts... just not all of them.

--AP

Xevoz Packaging Re-Revised with New Releases

Tonight, we found evidence of a new series of Xevoz. We could tell because it had a big "NEW" sticker plastered on it. While there were many old toys in new packaging, we also found this here Tomb Wraith.

All of the figures now have revised packaging. The bubble is shaped like a triangle, and the "pouch" of parts on the back has been eliminated on the small and larger toys in favor of a more standardized design. For those keeping track, this is the third major packaging change since the line launched earlier this year. We spotted this at a local Target, which was interesting, as every other Target in town has since cleared out their old Xevoz stock.

--AP

More Space Ghost, Aqua Teen DVD

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted information on Space Ghost Volume 2 and Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume 3 complete with cover art and supplement information. Looks good, go check it out.

--AP

He-Man.dead?

If things have been darker for He-Man, we've never seen it. Skeletor has nothing on Mattel, so says He-Man.org. Apparently Mattel is looking to reclaim the domain name, and aren't satisfied to let the line and its fans discuss its constant fairly terrible status. While it's unlikely that the site's calls will do much, it does show how some companies are really cool to fan sites and others... not so much cool. We're plugging for ya, .Orgers!

--AP

Used To Be a Buck, Well Now It's Two
August 12 2004
New Diving Ninja Turtles

Space apparently wasn't enough for the Green Teens, as now Playmates released the foursome in undersea togs. Each figure has new accessories and a companion sea creature. We spotted three of the four thus far (no Don yet) and saw a squid, octopus, and shark mixed in there. These were seen, like most new toys these days, at Target.

--AP

Pee-Wee Xmas DVD

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted information on Pee-Wee's playhouse Christmas Special, due out on DVD this October 19 for $14.99. There are two commanteries, some ads, and a photo gallery-- plus this link shows the cover art.

--AP

He-Man Statues

With all the hubbub over at He-Man.org we neglected to mention they were also showing off several new statues! Included were The Sorceress and Tri-Klops, as well as scores of new Microbusts-- including Keldor, Trap Jaw, He-Man, and many others. Good stuff, surely!

--AP

Toys Aren't Us

Reports all over the Web indicate that the world's biggest toy store may be going through some very tough times, while Babies "R" Us is doing quite well. As such, the giant may spin off the Toys stores while concentrating on the enormous market for infant wares. With the decline of the toy store in the world today, this basically forces people into big box stores and/or "marts" since Kay-Bee is retreating as well, unless some other businessman with a heart of gold comes up with a market strategy to make toys in and of themselves hot once again. You can read the story in question over at Yahoo.

--AP

And in other news...

A friend of ours went with us to see Stan Ridgway in Phoenix last night, best known to you as the guy who sang "Mexican Radio" in the 1980s. The former singer of Wall of Voodoo played a lot of his better solo tunes with Pietra Wexstun (aka Mrs. Ridgway) and another guy who I believe said his name was Mark something. (This is what we get for not taking notes.) One of the highlights for fans, aside from a signing and a 100-minute set, was that he had some fairly nifty stuff for sale, including Dark Continent CDs. Dark Continent is the Wall of Voodoo album that sells for $120+ on eBay these days, and they had a pile of homemade CDR copies with about a dozen bonus tracks that make up their US Festival performance-- complete with "Fun Zone." As far as I know these are tour-only, and as an added bonus, it seems all were signed by Stan.

The show itself was great and played at the Rhythm Room. The band is playing Tucson tonight and New Mexico on Saturday, so if you have the means do go check them out. (And I can now say that I've met two of my idols.)

--AP

Replace All Parts With Longarm
August 13 2004
Review: Star Wars OTC Vintage 12" Stormtrooper

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at one of the three new "Vintage" 12" action figures, with this nifty Stormtrooper. While smaller than earlier large scale figures, but a huge improvement. There's a lot to like, but of course, it's no Marmit figure. In today's review, look at numerous pictures and how the toy works.

--AP

Alternators Dead End at K-Mart

Guess what we found at lunch yesterday?

K-Mart is not only getting new product, they're getting good stuff. We saw one of these and it was $21.99. It's a nice reworking of Side Swipe, and the really interesting thing is that there's no faction logo sculpted on the toy. As such, all that it would take to make this toy into Sunstreaker is a simple repaint.

--AP

MST3K DVD Delayed

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted information on the upcoming delay of Mystery Science Theater Volume 6, now coming to stores on October 5. Apparently the quality of the masters was so low, they had to seek out a better print for the DVDs.

It was also announced that God, the Devil, and Bob is coming to DVD. If you missed its run on NBC, you're in good company-- so did everybody else.

