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The End of NBX Action Figures?

By now you’ve seen the press release and yes I feel your pain. We had plans for Santa, Corpse Dad, Snowman Jack, and loads more. There are even prototypes from Toy Fair 2007 that we created and will not be producing. Personally those are the items that hurt the most because the time and care was taken to create them and now we have to accept the fact that they will not be produced.

It is not a creative decision, it is a business decision, and the sad fact is that sales on the line decline each year as we get into the more fringe characters. We have tried to always balance the line by having Jack in each series because he sells at least 6:1 over everyone else. I know how the collectors feel, I’m one of you, a completist and I value the concept of building the entire universe of characters. For those of you who perceive the recent series to be instant sell-outs – perception and reality differ. If the figures sell out from your local stores that is great but the retail outlet you frequent may only order a fraction of what they had ordered on Series 1, 2, or 3. Our license for the toys is up at the end of this year and this decision was made not to continue.

We are ending with some great new items and some figures that have never been done before in any form. Here is what you have to look forward to before the NBX Line comes to a close.

NBX Series 6
Experiment Jack w/ desk and chair
Mr. Hyde w/ mini Hydes
Corpse Mom & Corpse Kid
Melting Guy & Spider Hair Monster

Jack & Sally on Spiral Hill Boxed Set

Comic-Con Exclusive Vampire Jack

Thanks for collecting and supporting the line – we had a great run for 4 years with over 30 amazing figures and some citizens of Halloweentown that you never thought you would see in plastic.

Randy
NECA
Reel Toys

It really HAS been an amazing run and Randy, the Four Horsemen and everyone else who worked on this line gave us some amazing on-model figures. 

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Variety is reporting that Mattel has finally landed the master toy license for all DC Comics properties. We know that this has been long in the works, and we expect to see at least a few teases of what’s to come at SDCC in a few short weeks. Here’s the press release:

" [as reported by Marc Graser] Mattel has inked a licensing deal with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to become the official toymaker for DC Comics.

Toy company has been working with WBCP for the past seven years on one-off properties, a relationship that began with "Harry Potter" and moved on to include "Batman Begins," "The Batman" and Justice League animated series.

But the new multi-year deal makes Mattel the master toy licensee for the complete DC portfolio, which includes characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Joker, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow and Justice League.

It also covers past and future films and animated properties.

Mattel’s brands such as Hot Wheels, Radica, Fisher-Price, Tyco and Mattel Games are expected to take full advantage of the deal.

Toymaker also plans to create a DC Superheroes-branded section in retailers’ toy aisles as part of the effort.

Financial terms of the pact were not released."

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God bless Robot Chicken for finally giving us a Star Wars Special that we can sit all the way through.   No Bea Arthur, no Grandpa Lumpy and his weird Wookie Porn, and no Carrie Fisher singing!    As a matter of fact the Robot Chicken Star Wars Special is work sitting through AGAIN, and you should… because Adult Swim has just posted the entire Robot Chicken Star Wars special on their site with optional video commentary from show creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich!

They go into some details that you all should enjoy, like how they customized toys and whether their Obi-Wan puppet was built from a Hasbro or Sideshow 12-inch figure and why.

I was up until 2:00am watching this the other night, I was really interested in their insight into the show.

The link is:

http://www.adultswim.com/shows/robotchicken/stuff/rcsw/ivcp/
 

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June 27, 2007 (SEATTLE) — WizKids Inc. announced today the release of the Marvel™ HeroClix®: Avengers set, which continues the celebration of the fifth anniversary of HeroClix.

Avengers brings big changes to the HeroClix brand, which has become a staple in the hobby game community.  Improving collectability and adding character cards, Avengers is completely compatible with all other HeroClix rules and characters.  A new rarity scheme reflects the industry standard, using a colored set symbol on the figure’s base to indicate its rarity.  Character cards give figures more thematic powers and abilities plus additional background information such as first appearances, real names, and notable events in the character’s history.

And never before has HeroClix offered consumers more value, with booster packs about 30 percent larger (to prevent damage to figures and cards) and an additional figure, bringing the total to five figures per pack.  Avengers is available in booster packs (MSRP $9.99) that each contain five random miniature game figures with character cards and one feat card, bystander token or battlefield condition card.

WizKids’ Organized Play program* will support Avengers with a five-week tournament called “The Coming of Galactus™” world event.  This will be the first opportunity players will have to play Avengers in a Sealed tournament environment.

*The WizKids® Organized Play program is designed to foster community and healthy competition among players and collectors of WizKids games.  The WizKids Consumer Experience team oversees the Organized Play program, and keeps regular office hours on weekdays between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. PST. Inquiries regarding how to host and run Organized Play activities can be e-mailed to customerservice@wizkidsgames.com or called in to (888) WIZKIDS.

A wholly owned subsidiary of the Topps Company (TOPP), WizKids is a Seattle-based game developer and publisher dedicated to creating tabletop games driven by imagination. Its HeroClix and Pirates brands are among the most successful games on the market today. Over 150 million game pieces have been sold worldwide. For additional information, visit www.wizkidsgames.com.

