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"Change is not always growth, but growth is often rooted in change." - Drizzt Do'Urden We have a new 6 inch line of collectors figures incoming from Wizards of the Coast and their parent company Hasbro. Dungeons & Dragons fans, and particularly those of Forgotten Realms, will soon be able to get a 6 inch scale articulated figure of Drizzt Do'Urden and his panther Guenhwyvar. The two pack is beautifully packaged with an outer sleeve and under it a window box to show off the figures. Drizzt comes with his scimitars, Icing Death and Sparkle and there are ice FX pieces to clip to these for a more dynamic display. Drizzt also has two head options with alternative hair pieces for four different looks. He has alternative hands, his amulet and an onyx statue of a black panther that he uses to summon Guenhwyvar from the spirit plane. A full size D&D dice is also included. The set will go on pre-order shortly... 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,

A magazine scan has unveiled a new SH Figuarts Star Wars figure incoming from Tamashii Nations in the substantial shape of the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian. This new Mando will be a February 2021 release and comes complete with his jet pack and the heavy repeating blaster. The initial images were very low quality, a new set has now been uploaded by Tamashii Nations 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,

NECA have revealed the packaging for their Ultimate Biff Tannen figure from Back to the Future. The Ultimate box uses the artwork from Biff's version of Grays Sports Almanac, 1950-2000. Biff is on track to be an October 2020 release. “So why don’t you make like a tree and get outta here?” The tough but not too bright antagonist of the Back to the Future franchise, Biff Tannen, bullies his way to the NECA Ultimate line! Dressed in his Enchantment Under the Sea Dance outfit, Ultimate Biff features the licensed likeness of Tom Wilson and comes with interchangeable heads, hands, the Gray’s Sports Almanac and Case from Part 2! Window box packaging. 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,

Hasbro have shared a new press release with us for a new line of 3.75 inch retro style Marvel figures, badged under the Marvel Legends banner - albeit with a retro Toybiz inspired Legends logo. The new line will see figures with 5 points of articulation packed on retro style cards. There will then be two carded figures per release, packed inside an outer box with additional retro card art. Three pairings have been announced. Captain America & Black Panther, Iron-Man and Cyclops and Spider-Man and Electro.The sets will retail at $19.99 in the US and they are down for an Autumn 2020 launch. There is no specific info as yet about a UK release, but we would assume these will have global availability. MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO 3.75 CAPTAIN AMERICA & BLACK PANTHER Figure 2-Pack (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans, collectors, and kids alike can enjoy this MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO 3.75 CAPTAIN AMERICA & BLACK PANTHER Figure 2-Pack, inspired by the characters from the MARVEL comics. These 3.75-inch figures on individual blister cards have premium design, detail, and five points of articulation for posing and display in a MARVEL collection. Includes 2 figures. Available for pre-order at Hasbro Pulse. MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO 3.75 IRON MAN & MARVEL’S CYCLOPS Figure 2-Pack (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans, collectors, and kids alike can enjoy this MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO 3.75 IRON MAN & MARVEL’S CYCLOPS Figure 2-Pack, inspired by the characters from the MARVEL comics. These 3.75-inch figures on individual blister cards have premium design, detail, and five points of articulation for posing and display in a MARVEL collection. Includes 2 figures. Available for pre-order at Hasbro Pulse. MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO 3.75 SPIDER-MAN & MARVEL’S ELECTRO Figure 2-Pack (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans, collectors, and kids alike can enjoy this MARVEL LEGENDS RETRO 3.75 SPIDER-MAN & MARVEL’S ELECTRO Figure 2-Pack, inspired by the characters from the MARVEL comics. These 3.75-inch figures on individual blister cards have premium design, detail, and five points of articulation for posing and display in a MARVEL collection. Includes 2 figures. Available for pre-order at Hasbro Pulse. 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,

Marvel Unlimited, the online subscription for Marvel Legends comic book content, have announced this years subscriber exclusive bundle. As usual, a variant Marvel Legend is included. This year it is a variant version of the existing Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel figure in a Spider-Man themed outfit. The annual subscription also gives you an Iron-Man pin, Stark Industries patch,and two exclusive comic books with variant covers. As usual this offer is for US residents only, so there is little opportunity for fans elsewhere to get this new variant unless they go via the secondary market. 