That Joe 40th stream was amazing. Especially the digital reveals. The Insectitrain is one of my favorite Transformers concepts ever and we might get it in legends-scale. If you’re a fan of reissues, you can now get some minty assassins. The Saurozoic Warriors aren’t Masters, but I love them like they are.
As it should be, the Fan First days continue to be the highlight of toy reveals nowadays. These replacements for Toy Fair and SDCC continue to produce at least one or two gems each time. For Transformers we got our first official looks at Leader Sludge and a new Junkion. For Star Wars, the Nightbrother was dope, but what was really interesting was their “Pipeline” reveals. With so much Twilek love in Book of Boba, I’m glad to see Aayla Secura finally coming to the Black Series. The big news Joe-...
The Joe Fan First thing was pretty great. Lotsa repacks, but hey at least they’re “vintage packaging” 🙁 Since there is hardly any MOTU news nowadays, let’s go with these amazing Thundercat villain statues. Always advocating for MFT, I’m loving their Trailbreaker. Then to end on a down note, we’re in for another round of price increases. Star Wars is taking full advantage of this in the form of hundreds of Mandalorians.
After our shortest show in years follows one of the longest. For good reason. We cover the new 1099 rule that has gone into effect starting at the beginning of this year. Any Goods and Services transactions on payment platforms (PayPal, Venmo, etc.) totaling more than $600 will be reported to the IRS and you will have to claim it as income. Since almost all the major marketplaces (eBay, Mercari, etc.) use these platforms, the profitability of toy selling is going to take a nosedive. For the casu...
What’s really insane is the deep cuts we’re getting. I love this stuff and I think that’s what really gets me in trouble. The Super7 ReAction radiated Snake Eyes from the M.A.S.S. Device mini-series is amazing. The new Gaming Greats Arc Troopers? Not only have Arc Troopers never appeared in any movies but then to get three of them from one game in two different scales? Probably one of my biggest deep cuts literally, not only for size but considering you only see them in one episode of Transforme...
Some of us spent a lot of money on HasLab projects, but not as much as we could have. So the most I’ve ever spent on a toy was Unicron. And while it brings me tremendous joy I am literally afraid to transform it. The biggest story I think was the Rancor failing, not miserably, but it was pretty bad. Even the last-minute addition of the Rancor Keeper couldn’t save it. I think $350 was just too much. I was on the fence about Victory Saber, just not really my Transformers. However, after unlocking ...
While it was amazing to talk to my guys, it wasn’t without its controversies. I personally loved the adidas Transformers crossovers, but nobody else did. No MOTU news, but about as close as it gets is the Party Wagon from Super7. It even gets compared to Snake Mountain. The only thing Joe this time around was some grab bag comic news, but we could agree on if this was a good thing or not, or if we even cared. The one thing that we all agreed on is the HasLab Rancor is going to fail.
I think it’s time to be thankful for 3rd Parties (i.e. non-big 4 companies) as we continue to get amazing stuff from these smaller guys. Especially the Marauder complimented Roboskull Kickstarter. This campaign unlocked some amazing stretch goals. Even though I’m not usually into throwback 5.5 stuff, the new Lords of Power line definitely caught my attention. While not a direct connection to Star Wars, I think we’re lucky to be getting a second wave of Silverhawks so fast. Even if includes a $40...
How about the Pulse Con, huh? Crazy good stuff from my POV. Love the Kickback, Justified in Boba armor, and especially Croc Master. In addition to that rush, MOTU finally had something that makes me super-happy.
There were some things I loved this time around that are not based on much logic. Super7 keeps sucking me in with their ReAction deep cuts. It doesn’t take much to get me excited about a TF Joe crossover, even it’s just a passing resemblance like TFC Tyrant, i.e. Dominator Megatron. I can’t quite figure why I like the George Lucas Black Series figure. I think it’s just so goofy, it deserves to be in my collection. What doesn’t take a lot of logic to know why I love it so much is the Revelation S...
I liked the TVC Droids Figures, OG Scorponok, this MOTU board game, and possibly getting a good Joe game.
What toys do you think kids will find visceral 20 years from now? Any? That’s right, toys are not for kids anymore. The Rancor is something I remember clearly. I used to feed it my Luke until he got stuck. Here’s hoping the Haslab version can create a new feeling. Jurassic Park is another visceral movie for me. So, I have a huge soft spot for the new Transformers Crossover set. While I absolutely love the vintage Hordak. It’s one of my most favorite figures I ever owned. But there is something a...
This week we had some controversy, maybe, so I’m going to focus on some of our more controversial news stories. First and foremost is the renaming of Slave 1 to The Firespray. Where do you stand on rewriting history? The new MOTU series and toys are bound to split fans. Seems like some fans just can’t get down with kid-based stuff. Would you support a Victory Saber HasLab project? What if it was $300? Do you support things to simply support the brand? Lastly, it looks like TRU will be back in th...
I haven’t been too busy to catch up on the big 4’s media. We had a spoiler-filled discussion about Bad Batch, Kingdom, Revelation, and Snake Eyes. I think I said Spoiler like 37 times. It’s a good time to be a fan of the big four, for the most part.
