While we were getting the tour of Hasbro’s showroom, we were treated to a preview of the new Transformers video game from Activision.

While we were getting the Tour of Hasbro’s showroom, we were treated to a preview of the new Transformers video game from Activision.

From the Transformers Fact Sheet:

Based on TRANSFORMERS, DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ upcoming live-action feature film due out July 4th, and produced in association with Hasbro,  TRANSFORMERS: The Game lets gamers control the outcome in the battle for Earth as they choose to protect it as AUTOBOTS or destroy it as DECEPTICONS.  Players will also experience the unstoppable power and massive scale of their favorite ROBOTS IN DISGUISE such as BUMBLEBEE, BARRICADE and others.

KEY FEATURES:

• Protect Or Destroy The Earth – As the TRANSFORMERS robot’s war comes to Earth, gamers make the choice to join the AUTOBOTS in protecting our planet or to join the DECEPTICONS in destroying it.  With dual campaigns, the fate of the world is in players’ hands.
• MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE – Instantly change from a larger than life robot to a high-powered vehicle such as a sports car, fighter jet or helicopter.  Seamless transformations leave enemies in the dust or enhance players’ combat strategy with a range of options in both vehicle and robot modes that take full advantage of the characters’ dual forms.
• The World Is Your Playground – Players crush, topple and wreck every object, including buildings and vehicles, in their path or use the objects as weapons.  It is up to the gamer to decide how best to use their surrounding environment.
• Freedom of Choice – An unprecedented line-up lets gamers experience the massive scale, unique abilities and sheer strength of an army of characters from the TRANSFORMERS universe when they choose to play as OPTIMUS PRIME, MEGATRON, IRONHIDE, STARSCREAM, BUMBLEBEE and more.  
• Variety of Combat – For head-to-head battles, fans engage in melee combat that reflects each TRANSFORMERS robot’s character, scale, weight and power along with melee weapons and special moves unique to each character.  The game’s ranged combat offers a wide array of projective weapons designed to take out enemies from afar.
• PlayStation® Portable Features – The PSP version features 20 playable AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS, from both the live-action film and previous generations, that battle through an enhanced version of the film’s storyline.  Players can customize their character by choosing more than 10 different weapon types in both single and ad-hoc multiplayer gameplay

The cut of the game we saw was in a very rough stage of development. The cinematics and soundtrack were not completed. The gameplay seemed smooth and seeing a CG bumblebee drive around the city and fight the Decepticons was pretty cool. I liked the fact that you can destroy pretty much anything in your path, or use it as a weapon. Buildings, trees, benches, even other cars are all fair game. There will also be a lot of references to the G1 series that are missing in the movie.

The only thing I wasn’t too thrilled with was the large amount of blatant product placement in the game. The backgrounds weren’t finished, but the Burger King logos were very crisp and clear.

Transformers the Game is being produced by Activision and will be on sale Summer 2007.

We did not have an appointment with Gentle Giant but we did have a chance to take a look around their showroom. Click here to get an eyeful of what we saw.

Outside the Gentle Giant showroom was a beautiful, larger than life animated style statue of Princess Leia.

We did not actually have an appointment with Gentle Giant but they where nice enough to let us take a peak around their showroom and here is what we saw.

There was lots of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter on display from animated styled busts and statues to more life like representation.

Mini busts of characters from the graphic novel The Red Star where out.

A line of statues based on dragons from Disney movies. These where particularly nice and I really dug the Malificent dragon.

Gentle Giant has been doing some very nice Clash of the Titans statues and coming soon is a very sharp looking Bobo the mechanical owl.

And last but not least there where some small Simpsons figurines out on display.

Be sure to head over to the gallery and see all the photos

Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts 2 and more!

New Original Products from Square Enix

Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figures

From one of the best reviewed video games of all time comes the Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figures. Each figure sports 20 points or articulation and stand 8" tall. included in the line is:

• Vaan
• Ashe
• Balthier
• Judge Master Gabranth

Final Fantasy Mechanical Arts

These are plastic and Die-cast metal replicas of famous vehicles from various Final Fantasy games and films.

• High Wind
• Continental Circus
• Sister Ray
• Cloud Strife's Fenrir motorcycle
• Kadaj's Motorcycle

Final Fantasy Master Creatures Vol. 2

Each figure has astonishing detail and an intricate base, with many parts cast in translucent material. Most of the figures stand at least 6" tall

• Mateus the Corrupt
• Diabolos
• Knights of the Round
• Yojimbo
• Odin

Master Arms Series One

The weapons of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts available as prop replicas. Each is 1/6th scale and made from a variety of materials, but mostly metal.

• Squall Leonhart's Gunblade
• Seifer Almasy's Gunblade
• Vincent Valentine's Cerberus
• Kingdom Key

Kingdom Hearts II Play Arts Action Figures

Disney paired up with Square-Enix to produce Kingdom Hearts, the interactive RPG for Playstation 2. This series of Play Arts figure is based on the sequel, Kingdom Hearts 2, and includes:

• Axel
• Sora
• Kairi
• Roxas

Valkyrie Profile Trading Arts Mini Figures

Based on norse mythology, this series of games centers around Valkyries who must find the souls of people who die tragic deaths, shape them into powerful warriors post-mortem, and then send them into Valhalla for the final battle between Aesir and Vanir, Ragnarok.

• Lenneth Valkyrie
• Frey
• Lucio
• Lezard Valeth

Front Mission Trading Arts + Mini Action Figures

Each mecha is modular and parts can be swapped between mecha. Each toy is highly articulated and includes accessories.

