The Beast from the East Grants a Boon! [JD Custom Brickarm]

EDITED TO ANNOUNCE: Congrats to Blockburn! You've won this one :)

Thank you to everyone, but stick around - within 30 minutes I should have the next giveaway up and running here.

_____________________________________________________________

Hey to all from the Brickarms Forums! Since the forum reset, we are moving the giveaway here this week!

This time, we're giving the prizes one at a time, and FAST! We'll pick a random winner tomorrow afternoon (11/1/11) and add a different prize to win. Today: A Custom Painted Snakeskin ARC! Just reply to this post with your answer to this question:

What is your favorite theme for a MOC or minifig? Apoc? WWII? Pirates? Castles? Another? Just tell me what you most like to build!

Good luck, everyone! Our standard contest rules do apply!

The Beast from the East makes his inaugural giveaway to...

Thank you to everyone who entered - I started my day laughing. So many of these were funny and fitting, but we had to pick just one, and it is Warren "Zevon" Piece.

Congratulations, Clayton! Please let us know where to send your prize!

Warren "Zevon" Piece was just too clever to pass up. In case anyone doesn't know the references: Warren Zevon sang "Werewolves of London." And think of the name itself: Warren Piece (War and Peace)?  That's epic! I mean literally epic - a reference to Tolstoy's epic!

Now if only my cat had such a good name! ><

 

Comment by Clayton:
Wednesday, October 26th 2011 at 8:50 pm | Edit | Delete | Spam

His name will be Warren “Zevon” Piece.

 

[CONTEST ENDED] Who is that furry fellow?

Here he is, folks, step up and meet the latest in the ToyWiz lineup:


Look at him closely and remember that face. Why? Because whenever The Beast from the East makes an appearance, he's giving away what he's holding! It means there's a contest going on somewhere, so read closely to find it! You might see the Beast from the East on Flickr or Facebook, our website or the Brickarms forums, even right here on the blog or in all places at once! But when he's around, there's a giveaway somewhere!

SO let's get to the good part. You want to know how to get that awesome G36, covered in 24K gold? RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

This is an easy one: we want you to help name the Beast from the East. Is he a Fred? A George? A Mary? You can do better than those! Come up with a name and post it as a reply to this thread. Tomorrow morning, we'll choose the name from your suggestions! So read through first - if there's a duplicate name that is chosen, it will go to the first submitter!

So go ahead, name that generous monster! *PLEASE enter one time only! If you change your mind but can't edit the old entry, just say so in your new post. I'll go with the last thing you posted, not the first if you change your mind and need to update. But only one entry per person will be considered!

Also, as always: giveaways are subject to the usual ToyWiz restrictions, posted here: http://brickarmsforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=275

Innovation in Gaming - Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure

The new Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures game was released on Tuesday, and
frankly, it's awesome. Kids are going to love it, but I've got news for parents: you're going to enjoy it too.

It is a toy-based RPG - a very engaging videogame that uses plastic figures from outside the game as characters. Unlike any other game before, in Skylanders, the figures
aren't tie-ins; they are the key to playing and sharing the virtual world. When placed on the portal, a figure enters the game as a playable character. And better yet - you can take them with you to another
console, even if it's on a different platform! So your Skylander, with it's earned stats and upgrades, is stored on the figure and can be used on a friend's portal to play together or against one another without starting your character over.

The storyline works seamlessly with the figures and portals. You are a "Portal Master" who summons and controls various Skylanders. The portal itself is a plastic accessory that comes with the game. With it, you can control up to 32 characters, each of which has a unique look and special abilities. Spyro himself is a fire-breathing dragon, but each different figure/character has it's own abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Once your Skylander is on the portal, it enters the game
under your control. You are, of course, a hero. You'll quest and fight to save the world from an evil Portal Master named Kaos. Ultimately, you'll have to defeat him.

Gameplay is much like a traditional platform with tasks, puzzles and battles that lead to achievements, currency and experience. It is hard to do justice to the experience of entering the Skylanders world, too. It's yet another seamless integration of the physical figures, the
portal and the online world. The screen shimmers until you place a figure, which is quickly summoned into the game world and the portal's glow changes to reflect the elemental power of your current Skylander. During gameplay, you can switch characters on the portal quickly or add a
second character for a friend at any time.



The figures themselves are not just a novelty. They look fantastic: highly detailed and posed for action on a wide base. The brilliant paintjobs and energetic poses are great for display when not playing. And of course, they are actually storage devices for all of your in-game characters stats and upgrades. You can finish the game with just the 3 characters in your starter set, but it will be more challenging. Different areas are best tackled by Skylanders of different elemental alignments, so you'll be tempted to expand your arsenal of figures. There are 32 Skylanders figures in all, sold individually and in 3-packs.

All in all, for kids, the originality and engaging play will keep them enthralled for hours. And adults? Well you might find the Skyandersis an enjoyable way to relax on your own! Don't be fooled by the toys...this is a well-made, slick and engaging videogame!

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure can be played on Mac, Microsoft Windows, Ninetendo 3Ds, PlayStation, Xbox 360, Wii, iPhone, iPad and Web.

PS: I wanted to give a little shout to my friends from IGN: wwetestdubshadow, thanks for asking a question. gameplayer1000, the avatar works :)

Bricks of War Lego Gears of War Animation

This is one of the best stop-motion LEGO films I've ever seen!

