First up, it appears Cybertron is making the rounds and at this point, if you hit a few Toys "R" Us stores, odds are you'll find a few toys. Between two stores last night, we found Vector Prime, Crumplezone, Landmine, Dirt Boss, Scourge, Jetfire, Overhaul, Ransack, and Scattorshot. (We only bought Overhaul and Scattorshot so far.) In brief: Overhaul is a nice little toy that manages to find a new way to transform the same old design. The robot mode is pretty blah but the little SUV is quite cool and fairly solid with freely rolling wheels. Scattorshot has a good robot mode, a lot of nice weapons, and a fairly iffy vehicle with wheels that don't quite roll so freely. The Ignition gimmicks are interesting-- the keys are tiny and activate features that could just be activated by a simple button. It's a neat idea, but nothing a Mini-Con couldn't do better. It's not a terrible idea, but we wouldn't shed a tear if we were told these little keys went away with the next series.

Word around the web is that the Japanese release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on DVD and PSP s UMD in Japan will be on our editor's birthday, September 14. So, get those import engines running. A US release date has yet to be confirmed.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. We look at questions from as far back as last week-- because things were working properly. Some good ones this week, so read on, true believers!

In case you care, some quick opinions on Cybertron toys.

It seems Target is blowing out all their Joes at about 30% off each. In addition to these, numerous Energon and Playmobil toys are seeing a markdown as well-- ditto with some Star Wars. Happy hunting!

Looks like it. A few sources have listed the original Transformers movie as coming out in the UK this September. Take a look at this listing on Play.com, a UK media site. The unfortunate thing for you is that, most likely, you are not a UK resident, and we were informed that PSP UMD movies are locked out by region. As such, you're somewhat screwed if you live outside England, but it might mean that it's coming out in other markets too-- stay tuned!

A few days ago, Mask of Destiny updated with some images of Colgate Vahki toothbrushes from Colgate. It appears they include the little disks included with some of the Bionicle kits-- interesting, no? Do go take a look.

Slow news day, but we did find some things of interest that may be news to you. For starters, Nintendo DS is getting a Lunar game-- Lunar Dragon Song. The Magic Box posted a number of screens and some brief information and we must say it does look interesting-- how will it play? We have no idea. But it's pretty.

According to Fan2Fan, it seems Galaxy Force Megaloconvoy, supposedly Cybertron's Metroplex, will be hitting toy shops in Japan come September. The rumor is it will be a "Leader Class" ($40) toy with a Mini-Con partner that's a repainted Armada Leader-1 revised version of Leader-1, but with several new pieces and a new head. But, of course, all things are subject to change, although we do seem to see this as being fairly accurate information.

Some, but not all, Target and Toys "R" Us stores are marking down various Bionicle sets. Prices vary but the markdowns typically orbit about 30%. So far, we've noticed the Toa Metru kits from 2004, and the Vahki kits. Clearance selection seems to vary widely from store to store, so be sure to scan things when you're on your toy runs.

The guys (guy) over at General's Joes posted a big giant review of the 2005 3 3/4-inch G.I. Joe Convention items. On the whole, it seems that the figures turned out well and the vehicle quality control was lax-- be sure to check out all the pictures and in-depth analysis. There's a lot going on in this year's set, and it seems like an amazing collection for fans of the Steel Brigade and Iron Grenadiers!

With the seasonal reset approaching, Target has marked down some Playmobil sets at some stores. It seems the sets and stores vary once again, but it seems everything from the Playmobil Pals to the larger kits are on markdown-- not everything, of course, and not at every store. Seeing as how you can get sets as low as $1.30, it's probably worth a look if you're in the market for some cheap Playmobil goodness.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. We look at questions from as far back as last week-- because things were working properly. Some good ones this week, so read on, true believers!

Over at TFW2005, you can see packaged shots of Cybertron Undermine, Breakdown, and Armorhide. These are Wave 3 Scout figures.

In a bit of a total shock, we saw last night a new series of action figures based on Tim Burton's new version of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. We saw some of the kids and a couple of Willy Wonkas, and the likenesses on the whole seemed to be good. No Oompas were present despite appearing on the cardback.

Bios, photos, and other goodness were posted for a few more Wave 2 Cybertron toys at Hasbro's own Transformers site today. They are:
Override
Red Alert
Recon Mini-Con Team
Clocker
Hardtop

The license that refuses to die, Neon Genesis Evangelion, has expanded into action figure territory. After numerous collections of collector figures of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley-- who have been made to wear cat outfits, Santa outfits, and something called a Lolita Goth outfit-- Takara picked up the license and is translating the two Japanese underage robo pilot babes to their Microman line. That's right-- superposable fun! We expect these to be fairly huge, and are currently looking for photos. And solicitation info so we can sell 'em at work.

