This Week’s Toy News Is Ready to Awkwardly Transform and Roll Out

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, where io9 recaps the latest, greatest, and often silliest in geek merch. This week Power Rangers and Transformers compete for the weirdest Halloween getups, Lego heads to Wakanda Forever, and Stranger Things figures out how to sell you… a flashlight? Check it out!

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Lego Marvel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever War on the Water

We now know a lot more about the events that will take place in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever thanks to a new trailer earlier this week, as well as new playset revealed by Lego: Black Panther: War on the Water. The 545-piece, $90 set is available now and includes a brick-built version of the Royal Sea Leopard, a couple of drones, and five minifigures: Shuri as the Black Panther, M’Baku, Okoye, Ironheart MK2, and King Namor.

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Super7 NYCC Star Trek The Next Generation Transporting Captain Picard ReAction Figure

Super7’s retro Star Trek line takes a leap out of all classic action figure lines: what if we just re-did this in funky blue plastic? Lo and behold, the “Transporting” Captain Picard of The Next Generation, part way through beaming up or down, wherever you so desire! The company’s New York Comic Con exclusive has actually sold out at the con, but will head online next week for fans who couldn’t arrange a beam-down site at the Javits Center for themselves. [TNI]

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Mega Mask Costume

Want the oohs and aahs of an elaborate Power Rangers costume with minimal effort? This utterly bizarre shortcut costume pairs a fairly detailed, kid-sized Red Ranger face mask with an incredibly tiny Red Ranger body hanging off the chin. When the wearer opens and closes their mouth, it activates a lever causing the Ranger’s arms to swing up and down and brandish a sword in the process. It’s just $26 from Amazon which might be its saving grace, but we’re suspecting anyone who buys this is actually getting a trick instead of a treat.

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Adult Transformers Optimus Prime Converting Costume

We’ve always been impressed by DIY Transformers costumes, and especially those that can actually transform into other forms. If you’re lacking the skills and many, many hours needed to make your own, HalloweenCostumes.com will sell you this $150 pre-made Optimus Prime getup that looks totally passable in robot mode, but a Cybertronian crime in truck mode. The transformation process just has the wearer laying down on their stomach, more or less, but truck mode looks like Prime has just given up and handed Earth over to the Decepticons: a defeat not worthy of candy.

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Energizer Stranger Things Demogorgon Hunting LED Flashlight

Whether your retro obsession is random ‘80s gadgets or you’re planning some Halloween festivities dressed as a Stranger Things character, Energizer has given one of its modern LED flashlights a retro makeover with a metal body that looks straight out of that one random utility drawer in your parents’ kitchen. A pair of D-cell batteries will keep the flashlight pumping out 150 lumens for an impressive 80 hours, while Easter egg details include the Hawkins National Laboratory logo etched on the side, a secret Morse Code message, and a hidden compartment on the bottom. You can grab it from places like Lowe’s for $20.

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UNO Party

Wondering what will be the thing that tears your family apart as we creep closer to the holidays and endless get-togethers? Why not be proactive about it with UNO Party, a new iteration of the game designed for up to 16 people to all play at the same time? If that many players isn’t chaotic enough, the new version of the game introduces new wild cards, including a Wild Drawn Together card that links two players together, forcing them to draw cards whenever the other has to; a While Pile Up card that introduces a simultaneous discard pile players have to match or be stuck with all the extra cards; and a Point Taken card where all other players have to pick up as many extra cards as the player specifies. There’s even a new Speed Play version of the game where players can play out of order if they can match both the color and number of the card atop the discard pile. UNO Party will be available for $15 from Target starting in October.

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McDonald’s Halloween Happy Meal Buckets

If reliving fond memories of your childhood is what gets you through the day, you’ll probably be excited to hear that one of the most popular and sought-after Happy Meal toys is returning for 2022: Halloween buckets. Designed as a spooky way to hold both the contents of a Happy Meal and Halloween candy later, the orange buckets originally debuted in the ‘80s with one of three different spooky faces, but returned in the ‘90s with three different colors and characters: McPunk’n, McBoo, and McGoblin. Those three are returning once again starting on October 18 with every Happy Meal purchase (and possibly with multiple face designs if this animated McDonald’s tweet is to be over-examined) but lacking the bucket tops and lids that double as cookie cutters. Boo.

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Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.