We aren’t sure how to tell you this, so don’t be alarmed, but you’re reading 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 always, it’s been a busy week here and we’ve been doing our best to find all of the most important news you need to know about what’s going on in the toy industry! Each and every year, we are bombarded with a tidal wave of Summer Convention Exclusive toy announcements and reveals. We got the first few of the season last week, but this week is then things started to really heat up with new announcements from major companies like Mattel and Diamond Distributors! There’s a ton to check out in the Toy News for the week of May 31st, 2016
Mattel Reveals First Wave Of SDCC Exclusives
SO IT BEGINS! This week we saw the first announcements from the team over at Mattel for their San Diego Comic Con 2016 Exclusives! We can definitely expect to see quite a few more in the coming weeks, but for now we’ll just have to settle with this sneak peek of the first eight items straight from Mattel themselves! We’ve got new exclusives from Monster High, She-Rah, Wonder Woman, and more! Here’s the run down so far:
BARBIE® AMAZON PRINCESS WONDER WOMAN™ DOLL SRP: $80 Available: Online As befitting of the daughter of Zeus, Wonder Woman makes her first silver screen appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and this iconic Super Hero proves she’s ready for battle! Inspired by the costume worn in the movie, Wonder Woman Barbie® doll is cloaked in a royal blue hooded cape lined with gold lamé and worn over her bold red bustier and royal blue paneled skirt. She also wears her signature golden headdress, bulletproof bracelets and golden lasso. Standing heroically atop a “rocky” ledge brandishing her sword and shield, she is the portrait of a true Amazonian Warrior Princess.
MONSTER HIGH® GHOSTBUSTERS FRANKIE STEIN® DOLL SRP: $25 Available: Online Frankie Stein® straps on her proton pack and Ghostbuster™ skills in this spooktacular SDCC ’16 exclusive mash-up. Catch yours before it gets slimed!
MONSTER HIGH® ROBECCA STEAM™ & HEXICIAH STEAM™ DOLLS SRP: $40 Available: Onsite Get ready for this riveting steampunk two-pack from Monster High® ! Robecca Steam™ and her father Hexiciah Steam™ bring their analog style to the digital age in with their uhhh-mazingly detailed steampunk fashions and scary cool accessories.
HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE® SHE-RA™ SRP: $75 Available: Super 7 Relive the glamorous, commanding adventures of She-Ra®, Princess of Power® with this 11” highly detailed action figure. The Most Powerful Woman in the Universe® features 24 points of articulation, rooted hair, 3 iconic fashions, 2 swords, signature shield, 6 interchangeable hands, a logoed stand, a 12-page mini comic: “The Story of She-Ra”, and a beautiful keepsake box with vivid imagery from the enchanting world of Eternia®! Wage epic battle with She-Ra® against The Evil Horde® for the honor of Grayskull™!
GHOSTBUSTERS™ LIGHTS & SOUNDS MULTI-PACK SRP: $24.99 Available: Onsite Ghostbusters is back with an all new, paranormal team and spooky cool ghosts. Now with the GHOSTBUSTERS™ Lights & Sounds Multi-Pack, you can join the fight. Battle alongside four 1.5” ghost busters mini figures who are armed and ready! Proton beams fire from their blasters as they try to take down the evil 6” Rowan figure, the giant ghost from the film. Press the button outside the box to launch a light and sound show of blue glowing proton beams as Rowan turns red and screams in rage! Press it again, and you’ll hear the iconic “Who you gonna call” Ghostbusters™ theme song as the lights bounce to the beat of the music. Packaging features slime graphics and the iconic Ghostbusters™ logo. Set also includes 3 AA batteries. It’s a multi-sensory interactive experience that real Ghostbusters fans and collectors will love!
DISNEY PIXAR CARS PRECISION SERIES DIE-CAST DIRT TRACK FABULOUS HUDSON HORNET VEHICLE SRP: $25 Available: Onsite Enhance your collection of Disney Pixar Cars -Con characters with this Comic exclusive: a premium, true-to-movie Dirt Track Fabulous Hudson Hornet die-cast! This highly detailed 1:55 scale replica of the classic 1950s vehicle brings to life Doc Hudson as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet at the peak of his racing career.
