Toy Story: Space Ranger Training Center "Action Links" Playset

Who remembers the Toy Story "Buddy Pack" figures and "Action Links!" playsets from 2010? The line debuted right around the theatrical release of Toy Story 3 and continued on [here and there] for a few years after. It was (and still is) one of my favorite collections! I went nuts trying to get every last playset and buddy figure with all those single packs, 2-packs, multipacks and vehicle sets, yet it was so much fun. You can see a full overview of the line (with additional links to all my related posts) right HERE in my original Buddy Packs post!

The "Action Links!" sets are essentially chain reaction style playsets for use with the Buddy Pack figures (recreating key scenes from all three Toy Story films). The more of the sets you have, the more fun they are. All of them interconnect, or "link" together (with limitless combinations), to form a giant chain reaction. Once assembled, activate the motion on one and watch as each playset goes through its "action" (hence the name "Action Links"). Think dominoes! You can see every single "Action Links!" set in my post HERE from years ago—I even have a video there of them in action so you can see exactly what I'm talking about.

The only playset I didn't get at the time was this Walmart exclusive Space Ranger Training Center, since I don't usually collect things that are "made up" or not canon to the films. However, I recently saw it pop up on eBay and decided to go for it. I figured it's still super fun even though it's technically not from any of the films (it's kind of close to Buzz Lightyear of Star Command though); and since it's incredibly rare,  I didn't want to regret not completing the whole collection. It was my chance!

I was able to snag this a couple months ago for $30 and free shipping—new in box. The only catch is that it came from Canada, so you'll notice the packaging is actually international. In fact, this box doesn't even have the title "Space Ranger Training Center" (it's just called "stunt set"). The contents though are exactly the same. Note: you can view this blurry image I found of the original US packaging.

Below is everything out of the box! It took about five minutes to assemble. One standard Buzz Lightyear buddy figure is included (too bad it's not an exclusive design).

I went ahead and casually set this up on my kitchen table to show you guys what it looks like all put together. Sorry it's not so much a fancy set up, but hey, it's real life.

Here's how this playset works (once everything is set up and in place):

• Press down on the green square button behind the launcher (if it's set up with the other playsets, something else will hit and trigger the action) to fire the projectile. 

• The "laser" will hit the Zurg [training] robot which will then fall down backwards onto the second green button and trigger the next action. 

• The blue cage atop the tower (a perfect spot to put an alien buddy figure, sold separately) will then rotate around twice and the cage will drop. The cage even has a button on the bottom so that it opens when it hits the surface, freeing the "prisoner."

• If you have another playset connected, the cage dropping will hit another green button sending the next set into action and so on and so forth.

And this all happens within about seven seconds. Any of these playsets on their own are very short and anticlimactic I guess you could say, but add them all together and they become TONS of fun.

See it in action yourself in my brief, simple demonstration video below (sorry I didn't have time to do a full YouTube review) and check out some of my detailed photos!

This set completes my "Action Links!" collection and makes nine total! I'm so glad I ended up going for it. So what do you think? Do you/did you collect these playsets and buddy figures? What are your favorites? Shout out your thoughts in the comments or hit me up on social media. :)

If you're interested in tracking this down, keep checking THIS direct link to current eBay listings or give Amazon a try by using the link below.

LAVA: "Ukulele Island" Postcard (Pixar Studio Store Exclusive)

Two LAVA posts in a row?! You Bet. Following yesterday's post on the Disney Parks exclusive "I LAVA YOU" pin, here we have a gorgeous LAVA inspired postcard sold only at the Pixar Studio Store in Emeryville, CA (again, not open to the public). I absolutely love this artwork as it's a pretty minimal style filled with simple straight lines, yet the design and colors are so rich and vibrant. I almost wish this was a large print to hang on my wall! The purple/pink sunset color scheme with the deep blue water completely captures that beautiful island feel. It's really like a genuine postcard one would find while on vacation to Hawaii (which I think was the point). I wonder who the artist is?

On the front is the text "Come Play and Sing on.... Ukulele Island." The back features small minimal graphics of some of the sea creature/bird "couples" seen in the short film and an overall fantastic layout. It states that it's an actual "Product of Hawaii", but is it really? I feel like it could be decorative text for aesthetic, but who knows. Either way, what a great look overall. It's all very calming.

