Issue 46 : Saturday 28th January, 2017
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Character Options is proud to unveil a range of new Doctor Who figures and accessories for 2017. The new collection will be available from mid spring and is to be seen for the first time at London Toy Fair on Tuesday 24th January 2017. Heading up the range is a number of articulated figures that will be perfect for collectors. Set in the classic 5.5 inch scaling each perfectly replicates some of the favourite characters, past and present, from the show. While a lot of focus is on the upcoming New York Toy Fair, we shouldn't forget that the UK Toy Fair takes places next week - and ahead of this we have been sent the full details and promotional images of Character Options Spring 2017 Doctor Who range. The bulk of these are the figures and TARDIS play set that were announced by Underground Toys US and then to the detriment of the brand apparently "cancelled". Thankfully the Character Options PR is much slicker and we thank them for providing us with this full press release and images.
The Tenth Doctor in Tuxedo, is packed in collector's packaging and not only comes with a figure and a Sonic Screwdriver but for fans is one of the most requested alternate outfits; perfect to recreate scenes from “Rise of Cybermen” and “Voyage of the Damned!” Added to this is the favoured Tenth Doctor’s Sonic with lights and sounds. For those that did not collect it first time round now’s the time to add to your collection.
Fans of the Tenth Doctor will also be keen to get their hands on The Ninth and Tenth Doctor’s TARDIS Playset. With its motorised time rotor and pulsating lights this is the ultimate playset and has an illuminated console with six control buttons, removable floor panels and flip up console panel.
Read on to see what is upcoming from Character, and it is worth noting that none of these are listed as exclusive so we should expect to find them on sale in numerous retailers - despite the exclusive stamp that Forbidden Planet International had listed earlier this week. We look forward to adding the three new 5.5 inch Doctor figures to our Doctor Who archive
Another Figure in the series is the Twelfth Doctor, as played by Peter Capaldi, in his Ninth Season hoodie and checked trousers outfit. This item also includes a new head sculpt and his brand new Sonic Screwdriver just in time for Season Ten! For serious collectors needing every variant, there is also the Twelfth Doctor in his Ninth Season Hoodie and Black Jumper outfit, a 5.5 inch figure not to be missed.
Finally, if you are looking for a Cyberman with a difference then make sure you stretch yourself for the new Cyberman 7-inch Stretch toy! Watch with wonder as the Doctors arch enemy is stretched many times his size only to return back to his original shape and size once he is let loose. (no images of this product at this time) Within the picture galleries we were sent were images of a re-packed Journal of Impossible Things - now packed with the Masters Ring. There is also a re-release for the Build Your Own Sonic Screwdriver
The promotional images for the SH Figuarts Doctor Strange have been released by Japanese retailers, and it was also confirmed at the same time that while the figure would be an exclusive in the Far East, it would be carried by Bluefin who are the US distributor. The US pre-orders have now gone up and confirmed an exciting pack in with this Doctor Strange - a brilliant looking 7 piece flame effect set. The US price for the figure and this flame effect is $84.99 and the ETA for arrival is June 2017. Tamashii Nations have shared the following promotional images on their Facebook feed for the upcoming SH Figuarts Suicide Squad Deadshot 1/12 figure The figure boasts an awesome likeness to Will Smith, but also includes his masked head if that is your preferred look. Release is scheduled for May / June 2017.
The SH Figuarts 1/12 Padme figure was first sighted pre-Xmas at a Tokyo Toy Show. The figure has now been confirmed as a 2017 release with this awesome set of promotional images. The figure is due in June. Padme is based on her appearance in the Geonosis Arena at the end of Attack of the Clones. She will come with a borrowed battle droid blaster. It appears we will also get two head portraits of Padme - one with closed mouth, one with open mouth.
You might think you've entered the Mirror Dimension when you see these out of this world accessory parts included in the S.H.Figuarts DOCTOR STRANGE & BURNING FLAME SET. The array of interchangeable flame and magic effect parts allow you to truly bring to life the fantastic world of superhero sorcerer Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange’s facial expressions are replicated with superb detail utilizing TAMASHII NATIONS’ digital coloring technology. This digital printing technique allows for the reproduction of minute details that allow for the creation of expressions true to the character. Set includes interchangeable head part, interchangeable hand parts (left ×4,right ×4), interchangeable hand parts for effects (left and right), effect parts (large ×2, small ×2), burning flame effect（stationary type ×3, attachable type ×4).
