Every year, the hardest part of Toy Fair is scouring the thousands upon thousands of unique offerings to decide which will appeal the most to collectors. An item might be exceptional, but would someone want more than one of it? Does it come in variations? Does it lend itself to display? Would multiples of this thing make its inherent value, aesthetically or practically, increase?

I’m at a crossroads, so I’ve been becoming extra particular. Toy Fair makes that very, very difficult. Plastic seductresses at every turn, luring me onto the bone-crushing edges of folding tables and drowning my resolve. I’m a fat man set adrift in a sea of bacon and Twinkies.

Here’s the ‘everything else’ of Toy Fair 2009, with apologies to all of the omissions I’ve made for the sake of brevity and not appearing like an overexcited puppy.

BANDAI! Bandai is all about the Kamen Rider, Dragonball (both animated and live-action), Ben 10, and Power Rangers. Every one of these things lends itself to collectability – forming color-coded teams, completing sets of alien transformations, and in the case of the live-action Dragonball figures, completing a big, blue, translucent figures from parts contained in the packages with every other figure in the line.

Most of these are properties that have been brought over to the US from Japan (except for Ben 10), but like most Japanese-to-US interpretations of things, they’re tweaked for wider acceptability to the US audience – though I noticed two things from Bandai that defy this trend. First, the upcoming Dragonball Z gashapon sets, which for all of their popularity and collectability in Japan, rarely see success in the US. These are little, plastic sets of pieces that are assembled into a highly detailed statue, diorama or character, and I’m a huge fan of the genre. I think that the overarching opinion of these is that kids in the US don’t have the patience to put together their own toys, and I wouldn’t totally disagree. Second, the Japanese ‘Mugen’ series of keychain toys, which I’ve blogged about previously. I don’t know if the Mugen Pop Pop makes silly noises in Japan, but at least the theory remains in tact.

I’m a huge, dorky fan of Japanese TV show monsters, with my own collection of kaiju toys, so the more bizarre monsters I get, the better. Much of what Bandai produces is all about the heroes and their transformations – I’d love to see some of the creepy, foam rubber monsters that have appeared in these shows – seams and all. Click here for the Bandai Gallery.

NECA also produces a whole bunch of great-looking toys that are just beyond the cusp of what I actively collect. Most of their properties are video game related, with a focus on giant, ugly, terrifying monsters from Resident Evil, Gears of War, and other figures from violent or scary games. They also are continuing their ‘Cult Classics’ series of figures, which are all about movie monsters – both classic (like the various possessed forms of the girl from The Exorcist) and modern.

Most interesting to me is the continuation of their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, which are based directly on the art from the original comics, as opposed to the films or cartoon. So far, we have the four Turtles and a pack of convention exclusive Mouser robots, but NECA was displaying the sculpts for April O’Neill  (who, debatably, is not based on original comic art), Shredder and Krang, and a bad guy grunt. Anything based on the work of a specific artist is always attractive to me. Also, anything that involves a creature that’s a malevolent brain. The NECA Gallery is here.

Mezco (who are one of my favorite companies) was also present, having skipped NYCC one week earlier, but was not permitting photography. Their biggest announcement was the Little Big Planet property, based on the amazingly creative PS3 video game. As it naturally lends itself to customization and variety, it’s a natural fit with the whole toy scene. A wide range of figure sizes are planned, starting with a series of costumed Sackboys and Sackgirls, including a very awesome robot & devil – two themes that I tend to collect.

Mezco is also continuing with their many stylized versions of horror movie icons Freddy, Jason and Leatherface – plush, 3.75” (Star Wars sized) figures, 12” figures, with my personal favorite being ‘surgeon’ Freddy from the 6” scaled line (whose many costumes are always great), and of course, the giveaway, Toy Fair exclusive 3.75” ‘glowing mask’ Jason.

Figures and props from the upcoming Wolfman movie were also debuted, as well as a whole series of products based on the ‘Goosebumps’ series of children’s books. Bookmarks, keychains, plush, and my favorite, the M.U.S.C.L.E.-styled ‘Pocket Horrors’, which are mini, unpainted figures of various monsters and beasts from the series. These should go great with Hasbro’s ‘Handful of Heroes’ minis and your generic army man, as there seems to be an industry-wide return to basics.

