In Case You Missed It - Onell Design Database Launched

A not-totally-complete but superbly fun Official Glyos Database has launched and you probably need to see it.  You won't find all the Custom Corps or promo freebie figures here, but it's a great way to sort and pour over hundreds of figures from over the better part of the last decade.   Do go check it out!

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Scorpion - Flesh

It's Christmas, so let's look at something that I didn't necessarily originally want. The 60mm Scorpion - Flesh is one of three unpainted figures from the initial runs of these molds, and dagnabbit, it's pretty good. Creator Jon Karis runs LittleRubberGuys.com, which covers the male action toy figures that are too small to be deemed "action figures" by the serious (read: boring) adult collector. It's a wonderful site and a great resource, mostly because this is where you're going to see Japanese capsule figures or American Garbage Pail Kids figures early - it's not wildly active, but it's one of those sites that I personally find informative and useful. The biggest success in that little rubber figure space is, in the eyes of many American fans, Mattel's M.U.S.C.L.E. - and this figure (as well as his Rhino companion) are a tribute to that classic line of toy figures.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Review: Onell Design Glyos Crayboth Disruptor MK II Action Figure

The Crayboth Disruptor MK II should look familiar - the original Crayboth 2-packs stuck around for a while, with the original Disruptor hitting over 5 years ago. He was a little darker, featured panel lines, and the tip of his "blaster" arm is painted on the new version. This basically makes him a rerun, but the original has been gone for a while and this one is a tad more vibrant.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

2 New Power Lords Coming - Hope You Love Green!

While we have no pre-order dates or prices, there's a post and two store product info pages promoting a pair of new figures.

Dark Nebula Power Soldier (left) has a black Adam Power head, while the Neutron Blast Lord Power (right) has an Elite Power Soldier head.

Review: Onell Design Glyos Redlaw Phanost Action Figure

The Redlaw Phanost is easily the star of last month's drop, which is shaping up to be the final release of Onell Design's 2014 product offering. The drops have been sticking around the same size over the last few Decembers but they certainly feel smaller - the reduction of Traveler figures to two and the lack of new molds or builds is hard to ignore, and the influence of Glyos impressario Matt Doughty is felt elsewhere. The Onell Design product offering has largely kept to new deco on existing figures, but with new and pretty great paint masks and precious few molds. The Super Crayboth and an alternate new head for Argen are two of this year's big gems, alongside new heads at the 481 Universe, Maxx Zero in Robo Force, the Banimon tank, the amazing Rise of the Beasts line, and others. The pool has certainly grown significantly, even if the founding line has kept it small and safe with a few good figures. Given the increasing size of the playing field, the less-is-more approach is certainly welcome.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

December 19: New NiStuff 481 Universe Drop

Not only are we getting new Kabuto Mushi drop on Sunday, but Ni Stuff has holiday goodness on December 19! Details to follow, but this tease on Instagram was tied to a tweet confirming the date.  Make plans Friday night.

New Banimon Tank, Figure Coming Soon

Two posts of interest to you Banimon fans today!

#1: October Toys Forums.  Here you'll see shots of the new green Red Army Men, plus the new T-011 tank in a matching green color.  It's quite nice.

#2: Banimon Blog - Red Army Men MKII.   Not much in the way of pictures, but it confirms the drop is "soon."

Maxx and Mordle Update at ToyFinity

If you pre-ordered a ToyFinity Maxx Zero, you'll want to read this update: "New Mordles page! Maxx pre-order update! Happy Anniversary Robo Force cartoon! And more... "

The long and short of it: your figures are being tweaked so now they're due around January.  If you like inside toy dirt baseball, he also does a great job of explaining why paint bonding to paint is bad, which you have possibly also just read about over at the Four Horsemen's pages.  Their Ravens figures (shipping now) are shipping with a disclaimer over heating their joints before use - I usually use boiling water in these circumstances - to avoid breakage.   It's funny to see how and why these things happen, and how various companies treat the problems.  If nothing else, now you know the why, and the how to fix it if you didn't already!