THOMAS & FRIENDS™/DC SUPER FRIENDS™ MINIS SRP: $19.99 Available: Online When trouble threatens, it’s up to the greatest heroes of all to save the day! Springing into action are Thomas as Superman™ and Diesel as Batman™. This Thomas & Friends™/DC Super Friends™ MINIS item for San Diego Comic Con 2016 features amazing transformations when Thomas as Clark Kent™ and Diesel as Bruce Wayne™ become their super heroic alter egos. Thrilling comic strip stories built into the package provide the reason for the heroes to shed their secret identities and don their familiar disguises. This highly collectible item follows on the heels of 2015’s popular San Diego Comic Con Thomas & Friends™/DC Super Friends™ MINIS item and delivers the same action-packed, pop art fun in premium packaging, plus an exciting new feature that’s sure to thrill!
EVER AFTER HIGH® CEDAR WOOD™ EXCLUSIVE MARIONETTE DOLL SRP: $30 Available: Online The stage is set for this year’s truly captivating Ever After High® SDCC ’16 exclusive.
Marvelous New Hot Toys
The crew over at Hot Toys has some fantastic new reveals for us this week on the Marvel Studios front! If you’re into the live action Marvel Universe you see in Theaters and on your television, you’re in for a sweet surprise! First up, Hot Toys has announced plans for 1:6th scale figures based on the wildly popular ‘Daredevil‘ Netflix series! That means we can expect to see highly detailed screen accurate 1:6th scale figures of Daredevil, The Punisher, and hopefully a lot more! Hot Toys hasn’t revealed exactly when we will receive more information on this line, but hopefully they won’t keep us waiting for an update for too long.
Hot Toys also revealed the latest figure in their 1:6th scale ‘Captain America: Civil War‘ line this week with everyone’s favorite weirdo, Scarlet Witch! This all new 1:6th scale Wanda Maximoff figure comes packaged with alternative hands, power effects, and even a miniature ‘Running’ Antman figure! Check out the full release from Hot Toys below:
Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War has been critically acclaimed and enjoyed by audience around the world since its release! As the Avengers’ actions in Lagos have caused collateral damage where innocent people are killed, the Sokovia Accords proposed by the United Nations has divided the Earth’s mightiest heroes into opposing teams led by Captain America and Iron Man!
Today Hot Toys is excited to officially introduce the widely anticipated 1/6th scale collectible figure of the gorgeous and powerful member of #TeamCap – Scarlet Witch! The highly-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in the film featuring head sculpt with long curly brown real fabric hair and new makeup application, brand-new and specially tailored costume, interchangeable hands with red translucent fingertips and effect accessories to simulate Scarlet Witch using her powers, and an Captain America: Civil War themed figure stand. Furthermore, an approximately 2.5cm tall miniature running Ant-Man is included as a bonus accessory!
Previews Has The Last Laugh
The team at Medicom have announced that the two newest figures in their MAFEX line, The Joker and Harley Quinn are set to be Previews Exclusive for their U.S. release later this year! These new Joker and Harley figures are based on the characters appearances in the upcoming live action adaptation of DC Comics ‘Suicide Squad’! If you were thinking about picking these two up, be sure to order them through the Previews Catalog at your local comic shop asap! Check out the listings from Previews below:
SUICIDE SQUAD HARLEY QUINN PX MAF EX Item Code: APR168539 SRP: $53.99 Fan-favorite Harley Quinn, star of Suicide Squad and The Joker’s main squeeze, joins the MAF EX lineup from MEDICOM! Standing about just over 6″ tall, Harley is generously articulated and comes with two interchangeable heads plus a mallet, baseball bat and pistol.
SUICIDE SQUAD JOKER PX MAF EX Item Code: APR168541 SRP: $53.99 Here comes The Joker from the movie Suicide Squad to MEDICOM’s MAF EX lineup! The tattooed figure comes with 2 interchangeable heads, gun, cane and articulated figure stand.
