Issue 57 : Saturday 1st July, 2017
Hasbro has released details of their extensive range of toys and figures for Thor Ragnarok. Starting with the Marvel Legends, we knew a Ragnarok wave was incoming and would include comic book figures of Thor, Jane Foster Thor and Ares.
They will be joined by MCU versions of Thor (with helmet), Hela and Loki. This wave will include BAF parts to build the impressive Gladiator Hulk. There will also be a 2-pack release of Thor without helmet and Valkyrie
Over at the Join the League website, Mattel have announced a special release of their 6" Cyborg figure for SDCC.
The figure is packed in an impressive cube box with images of Cyborg from Justice League as well as the Justice League logo. Inside this box is a secondary box in a brushed metal design - based on the Mother Box design from Jack Kirby's 4th World . Under the top flap of this is the figure itself, laid on top of a black cubed background. There is then built in sound and light fx, operated via a small switch. Checkout the video on our site to see how it all works.
One of the big benefits of a range of figures where the body is dressed with real soft goods clothing is the ability to easily produce variants and re-colourings of various characters and figures. Mezco have already applied this with great effect with varying versions of Daredevil, Deadpool and of course Spider-Man. They are now taking it one stage further by tweaking their existing Spider-Man and releasing this Miles Morales version as their SDCC / Summer Convention Exclusive. Miles will feature a sculpted mask and then will have a real cloth tailored black and red outfit over the smaller stature body type. He will come with various web accessories as well as a display stand. He can be pre-ordered now if you are in the US for delivery after SDCC and is at the standard US RRP of $80. Pre-ordering will mean the item is shipped after SDCC, with the Mezco site quoting delivery between July and September. Of course fans at SDCC can purchase the figure from the Mezco booth.
For those who remember the 6.5" - 7" Marvel Civil War bootlegs from last year the Far East company behind them seems to have a new batch incoming. The new 6 figures are all listed as 7" in scale and are Spider-Man comic based. The line up includes a standard comic-book Spider-Man and what appears to be a very loose interpretation of the Homecoming "homemade" suit. The Spider-Man even comes with an iPhone. We then have Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man 2099, Kid Arachnid / Mile Morales and the Black Suited Symbiote Spider-Man. The first listings from these is on the Taobao.com site. Each figure is listed at between 58 and 68 Yen - that is between 40p and 50p in UK money, and this is likely the "buy in bulk price". Expect these to actually be shipped from the Far East at around ÂŁ5 each + shipping, same as the Civil War versions. eBay is likely to be swamped in the next few weeks.
Although many associate the name Peter Parker with Spider-Man, the hero’s mantle was taken up by Miles Morales in Ultimate Fallout # 44. Following the death of Peter Parker, the teen Morales became Spider-Man after gaining powers similar to those of the original Spider-Man, which were derived from the bite of a spider genetically engineered by Spider-Man's nemesis Norman Osborn in an attempt to duplicate those abilities. The Miles Morales Spider-Man joins the One:12 Collective with a comprehensively detailed outfit featuring the unique design and colors worn by the character.
While the trousers are Reebok trainers are identical to the original release, the top section has been re-worked with the shirt and then the Bomber jacket. The head appears to be a re-use of the original 1986 Ripley, not the tweaked version from the recent Newt 2-Pack. The initial plan for NECA's 12th series of Alien figures was for it to be themed around the 4th movie in the franchise, Alien Resurrection. We had seen a teased partial image of the Resurrection Ripley Clone and the Newborn had also been confirmed. The Resurrection figures have now been put on the back-burner by NECA who have reimagined Series 12 into an Aliens themed wave, closing down their 30th Anniversary release.
Ripley stands approximately 7" tall, has over 25 points of articulation and features the likeness of Sigourney Weaver. She wears a bomber jacket over blue coverall and comes with pulse rifle accessory and detachable muzzle flash.
