JoeAttacktix Visits the Tampa Comic Con Again

Last weekend, JoeAttacktix ran our second Attacktix demonstration at the Tampa Comic Con. We were separated from the 501st this time, but we did well once again. This demonstration was the first time many fans got to see the Transformers Attacktix, and it was a huge success.

Once again we had free drawings for some great prizes. We gave out a Star Wars vs. Transformers Battle Pack, a Transformers Mega, and some Tournament Figures, just for stopping by and playing a game. I don't know if it was the free single figures that we handed out, or simply our smiling faces, but we had a nonstop crowd.

Once again, JoeAttacktix was invited to a new Toys R' Us event, this time it is a Star Wars Appreciation day, more info to follow soon!

Here are some pictures of our set-up.




Here are some images of the convention.




And these are always some of my favorite pictures to take!




Special thanks to Tim Gordon and his staff for the great spot and the wonderful time.

Exclusive Marvel Attacktix Video from SDCC

Thanks to Radar, from the Attacktix Forum, we have this great video of the Marvel Attacktix display at the San Diego Comic Con.

Be sure to check out ALL the great videos in the Joe Attacktix MEDIA Section!

Marvel Attacktix Breakdown

Marvel Attacktix are about four months away, with a release date of "November." Attacktix release dates are never a sure thing, but one thing that never changes is the Holiday Season! I am certain that we will see Marvel Attacktix in time for Black Friday madness.

I would like to go over what little we know about Marvel Attacktix, and start to turn on the BUZZ!

STARTER SETS

Hasbro has already announced that there will be multiple Starter Sets available for the first wave of Marvel. A Ghost Rider Starter Set is planned, due to the new Ghost Rider movie currently planned for a February 2007 release date. Early release dates were Summer of 2006, so depending on when Hasbro began working with the license, they may have planned for a 2006 release to coincide with the movie. Whether or not we will see Ghost Rider Attacktix in the initial wave is unknown. The Ghost Rider set was seen at SDCC.

GHOST RIDER STARTER SET (Ghost Rider, Caretaker, Blackheart and Wallow)
Caretaker


Blackheart


Wallow


Ghost Rider (Striker Chain)


Next we have two of the most popular Marvel characters, Spider-Man and Wolverine, and their foes, Green Goblin and Sabertooth. All four of these characters have also appeared on the Silver Screen over the past decade, and the wonderful sequels keep coming out!

CLASSIC FOES STARTER SET (Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin, Wolverine vs. Sabertooth)
Wolverine (Striker)


Sabertooth


Spider-Man (Web Blast)


Green Goblin (Pumpkin Bomb Missile)


The third Starter Set we are aware of is a Walmart Exclusive. It is a Spider-Man Classics Starter Set featuring Spider-Man, Armored Spider-Man, Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. The rumor from Hasbro was that there would be TWO exclusive figures in the Spider-Man Starter Set. Armored Spider-Man looks like he will be one of the exclusives, but the other is up in the air. It could be a repaint, or just a new power for an existing sculpt, but it looks like the Spidey Armor will be enough reason to grab this pack!

SPIDER-MAN CLASSICS STARTER SET (Spider-Man, Armored Spider-Man, Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus)


BATTLE MASTERS

Once again, new from SDCC tells us that there will be at least three Mega Figures in the Marvel Attacktix line. The Ghost Rider on Motorcycle Mega, that we saw at the convention, packaged with Abigor is the only one we know for sure.

GHOST RIDER on MOTORCYCLE BATTLE MASTER (with Abigor)
Ghost Rider Mega


Abigor


There are supposedly two more Spider-Man related Battle Masters, but no news as to which two. The Ghost Rider movie seems to be limited to a single Starter Set and Battle Master. It is possible these will not be released until closer to 2007, and the two Spider-Man Megas will come out in the first wave. If not, we will have an unprecedented three Megas and three Starter Sets to kick off the first wave of Marvel Attacktix. Another rumor from the SDCC was a Mega worth 100+ points! When and if we will see this Mega is unknown.

