New 'Star Wars' toys to be unveiled on 'Force Friday' at Toys R Us, Walmart, more

From newsday, Force Friday" is upon us. Toy retailers are gearing up to launch new "Star Wars" products with midnight opening events, giveaways and more around the country.

Counting down to the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," major toy stores, such as Toys R Us, Walmart and the Disney Store are debuting hundreds of toys at 12:01 a.m. on "Force Friday," Sept. 4.

"When the first 'Star Wars' film and products were released in 1977, it represented, in essence, the birth of the modern movie-merchandising business," said Marty Brochstein, senior vice president, industry relations and information of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association. "This marks the first time that Disney and LucasFilms have joined forces for a 'Star Wars' film and associated merchandising. The combination of these two powerhouses combined with the anticipation for the first new 'Star Wars' movie in 10 years makes this time around seem different and special. The unprecedented global plans for 'Force Friday' is something we have never seen before with a consumer products rollout and sets the stage for a marketing effort that will last through the mid-December film release -- and beyond."

Here's a rundown of what you can expect at a few major toy stores:

Toys R Us: The company's international flagship store, Toys R Us Times Square in New York City, will host a "Star Wars" toy exhibition leading up to the midnight opening, welcoming fans with costumed characters, signing events, giveaways and more on Thursday, Sept. 3. The NYC store will also include events such as an art class meet and greet with "Star Wars" and science fiction artist, Jeff Carlisle, "Star Wars" product demonstrations, including "Star Wars"-themed 3-D action figure creation with 3D Plus Me, video gaming and more, a Lego "Star Wars" make and take, a Light Saber Academy with members of the New York Jedi, a community of cosplayers, martial artists and teachers, photo opportunities with costumed characters, including Furbacca, a character versioned after the Hasbro toy that makes wookiee sounds like Chewbacca, Geoffrey the Giraffe and more, cooking decorating, trivia contests and much more.

At 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 4, Toys R Us locations in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the U.K. will open for eager fans. The first customers to line up for the debut will receive "Star Wars" giveaways, including an exclusive poster. All the U.S. stores will also open at midnight and families will receive special giveaways, including a limited edition Lego "Star Wars" Commemorative Brick and an exclusive "Star Wars" poster, while supplies last. Visit toysrus.com/StarWars for more information.

Walmart: At 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 4, Walmart will begin their "Force Friday" events in 2,900 Walmart stores. Customers will get their hands on new "Star Wars" toys, including items sold exclusively at Walmart. You'll also have the chance to preorder the Legendary Yoda and check out the "Star Wars" Galactic Connexions trading disc game by Topps. At the midnight events, Walmart will give away a limited edition two-pack of the discs. For more information, visit walmart.com/starwars.

Disney Store: The flagship location in New York City is also hosting midnight events. The first 1,000 guests will receive a free "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" D23 commemorative fan poster. In all Disney Store locations, "Force Friday" day celebrations on Sept. 4 include a galactic twist on the traditional "Unlocking Imagination" ritual. Other activities include a free pin to the first 100 guests who make a purchase on "Force Friday," R2-D2 crafts, "Star Wars" story time and more. For more details, visit disneystore.com/ForceFriday.

Additionally, you can get a sneak peek of new "Star Wars" products in the first-ever global live toy unboxing event on the "Star Wars" YouTube channel. Unfolding over 18 hours in 15 cities and 12 countries, the event will see highlights from the range of merchandise revealed. The live stream kicks off in Sydney, Australia at 7:45 a.m., local time on Thursday, Sept. 3 with a finale at Lucasfilm in San Francisco at 8 a.m. (11 a.m. EST).

"Force Awakens" Toys To Make Silly Money

From darkhorizons, The $4 billion that Disney spent on Lucasfilm is now beginning to look like a bargain.

With Disney and Lucasfilm set to unleash "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" related merchandise into stores around the world this weekend, a new report from Macquarie Securities analyst Tim Nolle to THR suggests that the new film could generate $5 billion in consumer merchandise sales in its first year of release:


"It's not clear how to model this as we can't name a similar such event. But looking at another successful Disney franchise, Cars 2 sold more than $2.8 billion worth of merchandise in its first year alone in 2011, and the original Cars movie sold approximately $10 billion worth of merchandise in its first five years of release.