Unknown Power Lords Pre-Order Starting Soon

You probably read this report on Source Horsemen, but if not here it is again:

"We’re gearing up for another Power Lords release on Store Horsemen right as we ring in the new year, and the pre-order for those will be going up within the next week or two. Details coming soon here on Source Horsemen."

With no specific indication as to the when, the what, or the how much, we suggest you speculate wildly in anticipation of this whatever it is.

Rise of the Beasts Prototypes on eBay

Two Rise of the Beasts prototypes are on eBay now - they're getting expensive, but they're pretty slick (and I hope they might be the basis of a future mass-produced run someday).   Click here for the Scorpion, and click here for the Rhino.

Surprise! Callgrim Is Back - New Drop Live Right Now

Surprise! The great bearded one has returned with a small bounty of new Callgrim figures.  Click here for the post, click here for the store.

Callgrim Standard MK III is available for $10 (cheep!) and he's jointed by 5 more figures.  The Order Standard MK III, Callgrim Stealth MK IV, Callgrim Red Metal, The Order Warp Tank Commander, and The Order Warp Tank Trooper are each $10 and in stock as of my writing this.

Again, click here to order yours now.  The Callgrim Standard MK III price is a sale for the remainder of 2014.

New Kabuto Mushi - More Figures December 14

According to this post on the October Toys forums, Marty "TheGodBeast" Hansen has one more special treat in store this year.  The final drop is December 14, 2014 at 8:00 PM Central.

The Insectoid (pictured) and Rider are $16 each and have enhanced deco over previous releases.  Another figure (not shown or specified) is also on deck.

Review: Onell Design Glyos Super Crayboth Mordireus Action Figure

The Super Crayboth Mordireus came out a few months ago and the mostly-unpainted figure is actually quite nice. Do I need a bright pink unpainted Super Crayboth? No. Did I want one anyway? Yes. A few of this big guy got out this year, standing about 4-inches tall. For those who don't habla the Glyos, Onell Design's vinyl figures are sort of similar to a few Funko offerings. They're about the same height as the Pop! Vinyl figures and twice as wide, but are marketed similarly to the Hikari figures. (Also, Onell predated both by several years.) Basically it's a sturdy, squat figure with a low edition size and a known release date. You don't have to hunt, you don't have to pray - you just need to plan your night around them.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Robo Force Maxx Zero Figure Previews

Instagram Preview of Maxx Zeros are there for you. Pictured is the "ultimate" version, you can also click here to see the standard one.  Nice!  Dr. Kent promises more postings on these shortly.

Glyos Onell Design November 30 2014 Drop Menu

Volkriun Space Force! The final drop of the year is here, and a few guys already sold through.  Panel lines debut on the Swing Joints for the first time, plus get get a good smattering of everything else. Click here to see the November 30 2014 Onell Design drop menu.

Click here to order what's left.

Rise of the Beasts Army Packs with Mail-In Figure Bundles

The Rise of the Beasts line added a series of bundles today for your troop building needs.  The mail-in figures are bundled with a group of the standard figures, so if you want to pick which ones you get you can snag them - the catch is that you have to buy 10 of a figure, but for customizing this might not be a bad move.  Click here for more details and click here to order yours.

Onell Design Glyos Drop on Sunday

Just in time for Cyber Monday! The new Armorvor isn't yet ready, but a whole new selection of Volkriun Space Force figures will be up for grabs at 9:30 PM Eastern on Sunday.  This is the last batch for 2014, so grab your stocking stuffers here.

Click here for the update at Onell Design's blog.

Also, a few hours after I made this post the full Mission Details were posted. Be sure to check those out too!  Rigs, Super Crayboth, and quite possibly the coolest Phanost ever are up for grabs - and there have been plenty of pretty cool Phanost figures thus far.  More after the break, but you should probably read it over there.

