Jinkies, Playmobil’s Scooby-Doo Sets Are Frightfully Fun

Jinkies, Playmobil’s Scooby-Doo Sets Are Frightfully Fun

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, Gizmodo’s regular round up of all things fun and plastic. This week, Playmobil unleashes a boatload of awesome Scooby-Doo toys, Hasbro’s Power Rangers figure line finally fills in the regular MMPR team, and He-Man takes the most bizarre leap of all…into UNO? Check it out!

Image: Playmobil
Image: Playmobil

Playmobil Scooby-Doo! Adventure in the Mystery Mansion Playset

It’s going to be hard for Playmobil to top its excellent Back to the Future figures and playsets, but the company’s expanding its other new pop culture property in 2020 with a line of Scooby-Doo! themed playsets. Leading the way is the giant $US99 ($138) Mystery Mansion Playset packed full of ghouls, hidden treasures, secret passageways, and even a clever Pepper’s Ghost illusion that uses a smartphone and an app to add a floating specter that’s probably just Old Man Thompson in disguise. Other additions to the Scooby-Doo! line include a $US50 ($70) Adventure in the Cemetery playset, a $US40 ($56) Adventure in the Wild West with a haunted stagecoach, and a $US40 ($56) Adventure in Egypt complete with mummies — a staple of the original animated series.

Image: Hasbro
Image: Hasbro

Hasbro Power Rangers Lightning Collection Wave 6

During a livestream today, Hasbro unveiled the first look at the next wave of six-inch-scaled Power Rangers figures entering the Lightning Collection. And, surprisingly, it’s taken this long to actually round off the initial members of the beloved, all-encompassing Mighty Morphin’ team with the arrival of a standard version of Zack the Black Ranger. There’s some caveats — Tommy Oliver in his classic Green Ranger form has only been available in a limited two-pack, based off his later suited appearance in the Dino Thunder episode “Fighting Spirit” rather than MMPR proper. But still, you can now at least attempt to collect the original five rangers! Tommy still makes an appearance in this wave in the form of the Red Zeo Ranger, and will be joined by Ashley the Yellow Space Ranger and a modified release of Goldar, based on his earliest pre-Zedd appearance in MMPR before he got his wings unleashed. The wave is available to pre-order on Hasbro Pulse for $US20 ($28) apiece, and is set to drop in September and October.

Image: Rubik’s
Image: Rubik’s

Rubik’s Connected Cube

After a successful Kickstarter debut last year, the GoCube brought the classic Rubik’s Cube puzzle toy into the 21st century with built in sensors that matched the toy’s spinning movements to a virtual version in an app. The product was so good that the official Rubik’s brand has partnered with the GoCube to design a new version that will be used as the official digital cube for the virtual Red Bull Rubik’s Cube World Cup, allowing competitors to compete remotely during the pandemic. Rubik’s Connected will be available starting on August 18 for $US50 ($70) (the price jumps up to $US60 ($84) following its debut); the free app not only lets Rubik’s Cube masters compete online, it also includes tutorials for amateurs, and for those lacking any and all puzzle solving skills, it can even walk you through properly solving a mixed up cube.

Image: Hot Toys
Image: Hot Toys

Hot Toys Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 1/6 Scale Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder Pilot)

Hot Toys has unveiled another in its line of deliciously detailed, expensively priced figures celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back in the form of Luke as he appears in the Battle of Hoth. Clad in his flightsuit, donned as a member of Rogue Squadron to beat back the invading Imperial Walkers, the 12″ figure includes his lightsaber and blaster pistol, as well as the grappling gun he wields to take down an AT-AT (and the detonator he uses to actually do the exploding). As well as that, Luke includes alternate hands to wield all these things, and a removeable pilot helmet (complete with the separate padded cap). He’s set to come out some time in the middle of 2022. [Hot Toys]

Image: Mattel
Image: Mattel

Mattel Masters of the Universe UNO

If Hasbro (and other companies) can churn out hundreds of iterations of Monopoly based on every last pop culture property you can possibly imagine, then Mattel figures it can do the same with UNO. Arriving this month is another themed UNO deck, following other creations like the beautifully designed UNO Minimalista revealed earlier this year. This time around the standard UNO deck is upgraded with classic imagery of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as painted by Williams George and Ruby Obero. (Available now, or in the coming weeks, for less than $US10 ($14).) Gameplay is mostly the same, with the addition of a special card that when played requires the top card from the draw pile to be flipped and immediately used. Instead of yelling “UNO!” when you’re down to one card, we also recommend every player screams “I HAVE THE POOOOOWER!”