Happy New Year!
January 8, 2007 |
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter
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  Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on for January 1's update and/or the January 8 update.
Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! The daily feature on figures you might have but might not-- either way, here's what you've been missing! Spanning from the original Power of the Force series of 1995 to the latest of the Saga Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!
We also added archive pages so you can go through the entire column's run. Hooray!
From left to right: Wedge Antilles, Commander Gree, Tarkin, Feltipern Trevagg, Luke Skywalker, TIE Fighter Pilot, Tusken Raider, Han Solo in Stormtrooper Disguise, Yoda, Boba Fett. These are all new since our last update, and another one will be going live today! Who will it be? Keep checking Galactic Hunter for the next update, with the 247th installment in our ongoing series!
We had a rocky start to 2007, but we're here to waste more of your time at work. Read on for more fun!
--AP
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Movie Binoculars at AcToys.net
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  As part of what is presumed to be some sort of roleplay-toy assortment, AcToys.net has a really nifty gallery featuring a bright yellow robot that turns into binoculars. It's nifty, but it's hard to tell if it has any hands. For fans of the movie aesthetics, this is a pretty neat item.
--AP
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Ad: New Stuff, Sales at Entertainment Earth
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  Amazing values! For the next week, Entertainment Earth will be running its Winter Blowout Sale, with over 500 items at great prices-- like this Star Wars A New Hope Style D Movie Poster Sculpture, formerly $89.99, now just $24.90. That's cheap! Check out all these other exciting items!
And as always, buying through these shameless plugs means we get a nickel or two, and we appreciate your shined nickels and loose change.
From left to right: Family Guy Complete Griffin Family Box Set, Bome Jungle Emi Statue, Exclusive Star Trek Mirror, Mirror Action Figure Set, Scarface 6-Inch Bust. Click through for pricing and availability. Thanks for reading! (But mostly stuffing our coffers.)
--AP
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New Pirates of the Caribbean Toys Hitting
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  In December, we mentioned that the third wave of figures from Zizzle's Pirates of the Caribbean line hit. Now, there's a whole bunch more in stores-- we've seen Sneak Preview figures for At World's End, a series of comic book two-packs with non-movie outfits of several popular characters, new deluxe figures with large companion animals (like a blowfish, a sea monster, and a shark) and even more.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 10
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  eBay seller "HappyHappySue" purchased and is now selling lots of Dinosaur Playmobil sets, but she did extensive photo shoots for her auctions with the toys out of (and in some cases, in) the boxes. This is the first, best look we've seen of a lot of these sets, and while we'd rather link you to a photo archive showing these, well, this is all we have for now.
We're more than a little surprised to see eBay sellers offering better photo galleries and content than a lot of collector sites, but hey, we'll take what we can get. Check it out.
It's really neat stuff to see, especially given they probably won't be hitting widely on American shores until 2008. They look like they'll be solid toys, and we're crossing our fingers for some sort of ice age/Wooly Mammoth in 2008/9.
Finally, if you're a member of Playmoboard, we'd like to direct you to this thread in which a member shows a pretty nifty set-up with the new and old dinosaurs, the volcano, and other new items that give you a pretty good sense of scale.
--AP
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Wii Found One
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  While many of you probably found a Nintendo Wii last year, we in LA were unfortunately not so lucky-- until yesterday, where a local Target had a whole mess of them out to be bought. So we got one. If you have one, we highly advise you download the web browser as it's surprisingly fun to use to watch things like Homestar Runner on the TV. Cool stuff, if you can find it. Now to get Zelda and maybe next week, WarioWare.
--AP
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I Don't Know About You
January 10, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 247, 248
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we start with a look at the exclusive Clone Commander from the Target exclusive Mace Windu's Battalion Battle Pack. Not to be confused with the orange version coming soon, this unique grape flavored clone has a distinct helmet and lots of weapons. If you haven't decided if this non-movie figure is for you, read on!
 And then there's Xizor, who sucks. Well, more or less-- the character sold poorly, and was one of the first modern Expanded Universe figures. Is he worth wasting the time to find him? Read on!
