The Rankin Bass Hobbit Book

OK - so maybe this isn't a toy, but this is the book that turned me into a Hobbit fan. I had never read the book or heard of it until I received this copy for my birthday - probably 4th grade. Though there are many printed versions of the Hobbit, this one has over a 1000 illustrations taken from the Rankin-Bass produced animated movie version of The Hobbit.

I didn't see the movie until years later, but the Rankin-Bass style of the dwarves, goblins, and wood elves is what I always pictured the Hobbit to be. I especially liked the elves and would draw pictures of them based on this book.

Interestingly, I searched for the copy of this book on Ebay and Amazon for years. It wasn't until later I realized that the Rankin-Bass movie is what this book was based on. Once I figured that out, I was in for a shock. A copy of this version would typically run over $100 on Amazon. I didn't want to spend that much.

One day, out of sheer luck, someone listed it for a very fair price. I snatched it up immediately, hoping the seller wouldn't realize what they had in their hands.

Anyway, ....love this book. While Bridge Direct dropped the ball on Hobbit toys, it would be cool to see Super7/Funko release these retro figures as part of their ReAction line.

Make Your Own Zombie

I saw this at my local comic book shop. Looks pretty cool. Seems to be soft white plastic that you can paint in any fashion. About 4 inches tall, it can fit in with 3-3/4" scale figures and maybe even 5 inch figures, like the McFarlane Walking Dead figures.

After a little research online (Ebay) apparently there are some more. I'll have to open this bad boy up and see how will it can be painted and customized. May have potential for a zombie horde.

It's manufactured by EMCE Toys and is a Previews Exclusive.

McFarlane Walking Dead Series 6

McFarlane continues to get better and better....in some ways. They've put together an amazing string of character figures. Series 6 is phenomenal. The best of the series are Hershel Greene, Abraham Ford, and Carol Pelletier. I think the Rick figure is pretty good but many fans have complained about the facial sculpture and the paint applications. The bungee walker is pretty cool but hard to incorporate into dioramas. The Governor figure is basically a repack with an added overcoat and machine gun. Overall, a solid lineup. Very glad to see Hershel and Abraham.

NECA Gremlins

I recently watched the movie Gremlins with my daughter. It has been decades since I saw it. It's funnier than I remember. It's scarier than I remember, especially the kitchen scene where mom, Lynn Peltzer (played by actress Francis Lee McCain) kills a few of the Gremlins in the kitchen after they first hatch. She uses a variety of tools - blender, butcher knife, microwave.

Anyway, NECA released several series of Mogwai and Gremlins. In this posting, I will just show some of the Mogwai figures. Amazingly, these are still being made. Series 7 is due out in a few months, though NECA stated this will likely be the last. Too bad, because they listed some great Gremlins as future releases, many of them coming from Gremlins 2.

The sculpting and detailing of these figures are fantastic. The eyes also roll with a mechanism in the back of the head for each Mogwai.

Star Wars Hot Wheels Part 3

Two new cars and two new 2-Packs have hit the stores as of late. The two new individual cars are Darth Maul and Stormtrooper. While we saw the Stormtrooper in the Target exclusive 5-Pack, this version is clean.

The C3PO golden van is pretty cool and the hot rod Han Solo is perfect for the character. The R2-D2 in the two pack is dirty from the Tatooine dust and sand. I didn't notice any difference in the Chewbacca vehicle.

Once again, looking forward to what the future holds. Hopefully we'll see some new stuff during Toy Fair.

My wishlist? Princess Leia, Ben Kenobi, Jawas, Lando, something Hoth, Boba Fett, and Admiral Ackbar. I can't even imagine what they will come up with.

Star Wars Hot Wheels Part 2

Along with the first seven cars, Target offered a 5 pack which included an exclusive battle damaged stormtrooper car. The five pack included that exclusive along with repacks of Luke, Yoda, R2D2 and Darth Vader.

A Death Star Battle Blast track set was also offered with a special X-Wing fighter car.