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  • Hiya Toys Exquisite Basic Mothra 'Emerald Titan' Version

    The Hiya Toys Exquisite Basic Mothra 'Emerald Titan' Version, as seen in the 2019 movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters, will be the next release in their Toho / Legendary Monsterverse line of figures. TMothra features a wingspan of over 14-inches with 11 points of articulation. She will be a 2024 quarter 3 release (July-September). Mothra Emerald Titan Ver. action figure from Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) now joins HiyaToys EXQUISITE BASIC! The story follows Monarch believes Godzilla and some other Titans to be benevolent and is against killing them. When Alan Jonah and his men steal the ORCA and awaken Monster Zero, they are unable to stop it from being unleashed, after it awakens many of the other dormant Titans around the globe and bends them to his will. This brand new Mothra Emerald Titan Ver. action figure has 14.2 inches wingspan, featuring 11 points of articulation throughout the body. Faithfully capture its on-poster appearance with multiple layers of paint, displaying gorgeous shapes of Mothra spreading her wings and releasing cyan light like emerald. Price:51 USD Release time: 2024Q3 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...

  • Marvel Legends Deluxe Angel, Uncanny X-Men

    Hasbro's new Marvel Legends Angel figure, as previewed late last year at the Fan First livestream, has opened for pre-order ahead of an April 2024 release. Angel is a deluxe release, based on his Uncanny X-Men look. The figure features two head options, alternative hands, and a set of fully articulated wings measuring over 15 inches in width. Bring the excitement and wonder of the Marvel Universe to your collection with Hasbro Marvel Legends Marvel's Angel figure! This collectible 6-inch scale Marvel figure is detailed to look like the character from Marvel's Uncanny X-Men comics. Marvel's Angel action figure is fully articulated with deluxe wings that can be posed to look like he is standing or flying for ultimate display potential. Marvel action figure set comes with 3 accessories to imagine different scenes with alternate head and hands. Hasbro Marvel action figures' 6 inch scale make them great for posing and displaying in fans' collections. Reimagine X-Men comics-inspired scenes on your shelf with Marvel Legends action figures. This collectible Marvel's Angel action figure is inspired by the character's appearance Marvel's Uncanny X-Men comics Figure has premium character-inspired wings. Wings are fully articulated for different poses, spanning 15.6 inches long (39 cm) This officially licensed Hasbro Marvel Legends action figure comes with 3 accessories, including alternate head and hands Fans and collectors can display this premium Marvel 6 inch action figure (15 cm) with comics-inspired design and deco in their collection Collectible action figure features over 20 points of articulation with fully poseable wings, head, arms, and legs for dynamic poses on your shelf The highflying Angel assists in the fight against Dark Phoenix and other threats to the X-Men, using his wings to take the battles to the sky Look for more X-Men Marvel Legends Series figures to build your own Marvel Comics Multiverse (Each sold separately. Subject to availability) 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...

  • Hiya Toys Exquisite Basic Skull Devil from Kong: Skull Island

    Hiya Toys has previewed a new 'coming soon' Exquisite Basic release of Skull Devil from Kong: Skull Island 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...

  • NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2024 releases of Synja Patrol Pot, Wanderer Leo, and Shredder Clones

    The first 'Turtle Tuesday' of 2024 saw NECA list off a trio of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles releases coming for 2024. None of these were new reveals and all three had been listed previously via other retailers or NECA themselves. The group included the Synja Patrol Bot from The Last Ronin, 'Wanderer Leonardo from the Mirage Comics, and the three pack of Shredder Clones - also from the original Mirage comic series. These are all general 2024 releases via NECA Stockists and due into stock by February 2024. From the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series, The Last Ronin! In a future NYC far different than the one we know today, a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends. This Patrol Bot action figure is authentic to the comic book depiction and stands in 7” scale. Includes interchangeable heads, extra hands, sword & sheath, laser, and mouser. Comes in collector-friendly window box packaging with opening flap featuring a custom illustration by Ben Bishop. Based on the original Eastman & Laird Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books from Mirage Studios, the Michelangelo (The Wanderer) action figure stands approximately 7 inches tall, and includes comic-authentic accessories such as swords, spear, kama, nunchucks, and extra hands. Comes in special comic-book themed window box packaging illustrated by Kevin Eastman. The Shredder Clones 3-pack stands in 7-inch scale and includes extra hands and space worms. Comes in special comic-book themed window box packaging illustrated by Kevin Eastman. 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...