This is just a smidge bigger than a standard 4x6 postcard, but it's basically right around that size. As I've mentioned, there's hardly any LAVA merch out there, so it's a real treat to own this as part of my collection (I didn't even know it existed until I received it!). A big thanks to my friend [Disney freelance Artist] Jerrod Maruyama who surprised me with this in a recent care package. I've never been lucky enough to go to the actual Pixar Studio Store, but thanks to friends like Jerrod, I can get a little taste of it at home!

I lava it. What are your thoughts?

LAVA: "I LAVA YOU" Pin (Disney Parks)

Last holiday season, right around Christmas time, I saw that this fantastic Disney·Pixar LAVA pin was available at Disney Parks and totally fell in love with it. It wasn't too long before it was listed for purchase through the Shop Disney Parks app and I snatched it up as soon as I could—or so I thought. A few days later, I got an email telling me that the item I ordered was not in stock. It was such a bummer!

Time went on and I kept the pin in mind when we went to Walt Disney World in April (hoping that it would still be around). I searched all over, but still didn't have any luck. The app listed it being in stock at several locations in Animal Kingdom, but it turned out to be false information. Again, bummer. Yeah I could have resorted to eBay and paid a little more, but I didn't feel it was that crucial.

That leads me to our recent visit to Disneyland last week. During our last night (not even thinking about this pin at all; honestly I had forgotten about it at that point), I popped into the "Little Green Men: Store Command" shop in Tomorrowland to look around like usual...and there it was! I was thrilled.

I really adore LAVA. I know it's kind of polarizing (people either seem to love it or hate it), but I think it's up there with some of my favorite Pixar shorts. So of course this was a must have for me, especially since any other LAVA merch out there is close to nonexistent.

On the front of the pin, Uku and Lele look charming and vibrant forming their "Ukulele Island" (reminiscent of one of the final shots of the film). "I LAVA YOU", as you know I'm sure, is straight out of the song's lyrics sung during the film. On the back you'll find the "Authentic Official Disney Parks Pin Trading" logo and the 2016 date stamp. The director and song writer of the film, James Ford Murphy, is also noted on the back for copyright purposes with the 2015 date stamp (for when the film was released). Finally, a typical classic Mickey shaped pin clamp is included on the back as well.

I'm sure this is available elsewhere in Disneyland as well, but if all else fails, definitely check the Little Green Men gift shop if you're interested in picking this up (since that's where I can confirm it's sold as of now). If you're not going to be at Disneyland anytime soon however, you can always check out this direct link to current eBay listings.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this LAVA pin (or the short film itself) in the comments below!

Cars 3: Patch & Sticker (Pixar Studio Store)

Hey everyone! Today's post is gonna be pretty short and sweet, but if you're a diehard Pixar/Cars fan, you'll appreciate this. A few weeks back, my friends over at PixarPost.com sent me these fun little tokens from their most recent visit to Pixar (they were there covering the Cars 3 event this past spring). Here we have an iron-on patch and a sticker—both featuring the slick Cars 3 logo! These are currently available only at the official Pixar Studio Store located within Pixar itself in Emeryville, CA (not open to the public). A big thanks to TJ and Julie for thinking of me and sending me over something to ease the pain of not being there ;) These really are super cool!

I included the picture below so you can have a sense of size when compared to my hand (they range at about 3-4.5" in size, the smaller being the patch of course). These may be simple, but man is it cool to have ANYTHING exclusive to the Pixar Studio Store. In that regard, both of these are valuable new additions to my collection!

I haven't figured out the best place to put these quite yet, but I will. They're cool enough that they'll need a prime spot. So—what do you think?!  

The Incredibles: Mr. Incredible American Flag Tee (Fifth Sun)

This past week on the 4th of July (while we were on our CA vaca), my festive shirt choice for the day was this new American flag Mr. Incredible tee from Fifth Sun! I posted the above photo on Instagram (that's me at Oceanside Beach; anyone reading this from that area?) and got flooded with messages asking me where I got it. People really seemed to dig it! It's a super cool t-shirt for sure, and with Incredibles 2 on its way in less than a year, it's no wonder people have The Incredibles on their minds.

I really like the red heather color and the distressed/vintage graphic of the heroic Mr. Incredible against an American flag. It's really striking! It's soft (cotton/poly mix) and fits well (not super fitted, but not boxy either) with a retail price of $19.95.