Taking into account the strength of the Star Wars franchise, which has altogether sold over $20 billion worth of licensed goods in its lifetime, we estimate that Star Wars: The Force Awakens could perhaps bring in merchandise sales of $5 billion in the first year."

That also just takes into account the one movie, and not the subsequent sequels or spin-off films. The report also says they expect the film to gross around $2 billion at the global box office, netting nearly $1.2 billion in revenue for the company and putting it behind only "Avatar" and "Titanic".

In related news, photographs of some of this merchandising over at Jedi Temple Archiveshave revealed two more alien characters set to appear in the film - one seems to be a Jakku scavenger named Sarco Plank, the other a Resistance pilot named Asty.

Also, EA and Lucasfilm have debuted a trailer for the upcoming mobile title "Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes" which you can see below. The game will be made available for iOS and Android devices later this year.

Pretty Much EVERY 3.75-Inch Star Wars: The Force Awakens Figure Has Been Revealed

From toplessrobot, Due to stores selling things early, the whole first wave of 3-3/4" figures has been purchased at various venues around the country. For the benefit of those who still want to try to go in to stores on Sept. 4th absolutely cold, I'm going to keep major details below - I figure showing a Kylo Ren face is safe because obviously a Kylo Ren figure was coming. With the sheer amount of reveals and photos out there, though, I'll be amazed if Hasbro still tries to keep it all a secret and doesn't release better official pics.

The bad news for collectors is that these figures only have five points of articulation - it looks like Hasbro has made the clear choice that only figures aimed at collectors get the full range of poseability. I wouldn't discount the chance that you'll see some of these new characters get 3-3/4" "Black" treatment later down the line, but how many will hold out for that?

The good news for those who want to avoid spoilers is that only two of the figures are characters I haven't seen before, and neither is one of the major players we have yet to see (no Andy Serkis or Max von Sydow yet, in other words). Some are original trilogy icons, who look like repacks, albeit with a gimmick.

The gimmick with these figures is that they come with oversized weapons that can combine to make small robots - a separate series of boxed 3-3/4 figures come with a large torso "armor" piece that functions as a mini-costume change.

And yeah, Captain Phasma is silver paint, not chrome. I'm just hoping the 6" line are more in line with what I like.

Will you be picking any of these up come Sept. 4th?

That Old Evel Knievel Wind-up Motorcycle Toy Is Coming Back

From toplessrobot, Every kid I knew had this growing up, and I cannot recall one ever actually working properly - he'd go sideways and fall off almost immediately. Not unlike his real-life canyon jump, it carried the expectation of coolness without much execution.

With Forever Fun remaking it from the original parts, with necessary tweaks for today's safety standards, can they tweak it to actually do what it oughta while they're at it? Once again, what looks cool may not deliver - but at $50, it's cheaper than some nostalgia toys.

Custom made Atari action figures

From chicagotoycollector, A lot of classic Atari titles received very little merch (or none at all), which is why some of these games have endured as classics, in my opinion. If Atari had been shoving merchandise down our throats for every franchise, maybe we all would've grown sick of these games.

Either way, if Atari had decided in the 80's to cash in on their popular games, this is exactly what their toys would’ve looked like (in my opinion). While the last batch of Atari figures I made were constructed from vintage GI Joes, these were made from vintage Kenner Star Wars toys, giving them a classic 80’s look.

And rather than make them only for myself, I made a few extra Missile Command figures and a few extra Berzerk figures to sell. They're all on eBay now for $50 each.

Click here to buy a Missile Command figure.
Click here to buy a Berzerk figure.
Click here to see a video of an idiot falling off a ladder.

Funko Reaction figures get some competition from Big Bang Pow!

No sooner was I singing the praises of Funko Reaction figures (see below) when I stumbled upon Big Bang Pow! and their upcoming Flash Gordon line!  Could this be the beginning of a 3"2/4 action figure revolution?!  Although Flash Gordon has been done before I am encouraged that others see jumping on the 3"3/4 action figure line.  I can't wait for Gene Simmons to meet Darth Vader...

I can't wait for Trek Reaction!