Ever heard of Mushi King? Neither have we. Apparently it's a license that Sega has in Japan that allows them to make weird plush beetles with some sort of metal skeleton. NCS has images and a preorder page up, and while we don't expect any of our dear readers to bite, they're too weird to not share.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Due to Comic-Con International in San Diego, this is the only Q&A we're posting this week. We'll be back next week with, we presume, two more.

Over the weekend, Transformers.com was given a tremendous face lift and the end result is actually a pretty good web site with dozens of hidden things you can find if you play around. Not only are great little trivia bits there to be unlocked (Overhaul was originally going to be named Trailbreaker, so he could upgrade to Leobreaker) but there's new pages if you type in the right name. Like Wreckloose.

It appears Hasbro has started to ship their Comic Pack figures for their new direct line, and General's Joes has reviews of both new packs, #74 and #76! More are coming soon, of course, but this is indeed happy news for fans of a line that many feared to have been axed.

SOTA has managed to get a number of diverse licenses, but their latest has us scratching our heads, and happy. American music icon Johnny Cash, often thought to be the only country musician with any sort of rock snob cred, has been announced and pictures are up at Action-Figure. It's nice to see someone other than McFarlane and a company that does collector plates try and make some nifty music collectibles, and we hope someone decides to license other great musicians. We of course speak of Man or Astro-Man?, Devo, Frank Zappa, and of course, Devo. And if there's time... Devo.

Over the weekend, TFormers.com posted a CG rendering of the Galaxy Force (and presumably Cybertron) Soundwave! You can see him in both modes and while G1 fanboys may have trouble with the updated stealth bomber altmode, he still has a little partner and the robot is very similar to the original robot design. Soundwave was our first TF growing up so we're quite pleased to see his familiar face again, and you probably will be as well-- regardless of the final toy's appearance, we fully plan on picking this one up next year.

MGM's reissue of two old discs with a new disc of bonus content streets today. Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection Box Set seems to be streeting for just over $20, and includes the two previously released movie discs and new documentaries (devoid of Keanu), an episode of the cartoon (where they go to China), and lots of other stuff. Were we not insanely busy this week we'd buy this before the festivities begin.

He-Fans are in for a treat-- the very first Masters of the Universe DVD hits stores in the USA today! It features 10 episodes of the show and a ton of extras, many of which are apparently exclusive to this set-- which is a best-of. Season boxes are coming later, we're happy to hear, but it sounds like there might be enough good stuff on this one to warrant the purchase as it's relatively cheap. (A look at DVD Price Search revealed prices as low as $12-- which is a steal.)

This week (and last) we've heard lots of interesting rumors on Transformers and Star Wars (alone and as a group), on Xevoz, on new retro Transformers, and a lot more. With hundreds upon hundreds of concepts being considered every day, obviously, it's a safe bet every tidbit you hear has at least an ounce of truth to it, well, if you knew how many toy concepts get fairly far along before getting axed you'd be quite depressed. (We know very few of them, and some of them very much depress us and we hope they get axed.) With Primus and Soundwave being revealed alongside tidbits and rumors on all sorts of things, it could be a really great week! Or it could be a big heaping mouthfull of jack squat. Stay tuned! We're going to try our best to update you as we go along.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. We look at Droids, clones, etc. etc. Another update this week is still TBD given time, etc.

If you missed San Diego's Hasbro unveiling, you missed the confirmation that pretty much every Japanese Galaxy Force toy is coming to Cybertron, including the Mini-Cons and the four Armada remolds. Not a lot of new stuff was shown, but there were cheap deals abound and an exclusive free Skywarp just for visiting Hasbro's booth, complete with Cyber Planet Key. Nice.

If you weren't there, be sure to check out Altered States Magazine and their coverage of G.I. Joe at the show-- lots of images! We asked about upcoming product and it seems the new direct to consumer line will be lasting for 3 or 4 series minimum, and at that point, the line will be reevaluated for wider launch or more of the same. Until then, though, there won't be any more exclusives beyond what's already on the way to Toys "R" Us and conventions! We're totally digging that new H.I.S.S., even if we could do without the bundled Night Creeper-- it's all shaping up to look like a great year for Joe, no matter what you like! As long as it isn't 12-inch.

For those wishing Hasbro would show Xevoz at this year's Comic-Con, it turns out they're out of luck. While a number of items were shown and sold from Transformers, G.I. Joe, Mushi King, My Little Pony, B-Daman, Blythe, and a few other odds and ends, Xevoz and Zoids are still nowhere to be seen, unfortunately.

First look at Soundwave from Galaxy Force in toy form! This is one of many new items featured at Fan2Fan from last weekend's Character Festival, we think. Not so sure of the translations. But hey, it's new photos, and worth seeing-- even final-er versions of Thundercracker and Skywarp from Robot Masters were shown, and they look MUCH better than previous images.

