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NECA have surprised collectors with the announcement of a Hocus Pocus wave of Toony Terrors 6-inch figures. The August 2022 release will see single-packed figures of Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson as well as a fourth figure of Billy Butcherson. You will also be able to purchase the Sanderson Sisters as a 3-pack. Unfortunately, these are only licensed for the US so won't be available directly in any other territories. The witches are back and there’s going to be hell to pay! From Disney’s irreverent comedy classic, Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson, along with Billy Butcherson, join NECA’s Toony Terrors line! Bring the fun of Saturday morning cartoons to your collection with this set of stylized 6” scale action figures. Comes in window box packaging. All 4 sold separately. Sanderson Sisters also available as a 3-pack Estimated Shipping: August 2022 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 second batch of the Character Options Doctor Who sets, exclusive to B&M Stores, landed on shelves just ahead of Christmas 2021. This Autumn/Winter series featured three new 3-packs, 2 further History of the Daleks set, and this pack of The First Doctor and TARDIS from the very beginning of the show and An Unearthly Child in 1963. Out of all the sets, this TARDIS and Doctor combination was seemingly the hardest to find either due to low production numbers, or a high scalping rate with sets on eBay now for upwards of £60. I managed to secure a single set for my son, and never saw the pack ever again to add it to my collection. He has kindly allowed me to open and review his set for the website. The packaging is the same wrapped window box as seen on other TARDIS releases with the window extending to both side panels to give a good view of the figure, TARDIS, and the diorama backdrop within. The set is named on the front along with the year of broadcast for An Unearthly Child. And as usual for the B&M sets, a gold foil Limited Edition sticker is attached to the box window. The rear of the box is turned over to an image of the set alongside another of the extensive write-ups that the Character team includes on many of their releases. It starts with working its way through the plot of An Unearthly Child and then a wider piece on the TARDIS prop used in 1963 including the origin of the TARDIS appearance as a Police Box. These are always a fascinating read and I am pleased in this one to see the plot section reduced rather than giving a blow-by-blow account of the story. Once opened the contents slide out of the outer box as one connected piece. The cardboard backdrop has a plastic tray taped into it with The Doctor sitting in a further individual figure tray. He is tied into the packaging with both the paper string ties and some clear elasticated ties. The TARDIS is then plugged into the tray top and bottom. You will need to carefully work your way around all the fastenings to release the sets and to protect the card back if you intend on keeping this. The TARDIS is the hardest to remove as there are some screws holding it to the cardboard and there is also a clear strap inserted through the opening doors, which is as usual a pain to remove. The backdrop piece is designed to recreate part of the Totters Lane junkyard from 1963 with some steps in the background, a few pillars, and a dummy leaning up on one side. As it is brown cardboard on the other side it is not something you could immediately put on display - but it has potential. The First Doctor figure is the same as was released in 2010 with the original TARDIS set. He features a softer plastic black overcoat, striped scarf, and checked trousers. The trousers have been repainted for this release in a brown rather than the original grey. The visible bow tie is also much darker. The head sculpt is also the same with his Astrakhan hat, but compared with the original release the skin tone is very pale - almost deathly. The 2010 version was much healthier in colour, almost too tanned so there is a place somewhere between the two that would be perfect. The paintwork on the Doctor is neat where it has been applied with the check on the trouser done really well considering the scale, and the stripes on the scarf neat and tidy. The facial features are also applied neatly and the hair is given a two-tone grey finish to add definition and depth. The Doctor has no accessories, missing the walking cane he was packed with in the original release. His hand is still shaped to hold it. Articulation is the basic configuration we are used to with the Character Who figures utilising a pinned system on the knees and elbows and simply plugged in pegs on the other joints allowing for rotation only. The Doctor has 16 points of articulation allowing for some movement in the arms, neck, and waist and some level of leg positioning although with no ankle articulation any wider stances end up