Chuck Series Finale - Tonight On NBC

Tonight Chuck, one of The Blot’s favorite shows, ends its five year run on NBC with a 2 hour series finale! Normally I’d be really sad to see a show I’ve loved for so long come to an end, but Chuck has been living on borrowed time for years. The last two seasons have definitely been a gift from NBC (and Subway) to Chuck’s loyal fan base, even with a shortened 13 episode Season 5. Who knew a Twitter campaign around $5 footlongs could really save a show!?! Knowing this would be the show’s final season has allowed the writers of Chuck to give each character closure to their individual storylines and helped Chuck’s fan base prepare for the end.

I just hope tonight’s series finale sends Chuck, Sarah, Casey and the rest of the Buy More crew off on a high note. I have no idea how the series will end, but I’ve got a feeling a “and they lived happily ever after” is in order.

The two hour series finale of Chuck (“Chuck vs. Sarah” and “Chuck vs. the Goodbye”) airs tonight, Friday, January 27th, on NBC at 8/7c.

New 52 Batman: Black and White by Jim Lee

The newest statue in DC Direct’s popular “Batman: Black and White” line is the New 52 Batman by legendary artist Jim Lee. What’s interesting about this release is that it marks the first statue to feature a character’s new redesigned look from DC Comics’ recent reboot. While fans are sure to go crazy over this statue because it’s by Lee, The Blot is extremely unimpressed. In fact, I’d say this statue makes me like Batman’s “New 52” reboot look even less. What’s up with all those unneeded lines on Batman’s chest? I’ve always heard it explained that Batman has a reason and a use for every detail of his costume, so what’s the rationale for this one? I guess if it rains he’s got built-in gutters!

The New 52 Batman: Black and White statue by Jim Lee measures 5.5" high x 6" wide x 5" deep, and matches the previous figures in this series with its moody, monochromatic color scheme. Collectors can purchase one of these for $80 beginning May 22, 2012.

“The Bat” Venture Bros. Screen Print by Olly Moss

After debuting at Gallery1988’s [adult swim] show earlier this month, Olly Moss’ awesome Venture Bros. screen print “The Bat” will finally be going on sale to the general public at a random time today, Friday, January 27th at Postersandtoys.com. Based on Frank Miller’s iconic cover to The Dark Knight Returns #1, and features Hank Venture as The Bat!

“The Bat” by Olly Moss is a 16”x24” screen prints with a limited edition run size of 100 prints. These prints will retail for $60 but good luck getting one. Like all Moss releases it is sure to sell out in a number of seconds.

Slime Gread Resin Figures by Lysol

Lysol’s been hard at work the past few weeks on the next evolution of his popular Gread resin figure. This time around, each figure will be sitting in a little pool of resin "slime"! No paint is involved here, just hand cast resin in a variety of different colors. For this particular release, each figure will be made to order, and you will actually get to pick your Gread and Slime color combination. Like with Burger King, at the Dead Hand online store you will truly get to have it your way!

Collectors will get to choose from at least a couple of different Gread colors and match that up with several different colors of slime. The exact color options have not been finalized yet, so be sure check out Lysol’s twitter feed, blog and online store to find out more info! These awesome Slime Greads will go on sale at the Dead Hand online store this Tuesday, January 31st, at noon EST. Each figure comes bagged with a head card and will retail for $20 each.

The Simpsons x Kidrobot Matt Groening Vinyl Figure

If you were born in the last 35 years, and spent any of that time watching American television, odds are you learned a thing or two from The Simpsons. Created by legendary “Life is Hell” cartoonist Matt Groening, The Simpsons is celebrating its 500th episode in February 2012, and Kidrobot is honoring the father of primetime animation in the only way they know how…by making him into a 6 inch vinyl toy!

Let me just start by saying The Blot has not been a fan of Kidrobot’s licensed releases over the past few years. While I love cartoons (and especially The Simpsons), I haven’t bought a single Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, Street Fighter or Futurama blind box and don’t plan to any time soon. I thought they were uninspired and hated seeing Kidrobot relying on such established properties. But all that changed when I found out about this Matt Groening vinyl figure! Not only is this the first ever Simpsons Matt Groening toy, but…well…it’s Matt f’n Groening!

Groening is seriously a living legend, who has done more for animation and television than I can even put into words. I seriously can’t wait for this figure to be released! The Simpsons x Kidrobot Matt Groening 6” vinyl figure comes wearing his signature goatee, glasses and a Simpsons director’s jacket, and includes pad and pencil accessories. Mr. Groening is set to retail for $50 each and will go on sale February 9th at Kidrobot stores, Kidrobot.com and select retailers worldwide.

Chinese New Year 2012 3 Gods Android Set

If you liked last year's Chinese New Year God of Wealth Android, then you’re really going to love Andrew Bell’s latest creations! For 2012’s Chinese New Year release, the New York artist has created a limited edition 3 God set featuring the God of Fortune (祿), the God of Blessing (福) and the God of Longevity (壽). While this is primarily an edition for Dyzplastic’s partners in Asia, Bell kept a few sets to sell in the US at his Dead Zebra online store. That’s the good news. The bad news is these went on sale yesterday for $29 per 3 figure set, and sole out instantly. Hopefully the Gods smiled upon you and you were able to score this awesome set of Android Mini Figures.

Mondo x Sideshow Collectibles Planet of the Apes Screen Print Series

Tomorrow (for some odd reason), Mondo is releasing its entire Planet of the Apes Screen Print Series in one fell swoop as a gigantic 6 print set. Seems like over kill to me, but all you diehard Apes fans will definitely want to check this series out!

For its Planet of the Apes series Mondo has once again teamed with Sideshow Collectibles to produce a screen print for each of the original five Planet of the Apes movies: Planet of the Apes by Martin Ansin, Beneath the Planet of the Apes by Ken Taylor, Escape from the Planet of the Apes by Rich Kelly, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes by Phantom City Creative and Battle for the Planet of the Apes by Florian Bertmer. Plus, if you purchase the set tomorrow, you’ll also receive the “GO APE!” poster by Jason Edmiston.

Each Planet of the Apes screen print measures 24”x36”, comes hand numbered and has a limited edition run size of between 320 and 415. The full Planet of the Apes Screen Print Series set goes on sale at a random time today, Thursday, January 26th, at the Mondo online store. Then on Friday, January 27th, head back to the Mondo online store where the remaining prints will go on sale individually at a random time as well. Happy hunting!

The Avengers Movie Wacky Wobbler Bobble Heads by Funko

Pictures have finally leaked out onto the web of Funko’s upcoming line of The Avengers Wacky Wobbler Bobble Heads based on each character’s look in this summer’s live action movie. From the photo above, it can finally be confirmed that Hawkeye will be included in this release! The Blot’s just hoping this means we’ll also be getting a Hawkeye Pop! vinyl figure as well. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure why every company’s Hawkeye movie toys have been kept so top secret. We’ve already seen the character in the movie’s official trailer, movie posters and in Marvel comic books where Clint Barton has assumed the same look as his movie counterpart.

The Avengers Movie Bobble Heads by Funko include Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye and The Hulk. Each 7” tall Wacky Wobbler comes packaged in a full color displayable window box and are scheduled to hit store shelves in April 2012! Pre-order yours today from EntertainmentEarth.com here for just $11.99 each.

The Avengers is scheduled to premiere in theaters on May 4, 2012 and stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk.

Green Hell Rose Vampire Casket Cruiser by Super7 x Josh Herbolsheimer

Josh Herbolsheimer’s Green Hell Rose Vampire Casket Cruiser is finally here!!! The Blot has been anxiously awaiting the release of this one since Super7 first debuted the Rose Vampire Casket Cruiser last summer at San Diego Comic-Con. As you know, The Blot’s a diehard RV fan so you know I’ll be F5'ing the Super7 online store this Thursday, January 26th, at noon PST to ensure I get to add one of these Green Hell on Wheels Casket Cruisers to my collection.

Smashing petal to the metal and burning rubber, Rose Vampire is back in a brand new ride. If you see this Green Hell on Wheels Casket Cruiser in your rearview mirror, better move over and let him pass because he's nothing but trouble. Josh Herbolsheimer's Casket Cruiser is cast in black vinyl with red, green, metallic green, light green, silver and yellow details and can be yours for $65 each.

Bane & Catwoman The Dark Knight Rises Mez-Itz Vinyl Figures

Here’s your first look at Mezco’s new Bane and Catwoman Mez-Itz vinyl figures based on DC Comics' soon to be summer blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises! The Blot’s been scouring the internet looking for photos of Mezco Toyz’ new The Dark Knight Mez-Itz and Mini Mez-Itz vinyl figures ever since I first found out about the figures last week. Then out of nowhere a little birdie dropped some in my lap! Win-Win for all of us don’t you think?

These Batman villains will actually be released as both full sized 6” Mez-Itz and as 2” Mini Mez-Itz vinyl figures. The 6” figures will be packaged individually, while each 2” figure will come packaged with a matching Batman Mini Mez-Itz. Mezco will also be releasing two The Dark Knight Rises Vehicle Sets: a Bane Mini Mez-Itz with Tumbler and a Catwoman Mini Mez-Itz with Bat-Pod. Basically, Mezco is making sure there’s a little something for everyone this summer!

The Dark Knight 6” Mez-Itz Series 3 featuring Bane and Catwoman will retail for $30 per set, while The Dark Knight 2” Mini Mez-Itz 2 packs featuring Bane and Batman, and Catwoman and Batman will retail for $24 per 2 pack. The Bat-Pod Vehicle Set with Catwoman will retail for $21, and the Tumbler Vehicle Set with Bane will retail for $25. All of The Dark Knight Rises toys seen here are scheduled to hit stores this summer 2012.

FatCap Series 3 Case Incentive Exclusives by Sket One & Scribe

We’re just one day away from the official release of Kidrobot’s FatCap Series 3, and to celebrate the release of this exciting new artist series stores across the globe will be holding official trading parties (click here for a list of participating stores). At these parties, collectors can score one of two rare and regional case incentive exclusives by purchasing a case of FatCap Series 3! North American locations will have a very limited amount of Sket One’s Case Exclusive Gold “Cover The Cap” FatCap, while everywhere else will have Scribe’s Case Exclusive Endangered “Almost Gone” FatCap.

The Blot’s really torn on this one. While I think case incentive exclusives are a great idea, I absolutely hate that there’s regional exclusives. It makes it almost impossible for collectors to complete a series without shelling out a ton of for the other regional case incentive exclusive. And where’s the fun in that!?! So in conclusion: case incentive exclusives = good; regional variants of case incentive exclusives = bad.

Fatcap Series 3 will retail for $9.95 per blind box, and goes on sale this Thursday, January 26th at Kidrobot stores, Kidrobot.com and select retailers worldwide.

R5-D4 7” Jumbo Vintage Kenner Star Wars Action Figure by Gentle Giant

Just like they were when you were a kid, only BIGGER! The next jumbo vintage Star Wars action figure reproduction to be released by Gentle Giant was announced last week, and it’s R5-D4, the little red droid who couldn’t! Digitally scanned from mint Kenner originals and reproduced to a substantial 7" tall, this Jumbo Vintage Kenner Star Wars R5-D4 action figure by Gentle Giant is an exact replica of the classic ‘70s toy.

Injection molded and made of durable plastics, this jumbo figure is fully articulated with “clicking” head rotation and comes packaged on a 1977 style Star Wars inspired blister card with a plastic outer clam shell to help protect and display this awesome action figure. The Star Wars 7 inch Jumbo Vintage Kenner R5-D4 action figure by Gentle Giant will retail for around $80 each, and is expected to be released sometime in July, August or September of 2012.

Prisoner 816 & Prisoner 913 MORK Custom 10" Mad'ls by MAD

The Blot’s a huge Mad’l fan, so of course I was really stoked to find out MAD was working on two new custom 10 inchers. It’s been a while since MAD’s had a custom release, but the Kansas City artist definitely did not disappoint with this sick two figure Mork set! Based on two of NYCC 2011’s hottest exclusives (Prisoner 913 and Prisoner 816 Mork vinyl figures produced by Pobber), these custom Prisoner Morks are sporting some series ink! Not only did MAD blow up these two criminals into 10 inch custom Mad’ls, but he faithfully recreated every detail of the original vinyl figures, including their hair, scars, tattoos and clothing.

Hand painted with spray paint, acrylics, and markers each figure is a true one of a kind custom. Originally sold individually for $400 each, both sold quickly after being posted on MAD’s online store over the weekend. The custom Mork Mad’l I got from MAD a few years ago is one of my favorite figures in my collection. The craftsmanship is top notch, so I can only imagine what these two look like in person. Who ever scored these two will definitely not be disappointed!

Online Exclusive Johnny Cupcakes Pinball T-Shirt

As most long time Johnny Cupcakes fans know, Johnny is not only a huge fan of pinball, but actually owns a number of pinball machines. It’s been years since The Blot’s played pinball, but I can still remember playing as a kid. There’s just something about the sound of the ball whizzing around the machine and those unique sounds only a pinball machine can make that transports you to a simpler time. Sadly, pinball machines are a dying breed. Because of this, Johnny wanted to pay tribute to one of his favorite pastimes by producing a fun Pinball themed t-shirt!

This Online Exclusive Johnny Cupcakes Pinball t-shirt has a limited edition run size of just 400 pieces and retails for $49.99. Available now at the Johnny Cupcakes online store, the shirt is available in both men’s and women’s styles sizes S-3XL. But keep in mind, these types of JC limited edition tees typically sell out quickly, and some sizes are already gone forever.

Android Mini Figure Series 3 Artist Line Up!

Today Andrew Bell and Dyzplastic announced there will soon be a third blind box series of their immensely popular collaboration with Google, and they are definitely pulling out all the stops for this one!!! Android Mini Figure Series 3 has an incredible line-up of some of the biggest names in the toy scene, and includes designs by Google, Andrew Bell, Gary Ham, Huck Gee, kaNO, MAD, Kronk, Kelly Denato, Scott Tolleson and Sket One! Is that insane or what!?! The Blot seriously can’t wait to see and get my hands on all of these (and I don’t even collect Android mini figures).

One new twist to this release is that unlike Android Series 1 and 2, there will only be one production run of Series 3. Not only that, but this will be the only full artists Android series released in 2012. What does all this mean for us collectors? You’d better make sure you get your hands on some Android Series 3 blind boxes early and often, as this release will end up being a lot harder to get long term and rarer in general. Android Series 3 blind boxes will retail for $8 and go on sale sometime in April, May or June of this year.