Year 10: July Update

The last update was in February, and not too much has happened since then. I'd meant to make at least one toy video this summer, but that hasn't happened. Life has gotten in the way and I've been a bit lazy I suppose. After building the new PC, I thought I'd play more games this year too, though I have not done that either. One thing I did do was visit Arizona, someplace I'd not been since 2014, and that gave me a little bit of time to sift through some boxes at my parent's home. They were boxes that were primarily my sister's things, however, I found some items that were mine, such as Mego Superman's cape, a Hot Wheels coloring book, and instructions to Tomy's Cosmic Clash game. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for, which would be the clothing to some 12" Star Wars figures. I want to make a video of those and I will if I ever find Obi-Wan and Luke's clothing, or at least some of it.

In the post before this one are magazine scans of the original Masters of the Universe movie, and this week I saw the new movie. I don't consider it to be good, maybe average. At nearly 2.5 hours long, I'd expect more character development, more locations, and more Battle-Cat. I'll pick a few things apart, and there will be some minor spoilers here. The movie begins with a young Adam and then he is suddenly in his 20s, and we don't know what happened when he got to Earth; who raised him? Of course, everyone's development got fast-forwarded, and we don't see what happened to Man-At Arms and Teela after a battle, and the next time we do see Man-At-Arms, he is an alcoholic. Also, Adam is very dumb, which I think is the worst part of the film. In the cartoon he acted clumsy and clueless at times to hide his identity, but he wasn't stupid. Here he makes Skeletor look like a genius by comparison. Good or bad, there is an android that, if you're a Star Wars fan, will keep reminding you of Rogue One's K-2SO. Obviously, the movie is not meant to be serious, and the writers do have fun with the silly character names, but the story could have been much better.

Speaking of movies, Hasbro is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie with a 4K theatrical release September 17th. That had been announced earlier this year, and more details have come out for it and many, many other things this weekend at San Diego Comic Con. There is plenty of news about Marvel movies, like a Ghost Rider film coming in 2028 that will star Ryan Gosling, and confirmation that Deadpool and Peggy Carter will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel will be publishing a new Indiana Jones comic book too, with the first issue coming in December. Last year, DC had announced an animated film trilogy based on the 1993/94 Batman comic book story Knightfall, and that will be available digitally on August 25th, and a physical release will follow shortly thereafter. 

It may seem way too early for Christmas, but Hallmark has already released new ornaments for the holiday season. I always mention these because they usually feature licenses related to what I talk about and are cool miniatures, and some can be displayed nicely year round. A few of the newest highlights include a PlayStation that plays the start-up sound, X-Men '97 Blackbird that plays music, and a Batcomputer from the classic TV series, with lights and sound.

And last but not least, it's LEGO time. I write the blog updates so infrequently that there is always a new LEGO set, or two, worth mentioning. One of the best video game consoles of all time got the brick treatment: Sega Genesis! You can even choose to make it a Mega Drive instead. It was announced in May and released in June at a price of $39.99. For Nintendo fans, LEGO is releasing a Donkey Kong Arcade with playable level on August 1st for $199.99.

By the way, you might notice some sort of links (blue text in a white bubble) on posts. I have no control over those, they are automatically being added by Blogger.

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Thanks for reading!

-Jonathan

Year 10: February Update

The blog reached its 10th year! I don't update often, but I'll try to keep it going for as long as I can. Since my last update I built a new computer, as my video card was more than seven years old and I think the rest of my PC was at least 12 years old. Unfortunately, RAM prices took off just as I was beginning my parts research, so it wasn't a great time to build a new one, but necessary. Although I'm not doing too many videos here of late, the upgrades will definitely help with the speed of video and photo editing. Now I have this great computer for games and instead of putting it to the test, the first gaming I did was stream Indiana Jones and the Great Circle through Amazon Prime. I don't normally subscribe to anything, but I had an offer for a year of Amazon Prime and signed up primarily for TV streaming without even realizing it included games. The only graphics option when streaming Indiana Jones was 720p or 1080p, and I expect the game would look better if played locally. Still, it was more or less free, and it ran well, only freezing one time. Most of the levels are open areas to explore, and I enjoyed the story, as well as playing as Indiana Jones. Surprisingly, the puzzles are all rather simple, especially compared to the Uncharted and Tomb Raider games. It's not as action-oriented as those games either; Indy can whip, shoot, and use his fists, but he can also wear disguises to avoid conflict and most of the game plays like a first-person adventure.

