THE BEST Toys

Three years in the making, the MechRC is a programmable robot with 17 independently controlled servos: in short, it can dance the funky chicken without breaking a sweat.

Reenact the Battle of Britain with these two WW2 themed Sharkys by Keith Poon. “Kempfe” is based on Germany’s Messerschmitt Bf 110 G, while the other is based on the legendary Spitfire.

Urban War Fair’s Mini Skully comes in at 4″ and is ideal for cubicle jockeys; the little vinyl skulls ward off evil spirits, annoying coworkers and nosy bosses. Buy pre-painted or DIY.

Limited to 1500 pieces, this statue puts Samus’ famous black and red Phazon Suit in a pretty sleek pose. It looks especially hot in the dark with 25 LEDs and a mirror base.

Hasbro’s latest Mighty Mugg vinyls feature G.I. Joe and will launch in November. Boy are these stirring up Saturday cartoon memories; Snake is still the most bad-ass out of the bunch.

The Master Chief and Grunts is up on eBay at a cool starting bid of $1,600; auction ends 8/17. Made out of sterling silver, it’s a 1/9th scale statue and is completely one of a kind.

This Blood Diamond version of Da Warrior by Tim Tsui is all kinds of awesome. Features a removable helmet, spray can, extra head and a crystal eye. Limited to only 200 pieces.

Travis Louie, Pressure Printing and Hi-Fructose have teamed up to create “Bride of Stan“. The intaglio print sits behind bubble glass in a hand-casted resin frame with solid steel back.

Puzzle Calendar’s 77 Lego-like tiles include dates, days, blanks and icons. Truth is, we can see ourselves wasting considerable man-hours building our calendar to be just so.

Coming this September 13th: Colorado-based team CYPHER13 will be releasing SOFT&FURRY at Plastic Chapel. CYPHER13 produced everything from the sculpts to the final rotocast.

Released at the 2008 San Diego Comic Convention, this limited edition Red Baron TIE Fighter is a nod to hot rod culture. Coming soon: Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer dragster.

The Axon Razorback Anti-Gravity Racer is an RC hovercraft that can hit up to 45 mph; this bad boy drifts and jumps like none other. Available sometime in September: daddy wants.

David Lanham is one of our favorite artists (you may know his work at Iconfactory), so we’re thrilled to see his vinyl Zog at StrangeKiss. Also available: Murder Zog, a Lanham/Kozik collab.

We’re personally getting tired of the Steampunk genre, but we still love these robot models by The Builder’s Studio. They look metallic, but these retro tech creations are made out of wood.

Just like the name says, Droplets are drop-shaped collectibles. Sold blindboxed, they’re hand-signed and hand-numbered, each with their own personality. Black is the hardest to find.

Above: snapped by a weather balloon shortly after it popped, 18.5 miles up. Tethered to it were several Lego projects built by students, profs and hobbyists. The projects parachuted back down.

The Toy2R Forums are running a 10″ Bart Simpson Qee customs auction until August 25th. There are 49 dolls in all, and they cost from $100-$1000; the proceeds go to the Red Cross.

We actually own several of postdesigner’s digitally printed monster plushes, and boy do they spiff up our office. Be warned: once you start buying these beasties, it’s hard to stop.

Let’s be clear: Darth Maul was gypped, but we’re happy that he’s getting some primo exposure with this vinyl collectible by Medicom (avail. Q2 2008). Preordering is a good idea: he’s limited edition.

To be auctioned Aug. 1 for a cool $170k, this is the TIE Fighter that bumped off Darth Vader in Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Cheaper: C3PO’s shoes, Cantina alien head and Imperial officer costume.