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 2020, Hasbro announced a new packaging format for the Star Wars Black Series. This Phase 4 packaging would be called the Galaxy Collection. This new format would group figures by movie or series - and would launch with two waves. Wave 1 was a mixed wave, while a 2nd wave would be a special release for Rebels. It would finally complete the Ghost crew with the release of Zeb as a Deluxe figure. It would also repack the previous Rebels figures, updating those who predated face printing to an improved decor. In this review we will be taking a look at the re-released Kanan Jarrus. Packaging 4.0 Kanan is packed in the new for 2020 Galaxy Collection (Phase 4) packaging. It retains the exact same dimensions as the previous box but now has a cut in angled side spine on the right hand side. Here we have character specific artwork with a specific colour hue running through it which is unique to Rebels. The artwork links in to previous and future releases and allows boxed collectors to display these at an angle to create a large montage of images. The image for Kanan shows him in his Season 1 outfit. His lightsaber is lit and held out front. Like the figure itself, the artwork converts Kanan from the animated style to what we see in Rebels to a more real life look. There is certainly some influence from voice actor Freddie Prinze Jr. in the illustration. The purple hue for rebels continues throughout the box with a purple stripe running under the window on the front, where it is confirmed this is a Star Wars Rebels release. Under this is the character name, also in purple. The stripe then continues round the left hand side where it angles upward and continues onto the back of the box where it provides a divider between the lower legal and safety text to the figure details above. The new figures still have a numbering system, which is now specific to the source material. Kanan is REB 04 and this numbering designation sits on the box reverse within the purple border stripe. Above this is another zoomed in version of the Kanan artwork and some top line background text in 4 languages. "Not every Jedi perished in Order 66. Kanan Jarrus survived the Emperor's purge, going underground for years and hiding the truth about who he really was" The shape of the new packaging dictates the need for quite a lot of sealing tape on the top flap and the straight left hand spine - this does look messy against the duller black of the new box. It is easiest to extract Kanan via the base flap which is only held in with one piece of tape. The innards of the box slide out complete, including the window front which is part of the inner tray. Kanan is set against a plain grey neutral card back - there is no re-use of the purple here and this grey is consistent on all Galaxy Collection releases. The figure, blaster and lightsaber are held into the inner tray purely by the way it is shaped, there are no ties or straps to cut through or untangle and nothing is taped into place. Paint & Sculpt 4.5 Kanan features the same head sculpt from the original 2016 release, but is now hugely enhanced thanks to face print technology. The sculpt takes elements from the animated Kanan and with influences from the voice actor to create a real world version of Kanan. The new face print application gives the eyes a much more realistic look with shading around the facial features to enhance the sculpt. The hair is swept back and painted quite simply in brown. The facial hair is a sculpted element so it remains painted like the hair. I wonder how much better a face printed version would be when we consider the success of some other facial hair applications on recent Black Series and Marvel Legends figures. Kanan is wearing his outfit from the early Rebels season. It is made up of a green suit with two tones of green with a strapped on shoulder armour piece complete with white graffiti artwork on the shoulder pauldron. The legs are a grey leading down to knee pads and two tone boots. A belt and holster is in situ and all of the fastenings on the shoulder armour and the belt are well painted with silver clasps and fasteners. The colours on Kanan in Rebels are reasonably subtle compared to some of the others, and there has been further toning back in the colours used for this figure. While there is no weathering as such, the textures of the body sections help add some depth simply via the way the light falls. The paint on my review figure was clean and crisp with no obvious issues. The original Kanan is now 4 years old, and this new 2020 version is a direct re-use. There are significant improvements in the head with the face print tech making a big difference. There also seems to have been a tweak to the pony tail which sits more naturally at the back of the head rather than sticking out. There are some very minor colour variances, but these are to be expected with two factory runs four years apart. Accessories 4.0 Kanan comes with his DL-18 blaster, the same as the previous release. It is shaped well enough, but is a little soft in the details when you look closer. The blaster is cast in grey with a silver dry brush applied. The blaster sits into Kanan's right hand and when not in use it slots into the holster on his belt. While the inclusion of the blaster is nice, and relevant to the character, it is the lightsaber that is the star of the accessories for Kanan. It arrives assembled in the box with a silver hilt and translucent blue blade. The blade arrived warped on my Kanan, a result of it being restrained in the box top and bottom - nothing hot water won't sort. Like all Black Series sabers, the blade can be removed from the hilt so you can have a lit or unlit option for Kanan. There is then a pretty cool feature on the hilt that those who had the first figure will know about, but there is nothing in or on the box that explains to new collectors how it works. As we see in the show, Kanan's saber splits into two pieces that he then wears on his belt as a disguise to it being a lightsaber. The top emitter comes off and there is a shaped piece that slots into a socket on the front of Kanan's belt. The rear part of the saber then has a simple piece that slots into another socket on the back of the