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Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A: Star Wars Endcaps and Mandalorians Before The Mandalorian. It's new! Be sure to click through and read up on the latest!

Be sure to send in your questions for the next thrilling update!

--AP

We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is Q&A a few days early - you can read next Monday's installment as soon as it's ready, which can be as early as 1:00 AM my time on Monday!

Become a Patron!

If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for your support!

--AP

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

Upgraded! The Hasbro Transformers Legacy Deluxe Dragstrip Action Figure looks a lot like the cartoon model, plus you can hack him in half for action poses or the combined mode. It's a neat one. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

Via Etsy: HEAP Glow Head - Original Sofubi Vinyl Robot Toy. I reviewed a custom-painted sample a few months ago, and it's a big vehicle with a hollow area inside so other figure scan drive it around. This version is molded in color so you get green swirls that glow, plus glowing green domes. It's pretty neat and pretty big for the price.

(Note: Designer Set Longmire of Orbitdyne is a pal and does excellent work, I have a few of his other customs around my shelves.)

--AP

Via Limited Run Games, and it's quite the coup: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge Radical Edition (Switch). It is an eye-popping $199.99, but it comes with a retro-style Shredder figure - which seems to be Toon Turtles Shredder, in a non-pearlescent deco with silver weapons. The original 1980s Shredder was shirtless, so this is the Shredder you probably wanted back then.

It's an absurd package with the game, lots of packaging, a soundtrack CD, a pizza coupon, a mini arcade cabinet replica video player, stickers, the game... I am hesitant to say it's $200 worth of stuff, but I also assume people will be paying premium prices for that action figure once it ships in 2022 or 2023.

--AP

Via YouTube via BoingBoing: He Built A Secret Home In A Mall, And Lived There For 4 Years Before Being Discovered. I generally eschew YouTube stuff, but this one may be of particular interest to you - if you went to HasCon in 2017, this is the mall we (and possibly you) went to right next to the hotels and convention center.

Since you were going to ask, at this time there are zero known plans to have another HasCon.

I haven't been there since 2019 - it's a very nice mall! - but I recommend a visit to Providence Place if you're ever in the area. The last time I was there it had a decent food court, a decent comic/record/pop culture shop, a LEGO and an Apple store, and a regional department store called Boston Store which was a lot of fun to tool around. It was like Mervyn's, but better. I have no idea what kind of condition the mall is after the COVID-19 outbreak, but local malls around 16bit HQ have been floundering (and being smashed flat) for some time. Providence Place was a beacon that felt like it came from some alternate dimension - be it on business or for fun, I was always exceptionally happy to stroll around its cavernous retail halls.

--AP

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Bo-Katan Kryze (The Retro Collection). It's a Kenner-style figure that is a lot of fun to fuss with. She has brighter colors than her other figures, but the Kenner-esque deco is a mixed bag - the helmet probably has too much fine detail while the breastplate armor is completely unpainted. I still dig it - she fits in great with your old 1970s and 1980s Kenner vehicles and playsets, which tends to be one of the very best reasons to buy these new releases. Read the whole review.

--AP

From me: Target's toy clearances are on now. Nearly every year around August 1, most big toy companies are part of a big box toy aisle reset - that usually means new stuff starts to get put out as old stuff gets put on clearance. We're seeing that clearance right now, and a lot of brand-new stuff is already being marked down. I've see Thor: Love and Thunder 6-inch figures (not the Marvel Legends) as high as 70% off. There are lots of Jurassic World Dominion items for half price, plus tons of Lightyear toys across all brands. The Super7 exclusive Red Ninja ReAction figures can be had for four or five bucks in some stores. There's a lot more, so it might be worth a look. These items all tend to show up as full price on stores' respective web sites.

I've also seen half-price exclusive Silverstreaks. Good hunting.

--AP

Ad: Get new Hasbro Games and Japanese imports from Entertainment Earth! Pre-orders are open for new Stranger Things 4 Edition Monopoly Game - Entertainment Earth - pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22.

Order yours now!