I've been really bored with the action figure scene for a few years now.  Star Wars figures have devolved into over-priced crap with characters based on the animated shows (yawn) and no-one else has been releasing anything interesting...until Funko Reaction figures!!!  Funko figured out what made the original Star Wars figures so much fun.  Rather than the over-articulated, cheaply made action figures of today Funko went back to basics and have released a ton of product in a short period of time.  What makes these figures special, aside from their compatibility with Star Wars figures is that the figures are sturdy, simplistic, colorful, and they come in my favorite scale 3"3/4!  For the first time ever I can have Spock meet C3PO, etc.  I have purchased numerous Reaction figures over the past few months including the Alien, Horror Movies, and Monster sets and I have been delighted with the quality.  I can't wait for future releases!

Hilarious custom Jaws "action figure" on Ebay

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Characters Revealed in Action Figures and Concept Art

From slashfilm, Toys are a necessary part of blockbuster filmmaking, but they’re also the bane of its existence. On seemingly every single major Hollywood film, it’s the toys that reveal our first look at something major. For Jurassic World it was the D-Rex; for Transformers 4 it was Grimlock; the list goes on and on. It took longer than usual but the same thing has begun to happen for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. An image has appeared online that shows Finn, Rey, BB-8, Chewbacca and a mystery character that may or may not be Kylo Ren. However, an additional piece of concept art was released that almost certainly is Ren. Find out more about The Force Awakens toy leak below. A Chinese Star Wars site (via Making Star Wars) posted the image.

Basically, you’ve got Finn dressed in a vest a la Han Solo; Rey dressed in sort of a cloak/robe, like a mix of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia costumes; Chewbacca and BB-8 looking as you’d expect; and then a mystery character with an almost “Stormtrooper meets Darth Vader” helmet, a cloak and then indented fabric robe. There’s no guarantee that this is Kylo Ren, but it could hypothetically be the character we’ve seen in the trailer. The Stormtrooper helmet also could suggest Phasma, the rumored name of Gwendoline Christie’s character.So who is it? Well, Indie Revolver is at it again, posting a concept image of a very similar looking Stormtrooper meets Darth Vader helmet, with yellow marks around the eyes, making for a very menacing look. Like an evil bumble bee. They claim this is Kylo Ren. Again, we aren’t going to post it here, but check it out on their site.

Pretty cool stuff if you’re a Star Wars fan. On the other hand, it’s a little disconcerting that we’re just under year away and the toys are already starting to leak. At least, in this case, it’s characters we’ve already seen – just in different outfits. Next, it could be a major spoiler.

What do you think of the image?

Want: Egg Chamber Action Playset

From toynewsi, The highly anticipated playset that will pull on nostalgic heartstrings of 70’s youth will be exclusively released at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Now you can relive the excitement of the Nostromo Crew’s journey into the Derelict Alien Spaceship! Venture with Kane deep into the mysterious Egg Chamber ReAction Playset and pose your sturdy ReAction Figures on the detailed, egg-covered base. Inspired by the playsets of the 1970’s and packaged in an era appropriate photo box, the playset provides the perfect backdrop for all of your ReAction Adventures. The playset comes complete with classically styled action base made from durable hand-cast resin and corrugated cardboard, full-color Alien Egg Silo backdrop that slides into the base for display. ReAction Figures sold separately. Limit to one per person for the entirety of the show. Limited run of 250/numbered. $100 ea.

Tim Burton's 'Batman' is 25 years old today

Must Have! Klaatu Barada Retro - Old-Style The Day the Earth Stood Still Action Figures Arrive

From toplessrobot, Now in the perfect 4" scale to take on the Return of the Jedi aliens who stole their names - or get shot by G.I. Joes who mistake their intentions - Gort and Klaatu come to toy collections courtesy of Amok Time collectibles for the not-especially cheap price of $25 a pair. Words alone won't stop them this time - only the spiffy plastic prison of a package that you may choose to open or keep sealed.

Klaatu comes with an interchangeable unmasked humanoid head. Gort features movie-accurate non-talking action.

New Black Series Bespin Luke looks very anxious

I saw this in Target the other day and couldn't get over how pathetically worried the action figure's expression is.  I like to imagine the toy understands completely the events Bespin Luke action figures are created to re-experience, and he's upset at the thought of repeatedly losing his hand, discovering who his father is and basically being the epicenter of Fail in The Empire Strikes Back.  Silly Luke.

