I just wanted to take this moment to wish each and every one of my readers a very merry Christmas, and a safe and happy holidays!

I'm one of those people that look back fondly on the Christmases I had as a kid and they were always filled with a sparkling sort of magic that made the entire world around me gleam like a lit up tree. I loved it all; the food, the candy, the songs, the snow (I lived in Michigan, so always plenty of snow), the decorations and of course, the toys!

And no toys made me happier than my beloved action figures. Every Christmas guaranteed new recruits to my small plastic army of soldiers, warriors, superheroes and Jedi Knights. And every one of them I loved dearly. Even the knock off figures like Sgt. Rock got some playtime in (usually as dead guys in the background of my G.I. Joe battles, but that counts).

Things are a bit different now that I'm a "grown up", but that doesn't change the fact that I still secretly hope for new action figures every year, and in fact, have already bought a few for myself with some birthday money (I'm a December baby). But I want to extend a wish to you all; may you find every action figure you've been hoping for (or at least a couple) under your tree this year and may you kick off the new year with a happy heart, and a slightly larger collection.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Pretty big news in the world of 1980s franchise revivals, along with recent mega-hits like Transformers and G.I. Joe, came with the announcement of the upcoming A-Team major motion picture that will bring the classic '80s TV show about a bunch of renegade mercenaries helping people by blowing up stuff.

To make things even more exciting, at least to us action figure collectors, is the news that Jazwares, makers of such hit figures as the Planet 51, Sonic the Hedgehog and Astro Boy lines, has landed a deal to produce a full line of A-Team action figure, vehicles and playsets.

My dream of once again owning a 3 3/4" A-Team van, complete with the whole crew, is about to come true at last!

According to the Jazwares press release:

Jazwares™, a leader in the licensed products marketplace, has been tapped by Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising (Fox Licensing) to develop an extensive toy line for the upcoming feature film The A-Team. The launch of the Jazwares product line, which includes action figures in various sizes, vehicles, and electronics, will coincide with the movie's release in June 2010.

I pity the fool who ain't excited about this! Sorry, I just had to say it. For more information (when it becomes available) visit www.jazwares.com.

I'm starting to wonder just who it was in the Mattycollector offices that angered some voodoo witch-doctor and has now brought down a dark curse upon the company, because at the rate things are going for them considering their shoddy customer service, mishandling of peoples' payments, low production runs and several other issues, it will be just a matter of time before their offices will be drenched in a rain of blood and then attacked by a swarm of locusts.

Or maybe it's not a voodoo curse and is just an unprecedented level of incompetence. Not sure yet.

So, here's the latest snafu stemming from their recent sale of King Randor figures; it turns out that many people who bought one, won't be getting one. Or if they do, they're in for a long wait. Word is spreading like wildfire around the He-man.org forums, as well as other action figure discussion forums, that processed orders for King Randor are frozen in an "order in progress" state on the main Mattycollector order page, which is leaving many collectors wondering if their orders went through at all.

Toy Guru, the mouthpiece for Mattycollector on the He-man.org forums, posted this statement:

"Thanks to everyone who provided information. I've passed this info up to the top brass and to Digital River. Bottom line is Digital River has messed up big time - again. We're doing everything we can to correct this and the order numbers and specific issues are the best way for us to address this.

We're well aware of all of the issues and are actively working to fix them. I know folks are looking for more info, but that is the best I have right now. Please know we are 100% committed to getting all of these bugs worked out and we appreciate everyone hanging on. We are working on it!"

Hmmm... They're working on it. Great news. I'm sure we all feel completely relieved. Still, I don't mean to give Mattycollector too much of a hard time, I'm the first to admit that their products have been top notch, but I'm beginning to wonder if all of this trouble is worth it.

For more information, visit www.itsalltrue.net.

I got into a conversation a couple of days ago about what it's like being a toy collector at Christmastime and how people go about asking their loved ones for toys for Christmas. Some people seem to have no problem handing over a list to their significant other with a cheerful "Happy shopping!" whiile others I talked to don't even bother asking nor expecting action figures as gifts, because most of their friends and family have no idea what to get them.

I, personally, ran into this with my dear wife. I wouldn't even dream of asking her to get me toys for Christmas, because let's face it, hunting down specific action figures is a harrowing experience as it is for us, so imagine what a nightmare it could be to people not "in the know" about what's hot and what's not and where to find what at the right price.

Still, it made me curious about what my readers might wish for on their Christmas lists if they were given free reign? I would definitely have the elusive City Strike Snake Eyes on my list! I'm also going through an intense vintage action figure phase, trying to snatch up several figures I has in my youth, so I imagine that my dream Santa list would have a slew of old-school figures on it, like an original Mork from Ork figure or a colossal Shogun Warriors Godzilla (you all know the one, with the shooting fist and tongue of flame). Ahhh, it's fun to dream.

So let's here from you! If you could ask Santa for any action figures this Christmas, any at all, which would you want? Also, what's on your realistic list this year? Are you looking forward to getting anything special? I want to here from you!