Transformers Movie - Incinerator

Toy Hunting Reminder: Loyal Preserve readers, do not forget that today, the first of May, marks the 'official' release of the Hasbro Indiana Jones figures, to a retail outlet near you!! Now, this comes with the caveat that the WalMart and Target in my small town may not necessarily have the figures out on the shelves this morning - hopefully this is not the case with your stores! However, WalMart should do their 'mod' tonight, where some reorg happens in the toy isle, and Target is scheduled to do their Indy stocking this coming Sunday. Now, bear in mind that since the big red Hasbro date stamped on the Indy boxes is May 1st, these stores should have no official trouble selling you these figures today, so if you hit up a store and don't see them, start bugging the helpful toy isle folks. And the clothing department folks. And the grocery department folks. Basically work your way down the chain, and *someone* should throw you a bone! Best of luck, and get hunting!

Today's toy update is the final Voyager figure from the Transformers Movie line, making the posted collection complete! Well, ok, the Premium Voyager figures still need to go up, as do the Best Buy exclusives, and Robo-Vision Prime...egad, well, today enjoy the last regular series Voyager figure, AllSpark Powered Incinerator!


Incinerator is a bloodthirsty 'Con, who loves to extract info from the hapless Autobots he captures through various torturous means, eventually disposing of them regardless of what they do or don't know. You gotta love his devotion to the cause. Incinerator is also remarkable in that it is a new mold! Hasbro may be guilty of the more-than-occasional repaint, but in this case, so late in the series, they deliver another brand new mold, and I think that it's pretty spectacular. The blades for hands in robot mode may seem to take a little getting used to, but it makes for a striking figure and certainly looks deadly! It's still possible to find a few of these figures in the stores, so snag one before they're gone for good.
Posted by charlie on April 30th 2008, 11:09 PM
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Monster Mania catchup

The backlog at the Preserve is mounting to truly unheard of and teetering heights, and as such we wanted to take a step back today and make sure that the good ol' Monster Mania X was not forgotten to the sands of time and the mists of history! Several more galleries and rundowns have been added, which you can get to from the home page for the event. Before you follow that link, you can check out several of the highlight photos from the new set.

How can you not love Lady Ash? Man, we sure did, and we know very well that Bruce Campbell would as well. Elsewhere in the show, it was nearly impossible to meet the several rockstar celebs all weekend, but we were lucky enough to get an audience with Keith David and Roddy Piper. We've discussed Piper on the Preserve update before, and how great he was. Now it's time for our Keith David pic.

The Uncle had such a great candid with Keith that I snapped before they were ready, that it really deserves the front page. He was a cool guy, and it was an honor to meet him. Make sure to jump over to the convention page for more pictures from the show!
Posted by charlie on April 30th 2008, 01:47 AM
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NYCC - Gentle Giant

Our massive gallery of the Gentle Giant booth, from the NY Comic Con, goes live today. Check out the various sections that the gallery is split into, to find the products you're excited to see! Several of our favorite images are below.

This prototype of Indy and elder Jones in a motorcycle and sidecar is just awesome. I am a total sucker for any Sean Connery figures that can possibly be made in association with the new Indiana Jones maelstrom, and am entirely delighted by these figures. Seeing them painted will be a real thrill.

This non-final Hellboy bust is a great take on the character, and there is something softer to the features than we are seeing with most other treatments of the character in products that are hitting or scheduled to the hit market this year. I think that it captures the concerned Ron Perlman face well, or at least is a cool combo of Ron and the comic art.

There's nothing not to like about a giant Yoda figure that was standing guard over the GG booth, ready to go house on any would-be assailants. Oh, and let's not forget about the 1:1 'animated' style Leia that was front and center - what a great statue!


