From the photos released by Hasbro the exclusive looks very similar to the original (which you probably couldn’t buy without spending a small fortune). It’s my understanding that Soundwave will come with four “tapes”: BUZZSAW, LASERBEAK, RATBAT and RAVAGE. I’m feeling all giddy just thinking about it.

From Hasbro:
“One of the most recognizable characters from the TRANSFORMERS brand lore, SOUNDWAVE is making a retro-comeback for San Diego Comic-Con in honor of the brand’s 25th Anniversary. Hasbro is re-releasing the original 1984 edition of the figure that will include four of the SOUNDWAVE character’s cassettes, two of which have not been released since the 80′s. The cassette characters include BUZZSAW, LASERBEAK, RATBAT and RAVAGE. The four figures fully convert between robot and cassette mode and fit into SOUNDWAVE when in cassette mode.

It’s no surprise this particular Transformer was discontinued a long time ago. I’m pretty sure the target audience isn’t even old enough to remember what a “cassette” is. Maybe they should bring Soundwave back as an Ipod or an Iphone… that would be cool! Make it happen Hasbro!

For those of you with kids you’ve probably seen some of the Disney Car short episodes on the Disney Channel. One of those episodes has the loveable Mater telling Lightning McQueen of a time when he was a fire truck. This year’s exclusive is a 1:55th scale diecast carof Mater as that fire truck. I believe he will also come with the twins Mia and Tia skinned in dalmatian deco.

Rumor has it the set will run about $30 dollars. In comparison, last year’s Lightning Storm McQueen cost $15 dollars and came in an acrylic display case.

For those that haven’t seen the short episodes you can probably find them on YouTube. Oh, and while you’re there check out the short episode where Mater is an Import Drift Racer in Tokyo. It’s hilarious even for adults.

From the SideShow Collectibles Website:
The Crimson Cobra Commander (limited to 1000 pieces) 12 inch Figure features:

* Fully articulated Prometheus male body with 30+ points of articulation
* Hooded Cobra Commander Portrait
* Shirt with Cobra emblem
* Pants
* Cape with silver COBRA emblem
* Boots
* Detailed belt with Cobra Command buckle
* Pistol with holster and 2 x ammo magazines
* Magazine pouch for Pistol Ammo
* MP-7 with short magazine, silencer, and 3 x long magazines
* Magazine pouch for MP-7 Ammo
* Dagger with scabbard and chain
* Cobra Commander gun
* 3 sets of interchangeable gloved hands
* 12-inch display base with G.I. Joe logo

One more week until the San Diego Comic Con!

I was one of those boys that collected G.I.Joes when I was a kid even though my favorite grade school teacher once called them “dolls”. They are action figures! Of all the G.I.Joes my favorite was Snake Eyes. I think everyone’s favorite was Snake Eyes. He was all dressed in black and always looked like a mysterious butt-kicking bad-ass.

Hasbro came out with a line of toys a few years ago made for the 3-5 age range bracket. They are called “Heroes”. For the most part they are cute versions of various pop-culture icons. The Star Wars versions are called “Galactic Heroes”, the Marvel Super hero versions are called “Super Hero Squad”, and there are other versions such as Transformers and even Indiana Jones versions.

For kids they are fun to play with. They don’t have the articulation of your typical action figures but they are the perfect size for toddlers and there’s no pieces such as guns and swords to easily lose. They are cute looking and very cartoonish. These figures are easy to store and are quite durable.

Hasbro will introduce the G.I.Joe version of the “Heroes” line with an exclusive “Snake Eyes and Timber” at this year’s Comic Con. These will be called “Combat Heroes”. This will be extremely hard to get I’m guessing. The Hasbro line is usually one of the longest and busiest at the comic con. I’m making this a target when I arrive on Preview Night.

It’s hard to believe that some of the first versions of the Star Wars lines fetch a hefty price on the secondary market. After all, aren’t these made for toddlers? For this reason, I think people will make a b-line to this exclusive. I’m hoping to get several next week if I’m lucky, two of which will be reserved for my son Logan.

Logan isn’t into action figures yet. He’s more of a car guy right now. But I’ve got a bunch of “Heroes” waiting for him when he’s ready. I think my daughter Leia already has every Galactic Princess Leia Hero out there.

There are a good handful of 2008 San Diego Comic Con exclusives I’m targeting to get this year and at the top of my list is the Disney Pixar Cars Lightning Storm McQueen by Mattel. Mattel and Hasbro are putting out some awesome exclusives this year and this is one I will HAVE TO HAVE.

Ever since my son was born and the movie “Cars” came out I’ve been buying every unique one I see. We even have many of the hard to find ones (the ones that come like one per store case). I just wish my son wouldn’t beat them up so much. They kind of scratch easily which is bad because he crashes them into things like walls and other cars.

Aside from the cars being scratched easily (which probably annoys me more than my kids), I think Mattel did an excellent job on these toys. The are just the right size and the detail on the cars look just like they popped out of the movie. They are the perfect size for my 2 and 5 year old to play with as they fit comfortably in either of their hands.

It is only natural that I fork out the 15 bucks for the Lightning Storm exclusive (The regular cars found in stores cost around 3-4 bucks each). I imagine this will be one of the harder items to get at the con and I expect long lines and rude people in those lines. I think collectors that buy for their kids can get a lot more nastier than those just shopping for themselves. Luckily, I’ve got passes for preview night and I will have a good chance at getting this item.

The rockets attached to the car look like they might break off easily especially after a few hours with Logan. I may need to buy a few.

The diecast was made by Hot Wheels and sold only at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con. George Barris, the original designer of that Batmobile attended the Comic Con on one of the days and I was fortunate to get his autograph on the case of the Batmobile.

The car is incredibly detailed for being so small. Hot Wheels released a much less detailed version into their main line which most collectors snagged for less than a buck.

This piece was definately my favorite item from the convention last year. I can’t wait to see what Hot Wheels has instore for us at this year’s comic con.