I created this website as a tribute to those lines. Although I can honestly say I don't own every one of the lines (anymore), I can say that I do enjoy all types of block figures and plan on bringing you the best in news and info along with a few other special items. The Block will feature an in depth guide to block figures and give you a little info on each of the lines. The Block also features a forum where you can go to discuss these figures and everything block.  You can find both of these features by clicking on the links above or by using the navigation bar to the left of the page.  I will also be featuring a few interesting news items on upcoming block figures as well as info on new lines. So enjoy...and if not...do a good job acting like it.

(*editor's note: Out first installment from our neighbor "across the pond" comes tonight by AdyCarter....and yes I know the font is smaller...but he has a lot to say so listen up.)

As quite a few of you may be aware, there are places outside of America, weird eerie godless places where you have chips with your burgers, Morris dancing and the letter Z is pronounced zed…

I am lucky enough to have seen these mysterious foreign lands, in fact I inhabit a tiny island named England, a land so tiny that there is only one Dentist, meaning we all have crooked yellow teeth (apparently)

That’s enough Geography anyways, its time for the real purpose of this article.

Just how available are block figures in the UK, and what kind of support do they have?

Us Brits aren’t quite as lucky as you, with all you’re many types of block figures and hundreds of retail outlets, and by the end of this article you will hopefully feel so sorry for us you will send me all your Minimates to cheer me up…

In the city where I live (York) there are the following shops of interest:

Travelling-Man – A pretty standard comic/speciality shop, stocking Comics, Graphic Novels, RPGs and Action Figures

Toys R Us – You’ve all heard of TRU right? Well we have them too… only ours suck.

Argos & Index – Catalogue shops, Index has just gone bust and is in the process of closing down.

Woolworths – Department store, sometimes known as Big W.

Toymaster - Generic Toy shop, sells most “popular” kids toys.

I also tend to use EBay, and I’ll talk a bit about what the scene is like on EBay UK

So, know you know where might sell those lovely block figures, lets take a tour of them all, and I’ll tell you what they stock, and how much they cost…

Travelling Man

Minimates on offer here consist of a couple of LOTR Wave 1 packs, and a handful of the most recent waves of Marvel Minimates, there are absolutely no C3 figures at all. There is also pretty much an entire case worth of Buffy Palz.

Minimates here tend to sell for £5.99 ($12) per two pack for regular figures and £9.99 ($20) for chases. They usually get in one box of each wave, and the staff usually cherry pick the chase figures. The Palz retail at £6.99 ($14) a piece and I have yet to see the chase figure in here.

I’m not too sure how they managed it but they did for a short time have a couple of packs of the Gaijin Wolverine/Mariko two pack, these were retailing for the same prices as the chase figures usually do.

The figures in here tend to sell out reasonably quickly; the only exception to this rule has been the most recent Marvel Minimates waves which do not seem to have sold at all.

Toys R Us

Two years I have been checking this place out, two years and not once have I seen a Minimate, no exclusive 10 packs or anything like you lucky Americans get, not a single figure. Recently however they have begun stocking the C3 line. Last time I popped in they had the following sets:

Mini Batmobile - £9.99 ($20)
Chemical Warehouse - £9.99 ($20)
Batmobile - £19.99 ($40)
Batwing - £19.99 ($40)
Batcave - £45.99 ($90)

Not exactly cheap prices, but at least they have them in now, sadly they don’t appear to be selling very well.

Argos/Index

Catalogue shops, ugh. Go in, look through a catalogue, pay your money and randomly get either a Batwing or Batmobile for £19.99 ($40). Never actually gone into the store, and have no idea how well they are selling, the Batwing/Batmobile is however all they stock. No other ‘mates of block figures of any type.

Woolworths

A pretty big (for the UK anyways) department store, selling everything from mops to microwaves. This place has a pretty decent toy selection and even has those great “Spider-Man and his amazing friends” figures. Sadly just like the UK version of TRU until recently this place has been a block figure free zone, now they have the Batmobile and Batwing available at the same prices as TRU. Sadly they aren’t in a particularly prominent location, and asides from me no one has bought any yet.

Toymaster

No ‘mates, Palz, Kubricks or anything. Yay.

Well that’s pretty much it for the retail outlets around my city, I tend to travel a bit with my work and it seems to be a pretty consistent state of play across most of England. As far as public awareness and media advertising of figures goes, sadly its pretty non existent. I have seen the C3 TV-spot once at around 9am on a Sunday morning and that’s it sadly.

As you are no doubt aware by now UK retail outfits leave a lot to be desired, so sadly a majority of the time I have to turn to EBay UK.