--AP

The Best Damn Kayaker a Man Can Be
August 14 2004
New (And New Old) Xevoz Sightings

New shipments abound at Toys "R" Us stores. The "Value Pack" sets are shipping to some stores once again, so the once-completely-absent Grim Skull (a black repaint of Skull Jack [or Tomb Wraith] with bonus parts) has returned to stores alongside the Omega Guard. Also, the first Xevoz vehicle has hit stores-- the Transcorcher with Street Punk, $19.99.

For your enjoyment, we're starting work on a Xevoz subsection with a checklist and a guide to some of the highlights of the line, like the pumpkin heads and chainsaw arms. This should make it easier to pick out the ones you'll be buying your 20-something friends for a birthday gift.

--AP

New Alternators from Wal-Mart's Computers

The 2005 Boards posted news of several new Alternators toys, however the Mini Cooper was not one of them. New items on this newest list include a Honda S2000 and redecorated versions of the Chevy Corvette, Ford Mustang, and Mazda RX-8. For those last three, no names are available as of yet.

--AP

Restore Sanity to the Blind
August 15 2004
Yet More New Xevoz Sightings

While Target at large seems to have abandoned the Stikfas-derived action figure line from Hasbro, Target Greatland stores are not only stocking up, but stocking up en masse. Yesterday, we spotted the Quick Slinger, Crypt Curse, Cryo Katana with Preda Crawler ($14.99), Battle Attack Transporter with Iron Spectre ($24.99), and Storm Wing. (Any Tomb Wraiths that may have been there have since sold out.)

The Battle Attack Transporter is a very large carry case/game board which automatically spins the Battle Helix (aka game die) and includes an exclusive figure. It carries two fully assembled figures and a lot of parts.

What really surprised us were all the little quirky bonus items in each set. For example, the Cryo Katana with Preda Crawler included a number of bonus heads, including a snowman with carrot nose and teddy bear. The Quick Slinger included a "kick me" sign you can stick to your figures, and the Storm Wing has a rooster head. The line seems to be advancing nicely, mixing an old-fashioned action figure sensibility with the quirky oddness that permeates Stikfas and should appeal to an older audience's sense of desire for odd toys. Any way you slice it, the line is moving along nicely and we are currently working on a Super Section to highlight its finer points. For now, though, please consult our checklist to see what's available and what's coming out next.

--AP

Boxed Energon Grimlock & Swoop

The cats at TFW2005 posted Grimlock & Swoop in their box, and as of now it isn't easy to tell which price point they'll be selling at. The nice thing, though, is we now have a name for their combined mode-- Mega Dinobot.

--AP

Minimates Making the Rounds

First up, a number of the "CIII" line of Art Asylum's Minimates are now hitting Toys "R" Us and Wal-Mart stores. You can find at least four Batman vehicles, including a glider, a small Batmobile, and a huge Batplane-- and others. Each set includes a figure or two and there's some really slick designs in here, such as your very own blocky new-style Catwoman. Some of these are fairly cheap, but they cost more than similarly sized LEGO sets, most likely due to the license, kit-specific parts, and increased paint operations.

But wait, there's more! Wal-Mart is also getting a number of two-packs of Marvel characters like Venom, Spidey, Wolverine, and so many more. Each boxed set (no window box) is about $5.

--AP

New Lord of the Rings Box Set

The coronation box set from Toy Biz is now hitting Toys "R" Us stores here in Arizona, and it includes Arwen and Ewoyn in their white dressed finest. The set also includes Aragorn, Eomer, and Faramir. These are usually around the recently released Fell Beast and Gates of Mordor sets, if you haven't seen those.

--AP

What is your biggest gun?
August 16 2004
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter

Galactic Hunter has posted their weekly Q&A column by yours truly and, as always, I'm eagerly looking for new questions. So, feel free to send any in.

--AP

New K-Mart Operation Avalanche Box Set

K-Mart has a new, presumably exclusive box set of 4" G.I. Joe toys. The set is basically existing toys in a new, $19.99 box but is especially notable in that includes the somewhat scarce grey Snake Eyes from late 2002 and early 2003 which was quickly changed to an all-black figure for subsequent releases.

--AP

And in other news...

More Thunderbirds movie toys are hitting stores, this time of the human characters. The movie's in theaters too if you didn't know, and if you didn't, you aren't alone-- ain't nobody going to see this one.