I’m also a fan of Hexbugs, being a lover of both robots and bugs. These are small robotic creatures that are programmed to skitter around, and respond to light, sound, or touch stimulus by adjusting their movement to either move towards or away from said stimulus. The newest Hexbug is the Inchworm, joining the original cockroach-like bug and the Crab. The Inchworm differs by being actually radio-controlled, so you can direct its movements consciously, instead of just watching it bump into things. For a robot of such a tiny size, it’s an impressive feat, and I cam imagine a whole handful of these operating together in some kind of tiny robot rumble. Not out yet, but on the horizon, is the Ant – which runs around at a breakneck speed that has to be seen to be believed, and is engineered to thwart that most heinous hindrance of small moving toys : the carpet. It’s a little terrifying and thrilling, and it’ll probably freak the brains outta your cat.

Schleich is a well-known name in unarticulated figure production, most notably for their Fairy and Smurf lines, with many older or exclusive Smurf figures going for high prices on the secondary market. Smurf dedication is kind of epic, rivaling the intensity and complexity of even Pez collecting, and books have evolved around the figures in Schleich’s Fairy collection, so both properties are something to watch. The Schleich Gallery is here.

My award for ‘Nicest Guy at Toy Fair’ goes to Micah Linton, creator of Weebeasts. With an extremely small number of original, creator-owned booths at Toy Fair compared to past years, I was really curious to see who made it this year. Micah’s Weebeasts are a unique concept, as they combine a series of books with a surreal, almost-Bosch-looking doll. His books wordlessly chronicle the evolution and progression of his Weebeasts as a species, and are done entirely in pastels and pencils, calling to mind the aesthetics of primitive, ancient recordings or cave painting – all while still detailing a very clear, very methodical progression. This set of three books (so far) were packaged in a handsome slipcase, and came with a Weebeast doll. His display included a whole bunch of Weebeasts dressed in costumes made by family and friends throughout the world – at least a few of them probably generated by his whirlwind library tour.

We talked about art and publishing a whole bunch, and I was inspired by his organic, ‘art for the sake of art’ approach to his whole property. So, Micah, not only were you refreshing to talk to, but I wish you lots of continued luck as you spread the Weebeasts around.

If there was a definitive trend at this year’s Toy Fair, it was ‘toys that go online’. Many, many different properties incorporate an elaborate (but kid-friendly) online environment into regular hands-on play, from Bella Sara introducing flocked mini-horses to their existing online world, to my favorite new discovery, Freaky Creatures, which are full-sized action figure that all have online components for care & battle. With a system of cards, flash drives and really interesting character designs, I’m excited to play with some of these soon – especially because they has a cthulhu-based figure that they let me take home, name Cthonus.

Sometimes, I like to think that they schedule Toy Fair to fall on Valentines Day because they know I’d be tremendously lonely and depressed otherwise. The free swag that accompanies the day is certainly a bonus. Instead of chocolates and kisses, I go home with free dolls, keychains, pens and action figures. What more can the lonely geek ask for?

Aside from the gentle curves of a woman.

Sure, there were plenty of toy heroes at Toy Fair, but if I had to pick my personal heroes, it would be The Maestrosities.

See, every year, Toy Fair has the very unique distinction of having a band of sorts march around the main entrance hall of the Javits Center during opening day. As big a toy nerd as I am, the quirky marching band (usually comprised of monsters and / or figures from varying degrees of fantasy) is something I look forward to seeing a lot more than the 75th iteration of Luke Skywalker as an action figure. Oh look, this one has a raised eyebrow, as he appeared in that one deleted scene for a second! (Meanwhile, I’d be the first in line for the Darth Vader from the Scene Where He Had That Bit Of Lint On His Cape.)

This Toy Fair band, unfortunately, is usually wildly out of place, ducking and weaving between the men in business suits who are there to buy buy buy or sell sell sell. Said band is usually casually ignored by all but the most self-assured businessfolk, and it’s a strange site. I, however, am delighted like a 5 year old. Every year.

This year’s band was a group of haunted-looking musicians, carrying heavy tubas and accordions and other improbable instruments. I watched them move around the floor for a while, but the real act of heroism came later.