The interesting part of the listing is the inclusion of a non articulated 1/12 Yoda in the same pack, this appears to be this figure... An interesting Bandai Star Wars listing has gone live at TagHobby for a 1/6 Yoda. This appears to be a model kit figure, but in the larger 1/6 scale that Bandai have just started exploring with their Storm Trooper figure. The kit comes with the options to build two head options - one with hair and one without. It also comes with Yoda's light-saber and his walking stick. There are then various hand options to use to hold either of these, or to be posed in various force attack poses. The outer cloak is possibly soft goods as seen on their smaller 1/12 Kylo Ren figure - although the translation is not 100% clear.
Price wise this is listed as 3000 yen, that is equivalent to about £22 or $26. However, there are restrictions on Bandai Star Wars kits being sold outside of Japan so any UK or US collectors need to expect to add a premium to this base price for import. We await more details on this intriguing 2 pack
There have been loads of reports and rumours - both cryptic and otherwise - knocking around over the past couple of weeks relating to a 40th Anniversary series or wave of figures in the Star Wars Black Series range. The next wave of the Star Wars Black Series 6" figures has been confirmed as the 5 new figures we saw at NYCC 2016 along with a totally unnecessary repack of Director Krennic from Rogue One, the third time this figure has been packed in a 6 figure wave.
This seems to be the most concrete evidence so far of these 40th Anniversary figures, a holding page on Walmart for a 40th Anniversary wave of 6 inch Black Series figures. No images, no text or details and if you look at the dimensions (assuming accuracy) they are larger than the normal Black Series boxes. Getting 40th Anniversary product in 2017 was always a no-brainer. And it looks like we will be finding out more very soon.
While fans will look forward to picking up iconic characters like Qui-Gon, Lando and Hera - the bizarre decisions on what figures to include in waves is hard to fathom. I, like many, now seem unlikely to see let alone own the Chirrut Imwe or Baze Malbus figures. Packing them with FOUR repacks has left retailers unwilling to sell singular as they don't want to be left with excessive amounts of Jyn and Cassian. And with the Toy market at its lowest after Xmas it seems doubtful that any major retailers will get this wave. We saw this exact situation in January last year with Asty and Hux. This all begs the question why on earth wasn't Imwe or Malbus carried forward into Wave 11 to help collectors who want to spend their money on new figures - what does Hasbro know that we don't about Director Krennic?
And while we do not know what will be included in any 40th Anniversary range of product - Jedi News did give us a look at what the design of the packaging may well be.
Our archive page for Black Series 2017 has been updated with this new wave layout and the numbering. We estimate a March release, but this needs confirming,
The FN-2187 MAFEX figure from Medicom was first revealed back in late September 2016 at a Japanese trade show. The figure now has some official details, including these stunning promotional shots. FN-2187, in his Storm Trooper amour, will come with the Storm Trooper blaster as well as a removable helmet which is blood smeared after the battle on Jakku. The paint application of this blood smear looks particularly well done. FN-2187 will start to ship in May 2017 and will be 5800 Yen. That is £40 in UK / $51 but expect to add a bit more for import and delivery.
This image, from the Revell stand at the UK Toy Fair, see’s a return to the sleek black almost Vintage packaging - complete with the two lined striped border and a 40th Anniversary logo featuring the original Luke and Leia pose from the 1977 poster now silhouetted against the Star Wars logo and the number 40. The packaging design is often rolled out across all brands once decided - as we saw with both The Force Awakens and Rogue One. The question for collectors of the 6” range is whether this 40th packaging will make that jump as well - something that hasn’t happened since the 6” line launched in 2013.
And alongside this news from Walmart and Jedi News this placeholder has popped up on a European wholesaler for a Black Series Early Bird Set. Square Enix have finally put their Play Arts Kai Wolverine figure up for pre-order with a ship date of May 2017. For anyone not overly familiar with the Play Arts product, these are 10” high stylised figures based on the Marvel heroes we know so well. While not to everyone's taste, these figures are impressive. Wolverine is packed with two head options, a number of hand and claw variants and a katana sword.
