The 6th wave of Toys R Us Marvel Minimates Two-Packs have started to hit Toys R Us stores this week with a line up of Thor Reborn/Lady Loki, Secret-Wars Storm/Klaw (TRU exclusive), Stretch Attack Mr. Fantastic/World War Hulk (TRU exclusive) and Battle-damaged Wolverine/Captain America. I didn’t pick up the Wolverine/Cap pack as I already have [...]]]>

The 6th wave of Toys R Us Marvel Minimates Two-Packs have started to hit Toys R Us stores this week with a line up of Thor Reborn/Lady Loki, Secret-Wars Storm/Klaw (TRU exclusive), Stretch Attack Mr. Fantastic/World War Hulk (TRU exclusive) and Battle-damaged Wolverine/Captain America. I didn’t pick up the Wolverine/Cap pack as I already have a Wolvie and I didn’t like the way Cap looked. I thought his mask wasn’t well executed and I’m hoping for a better one in the future.

We’ll have a look at the other three sets today!

First up:  Thor Reborn and Lady Loki!

Thor sports his Reborn costume in this set and it looks spot-on to his current comic look. His body uses a torso extender (see thumbnail pic below) which makes him taller than regular minimates. The added height, together with his wide torso costume piece makes him pretty bulky, which is appropriate for Thor. Included of course is his hammer, Mjolnir, which is a nice sculpt, but is missing it’s inscription of “Whosoever holds this hammer…” His face looks a little soft with thinner lines used to illustrate his face, but the rest of the paint work looks good.

Lady Loki is just as her name implies, a female version of Loki. Her hairpiece looks nice and I like the way they sculpted her horns. No accessories for her. She uses the standard minimate body, with a removable coat.

This set is also included in the regular series wave 33.

Next up: Secret Wars Storm and Klaw!

Storm is in her “mohawk” costume which she also wore during Secret Wars. I am a big fan of this Storm outfit! I like her mohawk hairsculpt, simple yet well done! Klaw is pretty much a standard minimate body with his sonic arm thingie. Storm and Klaw have the most basic bodies in this wave but they are welcome additions to the Minimates collection, especially “Mohawk” Storm.

This set is a Toys R Us exclusive.

Lastly we have Stretch Attack Mr. Fantastic and World War Hulk!

I was going to pass on this set as I don’t really need battle-damaged versions of characters, but when I saw Mr. Fantastic’s “stretch attack” accessory, I was intrigued. Now this set has become my unexpected favorite of the bunch.

Mr. Fantastic has some battle-damage detail on his costume, which I wished he didn’t have as I don’t have any Fantastic Four minimates yet. But if you already have him in his non-damaged costume, he’s still worth it for his accessory! Let me just say I love the “stretch attack” accessory he comes with. It is pretty much a solid piece, hollow in the inside, and  you can put another Minimate in it to show how Reed can wrap around his opponent. Standard minimate bodies fit well inside the accessory, bulkier ones however don’t fit as well. I had to take apart World War Hulk’s legs for him to fit in there. Still, I like the creativity of the accessory, and it is a great display option.

World War Hulk has the same torso “extender” that Thor has, with the taller feet segments for added height. Normal sized feet are also included in the set, along with his sword, which can attach to a peg on his back. I like the “mop top” hairpiece he has.

This set is another Toys R Us exclusive.

Overall another good wave to add to the Marvel Minimates Collection. Modern Thor and Mohawk Storm are welcome additions and Mr. Fantastic’s “stretch attack” accessory was a pleasant surprise. I hope Art Asylum has more creative accessories like this in store for us in the future.  TRU seem to be stocking these in good numbers, two of my local Toys R Us have already had a restock after getting them last week.

The regular series Wave 33 and 34 have started to show up online and I’m looking forward to picking those up!

Among the most anticipated Transformer products since it’s inception in 1984, a G1 styled Arcee is finally here. Designed after the character from the now cancelled “Transformers Animated” on Cartoon Network, this is the first time Arcee has gotten the Cybertronian car mode treatment. Most Transformers fans had a long period of time hoping and [...]]]>

Among the most anticipated Transformer products since it’s inception in 1984, a G1 styled Arcee is finally here. Designed after the character from the now cancelled “Transformers Animated” on Cartoon Network, this is the first time Arcee has gotten the Cybertronian car mode treatment. Most Transformers fans had a long period of time hoping and begging that Hasbro would actually release this figure, and after months (actually probably a year) of waiting, it was announced that Toys R Us would be the exclusive seller of this figure. Is she worth the wait?