He-Man.org added some shots of the third wave of He-Man statues, including the Sorceress, Tung Lashor, and Mantenna. We saw some of these in San Diego and they look most excellent-- the worst thing about this line is the reminder that they aren't being made as proper action figures.

The Digital Bits posted several new release dates for all sorts of things, but the one that totally surprised us was season two of Arrested Development-- October 11, for those who were curious. We're excited.

Popularity strikes Fan2Fan again-- they got hit with a lot of traffic, but they supposedly have shots up for Dark Fangwolf from Galaxy Force and BinalTech BroadBlast, which could very well end up as Alternators Blaster. Maybe. Check out the link, and maybe you'll be lucky enough to actually see it.

GameSpot posted a story on the recent "Hot Coffee" controversy-- namely, that the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had some hidden sexual content accessed only through a hack. Previously rated M, this basically means that the new AO rating will result in the game not being carried by most stores. It also probably means the game will see a spike in sales with all the publicity, which, for a slightly older game like this one, is probably a very good thing for the bottom line.

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted some surprise news on the popular sci-fi series. As many of you know, Best Buy stores in the USA will be getting an exclusive window to carry it exclusively before it's released widely. What you may not know is that Best Buy's set has four discs, and the wide release will have five. The extra disc features the 2003 mini-series and more-- read the article for the full story.

LEGO introduced a whole new scale, the first sets of which are up for preorder. The new Factory brand includes sets-- mostly "Town" theme ones-- in a scale much smaller than the one compatible with LEGO mini-figures, but they still look pretty great. Currently available: Amusement Park, City Skyline, Airport.

The guys at Action-Figure.com posted a press release confirming a new CGI animated movie for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as a toy license-- and Playmates Toys scored it once again, proving that there is such a thing as loyalty in show business. ETA? 2007.

If you haven't yet heard, a huge rash of sightings of Swerve hit California this week, and even we were lucky in this tidal wave of red redecoes. We spotted ours at a Los Angeles Toys "R" Us, so happy hunting-- he's out there, and we hear Decepticharge should be doing the same thing shortly.

A toy run this week revealed to us that at least one brick-and-mortar chain will be stocking Stikfas-- Tower Records! The prices are comparable to those of Entertainment Earth and Big Bad Toy Store, but the selection, well, not so much. It's nice to have another option, though!

The guys at Microforever added a ton of new preview figures from Microman proper and a bunch of licensed properties. There's some octopus thing that may remind fans of another faux Microman release, the Beast Wars II Tako (Octopus) Tank. We plan on getting one.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. We look at all sorts of crap.

Last weekend we spotted the entire Cybertron Wave 2 Scout assortment at Wal-Mart. I believe the only other stores to have (or have had) them are currently Entertainment Earth and possibly Big Bad Toy Store. Hardtop is hardcore-- a nice, chunky, posable toy that at first glance may remind you of the first Botcon exclusive, the G2 Brakedown. This toy is apparently excluded from the Japanese Galaxy Force line but will be imported in limited numbers as part of Toy's Dream Project.

Our main man and current Phoenix-based reporter Pete Soards recently attended a big Q&A event with Bruce Campbell in which he mocked the audience, referenced Jason vs. Freddy vs. Ash, and promoted the upcoming and heavily merchandised The Man with the Screaming Brain. Naturally, we asked him to write about it-- and he did.

Proving they really know how to get the most out of an old mold, Hasbro just released a brand new Moray to Toys "R" Us. For $34.99, you get a giant floating boat, and two figures from a previously released Night Force set. (They're cool.) It's a good set and the third versions of this vehicle in less than two years, which is pretty impressive. The new deco is mostly dark green and black, a stark contrast to the recent convention exclusive Tiger Force version and bright blue Cobra version.

Apparently, we missed the memo. LEGO's newest theme is Dino Attack, and it includes a number of electronic dinosaurs with try-me packaging in an effort to compete with the cheaper and often niftier Mega Blocks lines of construction toys. Each set includes various modern day vehicles and/or peoples alongside some form of mutant lizard or dinosaur. The sets, like most LEGO theme sets, run from $5 on to about $70, and we spotted these at two different LA area Toys "R" Us stores yesterday evening.

Fox' hit show 24 is so popular, who isn't watching? Well, we aren't. But in case you watch, you may be interested in knowing that Japanese high-end toymaker Medicom is releasing (and NCS has a preorder for) Jack Bauer with a good likeness, a cloth outfit, and in a 1/6 scale. And since it's Medicom, NCS is asking $178, which is about normal. It's nifty if you're in to such things. No American figures are known to us at this time.

The Magic Box spilled the beans on the GBA SP replacement. It's due in Japan on September 13, along with four new game titles-- one of which, wisely, is a new production run of the original Famicom/NES Super Mario Bros. For the full scoop, read the story. No prices were listed.