• Bizant
• Giza
• Grillesechs
• Zenith
• Kyojun
• Husky

Check out our Square-Enix Toy Fair Gallery for more images!

Fellow Massachusetts residents start a bean revolution!

I had the pleasure of meeting Matt from Beantoyn Toys at the toy fair this year. I had actually learned about Beantown Toys from a friend request on MySpace, and I thought it was cool that there was a toy company right in my backyard.

Come to find out Matt and his crew are a bunch of cool dudes, and are very much into the Japanese toy scene, even if it is not immediately obvious by looking at the Beantown Beans.He has actually built a cool articulation system that allows you to create bodies for the Beans. You can arrange body pieces to make vehicles, bodies, and even original action figures.

The Beans are well made, and the designs are really nice. My kids dug them a lot, and I managed to keep a clear one for myself.

Some of the art for the series is done by people involved with Kaiju Big Battel.

Matt also has another line he is working on with Onell design, one that is more sci-fi than cute. This line features MASK size action figures and vehicles. Each toy is individually hand tooled and detailed. I can't wait to see more of these toys.

For more information about Beantown Toys, please visit: http://www.thebostonbakedbean.com/

Unkl Brands caught my eye with this 300% HAZMAPO that was designed in conjunction with Kow Yokoyama, creater of Maschinen Krieger.

Unkl Brands caught my eye with this 300% HAZMAPO that was designed in conjunction with Kow Yokoyama, creater of Maschinen Krieger.

Unkl also produces other vinyl toy lines, such as TinPo, JunPo and SUG.

Check out all the images in our Unkl Toy Fair gallery.

Monsta Funk is inspired by the culture of Papua New Guinea infused with a healthy love of cartoons and fuelled by high voltage energy.

I ran into a new company called Monsta Funk at the New York Toy Fair. They had traveled all the way from Australia in hopes to break into the US toy market. They have a very interesting style, which to me is reminiscent of Ugly Dolls. Their character driven style is inspired by the culture of Papua New Guinea infused with a healthy love of cartoons and fuelled by high voltage energy.

One of their first offerings will be the Prince of Funk vinyl toy, available in red/purple and silver/black.

Make sure you check these guys out and wish them good luck at http://www.monstafunk.com.au/

Mini Mag Stands are an innovative method of displaying your action figure collection.

Mini Mag Stands are an innovative method of displaying your action figure collection. There are two basic components to Mini Mag Stands. First off are the feet pads. Each foot would get a Mini Mag Stands magnetic foot pad that fits into the hole in the bottom of the foot. Those magnets then would attach to any metal surface, or to the exclusive metal base. It is an interesting idea, and a lot less clunky than those old black circle stands.

for more visit the Mini Mag Stands website at http://www.minimagstands.com/

Figures from Tekkon Kincreat and Death Note

Jun Planning had a lot of figurines from the anime movie Tekkon Kincreat based on the comic by Matsumoto Taiyo. There are 3 differentlevels of figures in this line - Craft Level, Movie Collection, and Panel Collection.

Also on display was a resin and PVC figure of Ryuk from DEATH NOTE.

This figure was really something. Lots of different media, including cloth and fur.

For more images, visit our Jun Planning Toy Fair Gallery.

Dolls with changeable chests, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Designer toys!

BBI specializes in 1/6 scale figures including Military figures and other collectable genres, such as goth and designer toys.

First up are these "Perfect Body" dolls. The main gimmick with these dolls is that they come with several different breast sizes. Like em small like peaches? Just remove the front chest plate and add the small size. Like em like watermelons? BBI has got a size for that too. The come in both Hispanic and Caucasian versions.

BBI continues with the military figures with female military figures. No word if these are inspired by actual women or not, but I could go for a Jessica Lynch or Lynndie England doll. Shown is California ARMY National Guard 40th Infantry Division "Rosanna Jones"

BBI and Sea International bring you 1/6 scale figures from Romance of the three Kingdoms, a chinese historical novel based on the end of the Han Dynasty.

Merit International also now distributes some designer toys from STD toys:

For more information, please visit our Merit / BBI Toy Fair gallery.

Saizon is the North American Distributor for STIKFAS figures, but they offer much more, including MBear, CUBOYDS, Hybrid Statues and Cool Rockets.

Saizon is the North American Distributor for STIKFAS figures, but they offer much more, including MBear, CUBOYDS, Hybrid Statues and Cool Rockets.

Stikfas

No Radically new Stikfas are on deck right now, aside from the upcoming Samurai Stikfas, and the new multi packs.

Saizon also had art for the first ever licensed Stikfas from the upcoming "Rebuild of Evangelion" anime movies. There will be at least five different Stikfas styled like the Evangelion Robots.

Saizon introduced their MBear series 1 at the Toy Fair. Mbear measures 2 inches high and comes with a pair of detachable sunglasses. MBear uses the same joint system as Stikfas so they are interchangeable.

CUBOYDS series 2 were on display. Series 2 is essentially the same as series 1, but these figures are now blister carded instead of blind boxed and there are four new color versions - Khaki, Dark brown, Army Green and Forest Green.

Hybrid

Saizon will be distributing statues from the graphic novel Hybrid. these statues are HUGE and HEAVY.

CoolRockets

Highly detailed and retro style rocket statues, Created by Jeff Brewer, a film and special-effects modelmaker in northern California

For more images, see our Saizon Toy Fair Gallery