--AP

To Defacate Upon It Would Be An Empty Gesture
August 17 2004
Xevoz Proliferation

After appearing at Target Greatland stores last week, Toys "R" Us is now stocking the Battle Attack Transporter for $29.99. That's $5 more than the competition, but as I can count the number of Greatland stores I've been in on one finger, it's nice to know there are options. The other new Xevoz figures have yet to show up outside of the Target chain and some online stores just yet.

--AP

Alternators S2000, Boxed Universe Soundwave & Spacecase

The peeps at TFW2005 posted shots of an unpainted red, grey, and white prototype of a Honda S2000 Alternators toy. Who is it? Nobody knows. Speculation is leading toward Side Burn from Robots in Disguise (aka Car Robots' own Speed Breaker, but as of yet, nobody knows.

The same site has this thread with a boxed Energon Beachcomber as well as Universe's Spacecase and Soundwave two-pack.

--AP

New Official Batman Microman Photography

It's no secret DC Direct will be importing Takara's marvelous super-posable Batman figures this December, but it has been hard to find good images of some figures. Well, no more! Action-Figure.com posted four official shots of the figures which include Catwoman, Batman, Flight Gear Batman, and a Batman & Batgirl two-pack.

--AP

Inside The High School
August 18 2004
Review: Star Wars OTC Jawas

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at one of the many repainted items in the Original Trilogy Collection with the Jawas. These are repaints of the 1996 figures, but they're good repaints. In today's review, you can get a second opinion on what you already knew-- that you want to buy at least a couple of packs of these.

--AP

Voltron on DVD

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted information on Voltron, sort of. It isn't final, but it's an announcement that an announcement is coming to celebrate the show's anniversary. (Also notable is an upcoming Masterpiece Voltron toy later this year.) So, fans of Voltron, good news for you!

--AP

Energon Galvatron Gallery

Amon posted a gallery of the upcoming Energon repaint of Megatron as Galvatron. There are comparison shots against the original G1 Galvatron as well as SuperLink and Armada toys. It's looking good!

--AP

Moss Man is Back

He-Man.org now has the hard-to-find Moss Man figure on sale for $25 and shipping-- which ain't bad, considering it initially cost a lot more. (You had to buy three figures from the same store on the same receipt and pay S&H on top of that... which is a bit nuts.) Grab 'em while you can! (We need to get one ourselves before it's too late.)

--AP

Two Great Tastes
August 19 2004
Justice League Racecars with Figures

Wal-Mart has a new set that may interest a lot of you. Mattel has released a two-pack of toys... one car, one action figure. The car is based on various racecars, and the figure is a metallic repaint of a Justice League action figure like Batman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and so on. The price is a little high-- $11.99. So far, we've only see these at one Wal-Mart so they may or may not be an exclusive.

--AP

Star Trek: Original Series Third Wave

The peeps at Action-Figure.com posted shots of Gorn and an unpainted Orion dancer girl as well as news on the rest of the series. Who awaits you? Kirk in a gold shirt, a salt vampire, and a Klingon. These may or may not be the final series, but the sculpts and detail are incredible-- the Gorn figure looks almost as good as the minibust from last year.

--AP

US Target Exclusives at Collectobil

If you don't live in the USA, you may wish to visit Collectobil for the latest update. The site added shots of numerous US exclusives that are just now hitting most if not all American Target stores, so be on the lookout for these... or go to Collectobil and see what you need to ask your American pals to buy you for the holidays.

--AP

And in other news...

A new issue of the comic book The Goon came out. The eighth Dark Horse installment in the series of the mob-goon-turned-monster-fighter has him doing battle with vampire types. Is it good times? Yes, yes it is. (Don't read it if you're a wee one.)

--AP

Particular About The Point It Made
August 20 2004
Review: Star Wars OTC Luke Skywalker (Bespin)

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at one of the many repainted items in the Original Trilogy Collection with the Luke Skywalker figure as seen on Cloud City. The figure was arguably one of the finest 2002 had to offer, and now that he has been repainted to appear less filthy it's almost like a brand new figure. In today's review, we show why this figure actually matters, even though it's missing an accessory from the 2002 version.

--AP

Shrek 2: New Figures

So far, we've spotted two new figures from the Shrek sequel at a local Wal-Mart. One is Handsome Shrek, where he's in his human form and has an ogre "outfit" you can slide over it to transform him into is usual green self. The other figure is Noble Steed, a larger version of Donkey when he gets all white and... well, noble looking. There are no other known new figures at this time, and most of the old set seem to be shipping except for Dragon with Dronkey.

--AP

Godzilla: Save the Earth Info

Monster Zero News added a sizable feature on this Fall's new game. Apparently a lot has been added, like online play and playable Jet Jaguar and Mothra. Be sure to read up for the full story.

