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Todd McFarlane wished his fans a Happy New Year as we entered 2022 and shared the following image that looks to be of a new Spawn release. While the figure looks to use the base figure from the Mortal Kombat line, it does include a more flamboyant cape and a few other tweaks. The figure in the image is posed on a Celtic Cross which may be part of the release as a diorama base. Spawn is 30 years old in 2022 and Todd has big plans and surprises in store. We will see how this develops in the coming months. 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...

As announced in November 2021, Toys R Us as a brand is returning to the UK in 2022. The 'return' is courtesy of Toys R Us ANZ (previously known as Funtastic) who recently relaunched the brand in Australia and are now intending to do the same in the UK. The first element is the reactivation of the UK Toys R Us website with a "returning soon" message and the ability to subscribe to the VIP program to keep up to date. When you do this it is interesting that they are specifically letting people choose collectibles as a special interest so as well as the usual Toys & Baby items the new TRU is intending to target the collectibles market. The return strategy will be digitally led so expect a transactional website first, but Toys R Us ANZ are permitted to trade the brand as physical retail stores - although my feeling is these will be much smaller footprints vs the old model, or perhaps franchises within other retailers - at least to start with. 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 Hasbro Fortnite Victory Royale release of TNTina has been listed on In Demand Toys as an in-stock item, giving us a proper look at the release through the promotional images. The Deluxe set features a 6-inch TNTina figure and her glider. We also get a flight display stand, something missing in the recent Skye and Ollie set - and is a welcome addition for the line and display options for the gliders.

Target in the US have listed a new Spinmaster 1/15 scale Remote Control Batmobile from The Batman. The scale fits in with their 4-inch action figures, although it doesn't look like figures can sit in the car itself. Thanks to Joliet for sharing this discovery with us Race into Gotham City with the Batmobile Turbo Boost RC in 1:15 scale! The remote control Batmobile features authentic styling from The Batman Movie, a light up engine and turbo boost speed! Perform epic back wheelies with the dual joystick remote control. Drive your Batmobile RC in any direction and race up to 6 vehicles at once without interference from up to 200 feet away with the 2.4 GHz dual remote control. The dual joystick remote control is USB rechargeable and features out-of-range sensors so you’ll know when your Batmobile needs to stay in range, recharge, and can speed into action again. The detailed deco and The Batman Movie-style sculpting will be appreciated by Batman and DC Comics fans – making them a great gift idea. DC fans of all ages love this Batmobile collectible RC, toy figures and playsets to engage their imagination and create their own epic Batman missions! Bring the Batman action home with the Turbo Boost Batmobile RC!

My final top 5 for 2021 is for Marvel Legends, and just to position this list I do only collect Marvel movie figures from the MCU. So while there was a wealth of Marvel Legends figures in 2021 (over 150 figures in total), my choices are - in my opinion - the five best movie figures for the year. After a very barren year in 2020 for Marvel Movie Legends driven by a lack of MCU movies in 2020 itself, 2021's MCU figures kicked off with the Shang Chi wave - which contained 4 solid figures, and one not so accurate exclusive. Like many MCU figures released ahead of the movie itself, the Shang Chi figures suffered a little from being based on early designs and concepts so I haven't chosen any for my list. The next release for the year - the Red Guardian & Melina pack from Black Widow - missed my list narrowly as it corrected a figure from the previous year to be more screen accurate. And then we moved to the Infinity Saga collection - a ten-release set for Summer 2021 that revisited many of the Infinity Saga movies and either fixed older releases or brought us characters that had been missed at the time. My first choice for the Top 5 of 2021 comes from the Infinity Saga collection and is the biggest general Marvel Legend to date. Surtur breaks new boundaries on figure sizing going beyond the sizing for Deluxe and BAF figures and looking pretty impressive at the same time with translucent body parts and that giant sword. A true centrepiece! I stick with the Infinity Saga for my 2nd choice and again bigger is better. The original 2008 Iron Monger was undersized to a 6-inch scale and so in 2021 Hasbro gave us a brand new Iron Monger suit alongside a new Obadiah Stane figure to flesh out the key characters from the MCU's first film. Iron Monger is big and hefty and still features impressive articulation - including some moving pistons. It comes with a minigun that features firing and smoking effect pieces and an ammunition roll. Like Surtur, Iron Monger is a statement piece and he pairs so well with Stane and the original Mk3 Iron-Man also released in the Infinity Saga collection. 