Here we are once again with 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! Fall weather means the perfect time of year to hit your favorite toy stores and comic shops! If you’re stateside like the majority of Team Science Fiction, then this week you are probably prepping for Thanksgiving and Black Friday later this week! This year we want to give thanks to all of our favorite toy companies for continuing to release some of the coolest items we’ve ever seen in the history of collecting! This year has been a great year for collectors, and this week has been great for the Toy News for the week of November 22nd, 2016!
Diamond Select Toys Reveals A Smorgasbord Of New Products
Just in time for the Thanksgiving hoilday here in the U.S., the team at Diamond Select Toys has unveiled a cornucopia of new products for us to look forward to early next year! This week we ourselves got an exclusive first look at their upcoming Wolverine themed Marvel Minimates Series 72, and now we’ve got new reveals for Minimates, Marvel Retro Figures, Marvel Select, and even a look at Gotham Select Wave 4! Here’s the full rundown of their new announcements-
First up, in one of the most anticipated reveals we have received word of an all new Minimates box set based on Marvel’s hit Netflix series ‘Luke Cage’! The announcement for this set came hot on the heels of the release of two box sets based on other Marvel Netflix properties, ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Jessica Jones’. The new ‘Luke Cage’ Minimates box set will include our titular hero Luke Cage, as well as Misty Knight, Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes, and Mariah Dillard. This is due out next spring alongside the second ‘Daredevil’ themed box set (which is based on Season 2).
In the Marvel Retro line, we’re getting an all new figure of one of Marvel’s all time fan-favorite anti-heroes, The Punisher! This figure, done in the style of the classic MEGO line, is an 8″ figure sporting interchangeable real cloth clothing with a variety of accessories! This set includes two additional heads and three total alternative outfits so you can style your Punisher figure whatever way you like!
Is the Marvel Retro line ready for… The Punisher?! Never released in the classic Mego toy line of yester-year, violent vigilante The Punisher is the latest Marvel character to get the 8-inch Retro action figure treatment from DST! This gift set features one classically-styled white-gloved Punisher figure in a vintage-style box, plus two additional heads and outfits: a bandaged head with a trenchcoat and bullet-proof vest and the civilian streetwear of veteran Frank Castle! With interchangeable heads, hands, costumes and accessories, you can display your Punisher however you want! Packaged in a full-color gift tray!
Next up we’ve got our first look at the upcoming ‘Marvel Select’ Lady Deadpool figure! This new 6.5″ figure is one of the first ever made of the Lady Deadpool character, and includes a character specific display base, several weapons, and even Headpool!
A Diamond Select Toys release! The Marvel Select line just got a lot more lethal! The Deadpool from parallel Earth-3010, Wanda Wilson is a part of the rebellion against a fascistic US government, but she’s just as deadly as her 616 counterpart!
This approximately 6.5” action figure features 16 points of articulation, as well as a diorama base and accessories including swords, a bazooka and Headpool!
Finally, the team over at The Nerdist got their own exclusive first look in the form of ‘Gotham Select’ Series 4! This is the latest wave in this line based on the hit live-action series that is centered around Detective James Gordon in a world before Batman has come to Gotham City. This new wave includes Mr. Freeze, Azreal, and Professor Hugo Strange. They’re expected to hit stores late next spring.
A Diamond Select Toys Release! Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Gotham! The critically acclaimed action figure line based on the hit Fox TV series serves up the Wrath of the Villains, with three new 7” scale figures of Gotham’s most dangerous men! Azrael, Mr. Freeze and Professor Hugo Strange each feature up to 16 points of articulation as well as character-appropriate accessories, and each comes with an awesome diorama piece inspired by the show! Hugo Strange comes with the conditioning chair from Arkham Asylum, and Freeze and Azrael each come with part of the jail cell from the Gotham City Police Department! Collect them both to build the diorama and put them in a cell where they belong! Packaged in the display-ready Select packaging with side panel artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Gentle Giant!
Action figures SRP: $24.99/ea.
Estimated Release Date: Spring/Summer 2017
With all of this awesome stuff coming our way from Diamond Select, the biggest question we have to ask is “how are we going to afford all of this?”! As always, stay tuned to Toy News Tuesday for all of the latest DST updates!
Hot Toys Has Imperial Style
Once again Hot Toys is at it with some fantastic looking 1:6th scale ‘Star Wars’ figures! The two newest Hot Toys ‘Star Wars’ figures are new takes on both a newer design, and an old favorite, so there is a little something for everybody! Coming soon from Hot Toys is the new 1:6th scale ‘Deluxe Edition’ Death Trooper Specialist from ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ and their completely original ‘Porcelain Pattern’ Classic Stormtrooper! The ‘Deluxe Edition’ Death Trooper is mostly the same as the standard edition Death Trooper, but it includes an exclusive ‘Stormtrooper Doll’ accessory, as well as a character specific display stand that is unique to this version. The Porcelain Pattern Classic Stormtrooper features a special porcelain china styled design on his armor, making him a truly unique piece! The full releases for both are below from Hot Toys-
Rogue One – 1/6th scale Death Trooper Specialist (Deluxe Version)
The official release of the widely anticipated new film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is almost upon us. Star Wars fans around the globe will finally behold the epic new journey featuring a group of Rebel heroes on a dangerous mission to steal the plans of the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction – the Death Star. Now Hot Toys is delighted to present a special Deluxe Version of the 1/6th scale Death Trooper Specialist collectible figure to get fans ready for the exciting new adventure! The highly accurate collectible figure is specially crafted based on the appearance of the Imperial Death Trooper Specialist in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The figure stands approximately 32.5cm tall with the finely crafted sleek black colored armor, new helmet with scope and LED light-up functions, a black pauldron and chest rig, detailed weapons including a long range blaster rifle (Special Forces DLT-19) and pistol. The Deluxe version also includes a special Stormtrooper doll accessory and a specially sculpted diorama figure base! Build up your Rogue One: A Star Wars Story collection by completing your own Death Trooper squad!
Star Wars – 1/6th scale Stormtrooper (Porcelain Pattern Version)
As the symbol of the Empire’s sweeping military might, the Stormtroopers have a presence in all but every corner of the galaxy. As a special edition release, Hot Toys re-imagines the iconic white battle armor in an original design variation representing different cultures and civilizations. This very special Star Wars collectible: a 1/6th scale Stormtrooper figure’s pattern is inspired by the highly regarded blue-and-white porcelain motif that originated centuries ago in China! Expertly crafted based on the classic Stormtrooper armor, this figure boldly adopts the unique blue-and-white porcelain floral patterns with an Imperial twist on the masked soldier’s helmet and armor, blasters, interchangeable hands, and a specially designed figure stand! Available as a limited edition item in selected markets only, this stylish and extraordinary interpretation of the Stormtrooper figure is a unique collectible for sophisticated fans and collectors.
New From NECA
Another major contender in the ‘makes some of the coolest toys’ category is the team at NECA, who has quite a few new pieces to reveal for us this week!
First up is their new ‘Ultimate’ Gizmo figure from ‘Gremlins’! This is a deluxe 7″ figure that brings us the ‘ultimate’ version of our tiny Mogwai hero! Ultimate Gizmo includes several interchangeable alternative faces, fully articulated eyeballs, and a plethora of scene specific accessories, so he can sport whichever look you want! Check out the release from NECA below-
It’s Gizmo’s first appearance in our Ultimate line! Any fans of the Gremlins movies knows the rules: keep them out of sunlight, don’t get them wet, and never feed them after midnight. Follow them and you’ll have a cute and friendly little Mogwai, like this deluxe 7” scale Gizmo.
He’s fully poseable, including ears and eyes (a small ball carefully concealed on the back of the head allows you to move the pupils in all directions to create many different expressions). Plus, Gizmo comes with four swappable faces so you can customize his expression! This Ultimate edition comes with Santa hat, trumpet, bow, pencil arrow and more. Packaged in a collector-friendly window box with opening flap.
According to the team at TNI, NECA is keeping their annual holiday season tradition alive, and has snuck a few new DC Comics themed 7″ scale figures into stores this past week! This years 7″ scale figures are ‘Batman Begins’ Batman, and a ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ version of Harley Quinn! These are set to be exclusive to Toys R Us stores.
Finally, NECA has revealed out first full look at the ‘Bambi Burster’ ALIEN figure from ‘ALIEN 3’! This figure sports quite a bit of articulation, as seen in the teaser image that NECA posted to their Twitter account earlier this week. This figure is based on a creature cut from the original release of ‘ALIEN 3’ (although it totally made it’s way back in to the ‘Assembly Cut’ that was released a decade later), and is the smaller form of the ‘Dog Alien’ from the film. This is set to be a part of ‘ALIEN’ Series 11 which releases next year.
Go Go Legacy Rangers!
The team over at Bandai have revealed the official series lineup for the 3rd wave of their 6.5″ scale ‘Power Rangers Legacy’ figures! For those of you out of the loop, the ‘Power Rangers Legacy’ series from Bandai is a highly articulated 6.5″ figure line that features fan favorite Power Rangers characters! The newly announced third wave is set to include The White and Yellow Rangers from ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’, as well as The Black, Blue, and Pink Rangers from ‘Power Rangers In Space’! These are due out next spring.
Titan Is Back With More Doctor Who
When it comes to blind-boxed vinyl figures, the biggest question to ask is “who is in the box?”, and in the case of Titan Merchandise’s latest announced series, Who really is in the box! Doctor Who that is! The newest wave revealed by Titan Merchandise is the upcoming ‘Doctor Who: Heaven & Hellbent’ collection! This wave is themed once again around The Twelfth Doctor and his latest adventures! Characters you can look forward to in this wave include Santa Claus, River Song, Missy, Clara, Osgood, Ashilor, Davros, (obviously) The Doctor himself, and many more! Check out the full case assortment below!
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 Smuggler’s Bounty Is Lukewarm At Best
The team at Funko have given a major spoiler for this January’s upcoming ‘Star Wars: Smugglers Bounty’ subscription box, and by ‘major spoiler’, we mean they straight up announced what the upcoming exclusive POP! Vinyl is going to be; and it isn’t one to miss! Funko has revealed that their January ‘Smugglers Bounty’ box will include an exclusive deluxe POP! Vinyl figure of Han Solo on a Tauntaun straight out of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’! It’s safe to say that this months subscription box is likely to sell out, so don’t miss your chance to subscribe now!
Hard Candy Goes Soft With DC Super Hero Girls
This winter Funko is adding something a little sweeter to their ‘Hard Candy’ line of figures in the form of DC Comics Super Hero Girls characters! Coming to the already growing line are Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, and Bumblebee! These are set to hit stores in the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled!
Late To The Races
While we aren’t entirely sure who was actually asking for this one, the team at Funko has announced plans to release a POP! Vinyl of Sweet-, the insane clown from the ‘Twisted Metal’ video game series! This figure is due out in January.
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!
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.