--AP

Four More NES for GameBoy Advance

GameSpot confirmed that Nintendo has announced four more classic NES games are coming to the GameBoy Advance in the USA. The good news is that this lineup will be released on October 25 and will include Dr. Mario, Castlevania, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Metroid. The bad news? Dr. Mario and Metroid are more or less already available as freebies-- Dr. Wario is unlockable as part of Warioware, and Metroid in its entirety is available as part of Metroid: Zero Mission. No plans were mentioned for Kid Icarus or the Japanese Super Mario Bros. II in the USA, which is unfortunate. Still, Castlevania and Zelda II are what matter here so save your pennies, these will be $19.99 per upon release.

--AP

Xevoz Rumor

Doing some scouring, we found an entry for a new Xevoz two-pack. Ice Fury vs. Zyder Trooper was listed on an eBay auction and supposedly a Hasbro sell sheet. We don't know if this is a new set, a working name for Cryo Katana and the Preda Crawler, or something else entirely. Still, we find it interesting and will update our checklist accordingly.

--AP

Can't a Guy Enjoy a Crispy English Muffin Around Here?
August 21 2004
More C3 Sets

Art Asylum's new superhero construction toys continue to show up in stores. Now, you can get a Throne Room with Darkseid and Superman, a chemical lab with Batman and the Joker, and even the Bat Cave. The former two are about $10 while the latter is $50-ish at Wal-Mart. We have yet to see these three sets elsewhere but expect more of them soon.

--AP

New Xevoz Images

Entertainment Earth, online store and all-around groovy cats, posted three new official Hasbro images of new and as far as I can tell, previously unseen Xevoz toys.

From left to right: Biomecha Infil-Traitor, Unnatural Frankenpunker, and Neosapiens Hyper Guardian. Each thumbnail links to a much larger image over at the store in question. Particularly notable: the Frankenpunker has a huge guitar, the Hyper Guardian looks like a super hero and seems to have some sort of flight stand accessory, and the Infil-Traitor just looks nifty.

--AP

New Date for Bubble Bobble, Final Fantasy I & II on GameBoy Advance

Oft-delayed in the USA, Bubble Bobble is now confirmed by EB and a few other stores to have a new release date. The new date? September 28, 2004. The price? $19.99. The chances of this changing yet again? Pretty good, we'd wager.

Meanwhile, the compilation cart of Final Fantasies I and II has been confirmed for Europe under the name Dawn of Souls which is... different. The region-free European release will be out on December 10, so if the game is in English and there's no release date for a US title, import fiends, your time has come.

--AP

Searching for Food, a Quest for Fire
August 22 2004
Mass Wal-Mart Clearances

Sometimes during the post-summer and post-holiday period, Wal-Mart stores set up a clearance ghetto for all their old, unloved, unsold goods and blow them out the door. Based on that intro, you should be able to guess what follows in today's news.

--AP

Super Cheap Xevoz

Wal-Mart-- just one so far, we haven't checked them all-- has marked down all their Xevoz toys down to an even $2.00 per toy. The store in question only had the $7 and $10 toys available and as far as we know never stocked the larger price points. All remaining items-- and there were plenty-- were $2.00 regardless of assortment. (For the record, we saw Alpha Rangers, Razorclaws, Inferno Furys, Sledge Troopers, Sky Grinders, Shock Berserkers, a buttload of Dune Stingers, and that was about it. Lots of the three formerly $10 toys though.)

Unfortunately the store seemed long out of the great Skull Jack toy which you should totally buy yourself if you see one. Heck, we'd have bought extras.

--AP

Bargain Basement TransFormers, Robot Masters Victory Saber revealed

Found at Wal-Mart: Masterpiece Optimus Prime for $25.00, the two Universe spychangers packs at $1.50 a hit, all Ultra Universe toys along with Ruination and Sunstorm for an even $5.00 per, and the Energon Mini-Cons six packs for $2.00 even. Finally, the $10 exclusive Universe cars with CD-ROMs were down to $2.00 as well. So for those of you keeping track this means all of the exclusive Wal-Mart spring 2004 exclusives, of which there were many, were bumped down low enough where you could end up getting the wad of them for somewhere in the neighborhood for $21 plus tax.

Meanwhile in Japan, they were showing off new toys. Check out reports from a recent Japanese toy show over at Fan2Fan, including the new and sorta nifty Victory Saber which is made of Victory Leo and Star Saber. All new molds, too!

