Past Generation Toys Blog

Friday, March 15, 2013

"Best in Show" LEGO Minifigures

It's time to fill the holes in your LEGO Minifigures collection! Listen up collectors and gift givers alike!

In honor of the 9th installment of LEGO Minifigures hitting the shelves, Past Generation Toys is releasing all our back stocked inventory! Meaning, all LEGO Minifigures, Series 2 through 8, will be available to buy while supplies last. That's over 100 different figures! With this flood of figures pouring out of our gates it can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, and because no one asked for it, here is my top 3 picks for Series 2-8. The figures will be reeased over the next two weeks. Series 2 and 9 are already available on the Past Generation Toys website.

Now to the favorites from each series...

Series 2:

3) Disco Guy - You have to love the creativity here.

2) Dracula - Cape AND bat accessory, good stuff.

1) - Spartan Soldier - From the tip of his helmet to the detail in his sandals, this Minifigure earns his top seat for Series 2. (After you buy one you just need 299 more.)

Series 3:

3) Gorilla - I love that removing his mask reveals a somewhat disheveled, sweaty minifigure.

2) Rapper - a gold microphone sealed his spot in the top 3.

1) Elf - If it weren't for his Jaundice tint, this guy could easily slip right into the LOTR and Hobbit LEGO sets.

Series 4:

3) Hockey Guy - Even with the football helmet and inability to hold a hockey stick correctly, this figure is still one of my favorites.

2) The Monster - Two words: Forehead accessory.

1) Hazmat Guy - Hands down the best figure of this group even with the missed opportunity of an additional face.

Series 5:

Honorable Mention: Gangster - Too bad they don't have a Tommy gun accessory, but the violin case gets the point across.

3) Boxer - Simple and works perfectly. Any LEGO Minifigure with a the option of a black eye deserves to be on some list somewhere.

2) Lizard Guy - I'm just such a fan of Godzilla I couldn't keep him out of the top 3. I saw an online picture where some guy put an all black head piece under the mask. Then, he built a little LEGO city full of buildings for this guy to trounce.

1) Gladiator - The helmet design is what sold this figure. Now we just need another variation to have them fight.

Series 6:

Honorable Mention: Roman Soldier - He's another army builder and a crowd favorite, so says Caeser.

3) Surgeon - Another face would have been nice. Is that a syringe or one of those outlawed lawn darts?

2) Robot - Love that wind-up piece. Finally, the LEGO claw hands make sense on a figure!

1) Sleepy Head - Not only do you get a Teddy bear accessory, two faces (sleepy and asleep), but this minifigure comes with his own "bed head" hairdo.

Series 7:

3) Computer Tech - Nothing special about this guy, but that emoticon mug is pure genius.

2) Daredevil - Not a big seller, but still, I love his design. He's more 1 part Elvis and 2 parts Evil Kinevel.

1) Galaxy Patrol - I never wanted Minifigures to have knee and shoulder joints so badly.

Series 8:

3) Conquistador - This guy is as good as the Musketeer from Series 6.

2) DJ - Do kids even know what that black disk the DJ is holding? Kids, ask your parents.

1) Deep Sea Diver - Should have given him a small treasure chest instead of the harpoon gun.

Series 9:

Honorable Mention: Battle Mech - They just need to release 4 other colors of this guy to form Voltron.

3) Heroic Knight - Hope this guy doesn't meet the Evil Knight from Series 7.

2) Alien Avenger - Galaxy Patrol guy has his work cut out for him.

1) Cyclops - Did you know this guy comes with two faces? Well, he has an open eye and and angry eye on the back of his head. With two eyes is he really a Cyclops any more?

Again, you can buy these figures from the Past Generation Toys website right now!

As the Series number increases, it seems the superstars shine less bright. I saw the plans for Series 10 and the prospects aren't any better. I'm going to assume people aren't waiting in anticipation for the "Old Man" Minifigure. Though, I DO like that they gave him an angry face. If he comes with a "get off my lawn" sign or even a cane, I take it all back. I'm not complaining about the craftsmanship or detail, but maybe a little on the creativity. In the last few minutes I just thought up some new characters that I'd want to buy. Here they are:

Series X:

Super Hero - Cape is a must. Can be a guy and later release a girl version.

