Nightram has pointed out that some new Super Mario K'Nex items have gone up for pre-order over at ToyWiz. While the initial Mario offerings have been at retail for a while, this has been the first I've seen of the new figures since the announcement that K'Nex would be expanding on the line.

The new offerings consist of multiple character packs (two known, one unknown although the thumbnails might reveal the hidden character), Mario Kart cars, playsets, and blind-bags. The multi-packs and playsets are exciting for featuring new Bowser minions (like the Hammer Brother!) although it looks like you're stuck also getting a Mario variant each time.

The blind-bagged selection strikes me as being incredibly weak. It features the same Mario and Luigi from the first mystery selection, as well as a redeco of each, then two Toad redecos and a Princess Peach. If you want a specific figure, I imagine that they'll use a coding system similar to that of the first series although such guides are occasionally of little help considering how that they tend to short-pack certain characters and savvy collectors will often beat you to getting them.

I'm somewhat disappointed that the minions aren't available in the blind-bagged selection (making it cheaper to get the ones you want) but I fully expect I'll pony up for the larger packs to get flunkies like the Hammer Brother. While I find some of the playsets neat, I imagine that I'll likely be skipping them in favor of just the figurines. How about you guys?

[ Pre-order at ToyWiz ]