--AP

Cheapo Harry Potter

Numerous stores have marked down the bulk of the remaining Azkaban toys. Wal-Mart and Target have bumped the figure three-packs of miniature figures to $2.00 and $1.94-$3.94, respectively. Other larger figures have been marked down at both stores as well, and frankly we're incredibly surprised to see these bumped off before the DVD release and the upcoming holiday season.

--AP

From There & Back Again

Wal-Mart dropped the price of the Lord of the Rings five-Hobbit set which includes a toy of Bilbo's book and all five Hobbitses to an even $10, which is about right for what you get in the box. Also, Aragorn's sword-- the noisy electronic one-- was also marked to $10. The basic figures and other items were all still full price.

--AP

Justice League Car & Figure Clearance

While we just saw these the other day, Wal-Mart has marked them down already for a cheap $2.00. Metallic repaints of the Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and the Green Lantern each cost the couple of bucks and include a car. Killer deal, surely.

--AP

And in other news...

While we saw what may have been the greatest series of toy clearances... well, ever, we didn't buy all that much. We will, though, next week when we clean the place out of goodies for Toys for Tots, possible gifts, and of course, more crap for us. What can we say, we love discount Hasbro crap.

For a weekend with few new toy sightings, this is a heck of a nice alternative. We wish we had more news for ya, but we just came back from a party and afterward dropped like $26 on $101 worth of toys and something called a Carlos V bar from Nestle. Some milk chocolate thing. Ain't nothing special but hey, it was a quarter.

--AP

The Hands I Would Think Of A Coin Collector
August 23 2004
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter

Galactic Hunter has posted their weekly Q&A column by yours truly and, as always, I'm eagerly looking for new questions. So, feel free to send any in.

--AP

New Word on Eerie, Indiana DVD

TVShowsOnDVD.com has word on the supposed upcoming Eerie, Indiana DVD. This is a release that's been bounced around like nobody's business so who knows if it'll actually show up, but hey, good to know.

--AP

Images, Info of Dragon Quest VIII for PS2

The Magic Box has posted images of the latest Square Enix RPG. Assuming you're in to such things, this is pretty slick looking.

--AP

And in other news...

We're working on some magazine articles so lite update tonight. But before you go, check out Professional Bull Rider Figures from SOTA over at RTM. I can't make this stuff up, folks.

--AP

You Don't Have to be in Athens to be a Champion
August 24 2004
Would you believe... Godzilla Microman Toys? And IMAX?

A few months ago there were rumors floating around that Takara was considering making "costumed" Microman toys. That is, a basic Microman super-posable figure with some sort of suit. Back in the old days, there was a convention exclusive skeleton costume you could dress up your miniature people in for Halloween or whatever, but on the whole the idea didn't go anywhere. The concept is very G.I. Joe, and savvy toy collectors may remember the insane prices of the Combat Joe figure sold with a wearable Godzilla costume. (Which has since been reissued by, I believe, Medicom.)

Flash to 2004: Takara realizing that the Microman figure is a scaled down Henshin Cyborg (which was a clear GI Joe), and is now doing miniature Godzilla Costumed Microman Figures. The house of Pawlus is stoked. The first shipments in November will include an individually carded Godzilla (film unknown) as well as a two-pack of Megalon and Jet Jaguar from the much-hated Godzilla vs. Megalon from 1973. In December, there will be an individually carded Ghidorah (film unknown) as well as another two-pack with Godzilla and King Ghidorah from the upcoming movie Final Wars. (I hear these make a great gift. Check your favorite Japanese swag importer for the scoop.)

But wait... there's more. Press reports stated that Final Wars would in fact be the final movie starring Godzilla, which, not surprisingly, it isn't. The director for the next movie, an IMAX flick starring Godzilla and the smog monster Hedorah, has confirmed he's working on... well, that movie we just mentioned earlier in the sentence. A US distribution deal isn't known yet, but then again, neither is a Japanese one-- the movie isn't done yet.

--AP

DVD for Home Movies Season One

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted some stuff from the real Brendon Small's own blog on the upcoming DVD release of the squiggly first season of Home Movies. You know, when it was on UPN and you never watched it. Apparently it's loaded with features that sound kinda interesting, so do go check it out.

--AP

More Mass-Market Playmobil at Toys "R" Us

After appearing at Target stores, the new Pirate Ship and Pirate Treasure Chest sets reported earlier have now appeared at Phoenix-area Toys "R" Us stores, thus dashing speculation the toy giant has axed the German toy line. So if your Targets are lacking, go hit a TRU.

