This is The Thing, and It's clobberin' time!

I mean THE Thing! One great action figure from Marvel Select with a rock-solid 8+" sculpt atop the Fantastic Four base.

It's a great figure, but I feel a personal connection to this one too. I'm sure everyone has funny or odd things they remember about comic heroes, and this is one of mine.  As a child, he was the superhero most like my dad - and what kid doesn't envision her daddy as a superhero? Dad's a huge, muscular man (check), friendly blue eyes (check), and to top it off...they're both named Ben. So in my childhood mind, it was quite possible that my dad was living a secret life as The Thing!

So check out this figure, it's a really great one. And even if your dad isn't at all like The Thing, he's still a great character!

My Little Pony Poll...the herd arrived!

We always have a fun poll going at ToyWiz.com, and this week, something magic happened. At first, Transformers seemed to be in the lead. Then overnight....

That's right - over 13,000 votes for My Little Pony! It seems some great fans at EquestriaDaily.com decided to pony up and vote! We absolutely love their spirit and teamwork, with thousands of votes coming in very quickly. We paid a visit to their forums to say thank you, and changed the My Little Pony poll option to reflect our appreciation for what they accomplished!

What do you think - next time should we ask which pony would win in battle?

Super 10% off Sale, Just in Time for Holiday Shipping!

10% OFF on Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure through December 19, 2011.



I know it's hard to believe that the hottest selling game of the season is getting a fat discount coupon code just in time for Christmas shipping, but it is! 10% OFF with coupon code SPYRO at checkout, and you can take your pick of starter packs for any platform, Adventure Mini Figure characters, or carrying cases to tote your figures to a friend's house for mutual gaming.



If you don't already know what sets Skylanders apart, here's the thing: The game comes with mini figures that actually come alive inside the game. Each figure is a different character you can play and collect. To bring one into the game, just place him on the Portal of Power and watch him materialize as a playable character. Better still: your figure holds onto in-game information, so you can bring your figure to a friend's house to play, putting him right alongside another on the portal without losing your in-game achievements.

The best things about Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure:

• Available on most platforms - XBOXX 360, PC, Mac, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, Nintendo 3DS. AND you can still play your characters with a friend, even if his or her game is on a different platform.


• The figures are really cool, and it's amazing to have something in the real world that you also have in a virtual environment!


• Each character has different abilities and powers, so it's not just playing the same thing in a different body - gameplay changes too.


• It's a great story and a really fun role-playing game!  A perfect introduction to the genre.

So through December 19th there's still time to order for Christmas delivery. And if you already have the basic game, extra figures are a great, inexpensive gift too.

[caption id="attachment_1665" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gill Grunt, In Game"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1666" align="aligncenter" width="275" caption="Gill Grunt Figure - place on the Portal of Power to enter Skylanders as this character"][/caption]

Flameslinger, Eruptor, Chop Chop, Stump Smash, Stealth Elf, Drobot, Sonic Boom, Bash, Prism Break, Whirlwind, Boomer, Voodod, Terrafin, Pirate Ship, Hidden Treasure, Ghost Swords, Ghost Roaster, Crypt, Time Twister, Healing Elixir, Wrecking Ball, Zap, Hex, Dino-Rang, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, along with Legendary versions of some characters are still in stock!

Brickarms M16 Prototype Variants Review!

Our favorite Brickarms video reviewer, KingofPumas, has a brand new look comparing all of the M16s now offered by Brickarms!

Marvel Universe Series 17 Action Figures: A star lineup for the last release of 2011

With the last wave of 2011 now in stock, I can say that Marvel chose to bring a strong lineup to the last release of the year. We have not one, but two female superheroes in this release, Psylocke and Storm, rounding out any X-Men fan's wishlist for sure.



One of my favorites from series 17 has to be Iron Fist - with the recent resurgence of interest in classic Kung Fu and martial arts and a figure readily posed for combat, complete with flaming fist, this one is a certain winner.



The new version of Thunder Age Thor was  a great choice with the recent hit movie now on DVD, and Patriot is a classic American hero in the with ties to another hero featured in a summer blockbuster, Captain America. Both are well done, with Patriot's costume and shield looking especially spiffy. Daredevil rounds out the release - another master of martial arts and a very popular choice with fans.






So what do you think of the new lineup? Any must-haves for your collection, or near-misses you'll avoid?

BrickArms Minigun Review with MASSIVE amounts of information!

