Toy News Tuesday: Legends Come In Many Forms

Don’t blink! You might miss out on 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! This week we’ve got quite a few news bits for you to check out, including a few disappointments as well as some fantastic new surprises! We try to keep it real with you here to bring you the best Toy News on this side of The Rishi Maze (+10 points to Gryffindor if you get that reference. -10 points if you correlated it with this reference and assumed it was from ‘Harry Potter’)! There’s no more time to waste, check out the Toy News for the week of May 17th, 2016!

The Death Of Snake Mountain

Collectors and fans of Mattel’s ‘Masters Of The Universe Classics’ line are among some of the most vocal and passionate fans out there, and wow are they about to be vastly disappointed. According to the team over at AFI, the previously revealed gargantuan ‘Snake Mountain’ playset has been indefinitely cancelled by Mattel and will not be going into production. While there has not yet been an official statement or confirmation on this from Mattel, things have been rather quiet on the MattyCollector front or a while now. Aside from a few quick sales updates or shipping announcements, there hasn’t been much information coming out of the MattyCollector camp since new team lead Andrew Sparks took over earlier this year following the departure of former team lead ‘Skeletors Love Child’. This sudden silence has lead many to speculate there may be trouble ahead for the ‘Masters Of The Universe’ and ‘Thundercats’ lines, or even the MattyCollector brand itself!

The now seemingly cancell ed ‘Snake Mountain’ playset was set to be one of the largest playsets made to date! The set was first revealed in the form of a massive prototype at SDCC 2015 with the understanding that Mattel were still working on it and that it would likely drop in size by as much as 30% from the prototype before being released. The ‘Snake Moutain’ prototype was shown a few more times before it went MIA from Mattel’s release schedule, and now Mattel’s corporate account has replied to one collectors pleas on Facebook regarding more information on this playset with some rather devastating news for ‘Masters Of The Universe’ fans.

Sadly it looks as though the hopes that this piece may still come to fruition have been dashed. There’s still a small chance that it could be released in some form, but this is looking more and more unlikely with each passing day. Hopefully we will be getting more information on this from Mattel soon!

The Dynamic Duo Returns

Last year fans of DC’s ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ had their dreams come true with a full scale 6″ styled Batmobile vehicle based on the designs from the hit 1992 television series. Then, just a few short months later, DC announced a new deluxe edition of the Batmobile to the dismay of everyone who already spent $100 for the initial release. The deluxe edition would run $175 but include a fancy new paint job, special new versions of Batman and Robin that feature softgoods capes to make it easier to sit in the vehicle, and a light up Batsignal accessory! As you can guess, people who already bought the Batmobile weren’t too happy to miss out on these new additions, and thanks to the team at DC Collectibles being extra awesome, now they won’t have to! How, you ask? Because DC is now releasing these deluxe accessories as their own specialty pack!

Later this year you’ll be able to grab a new figure two pack of Batman and Robin sporting softgoods capes and they will even include the fancy new light up Batsignal! So yes, you will still miss out on the fancy new paint job on the Batmobile, but at least you’re going to be able to pick up this fantastic new set to make up some of the difference. This set is hitting stores this August with a suggested retail price of $70.00.

Vinimates Are Taking Over Your Collection!

Our friends at Diamond Select Toys have been dominating the minifigure market for over a decade with their super stylized Minimates line, and now they’re moving on up to a larger scale with their similarly stylized 4″ Vinimates! The earliest waves of these larger posed PVC vinyl figures are in stores now with more on the way soon, but now DST have revealed a slew of new pieces to look forward to in the line! Later this year we’ve got Vinimates hitting stores based on franchises like ‘Alice’, ‘Predator’, ‘Ghostbusters’, and more! Check out the full release from Diamond Select Toys below:

