Issue 67 : Saturday 25th November, 2017
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists newfound ally Diana Prince to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes -- Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash -- it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions. The team at Mezco have confirmed a number of new One:12 Collective 6" figures based on the Justice League movie (17th November release). We had seen Aquaman at the New York Toy Fair, but the Mezco blog confirmed he would be joined by Tactical Suit Batman and The Flash. There are no images of Batman or Flash as yet - but they will come with all the usual attention to detail that Mezco lavishes on these One:12 releases along with a wealth of accessories.
The One:12 Collective Justice League Aquaman figure features a film accurate sculpt and costuming. The figure also comes equipped with his legendary trident and Mother Box, as well as a display base with logo and adjustable display post.
"In true Mezco fashion we’ve taken three of the Justice League members and are in the process of producing them as One:12 Collective figures. Aquaman, Tactical Suit Batman, and The Flash will all have One:12 collective figures based on them, featuring their costumes , gadgets, and weapons from the film with incredible attention to detail. "
As The Justice League hits cinema's, Mezco have opened up the pre-orders for their first Justice League figure - Aquaman. As with any One:12 release, Aquaman is in 6" scale and comes with 30 points of articulation and soft goods clothing with sculpted armour parts over the top. You get one head sculpt of Arthur Curry, and then a number of hand options including swimming hands and fists. He comes with his Trident and a Mother-Box. The usual display stand is included. Aquaman is scheduled for Summer 2018 release - between June and August. US pre-orders can be placed now with Mezco direct for $80. Expect UK pre-orders to open soon around the £70-£80 price point.
Mezco are not stopping with Daredevil from the Netflix Marvel properties, and have confirmed the next figure in the series will be The Punisher. While there are no images as yet, the figure will be based on Jon Bernthal's appearance in his own series (released 17th November) rather than his appearance during Daredevil Season 2.
"With such positive reception to the character from the second season of Daredevil, creating The Punisher as a One:12 Figure was a no brainer. However, the figure will be based how the character appears in his own solo series once his identity as The Punisher has been fully assumed after his origin story arc of Daredevil Season two. The figure is still in development so we don’t have any picture of the figure yet, but our One:12 Daredevil figure based on the Netflix series Daredevil has been showcased at previous events."
In Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, Hulk finds himself stranded on the planet Sakaar. Celebrated as an undefeated hero in their coliseum, he spends two years without changing back into Dr. Banner. Now he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the mighty Thor! The One:12 Collective Ragnarok Hulk figure captures both the character’s uniquely massive physique and his richly detailed costume. Because of Hulk’s larger than life presence he is made with a newly created One:12 Collective body. In addition to spiked battle axe and war maul, he features a crested helmet permanently affixed to his 2nd head portrait.
After releasing full details of their Ragnarok Thor figure on the release day of the movie, Mezco have now confirmed the details of the Hulk companion piece. Hulk will be released in the 1/12 scale and will stand over 20cm (7 3/4") high. He will come decked out in the Sakaar gladiatorial armour and will have a standard head, and an angry helmeted head. He will be armed ready to face Thor with his Battle Axe and Maul. There will be swap out hands for these weapons, and for bare knuckle fighting with one pair a set of clenched fists. The usual Mezco One:12 display base and post will also be included. Hulk is scheduled for a Summer 2018 release, and US pre-orders are up now for $125. Expect to pay over £100 when UK orders go up. THE ONE:12 COLLECTIVE RAGNAROK HULK FIGURE FIGURE FEATURES: ● An all new One:12 Collective body accurately depicting the character’s massive physical build. ● Two (2) head portraits. ● Over 28 points of articulation ● Hand painted authentic detailing ● Over 20cm tall ● Six (6) interchangeable hands including ○ One (1) pair of fists (L&R) ○ One (1) pair of posing hands style #1 (L&R) ○ One (1) pair of holding hands (L&R) ACCESSORIES: ● One (1) spiked battle axe ● One (1) war maul ● One (1) One:12 Collective display base with logo ● One (1) One:12 Collective adjustable display post Each One:12 Collective Ragnarok Hulk figure is packaged in a collector friendly box, designed with collectors in mind there are no twist ties for easy in and out of package display.
