January Ninja of the Month from Shawnimals

    Guess what today is?  Other than Wednesday.  Other than the day Top Chef airs.  It's Ninja of the Month release day!!!!!!!  Action Ninja is the first for 2012, and comes complete with everything a newscaster needs: a microphone, a nice tie, and Donald Trump hair that no hurricane could mess up.  You should click here right now and get your little news buddy for only $30.  As always, each ninja is hand made by Shawnimals and comes signed and numbered.  They go on sale at 1pm CDT and there are only 100 of them out there, so stop watching cat videos and start ordering.

Creo Design x Tado Mushroom Contest

    Creo Design and Tado are both creative forces and now they want to reward you for your imagination. They want you to take a cool picture of a mushroom.  Easy right?  But you have to make it stand out from everyone else's because the 10 best photos will be able to buy the new Tado Funghi figure for 40% off.  You have until January 27th to post your photo on the Creo Design Facebook page located here.  

Suicidal Tendencies x Zac Pac Mr. Skum

         You remember Suicidal Tendencies.  They had that song Institutionalized about a bro who's parents didn't get him and he sang it all fast and it made you hyper and made you feel that no one understood you or that you liked to skateboard and listen to punk and dye your hair blue and have ripped jeans and hang out with kids that were a bad influence and write dark poetry in your dream journal and....Well anyway, that band decided that they needed a toy and here you have it.  This is the exclusive color made for Kidrobot and it's limited to 50 pieces and costs $120.  Oh, and he comes with a wee little hat that he can wear too.   Those things are like $40 bucks alone if you buy one for regular sized folks.

Halo Reach Series 6 from McFarlane Toys

    Is your significant other a Halo fan?  If you answered "yes" to that question than I will go ahead and say "you're welcome" because I just did all of your Valentine's Day shopping for you.  This February Mcfarlane Toys will be releasing the 6th series of Halo:Reach figures.  Just look at them, in all their uber detailed glory, just waiting to make the one you love happy this holiday.  And there's 8 of them, which means if they open the packages you'll be left with hours of peace and quiet while they reenact epic space battles in the living room.  And if they keep them in the packages then you'll have 8 more things to dust every month.  

Huck Gee at Jinxed in Philadelphia

    Last night I was lucky enough to meet one of the most well known designers in the vinyl toy scene.  Everything Huck Gee releases sells out almost immediately, from his production toys to his custom figures which can cost more than the average person's rent.  The guy is amazing at what he does and he has collected pictures from his career into a book that is a must have for any toy fan.  Some of my favorite images are of the production specifications that companies send to the factories that actually produce the toys.  They give you a sense of the amount of work that goes into one little piece of plastic; from its over all design to the way an accessory will fit into its hand, the attention to detail is paramount for the outcome to be correct.  You're also given a glimpse at toy ideas that were submitted for production but for one reason or another have yet to be created.  This is something you may occasionally find online if you're lucky, but most of the time is reserved for people who are rarely willing to divulge their secrets.

    I took more pictures than just this one and you can find them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking.  Jinxed also has a few of the limited edition white cover art books left that Huck was awesome enough to sign for those unable to attend.  Get in contact with them by going to their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jinxed.philly and get one before they're gone.

The Coolest Mickey Mouse Figure Ever

    Now this is something from Disney I can get behind!   This reinvention of the mouse comes courtesy of David Flores and Hellfire.  I had never heard of Hellfire, but they have quickly become my new favorite clothing label.  Seriously, check out their website because everything is really reasonably priced and really really cool.  David Flores is a well known toy designer who has a very distinct style that is easily recognizable.  This is my early pick for Best Figure of 2012.   I have no idea how much it costs, when it comes out, or why I don't already own one, but this thing is sick.  Check out a few unpainted shots of the prototype below.

Star Wars Coins from the New Zealand Mint

    For the Star Wars collector that absolutely must have it all, I present to you these fancy coin sets from the New Zealand Mint.  You got the good guys packaged in the Millennium Falcon, and the bad guys taking residence in Darth Vader's head.  Both cases also make cool noises from the movie, so you can hear Lord Vader breathe like an asthmatic every time you take a peak at your bounty.  These coins are actual legal tender on an island by the name of Niue, so if times get tough you could buy yourself a Slurpee or some Doritos.  These things aren't cheap and will run you $366 in US currency per set.

     They are also doing a set of 40 coins that you can purchase individually and collect in a special binder.  They're not as detailed a the coins in the set, but they're still pretty cool.  They run about $18 US per coin, so if you did some math there the complete set would cost you about as much as the new master cylinder I'm having put in my truck.  Though you'll probably cry a lot less than I did.