News/Updates 

Returning to Toy Fair today, one of the first things I did was check out some of my favorite vendors from last year.

In that first post I spent a great deal of time talking about DANO2 and their line of safe (lead free, BPA free, PVC free, phthalate free), beautifully designed infant toys. I was very impressed by their work and their attitude, and was happy to see that not only were they back this year, but they have expanded their line to include Little Sky Riders, a group of aircraft that can ride on their own tracks or be used with standard wooden tracks. The Little Sky Riders are scheduled for release this July, and if you have a little one in your life I highly recommend you check them out.



Next up, Manhattan Toy brought along their newest additions to the Automoblox line, including their mini T900 Truck and Mini Hot Rods. I still like the unique combination of classic wood bodies and futuristic-looking plastic canopies, and it works surprisingly well on the classic cars.



Speaking of classics, M2 gave some clues about what they had on deck for 1/24, which looked really promising. Their next release looks like it will be completing the trifecta of the American "Big Three," and it sounds like the number and variety of their 1/24 series will be increaing in general. As noted elsewhere in this site, I have been impressed by their work and look forward to adding more of their cars to my collection.



Last but not least, Maisto and BBurago had some new high-priced offerings in 1/24 scale, including the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV, BMW 3 Series Touring, Renault Megane Trophy, Dodge Viper RT 10SCR, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia, Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG, Nissan GT-R, and Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT1 Commemorative Edition. Like the M2 cars, I look forward to adding some of these to my collection.

Tomorrow: robots and slot cars!

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Counting down the final days of 2009, I can say this year has been quite a ride - for myself and for the hobby, toy, automotive, and entertainment worlds as well.

The biggest news in the entertainment world this year was, of course, the death of Michael Jackson. But other personalities, including Ricardo Montalban, Frank Springer (comic artist), Dom DeLuise, David Carradine, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, Henry Gibson, Vic Mizzy, Dan O'Bannon, and Brittany Murphy, passed on as well.

Not all was sad news on the entertainment front, though: sci-fi and car enthusiasts had one of the best years ever, with Watchmen, Fast and Furious, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation, 9, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, District 9, Zombieland, and Avatar all hitting theaters. Even if you hated some of them, there was such a wide range of movies that you were sure to find something to enjoy this year. TV and movie car collectors also had a pretty good year, ranging from the high-end Watchmen line from DC Direct, to the figures from TF:RotF, to Hallmark's Keepsake Ornaments (which included cars and figures from Forbidden Planet, Ghostbusters, The Simpsons, Christmas Vacation, and The Wizard of Oz).

In automotive news, the unprecedented bailout of Chrysler and GM had several repercussions. Several marques ended up on the chopping block as GM announced plans to end or sell the Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn brands. GM also cut back in other areas, such as dropping the convertible and Z/28 options from their new Camaro (which finally hit dealers this spring after making their debut nearly two years earlier in Transformers). The bad news wasn't limited to North America: Toyota announced their first operating loss since 1938, and they, Honda, and BMW withdrew from Formula 1 racing. Not all of the news was bad, though: motorsports history was made in late November as Jimmie Johnson and his team won their fourth consecutive points championship.

The economy also produced some shake-ups in the toy world: Toys R Us acquired FAO Schwarz back in May, not even six months after the last K*B store closed. On the plus side, manufacturers have had to step up their game to remain viable and as such we saw some truly excellent work in lines such as Hasbro's Transformers (which celebrated their 25^th year in '09), NECA's Terminator 2, and Mattel's Avatar.

Hobby-wise, there were quite a few ups and downs as well. We lost Chris Louden (modeler), Mario Besana (Bburago diecasts), and Donald Kaufman (K*B Toys), but gained a celebrity guest of sorts when John Schneider created a series of customized 1/18 "post-jump" General Lees under the name "Bo's Jumpyard."

Elsewhere, Round2 continued with their releases of some classic kits (including several Dukes of Hazzard kits and semi truck kits) as well as the promise of the long-awaited Aurora '66 Batmobile reissue and an all-new 1/25 tooling of the car. Revell had some great releases both new (like their '57 Chevy "Black Widow" and Kenworth W900) and reissued (like their '64 Chevy Stepside and Rommel's Rod), while other companies stepped up with some cool kits like Aoshima's Super Pursuit Mode KITT and Moebius'Lost in Space robot.

The 1/24 scale diecast world continued to grow as well, with M2 releasing their much-anticipated Mustang Mach 1, Jada releasing their Battle Machines line (inspired by last year's Death Race), and Johnny Lightning continuing their line of some of the most acclaimed vehicles on the market. We also saw some non-diecast 1/24 offerings from other companies, including DC Direct's Watchmen Owl Ship and Hot Wheels'Battle Force 5 lineup.