My pal Brian and I were eating lunch at a balcony full of tables when we heard the theme from 2001 cresting an escalator. As it came closer, we could see the Toy Fair band moving in slow motion, giving the pace of the escalator the importance of a rising sun, and again, exciting me as if I were a puppy. We applauded and hooted from our perch, and the band noticed us. What came next was perhaps the most perfect moment of all of my collected Toy Fairs. While I ate my overpriced sushi, the band stopped at the foot of the escalator and began to serenade us with one of my favorite songs – the Star Wars Cantina Song. Just for us.

We later encountered the band on the floor of the show and thanked them for the barrage of awesomeness, and despite sore feet and the pressure of keeping appointments and getting clear photos, I was reminded why I got into this job in the first place.

I did it for the accordions.

That anecdote aside, the proximity of New York Comic Con to Toy Fair meant that most major producers of superhero toys had already shown off most of their new stuff just a week previous – leaving few surprises for the geek media. I venture that it’s also worth noting that 80% of all major toy companies have dropped all toy concepts that don’t immediately link in with a film or TV show.

While Hasbro could be building on the immense popularity of the long-running and encyclopedic Marvel Legends 6” action figure line, they’ve opted to drop it almost completely and focus on a brand new line of 3 3/4” figures. In our economy, I have to question the effects of asking collectors to start a new collection instead of helping them complete an ongoing one. I think that the powerful collector’s urge to finish a set of something almost trumps the need to save a few bucks, whereas I don’t think we’re quite as compelled to start a new collection without a really good head start. Hasbro, give me a dozen of your new 3 3/4” figures and I’ll be compelled to go and buy a hundred more – but I’m just not really in a position to collect another Wolverine in yet another scale.

To that end, Hasbro premiered a few new 3 3/4” figures from a subset of the new line titled ‘Secret Wars’. For the uninitiated, ‘Secret Wars’ was a comic event created by Marvel in the 80s, arguably for the purpose of selling action figures and playsets. The ‘Secret Wars’ subset seeks to recreate all of the original Secret Wars figures and characters in this GI Joe-friendly scale, and all in classic, fan-friendly costumes.

Also premiering were figures tied to the X-Men Origins : Wolverine film, the Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon, and the Iron Man Animated Series. I admit that I’m quite ready for any new interpretations of Iron Man, after being hit in the brains with Hasbro’s repaint after repaint of the same two Iron Man figures and calling them different things. Marvel has such a rich and diverse range that can be culled from! It’s a disappointment that it’s not more financially feasible to create a greater depth of product, but I understand where they’re coming from.

DC Direct’s reveals weren’t many after last week, but each new product was exciting. Most importantly, they’re continuing their Museum Quality line of statues with a gigantic Hal Jordan Green Lantern, who joins Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The base of this sculpted-and-fabric figure also includes a removable Ch’ip figure – the squirrel-creature of the Green Lantern Corps. It’s a clever in-joke from the geeks at DC, and it’s nice.

DC Direct’s 1/6th scale figures are some of my favorites, as it’s obvious that they’re given the royal treatment. For $75 or more, they’d better. Last week, Wonder Woman was shown off for the first time. At Toy Fair, DC showed off Zatanna, everyone’s favorite backwards-talkin’ magician – fishnets and all. She’ll come with a rabbit-in-a-hat accessory, among other things. She’s another great, classic character choice from DC Direct – I can’t wait to see who’s coming up next. Can I wish for an Alan Scott Green Lantern? Go, Justice Society!

Tonner and Mattel, also holders of DC licenses, didn’t have a large increase in new products from the week before. Tonner was showing off their re-designed Wonder Woman figure, now with a bustier, more ‘heroic’ body type. Mattel had the usual DC Universe Classics, Dark Knight and Justice League Unlimited figures on display, as well as a few interesting figures from the animated Brave and the Bold line, which include a scary looking Joker and a very nice Gentleman Ghost. Who’s Gentleman Ghost, you ask? A guy with a few action figures this year, that’s who.

This year’s Toy Fair felt like a personal demonstration of how my tastes are changing from the complicated, exciting world of superheroism towards a deeper affection for the tranquil domesticity of Lego and Playmobil. Maybe this shift is subconsciously motivated by a combination of finances and space, but I’m starting to be okay with limiting myself to all of the new Batmen, while developing a hankerin’ for Lego Space Police.