BOOSTER FIGURES

Attacktix Boosters are now based on a simple 18 figure set. Six Rares and twelve Super-Rares making it easier and cheaper to collect a complete set. Though all of the figures had ID stickers on them, we have no photographs of the numbering of any figure. I will break them down by Marvel Class. If anyone has any pictures of the backs of the figures, please let me know!


Spider-Man (Spider-Man & Allies)

This Spider-Man looks like a Striker with a high point of attack. It looks like the legs can be pulled back as the torso holds to the pole, to release a flying kick to the face!

Spider-Man (Pole Swing)



Spider-Villains (Spider-Man's Classic Villains)

Doc Ock appears to be a Striker, leading with one main tentacle. It does not look like the tentacles have any joints or articulation, but it may be possible to effect a large area with one swing.

Doctor Octopus


Venom has the Series 3 Chewbacca uppercut! S3 Chewie was one of my favorite attacks, so it will be great to have a villain with the same attack.

Venom (Uppercut)


Electro has a Force Blast type attack. We have seen Spider-Man's Force Blast has a bit of webbing sculpted into it. Later you will see Gambit has miniature playing cards embedded in his. It is unknown if Electro's attack will be clear, or some type of electric blue, but either way he will be an excellent "Blasting" villain.

Electro (Electric Blast)


Avengers

Thor may have the largest striking surface ever, and that is just the way he likes it. I am uncertain if Thor uses Mjolnir with a downward smash, or a classic strike across his body, but if he is in range he will do some serious damage!

Thor (Striker Hammer)


Good Ole' Cap is breaking the mold in Attacktix, just like he did for the U.S. Military in the 40s! Cap has the first unique spring-loaded missile in the game. I am curious as to how that shield shoots, and if the launcher will remain clear, or get some color. Either way, there is a lot more than meets the eye with this figure.

Captain America (Shield Launcher)


After getting my Chief Chirpa, I was a bit dissapointed to see that my favorite character in this series was getting a throwing attack. However, after watching the Ewok Video, I have learned the Throwing Attack is very powerful indeed. The Hulk's can of Radioactive Waste is much bigger than Chirpa's Stone. I can't wait for HULK SMASH!

Hulk (Barrel Toss)


The Marvel Attacktix look great, and they limited the deformities to appeal to all collectors. Personally, I enjoy the over-sized Wookiee Paws, but I know it is a turn off for a lot of classic collectors, and so what they have done with Spider-Man is very interesting. A plastic/rubber Webbing is the striking surface, for this Striker. Spider-Man will look great on your shelf, or in battle.

Spider-Man (Striker)


X-Men

Gambit has a huge fan base, so there is no shock this ragin' cajun made it into the first wave. His Charged Card Blast is a clever use of an existing mold. Tiny playing cards are embedded inside, and will probably pack more punch then if Hasbro tried to make a thin flying card. The stick should also help this figure with his balance when he is fully loaded.

Gambit (Energy Blast)


Beast (Striker)

Thank you! Hasbro did not do away with deformities entirely! I can't wait for Chewie and Beast to get involved in a serious Rock, Paper, Scissors battle! This squat figure with a large furry hand should be a very valuable one, and one that will definitely be on my X-Men squad.



The first Jabbing figure from the Marvel line looks like a good one. I am amazed with the power of Landmine and Skyblast's Jabs, so I have no doubt he will be a valuable melee figure. Wolverine will be limited to melee attacks in this initial wave, with a traditional swinging Striker available in the Starter Set, and now with a Claw Jab. I will be curious to see if any future versions of Wolverine will have any range. We know there are MANY variatons of the Logan/Wolverine so I am certain we will see something to allow this lil' guy to attack you from range. I also wonder is Beast's paw was designed lower so he could throw a friendly Wolverine into the enemy lines?

Wolverine (Claw Jab)



Brotherhood (Magneto)

I hope no one missed that sillver projectile in the bottom-right corner of the image below. It looks like a truck fender, and it also looks like it will do some serious damage. I do hope to see future versions of Magneto, because he is a wonderful villain, but this is an excellent start - and a very unique Shooter.