Posted by charlie on April 28th 2008, 08:40 PM
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Press Release - Shocker Toys Indy Spotlight 2

Press Release - Our pals at Shocker Toys have just sent over some official pictures of the prototype Indy Spotlight series 2 figures. You may recognize them from our gallery at the NY Comic Con, but the King Zombie figure was not previously on display! Click the link for more images and information!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 28th 2008, 01:47 AM
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Indiana Jones release date

As we get ready to embark upon the coming week, we have an important note for all of you toy hunters out there to take into careful consideration. May 1st marks the official release of the new Hasbro Indiana Jones line, as well as the Lego sets I believe. The exciting part is, most stores got these cases of Indy figures some days or even weeks ago, and have been sitting on them while waiting for the giant red stamped 'May 1st' date to arrive. Some collectors have been able to find their way into some early sets, but we decided it was more fun this time around to just play by the rules and hit the stores at 8am Thursday, May 1st, for some release day excitement. Stores, like WalMart, who accidentally shelved these products early, would then refuse to sell them at checkout, resulting in many frustrated and confused collectors and parents. I've checked with the local WalMart, and they assure me they have a 'large number of boxes' in the back, marked as 'Indiana Jones' and with the big red 'May 1st' stamp.
 
Best of luck to everyone in their hunts, and enjoy the mass unveiling on May 1st! Let's hope for another success story for Hasbro.
Posted by charlie on April 27th 2008, 11:54 AM
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NYCC - 8 movies to die for, and warcraft

Friend of the Preserve, Steen, has started his own site bringing you all of the miniature gaming news and reviews that you desire! As such, I wanted to get my pictures posted of the forthcoming Warcraft mini figures that Upper Deck was showcasing at the NY Comic Con.




That blue translucent plastic that they have used for the Voidwalker is pretty cool, and looks even nicer in person than the pictures can convey.

Another cool event that some Preserve readers may be familiar with, and that again we learned from the excellent clue-giving of Steen, is the yearly happening of '8 movies to die for'. The group behind this event had a booth set up at the show, which you had to enter to see a trailer for their newest feature film Frontier(s). Once inside the booth, you had to stumble between small rooms separated by heavy black curtains, and in each room you would be met with strobe lights, screams and a creepy creature effect - nice job! At the end of your path was a flat screen tv mounted on the wall showing the new Frontier(s) trailer, which also looked pretty cool. Hopefully they'll show up to San Diego as I'd enjoy trying to check out their horror hut again!



Posted by charlie on April 26th 2008, 02:43 AM
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Press Release - Mezco South Park

Press Release - The last of our marathon of news updates for the evening is a cool announcement from Mezco. They have teamed up with Best Buy to release two exclusive South Park figures: Frozen Kenny and Motorcycle Cop Cartman. Click the link for more info!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 25th 2008, 06:55 PM
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Press Release - Organic Revoltech Lazengann

Press Release - Organic Hobby announces today two new figures to join the fantastic Kaiyodo Revoltech line. Click the link to see a number of pictures of these two new, and very different, figures and to learn more about the Gurren Lagann and Multi-faced Toro.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 25th 2008, 06:35 PM
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Press Release - Organic, Dream Soldier Wingman

Press Release - The press release catchup night carries forth, this time with another product from Organic Hobby, featuring their lovely figure from the Dream Soldier Wingman manga series. Click the link for more pictures and info about this forthcoming figure.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 25th 2008, 06:17 PM
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Press Release - Organic Hobby, Sentimental Journey

Press Release - Organic Hobby, Inc in conjunction with CM's Corporation introduces a new collection of figures from "Sentimental Journey". Follow the link to see five figures from this line.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 25th 2008, 06:04 PM
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Press Release - Mezco Cinema of Fear Series 3

Press Release - Mezco Toyz has just announced their 3rd series of figures in the excellent Cinema of Fear line. Featuring great versions of Freddy, Leatherface, Jason and The Hitchhiker - these figures are perfect for the horror fan in your life. Click the link to learn more!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 25th 2008, 05:47 PM
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Press Release - Organic, Tezuka Moderno Labo Series

Press Release - Due to the New York Comic Con schedule, the normal press release process has been a little derailed, so today we get back on track! Organic Hobby, Inc. brings us a set of four figures from the Tezuka Moderno Labo series. Click the link to learn more!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 25th 2008, 05:31 PM
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NYCC - Kotobukiya

Kotobukiya, the Japanese manufacturer of high end collectables from a variety of pop culture sources, was on hand at the NY Comic Con showing off their fine wares. We hadn't caught up with them at the 2008 Toy Fair, so this was a chance to get some great first hand looks at their newly featured products.


Their ArtFX statues were looking excellent, with IG-88, Zuckuss and Bossk looking huge and badass.