More fun, as always, to come.

Okay, Lego and Toys ‘R’ Us. I need you explain something to my inner child, because that little guy hasn’t stopped crying since yesterday and I really need him to shut up.

I went to the Times Square Toys ‘R’ Us yesterday and found out that the whole ‘build your own Lego creation’ alcove was gone, replaced by pre-packaged sets of Bionicles. No longer could I dig my hand into a whole vat of bricks or plastic flower stems and feel what it would be like to be a Lego millionaire. I had plans for you, Lego alcove, and I left empty-handed. What happened? Did you find a body part in there? Did someone choke on a stray 2×2? Is it that you hate me?

I’m trying not to take in personally, especially because you were so kind during Toy Fair, where your presence was nothing short of significant.

Let me explain something about Lego’s ‘fan’ event at Toy Fair. It’s limited to 100 attendees, and you have to arrange your admittance weeks beforehand, because it fills up fast. They mail you a numbered badge and  very specific instructions about where to go – and it’s at 7 AM. While I wasn’t aware that Legos existed before 7 AM, turns out that a whole lot DO. At the end of the Lego Toy Fair experience, which comes with juice , bagels, and an armed escort from Stormtroopers, you get Lego’s annual Toy Fair giveaway piece – which is usually worth a whole chunk of cash, but for a Lego fan like me, it’s a unique opportunity to obtain an unique collectible for keeps.

We were set free to snap as many photos as we wanted as we wandered throughout Lego’s ring of display pieces, with folks on hand to answer questions, and a master builder to arrange & upright fallen pieces.

For me, the most notable addition to the Lego collection is a new theme that they’re introducing : Space Police, and most notably, Squidman. As a squidfficionado, I welcome anything that remotely resembled a squid, or bears a  passing reference to a squid, or roomed with a squid in college. While space criminal Squidman was attractive in his own right, I was informed by another Lego party attendee, Joe Meno, that Squidman actually has his own strange Lego legacy, which is detailed on page 53 of this link to the Brick Journal. If anyone deserved to be at the Lego party, it was the enthusiastic Mr. Meno, whose Brick Journal is an expertly crafted, detailed and passionate homage to the hobby. Timothy Ainley explains it better than I can, but the Squidman is actually a reference to a long-running fan joke  / series of creations that Lego finally incorporated into their line – and he’s awesome. Squidman is joined by a whole collection of really neat looking alien figures and space-pirate vehicles. Of course, like most awesome Lego figures, they’ll be stuck into much larger sets, but Squidman will remain accessible in one of the smaller sets, so I’m sated. As a Lego collector who is forced to be selective for reasons of economical restraint, this is a good deal.

I’m also glad to see Lego continuing to produce Indiana Jones themed sets, even after Hasbro (who has the master action figure license) has given up on the property. Wisely, upcoming Indiana Jones sets focus on the original three classic movies, including the mine car chase from Temple of Doom, the Mola Ram heart-ripping-out scene, the notorious German Mechanic getting-chopped-up-in-a-propellor scene, and the car chase scene through the streets from Temple of Doom, which incorporates some beautiful models of very sexy old cars which are excellent even by themselves.

Lego will also be continuing with their never-ending Star Wars theme, this year returning to the original classic films. I just can’t get into the Clone Wars vehicles and stuff, but I’m thrilled to see Lego scenes from the Battle of Endor (you know, the land of Ewoks), and Ice Planet Hoth, as well as the Briefing Room, which includes Mon Mothma and Mon Calamari officers (no relation) – and not only because the Mon Calamari also have squid-like heads. If I learned anything from this year’s Toy Fair, it’s that a lot of adult collectors are really into non-original trilogy Star Wars stuff, be it action figures or Legos or underoos, so my general distaste at anything that doesn’t involve Princess Leia directly is not a completely common sentiment.

