Just in time for the holidays!   We have an exclusive interview with Round 2 Corp, the new company that brought Rudolph and Charlie Brown back to store shelves, and started off strong with their brand new Frosty products. 

We find out who they are, where they came from and what’s next for Round 2 and our holiday favorites!

 

Click here to read the feature!


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…and Chiron Beta Prime!

 

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Thanks to everyone that reads, contributes and didn’t hack the site this year. 


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Here’s a great idea made better.  We all remember the old Rock’em Sock’em Robots (by Marx!) and spent many an afternoon pummeling our opponent.  But what if you could open that "arena" up and REALLY get to some robot bashing?!?!

 That’s the idea behind Johnny Lightnings new BATTLE WHEELS. These are collectible remote controlled,fighting robots and as you’ll see from the video below they are a ton of fun and really draw a crowd. 

 

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After trying these out I think my new rule in 2008 at the AFI offices and at work that ALL disputes will be settled by Battle Wheels!  May the best ‘bot win!! 

 

The press kit on these is an amazing idea and more companies should take note.   Getting one of these was fun, but to really get the full flavor of them you need at least two of them so they can FIGHT! 

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Here’s some more info on Battle Wheels: 

·       Each Battle Wheel warrior comes with five removable pieces of armor, two weapons, a controller, and a cardboard training dummy

·       The fully articulated warriors can be strategically positioned for attack or defense depending on the style of combat chosen

·       Five removable pieces of armor (2 shoulder pads, 2 wheel blades and a shield), as well as the individual character’s battle weapons, accompany each warrior  into battle

·       Fallen armor wreckage is left strewn around the battlefield at the end of a match

·       Body armor and weapons can be interchanged between Battle Wheel warriors to outfit the ultimate champion

·       Play one-on-one, or as a team with the multiband feature allowing up to six warriors to battle at the same time.

 

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Wave I

VUL “The Savage Protector of Venus”

Born of fire and untamed like the flames of Venus, he decimates his opponents with his lightning sword and chain mace

  
 

 

TYR “The Cold arm of Pluto’s Justice”

Cold and calculated, Tyr is heavily armored with a shield that staves off any opponent and a relentlessness that will stop nothing short of victory
 

 

 

BASHAMON “The silent enforcer of Saturn’s law”

Lurking in the misty shadows of Saturn’s ring, Bashamon is ready to deliver a quick end to his unsuspecting foes wielding a sneaky cat-o-nines and powerful mallet
 

 

 

KAGU-TSUCHI “The fury of Mercury’s fire”

Explosive rage like the molten springs of Mercury, Kagu-Tsuchi’s combat skills are a testament to his furious battle rage and crushing blow at intense speeds

 

 

 

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Welcome to the Shelves!

or

How ROUND 2 Saved Christmas!

As many of you know I was a HUGE fan of Playing Mantis’ holiday "Memory Lane" lines of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Peanuts lines back in the day. As a result theirs was always one of my favorite showrooms to visit each year at Toy Fair, not just to see the new product, but for the elaborate displays they would build each year. A few years back Playing Mantis was sold to RC2/Ertl and the lines lasted a year past that, but eventually .

I own just about everything Playing Mantis put out in the 5"-6" lines of Rudolph, Peanuts, and the K-Mart exclusive "Santa Clause is Coming to Town lines. These ARE my Christmas decorations every year.

I was surprised to walk into a CVS Pharmacy this October and see some "Great Pumpkin" product from a new company called "Round 2, Corp." I wrote down the web address from the back of the package and looked it up that night and was delighted to see the rebirth of lines like Peanuts and Rudolph with new product and refreshed product with new accessories and features under their "Forever Fun" banner. But that wasn’t all! There was a NEW line based on one of the Frosty the Snowman holiday specials.

My holidays were shapeing up with this news, but I needed to know more! What was coming? Who was this mysterious new company? What’s next?

I contacted Bob Plant, Creative Director of Round 2 Corp to get the straight scoop on who they are, what they are doing and what’s next from Round 2.

 


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In this amazing new feature our pal SpyMagician makes things personal!  He takes us step by step on how he turned a 1/64th scale version of his own car into a happy, smiling version of his Scion that fits in perfectly with Mattel and Disney/Pixar’s CARS line.  

Click here to check out the feature. 


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Hey there! SpyMagician here!

Like our fearless leader, Julius Marx, I am a HUGE fan of Disney Pixar’s Cars! And I finally got around to doing a custom "figure" I’ve been meaning to make for ages… Now I love my real car, a Black Cherry Pearl ’05 Scion xA.

So what would be cooler than a toy xA toy done in the style of the Cars Movie? Now a diecast of my car is not that common, most Scion toys are of the xB. But in Japan there are a few toys of the Toyota ist, the Japanese version of my xA.