looking unnatural with the feet splayed to the side. The joints are all secure within their own design and recent quality concerns over the bicep swivels do not seem to be evident on this release and there is no visible gap, wobble, or weakness at this position on the arm. Moving on to the TARDIS and the set still uses the original TARDIS moulding which then allows for varying roof and base configurations. The 1963 TARDIS has a higher roof mould and a varying light to the other models. The original 2010 release was quite a bright and clean blue, whereas this one is much more worn and weathered and very much more in keeping with how we would have found it in 1963 had the show been in colour. The Police Box wording is added on the top rail and round each side, with the front telephone panel being painted in an off white and with the lettering in place that gives the instructions on how to use the box and how to phone the Police. The weathered and battered look even extends to a partially worn off St. Johns Ambulance decal on the front which I thought was a fault at first, but is purposely applied this way to match the original prop - great attention to detail! As all the TARDIS are built on the original mould that would have included lights and sounds, the rear of the TARDIS still has a fixed-in battery cover (screw has been removed) and the holes of the old speaker. The packaging carries some small print to confirm this release is non-electronic but I would imagine some people will still seek out the on switch having seen these? The doors on the TARDIS both open and you start with the right-hand door that pushes back on a spring until it clicks into place in the open position. This can then be left as it is, or the left-hand door opened in the same way. The interior of the box is plain and in the blue plastic the piece is cast out of. This is the way all the TARDIS have been released and is crying out for a cardboard interior insert as we have seen on the New Who releases? To release the doors you pull the left one close, and then to save trapped fingers there is a spring release button on the base for the right door that releases the catch and lets it spring back to the close position. As a set, and still at the £19.99 price point, the First Doctor and TARDIS is a brilliant addition to the line and ticks both boxes in terms of re-releasing a hard to find set from over 10-years ago for new collectors, while being different enough in execution so not to devalue the original. The Doctor is a touch pale and needs his walking stick, but these are my only two gripes about the set itself. Even the articulation, rudimentary as it is, doesn't bother me. The Who line has never been about great articulation and I am pleased still that new releases remain consistent with figures released some 12-14 years ago now. The one issue with this set is its scarcity. I do a lot of travelling in my main job and tried plenty of B&M's and saw this set only once which I purchased for my son. The other sets of the time were in more plentiful supply but this one was must have been produced in much smaller numbers when you consider how hard it was to find and the relatively small number on eBay now driving the prices up and up. Perhaps there is a further shipment to come (I am an optimist) and if you are lucky enough to come across this at retail then well done, and don't hesitate in getting it bought! For more News, Reviews and a Checklist of Releases - visit our Doctor Who Database 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...

There are some great savings to be had in the 365 Games sale currently particularly on McFarlane figures with significant reductions on items like the Clown from Spawn, The Witcher Ice Giant, and Darkseid. There are reductions too on NECA items and a handful of Diamond and Hasbro figures CLICK HERE to go to the Sale page (affiliate link). The Sale prices are valid until the 1st of April 2022 or while stocks last. 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 NECA & Target Haul-a-thon event is underway and there are a number of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle items listed on both the Target US website and the Haul-a-Thon international online store. There is an Exclusive NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4-pack that will pack together all four Turtles for the first time along with their weaponry, alternative heads, and a selection of accessories - including Pizza! There is the Fugitoid figure we shared earlier in the week which will be available as a standard version and the very limited signature version which contains a signature from Turtles co-creator Kevin Laird. The Tokka and Rahzar two-pack is another of the new items listed. Stocks of older sets like the Deluxe Foot Soldier, Vernon & The Rat King are available again. And there is a new exclusive Glow-In-The-Dark Muckman with Joe Eyeball. 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...

