Its been a killer, but I’ve been working overtime to get these things taken care of and online. Only a few more companies are left and with luck I’ll get to them during the week. We have writeups of all the companies to follow! Caution: some of them
have a *ton* of pics, so be patient, it might take awhile for the full
page to load. All galleries are linked in the sidebar at right.

Attakus: Metal Star Wars Millenium Falcon cross-section, Marvel Statues, Euro Comics, and more

DC Direct:  DC Unlimited- Afro Samurai, World of Warcraft. DCD figures, 13" dolls, Statues, Mini-Mates, and more

Corgi/Master Replicas: Golden Compass, Star Wars, Marvel, James Bond, Batman, and Disney

Gentle Giant: Lots of statues & busts- Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Dragonkind, and more

Mezco: Cinema of Fear, King Kong, Family Guy, South Park, Living Dead Dolls and more

Monogram: Spider-Man 3, Marvel Comics, JLU, Disney, and more

NECA:  Harry Potter toys & plush, Grindhouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, Nightmare Before Xmas, Cult Classics, and lots more

Schleich: Lots of high quality PVCs- Safari, American West, Medieval, and Fairies

Shocker: Shockinis, Indie Spotlight, Crap on Your Shoulder

Sideshow: Marvel, Star Wars, John Wayne, Lord of the Rings, Aliens, and lots, lots, more 

Tonner: High end Fashion Dolls- Spider-Man 3, Wizard of Oz, Dreamgirls, DC Stars, and more

Miscellaneous Toy Companies: Javits Center, Funko, McFarlane, BC Industries, Accoutrements, Schylling, Hunter Dan, and more!

Keep checking this page…more to come!

OK, I’ve got a lot of galleries updated today! Caution: some of them have a *ton* of pics, so be patient, it might take awhile for the full page to load. All galleries are linked in the sidebar at right.

Hasbro: Spider-Man 3, Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Transformers, and lots more

Mattel:  DCSH, Battleague, JLU, Super Friends, High School Musical, Cube World, Funkeys, Barbie, Disney, and lots more

Marvel Toys: Legendary Comic Book Heroes, Curious George, TNA Wrestling

Bandai: Ben 10, Power Rangers, Tamagotchi

BifBangPow: Flash Gordon, the Big Lebowski

Lots more to come…many next weekend!

And keep checking for our writeups on these companies which will show up here throughout the week.
 

Here’s a look at the DC Superfriends line, Mattel’s new Cars line extensions, and…Cubeworld?

Enjoy! 

"MARK IT ZERO!!!!" 

An new toy company called "Biff Bang Pow!" showed up to Toy Fair to announce their new license.  Biff Bang Pow was founded by A few folks from EnteraintmentEarth.com and producer Jason Lenzi.    They are working on their first two license, and the both put the CLASSIC in "Cult Classic"   The first license is "The Big Lebowski" the 1989 film by the Coen brothers.    There will be two styles of Lebowski figures to start off with.   An "urban vinyl" type line with with cloth outfits.  And a 1/6th scale line of figures.   What you see shown are still prototypes, but they give a good idea where they are going with these lines.   Naturally Walter and the Dude will be the first offerings.

Urban Vinyl

 The figures will come with a variety of accessories, such as bowling bags, Walter’s ex-wife’s show dog. and a white russian for the Dude.  It’s a shame the Dude doesn’t come with his rug… it really tied the room together.   But new outfits and new accessories are always a strong possibility for this line.   Right now the plan is to have these first 2 figures available by Comic Con International this Summer.

Technically… the Walter figure will be a 2-pack as he will come with Donnie…in the can.   

12" Prototypes
 

 The 12" figures are works in progress, but already have great liknesses.  They will also come with a variety of accessories and the potential for additional outfits.   Is it too early to hope for a "The Jesus" for this line?

This line holds a special place in my heart as you can see from my costume this past Halloween, so you can bet that we’ll be following this line and keeping you updated on it release.

The Diamond write-up is coming very soon, but in the meantime enjoy the pretty pictures! 

DC Direct picture galleries will be coming soon, but in the meantime why not enjoy an overall look at their display space for this year?

The Dark Horse Picture Gallery is now up on the right sidebar.

Dark Horse didn’t have a huge area this year, at least not compared to the display they usually put up at SDCC, but what they did show was mighty nice as always. The Walt Disney’s Gremlins line continued to expand in anticipation of the "Return of the Gremlins" books by Mike Richardson with art by Dean Yeagle. Included are three PVC sets and some statues that are in scale with the PVCs. The Craig Yoe designed "Syroco" homage statues continue with a line based on Charles Shultz’s Peanuts characters, and for the first time some classic DC Comics characters: Superman (Joe Shuster), Batman (Bob Kane), Wonder Woman (H.G Peter), and The Flash (Harry Lampert). Mutts also feels the love with a new set of bookends to go with the PVC set and vinyl figures. I love the heck out of this comic strip!

