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"I have dismantled and destroyed over 100,000 of you Type One Battle Droids." ‘Clones of the Republic’ is a brand new sub-line in 2024 for the Star Wars Black Series. These 2-packs sit outside the usual Galaxy Collection Series and are shared exclusives between Hasbro Pulse and Shop Disney. The first set released is the pack of Mace Windu and the 187th Legion Clone Trooper. This new ‘Clones of the Republic’ line features a tweak on the existing Galaxy Collection packaging and includes both left and right slanted sides complete with illustration - with Mace on the left and the Clone on the right. Unlike the Galaxy Collection, there appears to be no link between the images or any hint of a wider montage through future sets and their artwork. The box is a window box and uses the standard black base colour, and then uses a very light blue as the accent colour on these two art panels as well as on the nameplate. Round the back, there is a repeat of the artwork and a short piece of background text around the Republic and its Clone army. These new sets are numbered, with the Mace & 187th Legion set number 01 in the series. Looking at Mace Windu first, he combines his original Jedi Master release from 2019 with the clone armoured forearms from the 2022 release from the Tartakovsky Clone Wars series, with this new version also giving Mace a pair of Clone Trooper hands. The body is cast in the brown tones of the Jedi robes with a lighter colouring to the legs and a darker brown on the tunic, skirt section and upper arms. The dark brown boots are painted, as is the belt section with a silver buckle. The forearms have the white clone armour painted which does leave an imperfect finish where the armour meets the robes. There are some similar paint issues with the hands which are painted with the white of the armour on the back of the hands as well as the black of the gloved section with the fingers then painted as flesh. The left armoured bracer is finished with a burgundy Jedi symbol transfer. Mace’s head sculpt is the same as has been used on all his prior releases. It is a good likeness to Samuel L. Jackson, supported with face print tech, but isn’t in any way a standout. Mace comes with a single accessory, his lightsaber, another re-used part. This features a relatively complex hilt with black, silver and gold paint detail - into this slots the purple blade. Wielding of the saber is supported by 16 points of articulation, although giving Mace Clone Trooper hands does limit the wrist motion and also presents Mace with a trigger finger that has no practical use for a lightsaber. The legs are double-jointed, but pinned and feature a good range of options with the softer plastic skirt moving with the legs to a point. The arms have a single joint at the elbow and no butterfly shoulders so lightsaber poses are more or less restricted to a single grip - or a very neutral dual grip. For some reason, our figure has very loose joints at the neck and torso which is disappointing. Our new 187th Legion Clone Trooper is based on the original colours assigned to Mace’s 187th Legion in releases by both Lego and Hasbro and also across some of the comics. It is not technically accurate to the 187th we see during the Clone Wars episodes as their armour is more burgundy in a finish and this figure has already been replicated in 2022 as an exclusive release. The 187th Legion Clone, like Windu, is a re-cycled figure utilising the newer Clone Trooper body where the armour is cast in white plastic and the connecting joints are in black. The armour is then painted in the purple tones, with some stripes also included on the biceps and thighs in a dark blue colour. This is all applied as a neat ‘factory’ finish with no weathering or battle damage applications. The Trooper features a removable helmet, and this follows suit with the body with a white cast base overpainted with purple markings. In addition, we also have a painted black visor and blue markings across the forehead and cheek sections. It is a softer plastic, but holds its shape well and can be displayed on the head, or being carried. The head beneath is the standard Clone Trooper head with ‘flat top’ hair and a basic likeness to Temurra Morrison, it recently saw an outing as Commander Appo and has appeared on other Clones too over the last few years. The 187th Trooper comes with both of the standard Clone Trooper weapons, the DC-15S blaster carbine and the longer DC15-A blaster rifle. These are cast in dark grey with a good level of sculpted detail but zero paint applications. While the recent Commander Appo release saw an enhancement to the Clone Trooper body with the addition of a left trigger hand - this new 187th version reverts back to the older hands meaning he can only hold the weapons in his right hand. Articulation is pretty extensive across the Clone body with 19 points of articulation in total. Our 187th Legion Trooper can achieve a wide range of positions with the option to raise and shoot his weapons from a standing or neutral position. The knee and elbow armour remains fixed on this version, despite another