The original Early Bird set from 1978 contained Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and R2-D2 - all as seen in A New Hope. All four of these figures exist in the Black Series so we assume these will all be re-releases.
Where this set may appeal is the reports that this may include some form of retro style display base and background which will hold these 4 figures, and then the other figures that make up the first 12. It would therefore logically fit that the 40th Anniversary wave would include the other 8 figures on retro cardback or similar.
Armed with sharp claws made of adamantium, the hardest metal in the world, and a healing factor that allows for superhuman recovery, X-Men hero Wolverine enters the Marvel Variant Play Arts Kai Series! Painstaking attention to textural detail can be seen in this Wolverine's costume and burly physique, from the hard surfaces of the armor, to the organic feel of the skin, down to the bulging veins in his arms. Shadows are painted in to highlight the molded features, while the paint, chipped here and there off his armor, hints at the many battles in his past. In addition to the interchangeable hands and head, a Japanese katana adds to the variety of poseable actions. Figure includes display stand, and stands about 25cm tall.
For 3.75” Star Wars collectors, it seems we have waited quite a while now for the 3rd wave of Rogue One products to arrive at Retail. It seems these are now starting to appear on UK shelves over at Tesco. The 3rd wave brings the Death Trooper Specialist and Shore Trooper to the Imperial Ranks. It also gives us Bodhi Rook and Jyn in Imperial Disguise to line up with the Rogue One rebels.
If we follow this train of thought then the only new figures we will see are the Death Star Trooper and the Jawa with the Tusken Raider is due in the next set of releases. It looks like an exciting time to be a Star Wars 6” collector.
And for Rebels collectors the wave brings us the first figure of Grand Admiral Thrawn in his new “canon” role as well as re-packing the Princess Leia from Series 2.
The Elder was soon followed by a look at the packaged Youngblood Predator. "Carded Youngblood from Predator Series 17 coming soon! #prednesday" - Randy Falk, NECA (via Twitter) With the Elder and Serpent Hunter already unveiled, the Youngblood image completes the set. These figures are listed on the NECA page as a first quarter release (by March) whereas some UK retailers are quoting as late as June?
NECA have shared this teaser work-in-progress image via their Twitter feed. It shows the sculpted head and hands for Nubbins as seen in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The full reveal is scheduled for Toy Fair next month. Based on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre releases to date, this should be in the larger 8" format with retro style body and soft good clothing. "This little guy is hoping he'll be ready for his big #ToyFair2017 debut next month. #monstermonday @THETomSavini" - Randy Falk (NECA) via Twitter
NECA's Series 17 of their Predator range will once again be Alien vs Predator based. Having already revealed the Serpent Hunter packaged sample, NECA have now given us a look at the highly anticipated Elder Predator. An awesome #prednesday reveal of the Series 17 AvP Elder in packaging. Coming early March. #predator - Randy Falk, NECA (via Twitter)
NECA have tweeted this image of the card insert for their Kenner inspired blue Alien. The Alien will be included as part of the mixed Series 11 alongside Lambert in Spacesuit from Alien and one other unknown figure. "It's time for #facehuggerfriday & another look at series 11 packaging in the works. #kenner #alien" - Randy Falk, NECA (via Twitter) As a Kenner inspired release, the card art is very vivid and carries some retro touches to harken back to the early 90's when Kenner were first releasing Alien action figures.
We saw a mock up of NECA's proposed Aliens Marine Weaponry set before Xmas. We've now got a much better idea about what the Aliens Special Edition UA 571-C Automated Sentry Gun will look "3 weeks until Toy Fair...bringing the big guns #facehuggerfriday #aliens" - Randy Falk, NECA (via Twitter)
along.
The accompanying tweet indicates we will see the full layout of this set at the US Toy Fair.
