The folks at DisneyXD have given fans an early look at the first full episode of the highly anticipated new animated series Tron: Uprising - You can watch the full episode below -
GET ON THE GRID WITH THE DISNEY XD PREVIEW OF TRON: UPRISING! — THE SERIES PREMIERES THURSDAY JUNE, 7TH AT 9/8C — ON DISNEY XD.
Beck is a young mechanic living in Argon City, a growing metropolis in a far off corner of the grid that has just been occupied by General Tesler, a henchman of the notorious Clu. After his best friend Bodhi is ruthlessly derezzed by Clu’s army, Beck seeks justice for his lost friend and launches a crusade against the regime. His rebellion captures the attention of Tron, the greatest warrior The Grid has ever known, who sees the potential in Beck and trains him to be his successor. Labeled with the moniker of The Renegade, Beck sparks a revolution to fight for the freedom of The Grid.
To get on the grid with TRON: Uprising, go to http://www.DisneyXD.com/TRON.
Last week we posted an interview with Mattel’s Scott Neitlich talking about the collector/online side of Mattel’s DC action figure business. Today we get to hear a bit from the newly formed retail team. The retail team is a bit more coy. They have asked that we not publish their names and instead they will go by their MattyCollector.com screen name of “Matty Justice League.” They are not as used to the spotlight as Scott is in his many years in that role. We will respect their privacy and we thank them for taking the time to answer some of our questions that have been on a lot of fans minds. I’m sure as time goes on they will become more and more comfortable with the fans and we’ll see more of them around these parts and answering more questions on the MattyCollector.com.
AFi: Traditionally Mattel employees have adopted nicknames/screen names for their on-line interaction with fans (Walker Texas Ranger, Boy Wonder, Fangirl 2.0, ToyGuru, etc.) have you given any thought to yours yet?
Matty Justice League: The DC product development team answers questions on Matty as Matty Justice League. Multiple people will answer under this name to make sure that we address questions.
AFi: Can you tell us what else you have done for Mattel before jumping into the DC properties?
Matty Justice League: I came from Hot Wheels Basic Cars and interacted with collectors on Hotwheelscollector.com as HWC JohnF. Before that, I interned in Games.
AFi: Are you already comic fans, or have you been catching up once you got on board the DC team? And is that even a relevant question with the new direction?
Matty Justice League: Actually, this is a funny story. I interviewed for a cross-department job change into Batman (before taking over all of DC Mass) and made the change a year ago. When I first learned about the opportunity, I looked around my house and realized that next to the life size 3D Darth Maul and Yoda were tons of Batman stuff, from Action Figures, to DC Comic coffee books to Six Flags capes. So yes, I was a fan before, but not just of the comics, but all mediums and honestly, everything that was/is an action figure – ever heard of Saint Seiya?
AFi: Do you see fan outreach as part of the job, or is it an addition to try and do outside of your workday?
Matty Justice League: A little bit of both. I wish I had time for more as I love interacting on the boards.
AFi: Have either of you been to Comic Con before?
Matty Justice League: Yep, twice. I went in 2007 as a Games intern and again last year as the Batman Manager.
AFi: What happened with Young Justice? I’m sure it was a tougher sell when it was on Friday nights, but it seems like once it moved to Saturday mornings on the DC Nation block it would be getting a lot more kids eyes on the show.
Matty Justice League: We actually just published a story on Matty and a lot of answers have been provided on the Matty boards. Essentially, we’re really bummed. The show is great, but unfortunately, the toys didn’t work. Sometimes, it just happens that moms/kids love the show but don’t buy the toys.
AFi: It seems as if Walmart is really cutting back on the amount of toy lines it carries at retail. Is that having an effect on what gets made?
Matty Justice League: That’s hard to answer right now. At the moment, we aren’t seeing that.
