Welcome to AIC NEWS — Where Toy News Always Matters! Let's get you caught up on everything you need to know headed into a new week of preorders, releases, and more!  

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AIC NEWS: A Whole Wave of Batmen? The Best WWE Elite of the Year? All This and More Toy News!

It's Halloween and we've got a treat — Episode 221 is another edition of Reel Talk — this time we're closing out #SpookySeason by talking about this year's cinematic reboot of the #ResidentEvil franchise helmed by Zach Cregger. Does this zombie romp leave Joey feeling itchy, or was it as tasty as the popcorn was hot?

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The Best "Video Game" Movie Ever?! Reel Talk: Resident Evil (2026) | A Movie Review and Analysis

On episode 220 of Adventures in Collecting, it's our annual Halloween Special! This year we're joined by Gus Rios from Cold Slither, the Nights of Unicron, and Gruesome as we discuss our Halloween Traditions, tell some real ghost stories from our own experiences, and break down Gus' relationship with Hasbro, including a touching story about paying tribute to Peter Cullen and Optimus Prime in his latest work! Let's get spooky.

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Real Ghost Stories, Paying Tribute to Peter Cullen, and Halloween Traditions with Gus Rios!

Closing out our #NYCC coverage for 2026, we're once again chatting with McFarlane Toys founder Todd McFarlane as he's in the thick of the toy conversation coming out of New York's big show. What's next for Todd and Co. as we approach the end of their run on DC Multiverse? Todd didn't get to do Q&A at comic con, but we can fix that by answering some of the community's submissions. Tune and and find your answers!

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A New Era for McFarlane Toys: What Comes After the DC Multiverse for Todd McFarlane?

What better way to wrap our coverage of #NYCC than with a post-panel interview with Brandon, Dan, and Dwight from the Hasbro Star Wars and Marvel Legends teams! Let’s find out a little more about how the sausage gets made, answer some community questions, and discover when we’ll hear more about what’s next from these massive franchises!

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A NYCC Interview with Hasbro’s Marvel Legends and Star Wars Teams!

Another edition of Reel Talk is here — this time we're diving into #SpookySeason by talking about one of my favorite "gateway to horror" movies of all time, 1987's iconic Fred Dekker classic, "The Monster Squad." How does this movie hold up nearly 40 years later? Is it worth your time in 2026? Is it still OK for kids? Let's discuss.

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WOLFMAN STILL HAS NARDS! Reel Talk: The Monster Squad (1987) | A Movie Review and Analysis

Live from The Toy Insider's Holiday of Play event in New York City, Dave chatted with the man who understands the pulse of play better than anyone else on the planet — The "Rockfather" himself, James Zahn.   

Hear about what's driving the toy industry forward, how adult collectors have more women than you realize, the squishy revolution, and that Pokemon simply cannot be stopped.

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Squishies, Pokemon, and What's Driving the Toy Industry with The Toy Insider's James Zahn

Pokémon is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and somehow, 30 years later, we’re right back where we started: hunting Pokémon cards.  

On Episode 215 of Adventures in Collecting, Erik and Dave dive into the current state of Pokémon collecting, the massive Pokémon TCG 30th Anniversary set, the chase cards commanding absolutely wild prices, and why Pokémon cards have pulled Erik back into the hobby in a BIG way.  

We break down Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, EX cards, Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Boxes (ETBs), sealed collecting, pull rates and the new 30th Anniversary cards — including a futuristic Mew chase card hitting the market at around $20,000 at the time of recording.  

Erik also recounts his launch-day hunt for the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set at Target and Best Buy, including missing an ETB by ONE PERSON, and explains why he’s keeping his Pokémon Center ETBs sealed.  Then, we rip some packs!  

Dave opens Pokémon cards for the FIRST TIME EVER with two packs of Pitch Black, while Erik cracks into his first packs of the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set. Do either of us pull something big? You’ll have to watch to find out.  

Plus: Erik’s road to New York Comic Con 2026, Dave heads to Toy Insider Holiday of Play, the Adventures in Collecting September G.I. Joe Classified giveaway, and plenty of the usual collecting nonsense.  