For me, 2009 marked my first trip to the New York Toy Fair, where I was able to report on many of the then-upcoming products for the year. I also returned to the New York Comic-Con, where I was able to talk to PvP's Scott Kurtz (and get his thoughts on my future project of building Brent's Mini Cooper) and Neal Adams. My talk with Adams gave me the final directions I needed to complete my 1970 Batmobile, the only Batmobile I actually finished this year.

Thanks to a series of several bodywork-intensive projects in 2008 and the beginning of 2009, I needed to take a break from the filling and sanding. The upshot of this was that I had one of my best years ever as far as number of projects completed, including the Supernatural Impala, the Sharky's Machine Dodge, the Wheels of Terror Charger, the Taarzan the Wonder Car Civic CRX, the Automan Countach, the Alone in the Dark Touareg, the Dead Pool R/C Corvette, the Beverly Hillbillies truck, the 1955 The Fast and the Furious Jaguar, Dilbert's Carbicle, Charlie's Mercedes from 2½ Men, Vin Diesel's RX-7 and the Civic trio from The Fast and the Furious, Kate's Jaguar from Misfile, Val's Jaguar from V.I.P., Kurt Russell's Caddy from 3000 Miles to Graceland, Traveller, The Car, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Skids, and Ecto-1. I also worked on a few non-vehicle 1/24 projects, including Zeke (from the webcomic Ctrl-Alt-Del), WALL·E, The Stig (from the BBC's Top Gear), and Robby the Robot. The Mediabots also gained a new member when I finished off Autobot Bypass, and a head swap finally made my McFarlane T-800 look the way he's supposed to.

Elsewhere on the site, I added several new features for both new and experienced modelers, including a downloads page, a scale model advertisement archive, a hobby safety guide, revised tipspages, and a parent's guide to modeling (with thanks to Dr. toy for her feedback on this). I signed the site up at Twitter and Facebook, so people can stay up-to-date on my current projects and get special photos from my builds and collections. I also received some new Guest Gallery entries from modelers Matt D, Jason, Mr. Monte Carlo Man, and Farmboy. Last but not least, I was able to team up with Joe Johnson of Hollywood-Diecast.com for the first ever Bandit Awards, celebrating the automotive achievements of the previous year.

There have been lots of ups and downs these last 12 months, and I'm looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store for us all!

Although models were a bit light this year, there was no shortage of diecast manufacturers on hand this year.



The first booth I stopped by was Learning Curve, the parent company of Johnny Lightning. JL is going to be continuing their line of 1/24 muscle cars in 2009, including some new castings, more chase cars, and some different price tiers. They also reaffirmed their commitment to true 1/24 scale vehicles, instead of the "sort of" 1/24 scale that other companies have drifted into over the last few years. Sadly, they also confirmed that there is currently no hope for a resurrection of their Batman license.



Next up was Phoenix Toys, makers of 1/24 scale equipment and diorama accessories. They are expanding their lineup for 2009, and will have everything from car show accessories to construction equipment to garage items. These will be available in sets as well as some individually sold items like toolboxes, air compressors, and engine hoists. They also have ten finished engines listed in their 2009 catalog, including flat heads, SB/BB Chevys, and SB/BB Fords (no Chrysler or Desoto engines yet). They also have quite a few current and upcoming vehicles, including everything from '34 Ford tankers to a custom Zephyr to vans to muscle cars. Their newest product previewed there was a '63 Corvette split window in silver, and from what I saw it's going to be a great looking replica.



After that it was on to M2 authentics. M2 is primarily known for their 1/64 cars, but they recently introduced a 1957 Chevy in several trim levels (I'm hoping to get a review of one of these up soon). The people there also said that they had plans for a new casting in the near future, most likely a muscle car.



Last but not least was the booth devoted to Bburago and Maisto. They had a ton of vehicles, both current and upcoming, but the coolest of the bunch was their full lineup of Need For Speed: Undecover cars. Yes, they also had the crystal Murcielago shown above, but it was 1/18 scale. They also had some teasers up for their upcoming '55 Buick, which looks like it should be awesome.

Online: JohnnyLightning.com; PhoenixToys.com; M2Machines.com; Maisto.com; Bburago.com

All in all, ToyFair 2009 was a great experience. From enthusiastic newcomers to seasoned veterans, there was something for everyone at the show (these posts over the last four days barely scratched the surface of what all was there). Tomorrow I'll return to regular site news, as I've been working on a couple of things that are just about ready to go live.

Round2 and Revell sat out this year's ToyFair, leaving Lindberg as the only plastic model kit representative. They appeared to be continuing their reissues, though their recent Dodge Charger is getting a lot of exposure thanks to multiple Police Car variations.