--AP
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The Office Season 2 Sale, Idiocracy is Out
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  Target stores have the second season of The Office (the USA one) on sale for about $24. Also, stores are selling the rarely seen Mike Judge flick Idiocracy on DVD, which will probably be the first opportunity most people have to see this one. Happy viewing!
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 11
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 The new catalog is here! (If your browser can take it.) Click here, and then check out the "3D Catalog" button. It isn't 3D, and the interface is really, really horrible-- but you'll get an idea of what's coming to the USA in 2007. (Hint: not dinosaurs.)
--AP
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I Didn't Know That
January 11, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 249
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we start look at the Wal-Mart exclusive/mail in Early Bird Luke Skywalker from 2005. He's got the wrong colored shirt, a goofy retro lightsaber action feature, iffy articulation, and a head sculpt that, well, you can see it in the picture. Find out if he's worth tracking down when you read on!
--AP
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Upgrade coming to Xbox 360
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 Numerous news outlets (like Gamespot) are reporting that the 1997 classic (holy cow, has it been 10 years?) is coming to the Xbox 360 with some redrawing, some score boards, and other bells and whistles. We do not have an Xbox 360 but this announcement has us considering a purchase of one. (Online Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo would push us over the edge, if anyone from the industry is reading.) While the Wii seems to have the market cornered on nearly pixel-perfect ports of console classics, Microsoft seems to really be doing a lot for the retro gamer who wants something with a bit more modern polish. We're quite pleased by the announcement.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 12
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 So we've shown you dinosaurs, the 2007 catalog, and tons of other stuff. So are we done? NO. Today we look at the Tierarztin mit Hund und Flugbox, or for non-Germans, a female Vet with a dog and a dog carrier. (As "Tier" is "Animal" and "Arztin" is "Female Doctor." There's your German for the day, and our only application of four years of language courses since who knows when.) It's a pretty low concept set, but you get a vet with her coat, a dog, a carrier, two dog food bowls, vet tools, and more for what we assume will be $6 or so. It's part of a very extensive new airport theme which we don't expect in the USA until 2008. The line has so many unique sets in just this one expansion that it easily fits under the "spoiled child" toy line-- and if you factor in older sets like the airport security checkpoint, hot damn, you're in for a good time. (We should also add, it is our hope to be spoiled children some day, preferably before we hit 40.)
Also, if you go hunting, go look at Ross stores in the USA. (Yes, "Dress for Less.") We picked up two very large sets (3184 Dinosaur Excavation, 5746 Tree House) for $6.99 each. As in, we walked out the door with two freaking huge sets for less than $15. If that isn't worth stopping in a Ross store on your way home, we don't know what is. (These aren't typically our style, but we can't say no to super-cheap large sets. We'll be using some of these in upcoming Figure of the Day articles over at Galactic Hunter. Toddler toys they may be, but they're also pretty decent backdrops for Star Wars-esque planets.)
(Some people have asked "are you people this obsessed with German preschool toys?" Yes. We're not kidding around here.)
--AP
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I Do Have a Cause
January 12, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 250
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the new holographic Darth Maul from last Fall. He's an older figure, but blue-- is that all it takes to make a good holographic redeco? Find out, read on!
--AP
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Radio Allergy from Dreamcast to GameCube, Wii
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 Proving backward compatibility can be a very good thing, IGN reports that Radirgy (or Radilgy or whatever) is coming to the USA on GameCube under the name "Radio Allergy." It's a shooter, it can be played on your Wii, and it looks like it's going to be cheap ($20) on its release this February. What more can you ask for?
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 13
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 One of the flagship products in the USA 2007 line (which is probably old hat in Europe now) is the Roman Ship, complete with a funky sail, five figures, very interesting deco, and, sadly, few amusing accessories. Still, like the Viking Longboat from a few years ago, it looks pretty slick-- we're quite keen on it. We just might have to get this one.
