We've been following Console Heroes' journey for many months now. It started when the owner, Andrew, jumped on our very own podcast to talk all things retro and manufacturing for episode 097.
Console Heroes is a new company building collectable playsets, similar to the likes of Polly Pockets and Mighty Max, but instead focusing on the SEGA Genesis (for now) for adults and kids.
The cartridges (built to be the playset) themselves, themed to Sonic, Altered Beast, and even Street Fighter, open up to reveal levels and characters to put on display in your gaming room.
These collectable SEGA Genesis playsets are out in the wild already and are available to order on Amazon for our friends in the USA. The boxes and packaging are well designed to look just like nostalgic video games, with subtle nods to the '90s box art.
However, I was concerned that the SEGA Mega Drive wouldn't get the same love as the SEGA Genesis-themed products, and seeing as we're based in the UK, I was somewhat jealous that the Genesis got all the love recently!
Well, I wasn't concerned for long as Andrew sent over the first samples of the SEGA Mega Drive versions early for Retro Dodo readers, which will soon be available for UK and European retro gamers.
The products themselves have very few changes in comparison to the genesis products; it seems to be the logos that are altered, that said, it means we SEGA fans over the pond can get a near identical version of our favourite games and consoles.
Each cartridge playset comes with a couple of characters, for example, the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 version comes with Sonic and Tails, alongside a few golden rings and a level sign, which can be attached to the Emerald Hill Zone backdrop to make it look like it's come straight out of the classic Mega Drive game.
The biggest playset is the Supervillian Bundle, which features the SEGA Mega Drive console itself; it's far bigger than the cartridges and comes with 6 characters, a bonus exclusive Sonic 1 cartridge playset and a bonus cartridge tray to stack the other cartridges in the set.
It comes with a wide range of spaces to add characters from the smaller playsets too, which creates an incredible collection of SEGA characters all in what feels like a Smash Bros colloseum.
Console Heroess has made an incredible first line of products that many retro gaming SEGA fans will enjoy collecting, all for a reasonable price, too, with the cartridges starting at $19.99, whereas the Supervillian bundle will start closer to $40.
As Andrew mentioned in our podcast, this is the start of a great line of products from Console Heroes, and with this SEGA collection already being a huge success, I am hoping that we will see other partnerships with well-known names and games in the space to add to this epic collection.
I know for a fact Bandai Namco are always up for something like this, so who knows, maybe we'll see PAC-MAN collaborations in the future? My fingers are crossed!
Products available to pre-order on Amazon
- Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Cartridge Playset
- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Cartridge Playset
- Street Fighter Cartridge Playset
Products available to pre-order at Walmart
- Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Cartridge Playset
- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Cartridge Playset
- Street Fighter Cartridge Playset
