Sillof showcased his latest set of figures as part of this week's virtual Custom Con, and it looks like there are plenty of goggles and mad inventions to go around. You can also see the customs alongside their heroic counterparts at TheFwoosh.

[via Super Punch]

Etsy seller Podkayne Studios sells only photographs of these Nativity scenes, but these oddball reimaginings could have plenty of people mixing up the Playmobil Nativity set with other plastic toys.

Not-Right Nativity [Etsy via Neatorama]

Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston notices that the latest issue of Diamond Distributors' monthly catalog Previews includes an ad for a War Machine action figure "based on the stunning Iron Man 2 designs!" But while the main image, showing the full armor, has been blacked out, a close up of James Rhodes inside the suit hasn't. As Rich says,

This is not design art, this is not a leaked plan, this is not some fan made project, not a brief blur on a leaked trailer, this is a full-on glimpse at what War Machine will actually look like.

Well, kind of. We cant really see that much; only part of the helmet and the silhouette, both of which suggests that the armor may look not unlike the original War Machine armor from the 1990s. But if this is meant to be some kind of tease to get fans excited about the movie, we're of the opinion that it falls short of working: Beyond confirming that James Rhodes will get to be War Machine in the second movie, this doesn't really tell us anything - and given that we've already seen photos of the Black Widow and Whiplash already, this feels more like leftovers than an exciting appetizer. But what do you think?

Whether you're buying for loved ones, loathed ones, ones you barely know but feel an obligation to get something something for or yourself, it's hard to go wrong with a well-chosen toy as a gift. But it's hard to know just what toys you should be looking at, which is where we come in; we've split our choices into three categories: Play, Display and Making Your Life Better, which is to say things that are useful (or, in one case, useless but kind of essential nonetheless). Click through to see our selections.

For Play
LEGO, action figures and things for you to hit other people with safely. After all, isn't that what "play" really means?

For Display
For some people, toys are things to keep on shelves, on their walls or in boxes. Here're a few ideas for the serious collector.

For Making Your (Or Someone Else's) Life Better
In which we suggest gifts offering education, amusement and/or something to hold onto at night. Yes, even that last one.

Additional research by Alex Eichler.

Star Wars Mustafar Volcano Kit
And talking about learning, who knew that the climactic battle between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi would lead to an educational toy teaching kids how real volcanoes work and why, when you're in a life-and-death lightsaber battle with your former teacher, it's really, really stupid to let them cut your limbs off. Remember: Volcanoes + Ewan McGregor can turn you into a cyborg crybaby.

(Actually, all of the Star Wars Science toys would make perfect gifts. Especially the Force Trainer. Not that we really, really would like a Force Trainer, Hasbro. Of course not. Unless you happen to have one handy, of course.)

Alien USB With Illuminated Tongue
Yes, I know; you're all sick of the novelty USB gadgets by now, but read what this one is called again. Look at the part that says "Illuminated Tongue" and ask yourself very seriously, how have you managed to get this far in your life without one?

Terminator Salvation Fuel Cell Lighter
Some would argue that there's nothing toylike about a lighter, and normally they'd be entirely right. But this is a lighter that looks just like the nuclear fuel cell embedded in the chest of every Terminator, which practically makes it a Transformer, right? Just think of everyone you'd be able to impress by whipping this out and explaining the unnecessary story in public!

Plush Mecha Godzilla
You can't have a toy guide without at least one plush toy for you to lose your heart to and dream of snuggling up next to every night, so why not the one that is unsuited for plush toy treatment? Yes, many would've considered a robotic replica of a giant lizard that rampages throughout Tokyo toppling buildings and killing people to be an unlikely candidate for cuddly toy translation, but look at his little shiny tiny arms, those "love me" eyes and tell me that your heart doesn't melt for reasons other than his firey breath.

Go Hero Limited Edition Raygun
Of course, if you're thinking a little more retro, this limited edition Buck Rogers raygun might catch your eye. And why not? It's beautifully designed by Dead Presidents' Matt Walker, and comes in a beautifully packaged wooden box for extra old-school thrills. There's even a certificate of authenticity to prove that you owe one of only 25 made.

World War Robot Figurines
Ashley Wood's grimepunk series was tailormade for toys, as this set of 6.5 inch figures of warrior robots prove. Everytime we see these deadly oilcans with legs and guns, we want more and thankfully, they're happy to oblige.

Watchmen Be@rbrick
What says "I bought into the hype" more than this sloganeering piece of Watchmen merchandise, ideal for those who enjoyed the Zack Snyder movie, those who thought the movie was a letdown but liked the original comic, or those who just like examples of really, really boldly obvious branding on bear-shaped toys? Surely we all know someone in all three demographics.

