Toys 'R Us: December 21, 2016

I meant to get this posted before Christmas, but you know how the holidays can go. Anyhow, I had to make a quick trip to my local TRU store in Pineville, NC the week of Christmas and I thought why not document my trip if you will. I always get a kick out of those old photos of the toy aisle that you see pop up on the internet from time to time. I thought why not take a few photos of the aisles I was browsing and share them. Remember, you can click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

The dedicated Nexo Knights end cap display prominently at the front of the Lego section. Nothing new here, but the sheer awesomeness of these sets will still attract your attention.

I started my visit in the Lego section like I normally do. I usually gravitate to the City section since that has traditionally been my favorite theme, however the Nexo Knights have caught my attention ever since they were released in early 2016. The good thing about late December is you can sometimes find some of the new sets already out on shelves. This was the case as I found several of the new Nexo Knights themed sets for 2017. If only I had more space and money I'd buy all of these sets!

Across from the Nexo Knights section was the aforementioned City theme sets. I noticed a few new sets, like the Pizza Van, but many of these were sets that have been out for awhile now. Surprisingly I didn't see many of the "Cops vs Crooks" sets I've seen at places like Target and Walmart. The selection was still pretty good, especially if you don't have a Lego store nearby.

The end cap around the corner from the City section was supposed to be spotlighting the new sets, but it had been picked over. I swear that jet and limousine set looks awfully familiar. I keep saying I'm going to buy that construction set w/ the Port-A-John before it disappears from retail shelves.

Being the Marvel van that I am, I didn't bother to take pictures of the DC Super Heroes sets! I should mention that many of the larger Marvel sets were actually on the action figure aisle shelves. Other than one small Captain America set from when Lego first started releasing Marvel sets, I've stayed away. It's not because I don't like the sets, but like other collectors I only have so much money and room for my collections. This new Spider-Man and Ghost Rider set looks pretty cool though.

My wife and I finally caught the new Star Wars Rogue One movie in the theatres as part of our wedding anniversary celebration on New Year's Day. Man oh man was that a great movie! Makes some of these new sets that more intriguing, especially that new TIE fighter.

Before leaving the Lego area, I walked around to where the Mega Bloks were and noticed a few of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sets. I've seen the Krang set before, but the Turtle van and Technodrome I hadn't seen before...at least in person. I couldn't believe the $249.99 price tag of the Technodrome however. Guess I shouldn't be surprised as it looks to be similar in size to the Lego Star Wars Deathstar.

After finishing in the building block section, I made my way around to the other side of the store where the action figures were. I first went down the comic themed aisle, looking specifically to see if there were any of the new Spider-Man/Sandman Marvel Legends figures. There was one lone figure of the Jackal, but that was it. The rest of the selection was average fare...Absorbing Man, Ant Man, Juggernaut and Dormammu Build-A-Figure waves. There were a few of the 4 inch figures that I hadn't seen before. The figures of Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Rage (New Warriors) were particularly favorites of mine. I will eventually pick up that figure of Rage as the New Warriors was the first Marvel title I read when my brother first introduced me to comics in 1990.

Sadly the Transformers section was pretty poor. It had been shopped, but not well managed by the store staff. Do you ever find yourself tidying up the shelves and pegs at your local stores like I do? I couldn't help to put things back in the right spots...I guess it comes from all those years I worked retail while in high school and college. The only new items I saw was the new packaging for Robots in Disguise. They had the new wave of Legends figures, but TRU is asking $8.99 when they can be bought for $5.99 at Target/Walmart. I'm OK with a small mark up, but $3? Come on, man!

What I didn't intend on seeing on this visit was Playmates new Voltron toys. These of course are based on the new Netflix series. I started to watch the new show while on vacation last week, but after walking 6 miles through the streets of Savannah, GA I just couldn't make it very long and fell asleep. I'll have to revisit the show again very soon.

The non-combing lions were present, as well as some figures of the enemy. There was a full set of the combining lions which was surprising...especially after I've heard from others that they have been hard to find. There was 3 of the black lion too. I was tempted, but ultimately held off since Christmas was just around the corner.

The last section I checked out was the "collector's area" that has taken over a part of the R Zone where the video games and other electronics are held. This is where you find a lot of the comic and movie franchise figures. There didn't seem to be a lot of rhyme or reason to the way this area was set up, however there was some cool stuff there. I particularly liked the Funko Dark Crystal figures...always loved that old Jim Henson movie.