--AP

John Kerry on The Daily Show with John Stewart

John Stewart confirmed Monday night that Democrat John Kerry will be appearing on Comedy Central's fake news show The Daily Show tonight. As in, Tuesday, August 24, 2004. John Edwards, the running mate, announced his entry into the primaries for president months earlier on the same program. It appears one of the major parties has discovered the potential of the stoned comedy fan as a voter, and it is a fairly large group.

While it's unlikely President George W. Bush will follow suit, he did make a surprising appearance on the Outdoor Life Network's Fishing with Roland Martin earlier this year, proving that both parties realize that couch potatoes are a most important demographic. While independant candidate Ralph Nader has appeared on numerous programs including Bill Maher's Real Time on HBO, there are no known amusing appearances of Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik. A man who we didn't know existed until he was on NPR while we were driving around looking for clearance Xevoz toys during lunch yesterday.

--AP

In Slow Motion
August 25 2004
Review: Star Wars OTC Tusken Raider

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at another repaint Original Trilogy Collection figure with the Tusken Raider. Originally sold in 2000, this figure was repainted in 2002-- and now again in 2004. Each time it gets a little better, and this time it may be as good as you can expect it to get. In today's review, you can see how this Episode I figure has been turned into a top notch Trilogy toy.

--AP

More on Godzilla Microman

While there are no pictures, we are finding some conflicting information between preorders and news sites. It appears that the individually carded Godzilla and King Ghidorah are from Final Wars, while the two-pack of these characters are based on designs from an unspecified film. Well, we'll know more when we see some pictures.

--AP

Seinfeld DVD Commentary Scoop

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted the names of the episodes on which the 14 commentary tracks will appear later this Fall. There's a large amount of actor participation and even the great Larry David, alongside Jerry Seinfeld, provided a commentary on four tracks. The trio of Julia Loius Dreyfuss, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards contributed a total of four tracks as a group as well, as did Larry Charles all by his lonesome. The remaining two tracks consist of the team of Tom Cherones and Tom Azzari.

--AP

Unproduced G.I. Joe Figures at Yo Joe!

The Kenner 1998 line of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys will probably long be remembered as the Joe line that didn't quite click, and there were always tales of items that have gone unmade from it-- and now you can see three of them. Yo Joe has posted shots of three unmade desert figures that were to be sold with a desert deco G.I. Joe Headquarters playset. And now you know!

--AP

More Famicom Classics for GameBoy Advance?

While nothing is confirmed, Nintendo of Japan is saying they're considering another round of Famicom Minis, their popular line of NES classic games ported to the famous portable. As to the games picked and release dates, nobody knows... but apparently market demand is worth a lot for the line's future and as the they still didn't do Contra...

--AP

There is No Fish Stick like Mrs. Pell's
August 26 2004
Microman ALIENS and Predator to join Godzilla

It seems that Takara is taking a cue from the old Medicom 12" figures in more ways than one. After announcing their Microman Godzilla toys earlier this week, they've now announced four Predators and two Alien characters as well!

Specifics aren't known yet, so these could be from the recently released ALIENS vs. Predator or other films from the franchise. Then again, maybe they'll take a cue from Batman and release an all-new design too. Prices at preorder places are shaping up to be around $15 per figure and these are due in December or January, depending on the source.

--AP

DVD for Batman the Animated Series Volume 2 & Superman Volume One

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted the news of these two sets-- and it's looking to be a December release! Check the link for more information on ol' pointy ears.

--AP

Pee-wee's Street Date

TVShowsOnDVD.com also posted the street date for the first two volumes of Pee-wee's Playhouse this November. However, we have read reports someplaces regarding special edition box sets to come later, so it may be worth waiting on these.

--AP

Boxed TransFormers Alternators Meister and Tracks

While TFW2005 is down, their boards posted images of Autobot Tracks and Meister in their upcoming boxes which are very Generation One-esque. These are due out later this year.

--AP

Free Uganda
August 27 2004
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume 6 DVD Delay

TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that this latest box set will be delayed about three weeks, now just barely making it out in time for Halloween on October 26. At least it hasn't been yanked from the schedule.

--AP

Hasbro Adds TransFormers Previews

The fine folks at Hasbro updated their preview page to reveal several new toys. From Energon, find official photos of Sledge, Duststorm, Steamhammer, Beachcomber, Wing Saber, and the first-ever shots of Omega Sentinel. We updated our checklist accordingly for this and the various confirmed-but-not-by-us sightings of the Toys "R" Us exclusive two-pack of Energon Optimus Prime and Megatron.

--AP

Xevoz Power Glyphs List Made, Numbering Error Found

We found out a few interesting things this week. One, Xevoz is actually pronounced like "Devo's" or "C-3POs" and we've been saying it wrong for the past year. But hey, now we know-- and knowing is half the battle.