Dark Horse continues to impress with their broad range of statues based upon the artwork of artists such as Frank Frazetta, Frank Cho, William Stout, and Charles Vess (who actually sculpted the statue himself!) They also showed a wide range of products tied into the Hellboy Animated DVDs, with some nice statues sculpted by our old pal Tim Bruckner. Serenity keeps plugging along with the perrenial ornament and a nice PVC set of Jayne, Mal, and River. Buy ‘em up, Browncoats!

Kotobukiya unveiled their latest Star Wars imports, including a wicked kit of the Luke/Vader duel based on the Ralph McQuarrie concept art used to sell the movie to 20th Century Fox. These big kits get more and more impressive with each release. And finally, Weta once again showed off their truly amazing retro rayguns. These things are real works of beauty, and the love in making them shines through. Also amazing: the price. $690.00! Yowza!

Better late than never, right? The renowned talents at Four Horsemen Toy Design Studios finally got a chance to answer some of my Toy Fair related questions after their busy last week or two. Here’s what they had to say about their upcoming and recent work for Mattel…

Q: Mattel made it a point to tell everyone who’d listen that Four Horsemen sculpted their new Battleague line. Was this line a concept that they pitched to you, or vice versa?

A: We’re extremely appreciative that Mattel has been connecting us so heavily with the DC Battleague work that we did for them, but DC Battleague is essentially Mattel’s idea. We have talked to Mattel about a figural gaming system for years, but until now nothing has come to pass. This new DC Battleague concept may have partially grown from, or may have been somewhat inspired by those brainstorming sessions, but we can’t say for sure.

Q: Did you design/sculpt the Battleague toys at that same 3” scale?

A: Nope. The DC Battleague figures were all sculpted at a 6" scale and then Pantographed down by Mattel to the finished 3" scale.

Q: Did your cool “alternate realities” Clayface sculpt posted on your site help convince Mattel to do a Clayface figure in the DC Superheroes line?

A: Probably not. We’re not even sure that any of the guys over at Mattel know about that original Clayface sculpture. We’ve always been big fans of the Batman Animated stuff, and when Mattel decided it was time to add Clayface to the DC Superheroes line (actually, we probably suggested it to them… many times…), we jumped at the chance to create an amalgamation of the Batman Animated version of the character and our own vision and style for the 6" DC Superheroes line. We sent a sketch of the character over to the powers that be and Mattel and DC. Both liked what they saw, so they let us run with it. They’re cool like that!

Q: Is there a character you’re dying to be able to do for the DCSH line?

A: Anyone (EVERYONE) from the Jack Kirby/New Gods area of the DC Universe! We had so much fun with Darkseid that we’d leap at the chance to dig into more of those characters! Orion! Kalibak! Steppenwolf! Mr. Miracle! Barda! The Parademons! Heck, even Mantis!!

Q: How far ahead is character selection decided on or planned for these lines, if at all?

A: In the past it’s been all over the place. We’d have a potential line-up set a few months in advance of beginning on a wave, but then things would get all switched up along the way. As of right now we’re in meetings with both Mattel and DC to streamline a straight-forward line-up. The way we’re currently planning things we should be very busy for the next couple of years.

Q: How is your working relationship with Mattel so far?

A: Terrific!  We’ve made a lot of friends at Mattel over the years, and It looks like this year is going to be our biggest and most productive year with Mattel so far, so how could things be bad?

Q: Kind of an off-the-wall question: did Mattel ever talk to your studio about doing sculpts for their Superman Returns line?

A: Yes. As a matter of fact we worked on the two deluxe "statue-like" pieces for the Superman Returns line (the one where bullets are bouncing off of his chest, and the one where he’s flying away from Metropolis below). Through approvals changes and production those pieces didn’t turn out quite the way we’d originally envisioned them, but we liked them well enough. We did a little bit of work on the regular Superman Returns action figure line as well, but things went through so many stages and changes after we worked on them that they really didn’t look much like our stuff after all was said and done. We really would’ve liked to have had more control in the look of the work that we did for that line, but there were many parties involved with far more say than us.

Thanks to the busy guys at Four Horsemen for their time and answers!

