Open Your Toys Cast

I love that all my favorite things this time around are relatively new lines. The oldest one is Droid Factory. Some may consider it a close relative of the Vintage line, but their Disneyland 70th Anniversary Astromech is a great tribute. While Origins has been around a while, I'm happy to hear a new 200x subline is coming. Blokees is just killing it in their few short years. Their new Action-scale Soundwave looks amazing. Finally, not a toy line, but something new I'm trying to stay positive about, unlike my co-hosts, is the new AAA Snake Eyes game.

TOYS! I'm so happy to be back talking toys and less so collecting. We even had a guest host, which is always fun. The Ronin 2-Pack ended up not being hard to get. For us sportballers, the new NFL x Transformers Helmets look great, now they just need a Saints version. While it wouldn't be my first choice for the next Sketch Series figure, at least we're getting one I had as a kid. Nothing too exciting for Joe, in my opinion, so let's give some more props to 3DJoes with their new Field Manuals on Kickstarter now.

It's 2025, are you still collecting? Are we?

It's business as usual for the toy companies. They're pushing products that they started developing over 6 months ago. However, what are these going to cost? New Joes hit today and at the largest seller of toys in America, Entertainment Earth, they are $6 more than MSRP. The Vintage Collection Star Wars figures were already too high. What's the new Carson Teva going to run fans of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee when it hits the pegs? Master's prices have gone up pretty regularly over the last few years. Origins started less than five years ago at $15.99. The newest wave is $21.99. Transformers have been somewhat stable, but who knows what the leaked list of 2026 figures will cost when finally in hand.

Joe just continues to kill it. Have you seen the Class of '24 pics on the socials? How much can these guys put out? I'm just glad I got a S.N.A.K.E. Armor pre-order in. I'm still in love with MMC's Perfection Series Devastator. I have never bought an MP-scale combiner aside from upscaled 4th-party sets. Will this finally be my first? Something I should love and just don't is the new Origins 4-pack. I love factions and troop builders, but these are just not jiving for me. For Star Wars, there's only grumping. Why the hell are we getting a much-wanted 21-back character in the Vintage Collection on a Deluxe card?

Something I would have snatched up in a second in the olden days is the Classified SDCC Cold Slither set. It comes from my favorite media, the cartoons, and is super goofy. It's an easy pass nowadays. With all the Transformers stuff shown, my favorite thing is an actual toy, not a collectible. I'm excited to see the Cyberworld Scorponok in person. Masters came out guns blazing. While I should love the Fright Zone, I just don't. I'm more drawn to the New Eternia Terror Claws Skeletor. Not surprisingly, Star Wars was the least exciting. At least we're getting new unproduced vintage figures.

I think a lot of people are addicted to Classified, and Hasbro knows it. While I really dislike the design of the new S.N.A.K.E. Armor, you know I'll still be buying it. While I love the design of the new HasLab Liokaiser, I don't have a connection to the character(s). Did I still back it? Of course I did. The latest wave of Cartoon Origins is pretty lackluster. Yup, pre-ordered. At least I can say I definitely won't be ordering the new Vintage Landspeeder. Well, it might go on clearance.

Too busy motivating. I'll catch you next time.

Too busy motivating. I'll catch you next time.

Here are some of my most anticipated toys from this show. Hopefully, I can take care of business to be able to afford them. First, Black Series Visions Ronin figures? Yes, please. As much as I really, really want Crystal Ball in Classified, it's more because of the goofiness from a collector's perspective. Nostalgically speaking, Law and Order is who I am really looking forward to. As one of the last “animal guys” I bought, he holds a special place in my heart. Again, a huge nostalgia-based want that is finally going to be satiated, Origins Rio Blast is coming this month. Lastly, and probably least exciting, but very happy to see the line continue, is Blokees Wave 6.

Well, it's a wonderful time of the year, everyone has lots of fun. You mean they get in fights?

Talk about over-saturating the market. Transformers are coming fast and furious, but the Missing Links can't come fast enough for me. New Classified is coming too fast in my opinion, but Slice and Dice are welcome additions. While traditional Origins has been relegated to Mattel Creations exclusives, they have found a new niche, concept figures. What's the easiest way to tell we're getting too much product? Four words, Shadows of the Empire.

