Toy Fair 2013 : A MattyCollector Preview

With some ingenious sleuthing from our friends at collector-actionfigures.com, we get a look at all those awesome plastics awaiting us this Sunday...TODAY! Masters of the Universe, DC Comics, WWE, Batman, The Watchmen, She-Ra all wait for us with new figures to drool over and set aside entire paychecks for. ...And do I need to mention Castle Grayskull??!! Let's take a look at what is sure to be just a sampling of Sunday's event...

For Masters of the Universe/ She-Ra...We've got Batros, Castaspella, Icer, Mantenna, Shakoti, New Adventures He-Man and the massive prototype for Castle Grayskull!

Toy Fair 2013 : Barbie in 2013 & Malibu Dreamhouse Up For Sale

It seems Barbie either saw the Iron Man 3 trailer and decided she should get out of Malibu before The Mandarin blows up her posh digs ...or she was hit by the economy even after working over 60 jobs this year. Either explanation is funny.

Malibu, California's most fashionable resident is moving. Today Barbie® officially put her coastal Dreamhouse® on the market and is packing up her three-story pink palace – signaling the launch of a year-long global brand campaign. With the help of her realtor-to-the-stars Josh Altman, the impressively scaled Barbie® Dreamhouse® is currently listed on the market for $25 million*. Over the next few months, Barbie® will embark on a worldwide tour to find a new dream home.

Toy Fair 2013 : A Monster High Teaser

We are getting down the the wire..mere days away from the "official" kick off of the New York Toy Fair 2013....but the reveals just aren't stopping...and I am sleepy. Sooooo sleepy. NO REST FOR THE WICKED ...and especially no rest allowed when new Monster High images drop in our lap. I'll sleep next week.

Mattel is set to fill your lives with ghoulish teens ...living...loving...eating brains. Have they done the episode where they eat all the kids in the rival human high school down the road? Been waiting for that one. While we don't seem any closer to blood splattered Monster High dolls, there are quite a few things coming for 2013. Here's a small sample...

Toy Fair 2013 : New Licenses for Diamond Select

This weekend, Toy Fair International begins at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Not open to the public, the event allows toy manufacturers to present their new offerings to buyers from retail stores around the world, and it always offers fans the first look at the hottest toys of the year. Well, this year Diamond Select Toys will once again be in attendance, and once again they will have plenty on display to dazzle fans!

Toy Fair 2013 : Disney Owns Toy Fair

With a string of hotly anticipated movies on the way and more a bit off in the distance as well as mega popular TV shows and cartoons, it will be difficult to NOT see Disney merchandise at every turn. Here's a look at what we can expect!

Innovation, creativity and powerful storytelling are the hallmarks of the 2013 toy line from Disney Consumer Products (DCP).

Some of the most innovative toys are from the new Monsters University toy collection and include features like sound and light detection technology and facial sync technology to allow for more interactive play than ever before, while The Little Mermaid and Disney Junior toy lines incorporate music and character voices to bring the products to life.

Sparking imagination, these toys capture the magic of playtime with evergreen play patterns. Here is a highlight of the top products from DCP for 2013

Toy Fair 2013 : Cheetara Joins Mezco's Thundercats

As heard at the Mezco Toy Fair preview "The most common remark followed by a question we get at shows..Wow..~insert name of newest TCats piece~ looks excellent. Are you going to do more?" Indeed..there were more..and on the shelves at Toys R Us no less! Where Bandai met with great difficulties with their classic and modern Thundercats action figure lines, Mezco has persevered and won the fluttering hearts of many a geek still holding their 80's cartoon loves on their collective sleeves.

Toy Fair 2013 : Mezco's Creepy Kids and Cuddlers

Mezco is one of those companies founded on the backs of hard working horror fans...those that create the genius plastics and plush and those that pour their money into their creations to they too may celebrate their love of spooky in the comfort of their own homes. That said, it wouldn't be Toy Fair without Mezco showing off 2 to 3 lines of creepy collectibles! We'll start with their longest running doll line...Living Dead Dolls...

Living Dead Dolls Series 25 hits this May 2013 with...
Cracked Jack - What prize lies inside of this little boy's coffin? One that can be applied and eyed by others often.
Luna - By the light of the moon rises this once dead chick to unleash her bloody rage in silvery light.. she's a lunatic.
Gretchen - A plague claimed her life but still, she could not lie. This poor little peasant girl was just too busy to die.
Sospirare - The second of three sisters who pollutes our world. The offspring of a witch who had three little girls. Sospirare is also known as the black queen. Among Sighs and whispers is where she is seen.
Asa - Accusations of devil Worship sealed this beauty's fate so she cast an evil spell.. A curse of death and hate.

Toy Fair 2013 : Mezco's Axe Cop

Based on a webcomic that turned into a print comic that turned into a web based animation that turned into an animated tv show soon to be on Fox, Axe cop features some of the most outlandish characters ever seen. How outlandish? Well, besides the titular axe wielding cop, there is a t-rex with machine gun arms, an avacado unicorn, and soldiers made of poo. Mezco’s Drake indicated that Mezco has a long history of producing poo based characters and with their Mr Hanky of South Park they have cornered the poo toy market. “No other toy company besides Mezco will be offering three separate poo based characters in 2013 “ said Drake. Mezco will be producing both 3.75 inch figures and plush characters for the series.


