Just because San Diego Comic-Con 2020 was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t mean some of the convention exclusives won’t still be available, for those who know where to look. One of the best ideas we’ve seen from exclusives previewed so far is from Diamond Select and Entertainment Earth, and it hails from one of our favorite retro fixes: the groundbreaking 1982 sci-fi classic Tron. What says 1982 and Tron more than a VHS clamshell? Wait, it’s not just a clamshell…
Looking for your next game to keep you family occupied this spring? Gamemaker Usaopoly has a recently released board game for fans of Bruce Willis’s John McClane and the Die Hard franchise. It’s the Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game. While you’re sheltering at home (you’re doing that, right?) you can order the game from two good sources we found: Amazon here and Entertainment Earth here. Bookmark this link to Entertainment Earth for future reference, because as Amazon reprioritizes shipments, it may be the quickest shipping method for the coming months for all your game and toy purchases.
The Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game is a one-versus-one, two, or three players game of stealth, combat, and action-tactics, following the story of the original Die Hard film. The game has several components and plays out with cards and tokens in a sequence of three acts. One player is John McClane and the rest play thieves, moving through Nakatomi Plaza, while the thieves try to stop him and break into the vault. Thieves proceed to break six locks to get to the seventh level, when the FBI breaks in. McClane must complete objectives to get to each new level.
Players have shoot and punch attack actions, and McClane sneaks around the board–yep, walking through glass. Thieves get “line of sight” to draw blood (not “first” blood, that’s a different movie). Thieves get reinforcements, and McClane can get radio support. The game ends when McClane dies, the thieves break into the vault, or McClane kills Hans Gruber.
Following the designs created under Daniel Falconer, art director and senior concept designer for Weta Workshop, the famed creation house of all things forged and fantastical, is releasing a new line of statues and replicas from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, similar in style, look, and feel to Weta’s highly collected products from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Many of these items will not be released until next year, but online collectible store Entertainment Earth is taking pre-orders now. The statues and replicas are every bit the quality you’d expect from the company, known for matching the items seen on the screen with the products it delivers to the public.
First out will be four 1:6 statues, including Rian and Hup, both by Weta Workshop sculptor Steven Saunders. Maudra Fara’s eyepatched companion Baffi the Fizzgig was created by Weta Workshop sculptor Jane Wenley. The vile Skeksis Emperor is as creepily real, as sinister, and scary, as anything we’ve seen from Weta. This statue is by Weta Workshop sculptor Hao Wang, and includes all four arms, plus a metal prosthesis for his rotting nose! If you’re interested, you’ll want to pre-order the Skeksis Emperor now here at Entertainment Earth, as it will be limited to only 400 units worldwide. The intricacy on this piece is unparalleled, and it will no doubt go down as one of Weta’s finest high-end statues.
A 1:1 scale prop replica of the Essence vial is crafted from glass and resin, with LED lighting to replicate the radiant essence seen on screen (operated via battery). The Dark Crystal necklace is based on 3D scans provided by Netflix, shaped to be an exact replica of the Crystal seen on screen, its draconic claw is inspired by the Skeksis clasp system in the Castle of the Crystal. It is a resin pendant complete with gunmetal-plated brass claw, includes a 20-inch stainless steel chain, and is encased in a gift box.
Find more information and learn how to pre-order any now from Entertainment Earth at the links above. Check out several high quality images below, courtesy of Weta Workshop:
The Star Wars vintage Kenner action figures changed toys and franchising forever. Sales of this line were so successful that it’s no surprise the fan nostalgia for these 3.75-inch figures in new packages is still as great as ever, 41 years after their first appearance in a pre-order campaign for Christmas 1977. With the return of Star Wars action figures in advance of the prequels, four of the original sculpts returned in a limited set in the 1990s (still sold via third party sellers at Amazon here), and Lucasfilm with its own changes over the years keeps finding ways of bringing them back with the Kenner logo via Kenner’s successor company Hasbro. The company even released a set of four figures: Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and Chewbacca, in an enlarged 12-inch collection, still available at Amazon here, and even a Cantina set, plus 12-inch re-creations of several other vintage figures, from toy company Gentle Giant, discussed over the past decade here at borg.
We previewed the latest return of the 3.75-inch action figures emerging from New York Toy Fair early this year here at borg, six individually sold characters in “retro” packaging with mock weathering that made them different enough from the originals to dissuade people from selling them as originals. The characters were Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and a Stormtrooper, with a never-before-released, new design of the classic five-points of articulation for Grand Moff Tarkin, available if you bought the re-issue of the original Star Wars board game.
So far these have only been available through Target stores. The initial release sold out within a few hours, but throughout the U.S. these still have appeared from time to time over the course of this summer. Otherwise, they’ve turned up on Amazon (here) from third party sellers with a price in excess of $150 for the set. So for those who missed out, you now have another opportunity to pick up the six figures in the retro packaging. Entertainment Earth has just announced it is taking pre-orders for a set of all six figures for only $63.99 (price as of date of publication)–nearly a third of the aftermarket price–if you pre-order for shipment in August here at the Entertainment Earth website.