The most whining this time around can be attributed to MEGA's new G.I. Joe offering. While excellent in execution, the price is about twice what it should be. We whined for a couple of years about Transformers not making the Toy Hall of Fame. Our cries have been heard and silenced. I'm sure some Star Wars collectors will find some reason to whine about the Phase 1 Clone Trooper Super Battle Droid 2-pack, but to me, it's perfect. People always whine about exclusives, but the only MOTU news this week is just that, and the character is ideal for an exclusive.

Cons had a big presence on our little show this week, including TFCon, MCM, 1027, and more. Mastermind Creation's new Devastator won big against Hasbro's. The biggest baddy for Joe has finally come to fruition. Star Wars had its own new big bad added to its Black Series line. Meanwhile, the only Masters news was there would be a con four months from now.

Hasbro represented at New York Comic Con. Well, kind of. I think Joe stole the show again with the absolutely amazing Snake Eyes and Polar Bear. The only real stand-out for Star Wars was the Revenge of the Sith carded Black Series Commander Cody. Transformers was pretty light too, but Mandalorian Crossover N-1 looked alright. Mattel was a no-show, so the only booth repping Masters was Mondo. Not a lot of surprises, but their Faker v2 looks nice.

I have to admit I totally forgot to post this episode. All of my reminders and tracking methods failed me. I didn't even notice until I was adding the episode for tomorrow. Mrs. McFavorite and I have a big date night tonight, so I have to make this quick.

Roll out!

I'm really lucky the big four are pumping some great mass-release toys. I've been hot and cold on New Eternia, but loving the Roboto. I missed Cosmos the first time around. I will definitely enjoy opening him at a $25 price point instead of $70-80. Speaking of great, I am so happy to see Shadows of the Empire in the Black Series. We've talked about Dial Tone a couple of times now, but the Classified team did not disappoint.

Something that's definitely manageable for collectors are kid's meal toys. Looks like Transformers One is not going to disappoint. Classified continues to manage their assets correctly, including the amazing job done on this Dial Tone backpack. The least manageable scale, in my opinion, is 12 inches. But the Jumbo 14.5-inch IG-11 is pretty dope. Since there was no MOTU toy news, we'll have to settle for the announcement of Camila Mendes as Teela. Let's hope that Amazon manages to finally get this project out the door.

We had a few instances of this over the last couple of weeks. The Once a Man SDCC Cobra Commander sold out way too fast, twice. Mattel's new Snake Lair looks like it might be going back to the drawing board. When will these companies learn that we don't all want $500 toys? The Four Horsemen put out one of their lowest-priced Mythic Legions figures to date, which also turned out to be one of their most popular figures, selling out much faster than most anticipated. The Origins concept figures Lord Gr'Asp and Terroar found a new home at BBTS, but if you didn't act fast, you probably missed out again.

Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. G.I. Joe!

Since I'm behind on getting these posted, I'm going to skip the insight into my life. That's usually the first paragraph of each post. However, I will say what my favorite things were from each franchise. While the Rattler is amazing and already backed, my favorite Joe item is a Transformer. I'm very excited to see the crossover line continue with Kup as the Triple T with Slaughter and Leatherneck. For Transformers, Hasbro finally came up with a good reason to combine Dinobots. The Dinoking box set looks like it will be a lot of fun. I missed some reveals from Masters, but of the ones I did see, I think I'm most excited for New Eternia Roboto. Star Wars, as usual, was the least interesting, but minimally we're finally getting a Blurrg from The Mandalorian.

It's going to be one of those weeks. So, I'm going to bow out of writing this time around. We have tested our technology for doing the G.I. Joe: The Movie commentary, and we're going to do it live. Listen to our next show for details.

It was pretty easy to pick the four biggest news stories for each franchise this week. These aren't always the best or my favorites, but most of the time, they are. The HasLab Cantina is amazing, but is it what people really want? It will probably fund, but definitely not with any unlocked tiers. Classified collectors have spoken, and they want vehicles. I know I really want the Cobra Stinger. However, how many can you have at this scale? Here's one primarily for me. At the opposite end of the scale, I'm loving these Transformers Blokee deskbots. Lastly, while Scare Mare may be the new hotness, Night Stalker was always my evil steed of choice.

I think toy companies are doing a pretty good job of learning from their past. There are always exceptions, but overall, I feel they're heading in the right direction. Star Wars has been doing a good job rereleasing in-demand figures. Since Toys are now being collected primarily by adults, nostalgia reigns supreme. Toy companies keep pumping out updated engineering on toys we loved, like Origins Nightstalker and Missing Link Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. Hasbro, in particular, has discovered by just changing the scale you can get everyone to buy figures like the Cobra Trooper again.