The other item we discovered while compiling this still in-progress Xevoz Power Glyphs Checklist as part of our ongoing project to-- you guessed it-- catalog the entire line. Each piece of the Battle Helix (the dice) is individually numbered and names the weapon/limb/accessory in question, but we discovered an overlap in the numbering. Each faction has its own numbering system, and the Neo Sapiens have an overlap-- the Sky Grinder glyphs duplicate the same numbers as found on the Shield Breaker and Quick Slinger. (As we currently do not have access to the entire Neo Sapiens collection we don't know if other sets also duplicate numbers.) If you know why this numbering glitch happened, which we don't expect as maybe two people out there buy these things over the age of eight, please do let us know.

Lastly, we dug through our photos from Toy Fair and found out we had a bundle of shots of the Hasbro Xevoz section-- so we're working on a page featuring the various items shown there. Unfortunately, or fortunately, everything shown there is now available so there's no news to be had. But hey-- how often do you get to go back and look at something like this? Well, probably all the time, given the nature of the Internet.

--AP

The Darwin Theory
August 28 2004
New Fall Playmobil Arriving

Numerous new Playmobil sets are hitting speciality toy stores this month, including a new round of Specials and the new zoo collection. Why is this notable, dear friends? Glad you asked. A Nun is included in the collection. We're quite excited, we found one but due to time constraints and other projects, we do not have pictures for you at this time. (But we're going to try.) In addition to the mass market sets hitting Toys "R" Us and Target and the expected discount sets to be appearing at TJ Maxx, this could be a most excellent season for fans of Klickies!

--AP

Target Gets New Figures from TransFormers Energon

Welp, it had to happen-- Target got in some new Energon toys in the new red Powerlinx Battles packaging. While we have heard reports of Omega Supreme in the new packaging, we didn't see it-- but we did see a new assortment of Basics and Deluxe figures.

Behold: new Terrorcon repaints! Doom-Lock is a repaint of Cruellock, and Command Ravage is, of course, a repaint of Battle Ravage. In addition to these two, we also saw repackaged versions of Arcee, Insecticon, Energon Ironhide, and Offshoot. Of course, there was also a box of new deluxe figures too.

Most interesting of all were the new Downshift and Tow-Line, which look a lot like the old Generation One Wheeljack and Ironhide, respectively. These were one per box along with repackaged Rodimus, Demolishor, Starscream, Prowl, aaand... well, we forget. We don't have a notepad on us, you see. What's interesting is that the regular black box version of Downshift and Tow-Line haven't really been seen at all, so it looks like variation hunters might be in for a bit of a hunt to get those if they're so inclined.

--AP

TransFormers PlayStation 2 Controller

At least one online game seller is taking preorders on an Optimus Prime edition controller from Nuby, due in stores in January 2005. While a bit early, well, it's a neat concept-- no images are available but you can bet we'll keep you posted!

--AP

And in other news...

We had off work yesterday to take care of some business, and we took some extra time to work on our new Xevoz subsection. It's shaping up to be a fairly extensive arena, which is good. What's the potential audience for it? No idea. One of the fun things about working on this site is seeing what people react to, and so far, the biggest reactions come from our (fairly limited) Zoids content. So, as always, we're eager to try something new.

Also, Invader Zim volume two hits DVD next week. We'll remind you again next week, but we're excited-- as you should be.

--AP

It's Just Prime
August 29 2004
Preview: TransFormers Robot Masters Beast Convoy, Starscream

In the mail late on Saturday was a pleasant surprise-- a box from Japan! Inside were two new TransFormers: Starscream and Beast Convoy!

Like the previous batch with Beast Megatron and Convoy, these are two new molds inspired by previous toy and television incarnations of these very popular characters. And also like before, absolutely no plans exist to bring them to the USA.

Beast Convoy has two swords, a piece to hold the swords together, and a firing rocket launcher. He also looks hella cool, as the kids say.

Starscream looks great in his jet mode, and he includes a pair of silver chrome missile launchers ala Microman as well as two cannons for either his wings or his arms, depending on the mode. We were also pleasantly surrpised by the ease of which this could be turned into one of the three Coneheads-- Thrust, Durge, or Ramjet. So here's hoping that if they do repaint this mold to death as Sunstorm, Thundercracker, and Skywarp that they go all out and do some slight remolds, too.

We're currently working on a lot of reviews for these and another Hasbro toy property, so for now enjoy the pictures. Come back next week for a review of Starscream!