Buried deep in the depths of the Hasbro show room was a secret room where they had everything having to do with the upcoming Transformers movie from Michael Bay and  Steven Speilberg.   And in a corner of that room was a large flat screen running the trailer for the upcoming ACTIVISION game based on the movie… and it looked sweet!   Lot’s of robots, lots of vehicles and lots of explosions… just what you want in a Transformers game.  In the trailer there is a great shot of Bumblebee in his robot form being backhanded by a Decepticon.  He flies backwards and transforms in mid air, lands on a bridge and speeds away.    Sweeeeeeeet.    Let’s take a quick look at what else will be in the game:

FACT SHEET FOR ALL VERSIONS (Gameplay information based on console and PC versions)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Based on TRANSFORMERS, DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ upcoming live-action feature film due out July 4^th, and produced in association with Hasbro,  TRANSFORMERS: The Game lets gamers control the outcome in the battle for Earth as they choose to protect it as AUTOBOTS or destroy it as DECEPTICONS.  Players will also experience the unstoppable power and massive scale of their favorite ROBOTS IN DISGUISE such as BUMBLEBEE, BARRICADE and others.

KEY FEATURES:

·       Protect Or Destroy The Earth – As the TRANSFORMERS robot’s war comes to Earth, gamers make the choice to join the AUTOBOTS in protecting our planet or to join the DECEPTICONS in destroying it.  With dual campaigns, the fate of the world is
in players’ hands.

·       MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE – Instantly change from a larger than life robot to a high-powered vehicle such as a sports car, fighter jet or helicopter.  Seamless transformations leave enemies in the dust or enhance players’ combat strategy with a range of options in both vehicle and robot modes that take full advantage of the characters’ dual forms.

·       The World Is Your Playground – Players crush, topple and wreck every object, including buildings and
vehicles, in their path or use the objects as weapons.  It is up to the gamer to decide how best to
use their surrounding environment.

·       Freedom of Choice – An unprecedented line-up lets gamers experience the massive scale, unique abilities and sheer strength of an army of characters from the TRANSFORMERS universe when they choose to play as OPTIMUS PRIME, MEGATRON, IRONHIDE, STARSCREAM, BUMBLEBEE and more.  

·       Variety of Combat – For head-to-head battles, fans engage in melee combat that reflects each TRANSFORMERS robot’s character, scale, weight and power along with melee weapons and special moves unique to each character.  The game’s ranged combat offers a wide array of projective weapons designed to take out enemies from afar.

·       PlayStation® Portable Features – The PSP version features 20 playable AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS, from both the live-action film and previous generations, that battle through an enhanced version of the film’s storyline.  Players can customize their character by
choosing more than 10 different weapon types in both single and adhoc multiplayer gameplay

(more…)

Star Wars, baby. All Star Wars. Including a special video close-up of McQuarrie Vader’s helmet, just for Scott Rogers. I know it’s a bit jumpy, but keep in mind that unlike SDCC we are in these showrooms for a very short time as part of a tour of press that are all around trying to jockey for position and shoot pictures all at the same time.

Here’s a look at some of Hasbro’s offerings for 2007, including GI JOE, Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man 3, and…Squawkers McCaw?!?

OK, our Toy Fair Coverage has hit a bit of a snag due to unplanned travel and sickness, so the picture galleries will now be trickling in during the week with a planned burst of coverage this weekend. Showroom videos will also show up throughout the week.

In the meantime, here is a word from famed comic artist and raconteur Adam Hughes:

UPDATE! I (ToyOtter) now have to go back out of town on a business trip, so coverage will now start Sunday night. Thanks for your patience!

Well Daniel (Julius Marx) and I (ToyOtter) have been traveling back home today and are going to take a breather from coverage. Tomorrow night the real coverage begins in earnest with lots more news, info, and tons of pictures and videos.

But for something to tide you over, here are some unique Marvel items we discovered at the Schylling booth, which has a ton of cool retro toys that we will have a gallery of in our coverage. These are really neat, especially the card battles which have 3D tin characters and fantasticly designed packaging. Enjoy!

Marvel Origin’s Jack in Boxes: Featuring Spiderman & Captain America.
Original comic artwork and origin storylines around Tin Jack in the Box, embossed hero on front of box and original artwork on puppets. Best of all, each Hero in the Box plays theme music to the classic 1960¹s cartoons of Spiderman & Captain America! Packaging includes words to the Spiderman & Captain America theme songs. Great as a collectable to those who grew up with these Silver Age heroes and as a way to introduce a new generation of kids to the original comics and cartoon storylines.

Classic Marvel Battles & Team-Ups: Combines the collectability of gaming cards with action figures. Tin with retro graphics. Each figure uses original comic artwork and celebrates famous Battles and Team-Ups in Marvel Comic history. Squeeze the handle and Spiderman fights the Green Goblin! Reverse side has Green Goblin vs. Spiderman. Hero/Villain battles, Hero/Hero Team-ups and Giant Villain/Small Hero combinations. Six Battles & Team-Ups in series one. Displayed in "try-me" blister card for collectors.