Army Guy - LEGO has already done a Sailor. What's the hold up on Soldiers? Put them in green or camo. You can even do a Swat Guy figure.

Spy - Guy in Tux with a gun. Done. If you want to get fancy, give him a suave expression and a slick hairdo.

Teacher - She comes with an apple and a book or folder or something.

Shaolin Monk - Bald Lego with 2 swords. He would fly off the shelves.

So what do you think? You have any better ideas or want to tell me why mine stink? Let's here it.

R. Ticulation

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Customs 101: Easiest Customs Ever

Have you ever wanted to "improve" an existing action figure, but were too scared to tamper with it? Have you ever backed away from attempting your own custom job after seeing one so awesome it's kills your confidence to try? Or, have you seen a custom so caked over with lumpy puddy and brush applied paint meant for your household ceiling that you worry this will be YOUR final product? You got to ask yourself, like I did, "Is there an easy way to improve my figures without loosing the quality?" If you have a microwave, and the finger strength to open a soda, the answer is a resounding "YES!"

If you've read any of my earlier blogs, you would have noticed that I look at figures through the lens of poseablity. I've always been big on articulation. (You could say "articulation" is my middle name...but it's my last.) You can imagine how pleased I was when I ran into the custom jobs of matchbox1984 on YouTube. Not only did I see videos of some drool worthy customs, but one post was a "How To" cooking class for customs.

First thing you are going to need is the figure(s) you want to customize. I chose a traditional Clone Wars Trooper and your basic ARF Trooper.

I like how the ARF trooper's legs can widen their stance and I wanted my regular troopers to be able to do the same. With that idea, my first customs were born.

All you'll need for this basic job is the afore mentioned microwave and your figures. First, pull off the head and hands and set them off to the side. Matchbox1984 tells me these are the first to melt so remove them from the equation. Then, drop one figure into the microwave and set the timer for 25 seconds. You may have to increase the time depending on your microwave. I had to up my time to 40 seconds as the microwave I'm using is so old it should have a start up crank in the back. After cooking, remove your figure and replace it with your second figure and press the start button for the same amount of time. While the second figure is heating up -- and here's where the finger strength comes into play -- separate the chest from the torso. The microwave has softened the plastic enough that the torso peg should easily separate from the chest piece. Once the timer runs out for the second figure, pull apart that figure as well. Since you cooked these figures back to back, both should be relatively warm allowing you to swap top pieces, and push the parts together. Now you not only have a Clone Trooper that can widen his stance, but you have an ARF Trooper with a higher range of forward and backward movement.

Right now, ARF troopers can be found for pretty decent prices at HasbroToyshop and Toysrus websites. To me, a decent price is low enough to feel fine about potentially ruining your figure. I've melted the shins of one Captain Rex figure by cooking him for too long. I've also snapped a knee joint because I didn't cook him long enough. If you do start pulling legs off at the knee, they should also pop out pretty easily. Rarely, but sometimes these knee pegs won't pop out of the thighs because there's a bit of glue holding them in place. If the pegs are giving you any sort of trouble, abort mission and move on. Ye be warned.

Once you get comfortable with this, you'll start getting a little more daring and in a couple of successful runs, you'll have the confidence to start yanking off all kinds of limbs to create your own Clone Wars custom imaginings. For example, out of 3 Hailfire Battle Pack figures...

I assembled this guy.

I'm telling you, once you start down this road...

R. Ticulation

Now for the sales speak... So you got some information, now here's what you can do with it. Past Generation Toys has the brands above and so much more! Check out the PreOrders and New sections to see what just received and what's coming!

Follow Past Generation Toys on Twitter, @pastgentoys and check out the Past Generation Toys Facebook page for our weekly toy and collectible GIVEAWAYS. Thanks for shopping with Past Generation Toys!!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Exclusive - 10" Noob Saibot Statue - Past Generation Toys

You may be asking yourself... who is Noob Saibot... well for those of you that do not know I am about to bestow on you all the knowledge you need.

