Review: Hasbro Transformers Legacy United Star Raider Ferak
Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!
In stores now - maybe! The Hasbro Transformers Legacy United Star Raider Ferak is a reworking of Cyclonus, which probably could have been a repaint and nobody would have complained. The wings have new cannons, plus he has a new head and chest - and you may not notice. This Walmart exclusive is the only one I've seen beyond the first week the line hit - the deluxe toys came and went immediately and as far as I can tell, none of the stores stocked the Leader-class set with Thundertron and his two sidekicks. Almost every Walmart in town had 2-3 Feraks when I wrote this, and I think I saw a grand total of one over the last week. Are there thousands of units waiting to come out to Ross later or did they blow through everything? Read on!
This week:
Paratroopa Toppling (Super Mario Bros: Lost Levels) - in which you make sure you never will get into the Turtle Club.
Step It Up (Super Mario Bros) - in which you finish part of the first level.
Curtain Call: Morton (Super Mario Bros. 3) - in which Morton Koopa Jr. gets canceled.
Low-Key Hero (Zelda II: The Adventure of Link) - in which you find your keys.
Pop 'Em All (Balloon Fight) - in which you make very specialized videos for a very specific audience.
I had a much easier time with this batch of competitors, but it is Monday, and I assume a lot of people haven't logged their ghost competitors yet. So hey, go do that. Nintendo really seems to have cracked my attention span by engaging me roughly once a week for maybe 20-30 minutes on a single purchase, which is pretty great. Most NES games didn't keep me coming back for more remixed challenges once I saw the end credits, so if you ever get a chance to get this one on sale (while the weekly things are continuing) I'd recommend it. Still. I mean here I am, still writing about enjoying a game I paid for a few months ago.
Via Trek Core: Nacelle Reveals First Eight STAR TREK Action Figures at NYCC... With Plenty of Character Surprises! It's a vast change from most lines in the past 20 years, which usually run out of gas after a couple of waves and start and end with some variation of Kirk, Spock, Picard, and Data. The first 8 are Captain Jellico (TNG, Prodigy), Peter Preston (TWOK), Valkris (Search for Spock), Captain Garret (TNG), Tuvix (Voyager), Mirror Archer (ENT), Weyoun (DS9), and Captain Sulu (The Undiscovered Country and/or VOY.) You probably don't have many of these in your collection yet - other companies have taken approaches like this to their other licenses, and sometimes it works, and sometimes the license ends before you ramp up to something resembling a "collection." These are 6-inch figures, so unless you were collecting the Diamond/Art Asylum figures, you might not have figures to go with these guys. They're too big to go with your Playmates collection(s)... but the prototypes look pretty excellent.
Many of Nacelle's figures are $35-$40, and some of their lines are even starting to get placement in Walmart. That's good! But Trek as a figural license has struggled to find its footing, with the most recent Playmates line hitting Ross stores on closeout for under five bucks recently. The second wave never made it out, and Super7's line of Ultimates came to a pretty swift end despite some fan-friendly (but not obscure) choices.
It's my hope that future licensed action figure lines that want to start an honest-to-goodness collection go this route, if only to say "we know, you've got Picard and Spock, here's something new so you don't have to buy the same figures again before we abandon the license." Nobody knows if the future of this line will include Redemption Datas or Mirror Spocks, but no matter what, it looks like we're getting Jeffrey Combs and that's enough for me to throw down a few bucks. The trick is to make enough units to make money, and that can be a challenge as some lines in the past couple of decades struggled to surpass the very low 1,701 units mark. Let's hope it takes off! There's certainly a lot of opportunity for mold reuse, and of course, requests for Jim Shimoda and Captain DeSoto figures.
Via Hasbro Pulse: Ghostbusters Plasma Series Ectomobile (Anniversary Edition) is up and comes in a regular version or a version specific to the sequel. I assume they know you'll probably want to buy two to display it both ways, given the amount of stickers specific to the second movie.
The amount of extra figures you get at a $75 upcharge for the deluxe version is pretty decent, and it was over 25% funded on the first day. That's pretty great! As we went to press, it's 43% funded, which is a pretty good first weekend. There seem to be no added stretch goals this time around, as the two tiers pretty much give you, the fans, the option to pay for them or not.
Something new every day-- but this was posted 10 years ago today! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!
Posted 12 years ago today! The Schleich Dinosaurs Mammut (Mammoth) Figure is a toy I've had since I was a little kid, and it originally came out in 1982 - that's probably pretty close to when I got my hands on it. There's not a little paint but it gets the job done. It's cute, the tusks are molded in a separate color, and the only paint are its eyes - a far cry from the model-worthy toys Schleich makes today. It's also a fine example of where the toy industry has gone, impulse-buy price points like this have been cast aside in favor of fancy, nice toys that are north of $30. Which is better? I mean if I were a kid I'd probably want the coolest looking one, but in absence of an option, a mammoth is a mammoth and getting $2 is a lot easier than getting $30. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!
We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is Q&A a few days early - you can read next Monday's installment as soon as it's ready, which can be as early as 1:00 AM my time on Monday!
If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for your support!
