The Super-Colossal Sale Has Returned!
Have you been waiting and saving to pick up that coveted J!NX Tee? Wait no longer! For the next 72 hours, all t-shirts will be $7 off! Run! Don’t walk (unless you’re carrying scissors or are near a swimming pool)! *Offer applies to all full-price t-shirts and cannot be combined with any other sale or discount. Expires 9/30/2010 @ 11:59pm PDT.
New Design Arcade Winner: Roleplaying Rorschach
Look at this design. What do you see? A lady with a flower? A cat in a top hat? What about a level 28 Tiefling Paladin battling a venom-spitting basilisk? Doctors and psychiatrists have argued over this mysterious ink-blot, but none of them can roll a charisma check high enough to convince the others. Thanks to graffd02 for seeing meaning in the madness!
Our fabulous friends at J!NX, who make The Guild T-Shirts, are having a three day sale starting tomorrow, September 28. Every shirt in their catalog will be $7 off, including all seven designs from The Guild. Don’t miss this chance to fill out your collection or nab a gift for a friend.
Two new shirts debuted this year for The Guild for Season Four: the Cheesybeards shirt and the 8-Bit Baby shirt. Big thanks to J!NX for being our T-Shirt partner — your purchase of Guild loot supports the show!
Have you ever found yourself humming a song, only to realize it was the theme from that video game you played until 4 a.m. that morning? Video Games Live is here to legitimize your love of 8-bit tuneage with fully orchestrated renditions of some of the greatest game themes ever written. We’re bringing this masterpiece, Video Games Live: Level 2, to Blu-ray, DVD and CD on October 19. It’s a full-on, global, multimedia concert spectacular and now available — like your game playing — in the comfort of your own home. The release includes never-before-released music and video from Mario, Zelda, Halo, Warcraft and many more, and is boosted with bonus content. Seeing is believing, though. Check out the trailer at VideoGamesLive.com and look at the tour dates while you’re there. It’s a not-to-be-missed event!
This ‘N’ That
If you’re on the East Coast, we hope you’re attending the New York Comic Con. It takes place October 8-10 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. We’ll be there in spirit.
Time’s a-tickin’ on our Halloween contest. Enter today to win a prize pack featuring 11 of our scariest DVDs or Blu-rays.
Keep up with the latest Shout! news throughout your day by following us on Twitter and Facebook. Plus, visit our YouTube page for trailers, clips and music videos.
It’s Tolkien Week and we’re celebrating by running around the office barefoot and drinking ale in pints. PINTS! Today it’s Bilbo and Frodo’s birthdays and we’ve got a big cake with a spread of all sorts of mushroom-related dishes. (It’s often said a hobbit is a fungi. You are what you eat!) Then there will be dancing and singing and partying until the wee hours of the night.
Good thing we have monkey robots running the warehouse because otherwise, we might forget your order. *hic*
Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter
Space… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new pizzas, to seek out new toppings and new cheeses, to boldy cut pizza where no man has cut before! Yes, this officially licensed Star Trek collectable is everything you hoped it would be. Laser etched stainless steel blade and solid metal construction make it perfect for battling Romulans in the neutral zone or precision pizza slicing.
Take $10 off $40+ orders — Bare feet optional
As the birthday boy Bilbo once said: “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve…” If you grok, use code BILBO for $10 off a $40 or more order, good through 9/24 11:59PM ET. Even if you can’t wrap your head around that statement, the code will still work.
You are cordially invited to celebrate the launch of this year’s holiday season with the rambunctious crew from the Satellite of Love, as Joel, Mike and their robot pals Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot embark on a painfully joyful (and joyfully painful) voyage through the magnificent madness of the Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIX limited-edition 4-DVD box set (featuring the highly collectible Gypsy figurine) from Shout! Factory, in association with Best Brains, Inc. on November 9, 2010.
This side-splitting collection of MST3K features the show’s never-before-released episodes Robot Monster, Bride of the Monster, Devil Doll and Devil Fish. Those entrees come with a side of extras, including a new introduction by J. Elvis Weinstein, cult filmmaker Larry Blamire’s full-fledged geek-out on Robot Monster, new featurettes on Bride of the Monster and Devil Doll, MST3K: Origins and Beyond from CONvergence 2009, original movie trailers, and four exclusive MST3K mini-posters by artist Steve Vance. There might even be an Easter Egg… we’re just sayin’. This limited-edition 4-DVD box set also includes a figurine of Gypsy, the perfect companion to the Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo figurines included in previous year-end Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD box sets, all of which have become collector’s items. A must-have for loyal fans and collectors, Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XIX 4-DVD box set is priced to own at $69.97.