It's also worth mentioning that Target stores are in their "final markdown" phase at most locations, meaning holiday toys are down to 75% off-- if you read 16bit.com, odds are this means there will be something you might like. We picked up three unique Playmobil sets on Thursday on the way to work, including the 5754 Croc Boat, 5142 Advent Calendar, and the 5797 Coastal Search & Rescue Racer each for under $4. For that price, the first two are incredible deals just because of the amount of stuff they can cram into the box, from a wiener dog (with an actual wiener) to two tiny turtles. The Rescue Racer... well, uh, yeah. Not so much.
There were also LEGO castles, Star Wars Titanium figures, and much, much more. Check your local stores this weekend!
--AP
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Foul Ball
January 15, 2007 |
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter
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Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!
Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! The daily feature on figures you might have but might not-- either way, here's what you've been missing! Spanning from the original Power of the Force series of 1995 to the latest of the Saga Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!
We also added archive pages so you can go through the entire column's run. Hooray!
From left to right: G3-5LE, Ephant Mon, Commander Bly. These are all new since our last update, and another one will be going live today! Who will it be? Keep checking Galactic Hunter for the next update, with the 254th installment in our ongoing series!
--AP
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Transformers Movie Toy Leaks
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 The worst kept secret in the toy industry this year is probably the Transformers: The Movie line, of which about a dozen or so toys have been revealed through auction sites like eBay. If you head over to TFW2005.com, you'll see dozens of exciting new toys (that, we feel, suck) like "Fast Action Battlers" Jazz, Starscream, and Ironhide. (Pictured is Jazz.)
--AP
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Newsradio Season 5 DVD
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 Best known as "the year without Phil Hartman," the final season of Newsradio is notable for a few things, like the addition of Jon Lovitz as a regular cast member, several guest appearances by the very funny Partrick Warburton, and that too-awesome episode where Matthew decides he's going to be a punk with a British accent. For the full art (and some more details) visit TVShowsOnDVD.com, or just wait to buy it on March 20.
--AP
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The Mii Lebowski Wii Movie
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 It may be old news, but it amused us. Over at JoyStiq, somebody made the opening sequence of The Big Lebowski by editing together bits and pieces of Wii Sports: Bowling. We are impressed. But their Mii Dude kinda sucked. (Walter, on the other hand, wasn't too bad.) It's a cute time-eater, so check it out (with your speakers on).
Also, it looks like Mad Catz is making their own Wii remotes-- click through to see the more "ergonomic" or whatever designs.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 14
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 Easter Eggs 2007! Every year, Playmobil releases a number of special figures and accessories in Easter Eggs. These are available at specialty stores (read: not Target, Toys "R" Us) like Learning Express or, if you live in Phoenix, the lovely and talented Hobby Bench.
This year has a pretty interesting mix, and unlike the other stuff we've previewed, these should all be in the USA in the coming weeks.
From left to right: Blue Knight, Girl with Guinea Pigs, Boy with Car, Princess. Not as exciting as some other years-- with no pirates or Western people, we're kinda bored. These should be about $4-$6 each, Playmobil.com is selling them for $3.99 before S&H. And silly us, we thought we'd run out of Playmobil stuff to keep talking about.
--AP
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Drink Milk
January 18, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 254-256
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we start with a look at the 1999 figure of Aunt Beru, released in the assortment just before Episode I had its massive launch. With a companion droid, blue milk container, and a top-notch design, can you possibly go wrong with this one? Read on!
 And then there's Stass Allie, who was shot and killed by some Clones. As a deluxe figure packaged with a vehicle, you would assume she would be pretty hot-- and today, she is. But was she a big seller in 2005? Read on!
 And finally, let's look at Wormie himself, Luke Skywalker, from the 1998 Millennium Falcon Gunner Station deluxe... set. As a resculpt with a big giant accessory for $10, a lot of fans jumped on him. And a lot didn't. Should you get one? Read on!
--AP
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Yet More Transformers Movie Toy Leaks
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 Want more leaks? Well, are you in luck. Everybody has something, from Optimus Prime to Ratchet to Starscream. Of course, you can see Ratchet and Starscream at the Allspark in their image galleries, which is sure to please you if you like this unique aesthetic.
