For our friend VeeBee at The Fwoosh – from Heroclix Laval on Facebook.

Solicits for the upcoming The Batman set also promise us a Batmobile and Invisible Jet.  I want these because I play the game, but when was the last time someone made us an Invisible Jet?  (more…)

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Note: I began writing this article last fall, when the topic was a bit more relevant. But I think the idea still has merit, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on how the DCnU was developed, now that we have some time and distance to reflect upon the original event and transition…

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The DCnU. We are nine months into the New 52, and I can say with certainty that I am no longer interested in reading about the DCnU. It’s disappointing, and sad.I’m not here to nitpick about continuity and costumes, or argue about the sales of DC and the general health of the industry, nor am I willing to discuss the legitimacy of stubborn, Silver Age fanboys that may no longer be in DC’s Target Market and how they are resistant to change. But I am writing about one thing:

It could have, and should have, been different.

(more…)

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In my previous article, I discussed my feelings on the biggest issue with Mattel’s Young Justice line, the price.  You can read about it here.  Today, I want to talk about character packout.

1. One of the things I noticed while collecting the Batman Brave and Bold line was what was left on the shelves.  As the line progressed, I saw that what hung on the shelves were the single packed villains.  While these tended to be characters with multiple appearances on the show, the demand for them as toys seemed to be over estimated.

The other thing was that many of these villains were also available in two packs with the main heroes of the show.  Batman.  Aquaman.  Blue Beetle.  I believe the hero helps sell the villain.  There really is no need to offer the villains as single pack figures. (more…)

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So we’re a month away today from the Main Event, the Big Show, the Granddaddy of them all, San Diego Comicon. It’s hard to believe last year we got our first glimpse of the gigantic Voltron Mattel had in store for us. Fast-forward to today, and we are ever so close to finally completing the big guy.
By now, you pretty much know what you’re getting for your buck, and you do get a lot of bang for that buck!

Today we’re going to take a peek at the Green Lion & Pidge, going on sale at Mattycollector.com tomorrow, as well as the August set, the Blue Lion & Princess Allura! If you’ve read the previous entries detailing the Red Lion and Yellow Lion, these are their corresponding limb counterparts. Also included are two more parts of the huge electrified collect-n-connect Blazing Sword! And we’re off!!!

(more…)

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Father’s Day is this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than to revisit and expand upon my article from last year?

Some fathers go fishing or hunting with their sons; others bond over golf, or tinker with cars.  I have friends that regularly camp with their sons, and play guitar, and build their relationship through sports.  And sadly, some fathers don’t share much of anything with their sons at all.

But my own father, he and I always had three things we shared – playing and coaching athletics (basketball and baseball in particular); an unwavering love for the hapless Chicago Cubs; and most importantly…collecting. (more…)

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If you’ve read me here on AFI since the beginning (which, unbelievable to me, was seven years ago), you know I spent most of my time back in the column days wringing my hands, fretting, and generally hating myself over the number of toys I had and the capricious manner in which I acquired them. Here’s an example, from my very first AFI blog entry, back when us old timers had individual blogs we didn’t maintain.

I’ll wait while you go read it and embarrass me. (more…)

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Once again, I find myself wondering if DC/WB wants us to even know this is being made.  I have seen zero advertising for this release.  An interesting note, this will be the first release where I have not read the base story.  I did enjoy Joe Kelly’s Justice League which came out shortly after this, so I am hoping for good things.  The animation / art style is not one I am familiar with.  It feels off.  My guess is it is based on the actual art like the previous releases have been.

Best Buy is likely to have sales on other DC released series and prior movies.  I’ve used release week to pick up a number of sets at Best Buy at reduced prices.  Also, if history repeats, this movie itself will be on sale this week and will be priced 2 or 3 dollars higher after that.  Also, Best Buy continues their tradition of offering an exclusive package with a mini figure.

Anyway, it is out tomorrow.  Run out and buy it. Then come back and tell us what you thought of it.

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I suspect you aren’t, either.

So, in the event we might have some other common ground, I’ll just leave this here and maybe we’ll have someplace else to have fun together, from time to time.

I’m still here. But now I’m there, too.

Hope that’s cool.

-J

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I stumbled across this amusing account of my encounter with the oft-reviled “scalper” collector from 2004.  This was posted to RTM and the AFi forums, before it was deleted during the Great Hack of the 2005.  Keep in mind, I have obviously added anecdotal aspects for the sake of entertainment, and reflects my feelings and my reaction to the events of that morning.  While my personal views of so-called “scalpers” have changed over time, I kept the original writing intact for the sake of authenticity.

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I’ve read these types of stories many times on the different boards, but now I have to share a wild and dramatic tale of my own. My up-close encounter with…

A Real, Live Scalper!

(cue dramatic ‘dum-dum-dummmmmm‘!)

(more…)

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A few months ago I was out in NJ visiting my mom. By now, I’ve scoured every nook and cranny of the house I grew up in for remnants of toys from days gone by. My previous visit turned up a vintage MEGO Dukes of Hazzard General Lee (a week after I bought one on eBay). But that was in a far corner of the attic and it was the bottom of the barrel. So when I was out this time I didn’t think there was anything left to go through. My mom, however, pulled out a big box of old LEGOS. Just for fun I decided to separate all the pieces by color, put the sets in Ziplock bags, and have ma sell them at her next garage sale. Well, as I picked through the pieces I came across some miscellany related to the little plastic people …

(more…)

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I cannot even begin to describe the hours of entertainment that came out of the famed Hanna Barbera animation studios over the years. The powerhouse teaming of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera produced a wealth of fantastic cartoons for kids of all ages since the studios inception in 1959. (more…)

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I have been out of town for the past ten days, but wanted to share something very cool that happened on the eve of the recent Memorial Day weekend…as many of you know, I am a huge supporter of the Colorado Freedom Memorial.  To recap, this would be the first monument in America to honor all local veterans of all wars, by name, in one place.  You can read more about the details, and the numerous setbacks that have occurred HERE.

On May 25th, my good pal and mastermind behind this project, Rick Crandall, held the annual KEZW radiothon fundraiser for the CFM.  It went well, but the project still needed to raise at least $400k to start building.  We weren’t quite there, but then something amazing happened.

(more…)

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