Revoltech, Japanese maker of all things figures, have started a new Star Wars line. At least, I’m pretty sure they are, given that their first figure, Darth Vader, is labeled “#001.” That probably means there’s more to come. Revoltech has done a great job in the past of creating pose-able figures that also look great. Vader, thankfully, is no exception. He’s got lots of great poses, and about the only nitpick I have is the cape: it looks great in the default position, but when bent along the hinges, it creates some gaps. Nothing terrible, but I suppose that’s the price you pay for a cool sculpted cape instead of a cloth one. You can pre-order Vader here — he comes out in December. Read more…
Threezero, who has frequently collaborated with Ashley Wood under the company ThreeA, has been doing some amazing work. Their figures have been fantastically done and have been both original and based off of existing popular culture. Threezero’s latest work? An Atlas titan from Titanfall. It stands 20 inches tall with its base (and 18″ without), has over 100 articulation points, light-up cockpit and eyes, an openable front hatch, and a 6 inch fully poseable pilot to fit inside. That’s right, you get a figure to go inside your other bigger figure. Pre-orders are open now on Threezero’s shop, and it’ll run you $430, not including shipping. So, uh, it’s pricey, but I think if there’s any Titanfall model to own, it’s this one. Check out some videos of it below. Read more…
Now here’s an excellent adventurer to add to your collection: Max Factory’s figma version of Indiana Jones! At around 6-inches, this is one of the most poseable and detailed figures for that size. It of course features Indy in his distinctive hat, but it appears to be modeled onto his head and not removable, which is a shame. Also included are the various relics and artifacts he’s picked up in his adventure, like the Holy Grail and the golden idol. Since Figma parts are often interchangeable between figures, I can’t wait to see how people mix Indy in with the other figures Max Factor has made! Check out more images below, and pre-order it here or here. Read more…
With the Amazing Spider-Man 2 on the way along with Transformers: Age of Extinction, Hasbro is gearing up their toy lines to coincide with the movies. Often times, the result is that the public’s first looks at characters is in toy form. So with Hasbro’s party recently, a lot of pics came out showing figures of the Green Goblin, Carnage, and Black Cat. We know Carnage isn’t in the next film, and we’ve only heard rumors of the Green Goblin, but these could be what these villains will look like eventually. So tread lightly, because spoilers abound! Also, there’s a powered-up Optimus Prime figure. No word on if he’ll actually have a crazy sword-thing in the movie. Read more…
Greedo arrives! Hasbro’s The Black Series of Star Wars figures has been fairly impressive. They’re 6-inch scale figures of everyone’s favorites from the various films. Wave 1 featured Luke, R2-D2, Darth Maul, and a Sandtrooper. Wave 2 seems to feature Boba Fett (which is debuting at SDCC) and Han Solo, but Greedo won’t arrive till wave 3. If you’re looking for Star Wars figures that look good but don’t break the budget, these are a pretty solid bet. I also like the minimalist packaging for the figures as well. Check out a few more images below! Read more…
Did you miss on the Figma Link figure last year? And now you want something just as cool? Medicom is releasing a Link figure as part of their Real Action Heroes line, featuring real cloth clothing and he stands nearly a foot high in size. Really impressive work! The price tag is also pretty impressive, at ¥19,800 (a little over $200). But it’s certainly one of the best Link figures out there, and will be a great centerpiece to any setup. If you’re ready to plop down the cash, Amiami is (of this writing) still taking pre-orders and Otacute’s will open soon. Happy hunting! Read more…
Now here’s an impressive Doctor Who figure for your collection from the folks at Big Chief: the 10th Doctor, in 1:6 scale. It’s their third figure in the series (after Amy Pond and the 11th Doctor), and is limited to 1000 units. They did an excellent job on the sculpt here, and even though there’s only one face to choose from, it’s probably the best one you could go with for David Tennant anyway. This figure releases in July for £169.99. They do ship outside of Europe, so don’t worry, you can still order it and get your Doctor Who fix. Check out some more images below! Read more…