Of course, there are Power Miners and Castles and Exo-Force and Technic and Bionicles, which are all properties that depend on a certain degree of original narrative provided by Lego, but many of these sets involve specialized pieces and bits with decals on them. I guess I’m something of a purist when it comes to Lego, preferring those constructions  that incorporate as many ‘generic’ parts as possible to complete a design gracefully. There’s enough of a formal encyclopedia of Lego to make amazing things without resorting to specialized parts that don’t completely match in aesthetic, so that’s why I love the very simple, very intelligent Lego City and Lego Creator sets. They use this degree of innovation and redefinition of existing parts to make beautiful little models of things from the real world. There’s the kind of exciting that comes from wild, fictional Lego universes, and then there’s my kind of exciting, in which reality is translated into the language of bricks, and it still comes out attractive – often more so.

The Lego tour concluded with the gift of a Bionicle flash drive that included some small games on it, and a Lego Chrome Darth Vader in a special Toy Fair 2009 display box. Lego has been distributing Chrome Vaders (about 10,000 in total, I believe) into random boxes of Star Wars Lego for a little while now, so it’s a collectible piece that IS potentially available to the masses as a surprise bonus gift, so don’t despair! In general, the bagged bonus Vaders cost in the range of $100 for the hardcore collectors. I’m a casual (but excitable) Darth Vader collector, so I’m definitely hanging onto mine, and displaying him proudly among my various trophies from Inside the Toy Industry.

Check out our Community for the Lego Gallery, and come back for TONS more Toy Fair!

I’ve made it abundantly clear that I dig Playmobil for a thousand reasons, but mostly, I enjoy them for the complex universe that they create – and at a cheaper price than that ol’ Lego universe. Through the distinct lens of Playmobil, you can experience everything from the dinosaurs through to space travel, with fairies, grandpas, pirates, Romans and cephalopods in between. Because of this breadth, it’s hard to get tired of the total collectability and interchangeability of the collective lines, while they still remain awesome for children.

What other line has such wacky sets as illegal alligator poachers next to something so charmingly mundane and detailed as The Home Office?

After six or seven years of attending Toy Fair, I’d never visited Playmobil. It was a place that just disappeared under the collective weight of my enthusiasm for hunting new action figures – but I think that my radar was spread a bit wider this year. So, at this year’s Toy Fair, I had the unique pleasure of being walked through the Playmobil booth before being set free to take a whole mess of photos.

All of the items on display were scheduled for release throughout 2009 at very specific intervals. This year’s schedule includes the usual variety of affordability and depth : single packs of characters and accessories in the $5 or less range, the figures with compact playsets or accessories for around $10-$15, and the much larger, higher-end playsets that range all the way up to the gargantuan Egyptian Pyramid and Suburban House – both of which are large enough to support a small civilization of Playmopeople and are furnished nicer than my own house.

Playmobil will be continuing their long-running themes, such as Pirates, while adding on and creating new themes, to be released every few months in large groups.

Since my heart (and most of my sushi-heavy stomach) belongs to the sea, I’m looking forward to April’s seven ‘Underwater Expedition’ sets – keeping in mind that almost all of their nautical items that would float in real life will really float when submerged in water. A shark diver in a cage (with his own threatening shark, at right), a researcher on a boat accompanied by a huge whale, a colorful coral reef populated by divers and fish life, and a Steve Zissou-lookin’ research submarine, among other items. If ‘Shark Diver’ isn’t the coolest bathtub toy ever, I don’t want to see what is. Seriously, get back in the bath. Or at least put a towel on.

April will also see the release of a collection of wedding sets, full of churches and gazebos. If those aren’t ripe for barbarian invasion or an impromptu Darth Vader appearance, I don’t know what is. I’m partial to the general neatness of the Piano Player (who has a saucier mustache than anyone should legally be allowed to wear), and the Wedding Photographer – both figures that work in a large variety of contexts.

August will see the arrival of the huge and complex series of nine ‘Egyptian’ sets, and since you can’t have a storybook Egypt without the great pyramid, we got ourselves a pyramid – curiously topped with an Eye of Horus, like the back of a twisted dollar bill. The whole thing is almost 2 feet tall. If you can’t go so crazy huge, there’s always the smaller (and similarly iconic) Sphinx set, which even includes a mummy, or the Pharaoh’s temple, which is a large decorated gateway accompanied by an obelisk. The rest of the sets are populated with small buildings, warriors, thieves, camels, and a big ol’ boat. Between all of this, there are at least 22 Egyptian figures, with at least eight more than can be added on from Playmobil’s exclusive Add-Ons catalogue.