enhancement recently to have them floating so they can move with the joint for a more natural look. That inability for the armour to move when the knees or arms are bent does create a slightly odd look. This first Clones of the Republic set brings us two fully recycled figures with no new features or additional selling points. Neither figure is a stand-out in terms of execution with Mace featuring some slightly wobbly joints and missing his robe, while the Clone Trooper reverts back to some older formatting with the hands and knee/elbow joints despite better options existing in the Black Series catalogue. I am struggling to see why we needed this new sublime within the established Galaxy Collection with the Clones of the Republic packaging causing more headaches for in-box collectors, particularly with its dual-aspect artwork. This could have been a two-pack under the Clone Wars banner, or single releases - exclusives or otherwise. The fact that one of the figures is also an army builder defies a bit of logic on sales opportunity with very few collectors willing to stump up for spare Mace Windu figures if they want to build out an 187th Legion. The offset to this is the price which is a relatively reasonable £44.99 and therefore technically a fiver less than two individual releases. How much longevity this line has will depend on future releases and if they go down the same route of individual characters with a Clone Trooper, or if they will perhaps explore two Clone Troopers per set enabling the army-building options. Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Star Wars Black Series Collectors Database & Checklist If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

McFarlane has revealed a new DC Multiverse release of Batman in his Prestige Suit from Arkham Knight. The figure is an April 2024 release and features Batarang, grapple launcher, sonic remote & display stand. As a child, Bruce Wayne™ watched as his parents were brutally killed in GOTHAM CITY™’s Crime Alley. Traumatized by their deaths, he devoted his life to becoming the world’s greatest weapon against crime, the Batman™! To become the ultimate vigilante, the Dark Knight™ disciplined his mind and body to reach the pinnacle of mental and physical superiority. He’s a master detective and an expert martial artist, but his greatest weapon is his mind. Batman™ has a plan for every occasion, as well as high-tech weapons, gadgets, and vehicles to assist him in his relentless pursuit of justice! Incredibly detailed 7” scale figure based on the DC MULTIVERSE™ Designed with Ultra Articulation with up to 22 moving parts for full range of posing and play Accessories include Batarang, grapple launcher, sonic remote & display stand Includes collectible art card with character art on the front, and character biography on the back Collect all McFARLANE TOYS™ DC MULTIVERSE™ figures To manage our storage costs, news article images are archived after 12-months. Accept our apologies if you have reached this news article, and the images are no longer available If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

The McFarlane Movie Maniacs line is spinning off a new set of 6-inch figures called Music Maniacs. The first figure revealed is this Alice Cooper who opens for pre-order later this month with a dispatch likely later in the Spring. The 'Maniac's' figures are posed with limited or no articulation and come with their own diorama base and in display packaging. To manage our storage costs, news article images are archived after 12-months. Accept our apologies if you have reached this news article, and the images are no longer available If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

Over the weekend Al Dewar (Character Options) and Ed Barnett-Ward (Affable Design Company) joined the team at the Who Corner to Corner podcast to discuss the future of their Doctor Who line. Throughout the discussion, there were a few snippets for fans including the news that while B&M products will continue the amount of releases will be reduced. Focus for this year and beyond is more aligned to the new Doctor Who content. They did confirm we will see Emperor Davros this year. And also in the works - could be a few years off yet - are new figures of a Younger 3rd Doctor and a Liz Shaw. To manage our storage costs, news article images are archived after 12-months. Accept our apologies if you have reached this news article, and the images are no longer available If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

On the latest edition of the Adventures in Collecting Podcast, the team were joined by Emily, Lenny, and Tom from Hasbro's G.I. Joe team and exclusively confirmed a couple of new pipeline reveals of Blowtorch and Roadpig. To manage our storage costs, news article images are archived after 12-months. Accept our apologies if you have reached this news article, and the images are no longer available If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