MST3K: Robot Monster
The sinister alien Ro-Man has decimated the Earth’s population, leaving only eight survivors, including a professor and the family of young space enthusiast Johnny. Its status as “one of the worst films ever made” easily makes Robot Monster an instant hit with the crew of the Satellite of Love! Join Joel, Servo and Crow as they explore their own fears of Ro-Man — errr… Ro-Tom — surrealism and, of course, the awful greatness (and the great awfulness) that is Robot Monster! Also includes the shorts Radar Men from the Moon: Chapters 4 & 5!
Bonus Features:
• Brand-new introduction by J. Elvis Weinstein
• Larry Blamire Geeks Out
• Original Robot Monster trailer
MST3K: Bride of the Monster
Horror cinema icons Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson star in this unforgettable Ed Wood classic as the crazed Dr. Vornoff and his beastly assistant Lobo, who conduct heinous experiments on human victims in an effort to create a race of atomic super-beings that will conquer the world. The film raises some intriguing questions: Do robots made of scrap parts aboard an orbiting satellite dream of electric sheep? Can Joel and the ’bots carry a tune? Who doesn’t love cold Tater Tots and olive loaf? These and other, equally imperative, questions will be answered — and more — in this “very special episode” of Mystery Science Theater 3000 that pays tribute to one of Ed Wood’s best bad movies ever! After all, no Ed Wood film would truly be complete without the biting yet loving riffs of your faithful Satellite of Love crew! Also includes the short Hired!, Part 1!
Bonus Features:
• Citizen Wood: Making ‘The Bride,’ Unmaking ‘The Legend.’
• Inventing the “Invention Exchange”
• Original Bride of the Monster trailer
MST3K: Devil Doll
Well… hello Dolly! Before a sold-out audience in London, “The Great Vorelli” performs with his ventriloquist dummy, Hugo. The doll walks on his own. It talks on his own. It even threatens the audience on his own. But is Hugo the real villain? Or could it be that his ventriloquist owner has lost his marbles? While Pearl and Brain Guy show the Romans how to have a good time at the Lesser God Day celebration, Mike, Crow and Servo invite you to their own open-window frat party! Party it up with the S.O.L. crew, complete with special guests, devil dolls and their own British pub!
Bonus Features:
• The Puppet Master: Richard Gordon on Devil Doll
• Original Devil Doll trailer
MST3K: Devil Fish
When Dr. Stella Dickens concludes the recent string of grisly deaths and demolished boats can’t be the result of any known marine creature, she sets out to capture the beast, a genetically created bio-weapon that must be kept secret… at any cost. One thing’s for sure, however: The fish are biting! Beware the dolphins, after Mike and the crew of the Satellite of Love decide to mock their intelligence! Meanwhile, Pearl is forced to convince unexpected visitors that the castle’s actually a luxurious cruise liner! No one’s safe — least of all, Devil Fish — in this episode from Mystery Science Theater 3000’s ninth hysterical season!
Bonus Features:
• MST3K: Origins and Beyond at CONvergence 2009
• Original Devil Fish trailer
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 series was created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Jim Mallon. After a year on KTMA TV in Minneapolis, its national broadcast life began in 1989 on the Comedy Channel (later to become Comedy Central), where it ran for seven seasons. The show’s final three seasons aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. The premise of the series features a hapless man who is trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space and forced to watch old B-movies of questionable worth. To keep sane, he’s built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery. Series creator Hodgson originally played the stranded man, Joel Robinson. When he left in 1993, series head writer Mike Nelson replaced him as the new B-movie victim Mike Nelson, and continued in the role for the rest of the show’s run. The format proved to be popular and remarkably durable. During its 11-year run and 198 episodes (including one feature film), MST3K attained a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. The series won a Peabody Award in 1993, and was nominated for writing Emmys in 1994 and 1995.
The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force (Vault Edition)
Product Description: The Jedi Path, Fully Illustrated, with Removable Features and a Mechanical Vault
With the push of a button, the doors of the vault open in a wash of light and Star Wars sound effects. The inner platform rises, revealing this exclusive edition of The Jedi Path.
