Happy Halloween from the Preserve







Posted by charlie on October 31st 2008, 03:25 AM
Leave Comment Share

Ghostbusters - One Man Show

We always have a lot of projects going on around here. One of the more ambitious and absurd notions to come out of the ol' think tank in recent months has the working title of Something Strange in your Neighborhood. In an effort to get those wheels turning and the project underway, I present to you the teaser promo - enjoy.

Oh, and last night my Phillies have won the World Series - most excellent and big congrats to the current team. Somewhere John Kruk is thoughtfully scratching himself and smiling.
Posted by charlie on October 30th 2008, 10:55 AM
Leave Comment Share

Press Release - G.I. Joe Vehicles Wave 4

Press Release - One of my favorite G.I. Joe vehicles as a kid was the Sting Raider, since it shared the wonderful property with several other vehicles of being able to float! It was a must-have in the pool and you could really stage some large-scale battles. Well, the new vehicles that Hasbro is putting out are just fantastic in their authenticity and care to the old styling, and I can't wait to see these in stores. Click the link for more images of the Sting Raider and the Ghost Hawk.  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 30th 2008, 10:45 AM
Leave Comment Share

Press Release - Transformers Universe Voyager

Press Release - Check out a look at some pro photos of the upcoming Transformers Universe Voyager Wave 5 figures. You'll have a chance at Leo Prime and Overload, so click the link to see the additional loose and packaged images!  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 30th 2008, 01:55 AM
Leave Comment Share

Indiana Jones ToD Wave News

Having just spoken with my WalMart contact, I was made aware of the fact that there is a 'Hasbro Lady' who goes to their store on a semi-regular basis to check in on the many lines that fall under the banner of Hasbro. It was, therefore, fortuitous that my contact was bursting with information about the much maligned Indiana Jones line! Having begun to despair of ever finding the Temple of Doom figures, I have started up my obsessive phone calls once more, hoping against hope to track down a few figures, but according to this sudden development I may have to play some hurry-up-and-wait strategy.

Hasbro was pretty sure that the ToD figures would not see a wide release, but it seems that they took a new look at the numbers of figures they have on hand, and have decided to do a release of a few cases to their major retailers on Black Friday - egad! I sure have a love/hate relationship with that terrible day, though this adds fuel to the fire of needing to leave the house. So for everyone who has all but given up, mark your calendars and expect that we might see a few of these figures in stores after all, and just in time for the holidays.
Posted by charlie on October 29th 2008, 10:20 AM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe Combat Heroes Wave 2

Press Release - Fresh from the Hasbro photolabs, we have some amazing pictures of the upcoming Wave 2 of G.I. Joe Combat Heroes! Click the link to see the mini-sized versions of Storm Shadow, Serpentor, Scarlett and more!  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 29th 2008, 01:10 AM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe DVD Battles - The Revenge of Cobra

Got $20 in your pocket? Looking for one of the best buys in the toy aisle for your hard earned cash? Well, for our money we think it's hard to do better than the new GI Joe DVD Battles sets that have been in stores for about three months now. We certainly raved about these in the past, and with the new sets arriving at your local retailer currently we are reminded just how great they are! This set is especially cool to compare to the demo that we saw at Toy Fair 2008, which shows an earlier take on the box art and logo design. There is a backlog of awesome product around here, but we managed to post details on one of these sets - The Revenge of Cobra! (set 2 of 5).


You get three figures, firstly, which is basically the price of admission given how spendy a single figure is these days. Throw in the Weather Dominator, a part of the build-a-M.A.S.S.-device, 'Strangler Vines' as well as a little thing called a DVD with a complete mini-series of episodes, and that $20 went a lot farther than two lunches at the place on the corner near your office - you know it to be true! Click the image above to see more glamor shots of this set, and then get yourself out to the store and get your own!

While initially selling out quickly back in July, the two sets from wave 1 have since been widely available in most stores, so hopefully you will have your pick of wave 1 and shortly wave 2. Do not be deceived, however, as the holidays are coming and you can expect these sets to not stick around long!
I'll fight my way out!
Posted by charlie on October 28th 2008, 09:03 AM
Leave Comment Share

Sega Master System - Alien 3 Import

It's not game over, man, instead the game is just about to begin with this awesome import title for the Sega Master System! (Ok wrong movie for the quote but the spirit is what counts!) Coming from the larger overseas library which far exceeded the US titles in number, variety and often complexity, this tie-in to the movie Alien³ is pulse pounding excitement at its finest!