Noob Saibot is a video game character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He debuted as a hidden character in Mortal Kombat II, although the later game Mortal Kombat: Deception established his true identity as the original Sub-Zero, who was killed by his nemesis, Scorpion, after the events in the first Mortal Kombat. The character's name comes from the last names of the creators of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Ed Boon and John Tobias, spelled in reverse.*

Saibot's prominent powers are of the shadowy element, being able to completely manipulate it and possessing the ability to teleport as well as render himself invisible by blending in with the shadows. He was also able to manipulate the shadows to increase or decrease the effectiveness of his and others' powers limitlessly.

Now that you know a little about Noob Saibot you may be wondering, "why is he telling me this?"

Well, I wanted to give you the background on the first Past Generation Toys Exclusive Statue by Syco Collectibles! That's right, Syco Collectibles and Past Generation Toys have come together to off you a very strictly version of Noob Saibot and his Shadow Clone. This piece is strictly limited to 100 pieces. For now, only on the Past Generation Toys and Syco Collectibles Facebook pages will you find images of the fantastic and highly detailed statue. Below are a few images of our first exclusive.

"Demanding you to 'fear him', Syco Collectibles and Past Generation Toys is proud to present the exclusive 10" Noob Saibot statue variant stationed on a 12" diameter base. Immortalised in his victory stance alongside his malevolent 'Shadow Clone' poised to strike... upon the wraith's command. The work of art is available only on PastGenerationToys.com and from Syco Collectibles. Strictly limited to 100 pieces, this profound collectible won't last forever unlike Noob Saibot's demonic presence...

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*Source, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noob_Saibot

PGT Exclusives: AT-AT Park T-Shirt and Patch by Artist Kevin Liell

You may be familiar with the works of Star Wars artist Kevin Liell. Kevin has done work for Topps Cards, Lucasfilm, and his work can be seen all over the Sci-Fi community. Kevin also hosts Lucasfilm's official Star Wars: Trivia World Championship at Celebrations and is an honorary member of the 501st Imperial Legion for his artistic contributions to the Star Wars Galaxy. Luckily for us, Kevin has focused his talents on a new creation and just in time for Star Wars Celebration 6.


Liell's design for the 2012 CVI Star Wars: Trivia World Championship

What do you get when you filter Jurassic Park through the lens of Star Wars? You get "AT-AT Park". Using the AT-ST as a match to the T-Rex silhouette Kevin has done it again. This parody logo comes in T-shirt form and a patch. The patch will be given away at the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando this year. Also a few luck people will get a free AT-AT Park T-Shirt, as well! T-Shirts can be purchased for $30 shipped (within the lower 48 US States) only at Past Generation Toys!

The AT-AT Park t-shirt has an extremely limited initial run of 50 total shirts.

Only available from PastGenerationToys.com

Kevin and his team will make the patches available during the convention in Orlando. You will find Kevin at C6 at the Star Wars: Trivia World Championship on Thursday afternoon, and closing out the convention at 3:30 Sunday afternoon. Get them before they become extinct; because when the patches are gone, they're gone.

Please note, actual patch may look slightly different.

Also, while at SWC6 you will want attend the panel with Kevin and Director Cris Macht where they will discuss “The Force Within Us,” the sequel to the highly acclaimed and sold out documentary “The Force Among Us. Kevin designed the cover art and poster, as seen below. During this panel you will learn about the upcoming film, which is all about Star Wars fandom.

Past Generation Toys is proud to be one of the sponsors of “The Force Within Us” poster and you will see the PGT logo proudly displayed on the bottom of the poster in alternative colors! Soon after the convention we will also be giving some of these great looking posters away!

Unfortunately, we won't have a booth at C6 this year but you can get the AT-AT T-Shirts on the Past Generation Toys website and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out where and when Kevin will be giving away the AT-AT Park Patch!