Forthcoming signings at Forbidden Planet

Forbidden Planet is the largest store of its kind in the world. Some of the biggest names in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comics and Cult Entertainment have come to our London Megastore for signing events, including: Sam Raimi, Terry Gilliam, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Simon Pegg, William Gibson, Mark Millar, Guillermo Del Toro and Stephen King.

We are delighted to be welcoming: -

Saturday 13th March 1 – 2pm
Alastair Reynolds signing Terminal World

Saturday 20th March 1 – 2pm
Joe Hill signing Horns

Tuesday 23rd March 6 – 7pm
Kelley Armstrong signing special advance copies of Frostbitten

Wednesday 24th March 6 – 7pm
Scroobius Pip signing Poetry in (E)motion

Thursday 25th March 6 – 7pm
Mike Carey signing The Unwritten

Friday 26th March
Brian and Wendy Froud signing The Heart of Faerie Oracle

All of these signings will take place at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JR, the foremost location for genre and cult signings in the heart of London.

For more news about our signings please go to: http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/Signings.html.

Bigtrak is back!

Bigtrak, one of the most beloved programmable toys from the 1980's, is being brought back by Dubreq Ltd (creators of the famous Stylophone pocket synth) with new updated accessories to include a rocket launcher and a digital camera - the scourge of pets everywhere.



Zeon will relaunch an authentic reproduction of Bigtrak, boasting all the features of the original model, including 23 button keypad, front-mounted blue photon beam headlamp and the ability to store up to 16 preset programmes.



Simon Gilham, general manager of Zeon in London said: "This is a very exciting time for Zeon. Bigtrak was one of the most exciting toys from my childhood and it’s so exciting to see the revival of this product.

“We wanted to take the incredibly popular toy and do something truly spectacular for the millions of children that came to love Bigtrak in the 1980’s by enabling parents of today to buy one of the most memorable toys from their past and bring it back to life for their own children to enjoy and of course for those who simply wish to have the toy they were never lucky enough to own as a child.

"This introduction mirrors the trend for retro toys and games but even by today’s standards of technology, this is still an immensely fascinating toy to play with what ever age you are!“

Bigtrak will be available in stores nationwide from July 2010, priced at £39.99, with accessories following in 2011. Pre-order Bigtrak from Amazon.

I originally missed out on owning one of these bad boys, my parents bought me MB's Star Bird and Command Base, and can't wait to see Bigtrak in retail stores this summer. I seem to recall that there were white and gray variants released to international markets.

How about Star Bird and ROM the Spaceknight? Make it so.

Follow Bigtrak on Twitter.

Masters of the Universe vs DC Universe Classics

Mattel is bringing Masters of the Universe vs DC Universe Classics 2-packs to TRU! These will feature repaints of classic figures, sculpted by 4H, starting with Superman vs He-Man and Lex Luthor vs Skeletor. Each 2-pack includes a comic book pack-in.



Would a US-based reader be able to procure a set of each,  to send me, as I'd like to write a review? Please contact me here. Thank you.

Transformers Disney Label Buzz Lightyear

In 2009 Disney and Takara released the Transformers Disney Label, exclusively in Japan, based on popular characters from both companies. The first crossover was Mickey Mouse as Optimus Prime.



With the summer 2010 release of Toy Story 3, it's no surprise that the newest addition to the Transformers Disney Label will be Buzz Lightyear, himself!



The figure and alternate mode are a perfect addition to any Transformers Headmaster collection.



I'd be most surprised if Hasbro does not release this Transformer in the international market to coincide with Toy Story 3.

Doctor Who returns Easter 2010

The new trailer featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as his companion, Amy Pond, is here! (Only available in the UK)

The sixty second sequence opens quietly enough but our heroes are soon spinning through a vortex and facing deadly enemies! A Dalek and one of the Weeping Angels can be seen, offering a tantalising glimpse of what's to come in the new series...

Transformers: War for Cybertron

A toy line based on a video game based on a toy line! Marketing genius or madness?

Transformers: War for Cybertron looks like a successful mashup of Transformers Generation 1 (G1) meets Transformers: The War Within as evinced by products revealed by Hasbro during Toy Fair 2010.



War for Cybertron tells the origin story of the Transformers, taking players on a gripping, adrenaline-fuelled journey to Cybertron, where civil war has broken out between the Autobots and Decepticons.



Unlike previous attempts at 'transmedia storytelling' - most notably Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - War for Cybertron has had time to percolate and promises to deliver a gaming experience on par with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

You can now pre-order Transformers: War for Cybertron on PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 and PC. Transformers: Exodus (Hardcover) is also available for pre-order. This 352 page book will tie-in with the release of War for Cybertron video game and toy line!

Battle Cat and Trap Jaw will be back

Following yesterday's sellout of Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat and Trap Jaw action figures, which are exclusively available from MattyCollector. Mattel has attempted to assuage collectors' chagrin with the promise of producing more!

I was one of many collectors who was unable to order Battle Cat due to MattyCollector's paucity of service. Here's an extract from my Twitter:

"No Battle Cat here! @MattyCollector stuck on white screen for 1/3 hour! Got as far as putting Cringer in the cart.."

Toyguru confirmed that the Subscribers-Only Battle Cat® Discount will be honoured for customers purchasing the reissue, and he was openly critical of Digital River, who provide order fulfilment at Matty. This has to be applauded. Openness, transparency and accountability are key.

May I suggest that Mattel consider changing to another company? After all it seems nonsensical that an item can't be purchased even if it's already in the basket! Hardly constitutes a successful business model or lends itself to brand loyalty does it?

I'd be interested to know what other collectors thought. Constructive comments are welcome.

It wasn't all doom and gloom in my quest to purchase from Matty! Picked up a couple of Masters of the Universe Castle Grayskull diorama packs and The Dark Knight: The Joker action figure.

The Sandman creator to write for Doctor Who

Following years of speculation, which reached its zenith in 2009 when it was suggested that the creator of The Sandman maybe writing an Ice Warriors tale, Neil Gaiman officially announced that he's penning a script for Doctor Who.

The announcement was made during SFX Weekender.

How about Paul Dini and Jane Goldman for the win?

Corsham Sci-Fi Family Funday 2010

On Saturday I met the team behind Charity Daleks and promised that I would give them a shout out on Twitter and this blog...

Don't miss Corsham Sci-Fi Family Funday 2010, on the 17th April 2010, at Corsham Community Centre.

Stars from Doctor Who and Star Wars will be there, along with villains such as Daleks, Davros, Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and many more...

Money raised will go towards the charities British Heart Foundation, 16-30 PHAB, and Marie Curie Cancer Care. So make sure you attend, to help make a difference.

The event will run from 10 AM - 4 PM.

Corsham Community Centre
Beechfield Road
Corsham
Wiltshire
SN13 9DN

Confirmed guests include Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and Fraser Hines (Jamie McCrimmon). Colin Baker (Fifth Doctor Who) may also be attending (subject to confirmation).

For further details please visit Corsham Sci-Fi.

Charity of the Daleks

Charity Daleks commandeered the Doctor's TARDIS (as seen in the Dalek movies and upcoming new television series) and invaded Exeter's Guildhall Shopping Centre in a good cause: raising money for various worthy charities.



The Special Weapons Dalek and Dalek are not original BBC props. But, 1:1 scale fan-built replicas, which look as good as their television counterparts seen in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988).

This photo was taken with my LG Chocolate mobile. So, please excuse the quality.