“Thanos is coming... He's coming.” The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane. The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text. Having worked our way through seven repaints and tweaked figures in the 2023 Infinity Saga wave, we have reached what is essentially the only 'new' figure in the collection. Bruce Banner has only had one single MCU release previously outside of his alter-ego The Hulk. That single outing was in 2015 as part of the Age of Ultron series and packed Bruce into a four-pack alongside Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. The set was then sold exclusively via Amazon making the Bruce Banner a relatively rare commodity for MCU Legends collectors. This second release of an MCU Bruce is therefore long overdue and welcomed bringing us a Mark Ruffalo figure as Banner but in keeping with the very modern and photo-real decor of other core Avengers. This new Bruce Banner is themed around his Avengers: Infinity War appearance following his return to Earth and in particular the scenes where he arrives in Wakanda. While the figure is technically new, there are plenty of re-used parts here with the legs and torso taken from the original 2015 Bruce Banner. The legs are cast in dark grey with a touch of black and silver paint on the belt detail. They are a bit slimmer than we might like for Bruce Banner’s proportions but Hasbro is unlikely to move forward with a new pair of suited legs any time soon. The torso is painted and a checked shirt with a lavender base colour and grey checks. The purple softer plastic jacket is new, while the pinless arms are a subtle reuse. The tell is the very slight pattern on the sleeves which can be traced to the Agent Woo figure from WandaVision. The head sculpt is a new piece, with a great likeness to Mark Ruffalo as we would expect to see with our most recent Legends releases although in terms of proportions, the forehead might just be a bit too large. The sculpt is overlaid with photo real paint and the hair is cast and attached as an individual piece to give a clean transition between skin and hair. Banner has no accessories but does come with two sets of hands. You can interchange clenched fists with open hands depending on how you want to display Bruce. I struggled to consider what Infinity War relevant accessories we might have expected. Articulation is OK, with 19 points in total. The issues all exist in these older-suited legs that suffer from visible pins as well as ongoing issues with the feet which don’t seem to want to sit flat and hold the figure in a standing pose. The upper torso behaves much better, and is pinless, allowing Bruce a good range of movement. The Infinity Sage Bruce Banner is a release that we can call new in so much it is a new iteration of a character, while the figure does recycle most of the parts from previous releases - and there is nothing particularly wrong with that if the look of the character is maintained. The issue with Banner is the issues these re-used parts - namely the legs - bring with them. Bruce also feels light on extra parts considering we have seen alternative heads with nearly all the other figures as well as weaponry or accessories. A second head sculpt, perhaps angry or even partially green Bruce would have been very welcome. I had anticipated this to be the popular figure of the wave, but he is hanging around at retail as others like Spider-Man and Black Widow sell out. He is certainly an acceptable release by Legends standards and won’t disappoint, but like the rest of the wave, he perhaps doesn’t quite go far enough to exceed our expectations. What the new head sculpt does do is open up options for more Bruce Banner variations such as the Ragnarok Banner or even Bruce in a labcoat from Age of Ultron. Keep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Marvel Legends Collectors Database & Checklist If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

“Well, I could have stuck the landing a little better.” The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane. The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text. Despite Spider-Man’s popularity among Marvel fans as a whole, and within the Cinematic Universe, his debut in Civil War was only been marked by a single-figure release. This was part of a Civil War 3-Pack alongside Captain America and Iron-Man. The figure would go on to be used as a base - with updated parts - for the Spider-Man: Homecoming releases, but the limited release for Civil War made that version more desirable on the secondary market. Considering this, the re-release of the Civil War Spider-Man as part of the Infinity Saga wave of 2023 is a good choice. The figure uses the same body as was first released in 2016. This is predominantly cast in blue with red painted elements although some parts are reversed where red is the more prominent colour. Weblines are sculpted across the body, but not painted we only get the thicker black lines of the suit around the torso. The original did have painted weblines, so excluding them off a figure that is meant to be upgrading the original is a disappointment. The suit is finished with the Spider logos with a small sculpted version on the front painted in black and a larger red sculpted symbol on the back of the figure. Size wise the figure is small enough to represent high-school