Adult Swim Figurines
Until the day when the toy world wises up and realizes that we all need a line of fully-posible Venture Bros. action figures, complete with accessories (Brock can have a pack of cigarettes! Dr. Orpheus can have a magic book! Rusty can have the crushing sense of self-loathing that he can blame on his over-achieving father!), we'll have to settle for these admittedly wonderful figures from various Adult Swim shows; they're boxed anonymously, so there's no telling which one you'll get when you buy it, so you should probably just buy all the boxes you can in hopes of getting that sweet Dr. Girlfriend one.

Star Trek Movie Electronic Phaser
We've always been suckers for the phaser, whether it's OG Trek, Next Gen or even Enterprise. No wonder we want one of these awesome toy phasers from this summer's movie, especially with its "authentic lights and sounds" (We're not convinced that it's as "realistic" as they claim, however). For extra authenticity, you can also pick up a communicator and Tricorder to complete the set... Although we think we prefer the original series model on that last one.

LEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars Fan's Vote Anniversary Edition - Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser
It's an irrefutable fact that all LEGO is awesome, but this insane 789-piece set goes the extra distance to become uber-awesome: Rebuild the command deck of the Mon Calamari from Return Of The Jedi, complete with an A-Wing and six figures including Admiral Ackbar, Mon Mothma and Lando Calrissian. There's no way that you can't want this already unless you have a fear of bricks.

Transformers Constructicon Devastator
The movie may have defied things like logic or story, but there's no denying that the robots themselves looked cool, and the giant Devastator (made of six different Constructicon vehicles) may be the coolest of all the toys, especially with his snapping jaws and "construction sounds." It's the next best thing to being chased around the world with Megan Fox!*

(* This is, in fact, untrue.)

Superhero Action Figures
Tried and true, there are enough different variations of superhero action figure that anyone who's ever shown even the slightest interest in Batman is sure to find something they'll appreciate. From DC Direct's upscale figures to Marvel Legends, your choice of characters go from obvious (Wolverine is, unsurprisingly, well represented in the toy world) to obscure (Blackest Night supporting character Saint Walker?). Because we're fans of the old Star Wars figures, we'd plump for the similarly-sized DC Universe Infinite Heroes and Marvel Universe lines to make your choices from. And, if you're looking to get something for us, we'd love a Professor Zoom, thanks.

From 1978 to 1999, Lego regularly released lines of toys themed around deep space exploration. Lego Space was discontinued to make way for a decade's worth of Lego Star Wars sets, although the theme made a comeback this year with its third incarnation of the Space Police line. (You can see its flagship, the Galactic Enforcer, up at the top.) But for more than two decades, Lego continuously released more than 200 sets in its Lego Space theme, and that's what we're here to honor. Here now are some of the highlights. And yes, I'm pretty sure I've bought, built, and disassembled a good 60% of these.

Name: Space Rocket
Year: 1964
It's a little on the basic side, admittedly, but keep in mind people had only been sending real rockets into space for less than a decade. I'm willing to cut it some slack.

Name: Rocket Base
Year: 1973

Name: Moon Landing
Year: 1975

Name: Rocket Launcher
Year: 1978
Line: Classic Space
One of the first wave of toys in Lego's official Space line, the Rocket Launcher helped initiate two decades worth of space-themed sets.

Name: Mobile Tracking Station
Year: 1978
Line: Classic Space

Name: Space Shuttle
Year: 1979
Line: Classic Space

Name: Space Shuttle
Year: 1979
Line: Classic Space

Name: Alpha-1 Rocket Base
Year: 1979
Line: Classic Space

Name: Beta-1 Command Base
Year: 1980
Line: Classic Space

Name: Starfleet Voyager
Year: 1981
Line: Classic Space

Name: Mobile Rocket Transport
Year: 1982
Line: Classic Space

Name: Galaxy Commander
Year: 1983
Line: Classic Space

Name: Intergalactic Command Base
Year: 1984
Line: Classic Space

Name: Cosmic Fleet Voyager
Year: 1986
Line: Classic Space

Name: Polaris-1 Space Lab
Year: 1987
Line: Classic Space

Name: Monorail Transport System
Year: 1987
Line: Classic Space

Name: Battrax
Year: 1987
Line: Blacktron

After nine years of general Space sets, Battrax helped kick off the new Blacktron line. The next decade would be dominated by a steady rotation of different variations on the Space theme.