Magneto (Metal Blast - Truck Bumper/Grill)


Mystique looks like your standard shooter. However, that little wall behind her means she has a very special Effect in store for us. There are three figure in this set with Effects, but her could be very different. Since she can effectively become any one she wants to, the possibilties of this power and awesome! Maybe you can substitute anyone you want from your Back Ups at ANYTIME!

Mystique


Pyro also looks like a standard shooter, possibly one of the Common/Rare figures. But we have not seen the style of his missile yet. It could be a standard rounded bullet, but with Magneto's Bumper and Gambit's Card Blast, I am hoping to see something a little more flammable!

Pyro


Marvel Knights

The Marvel Knights Class is basically the lot of vigilantes that "protect" the Marvel streets at night. They typically don't care about enemies or his allies, nor do they join any Super-teams , so most likely this Class will work like Star Wars' Bounty Hunters. Punisher is definitely one of those characters that doesn't really sit on the good or bad side of the law. He should be a very powerful shooter, with an awesome Special Power.

Punisher


Daredevil has an Effect, and I have no idea what it could be. He is a blind, super-powered lawyer, so there is no telling what that could do! It looks like he will have a Striker attack with his clubs for this wave, but I hope to see something along the lines of Battle Ravage's tethered Mace in a future series!

Daredevil


Elektra rounds out the Marvel Knights line nicely, with some serious Sai action. I am sure we will see some repaints of her in a black outfit in a future set, and that is A-OK with me!

Elektra (Striker)


Fantastic Four

ONE Fantastic Four team member in Series One? That does not make too much sense, but maybe we will see a few more appearing in a fourth Starter Set once FF2 comes out. Thing is definitely a Striker, but I am not sure if he is going to smash down with that big right hand, or if he will have a traditional swinging strike.

Thing (Striker Downward Smash?)


Well, that would account for 18 Booster Figures, three Starter Sets, and one of the three Battle Masters we can expect to see before the end of 2006! Christmas can not come fast enough!

EXCELSIOR!

Interview with Brett Seymour - Attacktix Designer

JoeAttacktix has secured an interview with the newest member of the Hasbro Attacktix team! I will let him introduce himself, but many of you already know him.

Brett: Hey, my name is Brett Seymour. I'm a freelance game designer and I'm currently working on the Attacktix Battle Figure game for Hasbro.

Joe: Is that the same Brett AKA Webhead817?

Brett: Yep. Most people probably know me by my web handle. I was a mod/admin for HCRealms, the HeroClix fansite, and some other related sites for a number years.

Joe: What can you tell us about yourself, your role with Attacktix and your experience in the gaming industry?

Brett: Before working on Attacktix I was a playtester for WizKids on their HeroClix and Pirates games, as well as a playtester for UDE's VS. trading card game. My part of the Attacktix game is working on the game text... special powers and effects. Depending on the set, I also work on the character classes, point costs, speed... all of the different parts of the printed portion of the game.

Joe: OK, so a loaded question. Of all the games you have worked on, which do you enjoy playing the most?

Brett: Ha. Well, Attacktix holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons, so I'll just give the curveball answer. Attacktix is the one tabletop game that my wife will play as well, and she really likes it, so that alone makes it number one in my book.

Joe: How does the process work, from concept to finished figure? How do the figures change from paper to the real thing?

Brett: Well, it's basically a secret recipe with 18 secret herbs and spices. Realistically... my part is all handled on spreadsheets. I get a list of names, I fill in the blanks and send it back. Of course, it's not a single pass and it's done. I think the first set I worked on (Marvel), the final copy was revision eight or nine, each revision representing a major overhaul of some kind. Meanwhile, someone else is working on concept drawings and sculpting... or what I like to call the cool stuff. I think in most cases, the finished product is VERY similar to the original ideas.

Joe: What has been your favorite FIGURE to design?

Brett: I think my favorite figure to work on so far has also been the most difficult: the new Yoda. He and another character have very unique effects, and it took me about a week to come up with the underlying mechanic or idea that made them "work". But the funny thing is, even the most basic trooper style characters can be challenging to get right.

Joe: A new Yoda, with a unique effect, I can't wait to see that! What has been your favorite new power?

