Watching Heroes

NBC has announced that the much anticipated Heroes action figures will hit stores in June. The first set will include figures of Claire Bennet, Hiro Nakamura, Peter Petrelli, Mohinder Suresh and the villain, Sylar. The figures, manufactured by Mezco Toyz, will be available at specialty stores, major retailers, at NBCstore.com and other online retailers. Toys R Us will carry 2 exclusive figures, an alternate Claire and Hiro, in addition to the others mentioned.

A second and third series of figures are already planned. Word is they will release in September and November, respectively. The second series will include HRG, Matt & Molly, Linderman, Niki/Jessica and Future Peter. Planned series 3 figures are Hiro as Kensei, Nathan, The Haitian, Elle and Adam.

The complete press release can be found behind the cut:

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If you’re planning to collect all of the Heroes action figures, here is news about two more you can add to your list. Mezco announced this week that Toys R Us will be carrying two additional exclusive figures.

Fire Rescue Claire comes dressed in charred clothing and includes a miniature reproduction painting by Tim Sale which depicts the season 1 scene in which Claire ran into a fire to rescue a fireman.

Times Square Teleportation Hiro shows our hero after his iconic teleportation to New York City. The figure comes with an alternate head, messenger bag, Kensei sword and a Times Square backdrop depicting the Toys R Us flagship store.

Both figures will be available at Toys R Us stores nationwide and at ToysRUs.com. The series 1 action figures release in June.

The third and fourth videos in the series to promote the upcoming Heroes soundtrack are now available for free download at Zune. The third video features the song “Man in the Long Black Coat” by Bob Dylan and features clips of Sylar (who else?) at his worst. Video number four is set to the tune "He’s Frank" by Brighton Port Authority featuring Iggy Pop. The video is a montage of scenes from the show featuring all the Heroes and their powers along with fights, guns and all that exciting stuff. The videos are also available at MSN.com.

One more music video podcast, "Keeping My Composure" by The Chemical Brothers, will be available on Zune Marketplace next week. The soundtrack hits stores on Tuesday, March 18.

If you’d like to find out even more about the cd, check out the newly launched Heroes Soundtrack website. You can sample all of the music from the CD, watch behind-the-scenes video of Wendy and Lisa as they compose the perfect score and check out the bands in some Heroes-inspired art. You can also purchase the CD through the site.

The 3rd edition of Titan’s Heroes Magazine hits newstands in the US on March 18 (March 13 in the UK). This issue spotlight’s comic book artist Tim Sale. He reveals how he got the Heroes gig and shares some of his favorite pieces from the show.

Also in this issue:

• Hayden Panettiere discusses her role as the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet.
• Ali Larter, Leonard Roberts, and Noah Gray-Cabey discuss the family dynamic and the fate of the Sanders family.
• Cristine Rose (Mama Petrelli) talks about her role on the show so far

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The second in the series of 5 videos to promote the upcoming Heroes soundtrack is now available for free download at Zune. This one features the song “Not Now But Soon” by Imogen Heap and includes lots of clips of Heroes actors hugging each other. You see Hiro and Yaeko, Claire and her dad, Matt and Molly, Mohinder and Molly, Micah and Niki, Micah and D.L. and Claire and West in the 1:16 hugfest.

Three additional music video podcasts will be available on Zune Marketplace between now and the cd release on March 18. The upcoming releases include “He’s Frank” by Brighton Port Authority featuring Iggy Pop, “Keeping My Composure” by The Chemical Brothers featuring Spank Rock, and “Man In The Long Black Coat” by Bob Dylan. The first video, released last week, was set to “Weightless” by Nada Surf.

The videos are also available at MSN.com.

NBC.com is featuring more Heroes items in its latest set of memorabilia up for auction. The auctions went live yesterday and will run through Wednesday, March 12th at 4:00 p.m. PST. As with the first two auctions, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the United Way and its various partner organizations.

Heroes items up for grabs this time include:

Giclée of Hiro vs. Dinosaur
Measures 48 1/4” w x 35 3/4” h x 1 1/2” d. Starting Bid $250.

Giclée of HRG
Measures 34” w x 21 1/4” h X 1 1/2” d. Starting bid $250.

Giclée of Invisible Peter in Isaac’s Loft (unfinished)
Measures 47 3/4” w x 35 3/4” h X 1 1/2” d. Starting bid $250.

Giclée of Peter and Sylar in Kirby Plaza
Measures 48 1/4” w x 35 3/4” h x 1 1/2” d. Starting bid $250.

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The first of the five video montages to advertise the upcoming Heroes Soundtrack is now up for preview at MSN and available as a free download at Zune. This one is set to Nada Surf’s “Weightless” and features Claire, West, Nathan, Peter and Caitlyn. I’m a little disappointed because this is not a full music video but rather a few clips set to just over a minute of the song.

