Sideshow 12 Inch G.I. Joe Crimson Guard Pre-Order Available

Heads up G.I. Joe fans, you can now Pre-Order Sideshow Collectibles' 12 Inch Crimson Guard figure. As you can see above, it's a beautiful figure that should please any fan of the old Real American Hero series. If you're interested, you can check out the product page via the following link:

Oh, and Sideshow also has an exclusive unmasked version, seen below:

The Exclusive Edition's product page can be found here:

Play Arts Kai Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning

Here's a lovely look at the upcoming Play Arts Kai Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning figure, set to ship in December 2011. Just in time for the release of the game in Japan! Like all Play Arts Kai figures, you can expect this version of Lightning to be 8.5 inches of highly detailed and articulated awesomeness. You can Pre-Order her now courtesy of Sideshow Collectibles or Entertainment Earth:



Final Fantasy XIII-2 Play Arts Kai Lightning: Entertainment Earth

And if you missed the original Play Arts Kai Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, Amazon has it for 40 smackers:

Final Fantasy XIII Play Arts Kai: Lightning

Star Wars R5-D4 12 inch Figure from Medicom

So. You like Star Wars. You like toys. You like throwing money around online. In that case, it would seem these 12 whopping inches of R5-D4 glory courtesy of Medicom are right up your alley. This is essential for every geeky home. EVER.

He may have a bad motivator, but he still deserves some love. If you're down with the second most famous astromech droid the galaxy has ever seen, mosey on over to Sideshow Collectibles where he's currently available for Pre-Order: Star Wars - Medicom Toy R5-D4 RAH 12-inch Figure

R5 ships in the 1st quarter of 2012. He's a limited edition, so don't miss out!

Play Arts Kai Street Fighter Ryu and Chun-Li Available for Pre-Order

Round 1 - Fight! Square-Enix's Play Arts Kai Street Fighter figures are coming soon, and if you're anxious to grab 'em, Pre-orders for Ryu and Chun-Li are now available from Sideshow Collectibles. They're set to ship sometime in the fourth quarter of 2011, and considering we're freakin' in that now, the wait shouldn't be too long.

With great sculpting and articulation, these 9 inch collector-targeted Street Fighter figures are sure to be absolute must haves for toy and video game nerds alike. Tatsumaki Senpukyaku your way over to the Sideshow pre-order pages below if you're interested:

Square Enix Play Arts Kai Ryu - Super Street Fighter IV

Square Enix Play Arts Kai Chun-Li - Super Street Fighter IV

The Joker Premium Format Figure Reveal from Sideshow Collectibles

These gorgeous preview images of The Joker Premium Format Figure are from the Sideshow Collectibles Production Blog. For even more great images and full product information, check out the full entry HERE.

The Joker Premium Format Figure will be available for Pre-Order through the Sideshow Newsletter on Thursday, September 1st, 2011. It should be published between 2PM and 3PM (Pacific Time). If you sign up, you will receive a $10 coupon and access to plenty of exclusive deals, contests, and priority pre-order opportunities. Definitely worth it for the hardcore collectors out there. Just follow this link if you're interested in checking it out.

Great Ultron Premium Format Figure

MARVEL Premium Format Figure Great Ultron Premium Format Figure

MARVEL Premium Format Figure Great Ultron Premium Format Figure - Sideshow Exclusive Version

Here's a look at the upcoming Great Ultron Premium Format figure. Produced in roughly 1:4 scale, each piece is to be individually painted and finished, assuring high quality. For the high price of around $320, it had better! The figure also features a lighted element and real fabric cape. Fancy! Also available will be the Sideshow Exclusive edition with an alternate arm and fine art print, of which only 500 will be made.

The Great Ultron Premium Format Figure will be available in the first quarter of 2012, but if you're interested, you can go ahead and pre-order now:

MARVEL Premium Format Figure Great Ultron Premium Format Figure
MARVEL Premium Format Figure Great Ultron Premium Format Figure - Sideshow Exclusive Version

Hot Toys Batman and Joker 1989 Versions

Click images to view in full size

Here are but a few of the wow-inducing images of the upcoming Hot Toys Batman (1989 Version) and Joker (1989 Version). These are of course based on Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film. Hot Toys is known for capturing likenesses better than just about anybody else and they certainly kept that ball rolling this time. We'd say they went above and beyond! Tim Burton's Batman is not quite our favorite here at Castle Geekskull, but we have a lot of nostalgic appreciation for it all the same, and seeing the Batman and Joker from the film captured so beautifully is a real treat. "Movie Masterpiece" indeed!