Brett: Well, I can't get into specifics of course, but I'm really excited about the new ways of using the back-ups and defeated areas as resources in the game. New powers and effects will really change the way you look at the various "zones" a figure can be in at any point during a contest.

Joe: It sounds like you are making some interesting changes for the game, will this make it any more complicated for the younger Attacktix players?

Brett: I don't think so. The game is still "move everyone, attack twice", this simplicity is one of the games strongest suits. Attacktix also benefits from having all of the powers and effects "unloaded" from their keywords. What I mean is, everything is always spelled out on the figure, every time. You never have to memorize the difference between Rally and Recruit, because every figure tells you exactly what to do. The keywords just become shorthand for when you do have everything memorized. So, every new keyword will still come with the actual instructions printed on each figures base or what have you.

Joe: Any clues as to what to expect for Marvel, what is going stun us with the new figures, or effects? We did see three figures with "special" bases at SDCC.

Brett: The current sets, Star Wars 4 and Transformers, have a lot of new physical components... the flyers, the different types of attacks, but no effects and just a couple of new powers. Marvel will be bringing back effects in a big way... new effects will have "keywords" just like the powers do, so you can see variations of new effects going forward as well. Marvel will also introduce a handful of new powers, as will each new set for the forseeable future.

Joe: Very nice, named effects will eliminate the confusion of the Luke and Han Stormtroopers. If you look into the future can you tell us how many UNIVERSES and series you can see?

Brett: Well, heh, I can imagine quite a few! As was said at SDCC... Marvel is not likely the last new line for the game. Those decisions are made far away from me... however, I can say that I think the game lends itself to virtually any property or genre... and I have a very broad area of personal interests. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm interested in working on any new Universe we can open the game up to.

Joe: Do you have anything else you would you like to tell us, anything we didn't cover?

Brett: Hmm. Yes, I do. I know that every character, no matter how obscure, is someone's favorite. I try to take that to heart when I'm looking at each figure... and treat it like that figure is MY favorite, too, when I'm working on it. I hope that shows through because, ultimately, that's my goal.

Joe: Thanks for your time, and I guess this explains why you haven't released your second set of Attacktix Cards :)

Brett Seymour is a member of the Attacktix Forum and will be more than pleased to see your support. However, please keep in mind he is not allowed to discuss future sets and powers, and he is forbidden from accepting ideas and concepts for new figures. Any news Brett may release can be found here, or on his own website, Web of Webhead. Check it out today!

Dave's Transformers Attacktix Review: Starter Set

Dave, from Dave's Transformers, has reviewed all of the initial wave of Transformers Attacktix, and he allowed me to post it here!

Dave's Attacktix Rant:

Starter Wave 1 (Overhaul, Dirtboss, Skyblast, Skyblast Vehicle)

There exists a variant with a bonus color variant Decepticlone, but I did not see that version at the store. The starter has four figures not found elsewhere, and is meant to be a single player's force (three active figures, one Back-Up).
Review of the Booster figures and explanation of the format of the reviews.
Rules and catalog.

CAPSULE

Starter Wave 1: Good figures, but not especially suited to being a starter set. And the rules aren't so good, so unless you want these figures you might be better off just getting boosters. Still, the figures are good, so recommended. $9.99 at Target

RANT

Packaging: Unlike the boosters, this is a fixed set with open packaging, a mostly clear box 9" (23cm) wide, 4.5" (11.5cm) tall in front, 6.5" (16.5cm) tall in back (it has a taller back side, but a flat top) and 3" (7.5cm) deep. The figures are crowded onto a plastic blister, held on by twist-ties. Skyblast is at the left, with his spear pointing most of the way across the box. His vehicle mode is to the right of that, then Overhaul and Dirtboss (not Dirt Boss). The back of the card shows the stuff from the back and right side of the booster, and the bottom has the legalese.
To open the package, the easiest way starts with slitting the tape holding the cardboard together. The whole thing folds open, with the rulebook wadded up a bit between the halves. There's a whole lot of tape inside, cutting it lets you flip up the clear box part. Now you can undo all the twist-ties to free the figures and pull the front tray away, and the missiles are between trays. The ties are thin enough it's easier to just get a scissors and cut them. Dirt Boss's missile launcher is held by a rubberband, Overhaul's gun arm is held down by a band, a band holds Skyblast's arms down and another goes through the main tray to hold the spear. Very annoying
packaging overall. There is no indication on the package which missile goes with what figure, but fortunately each appears once in the rulebook, so you can figure it out. It does come with the same rulebook as the TF/SW set comes with, which is covered in the link above. Unlike the boosters, the figures aren't in baggies, so you'll have to supply your own to keep the missiles with 'em (or make creative use of the twist-ties and rubber bands).