One game I was hoping to play on this new PC eventually was Ghost of Yōtei. Now I'm uncertain that will ever happen, as recent news reports have stated that Sony is moving away from porting its PlayStation exclusives to PC and I don't want to purchase a PlayStation 5. Maybe Sony will change its mind when console sales slow due to the higher hardware costs, a result of the data centers buying up electronics parts and driving up prices, like the aforementioned RAM. In other gaming news, Sonic the Hedgehog turns 35 this year, a new C64 system is on the way, new Star Wars games were unveiled in December, and a new Masters of the Universe game is coming soon. The $349.99 (more for Starlight and Founders editions) Commodore 64 Ultimate is like an original C64 rebuilt and can connect to old C64 hardware, while running games from a USB drive. 

At The Game Awards back in December we got a look at Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Fate of the Old Republic. From developer Fuse Games, Galactic Racer features pod racing and speeder bikes. Fate of the Old Republic is a spiritual successor to Knights of the Old Republic in development at Arcanaut Studios. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction is a side-scrolling combat game coming April 28, 2026 from Bitmap Bureau and Limited Run Games.

Of course, I cannot write a blog update without LEGO news. In January, LEGO unveiled its SMART Play System, which adds technology to bricks and minifigures to create sound effects when users move objects. Star Wars sets featuring SMART Play actually release tomorrow and because you are paying for the tech, you get less pieces than traditional LEGO sets at a higher price. Thus far seven sets have been announced, ranging from $39.99 for Luke's Landspeeder to $159.99 for Throne Room Duel & A-wing.

Thanks for visiting,

Jonathan

Year 9: October Update

It's October and I always do a blog update this month so that I can post the McDonald's Halloween sign! Last month and into this month I went a little off topic as I posted a lot about Japan, or maybe it wasn't too off topic since I did share some things related to toys and video games. In any case, I'll try to get some posts up by the end of the year in relation to video game ads, the reason I started the blog. I acquired some old issues of Starlog magazine that have a few nice ads and when time permits, I still look through comic books for more ads. Something that I've actually posted about over the years are ornaments, and this year Hallmark has created one of the best Star Wars ornaments. This one features Chewbacca playing Dejarik against R2-D2 on the Millennium Falcon. It's a light-and-sound ornament that has video too, but at $99.99 it is pricey, and doesn't even come with the required power cord. As usual, Hallmark has a lot of pop culture ornaments and I won't mention them all here, but some highlights include a Luke Skywalker action figure in vintage Kenner packaging, Megatron, Xbox 360, the Fantastic Four, Fruity Pebbles, and Kool-Aid Man.

Shortly after the last update I wrote in August, I came across LEGO's newest Death Star set that has since released earlier this month and costs $999.99. It does include 38 minifigures, if that makes the price any easier to swallow. Plus, LEGO posted a teaser video last month that indicates Star Trek sets are on the way. More recently, it unveiled a set from its "Ideas" line of the pirate ship from the 1980's movie The Goonies. The $329.99 set releases on November 4th.

 

Last week I came across Tomy Plus, a division of Tomy International, itself a subsidiary of Takara Tomy. I'm just a bit behind on this as Tomy Plus started in 2023, and some of its projects are crowdfunded, like the recent 1:10 scale, highly-detailed replica of Knight Rider's K.I.T.T. It cost $399 to back the impressive collectible car that features voice recognition, lights, "Super Pursuit" mode, and a rotating license plate.

In video game news, Electronic Arts (EA) is being acquired by an investment consortium for $55 billion, and that is expected to be finalized in early 2027. Although the investors are based in a few countries, the primary one is Saudi Arabia, and so it will no longer be an American company. EA was one of my favorite Commodore 64 developers and publishers, along with MicroProse, Epyx, and Interplay. In the '90s it grew substantially thanks in large part to its successful sports games, and I understand why a lot of game players grew to dislike EA, as tends to be the case with most large corporations. However, EA is arguably the most significant third-party game publisher, one that I thought would acquire more of its competitors, rather than being acquired itself. Maybe not much will change, though I tend to think this is a bad deal, and under new ownership the company is likely to focus more on online-only games with numerous microtransactions.

While I've been talking about Japan possibly too much of late, I should mention that the Tokyo Game Show was held at the end of September. For myself, the biggest announcement was that Forza Horizon 6 will be set in... Japan! Yep, more Japan. I've not even played Forza Horizon 5 yet despite it being one of my favorite game series. That's because of my out-of-date hardware, though I hope to upgrade my computer soon. October 18th was the 40th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System's North American release. I probably could have come up with a post for that, but I haven't had much time and my video game magazines don't date back to 1985. Speaking of retro consoles, Atari is going to release a plug-and-play Intellivision console that has 45 built-in games and includes controller overlays. Dubbed the Intellivison Sprint, it is now available to pre-order at a price of $149.99. That price is on the high side for this type of device, but for fans that don't still own the classic Mattel Electronics console, it does look very much like the original system minus the controller cords (the controllers are wireless).

Now it's time for the McDonald's sign. Happy Halloween!