  • My Top 10 Action Figure releases of 2023

    Those of you kind enough to follow my site will know that 2023 has been a recovery year after spending six months of 2022 in the hospital and then recovering from a serious illness. That meant we didn't do any kind of end-of-year summary last year. This year I've been catching up on a lot of the 2022 releases I missed while in hospital while continuing to review the 2023 releases as they came in. It is from these 2023 releases that I have picked a Top 10 of 2023. I only tend to review the figures I collect myself personally and therefore the following Top 10 selection is very Hasbro-orientated across lines like Star Wars Black Series, Marvel Legends, and Indiana Jones. Star Wars Black Series I have already picked a trio of Black Series releases for 2023 as part of my Star Wars Black Series 10th Anniversary Advent. So for this article, I went back and picked another two figures who I was particularly impressed with in 2023. My first pick is the Disney Parks exclusive Deluxe release of Dok Ondar. While this was a limited and expensive item, the figure itself is impressive with a good mix of soft goods and sculpted roles over a new Ithorian body which of course opens up a release for Momaw Nadon who should be arriving (hopefully) in 2024. My second pick is Krrsantan from The Book of Boba Fett. This Deluxe release was a big improvement on the earlier comic book version and depicts Krrsantan as the beast he is intended to be with scarred muscular body, spiked armour, and a rather large rifle. Marvel Legends For clarity, I do only collect MCU releases in the Marvel Legends line so my choices reflect that aspect of my collection. The first pick is the updated Scarlet Witch released as an exclusive and as part of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness line. All of the previous Wanda figures have been impressive, but this latest version tops all of them with the latest iteration of her Scarlet Witch outfit, magic effects, and a Darkhold accessory. My other two picks for Marvel Legends Top 3 of 2023 are figures that I have not yet reviewed, and have only had in hand since just before the Christmas Holiday. The Deluxe releases of Green Goblin and Doc Ock, as seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, are both equally impressive both in terms of their likeness but also in their included features - with Goblin coming with his glider, and Doc Ock featuring articulated tentacles. Stay tuned for our review on these two in early January! Indiana Jones Adventure Series It seems that Hasbro's Indiana Jones Adventure Series was a 2023-and-done type of affair with three full waves across the year backed up with a number of exclusives. I have selected the Temple Escape Indiana Jones release as one of my 2023 Top 10 picks. While it did make those of us who'd already bought Raiders Indy pay out again, the extras included - the temple plinth in particular - are most welcome in a line that does benefit hugely from props and diorama pieces. My second pick is Henry Jones Sr. from the final Indiana Jones wave of 2023. This final wave really saw the line find its feet on character likeness and accessories and Henry certainly emboides all of these with a great likeness to Sean Connery, removable hat and glasses, and his Grail diary, suitcase and umbrella as included accessories. The Best of the Rest In terms of the other lines that I collect, I've dedicated my final three picks to three of those - Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who. The Playmates Star Trek figures were 2022 releases in the US, but didn't really hit mainstream UK stores until early 2023. I went almost all in on the line straight away considering the nostalgia aspect as a former Playmates Trek collector from the 90's but also the potential that the line may reach in the future. My favourite release, surprisingly, was Commander Saru from Discovery. A figure that demonstrated what level of detail a 5-inch line could reach. Sadly, the line didn't even last the year with Playmates pulling the plug on any future figures just before Christmas. The Diamond Select Lord of the Rings line continues its slow and steady pace working through characters from The Fellowship of the Ring. We got but a single two-figure wave in 2023, adding Boromir to the ever-expanding Fellowship - but also bringing us Lurtz to lead our Uruk Hai forces. Lurtz is a very visually impressive figure but also has a good level of articulation considering the limited levels we've seen on other LOTR figures. He is also entirely new, with Diamond resisting the opportunity to re-use parts from the Uruk Hai warrior. Long may this line continue. And I finish with a two-pack from my longest-running collection, the Character Toys Doctor Who line which itself celebrates its 19th year in 2024. In late 2022 we saw the end of the Jodie Whitaker 13th Doctor era with an explosive finale and a surprising return of David Tennant as the 14th Doctor to take us into the 60th Anniversary. Character Toys duly obliged fans with a Doctor Who 13th and 14th Doctor Regeneration Two Pack Exclusive featuring the 13th Doctor in her combined homage outfit, and the new 14th Doctor with new David Tennant head culpt. Here's to this line continuing strongly in 2024. 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...