Accompanying the Egyptians to the shelves will be the Suburban Life sets, which can be collected into a suburban home that’s over 2 feet tall – each room furnished with a different Playmobil set, including the Laundry Room, the Kitchen, the Family Bathroom, the Master Bedroom, and even a Sun Room that can be added to the side of the house, and comes with an old dude reading the paper. It’s all so tranquil and basic, and filled with so many domestic details that even my wild, robot-and-rocket-and-naked-lady lovin’ heart can’t help but be charmed.

And don’t forget to check Playmobil’s online shop in March and September, when extra figures will be added for the existing playsets. The online shop has a huge variety of things that are too specific or obscure to be sold in stores, so it’s a great place to look for the odd piece.

Playmobil was a great visit, and I hope to bring periodic, in-depth reviews of their stuff to the site throughout the year. This was just one stop on the whole Toy Fair tour, so for now, check out our online Playmobil gallery, and stay tuned for more.

Since the scope of Toy Fair is larger than what any one human brain can sensibly absorb, here’s a summary of everything else worth noting from the halls of the event. Click back for a few weeks’ worth of recollections.

First, BanDai! BanDai’s strongest presence is in overseas markets, where they make all manner of tiny (and large) awesomeness, but their US branch is not without its awesomeness also. I’d like to note anyhow that they’ve always been one of the friendliest companies I’ve had regular communication with, and have always been willing to make time to see me when I come a-callin’. This years licenses include a return to Dragonball Z, and the continuation of Ben Ten, Power Rangers and Tamagotchi items. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed in the showrooms.

Tamagotchi continues its online presence with the new Version 5, which my niece was pining for last time we went to Toys ‘R’ Us. With this new version, you play caretaker for a whole family of digital creatures, who evolve into different types of families depending on their treatment (until you inevitably forget about them in your backpack and they take their UFO back to their home planet). In addition to this new ‘family’ aspect, the game interacts with an online presence via a collection of passwords that can be exchanged between the game and the website, used to obtain new items & stuff. Finally, a chance to construct a family that doesn’t yell every word that they say and doesn’t let the dog lick the dishwasher clear. Seriously, guys, even hillbillies know better.

Ben Ten’s neatest item is the Alien Creation Chamber, a device which contains a collection of alien parts that are mixed and matched at the press of a button, with additional Alien Combination Figures sold separately. Making your own misbegotten alien creatures is a hobby of mine. And while I don’t claim to understand Power Rangers, (Red Ranger – TRIDENT WEAPON! Yellow Ranger – … dumptruck hands?), I love kaiju stuff. The neatest item to come out of the Rangers this year is the Jungle Fury Mission Helmet, which is a wearable role-play item that transmits secret missions, lights and sounds into your kid’s spongey head. Not only do you get secret, fun missions to play, but the device can be hooked up to a computer to download more missions, so the play value is constantly renewable. Clockwork Orange-style brainwashing is highly unlikely. But would be gnarly.

Huckleberry Toys is a relatively new addition to the action figure field, and their first products are a set of McDonaldland toy reproductions from the days of old. They’re expanding upon this original line of toys, though, with additions of various Ronald McDonalds, Mayor McCheese, Birdie, FryGuys, Chicken McNuggets, The Hamburglar, The Professor, Captain Hook, Big Mac, and even an upcoming Mac Tonite figure, who no one seems to remember but me. He was the piano-playing guy with the moon head, and he was BEAUTIFUL. I’m glad to see these pop cultural artifacts, especially in a world that’s embracing such an anti-fast food attitude. I grew up watching these brightly-colored, character-driven commercials, and I even ate McDonalds food occasionally (though I’m a Wendy’s guy myself), and I didn’t get eight kinds of heart disease by the time I was eleven. All things in moderation – especially fried foods and action figures. I’m working on the latter.

Shocker Toys is a well-known name in the world of action figures, though mostly for the notoriety that their fearless leader, Geoff Beckett, has brought to the entity. The company takes a very modern stance of ‘radical transparency’, which means that they openly talk about and reveal every step of the figure making process – something that the collecting public hasn’t been properly familiarized with. This open discussion of contracts that have fallen through, revealing unfinished figures, and the huge lead times between when a product is conceived and actually released has created some ill-will from collectors, who have yet to see any full-sized figures released from Shocker.