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

An actual 3 3/4-inch vehicle and SRP is $1.25! The Dollar Tree Final Faction Vehicles The Rumbler Vehicle is shockingly good for what you pay for it - you really can make a sizable vehicle for under two bucks. There's also an upgrade pack which I still need to open, but the core vehicle is pretty impressive for what it costs. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

From Mattel Creations: ARCHENEMY TERRITORY - 3,802 pieces of pure evil.. It launches July 8. This big set has 3,802 pieces and 6 figures inside - the price-per-piece isn't terrible when compared to similarly sized LEGO sets, and seems to be modeled after the Super7 Snake Mountain.

--AP

Ad: Get new Hasbro Games and Japanese imports from Entertainment Earth! Pre-orders are open for new Transformers Masterpiece Edition MP-48+ Beast Wars II Dark Amber Leoprime - pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22.

Order yours now! Also in stock while supplies last:

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: C-3PO (Droids, The Vintage Collection). It's an exclusive and it's got a coin! This figure is much shorter than the 1985 original, but the colors are excellent and he has removable panels... with some gaps you can see through at some angles. Obviously, I like it. Collect all 3! Read the whole review.

--AP

This week's batch of titles on the eShop: Instant Sports All-Stars, Doki Doki Family, Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series, and over a dozen more.

--AP

From Hasbro Pulse: G.I. Joe Classified Series Cobra H.I.S.S. added a stretch unlock of Cobra Commander for 16,000 units sold, but at this time, it's not showing up on the product page. Currently the item sits at 15,260 backers, so it's likely going to hit the goal shortly.

The figure appears to be a prepaint/variant of a standard 1982-style Cobra Commander with extra gear, which seems to be a pretty good extra. I'd assume the mold will be at retail in 2023 or 2024, but this may be the first crack at it.

--AP

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A: Star Wars Kenner Droids and Classic Collectibles. It's new! Be sure to click through and read up on the latest!

Be sure to send in your questions for the next thrilling update!

--AP

We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is Q&A a few days early - you can read next Monday's installment as soon as it's ready, which can be as early as 1:00 AM my time on Monday!

Become a Patron!

If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for your support!

--AP

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

Cheap! The Hasbro Transformers Authentics Alpha Wheeljack Action Figure is a $11 toy that's sized to match Hasbro's current $33 toys. It doesn't feature nearly as many parts and pieces, nor is it as nicely painted, but it's big and cheap and that counts for something here. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

Via Amazon, here is a sponsored link and I get a few pennies if you buy something: Prime Day Deals. Some neat stuff - 30% off the Mandalorian NERF blaster, 50% off some LEGO and Bad Batch Vintage sets, and a lot of other stuff - but I couldn't find any records. I did find some Imaginext stuff though - there's a nice Batman set.

There were some Super7 ReAction discounts, some Funko stuff, a few NECA figures, and some other odds and ends. It's worth a peek. If any exclusive toys are launching for this promotion, I haven't seen them at press time.

--AP

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: The Mandalorian (Beskar, The Retro Collection). It's a Kenner-style figure that adds a cloth cape, but keeps the same blasters as before. It's a good upgrade, but not quite as bright silver as the first one from 2021. Having said that, it's fun and you should probably look him up if you're still on board for Kenner stuff. Read the whole review.

--AP

From Bleeding Cool and elsewhere: Eaglemoss/Hero Collector Reportedly Goes Into Administration, which means some of those subscription programs may not be completed.

As far as I know, no official statement has come from the WWE/Orville/Star Wars/Star Trek/Marvel/DC/etc. licensee, but there haven't been many new solicitations lately and more news will undoubtedly follow.

--AP

Ad: HeroQuest The Frozen Horror Quest Pack Game Expansion is up now! - pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22. New Comic-Con exclusives were also added, but pre-order allocations pre-sold out quickly. Come see us at booth #2343 in San Diego from July 20-24 to get some at the show if we have any left!

Order yours now!

