Grown Man Builds LEGO Boba Fett Costume

From geekology, Simon, a grown-ass man, went and built himself a full Boba Fett costume out of LEGO pieces. As you can see, it's pretty damn impressive. Right up there with that little kid's cardboard Halo arsenal. Hit the jump for a bunch more of Simon and his costume, along with a Vader version he made as well. Uh-oh -- I just had the most brilliant idea ever.

Introducing the First Annual Geekologie LEGO Leia's Golden Bikini Contest! Full rules follow.

1. Contestants must construct and model a LEGO Golden Bikini
2. Digital photo required in entry
3. Must be holding a sign that reads "Geekologie" or "I Love You Geekologie Writer, I Want To Have Your Babies But Know You Don't Want Kids Right Now And I'm Totally Cool With That" or something similar so I know it's for the contest
4. No dudes
5. Hey you -- the guy that thought it would be funny to still enter anyways: stop.
6. LEGO pieces optional
7. Bikini optional
8. Naked photos only

Contest ends when I feel like it. Winners will be notified by personal stripper-gram. Your choice: fireman or police officer, I play both equally well.

Hall of Justice Playset by Mego - 1976

From aquamanshrine.blogspo, See? I told you it'd be something cool for today...

This is of course Mego's uber-cool Hall of Justice playset. While not techincally Aquaman merchandise, this piece does feature gorgeous Neal Adams art on the front and back, and who's in the center of the action? Aquaman!! Let's face it--the scenario on the box looks like the coolest DC comic never published. This is Mego Playset ne plus ultra.

The HOJ features some really oddly endearing stuff, which is Classic Mego. The "transporter" (where you put a Mego doll in, slide the door, and it magically disappears) works only about a quarter of the time, leaving your Mego Green Arrow or Mego Robin standing there looking stupid. Also, it has a "Disaster Locator Map" type thingy, which tells you where trouble is happening. According to the coordinates Mego gives you, Gotham City is on the West Coast. Huh?

I had this playset as a kid, but like all my other Mego items over the years they somehow disappeared during my rocky road to Adolescence. On my first trip to the great Toyrareum toy store in Ocean City around 1997, I was practically knocked over by how many cool items the owner managed to cram into the tiny space. There were so many things I wanted, I couldn't decide what to pick...until I saw, sitting on an overhead shelf, the Hall of Justice. Still in the box, no pieces missing (not even the Mego promo sheet), essentially mint condition.

I looked at the price, and felt that pain all collectors have felt at least once in their collecting lives. At that time, I was working at Kinko's, still struggling to get my artwork noticed and get my career (not that I had one at the moment) off the ground. Working at Kinko's was a demoralizing, numbing experience, and just to make the situation worse, paid me hardly any money. There was no way I could justify what would've been more than two weeks' salary on a toy. But I wanted it sooo bad.

I decided to risk sounding stupid, and asked the owner, could I put this on layaway? To my delight, he said sure, and even though I didn't walk out with anything that day, I felt good that this baby would be mine eventually.

It took me a few months, but I eventually scrimped and saved and brought my baby home. And even though it probably extended my Kinko's sentence by a few weeks, I never regretted buying this--it's a gorgeous piece, one of my favorites. I'm so glad I learned another lesson every collector learns at some point--when you see something you really, really want, grab it.

Disturbance at Lars Homestead playset is lame, lame, lame!

Yet another attempt by Hasbro to repack 3 old figures. I don't think that the homestead facade is enough of a draw for me. Christ, at least throw in some charred bodies or a new droid or something. Sigh.

The answer to your question about C3PO's arms

God, was there anything worse than Total Justice figures?

It just makes me appreciate Super Powers figures all the more...

The Spirit action figures

I'm not a big fan of "blowing" plastic clothing or ties, but The Spirit himself might look cool sitting on a shelf. I'm not interested in any of the other pieces.

See more here

IG86

Clone Wars 3PO rocks!

I'm happy I'm no longer a completest!

I like FX-6

I don't usually dig Extended Universe product but I'm a sucker for robots. What do you think?

Taj Mahal: Largest LEGO Set Ever Created

From geekology, Dwarfing even the 5,195 piece Millennium Falcon, comes LEGO's newest, and largest, set ever: The Taj Mahal. Weighing in at 5,922 pieces, the $300 set ships mid September. But the thing that gets me is that it's only 20" wide and 16" tall. That's not very big.