The next Marvel movie will be Black Panther in February 2018, and Diamond Select Toys will be releasing a 7" Select figure of Black Panther in their Select MCU range. Up to now, all we had seen of this figure was a silhouette. Now Diamond have given us the first proper look at T'Challa. He will come with the standard 16 points of articulation, swap out hands and the usual diorama which is a mix of Wakanda technology and rocks. We aren't sure if this is still representative of the "Warriors Falls" as per the first blurb we saw on this figure. The release date says Spring 2018. Based on current run-rate - excluding the protracted Guardians figures - the Select are running about 3 months after the movie release, so May will be the safest bet. He will be priced as per normal, around $25 in US, £22-£25 here in UK.
To date, Beast Kingdom have been best known for their Egg Attack diecast/plastic figures from a number of popular Marvel, DC and other film licences. They are now expanding their product range to a new set of figures called Dynamic 8action Heroes - the 8 in the word "action" seemingly relating to the size of these figures which are in a 1/9th scale. Each figure is made in a mix of diecast and plastic and will come with accessories, stand and appropriate FX pieces. The first licence that will get the Dynamic 8ction Heroes treatment are the new DC movies - launching in December 2017 with figures from Batman vs Superman - an Armoured Batman, Batman. Wonder Woman and Superman. We will then get an exclusive "damaged" version of the Armoured Batman in March 2018. These will be followed in May 2018 with characters from the newly released Justice League - Beast Kingdom will give us a new Batman in his Tactical Suit, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg and a Steppenwolf. US prices on these are between $52.99 and $69.99. Here in the UK we will be paying £55 to £75.
the king of Wakanda joins the Marvel Select action figure line, allowing you to recreate the action of the movie! This 7-inch scale action figure of T’Challa features 16 points of articulation, and comes packaged with a diorama combining Wakanda’s technology and rocky terrain. t will come packaged in the famous Select action figure packaging, with side-panel artwork for easy shelf reference, and it was sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios. Coming this spring exclusively to comic shops and specialty stores, pre-order today!
Yakface.com have revealed the makeup of the first Star Wars Black Series wave of 2018. This 15th Wave will apparently keep the Phase 3 packaging and will include at least three new figures. We've updated our 2018 page with this new info from Yakface.com The January 2018 release will bring us the general release of Captain Rex complete with new face printing technology. There will be DJ from The Last Jedi, and Rey in her Resistance Base (Journey to Ahch-to) outfit from The Force Awakens. The wave will be the newer 8 figure assortment, and the other 5 figures are presently touted as repacks. These will be the recent figures of Lando and The Imperial Guard - good news for those who didn't get these in the summer of 2017 or who want to expand their Imperial Guard forces. Less welcome is the repack of The Last Jedi Sergeant Poe - originally released in Wave 13 and already peg-warming in some stores. The final two figures are from the start of Phase 3 back in 2015 - Captain Phasma and the First Order Stormtrooper. Now while these are most likely repacks, I am still going to hold out some minor hope of them at least being tweaked. The FO Trooper could be updated with the new head sculpt that we've seen on the Executioner figure and in the Amazon box set. Phasma could get a revised paint job and/or be packed with her new staff weapon. Considering the 8 figures in the wave, it seems DJ will be the chase figure followed by Rey and Rex. The rest are most likely going to peg warm, particularly the Phasma and Trooper figures IF there is no tweak. We await full details on Wave 15 and if this is a January release then pre-orders should go up very soon.
