Mass-market movie tie-in toys are an interesting beast. On one hand, you have the obvious ones (Star Wars, Power Rangers, TMNT) that are a hit with fans and do well for toymakers and retailers alike. On the other hand, you have ones that are a little more risky – for example, the Robocop reboot from a few years back. The stuff that lands in your local “big box” should ideally sell, and sell quickly due to the limited window of theatrical and home video releases and kid appeal. Warner Bros. Pictures’ Kong: Skull Island doesn’t scream “awesome toy line!,” and that could well be the reason why the rights have landed with Lanard – a risk that could be a great breakthrough for them.
Lanard is known primarily for their line of action figures and vehicles marketed as THE CORPS – value-priced military toys sold at Walmart that are actually pretty cool and fill a gap that G.I. Joe once owned. That’s exactly why they’re perfect company to take these on since Kong: Skull Island has a lot of military action in a jungle locale, complete with Apocalypse Now-style imagery. Now, Paul over at Idle Hands has unearthed some official imagery from Lanard’s new toy line, and it’s making its way online ahead of Toy Fair New York next month:
See the full batch of photos and item specs at Idle Hands, and check out the trailer for Kong: Skull Island below!
