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Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2015 in Animation, Anime, Cinema, Comic Books, Design, Fandom, Hobbies and Collections, Horror, Podcasts, Pulp Fiction, Science, Star Trek, Star Wars, Tech, Television, Videogames
I’m sorry to report that Fanboy.com is now on hiatus: We’re currently thinking of relaunching the site in the future, but for now no new stories will appear. We will still be posting links we love on a regular basis on our Facebook page so please keep in touch with us there.
I first registered this site on a lark in the 90s, but then started blogging almost 9 years ago in 2006 and found it to be a very rewarding experience. However after about 3,000 or so posts I got a bit burned out, however I was very lucky in that I found a few folks who were willing to put in the work to keep the site alive (namely Ben Huber, Bob Muir and Tim Sheehy) and to them I owe a great deal of thanks. I also would like to thank you the readers of this website for coming back to us over the past few years. In the meantime we’ll keep this site up for anyone who would like to see our old stories until further notice.
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 4, 2015 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
Why does Fox want to make a Play-Doh movie, you may ask? Because there is nothing left on this hellscape. The Hollywood wells have run dry. Fox executives have been eyeing The LEGO Movie ravenously like wild dogs, and hope to take a similar approach to a Play-Doh film. All joking aside, while this does seem like another cynical attempt to exploit our collective childhood memories, at least Fox is talking with Paul Feig to direct the movie. At least! Hasbro really wants to turn their properties into big-budget blockbusters, but after Battleship… well, who knows if it’ll work? Read more…
Tags: Hasbro, Play-Doh
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 14, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections
If you loved the Simpson’s minifigures and their house that was released last year, get ready for some more! LEGO has announced The Simpson’s Kwik-E-Mart, featuring a removable roof, a fully-stocked convenience store, tons of accessories, and Chief Wiggum in his police car. The building also folds out in the back, so you can get easy access to everything inside. 6 minifigures are included too, featuring several iconic Simpson’s characters. But if that’s not enough, LEGO is also releasing a second line of randomly bagged Simpson’s minifigures separately. The Kwik-E-Mart will be out in April for $199.99 USD. Check out all the images below! Read more…
Tags: Lego, The Simpsons
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 15, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
It wasn’t that long ago that the Lego UCS Slave I came out, but Lego never stops. At the NY Toy Fair, Lego has revealed the Ultimate Collector’s Series TIE Fighter. With 1685 pieces, a TIE Fighter pilot, and of course, a display stand, the TIE Fighter model stands 18 1/2 inches tall and roughly 12 inches long and wide! This would definitely make a great desk piece. Lego also released their usual designer video, with a look at all the little features and pieces included. And here’s a heads up: there are rumors that there will be a large Hoth Rebel Base set in October. UCS sets are always pretty well-done. I’m still waiting for a new UCS Millennium Falcon, so I don’t have to pay ridiculous after-market prices on the old model! Check out more TIE Fighter images below. Read more…
Tags: Lego, TIE Fighter
Posted by Ben Huber on Feb 7, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections
Oh come on, were you even worried that the Doctor Who set wouldn’t be chosen? It was going to happen eventually! Yes, the next LEGO Ideas sets have been announced and they’ll be a Doctor Who playset and a Wall-E figure created by actual Pixar animator Angus MacLane! At the moment the Doctor Who set will probably change a bit from the initial design make sure it’s mass-market, but I imagine the Wall-E set will change very little in the redesign process at LEGO (sadly LEGO must change each Ideas set to fit their own standards still). Check out the images and video below! Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who, Lego, Wall-E
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 31, 2015 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
You’re probably not surprised to see more Lego video games announced. But, that said, I have to bring it up because a Lego Jurassic Park game is one of them. It’s titled LEGO Jurassic World, but will actually let you play through all four movies in the game. This means that for the first time ever (correct me if I’m wrong), you’ll be able to play as Lego Jeff Goldblum. This is wonderful news! I hope this game features as many characters as possible (Lego games usually do…) but the next most important question is: can I play as a dinosaur? We’ll have to wait and see. Lego Jurassic World is coming out in June. Oh, and there’s also a Lego Avengers game, based on Avengers and Age of Ultron. Whatever! Read more…
Tags: Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Lego, The Avengers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 30, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections
Lego does a good job of keeping leaks locked down! Lego fans had heard rumors of an Ultimate Collectors Series Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier for a long while, but images of the set didn’t leak until yesterday! Now it’s been officially announced so here: take a look at the Helicarrier! It’s a large model with quite a lot of minifigures, microscale jets, microfigures, and more. It’s nearly 3000 pieces and will run you $349.99. Lego VIP members will get it February 17th, and it’ll go on sale to the general public on March 1st. It also apparently has a spot to drop in Lego battery-powered motors (sold separately, of course). Check out the images below! Read more…
Tags: Lego, Marvel, The Avengers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 25, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections
If you pay attention to the Lego community, you probably know that Scooby-Doo sets had been rumored for the past few months. Now, as the London Toy Fair wraps up, Lego has officially announced that yes, they’re real. There are currently four sets listed: a Mystery Machine, Mystery Mansion, Mummy Museum Mystery, and Haunted Lighthouse. The minifigures for these sets look really nice! They’ve definitely captured the characters well. It appears there will be definitely versions of Scooby as well. As of right now we only have images of the Mystery Machine and the mansion. Check it out below! Read more…
Tags: Lego, Scooby Doo
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 17, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
Wow, talk about impressive. Lego fan Aaron Fiskum has put together a detailed and quite large X-34 Landspeeder, styled similarly to the highly collectable Lego UCS series of Star Wars sets. It measures about two feet long and features almost 3000 pieces! I’m really blown away by the amount of care put into this, and according to The Brothers Brick, this is Fiskum’s second model he’s made. Wow! I love the curves on the engines and nose of the speeder. Plus, that cockpit looks pretty roomy too! Check out more images below, then stop by his Flickr page to see the entire gallery. Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2015 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
Awards season is coming up, so a few Blu-ray featurettes are starting to show up online as part of the promotion cycle. One of the more interesting ones I’ve caught is a behind-the-scenes look at some of the CGI and real-life LEGOs that were used in The LEGO Movie. It might surprise you how many real LEGOs were used in the film! It’s a pretty cool process and the amount of care and detail put into everything is astounding. I hope that any future Lego movies can have the same amount of attention and love put into them… and not devolve into quick cash-ins. Video embedded below! Read more…
Tags: Lego, The LEGO Movie
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2015 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections
When I saw these adorable Dinobot plush toys on Topless Robot I simply had to share them with you here. However, as I was writing this article, they sold out! So I suppose now I’m just dangling a tantalizing treat right in front of you. Don’t fret too much, though! In addition to these, Etsy seller MythFit Creations also has plenty of other cute Transformers along with several Deadpool, TMNT, How To Train your Dragon, and Catbug-themed plushes. Check out the rest of their work here, and I bet you’ll find something cuddly to add to your collection! Read more…
Tags: Dinobots, Etsy, plush toys, Transformers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2015 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
If you’re looking for an imposing evil figure to guard your shelf space or desk, look no further! Hot Toys has put up pre-orders for their latest Star Wars figure, the dark lord himself, Darth Vader. It’s based off of the costume used in A New Hope down to the last detail, also features a voice box with breathing sound effects, and tops it all off with LEDs that light up on his belt and lightsaber. Imagine seeing that in the dark! It’ll also come with multiple hands, a stand, and an Interrogator Droid. Vader will run you $299.99, and will release in September later this year. He’s over 13 inches tall! Check out more details and the pre-order page here.
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Tags: Darth Vader, Hot Toys
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2015 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
I think we’re reaching the point where we can safely say: if something exists, someone has remade with LEGOs. Plus, how many times am I going to get to tag a post with both “Lego” and “Alfred Hitchcock”? Yes, Bricktease has remade the Psycho shower scene with LEGOs, and it’s stunningly accurate. Sure, it’s hard to do the more subtle finger movements (“Can you see the quotations I’m making with my claw hands?“), everything else is spot-on. To show just how accurate they are, Bricktease has also uploaded a side-by-side comparison video with the original scene. Good work, guys! The tension is still there, even in brick form! Read more…
Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 27, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections
One of the first looks at the Jurassic World dinosaurs was from leaked Lego moulds, and now we’re getting an even better view of the sets. The sets feature dinosaurs (obviously) but we can also catch a glimpse of Lego Chris Pratt and a Lego scientist holding an adorable mosquito in amber. From what I understand, the last dinosaur line from Lego sold very well, so combined with the Jurassic Park name it should do even better. Also in leaked Lego news, an image has surfaced of Ultron and Tony Stark minifigures for Avengers 2. Suffice to say: Lego Ultron looks terrifying. Image below! Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Jurassic World, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 26, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
Well, I think it was inevitable that Hot Toys would make a Boba Fett figure, but 1/4 scale? Now that’s impressive… Most impressive. He’ll feature tons of accessories (as usual) along with 30 points of articulation, four sets of hands, a cloth cape, two rifles, and an assortment of knives and blades. Plus, as usual with Hot Toys, at 18 inches tall he’ll be incredibly detailed — you can probably tell from the images. He’ll be out late 2015 or early 2016 (figures like this often get delayed). As for cost? Nothing is confirmed yet, but he’ll probably be over $300, so start saving your pennies now. Check out more images below! Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett, Hot Toys
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 15, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Videogames
LEGO Ideas has been delivering some great stuff recently, but this one really stood out: a Plants vs. Zombies playset. This particular one designed by Jin Kai Soo on LEGO Ideas blows all other PvZ sets out of the water, in both design and presentation. From the moveable plants to the collection of zombies, I’m really impressed by the cohesiveness of the whole set. The best part: it’s not overly ambitious like most LEGO Ideas sets and aims directly for the right size LEGO usually approves. Now it just needs the votes! Head on over to the Ideas page to see more images and vote! Read more…