Name: Invader
Year: 1987
Line: Blacktron

Name: Renegade
Year: 1987
Line: Blacktron

Name: Message Intercept Base
Year: 1988
Line: Blacktron

Name: Alienator
Year: 1988
Line: Blacktron

Name: Stardefender "200"
Year: 1987
Line: Futuron

Name: Cosmic Laser Launcher
Year: 1987
Line: Futuron

Name: Space Lock-up Isolation Base
Year: 1989
Line: Space Police I

Name: Mission Commander
Year: 1989
Line: Space Police I

Name: Stellar Recon Voyager
Year: 1990
Line: M:Tron

Name: Mega Core Magnetizer
Year: 1990
Line: M:Tron

Name: Aerial Intruder
Year: 1991
Line: Blacktron Future Generation

Name: Spectral Starguider
Year: 1991
Line: Blacktron Future Generation

Name: Alpha Centauri Outpost
Year: 1991
Line: Blacktron Future Generation

Name: Rebel Hunter
Year: 1992
Line: Space Police II

Name: Galactic Mediator
Year: 1992
Line: Space Police II

Name: Ice Station Odyssey
Year: 1993
Line: Ice Planet 2002

Name: Ice-Sat V
Year: 1993
Line: Ice Planet 2002

Name: Deep Freeze Defender
Year: 1993
Line: Ice Planet 2002

Name: Saucer Centurion
Year: 1994
Line: Spyrius

Name: Recon Robot
Year: 1994
Line: Spyrius

Name: Robo-Guardian
Year: 1994
Line: Spyrius

Name: Saucer Scout
Year: 1994
Line: Spyrius

Name: Lunar Launch Site
Year: 1994
Line: Spyrius

Name: Monorail Transport Base
Year: 1994
Line: Unitron

Name: Star Hawk II
Year: 1995
Line: Unitron

Name: Crater Cruiser
Year: 1995
Line: Unitron

Name: Space Station Zenon
Year: 1995
Line: Unitron

Name: Explorien Starship
Year: 1996
Line: Exploriens

Name: Nebula Outpost
Year: 1996
Line: Exploriens

Name: Android Base
Year: 1996
Line: Exploriens

Name: Scorpion Detector
Year: 1996
Line: Exploriens

Name: Robo Stalker
Year: 1997
Line: Roboforce

Name: Robo Master
Year: 1997
Line: Roboforce

Name: Robo Raider
Year: 1997
Line: Roboforce

Name: Robo Raptor
Year: 1997
Line: Roboforce

Name: Warp Wing-Fighter
Year: 1997
Line: UFO

Name: Interstellar Starfighter
Year: 1997
Line: UFO

Name: Alien Avenger
Year: 1997
Line: UFO

Name: Arachnoid Starbase
Year: 1998
Line: Insectoids

Name: Celestial Stinger
Year: 1998
Line: Insectoids

Name: Bi-Wing Blaster
Year: 1998
Line: Insectoids

Synopsis:

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

Toy Story 3 hits theaters June 18, 2010.

Brooklyn-based illustrator Vermilyea's extremely limited edition project (Only 21 made!) is a particularly trippy take on the 1980s toy, filled with Porky Pigs, Bullwinkle Mooses and, yes, even Big Bird being strangled by the Eternian hero. What does it all mean? Is it a metaphor for cartoons and toys destroying childhood innocence? We have no idea, but we love it anyway.

He-Man and the 13 Trials of Eternia [Jon Vermilyea]

The news broke in The Wall Street Journal, of all places, in a story about toy lines being co-opted by movie studios:

J.J. Abrams, who created the TV show "Lost" and directed this summer's "Star Trek" film, is in discussions to produce a movie about Japanese toy line Micronauts, which Hasbro just acquired.

With Abrams producing, that opens the door for some Kurtzman/Orci involvement, if they could be convinced to jump from the Transformers franchise into another toy universe. We're really keeping our fingers crossed for comic artist and Micronaut lover Paul Pope getting involved on the design side, though.

The Cry Goes Out in Hollywood: 'Get Me Mr. Potato Head's Agent!' [Wall Street Journal]

It's nice to know that Stephen Sommers was completely and utterly aware of what he was making: giant splodey toys! G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will be released on DVD and Blu-ray release on November 3rd. Kabooooom.

Check out the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett watches, and there's also an R2D2 watch on the way. Well done, Ecko.

Life Magazine has even more box art from 1950s science fiction toys, with plenty of ray guns, spacemen, and rocket ships. The boxes, largely designed in Japan and Korea, take varied views of our spacefaring future, sometimes focusing on the idyllic wonder of space travel (and how our robot companions will help) and other times on the crime and war that could come with an interplanetary frontier. But whether they were meant for peace or war, the robots got to look wonderful and weird.