Alice Through the Looking Glass Vinimates Vinyl FiguresA Diamond Select Toys release! Off with their heads! The newest movie to join the Vinimates revolution is Alice Through the Looking Glass! Four characters from the much-anticipated sequel – Alice, Mad Hatter, Red Queen and new villain Time – are now part of the Vinimates vinyl-figure army. Each 4-inch PVC figure is sculpted in the Minimates block-figure style, and pre-posed to display their personality. Plus, with their ball-jointed necks, you can add additional attitude to each already perfect pose! Each Vinimate is packaged in a full-color window box.
Alice Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Mad Hatter Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Red Queen Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Time Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Ghostbusters Classic Movie Vinimates Vinyl Figures
A Diamond Select Toys release! The boys are back! As we count down to the new Ghostbusters movie, love for the originals is at an all-time high, and this new line of Vinimates vinyl figures is unlike any Ghostbusters toy line that’s come before! Captured in their iconic ghostbusting poses from the original poster, these 4-inch PVC figures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stanz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore are sculpted in the Minimates block-figure style, and feature ball-jointed necks so you can modify their poses. Each Vinimate comes packaged in a full-color window box.
Peter Venkman Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Ray Stanz Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Egon Spengler Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Winston Zeddemore Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Lost in Space B9 Robot Vinimates Vinyl Figure
A Diamond Select Toys release! Danger, Will Robinson! The Vinimates line is expanding at an alarming rate! Based on the classic TV series Lost in Space, this 4-inch Vinimates Vinyl Figure depicts the robot B9 in the style of a Minimates block figure, but in alarmed, arms-raised pose, as if warning your other Vinimates of imminent doom. Figure is cast in PVC plastic, with detailed paint applications. Packaged in a full-color window box.
Vinyl Figure SRP: $9.99
Nightmare Before Christmas Vinimates Vinyl Figures
A Diamond Select Toys release! Vinimates are the gifts that keep on giving! The Nightmare Before Christmas makes its grand entrance to the Vinimates vinyl figure format with four main characters – Jack, Sally, Oogie Boogie and the Mayor! Sculpted in the style of a Minimates mini-figure, each 4-inch PVC figure strikes a dynamic pose, and features a ball-jointed neck to further customize each pose. Each Vinimate is packaged in a full-color window box.
Jack Skellington Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Sally Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Oogie Boogie Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Mayor Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Predator Movie Vinimates Vinyl Figures
A Diamond Select Toys release! The hunt is on! Inspired by the 1987 action classic Predator, these two new Vinimates vinyl figures capture the hunter and the prey in the new 4-inch scale! Sculpted in the style of a Minimates block figure, these Vinimates of Dutch and the Predator each strike a pose straight out of the film, with ball-jointed necks to further customize your display. Each comes packaged in a full-color window box.
Predator Vinimate SRP: $9.99
Dutch Vinimate SRP: $9.99

NECA Keeps The ‘ALIEN’ Coming

The team over at NECA is really living it up with this whole ‘ALIEN Day’ celebration we had last month! It’s been a few weeks and they’ve still got plenty of new ‘ALIEN’ reveals for fans, plus a few for fans of the ‘Predator’ franchise!

First up is the new ‘Glow In The Dark’ Alien Warrior figure! This figure is based on the same sculpt and design as the ‘ALIEN’ Series 7 Alien Warrior figure as seen in ‘Alien Vs Predator’ and is set to be exclusive to Toys R Us stores in The U.S. when it releases in August.

Speaking of exclusives, NECA has also announced their first SDCC 2016 exclusive figure in the form of the new Cloaked Scar Predator figure! This figure is made of clear plastic to give the cloaked effect, and even has a hologram of the temple from ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ as an accessory!

A few weeks back NECA announced that they would be releasing a life sized foam replica of the Alien Egg from the hit sci-fi series, and that the egg would include a life sized foam Alien Facehugger! Now NECA has announced plans for a standalone release of the life sized Faceghugger for fans who don’t quite have space for a full Egg, but don’t want to miss out on the action! Sadly there is no pricing information available on this piece yet.

Finally, NECA has revealed some of the new vehicles we will be seeing in Series 2 of their Cinemachines line later this year! So far we can expect to see The Scout Ship and Tribe Ship from ‘Predator’ and ‘Predator 2’, as well as the Narcissus Shuttle from ‘ALIEN’! These are due in stores this September.

