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New York Comic Con 2020 should have been taking place this weekend (8th to 11th October) but like most events has been cancelled due to Covid 19. Storm Collectibles had exclusives lined up for the event, and they have announced these today along with confirming the route to market will now be via Bluefin's website. All the items will go on sale on the 10th of October. Up first we have a variant Street Fighter E.Honda figure. He will include everything that is coming in the standard release, but has a variant paint job to change his outfit to green stripes rather than blue. The second exclusive is another variant of Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown. This again is the same as the general release, but with a new red outfit. Exclusive three is a repack of their Golden Axe Skeleton Warriors as a two pack with purple hue paint job. The set will include a shield for each Warrior as well as scythe type weapon and alternative hands. The final reveal is this variant of Motaro from Mortal Kombat. He will include an updated bloody paint job and a green colour skeleton. Both head sculpts, variant hands and the FX piece will also be included. Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

In Summer 2020, Hasbro moved to a Phase 4 packaging for their Star Wars Black Series figures, entitled the Galaxy Collection. This new design moved away from a fully uniform look for the series and introduced accent colours for each movie or show within the Star Wars Universe. The first store Exclusive in the new packaging was the Attack of the Clones Clone Trooper Lieutenant. He was a Walgreens Exclusive in the US, and exclusive to Star Action Figures in the UK. Packaging 3.5 The new angled box features a base black colour with accented red colour for Attack of the Clones. This deep red is used in a bar that sits under the figure window and in it the movie is confirmed. The same red is used for the character name underneath. The red is also present on the angled artwork panel to the right with a deep red hue at the base of the illustration. As the image only uses the accent colour and then a grey scale finish, it is difficult to differentiate this Lieutenant to any other Phase 1 Clone. In the space above his helmet in the artwork is a backdrop of Kamino. Like all Galaxy Collection releases, the art panels will line up with the next figure to be released from the movie to create a larger montage. The red bar continues round the left side spine and onto the back of the box where it now houses the new numbering system where figures are numbered by film. The Lieutenant is the first of the Attack of the Clones releases and is numbered. This may prove problematic in the future if all Exclusives are numbered in collectors being able to secure all the figures in a run and to then display the artwork montage if they wish. The back of the box also carries the same artwork in a side panel next to some background text. The text used is very vanilla and not aligned to the Lieutenant rank at all. I will be interested to see if this is a generic text for all future Clone Troopers - and if it is I will be disappointed. Nothing on the box confirms the exclusivity of the item. "Throughout the Clone Wars, Clone Troopers fought the Battle Droids of the Separatists across the galaxy. They were loyal to their Jedi generals and the Supreme Chancellor." Due to the angles used for the box, there is a significant amount of tape in use which does look unsightly although they have avoided use on the front and the art panel. The figure is accessed via the top or bottom flaps - the bottom being a little easier to get at with less tape used. The figure sits in an inner tray as normal, but now the outer window is part of this inner piece and is not attached to the box. I do wonder if that makes recycling easier where the parts can be separated more efficiently. The cardboard backing card is quite a dull grey and this is uniform on all figures. I wonder what it would have looked like if the accent colour was used as the backdrop? Paint & Sculpt 2.5 Out of the box we have the usual Phase 1 body that has been in circulation since 2015 and cast in white with painted black undersuit. The blue is applied onto the armour and within the blue applications are scratches and wear to signify damage. The four colour dots are present on the left chest in the same blue colour. The paint around the joints is still a little messy in places where white is used to try and cover black joints. On the reverse where black is painted over white there is no such issue. Proportions are OK, the helmet is perhaps a little slim considering a human head is meant to be inside. The 2015 body has now been used on multiple occasions for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 clones, the later with the updated helmet. The coloured rank officers, as seen fleetingly in Attack of the Clones as the army left Kamino, are now complete with Green Sergeant, Red Captain, Yellow Commander and now Blue Lieutenant. I understand that for consistency they've decided to use the old body over the new version. But if that was the case they