Where Marvel Toys’ Legendary Comic Book Heroes struggled in the mass market and failed after two waves, the far smaller Shocker Toys is trying to continue the existence of a line of similar figures from other independent comics and creators called ‘Indie Spotlight’. The first wave of their efforts was on display, with a potential release date of early June. This set will include fan-favorites like Scud, Katchoo, Shadowhawk, Kabuki, and The Maxx. In addition to these 6” figures, Shocker also has a line of ‘Shockinis’, another entry into the crowded world of mini block figures. These also address the same properties, along with The Tick and other things I’d love to see sooner than later. Here’s hoping I can play with these soon, Shocker!

McFarlane Toys also made an unexpected appearance at Toy Fair, after not attending for at least six years. They had a handful of 2-ups, or double-sized figural sculptures, on display – including a few figures from their upcoming ‘Warriors of the Zodiac’ line, which consists of dynamic, bizarre interpretations of the various zodiological icons, like the sultry Virgo, and the warrior-like Scorpio. Don’t even ask about Gemini, which is some kind of double-ended tooth-worm. McFarlane isn’t exactly known for their subtlety. Their long-running Dragons line has ended after eight sets, and has given way to a follow-up line called ‘Legend of the Blade Warriors’, presumably figures from what happens after the Dragons have been eliminated from the ancient landscape and humans begin to dominate. McFarlane’s revolutionary figures usually come with stories packed inside, but they’re so fraught with grammatical problems and cliché that it’s usually best to not partake. Let the figures be figures, not overwrought characters from some high school fantasy novel.

And we can’t forget about Diamond Comics, who produce and distribute a large number of modern science fiction licenses – mostly notably, Star Trek. While they continue to produce 7” figures from the original Star Trek movies, their Next Generation figure line will be ending shortly, after a fairly basic run addressing the main command crew and many variants of each – leaving us without neat aliens or any kind of real ‘enemy’ characters in the set. Diamond will, however, continue their new Deep Space Nine set, hopefully addressing the myriad aliens that pass through the space station in addition to the main crew. Can I have a Ferengi family, some Dabo girls, Morn, Gul Dukat, and a whole mess of Klingons, please? Diamond will also be continuing a series of Borg figures that Art Asylum started many years ago, and these will come with parts to build a light-up regeneration chamber. Which is almost enough to make me forgive them for giving us a Reginald Barclay, but not a Q in judge’s robes.

These Trek characters will also manifest as Minimates – tiny little blocky guys that are both cute and universal – meaning that your Captain Picard Minimate can go and meet your Professor X minimate and they’ll be in the same style and size. You can relive those awful pages of Star Trek meets X-Men that we’ve all tried to block from our memories. The Minimates don’t end at Star Trek, though, with Diamond picking up strange movie licenses for films like Desperately Seeking Susan, Platoon, Rocky, Silence of the Lambs, and For a Few Dollars More. It seems like a pretty obvious move by Diamond to obtain a ton of fun celebrity semi-likenesses which can then be dissected by fans to make characters and situations from other movies, since Minimates are so easily pop-apart-able.

Diamond will no longer be producing Marvel polystone items (like busts and statues), leaving the main license for that with the impeccable Bowen, but Diamond will still be producing their ‘Marvel Select’ line of figures – slightly larger versions of Marvel Legends, produced in far smaller numbers. In this line, Hulk and Iron Man were on display – tapping directly into movie fever.

TV geeks will also enjoy the Jack Bauer figures from 24, both in 12” scale and as Minimates. If you’re into that kind of thing. Also, Diamond will be releasing Mego reproductions from Planet of the Apes and the original Star Trek, and 7” figures from Battlestar Galactica (modern) and Stargate Atlantis… you geeks. To add to the greatness, most of Diamond’s figures come with bonus parts, which you can build vehicles and scenery from. Who doesn’t want a massive Stargate? Besides people with girlfriends?

So, Toy Fair is over, and I’m just recovering from the annual wallet-splosion that it tends to be. The allure of seeing untouchable toys only serves to aggravate my desire for them, so go out and stimulate the economy with me, folks. That big ol’ tax refund announcement didn’t coincide with Toy Fair just by coincidence.