New Marvel Legends Exclusives

Almost as if people weren’t already going nuts over this line, Hasbro has revealed several new store exclusive figures in the Marvel Legends 6″ line, and wow are they going to be hard to find! We’ve got two new figures coming our way from this seasons box office smash hit ‘Captain America: Civil War’ in the form of Walmart Exclusive The Winter Soldier and Falcon! Winter Soldier looks like a nicely repainted version of his figure from a few years back (with a much nicer paint job this time around, we might add), and Falcon is a completely new figure! Falcon has been one people have been asking about for quite some time now, so it’s great to see him finally coming out to join our 6″ scale Marvel Legends collections.

In addition to these two, there is also a Jim Lee era style figure of The Punisher coming soon to Walgreens stores! This figure looks ridiculous in all the right ways, and really does perfectly capture that era of ‘The Punisher’s comic. There is currently no release date info for this figure, but it’s probably safe to say you can expect to see him hitting Walgreens stores this summer.

Walgreens_Marvel_Legends_Jim_Lee_Punisher__scaled_600

Mezco Set To Punish The Competition

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, Mezco’s One:12 Collective line of 6″ scale figures featuring all the charm and details of 12″ 1:6 scale figures is a thing a beauty. The latest figure to join the ranks of this popular new line is none other than Marvel’s premiere anti-hero, The Punisher! While Frank Castle isn’t due out until a bit later this year, but Mezco has recently released the full specs on the upcoming figure which you can check out below:

When veteran war hero Frank Castle’s family is slain in front of him during a mob related shootout, he vows vengeance and becomes the Punisher.
Waging a one-man war on crime, the Punisher utilizes his vast military skills to brutally serve justice to those he deems deserving. An expert in hand-to-hand and weapon-based combat, he is an unstoppable force.
Meticulously developed to capture the intensity of the character and outfitted on a newly designed One:12 Collective body, the figure has impressive details. The final product creates a “real world” look reflecting the character’s severity.
The One:12 Punisher features:
Hyper-realistic portraits
1:12 scaled, highly realistic fabric uniform with special silk screening applications
Detailed sculpted costume accents, including belt, gloves, harness and boots
Gauntlets with magnetic attachments
Super articulated body with over 32 points of articulation
What’s in the box:
Standard portrait
Alternate Portrait 1
Alternate Portrait 2
Fists (L&R)
Holding hands (L&R)
Grappling hands (L&R)
Posing hand (L)
Karate strike hand (R)
Armored skull load bearing vest with belt and knife sheath
Combat knife
9mm automatic pistol with extra clip
Machine gun with extra clip
Grenade launcher with six grenades
Submachine gun with extra clip
Display base with posing post
The Punisher is packaged in a deluxe, fifth panel window box with translucent acetate slipcover. Designed for collector convenience, the packaging allows for both maximum protection as well as ease of removal for display.

Good Luck Solving This One

It only took them a few decades too long to sweep the nation, but Mezco has finally come up with a collectible that any horror fan will be jonesing for, The Hellraiser ‘Lament Configuration’ Puzzle Cube! While this thing is essentially a super fancy Rubix Cube with a lot of pretty designs on it, it’s also a really cool prop replica for any fan of the long running ‘Hellraiser’ franchise! Check out the full release from Mezco below:

The Hellraiser series of films are widely considered classics of modern horror. With a rich and intricate mythothogly, Hellraiser has enthralled audiences with the blood-soaked world of Pinhead, the Cenobites, and the Lament Configuration.
Within the Hellraiser universe, the Lament Configuration it is the key to the gates of Hell itself and the summoner of the Cenobites. Now, for the first time ever, it is recreated as a working puzzle. Featuring artwork based on the designs of Philip Lemarchand, the prop-sized square puzzle rotates on both the X and Y axis with an almost supernatural smoothness. With 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible combinations, even Dr. Channard would find himself bedeviled in a quest for the solution.
Suitable for use as a fiendishly confounding puzzle or as a film replica display piece — the choice is yours.