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Bal Kharn - Metallic Black Rhino with Grey Paint

I'm a sucker for small, simple toys - especially when they're cheap or weird quasi-artisanal things. Bal Kharn - Metallic Black Rhino with Grey Paint is the first mass-produced painted version of this mold to go on sale, and it's pretty nice - much like the scorpion, the paint applications are pretty amazing, even for the Glyos factory. It's a small, 60mm-scale toy but it's worth noting that these tiny eyes and the nose horn are tough to paint well. The Glyos factory seems to have paint masks down to a science, while other miniature toys (even the original Battle Beasts could get pretty sloppy here and there. Perhaps it's the smaller runs, or a stricter attention to quality control where the savings are passed along to you.
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Review: Four Horsemen Power Lords Adam Power Action Figure

I think I mentioned before when Power Lords was first told to me as under consideration for a revival, I wasn't quite sure I remembered what it was. Adam Power and his friends were not in my childhood toybox, and I checked with some old friends who had some - but had no idea who or what they were. I was a huge fan of the Outer Space Men as a concept - and the revival - plus Glyos and the Four Horsemen usually bring great things. And this is a pretty great thing - but the level of momentum and the value of the club memebership left me wanting. These are all very good figures, and I think that fans collecting them in the future (that is, picking them up on eBay or in trades) are in for a big treat. But for those of us in the present? The level of non-communication, the lack of any idea when the third new sculpted body for this line will happen, and the relatively weak roll-out over the last year makes me think that I need to rescind my all-in attitude and cut back to just the full-painted updates of vintage guys.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

On Sale Now: Rise of the Beasts Wave 1

The Little Rubber Guys Store has gone live with the first batch of Rise of the Beasts.   3 mono color versions and 1 painted version can be bought right now.  The gold and silver painted figures are mail-in premiums, send in 10 stickers and you'll get a random one for free.  (They are stunning.)

MOTU-Inspired Spy Monkey Sale Friday

The Spy Monkey Creations Weaponeers of Monkaa Uncle Overlord and Fake Barbarian are going up for sale at the Spy Monkey Store on Friday at Noon Pacific.  Each is $20 and looks pretty fantastic.  Click here for more info.

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Cahriv - Metallic Black Scorpion with Orange Paint

One of the advantages of covering small lines is that the people behind them, at times, are super cool and will sell figures to the press early. The Cahriv - Metallic Black Scorpion with Orange Paint is the only painted Scorpion on sale to the general public, but there are a grand total of five of this guy so far. There's a gold promo figure (reviewed here) in addition to an unpainted flesh figure, an unpainted black metallic figure, plus two more mail-away figures - a silver figure with painted bits, and a black figure with painted bits. They're pretty stunning.

This figure goes on sale on November 15.

[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Minifigure Test Shots

I've been sitting on this one for a while - I wasn't sure when the line was hitting, and I wanted to wait until we knew it was or wasn't coming - good news is, they're coming this month! This was written nearly a year ago when the future was looking a little murky. As such, please keep that in mind when you read it, that you're getting my first impressions of prototypes from December, 2013!

As of when I write this (Christmas Eve, 2013) I do not know when this will be posted or if this will be posted. The gent behind Rise of the Beasts, a line of minifigures which was on Kickstarter, ended and was canceled, and has been through numerous hurdles. Well, that's sort of generous - basically we've heard of numerous factory change-ups, bad sculptors, and other things causing these figures to just plain not come out. As such I was more than a little surprised to have seen a box of these figures on my doorstep, each representing different stages of development. There's a tall lion, roughly 3-inches tall with a weapon and no articulation. The other figures are shorter, at about 2 1/2-inches high - just a smidgen shorter than a Beast Saga figure and taller than your vintage Battle Beasts. The rhino has no accessories and no articulation, while the dark grey scorpion arrived in pieces - the arms, tail, neck, and legs were all separate pieces.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

New: Mystical Warriors of the Ring Evolution Goliath Figure

The cult of Glyos expands! A new figure is hitting D-Con this weekend in Pasadena.  The Mystical Warriors of the Ring have been around for a while as nifty wrestling figures in the spirit of 1980s lines, and it's a nifty Glyos-compatible figure.   Meet Goliath!

