H is for Hexbug!

Just a quickie before I go to work, a post from 2022's Toy Fair, which clearly I haven't got out in a timely manner, because it really doesn't matter! I won't be going this year at all, although I think it was last week anyway, so I didn't go this year!

Hexbug and Hexbug Nano (or Nano Hexbug) are brands of Spin Master, bought by them with all properties this time last year, from Innovation First International, who continue to trade with other non-toy brands, and which has, at its core, small battery-operated 'robotics' which move about and provide motive power for various lines, aimed both at STEM for younger kids, more generl fun toys, and pet novelties.

I'd become aware of them a year or so earlier, following a charity-shop purchase (more in a subsequent post), so was interested to see them at the show, but as you can see, little to interest Loyal (or casual) Readers, beyond the insect carcases being quite realistic as stand-alone models, without their Hexbug 'innards'.

Catalogue imagery, well, more of a trade 'flyer' really!

Packaging of the basic Hexbug units, in one's or sixes.

The insects

As you can see they are very good, and follow real life patterns of 'wee bestie'

Larger arthropods, and a sort of gecko-dragon thing!

Insect packaging also comes in singles or multiples

Cat toys!

P is for Pavilion - Toy Fair 2022

By way of a continuation of the previous post, Pavilion were a new name on me at this year's Toy Fair, a wholesaler, not a manufacturer, so they will only add to their tag-entry if they exhibit equally interesting stock in future years, but here's what they are offering this year!

Mostly handling clearance for 'big name' stuff, including the partwork issuer Eaglemoss and Dr Collector, a Spanish outfit concentrating on brand licences, they had an interesting array of stuff on display, but there are limits with clearance, and as a trade or B2B supplier, of little use to us beyond the images!

From their small catalogue, you can see Fallout, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park and ET merchandise on offer, with the ET stuff being the link with the previous post and on display at the show . . .

. . . where I photographed them (upper shot) against never seeing them again - which I haven't and I've tried Smyths and the local independent (but not The Entertainer yet?) - and I can report they are about the same size as the LJN and JAR Sales ones

There was also a bunch of ex-Partwork stuff, but the problem here is that the clearance tends to have limited scope, being those commoner figures (issues 1, 2 & 3, or the issue following a switch to subscription only, or a price-rise - with longer series) or side-issues; mail-away's and the like, separate to the actual partwork.

Anyway, that's more ET's and Pavilion in the tag-list!

C is for Clementoni - Toy Fair 2022

This was a funny one, it looked interesting and had figurines (actually just the one pose, once investigated!) so I went over to the sales team and asked if I could photograph them, to which they were happy to acquiesce.

But as I was leaving the controlled-entry stand (some stands don't like you wandering about and doing your own thing and have guides and booking times  an' shit in'it!) one of the chaps asked me if I'd got what I wanted and I explained it was really the figure I was after, but I'd also noticed it (the line) seemed to be partially compatible with Lego Technical, to which a swift denial was forthcoming. "Really" said I, "some of the components look to be 'like another leading brand's?' ", "No, no it's not" came the reply - with a frown, and I left with an "OK, well thanks".

But five minutes on Google, nay; 30-seconds on Google after hitting enter on 'Is Clementoni mechanics compatible with Lego Technical' reveals that it is indeed the same cruciform locking bars and wheel attachments etc . . . so either the guy was lying to me for some obscure reason, or he had been hired-in for the day/fair, not trained properly on the product and was talking bollocks from a position of ignorance?

Very odd, anyway; it's a nice line of Space Toys, with some basic construction and [definitely] Lego Technical-compatible components you could build-on/off and which is out there now, there's lots online, so I'll let the photo's tell their own story -

I think it's only the red-box stuff (above) which has the Lego-compatible components, the stuff below is more stand-alone toy, but still within a STEM umbrella of interactivity, and the same current-thought space theme?

These seem to come with faux asteroids to smash-open?

And . . .  it is another 28/35mm (I couldn't measure them!) NASA style astronaut, with an EVA back-pack! From Clementoni

Bubblegum Stuff is for Fun Stuff!

First of this year's Toy Fair reports and we're looking at a pile of Llama's! How big the Llama pile is depends upon the dexterity of the players making it . . . except I lied, they aren't Llamas, they're Alpaca's - I'm sure loyal readers are only too aware that Alpacas are cute and cuddly and not much bigger than some Maine Coon cats, while Llamas are the Devil's spawn-units on Earth and will kick you, bite you and spit on you 'till you drown!

This is the thing - Alpaca Stacker, how cool is that? Well, I thought it was, it's better than bloody chairs that's for sure! I didn't familiarise myself with the rules, but I suspect you can get the idea from the pictures! They'd go well with 70mm+ figures, so both the Schleich/Papo types or Playmobil.

The company behind them are Bubblegum Stuff and they seem to be a very small concern (single table and stool type stand, against one of the outer walls of the hall) so support them if you can, the game will make a brilliant present for younger relatives! There's an eco-vibe to a lot of their products although this one is polymer heavy, and they are Alpacas! Not Llamas, with or without pajamas, or is that bananas?

A is for And so to London!

The Toy Fair went ahead and I managed to attend after a bit of a SNFU at the book-in, Germany cancelled in the autumn and New York cancelled a few days ago, so outside the Far East it will rather be the 'only game in town' this year, hopefully, by next year it will all be so endemic (Covid-19 / SARS-COV-2) we will have a full suite of shows?

London Skyline from Clapham Junction

looking toward Waterloo

The visitor crowd was pretty-much as previous years, and the pub busier than ever, but as far as exhibitors went it was disappointing, Hornby-Airfix weren't there, nor were Lego or Blue Box (although the later stopped attending a few years ago), Papo didn't turn-up even though they were booked, I guess their lorries are stuck in a 'corresponding' queue at Calais to balance the Brwreakshit queue's our side of la Manche? While Schleich was disappointing, but the Mojo/CollectA stand made-up for that.

The upstairs annex was nearly empty, and the downstairs annex was pretty 'roomy', while Tobar and HGL had one stand with combined stock and no Schilling presence. So there wasn't the same quantity of stuff to cover, but I picked up the usual pile of catalogues, a few samples (seen before - World of Marbles' combat erasers), while neither Revell or Schleich were issuing catalogues despite having copies in sight!

The Shard - from Waterloo

It's the best of a dozen images!

So there will be articles forthcoming, but nothing urgent and I've still got 8 articles from TF19 and 16 from TF20 in the long queue, so who knows how it will all come out, some if it will probably be saved now to go straight to the company A-Z pages!

Contrary to you-know-who's past pontification on my output, very little of it is of any real importance! He himself has kept very quiet about how he's going to tell us everything about anything "in a timely manner" this year, given his past grandiose announcements - which always  turn into little or nothing!

Not to mention that I'm still trying to clear the old How they come in backlog, and have a new one there, picked up a few bits yesterday and have a mini season on the desk-top which I meant to get out before Christmas . . . so, whatever, whenever!