Suddenly and without warning, it’s an all new Toy News Tuesday! We’re the one weekly column right here on ScienceFiction.com where we seek out all of the awesome news you need to know about any announcements and cool happenings in the toy industry and put them all in one easy to find place for you! As we move into April, we hope you didn’t fall for too many April Fools jokes last week! We’ve opted to be kind to you all and not give any fake toy news, but rather only the best of the best kinds of toy news so that you don’t miss anything too important! This week has been especially good for us, as some of our favorite companies had some phenomenal new announcements for new waves of toys! We won’t waste any more of your time, let’s get right to the Toy News for the week of April 5th, 2016!
Marvel Minimates Get More Animated
While many of us are still scouring our local Walgreens for Wave 2 of their exclusive line of Marvel Animated Minimates, Diamond Select Toys has gone right ahead and announced Marvel Animated Minimates Wave 2.5! This new wave will include lots of fan favorite characters, including a few that have never been made as a Minimate before! This wave includes Nighthawk with Thor, Iron Man with Power Princess, SHIELD Armor Spiderman with Power Man, and Spyder-Knight with Manthing! Check out the full release from DST below:
Marvel Animated Minimates Series 2.5 Revealed as Series 2 Hits Walgreens!
The Marvel Animated Universe is expanding at Walgreens! With Series 2 of Marvel Animated Minimates shipping to stores now, Diamond Select Toys is ready to officially announce Series 2.5 of the Walgreens-exclusive mini-figure line! The all-new assortment features two-packs from Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man, including Super Heroes, Super Villains and the first-ever Minimates of the Squadron Supreme!
Series 2.5 will include four different two-packs, each containing two 2-inch Minimates mini-figures. The assortment includes:
– From Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Thor will come packaged with the Squadron Supreme’s Nighthawk. This is the first Minimate of Nighthawk ever made! Thor will include an alternate hair piece and his hammer Mjolnir, and Nighthawk will feature a removable mask.
– Also from Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Iron Man faces off with the Squadron’s Power Princess. This is the first poseable figure of Power Princess ever made in any toy line! Both characters’ helmets are removable, and Power Princess will include her hammer and an alternate hair piece.
– From Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man, SHIELD Armor Spider-Man comes with his teammate Power Man! Spider-Man comes with a blaster, and Power Man includes an alternate head with a new facial expression.
– Also from Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man, the medieval hero Spyder-Knight teams up with Man-Thing, one of SHIELD’s Howling Commandos. These are the first Spyder-Knight and Man-Thing Minimates ever made!
Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features fully interchangeable parts, so you can trade accessories and create custom looks. Minimates also feature a standard 14 points of articulation, to strike a variety of poses, and each Minimate comes with a clear disc base that pegs into the character’s foot to support dynamic poses.
Look for Series 2.5 to arrive in all Walgreens stores in summer 2016. Series 2 is shipping to stores now, with Gamora and Drax from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy; Iron Spider and Taskmaster from Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man; and Black Widow, Thanos, Dark Thor and Dark Iron Man from Marvel’s Avengers Assemble! Find your nearest store at Walgreens.com!
Hot Toys Are Thinking Small
With Marvel’s mega blockbuster ‘Captain America: Civil War’ just a few weeks away from release, all of the coolest toys based on the film are being announced from some of our favorite companies! The latest figure for the film comes in the form of Hot Toys all-new 1:6th scale Antman figure! This figure includes both a helmeted and unmasked head, a miniature Antman figure, alternate hands, and more! Check out the full release from Hot Toys below:
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe being divided over the rising concern of collateral damage caused by the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, fans will finally witness the epic showdown between Captain America and Iron Man when the two heroes hold different views on the system of accountability to oversee the Avengers.
Today Hot Toys is excited to officially present the new 1/6th scale collectible figure of newest supporter of #TeamCap, the size-shifting hero, Ant-Man!
The movie-accurate Ant-Man collectible figure is specially crafted based on the film featuring a newly developed head sculpt with authentic likeness of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man in the movie, an interchangeable helmeted head with LED light-up function, meticulously tailored new Ant-Man suit, an Ant-Man miniature figure, and a Captain America: Civil War themed figure stand.
Don’t pass up on the opportunity to add the latest Ant-Man collectible figure in your collection.
