One thing my family will all agree on is that we enjoy Mexican food. Growing up in California it was a part of our family meals so I find myself turning to my favorite flavors when creating meals for our family. Tacos are such a simple dinner idea and with a few simple steps you… [read more]![]()
Easy Roasted Pepper Salsa For Tacos
↧
↧
Transformers 4: Kids Logic Life Size Collection Bumblebee Also Announced
Why buy one $13,000 USD Transformer statue when you can buy two? Kids Logic has posted images of their "Life Size Collection" Age of Extinction Bumblebee statue to their Facebook page, giving us what is probably the best look yet at Bumblebee's new character model. Check out all the pictures below!
↧
Age of Extinction Grimlock Animatronic Display Welcomes Transformers 4 Toyline Launch in Mexico City
Today is the official release of Age of Extinction toys in retail stores, and at one store in Mexico City, they kicked it off with a bang! Shoppers were greeted by a moving, roaring Grimlock display outside the store, showing everyone that today is the Transformers' day and they're not holding back! Check out the video below from the Paramount Mexico Instagram page!
↧
Check out the first colored pics of MP Bumblebee and lots of new Magnus details
Thanks to a new magazine scan from Planet Iacon we're finally getting to see Masterpiece Bumblebee is full color for the first time. He's looking great and while he isn't 100% cartoon accurate he is about as accurate as we're ever going to get. Looking at his car mode it's easy to forget that real Volkswagen Beatles don't look like the squashed version of the original toy and cartoon. It's actually pretty impressive that they managed to keep him fairly in scale in both bot and car mode; all that extra stuff on his back paid off. Of course he'll also come with a fully transforming figure of Spike in his exo suit when he's released in November for ¥6,000.
We've also got a bunch of new shots of MP Ultra Magnus from a bunch of angles and even mid-transformation! He's looking super complex, with tons of folding parts in his legs and body. Even more interesting is confirmation that his cab, which is nearly identical to Optimus Prime, is removable from the trailer. That just adds to my hope that a white Prime figure will will be sold separately later that can be used in its place. It's going to be a long wait for December!
[via Seibertron]
↧
New Disney Shoes Now at Stride Rite
We received samples to facilitate this review. It’s almost summer which means it’s time to start updating my girls wardrobes. It’s hard to believe they’ve already grown so much but it’s time again for new shoes! One brand I have used with my girls since they were small is Stride Rite. From early crawling to… [read more]![]()
↧
↧
Hasbro adds two more Dinobots to Transformers 4 lineup
We're a little over a month away from the premier of Transformers 4: Age of Extinction and Hasbro is continuing to surprise us with new figure announcements. This time they're adding two familiar dinos to the Dinobot roster.
First is the easily recognized Snarl, once again a stegosaurus. A very nightmareish looking stegosaurus with lots of sharp plates that resemble tiny bat wings. And while I'm not a huge fan of translucent plastic, it works very nicely on his plates and sides because it's done consistently. Bot mode looks great as well with lots of pointy parts and seemingly little kibble restricting his bulky frame. Looks like he'll be a fun figure! I do find it funny that he slightly resembles a certain other robot stegosaurus.
Second is Slog, likely the movie name for Sludge. He might just be the most movie accurate of the group (assuming he's actually in the movie) thanks to the largely black and silver colors we've seen in trailers. He appears to be an apatosaurus, and a mean looking one at that. Really loving the way the red contrasts with his otherwise dark overall coloring. Those big lance-like weapons look pretty mean and double as swords in bot mode. His bot mode looks a bit more like a brick than Snarl's does, especially his legs, but at least he seems to have some good movement in his arms.
Snarl and Slog will be joining Strafe, Scorn, Slash, Slug, and Grimlock sometime later this year. I'm a big fan of beast bots so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on all of them at some point. Still hoping we'll get some movie-accurate versions later on, though.
↧
Gooey Silk Chocolate Brownies
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine. As the school year starts to wind to an end we are spending even more time together as a family. One thing my girls love to do is cook and bake and as a parent it’s… [read more]![]()
↧
SH MonsterArts Gigan Figure Video Review & Images
↧
ROCKET RACCOON SPEAKS! Here’s the first footage of Bradley...
ROCKET RACCOON SPEAKS!
Here’s the first footage of Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. (UPDATE: My bad, actually THIS is the first footage. Thanks to nukaraxyn for calling out my shenanigans!) It’s kind of hard to form an opinion since all he only says two words. Hopefully they show more in the new trailer set to hit the Internets on Monday.
↧
↧
TonnerCon Part 3
Wizard of Oz Seminar - Late Friday
John Fricke was the guest speaker. He is a "world famous" Oz historian according to the Tonner Blog. Mr. Fricke spoke about the making of the original movie, behind the scenes, Judy Garland and what it was like.
Just when you thought the Wizard of Oz was all wizarded out, Tonner Doll has come up with two cute new versions.