Over at TFW2005, you can find Blackout and Optimus & Megatron, too. Blah blah spoilers.
--AP
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Final Fantasy Anniversary for PSP
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 The first and second Final Fantasy games are being re-re-remade for the PSP, so says The Magic Box and other sources we're too lazy to link to. It will include 16-bit style graphics, cinematics, and the new stuff from the cheaper GameBoy Advance remakes, which, we should note, are on clearance at many US Target stores this week. No word on a US release date for the PSP ports.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 15
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 As we've kept this up to showcase the new and interesting, it looks like it's almost time to wind up as there's not much new to talk about left. But we'd be bad collectors to not tell you about the Air Traffic Control Tower, just because it looks like a good place for figures to make out and/or use as a bathroom. It's cool.
Also, Marshall's and TJ Maxx stores are blowing out some of their old holiday Playmobil while getting in some new stuff. We went out looking in LA for the Dino Tracker set with the Ankylosaurus and couldn't find one-- but the set with the Allosarus is out there to be had. So, happy hunting!
--AP
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 Entertainment Earth Podcast
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Podcast #35: January 18, 2007
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 This week: Flash Gordon! If you can view the file in iTunes (or on a newer iPod), you'll get a sneak peek at the very first Bif Bang Pow! Flash Gordon product. See Sam Jones as a plastic... what? You'll have to download it and find out.
We also look briefly at the Diamond exclusive Death Star Briefing action figure set of Star Wars action figures, Transformers movie toys, and very briefly look at Alien Crush on the Nintendo Wii. Good times.
Click here to visit the Episode #35 page at Entertainment Earth.
--AP
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How to sign up
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For starters: You do not need an iPod to hear a Podcast. Podcasting is just a fancy word for "hack job internet radio show," which is exactly what we're aiming to produce here.
If you have iTunes 4.9 or above: You can subscribe to it for free. Just search for "Adam Pawlus" under Podcasts in the iTunes music store, or just go to "Subscribe to Podcast" and paste in "http://www.entertainmentearth.com/podcasts/podcast.xml". And you should be all hooked up.
If you're using an RSS reader: Subscribe to this feed: "http://www.entertainmentearth.com/podcasts/podcast.xml".
If you are using Safari: click here.
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The Elephant
January 19, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 257
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the recently released Naboo Soldier, a figure from Episode I that was just released a few months ago. With a removable helmet, a big gun, and lots of articulation, how can you go wrong? Read on!
--AP
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Plush Transformers Coming; Optimash Prime Potato Pics
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  The guys over at Seibertron posted tons of pictures and new information for this year's as-of-yet unannounced Transformers range, which includes Mr. Potato Head "Optimash" Prime, a plush Optimus Prime, and more. Go look before somebody yanks something.
Also, we're hearing the first reports of Cliffjumper and Ramjet hitting from the Classics line. Happy hunting!
--AP
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Wario Ware: Smooth Moves Wii Impressions
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 We picked up Wario Ware: Smooth Moves last night and so far, have clocked about an hour into it between two players. Early impressions are good: the game is fun and reasonably simple, with the series' trademark sense of humor and loads of manic micro games. Due to the nature of the controller, we're finding some games are idiot-proof-- we literally did not move or do anything, and yet we won. (This is bad.) Others are a little touchy, and it takes a while to figure out what you're supposed to do. (While typing this blurb, we're hearing our associate yelling at the TV. That's usually a good sign.) Either way, so far, it's lots of fun and we can see going back and playing more. We'll talk about it more next week, but right now it looks like a worthy purchase if you have $49.99 burning a hole in your pocket.
It's very creative and seems like it would make a better "budget" game-- from what we hear about the game's length, it isn't worth $50. It also puts the controller through almost all of the motions one might expect a game to put it through, or at least a lot of them. Odds are this would be a better game to release next year, but hey, it's fun, it's a fun series, and we can't complain too much. Try it out if you get the chance.