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

An actual 3 3/4-inch figure and SRP was around $4! The Hasbro Marvel Iron Man Action Figure is neat but weird. His limbs are unpainted - like a lot of 1970s action figures - with a painted mask and a fancy printed torso which is unlike much I've seen. I like him, he's fun. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

From Kidscreen and elsewhere from the past: Just Play takes over Sesame Workshop toy licensing. This means Hasbro won't have the license in 2023 - the hot potato was previously at Mattel/Fisher-Price before Hasbro took it over. It's also worth noting that Mattel will get Disney Princess back from Hasbro next year.

--AP

Ad: Get new Hasbro Games, lunch bags, and new action figures from Entertainment Earth! Pre-orders are open for new My Hero Academia Tomura Shigaraki Pop! Vinyl Figure - Entertainment Earth Exclusive - pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22. If you don't know who that is, ask your kids.

Order yours now!

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Clone Captain Ballast (The Vintage Collection). It's a clone that was on sale for Prime Day, and now, not. Read the whole review.

--AP

This week's batch of titles on the eShop: Plan B from Outer Space: A Bavarian Odyssey, Firefighter: Car Fire Truck Sim Driving 2022 Simulator, Arcade Archives RABIO LEPUS, and over a dozen more.

--AP

Via Kickstarter: Black Jewel Reborn - New Game for Mega Drive/Genesis, NES/Famicom, Gameboy, SNES/Super Famicom. Other than dead people hanging from trees, the hack-and-slash adventure looks pretty great. Digital is around $10 per platform, cartridges are around $40. Expected delivery is around January, and as always, I'd suggest padding those expectations by a few months.

A Genesis/Mega Drive demo is available.

--AP

Ad: Get new Comic-Con exclusives from Entertainment Earth! Pre-orders are open for a new Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Nap Time Pins 3-Pack - Convention Exclusive and a lot of other goodies.

Order yours now!

From Hasbro Pulse: Transformers Studio Series Transformers Movie 1 15th Anniversary Multipack. It's $141.99 for 2 Voyagers and 3 Deluxes, which is pretty much exactly what these toys would cost if sold as individual figures at current retail prices.

A lot of these guys got really expensive, plus Ironhide tended to have wonky eyes. But Ironhide has been $280ish on the secondary market so fans who missed them will probably happily see this set as a good alternative.

--AP

From Amazon, this ad: Star Wars Retro Collection Special Bounty Hunters 2-Pack Boba Fett & Bossk Toys 3.75-Inch-Scale The Empire Strikes Back Figures (Amazon Exclusive). It looks like Boba Fett will be nearly the same as his 2020 The Empire Strikes Back reissue from Walmart, while Bossk hasn't been reissued at all yet. Given the current secondary market prices of the Boba Fett reissue, this set is a cheaper alternative at $27.99. It shows Bossk's gun in blue, but I wouldn't be shocked if it shipped in black like we saw with Lando Calrissian.

Bossk and Boba Fett are expected in January. IG-88 and Dengar are set for December. A 4-LOM and Zuckuss set has yet to be announced, but the originals complete with weapon sell for about $30 these days.

--AP

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A: Star Wars: The Vintage Collection and HasLab Hopes. It's new! Be sure to click through and read up on the latest!

Be sure to send in your questions for the next thrilling update!

--AP

From Nonnef Productions on Twitter: If you know anyone sitting out the Hasbro #HasLab HissTank because they only collect smaller scale: A full conversion kit to turn the Classified vehicle into one compatible with retro figures is under development. As well as a whole host of other upgrades and towables.

As of my writing this, it's fully funded with 28 days to go - and at over 16,000 backers, all tiers are unlocked too. This also goes to prove that there's seemingly no new G.I. Joe product that gets made that someone won't adapt to 3 3/4-inch figures.

--AP

We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is Q&A a few days early - you can read next Monday's installment as soon as it's ready, which can be as early as 1:00 AM my time on Monday!

Become a Patron!

If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for your support!

--AP

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

It's cheap! The Hasbro Transformers Authentics Bravo Autobot Bumblebee Action Figure looks very little like the toy and adult fan may remember, but it is cheap and anything selling for about five bucks is unusual these days. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

Via Etsy: It'll Be Just Like You Remember, But Even Better. I am a little skeptical about that part, but returning toy stores are a nice thing to have. Current Toys R Us sections in Macy's stores are spreading to more locations and are pretty good. If you collect toys or buy for kids, it's something and that's a lot more than most malls have for toy stores that aren't LEGO stores or places selling secondary market Funko flipped at a higher price.