Saturday Afternoon: "It's Time for Action!"
Tonner announced a new partnership with Captain Action Enterprises and debuted the first ever Lady Action doll. The guest speaker was Ed Catto from Captain Action Enterprises who spoke on the history of the Captain Action comics and toys.
Lady Action features the Tyler 2.0 head sculpt on the 16" super heroine body, removable wig and painted blue eyes.
Joe Petrolese announced a new line coming to Tonner Doll: Diana Prince.
Centerpiece
Convention Souvenir
If I had attended this convention, I would have enjoyed the speakers, the workshops, the costumes collectors wore, meeting Carmen Dell'Orefice and seeing friends. As for the dolls, I had a proxy for the Carmen doll so she will be coming and I probably would have purchased the Victorian Cami in the white dress. She would have fit in nicely with my Great Gatsby dolls. I do like that fashion a lot. Otherwise, there is really nothing else I'd have come home with. I don't collect the super heroes or the little dolls. I liked being able to look at the pictures on-line.
At breakfast event on Sunday morning I wonder if Amelia or some other little doll will make an appearance.
![]()
![]()
 |
| Joe Petrolese and John Fricke |
 |
Patience GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH OF THE NORTH LE 300 |
 |
Patience DOROTHY – LE 300 |
Just when you thought the Wizard of Oz was all wizarded out, Tonner Doll has come up with two cute new versions.
Saturday Afternoon: "It's Time for Action!"
Tonner announced a new partnership with Captain Action Enterprises and debuted the first ever Lady Action doll. The guest speaker was Ed Catto from Captain Action Enterprises who spoke on the history of the Captain Action comics and toys.
Lady Action features the Tyler 2.0 head sculpt on the 16" super heroine body, removable wig and painted blue eyes.
 |
| Lady Action LE 250 |
"This is a really exciting new line and, while we all know her alter ego is a tough-as-nails super heroine, this line is going to primarily focus on Diana Prince as a fashion icon – though there will be a few Wonder Woman themed threads woven in for good measure. We also were party to a great retrospective program taking us back through all the Tonner Super Heroes and Villains we have created over the years."The Saturday banquet: Time and Time Again Renaissance Ball!
Centerpiece
 |
| Milady LE 100 |
 |
| Lady Arabella Bertran! LE 300 |
If I had attended this convention, I would have enjoyed the speakers, the workshops, the costumes collectors wore, meeting Carmen Dell'Orefice and seeing friends. As for the dolls, I had a proxy for the Carmen doll so she will be coming and I probably would have purchased the Victorian Cami in the white dress. She would have fit in nicely with my Great Gatsby dolls. I do like that fashion a lot. Otherwise, there is really nothing else I'd have come home with. I don't collect the super heroes or the little dolls. I liked being able to look at the pictures on-line.
At breakfast event on Sunday morning I wonder if Amelia or some other little doll will make an appearance.
↧
CITE YOUR F*CKING SOURCES If you’re reading this and write...
CITE YOUR F*CKING SOURCES
If you’re reading this and write for a high-traffic blog, this post is for you.
If you happen to come across a post here on Albotas that you’d like to share with your readers, LINKING BACK TO US MATTERS! If something is posted here that doesn’t have a (via) link at the bottom, that means we either got the info from a press release or social media, or we searched and dug through the far reaches of the Internets to find awesome original content for our readers. And we ALWAYS check to make sure that what we think MIGHT be original content hasn’t actually been posted somewhere else on the blogosphere first.
Now, obviously most bloggers within our same niche are tuned into a lot of the same news channels as us, so it’s inevitable that other sites might come across the same cool things and share them with their readers. But every now and then, there are telltale signs of shenanigans like when we send our link as a news tip to a site & they run the story without credit. Or when we find a cool picture, dig deeper to learn the story behind the picture which leads to more pictures from more sources, then cite all those sources in a post, only to have bigger blog whose staff members follow us on social networks post the same story, pictures, and links a few days later.
Albotas has been around for nearly seven years. We’re no strangers to having our content go uncredited. This is the digital Wild West. It happens. Some people just forget or are complete jerks. But just remember, we don’t get paid for this. The ads on this site make about enough money to buy a candy bar each month. Maybe one day I can have this site be my full-time job (although, nearly 7 years later and it still hasn’t happened), but until then, it’s the links from the big sites that keep more awesome new readers coming in.
Besides, if you’re getting paid to write for a high-traffic site, you should really know better anyway.
(And seriously, Albotas READERS ARE FREAKING AWESOME! Every now and then I get an email from one of you guys telling me how much you love the site and our videos. It means more than you could ever possibly imagine!)
↧
TOYSREVIL's Sunday Toys & Design Feature (May 18 Edition)
Above-left: Teaser Close-up of an insane looking collectible from Mighty Jaxx
from as-yet-revealed artist.
Above-right: Scott Tolleson's LYLE sample, in a new line for Mighty Jaxx!