Also, let us not forget their excellent entry into the Indiana Jones mayhem this year, with this fantastic ArtFX piece of Indy escaping from the giant boulder in the temple. A fantastic piece, and if your budget allows it will easily be a marquee part of the 2008 Indiana Jones collection. Pay no attention to my Dark Horse goodie bag in the reflection!


They had plenty more items on display, so be sure to click here for the full gallery!
Posted by charlie on April 24th 2008, 11:43 PM
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NYCC - Mezco

Mezco Toyz was looking good at the NY Comic Con, with several display cases full of their super popular Heroes figures, and upcoming Hellboy figures from the new movie.


Their real key exclusive of the show, at least as far as we were concerned here at the Preserve, was an exclusive deco of their Notorious B.I.G. figure, as reported on several weeks ago.


Of course, we left the show floor with one of these in our bulging 'Hellboy 2' sack from the Dark Horse booth. It was also great to see our friend Mike at Mezco who provides the Preserve with the latest breaking news every week, so we don't miss out on any of their excellent products. Keep an eye out for those Hellboy figures, as both they and the upcoming movie look fantastic! Click here for the full gallery!
Posted by charlie on April 23rd 2008, 11:36 PM
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NYCC - Shocker Toys

We were delighted to see our friends at Shocker Toys again at this show, representing with their fine line of products. What was the most exciting about their appearance this time around was the show exclusive SCUD figure that they brought with them! This pre-posed figure was authorized in design and stature by SCUD creator Rob Schrab, and the bright colors and jaunty stance do justice to this awesome character.


The second wave in their Indy Spotlight series was on display in prototype form, and they are looking good. Featuring The Tick, Dick Tracy and more, the sculpts are sharp and fun and should make for great collectables!


What's also interesting is that their series 1 figures have gotten a total re-work of their articulation, which means that we should see some greatly improved figures once they make it through the production process. Series 2 will of course benefit from this improvement as well - note the white pegs at all of the joint points. We'll keep you posted with updates from Shocker, and when we all will be able to get our hands on these figures!


Click here to see the full gallery from Buffalo's finest toy group!
Posted by charlie on April 23rd 2008, 02:27 AM
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NY Comic Con - Starship Troopers 3

While we intend to give this particular topic a larger treatment shortly, I wanted to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. One of the most enjoyable panels we were able to attend over the weekend was the Starship Troopers 3 panel, which took place Saturday evening in the large ballroom.


The TM Revolution insane-queue was in full swing, and I guess many people were distracted by that so we didn't have to fight and claw our way into the room, and were able to get some nice photos and to chat with the folks afterwards. The writer/director of the movie, Ed Neumeier (who also happened to write Robocop!) was on hand, as were Casper Van Dien (reprising his role as Johnny Rico) and Jolene Blalock. They showed a highlight reel of footage from the upcoming movie, and it was squarely in the zone where the Preserve likes to be. Neumeier admitted that Starship Troopers 2 was somewhat of a misstep, but that they had tried to get back closer to the feeling of the first movie, with more over the top bugs, constant action and the crazy TV government propaganda that we all loved. With a budget of only $10mil from the studio, the shots we saw were most impressive, and we recommend any and everyone who has any interest in fun sci-fi movies to check this out.


As is often the case with some of the most enjoyable films that humans make for one another, the studio has determined that this work is to go right from the editing room to the WalMart shelves, being that it costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $37.5mil to get a movie into theatres. However, Neumeier stressed that if Sony heard from enough fans that they might consider doing a limited theatrical release.


We think that this is just a fantastic possibility, and encourage people to contact Sony Pictures about this topic personally! You can check out the Sony Pictures page about the movie right here, and contact them at consumer@SPHECustomerSupport.sony.com - when we find a more specific address we'll be sure to post it.


Look for ongoing updates at the Preserve about this movie, and the efforts to get it some public screen time! Do your part, be a patriot, write Sony today!
Posted by charlie on April 22nd 2008, 12:43 AM
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NY Comic Con - NECA

We'll kick off our detailed coverage of the toys that were brought to the comic convention with our friends over at NECA. They really had a strong showing at this event, with one of the coolest booths, and certianly some of the coolest exclusives around.


Anyone interested even remotely in toys, and especially in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, really owed it to themselves to lay hands on the convention exclusive 4-pack of Eastman and Laird style turtles. Best part was - Laird was on hand to sign every one of the 450 sets that they sold on Saturday!


