Toy News Tuesday: Universe’s Finest

NECA SDCC Reveals: Round 2

Each and every year at San Diego Comic-Con, countless companies try to come up with the best convention exclusive collectibles to bring to the table. The team at NECA is especially known for bringing their A-game when it comes to SDCC exclusives, so it isn’t at all shocking to see that this week they’ve got a whole barrage of new items announced for the con.

First up we’ve got an all new retro styled 8″ scale figure of Sensei John Kreese from the 80 cinematic classic ‘The Karate Kid’! As with other figures in this style, Sensei Kreese is fully articulated and includes real cloth clothes. Check the release from NECA below!

Strike first – strike hard – NO MERCY! From The Karate Kid, the iconic ‘80s film that sent a generation of kids rushing to enroll in karate classes, comes this clothed action figure of John Kreese! The fearsome sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo wears his black gi and sports his distinctive tattoo of a fist clutching a cobra. The fully articulated figure stands approximately 8” tall and features an authorized likeness. Window box packaging.

The next exclusive is one of the single most requested figures in NECA history! While he was teased back at Toy Fair, this is the first time NECA has formally announced their upcoming John Connor figure from ‘Terminator 2 Judgment Day’! I figure features likeness of actor Edward Furlong, and includes a number of accessories including a dirt bike, a T-800 Terminator arm, a hacking device and more! John Connor is fully articulated and will fit right in with all of your other Ultimate Terminator figures. Check the release from NECA below!

From Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the young John Connor joins NECA’s Ultimate line! This collector’s version of the boy who will become the leader of the future resistance features an authorized likeness and, of course, his iconic dirt bike, which comes with its own display stand. The 7” scale figure has over 25 points of articulation, and also includes 2 interchangeable heads, removable backpack, hacking device, and Endoskeleton arm in a display case.

Finally, we have some of the most requested items NECA has ever shown with a series of DC Comics versus Dark Horse Comics figure 2-packs! Three of these two packs were shown off at Toy Fair in 2018, but no one really knew what was going on with them or when we might actually see them. This week the team at NECA reveals two of the three sets that were shown as San Diego Comic-Con exclusives, with the third hopefully coming later at NYCC or SDCC 2020.

The first of these two sets feature Superman versus Alien, which is based on a comic mini-series of the same name. It features 7-inch scale figures of Superman and an Alien Xenomorph from the ‘Alien’ franchise! These figures are based on the character’s appearances in the comic they’re from, so they are both brand new sculpts! Check the full release from NECA below!

In the 1995 Superman/Aliens comic book mini-series co-published by DC Comics and Dark Horse, Superman faces the ferocious Xenomorphs on a search-and-rescue mission to a planet without a yellow sun, the source of his immense power. The set includes two brand new, comic book based figures, both with over 30 points of articulation. Superman stands approximately 7” tall, features a fabric cape and comes with attachable eye blast effect. The Alien stands approximately 9” tall and has a bendable tail. This action figure 2-pack is inspired by classic comic book mash-ups! This set is based on a DC/Dark Horse mini-series and comes in window box packaging with embossed opening flap.

The second set for San Diego Comic-Con this year is Batman versus Predator! This figure 2-pack is also face on a comic of the same name and features an 7″ scale Armored Batman figure as well as a Predator figure based on the design from the comic. Check the info from NECA below!

In the 1991 Batman Versus Predator comic book mini-series co-published by DC Comics and Dark Horse, the hunter becomes the hunted as Batman faces a deadly Predator stalking Gotham. The set includes two brand new, 7” scale comic book based figures, both with over 30 points of articulation. Batman features a fabric cape and comes with a gun and bat accessory. The Predator features 2 heads, removable backpack, retractable wrist blades and spear accessory. This action figure 2-pack is inspired by classic comic book mash-ups! This set is based on a DC/Dark Horse mini-series and comes in a window box packaging with embossed opening flap.