The famous Taj Mahal palace of India is known all over the globe for its incredible beauty and elegance. Now you can recreate this modern wonder of the world for yourself! Designed for experienced builders, the LEGO Taj Mahal model features advanced building techniques, rare elements and colors, and realistic details of architecture. With over 5,900 pieces, the Taj Mahal makes an awesome addition to any LEGO collection!

As I'm sure many of you know, Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum built by Indian Emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife. Touching, I may build this set in remembrance of a favored pet. But the wife -- Pfft -- she'll be lucky to get a DUPLO grave marker.

See more pictures here

Puzzle Zoo

I completely forgot to mention this, but shortly before Zack was born Julie attended a baby shower in Santa Monica. While it's not too far from our house (a half hour drive or so), Jules was very pregnant and I didn't like the idea of her being out there alone. Since these shower affairs are usually chicks-only, it was a perfect opportunity to go to Puzzle Zoo, which we'd been drooling over since seeing the regular ads in AFNTR.

Well, in most ways it wasn't so great. It was smaller than I'd hoped, and a lot of space was dedicated to regular kid's toys that don't capture our nerdly interest. Any given acton fig category, say TMNT for example, had maybe two or three pegs on the racks -- where at Toy Vault they'd have 2 or 3 times that amount. There were no Justice League figs I hadn't had for a long time already. While the vintage toy prices were acceptable to high, the store is located in the Third Street Promenade, which has Quincy Market style price inflation going on. All the new Lego sets that you could find at any TRU were bumped up considerably.

BUT, I will say that they have a very good selection of Star Wars figures (pictured above). Probably about one-third to one-half of their total action figure display space was taken up by this long, tasty rack, satisfyingly organized into the various sub-eras/blister card colors. I didn't buy anything that day, but if I get a hankering for something StarWarzy, that would be a great place to look.

Just goes to show: we are really lucky to have Toy Vault at our disposal. I don't think I've ever encountered better.

This is just ridiculous

Bootlegs!

From x-entertainment, Just before leaving Coney Island, we spotted a vaguely defined souvenir shop, mixing the typical volley of local postcards and Coney-logo sportswear with a bunch of cheap, imported toys. Somewhere in the midst of all the battery-operated swimming frogs and chirping puppies, I found the greatest set of bootleg action figures ten bucks could possibly buy.

Painstakingly forged in China, it's the Super Hero Super Action Series action figure five-pack! This concentrated mass of trademark infringements features some of the most poorly constructed action figures I've ever held, even by bootleg standards.
Mixing the Marvel and DC universes is par for the course with sets of this type (and indeed there are hundreds of similar sets on the black market), but this one goes the extra mile with the randomly included Mr. Incredible figure. That's even better than the errant red Power Ranger who usually rounds out these collections.

I've seen enough of these sets to become desensitized to the poor translations littering the packaging, but it'd be criminal not to mention such gems as, "THIS IS BATMAN! HE WILL CATCH ALL BADDY!" Also, the back of the package proudly proclaims that "EACH SUPER HERO HAS HIS OWN SUPERFINE ACTION WEAPON," which is neither true nor even lied about using actual words.

I apologize for the glare, but cheap plastic is pretty reflective. The Hulk and Thing figures are the best in the set, looking at least moderately the way they should. If you were going to complain that Hulk's skimpy trunks are outside of his accepted costume canon, get a load of the rear view.
I can't make much sense of the Batman figure, which is permanently positioned to ride a horse. Not a motorcycle, mind you, because that'd almost make sense. With legs spread that wide, horse jockeying is the only plausible explanation. Since the set lacks a horse figure (and oh how I would love to see these particular toymakers take a stab at that…), Batman finds himself unable to stand without the support of his sworn enemies from Marvel.

Course, the inability to stand is nothing compared to the poor guy's face, which looks like the halfway point between zombie flesh and a wedge of aged Roquefort.

Despite Mr. Incredible's toothpick-thin ankles, he's somehow able to stand under his own power. This surprising plus is tempered by the package's claim of some kind of button-operated electronic action feature, which not only doesn't work, but actually doesn't even exist. Oh, there's a button all right, and there's even what appears to be a loose interpretation of a light bulb on Mr. Incredible's chest. But there's no inner mechanics to make it do anything. I knew these bootleggers liked to make their stuff on the cheap, but I never pegged them for outright liars.
Spider-Man is the worst offender of all. At first glance, he seems okay enough. He looks like Spider-Man, and he comes with a big rubber web. A closer inspection reveals that one leg is longer than the other, and that his wrists are flanked by what could only be considered web shooters if you were being really creative in your answers.