One of my very favorite toy reviewers, Beanmeister22 reviewed the Minigun awhile back, and I learned a lot from it. From the practical uses and details about the ammo to it's appearance in a few movies, this video is a must-see for anyone with questions about the minigun, or for anyone wanting to learn a lot more about this weapon.

MEGAMOSHI! The newest license from Mega Bloks: Moshi Monsters!

Mega Bloks has been on a roll with some of the best new licensed building brick products anywhere.  Building on the success they've enjoyed with the HALO and other lines, we're seeing more and more great collaborations with popular game and entertainment franchises from the Mega Brands company.



HALO is a staple now - there are fan communities and builders around the world enjoying the ability to build and create with figures, vehicles and terrain from the popular game franchise. And Need for Speed is amazing - from the most popular racing game you can build, customize and race your own supercar. Power Rangers Samurai is a breakout hit too. And now...Moshi Monsters joins the Mega Bloks family with adorable Moshi style!

These new sets not only let you build and customize actual areas from the game, but they even come with codes to unlock online gaming items. They work together and with other Mega Bloks and building brick sets for unlimited creative potential.





 

Our thanks to another great LEGO minifigure customizer!

We were very fortunate to have a visit from Josh, aka Family Bricks, who brought a gift to JD of not one but TWO custom minifigures!



These are obviously just top-notch figures, and ones we'll be using in photos in the future! It was a great treat to meet Josh and show him around a bit. If you've not met him yet, I strongly recommend taking a look at his Flickr Photostream and also read up at Toys N Bricks where he is a regular blog contributor!

Real Toys from Virtual Worlds - most kids now have one or more!

[caption id="attachment_1626" align="alignleft" width="71" caption="Club Penguin"][/caption]

Gone are the days when television and movies were the keys to creating popular toys - now kids want what to play with real versions of the characters they encounter first on the computer. Whether it's Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin, the newest Skylanders series or another, 55% of kids in the UK are reported to own at least one real life toy based on a video game's virtual world, according to Gamasutra. Based on popularity at ToyWiz.com, we'd expect a similar result for kids in the US as well.

[caption id="attachment_1627" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure"][/caption]

The options range from toys that are simply real world representations of in-game characters, like the very popular Angry Birds, to toys that actually "plug in" and come to life on the computer to be played and saved. Many of the toys like Webkinz, Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters also offer in-game items or bonuses based on codes that come with the toys. That makes these a double-treat for players: a real toy and a virtual one that they can use online.

For the uninitiated, here's a quick look at some of the hottest game-and-toy offerings currently available:

• Angry Birds:
  The most popular game in the world has it's own line of plush, offline games and magnets, keychains and more. With over 500,000,000 downloads of the game, it's a sure bet that kids who like games have tried this one.


• Club Penguin:
  A Disney offering, "CP" has the quality and adorable eye-appeal you'd expect from the leader in family-friendly entertainment. It is a role-playing game, where you interact as a penguin in a beautiful snowy world. The Club Penguin toys offer coin codes to use in exchange for unique in-game items.


• Moshi Monsters:
  Combining the fun of an online game and the popularity of virtual pets, Moshi Monsters lets you adopt a monster and solve puzzles to buy items like food, clothing and decorations for it. It's popularity has grown quickly, and now the real world toys released this year are in great demand. These include trading cards, plush and figures with codes for in-game items.


• Skylanders:
  Available for all gaming platforms, Skylanders is a unique new gaming experience. For this one, the figures are a must - they are placed on the "portal" and come to life in-game. These toys actually save the character's progression, and can even be taken to a friend's house to play together on the same console.


• Poptropica: Developed by the Family Education Network, Poptropica lets players travel, play games, compete and communicate together to complete islands. The codes in Poptropica toys give players unique costumes to wear in the game too.


• Webkinz: Incredibly popular stuffed animals (plush) that all have access to the "Webkinz World" website. These range from common housepets to wild or fantasy animals. The code on each Webkin allows that pet to be adopted in the virtual world, where your stuffed animal gets to come to life.

[caption id="attachment_1630" align="alignleft" width="63" caption="Sonic the Hedgehog"][/caption]

Not only are these toys hot, we have seen merchandise for pretty much every game on the market. From Assassin's Creed to World of Warcraft, and classic-to-modern versions of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, there is no end to the now-complete tie in of computer gaming and toys.

 

So what do you think of these? Do you or your family own any toys that tie in to video games? Would you buy an item that came with a bonus for online use?