Indie companies have been flexing their expertise as of late. No longer relegated to just making 3rd party add-ons, these companies are now direct competitors to the big boys. Ramen's new modular tank is simply amazing. Longtime Transformers 3rd party company Fans Hobby comes in swinging with a new Sky Hawkesque vehicle. Companies are even picking up new licenses like C.O.P.S. n' Crooks. Some of the best stuff is comimg from forgotten trademarks that have been reimagined.

It seems impossible. It never is.

I think toy companies need a little humility. Not so much because they're not making amazing things, more so because they're making too much amazing stuff. Robosen has taken the world by storm. Their newest, Megatron, looks amazing, but who is collecting these things? Star Wars is getting a little more exciting as of late, but that might be because I love the Retro and Micro Galaxy Squadron lines. I think I've mentioned new MOTU x TMNT in every post in the last 6 months. Finally, Classified just keeps chugging along.

I'm not really feeling writing right now, but I'll be back. You keep doing you.

The big four have set some pretty high expectations in the last couple of weeks. The Masters fall products look amazing. The Masterpiece Powermaster Optimus Prime looks great, but if Takara Tomy has done anything, it has set the expectation it will be pricey. I've got high expectations for the new Jazwares Vault regarding Micro Galaxy Squadron. Its first release is beautiful. My favorite expectation Hasbro set was the Name-Only reveal of Once a Man Cobra Commander.

It was a great couple of weeks of announcements and streams. The Transformer's team showed off a bunch of stuff we already knew about, but seeing the new Cybertronian Wheeljack was amazing. The Master's team showed off an impressive New Eternia Horde Trooper. Star Wars came in strong with their Imperial March. Probably my favorite thing was finally getting Captain Enoch and his Night Troopers. While there were no official reveals for Joe, Lenny and Emily still name-dropped one of my favorite Joe for the Classified line. None other than the Barbecue, uh, I mean, Blowtorch.

Let's get this paddy started!

Let's look at pre-orders this time around. I would definitely wait on the new TVC Clone Wars 4-Pack to save some money. I don't think any of these Amazon multipacks have ever sold out before hitting ridiculously low prices. So glad I don't do 1:6th scale. I'm not sure I could JOMO this amazing FigZero Snake Eyes. Something I probably would have FOMOed if I hadn't missed it was the Target Exclusive Sla'ker. It combines two of my favorite characters in perfect harmony. I have allowed myself to pre-order all the Dr. Wu micromaster-scale G1 bots. I don't want to mess around with these on the secondary market.

If you don't know I write a post for each episode, but only copy the second paragraph here. You should read the whole post. Here's the second paragraph for this episode... No funny or clever tie-ins to collecting this time; besides maybe, there's always a lesson to learn. Have you learned your lesson? Do you have a lesson to teach others? Don't hold back. Instill your knowledge of history in the younger generation. Do whatever you can to make sure history does not repeat itself.

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

Toys continue to just get better and better. Man, have you seen the Classified Vamp in hand? What about the new Black Series Droideka/Destroyer Droid? Hoowee! Never thought I would say hoowee for an Orko, but Mondo's has earned a hoowee! And one for my boy, Mr. Mark Haddock, this Legacy Gears. Hoowee!

I love supporting Kickstarters because they are really a day-at-a-time kind of thing. The latest Roboskull update shows how amazing this thing is going to be. Hasbro keeps finding a way to get more money from their molds while enticing us with one new thing. I'm still excited about their possible new Transformers Selects multi-pack. When there's no great toy news, I'll take some media news any day. The latest Masters of Universe Revolution trailer is great, especially its background music. And, while it is probably late to take advantage of the original fan fair, I still welcome a Mando movie.

I've talked about change, motivation, and getting things done too much. It's time to put up or shut up.

Toys are getting a little messy. You have what seem to be hits like the MOTU x TMNT Crossover that keep gaining steam. But then you have what we feel are flops like the Hiya Joe line and their new Gung Ho. Some are inadvertently messy, like making a 5 PoA line out of figures that were originally 5 PoA. I'm looking at you Phantom Menace Retro Collection. Some have got to know, right? Unfortunately, not the Transformers team. Or, maybe they do?