This ancient training manual, crafted by early Jedi Masters, has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi. It explains the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order, and what Jedi must know to take their place as defenders of the peace in the galaxy — from mastery of the Force to the nuances of lightsaber combat.
Passed down from Master to Padawan, the pages of this venerable text have been annotated by those who have held it, studied it, and lived its secrets. From Yoda and Luke Skywalker to Count Dooku and Darth Sidious, they have shaped the content of the book by leaving mementos tucked within the pages, tearing out pages, and adding their personal experiences as tangible reminders of the lessons they’ve learned.
Through wars and rebellion, only a single copy of this manual has survived. It is now passed on to you.
The ancient Masters who wrote the text: Fae Coven, Grand Master and head of the Jedi Council; Crix Sunburris, Jedi Ace starfighter pilot; Restelly Quist, Jedi Chief Librarian; Skarch Vaunk, Jedi Battlemaster and lightsaber expert; Bowspritz, Jedi Biologist and expert on the Living Force; Sabla-Mandibu, Jedi Seer and Holocron expert; Morrit Ch’gally, Jedi Recruiter; Gal-Stod Slagistrough, Jedi leader of the Agricultural Corps.
Jedi who added personal commentary: Yoda, Thame Cerulian, Count Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Darth Sidious, and Luke Skywalker.
Removable features: A letter tracing the book’s history, a severed Padawan braid, a metal Jedi Credit medallion, a Jedi starfighter patch, a burned poster of the Jedi Code, a map of the Jedi Temple, a lightsaber diagram sketched on the back of a napkin from Dex’s Diner, and a note on the missing pages torn from the book by a Sith.
Created in collaboration with Lucasfilm — along with an acclaimed Star Wars author and revered Star Wars illustrators — this volume provides new insights into the history and lore of the Jedi Order while introducing never-before-seen ships, creatures, characters, and details about how one trains to become a Jedi.
Weta to make a pair of working Halo: Reach Mongoose ATVs
We’re very proud to have been asked by our friends at Microsoft to customise two 420cc ATVs to look and sound like the Mongoose ATV from Halo: Reach. And the exciting part is: they’re sweepstake prizes! Yes, you could own one. How awesome is that? Purchase MOUNTAIN DEW and DORITOS products for a chance to win. Read all about it at: honorthecode.com. Read about other projects that Weta has worked on in the Halo universe, like the Halo Warthog, the Halo 3 promotional short films, the Halo 3: ODST promotional event in Sydney and of course our range of Halo collectibles.
Celebrate the launch of Halo: Reach with us!
Our friends at Bungie and Microsoft have just revealed to the world the latest adventure in the Halo universe. To celebrate the event, we’d like to offer you a 10% discount on all the pieces in our range of Halo collectibles (excludes jewellery) until 30 September. Check out our Halo collectibles!
Q&A session with Weta Sculptor Daniel Cockersell
Daniel Cockersell, a Senior Sculptor at Weta Workshop will be answering questions from fans and collectors on the Weta message boards at The Shadow and Flame. Apart from sculpting for the movies we work on, Daniel has recently worked on some of our collectibles, such as Éowyn and the Nazgûl, Bag End and our Halo and Doctor Who ranges. Ask your questions here!
EXCLUSIVE! Star Wars MIMOBOT Series 5: Now Han and Luke Stormtrooper sport hair and helmet caps! Only at mimoco.com! For a limited time, not only can you choose Han or Luke disguised as Stormtroopers, but both rebels include the standard issue helmet cap, as well as a bonus hair cap. Now you can finally reenact both the trash compactor and the Death Star escape scenes! Learn more!
Video: Unmasking of Darth Vader! Darth would’ve LOVED to unmask Luke & Han, see how he got HIS mask! Watch Now!
Freeman’s Vader Project Auction Catalog
A 200-plus page, full-color, limited edition catalog that features all 100 helmets, artist bios and some history on the project.
$40.00
FREE Shipping on orders over $75*! Click here for more info.
If you were jumping up and down on your bed (past your bedtime and against your parents wishes, no less!), then you wouldn’t want that mattress to be stuffed with hard cement-like news! No! You’d want your gleeful disobedience in the form of bouncy, jumpy Squishy News! And here it is!
New Squishables — oh my gosh yes yes yes! You voted for them last year, and it’s taken them a while to make the long journey, but here’s the first round!
