Toy OTD: Thinkway Wall-E Boxed Set: The Reject-Bots

As we continue into Wall-E's opening weekend, here's another cool tie-in from Thinkway Toys. I'm really impressed that Thinkway not only made their smaller figures so nicely, but that they made toys of the secondary characters! Unless George Lucas is involved somehow, peripheral characters are a rarity.

While the packaging isn't all that exciting, the proof is in the pudding - the figures themselves. The sculpts and paint work are extremely tight, with very few concessions made. It's great to see this level of faithfulness without creating safety or price point issues. The use of materials is also striking - check out Gopher's translucent head!

There's a surprising amount of articulation here, too. Paint-Bot and Massage-Bot are far more posable than you'd expect, and are jointed much like they are in the film. The character accuracy is so good, one might've forgiven less intricate figures, but Thinkway goes the extra mile, and meets the buyer more than halfway. Cool!

To top it all off, there's not just one, but two clear display stands for the hovering characters who can't stay upright on their own. Technically, Beautician-Bot floats too, but the figure sits upright just fine - Thinkway picked their battles well!

You can get this set for $20.00 + tax at Toys 'R' Us, or online for $20.00 + shipping at toysrus.com. Check in with disneystore.com if they're out of stock at TRU - The Disney Store doesn't seem to have any of the toys for sale right now, but they may become available again later (they have been on the site in the last week or so). Have fun collecting!

Picture OTD

Forwarded to me from Derek Thompson. Enjoy!

Toy OTD: Thinkway Toys' Wall-E Figures: Lift'N' Load Wall-E, Search And Protect Eve

To celebrate Wall-E's opening day, here's two examples of Thinkway's terrific toy line!

Lift 'N' Load Wall-E has tons of great detail, an intricate paint job, and plenty of articulation (right down to the hands!). The treads don't move, but there are larger versions where they do - hold out for the $30 Interaction Wall-E if that's critical to you.

The figure comes with two 'trash' cubes that you can make Wall-E 'compact'. Since the trash compartment is the same shape, you can put Play-Doh® in there and make Wall-E produce a cube of that, too!

You can get this figure at your local Toys 'R' Us® for $9.99 + tax, or online for $10.99 + shipping.

Search and Protect Eve is just as well designed and executed as Wall-E. Since her eyes are LED-type displays in the film, Thinkway added a clever feature - if you press her head, her eyes will click to one of six different expressions!

Her chest compartment pops open at the push of a button, and you can store some of her accessories - an old shoe, a light bulb - inside (these seemingly random items will make more sense when you see the film). Since Eve is a floating robot, a display stand has been provided when your kids (or you!) aren't zooming her through the air.

I think there's only three points of articulation, but it makes sense when you consider the design. The joints are closer to the ball-and-socket kind, so the most is made from the few options available.

You can get Eve at your local Toys 'R' Us® for $9.99 + tax, or online for $10.99 + shipping.

If they're out of stock, you can also get them at the Disney Store website, but they're more expensive there.

See you at the movies!

Batman: The Movie Coming To Blu-Ray July 1st!

HOLY HIGH DEFINITION, BATMAN!

BATMAN: THE MOVIE -- SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY DISC

The 1966 Caped-Crusading Classic Starring Adam West Dashes Onto Blu-Ray Disc July 1 From Fox Home Entertainment!

Dynamic Disc Features New, Exclusive High Definition Extras, Plus A BD Industry First, Nelson Riddle’s Cool Jazz Score Presented As An Isolated Music Track In Lossless Audio!

CENTURY CITY, Calif. – Citizens of Gotham City shall fear not when the heroic Caped Crusader and his crime-fighting chum, Boy Wonder, stop dastardly villains from de-hydrating the planet in the original full-length bat-film, BATMAN: THE MOVIE SPECIAL EDITION, arriving on high definition Blu-Ray Disc for the first time July 1st from Fox Home Entertainment. Starring Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin), this 1966 spin-off of the popular “Batman” television series features all four of the hero’s most diabolical and cunning adversaries: the clown prince of crime, The Joker (Cesar Romero); the count of criminal conundrums, The Riddler (Frank Gorshin); the pompous waddling master of fowl play, The Penguin (Burgess Meredith); and the fiendish feline, The Catwoman (Lee Meriwether). Directed by Leslie H. Martinson (PT 109, Rescue from Gilligan’s Island), who later won a Golden Gryphon for his efforts, the colorful and over-the-top film featured a groovy and swank score by Academy Award® winner* Nelson Riddle.

Brimming with brand new and exclusive high definition bat-features, the Blu-ray Disc includes “Batman: A Dynamic Legacy,” a tribute to the caped crusader and look at Gotham’s evil villains in “Gotham City’s Most Wanted”; a 360 degree navigational tour of the Batmobile; and an isolated score in 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless), an industry first for Blu-Ray Disc that allows viewers to listen to the score only. The Special Edition also includes interviews and commentary by actors West, Ward, and screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr., featurettes, trivia track, galleries and trailers.