--AP
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Ad: New Gentle Giant at Entertainment Earth
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 Oh, it's that time again! Many new Gentle Giant items from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings are up for pre-order at Entertainment Earth! Like this new Max Rebo Band Statue from Return of the Jedi. It's very sexy.
And as always, buying through these shameless plugs means we get a nickel or two, and we appreciate your shined nickels and loose change.
From left to right: Dengar Bust, Elrond Bust, Clone Wars Clone Troopers Animated Bust-Ups, Harry Poter Bust-Ups Series 1. (Not shown: Saruman Bust, Jabba the Hutt Statue, and Yoda on Kybuck Maquette.) Click through for pricing and availability. Thanks for reading! (But mostly stuffing our coffers.)
--AP
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Eee Hee Hee
January 22, 2007 |
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter
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Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!
Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! The daily feature on figures you might have but might not-- either way, here's what you've been missing! Spanning from the original Power of the Force series of 1995 to the latest of the Saga Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!
We also added archive pages so you can go through the entire column's run. Hooray!
From left to right: Princess Leia Organa, Anakin Skywalker, Nien Nunb. These are all new since our last update, and another one will be going live today! Who will it be? Keep checking Galactic Hunter for the next update, with the 261st installment in our ongoing series!
--AP
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Would You Believe It, More Transformers Movie Stuff
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 Much like the days leading up to Episode I (which we feel is an apt analogy to this project, but we digress) there are a lot-- and we do mean a LOT of leaked photos of toys and information for the new Transformers movie. At this point, we're convinced nobody really seems to care and that this is part of the marketing, so why not promote this gallery of images showing Optimus Prime Big Rig Blaster and Movie Ratchet in packaging? While Ratchet seems to be par for the course, we're quite interest in the Big Rig Blaster-- it turns from a truck to part of Optimus' arm and a Nerf dart gun. As a kid, we'd be all over that. Kudos to Hasbro for expanding the "transforming" dynamic beyond the regular toys, this could really make for some interesting toys.
There's more, of course. eBay has a simplified Optimus Prime and AcToys.net has the Real Gear toys in packaging. At this point, we're probably very close to have seeing a significant number of the movie launch stuff, but given the size of the movie's marketing plans, we doubt it's close to everything.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 16
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 Remember how we said we were taking a break? Yeah, scratch that, we got a couple more days worth of stuff for you. It appears the post-holiday clearances are far from over. A lot of stores here in LA cleared out all their old stuff-- or so we thought. We were quite pleased over the weekend to, while looking for totally unrelated stuff, find more leftover clearance Playmobil at Toys "R" Us and Target stores which were not there a week or two ago. While your mileage may vary, here's what we found. (And in some cases, bought. We like cheap.)
5781 Captain Peg-Leg (Pirate figure with firing cannon, regularly $3.99 now $1.99 at Target. As far as we can tell, this wasn't a clearance, but just a fluke-- it's a reasonably new set and the other items from its assortment were still full price.
5783 Eagle Castle (Very large castle with four figures, regularly $49.99 now $12.24 at Target. Leftover clearance item which did not have any clearance tags.
3320 Barbarian Attack Cannon (Cannon two figures, regularly $14.99? now $4.98 at Toys "R" Us. Clearance item. (It appears all Playmobil except for Pirates and selected Castle items are being blown out.)
So what's the moral? If you see anything that looks old, consult the price scanner. And this goes for all toy lines-- there's bargains to be had if you actually look for them. Of course, that's assuming you like any of this stuff. Some of it is nifty, some of it is... well, we're still dealing with toys aimed at elementary school kids here. But that's never stopped us from buying something before.
There's some other exciting news we have part of the story on, but we're still looking for pictures and the full story. So hopefully we'll have that tomorrow.