AFi: There is a tendency to romanticize each new line and want to extend it indefinitely, but looking back over the past 20-30 years most action figure lines lasted 3 years, tops. Do you see this as a natural reboot of the DC properties, or is it an attempt to extend the existing product line in some form of continuity?
Matty Justice League: If you look at the past 20-30 years, the top brands have always remained in some form or another. Hence, this is more of a reboot to make sure that it is fresh.
AFi: Can we ask about a few other properties that haven’t been mentioned lately when it comes to the new division of labor?
Batman Legacy
Action League
Will we continue to see 6″ DCUC-style sublines for major DC movie tie-ins like we have seen in Batman: Legacy and Green Lantern Classics?
We know Danielle aka Fangirl 2.0 went off to work on the upcoming Superman movie retail line. How does that that tie into the other work you guys are doing? Is she part of the retail team?
Matty Justice League: Fangirl 2.0 actually works for me at the moment under the mass DC team. As for the other pieces, it’s too early to comment at this moe =ment.
Thank you to the new Mattel retail team for answering a few of our burning questions. We look forward to hearing much more from you guys.
The MOTUC 30th Anniversary line has been a bit controversial in its introduction, and it has taken a while for some fans to warm up to it. The original premise that Mattel put together for the 30th line was to approach big name creators in the worlds of comics, toys, movies and TV that were childhood fans of He-man to take a stab at creating characters in that universe. Unfortunately that didn’t come to pass, as almost all of the creators approached wanted money and/or rights/royalties to any characters they would have created. The exceptions were DC’s Geoff Johns and The Four Horsemen. That left several slots left open. That’s how we got “The Mighty Spect0r.”
The Mighty Spector is a character created back in the 80′s by MOTUC brand manager Scott “Toy Guru” Neitlich as his submission into the MOTU “Create A Character” contest. The contest that Fearless Photog went on to win. Some fans think Scott has overstepped his bounds by putting his own creation in the line. Some fans think his time traveling super-spy is out of place and doesn’t fit into this universe of anthropomorphic mosquitoes, transforming rock men, and firemen with mechanical elephant heads. And some fans think it’s a great Cinderella story of a life long fan of the line growing up, getting a job in the field, climbing the ladder of success to run the Renaissance of the toy line they loved and can now see the crayon sketch they did 30 years ago finally become articulated plastic. I fall firmly in the last camp. One of us, collectors, fans… made it. To the top. To where a lot of us wish we could be some day. One of us broke through at one of the 800 lbs juggernauts. That’s no small task, and Scott is one of the small handful of guys that are carrying the MOTU torch at Mattel. A little collector line like that with numbers as few as the make, shouldn’t be given any resources at a company as big as Mattel. But Scott and his team have shepherded it into profitability so much so that it is approved to keep going year after year.
Last week Mattel posted a great interview with Scott that gave fans a little more insight into the character as well as some new fan art of the character. You can read that here.
Ready to clean evil’s clock at a moment’s notice, King He-Man’s Time Agent dedicates his life to defending the royal household and protecting the time stream during the Eternian Time Wars. The third figure in the MOTU 30th anniversary Series, this all-new character is designed by Scott “Toy Guru” Neitlich and sculpted by The Four Horsemen. With these accessories, he fights the good fight whenever, wherever he’s needed.
I think my favorite detail on the figure is the missing plasma pellet on his thigh bandolier… it gives the character more of a story with the idea of “one in the chamber.” Spector also has some Kirby-esque circuitry on his harness. He has the standard MOTUC articulation. He comes with Cosmic key wrist controller, plasma knife and his blaster.
Here it is, at long last! Our Avengers show! We’ve seen it and we are dying to talk about it. However on the off chance that one of you haven’t seen the film yet in it’s 19 day stop to accumulation $1 BILLION at the worldwide box office, we break the show up into two parts and talk about everything else for the first half (two thirds really) and then for the second part we give our spoiler-riffic thoughts on the film. If you have seen “The Avengers” listen away! You haven’t, seriously? WE’ve only been waiting our whole life for this movie, AND it’s really good! I’m not even sure why are are reading this. GO NOW!