Released by Arena Entertainment, licensed under Sega and Twentieth Century Fox, this title is heavy with legalese and baggage to be sure! The graphics are on par with other '92 titles and the write-up on the box is dark and anxiety inducing all on its own! Click the image above for the full text and more images! Remember: Los Xenomorfos son rapidos!
Posted by charlie on October 27th 2008, 05:14 PM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe Combat Heroes - Roadblock and Cobra Commander

Brace yourselves, here comes the first entry in our coverage of Combat Heroes from the new GI Joe Modern Era collection! How long will this branch of the line last, and how many figures will they eventually produce? Will it be like the Galactic Heroes Star Wars figures, which are nearly too numerous to count? Or will we see the continued specter of retail unease, the $7.99 price and a slow holiday season kill these figures before their time? I certainly haven't seen them in stores yet, but let's hope that one more reset is planned before we kick off the Holidays for real.


So here they are, Roadblock and Cobra Commander! Click the image for more excellent shots of this set, and be sure to check out the box back - it is just so bright and bombastic, with even larger versions of the character art in all their primary color glory. We really can't say no to these figures!
Posted by charlie on October 26th 2008, 02:22 PM
Leave Comment Share

Adventure Heroes: Mola Ram and Temple Priest

Fans of Mola Ram rejoice! You may not be able to score the fantastic 3 3/4" Mola figure from the 4th wave of Indy figures, unless you are willing to pay the rapidly escalating price on ebay ($39, likely higher by the time you read this), but at least you can get a super-deformed mini version in the form of the Adventure Heroes two pack!


Standing along side the Temple Priest, it is funny to note that he is holding a somewhat heart-shaped ball of fire in his hand rather than a still beating, flaming heart. You have to imagine that the original sketches had exactly that heart, but that it was reconsidered when they remembered that the Heroes line really is, at the end of the day, for little kids. Sometimes I find the character art to be a little too youth-ified for my tastes, with characters made to look not only more cuddly, but also nearly always smiling, even when that is pretty far out of bounds for the character. Unfortunately the Mola Ram art is a great example of that, tending a little too far to the Muppet Babies side of things, but the fact that the figure was made makes me plenty happy enough. While I re-assert that you will be lucky to find these in stores, with how poorly the first two waves sold through, you can still pick up this and the rest of the ToD wave on line cheaply enough...for now!
Posted by charlie on October 25th 2008, 01:36 AM
Leave Comment Share

Hasbro Heroes lines

Finally deigning to order from hts.com for items that we both never expect to see in stores, and also for those that we just wanted to score that 20% off with the FALL20 code, we have a veritable pile of 'Heroes', both of the Combat and the Adventure varieties.


After Hasbro unveiled their new GI Joe Combat Heroes with the Snake Eyes and Timber Con exclusive at SDCC 2008 this year, we all waited with great excitement to see what was next, and here they are! With yet another format change to the shape of the packaging, and astonishingly big and bright artwork on the cardbacks, they really jump off the shelves, and let's hope that they sell as well as they look!

The other set in that pic, of the Adventure Heroes, are the three packs that make up the Temple of Doom sub-line. Since the Indy line is done for, and existing Adventure Heroes packs are clogging the shelves along with their 3 3/4" brothers, it's likely that most stores won't make it through their existing stock and will not even order these sets, so the hasbrotoyshop.com seemed like the best route. There are also Last Crusade packs of Adventure Heroes, but those are likely to be the super-rares. If you see them anyplace, be sure to snag them!

