


DC COMICS DEATHSTROKE NEW 52 ARTFX STATUE
A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! Kotobukiya has created several fantastic ARTFX Statues based on DC Comics characters, but there haven’t been any from the current “New 52” relaunch… until now. Slade Wilson was a member of the United States Army chosen for advanced training due to his peak physical condition and strength of will. He was also experimented on by the very same government he fought for, and with the enhancements they gave him became a mercenary and assassin. As one of the most dangerous men in the world he goes by the name of DEATHSTROKE! Appearing in his own comic as part of DC’s New 52, the character was re-introduced to the world with an updated costume but the same hardcore attitude and superhuman weapons mastery.
A powerful addition to the DC ARTFX lineup, Deathstroke is captured in a fierce martial arts stance. The Terminator wears his unique New 52 style armor with a sleek bodysuit, built in boots, a sturdy utility belt, textured mail-like armored torso, and heavy shoulder harness. His pose is a partial lunge while he holds his sword in a two-handed guard position, as ever aimed at his enemies so he can cut them to pieces! All of the elements of Deathstroke’s armor are expertly sculpted from his spiked boots to his fearsome skull-like helmet and everything in between, while the detailed paint applications show off his traditional blue and orange color scheme. As an added bonus, Slade’s removable faceplate is attached via magnet so you can display him in his fully armored look or unmasked to reveal his scowling countenance and eye-patch!
Sculpted by Junosuke Abe, Deathstroke stands nearly 12 inches tall (in the ARTFX 1/6th scale) on a special display base. Slade Wilson is the perfect villain/antihero to add to your collection, and he looks great displayed alongside previous DC ARTFX Statues like Batman Black Costume or future New 52 releases!
srp $119.99
Available in November 2013.
TM & © DC Comics. (s13)
















Regenerate your collection with the Doctor Who 3.75-inch scale action figures. A great gift for fans of any age, these highly detailed, realistic and poseable action figures include characters from Doctor Who Series 7. Re-enact scenes from the hit series or create your own adventures; help the Eleventh Doctor and Clara as they travel across space and time battling some famous foes like the supreme beings that are the Daleks, the terrifying Weeping Angels, vast Cybermen armies, and one of his oldest and coldest enemies…the Ice Warriors. Wave one coming in July!
Each character also has its own Doctor Who display base (Dalek action figures do not include display base) One supplied. For ages 5 years and over.



















1. First up, give Kokma Toys a follow and Twitter HERE... while you are at it, give SpankyStokes.com a follow HERE... then send out this tweet "I just entered to win an adorable "Henry Cupcake Superstar" plush from @KokmaToya - Go to http://bit.ly/1tOrAy and enter now! #SSKOK" You can just copy and paste the above quoted text, without the quotes of course, and make sure that it includes the #SSKOK tag as that is how we track you :-).
2. Next, head on over to the Kokma Toys Facebook page HERE, and 'LIKE' them, and then do the same for the SpankyStokes page HERE!
3. Finally, just leave a comment in this post telling us what you think the next scented flavor should be for a possible follow up to the Cupcake Superstar! This can be anything, Strawberry, Chocolate, Carmel... just have fun, and who knows... it could actually be picked and created!!! Only one comment please.Now, each one of those steps is an entry... so if you do all of them, you get 5 entries!!! This contest will end Sunday night 5/19/2013 at 10:00pm so you only have a few days get your entries in, after all is said and done, 1 lucky winner will be chosen at random and will have this awesome plush figure sent out their way! Good luck to all that enter, and a big thanks goes out to Kokma Toys for making this happen. Oh, and check out the Kokma Toys online store... there is all kinds of great stuff available to purchase!

“The 1% percent. Oil tycoon. Shiny and transparent exterior with a soul as dark and opaque as the richest crude. Greedy and bloated with petrol! Yeeeeehaw! Make sure you little folks don't get stuck in the bottom of my boot heel whilst I shimmy my way up towards the golden gates of pleasure and pumpin'!! Tip my gold plated Stetson to ya' as i head on down to drill something cute in the back of my Grandolero Cadillac Ranch on wheels!!!! Whoooooo doggies have you ever just pumped so hard on one of them phillies that ya thought ya'd seen gods big ole' face grinnin' down on ya' like one of them Cheshire Cats? Well I tell you what! God gave us oil and I plan to use it to honky tonk my way straight through those pearly gates, cuz ain't no mortal man able to have this much fun humpin and a pumpin' without paying the reapers due! Unless these quadruple bypasses can hold out ya understand?! I ain't destined for a natchural life like the rest of these sour pusses out here on the oil farm! I'm gonna need to keep them frowning sour patch kids to keep shining them big ass gold statues I had made of myself overlooking my land. Wooooooeeeeeer! There's a gonna be a new sheriff in town up in heaven and he only drinks the finest teas! Texas tea!!!!!! Hawhawhawhaw!' Get it?" ~ SkinnerMore will be revealed shortly, but it does seem to hint at a special release for the upcoming Comic Palooza convention happening in Texas on May 24th, 2013...