The brown plastic test shot is limited to 40 pieces and matches the Rig Crew figures from Onell Design a couple of months back.  As a special low run debut, it will be $30.

As you can see on their blog post, the figure mixes and matches with an Armorvor quite nicely and looks to be similar in size.  I like it.

Mark Vasquez has confirmed the 2 1/3-inch figure will be getting a normal release around December in an undisclosed color.  It is slated to be a mere $6, so if you feel like holding out that's quite the deal.

Weaponeers of Monkaa Returns - Skeletor, Faker-Themed Builds at DesignerCon

Spy Monkey Creations will be at DesignerCon is Pasadena, CA this weekend!  Click here for a look at their new figures, including Uncle Overlord (pictured) as well as Fake Barbarian.

The fake Skeletor is $20, as is the Faker. No word yet on when you can order them online, if you can.

Onell Design Glyos Armorvor Rig Crew Mimic Action Figure

The Armorvor Rig Crew Mimic was the final painted wolf headed Armorvor, complete with orangey colored fur. He's not the first one to be close to that color, but he is in fact the last! I appreciate the finality, as the mold is starting to feel old if you're a long-time card-carrying member of the Glyos cult and I'm not sure if the line has fans who aren't more or less on board with buying new figures every few weeks.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Review: Onell Design Glyos Armorvor Rig Crew Mimic Action Figure

The Armorvor Rig Crew Mimic was the final painted wolf headed Armorvor, complete with orangey colored fur. He's not the first one to be close to that color, but he is in fact the last! I appreciate the finality, as the mold is starting to feel old if you're a long-time card-carrying member of the Glyos cult and I'm not sure if the line has fans who aren't more or less on board with buying new figures every few weeks.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Glyos Onell Design October 26 2014 Drop Menu

Return of the Tracker! The Super Crayboth invaded again with 6 of his little buddies.  Panel lines are back for this wave too! Click here to see the October 26 2014 Onell Design drop menu.

Over 4 hours after launch, and the sell-outs are Super Skeleboth Pod Leader (which I am regretting not having ordered) as well as Skeleboth and Traker Sarvos. It is a beautiful batch of figures!

Click here to order what's left.

Mythic Legions Custom/Prototype Figures Up for Grabs

The 6-inch, one-of-a-kind, $200-$666 Mythic Legion figures displayed at New York's Four Horsemen show last February are now up for grabs, including my favorite - Date Knight.

Click here to see what's left at Store Horsemen - these may be the only Mythic Legions you get a crack at for a few months!

Last Chance: Maxx Zero Pre-Orders End Saturday Night

Maxx Zero (blanks, regulars, and super-deluxe) pre-orders are up now - but they end Saturday at 11:00 PM Eastern time.  Click here for the confirmation, or more importantly, click here to order one.

New Glyos: Rise of the Beasts Tentatively Set for November 15 Release

Since their reveal a few years ago, people have been asking "So did those Rise of the Beasts figures ever get made?" The answer is yes - this Kickstarter update shows the production thus far, and puts forth a tentative November 15 release date in the Little Rubber Guys store.

The figures transitioned from just another figure line to a Glyos-compatible series with the requisite recolors.   They're also quite cheap - $4 per unpainted figure (black, gold, flesh) or $7 per painted figure (1 of each style).  So that's 8 figures you can buy. 

More surprisingly - agonizingly so - are four bonus painted mail-in redemption figures.  Buy 10 figures, submit 10 special stickers, and get a random figure.  One is pictured here - they're pretty frustratingly gorgeous and I hope they consider selling them outright, because I'd pay for a set.

