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Memorial Day 2013

Monday, May 27. 2013


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Furious 6 Review

Sunday, May 26. 2013
I've been a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise since the first movie. It was a big, dumb, fun movie that was good enough to like, bad enough to love, and with just enough plot to move things along. It was followed by a sequel that didn't offer much, and a third installment that did even less. But then something interesting happened: the movies started getting better. Part 4 was a solid movie pulled together most of the original cast, and even tied in parts 2 & 3—improving those movies retroactively. By the time we got part 5, the franchise managed to pull off the impossible and was actually continuing to improve. They were getting rid of the elements that didn't fit, using the ones that did, and building a universe that actually worked (nonsensical, yes, but it worked). Happily, part 6 continues that trend...and while I don't think it was quite as good as Fast 5, it was still a solid movie that continued to build on the universe that has been created over the last 12 years. The trailers for it have already given too much away (a trend that started with them showing us the first demise of the Charger back in 2001), so I will remain spoiler-free here. It really is worth experiencing this in the theater. I will, however, note a few of my favorite moments:

Continue reading "Furious 6 Review"

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Press Release: The LEGO Group Unveils World's Largest LEGO Model To Delight LEGO Star Wars Fans Across The Galaxy

Friday, May 24. 2013
The LEGO Group today unveiled the world's largest LEGO model, a 1:1 replica of the LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing starfighter, in New York's Times Square. To celebrate the upcoming premiere of The Yoda Chronicles on Cartoon Network on Wednesday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m. (ET, PT), the massive replica took 32 master builders, five million LEGO bricks and over 17,000 hours to complete. The model weighs nearly 46,000 pounds, stands 11 feet tall and 43 feet long, with a wingspan of 44 feet. The Model will "take off" for a summer landing at LEGOLAND® California Resort where it will be installed through the remainder of the year.

"Just as kids love to test and hone their LEGO building skills and imaginative storytelling, our LEGO Master Builders are always testing their creative skills to top their last larger-than-life sized creations," said Michael McNally, Brand Relations Director for LEGO Systems. "The size and structural complexity of a freestanding model 42 times the size of one our retail sets was a challenge they could not resist."

LEGO Star Wars is the original and most successful licensed product collection in The LEGO Group's history and remains among the best-selling global toy lines. The theme's evergreen strength comes from its appeal across generations to fans of all ages and a steady introduction of digital content such as The Yoda Chronicles to compliment the building experience.

"Much the same way that fans can build the Star Wars universe with our LEGO sets, we are fortunate to work with Lucasfilm to build new stories, characters and vehicles through one-of-a-kind content such as the new 'Yoda Chronicles' miniseries launching on Cartoon Network," said Nicholas Hort, LEGO Star Wars brand manager.

LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter Model Fun Facts

  • Contains 5,335,200 LEGO bricks

  • Weighs 45,980 pounds

  • Height: 11 feet / 3.35 meters

  • Length: 43 feet / 13.1 meters

  • Wingspan: 44 feet / 13.44 meters

  • 32 builders spent 17,336 hours to construct – about 4 months

  • Built in the LEGO Model Shop in Kladno, Czech Republic

  • Is a one-to-one replica of LEGO Star Wars set #9493; The model is 42x the size of the retail building set

  • The model was heavily engineered to withstand all the transportation, setup/break down and to ensure it was safe for Times Square given the subway system below and California's seismic requirements for the LEGOLAND California Resort installation.



How to Celebrate From a "Galaxy Far, Far Away" with Cool Content and LEGO Bricks
"The Yoda Chronicles"
The Yoda Chronicles is an exciting, funny and action-packed new LEGO Star Wars story told in three animated TV specials. "The Phantom Clone" will premiere on Wednesday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m. (ET, PT) on Cartoon Network with specials two and three airing later this year. In the first of three specials, a brand new character, Jek 14 will enter the Star Wars universe. Created by the LEGO Group, Jek 14 is a clone who has been 'enhanced' by the Force.

LEGO Star Wars Red Five X-Wing Starfighter™
The most detailed and realistic version of the construction set, the LEGO Star Wars Red Five X-Wing Starfighter, is now available as the ultimate collectible. This exclusive model that contains over 1,500 LEGO bricks comes with a special display stand and data sheet label, is available at LEGO® brand retail stores and shop.LEGO.com for $199.99 USD.

