Tag: Bandai

Weekend Toy Run: Entertainment Earth 4-Inch Action Figure Stands (25 for $6)

With Black Friday approaching, I’ve been getting ready for deals on action figures. So I was psyched to see that Entertainment Earth is running a pre-Black Friday sale. While I was less than enthused by the offerings in the action figure category – less than a dozen in total from Bandai (1), Bif Bang Pow! (7), DC Collectibles (2), and Jazwares (1) – something in the sale did catch my attention. They have stands for 4-inch action figures on sale – 25 stands for $6.

From time to time I get questions from readers on where to find stands. Back in the day, McFarlane sold them online, but stopped several years back. Pro Tech stands have been the de facto stand-in, but start at 44 cents a pop, although they get cheaper in big quantities. But at 24 cents a stand, the EE deal is pretty damn good; the cheapest the Pro Tech stands get are 33 cents each, but you have to buy over 500!

EE has got five color options – clear, white, tan gray, and black. These should work with all your Hasbro 4-inchers – G.I. JOEs, Marvel Universe, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones (although I don’t know many who have these) – and 4-inchers from other lines, like Playmates Star Trek figures.

Hopefully we’ll see some better deals as the week progresses, but for now, cheap stands are a decent start. Happy shopping!

STGCC 2014: Frank Kozik Interview by Jedd Jong

On the eve of New York Comic Con, I’m doing a bit of catch-up on a piece that our good friend Jedd sent in several weeks back, during the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention. It’s a great interview with designer toy icon Frank Kozik. Be sure to check out Jedd’s own site, The Movie and Me, for his full coverage of STGCC and much more.

Frank Kozik with Marvel Labbit Rocket Raccoon - Image Credit: Vinyl Pulse
Frank Kozik with Marvel Labbit Rocket Raccoon – Image Credit: Vinyl Pulse

Artist and designer Frank Kozik is known in collectible art circles as the creator of the Labbit, but it also famous as a poster designer who created artwork for bands such as The White Stripes, Pearl Jam, The Beastie Boys and Nirvana. The commercial artwork he has done includes work for Nike, Swatch and MTV. Kozik was in Singapore as a guest of the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention (STGCC) and I got to sit down with him to discuss his work. He was somewhat intimidating and frank and off-the-cuff, giving a detailed description of how Labbit came to be (it involves booty calls) and offering a surprising, piece of advice to aspiring artists.

Jedd Jong: What was the genesis of Labbit; how did you conceptualise that?

Frank Kozik: That’s an interesting story. In the mid-90s, I was going to Japan quite a bit, I was working with the people there. When I went over there for the first time, I was really in Sanrio products, was really into like Hello Kitty and Keroppi and stuff, I thought it was very interesting, the stuff they were doing. I liked how they did the characters, it was like super-perfect. What’s interesting is in Japan then, it was just something for low-class people. These were are sort of like snotty Shinjuku fashion dudes, right? And they’re like “what do you want to do, do you want to do cocaine on top of a mountain?” and I’m like “no, I want to go to Kitty Land!” And they all just thought I was crazy, they were like “what?!” They couldn’t understand, it was such a low thing for them. And I tried to explain it, I said “look, there’s something really interesting here. It’s like super-perfect way to develop a character,” like you got to get beyond who buys it. In the US, it became a really big cult thing.

Continue reading “STGCC 2014: Frank Kozik Interview by Jedd Jong”

Bandai S.H.Figuarts Makes Batman and Joker from Injustice Look Awesome

Remember when Mattel started adding figures from Injustice to their Batman and DC Unlimited lines (the “successors” to DC Universe Classics)? As the figures arrived on shelves, I remember thinking how awful the costume designs were. Having never played the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game, maybe my opinion was uninformed. And now, these upcoming Batman and Joker figures from Bandai in their S.H. Figuarts line, I’m loving the Injustice looks.

Maybe it’s just the execution that counts. The Mattel figures looked horrible and stiff – these look gorgeous and look like they’ll move even better. Granted, the Batman design is for an alternate Injustice costume. And Mattel’s price was under $20, while these are listed at nearly $60 – more than the price I usually see for Figuarts. Still, when the pre-orders show up, I’ll be hard-pressed to resist. These are slated to arrive in December.

Continue reading “Bandai S.H.Figuarts Makes Batman and Joker from Injustice Look Awesome”

Bandai Announces S.H. Figuarts Uzumaki Naruto

When Toynami announced they were retiring their Naruto line last October, I know that Sandman was bummed. Well, he’ll be excited to hear that Bandai is making an Uzumaki Naruto figure in its S.H. Figuarts line… but he might not be too happy for his wallet – the SRP converted from Yen is about $42. The figure is due out in July this year.

Continue reading “Bandai Announces S.H. Figuarts Uzumaki Naruto”

S.H. Figuarts Super Mario Looks Nothing Like Bob Hoskins

I know someone, somewhere, feels like he’s been jumped on by a 300 pound plumber because Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts Super Mario is from the video game, not the movie. Not me! I had really been looking forward to seeing this figure (and its accessory packs) at Toy Fair, before our trip was cancelled due to the weather.

Now Bandai has released more pics of Super Mario on the S.H.Figuarts Facebook page, and now I’m looking forward to owning the Mario that will out-jump all other Mario figures. You can pre-order the S.H. Figuarts Super Mario for $24.99, and the two accessory packs (Diorama Set A and Diorama Set B) for $19.99 each, at Entertainment Earth. These are all expected to arrive this July.

Continue reading “S.H. Figuarts Super Mario Looks Nothing Like Bob Hoskins”

Scroll Up