Four additional music video podcasts will be available on Zune Marketplace between now and the cd release on March 18. They will feature “He’s Frank” by Brighton Port Authority featuring Iggy Pop, “Not Now But Soon” by Imogen Heap, “Keeping My Composure” by The Chemical Brothers featuring Spank Rock, and “Man In The Long Black Coat” by Bob Dylan.

‘Heroes’ clip: “Weightless”

The Heroes action figures are on target to be released in June 2008, but if you’re the lucky winner of The OWI’s new “Show Us Your Heroes” contest, you might get them early.

The contest begins March 3. All you have to do is send in a photo of yourself dressed as your favorite Hero. Fans will be able to vote for their favorites beginning on March 31. The top 5 will be reviewed by the sponsors of the contest, The OWI, Mezco Toys and NBC to decide on the grand prize winner. The winner will be announced on April 14.

The grand prize is shown below. It is an extremely rare, unpainted test shot of Mezco’s Series 1 Heroes action figures. There are only 5 sets of unpainted test shots in existence. (more…)

In an effort to keep Heroes alive in our hearts during this extra long hiatus, the producers of Heroes are releasing a soundtrack featuring exclusive new singles as well as a few classic tracks. The CD, which will be available at Best Buy stores or via download services such as Zune beginning March 18, will include songs from Wilco, Panic! at the Disco, Imogen Heap, Brighton Port Authority feat. Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, David Bowie (singing “Heroes” of course) and others. There will also be 3 new songs by Wendy & Lisa (yes, the Prince girls) and a new track from Jesus and Mary Chain. The Heroes theme song will also be included.

Heroes executive producer/director Allan Arkush has put together five music videos to go along with some of the tracks. the videos will be exclusively available for free download on Zune Marketplace and will also be available for streaming at MSN. The first video, to Nada Surf’s “Weightless” will premiere tomorrow, February 29. Here’s the complete list of songs: (more…)

My friend, AnnieB, lives right in the heart of New York City and she took the time to send me a photo of the awesome Heroes window display at the NBC Experience store in Rockefeller Center. I thought I’d share it with those of you, like me, who probably won’t get a chance to visit in person. Take a look (click to enlarge):

She also sent me some fantastic Heroes postcards, featuring the art of Tim Sale, which she purchased inside the store.

If you’re planning a visit to NYC, you can find the NBC Experience store at the corner of Rockefeller Plaza and West 49th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues). They are open Monday - Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm.

Toy Fair 2008 just wrapped in New York City and there are photos circulating the internet of the Mezco Toys Heroes action figure displays from the event. We also now have tentative dates for the release.

Series 1, which we have already seen, will release in June. Series 2 will follow, just in time for the Season 3 premiere, in September and Series 3 will be released in November.

We previously saw some sketches of the Series 2 and 3 figures but now the prototypes are done and were on display at Toy Fair. I think some of these are much better likenesses than the Series 1 figures. I especially like the Adam Monroe, Linderman and HRG figures. Here’s a look at a few photos from SuperHeroTimes:

Series 1 figures: Claire, Sylar, Mohinder, Peter and Hiro. We also get a peek at the packaging (behind Claire). You can’t see the tag in this one but it says June 2008. (more…)

Topps has released a 90 card collectors set of Heroes trading cards. The set was originally slated to coincide with the premiere of season 2, but was delayed. They are now finally available and it sounds like they were worth the wait.

Each pack includes 7 cards and they are packaged 24 packs per box. The set includes 90 cards which feature character bios and take you through the first season storyline. There are several foil cards as well as some amazing inserts - costume cards, autograph cards and one-of-a-kind sketch cards by Tim Sale and other artists.

You can see a sampling of the cards and read more about them at Trader Cracks. They are available for purchase at Amazon.com and I’m sure you can find them at your local comic book store.

Action-Figure.com has posted photos from UK Toyfair indicating that Mezco is planning 2 more series of 7 inch Heroes action figures. Each series will include 5 figures. Of course, these are in the planning stages at this point and the lineup could change but this is what the posters indicate. (more…)

NBC is kicking off another round of auctions today and there are plenty of Heroes items up for bid. A portion of the proceeds benefit the United Way. So if you’ve always wanted to own a piece of your favorite show, this is a great way to do so and help others in need.

Here are the Heroes items you will find: (more…)

CoolToyReview.com has some high resolution photos of the new Heroes action figures I’ve been reporting on. The images are great quality but I have to give the figures a FAIL in the likeness category. I don’t really think any of these look much like the characters. The costumes are dead on and some of the hairstyles are good but the faces are nearly unrecognizable. I realize they can’t make carbon copies of the actors but I think they could have gotten a little closer. I’ve seen a lot of action figures in my day and these are some of the worst likenesses I have seen.

Take a look at my comparison: 

Claire:  Her hair is off and her face looks nothing like Claire. Look how much lower cut her blouse is. What’s that all about?

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