For more information, visit LEGO.com/StarWars

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I'm the Sheriff

Friday, May 17. 2013
Despite my love of movies, I never really cared much for the Academy Awards. I don't actively hate them, but it seems like every year they cause me some minor irritation. Case in point: various circumstances kept me out of the theater when The Last Stand first opened. But that was OK—I'd be able to see it a couple of weeks later. Little did I know that my local multiplexes were planning to replace The Last Stand with a rerun of Life of Pi thanks to its 11 nominations. That, coupled with Last Stand's general underperformance, meant that those of us who missed that narrow window would have to wait until the DVD release. That didn't stop me from building a replica of the Camaro, though!

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Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk

Tuesday, May 14. 2013
This particular model was not on my "to do" list until a few months ago, when Round 2 announced that one of their upcoming models would be a reissue of the '40 Ford Sedan Delivery with Three Stooges decorations. That model year seemed awfully new for the Stooges, and rewatching Cookoo Cavaliers (the short that featured the "Hook, Line, & Sinker" gag shown on Round 2's box art) confirmed my suspiscions. It did, however, lead me to wonder if an appropriate early Ford was available...it was.

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Press Release: Newest Guinness World Records Title Presented to TOMY for World's Tallest Toy Train Track

Monday, May 13. 2013
TOMY, the maker of the innovative Chuggington StackTrack Railway System, set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Tallest Toy Train Track on Saturday, May 11, 2013. The record-setting train track, constructed with Chuggington StackTrack—a durable die-cast railway system that enables kids to build vertical toy train layouts—towered 17 feet 4 inches tall. In order to set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for World's Tallest Toy Train Track, TOMY Master Builder Jason Moreno and his helpers needed to construct a layout utilizing the Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway track that met or exceeded 9 feet 8 inches in height, and a commercially available Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway train had to travel from the top of the track all the way down to the bottom. Hundreds of kids and their families watched in anticipation and were delighted as the engine completed its journey down the spiraling StackTrack tower.

TOMY Master Builder Jason Moreno prepares to send a Chuggington die-cast railway train down a tower constructed of 17 feet, four inches of Chuggington StackTrack, which set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Title for tallest toy train track Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Grand Central Terminal
Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130513/CG12330


Moreno constructed the larger-than-life toy train layout as part of the Grand Centennial Parade of Trains in Vanderbilt Hall in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. The building began at 8:00 a.m. and was completed at 1:00 p.m., in time for the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Adjudicator to authenticate the record-setting event and present the certificate to a delighted TOMY crew.

"This is a very exciting achievement for our company and for Chuggington StackTrack," states Willie Wilkov, TOMY's VP of Marketing Communications and Branding. "We are proud and honored to now be counted among the select GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title holders."

TOMY Master Builder Jason Moreno adds, "I went into the build being 100% confident we could set the record, but I'm not going to say it was easy!" Moreno worked on the build, which featured nearly 1,000 track pieces for more than five hours. "It was exhilarating and when that train made it through more than 140 spiraling turns and hit the bottom, I am sure you could hear the cheers and screams throughout Grand Central Terminal!"

Inspired by Chuggington's modern characters and fast-paced adventures, TOMY's Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway combines train and construction play in a full line of toys. The line features playsets and high-performance engines that allow budding engineers to build tall, spiraling toy train layouts. Easy to connect and simple enough for preschoolers to build on their own, the Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway system is a durable and sturdy solution for adding elevation to train sets and creating amazing action.

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Say It Again, Y'All

Thursday, May 9. 2013
We had some nice weather over the past weekend, so I took to opportunity to do a quick repaint of the last of my T-Bird Go-Bot/Spychanger models.

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Dean Jeffries

Wednesday, May 8. 2013
Dean Jeffries
Dean Jeffries
February 25, 1933 - May 5, 2013


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Ray Harryhausen

Tuesday, May 7. 2013
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
June 29, 1920 - May 7, 2013


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On KOs and BBs

Tuesday, May 7. 2013
Last week, a popular source for knockoff and third-party Transformers figures was shut down. When it returned, it was without any of the KO figures (a fact confirmed as the new permanent situation by the site's owner via e-mail).

