BLUEFIN OPENS PRE-ORDERS FOR NEW TRANSFORMERS “OPTIMUS PRIME” FURAI MODEL KIT FROM FLAME TOYS

BLUEFIN OPENS PRE-ORDERS FOR NEW TRANSFORMERS “OPTIMUS PRIME” FURAI MODEL KIT FROM FLAME TOYS

Leading Collectibles Distributor Details First Release In A New Series Of Transformers Model Kits; Easy-To-Assemble Design Of The Iconic Autobots Leader Stands 6 Inches Tall And Features Maximum Poseability

Anaheim, CA, May 8, 2018 – Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan and Asia, expands its catalog of Transformers products as it opens pre-orders for the Optimus Prime (Attack Mode) Furai Model Kit from Flame Toys.

This unique (non-transforming) rendering of the stoic leader of the heroic Autobots as he is featured in the hit IDW comic series is the first in a series of Transformers model kits forthcoming form Flame Toys and was designed by the famous 3D modelling company, TRGGER. The figure stands 6 inches tall and features more than 40 articulated joints that provide for maximum poseability. Constructed with high quality multi-colored ABS plastic parts, Optimus Prime features an innovative design that allows for simple snap-together assembly by model builders of all skill levels.

The Transformers Optimus Prime Furai Model Kit from Flame Toys is set for release in October by authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide and also from select leading online outlets. Pre-orders are available now; MSRP is $36.00. Bluefin is the official North American master distributor for Flame Toys.

Optimus Prime (Attack Mode) Furai Model Kit is the latest Transformers product from Flame Toys, whose catalog also includes the Limited Edition Drift action figure.

Released in January, the extraordinary, officially licensed Drift rendering stands 8 inches tall and is constructed with high quality die-cast parts with more than 50 jointed linkage articulation features to allow for maximum realistic poseability. This release is also a must-have for any ardent pop culture collector or Transformers fan.

The (non-transforming) Drift figure also features 3 interchangeable facial expressions and contains 6 LED units that provide light-up displays on its body. The figure includes 3 sword weapons and a cape that is accented with bendable wires that allow for dramatic, anime-style windswept poses. The Drift Transformers figure from Flame Toys is available now from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide with an MSRP of $299.99.

Bluefin further complements the Drift figure with the upcoming October release of an action figure from the same Flame Toys line for the Decepticon, Tarn. The figure also stands 8 inches tall and features LED light-up features and represents a pinnacle collector’s piece destined to delight any ardent Transformers fan.

About Bluefin

Based in Anaheim, CA, Bluefin built its reputation as a leading distributor of Japanese toys, collectibles, novelty and hobby products. In recent years, Bluefin has grown to include a range of high quality collectible lines from the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and established itself as the official North American consumer products and retail development partner for Studio Ghibli. Selling to thousands of specialty, chain and independent stores, Bluefin is an official North American distributor for Bandai Hobby, Bandai Shokugan, and Storm Collectibles, and is the sole provider of Bandai Tamashii Nations products, and is also the exclusive and official distributor for Mr. Hobby, SEN-TI-NEL and Flame Toys. Additional information is available at: www.bluefincorp.com.

Bullet Club Invades Funko Pop with their new line

Members of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Bullet Club will become the first non WWE contracted wrestlers to have Funko Pop figures and i am excited about this. This will open the door for many other popular independent wrestlers to have this deal and these four huge names got it first. The series includes, Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and “The American Nightmare” Cody as they make their first appearances as Funko Pop figures. Check these images out below.

Also, this variant of The Young Bucks is an HotTopoc exclusive along with this cool t-shirt below.

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Nintendo Switch Online Service Will Not Have Virtual Console

 

Today, Nintendo released new information about the online service that will be released in September:


So this offers not only the opportunity to play switch games such as “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” or “Splatoon 2”, but also classic NES titles such as “Ice Climber” or “Baloon Fight” online. 20 NES games will be available for release, but the selection is expected to expand steadily. All NES titles are supported by the Nintendo Switch Online App voice chat.


In addition, a kind of cloud storage system is introduced, with which it is possible, in the case of a reinstallation of a software saved scores again via the Internet. There is no more detailed information about the cloud, it is only pointed out that this will not be available for every software.


Further, the membership options are more accurately executed. So it will be in addition to the individual memberships for $ 3.99 (1 month / 30 days), $7.99 (3 months / 90 days) and $19.99 (12 months / 365 days), a family package for $34.99 be available for 12 months / 365 days. This is not only convenient for homes with multiple switch consoles, but also for people who have multiple accounts on a console because the online service will be account-bound. How many accounts can use the family package, is not yet known.