“They Mostly Come At Night… Mostly…”
As if they haven’t spoiled us with enough awesome stuff lately, the crew over at Hot Toys have announced an all-new 1:6th scale Alien Warrior figure based on the iconic creatures appearance in ‘ALIENS’! This year marks the 30th anniversary of what is largely considered one of the best sequels of all time, so what better time to celebrate with the release of this fantastic looking figure? The Hot Toys 1:6th scale Alien Warrior features one of the single most detailed Hot Toys sculpts ever released, and includes blood effects, a figure stand, and a specially designed head that allows the lower jaw to extend! Check out the full release from Hot Toys below:
The Alien film series has been an iconic and classic franchise in the Sci-Fi genre. Its surreal art design and captivating story revolving the heroine Ripley have been very influential to the movie world!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Aliens and the first official Alien Day on April 26, Hot Toys is delighted to celebrate this special occasion and officially present the all-new 1/6th scale collectible figure of the Xenomorph’s attack force – the Alien Warrior!
The movie-accurate 1/6th scale Alien Warrior collectible figure is specially crafted based on its image in the film. It features newly developed head sculpt with extendable inner jaw, newly sculpted Xenomorph body with meticulous details, specially applied bluish colored painting on body, bendable tail, Xenomorph blood effect parts, and a specially designed diorama figure stand.
Alien fans shouldn’t miss the chance to add this menacing Xenomorph to your collection.
“GET AWAY FROM HER YOU B*TCH!”
‘ALIENS’ franchise fans rejoice! The team at NECA have made history and announced the first-ever figures of Lt. Vasquez and Newt to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of ‘ALIENS’! On top of that, they’re also releasing a new Ripley figure based on the classic Ripley figure from the Kenner ‘ALIENS’ line! Hopefully, they will follow through with further Kenner toyline based ‘ALIENS’ figures like they did for their ‘Predator’ line, as the fan demand definitely seems to be there! NECA has released this teaser image of the card insert for the upcoming Ripley figure, with images of Newt and Vasquez hopefully coming soon!
Want To Be A Ninja Turtle?
Well too bad, because you can’t. But you can come pretty close with this all new prop replica of Leonardo’s Katana from Factory Entertainment! This life-sized replica is based on Leonardo’s Katana from the upcoming live action film ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows’! Did we mention it’s a REAL SWORD? What else do you need to know? Check out the full release from Factory Entertainment below:
Concord, CA – Factory Entertainment, Inc., the Concord, California-based producer of licensed toys and collectibles is pleased to announce a brand new limited edition prop replica of Leonardo’s Katana from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows.
Copied directly from the original props used in the production of the film, this museum quality item has been hand-crafted to deliver a replica of exceptional collectability.
Factory Entertainment’s development team spent many hours scrutinizing the original props and production reference from the film, creating the world’s first replica of a signature weapon featured in a Ninja Turtles movie.
As a screen-accurate piece, this replica has a total length of 41.5”. The highly polished blade of the sword is forged of high-carbon steel and is gracefully curved with a kissaki point/tip with a Iaito-style dull blade edge. The hilt features a corded wrapping in Leo’s signature blue, with white reproduction ray-skin beneath and eight turtle-shaped menuki/ornaments. The tsuba/guard is cast metal and features a turtle shell motif. The pommel is also cast metal and features an embedded reproduction stone. The carved hardwood scabbard features an enamel paint outer coating and six cast metal turtle ornaments.
Factory Entertainment has this limited edition prop replica available to pre-order on its website starting today.
For more information and to order, Go Here.
Walmart Gets TMNT Exclusives
The crew at TNI are reporting that Walmart is getting an exclusive new line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures! This new line of 6″ figures is based on the 1992 live action classic ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze’ and each figure will include film specific accessories to help bring this movie to life in your collection! Each figure will also include alternative heads, so you can display your team of Turtles however you’d like! The line is comprised of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello. Hopefully, this means that this 6″ line isn’t quite dead yet, and we may still get some more villains to join in!
MEZCO Ready For More ‘Childs Play’
The team at MEZCO is bringing horror fans an all-new way to scare their friends and families with new collectibles based on the iconic ‘Childs Play’ franchise! While one of their new figures is a bit on the small side, another is a life-sized piece of cinema history that is sure to scare the pants off of the weak hearted!
MEZCO is releasing a new 5″ scale Chucky figure, which features the later scarred-up look of the character and includes a knife and a handgun for you to display him with! While his articulation is limited, he includes alternative arms so that you have some options of how you are able to display him. Check out the full release from MEZCO below:
“Hi, I’m Chucky, wanna play?”
Chucky, the homicidal doll possessed by the spirit of Charles Lee Ray — a serial killer better known as “The Lakeshore Strangler” — is the latest addition to our ever-expanding line of Chucky merchandise.