Accompanying Ripley is a new version of Vasquez - the third in the range following the Smart Gun Vasquez and the recent Kenner inspired version. Vasquez comes in her Marine Gear, without Smart Gun armour, as seen in her final scenes as she defends the base against the Xenomorphs. Vasquez also comes with a Pulse Rifle and firing effect. She will also be packing a handgun and knife.
Series 12 includes Lt. Ellen Ripley (Bomber Jacket), Private Jenette Vasquez (BDUs), and two different Battle-Damaged Alien Movie UKs Warriors.
While the Kenner inspired 2017 version depicted Vasquez without her armour, and in a vest top, this new version has seen the top section re-worked to better match the Marine fatigues with collar and no sleeves that Vasquez was wearing when she finally met her end with Gorman in that ventilation shaft. The vest version may see a future release if we get that far as this was the outfit she wore as she came out of hypersleep at the start of the movie. The headsculpt on the new figure is the same as the other two releases.
The 12th Series of Aliens will now be made up of four figures, each of them being a tweak or a re-release. First up is Ripley, now tweaked so she is wearing the bomber jacket that we see her wearing in the middle portion of the film. Ripley will come with her pulse rifle and as is current trend - an attachable muzzle firing fx piece.
Vasquez stands approximately 6.5" tall and features the likeness of Jenette Goldstein. Vasquez is seen in her alternate outfit and the Marine gear is completely faithful to the movie, down to the "LOCO" detailing on the back of her vest. Vasquez has over 25 points of articulation and comes with pistol, knife and pulse rifle with attachable muzzle flash.
Series 12 of our bestselling Alien Movie UKs #actionfigures is themed to the events that occur in Hadley’s Hope during Alien Movie UKs and continues our 30th Anniversary celebration.
Series 12 will essentially be a four figure series, as opposed to the normal 3 figures. The final two figures are the Damaged Xenomorphs that we saw released originally within the Hicks & Hudson 2-packs. These two Xeno's are now however upgraded to the recently announced "Ultimate" body. NECA have confirmed this boasts over 30 points of articulation with increased motion on the torso & neck as well as new movement on the tail. One Xeno is in the brown colouring while the other is in blue.
The #Xenomorph Warriors feature 2 unique battle-damaged sculpts and stand over 9" tall. They utilize the new "Ultimate" Alien Movie UK body, which has many upgrades, including added articulation and increased range of motion in upper torso and neck, plus a re-engineered tail assembly which provides an additional swivel as well as having a bendable portion. Over 30 points of articulation. The Series 12 figures are scheduled for a September 2017 release. Members of the Alien X Club will also be able to order them shortly and these are required purchases to keep qualified for the end of year bonus items. All four figures will be supplied in the standard clamshell packaging.
NECA have confirmed their Aliens 2-Pack that contains the Hadley's Hope sign will include figures of Carter Burke and another Alien Xenomorph figure. The set will be released later this year. Burke is a brand new figure and a debut for the line, and it bears a great resemblance to Paul Reiser and as is NECA's usual approach they have gone with a very emotive look rather than a neutral head sculpt.
The Alien Xenomorph is the new "Ultimate" body that is being used in the Ultimate releases and with the Damaged Aliens from Series 12. It does however have the smooth dome, which is a concept originally planned by James Cameron for the movie, but later replaced by the ridged versions we are now familiar with. There is a danger of Xenomorph overload from NECA all at the same time, but at least they are army builders and will combine to a very impressive Hive scene. The two pack will retail around $40 / £40 and will be released in September. We are not as yet sure if this will be part of NECA Alien Club. We are also now looking forward to the final announcement for Aliens in 2017 that will be unveiled at SDCC. We are happy to announce the amazing Hadley’s Hope Set, themed to the events that occur at the colony during Alien Movie UKs! It includes the first-ever Carter Burke action figure with the likeness of actor Paul Reiser, a special edition Concept Alien Movie UKs Warrior, and the population sign for Hadley’s Hope. Weyland-Yutani company man Carter Burke makes his #ActionFigure debut! He stands approximately 7" tall, has over 25 points of articulation and features the likeness of Paul Reiser. The Concept Warrior is based on James Cameron’s original concept for the Alien Movie UK, which he envisioned with a semi-transparent dome and darker colors. (This was changed early in production.) It uses the new “Ultimate” Alien Movie UK body, which has added articulation, increased range of motion in upper torso and neck, plus a re-engineered tail assembly with added swivel and bendable portion. Over 9" tall; over 30 points of articulation. The Hadley’s Hope population sign measures approximately 6 x 6 inches.