New YuGiOh Releases at ToyWiz - Gates of the Underworld & Rare Promo

From our release mailer, announcing two great items from YuGiOh! shipping today:

	YUGIOH! GATES OF THE UNDERWORLD STRUCTURE DECK - Releases today, October 18, 2011!
	NEW YuGiOh Structure Deck: In June, the Lost Sanctuary Structure Deck gave Duelists the forces of the heavens to command. Now, in this diabolical companion deck, Duelists can match them with the forces of perdition! The Dark World monsters are the fearsome warlords and armies of the underworld. First debuting in 2005, they've lurked on the edges of the tournament scene ever since. This Structure Deck gives Dark World monsters major refit, to bring them up to modern Dueling standards. The core of this set is comprised of Dark World cards which also includes 5 brand new Dark World cards. 37 Common Cards 2 Super Rare Cards 1 Ultra Rare Card 1 Rulebook 1 Game Mat 1 Dueling Guide SHIPPING OCTOBER 18, 2011 - PRE-ORDERS WILL BE FILLED FIRST! SHOP NOW
	YuGiOh Shonen Jump Promo - Ultra Rare JUMP - EN056 - ENDLESS DECAY is also shipping now! *If you have2000 or less Life Points, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, its ATK becomes equal to half your opponent's Life Points. SHOP NOW

And Will Chapman stood atop a mountain and held the child aloft...

and named it an M16A1GL - or an M16 with a curved magazine & Grenade launcher.

Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating the birth of a new BrickArms prototype, but he did put a "birth announcement" on Flickr this morning to let everyone know we'll be getting some of these at ToyWiz soon!

 


So let's talk about this gun - it is a wildly popular one in our new prototypes, and a little history shows why.

The M16 was used by the US Military starting in 1963 and quickly  became the standard service rifle in the Vietnam war. Ever since then, it has remained the primary service rifle for all branches of the US Armed Forces, and is widely used by militaries world-wide. Wikpedia estimates that over 8 million M16's, in both full-automatic and semi-automatic versions have been made. In 2010, however, the M16 began to be phased out in favor of the M4 Carbine, which BrickArms already produces in it's regular line.

Will remains true to history with this new incarnation of his prototype too - a grenade launcher was produced to be mounted on the M16. And if you noticed that he produced both straight and curved magazines - good eye. The difference between the two is that the short, straight magazine is like the 20-round versions used during the Vietnam War. The longer, curved magazine is a more modern style that is in current use, and holds 30 rounds.

Ultimately, this BrickArms version of the M16 has uses for almost any military builder, and also for fans of modern combat games like Call of Duty. Of course, Will created the specific model M16A1 for his prototype, but it is similar enough to other versions, especially at Lego size, to suffice in most builds. And for some builders - especially those wanting to make Vietnam War MOCs - this weapon is almost a necessity.

It is also a fantastic base piece for modifications. Because so many have been produced for so long, there have been many variations of the M16 in service, and it wouldn't be out of place to mod it with different parts for specific purposes.  If you wanted the M16 from prior to 1967, for example, removing the forward assist is a simple modification to attempt.

The Wikipedia entry for this weapon is a great starting point for research into how to modify your BAP into a weapon appropriate for your era, setting or conflict.

Here to Finish the Job: James Franco as New Goblin from Spiderman 3

Hot Toys Movie Masterpieces represent the crème de la crème of movie action figures - 12 inch replicas that are authentic to the smallest detail, always with multiple accessories and change-out parts for nearly endless posing combinations. The James Franco New Goblin is no exception. In fact, he's one of the best yet. Now in stock and shipping from ToyWiz.com.

The details:

· Authentic, detailed and hand-painted likeness of James Franco as New Goblin in Spider-Man 3
· Realistic facial expression with detailed skin texture and expression
· Additional switch-out head with green mask and protective eye glasses
· Stands approximately 30 cm tall
· TrueType body with 30 points of articulation
· Two (2) pairs of interchangeable gloved palms including:
· One (1) pair of relaxed palms with right palm for holding sword and left palm for holding pumpkin bomb
· One (1) pair of fists
· One (1) black and green jacket with elbow pads, belt and sword sheath on the back
· One (1) pair of black pants
· One (1) pair of black snow boots
· Three (3) swords with different lengths
· One (1) set of pumpkin bomb
· One (1) pair of forearm armor weapons (right side can be interchanged to fighting mode)
· One (1) sword pocket with straps
· One (1) sword sheath
· One (1) sky stick with light-up function and transparent stand
· Figurine stand with New Goblin nameplate and the movie logo

Take a look at some of the promo photos released from Hot Toys:

Brickarms new D.O.G Pack coming tomorrow!

The Brickarms just keep coming, and we're going to keep bringing them on! This time, the D.O.G. Pack, Series 2 - That's "Dark Olive Green,"  if you didn't know - the perfect hue for a ton of military/combat purposes.

We'll also be bringing them at a HUGE discount off the retail price, so keep watching! We've got a deal on this like you won't believe!

This time, the pack comes with a huge variety of weapons for lots of uses, with both realistic and Sci-fi potential.

The pack has 25 Dark Olive Green weapons:

• X2 HCSR


• X2 AC8


• X2 M1 Carbine


• X2 Combat PDW


• X2 Sawed-Off Shotgun


• X2 M203 Grenade Launcher


• X1 Spy Carbine


• X1 Longslide Pistol


• X1 BAR


• X1 Apoc SMG


• X1 PPSh


• X1 Claymore Sword


• X1 HSR


• X1 Cricket Bat


• X1 Space Magnum


• X1 StG44 Vampir


• X1 MG42


• X1 M1917 Revolver


• X1 P08 Luger

Here's a look at the sweet olive goodness:

So what do you think? Is this another must-have from Will Chapman's Brickarms workshop?