As sick as I am of looking at the current waves of G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra figure (City Strike Snake Eyes, where are you?!), I still can't help getting a little excited when I we all get a sneak peek of upcoming figures. And thanks to two eBay sellers known as handytoy and ws_toys, we're treated to the chance to ogle the latest figures to launch, including Desert Battle Zartan, Jungle Assault Storm Shadow, Arctic Threat Snow Job and Desert Battle Ripcord, the latter of which looks so incredibly sweet that many collectors and G.I. Joe fans are already dribbling drool all over their keyboards.

I don't know how these people got their hands on these currently unreleased figures and I don't care. I won't be attempting a purchase because I like to wait until I see them in person on the toy shelves whenever possible before buying them, and I'm also a little suspicious about the validity of the figures. So I have some trust issues.

Still, this is one of those excellent cases where eBay comes through for us all getting a glimpse of some never-before-seen (or at least rarely-before-seen) figures. Pics of these figures have made the rounds of the various blogs and forums before, most taken on blurry cell-phone cameras at conventions and toy shows. The Zartan figure alone looks very familiar to me.

Basically, this all boils down to the fact that one day, if we G.I. Joe fans wish hard enough, that the same gazillion Dukes, Destros, Heavy Dutys and Baronesses will quit warming our toy aisle pegs and make room for some all-new figures that practically ooze coolness.

Swing on by the Terror Dome and treat your eyeballs to some serious 1:18 scale awesomeness.

Well, I complained and grumbled and ranted and even cried like a little girl (it had been a rough day and no one saw me), and after all of that, I still broke down and joined the legions of full-blown Masters of the Universe Classics addicts. I had managed to stay strong for a while now. Having missed out on the first round of He-Man and Skeletor figures, I made a choice not to collect the line. Then, one day about two weeks ago, that all changed.

A fellow collector threw a MOTUC Hordak, loose but complete, on a buy/sell/trade thread on one of the action figure message boards I frequent and he was willing to let it go for only $12. Now, dear readers, I'm only a simple human being with all of the foibles and weaknesses that that entails, so I submit to you: How was I supposed to pass that up? Long story short, I bought Hordak, got him in the mail, immediately fell in love with the brilliant sculpt and paint work designed by the incomparable Four Horsemen, and that was all it took for me to be completely hooked. I mean, have you seen this guy? He's insanely awesome. Like, heavy metal album cover awesome. I bet everywhere he goes, he's accompanied by the music of Black Sabbath.

It popped into my mind that I had heard about the re-release of He-Man and Skeletor (and now rumors are circulating about a re-release of Beastman, too!). Couple that with the release of the legendary Scare Glow character and there I was at 12:00 PM est, credit card in hand, refreshing the Mattycollector order screen until I could get through, and just like that, my He-Man and Scare Glow were bought and paid for.

I have crossed over, folks. And you have all witnessed it.

As a MOTU Classics collector, there's plenty to be excited about. It'sAllTrue.net have posted a release schedule for the MOTU Classic line through March, with rumors of an Evil-Lyn release in April! The list is as follows:

• Dec. 15 - King Randor

• Dec. 15 - Skeletor re-release
• Dec. 15 - Green Goddess
• Jan. 15 - Adora
• Jan 15 - Battle Armor He-Man
• Feb. 16 - Trap Jaw
• Feb. 16 - Battle Cat
• Mar. 15 - Moss Man
• Mar. 15 - Wundar (subscribers only)

So, I've got a long yet exciting road ahead of me, that leads all the way to Eternia. How many of you are joining me?

Visit It'sAllTrue.net for the full list with photos.

You know that Christmastime is in the air as soon as the consumer advocacy groups and watchdog organizations start telling you what you shouldn't buy. One of these groups, called W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm), has released their annual list of toys that could potentially hurt a child. I'm not really sure what actual authority they have to make such a list, but they've done so and now that list is being scattered all over the national news outlets.

The only reason I'm bringing it up here is because out of this list of the 10 Most Dangerous Toys, two of them are action figures. So now we can all feel a little more like tough guys for collecting something officially documented as "dangerous"! The two figures were joined by such evil torture implements as a baby doll that likes to take baths and a book in which Curious George teaches you to count. I'm not kidding here, people.

The fist of the verboten figures is the 30" tall Dark Knight figure which sports a couple of 1" long pointy ears made of a rigid plastic that makes the toy more like a 30" tall Batman-shaped pitchfork, just the thing for skewering a child. I can see where that my pose a problem.

The second figure is Hasbro's X-Men Origins Slashin' Action Wolverine figure, and it seems that W.A.T.C.H. have used their discerning eye to spot some sort of "claws" that snap out of the figure's fists, which rather pointy and could hurt you. Huh... who knew?

Anyway, stay safe out there, fellow action figure fans, and don't let your toys kill you. If you want to see the whole list, feel free to swing on by (carefully, though) the W.A.T.C.H. website.

All that is old is new again, I suppose. Never before has this been more true in the world of action figures as I see myself and fellow collectors racing to pick up the latest MAsters of the Universe, Star Wars, Transformers and G.I. Joe toys. We're partying like it's 1983!

Well, according to Toy News International, Hasbro is taking us back even further with the announcement of their relaunch of the popular late '70's action figure line, the Micronauts, those thin-wristed, semi-translucent sarcophagus sleepers that made such a huge splash in the days of disco and Evel Knievel.

According to TNI:

During Hasbro's 2009 Fall Investor Day Event held today at their headquarters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, they announced the re-introduction of the classic toy line Micronauts originally created by Japan company Takara in 1974 under the name Microman and later launched in the United States in 1976 and backed by a Marvel Comics comic book series in 1979. As many know, Takara is the same company that originally invented the Transformers line and continues to work with Hasbro today. No specifics were given by Hasbro's Brian Chapman (VP if Hasbro's Global Designs) about what we can expect from the Micronauts brand other than that we can expect Hasbro to revise, reinvent and re-ignite the brand so it is exciting for fans old and new alike. There also was some indication that a television series and/or major motion picture could be in the works for this brand.

More news on the possible motion picture can be found at IMDB and if you really want to get in on the conversation, swing by the Action Figure Insider Forums and bask in the glow of rumors and speculation! And I mean that in the good way.