NECA surprised collectors with the announcement of a new Ultimate 7" figure - Ash from the TV show Ash vs the Evil Dead. The release will be essentially the standard blue shirt release, but with a wealth of added parts. There will be four head options, a mechanical hand, a wooden hand, a hand stump, a photo of Ash's car and of course a shotgun and chainsaw to figure those Deadite hordes. This will all be packed in the Ultimate box packaging, with a special lenticular cover.
NECA have confirmed the full details for their Ultimate Aliens Xenomorph. The figure will be updated from the Series 2 release and come with 30 points of articulation.
The figure will ship as early as September 2017. The US price is expected to be between $25 and $30, and expect to pay around £25 here in the UK. Pre-orders should go up soon at the usual places.
The Alien will also come packed with an open Alien Egg, Facehugger and Chest-Burster. They will be packed in the Ultimate packaging with colour coded packaging - blue & brown. In a case of 6 there will be three of each figure for collectors to pick up. They should hit store shelves in October (possibly November here in UK) and the price is expect to be around $25 / £25
Aliens - Ultimate Warriors Assortment From the thrilling #Aliens movie, the Warrior Alien gets the "Ultimate" #actionfigure treatment! The assortment includes both blue and brown Aliens. We've upgraded the deadly creatures, which now have added articulation and plenty of extras: each comes with a #Facehugger, #Chestburster and egg accessory.
From the hit STARZ TV series, Ash vs Evil Dead! The series follows Ash, stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who spent 30 years avoiding responsibility, and the terrors of the Evil Dead. #NECA has given Ash the Ultimate #actionfigure treatment—he comes with four interchangeable head sculpts, chainsaw, mechanical hand, wood hand, hand stump, photo of his car, and shotgun that fits in a back holster… Everything he needs to fight a plague of Deadites.
The Warrior stands over 9" tall and has over 30 points of articulation and bendable tail. Comes in collector-friendly deluxe window box packaging with opening flap.
The 7” scale figure is highly articulated and comes in collector-friendly deluxe window box packaging with opening flap and bonus lenticular cover.
Shipping Date: October 2017
Shipping Date: September 2017
Medicom have already released two versions of the Dark Knight Batman in the MAFEX range. Now they are having a third go at the figure with a March 2018 release of version 3.0
Tamashii Nations have confirmed that a Prototype Boba Fett in their Movie Realization range will be sold exclusively at SDCC 2017.
The new version will bring with it a fabric cloak as well as swap-out head and hand options. The cloak will come with built in wire armature to assist in posing. Batman will be armed with a batarang, grapple gun, EMP Blaster and the adhesive bomb gun.
The figure uses the standard Ronin inspired sculpt that has already been used on Boba Fett and Jango Fett. It comes with moveable headscope, armaments, backpack with missile and a quantity of weapons - including blaster rifle and Japanese sword.
Expect to be paying about £60 imported for the Dark Knight come March 2018 Boba Fett is back! This time the galaxy’s most fearsome bounty hunter comes wearing feudal Japan stylized armor based on the Star Wars white-colored prototype armor seen in both Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept sketches of the character, and test footage filmed by The Empire Strikes Back art director Joe Johnston. With a Ronin-inspired design by artist Takayuki Takeya, the fully articulated Boba Fett figure stands 170mm tall and features a moveable head scope, detachable mounted armaments, backpack with removable missile, and an arsenal of weaponry to expand your display possibilities. The set includes a blaster rifle, Japanese sword set, weapons set, and interchangeable hands (x4). This exclusive item will see very limited release. Limit 2 per person.
