Welcome back to Toy Aisle, where you’ll find no deals today other than the deal of exchanging a large quantity of money to preorder some of the latest cool toys on the internet. This week Hot Toys swears in a new President, Transformers gets on track, and a snazzy new Darkwing Duck swings by. Check it out!
Transformers Takara Tomy Masterpiece MPG-01 Shouki
Japan is stereotypically known for a few things, including high-speed bullet trains and giant robots. Mash those two things up and you get Shouki, the leader of the Autobot Trainbots who transforms from a robot ready for war to a high-speed vehicle that can only travel on rails. Of all the vehicles to choose to transform into when arriving on Earth, a train seems like an odd choice, but Shouki knows that as he approaches a crossing, Autobots like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee have no choice but to wait for him. Available for pre-order now for $US160 (A$225) but not shipping until mid-2022, Shouki includes a couple sections of train track so at least out of the box he’s got somewhere to park.
Hasbro Nerf Laser Strike 2-Player Laser Tag Blaster Set
Back in 2018, Nerf revived the classic ‘80s Laser Tag toy with its Laser Ops Pro line that traded foam darts for IR emitters and sensors. But aside from a couple of blasters, the line didn’t see any new additions post launch. Three years later, Nerf is taking another stab at Laser Tag with its new Laser Strike Blaster two-pack that’s available now at most retailers for $US30 (A$42). Each blaster has six variations of rumbling force feedback that’s paired with 11 different light patterns so that players instantly know the severity of a hit, as well as five unique blaster modes emulating different types of weapons. A fresh set of AA batteries provides four hours of play, but, unfortunately, the new Laser Strike blasters aren’t compatible with the older Laser Ops Pro line.
Beast Kingdom Dynamic 8ction Heroes Darkwing Duck Negaduck
Every hero deserves an arch-nemesis doppelgänger who looks like their twin but is differentiated by the colour of their clothes and their evil angry eyes. For Darkwing Duck that was Negaduck, and following Beast Kingdom’s excellent Darkwing figure, there’s now a matching nega-version enroute. The $US80 (A$112) figure stands just 6.5-inches tall but includes a real fabric suit and cape, extensive articulation, swappable hands, mouths, and eyes, and a chainsaw, bomb, and detonator: three staples of cartoon villainy. The figure’s available for pre-order now from BigBadToyStore, with delivery expected as soon as January of next year.
Mattel Fisher-Price Little People Collector A Christmas Story Special Edition Figure Set
Merchandise based on the greatest Christmas movie of all time has exploded over the past few years as new generations are introduced to the charm of A Christmas Story. Mattel is doing its part with a new addition to its Fisher-Price Little People Collector line featuring toddler friendly 2.5-inch tall cartoonish figures of Ralphie, Randy, Mrs. Parker, and Mr. Parker — complete with his beloved leg lamp in hand. We double-dog-dare-you to resist grabbing this four-pack for $US20 (A$28).
Hot Toys Loki President Loki and Alligator Loki
It did it with Spider-suits, it did it with Iron Man armours, now Hot Toys has found another easy variant to churn out pricey toys of: Lokis! Right from the Disney+ show, its latest addition to the Loki crew is the President Loki variant, based on the comic run of the same name. As well as his tattered suit, President Loki comes with a disconcertingly grinning face, two knives, alternate hands including some green magical elements, a special base with a lenticular backdrop inspired by the show, and even a candy cane to beat people over the head with.
Arguably, you might not even be here for the main thing, and instead just want the “accessory” that is Loki breakout Alligator Loki. The Hot Toys variant, in scale of course to all other Lokis, has an articulated jaw in its head to slightly adjust posing, but is mostly there to be very cute. The figure will be available in two bundles, but this time the “Premium” edition doesn’t include more accessories for President Loki: instead, the 1,500-run special edition includes stickers, keyrings, a TVA pin badge, trading cards, a T-Shirt based on the series’ title card, a notepad, and even a replica of President Loki’s campaign badge. The standard figure costs $US285 (A$400), while the Premium collection will weigh in at a hefty $US550 (A$772), and both are due to release in early 2023. Maybe we’ll have season 2 by then? [Toyark]
Hasbro Nerf Minecraft Blasters
Nerf fans have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. In addition to the new Laser Strike line, the brand has teamed up with Minecraft for a collection of blocky, pixelated blasters all based on tools and weapons in the game. The $US21 (A$29) Minecraft Stormlander upgrades the hammer with the ability to fire 3 Nerf Elite darts out of the top, while the $US27 (A$38) Minecraft Pillager’s Crossbow has a mechanism for drawing back its string while three barrels allow three darts to be launched in quick succession. The larger blasters are also joined by three smaller $US11 (A$15) alternatives including the Microshots Minecraft Ender Dragon, Microshots Minecraft Guardian, and Microshots Minecraft Ghast that are more loosely based on objects and characters in the game.