Detailed pics of all of these sets are coming in the next few days, so hang on to your fedoras. Look for the Combat Heroes to be hitting your local stores soon, and wave 2 should be out in time for the holidays!
Collector Tip: The Adventure Heroes packs to really look for are: Indy and Elsa, Indy and Dr. Jones, Vogel and Grail Knight.
Posted by charlie on October 24th 2008, 11:04 AM
Leave Comment Share

HasbroToyShop.com Exclusive Transformers

Press Release - Direct from Hasbro come a set of images showcasing the upcoming Megatron and Optimus Prime figures which are exclusively available on hasbroToyShop.com. Click the link for a few high-res pics of the packaging and the figures, and remember that there are two more characters in this set - don't miss them!  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 23rd 2008, 10:12 AM
Leave Comment Share

Sega Master System - Hang On & Safari Hunt (French)

Let's visit a little vintage gaming excitement today, and we'll do so with a little of the rare along with a little of the common. Hang On & Safari Hunt is one of the 'common' titles in the US market, rarely commanding very much on the current secondary market. While it may possibly be common overseas as well, that it is a 21 year old import from France makes it assume a little more significance and rarity here!


You get two games for one with this cart, and they were very proud of their Combo Cartridge as we can see from the text on the back. Also cool is that Safari Hunt is a Light Phaser title, which were always awesome! It is the 'most complete jungle game ever created' where you can shoot a whole range of exotic beasts! Click the image above for more shots of the physical game and packaging, which is what we like to do around here, and to read the text from the box back. Remember: prenez garde aux alligators qui sont à l'affût!
Posted by charlie on October 23rd 2008, 01:47 AM
Leave Comment Share

hts,com 20% coupon

For anyone who was lamenting the short duration of the fantastic "20% off and free shipping" coupon (FALL20) offered last week by hasbrotoyshop.com, let me tell you that there is some redemption to be had! There is yet another hts.com coupon (MDCREW) which gives you 20% off still, though sadly you're on the hook for your own shipping. Still a good deal, and it still makes the figures cost about what you would pay in the stores after you add on the fees.

As I've been saying, while I love the hunt it has gotten much more expensive, and the stores around here simply aren't stocking the new product, so if you want to keep up with the lines it's becoming more and more advisable to go right to the source! No word on how long this coupon will last, as FALL20 seemed to be only about a week, so if you have your eye on anything go get it!
Posted by charlie on October 22nd 2008, 06:37 AM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe Comic Pack 9 - Cobra Commander vs. Tripwire

From the 5th wave of G.I. Joe comic 2-packs comes this set of Cobra Commander and Tripwire, along with the 9th comic in the Hasbro exclusive series of brand new writing from Larry Hama!


The Cobra Commander figure is pretty awesome, with the giant sword complete with scabbard, and the cloth goods cape spread wide in the package. Definitely worth keeping an eye out for, but in the mean time you can click the image for the detailed page!
Posted by charlie on October 21st 2008, 05:18 PM
Leave Comment Share

Master Replicas Ghostbusters

In extremely exciting news to all of us here who hold up Ghostbusters as the finest achievement in the world of film making, Master Replicas has announced that they have landed the license for this favorite property.

With products scheduled to start hitting shelves in May 2009, to boost up the 25th anniversary of the movie, the really cool thing is that we should be able to bring readers of the Preserve some sneak peaks from Toy Fair this coming February! I know that I can't wait to get my hands on an officially licensed "unlicensed nuclear accelerator". We will post the link to their teaser images as soon as it becomes available on Halloween - stay tuned for more information!
Posted by charlie on October 20th 2008, 12:36 PM
Leave Comment Share

New York Juggernaut

For anyone who maybe missed it the first time around, we really got some fantastic pictures at the New York Comic Con. So as to be very certain that no one missed another key shot of the Uncle at his very best, meetin' and greetin' every joker in a rubber suit, feast your eyes on this awesomeness, and then check out the rest of the coverage!



Posted by charlie on October 19th 2008, 06:24 PM
Comments(1)   Leave Comment Share

Indiana Jones Target Exclusive Battle Packs

In further bad news for the Hasbro Indiana Jones line, which has a 99% chance of not making it to 2009 or seeing a single additional new figure, hasbrotoyshop.com has pulled the 'out of stock' placeholders for most of their Last Crusade and Temple of Doom figures. These were already out of stock far more often than in, and it required the patience of the Gods to sit there refreshing the site for days on end to perhaps score an order. Worse yet, due to the tech of their online ordering system, it was possible for the figures to vanish from your shopping cart at any time before you hit 'confirm'! Many laments and gnashing of teeth were the result, I assure you. Of course, we never even saw them in stock, save for the Grail Knight which we managed to secret away before he again vanished to the mysts of time. Since it is becoming more and more likely that these two waves of figures will not reach a majority of retail outlets, it is looking like these will be the marquee pieces of this line, so grab them if you have any chance!

