016 Action Figure Sat-TOY-Day News, 12th March 2016

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

The weeks after Toy Fair are always quiet in terms of Action Figure news, but these past couple weeks have been almost barren in terms of news.

Not only are announcements not forthcoming from most of the big players, but there is also very little hitting the stores either here in the UK or over in the US. The biggest news this week, for me at least, was from the Diamond Select ranges with both Black Panther and the Ghostbuster Select figures hitting stores.

NECA released this clearer image this week of what we now know will be the first of two Alien Creature packs. One will come themed around the Aliens and a second release will then cover Alien 3.

This one pictured makes sense as being the Aliens version, and those light up Stasis pods look awesome. It is not confirmed as yet if the picture represents the content of the pack, but we would assume so considering this is now looking like a finalised promotional image.

We would then have to assume the Alien 3 version will contain that Royal chest burster and the partially grown chestburster that we saw at Toy Fair 2016 last month.

NECA have dropped hints a few times now about bringing their Predator figures over into their Ultimate line.

This week we got the first real look at one of them.

These early sculpt images are the City Hunter from Predator 2 who will be released later in 2016 in the Ultimate format.

The plan from NECA is to also meet a 2016 release date for his counterpart from the first Predator movie, the Jungle Hunter.

Marvel at Mezco’s One: 12 plans

Not much else is known at this stage, but assuming these follow the same pattern as the other Ultimate figures then it will be safe to assume both Predators will come with either swap-out heads or removable masks.

Mezco took teasers to a whole new level this week with the reveal of these three awesome sketches.

They are also likely to come with interchangeable weapons and potentially damaged parts like we find on the Ultimate T-1000.

These images, which also feature inserted shots of what looks to be 3D computer renders, are the next three planned Marvel figures for the One:12 range.

Deadpool is a great choice on the back of his February movie release, and they couldn’ t have timed Spider-man any better with his reveal this week in the Captain America Civil War Trailer.

Red Skull is possibly a harder sell, but I think it is brilliant that Mezco are also looking at the other end of the spectrum with their Marvel licence and doing villains as well as the headlining heroes.

No more details at this stage on when we would expect to see these, but it looks like the Marvel arm of One:12 is going to come thick and fast in the next few years.

Black Panther is the first DST comic book figure I’ve bought - albeit to supplement my Marvel Cinematic Universe display. And Ghostbusters are all kinds of awesome in terms of opening up a whole new arm of my collection. You can read my thoughts on both Black Panther, and the Ray Stanz GB figure in this week's issue.

Be sure also to keep it tuned to our social channels in the coming week.

We have more new releases to review, this time from NECA.

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

Review : Ray Stantz Ghostbusters Select (Diamond Select) Wave/Series : Series 1 Released : February 2016 Price : ÂŁ19.95 I am possibly too excited to be finally reviewing these 7" scale Ghostbuster figures from Diamond. As a collector whose focus is on Movie & TV figures and who grew up in the 1980's then Ghostbusters has always been a big miss on my shelves. I know we had some figures from NECA and a 6" range from Mattel, but it now feels like Diamond will be giving us the Ghostbuster range we deserve and have waited over 30 years for.

The plan with the GB range is for Diamond to release 15 figures in total across 5 series/waves. This is an increase from the original 12. With each figure you get a part of the rooftop from the epic climax to the 1984 movie, so only buy picking up each figure will you build the diorama.

Series 1 starts with Ray, Winston and Louis Tully and in this review we are looking at the first of these Ray Stantz.

In a panel edged in yellow & black hazard chevrons is the Also Available figures of Winston and Louis. All of this is set on a background of the silhouetted Ghostbusters firing their proton streams up to the top of the packaging - and yes they are crossing the streams!

Out of the box and Ray is presented in an outer perspex tray.

Behind this is a second tray containing the rooftop pieces. There is no doubt this is a true Select release when you look at the first tray to find Ray is supplied with 4 alternative pairs of hands, a walkie talkie, proton emitter, goggles and a proton stream.

Once you have fought through the wire twist-ties that Diamond are still using Ray comes out of the pack already strapped into his Proton pack which is then linked to the Proton Emitter with a relatively thin tube - be careful to release both of these or you will snap the tube as you extract Ray.

The Ghostbusters Select packaging is a continuation of the Select oversized blister that we have seen on Marvel for many years, and more recently that has transferred to other licences like Gotham.

The box is gorgeous, with a green and black theme and of course the iconic Ghostbusters logo emblazoned across the wrap around left hand panel. Beneath this, on the corner flash, is the character name and an image of the character from the movie.

Like all other Select packs if you spin the pack round to the left, the left hand spine is a full colour panel representing the character, and in the Ghostbuster line these are actual shots of the actors from the movie and the graphical Ghostbusters symbol stamped on top in red & white.

Ray stands a good 7 and 1/2 inches high and just looks stunning.

I really like the head-sculpt, an area that has let down some Select releases in the Marvel range. The likeness is clearly that of Dan Aykroyd, and it's not just a neutral look but rather captures that look that I can only describe as a mix of amusement and fear that Ray has in periods of the film.