They're also claiming flagship stores are opening in in "Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco." And we'll all be keeping our eyes open for that - it's unknown if these are permanent installations, seasonal stores, or what exactly. There most likely will not be any big-company toy exclusives at this time, between 10 US Toys R Us stores and 509 Macy's, it wouldn't be enough to support most toy company exclusives, but mom and pops can order LEGO, Playmobil, and a lot of toy companies - so hopefully we'll see a lot of goodies showing up later this year alongside Hasbro and Mattel.

--AP

Via The New York Times: Mattel Opens Its Vault to Revitalize Dormant Brands. [Paywall, alternate link with less information at Toy News International.]

Seemingly Secret Wars-sized figures with 5 joints and very little unique tooling between them, Big Jim, Pulsar, and Major Matt Mason are expected to launch as early as Friday on Mattel Creations and be at SDCC for $40 per set. Most likely this is being done to renew/strengthen trademarks. Younger readers in indie toy circles may not recognize any of them, but Big Jim is famous from being a line where Mattel borrowed a lot of assets to make He-Man's pals, and Major Matt Mason was a space-race-era hit which is what inspired Colorforms and Mel Birnkrant to make their "plays with" line, The Outer Space Men.

--AP

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Ahsoka Tano (The Retro Collection). It's a Kenner-style with bright colors and is one of very few new aliens in The Retro Collection line. She has two lightsabers that look a lot like the 1980s Luke Skywalker models, except with curved hilts. Read the whole review.

--AP

Via LEGO: Atari 2600 does what Nintendoalsodid. The classic console adds some notable twists, like cartridges with game-specific vignettes and a living room tableaux to make things more interesting.

While it does not play games, it does have a game caddy and is modeled after the 4-switch version of the woodgrain console. If you want the genuine article, you can get a working 4-switch console for under $100. If you want a console that can play on modern TVs, the Retron 77 has HDMI output and can play your old cartridges for around the same price (or less.) If you want Atari's new, modern VCS it can be had for $400 (or $300 at some big retailers right now.)

--AP

Ad: Get new toys from Entertainment Earth! Check out this Bleach Fully Hollowfied Ichigo Pop! Vinyl Figure - Entertainment Earth Exclusive - pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22. If you aren't excited for this one, ask your kids.

Order yours now!

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

Plastic people? The Funko Pop! Rocks Frank Zappa Action Figure is one of things that he would really love or really hate - but I definitely find it weird because I do not tend to think of the rocker as someone who wears a hat. Having said that, it's the best officially licensed Frank Zappa figure to date. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

From the Glyos News Dump: Healey Made Preview Night Drop - Glow Figures and Vinyl.. $20 glowing blue figures are joined by a $50 vinyl figure.

--AP

From Target: Jurassic World: Dominion Dreadnoughtus Dinosaur Figure (Target Exclusive). This giant sauropod - and oh, there have been a few - is $64.99 with no listed release date.

Also an Ellie Sattler figure with alternate poo arms is being shown off in San Diego this week, so that should be fun.

Also the Jurassic World Dominion Super Colossal Gigantosaurus - the really big one - is seemingly 50% off at US Target stores, in droves.

--AP

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: The Armorer (The Vintage Collection). She came out in 2020, but I didn't get the review done - so let's fix that while you're all distracted with Comic-Con, shall we? Read the whole review.

--AP

Via the Glyos News Dump: Onell Design Glyos Turns 15 with New Drop on Sunday. Orange and black plastic are previewed, with other molds or confirmations waiting to be determined. I'm hoping for lots of crossovers and surprises.

--AP

This week's batch of titles on the eShop: River City Saga: Three Kingdoms, Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium , Live a Live, and over a dozen more.

--AP

Ad: Get new SDCC and other exclusives from Entertainment Earth! Grab your G.I. Joe Classified Series 6-Inch Sgt. Slaughter Action Figure - Exclusive. New pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22.

