Aztec Inspired Marvel Busts from Jesse Hernandez x Unruly Industries

     This.  More of this all the time.  I am sooooooooo tired of things like this not being the standard for a designer reinterpreting a licensed character.  The world certainly knows what everyone in the Marvel Universe looks like and I am beyond thrilled that they and Unruly Industries had the guts to let Jesse Hernandez run wild with these.  No one has ever see Wolverine or Iron Man look more bad ass then they do in these busts.  Seriously, I can't say enough good things about them.  These are are available for preorder right now by visiting https://www.sideshow.com/whats-new/.

Marvel's Black Widow 3A Style

        Go ahead and tell me the plots of the Avengers movies.  I'll wait. 

        See, you can't do it, but its not your fault.  Scientists have proven that if Scarlett Johansson is prancing around in a skin tight costume that 95% of people have no ability to recall anything else that is happening.  Hollywood has used this technique to slip tons of movies that have no redeeming value past us and all we're left with is a little less money in our bank accounts and a two hour window of our lives thats blacked out.  A small price to pay I suppose.   And it's not like the Avengers films were bad, but I guess they didn't want to risk it just in case.  

    3A is continuing their line of Marvel figures with the ever dangerous Black Widow.  Lucky for you the presale for her doesn't start until Wednesday, August 31st, so you haven't missed out yet on securing this purrty lady for your collection.  Woo her at http://www.bambalandstore.com. 

Ghost Edition Iron Man from 3A Available Now

    There are very few movies that make me want to shell out the cash to see in the theatre.  And it's not really the money per se, as much as it is the other people that happen to be there and preventing us from enjoying what we pay for.  My frustrations are begging to be let out in violent ways, so we have a few requirements of a film before we watch it in public.  The first is that it has to be a huge fanboy movie, i.e. The Avengers.  Those are the best behaved audiences and provide the most pleasant experience for the viewer.  Everyone there is completely invested in what's happening on screen and wouldn't dare upset the nerd balance by acting a fool.  The second is that we only go during a weekday to avoid kids that have no interest in the movie and are just looking to socialize.  Teenagers are annoying to begin with and are begging to be dropped off in the woods somewhere, so it doesn't take much provocation to snap on one.  Follow our simple rules and always have a pleasant movie-going experience. And bring your own food, that stuff is criminally expensive.


    Oh, did I mention The Avengers?  Yeah, that movie is gonna be freakin amazing and what's even better is all the cool stuff that's being released to coincide.  You've seen 3A's Iron Man before, but never like this.  I don't think Tony Stark could wear this suit in combat, because just looking at white clothing funny will stain it, but then again he could definitely afford the dry cleaning bill.

    As with anything 3A makes, this dude looks killer.  I love their take on classic characters and you can love him too by ordering him right this second over at http://www.bambalandstore.com/.

Funko Launches Exclusive Marvel Subscription Program

    I like the idea of these subscription services where you get mailed a surprise box of goodness, because I like getting mail.  Well, I like getting mail when it's not bills or those irritating newspaper supplements telling me what I missed in the newspaper this week which I didn't actually miss because I have the internet and anything that's of any importance is located where?  ON THE INTERNET!  Now when toys arrive in the mail I am super excited.  So I tried one of those things where you pay x amount of dollars and they send you a box with stuff in it, but I only did it because I wanted a specific figure.  The rest of the stuff in the box I gave away because I wasn't interested.  None of it, beyond the toy I wanted, catered to my specific interests.  I get the fact that the idea is "hey you're into nerdy stuff, well here's a pile of nerdy stuff for you" but that's a pretty broad way to look at things.  Let me now show you a subscription service that is getting it right.

     Funko and Marvel have announced the creation of Collector Corps, a focused box of stuff you'll be excited to own.  Each box is $25 and will be mailed out every 2 months.  The first one focuses on exclusive products from the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron film, including this 6 inch Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl:

    If you sign up for their Founder's Program, which is a year long commitment, you get a swanky 8 inch tall statue on the anniversary of the first box shipment:

    Sign up by visiting https://www.collectorcorps.com/.

Thor Series 2 Pop! Vinyl from Funko

    In Norse mythology, Thor rides around on a chariot that is drawn by two huge goats.  In my real life, I now drive around in a Hyundai Accent that makes me look like I'm gonna take the kids to tee ball practice.  Yesterday the wife and I bought our first ever car from an actual car dealership after our truck, which we had for nearly 12 years and put well over 200,000 miles on it, was determined to need repairs that far exceeded its worth.  She works close to home so she is now the proud commandI on my much longer commute in our new, and uber practical, little grey car.  To tell you the truth I was skeptical about it, but it's kinda like driving a go kart.  I just really don't want to pay for it, so I'm gonna need someone to throw me a telethon or something.  I've lived a long time without a car payment, and the amount of paper work they make you sign makes me think that I may have given them the right to come in and take my internal organs while I sleep.  Their tactics to make you sign your life away are pretty sneaky.  It was so hot I couldn't stop sweating and all they had to drink was coffee and it was like something that I'm sure the United Nations should probably look into.  All I know is that I was starving and willing to do just about anything to get a hamburger and some air conditioning.  They use the same tactics to get people to confess to murders.  

