Raving Toy Maniac

BotCon 2014 Coming to Pasadena, California June 19th - June 22nd!

Fort Worth, TX - December 24th, 2013 - Fun Publications, Inc., licensee for Hasbro's official Transformers Collectors' Convention, BotCon, announced today that next year's award-winning convention will take place at the Pasadena Convention Center June 19th thru June 22nd in the beautiful city of Pasadena. Next year, fans will be able to celebrate both the 20th anniversary of BotCon and the 30th anniversary of the Transformers brand at this amazing event!

DEPLOYING SOON!!

January 2014 - Coming soon from Four Horsemen Studios! New Power Lords releases will be hitting www.StoreHorsemen.com in the very near future! Photos shown are of first paint samples from the factory. Colors and accessories may differ on final product. More images and information soon…

-FOUR HORSEMEN-

January 2, 2014 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PREORDERS
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METAL GEAR RAY
ThreeA's new version of MGS2's Metal Gear Ray stands 16.5" tall with a 38.6" wingspan. It comes with an articulated figure base for all sorts of posing options, includes illuminated eyes and cockpit and is loaded with articulation in the wings, legs, torso and mouth. This fantastic piece is listed at $449.99, saving you $40 off of the MSRP.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=THR10089&mode=re...

S.H. FIGUARTS MIGHTY MORPHIN BLUE RANGER

December 26, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PRE-ORDERS
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BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE TRANSFORMERS PLATINUM SERIES YEAR OF THE HORSE OPTIMUS PRIME, STARSCREAM
Great News! The on-site date has been moved up on these items and we are happy to begin accepting preorders now! The Year of the Horse brings two new exclusives to the Transformers line. The first is a new version of Masterpiece Optimus Prime. This redeco of MP-10 has gold details and a clear trailer, and is listed at $119.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS23525&mode=re...

BBTS SHARED EXCLUSIVE TRANSFORMERS PLATINUM SERIES - YEAR OF THE HORSE STARSCREAM
The second Year of the Horse exclusive is a G1 redeco of Supreme Starscream. This huge figure is listed at $99.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS23526&mode=re...

WASHINGTON, December 24, 2013 -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

CHRISTMAS EVE

Profile America - Tuesday, December 24th. This is Christmas Eve, a time of gathering families close together and to wind down from the hectic weeks of shopping and mailing. But it also a night of wrapping presents, especially toys - some of which have to be put together. Some parents will discover to their dismay that some treasure has been overlooked, or that batteries are not included with their purchases and head out into the cold, hoping to find an open store with the right solutions. Santa's elves get plenty of help for U.S. toy makers. There are 525 enterprises across the country producing games, toys and children's vehicles. These businesses employ over 7,300 workers. And Santa's sleigh is also burdened with around $10 billion worth of imported toys, the greatest part of which is from China.

December 21, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PRE-ORDERS
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TAKARA MASTERPIECE MP-12 SIDESWIPE - MARCH ARRIVAL
Delivery has been confirmed for mid-March on the upcoming reissue of the MP-12 Sideswipe! Our supplier has confirmed that the quality control issues found in the initial release should be resolved for this reissue. Preorders are open now at $79.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK11736&mode=re...

IRON MAN 3 - IRON PATRIOT 1/4 SCALE MAQUETTE
Sideshow is also creating an Iron Patriot 1/4 scale statue. This piece is listed at $398.99 and includes light-up eyes, arc reactor and hand repulsors and a switch-out Don Cheadle head sculpt.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SSC11265&mode=re...

1/6 SCALE GANDALF THE WHITE FIGURE

December 21, 2013 - Listed below are the toy (and child-related) recalls from this week; these links go to the official announcements on the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.

- Cubetensils Children's Eating Utensils Recalled by Edoche Due to Choking Hazard

- Playtex Recalls Hip Hammock Infant Carriers Due to Fall Hazard

- Browning Recalls Junior Hoodie Due to Strangulation and Entrapment Hazard; Sold Exclusively at Academy Sports+Outdoors

- Mirage Fashions Recalls Yoki Girls Faux Leather Jackets with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard; Sold Exclusively at Burlington Coat Factory

December 2013 - Team Coco has passed along a video clip of Conan's visit to the American Girl store.

Conan Visits The American Girl Store

http://teamcoco.com/node/75055

December 17, 2013 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PRE-ORDERS
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BATMAN CLASSIC 1966 RETRO 8" FIGURE SERIES 01 - SET, SINGLES
This new assortment has new head sculpts and costumes taken directly from the 1966 TV series. It includes Batman, Robin, the Riddler and the Joker, and they are priced at $26.99 each, or the Set of 4 at $104.99.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Batman%20Classic%2...

1/6 SCALE ADVENTURE KARTEL DEAD COSMONAUT GOLOVOREZ
This 1/6 scale figure stands about 12.5" tall and has a removable outer suit and illuminated LED helmet with slide-down visor, as well as two pistols with holsters. It is listed at $154.99, $5 off the MSRP.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=THR10088&mode=re...

SCI-FI REVOLTECH #050 - THE BAT

THE 12 DAYS OF GRAYSKULL!

December 2013 - As the Castle Grayskull playsets from Mattel begin to arrive at the doorsteps of good little boys and girls all over the world (by mail of course - those things are way too big for even Santa's magical bag!!), the Four Horsemen are putting up a daily feature chronicling the creation of this massive project!

Over the next week or so, "Desk Jockey: Twelve Days of Grayskull" will follow Four Horsemen sculptor Eric Treadaway on his journey from adding that first hunk of clay all the way through the final finished behemoth of a sculpture that eventually went into production and landed at your door. You can head over to the Four Horsemen's main internet hub, Source Horsemen and check out this and all of the recent "Desk Jockey" entrees by going here: http://www.sourcehorsemen.com/?page_id=1090

-FOUR HORSEMEN-