NECA have confirmed that they are releasing a Quarter-Scale T800 Terminator from the Terminator 2 : Judgement Day
This figure, which will stand around 18" tall, will arrive in May 2017. It will come packed with a range of weaponry allowing you to recreate the Cyberdyne Systems showdown scene with the options to arm Arnie with the Mini-Gun and Ammo-Bag or with the Grenade Launcher and ammo belt or simply with a pistol. As a build on the 7" version, Arnie will come with removable sunglasses to give him too distinct head options. Based on previous 18" figures, the RRP for UK collectors will be around £90 - £100
From Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the deadly T-800 arrives in our 1/4 scale action figure line!
After a nervous wait, we are now a bit closer to the release of Rocky Series 2 from NECA. Here we have this packaged sample of the Apollo Creed figure with the tweet that quotes that this is "shipping soon"
This 18” tall version of the machine from the future features the likeness of Arnold Schwarzenegger and has over 25 points of articulation, including ball-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, torso, hips, knees and more.
The figure will be packed with two head options one smiling, one serious. There is also the US flag hat and jacket, both of which are removable.
The Terminator comes with removable sunglasses and a veritable arsenal of accessories: removable grenade belt, Minigun, ammo bag, ammo belt, grenade launcher and pistol.
At long last. Rocky 40th Anniversary Collection Series 2 is shipping soon. Apollo FTW! #tbt #rocky - Randy Falk, NECA (via Twitter)
The exciting news though is the plans for McFarlane to create 7" Color Tops figures from two HUGE 1980's films. The two Jim Henson movie's of Labyrinth and Dark Crystal are being worked on with the initial plans to release Jareth The Goblin King from Labyrinth and what we assume will be a 2-pack of Jen and Kira from Dark Crystal.
There is some interesting snippets coming out of the UK Toy Fair regarding McFarlane's plans for their 7" Color Range of figures. Up to now these limited articulation, highly detailed figures, have stuck closely to solid McFarlane franchises like The Walking Dead and Assassins Creed. They have also been stacked heavily around Anime and Video Game licences. These licences will continue in 2017 with more Anime figures planned for Attack on Titan, Naruto Shippuden, Tokyo Ghoul and One Punch Man.
There is also talk of a Ghost in the Shell figure called "The Major" like the Assassins Creed figure from 2016 we expect this to be a figure from the live Action Movie of 2017 starring Scarlett Johansson as "The Major". Other Video game licence releases will be Gears of War, Mass Effect Andromeda, Borderlands and Destiny. The staple of The Walking Dead will also continue to expand in 7" across the year.
There were no figures, just mock-ups, in London. This could mean they are very early on in development. Or, they could be holding back for a larger scale reveal at New York Toy Fair next month. Either way, 2017 looks to be exciting for McFarlane collectors.
Homecoming Spider-Man has been pretty much confirmed by Diamond for a number of weeks now, and we have now got a hint of what that figure will entail today when Big Bad Toy Store added a silhouette outline of the figure and this description After his eye-opening appearance in Captain America: Civil War, making a figure of Spidey for Spider-Man: Homecoming was a no-brainer, and this 7" tall figure features 16 points of articulation as well as interchangeable parts. Packaged in display-ready Select figure packaging, with side panel artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios! If Diamond follow suit with previous figures, then the interchangeable parts are almost certainly going to be hand and web options. It is unlikely for this general release to come with an unmasked Tom Holland head, that will most likely end up as the Disney Store only exclusive. The ETA on the figure is listed by BBTS as July 2017. This seems ambitious as the general practice for previous movie figures from Diamond is them hitting 3 months after the film premieres (this was the case most recently with Civil War and Doctor Strange). With Homecoming due for release on 7th July, then October seems a more likely release window - although we would love to be proved wrong.
Hasbro has circulated a number of images for their planned Spider-Man Homecoming range of toys and Action Figures. A number of these could be classed as spoilers. If you are avoiding spoilers then stop reading now. We haven’t used any of the spoiler images in the article. You can click through above to our full online article We had already seen the Marvel Legends Vulture a couple of months back. While these figures are mainly 6", they are not Marvel Legends but rather the limited articulation Marvel figures we have seen recently for the animated Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy series from Disney XD. In the 6" figures we will get The Vulture and two versions of Spider-Man - one of which is a potential spoiler for the film. And you will be able to play with these 6" figures in an enormous Playset entitled the Mega City Playset. This thing stands nearly 4 feet tall. Other products include a Spider-Car with what appears to be a Nerf firing feature. The figure here is likely 3.75". While a Spider-Car could be included in the movie, this feels more like some toy-istic licence by Hasbro to add play features and gimmicks like they have done with Civil War last year and with some of the recent Star Wars releases.