Squishable Owl — Who wouldn’t gladly sacrifice an occasional small squeaky mammal for something this cuddly? I know I would. Perfect for hours of “Hoo’s on first” puns.
Squishable Platypus — Yes they look ridiculous — but hey, think how you must look to them, you weird hairless biped! Cuddle an evolutionary cul-de-sac!
Squishable Cthulhu — A horrific elder god to snuggle with! Freakish monstrosities from the dawn of time give the best hugs. Incidentally, if you don’t know what a Cthulhu is then go read up on your Lovecraft. Right now!
Back-in-stock Squishables! These are totally back in stock and waiting with bated breath to discover their final destination! A playful office cubical? A bright bedspread? The stomach of your family dog? Don’t keep them in suspense! Hedgehog, Penguin, Octopus, and Snail Squishables are all back and good to go!
It’s been a charity kinda month!
First off, thanks to everyone who bid on the Squishable Dragon auction! Way to raise a chunk of cash for Child’s Play — some kids in hospitals who didn’t have toys… will now!
Second of all, thanks to everyone who sent in pictures over the last few months to help support GirlStart for empowering girls in math, science and tech! Techy, sciency girls are awesome, not that I’m biased or anything (says the CS major).
And for the next little while, for every image you send us of you and your Squishy, we’ll donate a dollar to Studio in a School to support art in public schools! How cool? Very! (Up to $250)
Episode 10: “Festival of the Sea!” is up on MSN and Bing video. The Guild joins forces to help Codex with her job.
Special thanks once again to Archie McPhee for all the incredible pirate stuff which decorates Cheesybeards. We’re also pleased to announce that the “8-bit baby” shirt that you see Tink and Clara selling is available for purchase from J!NX. Buy a shirt and support the show!
New Design Arcade Winner: Gamer’s Thumb
It’s an affliction that no gamer can avoid: Gamer’s Thumb. You’ve been button-mashing for who-knows-how-long, and your thumbs are now purple, deformed, and throbbing. It’s a good hurt, a deep burn, and it signifies that you have pwned until you are physically incapable of pwning — which is the only time you should stop, anyway. Game on and may your thumb-callouses grow strong and mighty! Grats to LindsayLB for a schweet design!
PAX Prime 2010 Recap… With Video!
Catch up on your PAX 2010 goodness in our post-PAX recap! Browse the pics from our photoshoot and Super Ultra Mega Party, have a look at the epic video and relish in the good times had at the J!NX booth. Read all about it nao!
In honour of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Hasbro has released two versions of the movie’s most iconic vehicle: the AT-AT.
As Hasbro says in their press release for the Star Wars Imperial AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport), “in space, size does matter”. Everyone who sees the deluxe AT-AT for the first time is struck by the sheer enormity of it. While it isn’t fully to scale with the 3.75” action figures that man it, it does currently hold the title of largest AT-AT toy ever made, fitting a crew of 20 action figures, six of those in the head’s command cockpit alone. The yellow starburst on the packaging, proclaiming the 2010 AT-AT to be “Over 2 Feet Tall!”, doesn’t really manage to convey just how big this behemoth is out of the box. It has to be seen in person to be truly appreciated. Unpacked and assembled, the deluxe AT-AT stands approximately 24 inches tall, 28 inches long, and 12 inches wide, about the size of a medium-sized dog, and, loaded to full capacity with action figures and a speederbike, weighs nearly as much as one, too. It’s instantly the focal point of a room, even if, in the absence of a sizable enough table or display case, it’s relegated to the floor.
Despite dominating the average Star Wars collection, bigness isn’t the deluxe AT-AT’s only selling point. A gorgeously crafted toy, it quite faithfully recreates the stop-motion models used in The Empire Strikes Back, putting it closer to being a studio scale model than simply a plaything. The attention to detail is impressive, particularly in the interiors. Also contributing to the high-end air of the piece is Hasbro’s meticulous paint job. Applied with model maker precision, the paintwork capably matches the appearance of metal, with dark, rusty stains weathering the vehicle, and panels painted in mismatched shades giving it the realistic look of a patched-up war machine. As an optional bonus, a sheet of battle damage stickers is provided to further age the AT-AT’s armor. (These stickers are permanent ones, rather than the reusable peel-and-stick kind, so choose carefully how you place them.) Seven more stickers fill in the AT-AT’s viewscreens, and there are three Imperial markings to apply to the included speeder bike.
