Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular round up of the coolest new merch on the internet. While today you might be celebrating some new toys under your Christmas trees, the tie-in train doesn’t stop—this week we’ve got even more Mandalorian goodness, McFarlane taking on the DC gaming world of Injustice, and an ambling Mario. Check it out!
Hasbro Star Wars: The Black Series The Mandalorian Darksaber Force FX Elite Lightsaber
Hasbro’s Force FX Elite line has already given us some truly wild lightsabers, but its most gorgeous and fascinating to date is a lightsaber unlike any other: the Darksaber, a weapon fabled to unite the Mandalorian people. Clocking in at a whopping $250, the life-sized weapon includes a detachable angular blade should you want to just pose the hilt as is with the included stand. But if you want to swing it around like a kid high on midichlorians, the attached blade lights up to play sounds and effects from The Mandalorian, and even includes the ability to emulate a “molten tip” effect when clashing against another lightsaber blade or a surface, as if it were heating up as it cut through. Moff Gideon would be impressed!
Just, we dunno, don’t pick this one up without the intent of having to defend owning it through violent ritual combat for the rest of your life. You at least don’t have to fight to get one though: they’re available to pre-order now for a summer 2021 release window.
Super Nintendo World Tokotoko Mario Walking Toy
Last week, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto gave the world its first in-depth look at the Super Nintendo World theme park opening next year at Universal Studios Japan. The park appears to incorporate puzzles and games inspired by the Mario Bros. video games that guests can interact with using smartphone-connected bracelets, but the sneak preview video also gave us a look at some of the excellent and exclusive souvenirs that will be available at the Super Nintendo World gift shops. The most anticipated is this Tokotoko Mario figure that physically walks along, step-by-step, when you push a rolling red Koopa shell behind it. Pricing info is unknown, and those outside of Japan will probably have to drop a small fortune to snag one on eBay, at least until a Super Nintendo World opens in Florida.
Mattel Hot Wheels Star Wars: The Mandalorian Character Cars
If you can’t watch an episode without wishing your favorite characters on The Mandalorian had four wheels instead of legs and feet, you’re in luck: Hot Wheels is expanding its Character Cars fleet to include Din Djarin, Cara Dune, the Child, and a Heavy Infantry Mandalorian truck. First teased at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, the vehicles are expected to arrive in spring of 2021 for about $4 each and we’re hoping the bobbling head Baby Yoda feature that was teased is still being included in that character car.
Dart Zone Pro MK 2
The Nerf brand is synonymous with dart blasters, but Prime Time Toys, a company much smaller than Hasbro, has managed to consistently churn out blasters that outperform Nerf’s offerings at a fraction of the price. Back in 2019 we went hands on with the Dart Zone PRO MK 1 and walked away impressed, and maybe a little nervous about getting hit by a foam dart fired at over 100 mph. Dart Zone now has a follow-up to the MK 1 with the MK 2 featuring a much smaller pistol form factor. The performance is almost the same as the larger original version, but it’s lighter, easier to load using included dart speed loaders, and a hundred bucks cheaper at $80—if you can find one in stock.
McFarlane Toys DC Universe Injustice Gorilla Grodd and Flash
While it’s dabbled here and there, McFarlane’s excellent 7-inch-scaled DC Multiverse toy line has mostly stayed away from DC video gaming to give us comics, movie, and TV-inspired takes on the publisher’s finest heroes (OK, mostly Batman). But it’s branching out a little next year by diving into the aesthetic of the similarly excellent Injustice fighting game series. Kicking off surprisingly sans Batman, the company’s first two Injustice figures will be based on Injustice 2’s versions of the Flash and Gorilla Grodd, bringing the armored-up aesthetic of the sequel to action figure form. Barry will come with bonus FX parts to recreate some of the speedster’s special attacks from the game, while Grodd will be…well, just Grodd, because he’s a pretty hefty chunk of primate plastic. The figures will both be $20 when they hit stores in April 2021. [Toyark]
Hasbro Play-Doh Crazy Cute Stylist and Drill ‘n Fill Dentist Playsets
It started out as a toy powered exclusively by imagination, but in the ‘80s Play-Doh introduced a series of playsets that turned the featureless lumps into things like food, luscious locks, and troublesome teeth. Hasbro is reviving and updating two of those classic sets that are now available in stores if you’ve yet to get your holiday shopping done. The Crazy Cuts Stylist Sets creates instant Play-Doh hairstyles that ooze out of a character’s scalp which can be styled and trimmed without having to wait months for it to all grow back. The Drill ‘n Fill Set takes a similar approach, but Play-Doh is instead pressed into molds to create a series of teeth with everything from cavities that need to be drilled to small bits of food that need to be scraped off. If there’s one thing we’re sure of, it’s that kids love the dentist.
For more, make sure you’re following us on our Instagram @io9dotcom.