Round the back and the card is headed with the GB title logo again, with the Select stamp underneath. There is then a quite indepth write up about the character Ray, not just a generic plot overview. Aside this write up is a full figure image and beneath this, and obviously now out of date, is the wording "collect all 12 figures to build the rooftop scene".

The uniform, rather than being plain, is sculpted with various folds and creases as well as a multitude of zips and fasteners.

On the chest is the name plate which is perfectly legible despite the scale. On top of the jumpsuit are a utility belt, elbow pads and of course the proton pack.

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

I am not overly sure why we have so many hands. There are 3 pairs of flesh hands, and then 2 pairs of black gloved hands. The gloves can be applied with or without a rubber cuff. You will need the gripping hands for the proton emitter, but after that the other hands don't really need to hold or do anything - it's a similar situation to last years Ant-man.

It is a shame there is no Ghost Trap or PKE meter included as standard with Ray. It looks like Diamond are approaching the range with a different equipment piece in each pack, so it looks like if you collect all four you will still only have one trap between the four main characters.

Paint application is neat on the face and right across the figure, and rather than a plain colour to the jumpsuit it has a dĂŠcor applied that dirties it up and makes it pop. Each piece of equipment on top of the jumpsuit is neatly coloured from the grey of the belt and elbow pads, to the silver of the fasteners and belt straps. The Ghostbusters logo is then applied, obviously as a decal, on Ray's right shoulder.

Round the back and the Proton Pack is a very detailed sculpt but I would criticise that it is a cast black plastic with no wash or detail applied. Despite this you can't argue with the other details with coloured wiring and panels and four tiny warning stickers with actual legible writing applied in various parts of the pack. The pack is a separate piece, but doesn't look to be removable and this is possibly a good call considering how fiddly and prone to damage removable backpacks can be.

Attached to the backpack is the actual proton emitter, this feels a bit small but I think this is my mind remembering these wrong.

Diamond have been ambitious in trying to make this clip to the pack when not in use, and instead of an unsightly plug and hole they have gone with a triangular slot in device - and sadly it fails on all levels and after a good 20mins of trying with Ray (and with Winston) I have not been able to lock the emitter into the pack.

The final accessory is the proton beam, and if any readers out there know what to do with this then please let me know. It looks OK, but nothing spectacular in terms of an orange strip wrapped in some blue. Translucent plastic may have been a better choice as the flat orange and blue don't pop enough. But enough about that, my big question is how does this fit to the proton emitter? It looks like it should slot into a whole a the the barrel of the beam emitter, but there is no such hole. In fact the only shot I got of the beam being used has it jammed into Ray's hand rather than the gun. This feels like a big miss and you almost wish Diamond had just left the beam out of the box completely.

Articulation is good, standard fare for a Select figure. The head is ball jointed, as are the shoulders which then move into a jointed elbow with a swivel and those pegged hands which can be swapped in and out very easily. The arm articulation will allow you to get Ray holding his Proton Emitter with both hands, although not naturally in an action firing position.

The other equipment that comes with Ray includes a walkie talkie and the goggles. The walkie talkie is a plain black plastic piece, and it can fit into one of the open gripping hands and also sits in a working holster on the belt. The goggles are on a rubber strap and go over Ray's head quite tightly and then sit either over the eyes, or propped up on his forehead. I love these goggles and it works really well compared to the other option which would have been a swap out head.

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

There is a torso joint which gives the top half some additional movement to the sides and with a lean back or forward. Hips are the two way joint that Select are known for, and yes they are a tad loose although not as bad as I have seen recently. The thigh is cut with a swivel and the knees are then double jointed. The ankles are jointed with a rocker built into the boot. Despite this leg articulation, Ray is difficult to stand as the Proton Pack naturally pulls him backward. You may need to put Ray on a stand to keep him upright.

So how do we score Ray? For a ÂŁ20 figure he is stacked full of detail and that diorama piece alone adds real value over say the Mattel 6 inch equivalent. The sculpt is great, the paint is great and the added details like those safety stickers just blew me away.

Yes there are faults... the proton emitter clip hasn't worked, and the proton beam is a mistake. But I for one can overlook these and am really pleased with Ray and score him a 4 out of 5, and he misses out on the perfect score by the thinnest of margins and in the hope that Diamond can fix the niggles before wave 2 or 3.

Checkout the rest of Wave 1 at the Mephitsu Archives website (click the links below)

The diorama piece is an ambitious project and is also a very good piece of marketing to ensure fans must collect all 15 figures to finish their diorama. This means Select don't just have to make the four Ghostbusters, like Mattel, but have a vehicle for giving us more minority figures like Dana and Louis Tully - brilliant for hardcore fans. I was worried ahead of handling the diorama about the quality - particularly after the bendy plastic we had with the recent Gotham interconnecting scene. I needn't have worried as the piece is solid and really well made.

Ray' has one side of the rooftop so there is triangular base, into which slots one of the monolith pieces. This single piece is 8 inches across and 10 inches deep, so you can imagine what the full roof is going to look like. The plastic is textured and patterned like a granite and I just hope that Diamond can keep the consistency of finish in future waves or we may end up having varying finishes on pieces of the same diorama - an issue we saw with the balconies that came with the Avengers figures of Hawkeye and Chitauri.