should have also ensured the white plastic finish on all four Clones is consistent. The Green Sergeant from 2014 always suffered with a slightly off white base plastic and the Lieutenant has the same issue - looking much duller when stood with the Red or Yellow Clones or any of the basic troopers. Accessories 2.5 Our Lieutenant is armed with the usual Clone Trooper blasters that originated in 2015 with the original Clone Trooper sculpt. Starting with the DC-15S Blaster, this is cast in black with zero paint applications. It fits into the right hand where a trigger finger slots into position. The left hand can and will cup the barrel if you want a two handed pose. The left hand will also hold the weapon, but has no trigger finger option. The DC15-A is pretty much the same, cast in black with no paint. It also fits in the right hand with left hand as a support in a two handed pose. Both weapons do the job, but we have seen from other releases that adding some paint apps in terms of gun metal colours or picking out details like the scope does help the weapon. Considering this is a re-release of a 5-year old figure with a splash of blue - some additional effort in the blasters would have been appreciated. Articulation 2.5 The Clone Trooper Lieutenant has 18 points of articulation - two more than a normal Black Series release. The extra joints are found in the arms, where the elbows are double jointed and supported by a bicep swivel above them. Quantity however is not the same as quality and the Clone Trooper is very limited in movement - hence why a new body has been designed for 2020. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, pivot wrist Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker The arms cannot be raised at the shoulders as the pauldrons block the movement. And while the figure has double joint elbows, the shape of the insert that forms part of the elbow pad blocks movement and therefore it is actually less mobile than a single joint. What is frustrating is that an updated elbow joint is available - as used on Captain Rex - but has not been used. The legs are a little better on the posing front, but are still held back a little by the armour shape around the hips. This allows you wider stances and action poses, but kneeling and crouching is difficult. Summary The Clone Trooper Lieutenant is a figure that takes a 5 year old body, does a great job of adding the blue paint application, and repacks it into the new Galaxy Collection packaging. It stays consistent with the three ranked Troopers already released - although they still look mismatched side by side due to differing shades of white plastic used across the four of them. The sad part is that this release was preceded by the brand new Clone Trooper body (Kamino Phase 2 Trooper) and will be immediately followed in the Attack of the Clones series with the new updated body on a base Clone Trooper. This was an opportunity to give us these improvements - but it was not taken. They didn't even give us the updated elbow tweak or add paint to the weapons. I feel a little flat having finished reviewing this new Clone Trooper Lieutenant. A few years ago Id have been happy, but knowing significant improvements were available and not used is disappointing - even if doing so would have left him looking different to the other 3. I score the Exclusive Clone Trooper Lieutenant a 2.5 Visit our Star Wars Black Series Database for more Figures, News & Reviews action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, clone trooper, lieutenant, attack of the clones, exclusive, walgreens, star action figures

After bringing us Commander Cody, Captain Rex, Commander Gree and Commander Wolffe in the Star Wars Black Series - 2019 saw the release of Commander Fox. Fox was a shared fan channel exclusive and was announced on Triple Force Friday, and arrived in stores soon after. Packaging 3/5 Fox comes in the phase 3 packaging with the usual red figure backdrop and spine. Being an exclusive there is no numbering on the box. We do get a very good Gregory Titus artwork, but without any colour or distinguishing marks this could be any MkII Clone. The figure is simply titled "Clone Commander Fox" and like the majority of the Black Series there is no context or sub-title to confirm that Fox is taken from The Clone Wars animated series. Specifically, Fox first appears in The Clone Wars film that launched the series as well as a handful of other episodes. He also appears in some of the Darth Vader : Dark Lord of the Sith comics. Non of this is really confirmed anywhere on the packaging, and the rear box has a very basic background text that confirms Fox as the commander of the Coruscant Guard. "Commander Fox led the Coruscant Guard, an elite clone trooper unit assigned to serve as peace-keepers on the Galactic Republic capital" Paint & Sculpt 5/5 The Clonetrooper body has been around for some time, and Fox uses this body along with a re-use of the commander head that was made for Commander Cody, minus one of the side aerials. The head looks great, but the visor does arrive warp and has to be heated to straighten it out. The helmet is cast in red with the white added on top as well