Wall-E: Cube 'N' Stack Wall-E Action Figure

Back in 2008 Thinkway Toys released a slew of Wall-E products, including a series of detailed action figures. Now, why I didn't get these toys is beyond me, but luckily we now have a second chance for at least a couple of them!

Just last month, Thinkway toys re-released two of the hardest to find figures from their original 2008 action figure line: Search 'N' Protect Eve and this Cube 'N' Stack Wall-E (see the original release HERE) . Both are part of the new Disney/Pixar Toys R Us exclusive collection.

As seen on the package below, other new action figures that have been released as well include: the mentioned Search 'N' Protect Eve, Mr. Incredible, Syndrome, Bruce and Nemo.

This is a phenomenal figure with some great detailing, a clean paint job and some nice articulation. His eyes, neck, arms, wrists and fingers all swivel/are articulated and he has rolling wheels on the bottom of his treads which work great when pushing him along a flat, smooth surface. He stands at about 3" tall and is about 3 1/4" wide.

Also, his arms can be removed and be attached to a lower part of his body; if you prefer his arms closer to the ground for picking up garbage.

 In addition, he comes with two "trash cube" accessories that are a part of his action feature.

HOW IT WORKS- 

When you open the hatch on his back, it makes room to place one of the cubes in his front. After inserting a cube in the front, close the front hatch and then close the back. As you close the back, the cube will be pushed out of the front to recreate his garbage mashing feature seen in the film!

Note: It's stated on the package that this feature also works with Playdough as well.

See this figure in action in my YouTube video below:



Again, this is a fantastic figure that I'm so happy to now have as part of my collection. If I was to say anything negative about it though, I'd say that the price is way over the top for just an action figure. Back in 2008, this same figure retailed for $9.99 (which I feel is pretty spot on) but he now sells for $19.99 - double the price. Nonetheless, I'm still a fan of this figure and the entire new Toys R Us Disney/Pixar line.

You can currently find this very easily at your local Toys R Us store...or, if your prefer, you can snag it online on Amazon or eBay using the link below:
Thinkway Toys: Cube 'N' Stack Wall-E

A HUGE thanks to my amazing wife Brita who gave me this recently as a little "just because" present. That was very thoughtful - I was so excited!

And thanks to you for stopping by and visiting the blog. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments. Stay tuned for more soon!

Cars 2: Airport Mater

I feel like, by chance, a lot of the Cars 2 characters I've been posting lately have been from the film's Tokyo airport sequence...so today I figured I'd just continue that trend with last year's release of "Airport Mater"! This is a 1:55 scale diecast from Mattel and was released in the 2013 "Airport Adventure" sub-series (# 2/7). He was only available as an excluive in a 2-pack with Holley Shiftwell.

This Mater is very similar to the standard release, but features a much more "sad" facial expression (based on the scene in the film, screen shot above).

If you're looking to add this one to your collection, be sure to check for his availability online-your best bets are either Amazon or eBay. Good luck on the hunt!

Cars 2: Officer Murakarmi

Here is the 1:55 scale Mattel release of Officer Murakami! This character was released in the original Cars 2 series in 2012 (#32) and is a "chase" edition (which means a limited quantity were made which made him harder to find at the time).

As seen in the screenshot above, Officer Murakarmi is an airport security guard and can be seen very briefly during the film's Tokyo airport sequence.

If you're still looking to pick this one up, be sure to check out Amazon or eBay for the best deals.

Cars 2: Acer and Security Guard Finn 2-Pack

This 2-pack from Mattel was part of the original Cars 2 series and was released back in 2011. It features a standard edition Acer and an"exclusive" Security Guard Finn- both 1:55 scale in size.

As seen in the screen shot above, both Acer and Finn disguised as a security guard were both seen in the film at the Tokyo international airport. 

As of last year, Security Guard Finn has also been released as a single pack as well (seen here). Acer of course has had many different releases over the years, both in single and multi-packs.

If you're still looking to add this 2-pack to your Cars 2 collection, be sure to check it out on Amazon or eBay using the link below:
Cars 2: Security Guard Finn and Acer 2-Pack

Cars 2: Leland Turbo

In Cars 2, Leland Turbo is the very first character seen on screen. He is the British spy car who discovers crucial information about the lemons' evil plot during a mission on one of their oil rigs. The film opens with Leland sending a video message to Finn McMissile, requesting backup claiming that what he found out is "bigger than anything we've ever seen." Leland meets a terrible fate when he is caught, crushed and cubed by the lemons there on the rig.

This 1:55 scale diecast was released in late 2012 in the original Mattel Cars 2 series. He was (and is) only available as an "exclusive vehicle" in this "movie moments" 2-pack with Finn McMissile.

About Leland Turbo (from Pixar Wiki):
"Leland Turbo, British Intelligence. He and Finn McMissile go way, way back together in the world of espionage, and they even trained together in the academy as new recruits. They were partners early in their careers and owe each other their lives, getting one another out of though spots many, many times. Clearly, Leland is not one to run from danger. In fact, he thrives on it... but this time it may end up costing him more than he thinks."

Fun Fact: Leland was voiced by British actor Jason Isaacs, who Harry Potter fans will recognize as the actor who portrayed Lucius Malfoy in the films.

If you're still looking to add Leland to your Cars collection, be sure to check Amazon or eBay using the link below:
Cars 2: Leland Turbo

Cars 2: Becky Wheelin

Here we have the Mattel 1:55 scale diecast release of Becky Wheelin! This character was a 2012 "chase" (meaning limited quantities were made which made her more rare) release from the original Cars 2 line (# 33).

In the film, Becky is another one of those "nanosecond" background characters. As seen in the screen shot above (bottom left center), she is briefly seen in the Tokyo airport. Don't blink! You'll miss her.

