What it is: Planet of the Apes is a cooperation game, meaning all players work together rather than pitted against each other. I like this concept a great deal although I’ve never been particularly successful at it. I’m a big fan of Star Trek Cattan BTW….

How it’s played: Each one of the up to four players is Taylor, albeit in a different emotional state, there is Clever Taylor, Defiant Taylor etc.  

The game works sequentially in the film’s timeline as you race against time to go through the various stages of the film.  Each area has different challenges and relies often on dice to get you through. 

If the Soldier Ape or the Statue of Liberty gets to the bottom before Taylor, well, you blew it up you maniacs.

I got an early edition of the game and it came with plastic figurines of the Icarus, Taylor, a Soldier Ape and the Statue of Liberty but honestly, the cardboard pieces are super nice. I’m an Ape toy geek, so these do make me happy, I admit it….

So do you like it? Honestly, i’ve had a lot of fun but I’ll freely admit this, I’m not sure if I’m doing it correctly. 

Planet of the Apes is ambitious and a little complicated, even on my second play, I had some questions. Now, that isn’t a bad thing, the game rather new and I expect more and more Youtube videos of actual game play will probably answer all my questions.

I do see myself playing this a few more times as I’ve enjoyed the experience thus far.

The post Spotlight: Planet of the Apes Game by IDW appeared first on PS.

The set itself is wood (just like the real Star Trek Bridge set!) and comes in two pieces, the view screen area is detachable to add play value.

The view screen area can also be used as a play set.

The beauty of this set is just like Mego action figures, you can create this whole universe of characters from Marvel, DC comics, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, 1966 Batman, Dexter and KISS or even better, vintage Fisher Price Little People. I couldn’t find my Oscar the Grouch but Bert and Sherlock Hemlock will have to do.


Everybody is so happy. I just wish my kids were five years younger.

Thanks for reading!

The post Spotlight: Pinmates U.S.S Enterprise by Bif Bang Pow! appeared first on PS.

First off, that is one BIG box, there is no sneaking him into the house past your spouse. My children fit in his shipping container.

Toynami really put some effort into making this a more accurate depiction of the Big G.

But of course, he still has the shooting fist.



And the flicking tongue but now it’s blue flame.

The tail is much longer and the spine is the big difference.

If Mattel had released one with these in the 1970s, half of us would be wearing eye patches right now.

He’s still got the rolling wheels feet too.

But how does he look next to the classic?

It’s here where you can see just how many changes were done.

I don’t want to tell you how many takes this took.

I so wish I still had a sandbox…..


If you dig what you saw, I got mine at Entertainment Earth. They help keep the lights on around here, so if you shop there please use this link!

The post Spotlight: Toynami Shogun Warriors Godzilla appeared first on PS.

It’s been a good summer for me and new toys, as two lines based on retro properties came out and tickled my fancy (better than last summer’s zero).


This week’s is a slightly bigger deal to me as it’s based one of my absolute favourite movies of all time, 1980’s cinematic adaptation of Flash Gordon.


Indepth photo review, a contest and some scant blathering after the jump.

First, my thoughts, as a kid I was pretty upset we never got these on shelves, so this is wish fulfillment. 


What I like best about these is that BifBangPow! didn’t follow the “What would Kenner do in 1977” esthetic but chose to make figures in a vintage style. I noticed ZICA’s name on the package, who made those awesome 3 3/4″ Six Million Dollar Man figures last year.


So what we get is an action figure line that looks like another player in the toy game in 1979 be it LJN, Mego, Multiple, Ideal etc snatched this license and made figures hoping to catch some Star Wars heat.


I’m a toy history nerd, so this brings me more joy than it probably should.

Enough chatter from me, judge for yourself and don’t forget, there is a contest at the bottom.

It was bothersome to remove these from the card, they’re nice!

Cloth capes!

Everybody has a nice little extra.

The inclusion of Ming’s robot is a nice touch.

It’s pants wettingly great to finally have a Brian Blessed Vultan action figure.

Some fill in homies from the Filmation line.

Ming’s bowling league of Evil.

The whole gang together.

A gathering of good guys I only wished I could have put together in 1980.

CONTEST TIME!

The post Spotlight: Flash Gordon Action Figures by Bif Bang Pow! appeared first on PS.

It’s been a long time since I did a photo review of a modern toy, this is mainly because I don’t buy that many modern toys. 


Funko’s Jaws line was a break in that drought. I haven’t been much into the ReAction stuff as I thought I would be, mostly because the licenses don’t appeal but also the figure aesthetic hasn’t always been to my liking.

However, the stars lined up pretty swell for this line, it’s the perfect license combined with a nice job. More after the jump:

I got my set at Entertainment Earth, if you like what you see and want to order, please use this link. I get a tiny but much appreciated kick back from every purchase.

The chairman of the board is the Shark, if they just made this and not the figures, I’d have been satisfied.

The card art is the poster, so you can’t go wrong but the nicer thing is you can pop the characters off the card and totally get who they’re supposed to be. 