The mass market line of Target Playmobil just went on clearance, which means it's time for some new toys to replace the old. Last night, we spotted two new items for $3.99 each. One was a purple Barbarian on a horse. The other, a pink Princess on a (and this is what the box said) Magical Unicorn. Obviously, these are not meant to appeal to your wallet's sense of irony, but odds are new releases are coming any week now that will. So be patient.

The new Toy Biz line that's a hybrid of Hasbro's Attacktix concept and its own Marvel Legends figures is out now. We were initially excited by the idea, but were left cold by the price and quality of the first product we saw, the two figure starter set. For $14.99, almost the price of two full-sized Legends figures, you get a 4-inch scale Spider-Man and The Thing, both with firing weapons, game rules, and exquisite articulation and sculpting. The problem is the first two we looked at were "broken" in the package-- the ball jointed arms popped off of Spidey, and as such, it didn't seem worth the price Toys "R" Us was asking. As such, pass.

While apparently people consider linking to certain new toy images a crime done by people who would also club a baby seal, well, we don't share the opinion. The planet Cybertron, and the namesake of the series, is getting its own toy-- but you probably knew that. What you may not have known was that the Fan Club revealed the first shots of the actual toy in the fan club magazine, and Seibertron posted scans. Taboo, maybe. But you wanted to see it, too. It looks like the planet is more of a full sphere, unlike Unicron, and seems to have spike-like skyscrapers and a general "golly gee wow" factor about it despite not looking like some previously seen artistic renditions. It's still cool, though, and will most likely be a $50 toy released in 2006.

Quite possibly the most fertile candidate for odd toys since Star Wars, Alien vs. Predator has been a popular favorite with fans in the USA and Japan for years. NCS strikes again with preorders (and nice big images) of some large and truly odd looking Good Smile Company Alien & Predator Figures. These seem to have an excellent level of detail, short legs, and some sort of beer guts. They're about 8 2/3-inches tall and $50 a whack, but odds are you'd rather see the pictures than make a purchase.

GameSpot has an interesting story on the new video-on-demand service for the PSP in Japan. Currently not planned for the USA, the gimmick here is free, downloadable trailers, TV pilots, and other forms of entertainment-- which will undoubtedly get people used to the format before they start charging. Will it come to the USA? Who knows. But it's an interesting read.

Love it or hate it, Sigma Six is turning into an incredible new line of toys. Sure, they aren't 3 3/4-inch figures, but they keep the characters and are doing some nifty things. How nifty? Well, if you haven't seen it, go to Ring of Collectors for some shots I haven't seen before, including Cobra Commander with and without his battle helmet. (Without, he's got a hood on.) There are other figures on display as well, so be sure to take a look at those.

Cybertron: Various sites are reporting that Override (Nitro Convoy) and Red Alert (Fast/First Aid) are hitting, sorta. So keep an eye out for those. Also, TFKenkon added a Gallery of Armorhide, one of a few US-only molds in the new line. It looks great and should be hitting the USA in a few weeks, or so we hear.

Because it's been a while, we actually did some of what we meant to do today and penned a review! Over at Galactic Hunter, we posted a look at Commander Bacara, the Clone Commander responsible for blasting Ki-Adi-Mundi to tiny little pieces. Is he worth it? And why does he look familiar? Find out in today's review!

The Digital Bits' Rumor Mill has a little feature on as of yet unconfirmed news. It seems all four Batman films are to receive two-disc special editions this Fall, and there's some preliminary information on the DVDs for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, which we saw last night and very much enjoyed.

This year's big mondo gift set for BotCon is going to be a big set of seven unique Transformers from several eras of the toy line. While several of them are repaints, we're told there will be new molds in there... somewhere... eventually. For now, though, they're previewing new repaints on a weekly basis and the second went up yesterday. The newest addition is Fallback, who appears to be a repaint of Energon Strongarm (the blue one, he has a different head) but don't quote us on that just yet. He has this amazingly gorgeous bright blue energon axe and energon chip, and just plain ol' looks wonderful. The first repaint kept its original name, and it's Buzzclaw, a fantastic toy from Fuzors that never really got any respect and could be had as low as $0.67 if you timed it right. (We did, for the record.)

TVShowsOnDVD.com posted the orange cover art for the second season of Arrested Development, which we still believe to be the finest show on network television.

Surely you know only of these characters for their extreme beach volleyball antics, or possibly their licensed, talking figural alarm clocks. Team Ninja has more games with these characters in the works for Xbox 360, and naturally, that means that someone posted photos, in this case the wonderful folks at The Magic Box. Photorealism does not seem to be the goal of the developers this time, but the unique style and amazing textures come out as looking top-notch in the tiny screens, so one can hope the final game will be something of demo-level quality.