Peter as seen in Civil War and he scales accurately to other characters from Civil War in so much he is shorter than all of them. The masked head is also carried forward from 2016 and like the suit is cast in red with sculpted - but unpainted - weblines and with the eyes lined in black and the visors painted white. The set follows suit with other figures from the same wave by adding in a new unmasked head. This Peter Parker head is taken from the more recent No Way Home wave but with some paint variation in the hair colour and with the Civil War version having a slightly different skin tone. It is a very good likeness to Tom Holland as you would expect from a more current head sculpt and facial printing application. There is a small question over proportions with the unmasked head larger than the masked - but it is not as noticeable as Captain America or Iron-Man from the same Infinity Saga wave. Civil War Spider-Man only comes with two pairs of hands, providing a choice between clenched fists and web-slinging options. Both sets of hands are cast in red, and feature web line sculpting, but have no additional paintwork. Considering what other hands are available throwing in some wall-crawling options would have further enhanced this updated figure. Articulation is impressive, even for an older figure. While it is pinned, there are 21 points of articulation with Spidey inclusive of butterfly shoulders and a waist swivel and ab crunch pairing on the torso. These all combine to provide Spider-Man with extensive movement and posing options including kneeling and crouching and - should you want to - web-swinging action via an action figure stand. I never got the original Civil War Spider-Man and had always believed the Homecoming figure to be identical. Having now seen this re-release the differences, while minor, are clear to see from the web symbols front and back to some of the trims and weblines through the body. This 2023 re-release therefore fills a gap in my collection, and I suspect many others considering the limited availability of the original release through that damaged 3-pack. Including an unmasked head adds value and while it wasn't designed for this figure as such, they do pair really well. Like so many of this wave, the Civil War Spider-Man goes just far enough but doesn’t take that leap into making it exceptional. Imagine this with a web effect and Cap’s shield. There is also questions over the paintwork of the web lines - one arguable downgrade from the original - and a limited set of hand options. Out of the eight releases in the 2023 Infinity Saga wave, this is the most popular in terms of sales - driven not only by it being a good quality release, but also as this truly is a figure people needed re-releasing considering the limited availability back in 2016 and now on the secondary market. Keep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Marvel Legends Collectors Database & Checklist If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

“I'm doing what has to be done, to save us from something worse.” The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane. The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text. The Mk46 Iron-Man suit seen during the events of Captain America: Civil War saw four different releases across 2016 and 2017. The original release with the Giant-Man BAF wave was also repacked for an International ‘Best Of’ wave. The figure was then featured in the Disney Store Civil War 4-pack, and with a battle-damaged variant in the Civil War 3-Pack that also featured the release of Civil War Spider-Man. The figure has been selected as one of the 8 releases for the 2023 Infinity Saga wave and is pretty much the same figure and accessories as was released originally in 2016, although now with an additional head. The Civil War Iron-Man was, at the time, a step forward in Iron-Man MCU releases with improved proportions and height making him more aligned with the other characters from the MCU. Iron-Man figures to this point had all come from Age of Ultron - or were much earlier standalone movie releases - and these had all been on the small size. The figure replicates the Civil War Mk46 suit to a good standard and uses a base red plastic that is not quite metallic, more pearlescent in its finish. This red is deeper in tone than the original release, deeper even than the battle-damaged version - so while the figure has no new parts as such, the paint job does improve the aesthetics to a colour more accurate to Tony’s suit on screen. The red is overlaid with both gold and silver elements. These are bright and defined across the suit with no obvious errors. The helmet uses the same colouring as the suit with a red base and gold-painted faceplate with white eyes. While the body proportion is good, the head looks small on the body as though the body were enlarged but they forgot to do the head. This is worsened when you compare it to the new inclusion of an unmasked Tony Stark head where the Stark head is considerably bigger than the helmet. The unmasked head is the best likeness to Robert Downey Jr. to date in the Legends line, and it looks to be a new piece or at