2021 saw the Marvel Disney+ series kick off with Wandavision, followed soon after by Falcon & The Winter Soldier and Loki. This prompted a full wave of Disney+ figures with characters from all three shows. The stand-out figure of the wave is my 3rd choice, the wonderful Scarlet Witch from Wandavision. The figure is not only a great likeness to Elizabeth Olsen and her new fully powered Scarlet Witch costume but it also features alternative magic glowing hands and effect pieces and a solid level of articulation. The figure is already sought after on the secondary market, and I suspect that interest will rise in 2022 if this costume makes its way into the Multiverse of Madness. After Shang Chi, the next MCU movie for 2021 was the Eternals in November and while the film has had a mixed reception - Hasbro has to be applauded for bringing us all ten of the main characters, plus the villain, across a full Marvel Legends wave and some excluives. Out of all of the eleven figures released - the visuals are fantastic and the group coordinates so well for display. For my Top 5, I have picked Makkari from the Eternals main wave. Makkari for me as one of the stand-out characters in Eternals despite her limited screentime. The figure features a great head sculpt and face print tech and a good level of articulation. While there are no accessories as such for any of the Eternals - Makkari features a selection of expressive hands which can be used for posing her using sign language. I know this will be a choice few agree with, but I am delighted to have her - and the rest of the Eternals - in my collection. The year ended with Hawkeye on Disney+ (no figures for that yet) and the event that was Spider-Man: No Way Home. As usual, Hasbro pre-empted the film with a wave of Spider-Man figures + an exclusive and brought us three new Spider-Man figures, a Doctor Strange, and the final figure in our Top 5, J. Jonah Jameson. Now again this is probably a surprising choice considering it is another 'man in a suit' and a re-use of the existing suited body. For me, the figure nails Jameson as we see him in the movie and Hasbro has included a number of J. Jonah expressive hands so he can point, clench his fist and bang his desk as he rants about Spider-Man. The figure also represents a link to this wider Multiverse and some of the older movies we all love and J. Jonah Jameson is hopefully the first of many figures from the Spider-Man Multiverse. Want to explore more action figures including news & reviews, then visit our homepage for plenty more content 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...

While 2021 has not perhaps gone as well as we all hoped after the difficulties of 2020, there has been a good flow of action figures for us collectors, even if the due dates and distribution have been subject to changes and delays. Outside of the main lines, I collect - Star Wars Back Series and Marvel Legends - there are a few other action figure series that I collect and from all of these "other" lines I have picked out my Top 5 and an honourable mention. I can't believe the start of the Lord of the Rings movie saga, The Fellowship of the Ring, was 20 years old this year. But there is no way better to celebrate an anniversary than a new action figure line. It was Diamond Select who picked up the license and they launched the wave in Summer 2021 with new 7-inch scale figures of Legolas and Gimli. While Legolas had some issues, Gimli was glorious and showcased how good this line could be if Diamond stick with it and support it beyond the first few main characters. Hasbro had another strong year with their Marvel and Star Wars brands, but also continued the development of their fledgling G.I. Joe 6-inch series. The line has brought us some great figures so far but has suffered from the exclusivity of some of the more desirable figures. My second pick of the Top 5 is one of those exclusives - the Hasbro Pulsecon 2021 Zartan figure. This was the Zartan we deserved in the mainline, bringing us the Master of Disguise with a raft of disguise accessories, weapons, and that colour change feature we all remember from the 1980s. It wasn't cheap and sold out relatively quickly - but for those who are lucky to have it in hand, it certainly ticks all the boxes. I have been a collector of the Character Options Doctor Who line since its debut in 2005. The line is currently being kept alive via the support of B&M stores in the UK as well as via some sets sold directly through Character. The 2nd Doctor - in his fur coat from The Abominable Snowman - has been a figure of legend for Who collectors, having been sculpted and leaked as a prototype image but never released. 