A heck of a thing, to be sure, and one of the very best looking pieces in the whole convention. Another wonderful item that NECA had in their display cases was not one, but two Conan figures.


The resemblance to Arnold is superb, and while one of the figures isn't quite the finished product, they are sure to be excellent when they become available this summer. Click Here for the full NECA gallery, and see what else was on hand!
Posted by charlie on April 21st 2008, 07:28 AM
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New York Comic Con - Mattel

Folks, the New York Comic Con has been a great time, and we have loads of pictures, stories and content that will be posting to the Preserve over the next few days. It is really amazing how, in three short years, this convention has exploded into a nearly unmanageable event. I overheard an unconfirmed attendance number of 40,000 for Saturday, and given the astonishing congestion of every showroom isle, and every panel, I believe it. It is no surprise really that the show has gotten so large so fast - that New York was lacking a major comic and pop culture event was the real surprise, and the show's success just proves the demand that the East Coast has for such a focused event.
 
The best toy news that we gathered at the show yesterday was the visit to the Mattel panels, and subsequently their fantastic castle-shaped booth. It is with great excitement that we learned of their re-launch of the He-Man brand, with Four Horsemen designed figures that will once again be delighting us all. Aimed squarely at the collector, and not kid, market, this line should be amazing, and they assure us that they took into account the troubles with the attempt at a re-launch in several years ago, and will be correcting the missteps as fully as possible. The first figure from this series that we'll all be able to lay hands to will be none other than King Grayskull!


This wonderful figure, styled after the astonishingly cool episode of the new-ish cartoon in which he appears, will be a San Diego Comic Con exclusive! You better believe that we're all counting the days until that event, on the strength of this news alone!
Posted by charlie on April 20th 2008, 07:45 AM
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NY Comic Con 2008 day 1

Well faithful Preserve readers, the first day of New York Comic Con is under our belts, and it was really a spectacular time! It seems that the attendance of the Friday events is well under the numbers that are seen on Saturday, so as a word of wisdom to potential future attendees, it is well worth making the post-work trip out to see some fantastic panels, great dealer values, and if you're lucky, a Q&A with X-Files creator Chris Carter, talking about the upcoming X-Files movie!

New York Comic Con 2008 Begins!

Today marks the first day of the New York Comic Con, and the Preserve crew will be there to bring you as many pictures and experiences from the show as we possibly can! Nearly all of the producers who we covered at Toy Fair will be present at the Comic Con, so we'll have a chance to get an update on the progress in their product lines over the last two months, and what new products they are featuring as we get ready for the big summer of 2008.
 
Watch this space for updates as soon as we can process and upload them, and hopefully we'll all see some fantastic new products soon!
Posted by charlie on April 18th 2008, 03:20 AM
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Wounded Ronin - Damage Incorporated Ending




Wounded Ronin brings us another article, this time discussing the Marathon mod 'Damage Incorporated'. The ending to this game was a fantastic rant and he has reconstructed it for us thanks to his many times through the game on extreme Vietnam mode. Click the image above or the link here to check it out.
Posted by charlie on April 17th 2008, 10:43 AM
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New Indiana Jones Lego




A trip to the wild and wolly interior of the local WalMart store was met with unexpected good tidings today, as an entire free-standing four-sided island display of Indiana Jones Lego had just been set up! Along with the first four sets that came out several months ago, the display featured the $10, $20, and $30 priced sets from the new movie! I had not heard a specific release date for these sets, so it was a great surprise to see them today. If anyone is in the market for the new Lego sets, and really everyone should be as they are awesome, then get on down to WalMart and look for that display!
Posted by charlie on April 17th 2008, 01:18 AM
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Transformers Deluxe - Stockade

Stockade is a leader, not a follower, and after the new Transformers movie ended, he showed up on Earth and started to follow Starscream, as part of what I figure we'll start to see very soon as the new plot of the events going forward. The IDW comic series focusing on post-movie issues will be out soon, and we'll get some more canon to bridge between now and the next Michael Bay event. So for today, check out the character of Stockade, in all his Deluxe AllSpark powered glory.