How much do you like Charizard? If you’re a Pokemon fan, these excellent D-Arts figures are probably right up your alley. Their previous Mewtwo figure was an awesome model that was really well-sculpted, and this new Charizard looks to be just as good. Super-poseable and brightly colored, I think this will be an excellent addition to any Pokemon fan’s collection. He’s set for release in April, but you can pre-order him now on Amiami, so you can have a reserve when he eventually arrives. Now, what Pokemon are they going to release next? Maybe a trainer? Read more…
Looking for the perfect figure to top off your Pokemon collection? Well if you weren’t, you are now. This new figure from D-Arts of Mewtwo is.. well… awesome. It’s got a ridiculous amount of articulation and in general looks solid. He comes with a projectile, a Pokemon stand, and if you pre-order in the first wave, a small figure of Mew will come included as well. Sadly, it looks like he’s sold out at most of the usual haunts online, but if you keep an eye out you might be able to catch one. Mewtwo releases in March for ¥3,990. Read more…
Sailor Moon has been coming back in a big way, especially with the new anime series peeking over the horizon. Bandai is jumping in the pool with something I know a lot of fans have been clamoring for: a poseable Sailor Moon action figure! All we have so far is this image fresh from Tamashi Nation, in which you can also see what looks to be a Chibi Arts Sailor Moon in the background as well. I’m sure prices and release dates will be announced very soon, but for now you’ll just have to drool over this. Tomopop is also saying they’re hearing rumors of the other Inner Senshi/Scouts being announced too. Excellent! Read more…
The other day, on their Facebook page, Kotobukiya revealed their latest New 52 ArtFX+ figure: The Flash! It looks to be in line with their other ArtFX+ figures, at 7.5 inches tall. It’s a pretty nice sculpt, nothing too fancy, but my first thought was “isn’t he supposed to be moving?” It seems the Flash would lend himself to a more dynamic pose easily. I know, I know, he has to match his pose with the rest of the figures. The Flash will be available in February 2013. More images below! Read more…
How would you like to have Game of Thrones-favorite, Tyrion Lannister, as a statue for your desk or display case? Dark Horse will soon be releasing a 10-inch figure of “the Imp” on February 20th featuring Tyrion in his ‘battle pose’ as he leads the defense of King’s Landing. While it’s great to see a model of Tyrion, it still looks a little off in the face to me. Perhaps I’m just spoiled by Hot Toy’s face sculpting! Tyrion Lannister will retail for $199.99 and can be pre-ordered here. Read more…
We all love Whose Line Is It Anyway, right? I enjoy Colin Mochrie’s delightful sense of abrupt humor, and what could be a better way to lift your spirits this weekend than to see him goofily reenact Star Wars with Kenner action figures. It’s perfect. Also, George Lucas being an Ewok is now canon – I will accept no other explanations. Read more…
Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World in Orland are still going on (till June 16th, so not much longer!), so pay attention if you’d like to see yourself frozen in carbonite. They’re set up a great attraction where they photograph your face, and then make a model out of it, so you can have your own action figure of you in the famous frozen Han Solo pose. The catch? It’s only for Star Wars Weekends, you have to make a reservation, and it’s $100 per figure (8 inches tall). Is it worth it? Depends how big of a Star Wars fan you are, but this seems like a very cool event to me. Read more…
If you polled kids and asked them about their favorite fictional characters, I’m gonna guess Darth Vader and Batman would be pretty high up on the list. Now if you combine the two? You get the Darth Knight, an amazingly detailed custom action figure by John Harmon at Mint Condition Customs. This model stands 6 inches tall and would probably eat your other action figures for breakfast. If you were wanting to get your hands on this figure, though, you’re out of luck, as he’s already been sold. Better get cracking on making your own! Read more…
If you’re a Persona fan, Bandai’s D-Arts series probably just made your day: take a look at this stellar figure of Thanatos from Persona 3. They did a great job replicating him in plastic, especially the coffins and chains above him. There’s not a whole lot of extra features listed for it, but when the figure looks this good, I’m sure I need them. If you’re looking to pre-order him, be sure to do so soon. Read more…
Given that it’s Metroid’s 25th anniversary this year (poor Samus gets overshadowed by Zelda), it’s great to see somebody else giving our favorite video game bounty hunter some love. If you’re more in the mood for something sexy, Good Smile is releasing a 1/6 PVC of Zero Suit Samus in June 2012. More interested in functional? Max Factory is bringing a figma of Samus in her trademark outfit sometime in 2012. Both of these figures are fantastic, so no matter which one you get (or both!) you can’t go wrong. Read more…