Obviously there's some demand for these shitty bootlegged figures, as they've been around forever. I still can't figure out how certain companies, even nameless companies, manage to pull off such an obvious scam. It's not like I expect government officials to start raiding potato chip stands in Coney Island, but toys like these are virtually everywhere, and you'd have to imagine that the trucks or boats or planes full of two-cent Batmans would've been caught by someone by now. On the other hand, I shouldn't complain, as there are so few avenues to satisfy anyone's morbid curiosity over what Hulk's ass actually looks like.

Kinda like fly eyes, I think.

The Clone War Happy Meals

Go to the official site and check out the dumbest promotion ever.

Lots and lots and lots and, oh yeah, lots of new Star Wars product

It's dizzying,really. Hasbro is pumping so much Star Wars product out right now that it's almost impossible to keep up. Fortunately, between repaints, repacks,and Clone Wars product, which really doesn't do much for me, I'm not getting overwhelmed. There are a few nice pieces in here, and I'd love to get all the droid parts without having to purchase all the figures, but for the most part there's not too much to get excited about.

Go here for lots of STAR WARS

Have you seen the new 3/34 figure line?

From playthings, Move over Batman—it’s time to share the spotlight with a legion of new superhero (and super villain) figures in 2008, as Mattel significantly expands its partnership with Warner Bros. and DC Comics to include all of the more than 3,000 additional characters in the DC Universe.

Mattel has been producing action figures and toys based on Superman and Batman since 2003; this new deal, which lets the El Segundo, Calif.-based toy maker court both adult action figure collectors as well as kids, now means many additional comic book characters will soon be hitting toy store shelves for the first time ever.

"The Mattel team is extremely excited about the entire DC collection," Scott Neitlich, Mattel’s associate brand manager for the DC Universe, tells Playthings. "The many different heroes and villains present a wonderful opportunity to add a variety of new and favorite characters to our new DC Universe Classics (DCU Classics), Justice League Unlimited (JLU) and upcoming Infinite Heroes lines."

Infinite Heroes are new 3¾-inch figures—a first for DC in that scale—from the biggest DC crossover events. There will be more than 40 figures in 2008, including the already revealed Adam Strange, Black Adam, Black Hand, Guy Gardner, Shazam, The Atom and Zoom; additional figures will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July. The line will be one of Mattel’s key DC Comics efforts in 2008, Neitlich says.

Ha!

You now own these!

You now have a Captain Atom (He doesn't look like he'll stand too well!)

How sweet are these? Mantis just rocks, he reminds me of a Super Powers-era figure.

Random shot

I was taking pictures of some other crap on my desk, put my camera down for a moment, and decided I liked what was on the screen. Click!

Speaking of Indy toys, this totally cracks me up

Seriously? While scouting ideas for little kids' Indy fig they settled on this? While I approve a Belloq fig, why this outfit? All he does is recite Hebrew and get his head blown up. For looking at the other guy.

I don't think those are ghosts in that gold box, but I suppose a toy of Angels or God's Minions or whatever would be worse.

Lucasfilm Ltd. Wins Copyright Infringement Case

FRom sirsteves, A High Court judge in London today found that British firm Shepperton Design Studios and its principal, Andrew Ainsworth, violated the U.S. copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd. by making and selling pirated Star Wars stormtrooper helmets and other costume replicas.
Today's ruling by Mr Justice Mann in the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, affirmed that Lucasfilm is the sole owner of all rights to the iconic costume designs.

The court held that Ainsworth infringed Lucasfilm's rights when he reproduced the stormtrooper helmet replicas and sold them under a false claim that he had created the designs, which were used in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Ainsworth was a plastics manufacturer who was hired in 1976 to reproduce designs created by a team of Lucasfilm artists, including costume designer John Mollo, who won an Academy Award for his work on the film. The court found that the factual claims made by Ainsworth and his company were neither accurate nor reliable, and rejected his counterclaims seeking a share of the profits from the films.

Lucasfilm brought the case to the British High Court following a 2006 judgment by a California court awarding Lucasfilm $20 million in damages resulting from Ainsworth's activities. The British court held that it could apply U.S. law to the matter and ruled in Lucasfilm's favor on the merits of the infringement case.