She was not ready to be announced and shown a few weeks back when Mattel did the rest of their SDCC 2013 exclusive reveals, but now she’s ready to be revealed:
Monster High™ Webarella™
This year’s Monster High SDCC offering began as just a thread of an idea but it didn’t take long before we were totally wrapped up in it. Now with no further spin, we are excited to reveal this year’s doll; Wydowna Spider™, the silky smooth Daughter of Arachne, dressed in her costume as the Power Ghoul™ Webarella™!
This product will be available for pre-order at MattyCollector.com on June 4, 2013, to be picked up at San Diego Comic-Con (details to come). It will also be available for purchase at the show.


Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline occurring several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains and assassins, the game showcases a young, raw, unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, witness identities being formed and key relationships being forged.
Like them on Facebook to see the full trailer on May 20, 2013: https://www.facebook.com/BatmanArkham

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NEW PRE-ORDERS from
BigBadToyStore.com
————–
NEW DC COLLECTIBLES
DC has announced a good number of new items. We have new
listings for the Cover Girls Batwoman Statue at $84.99 ($15 off the
MSRP), DC Comics Bombshells Harley Quinn at $99.99 ($25 off the
MSRP), The Joker Patina Mini Statue at $79.99, ($15 off the MSRP),
Ame-Comi Heroine Series: Steampunk Batgirl PVC Figure at
$49.99 ($10 off the MSRP), and Batman Arkham City The Riddler
Statue at $99.99 ($25 off the MSRP). For new action figures
we have three Batman Arkham City two-packs – Mr. Hammer &
Harley Quinn and Sickle & Penguin at $34.99 each, and Batman
& Bane at $49.99, $10 off the MSRP. We also have the new
Pandora and Black Adam figures at $21.99 each and the New 52 Heroes
Vs. Super Villains 7-Pack with metallic versions and/or new decos
of figures like Aquaman and Joker, along with a new 52 Catwoman
figure, and this set is priced at $84.99, $15 off of the MSRP.
In addition, we have the new Injustice Two-Pack, Doomsday Vs.
Catwoman, which is listed at $26.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS 2013 VOYAGER SERIES 04 – CASE, SET,
SINGLE, SERIES 03 CASE
This assortment introduces Sandstorm to the mix. The Case
includes two of Sandstorm and one each of Springer and Blitzwing
and is listed at $89.99; we also have a Set of one each of
the three figures at $69.99, and singles of Sandstorm at $29.99.
We also have the Series 03 Case listed, which includes two
each of Springer and Blitzwing, and is listed at $89.99 as
well.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS 2013 DELUXE SERIES 03 – CASE, SET,
SINGLES
This new wave of Deluxes takes its designs from the recent comic
versions of these characters. The Case assortment includes
two each of Trailcutter (Trailbreaker), Bumblebee (Gold Bug), Orion
Pax and Megatron, and is priced at $104.99. We also have them
as a Set of four at $54.99, with singles of Bumblebee, Orion Pax
and Megatron remaining; these are priced at $9.99 – $16.99
each.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
MASS EFFECT BUSTS – MORDIN, GARRUS
This two new busts stand 8″ tall and are hand-painted. Garrus
comes with a detachable visor and Mordin has a detachable headset;
each base is embossed with a quote. These busts are
listed at $49.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TRANSFORMERS PRIME BEAST HUNTERS ULTIMATE OPTIMUS PRIME
This large-size Optimus Prime comes with a sword and shield as well
as a ring of weapons that is attached to his back and to vehicle
mode. We have him listed at $59.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
UNIQUE TOYS WAR LORD UT-W04 WAR PANTHER
The next figure in Unique Toys’ War Lord series is War Panther.
He will make an arm in the War Lord gestalt figure, and
transforms from panther to robot. We have it listed at
$84.99, $15 off of the MSRP.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TRANSFORMING TRAILER
A new trailer based off of Op’s appearance from the third movie is
on the way. It changes from a trailer into a weapon ring, and
is listed at $$84.99, $15 off of the MSRP.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
CST-02J JUSTICE IRONPAW, CST-02SG EVIL IRONPAW
The latest transforming cassette from Keith’s Fantasy Club comes in
the yellow Justice version or the black Evil version. Each
lion cassette is listed at $25.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
STAR WARS 1/10 SCALE GENERAL GRIEVOUS ARTFX+ STATUE, OTHER NEW
KOTOBUKIYA
Kotobukiya will be releasing a new 1/10 scale version of General
Grievous soon. He will include alternate parts for different
display options and a cloth cape, and is priced at $88.99, $10 off
the MSRP. We also have new listings for model kits from
Muv-Luv Alternative and Ghost In The Shell, and a new Cu-Poche
figure of Miki Hoshii from The Idol Master.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
“IRON MAN 3″ 1/9 SCALE MODEL KITS
A variety of new model kits are soon to be available from the hit
movie. We have listings for the Iron Patriot, Iron Man Mark
XXXIX Gemini, XVII Heartbreaker, War Machine and Iron Man Mark 42.
Each comes in Unpainted at $59.99, or Painted at $109.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
LINEAGE II – DARK ELF, DARK ELF REPAINT
Max Factory is producing a pair of beautiful Dark Elf statues from
Lineage II. Each holds a staff, and both the original blue-skinned
elf and the repaint tan-skinned version are priced at $139.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
“THE WOLVERINE” FIGURES, ROLE PLAY
Marvel has announced a new figure and toy line based on the
upcoming “The Wolverine” movie. The 3.75″ Series 01 Case
includes four of Classic Wolverine, three each of Logan and Silver
Samurai and two of Shadow Strike Ninja; this assortment is
listed at $71.99 for the Case of 12, or you can opt for the Set of
four figures at $34.99, or even get singles of Logan, Silver
Samurai or Classic Wolverine at $6.99 each. We also have
listings for a 10″ Electronic Wolverine figure at $24.99, and a
Titan heroes 12″ Wolverine at $11.99. In addition to these, a
new role play line includes a Wolverine Foam Claw at $11.99, a
Wolverine Hero mask at $11.99 and an Electronic Wolverine Claw at
$24.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOT FLIP CHANGERS SERIES 01 – SET,
SINGLES
The Rescue Bots are branching out, this time into the Flip Bots
arena. We have Chase and Heatwave each listed at $24.99, or
you can get a Set of the two for $44.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
NEW HASBRO MLP, LPS, STAR WARS, MORE
We also have a variety of new items from all sorts of Hasbro
licenses up for pre-order. These include MLP Deluxe ponies,
Crystal Princesses and more, Ultimate Spider-Man figures, Star Wars
Darth Vader Voice Changer Helmet, Color Changing Lightsabers and
Jedi Force figures, GI Joe 12″ figures, “Iron Man 3″ 12″ figures,
Avengers All Stars figures, and LPS Get the Pets figures and
Boutique. You can see all of these new items at the link.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
LIVING DEAD DOLLS PRESENTS PSYCHO: SET, SINGLES
Mezco’s latest announcement contains the next wave of Living Dead