[Life Magazine via Tokyomango]

First up, the new character in Toy Story 3 will be voiced by Flight of the Conchords' Kristen Schaal, who already has a lovely toy-like sound, and is also hilarious. Also joining the cast is Blake Clark, who will be taking on the role of Slinky after the sad passing of Jim Varney. Also the director announced that the theater run of Toy Story1 & 2 back to back double feature in 3-D will be extended.

You'll have to wait until June 18, 2010 for the third film but until then, enjoy these new character posters...

The images are by Stephen Hayford, who has been meticulously creating amazingly sweet Star Wars dioramas for the holidays for years now.

[Hayford via Star Wars]

The official synopsis is this:

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

Almost all of the original character voices are returning, including the all-important Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz respectively.

I'm not really sure why they can't all come with him to school — the kid with the trunk full of toys would clearly be the most popular one in the dorm. And just imagine all the plot possibilities. The toys witness Andy's first alcohol poisoning experience, Andy's first sexual encounter, Andy's first STD scare. Toy Story 4: Is That A Bump?

The release date for Toy Story 3 is is June 18, 2010.

Last year was the inaugural voyage of the Zombie Apocafest, organized by the Brothers Brick, and this year, the collaborative diorama doubled in size. Seventeen tables were filled with fortified buildings, zombie killing machines, and of course hordes of the undead. Participants created their own original pieces or "apocafied" existing Lego sets, resulting in a handful of oddball creations like the zombie killing gay pride float and a black and red carousel populated with skeletal horses.

A full set of Apocafest images are up on Flickr, but take a good long look. This will be the last year for zombies, and the Brothers Brick have already cooked up a new theme for next year's BrickCon.

[The Brothers Brick]

Zombie Killing Gay Pride Float — Winner, Best Original Vehicle

Abandoned Factory — Winner, Best Original Building
Dark Carousel — Winner, Best Apocafied Lego Building

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman explained to reporters at the Paramount DVD junket that they left Transformers 3 simply because they were spent on the subject matter. By contrast, the two are diving into the View-Master movie, and they've got a strong story to provide a vehicle for the toy.

"We've been working on Transformers for longer than I was in college," Orci said. "I feel like we have our degree in Transformers now."

Alex added: "The franchise is so wonderful that it deserves to be fresh, all the time. We just felt like we'd given it a lot and didn't have an insight for where to go with it next, and said, 'You should do it right.'

Which isn't to say the studio didn't want the duo back. Bob said Paramount and Hasbro were more than happy to have them back, but that without an idea, the writers wanted the story to stay strong and so they're handing over the reins.

Meanwhile, they're working on a movie based on the classic View-Master toy. And yes, they fully grasp the absurdity of that statement.

Alex said they hear the critics, but they fully expect to surpass all expectations. The writers were approached with a story without any connection to the toy, and it sounds like they simply dropped the toy in there for a better story.

"What I'll say is that some toys should be movies and some toys should not be movies, and I'd like to believe we know the difference between those things. The movies that work, work when there's a story there that you could take the toy out of. But then, when you put the toy in, it becomes an even more amazing experience, for whatever reason."

He added, "If you want to be cynical about View-Master, great, because we're so confident in where it's going to end up going that we feel like there's nowhere to go but up."

Sectaurs
The Set-Up: A toyline that only lasted one year - perhaps because the world was as grossed-out by the idea of half-insect half-humans as I was when I was ten years old (Nonetheless, props to whoever decided that the character's giant-insect pets/horse-like-equivalents would be gloves, so you could make their legs move) - Sectaurs followed a He-Man-esque model of quasi-mystical good guys ("The Shining Realm of Prosperon," led by the heroic Prince Dargon) versus equally-quasi-mystical bad guys ("The Dark Domain of Synax," led by General Spidrax) on a planet called Symbion.
Was There A Franchise? Comics books, cartoons and kids storybooks.
The Movie: Embrace the alien, and CGI everything to make it look weird and wonderful. Play up the mythical aspects and turn it into a kids franchise with teeth.

Centurions
The Set-Up: In the "near future," three (later five, but no-one remembers the last two) men fight terrorists (led by the aptly-named Doc Terror) by wearing weirdly weaponized robotic suits that give them something approaching superpowers. Despite being the product of the mid-80s, their tagline of "PowerXtreme!" was curiously a decade ahead of its time.
Was There A Franchise? Cartoons and comic books.
The Movie: It's GI Joe with added technology. Seriously, how can this fail? Just remember to rename the bad guy.