Diamond Distributors Dominate SDCC
Our friends over at Diamond Distributors have announced their massive number of convention exclusives for this years San Diego Comic Con! There’s a little something for everybody at Diamond Distributors, including ‘Avengers’, ‘Batman’, and ‘Ghostbusters‘ to start! Be sure to check out the full listings below:
SDCC 2016 BATMAN ANIMATED SERIES BATMAN LOGO BUST Batman returns in this all-new exclusive 6” resin bust inspired by the famous logo of Batman: The Animated Series! Drawing his cape around him, the Dark Knight lurks in the shadows while posing atop a pedestal inspired by the iconic show’s art-deco architecture. Packaged in a full-color box with a certificate of authenticity. Sculpted by Varner Studios! (FEB168433) Limited to 1,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 ARKHAM CITY HARLEY QUINN PX STATUE You just can’t keep a good villain down … but a good villain can keep your papers down, and so Icon Heroes is proud to announce the SDCC Exclusive Batman: Arkham Knight Harley Quinn statue paperweight! Made of high quality polystone resin and expertly painted, this 8” statue paperweight is ready to take over your desk, just like she plans to take over Gotham! (DEC158553) Limited to 2,500 pieces.
SDCC 2016 DC GALLERY BATMAN TAS B&W ALMOST GOT EM BATMAN FIGURE He is vengeance! He is the night! He is Batman! Based on his appearance in Batman: The Animated Series episode “Almost Got ‘Im,” this exclusive 9-inch scale PVC figure of Batman captures him in a monochromatic color scheme, alighting on a rooftop with a Batarang at the ready. Sculpted with a high level of detail and featuring exacting paint applications, Batman is in scale to all Femme Fatales and Gallery PVC figures. Packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Varner Studios! (FEB168429) Limited to 2,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 DC BOMBSHELLS: CATWOMAN 7” NOIR EDITION VINYL Based on the pinup-style artwork of Ant Lucia, designed by Pedro Astudillo and sculpted by Anders Ehrenborg, this black-&-white “noir” styled Catwoman stands approximately 7.6″ tall and comes packaged in a display-worthy window box. (JAN168777) Limited to 3,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 DC BOMBSHELLS: WONDER WOMAN 7” NOIR EDITION VINYL Based on the pinup-style artwork of Ant Lucia, designed by Pedro Astudillo and sculpted by Anders Ehrenborg, this black-&-white “noir” styled Wonder Woman stands approximately 7.6″ tall and comes packaged in a display-worthy window box. (JAN168776) Limited to 3,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 SUICIDE SQUAD JOKER TATTOO PX 10-INCH PLUSH This stylized 10” plush based on The Joker’s latest big-screen appearance in Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad is just what you need if you need to (Affectionately) squeeze out your aggression after a long day. (DEC158553) Limited to 2,500 pieces.
DCC 2016 POP! HEROES: SWAMP THING FLOCKED SCENTED PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE VINYL FIGURE A PREVIEWS Exclusive! Swamp Thing, DC Comics’ swamp monster, joins Funko’s POP! Vinyl Figure line with a special figure that’s available only through PREVIEWS! Standing 3 3/4″ tall, Swamp Thing has an urban, stylized design, a special flocked texture that will make you think he just rose from the muck – and a distinctive scent, to boot! Summon Swamp Thing with this figure! Window box packaging. (DEC158593) Limited to 8,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: BATMAN PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE BUST BANK (BLOODY VERSION) A PREVIEWS Exclusive! Frank Miller’s powerful depiction of Batman from his seminal graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is sculpted for this new bust bank from Monogram! Made of vinyl, the bank stands roughly 6″ tall and approximately 9″ wide. This piece can serve as a decoration in your office or home, or you can use it to store your loose change! (MAY158329) Limited to 2,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 MARVEL GALLERY CAPT MARVEL MOHAWK FIGURE Prepare to marvel at this new series of PVC figures based on the heroes and heroines of the Marvel Universe! DST’s Marvel Gallery line kicks off with this exclusive variant, capturing Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, with her distinctive Mohawk hairstyle! This plastic figure of the Kree-powered Avenger is in 9” scale, and features a detailed sculpt and an exacting paint process. She comes packaged in a full-color window box, and is in scale to all Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figure. Sculpted by Alejandro Pereira! (FEB168427) Limited to 1,500 pieces.