Well that about wraps it up. I wanted to take more pictures in the action figure aisles, but being that it was only a few days left before Christmas the store was busy. I was already getting odd looks from other customers taking the pictures that I did, so I just settled for what I had. 

I will make mention that I visit a TRU store in Greenville, SC when I travel for work and it's a much nicer store. It's one of those combined TRU / Babies R Us stores so it's much larger. The video game area usually leaves a lot to be desired, but their Lego and action figure sections are always well stocked. The store also seems to be given more attention than the one located near me.

LEGO Nexo Knights: Preview Pack #5004388

The new year always brings new LEGO sets to retail shelves and occasionally a new theme as well. For 2016 LEGO is launching a new series called Nexo Knights. Going into the new year I really hadn't heard of this new theme or knew what it was all about. However right around Christmas I received the winter catalog in the mail and I was able to check out some of these new Nexo Knights sets.

My first impression of this theme was Visionaries (the old 80's Hasbro property) meets Dungeons & Dragons (or LEGO Castle). From what I gathered from the catalog you have Merlok and the Knights of the Round, using modernized armor for the knights. I was intrigued enough to stop by the local LEGO store on New Year's Day while out celebrating my wife and I's anniversary together. I ended up grabbing a $20 set (which I plan to share very soon), but upon checkout this preview pack was placed in my shopping bag. I saw the promo in the catalog beforehand and perhaps that along was enough to warrant checking out a set.

The preview pack comes in your standard poly bag packaging. Other than a minifigure, I really wasn't sure what I'd find in the bag and I anxiously waiting to get home before opening the bag. Upon finally opening it up I found several goodies inside, but for me (and I'm sure many others) the real draw here is the included figure.

The figure doesn't have a name (that I could find) as it's just a general henchman type. The head is double sided with a different expression on the back. I accidentally deleted the other photo I had showing this. The only accessory he comes with is this black helmet. The figure itself as you can see has some great looking detail on both the chest and legs. I love both facial expressions and wouldn't mind having a few more of these figures to round out Jestor's evil troops.

The other included piece is a shield on a key chain. I'm still learning about the Nexo Powers the Knights wield, but this shield comes without the face plate (that shows the Nexo Power). It's got a square brick glued onto the back of the shield where the key chain is attached, so it can't really be wielded by a minifigure. Not sure what the real purpose of this piece is to be honest.

Two sheets of stickers, one for the heroic Nexo Knights and one for the evil Jestor and his monsters. I doubt I'll find a use for these so they'll probably end up in the hands of my daughter(s).

The last item inside the Preview Pack is a nice two sided poster. I prefer the 2nd image, the vertical poster layout. I often don't get too swayed by themes outside of the classic City/Town theme, but this is one for some reason that has really got me intrigued. I've watched the first few episodes of the series that debuted this week on Cartoon Network and have enjoyed it. Late last night I downloaded the free Nexo Knights app for my tablet to look into this game that is so heavily advertised on the packaging. So far I'm liking what I see and I think it's safe to say that I'll be back with additional reviews in this series.

eBay store fully restocked!

Every year I've tried to list some goodies on eBay the week of Thanksgiving. Well this year I was a little later to the party than usual, but as of today I've loaded up my eBay store with new Transformers figures, TF parts, Marvel Legends figures & Build-A-Figure parts and lots, lots more. In fact I've listed so many items I ran out of my free listings I get w/ my eBay store subscription, so more new items will be added next week. Some of the items were listed via auction format, but the majority are new stock that will remain in the store until they are sold.

Items of interest include an empty Energon Wing Saber box and even his hard to find pair of missiles! Several cheap Unicron Trilogy figures and Mini-Cons added too. Transformers aren't your style? Then I've got a few loose Gobots up for grabs and I've got the hard to find and equally awesome GI Joe Sigma 6 figure, Lockdown, on auction. In the Marvel section you'll find a few new Marvel Legends and a few BAF parts and even a few of the Disney Vinylmation figurines. I've also re-listed several loose M.A.S.K. figures and a few vintage Masters of the Universe figures and accessories. To round things out you'll also find a few Mattel WWE figures and some of those Funko Mystery Mini Walking Dead vinyl figures.