belt. Articulation 3.5 The one disadvantage of Kanan being an older body is that he misses out on some of the newer articulation used on other Jedi characters. He comes in with 16 points of articulation in total. Head : ball joint neck with pivot Body : ball joint torso Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker The head is pretty mobile and the pivot set far enough up the neck so it is not visible and therefore not an eyesore. The chest joint can rotate, but adds no real movement in terms of ab crunch or allowing Kanan to lean into a pose. The shoulder joint is blocked on the right arm due to the pauldron which halts the arm being raised all the way up. There is however enough motion in the elbows and wrist joints for action posing with the weapons, including just about getting into a two handed saber grip. The legs joints should offer a full range of motion including the ability to kneel or crouch, but the holster does block the movement needed on the right leg to achieve these. Kanan also has a few stability issues once you move beyond a neutral stance and a stand may be needed for more action oriented posing. All Kanan's joints are tight and secure with no obvious issues. Summary There is no escaping that this is essentially a repack of an existing figure, but it does bring some improvements to that original figure via the face print tech. One of the niggles in the Black Series at the moment is when figures are sat side by side with such a gulf in finish where older figures didn't get the face print. By repacking Kanan and the others with this update the Hasbro team have ensured our full crew is given an update. That being said, it would have been nice to throw in a bit of added value - perhaps a 2nd head with his eye injury, or perhaps the mask he uses to face down Maul (although I know this was a different outfit in a much later season). I do like the new packaging and they are growing on me as I open more and more of them and see the montage build and develop when the boxes are side by side. It also struck me today that I could open the box and display the figure and the side art without it looking too odd that the boxes were empty. I am pleased with the new Kanan and while I think Hasbro could have snuck in a little bit more variance to the older figure, he certainly feels much more worth buying than the repacks of Chopper and Ezra in the same wave. I score Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight, a total of 4.0 Visit our Star Wars Black Series Database for more Figures, News & Reviews action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, rebels, zeb, ezra, kanan, hera, chopper, ahsoka, hasbro

The Carbonized Collection is coming to the 3.75 inch Star Wars Vintage Collection. Like their larger relations in The Black Series, the new 3.75 inch Carbonized figures will feature updated metallic paint jobs for the figures - with the added bonus of coming on a Vintage inspired card. Four have been announced, all associated with The Mandalorian. We have the Mandalorian himself, a Remnant Stormtrooper, Cara Dune and a Death Trooper. The figures will be exclusive to Walmart in the US, while here in the UK they will be available at all good collector sites via the Fan Channel. They are all scheduled for an Autumn 2020 release. The announcement of these figures coincides with Mando Mondays, a celebration of the 2nd Season of The Mandalorian where new product will be released each Monday starting with the week Episode 1 airs, through to December and what we assume is the Season Finale. Checkout StarWars.com for more info... STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH THE MANDALORIAN Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price £16.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH THE MANDALORIAN Figure, inspired by THE MANDALORIAN live-action TV series on Disney Plus. The STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION features multiple points of articulation and is treated with a sleek metallic finish for a premium figure that really stands out. Highly poseable with realistic detail, this 3.75-inch figure can be displayed in any STAR WARS action figure and vehicle collections. Includes figure and 2 accessories. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH REMNANT STORMTROOPER Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £16.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH REMNANT STORMTROOPER Figure, inspired by THE MANDALORIAN live-action TV series on Disney Plus. The STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION features multiple points of articulation and is treated with a sleek metallic finish for a premium figure that really stands out. Highly poseable with realistic detail, this 3.75-inch figure can be displayed in any STAR WARS action figure and vehicle collections. Includes figure and accessory. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH CARA DUNE Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £16.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH CARA DUNE Figure, inspired by THE MANDALORIAN live-action TV series on Disney Plus. The STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION features multiple points of articulation and is treated with a sleek metallic finish for a premium figure that really stands out. Highly poseable with realistic detail, this 3.75-inch figure can be displayed in any STAR WARS action figure and vehicle collections. Includes figure and 2 accessories. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £16.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS Galaxy with this STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION 3.75-INCH IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER Figure, inspired by THE MANDALORIAN live-action TV series on Disney Plus. The STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CARBONIZED COLLECTION features multiple points of articulation and is treated with a sleek metallic finish for a premium figure that really stands out. Highly poseable with realistic detail, this 3.75-inch figure can be displayed in any STAR WARS action figure and vehicle collections. Includes figure and 2 accessories. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. 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,

Mando Monday's are a new thing we can look forward to over the coming Autumn and into Winter as Disney and Star Wars celebrate Season 2 of The Mandalorian. The first Mando Monday will be the 26th of October, the week Season 2 airs, with 9 subsequent Mando Mondays taking us to the 21st of December. There will be new product releases and digital content on each of the 9 days. For more details check out StarWars.com On the day Mando Mondays were announced (also a Monday) we had some pre-order product go live from Funko, Hot Toys and Lego, Hasbro also sent over a press release for a new sub-line of Star Wars Black Series figures called the Credit Collection. The figures are all taken from The Mandalorian and are all existing sculpts. They have been repainted to match those glorious artistic renders shown during the credits of The Mandalorian. They also each come with an Imperial Credit and are packed on Vintage style cards. The Credit Collection will feature The Mandalorian, The Heavy Infantry Mandalorian, IG-11, Cara Dune and an Imperial Death Trooper. Each will be exclusive to a specific store in the US - while here in the UK they should all be specialist store releases via the Fan Channel apart from Mando and the Death Trooper who will be exclusive to Amazon globally both in the US and UK as well as globally via the worldwide Amazon sites. Links below... Mandalorian Amazon lins > US and the UK Death Trooper Amazon links > US and the UK For completeness for our US readers - The Heavy Mandalorian will be BestBuy, Cara Dune will be Target and IG-11 will be at Gamestop. All the figures have an Autumn release date STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH THE MANDALORIAN Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £24.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Disney Plus series THE MANDALORIAN with this premium STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH THE MANDALORIAN Figure. The Mandalorian is battle-worn and tight-lipped, a formidable bounty hunter in an increasingly dangerous galaxy. As part of the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION this figure features multiple points of articulation, premium deco, a collectible Imperial Credit accessory, and packaging that has been treated with a weathered look inspired by the end credit images from THE MANDALORIAN, making this a great addition to any STAR WARS collection. Includes figure, 2 accessories, and Imperial Credit. Available for pre-order at Amazon. STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH HEAVY INFANTRY Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £34.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Disney Plus series THE MANDALORIAN with this premium STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH HEAVY INFANTRY Figure. A born survivor, he guards a precious armory and helps to keep the flames of Mandalorian heritage flickering in this time of galactic chaos. As part of the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION this figure features multiple points of articulation, premium deco, a collectible Imperial Credit accessory, and packaging that has been treated with a weathered look inspired by the end credit images from THE MANDALORIAN, making this a great addition to any STAR WARS collection. Includes figure, accessory, and Imperial Credit. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH CARA DUNE Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £24.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Disney Plus series THE MANDALORIAN with this premium STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH CARA DUNE Figure. An intimidating brawler and crack shot, Cara Dune has put her days of military discipline behind her, and now has reinvented herself as a mercenary. As part of the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION this figure features multiple points of articulation, premium deco, a collectible Imperial Credit accessory, and packaging that has been treated with a weathered look inspired by the end credit images from THE MANDALORIAN, making this a great addition to any STAR WARS collection. Includes figure, 3 accessories, and Imperial Credit. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH IG-11 Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £24.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Disney Plus series THE MANDALORIAN with this premium STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH IG-11 Figure. One of a series of dangerous assassin droids largely outlawed in the galaxy, IG-11 is a hired gun programmed to follow Bounty Hunters Guild protocols to the letter. As part of the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION this figure features multiple points of articulation, premium deco, a collectible Imperial Credit accessory, and packaging that has been treated with a weathered look inspired by the end credit images from THE MANDALORIAN, making this a great addition to any STAR WARS collection. Includes figure, 2 accessories, and Imperial Credit. Available for pre-order at all good collector sites. STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER Figure (HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: £24.99/Available: Fall 2020) Fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the Disney Plus series THE MANDALORIAN with this premium STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION 6-INCH IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER Figure. The elite soldiers of Imperial Intelligence, Death Troopers are encased in specialized Stormtrooper armor. As part of the STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES CREDIT COLLECTION this figure features multiple points of articulation, premium deco, a collectible Imperial Credit accessory, and packaging that has been treated with a weathered look inspired by the end credit images from THE MANDALORIAN, making this a great addition to any STAR WARS collection. Includes figure, 2 accessories, and Imperial Credit. Available for pre-order at Amazon. 