Here are my most important reveals from this show. For Transformers, the Furai Soundwave. While I cherry-pick ReAction, who doesn't want Duke with a lightsaber or Snake Eyes with a trident? No Star Wars toy news this time, but I'm loving these Bad batch posters. Finally, Frog Monger sparked our JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) conversation. That still didn't keep me from ordering three.

Something equally well-received as the HISS is the latest Figura Obscura from the 4Horsemen. Received not nearly as well, but still generating some excitement are the new O-ring Joes from Super7. I'm not sure Joe collectors will be so happy when they are $20+. Something that really impressed the crew this week was an intensely beautiful, or ugly, depending on your view, Threezero's MDLX G2 Megatron. Not sure if it's the piece or it's ridiculous edition size of 50 worldwide. Something that obviously didn't get a great reception was Hasbro's Selfie Series; may it rest in peace.

No time for diatribes today.

No clever segue way this week, just the coolest stuff. The MOTU x TMNT crossovers have got us all excited. The revelation of the new Triple T in the Joe x TF crossover line sounds promising. Think Classified is killing it? The leaked listings prove that they are. While none of us collect Hot Toys, the new Ahsoka is yet another thing of beauty.

Can you feel the frustration with collectors nowadays? It's either pricing, availability, or too much product. Almost everyone I know is cutting back or quitting altogether. It's not stopping these companies. We still haven't got our first big Classified vehicle. We just got done funding our second big vehicle, now we have a third coming our way. Transformers continues with a bevy of new exclusives. Same with Star Wars, but I ain't mad at this EU Black Series multi-pack. While, still available, and relatively reasonable, it's gotta be the price on some of these Power-Con exclusives that are making them hang around. Or, maybe there's just too much MOTU out there to support 3rd Party.

I meant to save a bunch of time and do a really well-thought-out reflection of our 15th Anniversary show. Well, you see how well that worked out.

(mic drop)

Hasbro Pulse Con was kind of meh this year, but it'll be an easy field to pick my favorites from, so here we go. Believe it or not, I think the weird rock truck was my favorite Transformer reveal. I still have no intention of picking it up. I'm a sucker for the Old Republic, so the TVC HK-47 and Jedi Revan 2-Pack was easily my favorite Star Wars reveal. I think Joe continues to kill it. It seems so much so, people are getting burned out on the whole line. I've always been a huge Big Boa fan, but who can really beat that deluxe Metalhead? No news for MOTU, so go enjoy Mattel's awesome Origins stop-motion videos. They made me a lot happier when I thought I had Lady Slither on the way.

All of my favorites from this show you can put off. None of them are really required for any sort of collection. As much as I love Lady Slither and her articulated tail, do we really need her? I almost wish I had collected the Holiday Black Series figures from the beginning, especially because the latest batch is just killing it on a bunch of different levels. Another Transformers crossover to take or leave popped up as well. It looks great, but do you really need it? I don't think anyone needs G.I. Joe ReAction figures, but the Sunbow deep cuts keep sucking me back in.

Why is it that I am constantly laboring on Labor Day? We just spent 3 hours doing yard work. That was after camping for the second time in so many weeks. Setting up and tearing down camp is always crazy laborious. The one thing I can skip is writing about it. Now you don't have to read it, win-win.

The way people collect can be equally as diverse as the way people choose to camp. And just as with camping, there's no really right or wrong way to do it. I think this year's Power-Con demonstrated this. The big two, Hasbro and Mattel, were nowhere to be found, but in their place was an amazingly diverse group of indy toy makers. The Four Horsemen had an extremely impressive setup highlighted by their amazing life-size Ogre. Fresh Monkey Fiction showed off some great new entries to the BBTS-sponsored Monster Force line. Mondo continued their stellar reputation with a flocked Panthor and Filmation Trap Jaw. My favorite by far was Creative Beast Studio, makers of The Beasts of Mesozoic. It looks like, besides just redecos and buck reuse, they most likely had an absolutely brilliant idea all along.

With so many amazing reveals, this quick list shouldn't be too hard. For Star Wars, the second wave of ROTJ figures is simply amazing. I think most Joe people would say the Vamp stole the show, but for my money, I'm all about the Pulse Con Exclusive Crimson Strike 3-Pack. I don't think I'm in the minority when saying the new Studio Series Ultra Magnus is pretty damn impressive. Finally, while I'm really sad to see MOTU Origins become an exclusive line, the new animated line looks amazing.