Whatever you think about the movie itself, the visuals and design of the various members of the Suicide Squad have been generally well received. Harley Quinn is the one that appears to topped the popularity poll, and it is therefore not a surprise that Mezco have chosen her as the first DC movie "bad guy" to join their One:12 Collective. Harley will ship in Summer 2017 and will come with the usual 30 points of articulation, real cloth soft goods tailored clothing, swap out hand options and she will also be packed with three head options so you can display her with a standard look, a laughing head and even a bubble gum popping head.
Straight from the DC Comic's blockbuster movie Suicide Squad comes Harley Quinn, the deranged and extremely dangerous poster girl formerly known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel; now villainess girlfriend to the psychotic Joker. Debuting our premiere female body, the One:12 Collective captures every aspect of Margot Robbi's celebrated portrayal of the dangerously unpredictable Harley Quinn, crafted with detailing and outfitting never seen before at this scale.
Review : Darth Revan Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 9 (Phase 3) Released : December 2016 Price : ÂŁ22.99
Series 9 has arguably been the most desirable wave of Star Wars Black Series since launch. Not only did it bring us the classic 1977 Leia and Obi-Wan, but more contemporary characters like Sabine while also bolstering our Imperial forces with the AT-AT Driver and Snow Trooper. But it seems all of them pale into insignificance when compared to the #34 release - Darth Revan.
Round the back the temptation to go to town on Revan' back story has been resisted. Instead we get 4 lines and just 29 words to tell the collector about
Now I have to admit I know very little about Darth Revan. I hadn't read much of the Old Republic stuff before Disney Reset, and certainly nothing since as I tried to stick to the new cannon. What I do know about Darth
Revan. Whether this is to allow the room for Disney to play with Revan and introduce him into the new canon like they did with Thrawn or whether they simply don't want to acknowledge or direct people to the old canon?
Revan is he looks stunning. The whole design is awesome - a mix of Jedi, Sith and Mandalorian - and when you have a great looking character then fans will always want that on their shelf.
Out of the box you are presented with Revan in the plastic insert, with two light-sabers positioned to the left hand side as you look.
Revan was the winner of the first Star Wars Black Series fan vote in 2015. As a winner he was a perfect pick, an iconic character but one that would
Revan, as I mentioned earlier, is just an awesome design and Hasbro have
never be made without the backing of fandom - especially as he technically
done a really good job of replicating it into the 6" scale. We start with the
only exists in the Star Wars Legends sphere and not a part of the accepted
hood, which is a sculpted rubber rather than a soft good hood and I am
Disney canon. It has taken over 12-months to take Revan from the winning
really thankful for that having seen how difficult it is to "pose" a soft goods
vote to reality. And he is hitting stores in such small numbers that at the time
hood on figures like Palpatine, Obi-Wan and Leia. Beneath this ruffled and
of writing this review, Revan is already up with Maul and R2-D2 in terms of
rolled hood is the mask. The mask is sculpted with panels and that lined
secondary market value.
visor, and each panel s then painted. The helmet is a gun metal base, with dull red and silver painted over the top - all nice and neat.
Revan arrives in the standard Black Series box, and out of all the figures we have had in the phase 3 red line packs Revan just looks "right" with the deep red card framing the figure so well. Revan is number #34 in this 3rd phase, and under this numbering system Hasbro have just used the Darth Revan name and resisted the need for some kind of sub-title to explain who he is on where he sits in the Star Wars Universe. The grey lined artwork of Revan's hooded face plate is obviously based on his illustrated look from the Knights of the Old Republic. But like Sabine, Kanan and Ahsoka the image is drawn so that it matches all the other illustrations to date of the live action characters.