Last but not least, probably a less gratifying news: Nintendo confirmed to the English-language gaming news site “Kotaku” that there are currently no plans to bring classic games under the “Virtual Console” branding on the switch. However, this statement does not mean that there are no plans to bring classics to the Switch, not just under the name “Virtual Console”. So it could be possible that various SNES, N64 GameCube and GameBoy titles could later be available via the online service, or how the “NeoGeo Arcade” classics will simply be ported to the switch for a low price.

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Fear The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 4 Quick Thoughts.

We are not at the end of our surprises apparently in Fear the Walking Dead. Indeed, in this new episode we follow Alicia, Strand and Luciana in their adventures. We understand then what embodies the characters in this quest for revenge against the Vultures. The series then decides to reveal a little more information, and very well kept secrets are revealed in order to once again break the trick and advance the series. Casually, I feel that Fear the Walking Dead has done more in four episodes than the last season’s first four episodes. It’s not Alicia and Naomi who are talking about papers and rags that will really advance the story but in the rest of the episode there are a lot of good elements that can just please a viewer who may want to see more. The inventiveness of Fear the Walking Dead goes much further as the credits change episodes into episodes in order to highlight the things that should be followed very soon. The episode was full of good surprises from start to finish in order to see a little more of the group’s life at The Diamond. But the way it’s all done has never seemed surreal and it’s very good news, especially when we remember some of the problematic intrigues we’ve seen in Fear the Walking Dead.

The water park is a welcome change of place in the series. I would say that the season would have been much more terrifying if it had happened at night but hey, it’s already well enough done so that we do not have to criticize. If I like the character of Naomi, recently arrived this year, I still have some doubts about his real intentions. She seems to be someone trustworthy but like Charlie finally. Even her innocent conversation with Alicia about the churros leaves me a little pensive about it. I guess Fear the Walking Dead has something in store with her that might implicate her in something much less friendly to our group of characters. But at times, I wonder what justifies the killing of others when behind there is nothing to recover. The back and forth between flashbacks during the episode can still be polarizing for viewers (four episodes straight!), but the story development is quite good so far. Lets hope that there will be less flashbacks for the rest of the season. The water park? I will give it without any problem to the bad guys if it is to have life saved. But in the world of Fear the Walking Dead they could still be killed, even if they do not rebel. It’s still damn strange at times. But man is a wolf for the man. This is what we must remember from this series and his big sister. The big revelation is that Naomi is John’s girlfriend. All this surprised me in the good sense of the term, which allows once again to change the story and characters.

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McFarlane Toys-AMC’s The Walking Dead Negan Resin Statue

This fall, we will see the release of a new statue from McFarlane Toys and this time, it is Negan from AMC’s The Walking Dead. There is already a statue of him, but this time it is the first time they are releasing the television version of the same character and they have used the likeness of Jeffrey Dean Morgan to bring this statue to life. It features Negan bashing a walker in the head with his barbed-wired baseball bat Lucille along with two other walkers trying to attack him. This will be a must own for collectors but it will come with a price but here is the information below:

“One of the most iconic villains in television history brings a menacing  demeanor with a weapon to match. Negan, the leader of The Saviors carries his trusted weapon of choice, Lucille, a baseball bat adorned in barbed wire. No matter what Rick Grimes and his crew do, no one is safe when Negan comes around wielding Lucille.”

Product features:

• Showcases Negan in battle with three walkers featuring exploding head walker

• Features alternate interchangeable head

• 12.25 inches tall, 12.5 inches in depth

• Extreme amounts of detail action-packed into one commemorative resin

• Limited Edition, hand painted cold-cast resin statue

• Only 1,000 total statues produced

• Features Magnetic Assembly and a Rotating Base

• Each statue is individually and sequentially numbered

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity hand-signed by Todd McFarlane

The gruesome resin statue will cost you $329.

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Fear The Walking Dead just pulled off the biggest death since Carl Grimes on The Walking Dead

Three episodes into the newest season of Fear The Walking Dead and the new show runners pulled a major plot twist. Yes, they killed Nick Clark on yesterday’s episode “Good Out Here” as social media across all platforms exploded as everyone wanted to know why would they do this to the main character of the show. He has been the focal point of the show since the very first episode and he was the only character besides Madison and Walker that was very interesting for me to get behind. During the episode, Nick kills one of The Vultures while he was debating with Morgan. The Vulture that he killed is also the guardian of the young girl, Charlie, that we have seen on last week’s episode. Morgan has warned Nick beforehand about killing the guy and he did so and in retaliation, the girl shoots Nick at the stomach. He then fell down as the other characters watched in horror realizing that he has died.

