Toys

Japan has shown the world that wonderful things can be distributed through a vending machine -- from tiny Nikon camera replicas, to Nintendo controller keychains. But I’m especially jealous of these server rack replicas discovered by Viktor Shpak featuring miniature Dell servers and Cisco switches plus tiny cables to connect them all together.

Lego leaked a new Lord of the Rings kit called The Shire in a since-removed event posting on its site spotted by Jay’s Brick Blog. The kit focuses on Bag End, the home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins in the fantasy series.

3Doodler, known for its 3D-printing pens, has announced a kid-friendly version of its Chef 3D pen that prints with candy instead of plastic filament. The new 3Doodler Candy, arriving later this year, swaps a power cord for a 45-minute rechargeable battery and uses gluten-free vegan isomalt capsules instead of sugar.

One of the most iconic electronic toys of the ‘80s is returning, but instead of pressing glowing buttons to repeat an ever-growing pattern, the Simon Jump Game Mat requires you to use your feet. The gameplay is similar to the original Simon, but players are now presented with a sequence of colored lights right from the start, which you have to dance out on the mat.

ICYMI: If you’re on the hunt for a new handbag and want something chic that doubles as a reliable distraction during awkward dinner dates, Nik Bentel Studio’s new RC Car Bag is exactly that. You can’t drive an Hermès Birkin bag across a table.

It is still kind of hard to believe that Amazon MGM is producing a live-action Masters of the Universe movie starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Jared Leto as Skeletor. But it’s true, and Deadine reports that Morena Baccarin (Deadpool) and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Vikings: Valhalla) have signed on to play The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and Fisto, respectively.

Following Grogu and R2-D2 versions, Bandai’s latest Star Wars collaboration turns Anakin Skywalker into a digital pet. But no matter how you choose to raise him with regular feedings and even lightsaber training, the Tamagotchi version of Anakin is always destined for the dark side and will inevitably grow into one of ten different versions of Darth Vader.

Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach weren’t contractually locked into making another Barbie movie after their first and a follow-up didn’t exactly seem like something Warner Bros. was rushing to make.

Areaware’s new 15-piece Blockitecture set was designed by James Paulius with hexagonal shapes and cantilevered features so you can build structures in Frank Lloyd Wright’s distinctive Usonian-style.

Following its excellent controller button keychain collections, Nintendo will soon fill the gashapon machines in its stores in Japan with collectible Zonai devices from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Six will be available for $4 each, including devices like rockets and flame emitters, and they’ll all double as magnets with an included attachment.

Following a buildable Mona Lisa, Lego has tackled another da Vinci creation with a 493-piece replica of the renaissance polymath’s flying machine. It still can’t actually fly, but a system of strings, hinges, and pulleys makes its fabric covered wings flap when you pull a trigger. It will be available starting on January 1, 2025, for $49.99, and will include a da Vinci minifigure.

If so, you’ll be able to add a Lego Shell-Walker and Sawtooth to your collection next March thanks to a new Horizon-themed Lego set that you can preorder now. Varl is getting a minifig, too.

Tesla’s Optimus robot is now available through the company’s online store, but in a version that’s even less capable than the ones at its recent Cybercab reveal. The $40, 1:10-scale Tesla Bot Action Figure stands 7.16 inches tall and is assembled from over 40 parts offering 20 points of articulation. It includes a tiny matching charging stand and a CyberHammer.

$20 direct from Retro Fighters, $28 from Amazon, or about $18 from VGP Canada, all before shipping costs.

Adding to its growing collection of doomed ocean-going vessels, Lego’s The Endurance recreates Ernest Shackleton’s ship that sunk in 1915 after being trapped in Antarctic ice for 10 months. Lego’s $269.99 version doesn’t float, but features a working steering wheel, four detachable life boats, sails, and removable panels revealing interior cabins and a replica of the ship’s steam engine.

Robosen, maker of self-transforming Transformers, has teamed up with Disney to bring its Space Ranger toy to life.

The 3,093 piece X-Mansion is Lego’s largest X-Men set to date and will be available starting on November 4th for $329.99. It comes with 10 minifigures including our first Lego versions of Gambit, Professor X, Iceman, and Bishop, plus a buildable Sentinel robot. The set’s modular design gives easy access to interior features like a Danger Room and Cerebro.

Nintendo’s been dreaming of Alarmo for a decade — CEO Satoru Iwata revealed the idea in an investor briefing back in 2014! It’s possible the project went on pause between then and now, though. Today, Nintendo said that its development took place during the covid-19 pandemic.

If you’re a Framework laptop user with access to a 3D printer you’ve now got an important question to ask yourself. Do you prioritize being able to accessorize your machine with Lego using this 3D-printed adapter with studs and tubes that fits into the Framework’s expansion card port? Or is adding another USB-C or HDMI port a higher priority? Decisions, decisions...

An X post spotted by The Brick Fan flagged to the company yesterday that its online shop was displaying a “LEGO Coin” cryptocurrency banner.

We just got Amazon’s holiday gift guide in the mail. On page four, under “Toys we love,” my wife immediately spotted the new Amazon Prime Delivery Van Ride-On.

Debuting under the company’s “Bright Arts” line of collectibles, Square Enix is releasing six miniature replicas of classic Sega consoles including the Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast in multiple regional variants.

The Star Wars slimelord’s Sail Barge is 3,942 pieces and comes with 11 figs, including R2-D2 with drink tray, Leia in her infamous bikini, and a gigantic (by minifig scale) Jabba himself. It takes artistic liberties inside the ship, including a food-filled galley.

Matt Denton, a talented engineer and designer who helped bring Star Wars’ BB-8 to life, turned a 33-year-old Lego Technics motorcycle set into a rideable electric bike.

It’s the one that got away — from Star Wars toymaker Hasbro, that is! Hasbro acquired the rights and even patented it around the world, then abandoned it. It’s no “real Disney lightsaber,” but it’s the first to scratch the same self-retracting itch.

Panasonic resurrected the legendary Technics 1200 turntable eight years ago, but Tamás Borján’s version will appeal to both nostalgic DJs and Lego fans.