Dolls Presents figures, from the movie “Psycho”. We have Norman as
Mother and Marion in shower towel, and each is listed at $29.99, or
you can save a few bucks and get them as a set of 2 for $52.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
CAPTAIN ACTION – NEW FIGURE, COSTUMES
Another wave of costumes is on the way. This assortment
includes new figure Codename: Action at $19.99, and Regular
costumes of Wolverine and Iron Man. The Regular versions are
priced at $19.99 each or the Set of two for $35.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
THE BARBIE LOOK – NEW PRE-ORDERS
A number of new items from Mattel’s “The Barbie Look” line are up
for pre-order. We have City Shopper 1, City Shopper 2 and
Ballet Wishes at $29.99 each, with Ski Slope and Grand Ball at
$24.99 each.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
NEW BEAST SAGA ITEMS
Takara has announced another wave of Beast Saga figures and more.
We have Random Booster Volumes 04, 05 and 06 in Cases of 24
and Random Singles, as well as BS54 Super Winning Deck Type
Critical and BS55 Deck Builder DX White Gold, so fans should be
sure to check out these new entries and grab what you like.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
AXE COP
This popular website comic is making the jump to TV with an
upcoming animated series, as well as graphic novels and comics.
We have a new set of figures listed that includes Axe Cop,
Dr. Doo Doo and Avocado Soldier; this set of 4″ figures is
listed at $32.99. We also have a 12″ plush of Wexter the
T-Rex at $21.99 and an 8″ Avocado plush at $13.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
REVOLTECH THUNDERBIRDS TB2 SHIP – METALLIC VERSION
This version of the TB2 still has the removable cargo segment, but
now comes with a metallic paintjob. It is listed at $59.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
NEW MINECRAFT LISTINGS – PAPERCRAFT, FIGURES, MORE
A number of new entries are up for items from the popular game
Minecraft. These includes a Core Player Survival Pack at
$24.99, a series of Core Figures at $15.99 each, Cases of Plushes
at $119.99 per Case of 9, Papercraft items at $15.99 – $34.99 each
and more. You can see all of the new items at the link.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
POKEMON IMPORT POCKET MONSTER FIGURES
We have new listings up for Tomy’s line of Pocket Monster figures.
These currently include MewTwo, Charizard, Genosekuto Purple
and Genosekuto Red, and each is priced at $24.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
COMICS NOSTALGIA TIN SIGNS
New vendor TradeOpia has a wide variety of tin signs featuring
comic art on the way. These signs measure approximately 12.5″
x 16″ and include Marvel and DC comics characters such as Batman,
Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man, Captain America and more.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
———— NEW ARRIVALS ————
CAUSALITY CA-10 T-BONE
A second shipment of T-Bone has arrived. This black car has
red windows and transforms into a robot as well as being a limb for
the gestalt Causality. We have him listed at $59.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
ARMS DEPOT 1/6 SCALE ARMORY
The 1/6 Scale Arms Depot is now in stock and ready to complement
your 1/6 scale Batman figures. It is listed at 149.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
DR. WU DW-P12 BLASTER SET
We currently have stock of the gray Version 01 and the blue Version
02 of these attachable arm blasters; each set is listed at
$15.99
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
DREAMWORKS TOY STUDIO BLAST CANNON WEAPON ACCESSORY
This add-on set works with the First Edition of a big green
transforming robot. The set includes pieces that can mix and
match to form a giant hammer, a claw, pummeling weapons for the
hands and even cannons for vehicle mode, and is listed at
$34.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
DC UNLIMITED 2013 SERIES 03 – SET, SINGLES
The third assortment in the new DC Unlimited line includes New 52
versions of Darkseid and Aquaman and Injustice versions of Superman
and Joker. Each figure is available at $18.99, or you can
save a few bucks and get the Set of four at $71.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
LIVING DEAD DOLLS SERIES 25 – CASE, SINGLES
Series 25 includes Luna, Cracked Jack, Sospirare, Asa and Gretchen,
and is listed at $109.99 for the case of 5 (saving you $30 off of
the MSRP); we also have singles remaining of Luna, Cracked
Jack and gretchen at $27.99 each.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
MONSTER HIGH NEW FIGURES – CASES, SETS, SINGLES
Yet more Monster High figures have arrived. We have the Dance
Doll Series as a Case of six at $94.99, a Set of 4 at $63.99, and
singly (Lagoona Blue and Operetta Swing) at $16.99 each. We
also have the Dead Tired Series 01 Set of three at $47.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TMNT SECRET SEWER LAIR PLAYSET
This new playset stands three and a half feet tall and is loaded
with play features over its three levels, including a zip line,
falling floors and more. We have it listed at $114.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
MASS EFFECT COMMANDER SHEPARD BISHOUJO STATUE
The regular version of FemShep comes with a Argus Rifle and the
Omni Blade and stands 9″ tall. She is listed at $59.99, $5
off the MSRP.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
TEKKEN BISHOUJO JAYCEE FIGURE
This warrior is dressed in a pink and white costume, complete with
mask. She stands just over 8″ tall and is listed at $54.99,
$10 off of the MSRP.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
NEW LEGO ® PRODUCTS
A large shipment of LEGO ® sets has arrived at our
warehouse. These come from licenses such as Marvel, TMNT,
“Iron Man 3″, Creator, Ninjago, Star Wars. “The Lone Ranger”, DC
Super Heroes, Monster Fighters, Lord of the Rings and more.
Take a look at the menus or at the list at the link to see
these items and more.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
X-FORCE ARCHANGEL 15.5″ WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE STATUE
This piece has Archangel in his black and grey outfit from X-Force.
He floats above the ground with his wings outstretched, and
is priced at $249.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
“UNDERWORLD” SELENE 1/4 SCALE STATUE
The first of two new Hollywood Collectibles statues is Selene from
“Underworld”. She stands 24″ tall with her pistols ready and is
listed at $329.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
CYBERCOP 1/4 SCALE STATUE
This lovely lady comes from Heavy Metal is dressed to capture some
crooks. She stands 20″ tall and is priced at $329.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
HISTORICAL THOR’S HAMMER
This replica has a solid metal head and suede-wrapped wooden handle
with brass rivets. It measures 18″ long and is priced at
$149.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
“DESPICABLE ME 2″ POP! MOVIES FIGURES
Funko has released a wave of figures from the upcoming movie.
These include Gru, Agnes and Henchmen Carl and Dave.
Each is listed at $9.99. Keep an eye out for the
mystery villain figure, too!
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/



