Awesome Toys

Since the sad demise of ThinkGeek, Icon Heroes‘ Picard facepalm bust has been off the market. Just in time for the madness of 2020, the 8″ tall sculpture is back, now with a painted Starfleet logo on its base. You can pre-order one from Entertainment Earth, with deliveries expected by 8.2020. Limited to just 1701 pieces.

The 1980s meets the 1980s with this fun mashup toy from Hasbro. The poseable figure is a model of Ghostbusters’ iconic Ecto-1 wagon that uses 22 moves to transform into a 7 inch-tall, ghost-zapping mech warrior. Includes a scale Slimer figure to go with.

The guys from 5MadMovieMakers love their Hot Wheels. They assembled a track with a 13 foot drop and a vertical ramp at its end to see how high they could launch the toy cars, and still land them on their wheels. We wonder how much higher you could go with a longer runway.

Techmoan checks out another unusual gadget from the past – though this one only dates back to 2007. For a brief period of time, videogame company SEGA’s toy division made a pricey miniature grand piano with mechanical keys that move in time with the music. You could also play it yourself – if your fingers were really tiny.

Holding up to six Ultra darts in its chamber, NERF’s oversize motorized blaster can fire its sturdy foam projectiles up to 120 feet. Its mechanism can fire fast, and its open back means super quick reloads. Additional darts sold here.

To pay tribute to our brave and dedicated frontline workers, Mattel is creating toys that include figures based on nurses, doctors, EMTs, and delivery drivers, as well as police, fire, rescue, garbage, and delivery vehicles. Proceeds from purchases made through 5.31.2020 will go to #FirstRespondersFirst. (Thanks Pat!)

New Wave Toys expands their lineup of retro-inspired miniatures with a pair of detailed, working boomboxes. The M90 Mini is about 40% of the size of its muse, with dual 2.5″ speakers and 16w of amplification, while the teensy M90 Micro is a 1/6th scale replica that looks perfect alongside Replicade arcade machines.

One of our favorite characters to emerge from The Mandalorian is IG-11. The robotic bounty hunter didn’t last long but the Taika Waititi-voiced droid certainly left a lasting impression. Hot Toys‘ sixth-scale figure measures 14″ tall, has 29 points of articulation, and has a light-up mechanical head. His waist can even spin 360º.

Brian Volk-Weiss is the man behind The Toys That Made Us. When he heard about the challenges faced by independent toy stores in the face of COVID-19, he got to work producing a docuseries about 50 wonderful shops, giving them some added exposure, and donating the majority of the show’s proceeds to the stores featured.

Gaming Heads‘ cute and cuddly plush toys are based on two of DOOM’s creepy floating creatures, the horned Pain Elemental and the spiky Cacodemon. Each one measures about 7″ tall, and would look great sitting on any gamer’s couch. They also made a Space Marine plush, but sadly it’s already sold out.

Looking for a good way to burn off a little stress? Fidgeting is a good way to occupy your mind and to focus on something other than the day’s worries. The guys over at Everyday Carry have picked out 10 of their favorite fidget toys, including one of our go-tos, the stainless steel Mechforce EDC Gyroscope.

Taiwanese illustrator Noger Chen’s and Black Seed Toys imagine Godzilla as a youthful dude in shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers. This variant dolls him up in a flame tee and black shorts, and comes with a tiny Game Boy, a video game, and a VHS tape. The original version already sold out, so grab one before it’s gone.

Good news everyone! There’s a sweet light-up replica of the Planet Express spaceship from Futurama. Quantum Mechanix’s collectible measures about 12″x 4″ x 4″ and has lights on its cockpit, portholes and exhaust. It also has magnets that make it easy to mount it on its stand.

This hilarious collectible vinyl toy from 100% Soft artist Truck Torrence features an adorable kawaii interpretation of the object that has come to symbolize much of what’s wrong in the world these days. The flaming heap of rubbish has a big pie eyes and a smiley face inviting you into its warm trash pile. Ships starting late May 2020.

Brickworld is offering up a way to enjoy some of the awesome LEGO builds normally on display at their conventions from the comfort of your home. On Saturday, April 18, 2020, viewers can meet builders and check out their creations via Zoom meeting rooms. Only 1000 tickets are available, so sign up soon!

Artist Daniel Shankalonian takes old circuit boards and other electronics, and recycles them into desktop sculptures. Among his many creations are spaceships from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek, as well as a model of NASA’s Space Shuttle. He also made an awesome sculpture of BioShock’s Big Daddy bouncer.