Over on their under-used Pulse website, Hasbro have revealed the boxed image and full details of their first Marvel Legends 6" figure and vehicle pack of Black Widow. Widow will come with two head options - classic longer hair and more recent short hair version - as well as her sleek bike. The box is a blown up version of the standard Legends packaging with scooped side panels and Black Widow logo front and centre. The set is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2018.
Joining Black Widow as the first two releases in the Marvel Legends vehicle line is this stunning Ghost Rider and his Hell Cycle. Like Widow, you can see the basic design principles of the Legends line in the packaging with the large window with Ghost Rider logo at the front, and of course those scalloped sides. The Hell Cycles handlebars look to be packed separately, most likely as they are wider than the packaging. Ghost Rider comes with his chain whip. ETA on this and Widow is Spring 2018.
UK collectors wanting to get their hands on the Star Wars Black Series 6" exclusive Inferno Squad Agent figure have a new avenue as GAME put the figure up for sale on the launch day for Battlefront II - 17th November. The figure is ÂŁ29.99 plus delivery, but that is preferable to the cost of bringing the item in from Gamestop US as the UPS import admin charges will make this a very expensive figure. As well as ordering online, the figure is available in stores while stock lasts.
Star Wars Black Series 6" Executioner figure is showing up on the Tesco website for ÂŁ20 (in stock) and part of their 3 for 2 offer on toys. This figure is a US Target exclusive and had only been available through a few independents up until this point. We can confirm now that this is an Exclusive for Tesco here in the UK and is stickered up as such as the image below (shared by Jonno77777 on instagram) confirms. As yet these are online only but the sticker suggests they will hit stores also? We await the first reports of these being found.
Funko are branching out to yet another type of collectible figure with these new Mortal Kombat figures.,
We are very close now to the arrival of the first Bucky O'Hare figures from Boss Fight Studios. The team at Boss Fight have also been sharing some early prototype samples for the next few figures - Dead Eye Duck and the Toad Trooper. If you haven't pre-ordered the first pair of figures, you can still do so in the UK via our good friends at Kapow Toys
The figures are about 5 1/2" high and come on a retro feel blister card. The style is difficult to categorise, but they certainly borrow from the type of over-exaggerated muscle bound figures we saw in the mid-80's, Masters of the Universe in particular. The first wave (assuming these are expanded) will include 5 figures. They are Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, Liu Kang and Kitana. Most come with weaponry of some description. They will retail in the US at $14.99, so expect to pay ÂŁ12 or so here in UK. Release date is set for February 2018,
NECA's 1/4 scale Homecoming Spider-Man will be swinging into stores (in the US at least) next month, and NECA have just unveiled the packaging that will be used on the figure. Based off the film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spidey comes to life in this fantastic 1:4 scale action figure! Featuring over 30 points of articulation, this amazing figure can be posed in multiple ways and customized using the included accessories.
SH Figuarts have released the promotional images for their 1/12 scale Superman figure. The figure is based on his appearance in Justice League. He will come with a cloth cape with added wire armature so the cape can be posed. He has two facial sculpts - and these are specifically quoted as interchangeable faces rather than heads. One will be the normal face, the other is an "angered" look. Also included are four additional hands. He is scheduled for a July 2018 release and has a US pre-order price (via Bluefin) of $60. UK price will be circa £50-£60.
While not as extensive as Figuarts or MAFEX, Yamaguchi have been pushing out some very impressive Marvel figures of late including Deadpool. Wolverine, Spider Gwen and most recently, Captain America. It seems that their 8th figure is this very nice looking Carnage in 2018. No more release details are known at this stage, but based on the due date for Captain America this figure is not likely to see stores until late Spring / early Summer.
Next in the dynamic S.H.Figuarts Justice League line-up is the iconic caped superhero, Superman! Sculpted in meticulous detail and featuring an unparalleled range of movement (including the articulated cape), Superman's design is as he appears in the latest movie "Justice League". Also included, is an additional "angered" interchangeable face part, as well as 4 additional hands.