As always, you can find a link to the store in the sidebar to the right, or just click here! I ship fast, most cases the same day as long as payment is made by 12 noon to 1 pm! Find that item to fill someone's stocking or just grab something for yourself.

New items added to my eBay Store

I took advantage of a slow afternoon and added several more items to my new eBay store.  If you are looking for G1 parts you're in luck as I added several today.  Parts for Scorponok, Roadbuster, Metroplex and many many more.  I also decided to try my luck at re-listing some hard to find Mini-Cons / Microns in an auction format over the holiday weekend.

I still have a TON of stuff to list, but I'll have to do it in small chunks...so why not subscribe to the store's eBay newsletter to stay up to date on when new items are listed or items go on sale?  You can also 'Like' my Facebook page to stay up to date as well.

I promise to get back to toy blogging soon.  While it was nice to take a little break, I'm itching to get back to sharing many cool things I have.  Thanks for everyone's continued patronage.

LEGO Castle: Crossbow Attack #7090

Growing up I never owned a LEGO themed set outside of the Town / City sets, however there were several sets that came along that captured my attention...just not my parent's attention (you know, since they bought me stuff).  While I still don't fancy myself as a collector, I found myself buying more LEGO sets in the past few years and when LEGO introduced skeletons, dwarves and trolls into their then current Castle theme, I was hooked.

 

Even as an adult I've always favored the smaller to medium sized sets and this Crossbow Attack was right up my alley.  3 minifigures, a skeleton horse and firing crossbow wagon?  Yes please!

Minifigures are a big draw of any LEGO set and these two knights are worthy additions to any castle / medieval collection.  The figure on the right I'm familiar with, but the one of the left has a helmet that I've never seen before.

The little crossbow cart is small, but still packs a punch.  There are a set of handles on the rear for one of the minifigures to hold and "push" the cart.  Using a red rubber band and tension, you can really launch an "arrow".  The silver crossbows on each side of the cart are removeable and can be wielded by a minifigure.

If the two previous minifigures weren't enough to sell the set, I'm sure this skeleton minifigure had people buying this set in bulk.  Arm the skeleton with a mean looking sword and shield and you've got yourself a great army builder type figure.

I love how the skeleton comes packaged with his noble steed!  The legs are in a fixed position, but it still looks fantastic with the skeleton in the saddle.

This is a fun little set and is recommended to anyone that enjoys the castle theme.  It's a plus that just about everything in the set could be used to build your army of knights or skeleton warriors!

LEGO Legends of Chima: Crawley's Claw Ripper #70001

Crawley's Claw Ripper is a good introduction set to LEGO's newest theme, Legends of Chima.  At 139 total pieces and 2 mini-figures and just under $20, it's a fun set.

I was excited about this series when it first launched, and although my interest has waned a bit, I look back on this set and remember how fun it was to build and to play around with.

Starting with Crawley himself, LEGO has done a fantastic job with these mini-figures.  I love the new sculpted alligator "helmet" for the figures.  I should also mention that there are two different sets of eyes on the head.  You can display Crawley with his more sinister eyes as such in the photo, or turn the head around for a larger, more frightened set of eyes!

Leonidas comes in this set too as the lion kingdom appears to be the main rivals of the alligators (or is it crocodiles?).  Unlike Crawley, Leonidas comes with a cool sword weapon for him to wield.  As with Crawley, he too has a new sculpted lion "helmet" and two different sets of eyes/face on the head.

One of the neat things about most of these Chima sets are that the vehicles are modeled after their animal pilots.  In this case the Claw Ripper looks like a alligator of sorts.  You have two large free rolling wheels in the rear of the vehicle along w/ rubber treads that move the front set of smaller wheels.

When pushed forward, the rubber treads roll and spin the triangular claws on each side.  The front "mouth" of the vehicle also opens and closes displaying large teeth.  Also note the flat red bricks used inside the mouth for the tongue...nice touch!

Located in the rear of the Claw Ripper is a small red storage compartment that hides the stolen Chima crystal.  Perhaps this is why Leonidas is packaged in this set...Crawley just looted this crystal from the lion kingdom!

What's for dinner?  Why, lion of course!

This is a fun and inexpensive set.  If you've been on the fence or just want to build a new LEGO set, then I highly recommend picking up this set.  There may be better and bigger Chima sets out there on store shelves now, but this little set packs a lot of punch.