2021 saw Character remedy this issue and release the figure as a web store exclusive, complete with an electronic sounds TARDIS from the same story. The Who figures may be showing their age now with limited articulation and basic paint jobs, but they retain a charm and there are few other lines that are over 15-years old and still going relatively strong. NECA's series of 7-inch figures from the Alien movies dates back as far as 2007, with the first figures from the original 1979 movie released in 2013. Over the following 8 years, we have seen NECA build out the Nostromo crew, and 2021 saw the final piece in that jigsaw as NECA released everyone's favourite android, Ash. Ash does have a few flaws but certainly represents NECA's desire to bring us as many of the Alien universe characters as they can - many of which require individual licensing arrangements with the actors directly. Ash comes with a variety of surgical tools, and his own severed head caked in the milky white android blood. McFarlane is certainly a company in the ascendency at the moment, driven predominantly with their DC Multiverse line - but supported with some other key licenses. One of the surprises within this stable of franchises was the Warhammer 40k series that launched in late 2020. 2021 saw the line expand further with new Space Marines, Necrons, and the debut of the Adeptus Sororitas Battle Sisters. The Blood Angel Helblaster uses the existing Primaris Space Marine body with added Blood Angel iconography and a new Plasma Incinerator weapon. Considering that McFarlane is just about keeping these under £20, the Warhammer 40k line is definitely value for money and is drawing in both action figure collectors and painters & customizers via the artist-proof variants. Now I realise I said this was a Top 5, but when compiling my list I struggled to get down to a final 5 and therefore this final extra figure is an honourable mention. Technically it was a 2020 release in the US at least but didn't hit the UK until the Summer of 2021. As a huge fan of Forgotten Realms and Drizzt Do'Urden, I could not pass up this set, and thankfully Hasbro did to disappoint with Drizzt, or his companion Guenhwyvar. The set features his twin scimitar blades as well as his unicorn pendant and two head options, with interchangeable hair to give four different looks for Drizzt. The question now, is if Hasbro will expand this line and give us the other heroes of Icewind Dale? Want to explore more action figures including news & reviews, then visit our homepage for plenty more content 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...

Hello, welcome to Mephitsu bricks and today I will be reviewing set 76205 (spoilers) Gargantos Showdown. The set retails for £24.99 and I found this set early in my local game. The set includes Gargantos and three mini-figures: Stephen Strange, America Chavez, and Wong - all characters from the upcoming film: Doctor strange in the multiverse of madness. The set's box art is beyond cool including all the main characters from the film. However, strangely Wanda (aka the Scarlet Witch) is included in the box art and yet, is not in the set. I, and many others, believe this is down to the fact her outfit in this film is the same as Wandavision and is already included in the marvel CMF series. The box art also looks similar to the infinity saga line from earlier this year with some small differences to include America Chavez. I love the 'Legoized' poster on the back and the background of the box is cool as well. Stephen Strange is of course the main character and has a new design from the recent No Way Home set. Some of the differences include more details and higher placement on the Eye of Agamoto. I believe the legs are the same, but I can not be sure as I do not have the No Way Home set or figure just yet. The torso is also a bit different but not by a lot. The detail on the figure is good on both sides and the newish molded cloak is made of rubbery plastic. The black hair with grey highlight is one of the highlights of the minifigure for me next to the cloak. My final thoughts on the figure are that it's probably the best figure of the set only because the other figures have some flaws I will expand upon in a moment. America Chavez is the new character of the set and my second favorite figure. The detail on this figure is phenomenal and my only problem is found with the hair and legs. First of all the smaller mid-legs don't work for me. From what I saw from the trailer she is almost as tall as Strange, but I could be wrong. Second, the hair doesn't look very accurate from what I saw on the trailer. She seems to have hair more accustomed to the pajama girl from the CMF series 20. But other than those nitpicks I love this figure, and to be honest I can look past the hair as it looks close to how she wears it. Finally, she comes with an accessory an LBGTQ+ badge, and am sure we will find out more about this in the movie. Wong is by no way a bad figure but is not the best of the set. The detail is as good as anyone else and the hair works fine but the face doesn't look like Wong at all and neither does the expression. Wong has nice detail and sadly no alternate face leaving us with not a very good expression. Like America Chavez, I can get past it because no matter how inaccurate it is I now have a Wong figure which is awesome. And with that, we have finished off the Minifigures and time to get to the build. One last spoiler warning before we get to the build as it is very 'spoilery'. First, for those wincing at that £24.99 price point, it is very much worth it. The box makes it look smaller than it