(BALTIMORE, MD) — (May 16, 2013) —Toho Company, Ltd. the producer of twenty-eight GODZILLA motion pictures, and Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels and pop-culture merchandise, have reached an agreement that will bring the best GODZILLA merchandise from Japan and beyond to the United States and Canada. Diamond will choose, market, and distribute the highly desired and sought after GODZILLA toys, comics, collectibles, and lifestyle products, many of which have previously been available only in Japan.
“GODZILLA has been a pop culture icon since he was unleashed on the world in 1954,” said John Parker, Diamond’s VP- New Business Development. “Now that Diamond can provide a complete offering of awesome GODZILLA merchandise from Toho, the long lost and unavailable figures and collectibles will be easily accessible to the fans of the nuclear beast. With a new film in production and scheduled for release in May, 2014 the monster merchandise will be here just in time to make its way onto the shelves of North American retailers.”
”We are very excited to be teaming with Diamond Comic Distributors in this opportunity to share a wider and more complete line of Godzilla merchandise,” said Masaki Fujiwara, General Manager at the Los Angeles office of Toho Co., Ltd. “I hope the Godzilla fans in North America are as thrilled as we are.”
An initial round of merchandise is featured in Diamond’s May PREVIEWS catalog, and is expected in retail stores starting in July. To pre-order GODZILLA merchandise, find a comic shop near you at www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook. Retailers interested in purchasing GODZILLA products are encouraged to contact Diamond’s New Accounts Department at newaccounts@diamondcomics.com.
PHOTO A – GODZILLA, 1954 Version: From X Plus USA! The greatest of cinema’s thunder lizards will batter his way into your collection with this 12” tall vinyl figure of Godzilla’s 1954 incarnation! (SRP $160) Available in Oct 2013.
PHOTO B – MECHA-GODZILLA, 1974 Version: From X Plus USA! Godzilla’s cybernetic foe MechaGodzilla will terrorize your collection as this 12” tall vinyl figure that depicts the kaiju as he appeared in 1974! (SRP $160) Available in Oct 2013.
ABOUT TOHO COMPANY, LTD: Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Tokyo, Toho Company, Ltd. is one of the leading entertainment conglomerates in Japan. Toho is best known worldwide as the producer of twenty-eight Godzilla motion pictures, based upon a character the company unleashed on the world back in 1954, and masterpiece films directed by Akira Kurosawa. Toho has been the number one distributor of motion pictures in Japan (both domestic and foreign) for nine consecutive years since 2003. The company is also, throughout Japan, the leading producer of theatrical works and one of the largest owners of office buildings and theaters.
ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.


