Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Zootopia Figurine Playset

It's the Zootopia Figurine Playset, featuring 10 figures from the upcoming film.


This is a set of small, detailed, non-posable figures, like we've seen for many other Disney films, such as The Good Dinosaur. The packaging doesn't identify any of the characters, so one or two of them are a bit of a mystery for now.

You can pick it up at your local Disney Store or online at DisneyStore.com. It's also available from Amazon, although like most "Disney Store exclusive" products the price tends to be higher there.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

And seasons greetings and happy new year from BB-8 and from us.


We took BB-8 out to enjoy the holiday weather. We hope you're having fun this season too.

Star Wars Elite Series Rey and BB-8

Presenting Rey and BB-8 from the the Star Wars Elite Series:


These are posable, highly detailed die-cast metal figures. Several accessories are included, and there's an alternate version of the package with one additional SPOILER accessory (we won't show it until the end of the video). Having the two figures and the various accessories makes this a good value compared to others in the Elite Series line.

The best place to buy it is from the Disney store (alternate spoiler version here, sold out as of this writing). Amazon has it also, but currently at a much higher price.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

LEGO Microfighters Homing Spider & Vulture Droids

Two LEGO builds at once! Happy Star Wars day!




The Microfighters sets are small versions of Star Wars vehicles, somewhat comically undersized compared with the mini figures they're paired with. The Homing Spider has articulated legs, and a pressure launch missile under the bottom. The Vulture Droid has wings that can be turned down to more or less get the four-legged walker mode that the droid has.

The stats:
  • Vulture Droid: set 75073, 77 pieces, 19 major instruction steps
  • Homing Spider Droid: set 75077, 102 pieces, 14 major instruction steps
Both sets go for about $10 from various retailers:
* Sold out as of this writing

Friday, December 11, 2015

LEGO Microfighters Snowspeeder

Here is the LEGO Microfighters Snowspeeder, in a step-by-step speed build video.


The Microfighters sets are small versions of Star Wars vehicles, somewhat comically undersized compared with the mini figures they're paired with. The Snowspeeder, like many of the others, includes a couple of pressure launch missiles.

This set has 97 pieces, with 18 major steps in the instructions, so it doesn't take long to build. It also has lots of useful and interesting parts that are great for getting creative.

We got it as part of a 3-pack at Costco, which is now hard to find at a decent price. You're better off getting the individual sets, which are about $10 at Amazon, LEGO.com, Toys R Us, Target, etc.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars Brawl

The Combiner Wars Combaticons have arrived, and we're taking a close look at Brawl.



This is the only completely new mold in this set, so there are some interesting details: nicely articulated feet, loads of molded detail, and a transformation that doesn't leave the entire combiner peg exposed in robot mode.

There are also some issues. The double hinge that makes up the lower torso is indeed a weak link, although it doesn't necessarily get in the way of setting up cool poses. Possibly more bothersome is the non-rotating turret, which is unusual for a Transformers tank.

As of this writing, availability is limited. We got the Combaticon deluxe 4-pack from Big Bad Toy Store; the individual Brawl figure is sold out.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

The Good Dinosaur, part 2 - Plushes and Books

Hey Look! More Good Dino toys!


Haven't you always wanted a cuddly dinosaur? We checked out the stuffed animals at Disney Store and Toys R Us, as well as books from Amazon, Disney Store, and Toys R Us. The Disney Store toys win for durability and playability—the plushes from Toys R Us look like they can't even stand up on their own. Time to sit back, relax, and curl up with a Good Dino book.

Links for plushes:



Links for books: