Building Incredible LEGO Dioramas

magmacityWe mention these guys before on our site, but this South Korean professional LEGO master build team Olive Seon knows how to build huge LEGO diorama playsets.  Above image is their latest city build – Magma City.

legothemeparkThis is another recent build of theirs, a LEGO Theme Park.

[Read more…]

Comikaze Expo 2014: Ramen and a Half meet DMC

Ramen and Half meets DMC comicsThe Ramen and a Half crew meets DMC promoting his new comic! DMC tells us how comics was a large part of his childhood life before he became the well-known Master MC as we know him today.

Cosplay-Style in the 16th Century

r2d2cosplayThis past weekend in the city of Paris a cosplay photo exhibition took place at the Grand Palais.  Artist/photographer Sacha Goldberger took pictures of cosplayers with a 16th century twist.  Many costume designers, make-up artist and cosplayers were involved in the project.

[Read more…]

Gatling Nerf Gun

gatlinggundartzoneWho doesn’t like a gatling firing gun?  I’ve already bought a Star-Lord Nerf Blaster for Halloween, now I guess I will add this crazy toy contraption – the Scorpion Gatling Blaster by Dart Zone.

[Read more…]

I Want My PopTaters Stormtrooper!

starwarspotatoheadsFrom toymaker PPW Toys are the newly released Star Wars-themed Mr. Potato Heads.  The 4 figures include R2-D2, Yoda, Darth Vader and Stormtrooper.

[Read more…]

Frankie’s Garage: HyperChargers R/C from Jada Toys

toyotasuprahyperchargersBuilding R/C cars is an expensive hobby, so if you want a no frills, no assembly required and ready to play, check out the HyperChargers R/C car line-up from Jada Toys.

scionfrshyperchargers [Read more…]

Comikaze Expo 2014: Ramen & a Half interviews Stan Lee

Comikaze Expo - Ramen and a Half meets Stan LeeOnce we arrived at Comikaze Expo we were christened by the powers of great opportunities and got an interview with Stan Lee! He’s a pretty busy guy these days, especially when everyone at Comikaze Expo wants to meet him…but who wouldn’t want to meet the man that gave birth to the pop culture of comics. With this great opportunity, our one and only “The Eddie” got to ask Stan Lee a couple of personal questions about the man and his comics.

Mega Bloks: Call of Duty Hovercraft 6859

megablockscallofdutyhovercraftI’m not the most hardcore Call of Duty player, but I do enjoy the Mega Bloks:  Call of Duty line of brick toys.  This mega-build is a Signature Series sold only exclusively at Toys’R’Us, the Call of Duty Hovercraft 6859.

[Read more…]

I’d Love to Draw! by Andrew Loomis

lovetodrawIn my generation, my comic book idols weren’t just the superheroes on the printed pages, but the artists who drew them.  And as an amateur wannabe artist, I tried drawing like Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Todd McFarlane.  As you can see below, I’m not a very good artist.

medrawingIf you want to learn how to draw, like everybody, you have to learn the basics.  One of those legendary art teachers in American history is Andrew Loomis.  He published several drawing books in 1930s-1940s that influenced many artists of today.  Thanks to Titan Books who have been republishing many of Andrew Loomis’ drawing books like this one, “I’d Love to Draw!”

[Read more…]

Hulk Smash Hot Wheels

marvelhulksmashhotwheelsboxHey, if you’re a little disappointed with Kevin Feige’s Phase 3 announcements with no Hulk flick with Mark Ruffalo, then you can start smashing things with this Hulk toy set.  This is from Mattel (ironic that they make all the DC action figures) – this is the Hot Wheels – Marvel Avengers Assemble Hulk Smash Spin-Out Play Set.  Now that was a mouthful, try saying that 3 times aloud.

[Read more…]

Mr. Potato Head x Tranformers

mrpotatoheadtransformersThe world of Mr. Potato Head and Transformers universes collide in this fun and cute toy for kids and adults.  This neat set, comes with two Mr. Potato Head figures and Optimus Prime and Grimlock body parts.  This is from Playskool’s popular line of Mixable, Mashable Heroes figures.

2shottoys

[Read more…]

Battle Ready Pikachu!

battlereadypiachu

If you’re a Pokemon fan like many of my younger cousins, then this Tomy Battle Ready Pikachu is ready for action.  This Pikachu shoots out foam discs with a press of a button and various electronic sounds.  The cool thing, it includes 3 AAA batteries.

[Read more…]

Supersize Me Mario!

supermario

Super Mario fans will enjoy this 20″ plastic giant toy from Jakks Pacific, the World of Nintendo Super Mario Big Figure.  Jakks Pacific with Nintendo license has made several 4″-6″ World of Nintendo action figures, and now this 20″ version Mario takes the cake.