Despite the lack of kit manufacturers, there were a couple of companies there that specialized in unique and limited-run finished models. The first was American Diorama, specializing in scale scenes, building accessories, and vehicles. Their display at he show featured a couple of ~1/24 scale roadside scenes, and I was told that they are working on a pair of late '30s Chevrolet sedans to be released later this year.



The other company that really caught my attention was TWH Collectibles. Although they don't appear to work in 1/24 scale, the centerpiece of their booth was quite impressive: a 1/50 scale Bucyrus 8750 Dragline that featured detailed latticework, catwalks, and full rigging. It was several feet long, and despite a price tag of a few thousand dollars TWH's first run was completely sold out.

So although the turnout was much more limited than I had hoped, it's still nice to know and see that there are those who still go above and beyond with their scale projects. Tomorrow, I'll be wrapping up my coverage of ToyFair 2009 with a look at the diecast manufacturers that were on hand.

Online: Lindberg-Models.com; AmericanDiorama.com; TWHCollectibles.com.

Even though they weren't at ToyFair, don't forget to check out Revell, Round2, and Tamiya

Moving the age bracket up a few years from yesterday's post, today I'll focus on some precursors to scale modeling. There are a couple of familiar names here as well as a couple that you might not know right away, but they all have the distinction of being geared towards creation as well as play.



The real heavy hitter in this category is, of course, LEGO. This year they will be celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Star Wars-themed sets like "Echo Base,""Battle of Endor," and the Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser. They'll also be bringing back some familiar themes such as Castle, Pirates, and Space Police, along with continuing their Indiana Jones, City, Agents, Bionicle, and Racers lines. Duplo, Technic, and Creator sets will also be there to compliment the theme sets as always. Overall, LEGO sets are a great building toy for every age, and they're a great way to encourage creativity.



A slightly different take on the "build your own car" theme was the Automoblox line from Manhattan Toy. Designed by Patrick Calello, these highly stylized vehicles are constructed from wood and plastic and feature interchangeable parts to allow kids to customize their cars. There are two primary series, each with several unique designs. The "Full Size" series cars are about 8" long, while the "Minis" average about 6" long. They're recommended for ages 3-9, but the designs are so slick that you might want to pick up one for your desk as well.



If your kids are done with the pre-decorated toys and want to try their hand at painting, the Design Your Own series of products is a great way to introduce them to the world of painting 3-dimensional objects. The DYO Bobble Head kits (including the above stock car) all come with the assembled figure, non-toxic paint, and a brush, and can be personalized to represent a favorite figure, individual, or fantasy league. DYO also has a series of sports equipment that manages to combine artistic and physical activities.

Overall, it was nice to see that there are still quite a few companies that are encouraging design, engineering, and creativity with their toy lines. As great as action figures, dolls, and games are, the construction toys always won me over. Tomorrow I'll bump up the age braacket once more, and take a look at some of the more unique grown-up toys on display.

Online: LEGO.com; Automoblox.com; DYOToys.com.

Looking for more construction toys? Don't forget about Erector sets, K'NEX, and MEGA BLOKS.

In the wake of several recalls in 2008, there were several toy manufacturers at ToyFair 2009 that were showcasing items specifically designed to be safer and more friendly (to kids, parents, and the environment). One company in particular stood out to me, especially when I learned that the man who started it had a history in this hobby.



Daniel Monahan is a classically trained sculptor who worked in the entertainment industry editing motion-capture data for film and video games before launching Angels & Gringos a couple of years ago. Then last year, Daniel was about to become a father for the first time. Uneasy about the reports coming in about lead, pthalates, BPA, PVC, and other toxins in children's toys, he had the idea to create a line of toys that he could feel 100% confident in.



Combining the skills he acquired through sculpture and toymaking with the help of an MIT chemist, a UCLA pediatrician, and his father (entrepreneur Greg Monahan), DANO2 was born. The company currently makes three lines of products: Ducki, Circus Rings, and Tum. All three lines (and all of their variations) are made from medical-grade plastic in factories within the US, and Monahan's style creates a look that is familiar yet unique.

DANO2 is very much a family company, and it is nice to see someone with both the knowhow and the motivation working on a project like this. Hopefully DANO2 will grow with Monahan's family, and we will see more of his work appear in toys for older children as well. Fortunately, there were plenty of options on display at ToyFair for kids who are ready to move on to more hands-on building and painting projects right now. Check back tomorrow when I talk about some of my favorites from this group.

Online: DANO2.com

Looking for more safe toys for little ones? Check out AminalDolls.com for stuffed critters and ConstructiveEating.com for a new take on the old utensils.

Although the only plastic kit manufacturer on hand at the 2009 Toy Fair was Lindberg, there were still quite a few companies there that really caught my attention. Over the next few days, I'll be spending some time talking about some of the individual products and ideas that I especially liked. I'm also in talks with another writer who may be making contributions here or on a linked weblog in the future, but details are still pending a t the moment.