These guys will be available in the first quarter of 2012. They won't be cheap, but if you have the means, you can go ahead and Pre-Order them now at Sideshow Collectibles:

Hot Toys Batman (1989 Version) 12 Inch Figure

Hot Toys Joker (1989 Version) 12 Inch Figure

Venture Bros. Action Figure Pre-Orders Up on Entertainment Earth

The set release date is a year away (August 2012), but if you're a Venture Bros. fan and action figure collector ready to get your hands on Bif-Bang-Pow's upcoming 3 3/4-Inch Venture Bros. action figure line, Entertainment Earth already has Pre-Orders available. Here's the rundown:

Venture Bros. 3 3/4-Inch Figures Series 1 Revision 1:

1x Hank Venture
1x Dean Venture (Buddy Holly)
1x Dr. Mrs. The Monarch
1x Dr. Venture (Red Speed Suit)
1x Phantom Limb (Season 1)

Venture Bros. 3 3/4-Inch Figures Series 2 Revision 1:

1x Brock Samson (Black Shirt)
1x Monarch
1x Shore Leave (SPHINX)
1x Molotov Cocktease
1x Baron Underbheit (Season 1)

Venture Bros. 3 3/4-Inch Figures Series 3 Revision:

1x Dr. Orpheus (Cape)
1x Dr. Henry Killinger
1x Jefferson Twilight
1x Monarch Henchman 1 (The Lepidopterists)
1x HELPER

Despite the long wait, I'm excited for these guys. If you're in the same boat and want to Pre-Order them now, just click any of the individual links above.

Go Team Venture!

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla Pre-Order

Good lawd. Say hello to S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla, 6 inches of wildly articulated awesome from Bandai. This guy is looking to kick much ass. If you're a Godzilla fan, a Kaiju fan, or just a straight up fan of fine damn toys...you're probably going to want this. I know I sure as hell do! He should be available by the end of 2011. Sideshow Collectibles has a Pre-Order available for him if you wanna go ahead and take the plunge: Bandai - S.H. MonsterArts Series Godzilla Action Figure

Super Mario Bros Plush Question Mark Box w/ Sound

This Super Mario Bros. Plush Question Mark Box with Sound is now available for pre-order at Entertainment Earth for $9.99. Give it a knock and you'll hear that iconic power up sound we all know and love. Very cool. Wouldn't it be fun to hang some of these from the ceiling? Ha.

Visit the product page HERE if you're interested in buying!

Official Images of Transformers Chronicle Optimus Prime & Megatron

From E-Hobby:

As seen on TFW2005, these official images for Transformers Chronicle Optimus Prime and Megatron come to us from E-Hobby. These sets, released by Takara Tomy, pair reissues of the G1 Optimus and Megatron toys with their respective Transformers: Dark of the Moon counterparts.

The included trailer for Optimus is based on the one seen in the Dark of the Moon film, and can be shared between both the G1 and deluxe DOTM toys. As of now, the deluxe-sized movie Prime mold can only be found as a Wal-Mart exclusive from Hasbro. This upcoming version has an updated deco with fuller paint on the arms and a unique mech-tech weapon.

The DOTM voyager Megatron from the Decepticon set appears to have a darker, more contrasting set of colors than the regular Hasbro release, but that may be the simple result of a doctored up prototype photo. The G1 Megatron reissue appears to be made entirely of plastic, and seems to only include the scope add-on, but will still be a nice addition to anyone's collection.

The Transformers Chronicles sets are to be released in August of 2011 for 9,240 Yen, or 117 US Dollars, each. You can pre-order them HERE from Big Bad Toy Store.

Further resources:

Full listing for Optimus, alt mode images included.
Full listing for Megatron, alt mode images included.