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 2020, Hasbro announced a new packaging format for the Star Wars Black Series. This Phase 4 packaging would be called the Galaxy Collection. This new format would group figures by movie or series - and would launch with two waves. Wave 1 was a mixed wave, while a 2nd wave would be a special release for Rebels. It would finally complete the Ghost crew with the release of Zeb as a Deluxe figure. It would also repack the previous Rebels figures, updating those who predated face printing to an improved decor. In this review we will be taking a look at the re-released Ezra Bridger Packaging 3.5 Ezra Bridger is packed in the new for 2020 Galaxy Collection (Phase 4) packaging. It retains the exact same dimensions as the previous box but now has a cut in angled side spine on the right hand side. Here we have character specific artwork with a specific colour hue running through it which is unique to Rebels. The artwork links in to previous and future releases and allows boxed collectors to display these at an angle to create a large montage of images. The image for Ezra shows him in his Season 1 look and like the figure he has been converted into a more realistic styling with his ignited lightsaber held aloft. To the top you can see a large Purgill swimming across the sky - a theme in the larger Rebels montage. For some reason, and this is disappointing considering I ordered the full wave and the key theme of this packaging is the montage, my Ezra artwork has a different base colour to all the others. In stands out with more brown in the background vs the grey on other characters. The purple hue for rebels continues throughout the box with a purple stripe running under the window on the front, where it is confirmed this is a Star Wars Rebels release. Under this is the character name, also in purple. The stripe then continues round the left hand side where it angles upward and continues onto the back of the box where it provides a divider between the lower legal and safety text to the figure details above. The new figures still have a numbering system, which is now specific to the source material. Ezra is REB 03 and this numbering designation sits on the box reverse within the purple border stripe. Above this is another zoomed in version of the Ezra artwork and some top line background text in 4 languages. "With his introduction to the crew of the Ghost, a small band of rebels fighting back against the Empire, Ezra comes to believe that he can help change the galaxy for the better" The shape of the new packaging dictates the need for quite a lot of sealing tape on the top flap and the straight left hand spine - this does look messy against the duller black of the new box. It is easiest to extract Ezra via the base flap which is only held in with one piece of tape. The innards of the box slide out complete, including the window front which is part of the inner tray. Ezra is set against a plain grey neutral card back - there is no re-use of the purple here and this grey is consistent on all Galaxy Collection releases. Ezra, his helmet and lightsaber are held into the inner tray purely by the way it is shaped, there are no ties or straps to cut through or untangle and nothing is taped into place. Paint & Sculpt 3.0 Ezra is realized, as are all the rebels, in a real world style as opposed to the more stylistic animated approach we see on screen for Rebels. Ezra is based on his Season 1 appearance with the longer hair. The looks to be some influence in the sculpt from voice actor Taylor Gray, but not a full likeness. The overall result is certainly a likeness that is a match to what we see on screen, but it doesn't feel quite right for some reason? The proportions of the head may be off, as a 14 year old boy the head is perhaps too large for the shoulders and Ezra may have benefitted from being bulked out just a little. The face print does a good job of adding further realism to the sculpt with the eye detail and shading around the nose and mouth. The hair is OK but has a purple hue to it that again is translated off screen and maybe not fully real world if we assume Ezra is human as indicted and does not dye his hair. The costume is the Season 1 orange jumpsuit with brown over jacket and yellow trim. There is a lot of layers and detail to the outfit including the holster and belt as well as the shin guard on the right leg and the ripped and different colour trouser leg. The colours are bright and neatly applied and there are good details on smaller elements like the silver studs on the belt or the wrist device on the left arm. The back of the jacket carries the phoenix bird logo which is applied as a decal by the looks of things over a yellow circle. There is a lack of any weathering or dirt which I think would have helped with the "lived in galaxy" look for Ezra. The original Ezra figure was only released a year ago in 2019 as part