Black Series Archives - Page 11 of 16

Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Han Solo First Look

Had a rough night (NYC taxi cab drove off with our luggage) but Hasbro eased some of our hurt by giving us an early look at the Star Wars Black Series 6-inch Han Solo as part of their goodie bag for the Hasbro “Night Before” party. Between calls to the NYC TLC (the organization that licenses the taxis), the cab company, and the NYPD, I snapped a couple of quick shots.

Han is part of wave 2, which is due in late November. You can pre-order the Star Wars Black Series Han Solo and the other figures from wave 2 from Amazon.com.

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Weekend Toy Run: AFP Toys for Tots Auction for SDCC Star Wars Black Series Boba Fett

Normally, when I have some extra goodies available I’d put them up for a Free Stuff giveaway, because it’s a great way to generate publicity for AFP. I happen to have one of the exclusive Star Wars Black Series Boba Fett, with Han Solo in carbonite here. I was lucky enough to pick one up for myself at SDCC, but when I saw them available on HasbroToyShop, I put in an order for two more. The idea was that I’d be able to get them to get them to collectors that weren’t as lucky.

One of them went to SpyMagician from Spy Monkey Creations (check out their Weaponeers of Monkaa). The other was going to go to another friend, but he managed to pick one up on his own. And while I also had it available to trade for awhile, I decided, given the rarity of the figure, to try something different. So I have Boba Fett and his Han Solo paper weight up on eBay, with a portion of the proceeds going to Toys for Tots.

Star Wars Black Series Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite SDCC exclusive

It’s up with a penny starting bid, no reserve, and free shipping (U.S. only – sorry, international fans). Toys for Tots will get 25% of the proceeds right from the closing price, set up directly through eBay. The way I’ve planned it, if it closes for around what they’re going for right now, then Toys for Tots will get little chunk of change, I’ll cover the cost of the figure and the shipping and eBay fees, and a collector will get a hard-to-find exclusive. Of course, it could also go horribly wrong – but even if it goes for cheap, it’ll still be in a collector’s hands, much like if I did a Free Stuff giveaway – so that wouldn’t be so bad either.

So if you’re still looking for the SDCC exclusive Boba Fett, or just looking to help out Toys for Tots, please consider making a bid. For more pics, check out Sandman’s Boba Fett Quick Pics from SDCC. Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Soapbox Sunday: What’s Wrong with Mattel’s New DC Retail Lines?

A couple of weeks ago, I posed the question if Hasbro could revitalize the G.I. JOE brand by launching a new 6-inch action figure line. I reasoned that if the Star Wars team could make it work with the Black Series and the Marvel team could go the other way (from 6-inch to 4-inch) with Marvel Universe, then it could work for Joes too.

DC Total Heroes Superman (6-inch scale) and DC Comics Multiverse Deadshot (3.75-inch scale)

This past week I got my first look at Mattel’s attempt to breathe new life into their DC Comics license at retail with the DC Total Heroes and DC Comics Multiverse lines as pre-orders went live online. And good Grodd – I dislike them so much I want them to fail. Now I’m left wondering – are my feelings unfounded, making me a hypocrite? Why should I want to see this happen for G.I. JOE when I can’t stand Mattel’s attempt to do the same?

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STGCC 2013: Interview with Nathan Hamill by Jedd

Here’s a wrap-up of Jedd’s STGCC coverage with an interview with Nathan Hamill, artist and toy designer, who coincidentally is one of Mark Hamill’s kids. He talks with Jedd about toys, art, comics, and, yes, a little bit about Star Wars.

Jedd: Welcome to Singapore!

Nathan: Thank you!

Are you having a good time so far?

Excellent. First time here and it’s stunning, it’s incredible. The weather was perfect yesterday; it’s great so far.

I had a look at your Twitter feed, really cool stuff. Beneath your handle, it says “I makes what I likes.” What do you think has been the most rewarding thing of living by that maxim?

Yeah, “I makes what I likes” is just… first of all, I think it’s funny because it’s using improper English, which makes me laugh. Like “I makes what I likes,” yeah… I try to keep it as simple as that. So yeah, my motto, “I makes what I likes,” at the end of the day it should come down to whether or not it’s something that you enjoy, not to be too convoluted about what your themes and what your concepts are. Yeah, that stuff is good and fine but I guess I’m trying to… you know, take things less seriously.

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Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 Quick Pic with Backdrop How To

As someone who never got to collect Star Wars action figures as a kid (I was so deprived, right? ;-)), it’s been a real pleasure getting the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series figures. With Gentle Giant acting as the design studio much like the Four Horsemen have from DC Universe Classics, what the first wave has given us is a very good mix of detailed sculpt and articulation, with serviceable paint apps. The result is a group of action figures that look great and are very photogenic, and I’ve enjoyed snapping pictures of them.

One shot I wanted was Luke and Artoo in a flight hangar, before their run at the Death Star. I think the shot of the figures came out nicely, but the backdrop was only a limited success. In this post, I’ll share how this shot was created.

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