Although i will praise AMC for their unpredictably for doing this move, this makes me question why did they not have him killed off at the season 3 finale when the large dam exploded. Everyone was about to send their pitchforks towards Scott Gimple but that was not the case as he (Frank Dillane) requested to leave the show.

“It actually goes back to season three, before Ian and I even came aboard,” Fear The Walking Dead co-showrunner Andrew Chambliss told the Hollywood Reporter. “Frank Dillane had asked the producers and AMC if he could leave the show, because he wanted to pursue other opportunities. One of the first things we were tasked with when we came on to run season four was to really find a story that would give Nick a fitting sendoff. He’s been with the show from day one, so it was very important to us and to Frank to find a death for him that was emotional and one that would ripple forward throughout the storytelling. “

Killing a very popular character right in the beginning of the season is a huge risk. Last season, Travis was killed off and he was starting to become a popular character. Will the rest of the season actually be saved after this major death, Time will tell and all of us will have to find out. The biggest problem is, the other characters are not fully developed yet and it will take more than Morgan to save the rest of the season.

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Columbia Pictures are now accepting idea submissions at Wizard World Philadelphia this year!

Wizard World and Columbia Pictures Now Accepting Idea Submissions at Wizard World Philadelphia

Wizard World and Columbia Pictures Now Accepting Idea Submissions at Wizard World Philadelphia

Original IP Submissions From Attendees, Artists, Exhibitors Accepted Online Through May 10; Accepted Pitch Sessions To Occur During Event, May 17-18 At Pennsylvania Convention Center

LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2018—Do you have an original idea for a movie? And do you plan on attending Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia? This could be your day.

Wizard World, Inc. and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., an affiliate of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., today began accepting content ideas online, with potential pitch sessions to be scheduled during Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia on Thursday and Friday, May 17-18, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This marks the second activation of the recently announced collaboration between the pop culture convention producer and leading studio, following a successful debut earlier this month in Portland, Ore.

Whether a paid attendee, artist or exhibitor, anyone who plans on attending Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia and can be available on Thursday and/or Friday, May 17-18, may submit an idea now through May 10 at 5 p.m. PT via Wizard World’s dedicated Website at https://wizardworld.com/2018-philadelphia-pitchfest. Any submissions which are selected in Columbia Pictures’ sole discretion will participate in a pitch session to take place at designated dates/times during the event.

One idea submission is permitted per person; In order to be considered, submissions must be a fully-owned original idea and must not infringe on any copyrighted material. Anyone participating in the pitch must be a registered Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia attendee, artist or exhibitor, and must be 18 years of age or older and a legal U.S. resident.

“After such positive feedback in our first sessions at Wizard World Comic Con Portland, we are excited to team up with Columbia Pictures on identifying outstanding original ideas from our creative attendees, artists and exhibitors in Philadelphia,” said John D. Maatta, CEO of Wizard World. “We look forward to seeing a variety of submissions and see this as an important step in a broad-based relationship with Columbia Pictures as Wizard World furthers its lead role in the pop culture industry.”

Full information, including Wizard World’s and Sony Pictures’ respective Privacy Policies, submission guidelines and terms and conditions are available on the submission form https://wizardworld.com/2018-philadelphia-pitchfest.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The fifth event scheduled on the 2018 Wizard World calendar, the 2018 Philadelphia show hours are Thursday, May 17, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, May 18, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, May 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.

Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening.

For more on the 2018 Wizard World Philadelphia, visit http://wizd.me/PhiladelphiaPR.

TV News- Lauren Cohan will return to The Walking Dead Season 9.

Lauren Cohan’s stint on The Walking Dead isn’t dead after all.

Cohan, who plays Maggie Rhee (née Greene) on the acclaimed AMC post-apocalyptic horror series, confirmed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday night that she’s definitely coming back to the show for season 9.

The actress later reiterated to Entertainment Weekly, “I’m going back. There’s a lot more Maggie story to tell.” In terms of what Walking Dead fans can expect from season 9 Maggie, Cohan couldn’t reveal anything but did offer a tiny tease: “You know we’re not allowed to tell you anything, but it’s good.”