OVERHAUL
Collector's Number: TF1-19
Rarity: Fixed
Points: 30
Attacktix Class: Leader
Faction Class: Autobot
Speed: 4-5 (4)
Special: 14
Special Ability: Sacrifice (Autobot) - Replace one of your Autobots with
this figure.
Height: 2.25" (6cm)
Base: 4.5cm
Attack Type: Shooter (Energy Blast)

Seems to be made entirely of golden yellow plastic (rigid on launcher, softer elsewhere) with a red trigger. The torso and boots are painted with a dark green, with black feet, chest, head and claws, plus accents of silver, red, gold and yellow. In general, looks pretty good. The left arm is replaced by a launcher, they didn't try to give him a chest launcher. The shoulders, waist and neck swivel. The pose is fairly straight stand-up, with the knees slightly bent and the left arm bent a little at the elbow.
In an example of the missiles not always being fully interchangeable, I accidentally put Skyblast's missile in his launcher and it barely left the barrel. :) With the right missile, it fires about 18" (half a meter) straight up, for a muzzle velocity of about 3 m/s. The missile mass is about 8g, for a maximum momentum of around 25 gm/s. With the missile loaded and pointed straight forward, the figure does not fall over.

DIRTBOSS
Collector's Number: TF1-20
Rarity: Fixed
Points: 30
Attacktix Class: Warrior
Faction Class: Decepticon
Speed: 4-5 (4)
Special: 10
Special Ability: Recruit (Decepticon) - Put a Decepticon into play from your
Back-Ups.
Height: 2.5" (6cm)
Base: 4.5cm
Attack Type: Shooter (Fork Missile)

Yeah, his special ability is useless if you just field this set, but that seems par for the course for Attacktix starters. The mold is kinda weird. The axles are in an X formation (more or less)
rather than the H formation on the regular toy. A couple of triangular (non-firing) missile launchers are molded onto the flanks as under-arm assaults. The real launcher is on the backpack and folds up into firing position, evoking the toy's Key gimmick if not really looking like it. As far as I can tell, most of the toy is made of purple plastic (with rigid purple plastic on the launcher), and the wheel backpack is made of neon green plastic. The launcher button is red, and the missile is more of a violet. Dark gray, neon green and silver paint give the rest of the body appropriate colors, and the wheels are painted a sort of cinnamon red. The figure is posed in a "missile assault crouch" with bent arms and knees. The neck, waist and shoulders swivel, and the launcher swivels up into firing position. The missile itself is an odd medium...it has a forked tip for bigger striking area, but is not a "shield missile" in mass. It's like sticking a wide U shape on the end of the missile. The missile will stay firmly in the launcher without being pressed in for firing, which may rob it of some speed in firing due to friction. The maximum launch height is about a meter, for a muzzle velocity of about 4.5 m/s. Mass is about 2.5g, so the maximum momentum is about 11-12 gm/s. I suspect that with use the missile will get a bit looser, and
therefore have a higher launch velocity (in fact, a few later tests got me closer to 1.5m high, adding another m/s to the muzzle velocity.