as the black of the visor and silver around the mouth piece. The grey second visor is an extra piece glued to the helmet, it is cast in grey plastic and there is a very neat design on top of this in a lighter grey. The body is a mixture of white and red armour, with an intricate Coruscant Guard motif on Fox's right shoulder amour panel. The white belt is a loose piece and is taken from the Rex figure and comes complete with twin holsters as well as a kama skirt piece in soft goods, this is now trimmed in red and not blue. There is weathering across Fox from helmet to boots and it is applied to look like splashed mud. After so many bright clean troopers, it is good to get a battle weathered Clone for the display. Accessories 4/5 The accessories for Fox are all re-used from previous releases, but he gets a good level of weapons - four in total - the most of any Clone Commander to date and the same number as were included in the Hascon exclusive Rex release. The first weapon is the DC-17 hand blaster, and two are included. They are cast in black plastic with no other paint apps. The weapon fits fine into the right hand, but the left hand doesn't have a trigger finger so when holding the blaster it looks a bit off - the same issue we had with Rex. It may have been good if Hasbro could have included a left hand trigger finger hand option as an extra? When not in use the two DC-17's can be placed into the holsters either side of Fox's belt. The fit is snug and while they aren't strapped in, they will stay put. The DC-15S blaster and DC-15A rifle have been around since the first Mk1 Trooper release. These are cast in a grey plastic and both are dry-brushed with a gun metal finish to add depth to the sculpt. Both weapons slot into the right hand with the trigger finger slotting in place on both weapons. Thanks to the arm articulation, the left hand can cup the barrel of both weapons for two handed pose - but the hands are quite stiff compared to normal so may need warming a little to get them into a grip on the barrel. Articulation 4/5 As an older body, Fox has 18 points of articulation - two more than a normal Black Series release. The extra joints are found in the arms, where the elbows are double jointed and supported by a bicep swivel above them. Sadly Fox has not got the updated elbows that were used on Captain Rex - an odd choice considering the Rex elbows do make more of the double joint elbows to bend further into the upper arm and expand the arm poses. Why an improvement made hasn't been rolled out on other figures since that point is odd - other Clone based figures in 2019 have also missed out on the upgrade including Clone Commander Obi-Wan and the Purge Trooper. Head : ball joint pivot neck Body : torso ball joint Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, pivot wrist Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker The armour does pose some problems in places. This starts with the arms which cannot be raised too high at the shoulder as the shoulder armour panel clashes with the chest armour and blocks the movement. The same is true of the hips with the shape of the thigh armour hitting the upper body armour and pushing the legs out to the side. Despite this there is a tonne of pose options to play with for Fox, including a lot of wider stances and action poses firing one of the weapons. Summary For Clone Trooper / Clone Wars fans, Commander Fox is a brilliant new addition to the line and features some impressive paint applications with the weathering and the motifs on the helmet and the shoulder armour. The articulation has a few flaws, but nothing we haven't had on any armoured figures to date in the line and it is a good balance between articulation and looks. I score the Clone Commander Fox Exclusive a very impressive 4 out of 5. See More Star Wars Black Series Figures

NECA have revealed the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon 2-Pack is a set of Baxter Stockman and Splinter. Both are new to the line and will be packed with a plethora of accessories if the promo images are anything to go by. Baxter looks to include his trans-mutation gun, computer, potted plant, Shredder as a transformed housefly and Michelangelo as a Gerbil. Splinter has soft goods robes and his walking stalk. He looks to include a sword, flaming sword, instruction books and a gun. The set is a Wave 4 release and will start to arrive at Target stores in the US as an Exclusive in the next few weeks. Global availability outside the US should follow via specialist retailers. "The mad scientist, Baxter Stockman, and father of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Master Splinter, will be joining the Cartoon line in the coming weeks! Find this 2 pack and the rest Wave 4 exclusively at Target" Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