Happy Mother’s Day (yesterday) to all the moms, step moms, grandmothers, etc! We give some of our favorite mom stories. Mentioned in the show is the poem “The Lanyard” Here’s a link if you want to go read it.
Free Comic Book Day – Where did you end up? What did you get?
Talking Dead and Comic Book Men picked up for 2nd season on AMC
Hillside, N.J. & Cary, N.C.—May 14, 2012—Leading entertainment conglomerate, National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) alongside game creators Wizkids and Icarus Studios, wholly-owned subsidiaries of NECA, today unveiled HeroClix TabApp™, an upcoming action-based iPad game, and the first in the TabApp™ series, integrating physical miniature toys with digital arenas. HeroClix TabApp™ is set for release this fall.
Featuring real-time combat, HeroClix TabApp™ integrates NECA’s vast array of licenses to bring popular characters commonly featured in NECA’s product lines to the game.
To play, physical miniatures are placed on the iPad device, the “digital game board.” Utilizing Icarus Studio’s xScape Platform figure recognition technology, exclusive content and game maps are unlocked based on the miniature selected. With a swipe of a finger players can move along the virtual board and take part in high-action battles against a multitude of evil villains.
Game Features Include:
One dozen physical super hero miniatures
50+ virtual enemy figures
Over two dozen digital maps
Real-time combat
“Technology is changing the way in which consumers interact with toys and collectibles,” said Joel Weinshanker, President and COO at NECA. “TabApp™ takes gaming to the next level, offering players an all new way to experience their favorite collectibles, toys and games in a portable (digital) format that fits their lifestyle.”
HeroClix TabApp™ is slated for release this October and will be available for iPad devices free from the iTunes store. Physical miniatures will be available at participating hobby and comic shop retailers.
Concept Connects Industry Leaders, Young Inventors and General Public In Casual, Creative Competition on Facebook, Pinterest and New Dedicated Website
Chicago, IL (May 14, 2012) - The Chicago Toy & Game Group, in partnership with local toy inventor Ruth Green Concepts, Inc., has launched a creative and casual social media contest that spotlights the inventiveness of the City’s toy and game makers, as well as the general public around the globe. The “Toy Mash-up” is a specific take on the general “mash-up” trend that has infiltrated many aspects of pop culture from movies to music to food, and now has a dedicated home on the world wide web at www.ToyMashup.com.”We were talking with a group of friends and colleagues at a monthly industry party when the idea just kind of clicked,” said Ruth Green-Synowic, a Chicago-based toy maker and Advisory Board member for the Chicago Toy & Game Group who conceived of the concept and now facilitates the monthly contests. “I think our competitive creativity and play tendencies took over from there and when some concepts posted to Facebook and Pinterest were quickly shared, the real fun began.”Now as a contest, sponsors and judges have signed on to participate in the play. Participants only need to create a mash-up concept of toys or games and submit the entries to be shared on the Chicago Toy and Game Fair’s Facebook page. Submissions can be digital renderings, scanned sketches or collages, or even photos of actual mashed-up game concepts. Each month guest judges, including professional toy and game inventors, will choose a winning mash-up concept and award a prize such as a game autographed by the inventor
“The rules of the contest are not really what are important to us…even though many of us are game makers!” said Mary Couzin, president and founder of the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. “We just really want to share in some online creative play and in that Chicago is the toy and game inventor capital of the world we know there’ll be some great submissions. Who knows maybe a concept will catch fire and become the next big thing!”
Participants are encouraged to post their mash-ups every Friday. The May contest is sponsored by Lund and Company Invention, LLC, a Chicago-based toy design and product invention company. The prize for this month’s contest is an autographed copy of Lund’s award-winning game Doggie Doo.