Most importantly, the deluxe AT-AT is huge fun to play with, as it’s loaded with features. It emits vehicle, walking, and laser firing sounds, accompanied by 27 random-play Darth Vader, General Veers, Imperial Officer, and Clone Trooper sound clips from The Empire Strikes Back (three 1.5VAA/R6 batteries required; the American version speaks phrases in English, but the mainline product in Canada is sound-effects-only to accommodate the French market). More than one sound can be active at once, permitting Imperial commanders to bark orders while the AT-AT is in motion. LEDs light up the cockpit viewscreen and forward laser guns, which move by means of slider buttons under the chin, and the guns on the cheeks shoot projectiles quite a distance when buttons are pressed on them. A pull-up handle behind the head pops up hidden laser cannons, and enables you to lift and swivel the head. The deluxe AT-AT has a multitude of hatches to explore, as well. The top of the head opens to access the cockpit, where the included AT-AT driver action figure sits, and double hatches open on both sides of the body. A zip-line pulls through the trapdoor in the floor of the main compartment, then winds back up with the press of a button on the upper deck. At the rear of the AT-AT, a large hatch drops down to reveal the speeder bike bay. A speeder bike is included, and snaps onto a launch/landing pad that extends when a button is pressed (there are a lot of buttons on this AT-AT). There are even a couple of tiny hatches on the sides of the docking bay that let you peek in at the parked bike when the hanger is closed. Inside the two-level main compartment are a pair of repelling platforms that swing out, each capable of holding two figures. They’re lowered by pressing a button, and retracted by turning a thumbwheel. The AT-AT’s articulated legs have ratcheting joints at the hip and knees that securely lock poses into place with a loud, satisfying click, providing extra stability. Adjustable at the ankle, the feet are bigger than those on the original Kenner AT-AT, raising the Imperials’ chances of stomping a Rebel snowspeeder.
The instruction sheet warns against knocking the AT-AT over, but after watching it tip over numerous times, it didn’t seem to be any the worse for wear. The thick plastic is sturdy enough to take a pretty heavy beating, and the doors are designed to release when too much pressure is put on them, then snap right back on. As long as kids don’t lean their weight on the head or try to use the AT-AT as a riding pony, it should hold up to many years of enthusiastic play.
Need another reason to want Hasbro’s Star Wars Imperial AT-AT? Fans of the nostalgic short film AT-AT Day Afternoon, who missed out on getting the vintage Kenner AT-AT, now have the opportunity to adopt their very own robotic dog from a galaxy far, far away!
For children (ages 3 and up) who aren’t old enough yet to play with a Super Deluxe AT-AT, Hasbro offers the Star Wars Galactic Heroes: AT-AT Walker. This junior edition AT-AT is a little over knee-high to the deluxe AT-AT, and looks absolutely adorable when displayed next to its towering big brother. Like the rest of the toys in the Galactic Heroes line, it has a chunky, stylized look that will appeal to kids and/or fans of the Japanese “chibi” style made popular in anime and manga.
The Galactic Heroes: AT-AT Walker is basically a “training wheels” for the deluxe AT-AT. It has the same features, but in a more stripped-down form. Electronic lights, weapons, and walking sounds (two 1.5VAA/R6 batteries required) are activated by a single button on the head, but don’t play concurrently, and sound bytes aren’t part of the package, so children are free to do their own movie quoting. There are two hatches, one for the cockpit and another on the left side of the body. The AT-AT Walker is completely in scale with other Galactic Heroes toys, though the bulky blaster wielded by the included AT-AT driver necessitates a bit of wiggling to fit him into the driver’s seat in such a way that the cockpit will close. A speeder bike, also included, clips onto the main compartment’s hatch, and inside the compartment is a trapdoor and simple zip-line that’s manually operated by pulling a plastic tab in the roof that the cord is tied to. The legs and hips are labeled with numbers for quick, easy assembly, and articulation is limited to the hips and ankles. This small AT-AT won’t be achieving any deep knee bends, but its range of movement still allows for multiple action poses.
Both of the AT-ATs have screw-on battery compartment covers, with the screw safely attached to prevent loss or a choking hazard. (Note: These toys are not recommended for lolcats!)
The Star Wars Imperial AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) and Star Wars Galactic Heroes: AT-AT Walker are distributed by Hasbro and Hasbro Canada. For more Star Wars information, please visit the official Star Wars website.