Want: 'Twilight Zone' retro action figures!

[via entertainment earth]

600 new Lego pictures from the 2014 International Toy Fair!

Go here for tons of fun.

Octo adds:

Stash that lightsaber and this is basically the Cantina Hammerhead, right?

Man, the Dewback!  How is that thing cooler than any given character from the prequels?

A toy story

Last August I did a decent job of letting my nieces and nephews play with the toys I'd snagged from my storage pace.  I had everything accounted for until the last day, when my Luke Skywalker X-Wing pilot vanished.  My suspicion that Luke wandered off gripped in some tiny fist was confirmed when we arrived home and I found my sister Casey's old iPhone in my kid's Lightning McQueen suitcase.  One of her boys had wandered in to my room, spotted Luke, and made a trade.

Shortly afterwards we received the photo above...

I repsonded with the following.  Han and Chewie arrive too late; the phone is being carried off by Jawas.

Leia arrives, fixing the situation.  Han jumps like Shaggy into Chewbacca's arms.

The getaway.

Both items were returned unharmed.

Presumably the arsonist has a motorcycle, too.

I love LEGO of course but this made me laugh:  a motorcycle fireman with a single extinguisher would ONLY be useful to put out fires in trash cans, which this set hilariously includes.

ReAction reveals dozens of new figures!

There are a number of interesting figure lines coming from ReAction.  One of the reasons that I haven't been posting here for a long time is because I haven't found any interesting toys out there.  ReAction understands that toys are more fun when they are (a) Star Wars-sized and (b) not EXACT copies of the property.  Here are some of the horror offerings (go to the link to see many more!).

Check out many more here,http://www.entertainmentearth.com/hitlist.asp?spotlight=3447

Worst toy line ever?

Ah, 1989.  Tim Burton’s Batman was a smash-success and D.C. was looking for a way to jump on the Bat’s action figure coattails.  Sure they put out some crappy Batman figures and even poached a few from the Super Powers line (shoddy revisions) but D.C. wanted to expand the new line even further.  Relabeling and combining the Batman movie figures and Super Powers figures “D.C. Comics Super Heroes”, D.C. unleashed arguably the single worst action figure line of all time.  At the time they were noticeably bad but 25 years later it is astonishing to look at how bad this line actually is. 

The first wave was from the Batman film and included new sculps of Batman and The Joker.  In addition we were offered “Bob the Goon”.  Batman is serviceable but the Joker looks ridiculous and Bob is simply awful.

The second wave included Superman, Mister Freeze, Robin, The Penguin and Wonder Woman.  These were Super Powers retreads and you might argue that they are really not that bad, however that would simply be your Super Powers nostalgia kicking in.  This wave also included The Riddler, a fairly bland Robin repaint, and Lex Luthor, which might be the single worst action figure ever created.

Wave 3 consisted of revised Super Powers Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Hawkman and perhaps the second worst figure ever made, Two Face!  I mean, look at that GIANT coin.  It has a “flipping” action but I imagine it is either always heads or always tails.  1989-1990 was indeed a dark time for action figure enthusiasts.

 

Yoda is the best Kenner Star Wars action figure - Want to fight about it?

Yes, Yoda.  While I adore my vintage collection of Kenner Star Wars figures, my favorite has always been the diminutive Jedi.  Sure, you might attempt to argue that there are better choices (e.g. Boba Fett, the Cantina denizens, etc) but you would lose that argument.  Why is the Yoda figure so great?  There are many reasons, and I will go through them all.

Accessories!  Yoda comes with a cloth cape, a cane, a removable belt (with lightsaber hilt), and a fucking snake!  The orange snake is better.

That cloth cape!  Yoda is the rare instance where the cloth cape works.  Many times the cloth cape can make an action figure look like the Michelin Man , but Yoda's cape perfectly complements his small frame.

Scale!  Yoda is perfectly scaled with his taller brethren.

Color!  The bright green and the orange snake make this figure pop like no other.

Face!  His face is a close facsimile to the "real" thing and his peaceful expression reminds you that everything is going to be ok.

Packaging!  The perfect picture was chosen to showcase this perfect figure.

I have had Yoda on my desk at home for a decade and his presence always makes me smile.  Yoda is the best Kenner Star Wars figure.