     Thor's friends never have to worry about down payments or interest rates or gap insurance.  And they get to sword fight and wear killer armor.  It's pretty much the best life ever, and while we can't live in Asgard our avoid the trappings of modern transportation, we can own these Pop! Vinyl figures from Funko and live vicariously through them.  Well, this October we can anyway, cause that's when they're released.  

    

    

Milk Magazine Exclusive Iron Man from 3A

    Seeing the amazing job that 3A has done on their Iron Man figures makes me hopeful that Marvel will let them run wild with every super hero they want.  I know they are working on a Dr. Doom, but I'd love to see a crazy version of two of my favorites, Thor and Loki.  A boy can dream, right?  

    Their Iron Man figure is even better looking in person.  I got to see them at this year's Toy Fair and no one that buys this will be disappointed.  In fact, it will probably make all your other toys look so lame that you'll sell them all to buy more 3A stuff.  

    Milk Magazine is the exclusive retailer for this version and he will be going up for preorder tomorrow until June 30th.  Get yours at http://www.milkcargo.com/.

New Marvel Labbits from Kidrobot Out Now!

    I have the uber official Kidrobot catalog on my desk as I type this and it says that these dudes weren't due to release until the second week of March.  But then Kidrobot was like "psyche, we do what we want" and released them early so you can get them all right this second!  You got the second series of blind boxed Marvel Labbits as pictured above, and the newest 7 inch Labbits in Ghost Rider and Deadpool.  Don't worry yourself with silly dilemmas like which one is your favorite because you know you love them all equally and want to give them a good home.  Buy now, pay credit card bills when they go to collections.  

Toy Fair 2014: 3A

    I'll be the first to admit:  I don't really know a lot about 3A.  What I do know is that I love to look at their work and am on the fast track to schooling myself about them.  Their booth at this year's Toy Fair was by far the most stunning, as it felt like wandering through a museum exhibit more than cases full of toys that you could actually own.  There stuff is beautiful and a bit haunting.  I was really trying to reign in the focus of my collecting, but seeing these in person makes me want buy everything they make.  Browse these pictures while I go and apply for more credit cards.  

    I love their take on these classic Marvel characters.  How cool would it be to have a series of comics made with this style?

Toy Fair 2014: Kidrobot

    Where to even begin with all the stuff Kidrobot has coming out this year?  Let's start with my favorite things that I saw, and that's plenty of Labbits.  Frank Kozik's iconic character is gonna multiply like crazy in a few different sizes.  There are the new 7 inch Deadpool and Ghost Rider figures that you can expect to see in March to coincide with series 2 of their Marvel blind box toys.  There will also be a series of blister packed figures that are variants from the first series, such as Wolverine as Weapon X. 

    But this was by far the best news I heard at the entire show.  Kidrobot secured the licensing for DC Comics products and they are going nuts with them.  I'm a huge Batman fan so I almost had to change my pants when I saw the packaging for the new Joker 7 inch Labbit.  And they're making blister packed ones and a blind boxed series.  I could actually feel my wallet getting thinner the longer I looked at all this stuff.  None of the actual products themselves were on display, so I'm guessing it will be later in the year before we're able to purchase these.  

    And I'm sure by now you've seen the new line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures they've produced.  Most of these were on hand and actually getting to play with them really made me want them all.  It was a total nostalgia trip with each one I picked up and I have a feeling this collection is gonna blow a lot of minds.  Again, they will have blind boxed and blister carded figures, as well as some larger ones featuring Bebop and Rocksteady.  Look for these to drop in May.

    Each license also has an assortment of keychains and diy figures and TMNT will also have some shirts available.  I was literally geeking out so hard over the DC Labbits that I feel that rush of euphoria coming over me as I type this.  I may need to go lay down.  

   I took a lot more pictures of their booth and they can be found at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking

Epic Time Suck of the Week: Lego Marvel Super Heroes

    I loooooooooooooooove these Lego games.  It never takes a long time to beat the story mode of them, but it's all the extra stuff you can do that really makes you lose track of your day and allows your garbage to fester to the point where you at least have to throw it on the porch or risk gassing yourself out of he house.  Sure, I could have vacuumed, or did the dishes, but neither one of those things is as fulfilling as finding all of the little super hero mini figures.  And you know what happened when I actually left the house yesterday to get groceries?  Some lady behind me accidently tears open a bag of raw chicken and spills the juice all over one of the self checkout lanes.  It seeped all inside the machine, and got all over her.  Because there obviously is a God, I was finished my transaction and on my way out the door by the time someone came to her rescue with a roll of paper towels.  Now do you see how much safer it is to just stay home and play video games?  I could have died of salmonella poisoning from someone throwing raw chicken around.  The worst that's ever happened to me at home was that time I stubbed and broke my pinky toe and my whole foot turned black. Didn't even come close to killing me though, I just had to walk with a limp for a few days.  And deal with Sharon making fun of me.  Which has irritated me for years until this text message exchange the other day:

Sharon:  Remember that time you broke your toe and I made fun of you, well I'm really sorry.