Star Wars Review: Osha Aniseya (The Vintage Collection)
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Osha Aniseya (The Vintage Collection). She is showing up at Walmarts and online stores right now, so the good news is you can find her. The better news is that she's excellent - the face is good, the wig looks decent (better in person), her accessories are exactly what I want, the vest fits well, and the articulation is good. This is a shining example of Hasbro doing everything right for a new streaming series show, because it came out within two months of the series concluding - which is also pretty good for the modern era, but not good enough when fans do so much of their buying before the movies would hit theaters. If you skipped the show (and it looks like that is most of you), this is still a good figure. If you hated The Acolyte, it remains a very good figure. Read the whole review.
Via Kickstarter: Army Ant and the Mutant Multiverse. As you can tell by the graphic design, this series of figures is inspired by the 1980s and 1990s Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure line, which was good then and remains good today - you can get reissues at Target for around ten bucks. As those kids grow up they want more of what they loved as a kid and as Playmates hasn't done new retro figures, the fans are doing it and it looks like they're drafting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures (the Archie Comics one) creative Ryan Brown as well as Jim Lawson and Dan Berger to design something for these new "Mutant Multiverse" and "Shadow Line" toy line series.
You really can't sugarcoat it, but the ant itself is $159. That's a lot. There's also a much cheaper (and really cool) hippo mutant named Inferno. Making figures isn't cheap and given the possibility of self-inflicted increasing costs to American customers in the coming months, the $49 hippo could even be closer to the new normal - but I digress. Low-run indie figures like these are something I want to see more often. We've seen what Star Wars, He-Man, and G.I. Joe kids do as they grow up but haven't seen as much from the era of TMNT and Power Rangers. With 28 days to go, it's over $49,000 of a $82,000 goal. That isn't at all bad for the first few days.
The $359 "all-in" pledge gets you three figures, a comic, and one of each stretch goal item - given how much it has raised so far, that might wind up being a decent deal if it gets up to six full-size figures and a bonus sidekick accessory figure at an estimated September 2025 delivery date. If they have the factory lined up, it doesn't seem too unrealistic. But you know how it is: be sure to cut any Kickstarter at least six months of slack.
Other unlocks include Grizz (bear), Sledgehog (hedgehog), El Lotl, plus comics, coins, and other goodies. There's a lot here, and hopefully this means there is more work to be done by these toy industry veterans before they retire and re-retire. While some of the Hasbro Joe team got to do some cool stuff, also Atari, some retro properties are too old with creators who can't do the work anymore for a variety of reasons, so for those who dig this sort of thing - check it out.
Ad: Walmart Gets Shared Exclusive The Mandalorian Transformers Toy
Ad: Pre-order Transformers Collaborative Star Wars: The Mandalorianª N-1 Starfighter, 7.5Ó Action Figure, 8+ at Walmart! Yes, this is an ad post, and if you click on it to pre-order the shared exclusive (sold out at Hasbro Pulse) for $54.99, I may get a cut of the sale. And if you click that link and don't order it, I might get a cut of some other sale. It's sized around the same height as most Voyager-class toys and is the first US-sold Star Wars x Transformers toy in over a decade. It's due around Valentine's Day, 2025.
Nintendo Switch This Week
This week's batch of titles on the eShop: Atari Recharged: Volume One, Atari Recharged: Volume Two , Castlevania Collections Bundle, Arcade Archives Power Spikes, Arcade Archives MOON SHUTTLE, and over a dozen more.
Review: Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles of Grayskull Skeletor Action Figure
Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!
Somewhat recent! The Mattel Masters of the Universe Origins x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles of Grayskull Skeletor Action Figure is a bit of a tease, but a nice figure. He's got a mutagen vial and some great ram skull kusarigama, plus a cape and some armor. And a comic. And for $20! But that green armor doesn't glow in the dark, despite appearances. That seems like a missed opportunity on an otherwise perfectly good figure. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!
Via Analogue: The Future is
here. And by the future, they mean 1996 with their fancy Nintendo 64 clone console. At $249.99 it's not exactly far off from what we paid for the original, and it even looks a lot like the Nintendo one I have minus the feet. The controller is sold separately, but looks pretty good. But between the MiSTer core and my old working console, I may not need one of these. Pre-orders kick off October 21 at 8:00 AM Pacific, and it is estimated to ship in early 2025.
Perhaps far more useful, the Analogue store has the Pocket in stock, as well as the Duo, so anyone saying "they never have anything in stock"? Well, now is the time.
Star Wars Review: X-Wing Pilot (Miralan, The Vintage Collection)
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: X-Wing Pilot (Miralan, The Vintage Collection). It's Luke with a new head, but the new head has a great separately molded wig piece and great face paint. If she's from a specific moment in the series, I haven't been able to pinpoint her, but she looks perfectly nice as another action figure that, technically, fits in with your old trilogy stuff. Read the whole review.
Review: Mattel Hot Wheels HW Screen Time HW Ultimate T-Rex Transporter Blue
Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!
Newish! This Mattel Hot Wheels HW Screen Time HW Ultimate T-Rex Transporter Blue is in store now, and if it isn't, maybe you can find the red one. It's a tiny version of a big car carrier toy, with shiny metal parts and is a nifty mecha dino thing. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!
