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Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
How much do you like Charizard? If you’re a Pokemon fan, these excellent D-Arts figures are probably right up your alley. Their previous Mewtwo figure was an awesome model that was really well-sculpted, and this new Charizard looks to be just as good. Super-poseable and brightly colored, I think this will be an excellent addition to any Pokemon fan’s collection. He’s set for release in April, but you can pre-order him now on Amiami, so you can have a reserve when he eventually arrives. Now, what Pokemon are they going to release next? Maybe a trainer? Read more…
Tags: Action Figures, Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve’s series of Team Fortress 2 Meet the Team videos have been some of the best video game-based short films made. Ever. So a lot of people want more of that – I know I do. But making more is a big undertaking, but it looks like Valve is up to the challenge. In a recent Nerdist podcast, Gabe Newell mentions that Valve is indeed working on a Team Fortress 2 short film, and it will be roughly 15 minutes in length. They were originally aiming for a 90-minute feature length film, but once they discovered that was hard, they scaled it down a bit. Given the quality of the previous shorts, I’m incredibly hyped for this new video. Read more…
Tags: Team Fortress
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2013 in Cinema 
Now that Christopher Nolan is done with the world of Batman, everyone is wondering what he will do next. We might have our answer now: Steven Spielberg was previously set to direct a sci-fi film called Interstellar, about wormholes and their potential for time travel, written by Jonathan Nolan. Spielberg has now dropped from that film, moving on to other movies. Who else better to pick it up than Jonathan’s brother, Christopher? It seems the duo will team up again to tackle the project, but Christopher will reportedly be changing things up from Spielberg’s version, though it will still be a “heroic interstellar voyage.” But really, all you had to say was “Nolan directing a sci-fi space film” and I’d be on board. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2013 in Videogames 
I need this game – in my body, inject it directly into my veins! Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red’s upcoming game based on the popular pen & paper RPG Cyberpunk. It will take that setting an expand it into a story-driven, open-world experience – according to CD Projekt. Basically, if you like anything cyberpunk, or have an affinity for Blade Runner or other tales of that ilk, you’ll probably like this. The teaser trailer features a police officer, bullets, flying cars, and barely-clothed murderous-looking lady. Basically: all the needed elements for an awesome cyberpunk game. Watch it below! Read more…
Tags: Cyberpunk 2077
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 7, 2013 in Comic Books, Television 
I’m sure this whole “split season” thing is great for ratings. Twice the season finales! Twice the season premieres! More advertising! But man is it frustrating for viewers. Getting right into the swing of things and suddenly the rug is pulled out from underneath you. Thankfully, the wait isn’t long, as the second half of Walking Dead season 3 is coming back February 10th, and AMC is pumping out the previews. Below we have two new videos (a clip and a trailer) to whet your appetite for more zombies. Read more…
Tags: The Walking Dead
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 7, 2013 in Cinema 
Drive was one of my favorite films of 2011. The pounding 80s music, and slow, tense pacing made for a really memorable experience, and it seems to have really taken a hold as a cult hit, so I thought I’d bring this to your attention. The director, Nicolas Winding Refn, has his next film coming out this year, called Only God Forgives – and Ryan Gosling is in it again. The story follows a man living in Bangkok who gets sucked back into the criminal underworld after his brother’s death. He’s lead right to the Angel of Vengeance, a former cop who seems to rule the dark crime world. Watch the short teaser below! Read more…
Tags: Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve and their slow, secretive process towards creating a TV box has been a big focus of the gaming community. Gabe Newell declared Windows 8 a “catastrophe” and proceeded to initiate work on Steam for Linux, which is now in beta. Now, Valve engineer Ben Krasnow has said that the box will indeed run Linux, and they plan to show off more about it this year, possibly at GDC or E3, and release it later this year. Given Valve’s penchant for delays, I won’t hold my breath for a 2013 launch, but hearing all about this does get me excited. Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2013 in Cinema 
Industrial Light and Magic is one of the biggest special effects companies in the business – they certainly seem to be everywhere. Their work on the Avengers was great stuff and recently they put up a video showing how they composed what they call the “tie-en” shot near the end of the film where all the heroes swoosh past the camera in dramatic fashion. If you’re curious how they made several separate shots seem like one large continuous one, then check out the video below! Read more…
