Welcome back to Toy Aisle, Gizmodo’s regular roundup of the latest and greatest toy news happening on the internet this week. Today’s news gives us Super7 and Simpsons teaching us that money can be exchanged for goods and services, a very big Jurassic World dino, and Star Trek’s best captain in 1:6 scale glory. Check it out!
Super7 The Simpsons Ultimates! Wave 1 Figures
Playmates Toys did a great job with its line of the The Simpsons figures a couple of decades ago, expanding the collection to even include some of the animated series’ most obscure but fan-favourite characters. But the torch has now been passed to Super7, which is giving The Simpsons the deluxe figure treatment with loads of accessories based on random jokes from the show, lots of articulation, and multiple swappable head sculpts featuring a range of expressions. Wave 1, available for pre-order now, includes Deep Space Homer, Moe, Robot Itchy and Scratchy, and Poochie. At $80 each they’re considerably more expensive than Playmates’ figures were; if you order all five in a $385 set you won’t save a single penny, but will be eligible to collect them all using a payment plan.
Eaglemoss Hero Collector Transformers Gen-1 Chess Set
The never-ending fight between the Autobots and Decepticons gets a little more civilized and strategic with this new Transformers chess set from Eaglemoss, featuring 32 hand-painted game pieces modelled on the bots as they appeared in the classic ‘80s G1 animated series. Prime and Elita One serve as the king and queen pieces for the Autobots, while Megatron and Starscream assume those roles for the Decepticons. Remembering which chess pieces all the other characters assume looks like it might be a little tricky, although the height of the platform the bots are standing on gives you a clue as to their ranking on the board, with the pawns being the shortest. You’ll need to pledge at least $840 through Kickstarter to pre-order a set, and then patiently wait until the end of 2022 for it to be delivered.
EXO-6 Star Trek: Voyager Captain Kathryn Janeway Sixth-Scale Figure
EXO-6’s latest voyage into the world of Star Trek takes us away from the era of The Next Generation and right into Star Trek: Voyager, to give us the titular vessel’s trusty captain in 1:6 scale. As well as rendering Kate Mulgrew’s likeness in 12″ scale, the figure comes with a swath of accessories, including alternate hands, a phaser rifle and phaser pistol, a tricorder, and a PADD. You can chuck all those out the nearest airlock however, because the only accessory that matters is a trusty cup of coffee for Janeway to sip. She’ll set you back $265, and is due for release in summer 2021 — although currently EXO-6 is taking pre-orders for a second allotment of figures, currently estimated for a late 2021/early 2022 arrival. [Toyark]
NECA Batman Grapnel Launcher Prop Replica
Where does he get those wonderful toys? From a talented and imaginative prop and special effects department, that’s where. The Tim Burton-directed Batman movies gave the caped crusader some of his most memorable toys, including a grapnel launcher that NECA has recreated as a seven-inch long replica that looks like the perfect escape from a group of baddies or awkward first date conversation. It is unfortunately not fully-functional — the hook doesn’t actually fire hundreds of feet when the trigger is pulled — but with the assistance of a pair of batteries, the replica does include a motorised spool that winds the rope and hoop back in after.
Mattel Jurassic World Legacy Collecton Large Apatosaurus Figure
If you’re a long time Jurassic Park/Jurassic World fan who also happens to have a kid begging for a puppy, you just found the perfect solution that will make everyone happy. (Well, mostly you.) This Jurassic World apatosaurus figure is over 12 inches tall and over 44 inches long, and includes a posable tail, neck, head, and legs. Unlike a puppy it will never beg for food or a leave a mess on the rug, and at $77, available for pre-order now from Target with shipping in October, you’ll never have to face that heartbreaking day when Lassie the sauropod has to be “sent away to a farm.”
Jazwares Micro Machines Corvette Raceway Playset
Micro Machines made their triumphant return last year with both new tiny cars and a new Super Van City playset with the rolling sprinter van opening to reveal a sprawling miniature city inside. For 2021 it’s being joined by a new playset that sees a Corvette C8 supercar transforming into a racetrack; it includes a nearby drag strip, garage, and even a course for performing some tire-burning drifts. It includes a Micro Machine-sized Corvette C8R car, and is available from Target now for $56.
Lego Christmas Penguin and Polar Bear & Gift Pack Holiday Decor
Hot on the heels of pumpkin spice everything returning to stores, Lego has revealed a couple more festive holiday sets that will be available through its website starting on October 1. The 244-piece, $20 Christmas Penguin is designed as a tabletop decorative item, or you can plop it on the fireplace mantle next to the nativity scene. The cheaper 142-piece, $15 Polar Bear & Gift Pack are instead both decorative ornaments that can be hung from a Christmas tree or whatever you use to decorate for the Yuletide
Hiya Toys RoboCop 2 RoboCain Figure
The original RoboCop was a sleek, purpose-built replacement for police officers that looked both approachable to the general public but menacing to baddies. Why the attempts to duplicate RoboCop in the film’s sequel look like city-stomping mechwarriors makes no sense at all, but at least they make for impressively detailed figures. Hiya Toys’ RoboCop 2 RoboCain figure stands just 3.75-inches tall and includes elaborate articulation and a wonderfully weathered paint job, but when it’s released in May of next year it will come with a $70 price tag, which is kind of steep given the figure’s diminutive stature.