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Gamers Control the Outcome of the Planet as They Choose to Protect it as AUTOBOTS or Destroy it as DECEPTICONS

 
Santa Monica, CA – June 26, 2007 – The fate of the world is in gamers’ hands with the announcement that TRANSFORMERS: The Game from Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), under license from HPG, the licensing division of Hasbro, Inc. has shipped to retail stores nationwide.  Timed to the highly anticipated theatrical release of the “TRANSFORMERS” live-action feature film from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, the game allows players to experience the unstoppable power and massive scale of the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS in an epic battle for Earth. 

 “TRANSFORMERS: The Game lets you choose your side – Autobots or Decepticons – to either protect or destroy Earth,” said Will Kassoy, senior vice president of global brand management, Activision, Inc.  “The game features fully destructible environments, an army of playable characters, split second changes from robot to vehicle form and a storyline that goes beyond the film to include some elements from the property’s long history that will also appeal to Generation 1 fans.”

“The Activision team has done an outstanding job of replicating the live-action movie scale and realism into TRANSFORMERS: The Game,” said Jeff Burdeen, Vice President of Digital Media for HPG.  “Across the current and next-generation platforms, gamers will have an awesome TRANSFORMERS experience from the amazing vehicle-to-robot changes to the heart-pounding action.”

 In TRANSFORMERS: The Game for the consoles and PC, players are presented with dual campaigns as they choose from an unprecedented line-up of characters including OPTIMUS PRIME, MEGATRON, IRONHIDE, STARSCREAM, BUMBLEBEE and more.  Gamers must master each character’s unique weapons,

moves and instantaneous conversions from robot to vehicle mode as they rampage through fully interactive and destructible environments in their quest to protect or destroy Earth. 

 The Nintendo DS™ offers two completely different games, TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS and TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS. Both titles enable players to engage in the “AllSpark Wars” through Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection where they must help their side win the global conflict between AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS via daily challenge missions and global player stats comparisons.  Each Nintendo DS game features 20 unique story missions plus more than 20 challenge missions as well as local wireless multiplayer modes for up to four players. 

 The PSP (PlayStation Portable) system version of TRANSFORMERS: The Game features more than 20 playable TRANSFORMERS characters with three combat modes and 19 story-based missions that have players playing both AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS as they progress through the game.  In addition, gamers can battle in four-player Ad Hoc wireless competitions including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Ascension Rites (king of the hill) and Secure the Energon (capture the flag), in more than 10 multiplayer arenas.

 TRANSFORMERS: The Game was developed by Traveller’s Tales for the Xbox 360™ video game system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PC, and is rated “T” (Teen) by the ESRB.  The PSP system version was developed by Savage Entertainment and is currently rated “E 10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Violence) by the ESRB.  Two unique games for Nintendo DS, TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS and TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS, were developed by Vicarious Visions and are rated “E 10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Violence) by the ESRB.  For more information about the game, visit http://www.transformersgame.com/.

  BradyGames’ TRANSFORMERS: The Game Official Strategy Guide is available at electronics, book, and software retailers nationwide, and online at www.bradygames.com.

(more…)

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Our Friends at Marvel Toys write in to tell us: 

Select Wal-Mart stores in the Denver area are receiving an early shipment of Legendary Comic Book Heroes. The shipment includes both Series 1 & Series 2 and should hit shelves in the next couple of weeks.

Legendary Comic Book Heroes will be more widely available in other regions & retailers closer to fall.  But if you can’t wait, I hear Denver is lovely this time of year!  Get in line for full sets with variants, and be one of the first to build Pitt & Monkey Man.
Happy Hunting!!
Marvel Toys

These are already starting to show up on Ebay from a seller in Hong Kong so they should be along shortly…. and they are awesome!

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World beware, Frank Kozik has created an army of Anarchy Qees and they are going to start dropping all over the world. Toy2R and Diamond Comics are setting the stage for a massive release of trouble on the heels of the latest Magic of Color Series 3 of 2.5" Qees. First up is the Kozik 8" Anarchy Black Qee Bear (JUN074626) limited to only 500pcs, currently up for order through the JUNE issue of PREVIEWS.

Next up is the Newbury Comics Exclusive, Kozik’s 8" Anarchy Black Cat. Hopefully you’re not superstitious because this cat is getting ready to cross your path. Currently up for pre-orders at http://www.newburycomics.com/rel/v2_viewupc.php?storenr=103&upc=103-127590NEWBU . This figure is limited to only 300 pcs.

If that weren’t enough, keep your eyes peeled for the 8" Anarchy White Bear in the JULY Previews.

Taking the fight to a smaller scale, Diamond Comics and Toy2R will be releasing 5 super limited 2.5" Clear Version Anarchy Qees. First Toy2R will be releasing the 2.5" Clear Version Toyer Qee at the Taipei Toy Festival and following that show, the 2.5" Clear Dog will be available at SDCC. Putting the finishing touch on the project, Diamond will release the 2.5" Clear version of the Bear, Mon, and Cat after the con (check out the AUGUST PREVIEWS)

These figures can be found in the new Designer Section of Diamond Comic Distributors monthly catalog Previews. This new section features new designer offerings as well as amazing exclusives each month. For a look at the other offerings this month, check out http://previews.diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=2&m=1&c=23&s=309. 

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This year the con exclusive for the Hot Wheels booth at Comic Con will be the 1966 TV Series Batmobile(tm) which is 1/64th Scale in an acrylic case.

This version has a bit more detail than the mass market version such as clear windows and pin-striping on the front.

These will be sold for $20. 

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