--AP
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Ad: Fan's Choice at Entertainment Earth
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 Sneak a peek! The new Star Wars Expanded Universe Figure Comic Packs Wave 2 contains several new figures, including the fan-requested Quinlan Vos and (our personal favorite) the devilish funny accent Vilmarh Grarhk. There's also a new Obi-Wan figure (check out the cloth parts), a newly sculpted ARC Trooper, and a very nice redeco R2-D2 as well as the first Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise to have better-than-decent articulation. (Naturally, we already ordered ours.) As this is an ad, we're supposed to tell you to order one, too. Such is the fun of advertising, especially when it's as subtle as that.
--AP
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How's business?
January 24, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 261, 262
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we start with a look at the pack-in Bespin Security Guard from the Fan Club exclusive Bespin Freeze Chamber playset. As parts of Han, Luke, and new sculpting, could this possibly be worth your dollars? Read on!
 There's also the Lurch-like tall freakish Tarfful, who is OK, we guess. He's tall, has a club, a crossbow, and a punching attack thing. Should you get one? Read on!
--AP
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G.I. Joe Legends, Of Sorts
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  3 3/4-inch G.I. Joes are coming back! So far, Hasbro has revealed a Storm Shadow and a Duke, and there are all sorts of rumors flying as to what else we'll get. (Although vehicles, we're not betting on.) Hasbro has the scoop unless they moved the page again. In which case just go here and click on "news".
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 17
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 We were trying to find actual samples of this, but so far, none yet. Apparently Target stores are getting in some more Pals-- which are repackaged Specials, usually. This time, it seems that according to this thread (proof on Page 2) there's as-of-yet-unreleased Specials hitting stores now for $2 per, in Pals packaging. He reports: 4658 Diver, 4659 Roman, 4660 Child with Seals, 4662 Pirate. Odds are there's a couple more as pretty much every wave of Pals has included 6 new figures.
More as we have it. Oh, the thread we mentioned? You'll need to log in o see pictures.
--AP
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Ad: Marvel Legends 2007 Wave 2 at Entertainment Earth
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 We're tired, so this is just an ad! Entertainment Earth has Marvel Legends Action Figures 2007 Wave 2 is now up for order and this is what the case is going to have: 1x Yellow Jacket, 1x She-Hulk, 1x Thor, 1x Ultimate Wolverine, 1x Quicksilver, 1x X3 Juggernaut, 1x Jean Grey, 1x Xorn.
--AP
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It's the Final Countdown
January 25, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 263
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the (arguably) legendary Princess Leia as Jabba's Prisoner better known to you and me as "Slave Leia." 10 years later, does this metal bikini-clad cultural icon still have what it takes to be as desired as she was back in the Summer of 1997? Read on!
--AP
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Transformers Classics Ramjet, Cliffjumper Found
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The (more or less) final wave of Classics Deluxe figures are showing up all over the USA, and we found these two samples at Target in North Hollywood, CA for $9.89 each yesterday during lunch. They're each packed at two per case, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding them.
Ramjet is a redeco (and retool) of Starscream, while Cliffjumper is a redeco of Bumblebee. And here are some pictures.
Happy hunting! For Classics fans, word on the street has it that the Botcon Exclusives will be based on molds from the short-lived line, and of course the Ultra Magnus vs. Skywarp Target Exclusive is hitting stores now. We haven't seen them, but this is what we're hearing.
--AP
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G.I. Joe Legends: Scarett!
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 3 3/4-inch G.I. Joes are coming back! Today, Hasbro revealed a third figure in its new line of 3 3/4-inch figures, and it's Scarlett! Sure, she's had a new version here and there in this costume, but this one seems to be superbly articulated, taking the finer points of Star Wars (the knees) as well as Marvel Legends (the hips), plus some good ol' fashioned G.I. Joe swivels here and there. Of course, the URLs for these stories seem to get ganked a lot. In which case just go here and click on "news".
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 18
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 We're not sure who's selling it for real, but a bunch of eBayers are marketing this "Christopher Knight" set, #3800, as part of a Tsunami relief program. Obviously Playmobil made it, but so far we haven't been able to find stores outside of the online auctioneer that have it. Was it a donation prize? Is someone giving them away? Are Playmobil Fun Parks selling it? We're totally clueless. But click the image to search on it on eBay in hopes that someone has more information than us.