SDCC 2016 MARVEL GALLERY SPIDER-GWEN UNMASKED PVC FIGURE One of the most exciting new characters in the Marvel Universe is now an exciting exclusive! The Amazing Spider-Gwen, a spider-powered, hard-rocking Gwen Stacy from a parallel universe, gets unmasked in this exclusive 9-inch scale variant PVC figure! Posed on the side of a New York brownstone, Spider-Gwen is sculpted with a high level of detail and exacting paint applications. Packaged in a full-color window box, she is in scale to other Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figures. Sculpted by Jean St. Jean! (FEB168428) Limited to 3,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 MARVEL NOW: PX EMMA FROST WHITE COSTUME ARTFX+ STATUE Based on new artwork by Adi Granov, commissioned exclusively for the statue series, and brought to life by Junnosuke Abe, Emma stands just over 7″ tall in 1/10 scale in her PREVIEWS Exclusive white costume, ready to use her impressive psychic powers with her long jacket and hair flowing around her. (OCT158147) Limited to 2,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 MARVEL MINIMATES: THE VISION/SCARLET WITCH 2-PACK They’re the ultimate power couple! Straight from their appearance in Captain America, Civil War, rookie Avengers Vision and the Scarlet Witch bring their on-screen chemistry to this exclusive Minimates 2-pack! Wanda Maximoff wears her latest movie outfit while Vision wears a snappy suit. Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure measures 2 inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. Packaged in a full-color window box! (FEB168435) Limited to 1,200 pieces.
SDCC 2016 MARVEL MINIMATES DAREDEVIL NETFLIX 2-PACK The critically acclaimed TV show is joining the Marvel Minimates line! Based on the popular online TV series Daredevil, this exclusive two-pack of Minimates mini-figures features Daredevil and Punisher in their most recent on-screen looks! Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil (in his red costume), includes batons and an alternate hairpiece for an unmasked look, while Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, comes with multiple weapons for bringing the fight to the criminals! Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure measures 2 inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. Packaged in a full-color window box! (FEB168430) Limited to 3,000 pieces.
SDCC 2016 GHOSTBUSTERS MARSHMALLOW PETER ACTION FIGURE Who ya gonna call? The 1984 horror-comedy classic Ghostbusters is as beloved now as it ever was, and this exclusive action figure captures one of its most beloved characters! The fun-loving spokesman of the Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman gets covered with marshmallow in this exclusive 7-inch scale action figure featuring newly sculpted parts, as well as the standard 16 points of articulation, plus alternate hands, proton pack, neutrino wand and display base. Sculpted by Gentle Giant! (FEB168432) Limited to 3,000 pieces.
MEZCO Teases SDCC Exclusives
The team over at MEZCO Toys have decided to start whetting our appetites with a teaser for their upcoming Summer Convention Exclusives! Earlier this week they posted a teaser image that gives a small preview of what we can expect to see at this year’s summer conventions on their social media:
Summer is quickly approaching, and for us action figure aficionados, that means only one thing: the 2016 summer convention season is almost here!We have six exclusive items on tap this year, all of which will be available at San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con as well as our website — while supplies last, of course.
While we can’t be 100% sure what we are looking at here just yet, from the looks of things our best educated guesses are…
- Living Dead Doll Tiffany From ‘Bride Of Chucky’
- One:12th Collective Armored Batman from ‘Batman v. Superman’
- One:12th Collective Captain America
- Joker and Harley Quinn Mez-Itz
- Ultra Scale Tygra from ‘Thunder Cats’
- Plush Snarf from ‘Thunder Cats’
Hopefully we will find out more from MEZCO soon!
