Open Your Toys Cast

I think it’s time to be thankful for 3rd Parties (i.e. non-big 4 companies) as we continue to get amazing stuff from these smaller guys. Especially the Marauder complimented Roboskull Kickstarter. This campaign unlocked some amazing stretch goals. Even though I’m not usually into throwback 5.5 stuff, the new Lords of Power line definitely caught my attention. While not a direct connection to Star Wars, I think we’re lucky to be getting a second wave of Silverhawks so fast. Even if includes a $40 chair. Finally, just some good ole’ fashion Transformers 3rd Party goodness. Always love me some G2 Bruticus action.

How about the Pulse Con, huh? Crazy good stuff from my POV. Love the Kickback, Justified in Boba armor, and especially Croc Master. In addition to that rush, MOTU finally had something that makes me super-happy.

There were some things I loved this time around that are not based on much logic. Super7 keeps sucking me in with their ReAction deep cuts. It doesn’t take much to get me excited about a TF Joe crossover, even it’s just a passing resemblance like TFC Tyrant, i.e. Dominator Megatron. I can’t quite figure why I like the George Lucas Black Series figure. I think it’s just so goofy, it deserves to be in my collection. What doesn’t take a lot of logic to know why I love it so much is the Revelation Stinkor. He is absolutely beautiful and I love that it has an extra masked head.

I liked the TVC Droids Figures, OG Scorponok, this MOTU board game, and possibly getting a good Joe game.

What toys do you think kids will find visceral 20 years from now? Any? That’s right, toys are not for kids anymore. The Rancor is something I remember clearly. I used to feed it my Luke until he got stuck. Here’s hoping the Haslab version can create a new feeling. Jurassic Park is another visceral movie for me. So, I have a huge soft spot for the new Transformers Crossover set. While I absolutely love the vintage Hordak. It’s one of my most favorite figures I ever owned. But there is something about a blue Hordak. The Power-Con Exclusive Mondo 1/6th scale version is perhaps one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. Perhaps Sgt. Slaughter’s crossover with G.I. Joe, creating a perfect combination of two of the biggest loves of adolescent boys in the 80s, gives you that feeling. We talked about how that came to be.

This week we had some controversy, maybe, so I’m going to focus on some of our more controversial news stories. First and foremost is the renaming of Slave 1 to The Firespray. Where do you stand on rewriting history? The new MOTU series and toys are bound to split fans. Seems like some fans just can’t get down with kid-based stuff. Would you support a Victory Saber HasLab project? What if it was $300? Do you support things to simply support the brand? Lastly, it looks like TRU will be back in the form of pop-up shops in Macy’s. If their online site is any indicator of what the offerings might look like, collectors are not going to be happy.

I haven’t been too busy to catch up on the big 4’s media. We had a spoiler-filled discussion about Bad Batch, Kingdom, Revelation, and Snake Eyes. I think I said Spoiler like 37 times. It’s a good time to be a fan of the big four, for the most part.

Well, there was still no Comic-Con this year, but man there were some amazing things announced that I can’t wait for. Hopefully you were able to score some Mattel exclusives, I know a lot of people were not. I lucked out and was able to grab me the Scareglow and Sarge. While not necessarily an SDCC thing, the color-changing Pulsecon Exclusive Zartan looks to be a must-have for a lot of people, including me. One of the things I’m most excited about is the new Gendy Clone Wars series figs that launched at the beginning of Comic-Con. Lastly, while he’s getting a lot of hate, one of my favorite reveals was the new Reformating R.E.D. Megatron.

Target has had their fair share of bumpy rides when it comes to their exclusives, but they’re trying to do right by collectors with their Geek Out event. One of the things a lot of people can’t just grin and bear is the War for Cybertron trilogy, especially the new Kingdom series. Personally, I love supporting media for toy lines, even if they’re not the best stories ever told. However, the new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Revelation trailer looks to be the type of animated toy porn most fanboys are clamoring for. Star Wars tends to do the opposite. They create media that eventually inspires toys. Their new Visions project looks like my kind of adventure.

I love me some B.A.T.s and while we assumed they were coming to Classified eventually, seeing them this early makes me happy. The first 5-10 minutes of the Transformers series is some of my favorite animation of all time. I want all of them, Tetrajet Seekers, lamp post Soundwave, and especially Cybertronian Bumblebee. Nothing really new for MOTU, so I’ll just leave these Super7 Silverhawks here. Bad Batch spoiler: I love Rex’s appearance. I have now missed out on both the TVC and TBS versions of him.