The BATMAN: THE MOVIE SPECIAL EDITION Blu-Ray Disc will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.98 U.S. / $49.98 Canada. Prebook is June 4th.

DVD Special Features:
The Batman: The Movie Special Edition Blu-Ray Disc is presented in widescreen with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio, English and French Mono and includes English, French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:

• Commentary by actors Adam West and Burt Ward
• Commentary by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
• Isolated Score Track 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
• All-new high-definition featurettes:
o Batman: A Dynamic Legacy
o Caped Crusaders: A Heroes Tribute
o Gotham City’s Most Wanted
• 2001 35th Anniversary Piece Featuring Interviews with Adam West and Burt Ward
• The Batmobile Revealed with George Barris
• The Batmobile Interactive Tour – A 360 Degree Navigational Tour
• BATMAN on Location: Mapping the Movie
• Holy Pop-Up Trivia Track, Batman!
• Original Teaser and Theatrical Trailers
• Galleries:
o From the Vaults of Adam West
o Interactive Pressbook
o Posters
o Production Stills
o Behind the Scenes
o Premiere

Synopsis
The four greatest super-criminals of The United Underworld - The Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler and The Penguin – combine forces to dispose of Batman and Robin as they launch their fantastic plot to control the entire world. Can the dynamic duo stop The United Underworld before it’s too late?

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

# # #

BATMAN: THE MOVIE -- SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY DISC
Street Date: July 1, 2008
Pre-book Date: June 4, 2008
DVD Price: $39.98 U.S. / $49.98 Canada
Catalog #: 2252370
Total Running Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Closed Captioned: Yes

Check out this Batman featurette, "Surviving the Set", "Theater of the Absurd", and "Becoming Robin", all on YouTube!

Oakland Fails AT-AT Paternity Test

"One of the greatest Bay Area moviemaking urban legends involves the Port of Oakland container cranes and the AT-AT snow walkers that invaded the ice planet Hoth in George Lucas' 'The Empire Strikes Back.'

As a 'Star Wars' geek and Oakland resident, I've been plagued by the legend as well. So last year, during an interview for a profile that ran in The Chronicle, I asked Lucas about the similarities - making sure it was my last question, in case it got me kicked out of Skywalker Ranch.

'That's a myth,' Lucas said, politely but firmly. 'That is definitely a myth.'"

To read more of Peter Hartlaub's SFGate article, click here.

Photo by Tristan.

Thanks to io9.com for the link!

Toy OTD: SEG, Tim Biskup's Alphabeast Figure: Red Pollard

I've heard that this is Tim Biskup's first vinyl figure, and that could well be true - I can't remember the timeline of his toy releases, but I think that it was the first Biskup toy that I bought.

Regardless, it's great - a small vinyl originally in a retro-kaiju bag with a header card (also designed by Biskup)! Also included was a 350-piece, limited edition mini-print, which was very nicely done.

The sculpt is simple but appealing - very much in the style of Mr. Biskup's 2-D work. This toy is clearly meant to be an art piece - there's only one point of articulation (at the neck). The color more than makes up for it, though - again, not very many colors, but very well coordinated and applied.

This version of the Pollard is four inches tall - keep in mind that there's many other colorways, not to mention a 10" version in still more colors. Do yourself a favor, and do some research so you can pick a favorite before you buy!

This toy has been out for a while, but there's one for sale right now on eBay - it's currently at $26.00 + $4.80 shipping. The auction's going for five more days, so keep a close eye on it if you really want one. Good luck!

Brain Fart 8: Fantastic Four Movie Casting

I happened to see this picture of Michelle (Brokeback Mountain) Williams at thesuperficial.com yesterday morning, and it struck me how much she looked like a Kirby drawing! I think she'd be a good choice for the Invisible Woman.

I know Fox isn't re-starting the FF movies -- but I think somebody should...

The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor Trailer

You can see it over at themummy.com, which has an exclusive link to papajohns.com.

Is it just me, or is there something sad in the fact that The Mummy 3 - the second sequel to a puffed-up Raiders clone - looks like it has a better premise than Indy 4?

I mean, you've got the terra cotta warriors coming to life, plus Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh and an undead army rising from beneath the Great Wall, all of them fighting airplanes and machine guns, not to mention Ghidorah and a Yeti. Good grief! Now how much would you pay!?

Granted, you've got the director of The Fast and the Furious and Dragonheart involved, and the writing team from Spider-Man 2, Shanghai Noon and Herbie Fully Loaded, with some pretty blatant shot lifts from Hero. Who knows? - all that sexy stuff could wind up canceling each other out, resulting in the traditional Mummy overload.

