Access ‘Week In Geek’ Goes To The Toy Fair

The ‘Week In Geek’ stopped by the Hasbro showroom at the 2010 Toy Fair in New York City last weekend for a sneak peek at what we can look forward to seeing in the coming months in the Star Wars, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Marvel Universe toy lines.

There’s certainly something to be said about the enduring popularity of the characters I saw translated into toys that have managed to find their way into kids’ imaginations for so many years. Numerous action figures, games, and collectibles set to hit stores were modern updates of older versions of various toys which I used to play with for hours on end as a kid.

Like most boys my age growing up, 3-3/4” action figures and all sorts of spaceships from the “Star Wars” trilogy packed my toy box and fueled my playtime. Before G.I. Joe upped the ante with the kung fu grip, these older figures were basic representations of Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Mark Hammil as Luke Skywalker, or Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. The new “Star Wars” line for 2010 is quite a step forward from their toy ancestors. They are sculpted with such greater detail that they could easily give higher priced collector’s figurines a good run for their money.

A frightening discovery for me was that Hasbro is ready to unveil their “Empire Strikes Back” 30th Anniversary line. =It’s hard to believe the middle chapter in the original trilogy is almost three decades old. These newer slicker and sleeker action figures will come in the classic packaging from the ‘80s, which is a very cool nod for nostalgia buffs who appreciate the “old is new” train of thought. Memories flashed back quickly seeing familiar character images on “Empire” action figure boxes that I last saw when I was about six years old and nagging my parents to shell out the $2.99 to buy them for me.

For current younger “Star Wars” fans, the latest “Clone Wars” line features many familiar characters, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Clone Troopers (in both large and small figure sizes), in addition to vehicles and starships seen in the hit Cartoon Network animated CGI series.

A big standout for me was the General Grievous double-sided lightsaber replica that can spin its twin blades 360 degrees around the handle. I can easily see this very cool toy on many a kid’s wish list around the holiday season.

I have fond but brief memories of the first “Star Wars” lightsaber replica I owned, which featured (for lack of a better term) a clunky flashlight for the handle, and a soft vinyl yellow glowing “blade” that needed to be blown up like a beach ball. If I recall, they popped and deflated on the very first night from my eager young wannabe Jedi overzealous abuse.

Subsequent replicas in the following years improved on the role-playing experience and were made with harder plastic and “whistled” a whirling sound when you would swing them in a circular motion. The newest models on shelves today are not only made far more durable for the modern Padawan, but can play actual sound effects from the movies and TV shows (and without question look a heck of a lot cooler).

For the ultimate experience, I highly recommend the Force FX Lightsaber collection, which are incredibly detailed full size replicas of the Jedi movie weapons for the full grown fan boy, equipped with durable translucent glowing blade tubes. They make all the sounds heard in the movies depending on how you swing them, or, hit them against another one. They’re guaranteed to turn any adult into a giddy child.

“Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” each had a healthy representation in the showroom. The Joes are moving away from their movie tie-in similarities for the 2010 “Pursuit of Cobra” line. The familiar characters are all there, but they will not be dead ringers for the actors who portrayed them in last year’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.”

Hasbro is also launching action figures based on the popular dark and gritty online animated mini-series “G.I. Joe: Resolute.” These figures are modern remakes of the classic colorful looks of characters including Duke, Scarlett and Snake Eyes as we fondly remember them in the ‘80s, when “knowing was half the battle,” and they’re not quite as heavy on the tech ops leather look of the movie inspired characters.

Two of “Transformers” more popular characters, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, continue with their new millennium looks from the movies for 2010 with remote control versions now available of both. A new addition to the line is a mail order-only version of the Decepticon “Ravage,” as seen in last summer’s “Transformers: Rise Of The Fallen.” The original version was a mini-cassette tape that transformed into a stealthy panther (and was a long favorite character among fans). The update is definitely a lot fiercer looking, and needless to say, does not transform into a cassette tape.

Some “Iron Man 2” toys provided sneak peeks of characters featured in the upcoming movie sequel, due out in May. Mickey Rourke’s “Whiplash” character had a tough looking action figure, as did the highly anticipated “War Machine” armor, which will be worn in the film by Don Cheadle as Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes.

Robert Downey Jr. (who showed up at the Toy Fair Monday night!) will be donning the Iron Man ‘Mark IV’ armor in the big budget sequel, and the updated design was featured heavily in the preview in many toys in the line. “Marks 1-3” were seen in the first film. “Iron Man” also has his own Mr. Potato Head and will be starring in his own version of the classic game “Operation.”

Looking forward to next year’s Toy Fair, with an announced 2011 release for “Transformers 3,” Hasbro will certainly have its hands full with toys to coincide with the live action versions of “Thor,” and “The First Avenger: Captain America,” to add to its growing line of super heroes on the shelves alongside “Spiderman” and “Iron Man.”