  • Mezco One:12 Collective White Power Ranger

    Mezco's One:12 Collective Power Rangers release of the White Power Range has been confirmed as a limited edition Mezco Exclusive. The set, releasing in 2024, will be packed with both masked and unmasked heads, a selection of alternative hands, White Ranger swords and Saba blades, and a selection of effect pieces. Get ready for an epic return as Tommy Oliver is back in action with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and the One:12 Collective line, now as the White Ranger! The White Ranger wears his iconic suit with chest armor and a holster for his Saba sword on his belt. Two head portraits are included - a Mighty Morphin’ helmet and an unmasked head portrait. It’s Morphin’ Time! Tommy wields the Sword of Light and the enchanted short-sword Saba, both equipped with multiple dazzling weapon FX. Unleash the power of Saba in two forms: a compact short version as well as extended, each featuring a removable lion head at the end of the handle. After being freed from Rita Repulsa’s spell, Zordon created the White Ranger powers as a replacement for the depletion of the Green Ranger's energy. As the new leader of the Power Rangers, Tommy and the rest of the team fight to protect Angel Grove. 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...

  • Storm Collectibles Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Blanka

    Storm Collectibles has released details of a new Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Blanka figure. The new 6-inch scale Blanka will feature four head options, additional hands, and an Electic Thunder effects piece. He is listed for release in Q3 (July-September) 2024 with the figure listed as a Big Bad Toy Store exclusive for the US. Let's have a look at everyone's favorite green, electric Brazilian fighter, Blanka! He packs a punch with his familiar rolling attacks. Blanka crash landed in the jungle when he was just a child, but was able to survive on his own by fighting back against predators. He loves toying with his opponents with his unorthodox fighting style, almost as much as he loves his mom, Samantha. 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...

  • McFarlane DC Multiverse Batman from Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

    McFarlane served up a Boxing Day teaser with this preview 'coming soon' image of a new DC Multiverse Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice figure of Batman. 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...

