This Week's New Toy and Collectibles Highlights!

I'm very happy to announce that we'll be soon working with our new friends at Big Bad Toy Store which means that we get to be in the loop when it comes to pre-orders and new toy and collectible arrivals. I know that I often have zero idea of what's coming out these days, so this is going to be an awesome opportunity for us both to catch up on a sampling of what's out there as I comment on my favourites.

Like this crazy super-articulated 1/9th scale Iron Man Mark IV from the Active Gear Collection. I've been tempted by the similar Revoltech Iron Mans (men?) in the past, but this one has a ton of interchangeable parts, and brake flaps on his back, and best of all his chest lights up. Plus he's covered in ball joints. Yes. He's so super posable that even his balls are jointed! Now that's attention to details!

He can be pre-ordered here. He's not cheap, but he is Japanese and totally awesome. It would be the Iron Man of choice to strike dance moves on my desk.

Join me after the jump for the highlights of this week, including: SDCC 2012 exclusives, Retro Ninja
Turtles, Batman Arkham City, Mass Effect, Marvel and more!


Okay so do you remember Battle Beasts? They were weird warrior animal figures that I had in the eighties and they each had a fire, water, or earth symbol that you revealed by rubbing their chest and they could battle each other for beastly supremacy. They were bizarre sculpts - I remember having a deer with a Cyclops visor and a drill for a hand.

Well it looks like Diamond Select are bringing them back, but this time they appear to be using minimates parts? This two-pack is an SDCC 2012 exclusive and feature Vorin the ram who apparently stars in an IDW comic book and this "villainous dragonfly" who doesn't seem to have a name listed so let's call him Steve.

This blast of nostalgia will only cost you $8.99 and you don't even need to go to SDCC to get them - you can pre-order them here.

Also at that link is an SDCC exclusive set of X-Men minimates to celebrate the X-Men Just Can't Get Along With the Avengers series that I am not reading. This set proves I have no what is currently going on in Marvel comics. I mean, I know that's Cyclops and Emma Frost, and I have heard of Hope Summers, but Colossus is the Juggernaut now? Or am I imaging things? What else has happened I don't know about? Professor X has rollerskates? Iceman has had a sex-change? Gambit is nothing but a head in a jar?

This intrigues me although I don't really know what it is. E.T. collectible blind-box figures!

We don't get to see the figures yet but I love E.T. and I love blind-box packages so I would actually grab one or two of these for sure. And then while staring and my freshly revealed E.T. I would probably start reminiscing about all my favourite parts in the movie and tears would start streaming down my face. And then I would phone home. But if you want to go hardcore on these, here's a box of 24. After you've opened your own set, you can put the box on your desk and pretend you own a shop!

This is also intriguing but there's no image yet. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle retro 6 inch figure set. This is a $54.99 pre-order from Playmates and it contains all four turtles, so I'm assuming it's the original figure molds from the late eighties? Hopefully in some kind of new package. I would also love to see a "retro" set based on Eastman and Laird's original comic designs, so I'm interested to see how this pans out.

Series 3 of the Batman Arkham City figures is available for pre-order and contains Batman, Penguin, Ras Al Gul, Azreal (is he in the game?) and a green-haired clown thug. 

But also available as a single is the variant orange haired clown thug. If you want to scare the crap out of yourself with this miscreant you can pre-order him here. 

And while we're talking Arkham City, this is insane! A full-size prop replica of the batarang, clasped in Batman's mighty gauntlet and with a light up Batcave styled base.

If people see this in your house then they really know you mean serious business. They'll probably get super polite around you too. And while it may not be too practical for actual crime-fighting you could probably club a burglar to death with it. It's $750! Pre-order it here and never look back! Only 750 will get made, and my guess is that if all 750 of you got together you could take over the world.

Now, you know I love Hot Toys 1/6th scale collectibles, but I also have an interest in the work coming out of Enterbay who are producing some impressive 12 inch figures of their own. Their most recent pieces are Agents J and K from Men in Black (I'm assuming the first film because they don't look super tired and old). 

Another expensive item. They'll set you back $444.99 as a set, but that's about on par with Hot Toys. You can pre-order them here. There was also a Frank the Pug exclusive that was part of a giveaway and you can find him on ebay if you're quick for about $30.

All the kids love Deadpool, right? I like him too. Probably not enough to buy a huge statue, but you gotta' admit that this is pretty cool! Who knew lil' Rob Liefeld had it in him? He's a full 12 inches and can be ordered here. 

And finally, I goddamn love Mass Effect and would give my right arm for one of these. Which would be ironic because then I couldn't hold it properly:

That, dear friends, is a life-size replica of the M-3 Predator. Limited to 600 pieces, it also has built in lighting effects. I don't know if it has a sound chip but that doesn't matter because I wouldn't mind yelling out, "Pew! Pew! Pew!" It's $384.99 and can be pre-ordered here. 

And that is my favourite stuff Big Bad have ready for pre-order this week! This is pretty fun, right?!