SKYBLAST
Collector's Number: TF1-21
Rarity: Fixed
Points: 30
Attacktix Class: Warrior
Faction Class: Autobot
Speed: 7-9 (8)
Special: 8
Special Ability: Attackback (Decepticon)
Height: 2.5" (6cm)
Base: 4.5cm
Attack Type: Jabber (Energy Beam)

They did an interesting job of integrating the spear weapon here. The housing is the robot forearm plus an extension beyond that, with both hands molded as oversized paws around the barrel. The forearm winglets are the same size on both arms, though. The spear itself is 4.5" (11cm) long, and springs out by 1.25" when triggered. The head, torso and legs are made of white plastic, the arms are made of soft red plastic, the trigger and spear out of a slightly lighter red plastic, and the spring housing out of darker rigid red plastic. The face, hands, feet and forearms are painted medium gray, and there's red and white paint where appropriate. The eyes and forehead tablet are blue, and the cockpit area behind the head is painted with red, black and gold. The pose is pretty good, although when the arms are lowered the spear really can't knock anyone over. Basically, the right arm is bent "along" the spear and the left arm held further out to support the shaft. The legs are essentially straight. The shoulders swivel as a unit since the arms are connected to the launcher, the neck and waist also swivel. The spear point can be positioned anywhere from 1" to 3" (2.5cm to 7.5cm) off the table, so you can slam just about any regular figure in the groin if you so desire. The impact is pretty powerful... even if you don't knock a target over, it may well slide 20cm away.

SKYBLAST (Vehicle)
Collector's Number: TF1-22
Rarity: Fixed
Points: 20
Attacktix Class: Specialist
Faction Class: Autobot
Speed: 4-5 (4)
Special: 20
Special Ability: Transform - Put Skyblast into play from your Back-Ups.
Height: 3" (7.5cm) wingspan, hovers 2.75" (7cm) above base.
Base: 4.5cm
Attack Type: Shooter (Small Missile)

Given the number of tix where his Special shows up, you put this in your main force and robot mode in your Back-Ups. Unless you have a bunch of both, meaning you bought multiple Starters or did some trading. The actual vehicle is pretty much in proportion, sitting atop the launcher chunk. The launcher is connected by a swivel to oversized versions of Skyblast's capture claws, which themselves are mounted atop jet thrust pillars. The only poseability, as you might expect, is elevation on the abovementioned swivel. The vehicle and thrust pillars are white plastic, the launcher, missile and claws are red plastic. The only paint is on the vehicle, a combination of red, gunmetal and pale gold. No black, oddly. Maximum launch height is 2.1 to 2.2 meters, for a muzzle velocity of arounf 6.5 m/s. Missile mass is about 2g, so 13 gm/s of momentum.

Starter Overall: A decent set of figures, but it'd be nice if they made a full-sized starter that had enough for a two-player game, or released two different Starters at the same time (maybe one all Autobot, one all Decepticon). The price per figure is $2.50, about the same as boosters, and you do know what you're getting. If only the rules were a bit clearer, I'd call it a good starter. As it stands, you might as well get boosters and read the rules online (the official ones are also available online, not just mine) unless you really want these figures. There's nothing special about it that makes it better as a starter than just getting two boosters.

Dave Van Domelen, still needs the Battle Master set...and more boosters!

Be sure to check out Dave's Transformers for other Transformers New!

Attacktix Fan Video: Fear the Ewok

This is a great video, that proves Chief Chirpa has some special powers!

Thanks to Yaggleberry for showing us the power of the rock!

Marvel Release Date Rumors from SDCC

News from ICV2.com

Habro will begin shipping a Marvel version of its Attacktix miniature game in November, under its new license for 2007 and beyond. Thirty different figures will be assorted through the Starter Packs. In addition to a basic Marvel line, special products are planned to tie in with Marvel movies.

In general, Hasbro is planning on packaging more of its Attacktix products in open packaging, as opposed to blind packaging. Ghost Rider, for example, will have a Battle Master set of the character and the motorcycle, plus a Starter Set, tied to the movie release in February, and no boosters.

A Spider-Man 3 Tournament Set is planned to tie into the movie release in May, with two figures exclusive to that set plus two Battle Master figures. (This may be the Walmart exclusive with the Silver Spider Armor Spider-Man we saw at San Diego.)

Hasbro's other 2006 releases include Transformers vs. Star Wars products, Transformers wave two and the fifth wave of Star Wars Attacktix figures.

A Hasbro spokesperson said that talks were underway to have Attacktix distributed by Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast division to make it more available to the hobby channel.