Tags: Lego, Plants vs. Zombies
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 15, 2014 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
The potential buyers for Dreamworks Animation continue to stream by! Back in September we heard that Softbank was interested in buying the animation company, but talks quickly died out. Now, toy giant Hasbro is currently in talks to pick them up. This is a potentially big deal because Hasbro would certainly love to put many of its toy brands into CGI animated blockbusters. And hey, the potential for a good Transformers film from the How To Train Your Dragon crew is pretty exciting to contemplate. I’m certain there’s also a desire to replicate the success of the LEGO Movie, which this could possibly do for Hasbro. We’ll keep an eye out to see if these talks go through! Till then, imagine what Hasbro toy you’d most like to see as an animated film! Read more…
Tags: Dreamworks, Hasbro
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 9, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections
Yes, the user-submitted LEGO project has gotten itself another license approved. Several ideas jumped the 10,000 supporter hurdle, but only two made it through: the Big Bang Theory, and birds. No, not the Hitchcock film. Just regular birds. And they’re adorable! I honestly couldn’t care less about the Big Bang Theory set, but these birds are wonderfully made, and I can’t wait to see LEGO’s final version of them (all the sets essentially have to be “redone” by LEGO and approved for mass-production. They don’t use the sets submitted as-is). Check out some more images below along with the announcement video, then read the official blog post with more details here! Read more…
Tags: Lego, The Big Bang Theory
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 20, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections
Moko is one of the best LEGO builders out of Japan — if you follow him on Twitter, you can get some glimpses at his massive collection of parts and pieces. He’s an expert at building mecha, in particular. His latest build is a chibi-styled Gundam with tons of little details and an incredible amount of poseability. Moko also built a varied collection of all the weapons you’d want to see the original Gundam wield. Check out more images below, and if you haven’t seen Moko’s work before, check out his Flickr page with an enormous collection of amazing mecha and anime characters. It’s great stuff! Read more…
Tags: Lego, Mobile Suit Gundam
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 11, 2014 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections
Yes, Warner Bros. is taking notice of how much you all loved Batman in the LEGO Movie, and are fast-tracking a LEGO Batman movie. Chris McKay, the animation supervisor on The LEGO Movie, was previously slated to direct the sequel, but now has been switched over to the Batman film. In fact, it appears that the Batman movie will take the 2017 release date of the LEGO Movie sequel entirely, pushing the latter back to another year. Will Arnett is also returning to voice Batman. This means that Will Arnett will get a solo Batman film before even Ben Affleck. Neato! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Lego, The LEGO Movie
Posted by Ben Huber on Oct 5, 2014 in Design, Hobbies and Collections
Florey has been doing some really cool art recently, but I simply had to mention these great Transformers shirts that he made from 80sTees.com. Available in Autobot and Decepticon varieties (of course), it features a multitude of Transformers in vehicle form. It has enough of them to satisfy any fan, I would imagine. These are screen printed, too, and look pretty awesome as far as quality goes. They’re available now and you can pick it up in Autobots flavor here, and Decpticon flavor here. Then check out Florey’s blog for more cool pop culture art!
Tags: T-Shirts, Transformers
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 26, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
Hot Toys continues to knock it out of the park with every figure they make, but this new Chewbacca figure might just take the cake. He has brown fabric hair across his entire body, and it looks just like the real thing. I’m honestly surprised it looks this good, because typically, hair on figures is hard to do right. A whole figure of hair? A nightmare! But somehow they pulled it off, and Chewie looks great standing next to Han. As usual, he comes with a bunch of accessories, such as his bowcaster and bandoleer, as well as a figure stand. Check out some more images below, then see the full gallery here! Read more…
Tags: Chewbacca, Hot Toys
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 21, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
Revoltech, Japanese maker of all things figures, have started a new Star Wars line. At least, I’m pretty sure they are, given that their first figure, Darth Vader, is labeled “#001.” That probably means there’s more to come. Revoltech has done a great job in the past of creating pose-able figures that also look great. Vader, thankfully, is no exception. He’s got lots of great poses, and about the only nitpick I have is the cape: it looks great in the default position, but when bent along the hinges, it creates some gaps. Nothing terrible, but I suppose that’s the price you pay for a cool sculpted cape instead of a cloth one. You can pre-order Vader here — he comes out in December. Read more…
Tags: Action Figures, Darth Vader, Revoltech
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 15, 2014 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections
I bet you weren’t expecting this mashup any time soon: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off car crash scene, remade in LEGO! This was done as part of Swebrick’s annual “AFOL vs AFOL” contest (AFOL stands for Adult Fan Of Lego). The theme this time around was to build a scene from an 80s film or TV series — only the catch is that it has to feature a car in it. Lots of excellent models were made (and you can see all of them here), but the one that came out on top was Etzel87’s Ferris Bueller model, featuring: “You killed the car.” Check out the entire contest here and more images below. Read more…
Tags: Lego
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