Cohan’s connection to The Walking Dead has been jumbled-up, perplexing, and anything but clear in recent months. When her costars Andrew Lincoln, who portrays Rick Grimes, and Norman Reedus, the man behind the formerly badass Daryl Dixon, signed on for season 9 seemingly without batting an eye, Cohan was holding out while she negotiated for higher pay and a better deal. AMC reportedly offered the actress a “modest salary increase” in exchange for her signing a long-term contract for the series, but she rejected it, an apparent standard practice in high-stakes re-negotiations.

Shortly after, Cohan was said to be in “active negotiations with AMC to extend her Walking Dead deal into season nine and beyond,” and hadn’t given the Walking Dead team any indication that she was seriously considering leaving the series. However, the situation grew more complicated — and past reports seemed to get negated — when Cohan climbed aboard the ABC pilot Whiskey Cavalier.

It appears that now, Cohan is signed on for both her long-standing role as Maggie on The Walking Dead and her new gig on Whiskey Cavalier. Fingers crossed she can juggle both commitments.

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TTPM® REVEALS ITS 2018 SPRING ‘MOST WANTED’ LIST AND CELEBRATES THE TOY AND BABY INDUSTRY’S NEWEST PRODUCTS

Toys, Children’s Lifestyle Products, Baby Gear and More Honored
at Media-Only Showcase Event

NEW YORK, NY. – April 26, 2018 – Today, TTPM®, the leading review site for Toys, Tots, Pets, & more, unveiled their 2018 Spring “Most Wanted List.” During a press conference for hundreds of members of the media, analysts, social influencers and bloggers at the TTPM 2018 Spring Showcase, the TTPM editorial team revealed the toys they’ve predicted will be hits with consumers for the spring and summer season.

2018 Spring “Most Wanted List”

From, action figures and characters to creativity toys and outdoor fun, the TTPM editors selected 13 toys representing the most innovative, playful and on-trend. The list includes new products in established brands and innovative playthings, some making their first appearances at the Spring Showcase.

The TTPM 2018 Spring “Most Wanted List” products are:

Movie Toys

Role-play toys have become most popular with children as they want to become their heroes, not just play with them. For other kids and lifelong fans, contemporary collectibles are more popular than ever.

Avengers: Infinity War Hero Vision Iron Man A/R Experience (Hasbro)
The Incredibles 2 Jack-Jack Attacks (Jakks Pacific)
Jurassic World Super Colossal Tyrannosaurus Rex (Mattel)
Jurassic World Chomp ‘N Roar Mask Velociraptor Blue (Mattel)
Star Wars Han Solo Mighty Muggs (Hasbro)

Classic Play

Activity toys and collectibles are big sales drivers at this time of year, as toymakers deliver the novelty kids want at values parents appreciate.

Bob Ross The Art of Chill Game (Big G Creative)
L.O.L. Surprise! Confetti Pop, Series 3 (MGA Entertainment)
Nickelodeon Slime Super Slime Studio (Cra-Z-Art)
Hatchimals Colleggtibles Season 3 (Spin Master)
Twisty Petz Series 1 (Spin Master)

Outdoor Toys

Warm weather means outdoor fun! This season, kids and families can enjoy the sunshine together with sand, water and bubbles.

Fiesta Cruise Sand & Water Table with Umbrella (Step2)
Watermelon Smash (Yulu)
Glove-A-Bubbles (Zing)

TTPM 2018 Spring Showcase

All of the “Most Wanted List” winning products were on display at the TTPM 2018 Spring Showcase. The event gave media representatives the chance to photograph, film and play with the latest toys and baby gear, scout products for upcoming segments, meet new companies and make great connections with leading and new brands. Dozens of leading, influential, and cutting-edge toy brands, including Mattel, Spin Master, Just Play, Hasbro, LEGO Systems, Nickelodeon, Step2, and more brought their most in-demand products.

The event was also the debut of TTPM’s Baby Shop section and featured brands including Fisher Price, Britax, LÍLLÉbaby, Little Me and more. In addition, more than 100 children were in attendance at the event alongside their parents, to experience the event first-hand in celebration of “Take Your Child to Work Day.” They were able to get hands-on experience with the newest toys and find their favorites!

Summer is also the most important season for ride-on toys, and visitors had many to choose from. Pacific Cycle and Razor each showcased its newest entries, and Mattel introduced a new Jurassic World version of its popular Power Wheels vehicle.

Other popular exhibits included Super Impulse with the World’s Smallest Hot Wheels track and VTech’s Play Area that let preschoolers play with the company’s newest additions to its Go! Go! Smart Wheels product line. Children also had the opportunity to play laser tag at the ArmoGear and NSI International booths, swing on the oversized PlayMonster swing set, and play outdoor games like Zing’s bow and arrow archery set or Antsy Pants’ picnic table and Build and Play Kits.