The court also held that Ainsworth infringed Lucasfilm's rights under UK copyright laws, but that a UK-specific law that limits the enforcement of copyrights in industrial designs applied to the facts in the case. Lucasfilm is considering whether to appeal the legal finding under the UK industrial design law. "We are grateful to the court for its ruling, which makes it clear that Lucasfilm and George Lucas are the rightful owners of the copyrights related to Star Wars," said Lucasfilm Vice President Howard Roffman.

"We do not intend to use this ruling to discourage our fans from expressing their imagination, creativity and passion for Star Wars through the costumes and props they make for their personal use," Roffman said. "Rather, we see the Court's decision as reaffirming that those who seek to illegally profit from Star Wars will be brought to task, wherever they may be."

Proceedings in the High Court of Justice began on April 8. The trial included testimony from Mollo; Gary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; and Roffman, among others. Lucasfilm presented as evidence scores of sketches, designs, drawings and plans from the production of the first Star Wars film, which was produced in England in 1976. Original Imperial stormtrooper costumes were displayed for the court as evidence. The trial now moves into the remedies phase, in which the court will determine the appropriate relief to provide to Lucasfilm.

Lucasfilm Ltd. is a privately held, fully integrated entertainment company based in San Francisco, Calif.

What, you haven't picked up your Short Round figure yet?

I wonder if he's annoying when kids act out adventures with Indiana Jones?

Look what IIIIII got!

I asked my friend Paula who went to Comic-Con to try to pick me up one of these, and by dint of some incredible luck she did. The con was incredibly crowded, and often you had to get a ticket before allowed the priviledge of standing in the appropriate line. Saturday afternoon there was some special buying event that she shouldn't have been allowed in for, BUT she happened by the door when the guard's attention was distracted. Then, as she passed the Mattel booth a cashier yelled out she could help whoever had a credit card, and Paula jumped in even though there was a huge line of people waiting to buy stuff (the guy moderating that line was asleep at the switch in the crucial moment). So thanks to Paula and two slack security guards, I have the JLU fig that most resembles a big Barbie doll.

And check out the back! Pretty cool.

Clone Wars stuff

From rebelscum, Our rebels spies are hard at work today, and thanks tot hem, we've got the inside scoop on what Wal-Mart has planned for Star Wars in 2008. Lots of events, lots of exclusives, and lots of reasons to believe in the "Power of the Force".

July 1st - Exclusive Comic Packs and Droid Factory sets released!
Out in stores now....if you're lucky

July 26th - The Clone Wars major toy release!
There will be a pallet train of all new toys, loaded with basic figures from The Clone Wars & The Legacy Collection ($6.94 each), Electronic Blasters & Force Action lightsabers ($19.96), the "Big Millennium Falcon" ($149.96), the AT-TE ($99.96), other Clone Wars vehicles ($19.96), & Clone Trooper Helmet Voice Changers ($29.96)

August 9th - Join the Clone Troopers launch event!
Kids can pick up an exclusive Clone Trooper figure for kids to join up with the Grand Army of the Republic.

August 15th - The Clone Wars hits theaters!
It's the Star Wars event of the summer! Released on over 4000 movie screens nationwide, fans of all ages can enjoy the next tale in the saga.

August 17th - Exclusive 501st Clone Trooper figure debuts!
Displayed prominently on an end cap for collectors and kids both.

September 16th - The Force Unleashed is finally released!
Look for exclusive Star Wars figure 3-packs, commemorating the game's long-awaited release.

October 3rd - The Clone Wars series begins on TV!
22 episodes picking up where the movie left off.

November 18th - The Clone Wars movie comes out on DVD, and a new video game is released!
More exclusives from The Clone Wars & beyond, with new figure Commemorative troop builder 3-packs, a 501st blue Clone Trooper Helmet Voice Changer, a Republic Gunship, and an A-Wing Fighter!

December - "Best of the best"!
Popular Star Wars figure from the past, brought back in a new assortment. (Sounds like Saga Legends to me...)

Looks like a BIG year for Wal-Mart, and a big year for The Clone Wars!

Woo-hoo!