  • Star Wars Black Series 10-Year Anniversary Advent Celebration

    To mark 10 years of Hasbro's Star Wars Black Series 6-inch line I've picked some of our favourite figures from each year, spanning 2013 - 2023, and have been revealing them daily in our advent calendar countdown through December. The approach I have taken was to pick two figures for each year starting with 2013 through to this year's releases. To ensure we had 24 picks in total for our Advent I allowed myself two wildcards that can be picked from any year. These are of course my choices only and they are not reflective of anything other than allowing me to reminisce a little from collecting the Black Series over the past 10 years. To consider what may be the favourite release in the line we'd also like you to get involved and tell us which are your favourite Star Wars Black Series figures from the last ten years. First, visit our comprehensive Star Wars Black Series Collectors Database & Checklist. Filter the list by year, source, or faction, then pick your favourites. Fill in our form to submit your picks, with the overall winners, voted by you, revealed on Christmas Eve. Star Wars Black Series 10-Year Anniversary Advent We kick off our Advent in 2013 and the launch of the Black Series, and our first pick is that of Darth Maul. Despite some limited articulation, Maul has aged well in the line and was very much reflective of the early ethos of the figures with a single release covering Maul's two distinct looks from The Phantom Menace. Our second pick is Boba Fett, the first figure I ever bought in the Black Series and while it now feels a bit dated, again in terms of articulation, it remains a great display piece - particularly alongside the Han Solo in Carbonite from the SDCC 2013 exclusive boxset. And talking of great display pieces, our third pick is one of the first Deluxe releases in the line with the 2014 release of the Imperial Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike, a huge step for the line in terms of introducing vehicles and larger creatures for our collections. Our second pick of 2014 sticks with the Deluxe theme and is one of my personal favourites from The Original Trilogy, Jabba The Hutt. Jabba was released as a standalone Deluxe as well as a 2014 SDCC exclusive alongside Salacious Crumb and parts of his throne. 2015 was a big year for The Black Series as well as seeing another packaging change. One of the last blue line releases is our pick at number 5 - the first named Clone in the line and the first Clone Trooper in Phase II armour, the original release of Clone Commander Cody. 2015 was the year Star Wars returned to the big screen with The Force Awakens, and there was a lot of excitement over the figures which also saw us move over to the Phase III red box packaging. At the time we knew very little about most of the characters and early releases like the Guavian Enforcer - our pick at number 6 - got us excited as the design is particularly impressive as was the execution as a figure, even if they did only have seconds on screen. While 2016 was very much focused on The Force Awakens and Rogue One, it also saw the first-ever fan's choice figure released having been voted into production for by collectors - this figure also represented the first release of a character from the old Expanded Universe, or what is now termed the Star Wars Legends. Our pick therefore for 07 is the 2016 release of Darth Revan. 2016 was also the year we got our first Black Series release from a Star Wars Video Game and therefore our 8th selection is the Star Wars Battlefront Shock Stormtrooper, the figure that would see a trickle of gaming figures eventually evolve into the Gaming Greats line. Moving into 2017, the 40th Anniversary of A New Hope, the Star Wars Black Series line celebrated this milestone with the first Anniversary carded figures paying homage to the original Kenner 12 figures - which introduced the Tusken Raider into the 6-inch scale, our pick for number 9. Not only is this an awesome figure, but the lore of the Tusken Raiders themselves would go on to be expanded considerably by the Disney+ shows making this Sand Person figure part of the wider Star Wars Universe. 