Hasbro’s Star Wars Black Series Rancor failed to gain enough backers this week and has since vanished from HasLab’s landing page. We covered the struggling crowdfunding project over at Pirates and Princesses. Between the dismal stretch goal unlockables and the overall appearance of Jabba’s pet, it’s no wonder it flopped.
The G.I. Joe Skystriker campaign launched around the same time, and for a while, it looked like the combat jet wasn’t going to make its goal either. When I wrote about the Cobra Commander takeover of the project a couple of days ago, there were still more than 3k backers needed.
As of today, the Skystriker has been fully funded with six hours left. The Skystriker currently sits at 10,994 backers. Earlier today, it had just crossed the 10k mark. There are three tiers still left to unlock when it comes to stretch goals. It is probably safe to say that the 13k, 16k, and 18k levels won’t be reached within this short period, but you never know.
I attribute this considerable spike coming from collectors who just freed up $350 from the sunken Rancor campaign. The Skystriker is only $230, and the money is only taken out if the number of backers is met. So, it would make sense for collectors to use that newly liberated cash to go right back into another collectible.
Whether the stretch goals are reached or not, Hasbro is delivering way more with the base toy than with the Rancor. The vehicle is fully equipped with missiles, firing effects, a stand, two figures, ejecting parachute seats, and of course, the newly added Cobra figures.
If all three extra funding goals are met, you’ll get an exclusive variant of Scarlett in her flight suit, Rip Cord, and two pit crew figures. Nothing too special. At least Hasbro isn’t locking a necessary accessory behind that wall as they did with the hose for the Spengler Proton Pack…
[Source: HasLab]
HasLab’s Rancor Fails While The G.I. Joe Skystriker Sails To Victory
William Shatner’s Journey Into Space Recounted In New Documentary
“Space, the final frontier.”
William Shatner recited those lines as his iconic character Captain James T. Kirk for the hit science fiction series ‘Star Trek.’ At the age of 90, the actor was able to experience a taste of that journey on his own when he traveled with Blue Origin on a ride into space. Now, Amazon announced that their streaming service Prime Video will release ‘Shatner in Space,’ a documentary that recounts the trip.
“Prime Video and William Shatner today announced that Shatner in Space, a one-hour special, will premiere on Prime Video on Wednesday, December 15,” Amazon said in a press release. “The announcement was first made by Mr. Shatner during a virtual panel for CCXP Worlds, the virtual version of the world’s largest fan convention in São Paulo, Brazil.”
They continued, “The special details the events before, during, and after Shatner’s life-changing flight—which made him the oldest person to ever travel to the cosmos—and the growing friendship between the Star Trek icon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, whose dreams of space travel, like many, were inspired by the original Star Trek series.”
William Shatner shared his own thoughts about the Blue Origin trip.
“My time in space was the most profound experience I could have ever imagined,” the ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ actor said. “This special documenting my journey gives a dramatic view of that experience, and my hope is that it inspires the world to see we must go to space to save Earth.”
The special will be produced by Amazon Studios, Blue Origin, Film 45, Jason Ehrlich Productions, and Bright Spot Content.
William Shatner portrayed Captain Kirk for three seasons of ‘Star Trek’ as well as stared in seven films within the franchise. He would also direct the 1989 film ‘Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.’
‘Pokemon: Black And White’ Finds New Streaming Home On Tubi
Want to catch some Pokemon? Or at least follow along as Ash Ketchum and his friend Pikachu continue their journey to become Pokemon Masters? Tubi made the announcement that three full seasons of ‘Pokemon: The Series’ have landed on the streaming service. ‘Pokemon: Black and White’, as well as its follow-up seasons, have been uploaded, totalling 150 episodes of the series.