Since the announcement of the retro-style Kenner action figures in 2013 from Funko and Super7 (now exclusively produced by Super7), we’ve been excited to see the next license to find its way into the 3.75-inch, five points of articulation format (we’ve discussed hundreds of the licensed figures in the ReAction line here at borg over the years). At each New York Toy Fair, Super7 has amassed everything from Alien to CW’s Arrow, and this coming weekend’s New York Toy Fair 2019 will be no different. The biggest moneymaker for Super7 will no doubt be a series of twelve Major League Baseball action figures, including the great #42 Jackie Robinson, plus three mascot figures, all expected to be released this year during the All-Star Game to commemorate the centennial of Robinson’s birth.
But there’s more in store for movie fans. As previewed here last year and first seen at New York Toy Fair 2017 via prototype sculpts, final versions of Wave Two of the Planet of the Apes action figure line will be on display (and see below to pre-order now each from Entertainment Earth, which just opened pre-orders for the series). You’ll need to decide for yourself which is the coolest of the bunch: Cornelius in the ancient American spacesuit as seen in the opening to Escape from the Planet of the Apes, or the 5.5-inch Lawgiver statue from Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Other figures include General Aldo from Battle for the Planet of the Apes, the creepy Mendez XXVI from Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and two Gorilla Soldiers, a Patrolman and Hunter to build your armies from Planet of the Apes. The carded figures feature original card art by Ed Repka, the Lawgiver comes in retro-style packaging and all of the figures come with accessories.
Attendees of New York Toy Fair at the Super7 booth will also find early looks at a new line of figures from Rocky IV. The series includes Rocky and Ivan Drago (both in ring attire), Rocky and Ivan Drago (in final round outfits), Rocky (winter training), and the figure you didn’t know you wanted: Sico the Robot.
Here are images of other figures in the new wave of Planet of the Apes:
Hasbro has big plans for New York Toy Fair 2019 this weekend, and already has released marketing information for two new Stranger Things tie-in games with a retro theme. Trivial Pursuit fans who’ve been waiting for some new trivia questions will get their wish and more in an updated version of the popular 1980s board game. And the in-universe Dungeons & Dragons references from the kids in Stranger Things will spill into the real world with a tie-in edition to reel in new roleplay gamers. Both of these are now available for pre-order for the first time at online pop culture collectible store Entertainment Earth.
Up first is the Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. New as well as seasoned D&D players can experience the D&D adventure Stranger Things character Mike Wheeler created for his friends in the series. Will you be Will the Wise or Dustin the Dwarf? The set includes a Stranger Things Adventure book, Rulebook, five Stranger Things character sheets, six dice, a painted Demogorgon figure, and a paintable Demogorgon figure (and take a look at the nicely distressed box design). Find out more and pre-order the game for only $24.99 now here at Entertainment Earth.
It doesn’t matter how many editions you already own of Trivial Pursuit (the original, the 1980s, the 1990s, the Millennium edition, etc.), this new version is unlike any other edition of the game. The Stranger Things Back to the 80s Trivial Pursuit Game features 1,500 trivia questions from six categories: Movies, TV, Music, Famous People and Events, Trends, Tech and Fun, and a new one: Stranger Things. The familiar board game also includes Portal Spaces–land on one of these and you have to flip a section of the board over and send all players to the Upside Down, where wedges can be lost. As always, the first player to collect six wedges wins. At a pre-order price of $19.99 here at Entertainment Earth, this game is hard to beat.
Here are several images of the games, courtesy of the first distributor marketing the games, Entertainment Earth:
It’s one of the strangest marketing ideas yet. And it’s a limited time offer for Valentine’s Day. This is one of those ideas tailored for Star Wars fans–big fans–of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and in particular fans of Resistance fighter Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran.
Online collectible superstore Entertainment Earth came up with a new promotion, that should get a smile or laugh out of your Valentine if he or she has a sense of humor. It’s a dozen Roses, but these aren’t the kind with thorns, so there’s that. No, these are Rose Tico action figures, regularly listing for about $18 retail. These won’t cost the full $220 for the case of 12 figures. This is a deal for $19.99 total, $200 off retail, or roughly the original price per figure of Star Wars action figures when they were first released in 1978. You’ll probably not see another deal like this again.
Sure, twelve stormtroopers might make a more desirable army, but then it wouldn’t be a dozen Roses, would it? And if you don’t have a Valentine who’d appreciate it, buy a case for $19.99 and hand them out at your shop, at your booth at conventions, or give them out as part of your Secret Valentines. The character of Rose Tico stands for bravery and devotion to her cause and her friends, and might make a good desk totem as a reminder.
The only place to get the $19.99 deal is at this link at Entertainment Earth. If you’re up for it, you’ll want to act fast as this deal is expected to sell out.