This Sunday, May 19th at 4PM EST, Task One’s 3-inch custom series “Pillaging Pop Culture” Series 1 will draw to a close with the sixth and final release of 3 figures. Collectors and fans have been waiting 12 weeks for the release of an Animal figure. As a special bonus, each Animal figure will be entirely unique: every Animal will be wearing a different heavy metal or punk band t-shirt! Every Animal figure will be fully one-of-a-kind.
Blind-boxed custom hand painted figures will be $40.00 per piece, but collectors can guarantee pulling the Animal figure by buying the full 3-piece Wave for $100.00. Purchasing the full Wave guarantees that you will get one of each of the 3 figures in that wave. Purchasing one or 2 blind boxed figures means you will get one or 2 randomly selected figures.
Tenacious Toys is still selling a limited number of full sets- the whole series of 18 characters plus chase- at $600.00, but only until June 1st when all Pillaging Pop Culture figures will be taken off of the website. There is a “free” chase figure (not part of the 18pc set) that will be rewarded to 2 lucky orders each Wave, and automatically to anyone who purchases the full set. While the exact run size is not revealed, the series is limited.
Wave 5 blind boxes and full sets will remain available on the Super Series Sundays page until Saturday May 18th, so act now if you want to secure those figures! Once Wave 6 goes up, Wave 5 will no longer be available.
Release schedule for Pillaging Pop Culture: • May 19, 4PM: PPC Series 1 Wave 6 FINAL RELEASE • near future: PPC Series 2 (Task has already leaked photos of the sculpts online)
LINKS:
Task One’s website: www.taskoner.com
Super Series Sundays page:
www.tenacioustoys.com/
Tenacious Toys homepage www.tenacioustoys.com
… a killer series, wasn’t it?
Re-Thinking the Blind Box |
|
The current blind box theory works well for production pieces. But when it comes to custom and home artist-made series, especially ones with several artists, you may only want one or a couple of certain pieces in the series. The chances of getting one you like may not be in your favor. You also may not want to blindly pay upwards of $100 for a custom you may not like. Another issue is you may not want to buy more than one, in fear you might receive a duplicate. So after a little thought and experimentation, this is how the Pillaging Pop Culture series will work: The series contains 18 figures that will be divided up into 6 releases (“waves”), held 2 weeks apart. By releasing 3 figures at a time instead of releasing the full series of 18 at once, it automatically raises your odds of getting the one you like to 1 in 3, instead of 1 in 18 or whatever the ratio may be. If you purchase 2 blind boxed figures, your odds go up dramatically. Your odds disappear completely if you shoot for the price savings and buy all 3. Releasing 3 figures at a time will also guarantee there are no duplicates bought or sent with any order. When a customer orders 3 blind figures in Wave 1, one of each of the three Wave 1 figures will be shipped to the customer. To add a little intrigue to the usual blind box release method… instead of seeing all the figures in the series and a blacked out mystery chase figure, we will do the opposite and start with revealing the chase first (see below). The rest of the figures will be blacked out, only to be revealed upon each 2 week release. Hopefully this lends a little excitement and suspicion as to what figures may be revealed each wave. To entice sales, the chase will be free. 2 lucky orders will be selected randomly each release round to receive a free series chase added to their order. The chase will also be rewarded automatically to any customers who purchase the whole series for $600. |
All figures come in custom packaging |
|
Custom packaging: Task One used some of the proceeds from the sales in the first drop to fund the printing of custom boxes for the series. All Pillaging Pop Culture figures will come in the boxes pictured at left. Call it reinvesting back into the product. |
A note from Task One: By stretching the release out over a 12 week period it prolongs the fun, interest and awareness of this project both for the collector and the artists. As a collector, it increases your chances of receiving pieces you want and gives you time between paychecks to save up for the next release. As an artist, the space in between gives us time to fulfill orders and keeps the project in the blogs and media for a while, instead of having a nice build up to a release date, after which the project is forgotten.
Task One would like to encourage other artists or people putting together a blind box series to try this method out, and feel free to adapt and add on your own ideas to the process. If you do please contact him and let him know how it turns out.

