Category: Events

San Diego Comic-Con, Toy Fair, and other regional event coverage

Toy Fair 2011 – Mezco DC Mez-Itz and Thundercats Lion-O

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I have been a big fan of Mezco from back when they were making Hellboy action figures from the movies and comics. But that time was a very different environment for toy manufacturers – today, it’s much harder for a smaller company to navigate through the tougher economic conditions and the shift to bigger licensing deals. Sure, Mezco has the Living Dead Dolls to keep them going, but I was really psyched when they were able to carve out a niche in the DC license to make Mez-Itz.

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Toy Fair 2011 – Hasbro Star Wars Report

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I’ve got to get to the Javits Center for the main Toy Fair exhibit and Mattel’s presentation later this afternoon, so I’ll be brief – the Star Wars juggernaut is unstoppable. In 2011, we’ll see more Vintage figures, more Clone Wars, more vehicles, and a transition from Galactic Heroes to Galactic Force (a bigger, articulated figure still aimed at kids).

The big item this year is the Republic Attack Shuttle vehicle / playset, and another big item is a set of 12 Vintage figures plus 2 bonus mini-figures that are branded Revenge of the Jedi.

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Toy Fair 2011 – Hasbro GI Joe Report (and Indiana Jones special)

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Unfortunately, Joe fans, it sounds like the GI Joe brand is tightening up a little in 2011. The official word is that the line will be more “focused” – my personal take on this is that the Pursuit of Cobra lineup didn’t revive the line enough after the the Rise of Cobra movie figures took a beating at retail.

There is good news on the horizon, though. The GI Joe Renegades show on the Hub has launched, and I think Hasbro has made a good decision that the Renegades figures, which will ship this fall as part of the main line with art from the show to distinguish it, are intended to fit in with the rest of the line. Renegades figures will have deco that matches the show’s color palette, but will leverage the existing Joe tooling with some new Renegades parts.

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Toy Fair 2011 – Hasbro Marvel Report – Avengers Assemble!

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Earlier this evening, I covered the Marvel Universe / Legends portion of Hasbro’s Marvel presentation from their collectors event today. But with two potential blockbuster movies coming this summer, Hasbro has a lot to offer with their Thor and Captain America product lines. This year is all about laying the Avengers foundation – because 2012 will see a the movie franchises coming together in the Avengers movie – and that will unite Thor and Cap with Iron Man and Hulk. I’d be lying if that doesn’t fill my inner Marvel fan boy with glee – and not a small amount of trepidation that it gets screwed up. But hey – even if the movies don’t pan out, at least we’ll have some awesome toys!

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