of the Phase 3 line. This 2020 version is virtually identical to the older release aside from the usual minor paint variances we see from the factory. The 2020 version does have a less prominent Phoenix bird logo on the rear of the jacket and the 2019 version presents quite a bit brighter. The 2019 Ezra was relatively short packed and was in demand on the secondary market, while they could have given us an adjusted or variant Ezra - there should not be any issue in selling this one through with many collectors who missed out the first time round. Had Ezra been a peg warmer like Chopper on first release, then I would have been challenging the reason for a direct repack and not a variant such as an Imperial Cadet Disguise Ezra (wishful thinking) or even an adjusted helmet accessory and artwork. Accessories 3.5 Ezra comes with the Imperial Cadet training helmet which is cast n glossy bright white plastic. Over this are applied the various red panels, the black of the visor and the mouthpiece. The helmet is cast in a softer plastic and it fits over Ezra's head snugly for an alternative look for this Rebel. It is a pity we haven't been given the more striking Sabine painted version of the helmet as seen in Gathering Forces (Season 1) and for this repack - and as mentioned above - a new paint job or even a new helmet like the Biker Scout helmet he dons in later Seasons would have perhaps added a little more interest. The helmet fit being quite snug does mean there is a minor risk of paint rub and I have already seen a small patch of Ezra's hair rub off when the helmet has been applied. Use with caution. We also have Ezra's lightsaber / blaster. This duo weapon is made up of the hilt and a removable blue translucent blade. The lightsaber hilt is cast in a silver plastic with blue and black paint applications over the top. It is designed, as in the show, to be a blaster as well as a lightsaber and Ezra's right hand is sculpted to hold it so both functions can be achieved. They have given Ezra a trigger finger, while the weapon has no trigger as such. This is fine though as the trigger finger still sits behind the second part of the grip and is not sticking out like when a saber is being held as we have seen on some figures who use both blasters and sabers. There is a loop piece on the saber that fits onto a hook on the right side of Ezra's belt. This works ok, but whichever way round I place it - the saber hilt still wants to ride up at the bottom and tick out at an angle rather than laying flat. Either the hook or most likely the loop needed to be a touch larger. Articulation 3.0 Ezra, despite being a smaller figure base, still weighs in with a strong articulation count of 17 points. Head : ball joint neck, ball joint neck base Body : ball joint torso Arms : ball joint shoulder, single joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker This is one more than the standard articulation for a Black Series figure with the addition of a two part neck articulation which joints the neck top and bottom and removes the unsightly pivot. This doesn't work overly well for Ezra as the bottom joint is held in place by his collar but I am glad to see the back of the neck pivot. All the joints work well apart from the ankle rockers and this makes Ezra difficult to stand. For some reason the rocker is blocked at the flattest part of the foot by the sculpt of the trousers on the left leg. This is made worse by some very springy hips that don't want to move without springing back into a neutral position. This makes balancing Ezra on both feet a challenge - not impossible, but frustrating at times. These issues existed on the 2019 version, but the springy hips does appear much more significant this time round. Many of us will need to drop Ezra onto a foot peg stand to help him pose. Summary If you bought the 2019 Ezra and are not a boxed collector who wants the full montage the Rebels wave provides via the side artwork - then this figure is an easy pass. Like Chopper, it does not expand on or improve the previous release at all. The packaging is impressive and the thought process on the side angled artwork starts to become clear when you see it and are able to display either face on with both figure and art on show, or side on at an angle with the artwork only. They do need to sort out the amount of tape being used which looks unsightly. The figure itself has been converted quite well to a real world style although taking another good look at the figure this time round has left me questioning the proportions a little fo head vs body. The outfit might have benefitted from some weathering - but that is often a comment I make with any Black Series release, although more recent figures like Cad Bane and Hondo are seeing a shift to that extra little enhancement. I score Ezra Bridger an above average 3.0 with the biggest issue being the stability of the figure with those springy hips that do not seem to want to move and stay posed and the ankle rocker configuration. Visit our Star Wars Black Series Database for more Figures, News & Reviews action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, rebels, zeb, ezra, kanan, hera, chopper, ahsoka, hasbr