If you missed grabbing this one in stores during her initial release, she's still easy to track down on Amazon or eBay using the link below:
Cars 2: Becky Wheelin

Toy Story: "Tsum Tsum" Mini Plush Collection

You might be wondering, what on earth is a "Tsum Tsum"? These little guys were first introduced in Japan in 2013 to coincide with the release of the Japanese Disney mobile app game of the same name. Ultimately, they're small, stylized, stackable, bean bag plushies based on popular Disney characters. As of this past summer, they have now made they're way to the U.S. (along with the mobile game) and are available only at Disney Stores.

There are many different Disney characters that have been released, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the classic Mickey and Friends, Winnie the Pooh and many others in addition to these Toy Story ones."Tsum Tsum" (pronounced "Soom Soom") literally means "Stack Stack" in Japanese.

Back in the early summer of this year, I downloaded the game on my phone and was impressed at how cute and fun it was. The designs of the characters (and how they walk/waddle) were just too adorable and the game proved to be quite addicting (more so with my wife though, than me). I thought, if they ever released any Pixar related Tsum Tsums at the store, I would have to get them.

Screenshots from the "Tsum Tsum" Mobile App Game

Well, just a few weeks ago the Disney Store released nine Toy Story Tsum Tsum characters, so I knew right off the bat that I would have to snag these for my collection. Admittedly though, I was a little bit on the fence at first as to whether I did actually want these or not, but man am I glad I did. Needless to say, they are CUTE and I was even more impressed with them once I saw them in person.

From left to right (image below), the nine characters released are: Hamm, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, Buzz Lightyear, Peas-in-a-Pod, Jessie, Pizza Planet Alien, Woody and Lotso. Each one retails for $4.95.

These plushies are only 3 1/3 inches long and are made from a very quality, soft material. You can see some size comparisons below to get an idea of how big (or small) they actually are; one with my hand and one with a standard sized Vinylmation.

Each comes with a tag that opens up to a brief description of what Tsum Tsums are and where they came from. The tag also gives you an idea of some of the other fun characters out there.

Lets get to some close ups!

I just love the shape of these plush, I think they're just so hilarious (especially when you "make" them waddle around). They're just such an odd, stubby, oval shape, almost like some sort of insect. The designs are so unique as well; this really is a one of a kind collection. Consider me a fan!

At this point, I'm definitely hoping for more Pixar characters to be released soon. I'm pretty sure a Mike and Sulley will be released in the near future, so I'll keep you posted on that! In the mean time, you can pick these Toy Story ones up at the Disney Store, or at the DisneyStore.com HERE. 

Pixar Collection: Vinylmation Villains Series 5 PAGE UPDATE-Al in Chicken Suit Chaser

Today's post is an exciting page update to my Vinylmation Villains Series 5 collection...the chaser, Al McWiggin in his chicken suit! Head to the original post HERE and scroll down to see my full write-up on this fantastic new addition to my collection.

Cars: Marco Axlebender

Here we have Marco Axlebender from the original Cars! This is a 1:55 scale diecast vehicle from Mattel and was released a few years back in early 2011.

In the film, Marco is one of the security officers seen briefly before the big Los Angeles International Speedway Piston Cup tiebreaker race (screen shot above).

If you're still looking to add Marco to you Disney/Pixar Cars collection, be sure to pick him up on Amazon or eBay using the link below:
Cars: Marco Axlebender

Toy Story: An Interactive Pop-Up Book and BEYOND!

As mentioned before (in this Toy Story Pop-Up book post), I grew up loving pop-up books. There was always something so fun and fascinating about them to me; like how they are engineered to fit so much dimension in each page in addition to the movable features.

This "Toy Story: An Interactive Pop-Up Book and BEYOND!" book takes it to the next level with more interactivity than the standard pop-up book. When I saw it recently, I knew it was a must have for my collection!

This book was released in September 2012 with the designs and engineering by Yevgeniya Teretskaya. It's four pages long and simply goes through the story of the entire Toy Story trilogy.

Lets get to it!

When you first open the book, you'll notice nine quality "punch out" three-dimensional characters to play with alongside the 3D story: Bullseye, Jessie, Woody, Buttercup, Buzz Lightyear, Trixie and three Pizza Planet Aliens. A tenth character, Slinky, is also included, but more on that below.

 The first page, naturally, is Andy's bedroom. This one is loaded is features!

Make Woody jealous by turning Andy's cowboy themed room into Buzz Lighteyear themed! Change over the bed, the pillow and the poster.

Also, here is where we can find the Slinky 3D punch-out. He is included behind the flap on the left side of the page.

Create the scene from the film using the other included characters as seen below.

 In the second page we head to Pizza Planet for some "Rocket Ship Crane Game" action.

Use the magnetic, movable "claw" to snatch up one of the punch-out aliens and create the iconic scene from the film.

Next we head to the story of Toy Story 2 with a page dedicated to Al the toy collector's Woody's Roundup collection.

Watch out for Stinky Pete the prospector...he's up to no good!

Recreate the memorable scene when Woody finds out he's a famous character and collector's item. The record player includes spinnable record and movable tone arm.

The fourth and final page is the emotional ending scene from Toy Story 3, when Andy gives over his special toys to the adorable Bonnie.

 Put Buttercup (or any character) in Bonnie's backpack for safe keeping!

Use this tab to make Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head's eyes move from side to side.

 Rex's arms move side to side as well by sliding this tab.

The gang's all here! This is an outstanding book with fun features, intricately crafted pages and amazing (not to mention classy) illustrations. This is a must have for Toy Story fans-the young or the young at heart!

It's pretty easy to find online. If you're interested, or eBay using the link below:
Toy Story: An Interactive Pop-Up Book And BEYOND!

Or visit Amazon using this direct link: