Rene Condon 8 Inch Dunny Concept Artwork by Triclops Studio

As I said earlier today, The Blot has a strict “no leaking” policy. But when something has already been leaked by a third party, it seems a shame not to share it here. So check out one of Kidrobot’s worst kept secrets, the new Rene Condon 8” Dunny by Triclops Studio!

We originally saw this design in a t-shirt released by Kidrobot months ago, and I have to say it’s a really strange practice to be releasing new figures as t-shirts before the actual figures have even been announced. This has been a pretty standard practice for KR since at least the Dunny Black & White Series and I have to wonder why they wouldn’t just go ahead and announce the toy’s release if they’re going to spoil it themselves with a t-shirt. More details to come once they are officially announced by Kidrobot!

Zombie Robber 8" Dunny Concept Artwork by MAD

The Blot has a strict “no leaking” policy, but when something has already been leaked by a third party it seems a shame not to share it here. To that extent, check out this beautiful new 8” Dunny by MAD and Kidrobot! His soon to be released Zombie Robber 8” Dunny will include a flashlight, bag of loot, and a stolen diamond hidden under his ski cap. More details to come once the figure is officially announced, but I for one can’t wait to see this Zombie Dunny head in 8 inch form!

SDCC 2011 Exclusive G.I. Joe x Transformers Starscream Sky Striker with Cobra Commander Packaging

It’s hard to believe this was the first San Diego Comic-Con 2011 exclusive The Blot blogged about way back in February of this year. And you know what? The SDCC 2011 exclusive G.I. Joe Starscream Sky Striker with a Cobra Commander action figure (in a flight suit naturally) and a Walther P38 pistol (a.k.a. G1 Megatron in gun mode) is STILL my favorite exclusive announced so far. It is just that freaking cool! Hasbro finally released some official photos of its 2011 Comic-Con exclusives and I just thought I’d share this picture, which includes the G.I. Joe vehicle’s packaging.

I’m not usually one who gets excited about a toy’s packaging, but even the box artwork is bananas! I love that Hasbro decided to go with a homage to the classic Marvel comic book mini-series G.I. Joe and the Transformers. I still have all four issues of that mini-series and it definitely fits this awesome action figure set.

The San Diego Comic-Con 2011 exclusive G.I. Joe Starscream Sky Striker with a Cobra Commander action figure will be available for purchase at the HasbroToyShop.com SDCC booth #3329. The price for this box set has yet to be announced. A limited number of these G.I. Joe x Transformers toys will be available on HasbroToyShop.com after the convention.

SDCC 2011 Exclusive Spider-Man with Removable Cloth Mask Mighty Muggs

Has it really been over two years since Hasbro first teased us with a Spider-Man Mighty Mugg with a removable cloth mask? There were even rumors a year and a half ago that this figure was scheduled to ship, but then Hasbro all but pulled the plug on its Mighty Muggs toy line. Thankfully Hasbro has kept the line somewhat alive over the past two years with movie tie-ins, San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives and the new Mini Mighty Muggs. But no one, and I mean no one, expected this release!

The San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Exclusive Spider-Man with Removable Cloth Mask features a Spider-Man body, a Peter Parker head and a somewhat lifelike cloth Spider-Man mask. This limited edition figure will be available for purchase at the HasbroToyShop.com SDCC booth #3329 and will most likely retail for around $15.99. A limited number of these Spider-Man Mighty Muggs with Removable Cloth Mask will be available on HasbroToyShop.com after the convention.

Cris Rose x Pepe Arborobots Wood Bots

Ramble and Roam, the first two Arborobots by London Artist Cris Rose and Zurich Artist Pepe of Smallstuff Studios, are finally here!!! Ramble is the larger character, a robot grown from wood that feels he is missing something in his big hollow tummy. Coming in single and two-eyed variants, he has thoughts on what he might desire and looks to seek them out. Roam is the smaller chap, keen to help out and particularly good at finding lost things. With one big brass eye, he holds his find aloft and shuffles along as quickly as he can manage. And last but not least there is a single painted "Turquoise Driftwood" Ramble, crafted by Pepe and painted by Cris Rose.

The initial release of this pair will include Roam and two-eyed Ramble in walnut and cherry. There will be three 2 packs that include both figures and a camera accessory ($175), as well as 2 Roam ($60) and 2 Ramble ($150) figures sold individually. The one of a kind Turquoise Driftwood Ramble will retail for $225. These go on sale tomorrow at 6pm London time, but act fast because these will sell out incredibly quickly.

Obey Giant x Mondo “They Live” Blue Variant Screen Print by Shepard Fairey

Last month the Alamo Drafthouse hosted a very special screening of the classic John Carpenter film They Live hosted by Shepard Fairey. To commemorate the event, Fairey teamed up with Mondo to create a new screen print for the event. The original red colorway sold out in mere minutes via the Mondo online store, but now fans have a second chance with this beautiful ObeyGiant.com exclusive blue variant!

"They Live" by Shepard Fairey is an 18″x24″ screen print and has limited edition run size of 500 prints. The print will retail for $50 and goes on sale at a random time between 10am - 12pm PDT today, Thursday, July 7th, at the Obey Giant online store.

Kidrobot Black - Goddess Vinyl Figure by Doze Green

Bow before her, the Goddess approaches. Unshroud Doze Green's mystical black Goddess from her premium packaging and discover why faithful pilgrims journey far and wide to bask in her splendor. By far the most magnificent Kidrobot Black creation ever conceived, this visionary vinyl figure stands an incredible 20 inches tall! Exquisitely rendered in matte vinyl and embellished with gloss-touched details, Doze's latest depiction of the symbol of fertility will have you in awe of her organic-mechanized mythic form.

You may have noticed The Blot never commented on Kidrobot’s latest Kidrobot Black release, the Goddess by legendary NY graffiti artist Doze Green. To be honest, I’ve had a real problem with Kidrobot Black since its inception. To me the releases have never lived up to the hype (or their ginormous price tag)…until now. The Goddess has finally taken Kidrobot Black to where it was supposed to be: reigniting the designer toy scene with cutting edge, extremely limited edition all black figures. It’s just too bad it’s taken four releases to finally get to this point.

Encased in luxurious black and gold quarters bearing Doze Green’s signature in gold foil, this striking sculpture is individually numbered, has a limited edition run size of 200 pieces and retails for $500. I was surprised to learn that Kidrobot Black figures can now be purchased at specialty retailers worldwide, and not just at Black.Kidrobot.com. Kind of takes away from the concept doesn’t it? The figure is currently sold out online, but I know of a few designer toy stores that still have them in stock (I just saw one at Kidrobot LA this past weekend). Grab one of these massive 20” figures while you still can!

DC Universe Pop! Heroes Wave 3 by Funko

The long rumored third wave of Funko’s DC Universe Pop! Heroes vinyl figures has officially been announced and The Blot really loves the lineup: Aquaman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Captain Marvel and the villain Two-Face. It is worth noting that the final image for Hawkman has not been released yet, but I assume he is still in production since they skipped number 17 in the numbering of Wave 3’s packaging. Can you say San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive perhaps?!?

You may also notice some subtle differences between the final versions of these figures and the concept art that was leaked a few months ago. It looks like Funko is already incorporating many of these character’s new looks in the soon to be revamped/rebooted/relaunched DC Universe. For instance, there is now an extra red circle representing Mars in the middle of Martian Manhunter’s chest and Green Arrow had swapped out his old school Robin Hood hat/shirt for his new look Smallville inspired hood. I wonder whatever DCnU changes we will be seeing in Funko’s upcoming releases.

Each DC Universe Pop! Heroes Wave 3 vinyl figure stands 3.75” tall, has a rotating head and comes in a displayable window box. These 6 figures will retail for $9.99 each and are expected to ship sometime in August 2011.

Johnny Cupcakes Summer Fruit Cupcake & Crossbones Logo T-Shirts

If you follow The Blot on Twitter then you know I spent the 4th of July holiday weekend in Los Angeles. While in the City of Angels, I got to visit the Johnny Cupcakes LA Shoppe! This was my first trip to a JC retail location and I was really hoping for a surprise pop culture themed release, ala Captain America: The First Avenger.  You see, the past few summers Johnny has released a design inspired by that summer’s biggest comic book movie blockbuster (The Dark Knight, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and rumor had it some new tees would be dropping over the 4th of July weekend.

While new shirts were released last week, sadly they were not super hero themed as I had hoped. Instead, we got a mini series of tasty summer fruit Cupcake and Crossbones Johnny Cupcakes Logo t-shirts. Each Crossbones design features a different traditional summer fruit: Strawberry, Watermelon and Orange. All three Summer Fruit Crossbones t-shirts are currently available for purchase directly from the JC online store for $35.99. These fruity t-shirts are available in both men’s and women’s styles, sizes S-XXL.

Captain America: The First Avenger Trailer #2 & Television Spot

By the time you read this, The Blot will be on my way to Los Angeles where I will be celebrating the 4th of July. While I’m gone, check out these awesome trailers for Captain America: The First Avenger. Seriously, what’s more patriotic than Captain America! The Blot can admit it when I’m was wrong, and I was all wrong about this movie (at least based on what we’ve seen so far). These latest trailers are seriously good, especially the film's newest television commercial (above) which debuted last week.  Then watch the second official Captain America: The First Avenger trailer below which features the Red Skull and HYDRA! Marvel definitely knows what they're doing with these movies, don't they?

Of the four big comic book films being released this summer, the one I expected the least from was Captain America but so far it’s looking to be as good if not better than Thor and X-Men: First Class (Green Lantern has already taken the crown as worst comic book adaptation of summer 2011). I hope everyone has a fun filled holiday weekend filled with hot dog eating contests, fireworks and good old Steve Rogers (a.k.a. Captain America)!

Captain America: The First Avenger, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Tommy Lee Jones, is scheduled to debut in theaters on July 22, 2011.