His tech spec contains delightful symmetry and his bio makes him sound like a tough character, so hopefully we see more of Stockade in events to come. Click on the image above for the full bio and additional images.
Posted by charlie on April 16th 2008, 11:16 AM
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Press Release - Mezco Cinema of Fear Plush

Press Release - Mezco Toyz has just announced their second series of plush figures from the Cinema of Fear line. Everyone suspects that these brutal mass murderers have a softer side, and now there is proof! Check out the three iconic figures in their impressive new 13" figure assortment by following the link.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 16th 2008, 12:20 AM
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Press Release: GI Joe - Hall of Heroes

Press Release: This just in from Hasbro! You now have the opportunity to vote for your favorite of the 62 characters in the GI Joe 25th Anniversary line, and the top 10 characters will be released as the 2009 Hall of Heroes line! Click the image above to go to the poll, or click 'Read More' to see the full press release and list of figures. Take note: the last few figures on the list appear to give us a sneak peak into the later 2008 release schedule!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 15th 2008, 08:22 AM
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Monster Mania - Bruce Campbell

Monster Mania X was tremendously over crowded, and featured some solid and awesome guests for their 10th anniversary. The crown jewel in the guest list was Bruce Campbell, who all readers of the Preserve should know from Army of Darkness, Evil Dead, and a number of other fantastic places. He was basically unreachable at the convention thanks to the expected demand coupled with the great number of attendees, unless you were willing to stand in the rain for 5 hours. We had to settle for seeing him from the back of the ballroom where Q&A sessions were held, which turned out to still be a great time! Click the image below for a few more, admittedly dim and distant, pictures and some thoughts on his talk.



Posted by charlie on April 15th 2008, 02:23 AM
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Target Exclusive Checklane Endcap

As reported previously, this past Sunday was the official Target date to set their checklane endcap display of Target Exclusive items from our three favorite franchises, namely Transformers, GI Joe and Star Wars. Because that endcap is such a thing of beauty, and because everyone has waited so long to see it finally crop up, here is a memento of the thing.


We all have these phones with cameras, I figure it's high time mine starts earning it's keep. Since I'd managed to get a full set of the GI Joe vehicles pre-release, the pressure was off a bit in terms of a Sunday run. As a result of the laziness, however, there was not a full set of the Transformers AllSpark figures left to be had, indicating that Jazz is perhaps the popular figure in this assortment by his absence. All six of the Star Wars 'Order 66' sets were still hanging around, though in clearly diminishing numbers, and there were, surprisingly, at least two of each GI Joe vehicle still gracing the shelves. Really a fine set of products that Target and Hasbro have collaborated on, and great to see them out nationwide!
Posted by charlie on April 14th 2008, 06:01 AM
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Target Exclusive Launch Day

Today is the day when the Target Exclusives were set to be put on the shelves, up in the checklane endcaps. That is, of course, if any of the exclusive GI Joe vehicles remain in the back room, what with the several weeks worth of both collectors and scalpers talking the stock room staff out of early sales. Of additional interest, not only should this endcap display feature the Target Exclusive GI Joe vehicles, but a set of four Transformers AllSpark figures, packaged nicely in robot mode for non-opening goodness. Finally, another set of Target Exclusives we can all hope to see are the Star Wars Order 66 sets, which should complete the endcap display. None of the Order 66 sets had so far shown up in my town, but others have been more fortunate in their hunts.
 
So, if any of those Exclusive products are things you've been pining for, get on down to Target today and see what is left!
Posted by charlie on April 13th 2008, 09:17 AM
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Star Wars 2008 wave 2 - Maris Brood

Next in our line-up of the Star Wars 30th Anniversary, 2008 Wave 2 (man, that's a mouthful!) is Maris Brood.


Right on the edge of turning to the dark side, thanks to the anger she feels over the grim and unfair tides of war, Maris has her hardest fights still ahead of her!
Posted by charlie on April 12th 2008, 11:46 AM
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Press Release - Organic Scopedog customs

Press Release - Organic Hobby, Inc. brings us two further Scopedog custom figures, the Zetra and Norden versions. Click the link for more information and pictures!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 11th 2008, 10:57 PM
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Press Release - Organic Scopedog

Press Release - Organic Hobby, Inc. in conjunction with CM’s Corporation brings us their ATM-09-ST Scopedog (Vorct Custom & Borque Custom Vers.). Click the link to see images and get the full story.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 11th 2008, 11:38 AM
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Star Wars - Emperor's Shadow Guard

Let's check out another figure from the 2nd wave of the 2008 Star Wars line, The Force Unleashed, today featuring the Emperor's Shadow Guard!