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

Review : Black Panther Marvel Select (Diamond Select) Wave/Series : Disney Store Exclusive Released : 29th February 2016 Price : ÂŁ19.95 My collections is essentially one themed around my favourite movie's in either 6" or 7" scale. Within this I chose to go with the larger 7" Marvel Select Cinematic figures over the 6" Marvel Legends from Hasbro.

Although Marvel Select are brilliant, anyone who collects them will probably agree their turnover of figures often feels too low as it is locked to limited numbers of releases per year and per film in line with their licensing agreement. That often leaves fans with missing figures from the MCU - most recent examples being no Select release for Ultron and the Hulkbuster, two of the biggest (literally) characters from Avengers : Age of Ultron.

Out of the box, Black Panther stands at dead on 7 inches high and is packed in one perspex tray, with a second tray underneath containing the stand/diorama piece - we will look at that in a bit, but first the figure.

So as a collector I am now finding myself picking up selected Comic book figures from the Select range to compliment the MCU figures, and this new Disney Exclusive Black Panther is a perfect example where he will stand in perfectly in my MCU collection until such time as Diamond get round to giving us a Black Panther which I am guessing won't be until maybe 2018 (if of course at all).

The sculpt is pretty strong, and is not particularly over exaggerated as you may expect from a comic figure. The head, even though it is a mask, is very expressive with furrowed brows above those white eyes. The body is muscular with texture and ribbing throughout the suit although it can't seem to make it's mind up whether it looks like flesh with veins and muscles, or whether it is a more padded and armoured suit?

Although you would assume the figure is fully black, Diamond have applied a very dark blue paint effect to the figure. This at least breaks up the colour and creates some variation, but the blue doesn't look to be strategically placed to bring out certain detail. It also seems to be over painted on the groin piece which in some lights then looks a different colour to the rest of the body parts around it.

Black Panther, being a Disney Store Exclusive, comes in a slightly slimmed down box than the usual Select figures - depth wise at least. Like all Select figures the box is a huge clear blister around which is wrapped a side panel and card back. Like all Select's the side panel is the true star of the packaging with a full image of an almost blue Comic Black Panther against a vibrant comic book yellow background. Round the back and the imagery changes to that of the figure, which dominates almost the full card back. There is no bio or background info or any checklists of "other figures".

The eyes are the only real colour variation anywhere on the figure. They are OK, but have a bit of bleed and aren't bright enough for me as though they should have had another coat Articulation has been moving at pace recently with Diamond figures, and the Black Panther is possibly the most articulated figure to date in the line, helped of course by his slimline body suit with no armour or bulkier parts blocking movement. The head is ball jointed and rotates fully and can be cocked from side to side, or looks up and down.

Issue 16 : Saturday 12th March, 2016

For a Select release the lack of any accessories/swap out parts is disappointing.

And for me so is the base. I get how it is Wakanda themed, but it just feels too small. Blow it up another 50% and I would have been much happier.

Ball jointed shoulders followed by swivel biceps allow a wealth of arm movement up, down and out to the side. The elbows are then jointed followed by a forearm swivel and pegged hands that not only rotate but flex up and down to sit 90 degrees to the forearm.

The hands are positioned in an open palm claw pose and it is a shame that Diamond didn't include other hand options to bolster the figure look further - similar to how they tackle Spider-man for example.

The chest is jointed at the torso and can twist a few degrees either side. Although it then looks like there is a waist joint, this does not move.

In summary, the weak joints continue to be a bug bear on Diamond products - and the ankles on this one are even more frustrating than the usual hip problems. I am also not overly enamored by the base or the lack of any swap out hands or other parts.

In his defense though this is a good looking figure which at 7" scale still comes in sub-ÂŁ20 at a time when the smaller Legends figures are marching towards ÂŁ23. As a release he is also cleverly thought out and timed in that he will satisfy comic fans in this his debut appearance in the line. And will also please a lot of Marvel Movie collectors at the same time.

The infamous Select hip joints are back, and are still a bit loose.

They do however work to allow Panther to sit down or get down to almost do the splits. Down from the hips is a thigh swivel.

Personally I think this is a joint too far as the split is unnecessary and once twisted ruins the sleek look of the figure. Knee joints remain double jointed, and the leg almost bends fully back under itself. Another swivel at the shin is executed a bit better than the thigh, but again I question how useful it is. The figure then finishes with jointed ankles - and sadly these are the weakest and loosest joint on the figure so he has a habit of toppling over as the joint is not strong enough to not buckle under the weight of the figure.

That being said the articulation gives you some good action poses for Panther, and if Diamond are going to go more down this articulated route then I think they should consider some form of action stand to support more dynamic poses? Panther would look great in a leaping motion or jumping to attack.

I have bounced back and forth during this review between scoring Black Panther a 3 or 4. I do love the figure, but it has faults that can't be ignored. After much deliberation I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and go with a 4 out of 5 rating.