“Tubi treats its viewers to three full seasons of the globally popular Pokémon animated series,” Tubi said in a press release. “‘Pokémon: Black and White’ (Season 14), ‘Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies’ (Season 15), and ‘Pokémon: BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond’ (Season 16) – comprising nearly 150 episodes – are now available on FOX Entertainment’s free streaming service. The iconic animated television series premiered more than 20 years ago and chronicles the fantastic adventures of Ash and his Pikachu, alongside their many friends and Pokémon companions. “Pokémon the Series” has taken viewers to a variety of different regions, islands, cities and towns in the Pokémon world.”
This saga follows Ash (Sarah Natochenny) and his companions as they battle Team Rocket and other adversaries in the region of Unova. Along the way, they encounter new types of Pokemon, UFOs, and stiff competition at the gyms.
Here is an official clip from ‘Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies’:
Tubi Chief Content Officer Adam Lewinson expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition.
“The addition of Pokémon animation to Tubi Kids demonstrates our commitment to expanding our robust library of iconic kids properties and providing free premium content for all families,” he said. “We’re thrilled that Pokémon fans can now follow memorable adventures with Ash and his Pikachu on Tubi.”
The synopsis for ‘Pokemon: Black and White’ is described as follows: “When Ash and his mother accompany Professor Oak to the distant Unova region, Ash discovers Pokémon that he’s never seen before… and that he can’t wait to catch! He may have Pikachu at his side together with new friends Iris and Cilan, but he’ll still need plenty of new Pokémon on his team if he wants to challenge Unova’s expert Gym Leaders. His quest to become a Pokémon Master just got even tougher!”
The Spengler Special Is Unlocked At HasLab’s Proton Pack Campaign!
Hasbro’s Spengler Proton Pack crowdfunding campaign has smashed through three or the four stretch goals. There are still six days left for the project to gain over 2,500 more backers to reach the final unlockable tier.
At this point, we’re getting a hose, Mini-Pufts, and now the Spengler Special tier. So what’s in this third unlocked level? Well, it’s probably the most underwhelming part of this whole thing. It’s a notebook and stickers. Yup. For reaching 13k backers, we’re getting what looks like something you’d find at the checkout line of your local Barnes & Noble.
This stretch goal really slaps! That’s right, unlock the exclusive Spengler Special and get a sheet of Ghostbusters-themed decals to slap on your pack, your notebooks, or whatever else you want to have a little eerie flair! We want you to be able to bust in style while expressing yourself. And lastly, we want to make sure you all know exactly how to bust ghosts, and that’s why we’ve decided to include Egon Spengler’s 16-page notebook. Featuring schematics, handwritten notes, and personal anecdotes, this exclusive notebook is a must-have for any card-carrying Ghostbusters fan! Electric.
I’m disappointed with the Class III unlockables. This tier should have been something more beneficial for the proton pack. You know, like an actual ALICE pack! Those packs range between $50-$100 but can be obtained in bulk for even less. Why not include those?
The journal and stickers feel like throwaway items. If Hasbro wanted to include paper goods, why not replicas of Egon’s various degrees? Maybe a copy of Tobin’s Spirit Guide? Hell, even a scaled replica of Muncher would have been more appealing than this.
Think about where this stretch goal sits in the grand scheme of things. It’s one tier below the grand finale that is the custom stand for the pack. So how do a 16-page journal and some stickers even build up to that? It’s such a weird choice.
Then again, when we see how the Rancor campaign rolled out, I shouldn’t be that surprised with mediocre unlockables.
[Source: Hasbro Pulse]
Three New ALIENS Pulse Rifle Replicas Coming Soon
ALIENS wasn’t only a fantastic sequel, but it also brought with it a slew of memorable props. The power loader, the APC, the smartgun, the dropship, the motion detector, and of course, the M41A pulse rifle. Each would make for a great display piece, but they only show up every few years for sale. Luckily today, you can choose from not one but three different versions of the famous colonial marine weapon.
HCG is bringing three versions of the M41A to market. The Brown Bess, Weathered Brown Bess, and the standard olive drab pulse rifle. Each comes with the same features: they’re all 5lbs, made of polystone, and have a display base. That’s it. No thrills, frills, or working ammo counter. It’s not even clear if the ammo counter is illuminated.