This is another excellent figure from this final wave of the 30th Anniversary set. Armed with a pike/lightsaber as well as a small side arm, and able to use the Force, truly an adversary worthy of the Emperor!
Posted by charlie on April 11th 2008, 01:19 AM
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Press Release: NECA - Gears of War

Press Release - Another new product announcement from NECA, we can see the first official images of their new Gears of War figures, prototypes of which were shown at Toy Fair. Click the link for a few larger images, then visit their site for a look at the full set.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 10th 2008, 08:29 AM
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Press Release - NECA Turtles in Tube

Press Release - NECA brings us the first official images of their Turtles in tubes assortment! These figures feature only the main weapon for each figure, and as such keep the price in check. Click the link for large images and the full release!  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 9th 2008, 06:17 PM
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WalMart Exclusive Big Daddy

The figure with the biggest cult following, and hands down the best name of any character in the series, let's finish up the Walmart deluxe exclusives with Big Daddy! Click the image for more details.


From his humble beginnings as a Micromaster in the G1 series, they have done a great job with this repaint, really doing some fine fan service with this release. I like to think that Big Daddy would be more than proud at all the commotion being made over him!
Posted by charlie on April 9th 2008, 02:02 AM
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Gi Joe Target Exclusive Vehicles

It is thanks entirely to the very considerate and above-the-call-of-duty help rendered by a late night employee of the local Target, that the three GI Joe Target Exclusive vehicle sets are now a part of the Preserve! Click the image for a larger view.


Every person you talk to at Target about these items seems to have a different story, or a different level of knowledge about their status. Finally with enough patience and tenacity they were discovered, or at least part of an already opened case was discovered, in the back room. For $10 you really can't miss with these sets - people have complained about the low quality of the vehicles, but what with Walmart raising their single-carded figure prices to around $7 I think that these vehicles make beautiful display pieces for your figures, and are a bargain at twice the price.
Posted by charlie on April 8th 2008, 08:08 AM
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Transformers Walmart Exclusive divebomb

Nearing the end of the fantastic Walmart Exclusive Transformers which came out last month, today we feature another Decepticon, Divebomb! Click the image for more information.


Divebomb just wants to be pals with his brothers in arms, but sadly he emits too much robot B.O.! That's just harsh, Hasbro! We would be led to believe that this will only make him a more fierce and bloodthirsty warrior, though maybe it'll just make him all emo and he'll sit in a quiet corner of the Decepticon base, irradiating it up and listening to robotic Death Cab for Cutie.
Posted by charlie on April 7th 2008, 11:11 AM
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Press Release - Mezco TRU Exclusives

Press Release: Mezco has announced that Toys 'R Us will be carrying two exclusive figures from the new Heroes line. What's particularly awesome about the Hiro figure is that he's standing in front of TRU in Time Square! Good to see their massive flagship store getting a little representation in the figure world - it's only right! Click the link for more images and details.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 6th 2008, 08:44 PM
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AllSpark 2-Pack Ironhide Blackout

It has become clear this week that the toy release hiatus that we discussed several days ago is over with a vengeance! Looking at the number of pre-orders for Transformers, Indiana Jones and GI Joe merchandise, not to mention the amazing lines from smaller boutique producers, just keeping up with the news will be a challenge, not to mention the hunt! Speaking of which, it is shaping up that the three new Target Exclusive GI Joe vehicles are a real nightmare to get a hold of. People across the country are already managing to do so, but it seems to generally be through coercing a staff member to fetch a case from the back of the store, though some front of store end-caps have been reported and even photographed. The cases are labeled that they are to be stocked no later than April 13th, so it seems that is the day to hit up Target early and see what happens.
 
Still trying to clear the decks for the new products that are on the way, here is another member of the AllSpark Legends 2-pack set. Hard to find in the initial release but now almost choking the pegs, it's Ironhide and Blackout! Click the image for more.


Expect further updates from Monster Mania X, the start of our Legendary Heroes coverage, and more recent wave Transformers including the new Premium Series!
Posted by charlie on April 6th 2008, 01:43 AM
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Star Wars 30th - Pax Bonkik

One of the 2007 Star Wars 30th Anniversary figures, from the 7.5 'repaint' wave, is a proud Rodian, Pax Bonkik. A Podracer Mechanic in one of the movies in the franchise that I just am unable to respect, sadly, it is still a great looking figure! Something about the paint application is really appealing, and it seems that Hasbro did a thoughtful job with this guy. Click the picture for expanded information!