HASBRO LAUNCHES A NEW MILLENNIUM FALCON™ FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS

Iconic STAR WARS™ Starship Toy Undergoes Major Overhaul

Pawtucket, Rhode Island, July 1, 2008 -- Updating the fan-favorite MILLENNIUM FALCON for the first time since its introduction in 1979, Hasbro is launching the largest MILLENNIUM FALCON toy to ever travel the galaxy. The new STAR WARS LEGACY COLLECTION MILLENNIUM FALCON includes electronic lights and sounds, and is approximately 30% percent larger than the original version of the toy.

Over the last 30 years, ever since it was introduced on the screen in 1977 and to toy enthusiasts two years later, Han Solo’s signature starship, the MILLENNIUM FALCON, has become one of the most recognizable “characters” in movie history and one of Hasbro’s most popular STAR WARS toys. Last year, the toy’s steel production mold – which was used to create hundreds of thousands of MILLENNIUM FALCON toys – suffered a crack that rendered the tool damaged beyond repair.

When creating a new mold, Hasbro used the opportunity to improve its toy’s play value by increasing the ship’s size (which now accommodates 18 action figures, sold separately) and adding authentic lights and sounds, making this the most exciting Corellian freighter in the galaxy.

“We’ve always wanted to make a bigger MILLENNIUM FALCON. When we literally “broke the mold” we seized the opportunity to fulfill ours wishes as well as the fans. Legions of young STAR WARS fans have grown up playing with the original MILLENNIUM FALCON toy,” said Derryl D. DePriest, director of marketing for STAR WARS at Hasbro. “In designing the new MILLENNIUM FALCON for a new generation of fans, Hasbro’s design team succeeded in adding new features that will both excite kids and thrill our devoted collectors.”

The new STAR WARS LEGACY COLLECTION MILLENNIUM FALCON will soar onto retail shelves on July 26 with an appropriate retail price of $149.99. Fans attending San Diego Comic-Con (7/23-7/28) will have a chance to see it first hand a few days before the toy arrives in stores.

SIZING THEM UP...

Features on The All-New Star Wars Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon versus The Original Star Wars Millennium Falcon

     New                   Old

Approximate Size (LxWxH):    
       

32”x23”x8”       23"x17"x6"
Includes 3.75-inch Han Solo & Chewbacca action figures: 

      Yes                     No
3.75-inch action figure capacity: 

       18                       8
Light-up headlights:

      Yes                     No
Light-up engines: 

      Yes                     No
Authentic movie sound effects: engine boost, cruise mode,

   fly-by, firing cannons, etc.

      Yes                     No
Authentic movie phrases: 

      Yes                     No
Light-up cockpit: 

      Yes                     No
Medical bay:

      Yes                     No
Auto-opening boarding ramp w/ sounds:

      Yes                     No
Secret smuggling compartments:

      Yes                    Yes
Pivoting gunner station:

      Yes                    Yes
Rotating radar dish:

      Yes                    Yes
Light-up, "holographic" Dejarik game table:

      Yes                      No
Electronic, rotating laser turret w/ sounds:

      Yes                      No
Electronic, 3-missile launcher w/ sounds:

      Yes                      No
Electronic docking bay:

      Yes                      No
Electronic Jedi training probe w/ sounds:

      Yes                      No

Toys'R'Us and Lucasfilm Join Forces to Celebrate Star Wars

Toys'R'Us and Lucasfilm Join Forces to Celebrate Star Wars(TM): The Clone Wars - The Latest Chapter in the Star Wars Saga

The Adventures Begin at Toys"R"Us Stores on July 26 as Fans Get First Look at New Toys


WAYNE, N.J., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the highly anticipated August 15 theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Toys"R"Us, U.S. and Lucasfilm Ltd. have partnered to create the ultimate Star Wars destination in Toys"R"Us stores nationwide and online at www.Toysrus.com. The adventure begins in July with the installation of countdown clocks in every store, ticking toward the July 26 launch of the largest selection of toys, construction sets, role play accessories and more based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

"For more than three decades, Toys"R"Us has been the ultimate destination for kids and collectors interested in bringing home the magic of their favorite Star Wars films," said Greg Ahearn, Senior Vice President, Marketing and e-commerce, Toys"R"Us, U.S. "Our partnership with Lucasfilm will bring Star Wars: The Clone Wars to life with stunning in-store boutiques, an unparalleled assortment of products and exclusives, and up-to-the-minute countdowns to Star Wars excitement throughout the year."