--AP
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Safe Journey, Captain
January 26, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 264
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the formerly very expensive Lando Calrissian which, in 1996, routinely sold for $30 or more. Was there a good reason for this crazy secondary market mark-up? Read on!
--AP
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Transformers Classics Ultra Magnus vs. Skywarp Found
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 While the release date isn't supposedly until February, we found several of the Target exclusive Ultra Magnus vs. Skywarp 2-pack yesterday morning in Van Nuys, CA. 5 were on the shelves, and they were $19.99 each. We have not yet opened our sample, but we can tell you that Ultra Magnus is a redeco of Optimus Prime, while Skywarp is a repainted Starscream.
--AP
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Game Clearances at Target, Toys "R" Us
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 After hearing the Salamander Collection hit the PSP in Japan this week, we felt inspired to see what else the system had to offer, as we are whores for Salamander and are damned curious about this Xexex game we're hearing so much about. Anyway, we found some interesting things around town.
Toys "R" Us has a number of discounted games, including the Gradius Collection for the PSP for $9.98. (We don't own a PSP yet, but we felt obligated to buy.) Target stores had a clearance rack, including several half-price PSP games, PS2 games, GBA games, DS games, and so on. Notable was Everybody Loves Katamari for PS2 for a mere $14.98, a real bargain for a game that's easily worth twice that-- and since it's actually fun, you should go get it. Happy hunting, game fans!
--AP
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G.I. Joe Legends: Gung Ho!
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 3 3/4-inch G.I. Joes are coming back! Today, Hasbro revealed a fourth figure in its new line of 3 3/4-inch figures, and it's Gung Ho! This nifty Marine (we think) is armed to the teeth with great weapons, awesome articulation, and a URL which might die on you. In which case just go here and click on "news".
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 19
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It took us a few days, but we make good on our collecting goals. Below, take a look at some new Playmobil Pals we found at Target. The new assortment has a mix of new and old Pals, and some packaging revisions, which include:
- The word "Pals" dropped from the packaging
- The name of the figure (formerly appearing in white on the box) dropped from the packaging
- The "Collect All" burts dropped from the box
This includes new releases as well as the reissues. More on the reissues after the pictures, though.
Also spotted, but not shown: repackaged versions of 4517 Dark Knight and Pirate and Skull. These were previously released as Specials and as Pals, albeit in the original Pals packaging with the names and the "Pals" logo and so forth. Each Pal figure is $1.99 at Target (assuming your stores have received them, we checked about 9 stores this week to find one that had these) and well worth the two bucks.
--AP
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Best News Day Evar
January 29, 2007 |
Star Wars Q&A Updated at Galactic Hunter
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Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!
Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! The daily feature on figures you might have but might not-- either way, here's what you've been missing! Spanning from the original Power of the Force series of 1995 to the latest of the Saga Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!
We also added archive pages so you can go through the entire column's run. Hooray!
From left to right: Battle Droid, Uncle Owen, Mon Calamari Officer. These are all new since our last update, and another one will be going live today! Who will it be? Keep checking Galactic Hunter for the next update, with the 268th installment in our ongoing series!
--AP
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Scans of the Transformers Movie Toy Booklet & More
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 Today, the axis of newsiness goes to this thread at TFW2005 which has a decent gallery of the Sneak Preview Movie Starscream as well as scans of the very first toy catalog. This is but a fraction of the movie line (from what we've seen elsewhere) but it does give you a glimpse at a couple of items we haven't seen in color yet, plus the crazy/nifty Optimus Prime Rig Blaster. Why is it interesting? Basically, when you fist the truck, it turns into a gun. And there's a phrase we never thought we'd use here.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 20
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 This news requires a few disclaimers/asides. One, the items you're about to see are for Germany in 2007-- which means most (if not all) won't be out in the USA until 2008. Second, there are about 32 images over 3 forum pages. And it's a Spanish language forum, covering German toys, from, we assume, German Toy Fair. We don't know how right that last almost-a-sentence was, but if we haven't lost you, keep reading.