least heavily reworked from the Endgame release which came as a full head and neck piece. The sculpt details are very well overlaid with the facial print bringing out the eyes as well as the facial hair detail. The one criticism is the size, which is a bit too big for the Mk46 body meaning either display combo - with or without a helmet - has some visual issues. The figure comes with two sets of hands starting with a pair of clenched fists. These can be swapped out with a pair of extended hands inclusive of a central socket into which you can add the now obligatory repulsor effects. These are translucent blue with the energy blast at one end and a spike reaching out and tapering to a point. The peg fits into the hands for a blast effect or can be used on the feet socket for the same effect although this will require a flight stand. Articulation remains pinned thanks to the older body, but the pins are not overly intrusive. There are 18 points of articulation with double joints to the knees and elbows. The bulk of the suit does hamper some movement, the shoulders, in particular, won't raise up fully even with the hinged shoulder armour above the joint. This impacts firing positions for the repulsor hands and effects as the arm can't be posed out at a true 90-degree angle. Other than this Iron-Man can be posed in a number of positions, and he can also kneel but remains some way from nailing the ‘superhero landing’ with limitations in the torso and hips. The 2023 Infinity Saga releases have certainly not been on par with previous MCU waves of this nature with a focus on re-releases with minor tweaks than brand-new characters. The team has chosen three Civil War characters to tweak and those tweaks are impressive, but perhaps at the detriment of very obvious gaps from the movie such as Zemo or Hawkeye in his Civil War costume. The Mk46 Iron-Man itself is not a hard figure to find, despite being out for a number of years, but this updated version does bring with it a more accurate paint job and a stunning Tony Stark head. There are proportional issues, same as we saw with Captain America from the same wave, where the newly developed parts can be at odds with the older body. A decent upgrade, and with plenty of positives - just perhaps not one that we were all crying out for. Keep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Marvel Legends Collectors Database & Checklist If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

The new Mezco 5-Points Goonies set has opened for pre-order. The set features Mikey, Chunk, Data, Mouth, and Sloth from the 1985 Classic. Each figure comes with a display base and accessories, and come packed on individual retro style blister card. Mikey will come with a map, copper bones, and doubloon, Chunk will feature removable hat and a dagger. Data has his boxing glove which attaches to his waist. Mouth has a challice and a lantern. With Chunk coming with sword, candy bar, and removable hat. The Goonies set will be released between September and November 2024. "Goonies never say die." Get ready for a wild treasure hunt fueled by friendship and determination—the Goonies are joining the 5 Points lineup! Packed with imaginative escapades, witty banter, and memorable characters, The Goonies is a beloved cult classic that has captured the hearts of generations since its release in 1985. Straight from the timeless adventure film, this set includes 5 members of the Goonies: Mikey, Chunk, Data, Mouth, and Sloth, each with a black display base and their own unique accessories. Each figure is individually packaged in a retro style blister card, perfect for display. THE 5 POINTS THE GOONIES SET INCLUDES: Mikey: the leader of the Goonies, Mikey brings the group on their thrilling adventure to find hidden treasure and save the Goon Docks from foreclosure. Chuck: the clumsy member of the Goonies with a love of food, Chuck is known for telling lies and pulling pranks. Data: the youngest of the Goonies, Data is a tech-savvy inventor who always carries his gadgets that aid the group on their journey. Mouth: the talkative and often sarcastic member of the Goonies, Mouth also serves as the group’s translator for his fluency in Spanish. Sloth: the deformed and abused son of the Fratelli family with a kind heart, Sloth forms a special bond with Chuck and ultimately joins the Goonies. To manage our storage costs, news article images are archived after 12-months. Accept our apologies if you have reached this news article, and the images are no longer available If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

“Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal.” The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane. The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text. The Mark III War Machine suit, worn by James Rhodes during the events of Civil War, has been released in a few different sets previously. All of these were tied into Captain America: Civil War and included a single release with the Giant Man BAF, as well as two multi-packs one with Iron-Man’s ‘Disco’ Armoured Suit, and another as a Disney Store 4-Pack. The 2023 Infinity Saga is a direct repack of this original 2016 figure and offers no updates or upgrades as such with the figure. War Machine features a deep grey cast body, similar in execution to most MCU Iron-Man figures. Selected panels are picked out in a crisp silver with decals applied to create the ‘glowing’ look of the red Arc Reactor as well as the winged star emblem on the left shoulder, the 003 text on the left bicep, and the ‘Lt. Col. James Rhodes’ text on the upper left chest. The figure features a number of sockets at the shoulders, beneath the forearms, and on the hips - all designed to incorporate accessories included in the set. The head sculpt is a single helmeted version with a silver face mask and painted red eyes. It is in the correct proportions for the body and the whole War Machine look is reasonably complementary in terms of scale with the other Civil War figures, although the Iron-Man from the same wave is taller and the Tony Stark head included is quite a bit bigger than Rhodey’s helmet. With other figures in the wave benefitting from updated or new unmasked heads - it is a shame that the opportunity to give us an unmasked Don Cheadle was not taken and poor Rhodey remains one of the core MCU characters from the Infinity Saga without an unmasked likeness. Moving to the accessories we start with the shoulder cannon, and we have two versions to play with in the set. The first is the main cannon with a hinged barrel that can articulate to a firing position over War Machine’s shoulder. You also get a second ‘retracted’ version. Both are shaped only to slot into the socket on the left shoulder and while the fit is OK, it is less than secure when posing your figure. The right socket is a bit wider and has a specific purpose for another of the accessories. In the movie, this did house a pop-up rocket launcher. The rocket launcher would have been a preferred option to the second pair of accessories. These are assault weapons that include a hinged section so they can be displayed closed or open. They can be stowed on either the hips - where they have to remain closed - or beneath the forearms where they can be displayed in either position. The forearm look does bolster the ‘weaponry’ that War Machine can bring to bear, but having them here does leave a very visible void at the top of the leg. The fit here at either location is also very loose and these fall off far too easily. A fitted version glued into place on arrival would have been preferred. The Electobaton is the third accessory piece, and like the shoulder cannon, we have two versions - one retracted and one extended. The latter features some additional glowing red decor down the exposed central shaft. The smaller retracted version can be located in the right-hand shoulder socket as a stowed version. Both versions can be held by making use of the pair of gripping hands offered alongside the clenched fist versions. Swapping of the hands is more difficult than usual thanks to an overlaid section of the wrist armour which makes getting a grip on the hand itself tricky. War Machine features 18 points of articulation on a pinned body. The bulk of the suit does restrict some movement, although the flexible shoulder armour will allow a bit more arm movement than you initially think by allowing the armour piece to pivot upwards a few more milimetres. As a solid and well-built piece, there are no stability issues with Rhodey and you aren't short on poses for a Civil War display. In terms of the wider Infinity Saga wave for 2023, Rhodey is perhaps the weakest in terms of what he offers. This is a very simple repack with zero added value to collectors who already own the MK3 War Machine. While the other figures bring at least one tweaked or updated piece - usually new or updated heads - the War Machine doesn’t have that selling point. He is not even that desirable as a figure having had three different releases during 2016 and 2017. Had Hasbro added a Don Cheadle unmasked head, then we’d be having a different conversation. What you do get is a well-sculpted, solid-looking figure in keeping with his Civil War appearance with appropriate decor and suit markings. The accessory count is extensive, although some of them are frustrating to keep in place. I’d have dialed these back and incorporated some into the figure itself as fixed pieces. In summary, War Machine is good, offers nothing new, and is another case of what could have been. Keep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Marvel Legends Collectors Database & Checklist If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

Hiya Toys has shared two prototype images for an upcoming release from Contra: Operation Galuga. The figures of Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are sculpted and do not appear to have soft goods elements so these may not be full Exquisite Super releases. Hiya does not clarify a scale, but the articulation seems to indicate these will be 1/12 scale (6 inch). To manage our storage costs, news article images are archived after 12-months. Accept our apologies if you have reached this news article, and the images are no longer available If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...