"Toys"R"Us has been an ardent supporter of the Star Wars franchise since the introduction of the first toy line in 1977," said Howard Roffman, President, Lucas Licensing. "Generations of kids have found their favorite Star Wars toys on the shelves of Toys"R"Us stores, and we're thrilled that they will also be a major partner to Lucasfilm on The Clone Wars."

COUNTDOWN TO A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

When the clock strikes midnight on July 26, more than 225 Toys"R"Us stores from coast to coast will open their doors, giving Star Wars fans the first opportunity to purchase toys from the new collection. The two biggest celebrations will take place at Toys"R"Us Times Square and Toys"R"Us Mission Bay in San Diego, where Star Wars aficionados are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite character and take part in a "Cloned Costume Contest." Star Wars enthusiasts attending these two events will also be treated to trivia, games and a galaxy of excitement and prizes, while supplies last. As an added bonus, customers who purchase Star Wars merchandise at any Toys"R"Us store during the midnight events will have the opportunity to receive special gifts, including a Star Wars Holographic General Grievous action figure from Hasbro or a LEGO reversible poster, while supplies last.

The Star Wars virtual store also opens at www.Toysrus.com/StarWars at 12:01 am on July 26 for fans who are unable to attend the midnight festivities in person. Additionally, customers visiting the site will be able to locate the Toys"R"Us stores in their area hosting midnight events on July 26.

CLONING COUNTDOWNS

After the newest array of Star Wars toys are released in July, the countdown clocks at Toys"R"Us stores and www.Toysrus.com will reset, so fans can count the minutes to each of this year's continuing galactic milestones, including the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars the premiere of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series on Cartoon Network and the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on DVD.

THE FORCE IS STRONG IN-STORE AND ONLINE

Beginning July 26, Star Wars toys will also receive a place of honor in dedicated boutiques in every Toys"R"Us store. Filled with dazzling visuals based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the boutiques will showcase the largest assortment of Star Wars toys, games and construction sets available, including several exclusive items available only at Toys"R"Us. Star Wars fans should also note that Toys"R"Us stores nationwide will receive regular shipments of new Star Wars: The Clone Wars merchandise.

And, to help prepare for The Clone Wars, www.Toysrus.com/StarWars will become a Star Wars hub, offering Star Wars: The Clone Wars content and the movie trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Fans can keep up-to-date on the newest Star Wars releases with content on StarWars.com.

EMPEROR'S CHOICE -- EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTS

Star Wars: The Clone Wars products that will be available exclusively at Toys"R"Us stores and at www.Toysrus.com/StarWars starting July 26 include:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Twilight from LEGO

Based on the animated series, the Twilight is a temperamental but powerful starship piloted by Anakin Skywalker throughout his adventures during The Clone Wars. This massive LEGO model that kids can build themselves features retractable landing gear that is activated by moving the wing, a flick missile, a side-mounted escape pod, moveable laser cannon turrets and four minifigures including Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka, Rotta and R2-D2. No batteries required. Ages 9 and up.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Separatist Spider Droid from LEGO

In the continuing conflict of The Clone Wars, the Separatists army unleashes a spider-like machine of destruction against the Republic forces. Based on the droid featured in the animated series, collectors and kids can build and display this new Star Wars vehicle, which includes two fully moveable disk-shaped laser cannons, four fully independent and positionable stilt legs and five minifigures such as Commander Fox, a clone trooper, one battle droid, one super battle droid and one battle droid commander. No batteries required. Ages 7 and up.

Star Wars 3-3/4-inch T.I.E. Fighter from Hasbro

The standard ship of the Imperial fleet, the T.I.E. Fighter was at the heart of every conflict, big and small, between the Rebels and the Empire in the original Star Wars trilogy. Featuring a T.I.E. Pilot action figure, the 3-3/4-inch scale T.I.E. Fighter is ready to battle alongside Darth Vader and the Emperor in their efforts to crush the Rebel Alliance. No batteries required. Ages 4 and up.

Star Wars 3-3/4-inch STAP Attack Battle Packs from Hasbro

In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the first battle of the Clone Wars was waged on the planet of Geonosis. One of the key reconnaissance tools of the Separatist army during the battle was the Single Trooper Aerial Platform (STAP). Now, kids can relive the first battle between the Clone army and the Separatists with this battle pack, filled with two 3-3/4-scale STAP vehicles, two Battle Droids and one Super Battle Droid.