But you know what I'm saying, here - The Mummy looks better than Indy?

Toy OTD: Mezco Family Guy Figure: Chris Griffin

I know that Family Guy doesn't inspire at lot of love from many people, but I think Mezco's done a really good job with the toy line (I like watching the show, too).

The sculpt is nice, though it's a bit symmetrical. On the plus side, it does take advantage of the design's solidity to avoid balance problems. The paint work is fine - mostly quite tight with only a few loose spots. Only four point of articulation, but it's fine as a display piece.

I could probably do without the plethora of accessories that usually accompanies a Mezco toy, but the "Walkman" is well-made, and fits onto the figure easily. I'm usually happy with one accessory if it's really iconic (i.e, Indy's whip), and the figure can hold it tightly.

You'll need to look sharp at the online offerings, as there's a few variants, as well as different facial expressions for this figure. Make sure you get exactly the version that you want!

You can get this version of Chris for $19.95 + shipping at cmdstore.com. There's an 'exercise' version on sale for $10.39 + shipping at panikstoybox.com, and if you join Club Mez (Mezco's collectors' club), you can still get the 2005 Toy Fare exclusive Chris for $18.00 + shipping. Again, note the different paint job on the eyes. Have fun!

Toy OTD: Mega House Panda-Z Figure: Mogyu (2004)

This is a nifty line of toys - I've never seen the anime, but the character designs work great all on their own!

The sculpt is a nice adaptation of the original drawings (ironically it's a 2D show, even though the simple, geometric style looks like a natural for the computer), and the colors are really attractive. The paint work isn't as tight as many overseas toys are, but it's still quite nice.

The articulation is pretty basic - about seven points or so - it's a display piece more than anything. Here's where the biggest minus comes in... construction. This line of toys has an unusually weak track record for molding and fitting. Unfortunately, this tends to lead to awkwardly bent legs and feet, which can lead to balance problems. If you have the opportunity, look the toy over in its blister carefully before purchasing.

This figure has been sold out for a while, but you can buy one right now on eBay for $13.29 + $10.00 shipping. Hop to it if you want one!

Toy OTD: Dark Horse, Tim Burton's Tragic Toys For Girls And Boys: The Boy With Nails In His Eyes, Mummy Boy (2003)

Here's some great examples of how it's possible to take the trickiest of designs and make awesome toys from them.

At first glance, the original Tim Burton drawings would seem impossible designs for 3-D - at least for toys with no stop-motion armatures, or without feet bolted firmly to the floor. But Dark Horse does an incredible job! The sculpts are very true to the original art, and the paint work manages to convey some of Mr. Burton's watercolor style as well.

I've had these figures out of their packages for some time now, and there's no sign of sagging - very impressive, as that's a common problem with top-heavy toy designs. There's either some sort of armature inside the PVC, or somebody really did their homework and figured out how hard the plastic would have to be for long-term support without becoming too brittle in the process. Nice!

There's no articulation here, but that's a risky approach - joints can wind up making the figure more prone to breakage, while still not offering a lot of posing options (as we saw to a degree in McFarlane's Corpse Bride line). I'm happy to trade articulation for better stability, but that's always been my preference.

These two figures are actually part of two different three-figure sets, both of which are well worth the money, and still quite easy to find. You can get The Boy With Nails In His Eyes along with Oyster Boy and Junk Girl for $13.49 + shipping, and Mummy Boy packed with Toxic Boy and Jimmy the Hideous Penguin Boy for the same price at tfaw.com.

Toy OTD: Berries Devil Novelty Figure, 1971

Some toys you just hang onto because you've had them for too long to imagine discarding them. I think this was a flea market purchase, one of those OCD-collector days where you want to bring something home with you. Then it becomes an entrenched, sentimental object, the toy version of a common-law marriage.

This is one of the few toys I went out of my way to alter - usually, I can't bring myself to change anything, even if it would be simple to do. It used to have an "I Love You This Much" decal on its belly. I couldn't deal with that, even ironically, so with a little scrubbing and a little Goo Gone®, off it came! The figure is so banged up by this point, that a few more scratches wouldn't make much difference.

Everything here is pretty much average - the pose is symmetrical, and the design isn't much to talk about. The proportions of the face are pretty even, and the eye treatment is pretty lifeless. That unfortunately dominoes, weakening everything else - even though the sculpt is decent, and the color choices are okay.

I can't imagine finding another one of these - it's not a licensed character, so there probably isn't much nostalgic demand for them. A cursory search on eBay turned up nothing, and looking deeper is probably more trouble than it's worth. The good news is, if you want one and manage to find it, it'll probably be very cheap. I'd pop "I Love You This Much" into a favorite search - that'll probably give you the most specific results to sift through. Good luck!