Open Your Toys Cast

Pretty easy picks this year for top reveals. I always love me an origins story. Gotta get another Pax, but a good Alpha has been a long time coming. I think it’s safe to say Classified Serpentor stole the show. Well, maybe not if you’re a MOTU fan. That Eternia, am I right? Star Wars was a little lack-luster, but I’ll take another Credit Collection wave.

Glad I don’t want to order too many of Super7’s Joe exclusives, but their ReAction set with Snake Eyes and Shipwreck in Cobra disguise and Cobra bot is amazing. Much less amazing was the TFCon 3rd Party Panel. I was all excited because I thought a Planet-X Snarl was something I needed, turns out it was Fansproject I’m missing. The MEGA Snake Mountain is a hot item, but I’m glad I waited on it. Whi...

These toy companies have been busy to varying degrees of success. The HasLab HISS killed it! Now bring on more stretch goals. I cannot wait to see the new Star Wars Micro Galaxy in stores. Especially the Troop Transport. However, the “new” Transformers Crossovers have a lot to be desired. Mattel tried to pull a fast one by putting the new Mega Construx or now just MEGA Snake Mountain on Mattel Cre...

I have been so lazy the last few days. Not really feeling doing the whole writing thing. I need to catch up on real life.

I am still a sucker for repaints, but I have grown to really love drastically different designs of a character. No longer does a chromed Stormtrooper matter, but a concept design-based reimaging of characters like the Black Series Concept Obi and Vader, a yes, please. No thank you to black Primes, but hell yes to a minor retool to homage a vintage character like Ransack. Even new characters like K...

In hindsight, what is truly amazing about the toys we talk about? Considering we talk about franchises that have lasted over 40 years, it could be said almost anything. However, we sure have a lot to bitch about, and for good reason. These should be better. So instead of featuring my favorite things from this show, let’s talk about the worst things from this show. The new “no plastic” packaging is...

Lately, I’ve found myself supporting things I would not have in the past. As companies finally figure out that we will shoulder more cost we’re getting larger, more exclusive, and deeper cuts. Not to mention the proliferation of 3rd party non-Transformers projects. If you’re not careful you can “support” yourself into a corner. What about a third 3rd party Bantha? Or, a four-foot Metroplex? The la...

Third-Party definitely influenced Hasbro with those ankle rockers. During these Transformers Fan First events, they are constantly touting those things. What happens when a 3.75 vintage line influences a vintage-style 3.75 line? A whole lot of people that do not care about the new wave G.I. Joe ReAction figures. With the new Silverhawks Ultimates getting more obscure, they’re starting to lose a li...

I think people were happy, for the most part, with the Fan First Star Wars event. Especially us, who love the EU and Disney’s new version of it. Something, that now in hindsight, might receive a little criticism is the Commander Class Motormaster that was leaked. Two things that received overwhelming praise and minimal feedback are Classified Dr. Mindbender and Mega Contrux Zombie He-Man. I think...

I’ll tell you what will always put a smile on my face, the Horde. That’s what made the new MOTU reveals so exciting. I’m not a Bot Bot guy, but an Autobot symbol and a cat lady? Yes please. The new GameStop exclusive Republic Commando Fixer is truly a Gaming Great. See what I did there. The thing I think that made me the happiest, another wave of Joe Ultimates. While pricey, these things really ma...

What started off as a discussion on the soaring prices of toys turned out to be more of a referendum on value. What value to find in your toys? Are they investments, just for fun? Are you like me, it’s a hobby and I love them. If I or my family get some money for them in the future, great. Cliff drops his thoughts on why he canceled tons of his pre-orders. In the end, I frantically try to show wha...

Really not feeling writing right now and this is something on my to-do list. Going to keep it simple. Peace.

That Joe 40th stream was amazing. Especially the digital reveals. The Insectitrain is one of my favorite Transformers concepts ever and we might get it in legends-scale. If you’re a fan of reissues, you can now get some minty assassins. The Saurozoic Warriors aren’t Masters, but I love them like they are.

As it should be, the Fan First days continue to be the highlight of toy reveals nowadays. These replacements for Toy Fair and SDCC continue to produce at least one or two gems each time. For Transformers we got our first official looks at Leader Sludge and a new Junkion. For Star Wars, the Nightbrother was dope, but what was really interesting was their “Pipeline” reveals. With so much Twilek love...

The Joe Fan First thing was pretty great. Lotsa repacks, but hey at least they’re “vintage packaging” 🙁 Since there is hardly any MOTU news nowadays, let’s go with these amazing Thundercat villain statues. Always advocating for MFT, I’m loving their Trailbreaker. Then to end on a down note, we’re in for another round of price increases. Star Wars is taking full advantage of this in the form of hu...

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, e...

What’s really insane is the deep cuts we’re getting. I love this stuff and I think that’s what really gets me in trouble. The Super7 ReAction radiated Snake Eyes from the M.A.S.S. Device mini-series is amazing. The new Gaming Greats Arc Troopers? Not only have Arc Troopers never appeared in any movies but then to get three of them from one game in two different scales? Probably one of my biggest d...

Some of us spent a lot of money on HasLab projects, but not as much as we could have. So the most I’ve ever spent on a toy was Unicron. And while it brings me tremendous joy I am literally afraid to transform it. The biggest story I think was the Rancor failing, not miserably, but it was pretty bad. Even the last-minute addition of the Rancor Keeper couldn’t save it. I think $350 was just too much...

While it was amazing to talk to my guys, it wasn’t without its controversies. I personally loved the adidas Transformers crossovers, but nobody else did. No MOTU news, but about as close as it gets is the Party Wagon from Super7. It even gets compared to Snake Mountain. The only thing Joe this time around was some grab bag comic news, but we could agree on if this was a good thing or not, or if we...

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...

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...

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...

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 $...