Raving Toy Maniac

November 7, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

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NEW PREORDERS
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NEW HOT WHEELS ELITE - 1:18, 1:43, 1:50
A wide variety of new Hot Wheels Elite items have been listed, in 1:18, 1:43 and 1:50 scales. We have items from the Flintstones, Scooby Doo, "The Dark Knight Rises", Batman, Knight Rider, Herbie the Love Bug (Disney/Pixar), "Back to the Future", the A-Team and Ghostbusters - check them all out at the link.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=Hot%20Wheels%20Elite

TRANSFORMERS TG15, TG16 DATA DISC SETS
The import line of Fall of Cybertron figures continues with two new Data Disc sets. The Autobot Set includes Eject, Rewind, Sundor and Ramhorn, while the Decepticon set includes Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage and what we think is Ratbat. We have each set of four listed at $39.99.

Big Lots Salutes U.S. Military With Veterans Day Discount

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 6, 2012 -- Big Lots, Inc. will thank our nation's veterans and military personnel with a special Veterans Day discount on Saturday, November 10. Veterans, active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel and their immediate family members will receive 10 percent off their entire purchase.

The discount can also be applied to sale and clearance items. To qualify, individuals must present a valid military identification card.

"The discount is our way to show our gratitude to our veterans and military personnel for protecting our freedoms at home and abroad," said CEO Steve Fishman, himself a former U.S. Army Reservist. "We are pleased to honor them by providing savings on the products their families want and need."

The discount will be available at all Big Lots stores nationwide. To find a local store, visit http://www.biglots.com.

About Big Lots, Inc.

Pass Go... Collect 50 Years of Doctor Who

MONOPOLY®: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition

YAHTZEE®: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 25, 2012 -- Jump aboard the TARDIS and travel through space and time with all eleven Doctors in these classic games of MONOPOLY and YAHTZEE - with a Doctor Who twist! Produced by USAopoly, under license from Hasbro, and in partnership with BBC Worldwide Americas, these collector's games celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longest running science fiction show of all time.

"With the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who and the holidays right around the corner, USAopoly is a perfect fit for the brand, giving the fans a fantastic new collector's item," states Soumya Sriraman, EVP Home Entertainment and Licensing.

Who? The Doctor (and all ages 8+)

What? MONOPOLY®: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition

The Hellboy Timeline: Top 10 Events in the Life of HELLBOY!

November 2012 - Dark Horse Comics has released this handy chart to get you up to speed on the top ten events in the life of Hellboy, in time for Hellboy in Hell.

Mattel and Walmart Canada Revolutionize Window Shopping with Canada's First Virtual Pop-Up Toy Store

Virtual store in Toronto's PATH system creates easy holiday shopping for tech-savvy, time-crunched commuters

TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2012 - To help Torontonians celebrate the holiday season, Mattel and Walmart Canada today launched the first pop-up virtual toy store in Canada, providing a unique QR code-based shopping experience for commuters and gift-givers. Located in the PATH, Toronto's underground walkway, the virtual toy store will run for four weeks and provide the ultimate ease in shopping for the next generation of gift-givers.

"Walmart is a top destination for innovation and for holiday shopping, especially when it comes to toys. We're thrilled to partner with Mattel to bring this exclusive out-of-store experience to our busy customers," said Cheri Anthony, Walmart's director of merchandising for toys. "It's another way we can help Canadian families create holiday magic for less."

November 5, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer BigBadToyStore.com has several items of interest to collectors:

Hi - some cool new items listed this morning:

MakeToys Missile Launcher - Marine Type & Jungle Type
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=maketoys+missile

Play Arts - Dark Knight Trilogy - Batman
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10384&mode=re...

Play Arts - Dark Knight Trilogy - Bane
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10383&mode=re...

Play Arts - Kingdom Hearts Tron Legacy - Sora
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10385&mode=re...

Play Arts - Kingdom Hearts Tron Legacy - Riku
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=SEP10386&mode=re...

Excellent Toys - Hercules Head Upgrade Kit
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=EXC10000&mode=re...

Erector Spins Out Its Sonic The Hedgehog Collection

PARIS, Oct. 25, 2012 -- Sonic enthusiasts everywhere will now be able to bring their favorite blue hedgehog and his world to life as they build model play sets and vehicles offered by Erector®, a division of Meccano®. The brand is set to release three buildable play sets and two buildable vehicles inspired by one of Sega's most iconic video game characters of all time. Sonic the Hedgehog, who has appeared in more than 65 video games, will jump off the digital screen with the Erector sets that are available now exclusively at Toys 'R' Us and http://toysrus.com.

Fans can now build the most popular vehicles and video game environments from Sonic's games with these highly detailed Erector sets featuring easy-to-follow instructions. The new Sonic the Hedgehog Erector collection features both Sonic and Knuckles, their signature speed racers, and their engaging environments:

New Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Limited-Edition Statue Revealed

THE MASTER CHIEF VS THE HUNTER Statue Pre-order Now!

Tempe, Ariz. - November 2, 2012 – McFarlane, Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries reveal the first ever HALO 4: FORWARD UNTO DAWN resin statue THE MASTER CHIEF VS THE HUNTER.

HALO 4: FORWARD UNTO DAWN is an exciting story of heroism and sacrifice taking fans back to the beginning of the Human-Covenant War. The live-action digital series created in partnership with top Hollywood talent from film, television and new media, FOWARD UNTO DAWN delivers an exciting story, leading into the events of Halo 4, the biggest entertainment event of 2012.

This highly detailed, hand-painted, cold-cast resin statue depicts the series' climactic scene, when the Master Chief - out of ammo and out of options - single-handedly faces the unstoppable rampage of an invading Covenant Hunter to save the lives of UNSC Cadets.

The Battle Continues...in Orlando - Just Announced: Blockbuster Mega-Attraction "TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D" Coming To Universal Orlando Resort In Summer 2013

Hugely-Successful Attraction Will Now Be Featured at Three Universal Parks Worldwide

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 2, 2012 -- Get ready – it's time to prepare for battle...

Universal Orlando Resort announced today that its next blockbuster attraction will be the widely-popular TRANSFORMERS: The Ride – 3D. The groundbreaking ride – created under license from Hasbro, Inc. and based on its iconic TRANSFORMERS brand – will bring the intergalactic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons to Universal Studios Florida in summer 2013.

New Photos of New Marvel Minimates in Action!

November 2012 - Marvel Minimates Series 47 and TRU Series 14 are in stores, and they're driving old-school comics fans wild!

By "old-school," we of course mean fans of Chris Claremont's lengthy run on Uncanny X-Men, including the period of time in which he faked the team's death and moved them to an abandoned town in the Australian Outback. Even in the middle of nowhere, they still managed to run afoul of numerous enemies, including their old foes, the spacefaring Brood! Series 47 includes Wolverine, Rogue, Colossus, Dazzler and Longshot in their classic looks, plus an army-building Brood, who comes with regular Wolverine as well as a rare variant Brood-infected Wolverine!