The topic of KOs (and their scale modeling equivalent, recasts) comes up regularly, and my own feelings on it are mixed. I've had my work stolen and used for both personal and commercial applications, so I know how that side of the situation feels. I also know how frustrating it can be to get the short end of the stick when trying to acquire a particular item. So I have adopted this general guide: If there is any chance that I can acquire a legitimate copy of an item, I will do so. That means that there are a lot of holes in my collection because the items I want are too rare and/or expensive to locate (Black Tracks, AMT ZZR kits, etc.), but I have faith that I can fill them in some day...it's just a matter of time.

But what if the item has no "legitimate" counterpart?

Thanks to the current global economy, Hasbro and Takara have been downsizing their figures recently. The Alternator/Binaltech/Human Alliance figures are gone, Masterpieces have been downsized to around 1/32-1/36 scale, and the only figures that I still regularly see in stores have been in the the much smaller Cyberverse series. I really can't see either company suddenly changing things up and offering us 1/24 scale versions of any of the Transformers: Prime characters. Not that Has/Tak are permanently out of that scale, but by the time the pendulum swings back Prime will be long dead (just as we'll likely see no new figures of characters from Machine Wars, Robots in Disguise, Energon, and Cybertron outside of con/store exclusives...it's just the nature of the industry).

So when a company makes an "oversized" version of a standard figure that fills this void, I take interest. Such was the case with Transformers: Prime Bumblebee. While I do own a copy of the standard size figure from Hasbro, this gave me the chance to add the character (along with Wheeljack) to my model collection.

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Press Release: TOMY Attempts to Set Guinness World Records title for World's Tallest Toy Train Track

Wednesday, May 1. 2013
TOMY, the maker of the innovative Chuggington StackTrackTM Railway System, announces a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title attempt scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2013. Chuggington StackTrack is a durable die-cast railway system that enables kids to achieve elevation in toy train play. The Company will be constructing a larger-than-life toy train layout in an attempt to set the record for World's Tallest Toy Train Track. The public is invited to join the excitement, which will be a featured part of the Grand Centennial Parade of Trains in Vanderbilt Hall in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. TOMY's Master Builder, Jason Moreno, will be on site constructing the sky-high layout beginning at 10:00 a.m. until the 1:00 p.m. world record attempt is officially completed.

In order to set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for World's Tallest Toy Train Track, Moreno and his helpers must construct a towering layout utilizing the Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway track that meets or exceeds 9 feet 8 inches in height, and a commercially available Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway train must then travel from the top of the track all the way down to the bottom.

A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Adjudicator will be on site to authenticate the record-setting event and, if the effort is successful, to present a certificate that officially proclaims TOMY as the world record holder. Families and kids of all ages are invited to participate in the event, which is free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Attendees may also visit the Chuggington areas in the Kids Junction, which will feature fun train activities, games, giveaways, and entertainment. Entertainment will include Radio Disney AM 1560, part of the #1 radio network for kids, tweens and families, who'll be there from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. providing interactive entertainment and prizes.

"We're proud that our StackTrack sets enable kids to build their train sets UP, not just out. We've taken train play to new heights, and setting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Tallest Toy Train Track makes it official," states Willie Wilkov, TOMY's VP of Marketing Communications and Branding.

TOMY Master Builder Jason Moreno adds, "I'm confident we can set the world record. We designed Chuggington StackTrack to be really sturdy and easy to assemble, which will help me get the build done in time." Since he only has a few hours to attempt the record, Moreno has for the past several months been constructing practice builds and timing his efforts. "Our team is honored to have the opportunity to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title with our Chuggington StackTrack."

Inspired by Chuggington's modern characters and fast-paced adventures, TOMY's Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway combines train and construction play in a full line of toys. The line features playsets and high-performance engines that allow budding engineers to build tall, spiraling toy train layouts. Easy to connect and simple enough for preschoolers to build on their own, the Chuggington StackTrack die-cast railway system is a durable and sturdy solution for adding elevation to train sets and creating amazing action.

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