Haul-a-thon is underway, and one of the figures listed for sale via the Haulathon website gives us a first full look at the Ultimate Black Noir from The Boys! The figure will come in the Ultimate format packaging with an opening front cover. The figure comes with alternative hands and a pair of knives. You can order this directly now via the Haul-a-thon site and including international shipping. It appears to be in stock for dispatch rather than a pre-order. It is not clear if this is a timed exclusive and Black Noir will show up across other retailers in due course. From The Boys, the hit TV adaptation of the popular comic book series! No one knows what hides behind the mask of Black Noir, the Sevens superpowered ninja.. a mystery that makes his death-dealing skill even more terrifying. This 7" scale action figure features a detailed replica of the screen costume and comes with interchangeable hands and two knives that fit into sheaths on the figures hips. Collector-friendly window box packaging with opening front panel. 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...

Revealed last week, the McFarlane DC Multiverse Red Robin figure of Tim Drake from the New 52 series has been listed online at Entertainment Earth for pre-order. The figure will feature a pair of articulated wings, Robin's staff, collectors card, and display stand. It is listed as a July 2022 release. Timothy "Tim" Drake is a self-made hero in every sense of the word. Tim Drake deduced the real identity of Batman, and auditioned for the role of his next partner. Batman had lost his most recent sidekick, Jason Todd, in a tragic turn of events, and in Tim's mind, Batman needed a Robin to stay true to himself and his mission. Tim was taken into Bruce's care, where he spent only a brief time serving as Robin before striking out on his own as Red Robin. Analytical almost to a fault, Tim represents the "brains" of the Batman Family's roster of former Robins. As a Teen Titan, Tim excelled as both leader and mentor, though following in Batman's footsteps is anything but his dream. 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 next two Toony Terrors releases from NECA will see the arrival of the An American Werewolf in London 2-pack of Jack and the Kessler Wolf, and the multi-pack of the Trick-or-Treaters from Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. Both sets have now opened for pre-order via NECA stockists and are August 2022 releases. Bring the fun of Saturday morning cartoons to your collection with NECA’s Toony Terrors! This set of stylized 6” scale action figures comes from An American Werewolf in London, the classic 1981 movie that perfectly blends comedy and true horror. The set includes Jack and the Kessler Wolf. Comes in window box packaging with a bonus cutout backdrop. NECA's adorably creepy Toony Terrors line welcomes Halloween 3: Season of the Witch! Bring the fun of Saturday morning cartoons to your collection with this stylized action figure 3-pack. It contains 6" scale versions of the iconic trick-or-treaters from the 1982 horror movie. Comes in window box packaging with a bonus cutout backdrop. 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...

It looks like we are getting close to Super7 revealing the 3rd wave of their G.I. Joe Ultimates figures. This image from Super7's social media is less a tease and more of a confirmation that the wave will include Storm Shadow 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 has announced a second accessory set for their Universal Monsters 7-inch line. The Frankenstein accessory set brings us the Doctor's Laboratory Table, which measures over 9.5 inches long. The table is sized to accommodate the NECA Frankenstein's Monster figure, and you also get a new alternative bandaged head for the figure, a soft goods sheet, and a must for any horror movie - a flaming torch. The accessory set is due for release in August 2022 Build even bigger scenes and dioramas with this accessory set for NECA’s Universal Monsters Frankenstein’s Monster action figure! Accurate to the movie, the centerpiece of the set is the massive laboratory table, which measures over 9.5” inches long and over 6:” wide and fits the NECA action figure (sold separately). The set also includes an additional bandaged head for the Monster and a torch accessory. Closed box packaging. 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...