Character Options and their PR team have announced a new raft of 5.5 inch Doctor Who Collector Sets heading to B&M Stores in the UK this Autumn. The sets do use the Summer 2020 sets as a base but adjust the figures to match likenesses in other stories. We start with a new set titled The Companions of the Third & Fourth Doctor which reissues the Sarah Jane Smith and Romana sculpts from the first 2020 set. Sarah Jane is now in her Monster of Peladon outfit, Romana I from Power of Kroll and Romana 2 from The Horns of Nimon. Sarah Jane retains the same jacket and head sculpt as the previous 2020 release, while the legs are updated to those from a Sarah Jane Adventures figure with boots. The same SJA legs with boots look to be used again for Romana I with the existing head and a new tunic wrap piece for the torso. Romana II features the same red jacket and trouser/boot combination as before but re-coloured and without the scarf. The Companions of the Third & Fourth Doctor set features new figures of Sarah and Romana 1 and 2 and spans the dates April 1974 to December 1979. This set includes Sarah Jane Smith in her outfit from 1974’s ‘Monster of Peladon’ story, Romana 1 in her outfit from December 1978’s ‘The Power of Kroll’ story and Romana 2 in her red outfit from the story ‘The Horns of Nimon’. The Friends of the Thirteenth Doctor Set sees new variants for Ryan and Yaz and now includes another version of Graham. These use the same three bodies as before with repainted options. The promo blurb does not specify the episodes - but my view is that Ryan is from The Ghost Monument (2018) albeit the jacket is much longer and bulkier than the one worn. Graham is from It Takes You Away (2018) and Yaz from Fugitive of the Judoon (2020). Staying with the ‘companion’ theme, is the Friends of the Thirteenth Doctor set with updated figures of companions Yasmin (Yaz) Khan, Graham O'Brien and Ryan Sinclair. These, most recent companions all feature in a brand new set of outfits inspired by their onscreen adventures. The next set is one to delight 4th Doctor fans, with a Terror of the Zygons set that includes the long awaited Fourth Doctor in Tam O' Shanter - a prototype often seen online, but never released. The Doctor will come with two UNIT Troopers, one being Benton and the other being a generic trooper where a moustache looks to have been added to the Mike Yates figure. The UNIT troopers now feature more accurate sub-machine guns. For many collectors, the arrival of the 1971 U.N.I.T Claws of Axos Set can’t be bettered but with the addition of the 1975 U.N.I.T Terror of the Zygons Set, Character Options has added what is possibly the most anticipated and eagerly awaited variant of the Fourth Doctor to the mix; decked out in his fetching tartan scarf and Tam ‘O’ Shanter hat. The set is completed by the addition of Sergeant John Benton, this time in camouflage fatigues and an additional U.N.I.T trooper, both with Sterling SMG machine guns as seen in the timeless 1975 story battling the shape shifting Zygons. Moving to the Doctor and TARDIS set for Autumn 2020, we have another 5th Doctor TARDIS taken from The Visitation. The set will come with the 5th Doctor who is wearing his hat. Next up is the updated release of the Fifth Doctor and TARDIS Set featuring detailing from February 1982’s ‘The Visitation’. The set comprises a crisp moulding of the Fifth Doctor with his floppy hat, while the TARDIS comes in a pristine blue livery. And we have two more Dalek Collector Sets to look forward to, and these Autumn releases seem to indicate a chronological plan to these sets. Up first is Set #3 which is taken from The Chase. We have a Chase Drone along with the Chase Guard - an adjusted version of the movie Dalek that has previously only been released as a Sound FX Dalek. “The Daleks’ Collector Set Number 3 comprises of a Twin Dalek Set and features the Daleks as seen fully in in 1965’s ‘The Chase’. This set features one of the ‘guest’ Daleks brought in from the Doctor Who and the Daleks film which appear in the Dalek Control room sequences of Episode 3 and one of the Standard silver drone Daleks. Set #4 is from The Dalek Master Plan and includes the Black Dalek and a standard Drone with flamethrower arm. "The Daleks’ Collector Set Number 4 features two Daleks as seen in The Dalek Master Plan from 1966. This set features the attractive Black Dalek with Grey shoulders, a silver neck bin and silver solar struts alongside one of the Silver Drones seen in the jungle sequences clearing foliage with a flame thrower device. I will be updating my Doctor Who Database shortly with these new set details. They should start to arrive in B&M Stores in the UK around the week commencing 5th of October. The UK price is not yet confirmed, previous pricing was £19.99 per set - but this may change. Like the last sets there will be US availability via Amazon and the Who Store North America. The US sales should start mid-October. Al Dewar, Character Options’ Creative Director, said. “This is another first for the Doctor Who line and good news for the fans in what has been a difficult year. We are delighted therefore to announce this full second wave of figures being released which has comes in addition to our recent Internet exclusive. “We were determined to give the fans something exciting and again hopefully we have genuinely surprised them with the new additions that have been coupled with some of our previous released figures. The inclusion of a new Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Romana 1 will hopefully surprise everyone in what is an astounding number of new figures this year and hopefully we will continue to exceed the expectations of fans and collectors alike.” 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,

It's Toddy Toy Tuesday and this week we saw Todd McFarlane unveil a full new wave of DC Multiverse figures. Arriving in January 2021 we have an Earth 11 Bryce Wayne The Drowned Batman complete with her Trident. She will be joined in the wave by Red Son Superman. We have a new Damian Wayne Robin with sword and shuriken accessories. And the the four figure wave concludes with Death Metal Batman, complete with scythe. His Motorbike was already revealed a couple of weeks back, but with that long sculpted coat I can't see how Batman will actually ride the bike?