2017 presented me with the biggest decision of this entire Advent countdown in so much that the year saw a lot of re-releases and a fair few average general releases from The Last Jedi. In the end, I have made Hera Syndulla my pick for number 10. While she has been re-released with better decor, she did represent one of the first female aliens in the line and continued the journey towards a full Ghost crew. Hasbro have given us figures of all six of the Empire Strikes Back Bounty Hunters, but my personal favourite is my number 11 pick, the 2018 release of Zuckuss. There is no doubt that the Jabba's Palace scenes from Return of the Jedi have always been my favourite and I do have a soft spot for those characters who frequented these scenes. 2018 saw us get another key figure for our Jabba's Palace, the first true Deluxe release of the Gamorrean Guard, and he is our pick for number 12. As we pass the halfway point of our countdown I am going to include my first wild card, a third pick from 2018 in the shape of the exclusive Bespin Escape Princess Leia. This, for me, remains the best Leia figure to date in the line and remains a short step away from the more formal gown version. As we move into 2019, our number 14 pick represents another groundbreaking release for the Black Series with the release of Doctor Aphra, one of the newer comic book character creations under the Disney banner translated into 6-inch action figure format along with her two murder droids. 2019 also saw one of arguably the best diorama releases of the Black Series to date with the re-release of Emperor Palpatine with updated skirt/legs, additional heads, force lighting effects and, most importantly, his throne! Our 10th Anniversary Advent now reaches 2020, and the next of the 40th Anniversaries - this time for Empire Strikes Back. One of the most impressive releases in the anniversary series is our number 16 pick, another Deluxe release, the Imperial Probe Droid as seen on Hoth and complete with a snow-covered flight stand. Our 17th pick was also part of the Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary releases, the very brilliant 2-pack of the Jedi Training Luke and Yoda from Dagobah. The set features a very acrobatic Luke figure, and a new resized Yoda as well as his backpack. Our 18th pick takes us into the newest format of the Black Series and the Galaxy Collection figures where the packaging is now split into releases by source material. Our first pick from this era is the 2021 release of Asajj Ventress, the first Clone Wars character in our shortlist. Another character translated from animation into the Black Series, and our number 19 pick, is Grand Admiral Thrawn. While Thrawn had seen a release in 2016, it was his 2021 Archive release that brought the character to life with the updated face decor enhanced by the photo-real printing process. My pick at number 20 is another figure from Jabbas Palace with the 2022 release of Bib Fortuna, the Twilek majordomo. We stay on Tatooine for our 21st pick, the 2022 release of the Cantina Band's Figrin D'an. This release, alongside the companion piece of Naan Cheel allowed collectors to - if they wished - buy multiples to recreate the Model Nodes. Our final three picks are all from 2023 and we start with the Rebel Commando figure from the Battle of Endor. Like the Hoth Trooper (who narrowly missed a slot in the list), the Endor Commando features alternative face plates to allow for two differing looks using the same figure. The penultimate choice was released under the Gaming Greats banner but is also another Legends character that means a lot to fans of the old Expanded Universe. Darth Malgus is an impressive figure in terms of his height and design and warrants his deluxe release status. Our final figure in this celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Star Wars Black Series will probably top a lot of people's lists for the best figure of 2023. From the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, the Final Duel Darth Vader is a beast of a figure combining the best of the existing Vader figure with that smashed helmet and Anakin's scarred face beneath, In conjunction with our Advent Countdown, Collectors have been voting across December picking three of their favourite figures from 2013-2023. Many of the choices mirrored my own with a strong showing for Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Gamorrean Guard, and the Duels' End Darth Vader. Joining these three at the top of the voting pile were three surprising entries with the Imperial Stormtrooper, Bossk, and the Slave Leia figure from Jabba's Palace. 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...

