Friday, April 28, 2006

Attacktix Tactics Has Changed Its Look

All-New Look! Same Great Taste!

Attacktix Tactics has merged with JoeAttacktix.com to bring you one one AWESOME SITE! I have been running Attacktix Tactics for over a year, and also running the forum, with lots of great help.

The forum is a free board, run by proboards, and this blog is run on blogspot. Neither of those options allowed me to organize a site very well... and with Transformers coming out it will be more difficult to organize things. I decided I needed a change.

I am sorry if you find the new format confusing, but I assure you NOTHING but the look has changed! You can still get to the blog from attacktix.blogspot.com OR from www.attacktixtactics.com, it has just been merged with the LOOK of JoeAttacktix. I hope this will make YOUR viewing easier once Transformers comes out, BUT I have left all the great Blogger features available to those of you who like the ARCHIVES and RECENT posts. They are on the left, below the figure guide.

Please email me if you have any comments of suggestions, or if you want anything back! I want to make everyone happy, so just shoot me an email at the link above!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Transformers Attacktix Series 1 - The Buzz

About three threads down you will find "The Buzz" about Star Wars Series 4. It was very clear at Toy Fair which Star Wars figrues we have not yet seen, but with Transformers things are a bit different.

Only 18 Transformers will be released in the Boosters, and four in the Starter, two of which will ALSO be in the Boosters. So, barring any repaints, we are looking at 20 figures right there. Throw in the Mega, packed with a normal figure, and the Intergalactic Showdown pack with an Optimus, Megatron and Mega... we are now looking at 23 DIFFERENT molds. Galvatron and Dark Scorpnok could shake things up, but still 23 seems about right.

Today, after nearly four months of searching, I found a clear shot of the Transformers packaging, complete with the figure order list. After a lot of squinting, maybe you will see it, too.

[image]

BOOSTERS

Rare
TF1-1. Mini-Con (Skyboom)
TF1-2. Omnicon
TF1-3. Decepticlone
TF1-4. Insecticon
TF1-5. Rodimus
TF1-6. Battle Ravage

Super Rare
TF1-7. Scourge
TF1-8. Starscream
TF1-9. Hot Shot
TF1-10. Excellion
TF1-11. Vector Prime
TF1-12. Landmine
TF1-13. Super Optimus Prime
TF1-14. Optimus Prime (Truck)
TF1-15. Scorponok
TF1-16. Megatron
TF1-17. Megatron (Jet)
TF1-18. Ransack

STARTERS (Numbers may be out of order)

TF1-19. Scorponok (Duplicate - maybe DARK Scorponok)
TF1-20. Omni-Con (Duplicate)
TF1-21. Skyblast (Jet)
TF1-22. Demolishor

TF1-23. Crumplezone (From Mega)

MEGAS

TF1-24. Omega Supreme
TF1-25. Omega Sentinel

IG SHOWDOWN

1G-1. Super Optimus Prime
1G-2. Megatron
IG-3 (TF1-25) Omega Sentinel

MIA (To be with Battle Case and/or Second Starter Set?)

STARTER SET 2?
Galvatron
Overhaul
Arcee
Skyblast

WITH BATTLE CASE?
Dirtboss

So, let's start talking. IF these are coming out in June, they are only weeks away!
To see all the figures mentioned above, click here!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Star Wars Attacktix Series 3 - A New Look?

Star Wars Series 3 is hitting shelves again, so you can finally complete that collection. Staff member, Notpicard, noticed that some of these second wave figures are sporting some new paint colors and applications:

I just got some more Series 3 figures and have discovered that Hasbro has made a few production changes to make the figures look a little bit better. I think there may be a variation on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hammerhead because they look quite different from pics, but I don't have another to compare. Anyway, Look at what I found:

Boba Fett...now dark with silver on his backpack/launcher




Greedo is sporting a dark vest



Luke's upper legs are now painted. And that isn't the color off in the pic; his lower legs are darker.




The I-just-saw-a-ghost Stormtrooper disguise figures have been much improved. Hair color has been adjusted as well. These guys finally look closer to the other attacktix of them.






Threepio is sporting a new "gut" paint job, with some black paint, where it once was all golden.






And this one I am confused by. I have a Bossk whose leg cuffs match his legs a bit more and are less green. (Not exciting, but I thought I would see if anyone else would notice a difference on any of theirs)



Now let's all cross our fingers and hope that they change Captain Antilles to have a tan jacket!

EDIT (Joe): I just grabbed a few boosters at Wal-Mart (caught the Midnight stockers with a fresh case). This NEW Hammerhead's skin looks an awful lot like the animated Clone Wars JEDI, Roran Corobb. I know it can NOT be him, because he is a Bounty Hunter... but it gives me a GREAT idea for my SECOND Shooter-to-Striker custom. Enjoy the pictures, and happy hunting!

[image]
[image]

He is much browner than the greenish-gray version I have from the first release.