“Test complete. Preparing to power down and begin diagnostics…” The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane. The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text. The Mk2 Iron-Man suit is a full repaint of the Mk3 suit released in 2021’s Infinity Saga series. This is of course perfectly accurate to the Iron-Man movie of 2008 taking the silver Mk2 and updating the metal and therefore colouring it to red and gold for the Mk3 replacement. Despite its short tenure in the movie, the Mk2 would of course go on to be the basis of the War Machine suit, and it is also significant to Iron-Man 2 and the original Hall of Armour, taking us one step closer to a full set. The body is cast in its entirety in a silver colour, not quite metallic but shiny enough to pass and we know this is probably as good as we are going to get in the Legends line with the budget ceiling stopping any vac metal finishes or metal components. There is therefore limited decor to discuss, other than a very clever application of visible rivets across the chest arms, and legs. I am going to assume these may be photo-printed considering the size and accuracy of their application. The body is finished with the arc reactor, a blue sticker that fades to a central white spot in the middle to replicate the glow of the reactor. Proportions are good and while some early Iron-Man figures were on the small size, the Mk2 scales well with the rest of the MCU Legends. The Mk2 has two head options, starting with a full helmet that uses the same silver plastic as the body across the helmet and the faceplate. Like the other Iron-Man releases, the eyes in the faceplate are sculpted, and then a blue hue is used to create the light-up effect. The other helmet, again taken from the Mk3 release and converted, is the unmasked Tony Stark head. This head features the faceplate raised with Tony’s face visible beneath. The likeness to Robert Downey Jr. in this head sculpt is excellent, considering the limited view, with facial printing tech applied beneath the visor to the face to get more detailing into the eyes and moustache in particular. Both heads are easy to interchange with a small amount of force required to pop them on or off in the usual fashion. The set also featured a second pair of hands for our Mk2 Iron-Man giving you access to a pair of clenched fists, and a pair of open ‘repulsor blast’ hands. This second pair are not articulated at the wrist so are fixed in the palm up and out position once engaged into the wrist joint. We are also given a pair of repulsor blast effects. These are the same set that have been doing the rounds since at least 2016 and the Civil War figures. The blasts are a blue translucent design and feature an outward blast and a second ring of blast effect near the base. Interestingly the repulsor blast hands do not have a socket for these blasts so they are only useable in the peg holes on the feet which then means you can only display them with the Mk2 in a flight position using an after-market stand. The effects do warp easily and often arrive misshapen - so very much a personal preference as to whether these get used, or go into a parts box. Articulation is quite extensive for an Iron-Man release with 18 points of articulation in total. The legs remain very mobile with dual-jointed knees, thigh swivels, and a wide-ranging hip joint. These allow Iron-Man to kneel if needed, but not quite do that iconic landing pose. The arms are held back a little, but not by the shoulder armour which is hinged so moves with the shoulder joints. Instead, the restriction appears to be in the shoulder joint itself which can raise to the 90-degree position, but no further - and it can't be rotated either to move the arm any further upwards. This being said the Mk2 has plenty of display options, including the use of a flight stand to have him flying or hovering. While this is a repainted release that offers nothing new, the inclusion of the Mk2 suit into the Marvel Legends collection at the right scale (the old version from the 2008 pre-Legends release is wildly undersized) is a welcome one and puts us another suit closer to having a Hall of Armour setup. The release offers us multiple posing options with the two heads, two sets of hands, and a wide-ranging set of articulation. It also looks the part with sensible use of decor on the glossy silver plastic to get close to a metallic silver finish as is possible in the Legends price point. I would have preferred the option to have the repulsor blasts fit into the hands as well as the feet, and these effects themselves are overused and now limited in their appeal. Out of the 8 figures in the 2023 wave, the Mk2 is perhaps one of the most desirable and that is reflected in the speed of sales vs some of the other releases. Keep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Marvel Legends Collectors Database & Checklist If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...