Target Watch today - while they haven't turned up in my town yet, the GI Joe vehicle exclusives are showing up at Target stores around the country! Be sure to check for the exclusives end cap up by the registers, and not back in the toy isle, because most reports indicate that the Transformers AllSpark exclusives, GI Joe vehicle exclusives, and Star Wars Order 66 sets are all together up front as impulse purchases!
Posted by charlie on April 5th 2008, 02:48 PM
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Press Release - NECA Exorcist

Press Release - NECA released an official image of the Exorcist 'Spider Walk' Regan figure that we saw a proto of at Toy Fair. It's as disturbing as one would hope, and will be available with the rest of their Cult Classics Series 7 line this June. Click the link for a larger picture and their official press release.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 5th 2008, 01:51 AM
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Monster Mania - Shocker Toys

Anyone remember Monster Mania X? Well we sure do, and there are still a lot of great pictures and stories from this killer event that we have yet to share! Picking up where we left off, it's time to visit the booth of Shocker Toys, who were proudly displaying their great products in the show's dealer room.


Having just met these guys at Toy Fair several weeks earlier, it was good to see them again and to see their products, about which we'd learned a lot in the intervening time. They had also brought a few of their prototype Murderface figures for sale, which we were more than delighted to purchase on the spot. Click the banner image to see the gallery of their products and the photo session with the most brutal of bass players!
Posted by charlie on April 4th 2008, 01:38 AM
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Transformers - WalMart Exclusive Jolt

Next in line is the figure of Jolt, from the WalMart AllSpark Deluxe exclusive line. Another Decepticon joins the ranks, brought to life by the power surges released from the AllSpark during the final battle.


Somewhat easier to find than Grindcore, I still think that these figures have all but dried up as well, barring a re-release down the road. It's a repaint of the Cybertron figure of 'Crosswise', and really stands out with it's purple on grey sensibilities. The name and color scheme of this figure are an homage to the character Jolt who appeared in the Marvel Generation 2 Transformers comics, though the character name itself has been used over the years for several other non-car and non-purple figures.
Posted by charlie on April 3rd 2008, 12:46 PM
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Press Release - NECA Batman Bobbles

Press Release - NECA brings us details about all of their Dark Knight related merchandise that they will release in support of the upcoming Batman movie. In particular, they have pictures of their new Joker and Batman 'head knockers', which you can check out by following the link.  Read More
Posted by charlie on April 3rd 2008, 05:49 AM
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Wounded Ronin's Automatic Weapon's Roundup




Long time reader of the Preserve, Wounded Ronin, has contributed what we hope is the first in a series of articles about the grittier side of toys and games. Today he educates us all about the practical realities of several automatic weapons, and how they stack up to their video game counterparts. Follow the link to read more!
Posted by charlie on April 2nd 2008, 02:01 AM
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Indiana Jones pre-orders at BBTS

The latest newsletter from Big Bad Toy Store has arrived, and it brings with it the exciting news of a huge number of new pre-orders for Indiana Jones that they have posted to their site. Check it out for a great list of prices and upcoming products from the Hasbro line, as well as products from other producers.

Not wanting to be scooped by their own products, Hasbro has made sure to also update hasbroToyShop.com with some additional new Indiana Jones products, also available for pre-order!
Posted by charlie on April 1st 2008, 10:52 AM
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WalMart Exclusive Grindcore

Let's start to take a look at the four new WalMart AllSpark Deluxe figures which pay the respect due to some classic characters, finally seeing the light of day again, as well as bringing a few new names into the fold! We'll start out with Grindcore, a bot who has the same musial tastes as myself. Interestingly, this figure has proven to be the most difficult to find from this small set, even though Big Daddy was considered the 'fan favorite'.


It is just great to see a green colored constructicon added to the Autobot ranks. Let's hope that the sequel movie will in fact feature the constructicons as characters, and then we can be sure that Hasbro will release some truly great figures, giving us the first real gestalt of the new product line!
Posted by charlie on April 1st 2008, 06:02 AM
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