Medicom will be releasing a 1/12 MAFEX figure of Robocop in September 2018 The release will include swap out parts to display Robocop as factory fresh, or with damaged chest and helmet pieces. He will come with his trademark gun and while the holster doesn't look like it will work in the way the NECA release does - there are parts to interchange to reflect Robocop drawing his weapon from the thigh section. The gun will also get a flash muzzle FX piece. For accessing Police terminals, the right hand will have the spike option. The figure is priced at 8,424 Yen - that is £56 / $75, but add some on to this for import and delivery.
What is clear is that there is no shirking on the accessories packed in with Carnage. There is a wealth of symbiotic parts and weaponry as well as hand options and swap out eye variants to change his expression. While not as bulky as the Venom release. we would expect the Carnage figure to be a similar price of around $85 / £70
Arriving a month earlier than Luke, in April 2018, is this new version of Darth Vader from A New Hope. SH Figuarts will be bringing us a new The Last Jedi Luke Skywalker in 2018, dressed in his "Jedi Exile" darker robes from the movie.
This is a 2nd Darth Vader release from Figuarts and this new version will get a soft goods robe and will also come with his lightsaber.
Beware Battlefront II spoilers below
The price on Vader is $5940, but expect UK and US prices to be around £60 / $60 once imported.
Luke will include a soft goods inner robe and hood. He will come with two versions of the compass he receives in the Battlefront II story mode to find Ahch-To - one open and one closed. There is then a device of some kind with a rope which remains a mystery at this stage. Luke will get a May 2018 release and will be 6480 yen in Japan. US will likely get a Bluefin release around $60 and UK customers should expect to pay £60.
While SH FIguarts seem keen to support the latest Star Wars movies, it is nice to see them continue to release figures from the other movie’s in the saga - and go back and redo figures they’ve released in the past. We await more details on these two and what else 2018 has in store.
Review : Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Toys R Us Exclusive (US) Released : November 2017 ÂŁ54.99 (import / independent price)
The character names are in red bold as Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer. This same red text is repeated on the left spine just behind the wrap around part of the window. There is a faint outline on this left spine where the word Ackbar is printed in large print and in very dark grey against the black backdrop.
"It's a Trap!" Let's get that out of the way first as we welcome Admiral Ackbar to the 6" Black Series line. Amongst the raft of exclusives announced for the last 3-months of 2017, this is the one I have been looking forward to the most - and is at the time of writing the hardest to get hold of for UK collectors. The Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer set is an exclusive to Toys R Us in the US and in Australia. At this stage there is now UK release, and going off other boxed exclusives like the Astromech pack or the Cantina 2-pack, this is more likely not to arrive in UK stores who only seem to get the single carded figure exclusives such as Snowtrooper Officer, Hover Tank Pilot and Commander Gree.
The right spine is gloss red as usual. As this is an exclusive there is no numbering, just a repeat of the character names under a shaded box. Round the back and we get a diagonal split to cover both characters. Akbar sits to the left under the Star Wars Black Series logo. We get a larger version of the Gregory Titus illustration along with a short blurb about the Admiral's role after Return of the Jedi and his current role within the Resistance. This is repeated in three other languages.
The box is essentially an elongated version of a standard box. The bottom rail is however slimmer than the one we are currently seeing. The artwork sits to the bottom right and has Ackbar forward with the First Order officer to the rear. The Star Wars Black logo sits centrally on the top black rail. Unlike other exclusives with varying box designs and sizes - this one should still sit with your single releases and other similar multi-packs.
The right side is the First Order Officer. Here we get a generic image of the officer - the likeness on the illustration is not a clear resemblance to the figure and you wonder which came first the figure or the drawing. The blurb here talks more general around the "officers of the First Order military forces" and their "allegiance to Supreme Leader Snoke". A new feature on this pack is that both of these panels have the character name headed above the blurb in a red box rather than simply white text on the black background.