This figure was kindly sent over to us to review courtesy of Hasbro UK Both Thanos and Iron-Man in his Mk 85 Armour had been released in 2019 as part of the Marvel Legends figures for Avengers: Endgame. There was not a lot wrong with those original figures, but Hasbro saw the opportunity to cap off their 2021 Infinity Saga Series with the scene that brought a close to the first three phases of the MCU. The Infinity Saga set of Iron-Man and Thanos from Endgame was released in the Summer of 2021 as the tenth and final set of the series. Like all of the Infinity Saga releases the box is squared off rather than following the usual scooped sided design of the mainline. It has a black colour base with the Infinity Saga logo at the forefront under the window. The Avengers Endgame logo sits directly above this on the top rail, and the two side panels carry montage images in a metallic finish of key characters from the Saga. These two panels are different views of a larger image. These are the same on all the packs and do not connect in any way. The rear of the box has a central movie poster from Endgame, and on either side of this, we have a short overview of each of the included characters. The text is generic and doesn't go into any significant detail about the plot of Endgame. "Iron Man steps onto the battlefield against Thanos in the ultimate fight for the fate of the universe." "Thanos is a destructive force that will stop at nothing to achieve his goals." Out of the pack we have Iron-Man and Thanos in the usual inner plastic tray surrounded by their accessories and alternative parts. This itself sits in the inner cardboard tray that carries an array of circular icons relating to the many MCU heroes and characters. We start with Iron-Man in his Mk85 armour, and this is based on the original 2019 release. He is cast in a red plastic across the torso and lower arms/legs while the upper legs and arms have a dark grey base. The armour colour detail is then painted over the base colour. On the red, we have trims of dark grey and gold with the arc reactor in the chest applied as a decal with a bright white centre and blue hue around the edges. The majority of the gold is painted onto the dark grey base and that does present a few sloppy edges if you get up close. The armour sculpted detail is well done and the proportions for Iron-Man are much improved on earlier releases which were undersized. The Mk85 is a similar height to the more recent Mk7 and Mk3 armours and stands over 6.75 inches in height. The original 2019 figure had no unmasked head for Tony and that is one of the selling points of this new 2021 release. It comes with the battle-worn and bloodied Tony Stark head and the likeness is absolutely spot on with the photo-real paint used to perfection not only for the facial features, eyes and beard - but also for the various cuts and bruises which are pretty realistic. The figure has also had the right forearm and hand updated into the Nano Gauntlet complete with all six Infinity Stones painted into their appropriate slots. This hand is then sculpted to a finger-clicking position ready for those immortal words... You do also get the masked Iron-Man head although this now looks too small on the body. And a clean version of the Stark head is included - also a fantastic likeness for a pre-battle Robert Downey Jr. One of the innovations on the set is a swap out the neck with the head. Rather than having an unmasked Tony with a red armoured neck, the whole piece can be swapped so the neck is appropriate to the look - masked or unmasked. The neck still retains a joint top and bottom so is tricky to exchange as you can often pop off the head and leave the neck in the body. Hasbro started including some of Tony's Nano weaponry in the Infinity War 2-pack with Iron-Spider and they have returned to this set to repurpose the shield. This is cast in translucent blue to represent an energy shield and uses a clip to connect to Iron-Man's forearm. Sadly, the clip is designed for the bulkier Mk50 suit from Infinity War and does not clip securely into the forearm leaving the shield really loose on the arm. We also get a new dual bladed weapon, also complete with translucent blue energy blades. This is designed to be held by the figure rather than being an extension of his suit. It looks OK, but I doubt many will use this or the shield on display. As per usual for Iron-Man the repulsor effects are thrown in, also in translucent blue. And these clip into an alternative pair of firing hands, or can be used on the feet for flight poses. Your final accessories are a pair of clenched fists allowing you to have Tony ready for hand-to-hand fighting. The Mk85 is about the most articulated Marvel Legends suit to date, benefitting from a sleeker design and a lack of large shoulder or thigh armour panels. There are 19 points of articulation, with a dual joint neck - but no butterfly joints at the shoulder. As an older figure, all the joints have visible pins too which can detract a little from the overall look of the figure. Every joint is tight and secure, and with a ratchet where required. That