Me:  Did something happen?

Sharon:  I BROKE MY TOE AND IT'S GONNA TURN BLACK AND FALL OFF AND YOU WON'T EVER BE ABLE TO LOVE ME AGAIN

Me:  Awwww baby, can you bend it.

Sharon: yes

Me:  It's not broken.

Sharon:  Well it hurts and I need new shoes and beef jerky to make it feel better.

    For a split second there karma had enacted vengeance for her making fun of me.  Then karma obviously got busy with something else and let her turn it into a shopping trip.  Focus, karma, focus!

Marvel Mini Labbits from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    Kidrobot's got a butt ton of product coming out but nothing makes me tingly the way these Marvel Labbits do.  Just look at em, dressed up like their favorite heroes and villains and ready to take on comic con.  They come out September 12th for $9.99 each blind box.  I'm gonna go ahead and buy another display case for my wall in anticipation.  

Kidrobot x Marvel DIY Munny Series

    The do-it-yourself aspect of toys have really blown up in the past few years and it seems like everyone is adding their special touch to figures of one sort or another.  But if you're like me, your skills as an artist may not be something you're ready to share with the world just yet.  Never fear fellow toy maker wannabes, there is a solution.

    Kidrobot and Marvel are expanding on their already much talked about product launches with these DIY Munnys.  You can choose from Spiderman, Venom, Wolverine, or Iron Man and each one comes with foam stickers that you can use to bring the characters to life.  Use them as a jumping off point to further enhance your painting skills, or just leave them as they are and decorate your house with your favorite super heroes.  They will be making various sizes of the figures, but these 7 inch ones release this Thursday, July 25th, for $19.99 each.  

New Releases Tomorrow from Kidrobot

    Not all of us are fortunate enough today to be among those attending San Diego Comic Con.  Some of us are geographically challenged, while so of us have bills to pay.  Whatever the reason, I know it sucks to hear about all the cool stuff that's releasing that you can't be there to snag.  I'm sitting at home, watching Jerry Springer and weeping with the rest of you.  

    Kidrobot has some cool releases for this year's convention and they've been nice enough to ensure that we can take advantage of at least a few of them.  Like their debut collaboration with Marvel, this Venom and Wolverine Labbit.  Here's why these guys are cool to me:  for one, I love the Labbit.  You could make a My Little Pony Labbit and I'd still be somewhat excited about it.  And secondly:  it's Marvel!  Rather than make separate figures they took the iconic characters and put them on an established platform.  It's a great way to blend the two worlds and hopefully introduce new people into the world of vinyl toy collecting.  Which is desperately needed if the toy community is gonna grow.   These are $49.99 each and release tomorrow, July 18th.

    You can also pick up these new 6 inch figures of Zombie Bart and Zoidberg.  Not necessarily my thing, but hey, I can't fall in love with every chunk of plastic I meet.  I'm no toy slut.  

SDCC Release and Signing Schedule from Kidrobot

    Well, looks like my work here is pretty much done.  Kidrobot has just released this handy guide to their releases and signings at next week's San Diego Comic Con.  I saw the mock ups for the Marvel Labbits at Toy Fair and they look pretty killer.  They are definitely the coolest licensed items Kidrobot has released thus far.  There are, however, two releases that I really, really, really, really want.  The first one being the Locondonta 8" Dunny from Jon-Paul Kaiser.  This one is supposed to be different from the smaller version that just came out in the 2013 series but no matter what it's going to be on my wish list until I can track one down.  The second is the Keep Watch Labbit from Frank Kozik x Mishka.  Even without seeing it you know it has to be amazing.  The last two artist series Labbits that were convention exclusives were made into retail releases using different colors, so I'm hoping something similar happens with this one.  Ditto on the Dunny.  

Pop! Vinyl Exclusives from Gemini Collectibles and Funko

    If you've watched the new season of Arrested Development, you will have a new appreciation for this figure.  Don't worry, I'm not going to ruin it for any of you that for one reason or another have failed to watch it.  I have enough friends that consistently ruin shows for me on Facebook that I would never consider doing that to you.

    Funko and Gemini Collectibles are offering up this black and white version of everyone's favorite rock man from the Fantastic Four.  Preorders have started now and you can get in on it by visiting http://www.geminicollectibles.net/.  You can also preorder the bronze patina version of The Rocketeer.  Both figures are $16.99 and will be arriving in July.