Thanks for reading,

Jonathan

Year 9: August Update

When I went to write this post I was surprised to find that I hadn't actually written a monthly update since February. Unfortunately, I don't have much planned other than to keep scanning some magazine articles, and I do have more video game ads to share eventually. Despite not having a lot of actual work to do, it feels like I've been busy and I haven't kept up on much game and toy news. The best announcement I saw recently was LEGO's Batman Arkham Asylum, a 2,953-piece set that comes with 16 mini-figures, including Batman, Robin, Batwoman, Catwoman, and nine villains dressed in orange jumpsuits. It releases on September 5th at a price of $299.99. Also, now available from LEGO is the Decepticon Soundwave, who joins the previous LEGO incarnations of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. He does transform and has cassettes of Laserbeak and Ravage. The 1,505-piece set is available exclusively at the LEGO online store for $189.99.

Another new toy announcement comes from Jakks Pacific. Apparently there was a Sonic the Hedgehog and DC crossover comic book back in March, and now there are action figures based on it. Jakks Pacific will be releasing a variety of figures, including single Sonic characters dressed as superheroes, such as Sonic as The Flash, Amy as Wonder Woman, and Silver as Green Lantern. There will also be double packs of Superman with Knuckles, Batman with Shadow, and Cyborg with Tails. Jakks unveiled new action figures in its Super Mario line and The Simpsons too.

As far as video games, well, Nintendo did release the Switch 2 since I last wrote an update. That was June 5th, the week before the former week of E3. It costs $499.99 and is less powerful than its competitors as usual, though it is getting some of the higher end games that previously released on PlayStation and Xbox systems. I didn't find anything too exciting come out of the aforementioned former E3 week. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, though I think it has more to do with the lack of originality being shown, plus I don't own any hardware new enough to play most of the big games releasing these days. 

Yep, that was a short update. Sorry it's been such a slow year for the blog!

Thanks for reading,
Jonathan

Year 8: October Update

My last update post was in July and not much has changed since then as I still haven't done many videos this year. I actually haven't even played any games since July but I really should. Recently, I flipped through my comic book collection, something I've not looked at in quite some time. I was mostly looking for duplicates and recall what I have, and I did scan some ads from them. I'll have to do another video game ads backfilling post soon, probably for post #500 which I'm very close to. Vault 1541 began as a video game ads project so it's only fitting that I dedicate #500 to that. This blog update is post #497 and I'll have a magazine article scan for #498 this week.

A few months ago Hasbro announced a Transformer based on Knight Rider's K.I.T.T. Being a fan of both Transformers and Knight Rider, which ranks as one of my top five shows from the '80s, I think this is an awesome collaboration. However, the robot is named Agent Knight rather than K.I.T.T. It is set to release on January 10, 2025 for $49.99.

In other cool toy news, LEGO unveiled an X-Men mansion play set this month that releases November 4th for $329.99. Yeah, the price is a bit steep, though not unusual for LEGO toys. Despite the size of the 3,000+ piece set, the rooms in the mansion look rather cramped. Aside from the mansion build, it also includes a sentinel, Magneto, and nine X-Men mini-figures.

As far as video game news, Nintendo didn't announce a Switch 2 yet but it did show off an alarm clock which isn't software, it's an actual clock that is priced at $99.99! Unfortunately, one of the last video game magazines in the U.S. abruptly came to an end as Game Informer closed at the start of August. Last week I received an email from a video game website called SpriteCell that you might enjoy. The person that runs it asked if they could use some of my catalog scans, something the site specializes in. Finally, as I end every October update, here is the classic McDonald's Halloween sign:

Happy Halloween!

-Jonathan

Year 8: July Update

I've been very slow to get any videos done this year and have been falling behind on blog posts too. Sorry! I rarely talk about my personal life, aside from the past in relation to toys and video games, but that's what will likely keep me from updating very often going forward. There isn't much to say other than I lost my long-time job earlier this year and am starting something new this month that will keep me busy. When I've had free time of late, I've been playing Marvel's Midnight Suns from 2K and Firaxis which was a free game on the Epic Game Store earlier this summer. Although it has tactical combat, it's not like Firaxis' XCOM games that I'm a big fan of. Players control a team of three in battle, drawing and using cards to perform most actions. Outside of battle players control an original character, interact with the Marvel heroes to gain friendship, edit card decks, explore their home and its grounds, and select poolside, casual, and battle outfits.

As I sit here after viewing the numerous digital press events from the past two months, I can't recall anything that stood out. Let's see, the Nintendo Direct announced Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. There are plenty of sequels and updates in development, like Sid Meier's Civilization VII, Gears of War: E-Day, and Age of Mythology: Retold. Unfortunately, my PC is on the old side and I don't have a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X so I probably won't be able to play the games I'd like to try later this year, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Star Wars Outlaws, and Assassin's Creed Shadows.

