Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular roundup of all the latest in wallet-crushing merchandise opportunities. This week, Hasbro ramps up another crowdfunder project for a G.I. Joe classic, Hot Toys asks the question of What If, and NECA’s latest monster line comes with a turtle-y twist. Check it out!
Hasbro HasLab G.I. Joe Skystriker
The G.I. Joe toy line of the ‘80s is most fondly remembered for the massive USS Flagg aircraft carrier playset that seemed as large as a dinner table. But an aircraft carrier is nothing without aircraft, and the G.I. Joe Skystriker played just as important role in imaginary childhood warfare. Will Hasbro ever resurrect the USS Flagg? Stranger things have happened, but through its HasLab crowdfunding platform, the toy maker is now bringing back the Skystriker fighter with a new $230 model with more detailing, decals, and accessories than the original.
The toy will even include two classic G.I. Joe O-ring figures—Ace and Wayne Ruthel—but HasLab is looking for 10,000 backers before early December to put this into production, and right now the campaign is sitting at just over 4,500. C’mon, people, we can’t let Cobra rise again.
Hot Toys Marvel’s What If...? Infinity Ultron Sixth-Scale Diecast Figure
Hot Toys’ quest to turn What If’s animated heroes (and villains) into hyper-realistic action figures continues with a very shiny take on the big bad of the first season, the Infinity-Stone wielding ultimate evolution of Ultron that decides it’s much more fun conquering a multiverse than a single reality. Dubbed Infinity Ultron, the massive 15" figure comes with his lance and some alternate posing hands and... well, that’s pretty much it, actually. Infinity Ultron makes up for it with a bunch of extra features embedded into the figure itself: parts of the armor use diecast metal elements for extra sheen, his cloth cape is posable through an embedded wire, and LED functions light up the helmet pieces and the six Infinity Stones inserted into the chestplate and helmet too. If that wasn’t enough, the Helmet actually opens up to reveal the creepy face of the Vision beneath. You’ll have to wait until, most likely, a What If season two or three is out before you can get the chance to buy him though: Infinity Ultron is due for release in a late 2022-2023. [Hot Toys]
Hasbro Nerf LMTD Halo Needler
Following the giant and extensively detailed recreation of the Halo Infinite MA40 Assault Rifle from almost two years ago, Nerf is finally adding a premier version of the Needler to its Halo collection. Its 10-shot barrel that fires Nerf Elite darts is complemented with flexible needles and other accents that light up when the handle is gripped—powered by six AA batteries hidden inside. A display stand is also included, as well as a display mode that activates all of the blaster’s light-up features without having to hold it. At $100 it’s twice as expensive as the Nerf Halo Infinite MA40 Assault Rifle, and is available for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse with delivery expected sometime in January of next year.
Hasbro G.I. Joe Retro Collection Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow O-Ring Figures
Got a nostalgic hankering for G.I. Joe but prefer the original 3.75-inch figures of your youth? If you don’t want to shell out big bucks for the Skystriker redux, Hasbro has also released a classic O-ring figure two-pack through Hasbro Pulse that includes mortal enemies Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, with all of their original accessories and authentic card back packaging. The only thing that’s changed is the price tag: the duo will set you back $40 if you decide to pre-order the set today, with delivery expected in early 2022.
NECA Universal Monsters x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Through its website and official Instagram account, NECA has been teasing a new crossover figure line featuring mashups of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Universal’s classic movie monsters. We don’t what the entire lineup of the 7-inch figures will include (with Halloween just a few days away and bringing and end to the spooky season, NECA better hurry up), but the first two reveals are Raphael as Frankenstein’s Monster and Leonardo as Ygor the Hunchback. The detailing looks absolutely amazing for a 7-inch fig, including authentic costumes and each turtle’s weapons tailored for their monsterous alter egos. Pricing isn’t known, but the figures are expected to ship sometime in January of next year.
NECA Gargoyles Hudson Figure
NECA continues to tease its new figure line based on the animated Disney Gargoyles series from the ‘90s through the company’s Instagram account, with the wise old Hudson being the latest reveal. There’s not much info on what accessories he’ll include aside from the sword on his belt, but the level of detail on this line (where do we get a leather breastplate like that?) continues to impress.
NECA The Evil Dead Ultimate Ash Williams Figure
To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original The Evil Dead’s theatrical debut, NECA’s got a new Ash Williams figure en route, but delivery isn’t expected until early next year. It’s a reminder of just how young Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell were when they started the Evil Dead franchise, and while it’s too early to know pricing details, NECA’s Instagram account appears to have revealed most of Ash’s accessories, including an axe, trusty chainsaw, and rifle—aka his boomstick.
Lego Art Project - Create Together
The latest addition to the Lego Art line, where colored 1x1 studs can be assembled into a larger mosaic to create pop culture masterpieces worthy of space on a wall, is the new Create Together set. It comes with 4,138-pieces and nine instruction manuals allowing a group of people to create smaller individual pieces that can be combined into a larger themed group afterwards. The themes include food, patterns, icons, and interests, and the $120 set is available for pre-order now, with delivery expected in early December.
Munipals
If you’ve got kids at home and a giant layout of Brio wooden trains and tracks gobbling up floor space somewhere, you can now upgrade your railway with cars based on the public transit systems of places like New York, Chicago, and New Jersey. The individual Munipals cars will set you back $17 each, which is pricier than most of Brio’s offerings, but feature authentic paint and deco that reflects the trains used to haul commuters in major cities across the country—minus the graffiti, vomit, and other mystery stains that are best left a mystery.
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