There have been wide ranging reports from collectors of quality control issues with this figure, from messy paint jobs, to stress marks on the thumbs and feet, as well as thumbs breaking from holding the swords, and extra plastic flash that needs trimming behind the knees. But with such a long awaited figure finally being released, its easy to forgive these issues once you have one in hand. The paint on mine was very clean, and the metallic sheen to the plastic is amazing. The light piping, as with all Animated figures, is very bright and full of character. This really is one of the best Animated figures to come out, even if she is a little small for a deluxe.

She comes with a few accessories, both of which were  never seen in the show. She has double clear blue swords and 2 giant Rodimus style back fins, both of which are thankfully detachable.

If you can beat the scalpers (and there are plenty of them scalping this figure) and find one of these at your local Toys R Us, then don’t hesitate! Transformers Animated has been a little gem in the Hasbro lineup for the past few years, and with this tail-end release, we can get another little shimmer of that gem.

15-Inch G1-Style Devastator – this monstrous G1-styled Devastator has 46 points of articulation, working LEDs, and details up the wazoo – what, you expected him to be able to transform too? – ends Mar 14, [...]]]>

In AFP’s Border Patrol, we scour active eBay auctions for customized action figures that you won’t want to let slip by!

15-Inch G1-Style Devastator – this monstrous G1-styled Devastator has 46 points of articulation, working LEDs, and details up the wazoo – what, you expected him to be able to transform too? – ends Mar 14, 2010 20:23:27 PDT

G1 Devastator – if you’re in sticker shock from the 15-inch Devastator, you may be able to get this Devastator without selling a kidney, and his limbs can still be transformed – ends Mar 13, 2010 20:26:15 PST

“Iron Man 2: [...]]]> I’ve got the Battle-Damaged Mark III from Hot Toys on pre-order, so I’m glad they’re leading with War Machine for their Iron Man 2 Movie Masterpiece figures. I will try to resist picking up all the various armors that get introduced in this line, but it’s going to be pretty tough to do.

“Iron Man 2: War Machine teaser” by Hot Toys

The highly anticipated Iron Man 2 collectibles are coming for preview before movie launches!

Hot Toys Iron Man 2 War Machine Teaser

Taking the lead is the well-received character War Machine. Can’t wait for the real-like collectible figure?

Ready for preview now? Here’s the teaser for fans! More are coming!

via Facebook | Hot Toys’s Photos – Iron Man 2: War Machine teaser.

DC Universe Classics All Star figures are hitting the toy aisles! Mattel and Toys R Us have dropped a surprise exclusive Batman on us and Nightwing is one of the All Stars currently shipping in DCUC 12 cases. It’s exciting to see Mattel using the All Star platform to release variations of popular characters as [...]]]>

DC Universe Classics All Star figures are hitting the toy aisles! Mattel and Toys R Us have dropped a surprise exclusive Batman on us and Nightwing is one of the All Stars currently shipping in DCUC 12 cases. It’s exciting to see Mattel using the All Star platform to release variations of popular characters as well as older/hard to get figures. Hopefully we’ll see the elusive DCUC 5 figures get the All Star treatment soon.

Nightwing

The DC Universe Classics All Star Nightwing is a great reissue of the very hard to find/viciously scalped DCUC 3 version. The downside is that this Nightwing will cost you a little more and doesn’t come with the Grundy part. My good friend Xavion2004 hooked me up with this particular DCUC AS Nightwing (thanks, Bro!) and it is far superior to the DCUC 3 version that I own. The joints are tight and sturdy feeling, the blue paint apps are vibrant and the black parts are all the same shade. I didn’t realize that his boots and gloves were supposed to have a shiny finish until I got this figure. My only gripes with this figure are that his hands don’t hold his batons as tightly as they should and (like the DCUC 3 NW) his head sits a little too low. Other than that, he is hand candy.