--AP

It's Official: Final Wars Death Match-- Japanese Godzilla vs. USA CG 1998 Godzilla

Are you ready for the coolest movie news you'll hear all year? Good, take a seat and read this link and then this one. The Roland Emmerich Godzilla from the 1998 American Godzilla movie will be most likely beaten to a pulp by an old fashioned man-in-suit Godzilla in Final Wars this December. How cool is that? If you aren't already excited there' s no hope for you.

--AP, thanks to EK

And in other news...

Kevin Smith confirms Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks (working title). Low budget, same actors, all that good stuff. Apparently the sting of Jersey Girl sent him back to his roots, hopefully this means his days of toiling on the animated Clerks movie are ahead of him though!

We'd post more but we quite literally processed hundreds of images today. So we're going to leave you with that and resume our old fashioned review deluge next week.

--AP

Exercise Is For Women
August 30 2004
Review: Robot Masters Starscream

Today we add another irregular review with Starscream, best known as he who has it in for Megatron. The new Robot Masters version is a dead ringer for a G1 Starscream based off the cartoon-- only more posable and better looking overall. He has missiles, landing gear, and a slick new sculpt-- find out all about him in today's review!

Also, Energon fans should be glad to know the new repaints of Armada Optimus Prime and Overload will be exclusive to Costco, while Starscream and Red Alert are going to Sam's Club. Now you know! Word on the street has it the Sam's Club set hit, and get this-- it's cheap! Only $22.23!

--AP

Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter

Galactic Hunter has posted their weekly Q&A column by yours truly and, as always, I'm eagerly looking for new questions. So, feel free to send any in.

--AP

Check it out: Playmobil Nun

With all the new zoo sets, specials sets, and more hitting stores, surely we had to buy a new Playmobil set. So we did. It's a nun!

Review in progress. It's a pretty basic figure with what I believe is a new or at least fairly uncommon hairpiece, and the book she's carrying is blank-- so it can be a Bible, or perhaps a trade paperback of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Or an art book of some sort. She could be an art teacher, or perhaps on her way to bingo night. You decide!

--AP

LEGO Vampire Halloween Costume

I can't make this stuff up, folks. The cool cats over at the Mask of Destiny added some scans of their new LEGO catalog and it includes... a Vampire Minifigure costume. And a Bionicle costume. But let's get back to the oddness that is a vampire LEGO figure costume. Take a look.

--AP

Like a Hot Fudge Sundae with Money at the Bottom
August 31 2004
Nifty Japanese Convention TransFormers

Fan2Fan posted a bunch of nifty items from Wonder Festival 2004 Summer over the weekend, such as some new BinalTech information and some other surprises. A fan-made Superlink Megatron Sword was produced in die-cast metal-- and in small quantities-- and looks most excellent. The convention had-- on display-- images of the Lucky Draw Primus, which was a specially decorated Rodimus Prime which is, as you may guess, most cool.

--AP

Same Convention, but Microman

Microman Forever added several galleries of previously announced but unseen Microman toys. One has a big chrome chainsaw. It's awesome. You can also see packaged Thunderbirds and several other new releases, so be sure to check those out.

--AP

Godzilla Microman Revealed, Sort Of

While doing some hunting, we actually found images of the new Godzilla Microman Line. Are they final? Well, some are, and some aren't-- and some are drawings. It illustrates that the Godzilla is in fact made like the old Combat Joe set in which a 12" G.I. Joe figure could wear a properly sized Godzilla costume, just like the guy in the movies. Also, it appears Jet Jaguar wears a rubber suit and is not merely a repainted Microman body with a new head. Check it out, if you dare.

--AP

Three-Disc Pirates of the Caribbean Info

The cats over at The Digital Bits posted the cover art for the new Pirates set, and all it is, is this-- the same two-disc set out now with a third bonus disc stuck to it. At this time there are no known plans to sell it by its lonesome, so this is may be another early-adopter-gets-screwed situation like Shrek 3D. If you have yet to buy Pirates and want to, our advice to you? Wait.

--AP

Invader Zim Volume 2 DVD Today

Everybody's favorite children's show returns to DVD today. While looking around, it seems Wal-Marts will be asking roughly $14.32 while Best Buy will be asking $15.99. As it's a fair amount of episodes, you can't argue it's a pretty good deal.

--AP

And in other news...

A bunch of information on the next season of Fox' fantastic Arrested Development-- like guest stars-- was posted to TVTome on their Arrested Development area. Very, very minor spoiler warnings apply.

We also found two fun stories at the BBC. This one is about a monkey that has taken up smoking. It lives at a zoo. This guy has a rocket powered wheelchair.

--AP

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