In 2020, Hasbro announced a new packaging format for the Star Wars Black Series. This Phase 4 packaging would be called the Galaxy Collection. This new format would group figures by movie or series - and would launch with two waves. Wave 1 was a mixed wave, while a 2nd wave would be a special release for Rebels. It would finally complete the Ghost crew with the release of Zeb as a Deluxe figure. It would also repack the previous Rebels figures, updating those who predated face printing to an improved decor. In this review we will be taking a look at the re-release for Chopper Packaging 4.0 Chopper is packed in the new for 2020 Galaxy Collection (Phase 4) packaging. It retains the exact same dimensions as the previous box but now has a cut in angled side spine on the right hand side. Here we have character specific artwork with a specific colour hue running through it which is unique to Rebels. The artwork links in to previous and future releases and allows boxed collectors to display these at an angle to create a large montage of images. The image for Chopper shows him taking off with his rocket booster with his various manipulator arms extended. To the top you can see some Purrgils swimming across the sky. The purple hue for rebels continues throughout the box with a purple strip running under the window on the front, where it is confirmed this is a Star Wars Rebels release. Under this is the character name, also in purple. The stripe then continues round the left hand side where it angles upward and continues onto the back of the box where it provides a divider between the lower legal and safety text to the figure details above. The new figures still have a numbering system, which is now specific to the source material. Chopper is REB 02 and this numbering designation sits on the box reverse within the purple border stripe. Above this is another zoomed in version of the Chopper artwork and some top line background text in 4 languages. "Chopper is the resident droid of the Ghost, assisting the crew in everything from ship maintenance to combat, even though he doesn't always want to." The shape of the new packaging dictates the need for quite a lot of sealing tape on the top flap and the straight left hand spine - this does look messy against the duller black of the new box. It is easiest to extract Chopper via the base flap which is only held in with one piece of tape. The innards of the box slide out complete, including the window front which is part of the inner tray. Chopper is set against a plain grey neutral card back - there is no re-use of the purple here and this grey is consistent on all Galaxy Collection releases. Chopper and the various accessories are held into the inner tray purely by the way it is shaped, there are no ties or straps to cut through or untangle. Paint & Sculpt 4.0 As with all the Rebels and Clone Wars figures to date, Chopper has been converted from an animated style to a real world equivalent. Essentially the droid we saw fleetingly in Rogue One. He remains squat and with that angular head and large communications antenna on top. The colours are not muted too much from the show, with a bright orange dome trimmed in yellow and some green and yellow patchwork on the body and legs. There is also some nicely applied weathering and dirt around the body - giving him some character and age. In terms of scale, we can only go off what we see on screen - and therefore if you use the episode Droids in Distress as a guide, then Chopper is indeed the right scale alongside a Black Series R2-D2. Of course there is the long held view that the R2 itself is undersized. When we lineup Chopper with the other Rebels characters he remains in scale, coming up just short of Ezra's waist - the same height as we see him in the show. Chopper was only released for the first time in 2019 as part of the Phase 3 releases and this new 2020 version is virtually identical when compared side by side. The sculpt is the same and the colour pallet identical to the naked eye. There are some variances in the application of the weathering splashes. Accessories 3.5 Chopper is packed with the exact same accessories as first time round. Other than the box, there is nothing included to tempt collectors to repurchase Chopper. With him being such a small figure with limited articulation, Hasbro has tried to pack in a sufficient value into the release and this starts with his central leg. In previous astromechs this has been a permanent piece that retracts with a turn of the dome. For Chopper it is a slot in piece that can then be adjusted to the height needed to position all three points to the floor as Chopper rolls around. This central leg does include a working castor wheel. Chopper, as we know from "The Forgotten Droid", has two odd legs. Hasbro has packed an alternative version of his left leg in the box if you wish to amend his look. The legs pop off from a socket on the body and the new one clips in place. This new leg is painted and weathered like the rest of the droid and is a good match when installed. The final accessory is a two part piece that is designed to show Chopper in flight using his rocket booster. You first slip a smaller piece into the central hole we were using earlier for the central leg. This flame piece, cast in translucent orange, then slots into a wider base piece that is cast in the same translucent plastic to look like Chopper is taking off. FX pieces like this are not everyone's cup of tea - but for me this works and gives Chopper a bit of focus on display if you choose to pose him in this flight position. Articulation 3.0 Chopper has 10 points of articulation through his astromech body. This is comparable with the R2 sculpt but lacks the ability to extend the inner leg which has been engineered as the swap out accessory instead. Head : swivel head, two part extending claw arms Body : two part extending manipulator arm Legs : jointed hip, jointed ankle While the head and legs are standard, and expected on this type of droid, the other elements are well designed and thought through. The two arms on the dome extend out then bend to create the claw arms Chopper often brandishes in the show. And similarly the manipulator arm folds out and then articulates on a second joint along its length. While not articulation as such, the droids legs do carry two small wheels each to aid rolling him around if you wish. Summary Chopper, as he was in 2019, is a solid release with plenty of added value by means of the diorama stand. The issue is that he is less than a year old, and we are getting the exact same figure again in a new box. I do like the new artwork and approach to segmenting and numbering by films, and can see how the angled side allows a figure to be displayed face on while still showing the figure and the artwork. While most of the other re-released Rebels figures are getting a face print makeover, there is little to incentivise non-boxed collectors to pick this one up - and perhaps Hasbro have missed a trick by not looking to Choppers various paint-job disguises in the show to give us a variant like his black Imperial disguise, or the cool Yellow paint job he got in "In the Name of the Rebellion". If you don't have him yet, then he is worth picking up. If you are a boxed collector and want the full set of Rebels with the artwork, then you will have to pick him up - most likely begrudgingly. Everyone else, if you have the original then this one brings nothing new to the table. I give the 2020 release of Chopper a final score of 3.5. Visit our Star Wars Black Series Database for more Figures, News & Reviews action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, rebels, zeb, ezra, kanan, hera, chopper, ahsoka, hasbro