The forum Playclicks has updated with many pages and many pictures of the 2007 German line. A lot of it is ho-hum and typical-for-Playmobil offerings. Advent Calendars? Check. More Pirates? Check. But there's some items which will probably make kids squeal with glee, and others which fans of the mundane (like us) are doing headstands over.
 For the kids, there's items like this Playmobil Penguin Zoo Exhibit. It's part of the ongoing Zoo range and includes an old man, some kid, penguins, a water pump mechanism, eggs, and of course, the entire freaking exhibit. There's also a crocodile enclosure, what we assume is a vet's office, at least three low-price "doctor" vet sets, and some big crazy dolphin pool which seems to use actual water.
There are also more Pirates, a lighthouse, some Spanish Conquistador-looking figures, and most important of all, a garage. Yup, a garage. As in, somewhere to put your car and tons and tons of junk. It even includes a shop vac. That's awesome. If you need something to store random crap, odds are you'll never do better than that.
--AP
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Cobra Commander & Friends 2007
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 After several awesome retro-tastic toy lines, Hasbro decided that in 2007, it should continue being awesome to toy nerds like us. This year, it's the 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe Collection, which so far is 10 figures and no vehicles. Last week, Hasbro posted the remaining figures and we have to say that we're in love. 5 Cobra figures and 5 Joe figures? We like those numbers! For fans of chicks in crazy tight black leather, there's a new Baroness. For lovers of authentic Scottish military people, there's a new Destro. And for lovers of good toys of all ages-- new Cobra Commander! We're loving what we're seeing so far. Kudos to Hasbro for doing something new that's something old.
In case you're having problems, this is a direct link to the full Cobra Commander image.
--AP
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That Was Asking a Lot
January 31, 2007 |
Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 268, 269
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 Today at Galactic Hunter we start with a look at the headless horseman himself, Jango Fett. With a fairly strong magnet in his neck, you can "cut off" his head in addition to enjoying a firing flame gauntlet, articulated knees, and pretty much every action feature you might ask for from a Jango Fett. It isn't perfect, but it's very good-- so should you get this one or wait for something else? Read on!
 After Jango, you should get one of his Clones. The black variant of the Clone Pilot isn't in the movies, but it should go in your collection if you can find one. Ummm... yeah. Read on!
--AP
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More of the Same with New Paint: Japan's Transformers: Beast Wars 2007
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 The guys over at Fan2Fan have shots (and preorders) up for the new 2007 Beast Wars line from Takara. They seem to all be repaints with DVDs, but the deco is far and away the best these molds have ever seen. That's the good news. The bad news is you likely own six of each of these by this point. These seem way better than the Hasbro 2006 figures, but your mileage may vary. If you have money to burn these seem well worth it.
--AP
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Playmobil 2007: More Stuff, Day 21
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 Over at Playmoboard there's an English language posting indicating that yes Virginia, there is a bald pirate coming. (And a blond woman pirate.) To date, the closest there has been to a "bald" figure are a couple of Friars from the Castle themes, which are basically, well, not really bald. Just a little bit on top, really. So this is new and an exciting announcement for anyone looking to make Kojak or Captain Picard. This figure is part of a set whose number we do not have handy, but features five pirate figures and a number of accessories. It'll be out in the USA in, most likely, 2008.
Have we made it obvious how much we like this toy line? No? Well, we're kinda stupid, but you figured that.
--AP
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Top Zoids Site Owner Calls it Quits, Collection Raffle
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  Well, this can't be good news. The #1 (and possibly only) Western site devoted to Zoids' owner is dropping out because he's getting married. And he's raffling off his collection for $25 a ticket. He's got some great stuff, and if you win, we want you to sell us his black Blox Legends Iron Kong because we can't find one for sale anywhere. He's a good guy with a nice site, so if you feel like trying a very unconventional way of getting a collection, hey, give it a shot.
--AP
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Click Here For News From December!
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