Raving Toy Maniac

April 2012 - Marvel's The Avengers movie is on the way, and so are the Avengers movie action figures from Diamond Select Toys! DST's new, movie-based Marvel Select figures are currently en route from the factory, but they couldn't wait to do an Avengers giveaway, so they thought they'd give away some awesome comic-based Avengers instead! One randomly selected fan will get Marvel Select figures of Iron Man, Spider-Woman and the four Disney Store-exclusive Avengers: Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and the Black Widow! Plus, the lucky fan will get a solid blue prototype version of Thor, straight from the factory floor!

April 24, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

We've just listed Solid Snake and The Boss from Hot Toys at $15 under MSRP at $199.99

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10391&mode=re...

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10392&mode=re...

The Avengers Hot Toys Captain America also was listed yesterday at $199.99

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HOT10390&mode=re...

April 2012 - There are a lot of traditions that happen every Halloween, but Diamond Select Toys has created a new one -- 7-inch Universal Monsters action figures! DST has put out two series of Universal Monsters 7-inch figures in the past two years, and this year will see that tradition continue with five new figures due out this September!

At comic shops and specialty stores, horror fans will be able to pick up a highly detailed Metaluna Mutant from 1955's This Island Earth. With his bulging brain and claws, he conveys all the menace of the movie creature, and he even comes with the Interocitor, the device that allows humans to contact the Metalunans.

April 2012 - Huge thanks to Albert Brocca for letting us know about this neat stop motion film - it is the Avengers movie trailer, made using Marvel Legends action figures!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aXoemMSFc

Cedar Point, K'NEX announce winners of the Great Thrill Ride Build-Off
Winning entries of the Great Thrill Ride Build-Off, sponsored by Cedar Point and K'NEX announced

Hatfield, PA - April 23, 2012 - Students from across the country created working models of the most hair-raising, spine-tingling rides they could imagine, and, while all were impressive, five projects stood out among the rest. The winning entries of the Great Thrill Ride Build-Off, sponsored by Cedar Point and K'NEX, are from Fairbanks High School in (bleep)ord Center, Ohio; a Homeschooled student group from Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Mason High School in Erie, Michigan; Glenfield Middle School in Montclair, New Jersey; and Marshall Middle School in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

April 20, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer Urban-Collector has several new items of interest to collectors:

This week we are featuring new pre-orders including Cover Girls Wonder Woman statue, Before Watchmen Rorschach statue and Batman Black and White statue by Jock!

Featured Pre-Orders

• Batman Black And White Statue Dick Grayson By Jock
• Cover Girls Of The DCU Wonder Woman New 52 Statue

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES WILLOW SERIES!

JOSS WHEDON'S FAN FAVORITE RETURNS!

APRIL 18, 2012, MILWAUKIE, OR - Dark Horse Comics announces another exciting addition to the Buffyverse:

Willow gets her own miniseries!

Written by Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts, Agents of Atlas) and drawn by Brian Ching (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Witchblade), Willow tells the story of the witch's obsessive journey to recover her magic.

Willow is on a quest to bring magic back to the world, and she'll do anything to make it happen, including forming some unhealthy alliances after cracking the code to travel to other dimensions - something thought impossible since the destruction of the Seed.

Willow #1 is on sale November 21, 2012.

About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES SPIKE SERIES!

JOSS WHEDON'S ANTIHERO VAMPIRE RETURNS!

APRIL 18, 2012, MILWAUKIE, OR – Dark Horse Comics announces a brand-new Spike miniseries slated for release this summer!

Written by Victor Gischler (X-Men, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth) and drawn by Paul Lee (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Devil's Footprints), Spike promises to be the series all Joss Whedon fans will be talking about.

Spike ventures off world in his bug ship in order to get away from some personal frustration on terra firma, and winds up sucked into a demonic plot to take advantage of the absence of magic on earth.

"What I love about working with Dark Horse on Buffy-related material is that they take great care to capture the feel of the characters and stories from the television show, of which I was a huge fan. Getting my hands on the characters I've loved so much over the years is a dream come true," said Gischler.

Spike #1 will be on sale August 22, 2012!

Dark Horse Comics Unveils Exclusive Comic Book Experience™ Application for ePlate™ Mobile Payment Devices
Dark Horse Gives Dynamics' ePlate Users Exclusive Comic Book Content with Each Purchase

APRIL 19, 2012, SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Dark Horse Comics makes history again today with the announcement of a revolutionary new partnership with Dynamics Inc. Dynamics is an innovator in next-generation payment devices, and will now launch a new comic book experience application for ePlate™ mobile payment devices. The innovative offering brings a new kind of experience to comic book fans by enabling them to earn access to exclusive Dark Horse digital comics with every purchase made with the ePlate™ device. This groundbreaking technology will link payment devices with exclusive Dark Horse comic content, and empower consumers to engage with Dark Horse and other brands that excite them with every swipe or online purchase.

April 20, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Beast Saga (Battle Beast) - Japanese imports
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2955

Maketoys Green Giant
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MKT10005&mode=re...

Mezco LDD Blind Box series 02
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MEZ10788&mode=re...

various other Mezco, Bandai and other preorders here:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/list.aspx?list=1000