[image]
Roran Corobb

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Hasbro Sheds Some Light on 2006

These questions were asked just a few days after Toy Fair 2006, so some of them questions may be a bit out of date... but it is still good to see some answers.

1. How pleased was Hasbro with the success of Attacktix in the first 9 months of its release? Any idea on number of pieces sold, or estimated collectors/players?

Answer — HASBRO IS VERY PLEASED WITH THE FIRST YEAR OF ATTACKTIX.

2. Moving on to the press release, we are very excited to see more Attacktix series coming out. Why was the line shrunk from 30 to 18? Also, is the "18" the number of figures in the booster, or total number of figures we will see in Star Wars Series 4 & Transformers Series 1?

Answer -- THE LINE HASN’T SHRUNK. HASBRO HAS 18 FIGURES IN STAR WARS and 18 FIGURES IN TRANSFORMERS, SO TECHNICALLY, THERE ARE MORE FIGURES (36) TO COLLECT THIS FALL.

3. Battle Master figures will now be released with a regular figure, rumors say Jabba will be re-released with Leia, and your PR says that the "new" Gunship will have a new clone pilot. Will these figures be exclusive to the mega, or will Leia and the new Clone Pilot also be available in the boosters?

Answer — NO PLANS FOR A LEIA WITH JABBA RIGHT NOW. SO IT’S JUST A RUMOR. BUT THE CLONE PILOT WITH GUNSHIP IS AN EXCLUSIVE FIGURE. IT HAS NEW POWERS AND NEW DECO.

4. The new TF and SW series will only have Rares and Super Rares in the boosters. Common figures are VERY popular and important in the playing of the game. Will we see new common figures being released, or have we bought our last Stormtrooper? Is there a possibility of commons showing up in a package, like the Megas, where we know will we get X amount of figures?

Answer -- COMMON FIGURES HAVEN’T GONE AWAY. YOU WILL STILL FIND TROOP BUILDERS LIKE STORMTROOPERS WITHIN THE PACKS.

5. I have counted about 30 Transformers in the Toy Fair 2006 display. Are we looking at more than just Series 1 Transformers, or are these just the complete collection through Boosters, Starters, Megas, etc?

Answer — THE 30 FIGURES AT TOY FAIR ARE A COMBINATION OF THE 18 FIGURES FOR THIS FALL IN THE BOOSTERS, 4 IN THE STARTER AND A PEAK AT UPCOMING FIGURES in 2007.

6. Did complaints from retailers about pilferage and shrink lead to the new sealed-package design, or was it other factors including less booster figures and more money for "cooler" packaging?

Answer — AS A RESULT OF RETAILER FEEDBACK, HASBRO NEEDED TO DESIGN A PACKAGE THAT ELIMINATED PILFERAGE. THUS THE NEW PACKAGING.

7. It is exciting news for "fanboys" that Hasbro has the Marvel license, starting in the back end of 2006. What are the chances of seeing Marvel Attacktix this year.

Answer — MARVEL FANS WILL HAVE TO STAY TUNED FOR WHAT’S TO COME FROM ATTACKTIX IN ‘07.

Answers provided by Hunter Public Relations

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Star Wars Attacktix Series 4 - The Buzz

Series 4 of Star Wars Attacktix made their appearance at Toy Fair the beginning of this year. We also were told, in the flood of info surrounding Toy Fair, that Series 4 (and future Attacktix Series) would only have 18 figures.

We all saw the pictures, full of new faces and a new Starter Set. Let's run through the list and see if this makes sense.

The Star Wars Booster Pack
[image] [image]

This pack clearly has Star Wars figures on the front, however the blurry shot of the side is full of Transformers. No big deal, we are happy with the mock up, but lets look closer. The bottom of the box says "6 RARE 12 SUPER RARE." Perfect, that equals the 18 figures we are supposed to see in Series 4. But what's this...

Series 4 Starter Set
[image]

The Series 4 Booster pack has 4 figures. Surely these can NOT be included in the 18 figures they mention in the Press Release. Never before have the Starter figures been considered Rare or Super Rare. So these must be an additional 4 figures. Yes, these are re-issued figures, with new stats, but NEW, none-the-less. More importantly, there are 18 more figures to be found in Series 4.

The Booster Figures

The following figures are those that were on display at Toy Fair, and had no label. These are all assumed to be Series 4... but it just doesn't add up. And that COULD be a good thing! The numbering system is just to tally them up, because as best as I could tell there were NO stickers on these at the Fair, front or back.

IMPERIAL CLASS

>#1 Tarkin
[image]

#2 AT-ST Driver
[image]

#3 StormTrooper
[image]


#4 Imperial Officer
[image]


REBEL CLASS

#5 Slave Leia
[image]


#6 Luke (Endor)
[image]


#7 Han (Endor)
[image]


#8 Admiral Ackbar
[image]


#9 Endor Trooper
[image]

BOUNTY HUNTER CLASS*

*EDIT: Given the nature of a Bounty Hunter, these could very well be Imperial Class figures

#10 IG-88
[image]

#11 Boba Fett (Flight)
[image]


EWOK CLASS (NEW)

#12 Wicket
[image]

#13 Logray
[image]

#14 Generic Ewok
[image]

That is 14 total figures. The coincidence that it is exactly four short, and the Starter Set has four figures is not enough to put my mind at ease. I think there may be four more figures waiting to be seen. With four Empire figures, five Rebels, two Bounty Hunters and three Ewoks it could go anyway.