does pose an issue at the ankles which like the original figure aren't set right so getting Tony into a flat foot stance and keeping him standing is difficult as the neutral flat position is partway between two of the ratchet teeth. If you are going to recreate the Endgame final "I am Iron-Man" scene then it was crucial that Tony could kneel into that final position and be posed ready to click his fingers. The double jointed knees and unencumbered hips make this a breeze and he holds the pose beautifully. The armoured Thanos has only been available as a build-a-figure to date, coming with the original 2019 Endgame wave and then having a re-release in the Far East with a 'Best of MCU' wave in 2020. You may think upon first glance that this is a re-release. but the Infinity Saga figure takes the original figure and gives it quite a bit of updating. Thanos stands a touch over 8-inches tall so is well scaled against Iron-Man and the other MCU figures. His armour has been given a full new chest section vs the original release and this is now dinted and pitted with dark grey streaks across the front. The left arm - which was the original Infinity Gauntlet arm has a new forearm left-armwith the correct lower armoured bracer and this too has been sculpted as though worn and damaged. Conversely, the right-hand forearm that was armoured original is now the new Infinity Gauntlet and cast in a clicking pose, but without any of the Infinity Gems - each socket sculpted as though empty. Taint work is OK with the base parts cast in either the purple skin tone or The ina grey with the gold parts painted over the top. Like Iron-Man there are a couple of rougher edges, but this is a battle-worn Thanos so they actually fit in with the overall look. The head that comes fitted to Thanos is an odd one to look at, with Hasbro trying to replicate the moment Thanos realises he has been dusted by Tony Stark. This looks pretty good from one side, but head on it makes him look like he has been in a mud fight. I am not clear at this stage if the grey streaks as mentioned earlier from the chest armour are an extension of this 'dusting' decor or is actually weathering? Thankfully Hasbro have been very generous with alternative heads for Thanos, including the original armoured head with bared teeth. They have then borrowed a couple from some of the Infinity War Thanps figures with a solemn head and the one with a slight smile on his face. All of the included heads are very good in terms of a likeness to Thanos on-screen with both sculpted definition on the chin and forehead and then further enhancement from the decor - which I assume is photo-real application - to pick out the eyes beneath the large brow, as well as shade some of the scarring and facial features. These heads can all also be used on other Thanos releases. Thanos is also supplied with a secondary right hand for the Power Gauntlet, allowing you to replace the finger-clicking hand without the Infinity Stones with a clenched fist with all the stones in place. This is accurate to the end of the battle, but it would have also been good had they included the original right arm so you could display Thanos solely in his armoured form without any gloves or gauntlets. Hasbro has indicated you can achieve this yourself by picking up a spare BAF right arm. I tested that theory and while the arm is hard to remove at the shoulder, it is possible to warm up the elbow joint and swap out the forearm. When you do this there are some decor differences between the two bracers. The final Thanos accessory is his twin-bladed weapon, a direct carry over from the original BAF. Cast in grey the metallic grey the only paint app is the central golden grip. There is plenty of detail on the blades which would have stood out with the application of a wash over the top. Thanos can only hold this in his left hand, ideally, it should be the right looking at key scenes but without an alternative right hand, this is as good as we are going to get. Despite his bulk, Thanos is still well articulated with 16 points of articulation in total. The legs include double joint knees which would allow him to kneel if that were something you wanted him to do. The arms are less poseable with only single joint rotating elbows and some resistance at the shoulders where the shoulder armour clashes with the chest armour as the arms are raised. The neck is a single joint for the head and was designed for use with the armoured head. The other heads included will move but are held in place more by the underside of the head which would have been shaped for an unarmoured Thanos figure. All the Thanos joints work as they should and despite his weight, he is easy to stand and stay standing in multiple poses from the basic stances to more dynamic action poses. The Infinity Saga set of Thanos and Iron-Man is not cheap and retails at circa £65. This is perhaps a touch high considering this is a single figure and Deluxe figure combined into a 2-pack, but we are given quite a lot of accessories to offset this. Thanos as a re-work of the original does add some great new features and I do