Onell Drop Menu - Sunday's Brunch

A very Crayboth-heavy Onell Design Glyos Tracker's Way drop includes a Halloween themed figure or two, plus some vinyl and a nifty $12 Tracker Sarvos Conversion Set.  Everything can be found here, so be ready on Sunday for the release.

And of course, just in case the Internet swallowed the Onell Design post, I'm going to go ahead and post the stuff below for your amusement.

Mythic Legions Site Live Now

After its debut at the Four Horsemen event in February, people have been asking "So when is this Mythic Legions thing happening?"   MythicLegions.com is live right now with a page featuring 13 named characters - this is news!

No release dates, pricing, or other specifics are known - but it's progress.  I expect something in early 2015.  As always, we'll throw up a notice somewhere as soon as any way to get these is announced somewhere.

Review: Plastic Imagination Rise of the Beasts Rhino and Scorpion

As of when I write this, I don't know much about the long-gestating Rhino and Scorpion. Prototypes for these and other 2 1/2-inch scale mini figures have been around since Rise of the Beasts was a Kickstarter project back in early 2012. Creator Jon Karis assured me that the line would come to fruition and I have to admit I had my doubts - but the figures are here! And they're pretty good - painted samples exist, as do flesh figures and a sort of a bone-colored sample. No on-sale date is known, but backers were given their choice of figures as a promo piece - the original plan was for a golden lion, which is not in the immediate future plans.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Get Ready: Onell Design Drop on Sunday

Get ready!  In a new post called "Tracker Type", Onell Design confirms that there will indeed be a new Glyos drop at 9:30 PM on Sunday, October 26 - just before Halloween! Promised: Halloweeny Crayboth. Also promised: the new Armorvor head isn't ready.

Matt Doughty confirms that the cherry-like Sarvos is a nod to the very first Custom Corps release (and Matt Trakker of M.A.S.K.), and I must say it does look swell.  More soon! Don't miss it!

Pre-Order Maxx Zero Now

If you like options, brother, Kent's got options for you.  The long-awaited Robo Force Maxx Zero (the Steele-Forged Hero) is up for pre-order in three great flavors.  Full mechanical drawings and specs are up for each edition.

The unpainted version is $12.
The standard version is $18.
The Ultimate version has full detail lines with over 100 paint applications, and is $35.

Click here to pre-order yours now for an ETA of December 2014.  No deadline was listed.

Basic Robo Force Maxx Zero Revealed

Attention news-starved Robo Force fans - ToyFinity posted art of THE ORIGINAL STEELE-FORGED HERO!  The Basic Maxx Zero looks a whole heck of a lot like a great update of the original Maxx Steel from the 1980s, and I can only hope this means he'll be up for grabs in the ToyFinity store soon.

Review: ToyFinity Mordles Night Mordle Vinyl Figure

It's green! The Mordles Night Mordle Vinyl Figure brings you elements of two of Hasbro's bigger 1980s properties, and applies them to Mordles. You get the "cutie mark" (nee Tramp Stamp) of My Little Pony with colors and themes reminiscent of the 1980s G.I. Joe Night Force figures of 1988-1999. As a series of repaints, those two toy lines are a perfect fit for this, the fifth big vinyl 4-inch Mordle.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

New Kabuto Mushi Drop - October 5, 2014 Edition

In case you missed it: October 5, 2014 TheGodBeast Menu. Two new figures, several custom heads, and some still-available classics.

Of note, the new Ground Beetorian and Sectivorus Supreme figures.  Click here to order - they're still in stock!

Vinyl Kabuto Mushi from The God Beast

Marty "The God Beast" Hansen is a talented fellow who loves toys - and makes some nice ones.  His latest creation appeared on Instagram late Sunday with the following message:
"Been sculpting for 3-4 weeks now...hope to have prototypes of this sculpt ready/available for Designer-Con November 8th & 9th!!!"