The Possibilties (or "The Nerd Wishlist")

Gamorrean Gaurd is one of the most requested figures, but due to the Star Wars class system, he would be hard to place. He could show up as a Bounty Hunter like Hammerhead, but I still think this one is, unfortunately, the biggest reach.

Another Stormtrooper, they are popular enough, and easy to make from old molds. But the AT-ST Driver and the Stormtrooper make me think this may not happen.

Lando Calrissian (it's scary how I can spell all these names without looking them up) this guy NEEDS to be in this set. If it wasn't for the fact that the Rebels already have five of the 18 figures, I would say he is golden. I figure, they had to run the figure by Billy Dee Williams for approval first, to make sure he was pimped out enough. Why else wouldn't he be on that table?

4-Lom, Zuckuss or Dengar, one of these guys may show up yet. If Series 3 didn't release only 2 Jawas, I would have said for sure they were holding back on one more Bounty Hunter.

Darth Vader is already available in the Starter Set, and that SHOULD be enough. But do you think Marvel Attacktix will have only one Spider-Man? I doubt that. I don't think we need another Original Trilogy Vader, but they could reissue the Force Blast Vader, since that guy was (and is) tough to find.

Yoda. Why not? My wife is convinced it's Force Blast Yoda time!

Obviously, it could just be some other reissued figures, but shrinking the figure pool down to 18 would usually be the reason to NOT need to do that. AT-ST Driver, Endor Trooper, and Generic Ewok are definitely three of the six Rares. I can think of maybe two more that would Rares, as well. Will there be four more figures? I say, "YES!"**

**EDIT: I stand corrected. SFX commented below, and reminded me the Press Release does indeed say TWO figures are exclusive to the Starter. So I don't know WHICH two, but that will only allow for TWO more boosters. He also brings up a good point that there are two MORE figures in the Intergalactic Showdown box, but since it is Luke and Darth, I suspect it may be dupes of the Series 4 Starter. All in all, with SFX bringing the PR information back to light, we WILL see 2 more figures in boosters. If we have already seen them is still unanswered!

Who will they be? Whenever they announce a release date we will know!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Attacktix Series 1 on eBay

Sorry to neglect this site, but I have been very busy getting the JoeAttacktix site ready. I am adding a huge character database, with load of links to strategies and figure reviews... so it will be worth it!

In the meantime, check this out:
24 BOOSTERS BOXES SERIES 1 SEALED going for pretty cheap right now!

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

More Prizes Added to Attacktix Contest

Be sure to SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY to the Attacktix Anniversary Contest!

We recently added two figure assortments, Good and Evil, and an exclusive Wal-Mart Battle pack.
ENTER NOW! We will have as many winners as we have prizes, so it's not just winner takes all, we are spreadin' the love!

Monday, April 03, 2006

Storing Attacktix - Keeping Your Sith Safe

From Rebelscum

A good question was brought up in Rebelscum's latest Question Mark. Are you putting your toys at risk by storing them in plastic bags? I know the easiest way to keep my Attacktix organized is with a few dozen Ziplocks. But this may not be the best way...

[It was stated that] putting figures in regular Ziplock bags could damage/discolor them rather quickly. Does this have to be under certain conditions only? Will this damage only occur if they are in the bags out in the light?


As plastic deteriorates it puts off gases. In an air tight container (like a Ziplock bag) the concentration of gases can speed up the deterioration of the plastic. In fact, the deterioration of the relatively thin (unstable) baggies themselves can contribute to the problem as well. Even in a cool, dry environment, figures sealed in an airtight bag will deteriorate faster than if they were left out of such bags. Every situation is going to be different, but in all cases you're better off not placing your action figures in airtight bags. Sturdier (more stable) plastic shells, or acrylic coffins are a much better storage option, but even these should be watched carefully and changed once every couple years or so.

We all have figures in our collections that have a slimy, shinny, or mottled look to them. This deterioration is a direct cause of the chemicals within the plastic they are made of and in the end inevitable. There are other elements like mold that attack from the outside, most commonly attributed to the transfer of oils in our fingers by touch. Given time and given human contact these are all things that will effect plastic toys and detract from their appearance. The best environment to slow this process down is a cool, dry, and dust free environment; something that is at times difficult if not impossible to provide. While Ziplock bags may seem like a viable option, they can hasten the decay we are trying to prevent and should be avoided whenever possible.

That being said, if you have your collection in baggies, and there doesn't appear to be any damage, don't panic. Keep an eye on things, understand what 'could' happen, and do what works best for you. As I said, the deterioration is inevitable; it will affect different figures differently, but with proper care you can at least take steps to slow the process down.