Batman

Another Batman?! Hell yeah, don’t even try to resist buying it. I know he’s the same figure as the Gotham City 5 and DCUC 11 AS Batman but dammit, (IMHO) that big bat symbol and muted color belt really make the Toys R Us DCUC Exclusive Batman look a ka-jillion times better. This is my favorite “stock” Batman now but I can’t help thinking that if Mattel had opted to pack in an assortment of different batarangs or different bat-accessories instead of the bat-grapple gun and big clunky batarang that came with the DCUC 1 Batman, it would’ve added a bit more “bang for the collector’s buck”. I guess I should cut Mattel some slack though, times are hard and Mattel is probably just scraping by these days…  Bottom line about the DCUC TRU Exclusive Batman; coolest DCUC Batman yet.

As I said above, I’m very jazzed that Mattel is using the All Star line to release variant decos of characters. I’d bet there are more than a few collectors that would love to see the variants that got cut from earlier waves, modern Red Tornado and Guardian for example, shipped as All Stars. As for re-releases, considering how much better made the AS Nightwing is over the initial DCUC 3 one, older, hard to find figures like Sinestro (both) and all of DCUC 5 would benefit greatly from the All Star redux.

We’ll be sure to highlight the Minimates robots auctions when the first auctions start in [...]]]> This is an extremely cool event in support of a great charity. If you’re a Minimates customizer and love robots, or just someone who wants to help out, reach out for luke314pi at the Charitymates 4 thread on the Minimate Multiverse.

We’ll be sure to highlight the Minimates robots auctions when the first auctions start in April, as well as the main event starting in June.

Customizers Supporting Convoy of Hope

Our 4th annual Charitymates customizing event has begun! Charitymates is an annual charity event held at the Minimate Multiverse. During this event, Minimate customizers (veteran and novice alike) create and donate a Minimate custom based on a theme chosen by the community. These one-of-a-kind creations are then auctioned off on eBay with 75% of the proceeds going to a specific charity (also chosen by the community) and the remaining 25% helping with the operation costs of the Minimate Multiverse.

This year’s theme is A Convoy of Robots Supporting Convoy of Hope. Customizers will create unique robot Minimates limited only by their imagination. If you are interested in participating, head on over to the Charitymates 4 thread at MMV. We already have 21 customizers who have pledged to make a custom, and we are hoping we can get even more participants before the June 1st deadline. Most of the artists who have participated in the past are returning again this year, providing an all-star line-up of talented customizers. And our charity of choice, Convoy of Hope, needs donations now more than ever. They are currently providing food, clean water, and supplies to victims of the earthquake in Chile. You can read more about Convoy of Hope on their web site here.

The finished customs will be posted on our brand new web site at Charitymates.com. This site will also feature information on the upcoming auctions for this annual event, where you will have a chance to own an amazing custom and help a worthy cause at the same time. And while the annual Charitymates event will be our main focus, our web site will also auction off one custom Minimate each month for charity. The first of these smaller auctions will be coming in April. We hope that you will stop by our site from time to time and check out the cool customs the Minimate customizing community is creating for a good cause.

For more information, please visit Charitymates.com.

We learned at Toy Fair that the second series of Retro-Action DC Super Heroes would include Batman (masked and unmasked), Two-Face, Aquaman, and Black Manta. I read on Raving Toy Maniac this morning that Amazon has the 3rd series listed – if these Retro DC Super Heroes listings on Amazon are correct, series 3 will [...]]]>

We learned at Toy Fair that the second series of Retro-Action DC Super Heroes would include Batman (masked and unmasked), Two-Face, Aquaman, and Black Manta. I read on Raving Toy Maniac this morning that Amazon has the 3rd series listed – if these Retro DC Super Heroes listings on Amazon are correct, series 3 will include:

• Wonder Woman
• Cheetah
• Flash
• Captain Cold

I was chatting with some of the guys about taking pictures of action figures – a hobby near and dear to my heart, in case you hadn’t noticed. We got onto the subject of backgrounds. I’ve used plain dark backgrounds for dramatic lighting and plain light backgrounds to highlight the figures. And there’s guys like [...]]]>

I was chatting with some of the guys about taking pictures of action figures – a hobby near and dear to my heart, in case you hadn’t noticed. We got onto the subject of backgrounds. I’ve used plain dark backgrounds for dramatic lighting and plain light backgrounds to highlight the figures. And there’s guys like Sandman, who build elaborate sets for his photo shoots – see Sandman’s recent pictorial reviews for some mind-blowing shots.

