New Englanders, Rejoice! Only One Month to go Before Big Toy Show Debuts in North Haven, CT

We’ve heard it time and time again— Why aren’t there any more big shows out on the coasts anymore? Think about it— Other than James Desimone’s yearly events in LA and Irving Santiago’s big Ultracons down in Florida, all the conventions and larger toy shows appear to be occurring more often inland, in places like Dallas, Atlanta and Louisville. But now—FINALLY—fans living on the eastern seaboard have a new event that they can sink their collecting “teeth” into— the Northeast Toy & Collectibles Show (NETCS). The NETCS takes place a mere 31 days from today in North Haven, CT, and promises to be a truly MEGA toy event. According to John Kozin—

John Kozin, GIjOE fan, collector and dealer (Photo: John Kozin)

“Annnnnd we’re sold out of table space!!!!! 30 dealers and over 60 tables of awesome toys and collectibles!”

Bottom Line: The 2018 NETCS looks like it will be a VERY popular event. Its scheduling, convenient Connecticut location and wide variety of toy offerings make it a “must-see” for collectors of all ages. Our best wishes to everyone concerned. Have a great time!

Return of the Rocketeer?— Long Anticipated Costume Set for Captain Action Has Hit Yet Another “Snag and Could Not Deliver” (Again)

Up, up, and… a-WAIT AGAIN! Prototype for yet another (oft-delayed) “Rocketeer” costume set from Captain Action Enterprises. Will these EVER be for sale? (Photo: CAE) Click to enlarge.

Here we go again. 1:6 scalers get all excited about a new Captain Action costume set and BAM— it’s taken away from us. Just when we thought all the production ducks were in a row and CAE’s latest prototypes were set in stone, something (yet again) crops up to slow (or possibly stop) the manufacture and sale of what was a wildly anticipated 1:6 scale CA product—the Rocketeer costume set. Here is the latest intel, received hot over the wires from the hapless heroes at Team Action—

“Hey Actioneers, we’re delighted to report that the reception to the new uniform sets announced at San Diego Comic-Con was overwhelmingly positive. We at CA Enterprises continue to maintain our commitment to keep the Captain Action legacy alive and growing. While the faithful have always been with us, we are now also seeking to attract new fans with our new offering of uniform sets which include The Rocketeer, Mars Attacks! and more. 

Currently, while we had hoped to have started pre-orders for these new uniform sets by now, the factory we were originally working with hit a snag and could not deliver. You can imagine how terribly frustrating that is for us, and we’re sure it is frustrating for all of you anxious fans as well. So here’s the situation—

We are diligently in the process of arranging a new deal with a new factory, and as soon as we have everything set to move forward, we’ll let you know. As we’re all in this together, we felt it very important to let you all know what has transpired and that we’re still very committed to bring you the best quality uniform sets in the Captain Action tradition.” Best, —Team Action

Rocketeer’s Rear View— Wait! Don’t walk away! Stay awhile! PLEASE? This CAE prototype costume shows excellent details and amazing quality overall. We want it! (Photo: CAE) Click to enlarge.

Bottom Line: Good things come to those who wait. And wait. And then wait some more. It seems CAE is still working on bringing this costume set to market, but will it EVER arrive in our lifetime? And will it look HALF as good as these prototype photos? Only time will tell. Fingers (still) crossed!

“Battle with the Black Widow”—Massive Monster Arachnid (From The Home Depot) Faces Off Against G.I. Joe Crash Crew Firefighter— Who Will Win?

A lone Crash Crew GIjOE armed only with an ax and crowbar faces off against a decidedly more powerful foe—a giant black widow spider from Home Depot. Fortunately, Joe’s trusty pet black panther sneaks up from behind. Will it come to Joe’s aid during this deadly face-off? (Maybe after a nap.) The spider’s eyes have a spooky, hypnotic effect. Look out, Joe! (Photo: Mark Otnes) Click to enlarge.

Got Arachnophobia? Then this Giant Spider is Definitely NOT for You!

So I bring home this giant plastic spider last night, right?— I place it on the couch behind my wife. It has long, spindly legs and some seriously eerie, red-glowing eyes (the spider, not my wife). When she turns around and sees it, she literally jumps off the couch screaming, “ICK! What is THAT?!” Surprised, I reply, “it’s a new giant spider for GIjOE to fight against. Look! Its abdomen is all hollowed out, so I can stuff it full of 1:6 scale human skeletons and show that it’s been eating Joes!” She frowns a BIG frown and bluntly observes, “You are really WEIRD.” Well, maybe so, my dear. But I’m betting there’ll also be a lot of other “weird” 1:6 scalers out there who’ll be interested in picking up one of these (admittedly) frightening new “home decor” items from Home Depot.

Big, Bad, Butt-iful! Joe’s pet panther sniffs the spinnerets of the giant arachnid while Joe lines up his first blow, “right between those evil eyes!” From leg tip to leg tip, the spider measures a whopping 44 inches across. Once folded up, it measures only about 14″ across. YES! (Photo: Mark Otnes) Click to enlarge.