Each pulse rifle is priced at $605. The standard version is due out this month, while the Bess variants will be coming during the first quarter of 2022.
Over the years, many different companies have taken turns producing either stunt replicas, airsoft replicas, and even Hasbro is making a Nerf variant. Some of these replicas were great, while others turned out to be garbage.
What worries me is that these three new entries are being made by Hollywood Collectibles. A friend of mine bought the company’s replica ghost trap from Ghostbusters. It was priced almost four times more than the older Matty Collector replica and had zero features. It wasn’t exactly worth the price admission in comparison.
I hope HCG has improved its craftsmanship since then.
What do you think of the stunt pulse rifles? Worth $600, or are the DIY kits a better deal? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Sideshow]
‘The Boys’ Expands Into Animation With Spin-Off ‘Diabolical’
Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television are expanding the TV universe of ‘The Boys’ with a new animated spin-off ‘Diabolical.’ Billy Butcher actor Karl Urban made the announcement on a recorded message during the Prime video virtual panel at the CCXP Worlds 2021.
Amazon said in a press release, “Diabolical reveals unseen stories within The Boys universe, brought to life by some of the most creative minds in entertainment today, including Awkwafina, Garth Ennis, Eliot Glazer and Ilana Glazer, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, Simon Racioppa, Justin Roiland and Ben Bayouth, Andy Samberg, and Aisha Tyler.”
“Surprise,” said Diabolical executive producer Eric Kripke. “We’re almost finished with eight episodes of our animated series, Diabolical. We gathered together some incredible creators and we gave them one rule … just kidding, there’s no rules. They blew the doors off it, delivering eight completely unexpected, funny, shocking, gory, moist, emotional episodes. You think The Boys is nuts? Wait till you see this.”
Head of television at Amazon Studios Vernon Sanders expressed enthusiasm for the show, saying, “Expanding the universe of The Boys has been an amazing journey. Fans will get all-new stories, with all the fun and outrageous humor of The Boys that they know and love—plus some great surprises.” Sanders added, “Eric, Seth, and Evan have assembled incredible talent to bring Diabolical to life, and we can’t wait for our Prime Video customers to see this new, wild ride.”
The animated series has a long list of executive producers including Simon Racioppa, Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ori Marmur, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Michaela Starr, Loreli Alanís, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, and Ben Kalina.
‘The Boy’ is based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. It was developed for streaming service by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke.
English Dub Cast For ‘RUMBLE GARANNDOLL’ Announced
The Japanese production Lerche launched the sci-fi mecha anime ‘RUMBLE GARANNDOLL’ in October 2011 with a planned twelve episodes for season one. The show is directed by Masaomi Andō and written by Makoto Uezu with Akio Watanabe handling the character designs. Funimation has announced that they have acquired the license to an English dub for the television show.
“A new dimension has revealed itself! We’re excited to announce that the RUMBLE GARANNDOLL English dub is officially on its way to Funimation, and we’ve got your first details on the series cast, crew and when you can watch,” they said on their website. “Episode 1 of the RUMBLE GARANNDOLL English dub will arrive on Funimation, which means it’s almost time to dive into this original sci-fi adventure, or just re-experience it from the jump!”
Funimation continued, “The series English voice cast includes Lindsay Seidel (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Attack on Titan Final Season) as Rin Akagi, Nazeeh Tarsha (Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) as Hosomichi Kudo and Terri Doty (Wave, Listen to Me!, Asteroid in Love) as Misa Kuroki.”
The rest of the cast includes Adam Gibbs, Brendan Blaber, Stephen Fu, Sara Secora, Katelyn Barr, Alejandro Saab, Tia Ballard, and Kayli Mills.
