Entertainment Earth Podcast
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Star Wars Wave 5 Comic Packs Reviewed! Also: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Giant Gila Monster news, Cloverfield Sequel, new B-52s album, new Journey singer discovered on YouTube, new Transformers Convention toys, a new Playstation 2 all-girl fighting game, the new German Playmobil sets which will hit the USA in 2009, and much, much more.

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.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!

As we are not football fans, we spent Sunday watching movies and going to toy stores. While journeying throughout Encino, CA, we found a cache of 2008 Playmobil sets. For the curious, the entire new Dinosaur theme has hit retail, as have a few of the upcoming "fairy" theme which, according to the catalog, isn't due until March. (Specifically, 4199 and 4195.) Finding these sets early is like finding a DVD of the next season of Flavor of Love fall out of a timewarp. Sure, it's nice to see something ahead of time... but eh. We scored a Spinosaurus set (more information coming) and while we do admire its construction and accessories, we must say that it seems a wee bit expensive especially when compared to the Jurassic Park III version of the beast.

After a nearly 10-year hiatus from the Final Frontier, we've received word that Playmates Toys will be returning to the worlds of Star Trek this Fall starting with the new movie toy line. The company produced hundreds of unique figures spanning the first four Trek series and is best known (by us) in recent years for their work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the King Kong toy lines. We have yet to see any formal announcement of products but we hear that the usual fare (ships, roleplay toys, action figures) are on track for a late 2008 release.

Because we like it, this week we review the Dino Discovery Team that was sold by Playmobil a few years ago. We got ours on mega-clearance and are reviewing it now because Playmobil just released a brand new line of bigger and more ornate dinosaurs, and we wanted to look back before we started looking ahead. In addition to an insanely fun selection of axes, chainsaws, crowbars, and other antisocial tools, this set sported one of the first-ever Playmobil dinosaur toys, a snowy ice environment, and two explorers for what is actually a fairly decent price. Check out our review to see what $20 could've got you in 2004, or if you were lucky, $5 in 2006.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at a pretty decent (but very expensive) black exclusive Shadow Scout Trooper, one of the many nifty yet overpriced items to be offered by the Star Wars Shop booth and web site. It takes a 25-year-old vehicle and a new $7 figure, paints them black, and charges you $25 for it. Could this possibly be a good deal? Read on!

The new Allspark Power repaints (and new molds) of the Transformers movie toy line are hitting in big numbers, and if you're lucky you will now stumble on Desert Brawl and Stockade. We saw both this morning at an area Wal-Mart, so keep your eyes peeled for these new blue-boxed toys.

This week: It's Operation Wolf for the NES, and Columns III: Revenge of Columns for the Sega Genesis. For the pacifist in you, a number of jewels are ready to take revenge over you for your jewel-hating ways. For the warmonger, there's a port of Operation Wolf for you that isn't arcade-perfect. Purchase at your own peril!

One choices this week: Poker Smash is coming. This game is described in its marketing materials as "an action-packed puzzle game with a poker twist." We describe it as "another game that is not Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD. This new puzzle game from Void Star Creations will be available for download really late tonight (or tomorrow) for 800 points, or US $10. Also, the Gamerscore Blog reports that Crystal Quest will get a free update that should do something to allow you to get even higher scores. We're not sure if we're going to care about this but hey, an update's an update.

It's the moment you've been waiting for! Even though we spoiled it all already. The 2008 German Playmobil Catalog is up on the German web site, and thankfully for you it's easy to navigate. The new themes are all present, including Divers, Egypt, Police, and House. And speaking of divers...

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 30th Anniversary Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!

The super-cool Wave 3 of the comic packs line has been spotted! This is a good one, and the guys at HissTank.com have images and confirmation of it being found in stores. Wave 3 includes Ace & Wild Weasel, Cobra Officer & Crimson Guard, Tomax & Xamot, and battle-damaged versions of Storm Shadow & Snake Eyes. This is a good one, kids.

Entertainment Earth Podcast
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G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Crimson Guard Reviewed! Also: Nintendo Wii Mario Kart news, new movies, and some other stuff. It may be a slow week for toy news, but there are lots of other nifty things to talk about as we start to approach the big New York Toy Fair just around the corner.

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.

Galactic Hunter has not posted a Q&A column this week due to the impending Toy Fair in New York and other things. So, come back in a couple of weeks for a new installment.

In the 1990s, CBS aired a TV series based on Back to the Future which was... unique. If you were lucky enough to see it (like we were) you'd be remembering the live-action segments with Christopher Lloyd and at the end, Bill Nye, while the character of Doc in the cartoon was voiced by Dan "Homer" Castellaneta. Today, according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, there's a very strong rumor that the series may make its DVD debut this year. It was a short run show-- two years, 26 episodes, and a handful of comics from the Harvey label. And if you wish hard enough, maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to see it later this year.

According to The Magic Box, Nintendo's new kart racer Mario Kart Wii will be in Japan on April 10. What's the biggest surprise, though, is the mention of a freebie steering wheel gizmo included. The game news site also has three pages of screenshots from the game, and it's looking sharp.

Entire weeks in the making, we're happy to officially announce our latest pet project: Playmoblog! Brought to you by the same team that brings you 16bit.com, this site will focus exclusively on Playmobil news, reviews, and blogging.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at a peculiar release, the 1999 2-Headed Announcer This unique release was packaged with the once very hard-to-find Jabba the Hutt in 1999. Today, well, he's not so hard to get. The figure represents an early stage in the Pod Race's effects design, and for that reason alone it's pretty cool. But is it worth buying if you already have the later, accurate-to-the-movie figure? Read on!