Order yours now!

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A: Star Wars HasLabs and True Legends of Toy Tinseltown. It's new! Be sure to click through and read up on the latest!

Be sure to send in your questions for the next thrilling update!

--AP

Via the Glyos News Dump: Glyos Onell Design July 24 2022 Drop Menu.

A lot of dark brown is joined by some oranges for a pretty robust series of familiar faces, refreshed reconfigurations, and familiar faces. There's also a Adversarial Abstractions track on Bandcamp from Circuits and Brains.

--AP

Ad: Get new the newly announced Hasbro toys from Entertainment Earth! Grab your Star Wars The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Imperial Light Cruiser) 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure. New pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22.

Order yours now!

We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is Q&A a few days early - you can read next Monday's installment as soon as it's ready, which can be as early as 1:00 AM my time on Monday!

Become a Patron!

If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for your support!

--AP

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

Great! The Hasbro Transformers Studio Series Junkheap is Wreck-Gar with some new parts and colors, but it's a decent upgrade of an already very good toy. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

Ad: Get new the newly announced Hasbro toys from Entertainment Earth! Grab your Black Panther Wakanda Forever Marvel Legends 6-Inch Action Figures. New pre-orders are welcome and orders of $39+ ship for free with the code SUNFREE22, which is great so you can build Attuma and get Namor.

Order yours now!

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Death Trooper (The Retro Collection). It's a Kenner-style figure borrows a lot from the original Stormtrooper figure from way back in 1978 - the non-articulated helmet and the incorporation of the original blaster come to mind. It's a glossy figure with bright green lenses, so it pops nicely Read the whole review.

--AP

From Modern Vintage Gamer: Insignia - the Original Xbox Live 1.0 replacement is AWESOME | MVG, allows something we thought would be lost to return. Microsoft dumped original Xbox support in 2010, but apparently fans are putting a replacement up.

There was another replacement that was available from fans, but was missing features - this thing might be much more feature-laden. Just over a dozen games currently work with it, which isn't a bad start. Halo 2 doesn't work yet, for the curious.

--AP

Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!

Something great if you still play with your toys! The Hasbro Fortnite Motorboat Vehicle is sized for 6-inch Hasbro figures - I don't own any Fortnite figures, but it works great with Marvel Legends and The Black Series - and presumably G.I. Joe, Overwatch, Power Rangers, and so on. There are no stickers, and the paint job is impressive - check out painted wood plank floors and fully-decorated instrument panels on the boat. It's also big, at about 19 1/2-inches it's a similar length to the Cobra HISS on HasLab. It doesn't have many action features, but it's the kind of thing that that will encourage you to haul out some toys to play with it. So read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!

--AP

While still showing up as full-price online, Target.com has the exclusive G.I. Joe ReAction Figures - Red Ninja on clearance at some locations. I picked one up for $5.39 this week, and it's absolutely worth the five bucks if you've got a lot of old 1980s toys and vehicles around.

It's not an O-Ring figure - it's on par with Kenner toys of old - but it's a good quality figure, under $6, in 2022 and those are scarce. It's also worth noting that not only is it clearance season, but toy aisles are starting to get reset early for the holidays. If you're out, go take a look around this week. I'll be reviewing this figure at some point in September, but right now just go get one if it's on sale. Again - under six bucks. It's also worth noting similarly cheap Star Wars: The Black Series Carbonized Shoretrooper figures and Transformers; Buzzworthy Bumblebee Silverstreak figures are in stores too. Scan 'em if you find 'em.

--AP

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Battle Droid (Droid Depot set, The Black Series). It's from the Droid Depot 4-pack! The paint masks seem identical to the box figure and the carded Episode I figure, but the brown dirt/damage is lighter - so the Episode I/Droid Depot Battle Droids are virtually identical, and you probably can't tell there's any difference between this and the red/black boxed version without a side-by-side comparison. Read the whole review.

--AP

This week's batch of titles on the eShop: Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, Turrican Anthology, Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony, and over a dozen more.

--AP