actually is. At first, I was a firm believer it should be around the £17.99 price mark but having it in hand makes the pricing accurate - though a fourth figure would have been nice. However, let's talk about Gargantos. The build of Gargantos is great and I love how the eye was portrayed with what I believe is a new piece but I'm not sure. The tentacles are really posable and are great. The colors are cool and accurate I just would have liked more spikes as we see in the teaser, but I understand Lego deals with concept art most of the time so it's understandable. I love this build but I don't love Gargantos's mouth I assumed it could open, but I was wrong. Aside from that, Gargantos is perfect and I wouldn't change anything else. I'm so glad I found this early - and I feel privileged to have it as well. In conclusion, this set isn't perfect but it is really good and to be honest, no lego set is rarely ever perfect. I love this set yes it has flaws but if you can get past them it's a really good set and definitely worth picking up when you have the chance. That's it I'll see you in the next review goodbye. Find Doctor Strange Lego and more at Amazon UK (affiliate link)

I have been a Star Wars figure collector pretty much all my life, starting with the original Kenner figures in the late 70s and early 80s and then moving onto the POTF2 line in the 90s. My current collection for Star Wars is the 6-inch Black Series having gotten hooked when the line launched in 2013 and I saw that first Boba Fett figure on the pegs in my local Toys R Us. 2021 has been an interesting year for the line, especially considering a lot of figures planned for 2021 have been delayed until 2022, and many of this years releases were repaints or tweaked figures with less than half of the 2021 releases being new. The year was dominated by The Mandalorian, but it also saw the arrival of The Bad Batch and we got a number of new figures from this latest animated Star Wars series. One of the final Bad Batch figures to arrive in 2021 was Tech - and he was certainly worth the wait and the best of the bunch with his custom armour, individual paint job, removable helmet and his selection of tools. If only they'd figured out how to give the unmasked head his goggles. Hasbro hadn't forgotton the predecessor to The Bad Batch, and we had a number of new Clone Wars figures in 2021. While there were cool figures like ARC Trooper Echo and bounty hunter Aurra Sing, my next choice is on eof the years early releases in the shape of Asajj Ventress. Ventress is a very visual release with a deep purple and blue colour scheme, velvet soft goods skit and golden trim to her sash. She comes with her twin curved lightsaber hilts and red translucent blades. The Mandalorian was the dominant Star Wars property in 2021, and while we continued to see variants of Din Djarin - there were also new characters sprinkled into the mix. I've picked two Mandalorian figures in my top 5 - starting with the brilliant Q9-0 (Zero) droid from Season 1. Zero is an all new sculpt and combines elements of protocol droids as well as the New Republic Security Droids that Hasbro will bring us in 2022. Zero is really well articulated and comes with his blaster. My 4th choice is actually an older figure in the shape of the Tusken Raider. He was originally released in 2017, but was re-released in 2021 under the Archive series. While the figure is based on A New Hope - the figure, and the wider Archive wave itself, was very much inspired by returning Troopers and Aliens from The Mandalorian, Despite being 4-years old, the Tusken Raider remains one of my favourite Black Series figures to date and it was great to see a re-release this year to allow collectors to add more Sand People to their collections. The figure includes some of the best soft goods execution in the line to date, a brilliant sculpt, and an innovative approach to the Gaffi stick with three interchangeable clubs so you can vary your Tusken Raider's appearance. We return to The Mandalorian for my final choice of 2021, and this time into Season 2 and 'The Tragedy' where Boba Fett makes his triumphant return and destroys a large number of Stormtroopers. One of those Troopers seen on Tython is the new Artillery Stormtrooper, identified by its yellow Pauldron and markings. The Artillery Trooper is an Amazon exclusive and like last year's Biker Scout from The Mandalorian it has proven difficult to order - and harder to actually receive in good order with lots of the European stock simply being shipped with address labels directly on the box. This aside, the Artillery Trooper is a fantastic release utilising the new Stormtrooper body and adding a backpack full of mortars and the mortar itself. As a huge fan of the Original Trilogy Stormtroopers this - like last year's Incinerator Trooper - is a nice addition to the Imperial army while also adds a bit of colour to my display. Want to explore more action figures including news & reviews, then visit our homepage for plenty more content 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...

From the upcoming Robert Pattinson The Batman movie, McFarlane have revealed this new DC Multiverse 7-inch Drifter Bruce Wayne figure and Motorcyle.