Via NPR: Walgreens will close 1,200 stores, hoping for a turnaround. 10 years ago, Walgreens was one of the hottest tickets in town for toy exclusives. At any given time you could be hunting down stuff from McFarlane Toys, Hasbro, Funko, Jakks Pacific, Diamond Select, or even the latest non-exclusive toys in what went from one of the worst to one of the best toy sections in the business, despite the small size. Obviously there's much more going on than just toy stuff, but it is one of the most common retailers in my area with over a dozen fairly nearby locations with a density not unlike Starbucks. And it still has a lot of toys in it. And candy, and soda, and batteries, and...
For those keeping track, in the last couple of year we lost Tuesday Morning, much of Big Lots, and 99 Cents Only. (And a lot of Dirty Dough locations suddenly disappeared here.) 7-11 is experiencing similar troubles, and in our context is notable for a number of exclusive Tetris and Pac-Man collectibles in recent years. Also True Value Hardware is being sold to Do It Best, which came up in the Tuesday news round-up.
Review: Hasbro Transformers Legacy United Doom 'n Destruction Collection Mayhem Attack Squad Chop Shop, Barrage, and Malleus Minotaurus Set
Something new every day-- unless it's old! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!
Via the Glyos News Dump: Glyos Onell Design October 14 2024 Drop Menu. There was a delay, but you got some neat stuff - a pirate crew a new mini-comic, and a few figures based on the Fisher-Price Adventure People clear-to-red octopus from the 1970s. You know the one. Be sure to check these out.
This week:
Not Lichen It (Super Mario Bros: Lost Levels) - in which you experience death by mushrooms.
Super Leaf in the Wind (Super Mario Bros. 3) - in which you give the leaf the old 1-2.
Take Heart (The Legend of Zelda) - in which you blow open this whole power up thing.
1-1 and Done (Kirby's Adventure) - in which you run through the first level of the game.
1-1 Dream Run (Super Mario Bros. 2) - in which you experience deja vu.
At least it's not Excitebike. (It would be great to see Dr. Mario added, maybe.) I had a fairly easy time getting the trophies this week, or at least, easier a time than last week. Despite adding no new content, this game's weekly championships feature has kept me playing it for a few months and that's an impressive feat.
I was surprised to get a tweet from The Routes' account on social media informing me that they have a new record, Surfin' Pleasures, due out on Topsy Turvy Records next month. I have a hard time finding these in America, but I got their album of Kraftwerk covers and wouldn't mind getting their Buzzcocks or other records, it would be nice if they were easier to find locally. Anyway, here's the video I was promoted, because it will be of interest to a very small (but excited) percentage of guys my age who are me.
Something new every day-- but this was posted 10 years ago today! Our exciting Figure of the Day continues for you lucky people! Is there anything we won't cover in this column? Probably not!
Posted 10 years ago! The Funko Predator (Attack Mode) ReAction Figure was part of a line that, on paper, seemed like it would be the most amazing thing ever - and it was OK, the QC was mixed and the poses could be better, but this was one of the more interesting (and better) figures in the line. I still like it and would love to see a second take on it, given how skinny some of those guys were under the Funko era. Do read on, and come back tomorrow for more fun!
We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is Q&A a few days early - you can read next Monday's installment as soon as it's ready, which can be as early as 1:00 AM my time on Monday!
If you've got a dollar a month to share, please Visit the Galactic Hunter Patreon and help cover our server costs. I'll still put in hours of work, writing, photography, and research - I just need some help making sure that the site costs me only time, and hopefully not money. Thanks for your support!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Bo-Katan Kryze (Walmart Exclusive 2-Pack, Epic Hero Series). This Walmart 2-pack is likely in stores now, and is different than the single figure - the 2-pack has a jet pack, the single has a blaster. It's a pretty nice figure, too, with a Beskar pauldron. Read the whole review.
Walmart Gets Retro-Flavored Transformers Exclusive Gears and Bumblebee
Via Walmart: the retailer added a Transformers Toys Retro G1 Action Figure Autobot Gears (5") and a Transformers Toys Retro G1 Autobot Bumblebee (5") Action Figure for $24.97 a pop. The gimmick this time? Each one is on a blister cardback, looking more or less like a 1984 or 1985 toy, taking old molds and putting them in toy colors. Gears has a new head, while Bumblebee is the same as the Netflix version from a few years ago - except for the paint. These figures are expected in March 2025, and you can click through the links to pre-order. (We may get a commission if you click and buy something through these sponsored links.)
This week's batch of titles on the eShop: Europa, STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter & Republic Commando Bundle, TRANSFORMERS: Galactic Trials, and over a dozen more.
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We're taking donations for server costs! Really. One of the rewards is 
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I was surprised to get a tweet from The Routes' account on social media informing me that they have a new record, Surfin' Pleasures, due out on Topsy Turvy Records next month. I have a hard time finding these in America, but I got their album of Kraftwerk covers and wouldn't mind getting their 
Via Walmart: the retailer added a 