This is a great summer tee; especially perfect for Pixar fans to wear on Memorial Day or the 4th of July. Pick it up before it's gone on the Fifth Sun website HERE and be sure to browse their online store for MANY more awesome Pixar shirts! They have an amazing selection of tees with some really fun designs. A big thanks to my wife Brita who surprised me with this a little while back.

Shout out your thoughts in the comments below and thanks so much for dropping by!

"Best of Pixar 2" Tsum Tsum Collection Review

Hello everyone! As of this morning, we're officially back from our California vacation. We had a successful time going to my sister's wedding and visiting family, as well as a little trip to Disneyland! More on that soon. Right now I'm just glad to be back home and excited to get back to my daily posts.

This past Tuesday (July 4th) while we were away, a very exciting Disney Store "Tsum Tsum Tuesday" release happened: "The Best of Pixar 2", featuring a mix of seven brand new, never before released Tsums from both Ratatouille and Up! Remy, Linguini, Carl, Russel, Kevin, Dug and Dug (with cone of shame) are the seven characters included this time around. By the way, being across the country didn't stop me from snagging these on the day of release—you know I had to find a local Disney Store to hit up the morning of! The Carlsbad Disney Store Outlet ended up being the closest one to where we were at.

Note-  The first "Best of Pixar" Tsum Tsum collection was released back in February and included characters from Wall·E and A Bug's Life. If you missed that post, be sure to check it out HERE.

These plushies are part of the Tsum Tsum "mini" collection and are only about 3 1/3" in size. Like usual, they're soft with super great embroidered features and retail for $5.95 each. OK now let's dig into this fantastic series and check out all the fun details these guys have...

Remy & Linguini 

I had hoped for Ratatouille Tsum Tsums for a long time and was so pumped to see this release was coming. It would have been fun to get a whole series dedicated to the film (given that it's one of my favorites), but at least we got the two main leads here in this collection! How cute right?

A few details that I have to mention are the adorable chef's hats, Linguini's fiery hair and "apron" ribbon (also, notice his red "sneakers"?) and Remy's front tooth and embroidered spoon. I especially love the fabrics and materials used here as they add so much fun texture and overall charm to both of these.

One thing I did take note of is that Remy is actually grey here and not blue like he is in the film. It's really no biggie, but it seems like a weird detail to get wrong. He's still just as cute when it comes down to it though, but I just had to bring that point up.

Carl & Russel 

The fact that Carl and Russel made it into this collection just makes me so happy. I love these guys! It's so exciting that we finally have some Up Tsum Tsums, especially since Up doesn't get very much merch in general. It's a rare treat. 

The details I have to bring up here are Carl's embroidered tennis ball cane and his bow tie (heck, Carl's whole face/hair is awesome) and Russel's embroidered Wilderness Explorer patches/sash. Just perfection! My hat goes off to the creators for giving us Pixar fans all sorts of little things to catch.

Kevin, Dug & Dug with Cone of Shame 

Everybody loves Dug and Kevin and I'm no different...SQUIRREL! These were the perfect choices to round out this collection of Up characters (in fact, these were all in my Tsum Tsum wish list back in my original "Best of Pixar" post). The details that stood out to me here are Dug's cute tongue that hangs out [of both of them], the cone of shame (of course), Dug's embroidered talking collar and Kevin's hilariously long beak. I love all these colors!

What a great batch of Tsum Tsums. It's nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite, but I think it might be either Carl or Linguini (with an honorable mention to Kevin).

Pick these up at your local Disney Store before they're gone or snag them on their website right HERE. Have you purchased any of these yet? Which one is your favorite? Who do you want to see in a third "Best of Pixar" Tsum Tsum collection? Shout out your thoughts in the comments below!

Cars 3: Disney Store Fabulous Lightning McQueen & Cruz Ramirez Plush

It's hard to mention a spoiler alert here since the products themselves can be considered spoilers for Cars 3, but if you haven't seen the film and can look away fast enough, look away now! 🙃 These characters in these paint jobs are just about everywhere at this point though (heck Dinoco Cruz has been at the forefront of the marketing for months), so chances are you've seen them on store shelves even if you haven't caught the flick. And if you haven't seen Cars 3 at this point, what are you doing?? Go see it now! It's absolutely fantastic.