Adventures of The Galaxy Rangers
The Set-Up: The Old West becomes the New West as mankind moves off-planet and colonizes the universe, reverting to cowboy style in the process. The concept behind Galaxy Rangers offered a chance to mix-and-match moments of American history as the Rangers themselves - essentially cyborg versions of Western lawmen, riding robotic horses - fight against a "vast and crumbling Empire" ruled by The Queen of the Crown. Oh, and they're against slavery, as well.
Was There A Franchise? Just a cartoon.
The Movie: Pull back on the sleekness of the technology, and give us a steampunk revisionary version that's more Firefly than Wild Wild West.

MASK
The Set-Up: Pretty much "What if Transformers weren't robots but could still transform," MASK - which stood for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, proving that even the US Government aren't above bad spelling when a good acronym's at stake - was a GI Joe-esque anti-terrorist squad who used vehicles that had alternate combat modes against VENOM (Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem). Both sides also had helmets that gave them special powers, which may have been a concept too far, really.
Was There A Franchise? Cartoons, comic books, and video games.
The Movie: Oddly enough, MASK was brought into the GI Joe franchise last year in the toys, so maybe this perfect mix of Joe and Transformers is already taken care of, in terms of Hollywood.

Power Lords
The Set-Up: Another failed toyline that ripped off Masters of The Universe, Power Lords saw Adam Power use the Cosmic Power Jewel to become Lord Power, fighting evil dictator Arkus. Much more amusing were the henchmen, who had names like Bakatak, Disguyzor and Drrench, demonstrating how desperate toymakers could get when deadlines loomed.
Was There A Franchise? Comic books and video games.
The Movie: Actually, maybe they should just make the Masters of The Universe movie instead, as this is so clearly stolen from those toys.

Spiral Zone
The Set-Up: Ignore characters with names like Dirk Courage and Benjamin Davis Franklin, and concentrate on the admittedly-awesome concept: A mad scientist hijacks a space shuttle to turn half the planet into an altered state called the Spiral Zone, where everyone within becomes a mind-controlled zombie. Five soldiers with specially-constructed suits to combat the Zone's effects are sent inside to destroy the Zone Generators and save the world.
Was There A Franchise? Cartoons and comic books.
The Movie: Drop everything other than the basic idea, and make it into a dark action movie with Christian Bale working off his Terminator karma. This is one child dystopia that deserves to be brought back meaner and more hardcore than before.

Zoids
The Set-Up: Robotic dinosaurs and ancient creatures trapped in permanently-ongoing wars on alien planets, although if you read the British tie-in comic, you'd know there was much more - and much, much ripped off of popular movies of a few years previously - going on.
Was There A Franchise? Internationally, comic books and cartoons, but not in the US.
The Movie: Is it too much to ask for Jurassic Park: The Robots? Other than simply adapting the UK comic story (Spaceship full of humans crashlands on Zoid planet, characters act out Alien and Terminator cliches), I can't think of any other way to do it.

Crystar
The Set-Up: Another fantasy toyline, but one that wasn't, surprisingly, ripped off from He-Man, Crystar started life as a pitch from Marvel Comics to various toy companies before Remco bit the crystal bullet and manufactured Crystar and his crystaline brothers and Moltar and his fire-themed minions. Despite offering dragons, castles and personifications of a metaphysical battle between order and chaos, the line only lasted one year.
Was There A Franchise? Only comics.
The Movie: Tone down the Chaos/Order subtext, ramp up the "warring brothers" aspect and go all-out on the fantasy - Give us a full-on Lord Of The Rings set on another planet, with the kind of scope and scale that only Peter Jackson or James Cameron could think of.

Rom The Space-Knight

The Set-Up: Sure, the toy - manufactured by Parker Brothers, and originally called COBOL - may have flopped spectacularly in the US, but the cyborg space warrior lived on for years afterwards in his Marvel Comics series, and even longer in our hearts.
Was There A Franchise? Only comics.
The Movie: Redesign Rom to be slightly less... boxy, and pull in The Invaders paranoia from the comic book, and you've got something with an obvious enough hero to play well in multiplexes but with the potential for something much more subtle and sneaky for those who want to look at it that way.

Micronauts
The Set-Up: If ever there was a toyline that deserved a movie, it's this space opera line adapted from various Japanese figures, especially considering that it's the line that indirectly gave birth to Transformers and the 1980s revival of GI Joe that made that franchise what it is today.
Was There A Franchise? Only comics.
The Movie: With "Time Travelers", Mega Cities, Space Gliders and villains who look like Darth Vader, there's surely only one option: Try to create the next Star Wars, complete with new cultures, new danger and derring-do, and an empire that could support Baron Karzas and Acroyears... whatever an Acroyear turns out to be.