A circular silver embossed sticker has been placed on the window between the two figures. This confirms it as a Toys R Us exclusive. This is the first time I have seen this sticker since the 2015 Snowtrooper officer. I am reliably told that Toys R Us staff add this themselves, so there will be variations in position and some stocks with none at all.
We open the pack as usual and slide the figures out in their gloss red backing card. Both figures are held into the inner tray by the tray itself - no twisty ties here - and their respective weapons are placed at the sides at head height.
The exposed skin of the arm is sculpted as well as the head with more fronds and that lobster type panel with the spikes. There is less orange variation here paint wise, but they still look good and have the spikes and fingernails picked out in a darker grey colour.
Hasbro have always delivered excellent sculpting on the Alien's in the Black Series 6" line, but they have gone one better here with this Mon Calamari sculpt which is nothing short of exceptional. The head is well proportioned and carries a wealth of detail from the fronds round the mouth, to the folds of skin and the overall texture of the amphibious head. What makes it is the eye which is glass like and so expressive and peers out from the ringed bulbous eye sockets. I can't count the number of paint colours used on the head with varying tones of orange across the head and adding shadow and light in the right places. The eye itself is bright yellow with a white ringed back pupil. Our images may make you think there is a white spot in the centre of each eye - but this is purely a reflection of the light as the eyes is so glass like.
The head itself is not articulated in the usual way - and while it doesn't turn, it is designed so the Admiral can open its mouth. We've seen this type of engineering on a few 3.75" figures and it seems to have been scaled up for Ackbar. Essentially the head is in two halves and the top bit sits on a neck peg with a joint that moves it backwards. As it does this it opens the mouth as the lower jaw section is pushed forward. This just enhances the figure even more for me as you can alter Ackbar's expression with the jaw movement as you wish. Because of the design the lower jaw can feel a little loose when the mouth is opened - this is normal (I think) and necessary to allow the mouth to move the way it does.
This is a Last Jedi release, meaning that Ackbar is seen in his Resistance uniform and not the classic white from Return of the Jedi. It is also a different design to what we saw in The Force Awakens so no doubling up here with your displays. While the head was superbly detailed, the uniform is a little less so. The tunic section is sculpted with a realistic approach to where you'd expect to see creases and folds - particularly where it goes into the belt and where it bunches around the elbows. The tunic is a single olive green colour with the rank badge in a light blue shade with white and darker blue details. There is a plain brown belt around Ackbar's waist and that tucks into the front panel as seen on screen. From under the base of the tunic we get blue trousers, again with the right creasing and folded detail you'd expect. These are also a single tone colour, no washes or highlights. The ankle boots carry a fair bit of detail with some strapping and panelling. They are very similar to what we saw on some Endor Troopers and are two tone brown with the top being a lighter colour to the feet section which is also glossier.
The rest of the articulation on Ackbar is standard fare - 16 points in total including that jaw. Arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, rotating single elbow joint and pivot wrists. The wrists are the most mobile I've seen on a Black Series figure, helped somewhat by the girth of the arms We have a torso joint secreted behind the belt and this isn't just a swivel, it also pivots up and down adding lean either forward or backward. The legs are ball jointed hips with thigh swivels. These are behind the lower half of the tunic - which does mean the thigh swivel is hidden, but also means there is a restriction on the upper legs. The tunic is a softer plastic however, and with double jointed knees and very articulated rocker ankles you can get Ackbar to kneel or crouch. He stands perfectly well and you can feel a ratchet in the ankles holding them in place.
Ackbar is armed with a modified DH-17 blaster, as used by the Resistance. I believe this is a debut for this weapon in the range, with other Resistance figures to date coming with the larger Blas-tech rifles. It is also a differing sculpt to the one packed with the Death Squad Commander. It is cast in a black plastic, which does have some give in it - but nowhere near the flexible weaponry we saw in 2015. There are some details picked out in silver around the barrel, grip and on the sights. Even with his Mon Calamari hands, Ackbar has been designed so he can hold this blaster in his right hand quite well. We are missing the usual trigger finger, so it can look a little odd from some angles. There is no holster for him to stow the weapon - and I suspect many collectors will discard this to the accessory box.