There’s another type of background – the photo backdrop. A simple photo backdrop can provide the effect of a three-dimensional environment without having to build one. That’s the subject of this how-to article.

What you’ll need:

• A photo that includes a portion of the ground or floor
• Photo editing software, like Photoshop or Gimp
• A color printer
• Cardboard
• Tape

To start us off, we want to find a suitable picture to use as the basis for our background. For this one I did an online image search for “sewer tunnels” and came across this image by designer Chris Drysdale. I didn’t ask for permission to use the image, so I hope Chris doesn’t mind. What makes this picture work is that it’s got an interesting background, but it also includes some of the sewer tunnel floor in the foreground. To create the 3D effect, we need some of that ground showing.

First, in the leftmost picture, I cropped the image to keep the portion of it I want to use as the backdrop. There were some additional supports that continued on the left side that I thought might look odd on the part of the image I want to use as the “floor,” so I cut those out.

I show in the middle picture the area of the shot I am using for the “floor” in red. A general rule of thumb that I’ve found to work is that you want the “floor” to consist of about the bottom third of the overall background.

The picture on the right shows the image after I used the photo editing software to stretch out the “floor” – since the “floor” is going to be perpendicular to the background portion of the picture, by stretching it out you will be using perspective to create the illusion of a continuous background. It’s like recreating the third dimension from the 2D image you started with.

To make this easier to print, I set the image size to be 8 1/2 by 11-inches (letter size) in landscape mode, and then double the canvas height. The background portion (the part not shaded red above) is what I put into the top half of the image, then I stretch out the “floor” portion to fill the bottom half of the image. Then I split the two halves and print each onto a letter-sized page.

After you print out the top and bottom halves, it’s onto assembly. First, trim the white borders off the edges where the backdrop will come together. Then tape the two halves together on the blank backside.

Cut some cardboard backing – this can be either two pieces you can tape together or a single piece you can fold. Then tape your printed images onto the cardboard. You will probably need something to prop up the back of your backdrop – I just use whatever carded figure I have sitting around from that pile of unopened figures that my wife hates. And that’s it – you’re ready to add some figures and take pictures.

Here’s some more shots using this backdrop. Now go make one of your own and send me some pictures!

I think the direction they’re taking this fall with the Pursuit of Cobra line is interesting, but the Sarge here has me jonesing for more classic-styled figures.

Personally, [...]]]> When we saw Mike Deodato’s Marvel Universe card art, it begged the question of whether we’d be getting a Norman Osborne figure in his HAMMER outfit. Now we know that he’s just one of three choices for the exclusive figure that will be offered to Marvel Digital Comics subscribers, like Nick Fury was last year.

Personally, I think that X-Force Archangel and Dark Avengers Ms. Marvel (Karla Sofen) are easy variants for Hasbro to make for the upcoming Archangel and existing Ms. Marvels, so I hope that people vote for Norman. At least we’d be getting a new Norman Osborn head (if we aren’t getting one with the upcoming Iron Patriot figure already.)

Vote for the Next Exclusive Marvel Universe Figure

We want YOU to help us pick the next action figure to be offered exclusively to Digital Comics subscribers

Last year, fans far and wide went bananas for the Nick Fury Marvel Universe action figure offered exclusively to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited subscribers. And now, for 2010, we want YOU to help decide which figure new subscribers will receive.

Your choices are Archangel in his current X-Force costume, Norman Osborn in his H.A.M.M.E.R. outfit and Ms. Marvel–the MM from Dark Avengers, aka Karla Sofen, aka Moonstone!

Cast your vote in our official poll now–voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on March 15. Once all the votes are tallied, we’ll let you know which choice won, when it’ll be available and how to get it!

via We want YOU to help us pick the next action figure to be offered exclusively to Digital Comics subscribers | Marvel.com News | Marvel.com.