About Toys"R"Us, Inc.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer. Currently it sells merchandise through more than 1,500 stores, including 584 Toys"R"Us stores and 262 Babies"R"Us stores in the U.S., more than 688 international stores in 33 countries, which includes licensed and franchise stores, and through its Internet site at www.Toysrus.com.

Groovy Toy Tale #2

When my friend Kyle came back from Christmas, he had a big cardboard box filled with Legos for me. Some friend of his up in Sacramento had them lying around and was only too glad to hand them over to someone whose obsession was still fresh. It was quite a haul.

In the picture above is the hoard divided up into basic categories, with my Starspeeder 3000 toy nearby for scale. From upper to left to lower right, the big bins contain bricks, plates, stuff I put in my small boxes, and stuff I put in my large boxes. The smaller bins have broken pieces, round pieces, sloped pieces, and decorated pieces. There were also a large amount of non-Lego toys to weed out, including a bunch of that horrid Lego clone Mega Bloks. Yuck.

But so what! The bounty was supreme. I'd guestimate it would take me about two years at my regular acquisition rate to gather that many bricks. All of them predated the Great Color Change of 2003, so I got a lot of old style grey, dark grey and brown pieces. Above are some of the minifigs that I was particulary excited about. (By the time I took these pix I'd already mixed in some modern pieces; that black ninja in the middle is sporting a new Undead skeleton head, and Spaceman Ron Weasley there is wearing the helmet from that SpongeBob in Space set.)

Here are the rest of the minifigs I got; altogether I probably gained about 60 or 70 new citizens. It took me several months to finally assimilate all the new stuff, much of that time "getting around to it" time. Still, doing the actual work was time consuming, and it didn't happen until the unexpected month off I got right before Zack was born. It was sort of like "hyper nesting."

And here are all the new decorated tiles I got, including a tasty number of that round, red-lined vent tile I love so much. So good!

Groovy Toy Tale #1

This story has been due for quite some time. A year or two ago I became interested in the set pictured above, or more accurately the big blimp part. This Adventurers set was released in 1999 and a model builder I knew purchased it so he could use the blimp parts as the basis for a rocket prop, which I think was used in a painkiller commercial. He gave me the rest of the pieces, but I always kind of wanted that darn blimp.

The gimmick of the blimp was that you could take apart the set and store all the pieces inside. Since I started nosing around there's always been at least one seller on Bricklink with the complete blimp for sale, but the minimum price I ever saw it for was 25 bucks (right now there are two for sale, for 35 and 40). The unopened set is usually available, but prices on that start at 50 smackers. Needless to say this is too high.

For more than a year there was this one guy who had the front section you see above without the back section. Naturally it was priced much cheaper -- I think under 3 dollars. So for quite some time one of my regular Bricklink haunts was to check for the corresponding piece...

which I call the Blimp Ass. Finally, some dude put one up for sale at a dreamy $1.35, and I went to both sellers' shops and snapped them up. But then... the Letdown. The first guy, the one who'd had that Blimp Nose posted in his shop forever, contacted me and told me he couldn't find it and had probably discarded it. Rat farts!

He was cool about it and I cancelled the order and we gave each other nice feedback and everything, but there I was stuck with a lonesome Blimp Ass. This would've been around mid-September 2007, because that's right when Julie found out she was pregnant. I remember this detail because I mentioned my acquisition of a Blimp Ass and she predicted that that would be her ass in the months to come. I have to give her props because that never really came true.

The "groovy" part of this story is that while nosing around on Ebay only a few weeks later, I found a dude selling an incomplete version of that set. "Unfortunately," he stated "one of the missing pieces is the back section of the blimp." Not unfortunate for me! I slapped down my bid and a few days later watched the clock go down with my counterbid ready to go, but in the end bought it uncontested for a measley $1.50.

Now I have this wonderful blimp, which is pretty impressively big (note the SpongeBob minifig placed for scale). Not having the front piece for that time, I had no idea how much big fun I was getting.

Since it's a container, it's made of different plastic than most Lego pieces, but this bottom part has contours that form a fine interface. Someday I'll make a cool steampunk contraption to sling beneath it.

And I've considered painting it black or creating some custom stickers on it to make it eeevil. I generally find painting Lego stuff to be too much of a bitch, and putting stickers across the ribbed texture of the blimp is kind of iffy (the piece did come with a few stickers on it, which I removed). But imagine long black stickers placed in between those ribs, tapering to a point as they get to the front. Could look awesome.