Phil Theobald

And yes, yes, I know... "Um, actually, Kirby IS an eldritch horror..." Very good. Take it to TV Tropes.

I know "cute 'n' cuddly Kirby ends up battling an eldritch horror" has been a longtime staple of the series, but nobody told me that the climax of Kirby and the Forgotten Land just turns into a Bayonetta level.

Get ready for a lot of angry YouTube videos ranting about how the spies' noses are cone-shaped, not their hats.

Unless... are these party hats? Are they wearing conical party hats over their noses? Because that would work.

I want a repaint of this figure as Jazz.

A panel from an old Peanuts strip. Charlie Brown is in the background with an angry look on his face. He's thrown a clod of dirt that has struck Violet, who is in the foreground, in the back of the head. Violet is staggering, her eyes are wide, and her tongue is sticking out of her mouth. Stars radiate from the point of impact, and a large "POW!" emphasizes the hit. In the complete strip (Sunday, June 14, 1953), we learn that this was actually an unprovoked attack on Violet... Charlie Brown was just being a jerk. Violet gets even by hitting Chuck in the head with an ice cream cone that she had intended to share with him.

To celebrate Peanuts' 75th anniversary, here's a wonderful panel of Violet finding out what happens when you push Chuck too far.

Character model from Fortnite of a LEGO Minifigure version of Rumi from KPop Demon Hunters.

Character model from Fortnite of a LEGO Minifigure version of Zoey from KPop Demon Hunters.

Character model from Fortnite of a LEGO Minifigure version of Mira from KPop Demon Hunters.

Just give me the toys, dangit.

I had a bottle of it, and that was enough for me.

I'm assuming you saw this too:

bsky.app/profile/theb...

They are! I know LEGO has been talking about switching to paper bags for a while, but this is the first set I've gotten that actually uses all paper bags (minus the plastic bag with all the bendy hose/rope pieces).

LEGO One Piece The Going Merry Pirate Ship (75639) box. It's opened, revealing numbered bags inside.

But obviously, whatever works best for you is the way to do it!

Still, the new One Piece Going Merry set is EXACTLY what you're looking for: a taped lid that lifts completely off, giving you a box ol' box to use however you like. Maybe this will become the standard for bigger sets.

I think they use tape on larger sets and glue on smaller ones, but that's just speculation. Why, I have no idea. I also don't save my boxes, so they all get recycled anyway.

Personally, I leave the bags in the box, pull 'em out one at a time, and dump the pieces into a tray as I build.

Springer is several states away in my parents' attic, I'm afraid.

You can make up your own "better things to do tonight" joke here.

LEGO SEGA Genesis Controller (40769) box with one end opened up.

Like so:

Cover of The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978-2024. The dust cover is shiny silver with images of Takahashi's many characters all over it.

Interior spread from The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978-2024. Two full-color illustrations of characters from Urusei Yatsura.

Interior page from The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978-2024. Color artwork from Maison Ikkoku accompanied by a paragraph where Takahashi talks about differences and similarities between Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura.

Interior spread from The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978-2024. Takahashi picks her favorite panels from Ranma 1/2 and discusses her choices.

Totally forgot that the Rumiko Takahashi art book came out today!

Nearly 400 pages of Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, RIN-NE, and Mao. Wonderful stuff.

Smart move taking Rogue Legacy/Rogue Legacy 2 and Dead Cells out of the running since it would be unfair to every other game in the genre.

Y'know you can just push in those little perforated thumb indents on the bottom to open up that flap, right? You don't need to rip open the entire side of the box.

I have never heard of any such prototype. I would imagine that Takara would have steered well clear of anything even remotely resembling the Valkyrie at that point.

Fortunately, it's very easy to not purchase toys.

The two Missing Link Arcee figures in their G1-style boxes. There's an exposed window so you can see the figures (which are in their vehicle modes) along with retro-styled character artwork of Arcee in robot mode.

The backs of the two Missing Link Arcee boxes. It features the classic mural painting of multiple Transformers battling near Metroplex along with a tech spec card that requires a clear red decoder to properly view (one is included in the box).

And, yes, the Missing Link toys come in G1-style packaging. Like, faithful to the point where the figures are nestled in styrofoam trays.

I'm surprised they starting digging into prototypes this early in the line, but I'm glad they did. I will not be surprised if we get Missing Link Unicron at some point.

The Missing Link line in general is pretty amazing. It's so weird playing with a toy that looks EXACTLY like G1 Optimus Prime, but he's also super poseable.

The Missing Link Arcee figures standing next to a reissue of the G1 Hot Rod toy.

The Missing Link Arcees and the G1 Hot Rod toy figures in their alt modes. Hot Rod turns into a red futuristic car with a big, yellow spoiler, an exposed engine, and flames on his hood.

Photo of the original pink and orange Arcee prototype from the mid-'80s. The Missing Link version looks extremely faithful to this design.

The orange/pink Arcee's color scheme and head design is based directly on the original prototype from the mid-'80s. The pink/white one, of course, is designed to be more screen accurate.

Here they are next to fellow The Transformers: The Movie star, Hot Rod (actually, a 2018 reissue of the G1 toy).

Two Transformers Missing Link figures of the character Arcee. They are identical except for their color scheme and head design. The Arcee on the left is primarily light pink and orange, and the Arcee on the left is primarily a darker shade of pink and white. They are standing in a very simple standing pose with their arms out to the sides.

The two Missing Link Arcee figures is more elaborate poses. The pink/orange Arcee is looking off to the side while holding up a laser gun in her right hand. Her left hand is resting on her hip. The pink/white Arcee is crouched down with her right leg bent and her left leg stretched out behind her. She is taking aim at something off camera with the laser gun in her right hand.

The Missing Link Arcee figures in their alt modes. They turn into identical futuristic cars. The color schemes of their respective robot modes carry over to their vehicle modes.

Another shot of the Missing Link Arcees in vehicle mode. The pink/orange one is seen from the side, and the pink/white one is seen from the front.

It took nearly 40 years, but we finally got an Arcee that can hang with your G1 Transformers.

Takara's Missing Link line is comprised of new toys that are recreations of old G1 figures, but with modern engineering/articulation. This retro-styled Arcee is based on a prototype that was never made.

I’m so sorry.

Oh, dang... congrats!

For what it's worth, high school Phil had a blast at the couple live showings he went to in Chicago back in the day.

A collection of Mattel's MEGA Pokémon Pixel Art building sets hung vertically on a wall. There's a Poké Ball, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Eevee, and Mew.

I finally got off my keister and hung up these little cuties.

Hahaha... I think I'd break down and just buy a new spool myself. I got no time to try to fix that nonsense!