  • Review: Star Wars Black Series Shin Hati, Galaxy Collection Wave 15, Ahsoka (Disney+)

    “Sometimes stories are just stories.” The newly introduced characters of Baylan Skoll and his apprentice, Shin Hati, from the Ahsoka Disney+ series in 2023 were soon added to the Star Wars Black Series roster for a release in late 2023. Shin Hati formed part of Wave 15 alongside her master and a trio of other figures including Starkiller, R2-D2, and the Mandalorian Fleet Commander. Shin is part of the Ahsoka Galaxy Collection utilising the blue-themed artwork and text. Like the other Ahsoka figures to date, the rear text on Shin’s box is the same generic overview of the Ahsoka series rather than any character info - most likely to limit spoilers or because the info wasn’t available to Hasbro at the design stage. Shin Hati is number 10 in the Ahsoka collection, following on directly from Baylan Skoll. There is no indication via the artwork as to whom we may expect as the next release. Shin wears the same outfit throughout her Ahsoka appearances and this is what we get replicated in the figure although she is denied the inclusion of her cloak. The figure is made up of a tan chest armour piece that runs down into some generic black trousers and finishes with wrapped tan shins and metallic shin armour. The arms similarly are black with shoulder pauldron in tan and metal finishes, and the same is seen at the wrists. The waist is wrapped in a black belt with a painted silver buckle and then from this flows a separate skirt section in softer plastic with the same tan base as the rest of the outfit but overlaid with a darker green tinged section and some outer armoured panels with a silver finish. Proportions are good, but as has been documented by many collectors Shin is a bit too tall in comparison to her peers. She stands as tall as Ahsoka and I personally have no real issue with her, the bigger issue is perhaps the comparison with her master, Baylan Skoll, who has been produced considerably shorter than he should be. The head sculpt was quite contentious when shown via the original promotional images. The likeness and execution is better in hand with the features of actor Ivanna Sakhno evident in the sculpt and subsequent photo facial print. What does throw the look is the hairpiece. This frames the face too harshly, sitting so far forward at the sides and the fringe that it looks almost like a comedy wig. The colour is bright blonde and lacks any level of darkening through a wash or similar effect. The Padawan braid is evident but only as a longer piece of the bright blonde hair extending at one side. The whole hair really needed to be worked differently, reducing the volume, the squared shape around the face, and darkening the colour while adding detail to the Padawan braid. Shin has her lightsaber with her, a new piece reflective of the one used in the show and coloured in silver with a grey dulled grip, emitter, and pommel. It features the older style hook at the end of the hilt that can then be looped over a hook on Shin’s belt to create a holstered option. The hilt is unusually soft in terms of the plastic used, but remains serviceable. The saber blade in the show was orange - a deliberate decision to differentiate these new Dark Side users from the Sith. What Hasbro has given us is still red. Side-by-side with any Sith blade - such as Starkillers from the same wave - there is no colour variance, only that the Shin Hati blade is a touch brighter. The blade fits perfectly well into the hilt and the hilt can be wielded in either hand, or both hands thanks to the articulation configuration. For some reason, Shin has been given a trigger finger right hand which does look a bit odd when holding the hilt with the trigger finger outstretched. Shin Hati features 17 points of articulation, all pinless, and configured to the newer standard for Black Series with no thigh swivel - replaced by a knee joint that also turns - but the inclusion of butterfly shoulders and that dual joint neck that both helps the head options but also aids the overall aesthetics in creating a cleaner line between outfit and neck, and removing the need for an unsightly peg. The skirt does limit lower leg options, but it is split at the side to allow wider stances. The arms are more expansive with plenty of light saber wielding options as well as force gestures - although ideally, some alternative hands would have been welcome to mimic those. Shin Hati is an undoubted highly anticipated release in the Black Series with many stores selling out of their original allocations. She does have flaws, the biggest being that hairpiece which detracts from what is otherwise a pretty solid figure. Hasbro have cheaped out a little on not including a soft goods cloak - that may follow at a later stage - and the lightsaber blade needed to be distinctively orange like the show. The height issue doesn’t bother me hugely on Shin herself, but there are fixes you can research online using some doner legs if needed. 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...

  • Review: Star Wars Black Series Baylan Skoll, Galaxy Collection Wave 15, Ahsoka (Disney+)