So I finally tracked one down and finally could start my project! Step 1: The first step was to disassemble the toy , sand it a bit for repainting (I was fortunate that the original Ist Diecast was silver, so I didn’t need strip the paint, I’d just paint right over the silver) and sculpt the 2 key details, the Cars Movie style eyebrow and mouth.

To do this I needed some putty that could be sculpted but would adhere to diecast. I was in new territory here as my normal work involves action figures that are all plastic so I can use polymer clays. In this case I found some Quicksteel Putty at Pep Boys. It sets VERY FAST however, so I only had about 5-10 minutes to do the sculpt!!! Unlike with Sculpey, which won’t set until you heat cure it, giving you hours and hours to work the sculpt, I had to do a quick rough sculpt and finish the rest by carving and sanding. The Quicksteel sanded very well though, and I got a good seamless bond to the metal. To sculpt the eyebrow, I used some more Quicksteel Putty and sculpted right onto the plastic windshield after removing it from the car body. This was much easier as it was a simple shape. Step 2: Step 2 required that I paint the body and eyebrow in the Black Cherry Pearl metallic paint. I checked Pep Boys for the exact color but it was not avaiable but I found a similar color. It’s a touch darker than my actual car but not so much that it doesn’t work.

 


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The 2008 Canadian 80s Toy Expo (http://www.80stoyexpo.com/) has been announced.

It will be Sunday, March 16th at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Centre.
The show features 2 halls filled with dealers selling Transformers, Star Wars, GIJoe, Super Heroes, and tons of other Action Figures and collectibles. Many of the same dealers from the Action Figure Expo (http://www.actionfigureexpo.com/) and TFcon Toronto (http://www.transformerscon.com/) will be setup at this show. Located at 3063 South Service Road the location is directly off the QEW with free parking for everyone.

For directions and more details go to the Canadian 80s Toy Expo website: http://www.80stoyexpo.com/.

You can also RSVP via Facebook for the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6720678567


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New York- The air was cold and the wind was punishing, but Damien Glonek and Mike Drake of Mezco Toyz, braved the elements to deliver toys for a most intriguing event. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Times Square Odditorium was hosting an “Unusual Toy Drive” and the good folks at Mezco Toyz were donating 17 cases of some of the hottest collectible toys of the season. Cases of Goonies, Underdog, and Edward Scissor Hands were delivered by Glonek and Drake and received by Ripley’s host, the Lizard Man. A palpable excitement filled the air, as the toys were unpacked. “Chunk and Sloth!” screamed one young girl as she saw The Goonies action figures. A thirty something man and his companion began to sing the Underdog theme song as Mezco employees unpacked the Underdog and Simon Barsinister two packs. “Its all about the kids” Damien Glonek told a reporter, “there are countless children living in dire circumstances, if Mezco Toyz can do even a little to help bring a moment of joy to their lives then its all worthwhile”.  Michael Drake added “With so many toy drives falling short of their goals this year, Mezco was happy to step up to the plate and help give back to the community and the children in need. After all, they are the children are the blossoming toy collectors of tomorrow”.

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We’re extremely pleased to reveal the next Minimates in the Battlestar Galactica line will be based on the classic version of the interstellar franchise.  Two box sets featuring characters from 1978’s original Battlestar Galactica series will be released early next year – just in time forthe 30th Anniversary of this classic property!

The Classic Colonial Warriors and Classic Cylon Empire box sets each include five all-new Minimates – including the first four-legged Minimate ever.  The heroic Colonial Warriors set will include Commander Adama, Captain Apollo, Lieutenant Starbuck, Lieutenant Boomer and Muffit the Daggit!  The evil Cylon Empire set is scheduled to include Baltar, Lucifer, Imperious Leader, a Cylon Centurion and the gold Cylon Commander!


 

Both box sets will be available in the January issue of Diamond Previews with a suggested retail of $19.99.  All of these space-faring Minimates were sculpted and designed by Art Asylum and are in scale with past two-inch releases.

 


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WizKids previously announced the“WizKids Convention Weekend” beginning on February 1 to February 3,2008, which brings the WizKids free-with-purchase convention giveaways to your local hobby and game stores.  But now, the “WizKids Convention Weekend” will now also offer DC HeroClix JOHNNY THUNDER limited edition figure.  Only available before at DC HeroClix events at Gen Con Indy 2007, don’t miss your chance to get JOHNNY THUNDER!

At the “WizKids Convention Weekend,”WizKids fans can get those hard-to-find giveaways — such as the Mighty Thor, BATMAN, Vlad the Impaler, and the all-new Classic Fin Fang Foom colossal figure.  Now, fans can add Jonny Thunder to that list of must-have figures!

The “WizKids Convention Weekend” will only be happening at local hobby and gaming stores!  Contact your local store today to find out if they will be hosting the “WizKids Convention Weekend.”  To find a store near you, visit the WizKids Store Finder at www.wizkidsgames.com.

 


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