The ultimate Star Trek action figures are almost here! Arriving next month, the first two figures in Diamond Select Toys new, deluxe Star Trek line will be a classically-styled Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, each with interchangeable parts and a diorama base. We got in a couple of packaged samples, and couldn’t wait to bust them open and send them on an away mission! Check out the pics of Kirk and Spock in action on an alien planet and in the Enterprise’s engineering section demonstrating their various interchangeable parts, including hands, legs, heads, accessories and more! Pre-order both today at your favorite online retailer or your local comic shop!
Twice a month the gang from Mattel are
kind enough to answer five questions from AFi readers. The
Mattel marketing and PR team, have replied with the answers to our
latest round of questions that AFi readers have posted in our
forums.
Q1. Any chance of some proper 1/18 scale figures loosely based on Arrow? (like maybe Huntress?)
A1. Nothing planned at this time but you never know. We do love the show!
Q2. With the “Man of Steel” movie coming out, could we see Superman related Hotwheels: *Supermobile, *Kal-El Space Rocket, *Superman Godfall Motorcycle?
A2. A cool idea. We’ll pass this along to our wheels team and partners in Hot Wheels.
Q3. Are there plans in place to reveal the Beware the Batman line at SDCC? Not the already known Bats Unlimited versions, but a stand alone BtB line?
A3. You’ll have to wait and see!
Q4. Will there be any Mattel products for the newly announced Batman: Arkham Origins game? Such as Black Mask or Deathstroke?
A4. You’ll have to wait and see!
Q5. Will we hear anything about what your plans are with all the other create a character entries at sdcc?
A5. No. We do have plans in place but this will not be revealed for a little bit longer.
If you’d like to ask a question for the June 15th submission then feel free to post your questions in our Mattel Q&A question submissions thread! Remember they can be about any Mattel product including MOTUC, Ghostbusters, WWE, any of the Mattel DC lines, Voltron and Cars. Twice a month we draw our submission question directly from the ones that AFi readers post.
You can submit new questions in this thread.
Thanks again to the team at Mattel for taking time to answer our questions!
Offer a Seat at the 2013 HeroClix Worlds Event
Developers of HeroClix Online today announced a new six-week tournament series titled ‘War of the Shards’ in which one lucky hero will receive an invitation to this year’s HeroClix World event, to be held at Gen Con 2013 in Indianapolis, IN August 15-18.
Each week of the event will feature a new Themed tournament based on an Infinity Gem from the Infinity Gauntlet—and each week gives players more chances to increase their overall scores.
The goal for participants is to collect as many Gem Shards (through tournament wins) from as many different Infinity Gems as they can. At the end of the series HeroClix Online will be inviting one lucky hero to HeroClix Worlds and offering them a physical 2013 Marvel con exclusive figure of their choice. Second Place will also receive a 2013 Marvel con exclusive figure and all participants will be entered in a random drawing for the physical Thanos figure.
Following the event Gem Shards can be used in casual matches as obstacles for, or to attack, opponents.
The full announcement, rules and regulations can be found on the HeroClix Online forums.




