For more information and to view details on the 2018 Most Wanted List, please visit: https://ttpm.com/mostwanted/

Another Top 10 Banned Yu-Gi-Oh Cards

I originally did this list back in 2014 and now i feel that it is the right time to do another one since many cards from my original list are not on the banned list anymore and more were added on since then. Here is my list for another top 10 banned Yu-Gi-Oh cards along with the reason that these cards were put on the list.

#10. Chicken Game (Field Spell Card)

This card is brutal for First Turn Kills as a Field Spell Card and it can also speed up a duel, or force a lifepoint gain depending on the choice. This card can also cause an unbalance due to the player getting more advantage if their life points are much lower than the other.

#9. Pot of Greed (Spell Card)

Pot of Greed has been on and off the ban list and the limited list for years and it seems like it will not be off any list in the near future. It allows the player to draw 2 cards from the deck but now since there are more cards that responds to or supports deck drawing, this card has become more stronger due to this. Imagine playing this card on your first turn (this matters more these days since you cannot draw on the first draw phase anymore since 2015).

#8. Subsitoad (Effect Monster Card)

One of the most broken cards of the game Subsitoad is on the list. The attack points may be very low, but it’s effect is very brutal. Also, as soon as the Shinning Darkness booster support pack was released, it became an issue. A complete FTK deck was made with the frog cards including Subsitoad and look at it’s effect, it can easily trail through most of your deck with no trouble and is on top of things very easy to search and recover for its very solid Aqua-WATER type/attribute pairing.

#7. Time Seal (Trap Card)

This card became banned over 12 years ago and it is a strong reason why. It makes your opponent skip their Draw Phase. With this card and the deadly Yata-Garasu, it became the most deadly combination in Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments at the time and it needed to be forbidden.

#6. Dandylion (Effect Monster)

Dandylion should have been banned since day one. It’s effect was easily abused for many years especially for players who want to summon powerful monsters in the next turn, or to use spell or trap cards involving tokens.

#5. Cyber-Stein (Effect Monster)

Cyber-Stein should have been on my original list. His effect years ago was at a high cost to summon a fusion monster from the extra deck. Now that there are way too many lifepoint support cards, there is no way that this card will ever be taken off the forbidden list EVER! Also to note out, Cyber-Stein has not been reprinted or re-released since 2004.

#4. Super Rejuvenation (Quick-Play Spell Card)

The card encourages terrible resource management in the monster type that makes the most use of discarding and tributing. It is, in general, just a poorly designed card and one of the main reasons as to why Dragon Rulers were such a power house. The reason it was banned is because the Baby Dragon Rulers and other Dragon Rulers turned the card into an insane draw engine that could in no way be described as fair given how the deck operated. Currently if the card were to come off the ban list I suspect Blue-Eyes, Red-Eyes & Odd-Eyes would probably be the biggest abusers of it not that Sky Iris can be used more than once a turn.

#3. Mass Driver (Continuous Spell Card)

Recently added on the list back in the fall of 2017, It was banned because of its easy abuse on OTK and FTK Burn decks, that focused on continuously summoning frogs to sacrifice them and drain your opponent’s lifepoints. Before then, nobody has ever thought of using this combination and once people started to put the puzzle together, it had to be added on the forbidden list.

#2. Cold Wave (Spell Card)

Ah, THIS card. It’s one of the cards that had the longest lifespan before getting hit with a ban, mostly because until Glad Beasts came into the picture this was fully an awful card. This is mainly because the most it could do was provide backup stun and was fully outclassed by something like Trunade who was for a time at 2-3, and this was at the time VERY outdone by Heavy which directly got rid of the problem. To my knowledge this first became popular when Glads came onto the stage and I assume so probably because of major stun factor combined with brutal control and setup for safer Bestiari plays.

Honorable Mentions

Super Polymerization (Quick-Play Spell Card)

Painful Choice (Spell Card)

Vanitiy’s Emptiness (Continuous Trap Card)

Self-Destruct Button (Trap Card)

Ancient Fairy Dragon (Synchro Effect Monster)

#1. Maxx “C” (Effect Monster)

This card and effect changed the way of special summoning for a long period of time. Maxx “C”. The effect lets you draw one card every time your opponent special summon(s). Before the errata changed, you can have three of these monsters on the field with this effect. Even after they changed the errata, the effect was still highly abused especially for FTK. I think this will never be taken out of the list since it just got on the list not too long ago.

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