[Read more…]

The Stormtrooper Extra Profile

starwarsstormtroopersHe was just an extra on set, but Laurie Goode still connects with Star War fans.  He was that Stormtrooper!  Which one?  Well, in this BBC News piece actor Laurie Goode recounts his many memories on the Star Wars set.

 

Interview with Indie Jrock band Akai Sky

akaiskycoverThis is a Ramen episode flashback to this summer’s Japan Expo (JX) 2014 in San Mateo, CA.  The Ramen crew caught with indie Jrock band Akai Sky.

[Read more…]

Frank Kozik’s Woot Bear Grand Opening

wootbeerIf you’re into collecting vinyl art toys, then there’s a new player in town.  Located in the Richmond District in San Francisco, is artist Frank Kozik’s new shop Woot Bear.  Our Ramen crew caught up with Frank during the opening.

[Read more…]

Beats x Hello Kitty = 40th Anniversary Headphones

beatsdrehellokittyLooks like rapper Dr. Dre is also getting on the 40th Anniversary Hello Kitty bandwagon!  Beats will offer 2 special Hello Kitty-inspired items:  the Solo2 Hello Kitty headphone and the urbeats Hello Kitty earbuds editions.

[Read more…]

Frankie’s Garage: AUTOart ReRelease – Initial D AE86

autoartar86truneocoverI’m looking forward to AUTOart’s re-release of the iconic Toyota Trueno AE86 from the popular anime/manga “Initial D” by Shuichi Shigeno.  If you’re a diecast car collector then you should also know the name AUTOart.  This incredible HK toy company makes super detailed diecast cars, and this 1:18 scale “Fujiwara Tofu Ten” AE86 looks amazing.
[Read more…]

Kidrobot x DC Comics = Frank Kozik’s Labbits

dcblisterlabbitsArtist Frank Kozik’s creation, the Labbit creature has found itself onto DC Comics Universe.  In this DC Collection, there are six 2.5″ figures to collect which inlcude:  Batman, Superman, Red Hood, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Bane.  Each of these DC Labbits have super detailed paint jobs and one neat accessory unique to that DC character.

[Read more…]

G.I. Joe Comic Book Legend: Larry Hama

larryhamaThe man behind the 1980s’s Marvel G.I. Joe comic book run – Larry Hama.  This is Spitting Image’s docu-film profile on the iconic comic book writer/artist Larry Hama.

[Read more…]

The Mighty Team-Up – Retrenders & Nerdstalker

nerdstalkerWhen we started Retrenders a few years back with a couple of friends, we shared a vision of creating a cool magazine-style blog about urban fashion, geeky subjects, and just about anything that we had a deep interest in. It’s been a daunting but rewarding task to be a part of ever since, but since that the Internet and information in general is constantly growing in size, we’ve always thought wouldn’t it be great to meet and work with like-minded people to cover more of what’s out there in the world?

nerdstalkeryoutube

While working on a film project, I had the pleasure of meeting the great group of people over at Nerdstalker.com. Nerdstalker, based in the Bay Area also, covers new and emerging tech startups, up and coming websites, and anything important in the tech world. With a shared vision of covering more stories in our world, it is with great pleasure to announce that Retrenders and Nerdstalker will be partnering up and working together in the months ahead!

Retrenders

Kidrobot SF: Hello Trikky!

hellotrikkyposterOur Ramen crew a couple of weeks back attended the Kidrobot SF store event – Hello Trikky!  The Hello Trikky party featured over 25 artist tricking up a base Trikky vinyl art toy.  We interview some of the artist involved and get their thoughts about their custom Trikky.

[Read more…]

Halloween Action Figures with ReAction

reactionfiguresIf you grew up in 1980s and remember those old school Kenner-style 3 3/4″ action figures with nostalgia, then you have it here with the Super 7 x Funko:  ReAction line-up.  I already bought a couple of these action figures from my favorite films.

myreactionfigures

[Read more…]

Hess Toy Truck 50th Anniversary Edition

hesstoytruckFor the past 50 years, the Hess Toy Truck company has been producing cool trucks, cars and planes.  This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Hess Toy Truck company and to celebrate, Hess has delivered a Collector’s Edition Toy Truck.  The modern looking toy tanker hides a smaller replica, a 1964 oil tanker truck.  Both trucks feature an amazing amount of LED lights.

[Read more…]

Target x Tanamachi Studios

targettanamachiIf you’re like me, I go through many iPhone cases not because I’m a trendsetter or anything like that, but I’m emotional person and sometimes in a weird/social/cultural way, when I put on a splashy iPhone case it somehow represents me.  But onto the topic hand, if you’re looking for a fun and vibrant iPhone cases, then look no further with this new collaboration between Target and Tanamachi Studios.

[Read more…]