When the Cars 3 merch was released at the Disney Store this past April, I was kind of disappointed there weren't any plush toys included in the lineup. I always look forward to those with each new Pixar film. Well, if you were kind of let down like I was, never fear. The Disney Store finally just released two Cars 3 medium core plush toys: Fabulous Lightning McQueen and Dinoco Cruz Ramirez—both straight from the film's awesome epilogue!

These hit the Disney Store on June 16th, the same day the film arrived in theaters. They were held off for obvious reasons, but as soon as the film was officially out, all bets were off! They didn't waste any time.

Lets take a look at these "fabulous" plush in more detail...

Fabulous Lightning McQueen

The first thing that stood out to me when I saw these in person was the size. They're pretty big, measuring in at about 13 1/2" long and 7" tall. They feel super sturdy, have exceptional stitching (love the shiny thread used for the numbers, windows and sponsor logos) and really nice embroidered features. The level of detail achieved with both of these plush is just outstanding. They're likenesses  and expressions are spot on, with just the right amount of stylized "chubiness." Not to mention they're soft and cuddly like a good plush should be!

Interestingly, and just a side note here, the typical "Disney Store Genuine Authentic Original" patch is not included on the bottom of either of these.

Dinoco Cruise Ramirez

As soon as I saw the film, I loved both of these designs—so I'm thrilled to have them in plush form! Could more be on the way? I feel like Jackson Storm is an absolute must. Who would you like to see if they made a couple more medium core Cars 3 plush? Note: there were medium plush Tsum Tsums released of Mack and Miss Fritter last month, which you can check out in my post HERE.

Retail for each of these is $19.95; HOWEVER, I grabbed these a couple days ago for a great deal/price. Currently, when you buy two or more medium core plush, they go down to $16 each. Be sure to act soon so you don't miss out on the sale!

If you don't have a local Disney Store, be sure to pick them up on the website (HERE for Lightning—HERE for Cruz). Let me know your thoughts on these plush in the comments below! What do you think of "Blue Lightning McQueen" (as me and my nephew call him)?

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Toy Story Characters Figurine / Sculpture (Disney Parks Exclusive)

You've got a friend in this incredible Toy Story sculpture sold now exclusively at Disney Parks! This is a high end, intricately detailed collectible made of a resin material featuring several of your favorite toys from Andy's toy box: Wheezy (atop three classic alphabet blocks), Bo Peep, Rex, Hamm and a trio of Pizza Planet Aliens. This is an absolutely stunning piece.

I first saw this beauty when it popped up on the Disney Store's website this past January and I snagged it right then and there (since there was a 40% off deal for cast members). I waited to receive it for my birthday however, so I finally just opened it up at the end of May and I couldn't have been more excited. Time for me to gush.

From the spot on character likenesses to the vibrant and clean paint application, everything is perfect here. The main oval base gives off the appearance of white painted wood panels with a "hard wood" floor in the center (this gives the piece a very fresh look). One of my favorite details is how Bo Peep was given a glossier sheen, compared to the more matte look of the other toys (given that she's a porcelain figurine in the film, that extra shine is definitely true to her look). It's just a nice, subtle touch! Her cane looks great as well and is very delicate in the best of ways. I also love Rex's nervous expression and hands (again, very true to the character) as well as Wheezy's singing, toe tapping stance. I can here Robert Goulet now. 🎤

Take a lot at my detailed shots below!

Wow, just look at that...

The official size of this is  9'' H x 12'' W x 9'' D with a retail price of $125.00.

Here on the bottom you can see that this an official item from The Art of Disney Theme Parks and his stamp signed by artist Derek Lesinski. What a wonderful job he did here with the design.

You might be asking yourself at this point, "where can I buy it?!" Well luckily you have options as it's still available to purchase. First of all, I ended up seeing this in person back in April during our Disney World trip at "The Art Disney" store (both the Epcot and Disney Springs locations). If you're not going to Disney World anytime soon though, it's still available on the Disney Store's website HERE or the Shop Disney Parks app (just search "Toy Story character figurine").

This is such a special piece. The fact that it highlights secondary characters from the Toy Story films that don't see much attention makes this a real standout for me. Rather than relying on the popularity of Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, etc., this figurine gives us a unique selection of toys that we know and love but see less often than we'd like.

Please let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below! Do you absolutely love it? Have you picked this up? Do you plan to? I'd love to hear what you think.

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