At the beginning of the month Mattel revealed the line up of their 2013 San Diego Comic Con exclusives. Fans of the old DC Universe Classics line and the newer DC Signature Collection Club Infinite Earths subscription line waited with baited breath hoping for another one of their favorite characters to be marked off their wish lists. In 2012 there was not a 6″ DC SDCC exclusive so there was a lot of anticipation for this reveal.
Needless to say there was a very strong reaction from the fandom when the 6″ DC exclusive was revealed to be the New 52 Shazam. It opened up a lot of questions for collectors of these lines. Why a New 52 character? Why not (fill in the blank)? Does this mean we’ll be getting New 52 characters in the sub? Why can’t you sell this character at retail as part of the DC Unlimited line? Mattel and Scott aka Toy Guru were gracious enough to allow us to sit down and ask those questions that are on the minds of the Mattel DC collectors. I attempted to address all of the big questions that I had seen asked around the web as well as those that folks have been asking me.
But first- We received a sample of the SDCC New 52 Shazam figure on Thursday of last week, so we have it in hand. Let’s take a closer look at the actual figure first and then move on to the Q& A.
Action Figure Insider: Why did Mattel choose a new 52 character as the SDCC 2013 exclusive as opposed to something “DC Classics?”
Toy Guru: Now that we offer DC Classic figures each month in Club Infinite Earth on Mattycollector.com, it just didn’t make as much sense to offer another Classic character at SDCC as those characters show up every month now. Before CIE, SDCC was a unique opportunity to offer a Classic character. Now we do this every month. For example, we just did Wally West in CIE. Could he have been a SDCC item? Sure. But it makes more sense to put him in the club. Offering a new 52 version of a character (and one never before done as a toy by anyone) made the SDCC offering different and unique from what we offer every month online now.
AFi: In the past fans were told that the SDCC exclusive slot was for figures/characters that wouldn’t fit at retail (Lobo, Wonder Twins, Plastic Man, Swamp Thing), but it seems to most fans that New 52 Shazam would fit perfectly in the DC Unlimited retail line (he has enough media exposure being on JLU, Young Justice, several of the Direct to DVD projects). Why put a character that could easily sell at retail over another fan-demanded character?
TG: There are really two answers to that. One is that we did not have a retail slot for another DC figure in 2013, so there wasn’t a spot for Shazam at retail. The second answer harkens back to the answer to the first question above. Take for example a “fan demanded figure” like Huntress of Elongated Man. Both are offered in the club. Sure we could have made Huntress the SDCC figure, but she made more sense to offer in the monthly club. Offering a new 52 figure at SDCC was something different as New 52 figure are not in the online club and it made the SDCC item unique. Just as you mentioned in your question, Shazam is a figure that wouldn’t fit in the online line (because we don’t do New 52 in CIE) or the retail line (because no available slot) this year. Hence an ideal SDCC item.
AFi: Many fans were hoping for an oversized figure that would require new tooling such as an oversized Doomsday or Granny Goodness. Were those characters ever considered for this slot?
TG: We’d love to do both Granny and Doomsday! The issue is they are both fully tool’d figures. We just don’t have enough current DC customers/sales currently to justify the logistics and cost for a fully tool’d figure either in the sub or at SDCC. Last year when we sold in the subs we noted a meter showing two levels. Level one was the bare min number of sub holders we needed to keep the lights on and actually do the 2013 sub as planned. Level two was the sign up level to explore more tooling and more skus for the future. We barely hit level one which is why you don’t see fully tool’d figures this year. Until we have the customer base to justify the tooling, fully tool’d figures will continue to be a challenge.
AFi: You took last year off from doing a 6” DC exclusive saying that the sub took the place of needing that slot. What changed for this year to bring back an exclusive DC 6” figure?
TG: I actually did not work on last year’s DC SDCC items, so I can’t really speak for the strategy as to why or why not a 6” comic figure was included in the offering, but for this year, when we were given the opportunity to do New 52 Shazam ahead of any other toy company, it worked out well and gave us something new and different from standard monthly classic figures.
AFi: With the launch of the DC Unlimited retail line we are starting to assemble a Justice League with Batman, Superman, Hawkman, Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. They are all original sculpts with the costume lines etched into the figure. Shazam has that detail tampo printed on the figure. Why that change?
TG: It was a cost saving. As noted above, we are at the bare min for sub holders in 2013 and that means we have to be very conscious of our tooling and expenses to deliver product. The lower the run (of any consumer product) the higher the cost to produce. The more sub holders we have, the more tooling and resources we can apply to figures. It is a direct correlation. Fans really do vote with their purchase.
AFi: The hood, when on the figure looks a bit “off” is that the final version of the hood that we saw last week?
TG: It just wasn’t snapped in tight enough when the shot was taken! Oops. The hood fits very flush. It actually tucks into the cape and looks awesome. We just got in PR samples and one was sent to Daniel. So hopefully he and some other reviewers can get some better shots up soon!
AFi: Since the reveal of the New 52 Shazam SDCC exclusive you have mentioned that this figure was meant to “bridge the gap” between the retail DC Unlimited line and the DC Signature Series. What was the thinking behind the decision to put this figure in DCSC-like packaging?
TG: Just to offer something compelling and fun. As noted above, since every month we are delivering classic figures, it didn’t makes as much sense to offer another classic fig at SDCC as that fig could work just as well in the club line. Offering a New 52 figure in club packaging not only linked the retail and online toy lines, but it made this figure different and fun for the show. Something you couldn’t get anywhere else.
AFi: This year there doesn’t look to be any sort of “SDCC Only” element to any of the exclusives (Gleek, Plastic Man suitcase). Why that change across the board for all the 2013 exclusives?
TG: Basically the ever increasing cost of producing collector figures. Doing SDCC only versions of characters, or adding extra accessories continues to add costs to figures. As much as we love doing that, delivering a product at a reasonable price came first. The toy industry is a lot different than it was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. Labor and raw materials continue to be two factors we have very little control over and continue to rise.
AFi: Does this mean we will be seeing more New 52 characters in the DCSC subscription either in 2013 or the possible 2014 line?
TG: We will not be doing New 52 figures in the online club.
AFi: There seems to be some figures that were not “fan demanded” in the DC sub this year such as the Red Hood. Some would argue that New 52 Shazam also falls into that category. What goes into to making the decision to fill SKU slots with characters that have never appeared and any fan’s wish list for the lines?
TG: I wish we could just run a poll and produce the top 12 fan requested figures as the monthly selection and call it a day, but it just doesn’t work that way. A lot comes down to tooling. As noted above, in 2013 we are at the bare min to keep the lights on and produce the online subscription program for DC figs. That means we have the bare min amount of resources and tooling. Huntress for example had a lot of new tooling and was very expensive. Figures like Red Hood or Wally West help balance that out with characters with min new parts. We would love to do more “fan demanded” figures like Granny or Doomsday as noted above, but we just don’t have the tooling with the current level of customers/sub holders. That being said, it you look at the 2012 and 2013 offerings to date, both online programs are overflowing with fan requested figures. We finished the Doom Patrol and Metal Men, offered fan demanded figs like Poison Ivy, Wally West, Elongated Man, Huntress, Freddy Freeman etc… We do listen to fans and try to make as many figures “fan demanded”, but tooling and resources also play a factor. Not every figure will be for every fan, but as a whole we are really proud of the lines ups. (and for the record, Red Hood does come up quite a lot on the forums! Maybe not as much as some others, but he isn’t exactly a character that no one has ever asked for.)
AFi: Any chance that this year when you announce the 2014 sub that fans could at least get a list of names of who you are considering to be in the line up? Even if we don’t see sculpts or know which version of the character we might get?
TG: We wish we could! The problem with that is things in the toy industry change all the time. One of the things fans/customers tend to find the most frustrating is when we announce a figure or accessories and that figure doesn’t make it to market. Heck, fans are still asking for Modern Red Tornado, Nekron’s weapon and Wonder Woman’s spear (a dropped accessory that was sculpted but not tool’d for the Wave 4 figure in 2009). We just don’t feel comfortable announcing the name of a figure that could potentially change.
AFi: Anything you can say to fans about the remaining figures in the 2013 sub and the proposed figures in the 2014 sub?
TG: I can tell you we probably have some of our hottest most demanded figures of the full year still to reveal for 2013! (at SDCC) And 2014? Boy is it an amazing line up. We will have the Jan-March figures to reveal at SDCC as well as our sub only 13th oversized figure. We will also be running the meter again this year noting level 1 as the bare min to hit to get the 2014 line to move forward “as is” and a higher level 2 that will let us potentially explore additional skus and more tooling for the future. As always, it is in the hands of fans. We can only make collector toys when there is an audience to purchase them. A few years back we had to cancel our Ghostbusters sub when we didn’t hit enough sub holders. We have an amazing line up for DC figs in 2014, and still some mind blowing figures to reveal for the rest of 2013. If we have enough sub holders to keep the line going, the best is yet to come!
Thank you to Scott and Mattel for the articulate, well thought out answers.
This sample provided by Mattel.
Star Trek Select Kirk and Spock are on
their way to U.S. shores, and fans are already looking beyond them
to see who will follow in their footsteps. Well, Diamond Select
Toys has unveiled the next Select, and it’s the captain of the
U.S.S. Enterprise D and E, Jean-Luc Picard! Wearing his classic TV
outfit, Picard has been captured in the middle of a previously
unseen engagement with the Borg, firing his phaser aboard a Borg
ship, with a fallen foe at his feet. The figure will feature
limited articulation and a detailed likeness by Patrick Piggott
(prototype shown), and will come in shelf-ready Select display
packaging. Look for him to beam down this fall, and join Captain
Kirk and Spock in the Select hall of fame! Pre-order him today at
your favorite online retailer or your local comic shop!