I think Quint is the most popular character in the line, I had to wait to get mine.

      
There is no boat for the series but my childhood Fisher Price Adventure People boat will fill in for the Orca.

 
An appearance by Aquaman would have greatly altered the ending to the original film.

Height comparison shot with some figures laying around the office.

 


The league of 70s icons take down Bruce!

Our toy wantlist

The post Spotlight: Funko Jaws Reaction Figures appeared first on PS.

The card art is probably my favorite UM design in years.  It was hard to pop them off the cards but in the end, I did the deed.

The packaging fits in all too well with other monster lines. From left to right: Glasslite Dracula, Remco Dracula and Funko Drac.

Likeness isn’t always there and I know some folks want sideshow quality in everything, but me? I like a little “clunk” in my toys so I’m kind of smitten with the way these look.

 

There are glow in the dark chase figures floating around, I was not lucky enough to get a golden ticket so I will be actively searching for them at retail.

  
The Phantom of the Opera is the Standout for me, he’s got some nice little details.

It’s weird but I’m always in a panic to get the Creature in every set, I forgot to order the Bride but history has shown her as something of a peg warmer, so I look forward to finding her at retail.


These photos are all well and good but how do they stack up next to the Remco Monsters?

Judge for yourself.

I should point out the irony that BOTH wolfman figures has trouble standing.


At ten bucks a pop, I could not recommend these more. 


I got mine at Entertainment Earth (Use this link and I get a bit of store credit) but they should be hitting local comic shops too and they can always use support.

The post Spotlight: Funko Universal Monster Reaction Figures appeared first on PS.

Scream Factory really went all out with the love on this one, the film on Blu Ray is a total joy, I found myself noticing things I’d never seen before and I’ve seen this movie a bunch people.


The joy for me were the extras, which include:

• Deleted Scenes
• New audio commentary 
• Interviews with Brian De Palma, Paul Williams and several key production people.
• Director Guillermo Del Toro (a noted fan) sits down with Paul Williams for an additional interview 
• A great documentary that I hadn’t seen before called Paradise Regained

The post Spotlight: Phantom of the Paradise Blu ray appeared first on PS.

Today’s spotlight is the fun DVD Dr Shocker’s Vault of Horror, released this past fall, it is something I’ve been meaning to talk
about for some time. If you like monsters and monster toys, you need to check
this out after the jump.

One of the
nicer people I’ve gotten to know in this journey of collecting is Daniel
Roebuck, an accomplished actor (who pops up  on my TV with incredible regularity), he is
also one of the more positive collectors I’ve encountered.

With the
mantra that he’d rather collect friends than toys, he truly serves as a “Gallant”
to any “Goofus” you can encounter in the hobby.

As a monster
kid and a film maker, Roebuck chose to make a love letter not so much to the
genre but to Monster collectors themselves.

The DVD is a package of different items that really speak to monster collectors,
all of it appropriately wrapped with fun host segments starring Roebuck’s
horror host alter ego Dr Shocker.

The main
core of the piece is “Monster Maniacs”, a 45 minute documentary narrated by
Jorge Garcia that explores being a monster kid/collector.  

Monster
Maniacs starts with the Shock Theatre TV package of the late 1950s and Famous
Monsters but then talks to Monster collectors about their experiences. Some of
the faces are very recognizable celebrities, others I just know their names
from collecting. The beauty of Monster Maniacs is that everybody’s voice is
equal.

Topics
covered in the 45 minutes include Captain Company, Aurora Monsters, Don Post
and Topstone masks and even AHI Monster figures (which never get enough
recognition), toyshop memories and a discussion if there is a future for Monster Kids.

Other
features included in the package are:

Captain Company Panel– A taped San Diego Comic Con panel talking about
those drool worthy pages from the back of Famous Monsters, hosted by Roebuck,
it’s a really funny and lively discussion.

Imagineering- An excellent documentary about the company that
brought you items like vampire fangs and blood every Halloween.

Creature Collectibles- A tour of the collection of the “Arizona Gillman”, a
legendary collector of Creature from the Black Lagoon memorabilia.  

3D Photo Gallery of Dr. Shocker’s House of Horror– A tour of Roebuck’s collection with 3-D glasses
included!

Dracula Meets the Wolfman– A political
parody.

My Dad killed Dracula– A short film starring Daniel Roebuck.

The main
topic of this DVD is monsters but what really shines through is the love.  Vault of Horror is a benchmark for collectors
everywhere and it’s certainly one that has inspired me to pick up a video
camera and go to work.

I cannot
recommend this fun title enough for the hardcore or casual monster fan. It’s
well worth it.

You can get
Doctor Shocker’s Vault of Horror on Amazon or at the official website Docshocker.com

The post Spotlight: Dr Shocker’s Vault of Horror appeared first on PS.

Kenner Bigfoot meets his non motor cycle riding counterpart.

The world’s greatest heroes finally meet!

The post Spotlight: Zica Six Million Dollar Man appeared first on PS.