Our designers have created an all new sculpt in an all new 5″ scale that not only captures the look of Chucky, but the very essence of his red-haired menace. Every detail has been captured, from his classic coveralls to his striped shirt. His glistening, insane eyes, his sneering lips, and his shocking red hair make this the most evil and iconic Chucky action figure ever.
The Chucky 5″ action figure features not only two film accurate weapons — a gun and knife — but two sets of arms as well! Choose your weapon, and then attach the appropriate arms for dynamic and versatile poses.
Chucky is packaged on a display friendly blister card so he can watch you and plan his attack!
As if that wasn’t enough, MEZCO is also releasing a talking 15″ ‘Good Guys’ Chucky doll! That’s right, this thing is pretty much a talking life-sized replica of the doll from the film that comes to life and murders people. It’s probably going to be terribly uncomfortable to sit alone in the room with this thing, but it’s certainly going to be one hell of a conversation piece! Check out the full release from MEZCO below-
He wants you for a best friend!
We continue our popular line of Chucky collectibles with the one that started it all: the Good Guys doll.
Before he became possessed by the Spirit of Charles Lee Ray — a serial killer better known as “The Lakeshore Strangler” — Chucky was just a harmless Good Guys doll. His face not yet scarred, his clothes not yet bloodied, Chucky appears cheerful and ready for fun.
Our designers have created an all new head sculpt that perfectly captures his look in the popular film series, including his bright red hair, his wide-eyed innocence, and his cheerful smile. Every detail of his iconic outfit has been replicated, from his classic coveralls and shirt to the unique imprint of the soles on his sneakers.
Just as he did in the films, Chucky speaks 4 movie-accurate phrases when you activate the discreetly placed button on his back.
Packaged in a sturdy, collector-friendly die-cut window box inspired by the packaging seen in the films, the Good Guys 15″ Chucky doll is sure to become a focal point of any Chucky collection.
Who You Gonna Call?
The team over at Titan Merchandise have announced their latest wave of blind boxed vinyl figures will be based on the fan favorite ‘Ghostbusters II’ and will be dubbed the ‘I Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts’ wave! This latest series includes all four Ghostbusters, Slimer, Janine, Louis Tully, Dana, Vigo, and more! Check them out below:
“I Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts!”
Titan Merchandise are very excited to announce our second wave of Ghostbusters TITANS Vinyl figures – The “I Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts” Collection!
This 3″ blind-boxed collection features the returning legendary quartet of Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Zeddemore plus familiar faces such as Louis Tully, Janine, Dana and, of course, Slimer! As if that wasn’t enough there’s the upgraded Ecto-1 as well as new villains in the form of Nunzio Scoleri, Janosz Poha and the terrifying Vigo The Carpathian!
Each figure is 3” blind-boxed and certain pieces come with a character-specific accessory.
PLUS: 4 hidden chase figures for you to hunt and collect!
The Funko Forecast
Get ready for the Funko Forecast! This is where we’re going to be showcasing all of the cool new announcements and reveals from Funko! With all of the awesome that consistently seems to be flowing out of those guys, it shouldn’t be hard to keep this section alive each and every week!
Gamestop Gets New ‘Doom’ Exclusive
All of you completists out there are going to cry out in agony here, but Gamestop has announced that they have an all new Power Up Rewards Member exclusive Funko Mystery Mini. While it’s hardly a mystery which figure you’re getting, this latest exclusive comes to you in the form of a Cyberdemon from Bethesda’s ‘Doom’ series! This exclusive Mystery Mini is limited to a run of 5000 and will cost you a whopping 10,500 Rewards Points! Hope you’ve been trading in and buying lots of used games!
Back To ‘Wonderland’
Funko has revealed plans to bring the POP! Vinyl line back to Disney’s live-action ‘Alice In Wonderland’ for it’s upcoming sequel ‘Alice: Through The Looking Glass’! This latest wave of POP! vinyls hit stores this May and includes Alice, Mad Hatter, Mctwisp, Chessur, Time, and Iracebeth!
DC Goes Home
While these premiered back at Toy Fair, Funko has now officially announced that the POP! Home line is expanding once again and adding DC Comics to it’s ranks! Collectors can expect POP! Home Mugs of Batman, Robin, Superman, and Wonder Woman in stores this August!
And with that, we bring this week’s Toy News Tuesday to a close! What do you think about the new items announced this week? Do you plan on picking up anything we mentioned in this week’s column? Are there any lines or brands you’d like to see more coverage of? Let us know in the comments section below! Until next week, happy toy hunting!
Jordan is a Toy Columnist & Staff Writer here at ScienceFiction! Journalist, Musician, Toy Collector, and Overall Awesome Guy! For more on Jordan’s thoughts, toys, and wacky adventures, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