Additionally, the listings at entertainmentearth.com suggest that the next wave of 12" figures, along with the 3rd and 4th wave of Mighty Muggs have been outright canceled - bummer! It was, therefore, impossible to pass up the Target exclusive battle packs when they were discovered today at the local store! Featuring repacks of figures that we have already seen in single cards, they were not that appealing in theory (except for the Last Crusade pack, of course, coming with a Vogel figure) but in practice it is something else entirely. Definitely intended for the mint carded collector, Hasbro did a great job of posing the figures behind the large window in the package, and the background decoration makes for a wonderful diorama in each of the three sets. Add to this the reasonable price of $20 for 5 figures in each, and the near-death status of the line and these packs are really hard to pass up.

Collector Tip: I nearly missed these as I had eyes only for the back-of-store toy aisle, when they actually turned out to be in the checklane endcap! The DVD for Crystal Skull has, of course, recently come out, and these packs are shelved right at the base of the checklane endcap display for the dvd. Good luck!
Posted by charlie on October 18th 2008, 05:33 PM
Leave Comment Share

Reactors - Accelereactor-RS1

I have been accused lately of drifting rather far afield from the original and pure mission of the Preserve, which was of course to document and catalog the great toys and games of the last 30 years for the edification and delight of mankind. We have been somewhat overwhelmed by the great products that Hasbro, Mattel, NECA, Mezco and other producers have been turning out to satisfy our pop-culture cravings, to the detriment of the classic coverage. Well, as much re-organization has been going on with the physical Preserve, through my hands have passed so many wonderful classic items that it finally has tipped the scales towards a more fair and balanced coverage mix! Let's kick things off with the addition of a brand new (old) line of toys to the Preserve, Reactors by Nasta!


The image above will take you to the page for that item, as always! We have a few more excellent product examples from this line, and are aiming to provide a complete reference eventually but the Preserve collection is, as yet, incomplete. It is possible that the remaining vehicles exist deep within the archives, but they have yet to see the light of the 21st century if that is the case. Remember, the power is in your hand!
Posted by charlie on October 17th 2008, 07:31 AM
Leave Comment Share

Ghostbusters - The Other Side, Issue 1 Review

Comic Review - As we had hoped, it was indeed possible to lay hands to issue #1 of the new Ghostbusters Comic from IDW which premiered yesterday, the 15th of October. After the fiasco that was Indiana Jones this summer, I wasn't prepared to have another of my favorite properties brought back only to be dishonored, so was delighted to read the book and to find that I in fact liked it a lot! I feel that the creative team behind the title must be huge fans as well, and did their best to write a solid story with enough easter eggs for old fans like us to enjoy. Click the link to read what passes for a full review, with an attempt at not providing too many spoilers. I think that fans of this property should be sure to pick up a copy for themselves!  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 16th 2008, 08:07 AM
Leave Comment Share

Specialist Trakker available

On the heels of yesterday's great images of the upcoming wave 12 of GI Joe Modern Era figures, we are delighted to have discovered today that hasbrotoyshop.com has posted Specialist Trakker for pre-order! It appears that 906 of them are currently in their warehouse ready to go, so it will be interesting to see how quickly they sell down. The items are not slated to ship for over a month, November 24th in particular, but given the ongoing difficulties with securing some of these Joe products, it becomes more and more worthwhile to nail them down when you can!
Posted by charlie on October 16th 2008, 07:00 AM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe Wave 11 figures

Press Release - Direct from the photolabs of Hasbro come official images of the wave 11 single carded and loose figures in the fantastic ongoing G.I. Joe Modern Era collection! This wave is of particular interest to us around here at the Preserve, as it features the tribute figure of Matt Trakker, the leader of the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand! For images of the figures that constitue this fantastic wave, click the 'read more' link and enjoy!  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 15th 2008, 07:15 AM
Leave Comment Share

Comics - Ghostbusters: The Other Side

As first seen during the IDW panel at the San Diego Comic Con, tomorrow the first issue of this four part Ghostbusters comic mini-series hits the shelves! Be sure to check it out if you are near your local comic store - or order it here (edit: out of stock!) - we'll be getting it tomorrow if possible, and will strive to provide a buy/no-buy review in a timely manner!