The spider is made of a solid black plastic; the good, hard, model-kit kind, so if you wanted to, you could paint its fangs, or even flock its entire body to make it all fuzzy black and red. What a fun custom project THAT would be! And yes, its legs are fully-articulated, so you can pose him in a full “legs out” battle stance (as shown in these pics) or all tucked up to its body ala a “I just got squirted with RAID” death pose. Whatever you decide to do with this monumental monstrosity, it’s an IDEAL creature for any Adventure Team (or military) GIjOEs to battle in backyard (or indoor) dioramas.

A “Cage of DEATH?”— Viewed from this angle, you can imagine the black widow’s ribbed abdomen filled up with 1:6 scale human skeletons. Fortunately, this spider DOES open up. There are tiny screws holding the body together. Opening it up takes only minutes. (Photo: Mark Otnes) Click to enlarge.

Here’s the label to look for while shopping in Home Depot. It even has a “TRY ME” button on it, so you can try out the glowing-eyes effect in the store. (Photo: Mark Otnes) Click to enlarge.

Bite Me— The spider’s mandibles grab Joe’s arm as its fangs prepare to inject him with its deadly toxin. Is this the END of Crash Crew Joe? Only YOU can decide! (Photo: Mark Otnes) Click to enlarge.

Bottom Line: Yes, this spooky “home decor” item is great for use on Halloween, but in our opinion, it’s actually makes a much better TOY. Its giant size, durable construction, leg articulation, and light-up eyes—guarantee HOURS of fantasy FUN for GIjOE and action figure fans. You can find them for sale NOW at a Home Depot near you, or simply order one online HERE. Enjoy!

Yikes!—Tis the Season for Some Scary Skeletons!

Nice kitty…Good kitty. This giant saber-toothed cat looks to us to be one of the better offerings this year. Simply amazing details from tail to fangs! (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

No flesh? No worries. These skeletal creatures are scary enough!

Your GIjOE museum and fantasy dioramas all need skeletons, right? Well, thanks to the impending Halloween season, stores throughout the U.S. (and beyond) have begun ramping up their supply to meet the growing demand. Besides all of the trick-or-treaters and Halloween home decorators, GIjOE fans and customizers too, now have their eager “eagle-eyes” set on picking up at least ONE of these amazing skeletal “beasties.” According to intrepid TJR Field Reporter, Keith Davis:

Keith Davis, fan, collector and customizer of all things 1:6 scale (Photo: Fox 19 News)

“Wanna try something new in 1/6 or other scales!?! How about going prehistoric, or Jurassic, or Bedrock? I found these recently at Home Depot, and the bigger ones at Big Lots. The smaller ones go for around $40, the bigger ones are over $100. I think all of them have light-up eyes and maybe sounds, too. Even Barbie had the Flintstones. You could make one heck of a diorama with this stuff! —Keith Davis

We concur with Keith. Simply place one of these massive, menacing monsters next to ANY scale GIjOE and your imagination immediately runs WILD with all sorts of fun diorama possibilities. Let’s take a look at some of the other creepy critters that Keith has tracked down in Cincinnati’s “Concrete Jungle” of brick-n-mortar stores—

Horns. Teeth, and TERROR! A herd of skeletal dinosaurs. (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

Life-sized sitting dogs and some spiky mini-triceratops. (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

This closeup reveals the quality to be better on some than others and the prices to be fairly consistent. The wiring must be hidden inside the bones, somewhere. (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

With real BITING action! If you look closely, these red-eyed T-Rex skeletons appear to have working jaws for added realism. VERY cool! (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

A size for every diorama— Don’t like small? How about LARGE? (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

How about a big, bad, DRAGON? Check out that wingspan! (Photo: Keith Davis) Click to enlarge.

Bottom Line: Our sincerest thanks to keen-eyed Keith Davis for his generous contributions to this article. In the past, such skeletal “decor” items have ranged from the junky to the banal (skeletal rats, really?). But these new dinosaur, saber-toothed cat, and horned dragon skeletons VASTLY open-up possibilities for 1:6 scale (and other scale) dioramas. So—GO GIT ‘EM!

SHOCKER! FAO Schwarz Toy Stores to Return Soon

(Screenshot: NowThisNews)

Is it time to jump up and down on a piano keyboard and celebrate? Maybe.

Bottom Line: We didn’t see this one coming— It appears that the (mostly) dormant FAO Schwarz brand has actually found a serious financial backer and plans are now underway for its imminent reintroduction in the form of 2 to 3 all-new brick-n-mortor stores. In this day and age of burgeoning online sales, the idea of actually building new toy stores is a much riskier financial undertaking. Therefore, we wish FAO and its new backers all the very best of luck. Watch the NTN video HERE for the most up-to-date information on this unexpected—yet encouraging—development.