Imperial Flametroopers are a relatively new addition to the Empire's roster having first appeared in 2017 in the Adventures in Wild Space junior novel series. They went on to be visualised in the 2019 release of EA's video game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It is from this medium that Hasbro designed their Flametrooper figure, releasing it under the Gaming Greats series of the Galaxy Collection. The Flametrooper is number 3 in the Gaming Greats series, following on from the Deluxe Cal Kestis and sitting before Zaalbar from Knights of the Old Republic. The Flametrooper is packed in the standard Galaxy Collection box with a slanted side. A foil Gaming Greats hexagonal sticker is included on the bottom right window. The blue hue artwork o the side panel illustrates a Flametrooper in battle and connects as a wider montage with the figures on either side. This artwork is repeated on the back with a short piece of background text that focuses on the Trooper rather than the game synopsis itself as seen on some other releases. "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order features Flametroopers, specialized commandos that support the war machine of the Galactic Empire, highly proficient in the use of incendiary weapons" The Flametrooper is a tweaked figure from the mainline, as is the lot of most Gaming Greats figures. It uses the 2016 Snowtrooper figure as a base, adding a brand new helmet to match what we see in the game. We also get new forearms, and the shoulder pauldrons are reversed so the embossed pattern is at the top, not the bottom, this is accurate to the game. The lower legs are also updated with a newer boot design. The figure is cast in white for the amour and off white for the uniform, with a minimal amount of paint deco added. This is mainly around the helmet with a red stripe trim, black visor and silver breathing gear. More red is added to the chest armour, and we have some very pale grey added to the boots and belt to add variation to the white armour. The belt paint is not perfect and does not cover the parts it should all the way to the edge. The figure has a new backpack piece that is similar to that of the Snowtroopers but is longer and features twin fuel tanks. Cast in white the backpack has more red trim, red & black indicator and grey around the fuel tanks - and this is also a little bit scruffy and doesn't cover the tanks right to the edges The backpack has a fitting to one side that represents the valves and hose feeding fuel to the Flamethrower weapon. The white valves give way to a black flexible hose that has sufficient length and flexibility to come around the front of the figure and be slotted into a socket just under the handle of the new flamethrower weapon developed for the figure. The flamethrower is cast in dark grey with a good level of sculpted detail but no paint apps or weathering to enhance them. The only deco on the gun is red added to the end of the barrel to try and replicate a glowing look. Considering a flame effect is already available from the Mandalorian Incinerator Trooper it is a shame that Hasbro couldn't adapt that piece for this figure and include it in the set. While the Flametrooper has new forearms, he is given the same hands as the Snowtrooper and those hands were designed to hold a standard E-11 blaster. The right-hand works OK with the larger gun, but the grip on the left is not wide enough to easily grip the barrel. It needs a bit of head and stretching to get a grip into place. The two-handed grip is natural enough once positioned but make sure you don't let the right arm and elbow start to bend the back section of the gun - if this starts to happen you will get stress marks into the plastic. Articulation is inherited directly from the Snowtrooper base figure with 16 points in total. The legs include double jointed knees, but the semi-rigid skirt section prevents kneeling poses. The arms could do with double joints in the elbows and perhaps butterfly shoulders to allow for a wider range of weapon poses with the flame unit. While the head looks fixed, it does rotate on the neck joint as far as either shoulder pauldron which does add some character for the figure on display. The Gaming Greats line is another subline reliant on repaints and tweaks and is perhaps overlooked by more purist collectors who focus on the movies or the TV series content. What I love about all the Black Series iterations is that these more niche figures still have the same aesthetics as any other figures and the Flametrooper, therefore, sits brilliantly in any Imperial Stormtrooper display even if you've never played or are not a fan of Fallen Order. The figure looks great and has just a few niggles around paint apps and the arm articulation. The biggest issue it faces is the price - as an exclusive its RRP sits at £5 more than a general release, and this premium price is paid to get a repaint or tweaked figure? 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...

