(Credit:
Herobuilders.com)
We should have seen this one coming. Richard Heene, much better known these days as "Balloon Boy's dad," has been made into an action figure.
Oxford, Conn.-based Herobuilders.com--whose action figures include Sarah Palin, Elliott Spitzer, and Joe the Plumber--is newly out with the Heene model. It sports a T-shirt with an arrow that points upward and the text "I'm with stupid." Attic box, confused 6-year-old boy, and gaggle of reporters not included.
The action figure costs $34.95, which seems a bit pricey given that you can get an entire Balloon Boy Halloween costume kit from Canadian company Plantraco Microflight for just $20. That paraphernalia includes a 38-inch-diameter silver helium balloon, an "As Seen on CNN Sticker," and a 10-foot string.
Plantraco, a maker of ready-to-fly airplanes, suggests costume wearers ring the doorbell and declare, "I'm supposed to be flying in there, but my dad said to stay in the box for the show!" It also recommends keeping a pitchfork handy, as "pitchforks are a time-tested and true method of keeping a balloon on the ground after it makes a landing."
And to round out your Balloon Boy parody experience, might we suggest listening to "The Ballad of Balloon Boy" by CNET's very own Dan Ackerman.
With Justin's return from his sojourn into the great outdoors, The 404 crew is complete again to bring you another awesome show, replete with "GI Joe" and "District 9" reviews, optical gaming, and a surprise appearance by Motherboard!
After getting mauled by a bear in Yosemite (where's the app for THAT?), I'm back, and much to Jeff, Wilson, and everyone else's dismay SO ARE THE GLASSES! That's right suckers, a little Krazy Glue goes a long way, but I'm not sure how long these things will last, so please continue to e-mail us submissions for the contest to choose my next frames. I'm not gonna lie, I've missed the show dearly and it's great to be back!
The first half of today's show has a lot of movie talk, starting with us talking all sorts of garbage on the new "G.I. Joe" movie. The movie won't be prescreened to critics, and we suspect it has something to do with the trailer receiving so much backlash from justifiably angry fans of the original television series. Jeff also gives us his take on the trailer for "District 9", the new science fiction movie based on the short film Alive in Joburg. Go check that out and let "G.I. Joe" go the way of the buffalo!
The second half just gets nuts, that's all I'll say. OK, well, without giving too much away, it all starts with the Get It Guy, a fake Australian accent, and a very steamy call from SadaCori in the chatroom (a must listen!), but then we get a surprise knock from Motherboard herself, who has something very special to show us...something that NOBODY HAS SEEN BEFORE, so be sure to check out the video for all the details. After that, we dredge up a claim about racism in Resident Evil 5 and it all devolves from there. Trust us, it's the last time you'll hear about it!
As always, feel free to leave us a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET or get in touch with us on Twitter or at the404[at]cnet[dot]com!
EPISODE 397
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This customized Iron Man figure sure doesn't have an iron stomach.
(Credit: Jin Saotome)Just in time for next month's Iron Man action and CGI cinematic extravaganza comes this one-of-a-kind, custom-modded Iron Man action figure from Jin Saotome. Painted to resemble Tony Stark's gadget-obsessed hero after a serious bender, and based on a Marvel Movie Legends Iron Man figure, the alcohol-poisoned hero doesn't come with a Great White Telephone from which he can call Ralph.
It does, however, come with several miniature beer cans and a mini bottle of Bacardi that dear, dear Tony Stark probably swiped from a Paris Hilton Barbie. Painted in all the hues of the contents of your stomach after trying to prove you're a drinking superhero, the green, yellow, and orange figure is up for auction on eBay and was commanding more than $100 at the time of writing.
Besides a wicked hangover and dribbles of stomach acid leaking from his mouth, the figure features 28 points of articulation. He probably needs all of them to keep himself upright, too. The auction also comes with an 8.5-inch-by-11-inch drawing of the inebriated Iron Man in flight from Web comic writer and artist David Willis.
Hopefully, this figure will be popular and Saotome will do a Wayne Family Meets Joe Chill box set for July's Batman movie.
(Credit:
Microsoft)
Microsoft got into the action figure business about two years ago, and it's been...fairly inexplicable. MSDN, the Microsoft Developer Network, recently announced the latest members of the Source Fource, a set of limited edition, collectible mini action figures based on Microsoft development and software products. These tiny, plastic, LEGO-figure-like characters include "Windows Vista Sensei," "Office Master," "ISV Server Gal," "Virtual Labs Guy," "SQL Server Gal," "Visual Labs Guy," and "MSDN Webcast Guy."
You won't be able to get these figures in stores even if you want to, though. The two latest Source Fource figures, "Windows Vista Sensei" and "Office Master," will only be available to the first 5,000 users who attend at least two MSDN Webcasts or complete at least two MSDN Virtual Lab courses between March 15 and April 15. The other Source Fource figures were released in 2006 and can't be found through direct channels, though a good eBay or message board hunt might turn them up to diligent collectors.
I'm no programmer, but I'm fairly certain MSDN forgot to define its "why variable" when creating the Source Fource.
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