In Summer 2020, Hasbro moved to a Phase 4 packaging for their Star Wars Black Series figures, entitled the Galaxy Collection. This new design moved away from a fully uniform look for the series and introduced accent colours for each movie or show within the Star Wars Universe. The Galaxy Collection launched with two full waves - a Rebels wave with a number of repacked figures, and Wave 1 of the new Collection made up of 7 figures from across the Star Wars Saga. In this review we look at the 2nd figure in the Return of the Jedi Collection, and the first Ewok in the Black Series, Teebo. Packaging 3.5 The new Galaxy Collection packaging uses the same footprint dimensions as the previous Phase 3 boxes, although the window section is reduced and the right hand side is cut in at an angle. The base colour of the box remains black, with the Black Series logo on the top rail above the figure window. Each part of the Saga has been given an accent colour, and for Return of the Jedi this is green - a potential reference to the green forest moon of Endor. The green is used as a border under the window where the movie is named, and again as text for the character name, I am not sure why Teebo is given both his name and species, the species detail has never been added to other figures to date? This angled panel on the right is used for an illustration of the character. This is done in a grey scale with the green accent at the base of the image. Teebo is illustrated with his axe in hand and is drawn smaller than the human characters that will surround him. Above his head in the Forest Moon sky is the second Death Star. You can also see some Endor Forest trees and the back end of the Mon Cal starships that adorn the figure preceeding Teebo, Admiral Ackbar. Each art panel in a collection lines up with the next figure in the line to create a larger montage. When you begin to look how this works in practice then it will take up a bit more room as the figures have to be angled to create the wider panel. However, the logic of the side panel is more evident when figures are displayed side on where both the figure and the art are on display. The green band wraps round the other box side and angles upward and round to the back. It is here we still get a numbering system for the figures - now specific by movie or series. Teebo is the 2nd Return of the Jedi figure. The inner part of the box separates fully from the outer box, including the window which is actually a cover on the figure tray. This arguably makes recycling easier by separating plastic and cardboard components. The backing tray is quite dull in a pale grey and I have said that I wonder how impactful using a shade of the accent colour as a backing card would have been? Teebo and his spear and axe are held in purely by the shape of the tray. His knife, being quite smaller, is taped into place. Paint & Sculpt 4.0 Teebo is the first Ewok in the Black Series line, taking 7 years to make his debut despite the popularity of the Forest Dwellers and their numbers in the original Vintage line and since in the 3.75 inch collections. Teebo will no doubt lay down the foundation of an Ewok body that will go on for re-use and quite possibly the head too. The sculpt of both is impressive with a lot of fur detailing having gone on. Teebo's eyes are set back and realistically painted like a bear, with the stubby nose and pink tinted lips. The headdress is a rubbery piece designed as a boar's head of sorts with horns, teeth and feathers attached. It is a little plain in paint and a dark wash would have boosted this quite a bit. The other detail on Teebo is added in similar rubberised parts. He has a necklace of teeth that sits around his neck. This has a habit of getting stuck in the neck joint and then sticking out too far - I ended up tucking it behind the other accessories, the straps. These leather look straps cross over the shoulders and round the waist. The right hand side includes a hunting horn (not removable) while the left has a sheath for his knife. The paint detail where applied is neat and tidy. The fur is cast in a base grey colour with the black stripes added and this dual striping is neat and tidy and matches around the body and arms/legs. The headdress can be removed but doing so may see the head pop off also as the fix on the headpiece round the ears is tighter than the neck peg. These rubbery parts and hoods will open up the opportunity for multiple Ewok's going forward, and possibly some army building releases. Teebo stands around 4 inches tall and is in scale in terms of the other human characters. You can see him here lined up with other figures from Return of the Jedi. Some will argue the smaller scale would warrant some added value or a price reduction, but smaller figures like this are not new in the line (Yoda, Jawa) or across any of the Star Wars lines going back to 1977. Teebo looks the part and therefore fits as well in the line as a human figure or even a larger character like Darth Vader or Chewbacca. Accessories 4.5 Teebo is armed with three seperate weapons, starting with a rudimentary knife. This is roughly cast with an uneven blade and plain handle - as you'd expect. The blade is painted in a grey while the grip is brown. It fits best in Teebo's left hand, and when not in use slips snugly into the sheath that hangs on the left hand side of his strapping. Weapon two is a spear that is cast in a similar way to the knife, but now with sculpted fur detail and tied string just under the head of the spear. The shaft can fit into either hand, and the spear is long enough for a two handed pose thanks to the arm articulation. And finally we have a stone axe, another rough cast with stone head, some sculpted wrapping around the axe head and a wooden effect shaft. Once more this fits into either hand for wielding and can also just about make a two handed pose - although only just considering it is a bit shorter than the spear. Articulation 4.0 Teebo, and therefore the defined Ewok buck, has a total of 15 points of articulation. The count is good, but the body shape has seen some of them changed from more mobile double joints to single pivots only. Head : ball joint neck post top and bottom Body : ball joint torso Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, single joint rotating knees, ankle rocker The head is reasonably mobile on its double ended ball joint post and it can be rotated and tilted, which is great as an Ewok mannerism in the movie is the tilted head quizzical look. The body joint allows rotation of the torso and also allows a degree of lean forward and backward and side to side. While the arms are quite stubby they are fully mobile and the elbow in particular can bend well beyond 90 degrees. While they do not have a butterfly joint, the length of the weaponry and the articulation of the arms allows two handed poses for the axe and spear. The legs are also stubby, and will just about allow Teebo to sit. Balancing him in stances needs you to work with all three leg joints or a secure stance, but once posed Teebo stands fine. All the joints are secure and tight. Summary For the first Ewok in the Black Series, Teebo is an excellent release with a great sculpt, good paint job and appropriate articulation for the size of the character. We get three weapons to choose from and each one is well executed with the sort of details you would expect from forest assembled weapons. The new box design shows off the figure well and I do like the choice of the green accent colour for the Return of the Jedi, and it is particularly apt for the Endor based figures. There is not a lot to dislike about Teebo - save perhaps a darker was on the head-dress. I score Teebo an impressive 4.5. Visit our Star Wars Black Series Database for more Figures, News & Reviews action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, return of the jedi, ewok

In 2020, the Marvel Legends line announced the first Fox X-Men movie figures in a number of 20th Anniversary releases. Alongside them were four figures from Fox's Deadpool sequel. These were packed in the same X-Men inspired boxing, but with the box base colour changed to a more Deadpool appropriate red and a number of Deadpool-esque scrawls and doodles included on the box. In this review we will take a look at one of the single releases, Cable! Packaging 4.0 The Cable figure uses the same squared off box with the same base design as the X-Men releases. The base colour does move from steel grey to a bright red, and the box is further "enhanced" with some very "Deadpool" additions. The X-Men logo is covered over with the Deadpool logo and the character name of Nathan Summers crossed out with Cable scrawled underneath. Even the age guidance is crossed out and changed to 14+ in black scrawl. The side panels are identical with a silhouette of Cable from the movie. The eye is highlighted as a bright white spot on the head and some red is used to pick out a little bit of definition around the hair, face and body. Round the back of the box we have the same illustration - and another name plate with a crossed out Nathan Summers. Unlike other Marvel Legends figures, there is no background text or movie synopsis. This leaves the box a little samey when we consider the same silhouette image is used on three of the four main sides. The inner tray remains inserted into a X-Men backing piece, this is now grey rather than yellow and this creates a good contrast with the red and black of the outer box. Paint & Sculpt 4.5 Out of the box and in hand, Cable is a very impressive sculpt. The likeness to Josh Brolin is very good - and there is a load of detail around the head sculpt with the scarring and the damage to his left eye. The body is essentially a pair of green combat trousers with a brown short sleeved vest. Over this is a tactical vest complete with ammunition pouches. Cable is wearing a khaki green belt with more ammo packs, a holster and his teddy bear. The mechanical arm is really well executed with a two tone silver finish and sculpted knotted steel biceps and sleek lower forearm. Cable is wearing a cast plastic cloak that fits over his head and trails down his back. This cloak is cast in its base colour, but has a lot of depth in terms of folds and creases. The cloak piece can be removed over Cable's head and this opens up the figure a little more and gives you a variant look for cable on display. With the cloak removed the detail is more visible on the figure - including the teddy bear on his belt. Paint apps across the figure are neat and tidy with no areas of concern. Accessories 4.5 Cable is packed with two pairs of hands. He has a pair of gripping hands as fitted when he is unpacked, and a second pair of clenched fists. Each hand is painted accordingly, with the left hands with the metallic silver fingers to line up to his prosthetic arm. Swapping out the hands is simple and secure. Cable has a basic handgun, cast in black and with limited details. It fits in either hand, with both hands having a trigger finger that can line up with the trigger. While it will fit in the holster piece, the fit is quite loose and the holster is obviously designed for one of the other pieces. Cable's larger weapon is a thing of beauty - both in size and in detail. It has a couple of paint applications to bring out the handle in brown and with a grey wrap in the middle of the grip. Cable is packed with two smaller grenade launcher segments that form a couple of customizable options to his weapon. These are designed with a groove to slot into a piece under the main barrell. With these in place the weapon configuration is altered. The more traditional launcher is my preference, the larger one with the handle and circular end just doesn't seem to fit right aesthetically. Whichever one you choose to use, the other can be stowed away in the holster - and it appears the holster is designed for this as the fit is much more secure than the handgun. The gun can fit into either hand and can be held in a two handed pose with the other hand able to cup and grasp the barrel. Articulation 5.0 Cable weighs in with an impressive articulation count of 22 points of articulation. Every joint is tight and secure. Head : ball joint neck base, ball joint neck Body : T-joint torso joint, waist swivel Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double jointed knees, shin swivel, ankle rocker The upper body movement is good with a good range on the elbows and shoulders which can support weapon posing and action stances. The head is a little odd in terms of the joint being ball jointed at the top of the neck and in the head. This gives the head a lot of movement, but it can push the head to the side in an unnatural position. The torso joints are a little bit hidden behind the Tactical Vest, but both the T-Joint torso and waist swivel work well enough and are not overly restricted. The legs have a full range of motion including the ability to sit or kneel. I am not sure what value the shin swivels bring - it may just be a choice to allow the boots to be cast separately. Summary You do have to sit back initially and consider what it means finally to have Fox X-Men Universe characters in the Marvel Legends line. And what a figure Cable is, with an exceptional sculpt of both the head and the body. The paint job is crisp and the articulation is great too. We have alternative hands, and a good set of weaponry accessories including options for the larger gun with the grenade launcher options. Even the cloak plays a part and can be removed if you want a different look. The one thing I am not overly sold on is the box. The colours and design are fine, and I even like the Deadpool inspired adjustments. I just feel like the imagery is overused across three sides, and an opportunity of synergy with the rest of the line is missed by not having the background text or movie synopsis. I score Cable from Deadpool 2 a very impressive 4.5 For more figure news and reviews, visit our Marvel Legends Database 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... action figures, reviews, review, articulation, marvel, legends, x-men, deadpool 2, cable, hasbro

The October 2020 Marvel Monday Reveal (first Monday of each Month) was a new Retro Carded Black Cat Marvel Legends figure. Black Cat will come with her whip and a black cat accessory. She is presented on a Retro Spider-Man Card and has a January 2021 release date. Marvel’s Black Cat is the most confident, cunning burglar the world has ever seen! Donning a black costume and mask, heiress Felicia Hardy changes into her Super Hero persona and prowls the streets with Spider-Man at her side. With over 80 years of entertainment history, Marvel has become a cornerstone of fan collections around the world. With the Marvel Legends Series, fan favorite Marvel Comic Universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe characters are designed with premium detail and articulation for posing and display in collections. From figures to vehicles to premium roleplay items, the Marvel Legends Series offers elite character-inspired product for Marvel fans and collectors. Additional figures each sold separately. Subject to availability. Includes: figure and 2 accessories. Fans, collectors, and kids alike can enjoy this 6-inch-scale Marvel’s Black Cat Vintage Collection figure, inspired by the character from the Marvel Spider-Man comics. Vintage Collection Marvel’s Black Cat figure has premium design, detail, and articulation for posing and display in a Marvel collection. This quality 6-inch Legends Series Retro Collection Marvel’s Black Cat figure features multiple points of articulation and is a great addition to any action figure collection. Look for other Hasbro Marvel Legends Series figures. (Additional figures each sold separately. Subject to availability.) Ages 4 and up. Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

EB Games in Canada have released the details for the next Gaming Greats Star Wars Black Series figure, an Imperial Scout Trooper as seen in Jedi Fallen Order. The Gaming Greats figure will include some updated details to the existing Scout Trooper body with a new vest section added. The Trooper will be armed with an new Electro Pike accessory, and the existing hold-out blaster will also be included. Our new Gaming Greats Scout Trooper is an Exclusive to Gamestop in the US and EB Games in Canada. Like the other Gaming Greats figures it will get a Fan Channel release elsewhere in the world with Specialist Stores already opening up pre-orders. The release date is expected to be the 1st of November 2020. The 6-inch-scale Gaming Greats GameStop Exclusive Scout Trooper figure is detailed to look like the character from the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video game, featuring premium detail and multiple points of articulation. Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

In Summer 2020, Hasbro moved to a Phase 4 packaging for their Star Wars Black Series figures, entitled the Galaxy Collection. This new design moved away from a fully uniform look for the series and introduced accent colours for each movie or show within the Star Wars Universe. The Galaxy Collection launched with two full waves - a Rebels wave with a number of repacked figures, and Wave 1 of the new Collection made up of 7 figures from across the Star Wars Saga. In this review we look at one of these, Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi. Packaging 4.0 The new Galaxy Collection packaging uses the same footprint dimensions as the previous Phase 3 boxes, although the window section is reduced and the right hand side is cut in at an angle. The base colour of the box remains black, with the Black Series logo on the top rail above the figure window. Each part of the Saga has been given an accent colour, and for Return of the Jedi this is green - a potential reference to the green forest moon of Endor. The green is used as a border under the window where the movie is named, and again as text for the character name, This angled panel on the right is used for an illustration of the character. This is done in a grey scale with the green accent at the base of the image. Ackbar is shown with his hands clasped while a Mon Cal cruiser hangs in space over his head. Each art panel in a collection lines up with the next figure in the line to create a larger montage. When you begin to look how this works in practice then it will take up a bit more room as the figures have to be angled to create the wider panel. However, the logic of the side panel is more evident when figures are displayed side on where both the figure and the art are on display. The green band wraps round the other box side and angles upward and round to the back. It is here we still get a numbering system for the figures - now specific by movie or series. Admiral Ackbar has the honour of being ROTJ 01, the first of the Return of the Jedi figures. Due to the angles used for the box, there is a significant amount of tape in use which does look unsightly although they have avoided use on the front and the art panel. The figure is accessed via the top or bottom flaps - the bottom being a little easier to get at with less tape used. The figure sits in an inner tray as normal, but now the outer window is part of this inner piece and is not attached to the box. I do wonder if that makes recycling easier where the parts can be separated more efficiently. The cardboard backing card is quite a dull grey and this is uniform on all figures. I wonder what it would have looked like if the accent colour was used as the backdrop? Paint & Sculpt 3.5 Starting with the head sculpt, Admiral Ackbar is impressive in terms of the depth and detail of the head design and sculpt. It captures the various folds and creases of Ackbar's amphibian features as well as the tendrils around the mouth ara. The eyes are bright and vibrant with a yellow colour below the black iris. The head is cast in an orange salmon colour with darker mottled patches added and used to wash into the sculpted parts to add depth and definition. Ackbar's head sits a little lowe in the collar of his uniform vs what we see in Return of the Jedi and an extended neck would have both looked better and given more room for the articulation in the head and neck. The main body of the uniform is a rubberised overcoat which and a slightly variant colour, as per the movie costume. It features well painted insignia on the left and a painted belt section. The arms and legs are plain white, with the yellow stripe running down the legs and also under the arms on the exposed side of the torso. Like the head, the arms are cast in a salmon colour with some more mottling in a darker colour on the outer parts of the forearms. The Admiral re-uses parts from his first Black Series figure from The Last Jedi. The head is the same and if you look at the Last Jedi Ackbar you can see how much better this version might have been with some more of the neck exposed from the upper uniform collar. The upper and lower arms are also taken from the Last Jedi figure, while the torso and legs look to be new. This makes our Return of the Jedi Ackbar taller too than his Last Jedi counterpart. Accessories 2.5 Admiral Ackbar comes with a DH-17 Blaster, as was previously included on figures like the Death Star Trooper and Lando. The weapon is cast in black with some decent details and with a silver painted barrel. It fits into the right hand and while the trigger finger is not seperate to slot into the trigger it is sculpted outward from the other figures to sit next to the trigger when the gun is in hand. My issue with this is Ackbar never wielded a blaster on screen. While I appreciate Hasbro felt the need to include something - the obvious choice would have been a nod to the original Kenner figure and his swagger stick. There was also an opportunity perhaps to include the panel of his command chair - or go all out and make him a Deluxe release with his rotating command chair. Articulation 3.5 Admiral Ackbar has an impressive articulation count with 19 points of articulation in total. This includes the new butterfly shoulders, but also see's the knees downgraded to a single joint. Head : ball joint neck with pivot, jaw hinge Body : ball joint waist Arms : butterfly shoulder, ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single rotating knee ankle rocker The most satisfying joint on Ackbar is the articulated jaw. It is done by fixing the lower jaw to the neck and then hinging the head and when the head is pushed back the mouth opens. The range of the jaw is much less than the Last Jedi version, another reason why the neck needed extending a touch above the collar of the uniform. The rest of Ackbar's articulation works well enough. The butterfly joints in the shoulders are not really needed, especially when he has nothing to do with his hands. I suspect the inclusion of the butterfly joints may be more down to whatever figure loaned Ackbar the torso piece. The torso and leg joints work OK, but when moved they do start to crease the rubbery overcoat and this ends up looking odd. Summary After such a long wait for Admiral Ackbar, the figure we get is certainly not perfect. The head sculpt is spectacular and the uniform pretty faithfully represented - he just needed a slightly longer neck to raise the head up to show off more of the head and to allow the jaw joint to move further. The choice of accessory is off and an opportunity missed for a nod to the original Kenner figure with his swagger stick. I am certainly warming to the new packaging and the artwork is impressive and even as a loose collector I am looking for a way to preserve it and to see the wider collage growing as we add more releases to the collection. I score Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi a 3.0 Visit our Star Wars Black Series Database for more Figures, News & Reviews action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, admiral ackbar, return of the jedi, it's a trap, battle of endor

While not a surprise thanks to listings and leaks, the final makeup of the 2nd full wave of the new Star Wars Black Series Phase 4 Galaxy Collection has been confirmed - with all the figures and the full wave now up for preorder with delivery quoted between late October and November 2020. The wave repacks Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in their Endor gear from the Heroes of Endor Exclusive. There is also the Armorer from The Mandalorian, the base figure is also the same as the Exclusive version but with less accessories and plastic fur cape. And Cad Bane is also a prior Exclusive, repacked in the new box - but his time TODO 360 is not included The Hoth Rebel Trooper from The Empire Strikes Back was released first on a Vintage card for the 40th Anniversary and is now boxed in the new packaging in this wave. . The final two figures are the new Imperial Incinerator Trooper from the Mandalorian and the Phase 1 Clone Trooper from Attack of the Clones who utilises the new Clone Trooper body. Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

Storm Collectibles have announced an exclusive version of their Haohmaru figure from the Samurai Shodown video game. The figure of Haohmaru will be an exclusive to Wonder Festival 2020 in Shanghai and features bloodied paint apps vs the normal figure release. He will be packed with his Katana, blade sweep FX piece and alternate hands. He is limited to 3000 pieces and will be sold via the Storm Booth at the show which is going ahead in Shanghai - following initial postponement earlier in the year. Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,

McFarlane are also supplying Walmart stores with a DC Multiverse 2-Pack of Arkham Asylum Batman vs Arkham Asylum Joker. Both figure are identical sculpts to their general releases and come with the same set of accessories. The decor has been tweaked with weathering in the means of mud splashes on Batman and some green toxic slime patches on both figures The set is exclusive to Walmart, with no word on availability outside of the US. It releases officially in November 2020, Checkout our blog page 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... action figure, news, toys, reviews, action, figure, blog, checklist, collectors,