It took more than four decades, but the classic Wonder Woman television series that aired between 1975 and 1979 is at last getting a 1:6 scale figure worthy of the fan-favorite series and beloved star, Lynda Carter. Tweeterhead, the collectible design studio known for high-end statues and busts from pop culture classics such as DC Comics, the Batman 1966 live action TV series, Elvira Mistress of the Dark, and Masters of the Universe, has created the most realistic collectible version of the superheroine so far. Sculpted by Trevor Grove and Matt Black, with mold and casting by Michael Allen, print by SNL Creative, and paint by David Fisher, the limited edition figures are now available for pre-order at online pop culture store Entertainment Earth.
Lynda Carter made the comic book character a household name for a generation of TV viewers, and she seems to come alive as Wonder Woman again on these new sculpts. At 1:6 scale the figures stand 13 inches high. Early viewings at conventions last year revealed something greater than achieved before for the likeness of the actress and character. Each variant has a head sculpt that looks like Lynda Carter as she portrayed the character in the 1970s, plus finely detailed, textured boots, highlighted and detailed life-like skin tones, shorts with seams and replicated fabric textures, realistic fabric wrinkles, sharp paint borders and color-matching nearly identical to stills from the series and promotional photographs.
Entertainment Earth is now taking pre-orders for three versions of the Tweeterhead figures at the following links: Two versions reflect her costume from Season 1 in 1975, both with a star-spangled pedestal (one without a cape, available here, and one with a cape, available here) and a third variant sees her later in the series, posed in a stride, with a base in a bursting star pattern (available here). Each is limited to 350 pieces, and includes a hand-numbered base and hand-numbered foiled certificate.
Take a look at these poses for all three designs:
For decades kids of all ages have awakened to their favorite colorful breakfast cereal. The best of these not only taste good but they feature some appropriately entertaining mascot, and the very best of these have some kind of prize in the package. Most of these are forgettable, but there’s a market of collectors who buy and sell these prizes on eBay every day. Toy company Funko is taking a new approach to the prize-in-the-box cereal with its next product, Funko’s own multigrain cereals, called Funko’s.
These cereals are all about the prize, packing each box with a premium collectible Funko figure. First to market for Funko’s new superhero cereals are two box options: one featuring the Funko Batman and the other the Funko Batgirl. And yes, each box features its own prize, the corresponding Pocket Pop! of Batman or Batgirl.
You can pre-order both now from Entertainment Earth (click on each box above for more details and to order). Each sells for $9.99, a bit much for cereal, but you’re really not buying it for the cereal, right? Funko tried some other releases of non-superhero brands that already are selling from secondary market sellers at Amazon for more than $30, like Jason Voorhees Funko’s cereal, Freddy Krueger Funko’s, and Cuphead and Mugman Funko’s cereal (all an appropriately blood-red colored cereal), so you may want to get these new Bat-cereals before they are gone.
Steeped in Polynesian lore but reborn as a derivative American pop-design style going back to the 1930s, “tiki culture,” which in some ways goes back to the peoples of Easter Island, was reinterpreted into a form of Americana, and had its own resurgence after GIs brought back bits of Polynesian culture to the States after World War II. It sprang back again in the 1970s (Gilligan’s Island had its own take on it), and had another revival in the 1990s, but in the past year it seems to be back again, with a huge following. Tiki is really in its stride with a wide scope of tiki mugs on the market–those mugs that take on the image of a familiar “patron,” the mug is usually made of ceramics and is still a featured souvenir of tiki bars from coast to coast.
Perhaps the craziest display of the 21st century’s look at tiki culture could be found at San Diego Comic-Con this year with a tiki hut themed booth full of inspired artwork by the California artist known as Shag. His retro art style was a great foundation for a mash-up with Planet of the Apes–a crazy and cool spin on pop culture. The booth, hosted by The Shag Stores in Palm Springs and West Hollywood, had the coolest shirt onsite–an orange Hawaiian style shirt with Planet of the Apes imagery. Visitors could also pick up art prints and t-shirts in tiki-tubes. And Shag premiered his Shag Cocktail Birds–limited fine-art prints on wood, limited to 200 units. Check out The Shag Store website here for more on the artist and his products.
But that wasn’t all. Entertainment Earth had its own hefty tiki mugs, depicting Frankenberry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry, probably the best tie-ins to Big G cereals anyone has yet thought of. You can still pre-order the tiki mugs from Entertainment Earth here. While you’re there you should check out the rest of their tiki mug line-up. How about a Kraken, a Unicorn, a Mermaid, or a Dragon? Want your favorite franchise fix in tiki form? How about a Captain Kirk or Captain Picard tiki mug? Or maybe a Yoda or Jawa mug is your jam. Or just get a set of four classic tiki character images. There’s several more from Star Wars, Star Trek… even a Frankenstein. The best? Check out all the creatures from Star Wars and the rest of the tiki mugs from Entertainment Earth below:
