by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

After a somewhat faulty start (the projector froze – always check your tools first, folks!), the crowd at Blizzard’s SDCC panel was greeted by an ear-blasting rendition of I Am Murloc – a song by the company’s very own Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain (formerly ‘The Artists Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain’, ‘Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain’, ‘Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain’, ‘Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain’, and ‘Tenth Level Tauren Chieftain’).

The panel itself focused around new toys and collectibles, with pride of place going to Rehgar Earthfury: a new Heroes of the Storm hero from Warcraft lore. Kim Phan, eSports manager, tweeted a picture of the collectible just before the panel began, accompanied by Chris Metzen, Ion Hazzikostas (aka Watcher) and cinematics lead Nick Carpenter…

…And followed it with a picture from the stage at the end of the event.

All this attention will go to his head.

Author Micky Neilson, and Blizzard toys and collectibles manager Jason Bischoff, also put in appearances at the panel.

Rehgar is the first in a new line of Heroes of the Storm action figures, with a release date TBD. Not sure yet which heroes we’ll see, but Blizzard’s slide showed Illidan, Stitches, Nova, Tyrael and Arthas!

Another new line of collectibles premièring (but not exclusive to) SDCC are the Blizzard Pins – available at the Blizzard Gear Store. Each costs $4, and there are nine to collect. You can also expect to see these at Blizzcon!

Other gear being introduced at the show included a Hearthstone FX plushy ($23), with lights and sounds; a Blizzard lanyard ($6), with characters from all three franchises; a Starcrafts hoody ($55) and Zergling keychain ($10); a dark blue-and-black Diablo figurine ($25); and a Cute but Deadly Comic-Con t-shirt ($24) showing three major villains: Arthas, Diablo and Kerrigan.

A new Mystery Minis project was introduced, which will feature characters from Heroes of the Storm. Priced at just under $6, they’ll include Arthas, the Witch Doctor, Elite Tauren Chieftain, Kerrigan, Diablo, Tyrael and two versions of Nova and Raynor.

Moving on to the more expensive loot, Blizzard previewed two new 1:6 scale figurines from the Starcraft universe: joining the now-available Jim Raynor will be Tychus Findlay and Kerrigan in all her Zergy glory. The level of detail on these products is impressive, and it’s reflected in the price: each 1:6 figurine costs $500, produced by Sideshow Collectibles. Sideshow is also producing a seriously imposing Deathwing statue, showing him mid-Stormwind crush. The price is TBD.

A host of products were also available exclusively at SDCC, including Nether Faerie Dragon and Whimsyshire Treasure Goblin plushies and a Primal Kerrigan Funko Pop! vinyl figure. Different versions of these will be available on the Gear Store after the show.