    “War is inevitable. One must destroy in order to create.” The newly introduced characters of Baylan Skoll and his apprentice, Shin Hati, from the Ahsoka Disney+ series in 2023 were soon added to the Star Wars Black Series roster for a release in late 2023. Baylan Skoll formed part of Wave 15 alongside his apprentice and a trio of other figures including Starkiller, R2-D2 and the Mandalorian Fleet Commander. Baylan Skoll is number 9 in the Ahsoka series of the Galaxy Collection, following on from Marrok and preceding his Padawan, Shin Hati. The packaging uses the blue accent colour assigned to Ahsoka releases and this is applied to the front text, and the side and rear artwork. As has been consistent with all the Ahsoka figures the rear text is a simple plot summary for the Ahsoka show rather than giving any details about Baylan himself - either because the info wasn't available to Hasbro in time, or to prevent spoilers. Baylan Skoll arrives in his black armour and robes as seen during his run in Ahsoka season 1, but his cloak is not included. The entirety of the body and armour is cast in black with the metallic armoured elements of his chest piece, shoulder pauldrons, and wrist gauntlets giving some additional weathered copper blue/green effects that also recreate a level of weathering and battle wear. Paint is applied with more details on the controls of the wrist gauntlets, and to pick out the sculpted gold ring on Baylan’s right hand. The lower skirt piece, a separate softer plastic section, is completely black with the only variation some gloss finish to the belt itself around the middle and the part of the belt that then hangs down the front of the skirt. The belt is finished with a further piece of detailing with a silver buckle inlaid with a green metallic clasp. The head sculpt is OK, but doesn’t quite do the late, great, Ray Stevenson the justice he deserves. It is another of those heads that looks brilliant from certain side angles, but not face-on. I think it's the shaping of the beard that throws it with the lower part of the beard very bushy and 'Santa-like' while on-screen Baylan’s beard has less volume. Facial printing is used to create the intense eyes, with red rings around the sockets. For some reason, the eyebrows are done in black when they should be much lighter. The rest of the hair contains plenty of sculpted detail and is enhanced - unusually for the Black Series - with a darker wash. The elephant in the room with Baylan Skoll is his height. Ray Stevenson was 1.9m tall, which should translate to around 16cm in the figure. In reality, the Baylan Skoll figure only measures 15.5cm tall and is the same height as Ahsoka and Shin Hati - characters he towered over with his depiction in the show as someone quite a bit taller and more imposing. The height issue is in the legs for sure with the lower half looking far too compact and the skirt piece running to the middle of his shins just above his boots, whereas on screen it flowed to his knees. There are fixes for those comfortable in customising their figures, scroll down past the bottom of our review to find out more. Baylan Skoll arrives with his lightsaber, made up of a large hilt in black and silver with a looped end and the usual removable blade. The saber hilt is ridiculously soft, with almost the same rubber finish as the skirt or robes sections we see on our Black Series figures. It includes a loop to add it to the hook on Baylan’s belt but the soft plastic of both makes getting it to hook into place and sit naturally extremely frustrating. It will sit in either or both hands, but the grip is not tight enough in either hand (the left is marginally better than the right) to hold the lightsaber securely. We then get to the blade, which should be orange as per the show and the differentiation made between these Dark Jedi and the Sith themselves. Hasbro has simply given us another translucent red blade - albeit longer to reflect the on-screen effects. Baylan has 17 points of articulation and uses the newer format where the thigh swivel is removed and functionality built into the knee. We have butterfly shoulders to aid the arm movement, and the large armoured panels across the shoulders are jointed to flow with the arm so as not to impede movement. This works, almost too well, with more soft plastic in these armoured shoulder pieces and a less than secure fixing which sees them slip off to the side quite often. The skirt does hold back some of the leg articulation but is split at the sides to allow some posing in wider fighting stances. There is sadly another issue at the ankles where the joint is far too weak for the bulk of the figure it's holding upright - we then also have feet that are too small which further impacts the ability of Baylan Skoll to remain standing once posed. Baylan Skoll was perhaps one of the most anticipated figures from Ahsoka, and indeed perhaps in the Star Wars Black Series this year. In terms of execution, the figure fails to deliver in several areas - most notably the height/stature of the figure. There are also issues with the likeness, a very soft lightsaber hilt and incorrectly coloured blade, the lack of a soft goods cloak, and some articulation with the questionable shoulder armour movement and stability issues thanks to weak ankles and tiny feet. There are positives, the body armour and the paintwork are good with some neat details like the belt buckle and the ring on his finger. Sadly, the figure is still likely to sell out and Hasbro is unlikely to resolve any of the key issues anytime soon - and most likely the best we can hope for is a second release or an exclusive probably with soft goods robes. Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive Star Wars Black Series Collectors Database & Checklist Baylan Skoll Height Hack For those comfortable enough with customising their figures (we hold no responsibility for anyone damaging or breaking their Baylan Skoll figure), there is a method to extend the height on Baylan Skoll without making any adjustments that can’t be reversed in the future. Check out Landspeeder Luke’s tutorial on YouTube - but essentially you will need a spare Reva figure who will donate her upper legs. Both figures need to be soaked in hot (not boiling) water then the hips gently detached from the torso and then the legs split at the knees. Baylan’s original one-part thigh can then be replaced with the two-part upper leg from Reva adding the extra height Baylan needs for display and considerably changing the overall look and stature of the figure. 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...

  • Medicom MAFEX Marvel MCU Black Panther ver 1.5 with Throne

    Medicoe have dropped the full details for their Marvel MCU Black Panther (version 1.5) complete with his Wakandan Throne. The figure also comes with three head options as well as two different-length spears. Black Panther ver 1.5 is a November 2024 release. 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...

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