Again, nothing fancy this time, just a good long discussion about collecting.

This show’s favorite things are super-easy, but unfortunately, I may never own some of them. First up was the 86 Studio Series reveals. Luckily these are all mass releases and easy to secure. Not as easy to secure, but just as amazing, the Target exclusive Clone Wars-carded Black Series figs have been hitting stores everywhere. Some of the best MOTU exclusives ever will be hitting nowhere except the secondary market. These Power-Con exclusive figure, beast, and accessory packs are going to be the most expensive Origins items ever unless they can figure out how to do a second run. There was nothing great for Joe this time around, but we had an amazing time talking about the ridiculous Malaysia G.I. Joe Adventure Camp that is coming soon.

It was really nice taking a break off from these the last couple of shows. I’m still not quite back in my flow, but I’m glad I got a chance to get some thoughts down. I’m gonna skip my favorite items from this show. I’ll get these back on track next time around.

Winner for brevity... this guy!

One of the main differences I’ve noticed with the pandemic entering its second year is my tolerance for small talk has just about been exhausted. And not the small talk with a rep on the phone or a clerk in a store. I actually still really enjoy that. No, it’s the chit-chat with friends. I’m not sure if I think we should be talking about deeper topics, I’ve just become a reclusive curmudgeon, or what. I find myself thinking, get on with it already. I know these can get wordy at times, so I think I will just get on with it too :) Here are my four favorite things: Magic Square (not Newage) Devastator, G.I. Joe Minimates, Kir Kanos, New Jurassic Park Jeep.

With the stimulus coming, let’s talk about higher-end stuff. For Joe, the announcement of a Mezco 1:12th Destro was huge, with an appropriate price to surely follow. Next up, you can buy essentially a life-size Child with a pram from Mattel for $400. Masters has got that beat by about $700 with their Life-size Skeletor bust. Transformers towers above all of them put together. Don’t pass up your chance to purchase an actual G1 Prime from the Bumblebee movie.

We talked about a lot of toys that are not in the “big 4” this time around. Instead of my favorite item from each of the “big 4”, I thought I’d highlight some items that kind of correlate to our favorite franchises. First, for Masters, we have the Four Horsemen’s All-Star Round 4 Vote. They continue to kill it with this line with some of the most active and ravenous fans out there. For Joe, the Final Faction line at Dollar Tree is definitely interesting. Backed by its own cartoon, backstories, and a dedicated page on their website, this line has potential, especially at $15 for the whole set. Since Black Series is dominating Star Wars, how about the “Black Series” of Jurassic Park. I’ve been impressed with the Amber Collection so far. Do you need 5 raptors, probably not, but they’re slowly introducing new molds. In probably the biggest reach, for Transformers, how about an Official Robo Force release. Built from the Glyos System, this is more of a building set, but at least they’re robots right? Well maybe, t

I've been cutting corners, literally, as I'm on a model kit tear lately. I’m really interested in the new Flame Toys Furai Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. I never really liked unarmored humanoids, but I’m in at least for Storm Shadow. In another way to cut corners, Hasbro has yet another seeker repaint on deck, but this time it’s a must-buy for me. I absolutely love the G2 Ramjet deco. Want a deep cut? No, not of the corner persuasion, but in the Black Series line. Look no further than the rumored Marvel Comic’s Jaxxon. Who doesn’t need more bunnies in their action figure collection? Not that I care, as I’ve never been a big fan of this vehicle, but I’m sure most people hope that Mattel doesn’t cut any corners with the new Origins Wind Raider.

After our shortest show in years follows one of the longest. For good reason. We cover the new 1099 rule that has gone into effect starting at the beginning of this year. Any Goods and Services transactions on payment platforms (PayPal, Venmo, etc.) totaling more than $600 will be reported to the IRS and you will have to claim it as income. Since almost all the major marketplaces (eBay, Mercari, etc.) use these platforms, the profitability of toy selling is going to take a nosedive. For the casual collector, this might be a good thing. It will hopefully mean less scalping. The margins using eBay and fee-based services had to have been razor-thin to begin with. Now they’re going to have to pay anywhere from 15-30% more on top of those fees, not to mention additional payment service fees.