035 Action Figure Sat-TOY-day News, 20th August 2016

Issue 35 : Saturday 20th August 2016

s e l b i t c e l New DC Col s U R s y o T K U t a g n i v i arr stores d n e g e L e g n a Full Dr Str d e m r i f n o c e wav & y e l p i R m r i NECA conf e s a e l e r l a r Newt gene

I find it very interesting that Toys R Us (UK) now seem to be stocking products from DC Collectibles.

They have the original Arrow TV Series 1 double-pack with Oliver Queen and Deathstroke. Great price too £29.99 There is then a Batman Comic Book 4-pack containing The Joker, Superman, Batman and Robin. This one is £39.99 Dare we UK fans think we could be seeing DC Collectible 6.75" figures on Toys R Us shelves going forward? And is that a good or bad thing?

I came across the new Disney Store exclusive Premium Marvel figures this week at the Disney Store, Trafford Centre.

These new 10-11 inch figures are a strange hybrid of

Ghostbusters are obviously a "hot" property this year, and we are getting an avalanche of new figures this year from various sources including Diamond, Mattel, Mezco and newcomer Blitzway (who are doing both 6" and 12" scales).

Also entering the fray, although to what extent as yet we don't know, is SH Figuarts who unveiled Marshmallow Man at San Diego. The figure is, we assume, around the standard 6" in height and therefore more a fit with their MonsterArt figures like Godzilla.

Stay Puft will come in at 180mm / 7 inches high and will include alternative hands, and three head options (smiling, angry and in pain). He will hit stores in January 2017 costing 7,344 Yen this converts to £55 or $72, and expect to add at least another £10/$10 on top once this has been through import.

styles coming in a window collectors box that takes a lot of inspiration from the Star Wars Elite series. Each figure boasts 30 points of articulation and come with soft goods tailored clothes and packed with specific accessories.

The figures retail at £29.99 (€39.99) and the first two released are Captain America, and surprisingly a Black Widow (not an Iron-Man in site as yet).

They aren't bad looking, but they will suffer from being an odd size in the market (Cap is 11" and Widow is 9").

The price point of £29.99 is not bad for that scale of figure, but up close they don't have the same polish that the new larger Marvel Legends 12" figures are bringing.

I guess the big speculation at this stage is whether this is a one off from SHF or if they intend to expand the licence to the Ghostbusters themselves (new or old)? SHF are no strangers to one off figures, and Stay Puft does have a cult enough following to have collector appeal. It would, however, be cool to see what SHF could do with a set of 1/12 Ghostbusters

An interesting eBay listing has surfaced showing what looks like a Disney Store exclusive set of Marvel Legends.

The pack will contain re-releases of the Captain America and Iron Man figures that were released loose in the Giant Man wave of Civil War figures.

Also included are the Civil War War-Machine, which had been an exclusive to Target in a 2-pack with "Disco" Iron Man, Mark 27. The final figure is the Falcon which was packed singularly and exclusive to Walmart (and over here in the UK to Asda stores).

A number of retailers, including our affiliate Forbidden Planet, have confirmed and listed the full wave breakdown for the Hasbro Marvel Legends Doctor Strange wave and therefore confirm the final two figures.

The images included with the auction clearly show the blue Disney store logo. We would assume the RRP would be around $80 / ÂŁ75 when it (or indeed if) it hits stores.

Enchantress will be included, a darker repaint of the sculpt used in the SDCC Raft set. The other is Astral Plain Doctor Strange, using the movie sculpt of Benedict Cumberbatch.

The full wave will allow you to build Dormammu as the BAF. The full wave will be...

IRON FIST X 1 MASTERS OF MAGIC X 1 MYSTIC RIVALS X 1 MYSTIC RIVALS X 1 MASTERS OF MAGIC X 1 KARL MORDO X 1 DOCTOR STRANGE X 1 DR STRANGE X 1 Order NOW from Forbidden Planet

Marvel.com have announced the winner of the 2016 Fan's Choice Award for Marvel Legends.

"We're proud to announce Songbird as the winner of the 2016 Hasbro Marvel Legends fan vote!

Thank you to everyone who voted and look for the figure as part of the 2018 Hasbro Marvel Legends series."

The 1/12 SH Figuarts Hawkeye figure has been knocking around for a while now in promo displays at various Far East trade shows. And finally, over a year after Age of Ultron debuted at the Cinema, Hawkeye's release details have come through.

Hawkeye pre-orders are being taken now, and the figure will ship early in January 2017. Hawkeye will come packed with two bow options that are sculpted already with the hand attached and therefore swap out at the wrist to either a bow loose or bow pulled back with arrow in place option. He will also come with a quiver. He will set you back 6480 Yen in Japan, that equates to around ÂŁ50 for UK customers and $65 - expect to add some extra to these UK/US prices for import costs.

Hawkeye rounds out the Age of Ultron core team for SH Figuarts and we would expect all future releases now to be Civil War based as a minimum, or more likely see them move to Doctor Strange and then into the 2017 movie's.

NECA's Director of Product Development, Randy Falk, is back from a well earned holiday and has already been sharing some snippets on Twitter that Alien fans are going to be really happy with.