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| "His madness keeps him sane." |

Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm, Scheduled to Appear at Star Wars Celebration Europe this July in Essen, Germany
Kathleen Kennedy, the President of
Lucasfilm and producer of Star Wars Episode VII, will make
her inaugural Star Wars Celebration appearance in Essen this
July. Kennedy will make an appearance on the main Celebration stage
talking with celebrity host Warwick Davis about her amazing career
in the movie industry and her recent move to Lucasfilm.
“When I joined Lucasfilm, I immediately saw the true passion shared by Star Wars fans around the world. I’m thrilled to attend my first Star Wars Celebration and see in person that energy that makes the Star Wars experience so special.”
Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, Kathleen Kennedy is one of the most successful and respected producers and executives in the film industry today. She joined Lucasfilm in 2012, personally selected by George Lucas to lead the company. As a testament to her standing in the film community, she is currently Vice President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), as well as sitting on their Board of Governors.
Kennedy has produced or executive produced over 60 films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits are four of the highest-grossing films in motion picture history: Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and The Sixth Sense, as well as such blockbuster entertainment as the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, War of the Worlds, Twister and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Her diverse filmography also includes acclaimed dramas like Lincoln, War Horse, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Munich, Seabiscuit, Schindler’s List and The Color Purple, and animated motion pictures like The Adventures of Tintin, Persepolis, An American Tail and The Land Before Time.
Kennedy has produced the films of such directors as Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Oz, Peter Bogdanovich, and Richard Donner.
Prior to joining Lucasfilm, Kennedy headed The Kennedy/Marshall Company, which she founded in 1992 with director/producer Frank Marshall, and in 1982 she co-founded the phenomenally successful Amblin Entertainment with Marshall and Steven Spielberg.
What is Star Wars Celebration
Star Wars Celebration is a weekend fan festival that
brings fans and families together, from all points of the globe, to
celebrate the pop-culture phenomenon that is Star Wars.
From its young fans of Star Wars: The Clone
Wars to die-hards fueled by the nostalgia for the
original Star Wars trilogy; curious, casual
followers; gamers, readers, costumers or collectors — there’s
something for everyone at festival. This July, Star
Wars Celebration will come to Essen Germany and promises to
deliver a landmark experience where memories are made, families
brought together, old friends reunited and new friendships formed –
all in the setting of the ever-evolving Star Wars universe.
Click here for the official trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?

MEDICOMTOY LIFE Entertainmentより MLE GREMLINS シリーズ3が発売されました。 _ _ Project 1/6/SHOP RECOMMEND
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Masters of the Universe is the focus on tonight’s episode
of “Toy Hunter.” Show host Jordan Hembrough needs Scott “Toy
Guru” Neitlich’s help identifying a vintage MOTU figure on the
Travel Channel program. Check your local listings!
http://www.travelchannel.com/
The other day we showed you the 20 second teaser. Here is the full official trailer for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Hi everyone and welcome back! As you
might imagine there’s going to be some Iron Man 3 talk
this week. We both saw it, both dug it and try to talk about our
enjoyment of it as spoiler-free as possible. Jason also has a leg
up on the rest of us as he got to see an early screening of
Star Trek Into Darkness.
Like many in the community this past week we were saddened by the news of the passing of the legendary Ray Harryhausen. Also like rest of the world we were captivated by the man’s work our entire lives. Jason and I both had the opportunity to meet the man on separate occasions and we share some of our remembrances.
In this episode we cover:
All that and more in this week’s brand new episode!
You can listen here or on iTunes!






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