Tags: The Avengers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Videogames 
A while back, Psychobob created a custom 3D-printed figure of Portal 2 robot companion Atlas, and it was awesome. Actually, it still is awesome, but now it’s even better with a new stand he made for it. Modeled after the pressure-sensitive buttons from the game, this bright-red stand is also 3D-printed and makes the perfect display piece for Atlas. Honestly, I just really want one myself. Psychobob, get in touch with me – we’re going to make the entirety of Aperture via 3D printing. Maybe. At the very least, ThreeA toys is releasing their own Atlas and P-body figures eventually, but that’ll probably be a long time coming. So until then, we’ll make do with Psychobob’s awesome work. Visit his blog for details of the whole process! Read more…
Tags: Portal 2
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2013 in Cinema, Videogames 
Who knows if this is just Disney getting with the times, or perhaps a carefully planned marketing move, but either way it looks like a win for consumers: Wreck-It Ralph will be available digitally on February 12th, weeks before it arrives on DVD and Blu-ray March 5th. This is following the recent trend of releasing films earlier on digital distribution services, and it seems to be working out. Wreck-It Ralph will be Disney’s first film they’re doing this with, and it couldn’t suit its market better. I think many of the fans of the movie would rather have it digitally! Hopefully this will continue into the future. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Wreck-It Ralph
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
I’m a big fan of YouTube user Akiyuki’s work. His complex and elaborate LEGO machinery are always a treat to see, and trying to figure out how he built the crazy contraption is brain-tickling fun. His latest project is an axle sorter, which organizes all those Technic axle rods you might have laying around. Depending on how big your LEGO collection is, this machine might look very enticing! Now we just need one that sorts all LEGO bricks, not just the axles. Sure that might be time consuming… but you know what to do, Akiyuki! Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2013 in Anime, Fandom 
Papercraft? Pfft! That’s so last year. What’s hot in 2013? Cardboardcraft! Or cardcraft! Boardcraft? Whatever we end up calling it, suffice to say, it is awesome, as theWonder.it user wakabua has proved. He has recreated the Eva 01 unit from Neon Genesis Evangelion in a fully-posable cardboard form. Even better than that already impressive feat? It transforms into a tank. Why? Who cares! That’s freaking cool, and this is definitely the best way to start off 2013. Check out all the images below! Read more…
Tags: Eva, Evangelion
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 31, 2012 in Star Trek 
This came out a few weeks ago, but it’s finally making the rounds: a gag reel from Star Trek: The Next Generation. It’s one of the most enjoyable and silly videos I’ve seen all month, and it’s the perfect way to start off the new year. What a blast to see the entire cast horsing around and having fun making the series. I also find it adorable that Patrick Stewart’s way to deal with corpsing is to hug whatever is closest to him – usually Jonathan Frakes. Watch the entire video below and start your week right! Read more…
Tags: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 31, 2012 in Cinema, Comic Books 
With Dredd coming out on DVD and Blu-ray on January 8th, it’s no surprise that the marketing machine is spinning up. IGN has a short clip that goes into a bit of the work done to make the world Dredd takes place in. It’s not super-detailed, but it’s getting me interested in checking out Dredd finally when it releases. I missed out on the chance to catch it in theaters, and I heard great things about it, so now I’ll have a chance to redeem my nerdy self. Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: Dredd, Judge Dredd
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 30, 2012 in Design 
Designboom had an early look at Hartmut Esslinger’s new book Design Forward, and inside were some of the many old designs made by Hartmut for Apple Computers. There’s a plentiful pile of neat photos to look over here, from an early Apple phone/tablet design, to a “baby Mac” computer that’s one of the most adorable-looking designs I’ve ever seen for a desktop. There’s another in there that even appears to have two screens, if i’m not mistaken. I love seeing behind-the-scenes work like this, and even a small peek into the prototypes that Apple has is a rare occurrence, so check out the images below and the full article here! Read more…
Tags: Apple
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 30, 2012 in Design 
Aw, what a cute little firewall, going out on a limb and following his true passion: music. Rather than protect your PC, this “firewall”( a spandex membrane combined with a Kinect and other tech) reacts to touch and depth, creating audio and visuals that match your movements. It’s a really vivid piece of tech! And while this art installation might ultimately not be useful in the traditional sense, it’s really cool to see what new and unique things creative people like Aaron Sherwood can come up with. Plus, is it just me, or is the Kinect getting way more use as a “neat PC modding device” than an actual Xbox controller? Hey – I’m plenty fine with it! Read more…