The hood continues over the shoulders to become the top of the cloak,
While there was no need to put detail under the skirt, Hasbro has given us
reminiscent of the way they tackled Kylo Ren. This top section remains cast
completely finished legs. These start with some trousers over the thighs in
in the black matt rubber and includes creases and folds and flows over the
the slightly shiny colour to match the arms. There is then a gold knee pad
shoulder tops.
and gold knee high boots.
From the rear of this cloak top the soft good cloak flows. This cloak is a very light weight and almost sheer black material and this hangs really nicely down the figure. Rather than a flat hem where the cloak ends, the bottom is ragged with holes. This looks nice, but I do worry about the potential of these rips starting to fray.
The torso of the figure is a bronze breast plate over which hangs a couple of black panels which seem to be part of the cloak. Like the mask, the sculpted detail on this plate and crisp and angular. However the paint feels a bit thick and some detail is lost. I would also have liked to have seen a final wash over the shiny bronze to weather Revan a little. Articulation is standard with Revan, but of course with a cloaked and skirted As the chest plate ends, a waist band starts in the same bronze colouring.
figure there is a risk of losing some of this. The head is the prime example of
Over this flow some sash belts which tie into a circular gold ring which is
this. While you can feel the joint, the head will barely budge under that cloak.
part of a belt. The bottom two sashes are a rubberised material like the
The shoulders are ball jointed and sit under the cloak top. You would expect
hood to aid in the leg movement which we will look at a bit later. The two
this cloak section to restrict movement, but thankfully the cloak has a touch of
arms are a black sculpted sleeve with a slight sheen that differentiates them
flexibility allowing the arms to move upward to 90 degrees. While you can't
from the black of the hood. These are then accentuated in bronze shiny
get the arm side on above the head, you can raise the arm and then work
bracers and gloves.
with the elbow joint which bends to a right angle and rotates, this means you can get a hand to a point above the head ready to strike down his enemies. The arm articulation ends in a wrist joint which swivels and pivots - a big help for light saber poses.
There is a torso joint tucked away under the chest plate so while the head can't look to the side, the torso joint moves freely to allow the top section of Revan to be rotated to either side. The leg articulation is of course all hidden under the skirt. The skirt being soft goods doesn't restrict any of this leg articulation. But the big red sash does stop you getting Revan to kneel or any similar low bending pose. The hips are ball joined with a thigh swivel sitting just underneath. The knees remain double jointed and the ankles are rockers. I have found Revan a little hard to stand with the ankle rockers on the figure I have a little loose. The skirt section is soft goods which is held in place by the rubber belt. It is a slightly different material to the cloak, a touch thicker and softer - but like the cloak it hangs well enough. It too carries a ragged hem and I have already had some threads come loose on this.
The front of the skirt is covered with the red sash which hangs from the belt. This is again a rubberised plastic and holds a textured lined effect. It is painted rather than cast in the red colour, and sadly on my figure a splash of red has caught the black belt above.
Now of course this sounds like Revan isn't great to pose, but there is plenty of movement in these joints to get him into a number of action stances. Of course these poses mean nothing until you add his light saber accessories.
Revan comes with both sabers which are packed already assembled with the hilt and the blade. The blades are removable so you can choose to have the sabers lit or unlit. The red saber has a look of Luke's Return of the Jedi saber, but having compared them I can confirm it is not the same sculpt. The purple saber is a stunning hilt design, and carries a bunch of detail including a red ignition switch.
The bronze areas, particularly the chest plate, screams out for a dark wash. The cloak and skirt are going to fray and split too easily with too much handling. The review figure I have did have some paint errors, although it has been quite a while since I have had to comment on that in a review. And then there is the loose ankles.
Revan deserves a high score, and I will award him a very very strong 4 out of 5 and I wonder if a couple of tweaks in any future re-release or re-run of the figure would get him over the line to that perfect 5 out of 5. Once Revan has his sabers then the fun can begin and you can pose and play to your heart's content to find an action stance that suits you.
So here is a figure that everyone wants, and not everyone can find. When you have a situation like that it is easy to say he's brilliant, but I have to say that although Hasbro have done a sterling job - it is far from perfect.
Checkout our extensive Star Wars Black Series Archive over at www.mephitsu.co.uk→