like the sculpting of the damaged parts but not the paintwork. The 'dusting' head is a miss for me, but the other three heads all work really well. He is perhaps missing a spare right hand, allowing collectors to have a fully armoured Thanos without Infinity Gauntlets as seen when he arrived at the Avengers compound - while there is a solution, it should have been planned into the pack. Iron-Man is a fantastic figure with the new Tony Stark heads and the likeness and face print decor is really on point. The masked Iron-Man armour head does now look a little small when in situ and most of the accessories feel unnecessary - particularly the nano-weapons and a shield that doesn't even fit the figure. He is tough to stand, but that can be solved with a bit of patience. We can now, thanks to the Infinity Saga, recreate the scene where Iron-Man, Thor and Captain America all line up to take on Thanos - although the more recent Worthy Cap is now undersized compared to Thor & Iron-Man. The set is not the best of the ten releases within the Infinity Saga - that title probably sits with either Surtur or the Iron Monger set - but it represents such an iconic final moment for the Saga itself that it feels like a must for us all. For more News, Reviews and a Checklist of Releases - visit our Marvel Legends Database 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...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and its associated Black Series action figures pre-dated the use of photo-real face print technology, so in 2021 it was announced that Hasbro would be releasing a full wave of Rogue One figures - updating existing figures to the newer realistic face decor - and completing the core Rogue One crew with a new figure of Bodhi Rook. They also confirmed that two further supporting Rogue One figures would be released as Target US exclusives, and available via the Fan Channel in the UK and elsewhere. Antoc Merrick was one of the Target Exclusives and he comes in the same themed packaging as the other Rogue One figures using a duck egg blue colour scheme on the central rail and as an accent colour to the side art. Merric is number 08 in the Rogue One series and follows on directly from Galen Erso and precedes the Jedha Patrol Stormtrooper. The artwork shows Merrick in his X-Wing gear with his flight helmet under his arm. In the backdrop we can see a trio of X-Wings. This same artwork repeats on the back of the box and sits alongside the usual character blurb. "Antoc Merrick commands Yavin 4's starfighters before the Battle of the Death Star, flying as Blue Leader." Merrick has a brilliant new head sculpt, capturing the likeness of actor Ben Daniels as we see him in Rogue one, complete with his moustache. The photo-real deco is applied over the sculpt for added realism - although the hair is left a single one-dimensional colour. As the head is being fitted onto an older body from the line, we do see a return to a visible pivot joint in the neck. As the neck is cast in black then painted it stands out even more than usual with some ugly black lines visible from certain angles. The older body in question is the X-Wing Luke Skywalker body. This X-Wing pilot piece was one f the first Black Series releases in Wave 1 back in 2013 and has been also been used on Wedge Antilles over the course of the line. It is perhaps not as well proportioned as the newer bodies with quite long legs and a short torso. As it is based on Luke, the body is also quite short. Ben Daniels stands at 6ft tall and is an imposing figure in the movie, this figure is sadly dwarfed by other Rogue One figures like Galen Erso or Baze Malbus. The X-Wing pilot uniform is faithfully recreated with the main body cast in a dark blue plastic that makes up much of the uniform. There is a ridged stripe down either arm and a ridged flight vest, both painted in slightly varying shades of off-white. Over the vest sits the flight chest unit which is coloured in grey with black, white, and blue controls and hosing that leads back into the flight vest. The flight straps are sculpted on the midriff to the belt then come out as individual pieces that go down and wrap around the legs before returning up the back of the figure and behind the vest. Other detail includes a bandoleer of canisters around the right shin and a communicator on the left hand. There are no significant paint apps with everything neat and tidy. The arm stripes are a little dull in places where they haven't fully covered the blue - but t at works more as weathering than anything else. Merrick comes with a DL-44 blaster. This is not the one originally packed with Luke X-Wing but the smaller version that we saw recently with Dagobah Luke. Like that release the barrel is quite soft and arrives warped. The gun is cast in black and has a silver-painted barrel end. It fits neatly into Merrick's right hand - there is no holster option included on the figure. We now come to the flight helmet and I would urge everyone to be careful with this part as there have been many reports of the strap breaking. The issue lies with the helmet being sculpted for Luke who