Posted by charlie on October 14th 2008, 08:28 AM
Comments(2)   Leave Comment Share

Transformers Q&A Round 1

The Hasbro Transformers team has returned their answers to our burning questions for the very first round of Transformers Q&A! Without further ado, here is the latest, direct from the creative team themselves!

1) As with the designer of the old and new Millennium Falcon, are any original members of the Transformers team still working on the 25th anniversary?
Nobody on the Hasbro Transformers team. There is some continuity at Takara but there are not any "original" TF project members still working at Hasbro.

2) Does Hasbro have any plans in the works for a new release of Kup, perhaps as a contemporary pickup truck or other modern vehicle? He is seldom seen in toy form, and a new version of this gruffly likable old warrior is long due, in recognition of his fan favorite status, and the high regard of voice actor and movie legend Lionel Stander!
Agree Kup and a few other classic characters should be redone/updated. As we have done over the years when there is a good place to do a classic character we will. Stay tuned.

3) Will there be any other g1 re-releases beyond Optimus Prime?
We have a couple others in mind that we are not ready to announce yet as they will likely be retailer exclusives in the fall if they happen. But they won't come with DVD, comic, etc.

4) The mercenary Decepticon Lockdown has been a big hit with we fans of the Transformers : Animated showline. Is there any chance of seeing a "realistic" version of this cunning bounty hunter in another Transformers toyline?
The TF team really likes that character too. We don't have any current plans to do Lockdown in a realistic version yet, but that would be pretty cool so consider it on our list!

5) Will the character of Wheelie be included in the 25th anniversary celebration?
Wheelie will be included in the 25th Anniversary line. He will be one of several Legends figures and is certainly a nod to his fan following!

Thanks to everyone for the great questions! Start thinking up some more for the next Q&A round, which will be submitted on December 1st, 2008!
Posted by charlie on October 13th 2008, 05:51 PM
Leave Comment Share

I am the Tribe

After the fun that we all had seeing the world premiere of the new movie Lost Boys: The Tribe at San Diego Comic Con, I was pleased to see my first in-the-wild preview of it on the I Am Legend dvd. Man, that's a great preview - I really wish I'd had the chance to ask the director why the Jungle Lord pinball machine, which is of course one of the titles in the Preserve collection, was so prominently featured in the final scene!



Posted by charlie on October 13th 2008, 01:08 PM
Leave Comment Share

Transformers Universe - Sunstreaker

Let's continue the catch-up on the Transformers Universe series with the second of three wave one deluxe figures, the modern update of Sunstreaker!


Always with a little bit of vanity smurf in him, it's nice to see that having been carried over to present day. Sadly, this seems to be the real peg-warmer of the set, with Tankor flying off the shelves, and Prowl at least vanishing before the sea of yellow that has been left behind for the past several weeks. At least now we're getting the second and third waves of figures in stores, so 'streaker is thinning out a little, to be replaced by Galvatron, Sideswipe and more - awesome!
Posted by charlie on October 12th 2008, 05:00 PM
Leave Comment Share

Transformers Universe - Tankor

The Transformers Universe line is going strong, and is clearly going to be the source of much joy and adventure in 2009 as we enter the 25th anniversary of this favorite brand here at the Preserve! Up until now we have been very remiss in covering any aspect of this line, even though several of the great new deluxe class figures have been added to the collection. Well, that oversight ends today, with the establishment of the Transformers Universe wing of the Preserve, and the first featured figure - Tankor!