After teasing it earlier in June, SH Figuarts have now confirmed full details of their 1/12 Justice League Batman figure. He will be packed with a cloth cape, which will have a built in wire armature for posing. Also included are a batarang and the grappling gun. He is due for released in November 2017 with a Japanese RRP of 6,264 Yen - that's about £42 in UK, but expect to pay more after import costs.
Diamond have announced that they are now producing and selling Action Figure Stands for their 7" Select range of figures.
Square Enix have confirmed their next Marvel Play Arts Kai stylised figure release will be Black Panther.
Square Enix also confirmed they will be releasing a Justice League re-imagined Tactical Suit Batman in their Play Arts Kai range.
Black Panther will stand 10" high and will be packed with four pairs of clawed hands, two throwing daggers and a stand. He will retail in Japan at 14,800 yen. Expect to therefore be paying around $130 and £100 once imported to US/UK distributors.
Like all Play Arts figures, Batman stands 10" high. He comes with a batarang and grappling gun, as well as three pairs of hands. A base is also included.
He will hit stores in October 2017
He will hit stores in October 2017, and is priced at 15,984 Yen in Japan. Expect to pay around £100 in the UK, $120 in the US.
The stands come in either black or clear acrylic and are sold in packs of 10. The US RRP is a very impressive $5. We would hope to see these in UK retailers very soon, and I suspect we may end up being closer to £10 each on their arrival. Once we can get them we will review them over in our Action Figure stand segment. " It's time to take a stand! These oval-shaped clear disc stands have a peg that fits most 7-inch-scale Select action figures by DST, including Marvel Select, Ghostbusters, Gotham, iZombie, Jay & Silent Bob and more. Bag includes ten stands. "
Review : Death Squad Commander Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro)
The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being
Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary
a direct upscale of the ones used on the original 1978 3.75" figures. They
Released : June 2017
utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner
Price : ÂŁ24.99
logo's. The Death Squad Commanders name is set into a ice blue box with the same colour used as the backing to the blister. While the massive Star
In early 2017 Hasbro announced a series of 6" scale Black Series figures to
Wars Universe database has since categorised this figure as a Death Star
celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, A New Hope. The intention was
Trooper, Hasbro have retained the original Kenner name from 1978 even
to replicate the original 12 Kenner figures by releasing the 6" versions on
though it would go on to be renamed in the Kenner line as the Star
retro Kenner style cards.
Destroyer Commander. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner of the card, the only nod away from the original Kenner cardback.
The first wave was released March 2017 with a second set of 6 released in June 2017. While the first wave repacked figures, the 2nd wave introduced three figures not released to date in the series - the Tusken Raider, the Jawa and the figure we look at here - the Imperial Death Squad Commander.
Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and When Kenner put out their first twelve 3.75" Star Wars figures in 1978, the Death Squad Commander was one of the more interesting choices. The
gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures.
character didn't play too much of a part in the movie, and was certainly not the 3rd most obvious "bad guy" choice after Darth Vader and the Storm Trooper. When you consider Kenner could have gone with the Tie Fighter Pilot, Sand Trooper (a figure that never made the Kenner Vintage line) or the
A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's
Death Star Gunner - the Death Squad Commander was a brave choice. When Hasbro decided to replicate the original 12 figures into the new 6" Black Series for the 40th Anniversary the Death Squad Commander, like the Jawa, was a brand new figure they had to create for the release as opposed to the others which were already released or in the works.
While the original 1978 Kenner character title has survived, the original paint job hasn't. The trooper was originally presented in a grey officers uniform with the helmet in black. This version is more accurate in a full black uniform with black helmet. Packed into the blister with him is the DH-17 blaster.