NECA have revealed the packaging layout and art-work for their glow in the dark, Thermal Vision Alien vs Predator Xenomorph.

The first concerns their controversial SDCC 2016 exclusive of Newt from Aliens. The exclusivity has frustrated many fans and collectors although NECA had stated that they were working on a way for international customers to get the figure.

The figure, which uses the AvP drone sculpt, will come cast in a translucent green and will glow in the dark.

Due around October, the figure is a Toys R Us exclusive in the US but has a full international release and can be pre-ordered from our affiliate partner Forbidden Planet right now - click through the images for the link.

Soon after this tweet NECA confirmed that their Newt figure, previously a limited SDCC exclusive, will get a second wider reaching release as part of the 30th Anniversary "Rescuing Newt" box set.

"Rescuing Newt 30th Anniversary 2 pack. New Ripley head, deluxe packaging, more. Full details before noon today" - Randy Falk (NECA) via Twitter The set will include the 1986 Aliens Ripley, who will have a revised head sculpt. It will be presented in a window box similar to the ones used for NECA's Ultimate line. Looking at the images released so far it appears that Newt's doll Casey and the Marine Helmet that were packed with the SDCC version will not be included. What is included is a new "fire"effect for the Flame unit. The set will start shipping in November 2016 - with pre-orders going live now, click through the images below for a Forbidden Planet link.

NECA have also confirmed that they are at least working on figures from Alien Resurrection with this tweet confirming that an Alien 4 Ripley is being worked on.

This doesn't necessarily mean a Ripley figure will be released - there will obviously be approval rights and various other barriers to overcome before this Ripley reaches release.

Alien 4 is certainly not the best film in the franchise and has mixed feelings from fans, but whatever you feel about the film it feels great that we could be adding Alien 4 figures to our Alien collections. Randy Falk has also said previously that a newborn Alien Hybrid from Alien 4 is a future release possibility, so couple the hybrid with a Ripley and a Resurrection Xenomorph and that would be a pretty awesome wave.

"Continuing the Aliens 30th anniversary celebration, #NECA presents a special edition action figure 2-pack that recreates the movie’s classic poster! That iconic image of Ripley rescuing Newt appears on the front flap of the deluxe packaging; open the flap and the figures are posed in the box just as they appear on the poster. #Ripley stands approximately 7” tall and features a new head sculpt and new deco, both exclusive to this set. She comes with a flamethrower accessory that has a special "fire effect” attachment. #Newt stands approximately 5” tall. Both feature authorized likenesses and have over 25 points of articulation for dramatic poses. A great display piece both in and out of the box! Starts shipping out to retailers November 2016!"

www.mephitsu.co.uk

September 2016 will see us reach Series 3 of Diamond's Ghostbuster Select range, with the 7th, 8th and 9th figures of the proposed 15 figure set.

The inclusion of Ray means this is his 3rd release in under 12 months if you include the Marshmallow SDCC version. But if you want to complete your diorama rooftop then Ray will have to be purchased as he will be packed with different roof parts to his Series 1 version - he is of course a sculpt variance with a new torso and labelled up as "Quittin Time Ray".

McFarlane's long awaited return to their 7" figure roots has been news for quite a while now, with numerous figures already released across such franchises as The Walking Dead, Assassins Creed, Gears of War and Attack on Titan.

This week see's the first of these #1 and #2 hit comic book stores in the US, with UK shops due in the next 7-14 days.

Figure #1 is Rick Grimes from the Walking Dead, with a UK RRP of £19.99 and he is just £17.99 at our affiliate partner Forbidden Planet if you pre-order today via this link "Begin your hunt for in-demand figures from the new larger size and incredibly detailed McFarlane Toys Rick Grimes action figure.

From the record shattering hit television show, AMC’s The Walking Dead, Rick, the hardened Sheriff’s Deputy, does whatever it takes to protect his family and fellow survivors from both the walking dead and the living. He and others continue to seek refuge in a desolate and post-apocalyptic world."

Figure #2 is also from The Walking Dead, Michonne. And again is up for pre-order as low as £17.99.

"Michonne, a fierce survivor and main character, kept much of her past a secret.

Now that she no longer wants or needs to be alone, Michonne has accepted her role as protector and confidant of Rick Grimes. She reluctantly picks up her katana and acknowledges that no one can leave behind the savagery of this post-apocalyptic world."

McFarlane's Color Tops are just starting to hit the stores and McFarlane are already announcing the 15th figure in the series via ComicBookResource.

Carl Grimes, as played by Chandler Riggs, will be included in the blue wave and his figure is based on his Camouflaged outfit as he escaped the walker herd flooding Alexandria. Carl's sheriff's hat will be removable as will the camouflage poncho. There will be two head options, one with a gunshot wound and the other bandaged.

There is no confirmed release schedule at this stage, but we would expect Carl to retail (like the other Color Top figures) around £20 in the UK and $20 in the US.

The other two figures will be of more interest, particularly Slimer who comes with three different head options and his own clear flight stand. Janine may suffer a little from being a plain clothed human, in the same way Louis Tully hung around quite a lot in Series 1 - but even Louis now seems to have sold through, as has Dana from Series 2.