Welcome back to Toy Aisle, our round up of the latest and greatest bits of plastic siphoning money from our cash reserves. This week, we’ve got a mothertrucking great Optimus Prime, Playmobil gets even more retro with Back to the Future, and Mexo’s latest DC Marvel is a throwback to Wonder Woman’s wonderful past. Check it out!
Transformers Generations War for Cybertron: Earthrise Leader WFC-E11 Optimus Prime
With countless toy versions of Optimus Prime being released over the years, it seems hard to get excited about yet another iteration of the Autobots’ fearless leader, right? Wrong. At New York Comic Con, Hasbro revealed the new additions to its Transformers Generations War for Cybertron line, which includes a seven-inch Optimus Prime figure that not only comes with a trailer accessory that transforms into a battle station/Autobot infirmary, but also the Matrix of Leadership tucked away in Prime’s chest.
It’s available for pre-order now on ToyWiz for around $75, but isn’t expected to ship until March of next year.
Playmobil Back to the Future
After knocking it out of the park with its kid-friendly takes on the characters and vehicles from , Playmobil is expanding its licensed lines with new figures and vehicles based on Scooby-Doo and, even more dear to our hearts, Back to the Future. Pricing and availability details are still a ways off ” the company only just revealed the new collections at New York Comic Con ” but the time-travelling trilogy was disappointingly light on toys when it originally hit theatres, so Playmobil’s recreation of Marty, Doc Brown and the DeLorean will be welcomed with open arms.
Nerf Ultra One Dart Blaster
Hasbro is bringing some of the performance boosts introduced with the Nerf Rival line, which fires small foam balls, to its more traditional dart-based blasters with the new Ultra One dart blaster, which boasts a range of up to 120 feet thanks to a pair of high-speed spinning wheels powered by four C-sized batteries. But improved motors and engineering aren’t the blaster’s only secret.
It also uses Nerf’s new Ultra darts made from a more rigid foam material that allows for shaped fins in the back to improve aerodynamics and range. The Ultra One dart blaster will be available sometime this spring for around $75 and will include 25 Ultra darts, although it has the capacity to store more.
Disney Star Wars Magnetic Shoulder Porg
Pirates have parrots, anthropomorphic puppets have tiny nagging crickets, and finally Star Wars fans have a sidekick they can perch on their shoulders. For $22 (plus $40 international shipping) this plush porg comes with a magnetic disc you place on your shoulder, under your shirt, which keeps this five-inch tall porg from falling off or flying away.
Mezco One:12 Wonder Woman Classic Edition
Mezco has given us some fabulous takes on Diana before ” whether it’s from the comics or Gal Gadot’s portrayal of the Amazon in the DC movies. But its newest One:12 figure takes inspiration from the Wonder Woman of old, a realistic take on the retro aesthetic of Diana’s Golden and Silver Age looks. Essentially what that means is that she kinda looks like a souped up, angrier Lynda Carter in more realistic, vaguely-armour-ish superspandex. By which we mean she looks great.
As well as a series of alternate hands and a removeable cloth cape, the Classic Edition Wonder Woman comes with an alternate headsculpt featuring an angrier visage for the Amazon Princess… which makes sense, because as well as her lasso of truth, Diana comes with a ton of weaponry to go into figure-based combat with. A sword and shield, an axe, a spear… this is one Wonder Woman ready for a fight or six! She’ll have to wait though: Mezco won’t start shipping this figure until sometime later this year or potentially by January 2020. [Toyark]
UNO Braille
Next to Poker and Solitaire, UNO might be one of the most popular card games in the world, so following up on a special version of the game that was customised for colour blind players, Mattel has worked with the U.S. National Federation of the Blind to create UNO Braille.
The new version of the game might not look different than a standard UNO deck, but it feels different, with the addition of Braille dots in the corner of each card indicating its colour, number, or action for those with visual impairments. It’s available now, exclusively at Target in the U.S. for $15. An international release has not yet been confirmed.
Playskool Mr. Potato Head Movin’ Lips Electronic Interactive Talking Toy
Mr. Potato Head has always relied on kids bringing a heapin’ helpin’ of imagination to play time, but Hasbro has upgraded the toy (a mashup of Frankenstein’s monster and high-carb dining) with a new electronic mechanism so his swappable lips actually move and talk.
The $45 figure relies on moving magnets to bring his mouth to life, which syncs with over 40 phrases and four parody songs that are all Potato themed. And like the more traditional versions of Mr. Potato Head, this version includes removable arms, ears, eyes, nose and a hat that can be repositioned all over his head.