Massive Amount Of Marvel Legends Coming Our Way
The team at MarvelousNews are reporting not one, but three new waves of Marvel Legends figures coming our way from Hasbro. The fan favorite 6″ figure line has neem running stronger than ever in recent years, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon, so it isn’t too surprising to see Hasbro stepping their game up with new waves featuring some of your favorite characters from the Spiderman and X-Men Universes. For the upcoming Spiderman wave, fans can expect to see Ultimate Spider-Man (Peter Parker with a Miles Morales Equal Case Pack Variant),Silk, Hobgoblin, Electro, and Ashley Barton Spidergirl with an as-yet-to-be-confirmed ‘Space Venom’ build-a-figure for the wave! 
Next up we have an all new wave of X-Men themed Marvel Legend with a wave comprised of Wolverine, Cable, Deadpool, Rogue, Havok, Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, and Iceman! This wave’s build-a-figure is set to be a massive sized Juggernaut figure, which looks to put the previous Toybiz version to shame! We also have a rumored second wave of X-Men Marvel Legends coming later this year with a wave supposedly made up of Cyclops, Wolverine, Shatterstar, Polaris, Dazzler, Colossus, and Sunfire! There is currently no information available as to when we can expect to see this wave, or as to who the build-a-figure might be. 
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!
Teen Titans Go!
Funko has announced a new wave of POP! Vinyl figures from their ‘Teen Titans Go!’ series, and this time they’re Toys R Us Exclusive! These exclusive new POP! Vinyls are set to hit stores this July and feature some of your favorite Titans dressed as some of your other favorite DC superheroes, with Robin dressed as Batman, Raven as Wonder Woman, and Starfire as The Flash! 
Exclusives All Around!
In an effort to even the playing field for everyone, Funko has revealed plans to give smaller stores special new exclusives that you won’t be able to get anywhere else! Check out the full release from Funko for their new Specialty Series!
Every store deserves an amazing Funko exclusive! In an effort to recognize our most special accounts and loyal retailers, Funko is introducing our latest line of exclusives – the Specialty Series. Every month, we’ll be announcing two major exclusives – one Pop! Vinyl and one Dorbz – that can be acquired through the Specialty Series. Why is it so special? You’ll only be able to find these Specialty Series exclusives in boutique retail, specialty stores, local comic book shops and from qualified online retailers. This is your chance to help support local businesses and smaller retailers, and you’ll pick up an amazing exclusive item in the process!
Our first two exclusives are the Cosmo Pop! Vinyl from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the Dorbz version of Howard The Duck!Remember, these two fantastic pieces are exclusive to the Specialty Series. So pay a visit to your favorite specialty store or your local comic book shop and let them know to order the Specialty Series from Funko. UPDATE: Only expect these at stores that have NOT had exclusives in the past year. You will not find these at bigger stores that normally get exclusives!
Complete The Crystal!
To the shock of everyone, Funko has announced plans for an all new series of POP! Vinyls based on the Jim Henson classic fantasy puppet odyssey, ‘The Dark Crystal’! This wave is set to hit stores this summer and includes Jen, Kira w/ Fizgig, Auhgra, Ursol The Chanter, and The Chamberlain Skeksis! 
Funko Prepares To Boldly Go ‘Beyond’
Just in time for the latest ‘Star Trek’ sequel, ‘Star Trek: Beyond’, Funko has announced plans for a series of Funko POP! Vinyls based on the hit film series reboot! Trekkies can expect to see all of their favorites like Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Uhura, Bones, Scotty, and Chekov, as well as newcomers Jaylah and Krall! This new series of POP! Vinyl are due out this July! 
More DC TV Pops Inbound
This July more of your favorite DC TV heroes and villains are coming your way in a flash! from The CW’s Arrow you can look forward to an updated version of The Green Arrow himself, as well as two versions of Speedy (one with a bow, another with a sword). From The CW’s other hit series ‘The Flash’, you can expect to see the villainous Zoom! Rumors are also circulating that we should look forward to Arrow’s Malcolm Merlyn and a 6″ Super SIzed POP! of The Flash’s Gorilla Grodd before summer’s end! 
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.
