Thingamajigs
Beasts of the Mesozoic Velociraptor Figures Are a Blast (from the Past)
Kickstarter is the go-to site for many indie-developed products. While video games immediately come to mind, we have seen our fair share of kickstarted toys. One of the latest is something I never thought I would ever see: a line of scientifically accurate 1/6 scale posable Velociraptor action figures dubbed the Beasts of the Mesozoic. I feel like a kid in an American Museum of Natural History-themed candy store.
In April of 2016, toy sculptor David Silva started the Beasts of the Mesozoic Kickstarter project. Silva isn’t a newcomer to the toy industry; he has worked with many big-name toy companies, including Hasbro, NECA, and McFarlane Toys. Silva also owns Creative Beast Studio, a small company that specializes in dragon and dinosaur resin model kits, but he needed a little extra funding for his Beasts of the Mesozoic toy line, which is why he turned to Kickstarter. The project originally asked for $125,000 but raised $351,753, soaring past the stretch goals for toys based on additional Velociraptor and Atrociraptor species. ecosystem accessory packs, raptor hatchling packs, and “build your own raptor” packs. To say Silva’s campaign was a success would be an understatement.
Now, when I say these figures are scientifically accurate, I’m fibbing a bit. They are accurate as far as skeletal structure and body shape are concerned, but Silva takes liberties when it comes to plumage. Yes, plumage. Since paleontologists are confident most theropods, especially Velociraptors and their cousins, had feathers, Silva has given each species feather patterns and colors inspired by modern-day birds. Additionally, Silva designed each raptor with distinct feathery features. Some have long arm feathers; others have feathery crests, and a few have puffy neck feathers. Each Velociraptor and Atrociraptor looks unique, and Silva’s designs make me pray nature was kind enough to have had real raptors with colorful displays not unlike those dreamt up for the toy line.
You might wonder why I’m talking about these velocifigures if the Kickstarter ended two years ago. Well, Silva has started sending out rewards, or to be more specific, build-a-raptor kit rewards. One of these kits was sent to popular YouTube toy reviewer Pixel Dan (according to Pixel Dan, he received his kit before other backers) who posted a video review of the set, and sweet Raptor Jesus, the figure looks pretty even unpainted.
While you can’t back the project anymore, you can still pre-order the various raptor figures and accessory sets via BackerKit, as well as follow Silva on his Creative Beast Studio Facebook page. If you order the figures now, you can expect them to arrive between February and March. With luck, Silva will eventually continue the Beasts of the Mesozoic line with other dinosaurs. Fingers crossed for the Pachycephalosauridae.
Super Mario Odyssey has no shortage of fans, considering that it is considered by many to be one of the best games of the entire series. For those of you who want to flaunt your fanhood with some merch, this article is for you.
Penny Arcade has officially released their new capture set that is based on Super Mario Odyssey, with the set costing $35. The set features Mario utilizing some of his best abilities from the game, such as capturing a bullet bill, chain chomp and more. Of course, you also have a pin of the now iconic pose of Mario flinging his hat. You can check out the full set below.
The set contains a total of 4 pins, which are the chain chomp, bullet bill, cheep cheep and Mario. The pins vary in size, though they are no bigger than 1.5″ tall.
Super Mario Odyssey is available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The game released in October of last year to rave reviews, becoming one of the highest-reviewed games of the year and for the console in general. Any other year it would have easily swept the game of the year awards, though it unfortunately had to play runner-up to the other rave-reviewed 2017 game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
PowerA has some special collector’s pins that are on the way for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild fans, and now a product page for them has gone live on Amazon. The page gives us a nice look at the pins themselves, while also providing information like price and release date.
These pins are officially licensed by Nintendo, so those interested in purchasing them don’t have to worry about getting cheap knockoffs. There are 10 of these pins in total, which range from symbols, weapons and divine beasts that are all featured in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. These are blind boxes, and each one contains one randomly-selected pin.
The following is the complete product description take from the Amazon page:
“Calling all Zelda fans! Wear, pin, and display your favorite weapons, symbols and Divine Beasts from Hyrule Kingdom with the officially licensed Zelda: Breath of the Wild Collector Pins. Each mystery box contains 1 randomly selected pin; among the 10 pins is a super rare Gold ‘Z’ Logo. Collect them all: Traveler’s Shield 7:56, Sheikah Eye Symbol 7:56, Divine Beast Vah Ruta 7:56, Divine Beast Vah Rudania 7:56, Divine Beast Vah Naboris 7:56, Divine Beast Vah Medoh 7:56, Sheikah Slate 6:56, Master Sword 4:56, Traveler’s Bow 3:56, Gold Z Logo 1:56.”
PowerA’s Zelda: Breath of the Wild Collector Pins will be available to buy on April 20th, and will cost $4.99 each.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available on Wii U and Switch, releasing on both platforms in March 2017.
The first details for the Dark Souls Artorias the Abysswalker SD figure have been revealed. The product is an 8-inch PVC painted statue that comes with a collector’s box and authentic card. It doesn’t have an official release date yet, but it is expected to ship within the second quarter of this year.
The following is a brief overview of the figure from the First 4 Figures website:
“Once a part of the Four Knights of Lord Gwyn, Artorias wields a greatsword and has the ability to traverse The Abyss. However, eventually overwhelmed by The Abyss, Artorias heroically sacrificed himself by giving his shield to his companion, Sif which acted as a magic aura to save Sif from the darkness.
While being corrupted by The Abyss, some of his attacks have a dark aura to them. One major attack is called Wrath of the Abyss. Artorias will gather Darkness around him to unleash a violent area of effect explosion that gives him a damage buff. A trail of harmless Darkness will float and swirl behind him.”
There is also a Day One edition of the figure that will be available for those who purchase the figure early. It comes with an additional signature card signed by Alex Davis, a Day One edition hologram sticker and extra F4F reward points. You can check out an image of the Artorias the Abysswalker figure below.
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