Out of the pack and the Commander stands 6" high, in scale with the other Imperial Troops who he will be joining on my display. The uniform is all black but is sculpted to replicate cloth rather than armour, so there are folds and creases across the tunic and down into the baggy legs.
All the main uniform is a matt black. The lower arms are elbow length gloves and these are a high gloss black and have a silver buckle painted at the wrist. The same colouring is used on the knee high boots. For some reason the clothing directly above these gloss areas (boots and gloves) also look glossy so in certain lights don't match the rest of the figures clothing?
The figure wears a matt belt adorned with a large silver buckle and silver panels either side. There is also a holster to the figures right hand hip which
The sole accessory is the DH-17 blaster. This is this particular weapons first
works to hold the blaster. The only other decor is a perfectly applied Imperial
appearance in the line, but it will be used again soon for the Lando figure.
logo on the left shoulder.
The original Death Squad Commander was packed with an E11 Storm Trooper blaster.
The cynic in me expected to see some re-working of parts from Director Krennic in the uniform, but I can't find anything that is a direct re-use. I do
This DH-17 blaster is a nicer choice for the figure and is reflective of what
suspect there will be some parts in here that will be used in the upcoming
the Troopers guarding the Detention Block where Leia was being held were
Tarkin and/or Thrawn figures.
carrying in A New Hope.
The blaster is cast in a deep grey and it holds a lot of sculpted detail from the intricate sights to individual rivets and fastenings. The barrel is painted in silver. The DH-17 fits into the Commander's right hand, with his trigger finger slotting into the trigger. When not in use it sits neatly into the holster.
The head is obviously generic and not based on a particular niche actor who played one of the Death Star Troopers. He is cast in a base skin tone with painted eyes and eyebrows. The hair is a short crew cut in brown with some impressive 70's sideburns.
The helmet is a softer plastic and the whole thing is cast in gloss black with
Articulation is great on the Commander, being a non-armoured figure with
no other painted detail. Most of the detail on the helmet is sharp, with the
little to impeded the joints. The head is ball jointed and can rotate and look
circular indents front and back and what looks like microphones either side
up and down - with or without the helmet.
of the dome before the rear section splays off. On the figure we are reviewing here there are a couple of dings from casting or when it came out
Arms are ball jointed shoulders that move fully out to the side at a right angle
of the mold.
and also rotate over the head. The elbows are a 90 degree rotating joint and there is a swivel in the wrist.
The helmet is well engineered to sit onto the head naturally and not look over-sized. The chin strap hooks neatly under the figures chin.
There is no torso joint and I understand why as it would have ruined the flow
When you consider the arrival of The Black Series Tarkin - these guys are
of the tunic. Instead we get a rotating waist, hidden under the belt, and this
going to be used for flanking him - making army building a plus too,
allows the torso to be rotated - all the way round if you want. The hips are
particularly when they are put out on the standard box packaging. Will
jointed and even under the small skirt of the tunic you can get the
Hasbro consider an alternative head at this point? I doubt it, but it would be
Commander to kneel or squat. The knees are double jointed and the ankles
a nice nod to Army Builders. So would be throwing in a Mouse Droid (hope
on a rocker - the Commander is one of the most stable figures I have had for
they are listening)...
a while - no floppy joints here.
While I appreciate the initial plan for this figure was accuracy to the original
I love the Death Squad Commander both from a nostalgia point of view, and
Kenner 12 releases - he is a worthy addition to the Black Series, and gives
also as a genuine release in his own right. I score him 4 out of 5..
something different to the Imperials who have been dominated by armoured troopers since the line kicked off 4-years ago. Another huge plus is the Death Star Troopers recent appearance in Rogue One, and that allows these figures to go as much on a Rogue One shelf with Krennic as they are with the Original Trilogy Imperials.
Checkout the alternative covers that didn’t make the front page this week
Issue 57 : Saturday 1st July, 2017