has a particular head & hair shape. When they then went on to do Wedge, they sacrificed some of Wedge's likeness around the head and hair so the helmet still fit snugly. For Merrick, his slightly larger head and hair stretch the helmet as it is put in place and the strap doesn't have the elasticity to stretch round the chin so simply snaps at one side. The trick that I employed was to drop the helmet in some hot water for about 30 seconds. Quickly dry this then position it over the head and gently tease the strap under the chin. The removal also poses a risk so again I would dip the head and helmet in some warm water to give the strap a bit more stretch. Once in place, you can see what the hairpiece is doing to the fit of the helmet as it sits a little too high and the visor doesn't quite sit over the eyes as you would like. Considering the risk each time the helmet is put on, or taken off, I would think about how you want to display Merrick and stick with that - I have chosen the helmet under the arm pose. The helmet itself is really nice in terms of shape and design with a load of decor applied both in terms of the painted grey panels and stripes to the thinner blue and yellow piping and the applied decals and symbols including an ice blue rebel logo on either side of the central ridge. The helmet is then weathered as well with patches of dirt and rubs added all around the piece. The X-Wing body has 16 points of articulation, all as they were in 2013 when the original figure was released. We get double joints at the knees which help in more dynamic poses and these are supported by a very secure pair of ankle rockers to keep Merrick rock steady on display. The upper body joint is hidden away under the vest and barely moves at all. The arms use a single joint elbow and a ball joint shoulder and they move sufficiently for having Merrick aim his blaster or hold his helmet. As mentioned earlier, the neck is a ball joint pivot and is unsightly from certain angles - but it does give a reasonable range of head movement Antoc Merrick is one of those figures that looks pretty good on his own, and the X-Wing body does still hold its own in both looks and articulation, despite its slight proportion issues. The issues with Merrick also stem from this re-use decision and he is too short when lined up with the other Rogue One characters. The big issue is the helmet which has not been thought through and is leading to damages right out of the box as collectors are rightly assuming the helmet is a perfect fit for the head. I am glad they chose not to flatten the head and hair as done with Wedge, but they should really have tweaked the helmet piece to fit. I am pleased Rogue One is getting some Black Series love at present including the option to repurchase the original figures now with photo-real decor, and Merrick is a welcome addition to this. I suppose in the long run we have to ask would we have got a Merrick if Hasbro had to do a new body and helmet, and the answer is probably no - so here he is and as collectors, we can choose to add him to our displays despite the handful of flaws, or not. For more News, Reviews and a Checklist of Releases - visit our Star Wars Database 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...

Revealed through the Star Wars Fan Celebration event via 4LOMtoZuckuss is this new Black Series Gaming Greats Clone Trooper from the 13th Batallion. These are taken from EA's Jedi: Fallen Order and are the troops we see in flashbacks in the game and were the Troopers that Cal Kestis and his master Jaro Tapel were leading at the time of Order 66. The figure is a repaint of the existing new Clone Trooper body and comes with a standard blaster. Pre-orders are live as of the 17th of March with a Spring 2023 release date. In the US this is a Gamestop Exclusive - as are all the Gaming Greats figures - it is a Fan Channel exclusive in the UK but as it stands only via Hasbro Pulse and Zavvi. Eagle-eyed collectors may be able to see an arm on the side art that looks to be coming from another Clone Commando release - most likely another member of Delta Squad from Clone Commando. STAR WARS THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH GAMING GREATS 13TH BATTALION TROOPER Figure (HASBRO/Age 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $27.99/Available: Spring 2023) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this premium STAR WARS THE BLACK SERIES 6-INCH GAMING GREATS 13TH BATTALION TROOPER figure, inspired by the STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDERS video game. This fully articulated figure comes with 1 detachable entertainment-inspired accessory, which fans can display in their action figure and vehicle collection. The BLACK SERIES figure is detailed to look like the 13TH BATTALION TROOPER character from STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDERS and features premium detail and multiple points of articulation. Available for pre-order March 17, at 1PM ET exclusively at Gamestop. Preorder link: GameStop: https://www.gamestop.com/11178759 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...