He had more to say on the October Toys forums.  "6 total parts I think, 4 different possible faces/characters (with paint apps), upright & all 4's possible poses, a hidden function and possible hidden removable creature too!!!"

Typically, he casts some toys and sells the prototypes a few months to a year before a mass-produced version takes place. A  big advantage here is that he often takes requests and will make one in the color of your choosing - which is certainly a great way to get a one-of-a-kind collectible.  Keep an eye on the October Toys boards just in case this opportunity comes up.

New Kabuto Mushi - October 5

New from The Godbeast - Kabuto Mushi!  On Friday October 3 at 8:00 PM Central, Ground Beetorian Kabuto Mushi can be yours.  It's similar in color to a recent Armorvor and I must say, looks pretty fantastic.  Click here for more pics.

Review: Onell Design Glyos Armorvor Neo Phase Action Figure

The Armorvor Neo Phase is the end of an era. Along with the Rig Crew Mimic Armorvor, these two guys round out the final run of wolf-headed Armorvors - the furry head goes into retirement and will be replaced by something new in late October. Until then, these two figures - and a fifth run of the super-popular clear colorless version - seem to be available in the Onell Design store. They're quite nice, and if you never picked up an Armorvor I'd strongly advise you do so now as it really is the last chance to get this head outside eBay. Over two years we've had dozens of the little guy, but this is the first and only clear plastic one to feature painted details. The Infection Red and Stealth clear colorless releases are undecorated.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Glyos Onell Design September 7 2014 Drop Menu

Return of the Rig Crew! The Rig is back, as is the Super Crayboth.  The Wolf Armorvor head is enjoying its last hurrah. Click here to see the September 7 2014 Onell Design drop menu.

Over 4 hours after launch, and the only two to sell through were the Crayboth Pulser and Crayboth Reverse Disruptor Elite.  Many of the vinyl items are "low stock" so get while the getting is good.

Click here to order what's left!

Sunday Glyos Drop Has Final Wolf Armorvor Heads

The end of an era! One of my all-time favorite toys of this decade is the Onell Design Armorvor - I've bought every production version to date, and this weekend's drop will have the final wolf heads.  Matt Doughty writes:

"There will be two all new Armorvor colors available this Sunday night [snip], as well as the return of the clear colorless Stealth Armorvor MK V.  These three runs mark the last time that the "wolf" head will be produced, as something new will be taking its place in the Armorvor mold starting in late October."

What's next? I can't wait to find out.  The final drop is at 9:30 PM Eastern on Sunday.

Review: Onell Design Glyos Armorvor Glyaxia Command Mimic Action Figure

The Armorvor Glyaxia Command Mimic is a little less colorful than his ancestors, but it brings us a second blue Armorvor - and this is a good thing. Previously we've had an unpainted "OMFG Mimic" and a dark blue "Ecroyex Mimic," the latter of which was a striking figure with dark blue, light blue, red, and silver. This guy? He's got yellow and black. It's not bad, but it doesn't "pop." With the price increase, my guess is we're seeing a pushback against increasing wages in China and other inflationary things.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Six Second Toy Talk - Night Mordle Video

Banimon Tank Was Live - Gone Now

The Banimon Drop happened on Sunday and you guessed it - the tank is gone!  Click here to see what is left.

For those keeping track, the tank was $30 and 4 different yellow and/or black figures are $7 each.

Review: Onell Design Glyos Crayboth Grellanym Action Figure

For every figure from Onell Design there is usually an equal and opposite figure. Crayboth Grellanym is the flipside of Gryganull, a pink plastic figure with green highlights. The pair debuted a few months ago, and took center stage in a pretty fun flash game which I could best describe as a horizontally scrolling Space Invaders clone. It was pretty good, and if the figures weren't already on the way to selling out this would make them move a lot faster. They vanished quickly.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]