Figures.com has put up a gallery of new stuff from SOTATOYS. you’ll find press shots of

- The rescupted Street Fighters in and out of packaging, including 2 reaint variants of Ryu and Akuma
- Painted prototypes for Darkstalkers wave 1
- More Now Playing
- The Transformers Chess set

Click here for the gallery

In other Street Fighter news, Rene of SOTA Toys has announced that the winner of the fan voting for the "new" Round 5 (now called Street Fighter: Revolutions) is Rainbow Mika from Street Fighter Alpha 3. She will join Zangief, Dhalsim and E. Honda in a wave scheduled for later this year.

 Hasbro Rolls Out Wide-Range of TRANSFORMERS Merchandise Around the Globe in Support of First-Ever Live-Action Feature Film Due Out July 4

HPG Packs Worldwide Punch with 200 Licensees in 70 Countries Set to Launch TRANSFORMERS Products that are “More Than Meets the Eye”

American International Toy Fair 2007

PAWTUCKET, R.I.–(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) will unveil its TRANSFORMERS movie merchandising program at the American International Toy Fair in New York, as fans of all ages eagerly anticipate the first-ever live-action feature film from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, based on the globally popular franchise that first captivated kids worldwide in 1984.

Due in theaters on July 4, the film is directed by Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Rock, Bad Boys I and II) and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and follows the epic feud between the AUTOBOTS (led by OPTIMUS PRIME) and the DECEPTICONS (led by MEGATRON) as they bring their battle to Earth. In their efforts to help the humans, the AUTOBOTS meet up with an unsuspecting teen, played by Shia LaBeouf (Holes, Even Stevens), who finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic war being fought on our planet. The movie also stars Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas), Tyrese Gibson (Annapolis, 2 Fast 2 Furious), Megan Fox (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen), John Turturro and Jon Voight.

“Hasbro is thrilled to work with DreamWorks, Paramount and Michael Bay in making the most amazing, larger-than-life version of the TRANSFORMERS saga ever created,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Producer of the film. “Michael, Steven and the production crew have captured the personality of the TRANSFORMERS characters through ground-breaking visual effects and they have translated the storyline into a film packed with non-stop action and excitement.”

HPG, Hasbro’s licensing team, has signed more than 200 TRANSFORMERS-branded licensing agreements across all major categories in more than 70 countries. Hasbro and HPG will give attendees of Toy Fair a first look at select products slated for worldwide distribution later this spring.

“We’ll be showcasing dozens of highly innovative TRANSFORMERS-licensed products geared to fans of all ages at Toy Fair this week but let me assure you that it is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Jane Ritson-Parsons, President of HPG. “We presented licensees with the opportunity and challenge of creating genuinely inventive, out-of-the-box products that engender the TRANSFORMERS brand – items that are ‘more than meets the eye.’ The range across all categories is phenomenal.”

(more…)

More fun video, this time centering on Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited, DC Superheroes, and the new Battleague lines.

DC Direct’s new AME-COMI Heroine line was a great surprise to fans.  This line was the brainchild of DC Direct’s sr. art director Jim Fletcher, himself a huge anime fan.   They are still working out the details of the line, but wanted to float it out there and see the fans’ reaction and to let them know that it wasn’t just a one or two-off item.  They have plans for this line, as evidenced by the poster also on display with the sculpted figures.   The prototypes are about 7-8" tall and DC is still working out the price point for them.  

These are NOT imports  these were done in house by DC Direct. 

DC Direct gave more of an idea of where they are going with the 13" line especially in terms of women with the inclusion of Batgirl. Two years ago we were able to show you the base body the DC Direct had created for this line.  Now we can show you the new female base body turnarounds.

Now let’s take a look at what DC Direct has planned for the female base body. 

Catwoman

The black costumed version will most likely be a retailer incentive figure.  The details are still being worked out but it was suggested that for every four of the regular version that retailers order they will get one black version.  There will also be a "classic" 13" Batman released at the same time as the Batgirl figure. 

This week on WRGP Radiate Fm 88.1/95.3, Miami they have an exclusiveinterview with the infamous toy designers known as the "The Four Horsemen".
Radiate FM own Mellow Mike and Doug aka Doc Manstrong talk with the Horsemen on how it is to work in the toy industry, past toy lines, and upcoming projects. Tune in this Monday February 12th at 4pm on 95.3, 88.1, stream it online at www.wrgp.org for the exclusive interview. This interview can also be downloaded @ http://www.archive.org/details/WRGP_Radiate_FM_WRGP_Radiate_FM_The_Four_Horsemen_Interview.
Don’t miss this chance to get the inside scoop on the Horsemen’s upcoming projects. 

ASMzine.com has put up galleries of Barbie and My Little Pony, for anyone interested.

More detail on Barbie, Beauty Cuties, Disney Princesses, Winx and other Mattel dolls for girls

More detail on Hasbro’s My Little Pony for 2007