Up close the uniform carries some nice detail. The more obvious canisters to either side of the chest, to more subtle panelling and seams and the bunching of the trousers around the upper legs before they are tucked into the glossy black boots. The whole thing is a soft grey colour and has no further paint effects. The belt breaks up the grey of the uniform and is painted in black with a gunmetal buckle. For some reason the buckle appears off centre which you wouldn't expect from the regimented First Order? There is a holster hanging from the belt.
Ackbar has never been one for weapons, so while I appreciate the pack in rather than nothing - it might have been nicer to apply some licence and give us his staff as we all remember from the vintage release way back in the early 80's
While not advertised on the box, the hat is actually removable. It is cast in a soft rubber material, and the head is then cast as bald with a very light stubble and these two factors combine to a very snug fit with no obvious oversizing issues you often get with removable head gear.
The second figure in the pack is the First Order Trooper. This figure is very nonspecific and is not named, and is more of a generic army builder than anything else. The facial sculpt is nicer than it looks in hand, but is quite cartoonish with the large eyes and heavily painted eyebrows. Round the sides under the cap you can see some shading to represent a shaved head. The only other colouring is the pinker tone on the lips. The hat is plain grey and carries a First Order decal front and centre. This is cast in grey and there is a gloss black peak to the cap. From the head downwards, the entire body is a direct re-use of the Finn in First Order disguise from Wave 13. It reflects the uniform we see in The Force Awakens and into The Last Jedi for what we assume are lower ranking officers.
Articulation is 16 points as standard. The head is ball jointed and can be rotated with or without hat - and it pivots up and down by some way so he can be posed looking up or down. Arm movement is good, but as an officer you most likely will stick to neutral posing or that hands behind the back "attention" stance. The torso does have a joint disguises by the belt - but unlike Ackbar, there is no useful movement - in fact it feels stuck and when I turn mine he flicks back to the front. It reminds me of at the 1980's action features they put on He-Man or Wrestling figures for a spring-loaded punching action. Legs are ball jointed hips, followed by thigh swivels, very well hidden double jointed knees and ankle rockers. This allows for a good level of wider stances and some crouching with the lower half of the jacket cast in softer rubber so the outfit moves to a degree with the leg movement. In the previous set of images I've shown a blown up image of his wrist where he is wearing a wrist band with some Aurebesh symbols on it. According to Action Figure Blues Episode 298, this has been translated as "Dillon" - the significance of this is currently unknown.
Scoring two packs is always hard. Had this been a single Ackbar release, he would have walked a 5 star review with barely any criticism. The Officer on the other hand is good and better than I was expecting - but it is not great and looks dated with its cartoonish head sculpt and will stand out even more when we start getting into the face print technology - he would have scored a 3. I think the answer here is to split the difference and award the set a 4 out of 5. Ackbar is the star, with the First Order Officer along to make up the numbers. Like any exclusive where there is no wider UK release, price is a crucial factor and my score is assuming you can grab this set for no more than the ÂŁ55 I paid via Amazon. I now look forward to the inevitable release of a Return of the Jedi Ackbar and quite possibly a tweak to a Force Awakens versions?
The First Order Officer comes with a small blaster - the same one we got in early 2016 with Hux. It is cast in grey with some black paint added to the grip and rear section. This fits into the right hand of the Officer, but due to the smaller size it's tricky to get his flexible trigger finger into the trigger.
You can order the set direct from Amazon for shipping in US and to the UK (link working at time of publication)
When not in use the blaster fits into the holster on the belt. This is a snug fit, but due to the shape of the lower coat the blaster is almost bent when placed in and will distort over time - you may want to leave the blaster sat a little higher in the holster rather than pushing it all the way through.
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