You can check out the trailer below:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Japan, 2019, just before the dawn of a new era. Suddenly, a rift to another dimension appears in the sky, revealing an alternative world “Shinkoku Nippon,” with the sky and the earth upside down. This parallel world keeps their former militarism, with its era being Eternal Showa. The military invades the real Japan with giant humanoid robots called “Garann” and their gas weapons “Genmu”, rendering our modern weapons ineffective. “Shinkoku Nippon” instantly seizes the government and achieves de facto conquest of Japan. The new era, “Reiwa,” has not arrived for Japan.”
Playstation Network VP Terminated After Allegedly Luring a Minor
Over the weekend, a Twitter thread emerged regarding Playstation VP George Cacioppo allegedly attempting to meet a minor after exchanging elicit text messages with someone claiming to be 15 years old. Cacioppo is listed as having been the Senior Vice President of Engineering for the Playstation Network since September 2013, according to LinkedIn.
A vigilante organization known as People v. Preds set up the sting. After a short text exchange, the decoy and the person said to be George Cacioppo planned a meet-up at his place. The entire video is under three minutes. George is confronted in front of what looks like his home. He is wearing a PS5 t-shirt and appears to realize he has been set up immediately.
Cacioppo retreats from the cameras as the PVP team makes it clear to anyone within earshot of what the former Sony VP was allegedly trying to do. At no point in the video were the police called to the scene.
People v. Preds have posted a Google Drive link with screenshots of Cacioppo’s conversation with two different decoys. The texts can also be seen in the Twitter thread below.
#TipsterNews: The Senior Vice President of PSN George Cacioppo was caught by an independent pedophile hunting group known as "People v. Preds" for allegedly trying to meet with a 15 Year Old boy for sex. pic.twitter.com/4ukh4lmy6a
— Tipster (@BanishedJourno) December 4, 2021
Below are the chat logs which have been released to me by People v. Preds. The conversation starts on Grindr then moves to text messages. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/SNzOUmF9WN
— Tipster (@BanishedJourno) December 4, 2021
CNET is reporting that Cacioppo has been terminated from Sony. This information comes from a statement Sony e-mailed out over the weekend. Unfortunately, the complete contents of this e-mail were not published, only the following blurb, “We are aware of the situation, and the employee in question has been terminated from employment.”
Vigilante groups targetting potential predators are not uncommon in the wake of NBC’s To Catch A Predator with Chris Hansen. In addition, in recent years, several YouTube channels have popped up using similar tactics to the infamous Dateline show. While it may be commendable that these people are doing more to shed light on child abusers and human traffickers, some of these channels do so on questionable grounds.
Since law enforcement isn’t directly involved from start to finish, it is hard to authenticate every interaction between the decoy and the potential predator. That’s not to say a number of these altercations aren’t 100% legit, but it also leaves the alleged kiddy diddler with enough legal firepower to escape prosecution. Trust me, and I want anyone attempting to abuse a child to face the harshest possible sentence.
We held off on reporting this story until more info surfaced; however, it would appear that some people were outright refusing to cover it for some reason. For example, an executive editor at IGN felt that the story was not worth dedicating time to.
Never heard of him. I bet that’s why you aren’t seeing anyone cover it – it’s a guy no one knows being implicated for crimes unrelated to his job. If Sony turned out to have known and protected him, or if he’d used his position to do it, that would be game industry news.
— Dan Stapleton (@DanStapleton) December 6, 2021
It would be unprofessional to speculate, but having spent several years in the entertainment industry, I can say that there is an apparent tendency for actions of child predators to be downplayed if not completely ignored. There are active movements in academia to normalize the behaviors that would lead to children being taken advantage of. Disgusting.
Maybe they keep quiet so as not to ruffle the feathers of those who control their access to media? Perhaps it is, so they’re not blacklisted from the lifeline needed to stay in business. I cannot say for certainty, but it is a subject that the business likes to ignore.
It’s one of those “open secrets” that the rich like to abuse children. We only have to look at the Jimmy Savile controversy to see that. Just how much of your soul are you willing to give away so you can maintain a steady paycheck? How many times can you turn a blind eye because you don’t want to get on the wrong side of a studio executive?