Tankor is an important figure both because he is a triple changer, and because he is the modern update of Octane, a fantastic piece that most of us will remember fondly from the original series. Hasbro sadly fell into the same problem of name copyright, and had to fall back on a non-classic name for this figure, but at least we can all know in our hearts who it is supposed to be! Look for more Transformers Universe updates in the weeks and months ahead, as this line undoubtedly grows like wildfire!
Posted by charlie on October 11th 2008, 11:11 AM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe Comic Packs Wave 7

Press Release - Hasbro has shared with us some official images of the upcoming G.I. Joe Modern Era Comic 2-Packs, wave 7! Click the link to see hi res pics of the comic covers, the figures, and the packaged sets!  Read More
Posted by charlie on October 10th 2008, 07:54 AM
Leave Comment Share

Hasbro toy shop promo code

The Uncle called up last night, shattering the peace and calm of the evening with news that was sure to cause the strained and ruined wallet to crack open once more, and caused me to curse the order that had just that very morning shipped. His news was that, once again, hasbrotoyshop.com is holding their fantastic promotion of 20% off and free shipping for most items on their site!

This is really a screaming deal, especially given how lousy the selection is in most stores, and of course the high price of gas. While I do love the hunt, as do many readers of the Preserve, once and a while it's nice to fill in some gaps in the collection from the relative comfort of the couch while having to pay zero shipping to accomplish it! Add to that the fact that at 20% off you are even paying less than retail for the products, and it becomes a pretty clear trade-off.

Interestingly, the promotion code does not work on every item that I tried, most notably the 'special edition' Transformers figures that Hasbro is offering exclusively through their site, as another part of the kick-off for the 25th anniversary in 2009. Dragstrip has been calling to me, but immediately broke the coupon, resulting in some complex arithmetic where the GI Joe Adventure Heroes in my cart got the discount and free shipping, but then shipping got tacked back on for the full priced Tf - egad! Well, you have all been very patient in reading this missive, so now I tell you that the code is fall20; go forth and buy!
Posted by charlie on October 9th 2008, 12:46 AM
Leave Comment Share

GI Joe Senior Ranking Officers Crimson Guard Set 2

It's amazing that we haven't quite polished off the GI Joe 25th Anniversary coverage yet, but none of the excellent Toys R Us 3-pack "Senior Ranking Officers" sets had yet made it to the archives! Well, let's start to fix that today, with the Crimson Guard set, complete with red-robed Cobra Commander and everything!


Friend of the Preserve Rudger had called me out on this lack of coverage, so we can all enjoy those gaps which are in the process of being filled in! Now, of course, we haven't been able to track down the new Toys R Us 3-packs, but I am a strong believer of the karma of my toy hunting and the Preserve - once we're up to date, then the shelves shall provide!
Posted by charlie on October 8th 2008, 02:58 PM
Leave Comment Share

Transformers Target Exclusive - Deep Space Starscream

On the heels of our first ever Transformers Q&A with Hasbro, let's take a look of one of the Target Exclusives from the 2007 Movie line, Deep Space Starscream. This was another entry in their 'Premium Series' which featured nice new paint applications, and also cool robot-mode packaging which displays fantastically. Again with the nice consistency, they keep the stats the same between versions of Screamer, and also help fill in the gaps between the final battle in the movie and when he rockets into space. Click the image to get the full story!


Also, as a side note, the responses to our Transfomers Q&A questions should be in next Monday, and we will post them as soon as they arrive!
Posted by charlie on October 7th 2008, 05:39 PM
Leave Comment Share

Transformers Q and A

The Preserve has been invited to participate in Hasbro's first Transformers product Q and A session, and we need your questions! We certainly have some of our own, but if any readers of the Preserve are curious about what we can expect from the Transformers brand in the coming year, this is your first chance to find out! Send any Transformers related questions to feedback@parrygamepreserve.com and we'll pass along the top 5 to Hasbro directly. They say that questions about the upcoming movie are off limits due to how such things work, so bias yourselves towards the impending 25th anniversary and Animated lines.
 