You'll note this isn't the first time Mezco have taken on an Indie Comic, breathing life into an action figure series for The Goon some years back along side comic versions of Hellboy and company. One look at those, and these prototypes, and you'll agree any comic creator would consider themselves lucky to have Mezco crank out collectibles of their characters.

Toy Fair 2013 : Mezco Breaking Bad Take 2

We've had our first taste of "Official" Toy Fair 2013 action, courtesy of Mezco toys, so we thought we'd kick off their coverage with a line they are most proud of..and for good reason. Breaking Bad contains some of the best sculpts I've seen come out of Mezco yet...not to mention the best likeness I've seen from any company in a while. Killer job!

We last took a look at this line at UK Toy Fair, at which was the Walt in a Hazmat Suit action figure. Welp, that figure hasn't quite made it home yet. It seems when you write "Hazmat" on a box, customs feels the need to take a look inside. Silly customs. Mezco's Breaking Bad line will include...

Toy Fair 2013 : Lone Ranger Action Figures

Our friend Rick E @blanka1212 on Twitter asked us if we knew anyone besides LEGO who might be making Lone Ranger toys. We gather he's wanting some legit action figures. Our latest look around the world of plastics revealed a familiar friend that just announced some new licenses..and now.. one more...mayyybe.

Toy Fair 2013 : Skylanders Swap Force

In just over a year, the novel concept of bringing toys to life has made Skylanders one of the most beloved and successful children's video game franchises of all time1, establishing a new category in family entertainment. Today, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), revealed Skylanders SWAP Force, the next installment in the popular franchise, which will be featured at Toy Fair 2013, February 10-13 at the Javits Center in New York City, in booth 3061.

SWAP Force builds upon the success of the franchise's signature gameplay with an all-new innovative play pattern -- swapability -- that gives kids more choice than ever before by letting  them swap the top and bottom halves of the toys to create their own characters. The game lets Portal Masters reconfigure 16 SWAP Force characters into more than 250 unique combinations. Kids can mix and match characters' powers and moves, and then bring them to life in the game.   Fans of the franchise also can play Skylanders SWAP Force with their entire collection of characters from both Skylanders Spyro's Adventure® and Skylanders GiantsTM, now with the added capability of jumping.

Toy Fair 2013 : Character's Doctor Who, Scooby-Doo & More

OK we are going to fly through this article because I'm juggling 3 jobs including Toy Fair coverage for Idle Hands and I don't want to leave any UK Toy Fair coverage unpublished!!  Of course that means digging through some more somewhat fuzzy pictures if only for the sake of allowing those die hard collectors out there spot the things they've never seen before and droooool...and then demand better pictures of course. You're so needy. Let's just zip right through this, shall we?

SO! All of this info is just going to be me babbling about the pictures as the gentleman who sent them over took no notes and said he was lucky to be allowed to shoot any pictures at all only after mentioning there were pictures everywhere already. Smart boy that one. We'll kick things off with Doctor Who as Character Options celebrates the 50th Anniversary with Brit flag emblazoned Daleks and Limited Edition Iconic Scenes Collector Sets..which is a fancy name for PLAYSETS!!!  Yes, my friends, companies seem to finally be catching on that we demand environments in which we can make pew pew noises like we did when we were wee lil ones. Sure, they seem like just cardboard dioramas, but we'll take what we can get. Baby steps.

Toy Fair 2013 : Mattel in the DC Universe

To some it would look like Mattel is winding down with their DC Comics action figure creations. To others, it may seem as if they had a whole new world to mine...and Elseworlds as well. Let's take a really quick look at some upcoming waves of super beings and the little bitty pieces of information we have to go with them. Now most of these figures will be old news to die hard DC figure fans, so why waste our time? A fellow named ws_toys on ebay has provided images of these figures in the final production stage..or at least close to it!

For the foreseeable future...and before the rain of new releases at the New York International Toy Fair, here's what we've got to look forward to...

Toy Fair 2013 : Factory Entertainment on Game of Thrones

Before we begin...yes, Dark Horse still seems to have the main Game of Thrones license. It looks like Factory Entertainment picked up everything else! I'll also point out that while Action Figures are still absent from this lineup, Dark Horse did express an interest in making some waaay back when  they first picked up the license and with all your yelling for toys, 'm sure they are on top of it. of course, we'll know more on that soon. For now, let's continue with the Factory entertainment infos (thanks for the tip from ToyNewsI!)...

Factory Entertainment, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with HBO (Home Box Office, Inc.) to produce a line of collectibles across several categories from the Emmy award winning television series Game of Thrones.

Toy Fair 2013 : A NECA Preview

We are a few days away from our first "official" Toy Fair 2013 appointment, but the news is still dropping like mad and we are scrambling like fools to scoop it up! Today, we got a tip on three new action figure properties coming from the masters of movie plastics; NECA. We had some fun speculating on what licenses were available and NECA came up more than a couple of times as the ones to watch. It turns out they've deffinately got some new action up their sleeves...