What are YOU chasing from the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set? Are you ripping your ETBs or keeping them sealed? Let us know in the comments!

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Pokémon Cards Are INSANE Right Now — $20K Chases, ETBs & Pack Rips

It’s a big week for action figure collectors! On Episode 214 of Adventures in Collecting, Erik breaks down the latest Marvel Legends reveals from Hasbro, the massive G.I. Joe Classified Series Thunder Machine, Mattel’s WWE Ultimate Edition Penta, and more from the world of toys and collectibles.  

Hasbro’s latest Marvel Legends livestream brought plenty to talk about, including Matt Fraction-inspired Hawkeye with Pizza Dog, Earth X Captain America, Marvel Zombies Elsa Bloodstone, Spider-Man in a Doom suit, classic Elektra, Kro, and the return of several Spider-Man: The Animated Series favorites. Plus, we take a closer look at the new holiday Spider-Man inspired by the Ultimate Spider-Man #12 cover and speculate about that mysterious Marvel Legends teaser.  

Then it’s over to G.I. Joe Classified Series for the Dreadnoks’ legendary Thunder Machine! Erik breaks down the massive made-to-order vehicle, its $125 price tag, ordering window, and Hasbro’s changes to how made-to-order purchases are charged.  

Also in this episode: The Tick from Fresh Monkey Fiction and BigBadWorkshop, Marvel Legends Doc Samson, Fantastic Four MCU Marvel Legends, the return of Mary Jane and Aunt May, what Hasbro may be saving for New York Comic Con 2026, WWE Ultimate Edition Penta, and the upcoming Pokémon 30th anniversary.  

 * 00:00 — Welcome to Episode 214 
 * 00:56 — September G.I. Joe Giveaway 
 * 02:43 — Pokémon 30th Anniversary & Pokémon Card Collecting 
 * 06:03 — Fresh Monkey Fiction / Longbox Heroes The Tick 
 * 08:50 — Marvel Legends March Madness & Doc Samson 
 * 11:14 — Hasbro Marvel Legends Livestream 
 * 12:10 — Fantastic Four MCU Marvel Legends 
 * 13:58 — New Marvel Legends Comic Wave & Matt Fraction Hawkeye 
 * 15:48 — Spider-Man Animated Series Retro Card Re-Releases 
 * 17:53 — Why “Background Characters” Matter in Toy Collections 
 * 20:25 — Maximum Carnage & Retro Packaging 
 * 21:27 — Marvel Legends Preorder Details 
 * 21:52 — Holiday Spider-Man & Ultimate Spider-Man #12 
 * 25:38 — Hasbro’s Mystery Spider-Man Teaser 
 * 26:37 — Marvel Legends at New York Comic Con 2026 
 * 27:40 — G.I. Joe Classified Series Thunder Machine 
 * 31:16 — WWE Ultimate Edition Penta 
 * 34:13 — What’s Next on Adventures in Collecting?  

What was your favorite reveal? And what do YOU think Hasbro’s latest Marvel Legends teaser is hinting at? Let us know in the comments!  

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#MarvelLegends #GIJoeClassified #WWEFigures #ActionFigures #ToyCollecting #Hasbro #SpiderMan #GIJoe #MarvelLegendsCollectors #ActionFigureCollector #ToyNews #PokemonTCG #AdventuresInCollecting

New Marvel Legends, Penta SELLS OUT, and Hasbro Brings Out the Thunder Machine

Another edition of Reel Talk is here — this time we're launching into spooky season properly by taking a look at the Inde (get it?) darling of the year, Obsession. Let's talk about the movie, the impacts it's having on the genre, and pop culture in general!

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Best Horror Movie of the Year?!? Reel Talk: Obsession (2026) | A Movie Review and Analysis

Erik Weinbrecht (@air_podcast) · Zencastr

Erik Weinbrecht (@air_podcast)

From Funko and WWE to Star Wars, Bandai, Marvel, LEGO, and more, grab the cart and hit the aisles with Dave and Erik as they talk toy news, collecting, culture, and more!

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