If you’re looking for the ultimate gift for the Spider-Man fan in your life, this may just be the ticket. Sadly, it doesn’t come out till the second quarter of 2012, but this Black Suit version of Spider-Man from Spider-Man 3 is one of the best Spideys I’ve seen. The joints are all hidden under the fabric of the suit, which looks fantastic. Not only that, the sculpted head of Tobey Maguire is up to the usual Hot Toys standard of ‘looking almost as real as the person’s actual face.’ Read more…
Feast your eyes on Big Chief’s Doctor Who Limited Edition Eleventh Doctor collectible figure. From the sculpt itself to the accessories, it’s about as high-end as it gets — I’d even say it’s almost on par with some of the Hot Toys figures we’ve been seeing recently. Of course, it’ll cost you about as much as one too. A special signature edition of the 1:6th scale figure retails for roughly $265 without shipping, while the less expensive limited edition will run for only $233. Both of them should be hitting the market around December or early January. To make up for that asking price, the signature edition includes a plaque hand-signed by Smith, while both figures will come with several interchangeable hands, and numerous accessories like the Doctor’s invitation to Lake Silencio, a sonic screwdriver, and more — sorry, no fez or stetson. The signature edition will be incredibly limited in supply as only 250 units are being produced. Ironically, the limited edition may not be so limited in number. If you want to get yours hands on one, head over to the official Big Chief website and sign up to pre-order yours today. Read more…
There are a lot of people that can call themselves an otaku, but branding, up to designing a personal mascot is definitely something that can be done if a person is quite serious about this niche hobby. Meet Otaku Dan, a blogger who I know who has one cool mascot, and interesting blog entries to share. Here are some of his opinions, and thoughts from an email interview. Read more…
As far as toy makers go, Hots Toys has a reputation of being among the best. The company may charge us an arm and a leg, but their attention to detail is second to none. Each figure they produce is painstaking crafted with photorealism in mind, making them frighteningly accurate. One could easily find themselves confusing a photo of a toy for the real thing — their 2009 The Dark Knight Joker comes to mind. They recently unveiled two new designs for their Bruce Lee line, and both are absolutely stunning. One features Lee in casual attire, the other in a suit. While neither figure are available for preorder quite yet — they’re scheduled for Fall — the Enter the Dragonversion will available for preorder on April 1st.
Last weekend marked Tokyo’s 2011 Winter Wonder Festival, a show dedicated specifically Japan’s booming toy market. There, skilled artisans are allowed to sell their custom garage kit models while companies like Kotobukiya and Max Factory show off their upcoming product lines. One of the more popular lines would be Max Factory’s Figmas. The big selling point on these figures, in addition to being incredibly affordable, is their small joint sizes, allowing for good amount of articulation. They also tend to come with interchangable parts — such as heads, or arms — and accessories to match each figure.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Feb 6, 2011 in Comic Books
Well, ComicsAlliance hit the jackpot here — sometimes you just find something so ridiculous it makes Electric Superman look like a good idea. A reader sent them concept art for an unreleased 1985 superhero action figure line from Kenner, only these aren’t just any action figures. These are grim, bizarre “anti-hero” versions of five beloved DC Comics heroes. Well, four beloved heroes and Firestorm, anyway. Each has a “Road Warrior” version, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like; Batman’s Road Warrior outfit, for example, is straight out of Mad Max, with a helmet that looks suspiciously like Humungus’, and knives for ears. The other variations are “futuristic” and “robot” versions, which can get downright bizarre when you’re dealing with someone like Cyborg, who is already half-robot to begin with. Wonder Woman probably gets the worst treatment of the bunch. Read more…
As a Japanophile of some record, when I first heard the words ‘Super Shogun Stormtrooper,’ my first mental image was of the samurai Darth Vader swag and costumes I’ve seen around over the years. I further extrapolated that a Super Shogun Stormtrooper would be something along those lines: a Japanese-inspired Stormtrooper redesign. How cool is that? Might go nice in a glass cabinet, right? Geeky, but with a bit of class!