“When the Chicago Toy & Game Group told us about this concept and invited us to be the first judges, we immediately agreed to participate!’ commented Bruce Lund, founder of Lund and Company Invention. “The Toy Mashup is great way to play and be inventive and, as a social media concept, an engaging approach to sharing that creativity with friends.”
Over the weekend during a trip to Frank and Son’s Collector Toy Show I came across two booths with early releases of ‘The Dark Knight Rises” Movie Masters Batman and Bane.
These figures should be hitting retailers latter this month.
BifBangPow! always has an impressive line up of Comic Con exclusives each year, and this year is no exception. We already showed you their new Twilight Zone classic moments diorama line that we were able to reveal as part of our 7th anniversary “scoop week” now we are able to show you the rest of the line up
This year they have another A+ line up with more Doctor Who exclusives, their first Venture Brother’s 3.75″ figure and the kick off of their retro Battlestar Galactica and Six Million Dollar Man lines.
I think my favorite would have to be the Six Million Dollar Man Rudy Wells with the 3 heads for each of the 3 actors that played him on the show and the tin tote being a “replica” of Oscar Goldman’s “exploding briefcase” from the vintage toy line.
The other thing I enjoy is the face that you can pre-order them ahead of time and pick them up at the show without having to fight for them or get them before they sell out.
See below for the full line up of BifBangPow’s 2012 Comic Con Exclusives:
Exclusive Battle Damaged Cylon and Cylon Commander Action Figures inside!
Inspired by the Battlestar Galactica sci-fi TV series.
Packaged in a BSG-themed tin tote!
Articulated, retro-style figures include rifle and sword accessories.
Entertainment Earth Comic-Con Exclusive! This BSG-themed tin tote comes to you in glorious Cylon silver and black. Inspired by the Battlestar Galactica sci-fi TV series, the futuristic metal lunch box features an embossed chrome-metallic surface and the BSG logo. Even more exciting are the silver-colored Battle Damaged Cylon Centurion and gold Cylon Commander Action Figures included inside! Measuring 8-inches tall, these articulated action figures feature authentic fabric and armor pieces, plus incredible rifle and sword accessories and a retro style reminiscent of the bestselling “Mego” figures of the 1970s and 1980s. Order this… or else! The tote measures 8 5/8-inches wide x 6 3/4-inches tall x 4-inches deep. Limited edition of 1,500 pieces.
Note: This item will first be available to purchase in person at San Diego Comic-Con. Online orders will ship after San Diego Comic-Con, while supplies last.
Battlestar Galactica (BSG) is an immensely popular franchise of television series and sci-fi films, the first of which aired in 1978. Books, comic books, and video games followed. In Battlestar Galactica, The Twelve Colonies – a civilization of human beings in a far-off sector of the universe – are at war with the cybernetic Cylons. The Cylons lay waste to The Colonies, decimating their worlds and populations, and the survivors flee aboard any spacecraft they can find, including the Battlestar Galactica, the only military ship in the Colonial Fleet to survive the Cylon attack. Battlestar Galactica’s renowned commander and his crew then lead the ragtag flotilla of survivors in search of a new home, the mythical planet Earth.
The Twilight Zone Kanamit’s Cookbook Set – SDCC Exclusive
Have you ever wanted to serve your fellow man?
Created with the consummate (not consumed) The Twilight Zone fan in mind.
Exclusive gift set includes an all-new Kanamit Action Figure and a Kanamit Cookbook Journal!
Packaged in a Kanamit-themed tin tote!
Entertainment Earth Comic-Con Exclusive! If you have always wanted to serve your fellow man, these guys can teach you how. They’re the experts. In fact, the Kanamits might even provide you with a cookbook that includes their favorite recipes! From the chilling The Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man,” comes this astonishing gift set created with the consummate (not consumed) fan in mind. You’ll find an all-new articulated, 8-inch scale, fabric-clad Kanamit dressed in a black satin robe with black pants and tall shoes. But that’s not all! You also get an 8-inch tall x 5-inch wide Kanamit Cookbook Journal that contains 160 lined white pages, and both the figure and the journal come packaged inside a Kanamit-themed lunch box measuring 8 5/8-inches wide x 6 3/4-inches tall x 4-inches deep! What better gift for the The Twilight Zone admirer in your life? Limited edition of 700 pieces.