Bottom-left: WIP of JUDGE DREDD based on a Mike McMahon design by Unbox Industries.
Bottom-right: @frankkozik x Bigshot Toyworks are offering "free hugs"
with these printed critters (in 2 sizes: 4" & 9" tall)
Above-left+right: Artmymind does TMNT Dunnys
Bottom-left+right: Kidrobot does Jermaine Rogers (Pics via Drft Drgn)
Above-left: Monkey King figure seen at Cannes (Pic via @EastWindsFilm)
Above-right: EVA Unit on a cross by Mutineer Jun is the awesomeness!
Above-left: Viva Occult! NapNapNap Devilman in resin for US$70
Above-right: Free ANTICRIST 666 Instagram contest from Frank Mysterio.
Bottom: 666 ANTICRISTO by Frank Mysterio in "Rainbw Demon" and "Hero evil" editions
priced @ US$70 each. Email disenodgi@gmail.com to score yours.
Above: UAMOU x RODY via uamou.com
Above-left: WIP of a glittery Negora by Mark Nagata from @maxtoyco,
for a soon-to-be revealed new kaiju store!
Above-right: "He who holds the key, holds the universe" commissioned custom
"Trooper Lotus" by CLOGTWO IG @clog_two.
Bottom: Vampire Droplet custom-WIPs from Dave Webb
for Blood Type Positive show at SubUrban Vinyl.
Above-left: "Home Is Where The Heart Decides"
Above-right: "Do not forget to feed your Souls"
Both are 23" x 33" print on 170gsm fine art paper by The Ink&Clog,
with this being the close-up detail snaps of the entire image.
Bottom-left: Illustration by Martin Hsu IG @martinhsu.
Bottom-right: Ron English does Godzilla IG @ronenglishart.
↧
Attics and memories cleared of old toys at Denver show
GLENDALE — We've all heard of Barbie, Star Wars and even Herman Munster. But what about McGregor, the Smoking Grandpa?
↧
↧
Transformers: Windblade Trade Paperback Available For Pre-Order
Although the second issue does not hit shelves until this Wednesday, Amazon has already posted a listing for the full collected format of the miniseries. The Windblade trade paperback is due on October 14th and is currently priced at just over $14, with a list price of $17.99. No cover image has been posted and the book is described with the blurb from Windblade #1, but we can surely hope the coming weeks reveal at least a new art piece by Sarah Stone for the cover to the trade.
↧
Mattel Disney Pixar: The Mystery Toy Fair 2014 Promo CARS & PLANES
In 2011, Mattel & Disney gave away 500 CARS 2 Lightning McQueen’s at NY Toy Fair (the annual toy industry trade event in NYC). (And yep, T5 gave away one of the 500!). In 2014, Disney gave away a Lightning McQueen and a Dusty Crophopper at NY Toy Fair. The actual number is unknown but […]
↧
Retro Robot Radio Podcast For May 17th, 2014
__scaled_600.jpg)
Includes the latest news on projects from Ark Studio, Dr. Wu, Get Right Robot, KOncept Art Toys, Keith's Fantasy Club, Mega Steel, Printoys, Reprolabels, Shapeshifters Inc., TFC Toys, Toyworld, Xplayer and X-Transbots.
↧
Rockin´ Robin
Guess what. This is not the most ridiculous sock you have ever seen. And guess what. I am not colorb
↧
↧
3D Workshop
At the beginning of term, I took part in a 3D workshop – in which I created a character/ toy o
↧
Legos get in on the 'sharing economy'
When Elina Furman was 7, she came to the United States from Russia with her family and was allowed to bring three toys.
↧
The AFB Podcast Episode 116: Futurama Talking Bender, Play Arts Kai Flash, Lego Simpsons
Episode 116 of the AFB Podcast is live at iTunes and is now available for direct download! Download and subscribe to the podcast at iTunes now!
Join Ben John and Scott for this week's toy news and reviews!
This week we check out the Futurama 9" Talking Bender Action Figure, the Play Arts Kai DC Variant Flash Figure and a few of the Lego Simpsons Mini-Figures we've found so far.
Please note there is not a full enhanced podcast this week.
This week we check out the Futurama 9" Talking Bender Action Figure, the Play Arts Kai DC Variant Flash Figure and a few of the Lego Simpsons Mini-Figures we've found so far.
Please note there is not a full enhanced podcast this week.
If you don't use iTunes, you can download Episode 116 here now! Click on the link to listen, or right click to save the file! The podcast will always be available from the “Podcast” tab here - but if you can subscribe and give us positive ratings at iTunes, that will help us greatly!
The AFB Podcast is also on Stitcher Radio!
The AFB Podcast is also on Stitcher Radio!
Have a listen, and please give us some feedback at podcast@actionfigureblues.com - we might even read out your feedback on the next show!
Happy listening!
![]()
↧
More Pages to Explore .....