Tags: Kinect
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 29, 2012 in Hobbies and Collections 
Looking for some new Batman figures to add to your collection? Perhaps these Play Arts Kai figures will fit the bill – the Joker and Catwoman are now widely available for pre-order, so you can now own one or both of them. Sadly, PAK seems to have a weird fascination with black backgrounds, which makes it hard to make out the details of the figures, but from what you can see, they seem to be pretty solid. The paint work on the Joker’s coat is definitely a highlight, although Catwoman seems to lack the texture of her actual suit in the film. Perhaps it was difficult to replicate! Pre-order Catwoman here or here, and Joker here or here! Read more…
Tags: Batman, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 29, 2012 in Videogames 
Remember how 2 Player Productions was creating a documentary about Mojang and the huge success of Minecraft? Well, it’s finally arrived, and it looks pretty impressive! If you’ve ever wondered about how exactly Minecraft became so popular so fast, then this is definitely something worth checking out. I’ve been watching the Double Fine Adventure! clips they’ve been putting out (for backers only!), and their quality is stellar. They released a trailer to promote the doc, and you can pick it up on disc, or digitally as a DRM-free download! Read more…
Tags: Minecraft, Mojang
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 28, 2012 in Dr. Who, Fandom 
Over the past holidays, Greg Kumparak decided to do a bit of tinkering while on a Doctor Who-fueled creative streak. The result? He built his own minature TARDIS… that’s bigger on the inside. Now, you need a cell phone to see the inside, but this is one of the coolest and most unique uses of augmented reality. Using the phone, you can look inside the TARDIS’ door and see the entirety of the inside from your mobile perspective. He blogged about the whole process involved in making it here, and uploaded a video so you can see it in action. Watch it below! He says he’s hoping to post more info soon on how to make this yourself! Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 28, 2012 in Fandom 
How often do you get to hear great songs on aging computer hardware? MrSolidSnake745, you are the hero the internet needs, not the one it deserves. He’s been creating many excellent recreations of pop culture songs with floppy drives, to great effect. So, without further ado, I present to you his rendition of the Power Rangers theme. Trust me, it’s solid stuff. Read more…
Tags: power rangers
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 24, 2012 in Comic Books, Fandom 
Have some nostalgia for the original X-Men cartoon? The delightfully 90s original opening has a certain charm to it, like so many older cartoons. Perhaps it’s just because we grew up with them, but no matter. Kyle Roberts and his buddies have put together a remake of the 1992 X-Men opening with action figures and drawn backgrounds, the heroes leaping into plastic-y action. I’d argue with their use of the word “stop-motion,” because some of this seems more Flash than stop-motion, but it’s still an impressive and fun video nonetheless. Watch it below the break! Read more…
Tags: X-Men
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 24, 2012 in Anime 
And there’s barely any details… Hiroyuki Imaishi is one of my favorite Japanese animators, particularly for his work on Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking, Dead Leaves, and FLCL. But now that GAINAX has fallen apart, he’s gone his own way and formed a new studio called Studio Trigger with many of his old buddies from his last job. They have just released a short teaser for their first project, Inferno Cop – and there’s not too much to go on in the teaser. It’s set to debut on Christmas though, so I’m sure we’ll see more then. Along with Imaishi, Shigeto Koyama, Hiromi Wakabayashi, and Akira Amemiya are also working on this anime. It’s a pretty solid lineup, so I’m anxious to hear more details about this in the next few days! Read more…
Tags: Studio Trigger
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 23, 2012 in Animation 
I love seeing up-and-coming artists online. Seeing people with new styles, creative ideas – or something that’s just plain cute. Yawen Zheng created this short animated film called The Song for Rain for their graduation project, which features a young boy splashing about in the rain who discovers a friendly fox. The art style is really adorable, and I love the texture used throughout the piece. You’ll see the ending coming a mile away, but that won’t make you “aww” any less either. Click through below to see the video. Read more…
Tags: Short Films
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 23, 2012 in Television 
Hmm, now what do we have here? Just as the Walking Dead was getting good, Glen Mazzara decides to leave? AMC has announced that The Walking Dead will be renewed for a fourth season, but that Glen Mazzara will be leaving after season three. A telling quote was, “Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward and conclude that it is best to part ways,” which says to me that AMC is being stubborn again. Read more…
Tags: The Walking Dead
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