Finally got to see the Ironman movie and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the action. Downey did a great job playing an alcoholic womanizer. Did he have practice? Seriously, he did an excellent job in the film. Before the movie we got a glimpse at a few of the summers upcoming flicks. Two in particular stood out for me Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Incredible Hulk.
I will mostly likely be waiting in line for Indy but not so much for the Hulk. Although this new trailer showed me a little more about the movie and that is might actually have a plot and not just be the big hideous CGI monster all the time. So I had hope for about 24 hours, now I am not so sure. I just read about Edward Norton’s disagreement with Marvel over the film’s substance at IGoTheBeat. According to IGTB and EW.com Marvel wanted a shorter faster paced film while Norton and the director wanted a longer film with more substance (I have to agree with Norton).
Perhaps the negative press will actually drum up viewers for the film. Most people I know weren’t planning on seeing this film simply because of how horrible Ang Lee’s Hulk was (I wouldn’t even give it a half star). So maybe with all the rumors and press people might just go to see what the hubbub is all about. I still won’t be seeing it in theaters, but someone might go. Good luck with that movie Marvel. You might be thanking your lucky stars that you did Ironman first.
I noticed the scale of action figures seems to be going back down in size. Instead of all the hulking, big seven inch pieces of plastic we are once again seeing smaller three inch scale figures in the toy stores.
Since plastic is basically a petroleum based product do you think the trend in smaller toys is being caused by the higher oil prices? I know the cost of action figures and toys is going up. So where does that leave me and my collecting days? Are they numbered? Will I have to stop collecting or simply cut back in the amount of toys I buy? Honestly, I don’t like either option. I don’t want to stop or even reduce collecting my Star Trek figures. Maybe I just need to stop with the other items. No more Indian Jones. No more monsters. No more Lego. NO!
I love miniatures. Anything in a small scale is great to me. I have been fascinated be mini stuff since I was a kid. Maybe that’s why I like LEGO so much, the mini figures that come with each set.
Most recently I was very excited to hear Playmates toys would be getting the license to make the action figures for the new Star Trek movie. Even more excited when I heard that one of their new figures would be in a 3” scale. Yeah! I saw they have a small 2” line of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and just introduced new small-scale play sets for these mini figures too. So perhaps in this day of the mini block figures (Kubrick and Minimates have been all the rage for the last few years) I am not the only one who likes small things.
Hasbro brought us the mini 2” Galactic Heroes in their Star Wars line a few years ago too. While these are geared more for the younger kids they are still a must for me. Then they gave us Marvel heroes and now Indiana Jones. I picked up three of these sets already and since they have a mail-away exclusive figure I will be getting at least three more as well. Since I have these little guys stuck to my car’s dash with Velcro I can swap they out every once in awhile. So the more the merrier!
May 1st brought a slew more Indian Jones LEGO sets. We already had the The Temple Escape ($60), Race for the Stolen Treasure ($30), The Lost Tomb($20) and the Motorcycle Chase ($10). the only one of those three I still need to get is the Race for the Stolen Treasure set and I might have to put that one off for a little while as these new sets have me all excited!
The Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Lego sets available as of May 1, 2008 are: Jungle Duel ($10), River Chase ($20), Jungle Cutter($40), and The Temple of the Crystal Skull ($70). So far the only one I have picked up is the cheapest one The Jungle Duel set. Fun little set that includes three minifigs. You get Indy, Mutt and Spalko. The cloth tent is pretty cool. I could see a whole bunch of these set up as a military camp or boyscott troop. I can definitely see the steampunk and diselpunk lego fans making some fun stuff from all these Indy sets that’s for sure.
I really hope LEGO keeps pushing out the Indiana Jones sets for us adult fans as well as the kids. So far these are available at Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. Target hasn’t jumped on the band wagon yet as they only have the first four Lego sets none of the new ones and none of the action figures either. If you are looking to pick these up I don’t recommend TRU as their prices are $2-10 more than any where else including LEGO.com and EntertainmentEarth.com.
Indian Jones LEGO sets have hit the shelves. In fact I found them at Toys R Us a few weeks before Christmas. They had them even before the LEGO store had them online. These are pretty cool. I like that LEGO has been jumping on some good properties since they started licensing sets. I don’t like their move to change the mini-figure. I hate the flesh toned mini-figs. It just isn’t right. They should have stayed yellow. I know they had to make it so they could do African-American characters too. The Lando Calrissian mini figure was the first to appear and soon there after they did the NBA figures then all licensed characters were made with skin tones both Caucasian and Afro-American. The tirade is over now. Suffice it to say I do not like the flesh tones and be done with it. The Indy sets are pretty sweet and a little more geared to adults than kids. I think it would be cool of LEGO to just sell the mini figs as I do not need all the bricks but really want all the figures! Oh and like the Star Wars LEGO before them there will also be Indy LEGO video games. Sweet!
If Family Adventure Has a Name, It Must Be LEGO® Indiana Jones: The Videogame
LucasArts and TT Games Don Their Fedoras for the Next Great LEGO Gaming Experience
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — July 27, 2007 — LucasArts and TT Games today announced that LEGO® Indiana Jones®: The Videogame [working title] will whip onto game consoles everywhere in summer 2008. Developed by the same team at Traveller’s Tales that created the LEGO Star Wars™ series, LEGO Indiana Jones presents a tongue-in-cheek take on the first three cinematic adventures of pop culture’s most iconic archaeologist, including Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
“LucasArts and TT Games are setting the bar for next-generation family entertainment with the LEGO Star Wars franchise, and our incredible relationship continues with LEGO Indiana Jones,” said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. “In addition to providing the quality bonding time inspired by any good family game, LEGO Indiana Jones delivers something a little different for everyone. Parents will enjoy the humorous take on some of their favorite movies, and their kids get some rousing action/adventure gameplay that may also introduce them to Indy’s original adventures for the first time.”
“It has been a real joy to work with LucasArts on the LEGO Star Wars games. Indiana Jones is the perfect character for the next LEGO-based videogame adventure,” said Tom Stone, director at TT Games. “Indy also presents us with wonderful and memorable cinematic moments. The boulder scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark in LEGO is hilarious!”
Lucasfilm Ltd. recently announced that the LEGO Group will begin releasing LEGO Indiana Jones playsets in January 2008. Meanwhile, LucasArts remains hard at work on its revolutionary, internally developed Indiana Jones videogame, which takes place a year after The Last Crusade in an original story overseen by George Lucas.