Zartan, The Master of Disguise, has been a fan favourite character within the G.I. Joe Universe since his debut in the 1980s and his original colour changing figure and swamp speeder. In 2021, Zartan joined the new 6-inch Classified Series as a general release. The figure was then souped up for the October 2021 Hasbro Pulse Con with a Deluxe boxed release featuring an alternative deco Zartan, weapons, accessories, disguises AND a recreation of that 1984 colour-changing feature. This figure was supplied to us free of charge by Hasbro for us to photograph and review. Zartan arrives in a closed box with a deep red theme across the cover and sides as well as illustrations of Zartan himself. The set is numbered #31 in the Classified series. On the back of the box there is a large montage of the G.I. Joe and Cobra characters released to date, but no background text or a recreation of those vintage statistics cards you could cut out. Returning to the box front, the cover features a rotating wheel built into the artwork around Zartan's head. When rotated, the wheel displays the varying faces of Zartan in disguise and replicates the various disguises in the box. The box cover is held in place with tape - and once cut the front cover opens up to reveal the figure within in a more standard Classified Series window box. The opposite side of the cover has the Dreadnoks logo and this same design is used as a backing card behind the inner plastic tray. I am not sure why the cover does not utilise a Velcro fastener as seen on other releases and in other lines? Zartan is a direct re-use of the general release figure but with an updated colour scheme. This starts with the armour panels which remain cast in dark grey plastic, but the dark grey is offset with painted silver panels. The trousers are recoloured in burgundy to match the original 1984 figure and the skin tone on Zartan is a paler more sickly colour. The sculpt is excellent, capturing Zartan in a realistic setting with photo-real deco adding realism to the eyes that stare out from behind the black face paint. Zartan comes with his hood, and a neck scarf piece both in a soft burgundy plastic and shaped to sit around the head and neck and hold in situ. The 'Master of Disguise' element of the set is explored by the inclusion of additional faces, some swap out heads and a mask. The three faces include the bearded version from the general release and two other older faces. These are a rubbery material and are deliberately painted with white soleless eyes and limited facial details. These 'faces' are designed to slot over Zartan's own head, and then the joints hidden behind the hood section. There are then two alternative heads that replace the Zartan head. These are Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow heads, parts obviously already available in the line and thrown in for some added content. The final disguise is a skull mask that slots over the head with a strap section. The fit is very good considering how bad masks usually look at this scale. As well as being a Master of Disguise, Zartan is also packed with a small armoury to fight off the Joes. This includes a white bow and a quiver of arrows, taken from the Artic Storm Shadow figure and repainted. Like all Classified backpacks, the quiver slots into the hole on Zartan's back and can be used by any other Classified figure. The bow is not supplied with a string, and there is no single arrow to pose Zartan ready to fire. There is a large sniper rifle complete with an articulated triangular stand that comes down to support the weapon as Zartan lines up to fire a shot. It can be handheld, or Zartan has enough articulation for a laid down sniper look. We then have the black plastic gun and knife, as included in the original release, with the knife provided with a sheath on the back of the belt so it can be stowed away. It is interesting, and a bit of a shame, that while all the other general release accessories are included - there is no place in the Exclusive for the Monkey Paw and Snake Head that would hang on Zartan's belt. The hole on the belt where these would hang remains in place. Zartan's backpack, as seen on the original 1984 figure and included in the general wave release, is packed into the set and features the function on the side to holster the pistol. The case opens, but Hasbro has not managed to hinge it like the original, and instead, it comes apart into two halves. Inside we have painted details on both halves with a cavity in the middle in which one of the facial disguises can be stowed away. Again the backpack connects by way of the hole in Zartan's back and if you wished, it could be used by any G.I. Joe Classified figure. Articulation comes in at 24 separate joints making Zartan fully agile and with plenty of posing options including the ability to kneel, sit, and utilise all of his weapons. The joints include boot cut on the boots as well as double-jointed knees and elbows, butterfly shoulders, and a jointed neck at the base and where it meets the head. The figure is a pleasure to pose and display and all the joints feel secure with the possible exception of the torso T-joint which has a bit of play - something we see on the Marvel Legends line too and that can worsen over time. I've left the final feature of Zartan to the end. The colour-changing feature was not included on the standard release, much to fans disappointment. Hasbro has gone all out for the exclusive version with the exposed skin tone treated in heat reactive paint. As the temperature around Zartan lowers the skin transitions from skin tone into a blue - the images below are as blue as I could get him after about 5-mins in a freezer. While it is a little gimmicky in terms of a collectable item which will unlikely get to experience extremes of heat - it does bring back fantastic memories of 8-year old me playing with Zartan and the colour change facilities built into that figure. All in all, the Hasbro Pulse Con Zartan is of course much superior to the general release although you are paying for that privilege. The armour colour and updated trousers are, in my opinion, a better aesthetic than the duller general release and the various accessories all work well enough. It is a shame that we missed the Monkey Paw and Snake Head, leaving a reason for fans to go out and still buy the original, and despite having a hinged backpack in 1984 the same cant be said of the 2021 version. This exclusive won't hang around long, so for a more definitive version and the ability to time travel in your head to the 80s and play with a colour change feature this is a figure to go out and secure now before the price skyrockets. For more News, Reviews and a Checklist of Releases - visit our Hasbro 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...

McFarlane Toys have announced what looks to be another Megafig in the DC Multiverse line, Clayface from DC Rebirth. There is only a single image at this point, with the McFarlane social channels indicating that the figure is "coming soon" so we can expect a full solicitation and pre-orders opening in the next couple of weeks. 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...