Pacific Rim: We'd been told NECA had this license, but that doesn't diminish out excitement for a line of toys based on giant Kaiju monsters battling massive Yeager robots one bit. Live Action Evangelion? Yes, please. NECA will kick off their line with three 7 inch "DX" figures of Knifehead Kaiju (a massive monster that surfaces from 5 miles below the sea), Yeager "Gipsy Danger" and Yeager "Crimson Typhoon".

Toy Fair 2013 : The WB Push Looney Tunes

Can you recall the last time you saw Looney Tunes merchandise on the shelves at your local toy stores? Man...was it DC Direct that had a line ages ago? If that's the case, those were only in comic shops and specialty retailers. Warner Brothers stores had some fantastic vinyl figures as well...but those days are long gone and the WB shops are closed, and with a new cartoon on the air that does NOT feature cracked out extreeeeme versions of their iconic characters, we need new toys!

Toy Fair 2013 : Classic Batman is Back

Fans of the Batman Classic TV Series will be doing the Batusi when WBCP and its licensing partners give them a first glimpse at the all-new licensing program for the fan-favorite live-action series.  Sure to ensnare the eyes of collectors and ignite the nostalgia for the 60’s series is the Mattel vintage-styled Batman Ken® and Catwoman Barbie® collection, and a BATMAN™ Classic TV Series 6” Figure Assortment, BATMAN™ Classic TV Series TV Moments 2 Pack, as well as a BATMAN™ Classic TV Series Batmobile.  Rubie’s will introduce a line of costumes based on series favorites including Batman, Robin, Catwoman, The Riddler, and The Joker.  Additional licensees supporting the Batman Classic TV Series include Funko with stylized figures and plush; Mezco with colorfully detailed vinyl figures; NECA with an 18-inch action figure; Round 2 with model kits; Cryptozoic Entertainment with trading cards; and a variety of high-end collectibles from Noble Collection, Sideshow Collectibles, TriForce, Kotobukiya, Medicom and Hot Toys.  The Mattel Hot Wheels® brand will rev-up with a high-end Elite Scale Batmobile inspired by the 1966 hot-rod in the series for the true collector; along with many other toy partners who will help bring to life this cultural phenomenon with a Zap! Bam! Pow!

We've still got a small mountain of UK Toy Fair goodness to sort through as the companies begin to send us all their teasers and pre-show reveals, so keep checking back often and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/idlehandsblog or https://twitter.com/nomadixxx (if you want your news faster and don't mind mildly psycho chatter.)

You can also dive into our picture galleries as they go live RIGHT HERE!

Toy Fair 2013 : Aardman Superman

We almost never do one whole article for one action figure, but in this instance, we'll make an exception. When they released the Aardman Batman figure as a New York Comic Con exclusive, people were not surprised. It is such a unique thing, surely DC Collectibles had to sell it directly to the uber fans. When they announced a Aardman Batman and Robin 2 pack would be dropping this May, you could practically hear the manic clapping in the distance, but, happy with this wide release and an extra figure to boot, people thought that would be the end of it. Today...we bring you...Aardman Superman. Looking oh so slothenly in the face of all those heroic, barrel chested action figures we showed off earlier today, Aardman Superman looks content to eat cookies and..well..not much else! My kinda guy.

DC Collectibles are sure to show off all manor of PVC Statues, busts and full size statues for Superman: Man of Steel...but nothing will top Aardman Superman. No sir.

We've still got a small mountain of UK Toy Fair goodness to sort through as the companies begin to send us all their teasers and pre-show reveals, so keep checking back often and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/idlehandsblog or https://twitter.com/nomadixxx (if you want your news faster and don't mind mildly psycho chatter.)

You can also dive into our picture galleries as they go live RIGHT HERE!

Toy Fair 2013 : Jazwares Adventure Time & Regular Show Lineups

OK...you've got your zombie fix for the week. NOW we take a dip into Cartoon Network waters. Jazwares blew my mind this year with their Regular Show toy line, exploring nearly every awesome episode's key moment in action figure perfection. Why they don't spend that sort of effort on Adventure Time is beyond me. IT'S ONLY THE MOST POPULAR CARTOON ON THE PLANET!! Have they kicked into high gear this year and given Adventure Time the spectacular toy line it deserves? Let's find out! Here are the lineups. We've omitted the stuff we knew was out already...

Toy Fair 2013 : Jazwares on World War Z

Remember that article where we thought NECA might be the perfect company for a World War Z action figure line? Well it seems someone else had their eyes set on the undead prize. Jazwares made a big noise this year with releases of Nicktoons, Hanna Barbera, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter AND Scribblenauts toy lines...all at once. Though their Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat lines turned up in the Boy's Action Figure isles of Toys R Us, Jazwares must have felt an urge to take a slice of the horror action as well.


This is a 6 inch action figure line...providing yet another scale to your mismatched zombie horde. ~sigh~ You'll note all of NECA and Mezco's zombie action figures are in a 7 inch scale while McFarlane's The Walking Dead line is at 5 inches. Good news for the Marvel Legends and DC Universe Classics collectors though, I suppose.