The questions are due today (why do we always cut these things so close!?) so ask away!
Posted by charlie on October 6th 2008, 01:01 AM
Leave Comment Share

Crystal Head Vodka

The Uncle brings us a link to a simply fantastic product, and fantastic supporting website. You need to follow the link to learn more about Crystal Head Vodka, and hear one of the Preserve's favorite people deliver a lengthy dissertation on the ins and outs of this awesome item (which is sadly probably fake)! And yes, it certainly makes reference to the new and lackluster Indiana Jones movie that was responsible for the early demise of the Hasbro toy line, so you can perhaps lament the lack of a second wave of Raiders figures over a glimmering skull of quadruple-distilled diamond-filtered vodka!
Posted by charlie on October 5th 2008, 05:15 PM
Leave Comment Share

Gozer goes to hell

In honor of Gozer, a good friend of the Preserve, who on this very day is getting married, we feature the astonishingly awesome and somewhat in poor taste Disturbance at Lars Homestead exclusive Star Wars set from Toys R Us!


I haven't looked around the net too carefully, but it's not hard to imagine that at least several people have gotten this set and performed a few key modifications to make it a little closer to the shot of the 'disturbance' that we get to see in the movie, aka smoking charred human remains! Well, we know this would be the perfect present for Gozer for a variety of reasons, but since we were too cheap to get him something that his wife might make him throw away, this will virtually have to do. Congrats Gozer, and best of luck on a minimum of 'disturbances' at the homestead! Now I better get my tux on.
Posted by charlie on October 4th 2008, 08:37 AM
Leave Comment Share

Hasbro Toy Shop Transformers

As the 25th Anniversary of the Transformers line draws closer and closer, we can all expect to start seeing products show up that support this festive time! Shortly the releases in the Universe series of figures by Hasbro will start including a '25th anniversary' tab to the corners of the packaging, making it a little easier to track the line for us OCD list folks. The first main figure to herald in this line will be the reissue of 1984 Prime, which was looking pretty nice at ComicCon! Also available soon from hasbrotoyshop.com are four Special-Edition figures that are being imported from their previously Asia-only market. Be sure to swing by and get your pre-orders in, because Dragstrip will certainly be sold out soon!
Posted by charlie on October 3rd 2008, 12:24 AM
Leave Comment Share

Toys R Us Voyage

Yesterday was marked by a voyage to the nearest Toys R Us store to my small town, which is always a cause for celebration and great joy! It must have been too long since the last such trip, since the time there felt even more restorative and exciting than usual, and the shelves were packed full with great products, many of which being the Toys R Us exclusives that they've done such a good job with lately. We were also there late enough that we basically had the run of the store, making it one of those golden moments that are to be held on to long after the fact. The retail bonanza netted the following fantastic items, which will be featured in the fullness of time!

• Scalextric Transfomers Slotcars!
• New GI Joe Toys R Us Exclusive 5-packs!
• Toys R Us Exclusive Indiana Jones Peril in Peru Lego!
• Playmobil Advent Calendar!
• Big pile of Littlest Petshop (yeah yeah I know...)

As The Uncle would say, my cart runneth over! Also note in the background the new Lincoln Logs sets that we saw in the K'Nex booth at Toy Fair 2008! They got hold of the licence and are working on revitalizing the brand, hopefully with great success!



Posted by charlie on October 2nd 2008, 07:14 AM
Leave Comment Share

Target Exclusive AllSpark Deluxe Jazz

Filling in a hole in the coverage from several months ago, let's take a look at the Target Exclusive Jazz figure that was a part of that awesome checklane endcap which we eagerly anticipated way back when. Featuring exclusive sets of Star Wars 2-packs, GI Joe vehicles and Transformers Deluxe AllSpark figure, it was a brief and shining moment of retail glory! Jazz is admittedly a repaint, and it is one of many reuses of this mold that we saw Hasbro use in this product line, but he forms a key part of this great Target exclusive set and therefore becomes remarkable! Click the image below for additional pictures and product information.


The abbreviated bio indicates that Jazz was able to survive being ripped in two by Megatron in the 'climatic' finale of the Michael Bay mess of a movie that came out last year. It remains to be seen if that claim is made cannon by the second film, but given the reliance that the toy line has placed on the 'Power of the AllSpark' this claim is neither unexpected nor out of line with the rest of their recent ideas. Well, everyone likes Jazz, though I certainly like Scatman the best, but having him back wouldn't be terrible in movie #2.
Posted by charlie on October 1st 2008, 02:19 AM
Leave Comment Share