A quick search on EBay for UK based items typically reveals 50+ block figure related items, mainly just comic shops selling their stock as Buy It Nows for pretty much the same price as they would charge in their stores. There is however the occasionally bargain to be had, on average I’ve been paying around £3.50 ($7) per two pack with around £1 postage and packing. That said there are quite often auctions that for no reason end up going for crazy money, a Leader/Gamma Hulk two pack recently sold for around £15 ($30). C3 doesn’t really have much of a profile on EBay UK, and neither do Palz. There are however quite a few Kubricks, I recently picked up a Prof X for £2 ($4) which seems to be pretty much the going rate.

If I broaden my search to include worldwide items then I get presented with pretty much the same array of items as a majority of you will be familiar with, sadly there is one small difference….

POSTAGE… Now I don’t live in the states, but I can go to USPS.COM and I know for a fact that a Batcave doesn’t cost $75 to ship, or that a couple of 2 Packs doesn’t cost $30 to send via surface mail. So if any of you who read this list stuff on EBay then please, please offer sensible P&P.

So that pretty much ends my first report on the state of block figures in England, I hope you have found it informative and enlightening. So next time you’re stood in TRU in front of hundreds of figures, spare a thought for your collector friends across the pond.

Tower Records is bringing through another awesome set of Tower Records Exclusives this summer. Kicking off this March at Wizard World Long Beach, Tower Records and Toy2R started with the first of five in the newest set of Qees with the Qee Card King Exclusive. Through out the summer there will be 4 other figures made available through different outlets; conventions, internet and maybe even Tower Records retail stores. The set includes the Ace of Spades, King of Spades, Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades and the 10 of Spades. The first of the Exclusives was the, afore mentioned, King Qee. And you hear it here first, There will be the Queen Qee available at the San Diego Comic-Con International (www.comic-con.org ) this summer July 14-17th. Check here soon for pictures. Get out there and collect these wonderful toys, be the first to get the Royal Flush!

                  

Other figure playsets available Joe, Ted, AND Ann.

For more information on the wonderful world of The Cubes, visit www.cubefigures.com

  
 

"New hires to expand your office." Now you can add new office staff to you’re The Cubes playsets with Dan, Sue, Jan and Jim. The new hires! This set comes with four new characters, and some office accessories like a file folder, a briefcase, a calculator, a clipboard, cell phone, coffee cup and a laptop.

  

So I happened across a funky little fun show in San Francisco a couple of weekends ago. The show is appropriately titled APE (www.comic-con.org for more details) Now before you get the wrong idea, APE stands for Alternative Press Expo. There I noticed a cool little booth with an interesting line of toys. These aren’t block toys but I make the connection here through Japanese Kubricks and the Japanese vinyl figurines. The Company offering these was called Strangeco( www.strangeco.com ). They’re a small toy company based out of San Francisco CA in the Haight District (if you’ve been there, you know!). Interesting little buggers. The first pictured here is from a line called "Army of Death" series 2. This character is Beca. The figure features no articulation and is actually kind of heavy. Packed blinded in a 3/24 ratio, In the same vain as the classic blinded Japanese figurines, these come in a small box and then inside a silver opaque bag so you can’t see what you get. Produced by iTRANGERS LAB in Hong Kong, visit them online at www.itrangers.com .

         

     Welcome to the "unofficial"  launch of "The Block".  The official launch to this site will be on May 2, 2005 and at that time all areas will be working properly.  Like I said I will be updating the front page with little news tidbits and interesting goings-on in the world of block figures.  There won't be a certain time that this page is updated so be sure to check back here often and remember...you can talk about any of these news items at The Block Board  The Block's very own forum.

    My first bit of info deals with the website.  Over in the Guide to Block Figures sectionI have added pictures.  These are pics of my older collection (RIP) and I hope to get some newer pics up soon.  I am also in the process of adding detailed descriptions of all the lines.

    My first bit of news is the arrival of Palisades Toys second venture into the block world.  This week they released series 1 of "The X-Files" PALZ.  This is a great series and though only the west coast received theirs this week...I plan on getting mine on Wednesday.  Series 1 consist of:

• Fox Mulder
• Dana Scully
• Grey Alien
• Flukeman
• The Conundrum
• Donnie Pfaster
• Deep Throat
• Frohike

as well as chase figures of:

• Captive Scully
• MIB Mulder
• Demon

The price seems to run at about $7.99 so be sure to look for these at your local comic book store or at Suncoast/ Sam Goody/ Musicland very soon.

photo courtesy of Palisades Toys

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