Well, there was still no Comic-Con this year, but man there were some amazing things announced that I can’t wait for. Hopefully you were able to score some Mattel exclusives, I know a lot of people were not. I lucked out and was able to grab me the Scareglow and Sarge. While not necessarily an SDCC thing, the color-changing Pulsecon Exclusive Zartan looks to be a must-have for a lot of people, including me. One of the things I’m most excited about is the new Gendy Clone Wars series figs that lau...
Target has had their fair share of bumpy rides when it comes to their exclusives, but they’re trying to do right by collectors with their Geek Out event. One of the things a lot of people can’t just grin and bear is the War for Cybertron trilogy, especially the new Kingdom series. Personally, I love supporting media for toy lines, even if they’re not the best stories ever told. However, the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Revelation trailer looks to be the type of animated toy porn m...
I love me some B.A.T.s and while we assumed they were coming to Classified eventually, seeing them this early makes me happy. The first 5-10 minutes of the Transformers series is some of my favorite animation of all time. I want all of them, Tetrajet Seekers, lamp post Soundwave, and especially Cybertronian Bumblebee. Nothing really new for MOTU, so I’ll just leave these Super7 Silverhawks here. Bad Batch spoiler: I love Rex’s appearance. I have now missed out on both the TVC and TBS versions of...
Again, nothing fancy this time, just a good long discussion about collecting.
This show’s favorite things are super-easy, but unfortunately, I may never own some of them. First up was the 86 Studio Series reveals. Luckily these are all mass releases and easy to secure. Not as easy to secure, but just as amazing, the Target exclusive Clone Wars-carded Black Series figs have been hitting stores everywhere. Some of the best MOTU exclusives ever will be hitting nowhere except the secondary market. These Power-Con exclusive figure, beast, and accessory packs are going to be th...
It was really nice taking a break off from these the last couple of shows. I’m still not quite back in my flow, but I’m glad I got a chance to get some thoughts down. I’m gonna skip my favorite items from this show. I’ll get these back on track next time around.
Winner for brevity... this guy!
One of the main differences I’ve noticed with the pandemic entering its second year is my tolerance for small talk has just about been exhausted. And not the small talk with a rep on the phone or a clerk in a store. I actually still really enjoy that. No, it’s the chit-chat with friends. I’m not sure if I think we should be talking about deeper topics, I’ve just become a reclusive curmudgeon, or what. I find myself thinking, get on with it already. I know these can get wordy at times, so I think...
With the stimulus coming, let’s talk about higher-end stuff. For Joe, the announcement of a Mezco 1:12th Destro was huge, with an appropriate price to surely follow. Next up, you can buy essentially a life-size Child with a pram from Mattel for $400. Masters has got that beat by about $700 with their Life-size Skeletor bust. Transformers towers above all of them put together. Don’t pass up your chance to purchase an actual G1 Prime from the Bumblebee movie.
We talked about a lot of toys that are not in the “big 4” this time around. Instead of my favorite item from each of the “big 4”, I thought I’d highlight some items that kind of correlate to our favorite franchises. First, for Masters, we have the Four Horsemen’s All-Star Round 4 Vote. They continue to kill it with this line with some of the most active and ravenous fans out there. For Joe, the Final Faction line at Dollar Tree is definitely interesting. Backed by its own cartoon, backstories, a...
I've been cutting corners, literally, as I'm on a model kit tear lately. I’m really interested in the new Flame Toys Furai Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. I never really liked unarmored humanoids, but I’m in at least for Storm Shadow. In another way to cut corners, Hasbro has yet another seeker repaint on deck, but this time it’s a must-buy for me. I absolutely love the G2 Ramjet deco. Want a deep cut? No, not of the corner persuasion, but in the Black Series line. Look no further than the rumored ...
As we’ve been seeing for a few years now, what was old is new again. This time around is no different. MOTU’s throwback Origins line just released to all stores and announced a ridiculous amount of news and pre-orders. We get a few more coded listings for a wave 4 of the “retro” Joe line, including at least one trooper. While not necessarily vintage for me, for someone just ten years younger this might be their Transformers. We get a great look at a concepts document for Beast Wars McDonalds pre...
What a year it has been for toys. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much product in my life. Maybe it’s because the whole pre-order revolution really caught on this year. Maybe it’s because the toy companies see their window closing for our generation. Either there are some amazing things to look forward to. Classified has been a breakout line with lotsa new stuff on the way. Unicron will probably be the biggest toy, literally, of 2021 and Hasbro is trying to ensure it gets to you safely. 2020 saw...
What was some of your favorite news from this show? For Star Wars, the possibility of getting Luke and Leia from her training scene in Episode 9 is exciting. Not necessarily because of what they would look like, but more for the concept. Origins Battle Armor He-Man with a vintage head is exciting. This is based on a figure I got as a kid for Christmas back in the day. Not that we didn’t see it coming, but a Skullcruncher in a G1 box is pretty exciting for me at least, even if it is a modern mold...
No corny segue this time around, just my favorite stuff. For Star Wars, Regal Robot’s vintage carry case inspired wood plaques look amazing. Little pricey as expected, but still dope. Didn’t remember seeing the Deluxe Origins before but Cliff represented. Love that the battle damage effect is going to be there. The only Joe news has me less than excited. At least I’m happy I’ll be getting a “retro” Headmaster Skullcruncher even if it is just for the box.