[Source: @BanishedJourno]
[Source: CNET]
Garfield, Odie, and even Nermal Plushies Are On The Way. Yay…
Anyone who grew up in the 1980s will remember when Garfield was everywhere. The lazy cat who hates Mondays had TV series, comic strips, books, holiday specials, and parade balloons. Then, of course, there was also the plushie.
You know which one I’m talking about. Your aunt probably had the Garfield plushie in her car; his suction cup hands adhered to her back window. This fad spread like a disease. I’d see Garfield grinning out at me from a variety of vehicles. He was on semi-trucks, Cadillacs, mini-vans, and I even once saw him stuck on the passenger side window of a Lamborghini Countach LP400S.
Well, the fad has returned. Or, at least, it is trying to. There are multiple listings at Entertainment Earth for suction cup Garfields and Odies. Each is $14.99 and has a shipping date of January 2022. So who sacrificed a goat to a trickster god to resurrect this fad?!
Entertainment Earth
Now, if you brought back the Garfield landline touch-tone telephone, I may buy one to give to my employees instead of pink slips. Nothing says I’ve wrecked your financial well-being quote like a Garfield telephone.
Do you love or hate Garfield. It’s OK. We can all be honest here. So, let us know your true feelings about Jim Davis’s creation in the comments section.
[Source: Entertainment Earth]
The Devilish Mirror Spock is EXO-6’s Latest ‘Star Trek’ Premium Figure
EXO-6 continues to make seemingly random premium action figures based on various Star Trek series. Previously we’d seen Captain Janeway, the Doctor, Data, Picard, and now Mirror Universe Spock!
A 12″ version of the devilish Mr. Spock is EXO-6’s newest figure, and he may be the coolest looking one in the line so far. Spock sports the evil goatee and is more than ready to make you pay $198 for his company.
Pre-orders are open now. Spock only requires a $20 deposit with the remaining amount due when the figure is ready to ship.
It has been a staple of several Trek series to include a parallel universe episode. It’s a fun way to explore what these characters would be like if they were cutthroat deviants hellbent on pursuing wealth and power. The first look into the mirror universe where the Terran Empire ruled with an iron fist happened during the Original Series on October 6th, 1967.
- Fully Articulated Body: More than 30 points of articulation allow the figure to be displayed in multiple dynamic poses, approximately 30 cm tall.
- Realistic Portrait: Spock’s portrait is lovingly rendered by top artists, with an excellent likeness of Leonard Nimoy with a beard. Each head sculpt is specially hand-painted.
- Terran Empire Uniform: Meticulously researched, this uniform matches the pattern and color of the original costume recreated in 1:6 scale. Magnets are sewn into the uniform so the phaser and dagger can be attached. The Terran insignia and medals are permanently attached to his tunic. (The uniform is not removeable.)
- Boots: Using leather-like material cut in the original style of the footwear worn in Star Trek: The Original Series.
- Hands: A total of nine interchangeable hands are included so he can be displayed holding the phaser or the dagger and do the Vulcan mind meld.
- Display Base: A hexagonal display base featuring the transporter pad will provide additional support for the figure. Two different inserts for the floor of the base can represent the transporter pad or the center of the transporter array.
- Phaser Type 2/ Type 1: The pistol-grip type 2 phaser is the weapon of choice for any landing party expecting hostile aliens. The smaller Type 1 phaser can be removed and used separately. Both have magnets allowing either to be worn on the utility belt or directly on the pants as they were in the 3rd season.
- Dagger and sheath: Standard issue for Terran Empire officers, the dagger is perfect for up close and personal assassinations.
- Agonizer: A device unique to the Terran Empire, one touch of the agonizer to a shoulder causes unimaginable pain. An excellent tool for adjusting the attitudes of wayward crew members.
[Source: EXO-6]