This week: It's Harvest Moon for the Super NES, and Lords of Thunder for the Turbo CD. One is a farm sim, the other is a sub-legendary hardcore shooter.

Two this week. Tron: Discs of Tron is a port of the classic arcade game. It's $5 (400 points) and supposedly pretty gosh darned decent. The other game, which we never heard of until today, is Commanders: Attack of the Genos. It's $10 (800 points) and is some sort of tactical battle thing. Both games are up for download much, much later tonight.

Tons of sources, like this one, are all saying that David Murray is out as Destro in the new G.I. Joe movie. Who's in? Doctor #9, Christopher Eccleston. That's pretty gosh darned exciting right there.

The traditional unveiling of the exclusives has begun! While no real surprise, Botcon gave us the first glimpse of Optimus Prime as seen in the set. He's purple and black, and based on the Classics mold. Oh, and he has plenty of battle damage.

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 30th Anniversary Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!

While not yet confirmed by Hasbro, this site Toy Workers is making a bold claim that Hasbro will be selling a Classics Nemesis Prime come San Diego Comic-Con. Seeing as there was an Alternators one, it doesn't seem like a stretch, but nothing is official yet. Click through to see their pre-order page.

While rumored for months, this press release has the first confirmation of a new, non-exclusive vehicle assortment for the new G.I. Joe figure line. Apparently we can expect the Cobra VAMP, and the Armadillo Tank vs. Serpentor's Chariot. We assume this means old molds with slight tweaks, but hey, that sounds pretty good since the SRP is said to be $15.

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Evolutions Force Unleashed Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice Reviewed! Also: Star Trek Movie delayed, Mixed Martial Arts toys, Star Wars TV show toy (and cartoon) news, Indiana Jones trailer, Halo statues, new TNA and WWE wrestling licenses, and so much more. Toy Fair starts soon and we've got a sneak peek at what you can expect in 2008, 2009, and yes, even 2010! (Nothing for 2011 as of yet, though.)

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.

Entertainment Earth Podcast
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Time for Toy Fair! Our team went to New York and we saw thousands of new products. What was good? Well, we'll tell you-- be sure to check out this awesome super-sized Toy Fair Show! Also: Movie updates, a review of the General Grievous Starfighter, and much more.

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.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column this week! Be sure to click through and read up on the latest!

This week: It's Kirby 64: The Crystal Stars for the Nintendo 64, and Psychosis, a shooter for the TurboGrafx16. New last week: Ninja Gaiden III for the NES, which was a fun game and the series' last gasp for years. From the Sega Genesis: Phantasy Star II, a game that cost an arm and a leg in the old days and will cost you slightly less today.

One this week, one last week. This week it's Triggerheart Exelica, a shooter featuring robotic anime chicks for 800 points ($10). Previously released as a Dreamcast game, this actually looks pretty slick-- we'll keep you posted.

A couple of weeks back, we launched Playmoblog for Playmobil news and bloggishness. A bunch of new goodies showed up lately, so here are the highlights:

The guys over at Botcon have revealed the remaining two convention exclusives in the boxed set. One is a "good guy" Decepticon Starscream based on the Cybertron mold, and the other is a Mini-Con Razorclaw... which really seems kinda bland.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the third snow-based Chewbacca. And there's another one coming. Today's Figure of the Day looks at one of Hasbro's most trotted out scene-specific versions of everybody's favorite Wookiee. The good news is that, so far, this is the best of them. Is that enough for you to make the purchase? Read on!

We got wave 3 of the comic packs from Entertainment Earth the other day, and they're looking pretty sharp. Sets include Ace & Wild Weasel, Tomax & Xamot, Storm Shadow & Snake Eyes, and Crimson Guard & Scarred Cobra Officer. These sets are really sharp, much better than the redecopalooza that was the first wave-- so if you like the line, you might want to get these.

Via Playmoblog: As reported previously, there were expected to be four new 2-packs sold at Toys "R" Us and Target stores. Well, now we can say that they're definitely showing up to both. Toys "R" Us typically charges $3.99 per set, while Target is asking $2.99. As these are shipping in assortments, if your store is drowning in old product, it might be a while before you see them. It appears the merfolk are shipping with the Romans and the Knights are shipping with the pirates.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the best (so far) Momaw Nadon action figure, better known to some as Hammerhead. Sure, it's a little light on articulation but it more than makes up for it with great detail and some pretty nifty accessories. He's got long, wiry fingers and beedy gold eyes. Are you doing yourself harm by not having this figure in your collection? (Yes. It's one of our favorites, OK?) Read on!

Some news we're hearing about Mario Kart Wii: It supports text chat while playing online. Which is OK, we guess... but no voice? Kinda lame. We want to swear at others. We also saw some screen shots indicating Battle Mode would support 8 players, a big step up but not as big as some would like. The game is due to hit Japan next month.

Entertainment Earth Podcast
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AT-AP Reviewed! We also look at a bundle of items from New York Toy Fair. Highlights include a deeper look at the Mattel DC Universe line, where the Lord of the Rings Tom Bombadil bust comes from, more new Star Wars, Halo news, and oh so much more. We also decided to toss in some updates on what may well be your favorite TV shows. Good fun awaits, be sure to check this one out!

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.