Mattel Says Goodbye To Batman In A Big Way

At the end of this year, Mattel will be losing the rights to produce action figures based on characters from the DC Universe, effectively bringing an end to their long-running 6″ scale DC Multiverse line (previously known as DC Universe Classics, and DC Super Heroes before that) after nearly two decades on the market. This summer they’re both celebrating Batman’s 80th Anniversary and simultaneously bidding a fond farewell to the character with a whole wave of Batman related characters!

The full wave lineup has been announced this week through BBTS’s preorder listing. Fans can look forward to adding Red Robin (Tim Drake), Red Hood (Jason Todd), Alfred Pennyworth, Katana, The Beast (KG Beast?), and our first ever figure of Dick Grayson as Batman! If you buy the full wave you will be able to build your very own Killer Croc figure! This wave is expected to hit stores this July!

Mezco Heads Back To Derry

He’s the newest fan favorite horror icon and he’s making his way to Mezco’s Designer Series Deluxe figure line! He’s Pennywise The Dancing Clown and he is heading straight out of the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’ to your collection as part of the Mezco Horror Designer Series Deluxe 6″ Figure line. Pennywise sports 8 points of articulation, two interchangeable heads, and a red balloon accessory! He is set to float on to shelves this October for $40. Check out the full release info from Mezco below!

IT (2017) – Mezco Designer Series Deluxe Pennywise Figure

“Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear.”

From the depths of the sewers beneath Derry, Pennywise joins the Mezco Designer Series! The shape-shifter comes complete with an interchangeable head featuring a sinister smile and his infamous red balloon that can be held in his left hand. Presented in a clown costume with ruffle detailing, Pennywise stands approximately 6” tall and features 8 points of articulation, allowing him to recreate his most terrifying poses from the film. MDS Deluxe IT: Pennywise comes packaged in a window box, perfect for display.

McFarlane’s ‘Harry Potter’ Takes Flight

We got our first look at McFarlane Toys’ new ‘Harry Potter’ action figure line just a few weeks back. This week they announced a new addition to the line with a slightly smaller scaled figure of Buckbeak the Hippogriff as seen in ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’! The Buckbeak figure itself stands around 13″ tall and is around 4.5″ in length from head to tail, with 10 points of articulation. This figure sadly doesn’t appear to be in scale with the other McFarlane Toys ‘Harry Potter’ releases, but much like for their ‘Game of Thrones’ line, having the creatures scaled-down in order to include them in the line seems a worthy trade-off. Buckbeak is set to release this August for around $28. Check out the full release info from McFarlane Toys below!

Buckbeak the Hippogriff

A magical creature that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse. Half horse, half eagle creatures, immensely proud and extremely dangerous.

Product features:

• Highly detailed sculpt of Buckbeak the Hippogriff from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Features movable head, neck, tail, and wings with over 10 points of articulation
• Buckbeak’s wingspan is 13” wide and features up and down movement
• Buckbeak measures 4.5” L x 13” W x 10” H when fully displayed on a base
• Showcased in Harry Potter themed window box packaging

This summer is going to be huge for fans of the Netflix original retro sci-fi horror series ‘Stranger Things. We’ve got the new third season hitting the streaming service this July, and a ton of new POP! Vinyls hitting stores based on the upcoming season for collectors! This week Funko announced a special new exclusive POP! Vinyl that will only be available at Baskin-Robbins locations. If you’re lucky enough to have a Baskin-Robbins around, be sure to keep an eye peeled for the new Scoops Ahoy Steve Funko POP! Vinyl! Steve is already hitting Baskin-Robbins stores now.

“Who Has A Better Story?”

‘Game of Thrones’ may be over, but Funko has no plans to let the brand rest anytime soon. This week they announced a number of new ‘Game of Thrones’ themed Funko items that are some of the coolest in Westeros! First up we have a new Funko POP Vinyl of Bran The Broken, ruler of Westeros at the end of the series! We also have a POP! Rides figure of Daenerys on Drogon that is breathing fire, so you can recreate the horrifying scenes of the penultimate episode as Drogon lays waste to King’s Landing. Finally, we have a special new glow-in-the-dark Night King that will be exclusively available on HBO shops website! These are all expected to hit the market this summer.

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!