                                        Mario & Luigi: Brothership                                      TMNT: Mutants Unleashed

Rumors appeared online in May about a Total War Star Wars game but there still hasn't been an official announcement. Also, two months ago Outright Games and Mattel unveiled a multi-year deal. The family-friendly game publisher will be releasing at least three titles based on Mattel properties this year: Matchbox Driving Adventures, Monster High: Skulltimate Secrets, and Barbie Project Friendship. Other upcoming games from Outright include Transformers: Galactic Trials, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed, and Nick Jr. Party Adventure.

In an unexpected move, Hasbro and Mattel teamed up to create a Hot Wheels Optimus Prime, and it does transform, of course. Optimus is exclusive to Mattel Creations and is currently sold out; I'm not sure if that's final or if more are in production. LEGO always has a lot of cool sets on the way but I'll only highlight a few: Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 from The Legend of Zelda series, the Transformers' Bumblebee, and Star Wars TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-up. With the Star Wars set you can create standard TIE Fighter and X-Wing ships or swap the wings between the two iconic starfighters.

Something unexpected occurred in video games as well. Back on May 23rd, Atari announced that it had acquired the Intellivision brand. It now owns the Intellivision name and classic game catalog, not the company Intellivision Entertainment (renamed Amico Entertainment) or its long-in-development console, the Amico which I'd thought dead on more than one occasion. The sale provides Amico Entertainment some much needed financial help but, surprisingly, it isn't ready to give up on the console yet. While it can still release games based on Intellivision properties for Amico, those will be under license from Atari. 

One final note before I sign off. Author Lewis Packwood contacted myself two years ago to ask for permission to use a Captain Power photo from the blog in his then upcoming book. I agreed and while I've not read his book, nor am I benefitting from its sales in any way, I thought it was worth mentioning as the subject matter will likely interest Vault 1541 readers. The title is Curious Video Game Machines: A Compendium of Rare and Unusual Consoles, Computers and Coin-Ops. There is a nearly 40-minute video about it on YouTube with store links in the description.

Thanks for visiting,

Jonathan

Year 8: April Update

March was a busy month for the blog as I posted six times! That's the most I've posted in a single month since June 2021. Four of those posts are about the X-Men, however, I don't have a subscription to Disney+ so I've not been able to see the new X-Men '97 cartoon which was the reason for posting about Marvel's mutants last month. At least it sounds like it's a great continuation of the original animated series. This month has been slow as I've just not been able to get myself into a routine this year but I should have something to post tomorrow and then I'll try to post for Star Wars Day, even if it's just a single image of something. I did finally launch a new YouTube channel (VHStatic) for hosting all the commercials I previously had on Vault 1541's channel, plus many other commercials. In my last blog update I mentioned I'd planned to use a Kermit toy in the header image but then I didn't like it and stuck ET in there. Tt might be better off with no characters, I just though ET gave it a good '80s vibe. 

Since the last update there has been a fair amount of toy related news. While I completely missed that McFarlane Toys released a new series of action figures based on Batman: The Animated Series earlier this year, it has now announced a second wave. Each of the wave two figures includes a piece of the character Lock-Up so that if you buy Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Joker, and Riddler, and open them, you can build a fifth action figure.

Hasbro recently announced a licensing deal with Playmates Toys to create a new line of Power Rangers toys in 2025. Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), which is owned by Hasbro, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. There will be a variety of new D&D products, including clothing from Converse, a Pop Tarts tie-in, and an already released LEGO set. The Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale set ($359.99) features a castle, red dragon (of course!), owl bear, gelatinous cube, beholder, displacer beast, and six mini-figures. To celebrate Star Wars Day, LEGO is releasing a TIE Interceptor set ($229.99) on May 4th.

There has been a fair amount of Transformers movie news of late as well. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original cartoon, the first four episodes of the show will be in select theaters May 15, 18, and 19. A behind-the-scenes table reading will be shown on a split-screen alongside the first episode. Paramount announced that a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie is in development with Steven Spielberg attached to the project as an executive producer. Lastly, the animated Transformers One film, hitting theaters on September 20, 2024, now has a trailer. I'm not entirely sure what to think as the trailer has a lot of humor, or attempts at it at least.

Speaking of humor, Comedy Central announced that it is developing an animated series based on one of my favorite video games: Golden Axe. I'm not sure why the network or Sega chose to turn that property into a comedy as Sega has some silly stuff whereas Golden Axe has a mostly serious tone to it. Ubisoft announced Star Wars Outlaws has a release date of August 30, 2024 and THQ Nordic will be publishing an updated version of Epic Mickey with physical editions coming to PlayStation 5 and Switch, likely in quarter four of this year. Outright Games, makers of numerous family-friendly games, will be publishing more titles this year based on Gigantosaurus, My Little Pony, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Thanks for visiting,

Jonathan