It’s About Time… And Space

While this next item is a few months behind schedule according to quite a few fans, I’m sure everyone will be excited to see that we are finally getting a replica of the Twelfth Doctor’s Second Sonic Screwdriver! This new version of the iconic Doctor Who tool features a variety of lights and sound effects, and will be available exclusively at the BBC Shop website for the first few weeks before seeing a wide release later this year. Check out the full release below-

After months of speculation, BBC Worldwide North America announces Doctor Who’s Twelfth Doctor Second Sonic Screwdriver will go on sale beginning today, Thursday, May 12th, shipping exclusively in the U.S. for $29.98 from BBC Shop US and Doctor Who Shop US and in Canada for $37.98 from BBC Shop Canada and Doctor Who Shop Canada.
This new toy version is a faithful recreation of the current Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) Sonic Screwdriver, which made its debut in the season nine episode, “Hell Bent.” This is the first Sonic Screwdriver toy to have four light modes and four sound effects.
For a limited time only, exclusively on BBC Shop and BBC Doctor Who Shop, fans will receive a gift with the purchase of the new Sonic Screwdriver – an exclusive pack of trading cards from the Twelfth Doctor’s limited edition – while supplies last.
The Doctor has carried many Sonic Screwdrivers of various designs throughout his lifetimes, using the numerous settings on the multipurpose tool to open most locks, detect all manner of deadly rays, read bio-signs, and generate sonic waves of great power. This second Sonic Screwdriver for the Twelfth Doctor was “gifted” to him by the TARDIS after his previous version was lost.
Doctor Who’s Twelfth Doctor Second Sonic Screwdriver is finally here! Make sure to get it first at the BBC Shop US, Doctor Who Shop US, BBC Shop Canada and Doctor Who Shop Canada, this is the only place that fans can purchase the current Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) Sonic Screwdriver and get it shipped immediately – everywhere else is on pre-sale!
This is the first Sonic Screwdriver toy to have four light modes and four sound effects! AND for a limited time only and exclusively on BBC Shop and BBC Doctor Who Shop, fans will receive three EXCLUSIVE trading cards pack as a gift with the purchase but only while supplies last.

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!

New Pops-A-Plenty

As always, Funko has a ton of cool new stuff in store for us this week, so we are kicking off The Funko Forecast with a few new POP! Vinyls that are coming our way this summer! Collectors can expect to find Ferris and Cameron from ‘Ferris Buellers Day Off’ (including a variant ‘Dancing Ferris’); Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers and Knives Chau from ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs The World’; David Levinson, Jake Morrison, and an Alien from ‘Independence Day: Resurrection’; and Lady Gaga’s ‘The Countess’ from ‘American Horror Story’! These are all due out sometime this summer between June and July, so keep your eyes peeled!

We Have To Go Back!

Funko’s Dorbz line seems to be showing no signs of slowing down, so now they’re set to go 88 miles per hour with the new ‘Back To The Future Dorbz’! This new wave of Vinyl figures includes Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and an exclusive Einstein (the dog, not the physicist) Dorbz figure that comes packaged alongside a Delorean Time Machine Dorbz Ridez! These are due out in July.

You’re DOOMed To Fallout Over These New Bethesda Minis

First, we want to apologize for that terrible pun filled headline. Then we’re going to tell you just how excited we are about Funko’s new Bethesda Studios themed wave of Mystery Mini blindbox Vinyls! This new wave of Mystery minis features blindboxed vinyl minifigures based on some of your favorite Bethesda video games including ‘Fallout’, ‘DOOM’, ‘Elder Scrolls’, ‘Dishonored’, and more! These are set to hit stores in July!

“UNDEROOS!”

After months of speculation as to when we might hear something about this one, we finally have an answer as to “where the hell is our ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Spiderman POP! At?”! As it stands, it looks like the only way to pick up this new MCU styled Spiderman is in a special POP! 4-pack that also includes the exclusive ‘Civil War’ Hawkeye, as well as Pocket POP! Keychains of Captain America and Iron Man! This set is due out in June.

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.