Welcome back! In Part 1 of this 2012 preview, I talked a bunch of gibberish about the first six months of the year to come. So, since the rest of the year is even more nebulous, this should make for even more stupid talk. Let’s get to it!
Continue readingBotCon 2012 Toy Reveal – Heroic Treadshot
The fourth toy revealed in the BotCon 2012 box set is the Heroic Decepticon Treadshot. Treadshot is a remold of Reveal the Shield Special Ops Jazz, with a different head (possibly the alternate head created by Hasbro itself). Treadshot is primarily blue and yellow (the same colors as Armada Side Swipe). And he’s GORGEOUS. Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow! This is what I want to see from the convention! This is an absolutely gorgeous toy. The blue body, the yellow windows and lights, the grey spoiler — this is not only a great homage to Side Swipe, but it’s also just a fantastic deco. I
Continue readingBotCon 2012 Toy Reveal – Heroic Soundwave
The third toy revealed in the BotCon 2012 box set is the Heroic Decepticon Soundwave. Featuring a remolded head, this toy uses the 2008 Universe Ratchet/Ironhide mold in white, with blue and yellow/green highlights. And it’s… well, let’s get the good stuff out of the way. If you remember the minicomic “Desert Heat” that the Transformers Collectors’ Club released (see here and here if you don’t), then this should look awfully familiar. Soundwave was reformatted into this mode from his old Device Label MP3 player mode. This toy accurately reflects the art, down to the Cold Slither logo on the side. Sure, the side
Continue reading2012 – The Geekly Fast Forward (Part 1)
Happy New Year! Okay, so it’s a few days past New Year’s, but really, we’re only about 1% of the way through the year; that’s not too much time to have passed. This year is shaping up to be another banner year for geekly stuff, but it’s hard to keep it all straight. So that’s where ASM comes in — to continue making it hard to make sense of it all. This list is not all-encompassing, nor do I make any claims as to its accuracy. Consider it just some ruminations on the year ahead. Let’s dive in!
Continue readingBotCon 2012 Toy Reveal – Evil Tracks
The second toy revealed in the BotCon 2012 box set is the Evil Autobot Tracks. Using the same mold as Reveal the Shield Turbo Tracks, this is a new character from the Shattered Glass universe. It’s a dual homage to the Diaclone version of the Generation 1 toy and the eHobby exclusive Road Rage, which was itself an homage to the Diaclone toy (and a European version of the toy released in the Diaclone colors.) So maybe it’s only one homage. Or maybe it’s three homages. Or maybe it’s a recursive homage. Or… something. I liked the original Turbo Tracks toy (okay,
Continue readingBotCon 2012 Toy Reveal – The Overlord Gigatron
Over the holidays, BotCon.com began revealing the toys in the BotCon 2012 box set. The first one to be revealed was The Overlord, Gigatron, a remolded Revenge of the Fallen Bludgeon, making the first time a quasi-movie mold has been used for a BotCon exclusive. Granted, Bludgeon was created to be both a “Movie-style” and “Classics-style” toy, and it’s not a Paramount copyrighted design, but still, it’s a first. The toy is meant to be a reimaginging of the Generation 1 character Overlord, but with a new name, it’s hard to say what the characterization will be. It’s said he
Continue readingC2E2 2012 Guest Announcement – Joe Kubert
While it’s cold and the holidays are on us, we here at ASM can’t help but look towards April and C2E2 in Chicago. This has become a favorite convention for us in its short existence, and we’re looking forward to the third year. The first guest announcement has us jazzed as well — Comics Legend Joe Kubert will be in attendance! To many, the Kubert name is synonymous with comics, much like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Joe Simon, or any of a dozen or more others. Joe has worked on DC Comics’ Batman, Hawkman, and Sgt. Rock, and the Flash
Continue readingSquishable Mini Cthulhu
The Geek Bits Name: Mini Squishable Cthulhu Toyline: Squishable Subline: Squishable Minis Retail Price: $19 USD Released: 2011 Availability: Squishable.com and other fine retailers Includes: Mini Squishable Cthulhu, huggability, fluffiness ** Disclaimer: This product (Squishables Mini Cthulhu) was supplied to us by the manufacturers for review purposes. Other products shown in this review, such as the Squishables Penguin (Version 1) and Puffs brand facial tissues, were purchased on our own. This review is not a paid endorsement of any of the above products. Squishable is an unstoppable juggernaut of spherical plush creatures. Like a giant fluffy snowball, it has swept
Continue readingJulian Glover to Appear at Cyphan in Chicago!
Actor Julian Glover is slated to appear at Cyphan3 in Chicago! This science fiction and fantasy convention will held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, IL, on July 27-29, 2012. Mr. Glover is most recently known for his work as Grand Maester Pycelle on HBO’s Game of Thrones, a role which has garnered much praise from fans of the series. Fans of the Star Wars saga will remember him as General Veers in The Empire Strikes Back. Mr. Glover is also as fan-favorite in the science fiction and fantasy genre for his work as the voice of Aragog in
Continue readingGoogle+ Page Open for Circling!
Howdy, folks! ASM’s got one of those new-fangled Google+ Pages. Find us, bookmark us, circle us and share us at an easy-to-remember URL: http://asmzine.com/gplus ! You can also go their via that handy-dandy li’l G+ icon in the upper right corner. We’ll crosspost to our old account and new page for the foreseeable future.
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