Note: This item will first be available to purchase in person at San Diego Comic-Con. Online orders will ship after San Diego Comic-Con, while supplies last.
SMDM Dr. Rudy Wells with Tin Tote – SDCC Exclusive
“A man barely alive!”
Exclusive action figure and tin tote based on The Six Million Dollar Man.
Includes Dr. Rudy Wells, Steve Austin’s physician.
The lunch box emulates Oscar Goldman’s briefcase.
The 3 Faces of Dr. Wells Gift Set
Better, stronger, and maybe even faster!
Entertainment Earth Comic-Con Exclusive! Standing 8-inches tall, this retro-style Dr. Rudy Wells Action Figure based on the TV series The Six Million Dollar Manfeatures multiple points of articulation and series-true fabric clothing. And Steve Austin’s physician arrives in an awesome tin tote that emulates Oscar Goldman’s briefcase! It looks like an ordinary brown briefcase on the outside, but the full-color interior features artwork representing the decoder, bionic scanner, tuner, energy modules, and other gadgets and gizmos you remember from the show. Only this briefcase-styled lunch box won’t explode! The tote measures 8 5/8-inches wide x 6 3/4-inches tall x 4-inches deep.Dr. Rudy Wells, Steve Austin’s physician and bionic-technology expert, appears in this action figure dressed in authentic scrubs and white shoes. Dr. Rudy Wells features interchangeable heads depicting all three actors who played the part: Martin Balsam, Martin Brooks, and Alan Oppenheimer!
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a crippled test pilot and former astronaut who is rebuilt with nuclear-powered limbs and bionic implants. Working for the OSI, he serves as a truly one-of-a-kind intelligence agent. The popular show aired on the ABC network as a regular series from 1974 to 1978.
Exclusive based on Adult Swim’s animated series The Venture Bros.
This secret agent features 10 points of articulation and a knife accessory.
You’ll want every one of these fan-demanded Venture Bros. action figures!
Entertainment Earth Comic-Con Exclusive! Never-before-made 3 3/4-inch Brock Samson Action Figure! This macho secret agent is conspiring to get into your
home and your The Venture Bros. collection. Posing as an irresistible articulated action figure from Bif Bang Pow!, Brock Samson stands 3 3/4-inches tall in all his bloody machismo glory, ready for his next action. (He brings a knife accessory, just in case.) Add him to your desk today!Student of the great Hunter Gathers, former member of the OSI, and current member of SPHINX – Brock Samson is one bad dude. Trained to fight sharks, kill bears, and bed superspy ladies from all over the planet, there’s no better baby sitter in the world. Seriously, that’s a big part of his job!
Bif Bang Pow! presents a truly awesome array of never-before-made 3 3/4-inch action figures based on Adult Swim’s extremely popular animated series The Venture Bros. These fan-demanded figures are crafted of PVC plastic, feature 10 points of articulation, and come with character-specific accessories. You’ll want every one of them in your toy box or Venture Bros. collection.
I can’t take credit for this and I don’t know where the original came from, but this was posted on a toy collecting Facebook group that I’m a member of. At my local Target I could hang these on the Marvel Legends pegs that have been completely empty going on two months and the Star Wars vintage pegs that are overflowing with Phantom Menace figures that will never sell.
We have a TRANSFORMERS PRIME gameplay trailer to share with you today.
TRANSFORMERS PRIME will hit stores later this year and is being developed exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system by Now Production (NowPro), and for the Nintendo DS™ hand-held system by Altron Corporation. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB.
